Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method and a communication apparatus. In the solution, by means of adjusting the transmission of a first service flow and / or a second service flow, a synchronous delay requirement is met between the first service flow and the second service flow, thereby ensuring the user experience of a service application. Moreover, the transmission delays are each an end-to-end delay between a transmission server and a transmission client, and the transmission delays can more accurately reflect whether the synchronous delay requirement is met between different service flows, and thus user requirements can be better met, and the user experience can be improved.

Description

Communication method and communication device

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on February 7, 2024, with application number 202410175999.7 and invention name "Communication Method and Communication Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

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

[0004] Currently, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has defined multimodal business scenarios, which refer to business scenarios that require synchronization of data transmission between multiple business flows. Multimodal business scenarios include, for example, virtual reality (VR) scenarios, augmented reality (AR) scenarios, extended reality (XR) scenarios, or gaming scenarios, etc. The input or output of a multimodal application consists of multiple business flows, where a business flow may include at least two of video data, audio data, sensor data (such as ambient brightness, ambient temperature, etc.), or tactile data (such as controller vibration in gaming scenarios, etc.).

[0005] In the transmission of multimodal service flows, the difference in the time it takes for data from different service flows to reach the application client may exceed the synchronization delay threshold, seriously affecting the user experience of multimodal applications, such as causing service lag and user dizziness. Ensuring that the transmission of multiple service flows in multimodal service scenarios meets the synchronization delay requirements is a current problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and a communication device to ensure that the transmission of multiple business flows meets the synchronization delay requirements.

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by a communication device or a module (such as a chip) for a communication device. The communication device can be a transmission client or a transmission server. The method includes: determining a first transmission delay of a first service flow and a second transmission delay of a second service flow, wherein the first transmission delay is the delay for the first data packet of the first service flow to be transmitted from the transmission server to the transmission client, and the second transmission delay is the delay for the second data packet of the second service flow to be transmitted from the transmission server to the transmission client; the first service flow and the second service flow are associated data flows; based on the first transmission delay, the second transmission delay and the synchronization delay requirement, determining the QoS requirement of the first service flow sent to the core network element and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow sent to the core network element; or determining the packet sending time information of the first service flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second service flow; wherein the synchronization delay requirement is used to indicate the synchronization delay relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow.

[0008] The above solution adjusts the transmission of the first and / or second service flows to ensure that the synchronization delay requirements are met between the first and second service flows, thereby ensuring a better user experience for service applications. Furthermore, transmission delay, which is the end-to-end delay between the transmission server and the transmission client, more accurately reflects whether the synchronization delay requirements are met between different service flows, thereby better meeting user needs and improving the user experience.

[0009] In one possible implementation method, the communication device is the transmission server; the method also includes: recording a first sending time of the first data packet and a second sending time of the second data packet, the first sending time being the time when the transmission server sends the first data packet to the transmission client, and the second sending time being the time when the transmission server sends the second data packet to the transmission client; sending the first data packet and the second data packet to the transmission client; receiving a first receiving time of the first data packet and a second receiving time of the second data packet from the transmission client, the first receiving time being the time when the transmission client receives the first data packet, and the second receiving time being the time when the transmission client receives the second data packet; determining the first transmission delay based on the first sending time and the first receiving time; and determining the second transmission delay based on the second sending time and the second receiving time.

[0010] In a possible implementation method, the method also includes: determining first association information and second association information, wherein the first association information is used to indicate the association relationship of multiple business flows between the transmission server and the application server, and the multiple business flows between the transmission server and the application server include the first business flow and the second business flow; the second association information is used to indicate the association relationship of multiple business flows between the transmission server and the transmission client, and the multiple business flows between the transmission server and the transmission client include the first business flow and the second business flow; and establishing a mapping relationship between the first association information and the second association information.

[0011] In the above solution, the first association information can be used to associate multiple service flows between the transmission server and the application server. Subsequently, the transmission server can identify which service flows are associated based on the first association information, thereby accurately identifying associated service flows. Furthermore, the second association information can be used to associate multiple service flows between the transmission server and the transmission client. The transmission server then sends the second association information to the transmission client. Based on the second association information, the transmission client can identify which service flows requested by the application client are associated, thereby accurately identifying associated service flows.

[0012] In a possible implementation method, the method also includes: sending the second association information and / or receiving time feedback indication to the transmission client, and the receiving time feedback indication is used to indicate the recording and feedback of the receiving time of the data packets of the first business flow and the second business flow.

[0013] In one possible implementation method, the first association information includes the first interface address corresponding to the first business flow, the first interface address corresponding to the second business flow, and a first association indication, and the first association indication is used to indicate that the first business flow and the second business flow have an association relationship; or, the first association information includes the correspondence between the first interface address corresponding to the first business flow and the first association identifier, and the correspondence between the first interface address corresponding to the second business flow and the first association identifier; wherein, the first interface address corresponding to the first business flow includes the address of the first business flow on the application server side and / or the address of the first business flow on the transmission server side; the first interface address corresponding to the second business flow includes the address of the second business flow on the application server side and / or the address of the second business flow on the transmission server side.

[0014] In one possible implementation method, the second association information includes the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow, the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow, and a second association indication, and the second association indication is used to indicate that the first business flow and the second business flow have an association relationship; or, the second association information includes the correspondence between the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow and the second association identifier, and the correspondence between the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow and the second association identifier; wherein, the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow includes the address of the first business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the first business flow on the transmission server side; the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow includes the address of the second business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the second business flow on the transmission server side.

[0015] In one possible implementation method, the method also includes: sending a request message to the core network network element, the request message including the QoS requirement of the first service flow and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow, the request message being used to request QoS guarantee for the first service flow based on the QoS requirement of the first service flow, and / or QoS guarantee for the second service flow based on the QoS requirement of the second service flow.

[0016] In the above scheme, after determining the QoS requirements of the first service flow and / or the QoS requirements of the second service flow, the transmission server notifies the core network network element to adjust the transmission delay of the first service flow based on the QoS requirements of the first service flow, and / or adjust the transmission delay of the second service flow based on the QoS requirements of the second service flow, so that after the adjustment, the first service flow and the second service flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring the user experience.

[0017] In one possible implementation method, when the request message includes the QoS requirement of the first business flow, the request message also includes description information of the first business flow; or, when the request message includes the QoS requirement of the second business flow, the request message also includes description information of the second business flow; or, when the request message includes the QoS requirement of the first business flow and the QoS requirement of the second business flow, the request message also includes description information of the first business flow and description information of the second business flow; wherein, the description information of the first business flow is the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow, and the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow includes the address of the first business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the first business flow on the transmission server side; the description information of the second business flow is the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow, and the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow includes the address of the second business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the second business flow on the transmission server side.

[0018] In one possible implementation method, the packet sending time information of the first business flow is used to indicate the adjustment method of the packet sending time of the data packet of the first business flow, and the packet sending time information of the second business flow is used to indicate the adjustment method of the packet sending time of the data packet of the second business flow.

[0019] In a possible implementation method, the method also includes: sending a first message to the application server, the first message including the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow, the first message being used to notify the application server to adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the first business flow based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow, and / or adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the second business flow based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow.

[0020] In the above scheme, after determining the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow, the transmission server notifies the application server to send the data packet of the first business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or to send the data packet of the second business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow, so that after adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring the user experience.

[0021] In a possible implementation method, when the first message includes the packet sending time information of the first business flow, the request message also includes description information of the first business flow, and the description information of the first business flow is the first interface address corresponding to the first business flow; or, when the first message includes the packet sending time information of the second business flow, the request message also includes description information of the second business flow, and the description information of the second business flow is the first interface address corresponding to the second business flow; or, when the first message includes the packet sending time information of the first business flow and the packet sending time information of the second business flow, the request message also includes description information of the first business flow and description information of the second business flow, the description information of the first business flow is the first interface address corresponding to the first business flow, and the description information of the second business flow is the first interface address corresponding to the second business flow; wherein, the first interface address corresponding to the first business flow includes the address of the first business flow on the transmission server side and / or the address of the first business flow on the application server side; the first interface address corresponding to the second business flow includes the address of the second business flow on the transmission server and / or the address of the second business flow on the application server side.

[0022] In a possible implementation method, the method also includes: adjusting the packet sending time of the data packet of the first business flow according to the packet sending time information of the first business flow; and / or adjusting the packet sending time of the data packet of the second business flow according to the packet sending time information of the second business flow.

[0023] In the above scheme, after determining the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow, the transmission server sends the data packet of the first business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or sends the data packet of the second business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow, so that after adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring user experience.

[0024] In one possible implementation method, the packet sending time information of the first business flow includes the cache time of the first business flow, and the cache time of the first business flow is used to indicate the cache time of the data packet of the first business flow; the packet sending time information of the second business flow includes the cache time of the second business flow, and the cache time of the second business flow is used to indicate the cache time of the data packet of the second business flow.

[0025] In a possible implementation method, the method also includes: sending a second message to the transmission client, the second message including the cache time of the first business flow and / or the cache time of the second business flow, the second message being used to notify the transmission client to cache the data packets of the first business flow based on the cache time of the first business flow, and / or cache the data packets of the second business flow based on the cache time of the second business flow.

[0026] In the above scheme, after determining the cache time of the first business flow and / or the cache time of the second business flow, the transmission server notifies the transmission client to postpone sending the data packets of the first business flow based on the cache time of the first business flow and / or postpone sending the data packets of the second business flow based on the cache time of the second business flow, so that after adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring user experience.

[0027] In a possible implementation method, when the second message includes the cache time of the first business flow, the request message also includes description information of the first business flow; or, when the second message includes the cache time of the second business flow, the request message also includes description information of the second business flow; or, when the second message includes the cache time of the first business flow and the cache time of the second business flow, the request message also includes description information of the first business flow and description information of the second business flow; wherein the description information of the first business flow is the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow, or the first flow identifier corresponding to the first business flow between the transmission server and the transmission client; the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow includes the address of the first business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the first business flow on the transmission server side; the description information of the second business flow is the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow, or the second flow identifier corresponding to the second business flow between the transmission server and the transmission client; the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow includes the address of the second business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the second business flow on the transmission server side. In one possible implementation method, the method further includes: caching data packets of the first business flow according to the cache time of the first business flow; and / or caching data packets of the second business flow according to the cache time of the second business flow.

[0028] In the above scheme, after determining the cache time of the first business flow and / or the cache time of the second business flow, the transmission server postpones sending the data packet of the first business flow based on the cache time of the first business flow and / or postpones sending the data packet of the second business flow based on the cache time of the second business flow, so that after adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow satisfy the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring user experience.

[0029] In one possible implementation method, the communication device is the transmission client; the method also includes: receiving the first data packet and the second data packet from the transmission server; obtaining a first sending time of the first data packet from the first data packet and obtaining a second sending time of the second data packet from the second data packet, the first sending time being the time when the transmission server sends the first data packet to the transmission client, and the second sending time being the time when the transmission server sends the second data packet to the transmission client; recording a first receiving time of the first data packet and a second receiving time of the second data packet, the first receiving time being the time when the transmission client receives the first data packet, and the second receiving time being the time when the transmission client receives the second data packet; determining the first transmission delay based on the first sending time and the first receiving time; and determining the second transmission delay based on the second sending time and the second receiving time.

[0030] In a possible implementation method, the method further includes: receiving a reception time record indication from the transmission server, wherein the reception time record indication is used to indicate the reception time of the data packets of the first business flow and the second business flow.

[0031] In a possible implementation method, the method also includes: receiving second association information from the transmission server, the second association information is used to indicate the association relationship between multiple business flows between the transmission server and the transmission client, and the multiple business flows between the transmission server and the transmission client include the first business flow and the second business flow.

[0032] In one possible implementation method, the second association information includes the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow, the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow, and a second association indication, wherein the second association indication is used to indicate that the first business flow and the second business flow have an association relationship; or, the second association information includes the correspondence between the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow and the second association identifier, and the correspondence between the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow and the second association identifier; wherein the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow includes the address of the first business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the first business flow on the transmission server side; the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow includes the address of the second business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the second business flow on the transmission server side.

[0033] In a possible implementation method, the method further includes: sending the QoS requirement of the first service flow and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow to the transmission server.

[0034] In the above scheme, after determining the QoS requirements of the first business flow and / or the QoS requirements of the second business flow, the transmission client sends the QoS requirements of the first business flow and / or the QoS requirements of the second business flow to the transmission server, and then the transmission server notifies the core network network element to adjust the transmission delay of the first business flow based on the QoS requirements of the first business flow, and / or adjust the transmission delay of the second business flow based on the QoS requirements of the second business flow, so that after the adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring the user experience.

[0035] In one possible implementation method, the packet sending time information of the first business flow is used to indicate the adjustment method of the packet sending time of the data packet of the first business flow, and the packet sending time information of the second business flow is used to indicate the adjustment method of the packet sending time of the data packet of the second business flow.

[0036] In a possible implementation method, the method further includes: sending the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow to the transmission server.

[0037] In the above scheme, after determining the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow, the transmission client sends the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow to the transmission server. The transmission server can notify the application server to send the data packet of the first business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or send the data packet of the second business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow, or the transmission server sends the data packet of the first business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or sends the data packet of the second business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow, so that after adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring the user experience.

[0038] In one possible implementation method, the packet sending time information of the first business flow includes the cache time of the first business flow, and the cache time of the first business flow is used to indicate the cache time of the data packet of the first business flow; the packet sending time information of the second business flow includes the cache time of the second business flow, and the cache time of the second business flow is used to indicate the cache time of the data packet of the second business flow.

[0039] In a possible implementation method, the method further includes: sending the cache time of the first service flow and / or the cache time of the second service flow to the transmission server.

[0040] In the above scheme, after determining the cache time of the first business flow and / or the cache time of the second business flow, the transmission client sends the cache time of the first business flow and / or the cache time of the second business flow to the transmission server. The transmission server postpones sending the data packet of the first business flow based on the cache time of the first business flow and / or postpones sending the data packet of the second business flow based on the cache time of the second business flow, so that after adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow satisfy the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring user experience.

[0041] In one possible implementation method, the method further includes: caching data packets of the first business flow according to the cache time of the first business flow; and / or caching data packets of the second business flow according to the cache time of the second business flow.

[0042] In the above scheme, after determining the cache time of the first business flow and / or the cache time of the second business flow, the transmission client postpones sending the data packet of the first business flow based on the cache time of the first business flow and / or postpones sending the data packet of the second business flow based on the cache time of the second business flow, so that after adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring user experience.

[0043] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a communication device or a module (such as a chip) for a communication device. The communication device can be a transmission client or a transmission server. The method includes: determining a first reception time of a first service flow and a second reception time of a second service flow, the first reception time being the time when the transmission client receives a first data packet of the first service flow from the transmission server, and the second reception time being the time when the transmission client receives a second data packet of the second service flow from the transmission server; the first service flow and the second service flow are associated data flows; based on the first reception time, the second reception time and the synchronization delay requirement, determining the QoS requirement of the first service flow sent to the core network element and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow sent to the core network element; or determining the packet sending time information of the first service flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second service flow; wherein the synchronization delay requirement is used to indicate the synchronization delay relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow.

[0044] The above solution adjusts the transmission of the first business flow and / or the second business flow so that the synchronization delay requirement between the first business flow and the second business flow is met, thereby ensuring the user experience of the business application.

[0045] In one possible implementation method, the communication device is the transmission server; the method also includes: sending the first data packet and the second data packet to the transmission client; receiving the first reception time of the first data packet and the second reception time of the second data packet from the transmission client.

[0046] In a possible implementation method, the method also includes: determining first association information and second association information, wherein the first association information is used to indicate the association relationship of multiple business flows between the transmission server and the application server, and the multiple business flows between the transmission server and the application server include the first business flow and the second business flow; the second association information is used to indicate the association relationship of multiple business flows between the transmission server and the transmission client, and the multiple business flows between the transmission server and the transmission client include the first business flow and the second business flow; and establishing a mapping relationship between the first association information and the second association information.

[0047] In the above solution, the first association information can be used to associate multiple service flows between the transmission server and the application server. Subsequently, the transmission server can identify which service flows are associated based on the first association information, thereby accurately identifying associated service flows. Furthermore, the second association information can be used to associate multiple service flows between the transmission server and the transmission client. The transmission server then sends the second association information to the transmission client. Based on the second association information, the transmission client can identify which service flows requested by the application client are associated, thereby accurately identifying associated service flows.

[0048] In a possible implementation method, the method also includes: sending the second association information and / or receiving time feedback indication to the transmission client, and the receiving time feedback indication is used to indicate the recording and feedback of the receiving time of the data packets of the first business flow and the second business flow.

[0049] In one possible implementation method, the first association information includes the first interface address corresponding to the first business flow, the first interface address corresponding to the second business flow, and a first association indication, and the first association indication is used to indicate that the first business flow and the second business flow have an association relationship; or, the first association information includes the correspondence between the first interface address corresponding to the first business flow and the first association identifier, and the correspondence between the first interface address corresponding to the second business flow and the first association identifier; wherein, the first interface address corresponding to the first business flow includes the address of the first business flow on the application server side and / or the address of the first business flow on the transmission server side; the first interface address corresponding to the second business flow includes the address of the second business flow on the application server side and / or the address of the second business flow on the transmission server side.

[0050] In one possible implementation method, the second association information includes the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow, the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow, and a second association indication, and the second association indication is used to indicate that the first business flow and the second business flow have an association relationship; or, the second association information includes the correspondence between the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow and the second association identifier, and the correspondence between the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow and the second association identifier; wherein, the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow includes the address of the first business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the first business flow on the transmission server side; the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow includes the address of the second business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the second business flow on the transmission server side.

[0051] In one possible implementation method, the method also includes: sending a request message to the core network network element, the request message including the QoS requirement of the first service flow and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow, the request message being used to request QoS guarantee for the first service flow based on the QoS requirement of the first service flow, and / or QoS guarantee for the second service flow based on the QoS requirement of the second service flow.

[0052] In the above scheme, after determining the QoS requirements of the first service flow and / or the QoS requirements of the second service flow, the transmission server notifies the core network network element to adjust the transmission delay of the first service flow based on the QoS requirements of the first service flow, and / or adjust the transmission delay of the second service flow based on the QoS requirements of the second service flow, so that after the adjustment, the first service flow and the second service flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring the user experience.

[0053] In one possible implementation method, when the request message includes the QoS requirement of the first business flow, the request message also includes description information of the first business flow; or, when the request message includes the QoS requirement of the second business flow, the request message also includes description information of the second business flow; or, when the request message includes the QoS requirement of the first business flow and the QoS requirement of the second business flow, the request message also includes description information of the first business flow and description information of the second business flow; wherein, the description information of the first business flow is the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow, and the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow includes the address of the first business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the first business flow on the transmission server side; the description information of the second business flow is the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow, and the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow includes the address of the second business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the second business flow on the transmission server side.

[0054] In one possible implementation method, the packet sending time information of the first business flow is used to indicate the adjustment method of the packet sending time of the data packet of the first business flow, and the packet sending time information of the second business flow is used to indicate the adjustment method of the packet sending time of the data packet of the second business flow.

[0055] In a possible implementation method, the method also includes: sending a first message to the application server, the first message including the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow, the first message being used to notify the application server to adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the first business flow based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow, and / or adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the second business flow based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow.

[0056] In the above scheme, after determining the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow, the transmission server notifies the application server to send the data packet of the first business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or to send the data packet of the second business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow, so that after adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring the user experience.

[0057] In a possible implementation method, when the first message includes the packet sending time information of the first business flow, the request message also includes description information of the first business flow, and the description information of the first business flow is the first interface address corresponding to the first business flow; or, when the first message includes the packet sending time information of the second business flow, the request message also includes description information of the second business flow, and the description information of the second business flow is the first interface address corresponding to the second business flow; or, when the first message includes the packet sending time information of the first business flow and the packet sending time information of the second business flow, the request message also includes description information of the first business flow and description information of the second business flow, the description information of the first business flow is the first interface address corresponding to the first business flow, and the description information of the second business flow is the first interface address corresponding to the second business flow; wherein, the first interface address corresponding to the first business flow includes the address of the first business flow on the transmission server side and / or the address of the first business flow on the application server side; the first interface address corresponding to the second business flow includes the address of the second business flow on the transmission server and / or the address of the second business flow on the application server side.

[0058] In a possible implementation method, the method also includes: adjusting the packet sending time of the data packet of the first business flow according to the packet sending time information of the first business flow; and / or adjusting the packet sending time of the data packet of the second business flow according to the packet sending time information of the second business flow.

[0059] In the above scheme, after determining the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow, the transmission server sends the data packet of the first business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or sends the data packet of the second business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow, so that after adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring user experience.

[0060] In one possible implementation method, the packet sending time information of the first business flow includes the cache time of the first business flow, and the cache time of the first business flow is used to indicate the cache time of the data packet of the first business flow; the packet sending time information of the second business flow includes the cache time of the second business flow, and the cache time of the second business flow is used to indicate the cache time of the data packet of the second business flow.

[0061] In a possible implementation method, the method also includes: sending a second message to the transmission client, the second message including the cache time of the first business flow and / or the cache time of the second business flow, the second message being used to notify the transmission client to cache the data packets of the first business flow based on the cache time of the first business flow, and / or cache the data packets of the second business flow based on the cache time of the second business flow.

[0062] In the above scheme, after determining the cache time of the first business flow and / or the cache time of the second business flow, the transmission server notifies the transmission client to postpone sending the data packets of the first business flow based on the cache time of the first business flow and / or postpone sending the data packets of the second business flow based on the cache time of the second business flow, so that after adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring user experience.

[0063] In a possible implementation method, when the second message includes the cache time of the first business flow, the request message also includes description information of the first business flow; or, when the second message includes the cache time of the second business flow, the request message also includes description information of the second business flow; or, when the second message includes the cache time of the first business flow and the cache time of the second business flow, the request message also includes description information of the first business flow and description information of the second business flow; wherein the description information of the first business flow is the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow, or the first flow identifier corresponding to the first business flow between the transmission server and the transmission client; the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow includes the address of the first business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the first business flow on the transmission server side; the description information of the second business flow is the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow, or the second flow identifier corresponding to the second business flow between the transmission server and the transmission client; the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow includes the address of the second business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the second business flow on the transmission server side.

[0064] In one possible implementation method, the method further includes: caching data packets of the first business flow according to the cache time of the first business flow; and / or caching data packets of the second business flow according to the cache time of the second business flow.

[0065] In the above scheme, after determining the cache time of the first business flow and / or the cache time of the second business flow, the transmission server postpones sending the data packet of the first business flow based on the cache time of the first business flow and / or postpones sending the data packet of the second business flow based on the cache time of the second business flow, so that after adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow satisfy the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring user experience.

[0066] In one possible implementation method, the communication device is the transmission client; the method also includes: receiving the first data packet and the second data packet from the transmission server; recording the first reception time of the first data packet and the second reception time of the second data packet.

[0067] In a possible implementation method, the method further includes: receiving a reception time record indication from the transmission server, wherein the reception time record indication is used to indicate the reception time of the data packets of the first business flow and the second business flow.

[0068] In a possible implementation method, the method also includes: receiving second association information from the transmission server, the second association information is used to indicate the association relationship between multiple business flows between the transmission server and the transmission client, and the multiple business flows between the transmission server and the transmission client include the first business flow and the second business flow.

[0069] In one possible implementation method, the second association information includes the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow, the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow, and a second association indication, wherein the second association indication is used to indicate that the first business flow and the second business flow have an association relationship; or, the second association information includes the correspondence between the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow and the second association identifier, and the correspondence between the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow and the second association identifier; wherein the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow includes the address of the first business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the first business flow on the transmission server side; the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow includes the address of the second business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the second business flow on the transmission server side.

[0070] In a possible implementation method, the method further includes: sending the QoS requirement of the first service flow and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow to the transmission server.

[0071] In the above scheme, after determining the QoS requirements of the first business flow and / or the QoS requirements of the second business flow, the transmission client sends the QoS requirements of the first business flow and / or the QoS requirements of the second business flow to the transmission server, and then the transmission server notifies the core network network element to adjust the transmission delay of the first business flow based on the QoS requirements of the first business flow, and / or adjust the transmission delay of the second business flow based on the QoS requirements of the second business flow, so that after the adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring the user experience.

[0072] In one possible implementation method, the packet sending time information of the first business flow is used to indicate the adjustment method of the packet sending time of the data packet of the first business flow, and the packet sending time information of the second business flow is used to indicate the adjustment method of the packet sending time of the data packet of the second business flow.

[0073] In a possible implementation method, the method further includes: sending the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow to the transmission server.

[0074] In the above scheme, after determining the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow, the transmission client sends the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow to the transmission server. The transmission server can notify the application server to send the data packet of the first business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or send the data packet of the second business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow, or the transmission server sends the data packet of the first business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or sends the data packet of the second business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow, so that after adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring the user experience.

[0075] In one possible implementation method, the packet sending time information of the first business flow includes the cache time of the first business flow, and the cache time of the first business flow is used to indicate the cache time of the data packet of the first business flow; the packet sending time information of the second business flow includes the cache time of the second business flow, and the cache time of the second business flow is used to indicate the cache time of the data packet of the second business flow.

[0076] In a possible implementation method, the method further includes: sending the cache time of the first service flow and / or the cache time of the second service flow to the transmission server.

[0077] In the above scheme, after determining the cache time of the first business flow and / or the cache time of the second business flow, the transmission client sends the cache time of the first business flow and / or the cache time of the second business flow to the transmission server. The transmission server postpones sending the data packet of the first business flow based on the cache time of the first business flow and / or postpones sending the data packet of the second business flow based on the cache time of the second business flow, so that after adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow satisfy the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring user experience.

[0078] In one possible implementation method, the method further includes: caching data packets of the first business flow according to the cache time of the first business flow; and / or caching data packets of the second business flow according to the cache time of the second business flow.

[0079] In the above scheme, after determining the cache time of the first business flow and / or the cache time of the second business flow, the transmission client postpones sending the data packet of the first business flow based on the cache time of the first business flow and / or postpones sending the data packet of the second business flow based on the cache time of the second business flow, so that after adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring user experience.

[0080] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a communication device or a module (such as a chip) for a communication device. The device has the function of implementing any of the implementation methods of the first to second aspects above. The function can be implemented by hardware or by executing corresponding software implementations through hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0081] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a unit or means for executing each step of any implementation method in the above-mentioned first to second aspects.

[0082] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the processor is configured to communicate with other devices via the interface circuit and execute any of the implementation methods in the first to second aspects above. The processor comprises one or more.

[0083] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor, the processor being configured to call a program to execute any of the implementation methods in the first to second aspects above. The processor may be one or more.

[0084] Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory, which is coupled to the processor and may be located inside or outside the device.

[0085] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor; when the device is running, the processor executes computer instructions to enable the device to execute any implementation method in the above-mentioned first to second aspects.

[0086] Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory for storing the computer instructions.

[0087] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are run by a communication device, any implementation method in the above-mentioned first to second aspects is executed.

[0088] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, which, when executed on a communication device, enables any implementation method in the above-mentioned first to second aspects to be executed.

[0089] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip system, comprising: a processor for executing any implementation method in the above-mentioned first to second aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0090] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a service-oriented architecture;

[0091] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the SEALDD service architecture;

[0092] FIG3( a ) is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0093] FIG3( b ) is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0094] 4 to 12 are flowcharts of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0095] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0096] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0097] To meet the challenges of wireless broadband technology and maintain the leading edge of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network, the 3GPP standards group has developed a next-generation mobile communications network system architecture, known as the fifth-generation (5G) network architecture. This architecture not only supports access to the 5G core network (CN) using 3GPP-defined radio access technologies (such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and 5G Radio Access Network (RAN)), but also supports access to the core network using non-3GPP access technologies via the non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF) or the next-generation packet data gateway (ngPDG).

[0098] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a service-oriented architecture. The 5G network architecture shown in Figure 1 may include access network equipment and core network equipment. Terminal equipment accesses the data network (DN) through access network equipment and core network equipment. The core network equipment includes but is not limited to some or all of the following network elements: authentication server function (AUSF) network element, unified data management (UDM) network element, unified data repository (UDR) network element, network repository function (NRF) network element, network exposure function (NEF) network element, application function (AF) network element, policy control function (PCF) network element, access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, session management function (SMF) network element, and user plane function (UPF) network element.

[0099] The terminal device can be user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a mobile terminal device, etc. The terminal device can be widely used in various scenarios, for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, an urban air vehicle (such as an unmanned aerial vehicle, a helicopter, etc.), a ship, a robot, a robotic arm, a smart home device, etc. For the sake of convenience, this application uses UE as an example of a terminal device for illustration, and any UE appearing in any subsequent position can be replaced by a terminal device.

[0100] Access network equipment can be wireless access network equipment or wired access network equipment. Wireless access network equipment includes 3GPP access network equipment, untrusted non-3GPP access network equipment, and trusted non-3GPP access network equipment. 3GPP access network equipment includes, but is not limited to, evolved NodeBs (eNodeBs) in LTE, next-generation NodeBs (gNBs) in 5G mobile communication systems, base stations in future mobile communication systems, or modules or units that perform some of the functions of base stations, such as centralized units (CUs) and distributed units (DUs). Untrusted non-3GPP access network equipment includes, but is not limited to, untrusted non-3GPP access gateways or N3IWFs, untrusted wireless local area network (WLAN) access points (APs), switches, and routers. Trusted non-3GPP access network equipment includes, but is not limited to, trusted non-3GPP access gateways, trusted WLAN APs, switches, and routers. Wired access network equipment includes, but is not limited to, wireline access gateways, fixed-line network equipment, switches, and routers. For ease of explanation, this application uses a base station as an example of an access network device, and any base station appearing at any subsequent location can be replaced by an access network device.

[0101] Base stations and UEs can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water; or in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of base stations and UEs.

[0102] The AMF network element performs functions such as mobility management and access authentication / authorization. It is also responsible for transferring user policies between the UE and the PCF.

[0103] The SMF network element includes functions such as performing session management, executing control policies issued by the PCF network element, selecting the UPF network element, or allocating the UE's Internet Protocol (IP) address.

[0104] The UPF network element includes functions such as user plane data forwarding, session / flow-level billing statistics, or bandwidth limitation.

[0105] UDM network elements include functions such as executing and managing contract data or user access authorization.

[0106] UDR includes functions for accessing data such as contract data, policy data, or application data.

[0107] NEF network element is used to support the opening of capabilities and events.

[0108] The AF network element communicates application-side requirements to the network, such as Quality of Service (QoS) requirements or user status event subscriptions. The AF can be a third-party functional entity or an application service deployed by an operator, such as the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) voice call service. AF network elements include those within the core network (i.e., the operator's AF network element) and third-party AF network elements (such as an enterprise's application server).

[0109] The PCF network element includes policy control functions such as billing for sessions and service flow levels, QoS bandwidth guarantee and mobility management, or UE policy decision-making. PCF network elements include access and mobility management policy control function (AM PCF) network element and session management policy control function (SM PCF) network element. Among them, the AM PCF network element is used to formulate AM policy and user policy for UE. The AM PCF network element can also be called a policy control network element that provides services for UE (PCF for a UE). The SM PCF network element is used to formulate session management policy (SMpolicy) for the session. The SM PCF network element can also be called a policy control network element that provides services for protocol data unit (PDU) sessions ((PCF for a PDU session))).

[0110] NRF network elements can be used to provide network element discovery functions, providing network element information corresponding to the network element type based on requests from other network elements. NRF network elements also provide network element management services, such as network element registration, update, deregistration, or network element status subscription and push.

[0111] The AUSF network element is responsible for authenticating users to determine whether users or devices are allowed to access the network.

[0112] A DN is a network located outside of a carrier network. A carrier network can connect to multiple DNs, and a variety of services can be deployed on the DN, providing UEs with data and / or voice services. For example, a DN is the private network of a smart factory. Sensors installed in the workshop can be UEs. The DN houses a control server for these sensors, which can provide services to the sensors. The sensors can communicate with the control server, receive instructions from the control server, and transmit collected sensor data to the control server based on the instructions. Another example is a DN that is a company's internal office network. An employee's mobile phone or computer can be a UE, allowing them to access information and data resources on the company's internal office network.

[0113] In Figure 1, Nausf, Npcf, Nudr, Nudm, Naf, Namf, Nsmf, Nnef, and Nnrf are the service-based interfaces (SBIs) provided by the aforementioned AUSF, PCF, UDR, UDM, AF, AMF, SMF, NEF, and NRF, respectively, and are used to invoke corresponding service-based operations. N1, N2, N3, N4, and N6 are interface serial numbers, and their meanings are as follows:

[0114] 1) N1: The interface between the AMF network element and the UE, which can be used to deliver non-access stratum (NAS) signaling (such as QoS rules from the AMF network element) to the UE.

[0115] 2) N2: The interface between the AMF network element and the base station, which can be used to transmit radio bearer control information from the core network side to the base station.

[0116] 3) N3: The interface between the base station and the UPF network element, mainly used to transmit uplink and downlink user plane data between the base station and the UPF network element.

[0117] 4) N4: The interface between the SMF network element and the UPF network element, which can be used to transmit information between the control plane and the user plane, including controlling the issuance of forwarding rules, QoS rules, traffic statistics rules, etc. for the user plane and reporting information on the user plane.

[0118] 5) N6: The interface between UPF network element and DN, used to transmit uplink and downlink user data flows between UPF network element and DN.

[0119] The various network function elements in the architecture shown in Figure 1 are connected through a service-based bus and interact through service-based interfaces. The advantages of the service-based bus are that it improves the flexibility, openness, scalability and intelligence of the network, and can support diverse business scenarios and needs. The service-based bus can be used to transmit various types of data and signaling. For example, it can be used to transmit real-time signaling that is sensitive to latency (such as service-based interface call signaling between network element function elements), it can also be used to transmit real-time data that is sensitive to latency (such as real-time artificial intelligence inference data), and it can also be used to transmit non-real-time data (such as offline artificial intelligence training data). Moreover, when the service-based bus transmits these data or signaling, these data or signaling are coupled together, that is, the service-based bus can be used for the transmission of real-time signaling, real-time data and non-real-time data at the same time.

[0120] It is understood that the above-mentioned network element or function can be a network element in a hardware device, a software function running on dedicated hardware, or a virtualized function instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). Optionally, the above-mentioned network element or function can be implemented by a single device, or by multiple devices, or can be a functional module within a single device, and this is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0121] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the SEALDD (Service Enabler Architecture Layer Data Delivery) service architecture. The SEAL (Service Enabler Architecture Layer) is also known as the SEALDD layer, SEALDD enhancement layer, or data transmission enhancement layer. For ease of explanation, it is referred to as the SEALDD layer in this disclosure.

[0122] The SEALDD layer can provide communication connection and data transmission functions to the Vertical Application Layer (VAL) applications, such as supporting the transmission of application / media data or signaling.

[0123] The SEALDD layer consists of a SEALDD client and a SEALDD server. The SEALDD client is deployed on the UE as software or a system component, and the SEALDD server is deployed as a standalone or integrated server between the UPF network element and the application server (AS), or between the UPF network element and the VAL server. Figure 2 illustrates the deployment between the UPF network element and the VAL server. Furthermore, the SEALDD server can be deployed in a distributed manner, i.e., multiple SEALDD servers, depending on the deployment of the UPF network element and the VAL server.

[0124] The VAL client is deployed on the UE as software or a system component. The VAL client communicates with the VAL server via the VAL-UU interface. The VAL client communicates with the SEALDD client via the SEALDD-C interface. User plane data is transmitted between the SEALDD client and the SEALDD server via the SEALDD-UU interface, which is carried over the user plane session established by the 3GPP network system. The SEALDD server communicates with the VAL server via the SEALDD-S interface. Two SEALDD servers interact with each other via the SEALDD-E interface, for example, to provide control plane context transfer and / or forward user plane data.

[0125] The SEALDD server can exchange control plane messages with the PCF network element via the N33 / N5 interface. The N5 interface is between the AF network element and the PCF network element, and the N33 interface is between the AF network element and the NEF network element. The AF network element can indirectly communicate with the PCF network element via the NEF network element. The SEALDD server can act as an AF network element, sending AF requests or subscription notifications to the PCF network element via the N33 / N5 interface. Furthermore, the SEALDD server can communicate user plane data with the UPF network element via the N6 interface.

[0126] For uplink data transmission, the VAL client transmits the data packet to the SEALDD client through the SEALDD-C interface. The SEALDD client encapsulates the data packet and sends it to the SEALDD server through the SEALDD-UU interface. The SEALDD server parses / decapsulates the data packet and sends it to the VAL server through the SEALDD-S interface.

[0127] For downlink data transmission, the VAL server transmits the data packet to the SEALDD server through the SEALDD-S interface. The SEALDD server encapsulates the data packet and sends it to the SEALDD client through the SEADD-UU interface. The SEALDD client parses / decapsulates the data packet and sends it to the VAL client through the SEALDD-C interface.

[0128] Currently, 3GPP defines multimodal business scenarios, which refer to business scenarios that require synchronization of data transmission between multiple business flows. Multimodal business scenarios include, for example, virtual reality (VR) scenarios, augmented reality (AR) scenarios, extended reality (XR) scenarios, or gaming scenarios, etc. The input or output of a multimodal application consists of multiple business flows, where a business flow may include at least two of video data, audio data, sensor data (such as ambient brightness, ambient temperature, etc.), or tactile data (such as controller vibration in gaming scenarios, etc.).

[0129] For multimodal service scenarios, users' immersive experience requires data from multiple data sources to be transmitted synchronously. To this end, 3GPP provides an example of the synchronization delay requirements between data sources, as shown in Table 1.

[0130] Table 1

[0131] According to Example 1, the synchronization delay requirement indicates that audio data can be received within 50ms later than haptic data. For example, the time at which the SEALDD client of the UE receives the audio data can be within 0-50ms of the time at which the SEALDD client of the UE receives the haptic data. According to Example 2, the synchronization delay requirement indicates that video data can be received within 15ms later than haptic data. For example, the time at which the SEALDD client of the UE receives the video data can be within 0-15ms of the time at which the SEALDD client of the UE receives the haptic data. According to Example 3, the synchronization delay requirement indicates that haptic data can be received within 25ms later than audio data. For example, the time at which the SEALDD client of the UE receives the haptic data can be within 0-25ms of the time at which the SEALDD client of the UE receives the audio data. According to Example 4, the synchronization delay requirement indicates that haptic data can be received within 50ms later than video data. For example, the time at which the SEALDD client of the UE receives the haptic data can be within 0-50ms of the time at which the SEALDD client of the UE receives the video data.

[0132] In the transmission of multimodal service flows, the difference in the time it takes for data from different service flows to arrive at the SEALDD client may exceed the synchronization delay threshold. For example, in Example 1, audio data may arrive more than 50ms later than tactile data, seriously affecting the user experience of multimodal applications, such as causing service lag and user dizziness. Therefore, how to ensure that the transmission of multiple data sources in multimodal service scenarios meets the synchronization delay requirements is currently a problem that needs to be solved.

[0133] To solve this problem, this application provides a corresponding solution, with specific reference to the embodiments of Figures 3(a) and 3(b) below. In the embodiments of Figures 3(a) and 3(b) below, the transmission server can be the SEALDD server described above or other servers used for transmission, the transmission client can be the SEALDD client described above or other clients used for transmission within the UE, the application server can be the VAL server described above or other servers used to generate service flows, and the application client can be the VAL client described above or other clients used for transmission within the UE.

[0134] Figure 3(a) is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method is executed by a communication device or a module (such as a chip) for a communication device. For ease of explanation, the following description uses a communication device executing the method as an example.

[0135] The method comprises the following steps:

[0136] In step 301a, the communication device determines a first transmission delay of a first service flow and a second transmission delay of a second service flow.

[0137] The communication device is a transmission server or a transmission client.

[0138] The first transmission delay is the delay for the first data packet of the first business flow to be transmitted from the transmission server to the transmission client, and the second transmission delay is the delay for the second data packet of the second business flow to be transmitted from the transmission server to the transmission client.

[0139] The first service flow and the second service flow are associated data flows. The associated data flows here refer to the first service flow and the second service flow being service flows of the same service.

[0140] Optionally, the first data packet of the first business flow and the second data packet of the second business flow are associated data packets. As an implementation method, the first data packet contains the first generation time of the first data packet, and the second data packet contains the second generation time of the second data packet. If the first generation time is the same as or similar to the second generation time (for example, the difference is less than a certain threshold), then the first data packet and the second data packet are associated data packets. The first generation time of the first data packet refers to the time when the application server generates the first data packet. For example, the application server can carry a Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) timestamp in the first data packet, and the RTP timestamp indicates the generation time of the first data packet. The second generation time of the second data packet refers to the time when the application server generates the second data packet. For example, the application server can carry an RTP timestamp in the second data packet, and the RTP timestamp indicates the generation time of the second data packet.

[0141] In one implementation method, a communication device measures the transmission delay of a first service flow and the transmission delay of a second service flow. For example, the communication device periodically measures the transmission delay of the first service flow and the second service flow, for example, measuring the transmission delay of the first service flow and the second service flow every 30 seconds. When the measurement period arrives, the communication device measures the data packet of the first service flow (for example, the first data packet) and measures the data packet of the second service flow (for example, the second data packet). In addition, it is necessary to ensure that the measurement period of the first service flow and the second service flow are the same, so as to ensure that the data packets of the first service flow and the data packets of the second service flow are sampled at the same time, and the transmission delay of the service flow is measured based on the data packets.

[0142] In another implementation, a communications device measures the transmission delay of a first service flow and the transmission delay of a second service flow. For example, the communications device measures associated packets of the first service flow and the second service flow, for example, where a first packet of the first service flow and a second packet of the second service flow are associated packets. The meaning of associated packets can be found in the aforementioned description.

[0143] To improve the accuracy of transmission delay measurement, time synchronization is required between the transmission server and the transmission client. If there is no time synchronization, the existing time synchronization mechanism can be used to achieve time synchronization before measuring the transmission delay, such as through the network timing protocol (NTP).

[0144] In step 302a, the communication device determines the QoS requirement of the first service flow sent to the core network element and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow sent to the core network element based on the first transmission delay, the second transmission delay, and the synchronization delay requirement; or, determines the packet sending time information of the first service flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second service flow.

[0145] The core network element may be a PCF network element, a NEF network element, or other network elements.

[0146] The synchronization delay requirement indicates the synchronization delay relationship between the first and second service flows, or can be understood as indicating the synchronization delay relationship that should be met between the first and second service flows. For example, the synchronization delay requirement specifically indicates that the difference between the time when the data packets of the first service flow arrive at the UE's application client and the time when the data packets of the second service flow arrive at the UE's application client should be less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold. If this synchronization delay relationship is not met, the transmission method of the first and / or second service flows needs to be adjusted to ensure that the synchronization delay relationship is met between the first and second service flows. When the synchronization delay relationship is met between the first and second service flows, the difference between the time when the data packets of the first service flow arrive at the UE's application client and the time when the data packets of the second service flow arrive at the UE's application client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold. The user plane path for the data packets of the first and second service flows is: application server -> transmission server -> UPF network element -> base station -> UE's transmission client -> UE's application client.

[0147] In one implementation method, before the above step 302a, the communication device further determines that the first service flow and the second service flow do not satisfy the synchronization delay relationship, and then the communication device executes step 302a.

[0148] In one implementation method, the above step 302a includes: the communication device determines the QoS requirement of the first service flow sent to the core network network element and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow sent to the core network network element, and the core network network element can subsequently perform QoS guarantee on the first service flow based on the QoS requirement of the first service flow, and / or perform QoS guarantee on the second service flow based on the QoS requirement of the second service flow, so that the first service flow and the second service flow meet the synchronization delay relationship. In an embodiment of the present application, the QoS requirement refers to the transmission delay in the 5G network or future communication network, and can specifically include QoS parameters or QoS indexes, etc. Among them, the QoS parameter refers to the QoS parameter value requested by the transmission server to the network (such as the 5G network transmission delay value). The QoS index refers to the QoS index negotiated in advance between the transmission server provider and the network operator, and the QoS parameter value corresponding to the QoS index. The core network network element (such as the PCF network element) can convert the QoS index into a QoS parameter by providing the QoS index through the transmission server. The QoS requirements are uniformly explained here and will not be repeated in other subsequent embodiments.

[0149] In another implementation method, the above-mentioned step 302a includes: the communication device determines the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow, and the subsequent communication device or other device can adjust the sending method of the data packet of the first business flow according to the packet sending time information of the first business flow, and / or adjust the sending method of the data packet of the second business flow according to the packet sending time information of the second business flow, so that the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship.

[0150] In this embodiment, both the first business flow and the second business flow can be called multimodal business flows, and this embodiment is illustrated by taking two business flows, namely the first business flow and the second business flow, as an example. The number of business flows is not limited in actual applications. For example, the relationship between the transmission delays of three or more business flows can be adjusted so that different business flows meet the synchronization delay relationship.

[0151] The above solution adjusts the transmission of the first and / or second service flows to ensure that the synchronization delay requirements are met between the first and second service flows, thereby ensuring a better user experience for service applications. Furthermore, transmission delay, which is the end-to-end delay between the transmission server and the transmission client, more accurately reflects whether the synchronization delay requirements are met between different service flows, thereby better meeting user needs and improving the user experience.

[0152] The communication device in the embodiment of FIG. 3( a ) above may be a transmission server or a transmission client, which will be described below respectively.

[0153] Implementation method 1: the communication device in the embodiment of FIG. 3( a ) is a transmission server.

[0154] Exemplarily, based on the first implementation method, the transmission server can determine the first transmission delay of the first service flow by the following method: the transmission server records the first sending time of the first data packet of the first service flow, where the first sending time is the time when the transmission server sends the first data packet to the transmission client, and then the transmission server sends the first data packet to the transmission client; after the transmission client receives the first data packet, it records the first receiving time of the first data packet and sends the first receiving time of the first data packet to the transmission server, where the first receiving time is the time when the transmission client receives the first data packet; the transmission server determines the first transmission delay based on the first sending time and the first receiving time. Specifically, the difference between the first receiving time and the first sending time can be used as the first transmission delay, or after determining the difference between the first receiving time and the first sending time, the difference is corrected based on a pre-set algorithm to obtain the first transmission delay. The user plane path of the first data packet is: application server -> transmission server -> UPF network element -> base station -> transmission client -> application client.

[0155] Exemplarily, based on the first implementation method, the transmission server can determine the second transmission delay of the second service flow by the following method: the transmission server records the second sending time of the second data packet of the second service flow, where the second sending time is the time when the transmission server sends the second data packet to the transmission client, and then the transmission server sends the second data packet to the transmission client; after the transmission client receives the second data packet, it records the second receiving time of the second data packet and sends the second receiving time of the second data packet to the transmission server, where the second receiving time is the time when the transmission client receives the second data packet; the transmission server determines the second transmission delay based on the second sending time and the second receiving time. Specifically, the difference between the second receiving time and the second sending time can be used as the second transmission delay, or after determining the difference between the second receiving time and the second sending time, the difference is corrected based on a pre-set algorithm to obtain the second transmission delay. The user plane path of the second data packet is: application server -> transmission server -> UPF network element -> base station -> transmission client -> application client.

[0156] As an implementation method, the transmission server also sends a reception time feedback indication to the transmission client. This reception time feedback indication is used to record and feedback the reception time of the data packets of the first service flow and the second service flow. Accordingly, based on the reception time feedback indication, the transmission client sends the first reception time of the first data packet to the transmission server after receiving the first data packet, and sends the second reception time of the second data packet to the transmission server after receiving the second data packet.

[0157] As an implementation method, the transmission server may further determine first association information, where the first association information is used to indicate an association relationship between multiple service flows between the transmission server and the application server. Alternatively, the first association information may be understood as indicating multiple service flows with an association relationship between the transmission server and the application server, where the multiple service flows between the transmission server and the application server include a first service flow and a second service flow. Using the first association information, the multiple service flows between the transmission server and the application server can be associated. Subsequently, the transmission server can identify which service flows are associated based on the first association information.

[0158] Exemplarily, the interface between the transmission server and the application server can be referred to as the first interface, and the first association information includes the first interface address corresponding to the first business flow, the first interface address corresponding to the second business flow, and the first association indication, the first association indication being used to indicate that the first business flow and the second business flow have an association relationship. Alternatively, the first association information includes the correspondence between the first interface address corresponding to the first business flow and the first association identifier, and includes the correspondence between the first interface address corresponding to the second business flow and the first association identifier. Since the first interface address corresponding to the first business flow and the first interface address corresponding to the second business flow both correspond to the same first association identifier, there is a correspondence between the first interface address corresponding to the first business flow and the first interface address corresponding to the second business flow, and the two are associated business flows. Exemplarily, the first interface address corresponding to the first business flow includes the address of the first business flow on the application server side and / or the address of the first business flow on the transmission server side, and the first interface address corresponding to the second business flow includes the address of the second business flow on the application server side and / or the address of the second business flow on the transmission server side.

[0159] As an implementation method, the transmission server may further determine second association information, where the second association information is used to indicate the association relationship between multiple service flows between the transmission server and the transmission client. Alternatively, the second association information may be understood as indicating multiple service flows with an association relationship between the transmission server and the transmission client, where the multiple service flows between the transmission server and the transmission client include a first service flow and a second service flow. Using the second association information, the multiple service flows between the transmission server and the transmission client can be associated. The transmission server then sends the second association information to the transmission client, and the transmission client can identify which service flows among the service flows requested by the application client are associated based on the second association information.

[0160] Exemplarily, the transmission server may simultaneously send the second association information and the aforementioned reception time feedback indication to the transmission client, so as to instruct the transmission client to record and feedback the reception time of the data packets of the business flow (e.g., including the first business flow and the second business flow) indicated by the second association information. As an implementation method, the transmission client detects the data packets of the business flow (e.g., including the first business flow and the second business flow) indicated by the second association information based on the reception time feedback indication and the second association information. If the data packet contains the sending timestamp of the data packet, the transmission client records the receiving time of the data packet and sends the receiving time of the data packet to the transmission server. The sending timestamp in the data packet is added to the data packet by the transmission server before the transmission server sends the data packet to the transmission client, and the sending timestamp indicates the time when the transmission server sends the data packet to the transmission client.

[0161] It should be noted that the above-mentioned reception time feedback indication is optional information. For example, the transmission server sends the second association information to the transmission client, but does not send the reception time feedback indication. The transmission client can determine the reception time of the recorded data packet based on the second association information provided by the transmission server and the local configuration of the transmission client and feedback the recorded reception time to the transmission server. For example, the transmission server encapsulates the sending timestamp in the data packet of the business flow corresponding to the second association information, and the transmission client detects the data packet of the business flow corresponding to the second association information. If the data packet of the business flow contains a sending timestamp, the transmission client records the reception time of the data packet based on the local configuration and feedbacks the recorded reception time to the transmission server.

[0162] Exemplarily, the interface between the transmission server and the transmission client can be called the second interface, and the second association information includes the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow, the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow, and the second association indication, and the second association indication is used to indicate that the first business flow and the second business flow have an association relationship. Alternatively, the second association information includes the correspondence between the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow and the second association identifier, and includes the correspondence between the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow and the second association identifier. Since the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow and the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow both correspond to the same second association identifier, there is a correspondence between the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow and the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow, and the two are associated business flows. Exemplarily, the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow includes the address of the first business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the first business flow on the transmission server side. The second interface address corresponding to the second business flow includes the address of the second business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the second business flow on the transmission server side.

[0163] As an implementation method, the transmission server can also establish a mapping relationship between the first association information and the second association information. When the transmission server receives multiple business flows from the application server, it can identify which business flows are associated business flows based on the first association information, and then determine to map the business flows between the application server and the transmission server to the corresponding second interface address for transmission based on the mapping relationship between the first association information and the second association information. For example, the first business flow in the associated business flow between the application server and the transmission server is mapped to the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow for transmission, and the second business flow in the associated business flow between the application server and the transmission server is mapped to the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow for transmission.

[0164] Based on the implementation method one, there are multiple methods for adjusting the service flow so that the associated service flow meets the synchronization delay requirement. Three different adjustment methods are introduced below, namely the following adjustment method 1, adjustment method 2 and adjustment method 3. In addition, it is assumed that before the adjustment, the first service flow and the second service flow do not meet the synchronization delay relationship, for example, the first data packet of the first service flow arrives at the UE application client before the second data packet of the second service flow, and the difference in arrival time is greater than the synchronization delay threshold, wherein the first data packet and the second data packet are associated data packets, that is, data packets that need to meet the synchronization delay requirement. After the adjustment, the first service flow and the second service flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, for example, the third data packet of the first service flow arrives at the UE application client before the fourth data packet of the second service flow, and the difference in arrival time is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold, wherein the third data packet and the fourth data packet are associated data packets, that is, data packets that need to meet the synchronization delay requirement.

[0165] Adjustment method 1: The transmission server determines the QoS requirement of the first service flow sent to the core network network element and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow sent to the core network network element based on the first transmission delay, the second transmission delay and the synchronization delay requirement; the transmission server sends a request message to the core network network element, and the request message includes the QoS requirement of the first service flow and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow. The request message is used to request QoS guarantee for the first service flow based on the QoS requirement of the first service flow, and / or QoS guarantee for the second service flow based on the QoS requirement of the second service flow.

[0166] In one implementation method, a transmission server determines a QoS requirement for a first service flow to be sent to a core network element based on a first transmission delay, a second transmission delay, and a synchronization delay requirement. The transmission server then sends a request message to the core network element, the request message including the QoS requirement for the first service flow, requesting QoS assurance for the first service flow based on the QoS requirement of the first service flow. For example, after the core network element provides QoS assurance for the first service flow based on the QoS requirement of the first service flow, the transmission delay of data packets of the first service flow from the transmission server to the transmission client is updated from the first transmission delay to a third transmission delay, where the third transmission delay is less than the first transmission delay. Because the delay between the data packets of the first service flow from the transmission server to the transmission client is shortened, the data packets of the first service flow can reach the application client more quickly, such that the difference between the time when the data packets of the first service flow arrive at the application client and the time when the data packets of the second service flow arrive at the application client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold. Thus, after the adjustment, the first service flow and the second service flow meet a synchronization delay relationship.

[0167] In another implementation method, a transmission server determines the QoS requirements for a second service flow to be sent to a core network element based on a first transmission delay, a second transmission delay, and a synchronization delay requirement. The transmission server sends a request message to the core network element, the request message including the QoS requirements for the second service flow, and the request message is used to request QoS assurance for the second service flow based on the QoS requirements of the second service flow. For example, after the core network element provides QoS assurance for the second service flow based on the QoS requirements of the second service flow, the transmission delay of the data packets of the second service flow from the transmission server to the transmission client is updated from the second transmission delay to a fourth transmission delay, which is greater than the second transmission delay. Due to the increased delay between the data packets of the second service flow from the transmission server to the transmission client, the data packets of the second service flow can arrive at the application client later, so that the difference between the time when the data packets of the first service flow arrive at the application client and the time when the data packets of the second service flow arrive at the application client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold. In other words, after the adjustment, the first service flow and the second service flow meet the synchronization delay relationship.

[0168] In another implementation method, a transmission server determines a QoS requirement for a first service flow sent to a core network element and a QoS requirement for a second service flow sent to the core network element based on a first transmission delay, a second transmission delay, and a synchronization delay requirement. The transmission server sends a request message to the core network element, the request message including the QoS requirement for the first service flow and the QoS requirement for the second service flow, the request message being used to request QoS assurance for the first service flow based on the QoS requirement for the first service flow and QoS assurance for the second service flow based on the QoS requirement for the second service flow. For example, after the core network element provides QoS assurance for the first service flow based on the QoS requirement for the first service flow, the transmission delay of data packets of the first service flow from the transmission server to the transmission client is updated from the first transmission delay to a third transmission delay, where the third transmission delay is less than the first transmission delay. After the core network element provides QoS assurance for the second service flow based on the QoS requirement for the second service flow, the transmission delay of data packets of the second service flow from the transmission server to the transmission client is updated from the second transmission delay to a fourth transmission delay, where the fourth transmission delay is greater than the second transmission delay. Since the delay between the data packets of the first business flow from the transmission server to the transmission client is shortened, the data packets of the first business flow can reach the application client faster, and the delay between the data packets of the second business flow from the transmission server to the transmission client is increased, the data packets of the second business flow can be delayed to reach the application client, thereby making the difference between the time when the data packets of the first business flow arrive at the application client and the time when the data packets of the second business flow arrive at the application client less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold, that is, after adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow satisfy the synchronization delay relationship.

[0169] It should be noted that when the transmission server sends a request message to the core network element including the QoS requirement of the first service flow, the request message also includes the second interface address of the first service flow. The second interface address is the address used when the first service flow is transmitted between the transmission server and the transmission client. The second interface is the interface between the transmission server and the transmission client. The second interface address corresponding to the first service flow includes the address of the first service flow on the transmission client and / or the address of the first service flow on the transmission server side.

[0170] When the transmission server sends a request message to the core network element including the QoS requirement for the second service flow, the request message also includes a second interface address for the second service flow. The second interface address is the address used when the second service flow is transmitted between the transmission server and the transmission client. The second interface is the interface between the transmission server and the transmission client. The second interface address corresponding to the second service flow includes the address of the second service flow on the transmission client and / or the address of the second service flow on the transmission server side.

[0171] Based on the above-mentioned adjustment method 1, after determining the QoS requirements of the first service flow and / or the QoS requirements of the second service flow, the transmission server notifies the core network network element to adjust the transmission delay of the first service flow based on the QoS requirements of the first service flow, and / or adjust the transmission delay of the second service flow based on the QoS requirements of the second service flow, so that after the adjustment, the first service flow and the second service flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring user experience.

[0172] For a specific example of the adjustment method 1 in the first implementation method, please refer to the embodiment of FIG4 .

[0173] Adjustment method 2: The transmission server determines the packet sending time information of the first service flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second service flow based on the first transmission delay, the second transmission delay, and the synchronization delay requirement. The packet sending time information of the first service flow is used to indicate the adjustment method for the packet sending time of the data packets of the first service flow, and the packet sending time information of the second service flow is used to indicate the adjustment method for the packet sending time of the data packets of the second service flow.

[0174] Illustratively, the packet sending time information of the first service flow may be a packet sending time advance, or information used to calculate the packet sending time advance (for example, including the difference between the first transmission delay and the second transmission delay, or including the first transmission delay and the second transmission delay). The packet sending time information of the second service flow may be a packet sending time advance, or information used to calculate the packet sending time advance (for example, including the difference between the first transmission delay and the second transmission delay, or including the first transmission delay and the second transmission delay).

[0175] The packet sending time adjustment method here refers to adjusting the sending time of the data packet according to a certain time advance, so that the data packet of the service flow is sent in advance.

[0176] As an implementation method, a transmission server may send a first message to an application server, the first message including packet sending time information of a first service flow and / or packet sending time information of a second service flow. The first message is used to notify the application server to adjust the packet sending time of the data packets of the first service flow based on the packet sending time information of the first service flow, and / or to adjust the packet sending time of the data packets of the second service flow based on the packet sending time information of the second service flow. For example, based on the packet sending time information of the first service flow, the application server sends the data packets of the first service flow in advance, so that the difference between the time when the data packets of the first service flow arrive at the application client and the time when the data packets of the second service flow arrive at the application client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold. That is, after the adjustment, the synchronization delay relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow is satisfied. For another example, the application server sends the data packets of the first business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow, and sends the data packets of the second business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow, and makes the difference between the time when the data packets of the first business flow arrive at the application client and the time when the data packets of the second business flow arrive at the application client less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold, that is, after adjustment, the synchronization delay relationship is satisfied between the first business flow and the second business flow.

[0177] Exemplarily, the first message may be a notification message, a request message, or other types of messages, which are not limited in this application.

[0178] Exemplarily, when the first message includes packet sending time information of the first business flow, the first message also includes the first interface address of the first business flow. The transmission server determines the first interface address of the first business flow based on the second interface address of the first business flow and the mapping relationship between the first association information and the second association information. Specifically, the transmission server determines the second interface address of the first business flow that needs to be adjusted for packet sending time between the transmission server and the transmission client. The second interface address is the address used when the first business flow is transmitted between the transmission server and the transmission client, and the second interface is the interface between the transmission server and the transmission client. Then, the transmission server determines the first interface address of the first business flow corresponding to the second interface address of the first business flow based on the mapping relationship between the first association information and the second association information. The first interface address is the address used when the first business flow is transmitted between the transmission server and the application server, and the first interface is the interface between the transmission server and the application server.

[0179] Exemplarily, when the first message includes the packet sending time information of the second business flow, the first message also includes the first interface address of the second business flow. The transmission server determines the first interface address of the second business flow according to the following method: the transmission server determines the second interface address of the second business flow that needs to adjust the packet sending time between the transmission server and the transmission client, the second interface address is the address used when the second business flow is transmitted between the transmission server and the transmission client, and the second interface is the interface between the transmission server and the transmission client, and then the transmission server determines the first interface address of the second business flow corresponding to the second interface address of the second business flow based on the mapping relationship between the first association information and the second association information, the first interface address is the address used when the second business flow is transmitted between the transmission server and the application server, and the first interface is the interface between the transmission server and the application server.

[0180] As another implementation method, the transmission server can adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the first business flow based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow, and / or adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the second business flow based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow. For example, the transmission server sends the data packet of the first business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow, so that the difference between the time when the data packet of the first business flow arrives at the application client and the time when the data packet of the second business flow arrives at the application client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold, that is, after the adjustment, the synchronization delay relationship is satisfied between the first business flow and the second business flow. For another example, the transmission server sends the data packet of the first business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow, and sends the data packet of the second business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow, and makes the difference between the time when the data packet of the first business flow arrives at the application client and the time when the data packet of the second business flow arrives at the application client less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold, that is, after the adjustment, the synchronization delay relationship is satisfied between the first business flow and the second business flow.

[0181] Based on the above-mentioned adjustment method 2, after determining the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow, the transmission server notifies the application server to send the data packet of the first business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or to send the data packet of the second business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow, or the transmission server sends the data packet of the first business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or to send the data packet of the second business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow, so that after the adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring the user experience.

[0182] For a specific example of the adjustment method 2 in the first implementation method, please refer to the embodiment of FIG5 .

[0183] Adjustment method 3: The transmission server determines the packet sending time information of the first service flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second service flow based on the first transmission delay, the second transmission delay, and the synchronization delay requirement. The packet sending time information of the first service flow includes a buffering time amount for the first service flow, which indicates the buffering time of the data packets of the first service flow. The packet sending time information of the second service flow includes a buffering time amount for the second service flow, which indicates the buffering time of the data packets of the second service flow.

[0184] As an implementation method, the transmission server may send a second message to the transmission client, the second message including the cache time of the first service flow and / or the cache time of the second service flow. The second message is used to notify the transmission client to cache the data packets of the first service flow based on the cache time of the first service flow, and / or to cache the data packets of the second service flow based on the cache time of the second service flow. For example, the transmission client caches the data packets of the second service flow based on the cache time of the second service flow, thereby delaying the transmission of the data packets of the second service flow, so that the difference between the time when the data packets of the first service flow arrive at the application client and the time when the data packets of the second service flow arrive at the application client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold. That is, after adjustment, the synchronization delay relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow is satisfied. For another example, the transmission client caches the data packets of the first business flow based on the cache time of the first business flow, thereby postponing the sending of the data packets of the first business flow, and caches the data packets of the second business flow based on the cache time of the second business flow, thereby postponing the sending of the data packets of the second business flow, and makes the difference between the time when the data packets of the first business flow arrive at the application client and the time when the data packets of the second business flow arrive at the application client less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold, that is, after adjustment, the synchronization delay relationship is satisfied between the first business flow and the second business flow. Based on this implementation method, the packet sending time information of the first business flow can be understood as the time used to indicate the transmission client to send the data packets of the first business flow to the application client. The packet sending time information of the second business flow can be understood as the time used to indicate the transmission client to send the data packets of the second business flow to the application client.

[0185] Exemplarily, the second message may be a notification message, a request message, or other types of messages, which are not limited in this application.

[0186] When the second message includes the cache time for the first service flow, the second message also includes description information of the first service flow, where the description information of the first service flow includes at least one of a second interface address corresponding to the first service flow or a first flow identifier between the transmission server and the transmission client, where the first flow identifier corresponds to the first service flow. The second interface address corresponding to the first service flow includes an address of the first service flow on the transmission client and / or an address of the first service flow on the transmission server.

[0187] When the second message includes the cache time for the second service flow, the second message also includes description information of the second service flow, where the description information includes at least one of a second interface address corresponding to the second service flow or a second flow identifier between the transmission server and the transmission client, where the second flow identifier corresponds to the second service flow. The second interface address corresponding to the second service flow includes an address of the second service flow on the transmission client and / or an address of the second service flow on the transmission server.

[0188] As another implementation method, the transmission server caches data packets of the first service flow based on the cache time of the first service flow, and / or caches data packets of the second service flow based on the cache time of the second service flow. For example, the transmission server caches data packets of the second service flow based on the cache time of the second service flow, thereby delaying the transmission of the data packets of the second service flow, so that the difference between the time when the data packets of the first service flow arrive at the application client and the time when the data packets of the second service flow arrive at the application client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold. That is, after the adjustment, the first service flow and the second service flow meet the synchronization delay relationship. For another example, the transmission server caches data packets of the first service flow based on the cache time of the first service flow, thereby delaying the transmission of the data packets of the first service flow, and caches data packets of the second service flow based on the cache time of the second service flow, thereby delaying the transmission of the data packets of the second service flow, and the difference between the time when the data packets of the first service flow arrive at the application client and the time when the data packets of the second service flow arrive at the application client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold. That is, after the adjustment, the first service flow and the second service flow meet the synchronization delay relationship.

[0189] Based on the above-mentioned adjustment method 3, after determining the cache time of the first business flow and / or the cache time of the second business flow, the transmission server notifies the transmission client to postpone sending the data packets of the first business flow based on the cache time of the first business flow and / or postpone sending the data packets of the second business flow based on the cache time of the second business flow, or the transmission server postpones sending the data packets of the first business flow based on the cache time of the first business flow and / or postpones sending the data packets of the second business flow based on the cache time of the second business flow, so that after the adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring user experience.

[0190] For a specific example of the adjustment method 3 in the first implementation method, please refer to the subsequent embodiment of FIG6 .

[0191] The above describes that when the communication device in the embodiment of Figure 3(a) is a transmission server, the sending method of the first business flow and / or the second business flow is adjusted so that the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship.

[0192] Another implementation method is introduced below, that is, when the communication device in the embodiment of Figure 3(a) is a transmission client, the sending method of the first business flow and / or the second business flow is adjusted so that the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship.

[0193] Implementation method 2: the communication device in the embodiment of FIG. 3( a ) is a transmission client.

[0194] Exemplarily, based on the second implementation method, the transmission client can determine the first transmission delay of the first service flow by the following method: the transmission client receives the first data packet of the first service flow from the transmission server, obtains the first sending time of the first data packet from the first data packet, where the first sending time is the time when the transmission server sends the first data packet to the transmission client, records the first receiving time of the first data packet, where the first receiving time is the time when the transmission client receives the first data packet, and determines the first transmission delay based on the first sending time and the first receiving time. The user plane path of the first data packet is: application server -> transmission server -> UPF network element -> base station -> transmission client -> application client.

[0195] Exemplarily, based on the second implementation method, the transmission client can determine the second transmission delay of the second service flow by the following method: the transmission client receives a second data packet of the second service flow from the transmission server, obtains a second sending time of the second data packet from the second data packet, where the second sending time is the time when the transmission server sends the second data packet to the transmission client, records a second receiving time of the second data packet, where the second receiving time is the time when the transmission client receives the second data packet, and determines the second transmission delay based on the second sending time and the second receiving time. The user plane path of the second data packet is: application server -> transmission server -> UPF network element -> base station -> transmission client -> application client.

[0196] As an implementation method, the transmission client further receives a reception time recording indication from the transmission server. The reception time recording indication is used to indicate the reception time of the data packets of the first service flow and the second service flow. Accordingly, based on the reception time recording indication, the transmission client records the first reception time of the first data packet after receiving the first data packet, and records the second reception time of the second data packet after receiving the second data packet.

[0197] As an implementation method, the transmission client further receives second association information from the transmission server. For the meaning of this second association information, refer to the description of implementation method 1 above. Based on the second association information, the transmission client can identify which service flows requested by the application client are associated with each other.

[0198] Exemplarily, the transmission server may simultaneously send the second association information and the aforementioned reception time record indication to the transmission client, so as to instruct the transmission client to record the reception time of the data packets of the business flow indicated by the second association information (for example, including the first business flow and the second business flow). As an implementation method, the transmission client detects the associated data packets of the business flow indicated by the second association information (for example, including the first business flow and the second business flow) based on the reception time record indication and the second association information, and records the reception time of the data packets. The method for the transmission client to identify associated data packets may be: the transmission client detects the generation time of the data packet carried in the data packet (for example, using an RTP timestamp to indicate the generation time), and data packets with the same generation time or a difference within a certain threshold are associated data packets. The method for a transmission client to identify associated data packets can also be: the transmission client detects the associated data packet indication information carried in the data packet, and if the data packets of different business flows carry the same associated data packet indication information or carry associated data packet indication information with a corresponding relationship, it is determined to be an associated data packet, wherein the associated data packet indication information carried in the data packet is added by the transmission server, such as the transmission server receives data packets of associated business flows from the application server. For data packets of different business flows, if the generation time is the same or the difference is within a certain threshold, the transmission server identifies them as associated data packets and carries the associated data packet indication information in the associated data packet.

[0199] It should be noted that the aforementioned receipt time record indication is optional information. For example, the transmission server may send the second association information to the transmission client but may not send the receipt time record indication. The transmission client may determine the receipt time of the recorded data packet based on the second association information provided by the transmission server and the transmission client's local configuration. For example, the transmission server may encapsulate a send timestamp in the data packet of the service flow corresponding to the second association information. The transmission client may detect the data packet of the service flow corresponding to the second association information. If the data packet of the service flow contains a send timestamp, the transmission client may record the receipt time of the data packet based on the local configuration.

[0200] Based on the second implementation method, there are multiple methods for adjusting the service flow so that the associated service flow meets the synchronization delay requirement. The following introduces three different adjustment methods, namely the following adjustment method A, adjustment method B and adjustment method C. In addition, it is assumed that before the adjustment, the first service flow and the second service flow do not meet the synchronization delay relationship, for example, the first data packet of the first service flow arrives at the UE application client before the second data packet of the second service flow, and the difference in arrival time is greater than the synchronization delay threshold, wherein the first data packet and the second data packet are associated data packets, that is, data packets that need to meet the synchronization delay requirement. After the adjustment, the first service flow and the second service flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, for example, the third data packet of the first service flow arrives at the UE application client before the fourth data packet of the second service flow, and the difference in arrival time is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold, wherein the third data packet and the fourth data packet are associated data packets, that is, data packets that need to meet the synchronization delay requirement.

[0201] Adjustment method A: The transmission client determines the QoS requirement of the first service flow sent to the core network network element and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow sent to the core network network element based on the first transmission delay, the second transmission delay and the synchronization delay requirement. The transmission client sends the QoS requirement of the first service flow and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow to the transmission server, and then the transmission server sends a request message to the core network network element. The request message includes the QoS requirement of the first service flow and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow. The request message is used to request QoS guarantee for the first service flow based on the QoS requirement of the first service flow, and / or QoS guarantee for the second service flow based on the QoS requirement of the second service flow.

[0202] In one implementation method, a transmission client determines a QoS requirement for a first service flow to be sent to a core network element based on a first transmission delay, a second transmission delay, and a synchronization delay requirement. The transmission client sends the QoS requirement for the first service flow to a transmission server, and the transmission server sends a request message to the core network element, the request message including the QoS requirement for the first service flow. The request message is used to request QoS assurance for the first service flow based on the QoS requirement of the first service flow. For example, after the core network element provides QoS assurance for the first service flow based on the QoS requirement of the first service flow, the transmission delay of the first service flow's data packets from the transmission server to the transmission client is updated from the first transmission delay to a third transmission delay, where the third transmission delay is less than the first transmission delay. Because the delay between the transmission server and the transmission client for the first service flow's data packets is shortened, the data packets of the first service flow can reach the application client more quickly, such that the difference between the time when the first service flow's data packets arrive at the application client and the time when the second service flow's data packets arrive at the application client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold. In other words, after the adjustment, the first service flow and the second service flow meet a synchronization delay relationship.

[0203] In another implementation method, a transmission client determines a QoS requirement for a second service flow to be sent to a core network element based on a first transmission delay, a second transmission delay, and a synchronization delay requirement. The transmission client sends the QoS requirement for the second service flow to a transmission server, and the transmission server sends a request message to the core network element, the request message including the QoS requirement for the second service flow. The request message is used to request QoS assurance for the second service flow based on the QoS requirement of the second service flow. For example, after the core network element provides QoS assurance for the second service flow based on the QoS requirement of the second service flow, the transmission delay of the data packets of the second service flow from the transmission server to the transmission client is updated from the second transmission delay to a fourth transmission delay, where the fourth transmission delay is greater than the second transmission delay. Due to the increased delay between the data packets of the second service flow from the transmission server to the transmission client, the data packets of the second service flow can arrive at the application client later, such that the difference between the time when the data packets of the first service flow arrive at the application client and the time when the data packets of the second service flow arrive at the application client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold. In other words, after the adjustment, the first service flow and the second service flow meet the synchronization delay relationship.

[0204] In another implementation method, the transmission client determines the QoS requirements of the first service flow sent to the core network network element and the QoS requirements of the second service flow sent to the core network network element based on the first transmission delay, the second transmission delay and the synchronization delay requirements. The transmission client sends the QoS requirements of the first service flow and the QoS requirements of the second service flow to the transmission server. The transmission server sends a request message to the core network network element. The request message includes the QoS requirements of the first service flow and the QoS requirements of the second service flow. The request message is used to request QoS guarantee for the first service flow based on the QoS requirements of the first service flow and QoS guarantee for the second service flow based on the QoS requirements of the second service flow. For example, after the core network element performs QoS assurance on the first service flow based on the QoS requirements of the first service flow, the latency for transmitting data packets of the first service flow from the transmission server to the transmission client is updated from the first transmission latency to a third transmission latency, where the third transmission latency is less than the first transmission latency. After the core network element performs QoS assurance on the second service flow based on the QoS requirements of the second service flow, the latency for transmitting data packets of the second service flow from the transmission server to the transmission client is updated from the second transmission latency to a fourth transmission latency, where the fourth transmission latency is greater than the second transmission latency. Because the latency between the data packets of the first service flow from the transmission server to the transmission client is shortened, the data packets of the first service flow can reach the application client more quickly, and the latency between the data packets of the second service flow from the transmission server to the transmission client is increased, the data packets of the second service flow can arrive at the application client later, thereby making the difference between the time when the data packets of the first service flow arrive at the application client and the time when the data packets of the second service flow arrive at the application client less than or equal to the synchronization latency threshold. That is, after the adjustment, the first service flow and the second service flow satisfy a synchronization latency relationship.

[0205] It should be noted that when the transmission server sends a request message to the core network network element including the QoS requirements of the first service flow, the request message also includes the second interface address of the first service flow. The second interface address is the address used when the first service flow is transmitted between the transmission server and the transmission client. The second interface is the interface between the transmission server and the transmission client.

[0206] When the transmission server sends a request message to the core network network element including the QoS requirements of the second service flow, the request message also includes the second interface address of the second service flow. The second interface address is the address used when the second service flow is transmitted between the transmission server and the transmission client. The second interface is the interface between the transmission server and the transmission client.

[0207] Based on the above-mentioned adjustment method A, after determining the QoS requirements of the first business flow and / or the QoS requirements of the second business flow, the transmission client sends the QoS requirements of the first business flow and / or the QoS requirements of the second business flow to the transmission server, and then the transmission server notifies the core network network element to adjust the transmission delay of the first business flow based on the QoS requirements of the first business flow, and / or adjust the transmission delay of the second business flow based on the QoS requirements of the second business flow, so that after the adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring the user experience.

[0208] Adjustment method B: The transmission client determines the packet sending time information of the first service flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second service flow based on the first transmission delay, the second transmission delay, and the synchronization delay requirement, and sends the packet sending time information of the first service flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second service flow to the transmission server. The packet sending time information of the first service flow is used to indicate the adjustment method for the packet sending time of the data packets of the first service flow, and the packet sending time information of the second service flow is used to indicate the adjustment method for the packet sending time of the data packets of the second service flow.

[0209] For example, the packet transmission time information of the first service flow may be a packet transmission time advance, or information used to calculate the packet transmission time advance (such as the difference between the first transmission delay and the second transmission delay). The packet transmission time information of the second service flow may be a packet transmission time advance, or information used to calculate the packet transmission time advance (such as the difference between the first transmission delay and the second transmission delay).

[0210] As an implementation method, a transmission client sends packet sending time information of a first business flow and / or packet sending time information of a second business flow to a transmission server, and the transmission server may send a first message to an application server, the first message including the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow, and the first message is used to notify the application server to adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the first business flow based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow, and / or to adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the second business flow based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow. For example, based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow, the application server sends the data packet of the first business flow in advance, so that the difference between the time when the data packet of the first business flow arrives at the application client and the time when the data packet of the second business flow arrives at the application client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold, that is, after adjustment, the synchronization delay relationship is satisfied between the first business flow and the second business flow. For another example, the application server sends the data packets of the first business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow, and sends the data packets of the second business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow, and makes the difference between the time when the data packets of the first business flow arrive at the application client and the time when the data packets of the second business flow arrive at the application client less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold, that is, after adjustment, the synchronization delay relationship is satisfied between the first business flow and the second business flow.

[0211] Exemplarily, the first message may be a notification message, a request message, or other types of messages, which are not limited in this application.

[0212] Exemplarily, when the first message includes the packet sending time information of the first business flow, the first message also includes the first interface address of the first business flow. The transmission server determines the first interface address of the first business flow according to the following method: the transmission server determines the second interface address of the first business flow that needs to adjust the packet sending time between the transmission server and the transmission client, the second interface address is the address used by the first business flow when transmitting between the transmission server and the transmission client, and the second interface is the interface between the transmission server and the transmission client, and then the transmission server determines the first interface address of the first business flow corresponding to the second interface address of the first business flow according to the mapping relationship between the first association information and the second association information, the first interface address is the address used by the first business flow when transmitting between the transmission server and the application server, and the first interface is the interface between the transmission server and the application server.

[0213] Exemplarily, when the first message includes the packet sending time information of the second business flow, the first message also includes the first interface address of the second business flow. The transmission server determines the first interface address of the second business flow according to the following method: the transmission server determines the second interface address of the second business flow that needs to adjust the packet sending time between the transmission server and the transmission client, the second interface address is the address used when the second business flow is transmitted between the transmission server and the transmission client, and the second interface is the interface between the transmission server and the transmission client, and then the transmission server determines the first interface address of the second business flow corresponding to the second interface address of the second business flow based on the mapping relationship between the first association information and the second association information, the first interface address is the address used when the second business flow is transmitted between the transmission server and the application server, and the first interface is the interface between the transmission server and the application server.

[0214] As another implementation method, the transmission client sends the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow to the transmission server. The transmission server can adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the first business flow based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow, and / or adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the second business flow based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow. For example, the transmission server sends the data packet of the first business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow, so that the difference between the time when the data packet of the first business flow arrives at the application client and the time when the data packet of the second business flow arrives at the application client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold, that is, after the adjustment, the synchronization delay relationship between the first business flow and the second business flow is satisfied. For another example, the transmission server sends the data packet of the first business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow, and sends the data packet of the second business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow, and makes the difference between the time when the data packet of the first business flow arrives at the application client and the time when the data packet of the second business flow arrives at the application client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold, that is, after the adjustment, the synchronization delay relationship between the first business flow and the second business flow is satisfied.

[0215] Based on the above-mentioned adjustment method B, after determining the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow, the transmission client sends the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow to the transmission server. The transmission server can notify the application server to send the data packet of the first business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or send the data packet of the second business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow, or the transmission server sends the data packet of the first business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or sends the data packet of the second business flow in advance based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow, so that after the adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring the user experience.

[0216] Adjustment method C: The transmission client determines the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow based on the first transmission delay, the second transmission delay, and the synchronization delay requirement, and sends the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow to the transmission server. The packet sending time information of the first business flow includes the cache time of the first business flow, and the cache time of the first business flow is used to indicate the cache time of the data packets of the first business flow. The packet sending time information of the second business flow includes the cache time of the second business flow, and the cache time of the second business flow is used to indicate the cache time of the data packets of the second business flow.

[0217] As an implementation method, a transmission client sends a cache time for a first service flow and / or a cache time for a second service flow to a transmission server. The transmission server caches data packets of the first service flow based on the cache time for the first service flow and / or caches data packets of the second service flow based on the cache time for the second service flow. For example, the transmission server caches data packets of the second service flow based on the cache time for the second service flow, thereby delaying the transmission of data packets of the second service flow, so that the difference between the time when the data packets of the first service flow arrive at the application client and the time when the data packets of the second service flow arrive at the application client is less than or equal to a synchronization delay threshold. That is, after adjustment, the first service flow and the second service flow satisfy a synchronization delay relationship. For another example, the transmission server caches the data packets of the first business flow based on the cache time of the first business flow, thereby delaying the sending of the data packets of the first business flow, and caches the data packets of the second business flow based on the cache time of the second business flow, thereby delaying the sending of the data packets of the second business flow, and makes the difference between the time when the data packets of the first business flow arrive at the application client and the time when the data packets of the second business flow arrive at the application client less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold, that is, after adjustment, the synchronization delay relationship is satisfied between the first business flow and the second business flow.

[0218] As an implementation method, a transmission client caches data packets of a first service flow based on a cache duration of the first service flow, and / or caches data packets of a second service flow based on a cache duration of the second service flow. For example, the transmission client caches data packets of the second service flow based on the cache duration of the second service flow, thereby delaying the transmission of data packets of the second service flow, such that the difference between the time when data packets of the first service flow arrive at the application client and the time when data packets of the second service flow arrive at the application client is less than or equal to a synchronization delay threshold. In other words, after the adjustment, a synchronization delay relationship is satisfied between the first service flow and the second service flow. For another example, the transmission client caches data packets of the first service flow based on the cache duration of the first service flow, thereby delaying the transmission of data packets of the first service flow, and caches data packets of the second service flow based on the cache duration of the second service flow, thereby delaying the transmission of data packets of the second service flow, and such that the difference between the time when data packets of the first service flow arrive at the application client and the time when data packets of the second service flow arrive at the application client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold. In other words, after the adjustment, a synchronization delay relationship is satisfied between the first service flow and the second service flow. Based on this implementation method, the packet sending time information of the first service flow can be understood as the time used to instruct the transmission client to send the data packet of the first service flow to the application client. The packet sending time information of the second service flow can be understood as the time used to instruct the transmission client to send the data packet of the second service flow to the application client.

[0219] Based on the above-mentioned adjustment method C, after determining the cache time of the first business flow and / or the cache time of the second business flow, the transmission client sends the cache time of the first business flow and / or the cache time of the second business flow to the transmission server, and the transmission server postpones sending the data packet of the first business flow based on the cache time of the first business flow and / or postpones sending the data packet of the second business flow based on the cache time of the second business flow, or the transmission client postpones sending the data packet of the first business flow based on the cache time of the first business flow and / or postpones sending the data packet of the second business flow based on the cache time of the second business flow, so that after the adjustment, the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship, thereby ensuring the user experience.

[0220] Figure 3(b) is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method is executed by a communication device or a module (such as a chip) for a communication device. For ease of explanation, the following description uses a communication device executing the method as an example.

[0221] The method comprises the following steps:

[0222] Step 301b: The communication device determines a first receiving time of the first service flow and a second receiving time of the second service flow.

[0223] The communication device is a transmission server or a transmission client.

[0224] The first receiving time is the time when the transmission client receives the first data packet of the first business flow from the transmission server, and the second receiving time is the time when the transmission client receives the second data packet of the second business flow from the transmission server.

[0225] The first service flow and the second service flow are associated data flows. The associated data flows here refer to the first service flow and the second service flow being service flows of the same service.

[0226] Optionally, the first data packet of the first business flow and the second data packet of the second business flow are associated data packets. As an implementation method, the first data packet contains the first generation time of the first data packet, and the second data packet contains the second generation time of the second data packet. If the first generation time is the same as or similar to the second generation time (for example, the difference is less than a certain threshold), then the first data packet and the second data packet are associated data packets. The generation time of the first data packet refers to the time when the application server generates the first data packet. For example, the application server can carry an RTP timestamp in the first data packet, and the RTP timestamp indicates the generation time of the first data packet. The generation time of the second data packet refers to the time when the application server generates the second data packet. The application server can carry an RTP timestamp in the second data packet, and the RTP timestamp indicates the generation time of the second data packet.

[0227] In one implementation method, a communications device determines the reception time of a first service flow and a second service flow. For example, the communications device periodically determines the reception time of the first service flow and the second service flow, for example, every 30 seconds. Furthermore, the measurement periods of the first and second service flows must be the same, ensuring that data packets of the first and second service flows are sampled at the same time, and that the reception times of the service flows are determined based on the data packets.

[0228] In another implementation, the communication device determines the reception time of the first service flow and the reception time of the second service flow. For example, the communication device determines the reception time of associated data packets of the first service flow and the second service flow, for example, when a first data packet of the first service flow and a second data packet of the second service flow are associated data packets. The meaning of associated data packets can be found in the above description.

[0229] To improve the accuracy of transmission delay measurement, the transmission server and transmission client need to meet time synchronization. If time synchronization is not available, you can use existing time synchronization mechanisms to achieve time synchronization before measuring transmission delay, such as using NTP to achieve time synchronization.

[0230] Step 302b, the communication device determines the QoS requirement of the first service flow sent to the core network network element and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow sent to the core network network element based on the first receiving time, the second receiving time and the synchronization delay requirement; or, determines the packet sending time information of the first service flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second service flow.

[0231] The core network element may be a PCF network element, a NEF network element or other network elements.

[0232] The synchronization delay requirement indicates the synchronization delay relationship between the first and second service flows, or can be understood as indicating the synchronization delay relationship that should be met between the first and second service flows. For example, the synchronization delay requirement specifically indicates that the difference between the time when the data packets of the first service flow arrive at the UE's application client and the time when the data packets of the second service flow arrive at the UE's application client should be less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold. If this synchronization delay relationship is not met, the transmission method of the first and / or second service flows needs to be adjusted to ensure that the synchronization delay relationship is met between the first and second service flows. When the synchronization delay relationship is met between the first and second service flows, the difference between the time when the data packets of the first service flow arrive at the UE's application client and the time when the data packets of the second service flow arrive at the UE's application client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold. The user plane path for the data packets of the first and second service flows is: application server -> transmission server -> UPF network element -> base station -> UE's transmission client -> UE's application client.

[0233] In one implementation method, before the above step 302b, the communication device further determines that the first service flow and the second service flow do not satisfy the synchronization delay relationship, and then the communication device executes step 302b.

[0234] In one implementation method, the above-mentioned step 302b includes: the communication device determines the QoS requirements of the first service flow sent to the core network network element and / or the QoS requirements of the second service flow sent to the core network network element, and the core network network element can subsequently perform QoS guarantee for the first service flow based on the QoS requirements of the first service flow, and / or perform QoS guarantee for the second service flow based on the QoS requirements of the second service flow, so that the first service flow and the second service flow meet the synchronization delay relationship.

[0235] In another implementation method, the above-mentioned step 302b includes: the communication device determines the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow, and the subsequent communication device or other device can adjust the sending method of the data packet of the first business flow according to the packet sending time information of the first business flow, and / or adjust the sending method of the data packet of the second business flow according to the packet sending time information of the second business flow, so that the first business flow and the second business flow meet the synchronization delay relationship.

[0236] In this embodiment, both the first business flow and the second business flow can be called multimodal business flows, and this embodiment is illustrated by taking two business flows, namely the first business flow and the second business flow, as an example. The number of business flows is not limited in actual applications. For example, the relationship between the transmission delays of three or more business flows can be adjusted so that different business flows meet the synchronization delay relationship.

[0237] The above solution adjusts the transmission of the first business flow and / or the second business flow so that the synchronization delay requirement between the first business flow and the second business flow is met, thereby ensuring the user experience of the business application.

[0238] The communication device in the embodiment of FIG. 3( b ) above may be a transmission server or a transmission client, which will be described below respectively.

[0239] Implementation method 1: the communication device in the embodiment of FIG3( b ) is a transmission server.

[0240] Exemplarily, based on implementation method 1, the transmission server can determine the first reception time of the first data packet of the first service flow by the following method: the transmission server sends the first data packet to the transmission client; after receiving the first data packet, the transmission client records the first reception time of the first data packet and sends the first reception time of the first data packet to the transmission server, where the first reception time is the time when the transmission client received the first data packet. The user plane path of the first data packet is: application server -> transmission server -> UPF network element -> base station -> transmission client -> application client.

[0241] Exemplarily, based on implementation method 1, the transmission server can determine the second reception time of the second data packet of the second service flow by the following method: the transmission server sends the second data packet to the transmission client; after receiving the second data packet, the transmission client records the second reception time of the second data packet and sends the second reception time of the second data packet to the transmission server, where the second reception time is the time when the transmission client receives the second data packet. The user plane path of the second data packet is: application server -> transmission server -> UPF network element -> base station -> transmission client -> application client.

[0242] As an implementation method, the transmission server also sends a reception time feedback indication to the transmission client. This reception time feedback indication is used to record and feedback the reception time of the data packets of the first service flow and the second service flow. Accordingly, based on the reception time feedback indication, the transmission client sends the first reception time of the first data packet to the transmission server after receiving the first data packet, and sends the second reception time of the second data packet to the transmission server after receiving the second data packet.

[0243] As an implementation method, the transmission server may also determine the first association information and the second association information, and establish a mapping relationship between the first association information and the second association information. Regarding the meaning and usage of the first association information and the second association information, please refer to the relevant description in the embodiment of FIG. 3( a ) above and will not be repeated here.

[0244] Exemplarily, the transmission server may simultaneously send the second association information and the aforementioned reception time feedback indication to the transmission client, thereby instructing the transmission client to record and feedback the reception time of data packets of the business flow indicated by the second association information (e.g., including the first business flow and the second business flow). As an implementation method, the transmission client detects data packets of the business flow indicated by the second association information (e.g., including the first business flow and the second business flow) based on the reception time feedback indication and the second association information, records the reception time of associated data packets received in the business flow indicated by the second association information, and sends the reception time of the data packets to the transmission server. The implementation method of the transmission client identifying associated data packets can refer to the relevant description in the embodiment of FIG. 3(a) above.

[0245] It should be noted that the above-mentioned reception time feedback indication is optional information. For example, the transmission server sends the second association information to the transmission client, but does not send the reception time feedback indication. The transmission client can determine the reception time of the recorded data packet based on the second association information provided by the transmission server and the local configuration of the transmission client and feedback the recorded reception time to the transmission server. For example, the transmission server encapsulates the sending timestamp in the data packet of the business flow corresponding to the second association information, and the transmission client detects the data packet of the business flow corresponding to the second association information. If the data packet of the business flow contains a sending timestamp, the transmission client records the reception time of the data packet based on the local configuration and feedbacks the recorded reception time to the transmission server.

[0246] Based on this implementation method 1, there are multiple methods for adjusting service flows to ensure that the associated service flows meet the synchronization delay requirements. The methods for adjusting service flows are the same as those for adjustment methods 1, 2, and 3 in the embodiment of Figure 3(a) above, and can be referred to the aforementioned description.

[0247] For specific examples of the three different adjustment methods in the first implementation method, please refer to the subsequent embodiments of Figures 7 to 9.

[0248] Implementation method 2: the communication device in the embodiment of FIG3( b ) is a transmission client.

[0249] Exemplarily, based on the second implementation method, the transmission client can determine the first reception time of the first data packet of the first service flow by the following method: the transmission client receives the first data packet of the first service flow from the transmission server, and then records the first reception time of the first data packet, where the first reception time is the time when the transmission client receives the first data packet. The user plane path of the first data packet is: application server -> transmission server -> UPF network element -> base station -> transmission client -> application client.

[0250] Exemplarily, based on the second implementation method, the transmission client may determine the second reception time of the second data packet of the second service flow by the following method: the transmission client receives the second data packet of the second service flow from the transmission server, and then records the second reception time of the second data packet, where the second reception time is the time when the transmission client receives the second data packet. The user plane path of the second data packet is: application server -> transmission server -> UPF network element -> base station -> transmission client -> application client.

[0251] As an implementation method, the transmission client further receives a reception time recording indication from the transmission server. The reception time recording indication is used to indicate the reception time of the data packets of the first service flow and the second service flow. Accordingly, based on the reception time recording indication, the transmission client records the first reception time of the first data packet after receiving the first data packet, and records the second reception time of the second data packet after receiving the second data packet.

[0252] As an implementation method, the transmission client further receives second association information from the transmission server. For the meaning of this second association information, refer to the description of implementation method 1 above. Based on the second association information, the transmission client can identify which service flows requested by the application client are associated with each other.

[0253] Exemplarily, the transmission server may simultaneously send the second association information and the aforementioned reception time record indication to the transmission client, thereby instructing the transmission client to record the reception time of data packets of the service flow indicated by the second association information (e.g., including the first service flow and the second service flow). As an implementation method, the transmission client detects data packets of the service flow indicated by the second association information (e.g., including the first service flow and the second service flow) based on the reception time record indication and the second association information, and records the reception time of associated data packets received in the service flow indicated by the second association information. The implementation method of the transmission client identifying associated data packets can refer to the relevant description of the embodiment of FIG. 3(a) above.

[0254] It should be noted that the aforementioned receipt time record indication is optional information. For example, the transmission server may send the second association information to the transmission client but may not send the receipt time record indication. The transmission client may determine the receipt time of the recorded data packet based on the second association information provided by the transmission server and the transmission client's local configuration. For example, the transmission server may encapsulate a send timestamp in the data packet of the service flow corresponding to the second association information. The transmission client may detect the data packet of the service flow corresponding to the second association information. If the data packet of the service flow contains a send timestamp, the transmission client may record the receipt time of the data packet based on the local configuration.

[0255] Based on this second implementation method, there are multiple methods for adjusting service flows to ensure that the associated service flows meet the synchronization delay requirements. The methods for adjusting service flows are the same as those for adjustment methods A, B, and C in the embodiment of Figure 3(a) above, and can be referred to the aforementioned description.

[0256] For specific examples of the three different adjustment methods in the second implementation method, please refer to the subsequent embodiments of Figures 10 to 12.

[0257] The embodiments of FIG. 3( a ) and FIG. 3( b ) are described below with reference to specific examples.

[0258] The embodiments of the following Figures 4 to 6 are specific examples of the embodiment of Figure 3(a) above, and the embodiments of the following Figures 7 to 12 are specific examples of the embodiment of Figure 3(b) above. In the embodiments of the following Figures 4 to 12, the VAL client, SEALDD client, SEALDD server, and VAL server are respectively specific examples of the application client, transmission client, transmission server, and application server in the embodiments of Figures 3(a) and 3(b) above for illustration. In the embodiments of the following Figures 4 to 12, the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information is a specific example of the first association information in the embodiments of Figures 3(a) and 3(b) above, and the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information is a specific example of the second association information in the embodiments of Figures 3(a) and 3(b) above.

[0259] FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

[0260] Step 401: The VAL server sends a request message to the SEALDD server. Correspondingly, the SEALDD server receives the request message.

[0261] The request message may be a subscription request message or a common request message.

[0262] The request message includes the VAL server identifier, the VAL service identifier, the address of the multimodal service flow on the VAL server side (for example, the address of each multimodal service flow includes an IP address, or includes an IP address and a port number), one or more of the transmission requirements of the multimodal service flow or the synchronization delay requirements of the multimodal service flow.

[0263] The number of multimodal service flows is two or more, and these service flows can come from the same VAL server or from different VAL servers. For example, the multimodal service flows include service flow #1 (video flow), service flow #2 (audio flow) and service flow #3 (tactile flow).

[0264] The VAL server identifier is used to uniquely identify a VAL server.

[0265] In one implementation method, if multiple multimodal business flows all come from the same VAL server, each multimodal business flow can be indicated by a VAL service identifier. For example, VAL service identifier #1 indicates business flow #1, corresponding to address #1 of the multimodal business flow on the VAL server side (for example, including IP address #1 and port number #1). VAL service identifier #2 indicates business flow #2, corresponding to address #2 of the multimodal business flow on the VAL server side (for example, including IP address #1 and port number #2, or including IP address #2 and port number #1, or including IP address #2 and port number #2). VAL identifier #3 indicates business flow #3, corresponding to address #3 of the multimodal business flow on the VAL server side (for example, including IP address #1 and port number #3, or including IP address #3 and port number #1, or including IP address #3 and port number #2, or including IP address #3 and port number #3).

[0266] In another implementation method, if multiple multimodal business flows come from multiple VAL servers, each multimodal business flow can be indicated by the VAL server's identifier and / or the VAL service identifier. For example, the VAL server's identifier #1 indicates business flow #1, or the VAL server's identifier #1 and the VAL service identifier #1 jointly indicate business flow #1, corresponding to the address #1 of the multimodal business flow on the VAL server side (for example, including IP address #1 and port number #1). The VAL server's identifier #2 indicates business flow #2, or the VAL server's identifier #2 and the VAL service identifier #2 jointly indicate business flow #2, corresponding to the address #2 of the multimodal business flow on the VAL server side (for example, including IP address #2 and port number #1, or including IP address #2 and port number #2). The VAL server identifier #3 indicates business flow #3, or the VAL server identifier #3 and the VAL service identifier #3 jointly indicate business flow #3, corresponding to the address #3 of the multimodal business flow on the VAL server side (for example, including IP address #3 and port number #1, or including IP address #3 and port number #2, or including IP address #3 and port number #3).

[0267] The transmission requirements of a multimodal service flow are used to indicate the transmission delay requirements of the service flow, that is, the delay of sending the service flow from the SEALDD server to the SEALDD client. For example, the transmission delay requirement of service flow #1 is 100ms, the transmission delay requirement of service flow #2 is 95ms, and the transmission delay requirement of service flow #3 is 80ms. In one implementation method, the transmission requirements of each multimodal service flow may indicate the transmission delay requirements of a service flow, for example, the transmission requirement #1 of a multimodal service flow indicates the transmission delay requirements of service flow #1, the transmission requirement #2 of a multimodal service flow indicates the transmission delay requirements of service flow #2, and the transmission requirement #3 of a multimodal service flow indicates the transmission delay requirements of service flow #3. In another implementation method, the transmission requirements of a multimodal service flow may indicate the transmission delay requirements of multiple service flows, for example, the transmission requirements of a multimodal service flow may indicate the transmission delay requirements of service flow #1, service flow #2, and service flow #3.

[0268] The synchronization delay requirement of a multimodal service flow is used to indicate the synchronization delay relationship between different multimodal service flows. For example, the synchronization delay requirement of a multimodal service flow is used to indicate that the time when the VAL client receives the data packet of service flow #1 and the time when the VAL client receives the data packet of service flow #2 are within the range of 0 to 50ms, where 50ms can be called the synchronization delay threshold #1. For another example, the synchronization delay requirement of a multimodal service flow is used to indicate that the time when the VAL client receives the data packet of service flow #2 and the time when the VAL client receives the data packet of service flow #3 are within the range of 0 to 30ms, where 30ms can be called the synchronization delay threshold #2. The synchronization delay threshold is also called the delay tolerance value or the maximum delay interval. In one implementation method, the synchronization delay requirement of each multimodal service flow may indicate the synchronization delay relationship between two multimodal service flows. For example, the synchronization delay requirement #1 of a multimodal service flow indicates the synchronization delay relationship between service flow #1 and service flow #2, and the synchronization delay requirement #2 of a multimodal service flow indicates the synchronization delay relationship between service flow #2 and service flow #3. In another implementation method, the synchronization delay requirement of a multimodal service flow may indicate the synchronization delay relationship between three or more multimodal service flows. For example, the synchronization delay requirement of a multimodal service flow may indicate the synchronization delay relationship between service flow #1 and service flow #2, and the synchronization delay relationship between service flow #2 and service flow #3.

[0269] Step 402: The SEALDD server determines the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information.

[0270] The SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information is a specific example of the first association information in the embodiment of FIG. 3( a ).

[0271] In an implementation method, the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information includes an association indication and the SEALDD-S interface addresses corresponding to multiple multimodal service flows respectively. The association indication is used to explicitly indicate that the multiple multimodal service flows have an association relationship. Among them, the SEALDD-S interface address may include the address of the VAL server-side multimodal service flow corresponding to the multimodal service flow, or include the address of the SEALDD server-side multimodal service flow allocated by the SEALDD server to the VAL server, or include the address of the VAL server-side multimodal service flow and the address of the SEALDD server-side multimodal service flow allocated by the SEALDD server to the VAL server. Among them, the address of the SEALDD server-side multimodal service flow allocated by the SEALDD server to the VAL server may include an IP address, or include an IP address and a port number. Exemplarily, in the request message of step 401 above, it includes the address #1 of the VAL server-side multimodal service flow corresponding to service flow #1, the address #2 of the VAL server-side multimodal service flow corresponding to service flow #2, and the address #3 of the VAL server-side multimodal service flow corresponding to service flow #3. Then, the address of the SEALDD server-side multimodal service flow allocated by the SEALDD server to the VAL server includes the address #1 of the SEALDD server-side multimodal service flow corresponding to service flow #1, the address #2 of the SEALDD server-side multimodal service flow corresponding to service flow #2, and the address #3 of the SEALDD server-side multimodal service flow corresponding to service flow #3. Therefore, the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information may be <SEALDD-S interface address #1, SEALDD-S interface address #2, SEALDD-S interface address #3, association indication>, where SEALDD-S interface address #1 includes the address #1 of the VAL server-side multimodal service flow and / or the address #1 of the SEALDD server-side multimodal service flow, SEALDD-S interface address #2 includes the address #2 of the VAL server-side multimodal service flow and / or the address #2 of the SEALDD server-side multimodal service flow, and SEALDD-S interface address #3 includes the address #3 of the VAL server-side multimodal service flow and / or the address #3 of the SEALDD server-side multimodal service flow.

[0272] In another implementation method, the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information includes the SEALDD-S interface addresses respectively corresponding to multiple multimodal service flows, and the same association identifier corresponding to each SEALDD-S interface address. Since each SEALDD-S interface address corresponds to the same association identifier, it implicitly indicates that there is an association relationship between the multiple multimodal service flows. Among them, the meaning of the SEALDD-S interface address can refer to the foregoing description. Exemplarily, the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information includes <SEALDD-S interface address #1, association identifier #1>, <SEALDD-S interface address #2, association identifier #1>, and <SEALDD-S interface address #3, association identifier #1>. Since SEALDD-S interface address #1, SEALDD-S interface address #2, and SEALDD-S interface address #3 correspond to the same association identifier #1, there is an association relationship between SEALDD-S interface address #1, SEALDD-S interface address #2, and SEALDD-S interface address #3, and thus there is an association relationship between service flow #1, service flow #2, and service flow #3.

[0273] Step 403, the SEALDD server sends a response message to the VAL server. Correspondingly, the VAL server receives the response message.

[0274] This response message can be a subscription response message or a normal response message.

[0275] This response message includes the addresses of the multimodal service flows on the SEALDD server side assigned by the SEALDD server to the VAL server. Exemplarily, this response message includes the address #1 of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD server side corresponding to service flow #1, the address #2 of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD server side corresponding to service flow #2, and the address #3 of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD server side corresponding to service flow #3.

[0276] When the VAL server subsequently sends a multimodal service flow to the SEALDD server, it can carry the source address and / or the destination address in the data packet of the multimodal service flow. The source address can be the address of the multimodal service flow on the VAL server side, and the destination address can be the address of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD server side. For example, for the data packet of service flow #1, the source address carried in the packet header of the data packet can be the address #1 of the multimodal service flow on the VAL server side, and the destination address can be the address #1 of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD server side. For the data packet of service flow #2, the source address carried in the packet header of the data packet can be the address #2 of the multimodal service flow on the VAL server side, and the destination address can be the address #2 of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD server side.

[0277] Step 404: The VAL client sends a service request message to the SEALDD client. Correspondingly, the SEALDD client receives the service request message.

[0278] The service request message includes the identifier of the VAL server and the VAL service identifier, wherein the number of the VAL service identifiers may be two or more.

[0279] The VAL server identifier is used to uniquely identify a VAL server.

[0280] The VAL service identifier is used to indicate a multimodal service flow, or the VAL server identifier and the VAL service identifier are used to jointly indicate a multimodal service flow. For a detailed description, please refer to step 401.

[0281] Step 405: The SEALDD client sends a connection request message to the SEALDD server. Correspondingly, the SEALDD server receives the connection request message.

[0282] The connection request message includes one or more of the following: a SEALDD client identifier, a VAL server identifier, a VAL service identifier, a SEALDD flow identifier (SEALDDflowID), or an address of a SEALDD client-side multimodal service flow.

[0283] The SEALDD client identifier is used to uniquely identify a SEALDD client.

[0284] The SEALDD flow identifier is used to uniquely identify a SEALDD flow. A SEALDD flow is used to transmit data packets of one or more service flows.

[0285] The address of the SEALDD client-side multimodal service flow may include an IP address, or include an IP address and a port number.

[0286] Step 406: The SEALDD server determines that multimodal service transmission needs to be enabled, and then determines SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information.

[0287] The SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information is a specific example of the second association information in the embodiment of FIG. 3( a ).

[0288] The method by which the SEALDD server determines that multimodal service transmission needs to be enabled may be, for example: the SEALDD server determines that multimodal service transmission needs to be enabled based on the request message in step 401 and the connection request message in step 405. For example, the SEALDD server determines that service flow #1, service flow #2, and service flow #3 are associated multimodal service flows based on the request message in step 401, and determines that the SEALDD client is requesting transmission of service flow #1, service flow #2, and service flow #3 based on the connection request message in step 405. Therefore, the SEALDD server determines that associated transmission of service flow #1, service flow #2, and service flow #3 needs to be enabled.

[0289] In an implementation method, the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information includes an association indication and the SEALDD-UU interface addresses respectively corresponding to multiple multimodal service flows. The association indication is used to explicitly indicate that the multiple multimodal service flows have an association relationship. Among them, the SEALDD-UU interface address may include the address of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD client side corresponding to the multimodal service flow, or include the address of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD server side assigned by the SEALDD server to the SEALDD client, or include the address of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD client side and the address of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD server side assigned by the SEALDD server to the SEALDD client. Among them, the address of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD server side assigned by the SEALDD server to the SEALDD client may include an IP address, or include an IP address and a port number. Exemplarily, in the connection request message of the above step 405, it includes the address #1 of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD client side corresponding to service flow #1, the address #2 of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD client side corresponding to service flow #2, and the address #3 of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD client side corresponding to service flow #3. Then, the address of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD server side assigned by the SEALDD server to the SEALDD client includes the address #1 of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD server side corresponding to service flow #1, the address #2 of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD server side corresponding to service flow #2, and the address #3 of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD server side corresponding to service flow #3. Therefore, the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information may be <SEALDD-UU interface address #1, SEALDD-UU interface address #2, SEALDD-UU interface address #3, association indication>, where SEALDD-UU interface address #1 includes the address #1 of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD client side and / or the address #1 of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD server side, SEALDD-UU interface address #2 includes the address #2 of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD client side and / or the address #2 of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD server side, and SEALDD-UU interface address #3 includes the address #3 of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD client side and / or the address #3 of the multimodal service flow on the SEALDD server side.

[0290] In another implementation method, the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information includes the SEALDD-UU interface addresses corresponding to multiple multimodal service flows respectively, and the same association identifier corresponding to each SEALDD-UU interface address. Since each SEALDD-UU interface address corresponds to the same association identifier, it implicitly indicates that there is an association relationship between the multiple multimodal service flows. Among them, the meaning of the SEALDD-UU interface address can refer to the foregoing description. Exemplarily, the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information includes <SEALDD-UU interface address #1, association identifier #1>, <SEALDD-UU interface address #2, association identifier #1>, and <SEALDD-UU interface address #3, association identifier #1>. Since SEALDD-UU interface address #1, SEALDD-UU interface address #2, and SEALDD-UU interface address #3 correspond to the same association identifier #1, there is an association relationship between SEALDD-UU interface address #1, SEALDD-UU interface address #2, and SEALDD-UU interface address #3. Furthermore, there is an association relationship between service flow #1, service flow #2, and service flow #3.

[0291] Among them, for the same service flow, the address of the SEALDD server-side multimodal service flow assigned by the SEALDD server corresponding to this service flow to the SEALDD client can be the same as or different from the address of the SEALDD server-side multimodal service flow assigned by the SEALDD server corresponding to this service flow to the VAL server.

[0292] It should be noted that the SEALDD-UU interface address can be represented not only by the address of the SEALDD client-side multimodal service flow and / or the address of the SEALDD server-side multimodal service flow assigned by the SEALDD server to the SEALDD client, but also by the SEALDD flow identifier. For example, the SEALDD-UU interface address #1 corresponding to service flow #1 is SEALDD flow identifier #1, the SEALDD-UU interface address #2 corresponding to service flow #2 is SEALDD flow identifier #2, and the SEALDD-UU interface address #3 corresponding to service flow #3 is SEALDD flow identifier #3.

[0293] Step 407, the SEALDD server sends a connection response message to the SEALDD client. Correspondingly, the SEALDD client receives the connection response message.

[0294] The connection response message includes the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information and a reception time feedback indication. The reception time feedback indication is used to indicate recording and feedback of the reception time of the data packets of the multimodal service flow.

[0295] Step 408a: The SEALDD server starts transmission delay measurement for data packets of the SEALDD-UU multimodal service flow.

[0296] Specifically, when a SEALDD-UU multimodal service flow from a VAL server arrives at the SEALDD server, the SEALDD server identifies the SEALDD-S multimodal service flow based on the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information, maps the multimodal service flow of the SEALDD-S interface to the SEALDD-UU interface for transmission, and starts transmission delay measurement for the data packets of the SEALDD-UU multimodal service flow.

[0297] Among them, the SEALDD server enables transmission delay measurement for the data packets of the SEALDD-UU multimodal service flow. For example, the SEALDD server adds a sending timestamp to the data packets of the SEALDD-UU multimodal service flow. The sending timestamp is the time when the SEALDD server sends the data packet to the SEALDD client.

[0298] The SEALDD server maintains a mapping relationship between the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow address and the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow address corresponding to the same service flow. Therefore, the SEALDD server can map the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow to the SEALDD-UU interface for transmission based on this mapping relationship. For example, if SEALDD-S interface address #1 and SEALDD-UU interface address #1 have a mapping relationship, the SEALDD server will transmit service flow #1 from SEALDD-S interface address #1 to the SEALDD client via SEALDD-UU interface address #1. Specifically, the data packet of service flow #1 carries SEALDD-S interface address #1, and the SEALDD-S interface address #1 can be used as the destination address and / or source address of the data packet. Then, after the SEALDD server receives the data packet, it adds SEALDD-UU interface address #1 to the data packet and sends the data packet to the SEALDD client. The SEALDD-UU interface address #1 can be used as the destination address and / or source address of the data packet.

[0299] The SEALDD server also identifies associated data packets in multiple multimodal service flows and maintains the association relationship between the associated data packets of the multimodal service flows. For example, the SEALDD server can identify associated data packets in multiple multimodal service flows by identifying relevant information in the data packets. For example, if the transmission protocol corresponding to the multimodal service flow is the RTP protocol, the SEALDD server can determine the generation time of the data packet based on the timestamp information (Timestamp) carried by the RTP protocol header of the data packet. If the generation time of data packets from different multimodal service flows is the same, these data packets are determined to be associated data packets. For example, assume that service flow #1 corresponds to SEALDD-UU interface address #1, and the data packets of service flow #1 are <data packet #1-1, data packet #1-2, data packet #1-3, ...>; service flow #2 corresponds to SEALDD-UU interface address #2, and the data packets of service flow #2 are <data packet #2-1, data packet #2-2, data packet #2-3, ...>; service flow #3 corresponds to SEALDD-UU interface address #3, and the data packets of service flow #3 are <data packet #3-1, data packet #3-2, data packet #3-3, ...>. If service flows #1, #2, and #3 are associated service flows, and data packets #1-1, #2-1, and #3-1 are associated data packets, the SEALDD server maintains the association relationship between data packets #1-1, #2-1, and #3-1, for example, recording the sequence numbers of these data packets and the mapping relationship between the sequence numbers.

[0300] For associated data packets, when they are transmitted to the SEALDD client, the synchronization delay requirements of the multimodal service flow must be met; otherwise, the user experience will be affected.

[0301] Step 408b: The SEALDD client sends feedback information to the SEALDD server, where the feedback information includes the sequence number and receiving timestamp of the data packet. Correspondingly, the SEALDD server receives the feedback information.

[0302] Specifically, the SEALDD client identifies the multimodal service flow from the SEALDD server based on the multimodal service flow association information of the SEALDD-UU interface, and sends feedback information to the SEALDD server based on the reception time feedback indication. The feedback information includes the serial number and reception timestamp of the data packet, and optionally the feedback information also includes the sending timestamp of the data packet.

[0303] The sequence number of a data packet indicates the sequence number of the data packet in the multimodal service flow.

[0304] The receiving timestamp indicates the time when the SEALDD client receives the data packet of the multimodal service flow, and is generated by the SEALDD client when receiving the data packet of the multimodal service flow.

[0305] In one implementation method, the SEALDD client sends feedback information to the SEALDD server. This may be: after receiving a data packet of an uplink service flow from the VAL client, the SEALDD client carries the feedback information in the data packet.

[0306] In another implementation, the SEALDD client sends feedback information to the SEALDD server by constructing a data packet and sending it to the SEALDD server, which carries the feedback information. This data packet is dedicated to sending feedback information and is not used to transmit uplink data from the VAL client. Therefore, it can also be called an uplink empty data packet.

[0307] It should be noted that the SEALDD client may send a feedback message to the SEALDD server for each data packet received for the multimodal service flow of the SEALDD-UU interface, or may send feedback information to the SEALDD server periodically according to the feedback cycle, or may send feedback information for the data packet received by the SEALDD client. If the data packet carries a sending timestamp, the SEALDD client sends feedback information for the data packet to the SEALDD server. The sending timestamp in the data packet is added to the data packet by the SEALDD server before the SEALDD server sends the data packet to the SEALDD client. The sending timestamp indicates the time when the SEALDD server sends the data packet to the SEALDD client.

[0308] Step 409a: The SEALDD server determines the transmission delay measurement value of the associated data packets of the multimodal service flow.

[0309] For each data packet in the associated data packets of the multimodal service flow, the SEALDD server determines the transmission delay measurement value of the data packet based on the receiving timestamp and the sending timestamp of the data packet. The transmission delay measurement value is the delay of the data packet from the SEALDD server to the SEALDD client, that is, the transmission delay measurement value is equal to the receiving timestamp minus the sending timestamp.

[0310] For example, if data packet #1-1 of business flow #1, data packet #2-1 of business flow #2, and data packet #3-1 of business flow #3 are associated data packets, when the SEALDD server sends data packets to the SEALDD client, it adds data packet sequence number #1-1 and sending timestamp T1-1 to data packet #1-1, adds data packet sequence number #1-1 and sending timestamp T2-1 to data packet #2-1, and adds data packet sequence number #3-1 and sending timestamp T3-1 to data packet #3-1. Accordingly, the SEALDD server receives feedback information 1 corresponding to data packet #1-1, which includes data packet sequence number #1-1 and receiving timestamp T1-2; receives feedback information 2 corresponding to data packet #2-1, which includes data packet sequence number #2-1 and receiving timestamp T2-2; and receives feedback information 3 corresponding to data packet #3-1, which includes data packet sequence number #3-1 and receiving timestamp T3-2. Therefore, the SEALDD server determines that the transmission delay measurement value corresponding to data packet 1-1 is T1-2 minus T1-1, the transmission delay measurement value corresponding to data packet 2-1 is T2-2 minus T2-1, and the transmission delay measurement value corresponding to data packet 3-1 is T3-2 minus T3-1.

[0311] In step 409b, the SEALDD server determines the QoS requirement of the service flow that needs to be adjusted based on the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow, the transmission delay measurement value of the associated data packets of the multimodal service flow, and the transmission requirement of the multimodal service flow.

[0312] For example, the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow is used to indicate that service flow #1 can arrive at the VAL client later than service flow #2 within the synchronization delay threshold #1. If the difference between the time when the data packet of service flow #1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when the data packet of service flow #2 arrives at the VAL client is greater than the synchronization delay threshold #1, the SEALDD server determines that the service flow that needs to be adjusted is service flow #1, and also determines the QoS requirement of service flow #1, so that the QoS requirement of service flow #1 meets the transmission requirement of service flow #1, and after adjusting the transmission delay of service flow #1 based on the QoS requirement of service flow #1, the difference between the time when the data packet of service flow #1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when the data packet of service flow #2 arrives at the VAL client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold #1.

[0313] For example, assuming that the synchronization delay requirement of a multimodal service flow indicates that service flow #1 can arrive at the VAL client within 10ms later than service flow #2, that is, the difference between the time when service flow #1's data packet arrives at the VAL client and the time when service flow #2's data packet arrives at the VAL client is less than 10ms, and the transmission requirement of service flow #1 is that the transmission delay does not exceed 100ms. If the measured transmission delay value of data packet #1-1 of service flow #1 received by the SEALDD server is 105ms, and the measured transmission delay value of data packet 2-1 of service flow #2 is 92ms, and assuming that the difference between the time when data packet #1-1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when data packet 2-1 arrives at the VAL client is greater than 10ms, indicating that the synchronization delay relationship is not met, assuming that the SEALDD server determines that the QoS requirement of service flow #1 needs to be adjusted, and the SEALDD server determines that the transmission delay corresponding to the QoS requirement of service flow #1 that needs to be adjusted is 92-100ms, that is, the transmission delay of the data packet of service flow #1 needs to be adjusted to any value between 92 and 100ms.

[0314] Step 410: The SEALDD server sends a request message to the core network element. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the request message.

[0315] This request message is used to request an update of QoS parameters. The request message includes flow description information of the service flow to be adjusted and the QoS requirements of the service flow to be adjusted. The flow description information to be adjusted may include the VAL server identifier and / or VAL service identifier, or the SEALDD-UU interface address corresponding to the service flow to be adjusted, or the SEALDD-S interface address corresponding to the service flow to be adjusted.

[0316] Among them, if the description information of the service flow that needs to be adjusted carried in the above request message is the SEALDD-S interface address of the multimodal service flow, the SEALDD server can determine the SEALDD-S interface address of the multimodal service flow by the following method: the SEALDD server determines the SEALDD-UU interface address of the multimodal service flow that needs to adjust the QoS requirements between the SEALDD server and the SEALDD client, and then the SEALDD server determines the SEALDD-S interface address corresponding to the SEALDD-UU interface address of the multimodal service flow based on the mapping relationship between the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information and the SEALDD-U interface multimodal service flow association information.

[0317] For example, the core network element can be an NEF network element or a PCF network element of a 5G network, and the SEALDD server can function as an AF network element and send the request message to the NEF network element via the N33 interface, or to the PCF network element via the N5 interface. If the NEF receives the request message, it can send the request message to the PCF network element.

[0318] After receiving the request message, the PCF network element can adjust the QoS of the service flow according to the QoS requirements of the service flow that needs to be adjusted, so that the transmission of the service flow meets the QoS requirements, and further makes the transmission of the multimodal service flow meet the synchronization delay requirements of the multimodal service flow.

[0319] In the above solution, the SEALDD server maintains the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information and the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, and enables the transmission delay measurement of the multimodal service flow. The SEALDD server determines the QoS requirements of the service flow that needs to be adjusted, and requests the core network network element to adjust the QoS of the specified service flow, thereby ensuring that the synchronization delay requirements between the multimodal service flows are met. Since the transmission delay in the solution refers to the delay of the data packet from the SEALDD server to the SEALDD client, the transmission delay not only includes the transmission delay of the data packet within the network (that is, the delay from the UPF network element to the UE), but also includes the transmission delay outside the network (that is, the N6 transmission delay from the SEALDD server to the UPF network element). Therefore, it can more accurately reflect the transmission delay between multimodal service flows, thereby helping to accurately achieve transmission synchronization between multimodal service flows. Moreover, in this solution, the application layer can also perceive the transmission delay of the service flow, which helps the application side to accurately adjust the transmission of the service flow according to the transmission delay, thereby further improving the transmission synchronization between multimodal service flows.

[0320] FIG5 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

[0321] Steps 501 to 507 are the same as steps 401 to 407 in the embodiment of FIG. 4 .

[0322] That is, steps 501 to 507 are the same as steps 401 to 407.

[0323] Steps 508a to 508b are the same as steps 408a to 408b in the embodiment of FIG. 4 .

[0324] That is, steps 508a to 508b are the same as steps 408a to 408b.

[0325] Step 509a is the same as step 409a in the embodiment of FIG. 4 .

[0326] Step 509b: The SEALDD server determines the packet sending time advance of the service flow that needs to be adjusted according to the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow, the transmission delay measurement value of the associated data packet of the multimodal service flow, and the transmission requirement of the multimodal service flow.

[0327] For example, the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow is used to indicate that service flow #1 can arrive at the VAL client later than service flow #2 within the synchronization delay threshold #1. If the difference between the time when the data packet of service flow #1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when the data packet of service flow #2 arrives at the VAL client is greater than the synchronization delay threshold #1, the SEALDD server determines that the service flow that needs to be adjusted is service flow #1, and also determines the advance amount of the packet sending time of service flow #1. By sending the data packet of service flow #1 in advance, the difference between the time when the data packet of service flow #1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when the data packet of service flow #2 arrives at the VAL client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold #1.

[0328] For example, assume that the synchronization delay requirement of multimodal service flows indicates that service flow #1 can arrive at the VAL client within 10ms later than service flow #2, that is, the difference between the time when service flow #1's data packet arrives at the VAL client and the time when service flow #2's data packet arrives at the VAL client is less than 10ms, and the transmission requirement of service flow #1 is that the transmission delay does not exceed 100ms. If the transmission delay measurement value of data packet #1-1 of service flow #1 received by the SEALDD server is 105ms, and the transmission delay measurement value of data packet 2-1 of service flow #2 is 92ms, and it is assumed that the difference between the time when data packet #1-1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when data packet 2-1 arrives at the VAL client is greater than 10ms, indicating that the synchronization delay relationship is not met, it is assumed that the SEALDD server determines that the packet sending time of service flow #1 needs to be adjusted, and the SEALDD server determines that the packet sending time of service flow #1 that needs to be adjusted can be advanced by 5 to 13ms, that is, the packet sending time of service flow #1 needs to be advanced by any value between 5 and 13ms.

[0329] In step 510, the SEALDD server sends a first message to the VAL server. Correspondingly, the VAL server receives the first message.

[0330] Exemplarily, the first message may be a notification message, a request message, or other types of messages, which are not limited in this application.

[0331] The first message is used to notify the VAL server to adjust the packet transmission time of the service flow. The first message includes the description information of the service flow to be adjusted and the packet transmission time advance of the service flow. For example, in the above example, the first message includes the identification information of service flow #1 and the packet transmission time advance of service flow #1. The packet transmission time advance is 5 to 13 ms, or any value between 5 and 13 ms.

[0332] In another implementation method, in the above step 509b, after determining the service flow that needs to be adjusted, the SEALDD server does not need to determine the packet sending time advance of the service flow that needs to be adjusted, but instead carries the description information of the multimodal service flow and the transmission delay measurement value of the multimodal service flow in the first message sent to the VAL server. The VAL server then determines the packet sending time advance of the service flow that needs to be adjusted based on the transmission delay measurement value of the multimodal service flow, and based on the packet sending time advance, sends packets in advance for the service flow. For example, for the above example, the first message includes the identification information of service flow #1, the identification information of service flow #2, the transmission delay measurement value #1 of service flow #1 (i.e., 105ms), and the transmission delay measurement value #2 of service flow #2 (i.e., 92ms). The VAL server then determines that the service flow that needs to be adjusted is service flow #1, and determines that the packet sending time advance of service flow #1 is any value between 5 and 13ms.

[0333] In another implementation method, in the above-mentioned step 509b, after determining the business flow that needs to be adjusted, the SEALDD server does not need to determine the packet sending time advance of the business flow that needs to be adjusted, but carries the description information of the multimodal business flow and the difference between the transmission delay measurement values ​​of different multimodal business flows in the first message sent to the VAL server. Then the VAL server determines the packet sending time advance of the business flow that needs to be adjusted based on the difference between the transmission delay measurement values ​​of the multimodal business flow, and based on the packet sending time advance, sends packets in advance to the business flow. For example, for the aforementioned example, the first message includes the identification information of business flow #1, the identification information of business flow #2, and the difference (i.e., 13ms) of the transmission delay measurement value between business flow #1 and business flow #2. Then the VAL server determines that the business flow that needs to be adjusted is business flow #1, and determines that the packet sending time advance of business flow #1 is 13ms or a value slightly less than 13ms.

[0334] The description information of the service flow may include the identifier of the VAL server and / or the VAL service identifier, or include the SEALDD-UU interface address corresponding to the service flow, or include the SEALDD-S interface address corresponding to the service flow. If the description information of the service flow that needs to be adjusted carried in the first message of step 510 is the SEALDD-S interface address of the multimodal service flow, the SEALDD server may determine the SEALDD-S interface address of the multimodal service flow by the following method: the SEALDD server determines the SEALDD-UU interface address of the multimodal service flow that needs to adjust the packet sending time between the SEALDD server and the SEALDD client, and then the SEALDD server determines the SEALDD-S interface address corresponding to the SEALDD-UU interface address of the multimodal service flow based on the mapping relationship between the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information and the SEALDD-U interface multimodal service flow association information.

[0335] It should be noted that step 510 is optional. That is, the VAL server may not adjust the packet sending time of the service flow, but instead the SEALDD server may adjust the packet sending time of the service flow. For example, if the SEALDD server has pre-stored data of the relevant multimodal service flow, the SEALDD server may adjust the packet sending time of the multimodal service flow based on the advance amount of the packet sending time of the service flow that needs to be adjusted, as determined in step 509.

[0336] In the above solution, the SEALDD server maintains the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information and the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, and enables transmission delay measurement for multimodal service flows. The SEALDD server determines the packet transmission time advance of the service flow that needs to be adjusted. The SEALDD server adjusts the packet transmission time of the service flow based on the packet transmission time advance, or notifies the VAL server to adjust the packet transmission time of the service flow, so that the synchronization delay requirements between multimodal service flows are met. Since the transmission delay in the solution refers to the delay of the data packet from the SEALDD server to the SEALDD client, this transmission delay not only includes the transmission delay of the data packet within the network (that is, the delay between the UPF network element and the UE), but also includes the transmission delay outside the network (that is, the N6 transmission delay between the SEALDD server and the UPF network element). Therefore, it can more accurately reflect the transmission delay between multimodal service flows, thereby helping to accurately achieve transmission synchronization between multimodal service flows. Moreover, in this solution, the application layer can also perceive the transmission delay of the service flow, which helps the application side to accurately adjust the transmission of the service flow according to the transmission delay, thereby further improving the transmission synchronization between multimodal service flows.

[0337] FIG6 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

[0338] Steps 601 to 607 are the same as steps 401 to 407 in the embodiment of FIG. 4 .

[0339] That is, steps 601 to 607 are the same as steps 401 to 407.

[0340] Steps 608a to 608b are the same as steps 408a to 408b in the embodiment of FIG. 4 .

[0341] That is, step 608a to step 608b are the same as step 408a to step 408b.

[0342] Step 609a is the same as step 409a in the embodiment of FIG. 4 .

[0343] Step 609b: The SEALDD server determines the amount of cache time of the service flow that needs to be adjusted based on the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow, the transmission delay measurement value of the associated data packets of the multimodal service flow, and the transmission requirement of the multimodal service flow.

[0344] For example, the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow is used to indicate that service flow #1 can arrive at the VAL client later than service flow #2 within the synchronization delay threshold #1. If the difference between the time when the data packet of service flow #1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when the data packet of service flow #2 arrives at the VAL client is greater than the synchronization delay threshold #1, the SEALDD server determines that the service flow that needs to be adjusted is service flow #2, and also determines the cache time of service flow #2, so that the difference between the time when the data packet of service flow #1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when the data packet of service flow #2 arrives at the VAL client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold #1.

[0345] For example, assume that the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow indicates that service flow #1 can arrive at the VAL client within 10ms later than service flow #2, that is, the difference between the time when the data packet of service flow #1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when the data packet of service flow #2 arrives at the VAL client is less than 10ms, and the transmission requirement of service flow #1 is that the transmission delay does not exceed 100ms. If the transmission delay measurement value of data packet #1-1 of service flow #1 received by the SEALDD server is 98ms, and the transmission delay measurement value of data packet 2-1 of service flow #2 is 85ms, and it is assumed that the difference between the time when data packet #1-1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when data packet 2-1 arrives at the VAL client is greater than 10ms, indicating that the synchronization delay relationship is not met, it is assumed that the SEALDD server determines that the data packet of service flow #2 needs to be cached, and determines that the cache time of service flow #2 is any value between 3 and 13ms.

[0346] Step 610: The SEALDD server sends a second message to the SEALDD client. Correspondingly, the SEALDD client receives the second message.

[0347] Exemplarily, the second message may be a notification message, a request message, or other types of messages, which are not limited in this application.

[0348] The second message is used to notify the SEALDD client to cache the data packets of the business flow. The second message includes the description information of the business flow that needs to be adjusted and the cache time of the business flow. For example, with respect to the above example, the second message includes the identification information of business flow #2 and the cache time of business flow #2. The cache time is 3 to 13 ms, or any value between 3 and 13 ms. The SEALDD client identifies the business flow that needs to be adjusted based on the description information of the business flow that needs to be adjusted, and caches the data packets of the business flow according to the cache time notified by the SEALDD server.

[0349] It should be noted that step 610 is optional. That is, the SEALDD client may not cache the data packets of the service flow, but instead the SEALDD server may cache the data packets of the service flow. For example, the SEALDD server may determine the cache time for the data packets of the service flow that needs to be adjusted and cache the data packets based on the cache time for the service flow.

[0350] In the above solution, the SEALDD server maintains the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information and the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, and enables the transmission delay measurement of the multimodal service flow. The SEALDD server determines the cache time of the service flow that needs to be adjusted, and the SEALDD server or SEALDD client caches the data packets of the service flow according to the cache time, so that the synchronization delay requirements between the multimodal service flows are met. Since the transmission delay in the solution refers to the delay of the data packet from the SEALDD server to the SEALDD client, the transmission delay not only includes the transmission delay of the data packet within the network (that is, the delay from the UPF network element to the UE), but also includes the transmission delay outside the network (that is, the N6 transmission delay from the SEALDD server to the UPF network element). Therefore, it can more accurately reflect the transmission delay between multimodal service flows, thereby helping to accurately achieve transmission synchronization between multimodal service flows. Moreover, in this solution, the application layer can also perceive the transmission delay of the service flow, which helps the application side to accurately adjust the transmission of the service flow according to the transmission delay, thereby further improving the transmission synchronization between multimodal service flows.

[0351] FIG7 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

[0352] Steps 701 to 706 are the same as steps 401 to 406 in the embodiment of FIG. 4 .

[0353] That is, steps 701 to 706 are the same as steps 401 to 406.

[0354] Step 707: The SEALDD server sends a connection response message to the SEALDD client. Correspondingly, the SEALDD client receives the connection response message.

[0355] The connection response message includes SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association data packet identification information and a reception time feedback indication.

[0356] Among them, the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information is used to identify the multimodal service flow.

[0357] The associated data packet identification information of the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow is used to identify the associated data packets of the multimodal service flow. For example, the associated data packet identification information of the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow can be the timestamp information carried by the RTP protocol header of the data packet of the multimodal service flow. The SEALDD client determines the generation time of the data packet based on the timestamp information. If the generation time of the data packets from different multimodal service flows is the same, these data packets are determined to be associated data packets. For example, assuming that service flow #1 corresponds to SEALDD-UU interface address #1, the data packets of service flow #1 are <data packet #1-1, data packet #1-2, data packet #1-3, ...>; service flow #2 corresponds to SEALDD-UU interface address #2, the data packets of service flow #2 are <data packet #2-1, data packet #2-2, data packet #2-3, ...>; service flow #3 corresponds to SEALDD-UU interface address #3, and the data packets of service flow #3 are <data packet #3-1, data packet #3-2, data packet #3-3, ...>. The SEALDD client identifies service flows #1, #2, and #3 as associated service flows based on the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, and determines that data packets #1-1, #2-1, and #3-1 are associated data packets based on the associated data packet identification information of the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow. For another example, the associated data packet identification information of the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow can be indication information added to the data packets, such as a sequence number. If the data packets of the multimodal service flow contain the same indication information, the data packets are determined to be associated data packets.

[0358] The receiving time feedback indication is used to indicate the recording and feedback of the receiving time of the associated data packets of the multimodal service flow.

[0359] Step 708: The SEALDD client records the reception time of the associated data packet of the multimodal service flow.

[0360] When downlink data arrives at the SEALDD client, the SEALDD client identifies the multimodal service flow from the SEALDD server based on the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, and determines the associated data packet of the multimodal service flow based on the associated data packet identification information of the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow, and records the reception time of the associated data packet of the multimodal service flow.

[0361] For example, according to the aforementioned example, data packet #1-1, data packet #2-1, and data packet #3-1 are associated data packets, and their corresponding receiving timestamps are T1-1, T2-1, and T3-1, respectively.

[0362] Step 709: The SEALDD client sends feedback information to the SEALDD server. Correspondingly, the SEALDD server receives the feedback information.

[0363] The feedback information includes the SEALDD-UU interface address of the multimodal service flow and the reception time of the associated data packet of the multimodal service flow.

[0364] In step 710, the SEALDD server determines the QoS requirement of the service flow that needs to be adjusted according to the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow, the reception time of the associated data packets of the multimodal service flow, and the transmission requirement of the multimodal service flow.

[0365] For example, the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow is used to indicate that service flow #1 can arrive at the VAL client later than service flow #2 within the synchronization delay threshold #1. If the difference between the time when the data packet of service flow #1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when the data packet of service flow #2 arrives at the VAL client is greater than the synchronization delay threshold #1, the SEALDD server determines that the service flow that needs to be adjusted is service flow #1, and also determines the QoS requirement of service flow #1, so that the QoS requirement of service flow #1 meets the transmission requirement of service flow #1, and after adjusting the transmission delay of service flow #1 based on the QoS requirement of service flow #1, the difference between the time when the data packet of service flow #1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when the data packet of service flow #2 arrives at the VAL client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold #1.

[0366] For example, assuming that the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow indicates that service flow #1 can arrive at the VAL client within 10ms later than service flow #2, that is, the difference between the time when service flow #1's data packet arrives at the VAL client and the time when service flow #2's data packet arrives at the VAL client is less than 10ms, and the transmission requirement of service flow #1 is that the transmission delay does not exceed 100ms. If the SEALDD server receives the reception time value of data packet #1-1 of service flow #1 as T1-1, and the reception time of data packet 2-1 of service flow #2 as T2-1, and assuming that the difference between the time when data packet #1-1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when data packet 2-1 arrives at the VAL client is greater than 10ms, it indicates that the synchronization delay relationship is not met. Assume that the SEALDD server determines that the QoS requirement of service flow #1 needs to be adjusted, for example, the transmission delay of the adjusted QoS requirement of service flow #1 is determined to be 92 to 100ms, that is, the transmission delay of the data packet of service flow #1 needs to be adjusted to any value between 92 and 100ms.

[0367] Step 711: The SEALDD server sends a request message to the core network element. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the request message.

[0368] This request message is used to request an update of QoS parameters and includes description information of the service flow to be adjusted and the QoS requirements of the service flow to be adjusted. The description information of the service flow to be adjusted may include the VAL server identifier and / or VAL service identifier, or the SEALDD-UU interface address corresponding to the service flow to be adjusted, or the SEALDD-S interface address corresponding to the service flow to be adjusted.

[0369] Among them, if the description information of the service flow that needs to be adjusted carried in the above request message is the SEALDD-S interface address of the multimodal service flow, the SEALDD server can determine the SEALDD-S interface address of the multimodal service flow by the following method: the SEALDD server determines the SEALDD-UU interface address of the multimodal service flow that needs to adjust the QoS requirements between the SEALDD server and the SEALDD client, and then the SEALDD server determines the SEALDD-S interface address corresponding to the SEALDD-UU interface address of the multimodal service flow based on the mapping relationship between the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information and the SEALDD-U interface multimodal service flow association information.

[0370] For example, the core network element can be an NEF network element or a PCF network element of a 5G network, and the SEALDD server can function as an AF network element and send the request message to the NEF network element via the N33 interface, or to the PCF network element via the N5 interface. If the NEF receives the request message, it can send the request message to the PCF network element.

[0371] After receiving the request message, the PCF network element can adjust the QoS of the service flow according to the QoS requirements of the service flow that needs to be adjusted, so that the transmission of the service flow meets the QoS requirements, and further makes the transmission of the multimodal service flow meet the synchronization delay requirements of the multimodal service flow.

[0372] In the above solution, the SEALDD server maintains the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information and the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, and notifies the SEALDD client to record and feedback the reception time of the associated data packets. Based on the reception time of the associated data packets, the SEALDD server determines the QoS requirements of the service flows that need to be adjusted and requests the core network element to adjust the QoS of the specified service flows, thereby ensuring that the synchronization delay requirements between multimodal service flows are met. Furthermore, in this solution, the application layer can also perceive the transmission delay of the service flow, which helps the application side accurately adjust the transmission of the service flow based on the transmission delay, thereby further improving the transmission synchronization between multimodal service flows.

[0373] FIG8 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

[0374] Steps 801 to 809 are the same as steps 701 to 709 in the embodiment of FIG. 7 .

[0375] That is, steps 801 to 809 are the same as steps 701 to 709.

[0376] Step 810: The SEALDD server determines the packet sending time advance of the service flow that needs to be adjusted according to the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow, the reception time of the associated data packet of the multimodal service flow, and the transmission requirement of the multimodal service flow.

[0377] For example, the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow is used to indicate that service flow #1 can arrive at the VAL client later than service flow #2 within the synchronization delay threshold #1. If the difference between the time when the data packet of service flow #1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when the data packet of service flow #2 arrives at the VAL client is greater than the synchronization delay threshold #1, the SEALDD server determines that the service flow that needs to be adjusted is service flow #1, and also determines the advance amount of the packet sending time of service flow #1. By sending the data packet of service flow #1 in advance, the difference between the time when the data packet of service flow #1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when the data packet of service flow #2 arrives at the VAL client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold #1.

[0378] For example, assume that the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow indicates that service flow #1 can arrive at the VAL client within 10ms later than service flow #2, that is, the difference between the time when the data packet of service flow #1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when the data packet of service flow #2 arrives at the VAL client is less than 10ms, and the transmission requirement of service flow #1 is that the transmission delay does not exceed 100ms. If the SEALDD client feeds back to the SEALDD server that the receiving time of data packet #1-1 of service flow #1 received by the SEALDD client is T1-1, and the receiving time of data packet 2-1 of service flow #2 is T2-2, and assuming that the difference between the time when data packet #1-1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when data packet 2-1 arrives at the VAL client is greater than 10ms, it indicates that the synchronization delay relationship is not satisfied. Assume that the SEALDD server determines that the packet sending time of service flow #1 needs to be adjusted. For example, the SEALDD server determines that the packet sending time of service flow #1 that needs to be adjusted can be advanced by 5 to 13ms, that is, the packet sending time of the data packet of service flow #1 needs to be advanced by any value between 5 and 13ms.

[0379] Step 811: The SEALDD server sends a first message to the VAL server. Correspondingly, the VAL server receives the first message.

[0380] Exemplarily, the first message may be a notification message, a request message, or other types of messages, which are not limited in this application.

[0381] The first message is used to notify the VAL server to adjust the packet transmission time of the service flow. The first message includes the description information of the service flow to be adjusted and the packet transmission time advance of the service flow. For example, in the above example, the first message includes the identification information of service flow #1 and the packet transmission time advance of service flow #1. The packet transmission time advance is 5 to 13 ms, or any value between 5 and 13 ms.

[0382] In another implementation method, in step 810 above, after determining the service flow that needs adjustment, the SEALDD server does not need to determine the packet transmission time advance of the service flow that needs adjustment. Instead, the SEALDD server sends a first message to the VAL server containing description information of the multimodal service flow and the reception time of the data packets of the multimodal service flow. The VAL server then determines the packet transmission time advance of the service flow that needs adjustment based on the reception time of the data packets of the multimodal service flow, and advances the packets for the service flow based on this packet transmission time advance. For example, with respect to the above example, the first message includes identification information of service flow #1, identification information of service flow #2, reception time T1-1 of data packet 1-1 of service flow #1, and reception time T2-1 of data packet 2-1 of service flow #2. The VAL server then determines that the service flow that needs adjustment is service flow #1 and determines the packet transmission time advance of service flow #1, for example, determining the packet transmission time advance to be any value between 5 and 13 ms.

[0383] In another implementation method, in the above step 810, after determining the service flow that needs to be adjusted, the SEALDD server does not need to determine the packet sending time advance of the service flow that needs to be adjusted, but instead carries the description information of the multimodal service flow and the difference between the reception times of the associated data packets of different multimodal service flows in the first message sent to the VAL server. The VAL server then determines the packet sending time advance of the service flow that needs to be adjusted based on the difference between the reception times of the associated data packets of the multimodal service flows, and based on the packet sending time advance, sends packets in advance for the service flow. For example, for the above example, the first message includes the identification information of service flow #1, the identification information of service flow #2, and the difference between the reception times of the associated data packets between service flow #1 and service flow #2 (i.e., T1-1 minus T2-1). The VAL server then determines that the service flow that needs to be adjusted is service flow #1, and determines the packet sending time advance of service flow #1, for example, determining the packet sending time advance to be any value between 5 and 13 ms.

[0384] The description information of the service flow may include the identifier of the VAL server and / or the VAL service identifier, or include the SEALDD-UU interface address corresponding to the service flow, or include the SEALDD-S interface address corresponding to the service flow. If the description information of the service flow that needs to be adjusted carried in the first message of step 811 is the SEALDD-S interface address of the multimodal service flow, the SEALDD server may determine the SEALDD-S interface address of the multimodal service flow by the following method: the SEALDD server determines the SEALDD-UU interface address of the multimodal service flow that needs to adjust the packet sending time between the SEALDD server and the SEALDD client, and then the SEALDD server determines the SEALDD-S interface address corresponding to the SEALDD-UU interface address of the multimodal service flow based on the mapping relationship between the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information and the SEALDD-U interface multimodal service flow association information.

[0385] It should be noted that step 811 is optional. That is, the VAL server may not adjust the packet sending time of the service flow, but instead the SEALDD server may adjust the packet sending time of the service flow. For example, if the SEALDD server has pre-stored data for the relevant multimodal service flow, the SEALDD server may adjust the packet sending time of the multimodal service flow based on the advance amount of the packet sending time of the service flow that needs to be adjusted, as determined in step 810.

[0386] In the above solution, the SEALDD server maintains the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information and the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, and notifies the SEALDD client to feedback the reception time of the associated data packets of the multimodal service flow. The SEALDD server then determines the packet transmission time advance required for the service flow based on the reception time of the associated data packets of the multimodal service flow. The SEALDD server adjusts the packet transmission time of the service flow based on this packet transmission time advance, or notifies the VAL server to adjust the packet transmission time of the service flow, thereby ensuring that the synchronization delay requirements between multimodal service flows are met. In addition, in this solution, the application layer can also perceive the transmission delay of the service flow, which helps the application side accurately adjust the transmission of the service flow based on the transmission delay, thereby further improving the transmission synchronization between multimodal service flows.

[0387] FIG9 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

[0388] Steps 901 to 909 are the same as steps 701 to 709 in the embodiment of FIG. 7 .

[0389] That is, steps 901 to 909 are the same as steps 701 to 709.

[0390] Step 910: The SEALDD server determines the amount of cache time of the service flow that needs to be adjusted based on the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow, the reception time of the associated data packets of the multimodal service flow, and the transmission requirement of the multimodal service flow.

[0391] For example, the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow is used to indicate that service flow #1 can arrive at the VAL client later than service flow #2 within the synchronization delay threshold #1. If the difference between the time when the data packet of service flow #1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when the data packet of service flow #2 arrives at the VAL client is greater than the synchronization delay threshold #1, the SEALDD server determines that the service flow that needs to be adjusted is service flow #2, and also determines the cache time of service flow #2, so that the difference between the time when the data packet of service flow #1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when the data packet of service flow #2 arrives at the VAL client is less than or equal to the synchronization delay threshold #1.

[0392] For example, assume that the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow indicates that service flow #1 can arrive at the VAL client within 10ms later than service flow #2, that is, the difference between the time when the data packet of service flow #1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when the data packet of service flow #2 arrives at the VAL client is less than 10ms, and the transmission requirement of service flow #1 is that the transmission delay does not exceed 100ms. If the SEALDD client reports to the SEALDD server that the reception time of data packet #1-1 of service flow #1 received by the SEALDD client is T1-1, and the reception time of data packet 2-1 of service flow #2 is T2-1, and it is assumed that the difference between the time when data packet #1-1 arrives at the VAL client and the time when data packet 2-1 arrives at the VAL client is greater than 10ms, indicating that the synchronization delay relationship is not met, it is assumed that the SEALDD server determines that the data packet of service flow #2 needs to be cached, and determines that the cache time of service flow #2 is any value between 3 and 13ms.

[0393] Step 911: The SEALDD server sends a second message to the SEALDD client. Correspondingly, the SEALDD client receives the second message.

[0394] Exemplarily, the second message may be a notification message, a request message, or other types of messages, which are not limited in this application.

[0395] The second message is used to notify the SEALDD client to cache the data packets of the business flow. The second message includes the description information of the business flow that needs to be adjusted and the cache time of the business flow. For example, with respect to the above example, the second message includes the identification information of business flow #2 and the cache time of business flow #2. The cache time is 3 to 13 ms, or any value between 3 and 13 ms. The SEALDD client identifies the business flow that needs to be adjusted based on the description information of the business flow that needs to be adjusted, and caches the data packets of the business flow according to the cache time notified by the SEALDD server.

[0396] It should be noted that step 910 is optional. That is, the SEALDD client may not cache the data packets of the service flow, but instead the SEALDD server may cache the data packets of the service flow. For example, the SEALDD server may determine the cache time of the data packets of the service flow that needs to be adjusted and cache the data packets based on the cache time of the service flow.

[0397] In the above solution, the SEALDD server maintains the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information and the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, and notifies the SEALDD client to feedback the reception time of the associated data packets of the multimodal service flow. The SEALDD server then determines the amount of time required to adjust the service flow cache based on the reception time of the associated data packets of the multimodal service flow. The SEALDD server or SEALDD client caches the service flow data packets based on this cache time, thereby ensuring that the synchronization delay requirements between multimodal service flows are met. In addition, in this solution, the application layer can also perceive the transmission delay of the service flow, which helps the application side accurately adjust the transmission of the service flow based on the transmission delay, thereby further improving the transmission synchronization between multimodal service flows.

[0398] FIG10 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

[0399] Steps 1001 to 1003 are the same as steps 701 to 703 in the embodiment of FIG. 7 .

[0400] That is, steps 1001 to 1003 are the same as steps 701 to 703.

[0401] Step 1004: The VAL client sends a service request message to the SEALDD client. Correspondingly, the SEALDD client receives the service request message.

[0402] The service request message includes the identifier of the VAL server and the VAL service identifier, wherein the number of the VAL service identifiers may be two or more.

[0403] Optionally, the service request message also includes a synchronization delay requirement for the multimodal service flow. For the meaning of the synchronization delay requirement for the multimodal service flow, refer to the description in step 1001. Exemplarily, the synchronization delay requirement for the multimodal service flow may be carried in an application client profile (application client profile), that is, the service request message includes the application client profile, and the application client profile includes the synchronization delay requirement for the multimodal service flow.

[0404] The VAL server identifier is used to uniquely identify a VAL server.

[0405] The VAL service identifier is used to indicate a multimodal service flow, or the VAL server identifier and the VAL service identifier are used to jointly indicate a multimodal service flow. For a detailed description, please refer to step 1001.

[0406] Steps 1005 to 1006 are the same as steps 705 to 706 in the embodiment of FIG. 7 .

[0407] That is, step 1005 to step 1006 are the same as step 705 to step 706.

[0408] Step 1007: The SEALDD server sends a connection response message to the SEALDD client. Correspondingly, the SEALDD client receives the connection response message.

[0409] The connection response message includes SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow associated data packet identification information, a receipt time record indication, a multimodal service flow QoS adjustment indication, and the multimodal service flow transmission requirement. Optionally, the connection response message also includes the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow.

[0410] Among them, the meanings of SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association data packet identification information, multimodal service flow transmission requirements and multimodal service flow synchronization delay requirements can refer to the relevant descriptions in the above embodiments.

[0411] The receiving time record indication is used to indicate the receiving time of the associated data packet of the multimodal service flow.

[0412] The QoS adjustment indication of the multimodal service flow is used to instruct the SEALDD client to determine the QoS requirements of the multimodal service flow that need to be adjusted.

[0413] Step 1008a: The SEALDD client records the reception time of the associated data packet of the multimodal service flow.

[0414] When downlink data arrives at the SEALDD client, the SEALDD client identifies the multimodal service flow from the SEALDD server based on the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, and determines the associated data packet of the multimodal service flow based on the associated data packet identification information of the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow, and records the reception time of the associated data packet of the multimodal service flow.

[0415] For example, according to the aforementioned example, data packet #1-1, data packet #2-1, and data packet #3-1 are associated data packets, and their corresponding receiving timestamps are T1-1, T2-1, and T3-1, respectively.

[0416] Step 1008b: The SEALDD client determines the QoS requirement of the service flow that needs to be adjusted based on the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow, the reception time of the associated data packets of the multimodal service flow, and the transmission requirement of the multimodal service flow.

[0417] Regarding the specific implementation method for determining the QoS requirement of the service flow that needs to be adjusted, reference may be made to the description of step 710 in the embodiment of FIG. 7 .

[0418] Step 1009: The SEALDD client sends feedback information to the SEALDD server. Correspondingly, the SEALDD server receives the feedback information.

[0419] The feedback information includes the SEALDD-UU interface address of the service flow that needs to be adjusted and the QoS requirement of the service flow that needs to be adjusted.

[0420] Step 1010: The SEALDD server sends a request message to the core network element. Correspondingly, the core network element receives the request message.

[0421] This request message is used to request an update of QoS parameters and includes description information of the service flow to be adjusted and the QoS requirements of the service flow to be adjusted. The description information of the service flow to be adjusted may include the VAL server identifier and / or VAL service identifier, or the SEALDD-UU interface address corresponding to the service flow to be adjusted, or the SEALDD-S interface address corresponding to the service flow to be adjusted.

[0422] Among them, if the description information of the service flow that needs to be adjusted carried in the above request message is the SEALDD-S interface address of the multimodal service flow, the SEALDD server can determine the SEALDD-S interface address of the multimodal service flow by the following method: the SEALDD server determines the SEALDD-UU interface address of the multimodal service flow that needs to adjust the QoS requirements between the SEALDD server and the SEALDD client, and then the SEALDD server determines the SEALDD-S interface address corresponding to the SEALDD-UU interface address of the multimodal service flow based on the mapping relationship between the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information and the SEALDD-U interface multimodal service flow association information.

[0423] For example, the core network element can be an NEF network element or a PCF network element of a 5G network, and the SEALDD server can function as an AF network element and send the request message to the NEF network element via the N33 interface, or to the PCF network element via the N5 interface. If the NEF receives the request message, it can send the request message to the PCF network element.

[0424] After receiving the request message, the PCF network element can adjust the QoS of the service flow according to the QoS requirements of the service flow that needs to be adjusted, so that the transmission of the service flow meets the QoS requirements, and further makes the transmission of the multimodal service flow meet the synchronization delay requirements of the multimodal service flow.

[0425] In the above solution, the SEALDD server maintains the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information and the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, and instructs the SEALDD client to record the reception time of the associated data packets and instruct the SEALDD client to determine the QoS requirements of the multimodal service flows that need to be adjusted. The SEALDD client then determines the QoS requirements of the service flows that need to be adjusted based on the reception time of the associated data packets and sends the QoS requirements of the service flows that need to be adjusted to the SEALDD server. The SEALDD server then requests the core network element to adjust the QoS of the specified service flows, thereby ensuring that the synchronization delay requirements between multimodal service flows are met. In addition, in this solution, the application layer can also perceive the transmission delay of the service flows, which helps the application side accurately adjust the transmission of the service flows based on the transmission delay, thereby further improving the transmission synchronization between multimodal service flows.

[0426] FIG11 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

[0427] Steps 1101 to 1106 are the same as steps 1001 to 1006 in the embodiment of FIG. 10 .

[0428] That is, steps 1101 to 1106 correspond to steps 1001 to 1006.

[0429] Step 1107: The SEALDD server sends a connection response message to the SEALDD client. Correspondingly, the SEALDD client receives the connection response message.

[0430] The connection response message includes SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow associated data packet identification information, a reception time record indication, a multimodal service flow packet transmission time adjustment indication, and the multimodal service flow transmission requirements. Optionally, the connection response message also includes the synchronization delay requirements of the multimodal service flow.

[0431] Among them, the meanings of SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association data packet identification information, multimodal service flow transmission requirements, reception time record indication and multimodal service flow synchronization delay requirements can refer to the relevant descriptions in the aforementioned embodiments.

[0432] The multimodal service flow packet sending time adjustment indication is used to instruct the SEALDD client to determine the packet sending time advance of the multimodal service flow that needs to be adjusted.

[0433] Step 1108a: The SEALDD client records the reception time of the associated data packet of the multimodal service flow.

[0434] When downlink data arrives at the SEALDD client, the SEALDD client identifies the multimodal service flow from the SEALDD server based on the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, and determines the associated data packet of the multimodal service flow based on the associated data packet identification information of the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow, and records the reception time of the associated data packet of the multimodal service flow.

[0435] For example, according to the aforementioned example, data packet #1-1, data packet #2-1, and data packet #3-1 are associated data packets, and their corresponding receiving timestamps are T1-1, T2-1, and T3-1, respectively.

[0436] Step 1108b: The SEALDD client determines the packet sending time advance of the service flow that needs to be adjusted based on the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow, the reception time of the associated data packet of the multimodal service flow, and the transmission requirement of the multimodal service flow.

[0437] Regarding the specific implementation method for determining the packet transmission time advance of the service flow that needs to be adjusted, reference may be made to the description of step 810 in the embodiment of FIG. 8 .

[0438] Step 1109: The SEALDD client sends feedback information to the SEALDD server. Correspondingly, the SEALDD server receives the feedback information.

[0439] The feedback information includes the SEALDD-UU interface address of the service flow that needs to be adjusted and the packet sending time advance of the service flow that needs to be adjusted.

[0440] Step 1110: The SEALDD server sends a first message to the VAL server. Correspondingly, the VAL server receives the first message.

[0441] Exemplarily, the first message may be a notification message, a request message, or other types of messages, which are not limited in this application.

[0442] The first message is used to notify the VAL server to adjust the packet transmission time of the service flow. The first message includes the description information of the service flow to be adjusted and the packet transmission time advance of the service flow. For example, the first message includes the identification information of service flow #1 and the packet transmission time advance of service flow #1, where the packet transmission time advance is 5 to 13 ms, or any value between 5 and 13 ms.

[0443] In another implementation method, the packet sending time adjustment indication of the multimodal business flow in the above-mentioned step 1107 is used to instruct the SEALDD client to determine the difference between the receiving times of the multimodal business flows. Accordingly, the packet sending time advance of the business flow that needs to be adjusted in the first message of step 1109 is replaced by the difference between the receiving times of the multimodal business flows, and the packet sending time advance of the business flow in the first message of step 1110 is replaced by the difference between the receiving times of the multimodal business flows. Then, the VAL server determines the packet sending time advance of the business flow that needs to be adjusted according to the difference between the receiving times of the associated data packets of the multimodal business flow, and based on the packet sending time advance, advances the packet sending of the business flow.

[0444] The description information of the service flow may include the identifier of the VAL server and / or the VAL service identifier, or include the SEALDD-UU interface address corresponding to the service flow, or include the SEALDD-S interface address corresponding to the service flow. If the description information of the service flow that needs to be adjusted carried in the first message of step 1110 is the SEALDD-S interface address of the multimodal service flow, the SEALDD server may determine the SEALDD-S interface address of the multimodal service flow by the following method: the SEALDD server determines the SEALDD-UU interface address of the multimodal service flow that needs to adjust the packet sending time between the SEALDD server and the SEALDD client, and then the SEALDD server determines the SEALDD-S interface address corresponding to the SEALDD-UU interface address of the multimodal service flow based on the mapping relationship between the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information and the SEALDD-U interface multimodal service flow association information.

[0445] It should be noted that step 1110 is optional. That is, the VAL server may not adjust the packet sending time of the service flow, but may instead adjust the packet sending time of the service flow. For example, if the SEALDD server has pre-stored data for the relevant multimodal service flow, the SEALDD server may adjust the packet sending time of the multimodal service flow based on the amount of advance in packet sending time required for the service flow.

[0446] In the above solution, the SEALDD server maintains the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information and the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, and instructs the SEALDD client to record the reception time of the associated data packets and instruct the SEALDD client to determine the packet transmission time advance of the multimodal service flow that needs to be adjusted. The SEALDD client then determines the packet transmission time advance of the service flow that needs to be adjusted based on the reception time of the associated data packets and sends the packet transmission time advance of the service flow to the SEALDD server. The SEALDD server then requests the VAL server to adjust the packet transmission time of the specified service flow, thereby ensuring that the synchronization delay requirements between multimodal service flows are met. In addition, in this solution, the application layer can also perceive the transmission delay of the service flow, which helps the application side accurately adjust the transmission of the service flow based on the transmission delay, thereby further improving the transmission synchronization between multimodal service flows.

[0447] FIG12 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

[0448] Steps 1201 to 1206 are the same as steps 1001 to 1006 in the embodiment of FIG. 10 .

[0449] That is, steps 1201 to 1206 correspond to steps 1001 to 1006.

[0450] Step 1207: The SEALDD server sends a connection response message to the SEALDD client. Correspondingly, the SEALDD client receives the connection response message.

[0451] The connection response message includes SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow associated data packet identification information, a reception time record indication, a multimodal service flow buffer time adjustment indication, and the multimodal service flow transmission requirement. Optionally, the connection response message also includes the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow.

[0452] Among them, the meanings of SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association data packet identification information, multimodal service flow transmission requirements, reception time record indication and multimodal service flow synchronization delay requirements can refer to the relevant descriptions in the aforementioned embodiments.

[0453] The cache time adjustment indication of the multimodal service flow is used to instruct the SEALDD client to determine the cache time amount of the multimodal service flow that needs to be adjusted.

[0454] Step 1208a: The SEALDD client records the reception time of the associated data packet of the multimodal service flow.

[0455] When downlink data arrives at the SEALDD client, the SEALDD client identifies the multimodal service flow from the SEALDD server based on the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, and determines the associated data packet of the multimodal service flow based on the associated data packet identification information of the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow, and records the reception time of the associated data packet of the multimodal service flow.

[0456] For example, according to the aforementioned example, data packet #1-1, data packet #2-1, and data packet #3-1 are associated data packets, and their corresponding receiving timestamps are T1-1, T2-1, and T3-1, respectively.

[0457] In step 1208b, the SEALDD client determines the amount of buffering time of the service flow that needs to be adjusted based on the synchronization delay requirement of the multimodal service flow, the reception time of the associated data packets of the multimodal service flow, and the transmission requirement of the multimodal service flow.

[0458] Regarding the specific implementation method for determining the buffering time amount of the service flow that needs to be adjusted, reference may be made to the description of step 910 in the embodiment of FIG. 9 .

[0459] Step 1209: The SEALDD client sends feedback information to the SEALDD server. Correspondingly, the SEALDD server receives the feedback information.

[0460] This feedback information is used to notify the SEALDD server to cache the data packets of the service flow. The feedback information includes the SEALDD-UU interface address of the service flow that needs to be adjusted and the cache time of the service flow that needs to be adjusted. For example, the feedback information includes the identification information of service flow #2 and the cache time of service flow #2. The cache time is 3 to 13ms, or any value between 3 and 13ms. The SEALDD server identifies the service flow that needs to be adjusted based on the SEALDD-UU interface address of the service flow that needs to be adjusted, and caches the data packets of the service flow according to the cache time notified by the SEALDD client.

[0461] It should be noted that step 1209 is optional. That is, the SEALDD server may not cache the data packets of the service flow, but instead the SEALDD client may cache the data packets of the service flow. For example, the SEALDD client may determine the cache time for the data packets of the service flow that needs to be adjusted and cache the data packets based on the cache time for the service flow.

[0462] In the above solution, the SEALDD server maintains the SEALDD-S interface multimodal service flow association information and the SEALDD-UU interface multimodal service flow association information, and instructs the SEALDD client to record the reception time of the associated data packet and instruct the SEALDD client to determine the cache time of the multimodal service flow that needs to be adjusted. The SEALDD client then determines the cache time of the service flow that needs to be adjusted based on the reception time of the associated data packet and sends the adjusted cache time of the service flow to the SEALDD server. The SEALDD server caches the corresponding service flow based on the cache time, or the SEALDD client caches the corresponding service flow, thereby ensuring that the synchronization delay requirements between multimodal service flows are met. In addition, in this solution, the application layer can also perceive the transmission delay of the service flow, which helps the application side accurately adjust the transmission of the service flow based on the transmission delay, thereby further improving the transmission synchronization between multimodal service flows.

[0463] It is understandable that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the communication device (such as a transmission client or a transmission server) includes a hardware structure and / or software module corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and method steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0464] Figures 13 and 14 are schematic diagrams of the structures of communication devices provided in embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the communication devices (such as a transmission client or a transmission server) in the above-mentioned method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above-mentioned method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be a communication device or a module (such as a chip) applied to a communication device.

[0465] The communication device 1300 shown in Figure 13 includes a processing unit 1310 and a transceiver unit 1320. The communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of the communication device in the above method embodiment.

[0466] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of the communication equipment in the method embodiments of Figures 3(a) and 4 to 6 above, the processing unit 1310 is used to determine a first transmission delay of a first service flow and a second transmission delay of a second service flow, where the first transmission delay is the delay for the first data packet of the first service flow to be transmitted from the transmission server to the transmission client, and the second transmission delay is the delay for the second data packet of the second service flow to be transmitted from the transmission server to the transmission client; the first service flow and the second service flow are associated data flows; based on the first transmission delay, the second transmission delay and the synchronization delay requirement, the QoS requirement of the first service flow sent to the core network network element and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow sent to the core network network element is determined; or, the packet sending time information of the first service flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second service flow is determined; wherein the synchronization delay requirement is used to indicate the synchronization delay relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow.

[0467] In one possible implementation method, the communication device is the transmission server; the processing unit 1310 is further used to record the first sending time of the first data packet and the second sending time of the second data packet, the first sending time being the time when the transmission server sends the first data packet to the transmission client, and the second sending time being the time when the transmission server sends the second data packet to the transmission client; the transceiver unit 1320 is used to send the first data packet and the second data packet to the transmission client; receive the first receiving time of the first data packet and the second receiving time of the second data packet from the transmission client, the first receiving time being the time when the transmission client receives the first data packet, and the second receiving time being the time when the transmission client receives the second data packet; the processing unit 1310 is further used to determine the first transmission delay based on the first sending time and the first receiving time; and determine the second transmission delay based on the second sending time and the second receiving time.

[0468] In a possible implementation method, the processing unit 1310 is also used to determine first association information and second association information, wherein the first association information is used to indicate the association relationship of multiple business flows between the transmission server and the application server, and the multiple business flows between the transmission server and the application server include the first business flow and the second business flow; the second association information is used to indicate the association relationship of multiple business flows between the transmission server and the transmission client, and the multiple business flows between the transmission server and the transmission client include the first business flow and the second business flow; and establish a mapping relationship between the first association information and the second association information.

[0469] In one possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1320 is also used to send the second association information and / or reception time feedback indication to the transmission client, and the reception time feedback indication is used to indicate the recording and feedback of the reception time of the data packets of the first business flow and the second business flow.

[0470] In one possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1320 is also used to send a request message to the core network network element, wherein the request message includes the QoS requirement of the first service flow and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow, and the request message is used to request QoS guarantee for the first service flow based on the QoS requirement of the first service flow, and / or QoS guarantee for the second service flow based on the QoS requirement of the second service flow.

[0471] In one possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1320 is also used to send a first message to the application server, where the first message includes the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow. The first message is used to notify the application server to adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the first business flow based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow, and / or adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the second business flow based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow.

[0472] In one possible implementation method, the processing unit 1310 is also used to adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the first business flow according to the packet sending time information of the first business flow; and / or adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the second business flow according to the packet sending time information of the second business flow.

[0473] In one possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1320 is also used to send a second message to the transmission client, where the second message includes the cache time of the first business flow and / or the cache time of the second business flow, and the second message is used to notify the transmission client to cache the data packets of the first business flow based on the cache time of the first business flow, and / or cache the data packets of the second business flow based on the cache time of the second business flow.

[0474] In one possible implementation method, the processing unit 1310 is further used to cache the data packets of the first business flow according to the cache time of the first business flow; and / or cache the data packets of the second business flow according to the cache time of the second business flow.

[0475] In one possible implementation method, the communication device is the transmission client; the transceiver unit 1320 is also used to receive the first data packet and the second data packet from the transmission server; the processing unit 1310 is also used to obtain the first sending time of the first data packet from the first data packet and the second sending time of the second data packet from the second data packet, the first sending time being the time when the transmission server sends the first data packet to the transmission client, and the second sending time being the time when the transmission server sends the second data packet to the transmission client; record the first receiving time of the first data packet and the second receiving time of the second data packet, the first receiving time being the time when the transmission client receives the first data packet, and the second receiving time being the time when the transmission client receives the second data packet; determine the first transmission delay based on the first sending time and the first receiving time; and determine the second transmission delay based on the second sending time and the second receiving time.

[0476] In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1320 is further used to receive a reception time record indication from the transmission server, and the reception time record indication is used to indicate the reception time of the data packets of the first business flow and the second business flow.

[0477] In one possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1320 is also used to receive second association information from the transmission server, where the second association information is used to indicate the association relationship between multiple business flows between the transmission server and the transmission client, and the multiple business flows between the transmission server and the transmission client include the first business flow and the second business flow.

[0478] In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1320 is further configured to send the QoS requirement of the first service flow and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow to the transmission server.

[0479] In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1320 is further configured to send the packet sending time information of the first service flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second service flow to the transmission server.

[0480] In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1320 is further configured to send the buffering time of the first service flow and / or the buffering time of the second service flow to the transmission server.

[0481] In one possible implementation method, the processing unit 1310 is further used to cache the data packets of the first business flow according to the cache time of the first business flow; and / or cache the data packets of the second business flow according to the cache time of the second business flow.

[0482] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of the communication equipment in the method embodiments of Figures 3(b) and 7 to 12 above, the processing unit 1310 is used to determine a first receiving time of the first service flow and a second receiving time of the second service flow, where the first receiving time is the time when the transmission client receives the first data packet of the first service flow from the transmission server, and the second receiving time is the time when the transmission client receives the second data packet of the second service flow from the transmission server; the first service flow and the second service flow are associated data flows; based on the first receiving time, the second receiving time and the synchronization delay requirement, the QoS requirement of the first service flow sent to the core network network element and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow sent to the core network network element are determined; or, the packet sending time information of the first service flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second service flow are determined; wherein the synchronization delay requirement is used to indicate the synchronization delay relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow.

[0483] In one possible implementation method, the communication device is the transmission server; the transceiver unit 1320 is also used to send the first data packet and the second data packet to the transmission client; and receive the first receiving time of the first data packet and the second receiving time of the second data packet from the transmission client.

[0484] In a possible implementation method, the processing unit 1310 is also used to determine first association information and second association information, wherein the first association information is used to indicate the association relationship of multiple business flows between the transmission server and the application server, and the multiple business flows between the transmission server and the application server include the first business flow and the second business flow; the second association information is used to indicate the association relationship of multiple business flows between the transmission server and the transmission client, and the multiple business flows between the transmission server and the transmission client include the first business flow and the second business flow; and establish a mapping relationship between the first association information and the second association information.

[0485] In one possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1320 is also used to send the second association information and / or reception time feedback indication to the transmission client, and the reception time feedback indication is used to indicate the recording and feedback of the reception time of the data packets of the first business flow and the second business flow.

[0486] In one possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1320 is also used to send a request message to the core network network element, wherein the request message includes the QoS requirement of the first service flow and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow, and the request message is used to request QoS guarantee for the first service flow based on the QoS requirement of the first service flow, and / or QoS guarantee for the second service flow based on the QoS requirement of the second service flow.

[0487] In one possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1320 is also used to send a first message to the application server, where the first message includes the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow. The first message is used to notify the application server to adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the first business flow based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow, and / or adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the second business flow based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow.

[0488] In one possible implementation method, the processing unit 1310 is also used to adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the first business flow according to the packet sending time information of the first business flow; and / or adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the second business flow according to the packet sending time information of the second business flow.

[0489] In one possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1320 is also used to send a second message to the transmission client, where the second message includes the cache time of the first business flow and / or the cache time of the second business flow, and the second message is used to notify the transmission client to cache the data packets of the first business flow based on the cache time of the first business flow, and / or cache the data packets of the second business flow based on the cache time of the second business flow.

[0490] In one possible implementation method, the processing unit 1310 is further used to cache the data packets of the first business flow according to the cache time of the first business flow; and / or cache the data packets of the second business flow according to the cache time of the second business flow.

[0491] In one possible implementation method, the communication device is the transmission client; the transceiver unit 1320 is also used to receive the first data packet and the second data packet from the transmission server; and record the first reception time of the first data packet and the second reception time of the second data packet.

[0492] In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1320 is further used to receive a reception time record indication from the transmission server, and the reception time record indication is used to indicate the reception time of the data packets of the first business flow and the second business flow.

[0493] In one possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1320 is also used to receive second association information from the transmission server, where the second association information is used to indicate the association relationship between multiple business flows between the transmission server and the transmission client, and the multiple business flows between the transmission server and the transmission client include the first business flow and the second business flow.

[0494] In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1320 is further configured to send the QoS requirement of the first service flow and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow to the transmission server.

[0495] In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1320 is further configured to send the packet sending time information of the first service flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second service flow to the transmission server.

[0496] In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 1320 is further configured to send the buffering time of the first service flow and / or the buffering time of the second service flow to the transmission server.

[0497] In one possible implementation method, the processing unit 1310 is further used to cache the data packets of the first business flow according to the cache time of the first business flow; and / or cache the data packets of the second business flow according to the cache time of the second business flow.

[0498] A more detailed description of the processing unit 1310 and the transceiver unit 1320 can be directly obtained by referring to the relevant description in the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0499] The communication device 1400 shown in Figure 14 includes a processor 1410 and an interface circuit 1420. The processor 1410 and the interface circuit 1420 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1420 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1400 may also include a memory 1430 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1410, or storing input data required by the processor 1410 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 1410 executes instructions.

[0500] When the communication device 1400 is used to implement the above method embodiment, the processor 1410 is used to implement the functions of the above processing unit 1310 , and the interface circuit 1420 is used to implement the functions of the above transceiver unit 1320 .

[0501] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0502] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disk, mobile hard disk, CD-ROM or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be an integral part ...

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a communication device or a module of a communication device, the method includes: Determine a first transmission delay of a first service flow and a second transmission delay of a second service flow, where the first transmission delay is the delay for transmitting a first data packet of the first service flow from a transmission server to a transmission client, and the second transmission delay is the delay for transmitting a second data packet of the second service flow from the transmission server to the transmission client; the first service flow and the second service flow are associated data flows; Based on the first transmission delay, the second transmission delay and the synchronization delay requirement, determine the QoS requirement of the first service flow sent to the core network network element and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow sent to the core network network element; or, determine the packet sending time information of the first service flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second service flow; wherein the synchronization delay requirement is used to indicate the synchronization delay relationship between the first service flow and the second service flow.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The communication device is the transmission server; The method further comprises: Recording a first sending time of the first data packet and a second sending time of the second data packet, where the first sending time is the time when the transmission server sends the first data packet to the transmission client, and the second sending time is the time when the transmission server sends the second data packet to the transmission client; Sending the first data packet and the second data packet to the transmission client; receiving a first receiving time of the first data packet and a second receiving time of the second data packet from the transmission client, wherein the first receiving time is the time when the transmission client receives the first data packet, and the second receiving time is the time when the transmission client receives the second data packet; The first transmission delay is determined according to the first sending time and the first receiving time; and the second transmission delay is determined according to the second sending time and the second receiving time.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The method further comprises: Determining first association information and second association information, wherein the first association information is used to indicate an association relationship between multiple business flows between the transmission server and the application server, and the multiple business flows between the transmission server and the application server include the first business flow and the second business flow; and the second association information is used to indicate an association relationship between multiple business flows between the transmission server and the transmission client, and the multiple business flows between the transmission server and the transmission client include the first business flow and the second business flow; A mapping relationship between the first association information and the second association information is established.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein The method further comprises: The second association information and / or reception time feedback indication is sent to the transmission client, where the reception time feedback indication is used to indicate the recording and feedback of the reception time of the data packets of the first business flow and the second business flow.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein: The first association information includes a first interface address corresponding to the first service flow, a first interface address corresponding to the second service flow, and a first association indication, where the first association indication is used to indicate that the first service flow and the second service flow have an association relationship; or The first association information includes a correspondence between a first interface address corresponding to the first service flow and a first association identifier, and includes a correspondence between a first interface address corresponding to the second service flow and the first association identifier; Among them, the first interface address corresponding to the first business flow includes the address of the first business flow on the application server side and / or the address of the first business flow on the transmission server side; the first interface address corresponding to the second business flow includes the address of the second business flow on the application server side and / or the address of the second business flow on the transmission server side.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that The second association information includes a second interface address corresponding to the first service flow, a second interface address corresponding to the second service flow, and a second association indication, where the second association indication is used to indicate that the first service flow and the second service flow have an association relationship; or The second association information includes a correspondence between the second interface address corresponding to the first service flow and the second association identifier, and includes a correspondence between the second interface address corresponding to the second service flow and the second association identifier; Among them, the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow includes the address of the first business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the first business flow on the transmission server side; the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow includes the address of the second business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the second business flow on the transmission server side.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: A request message is sent to the core network network element, where the request message includes the QoS requirement of the first service flow and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow, and the request message is used to request QoS guarantee for the first service flow based on the QoS requirement of the first service flow, and / or QoS guarantee for the second service flow based on the QoS requirement of the second service flow.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein When the request message includes the QoS requirement of the first service flow, the request message also includes description information of the first service flow; or, When the request message includes the QoS requirement of the second service flow, the request message also includes description information of the second service flow; or, When the request message includes the QoS requirement of the first service flow and the QoS requirement of the second service flow, the request message also includes description information of the first service flow and description information of the second service flow; The description information of the first service flow is the second interface address corresponding to the first service flow, and the second interface address corresponding to the first service flow includes the address of the first service flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the first service flow on the transmission server side; The description information of the second business flow is the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow, and the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow includes the address of the second business flow on the transmission client and / or the address of the second business flow on the transmission server side.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The packet sending time information of the first business flow is used to indicate the adjustment method of the packet sending time of the data packet of the first business flow, and the packet sending time information of the second business flow is used to indicate the adjustment method of the packet sending time of the data packet of the second business flow.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein The method further comprises: A first message is sent to an application server, where the first message includes packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or packet sending time information of the second business flow. The first message is used to notify the application server to adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the first business flow based on the packet sending time information of the first business flow, and / or adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the second business flow based on the packet sending time information of the second business flow.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein When the first message includes the packet sending time information of the first service flow, the request message also includes description information of the first service flow; or, When the first message includes the packet sending time information of the second service flow, the request message also includes description information of the second service flow; or, When the first message includes the packet sending time information of the first service flow and the packet sending time information of the second service flow, the request message also includes description information of the first service flow and the description information of the second service flow; The description information of the first service flow is a first interface address corresponding to the first service flow, and the first interface address corresponding to the first service flow includes an address of the first service flow on the transmission server side and / or an address of the first service flow on the application server side; The first interface address corresponding to the second business flow includes the address of the second business flow on the transmission server and / or the address of the second business flow on the application server side, and the description information of the second business flow is the first interface address corresponding to the second business flow.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein The method further comprises: Adjusting the packet sending time of the data packets of the first service flow according to the packet sending time information of the first service flow; and / or, Adjust the packet sending time of the data packet of the second business flow according to the packet sending time information of the second business flow.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The packet sending time information of the first service flow includes a cache time of the first service flow, where the cache time of the first service flow is used to indicate a cache time of a data packet of the first service flow; The packet sending time information of the second business flow includes the cache time of the second business flow, and the cache time of the second business flow is used to indicate the cache time of the data packet of the second business flow.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein The method further comprises: A second message is sent to the transmission client, wherein the second message includes the cache time of the first business flow and / or the cache time of the second business flow, and the second message is used to notify the transmission client to cache the data packets of the first business flow based on the cache time of the first business flow, and / or cache the data packets of the second business flow based on the cache time of the second business flow.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein When the second message includes the buffering time of the first service flow, the request message also includes description information of the first service flow; or, When the second message includes the buffering time of the second service flow, the request message further includes description information of the second service flow; or, When the second message includes the buffering time of the first service flow and the buffering time of the second service flow, the request message further includes description information of the first service flow and description information of the second service flow; The description information of the first service flow is the second interface address corresponding to the first service flow, or the first flow identifier corresponding to the first service flow between the transmission server and the transmission client; the second interface address corresponding to the first service flow includes the address of the first service flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the first service flow on the transmission server side; The description information of the second business flow is the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow, or the second flow identifier corresponding to the second business flow between the transmission server and the transmission client; the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow includes the address of the second business flow on the transmission client and / or the address of the second business flow on the transmission server side.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein The method further comprises: caching data packets of the first service flow according to the cache time of the first service flow; and / or, Cache data packets of the second service flow according to the cache time of the second service flow.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein The communication device is the transmission client; The method further comprises: receiving the first data packet and the second data packet from the transmission server; Acquire a first sending time of the first data packet from the first data packet and acquire a second sending time of the second data packet from the second data packet, the first sending time being the time when the transmission server sends the first data packet to the transmission client, and the second sending time being the time when the transmission server sends the second data packet to the transmission client; Recording a first reception time of the first data packet and a second reception time of the second data packet, where the first reception time is the time when the transmission client receives the first data packet, and the second reception time is the time when the transmission client receives the second data packet; The first transmission delay is determined according to the first sending time and the first receiving time; and the second transmission delay is determined according to the second sending time and the second receiving time.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein The method further comprises: Receive second association information from the transmission server, where the second association information is used to indicate an association relationship between multiple business flows between the transmission server and the transmission client, where the multiple business flows between the transmission server and the transmission client include the first business flow and the second business flow.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein The second association information includes a second interface address corresponding to the first service flow, a second interface address corresponding to the second service flow, and a second association indication, where the second association indication is used to indicate that the first service flow and the second service flow have an association relationship; or, The second association information includes a correspondence between the second interface address corresponding to the first service flow and the second association identifier, and includes a correspondence between the second interface address corresponding to the second service flow and the second association identifier; Among them, the second interface address corresponding to the first business flow includes the address of the first business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the first business flow on the transmission server side; the second interface address corresponding to the second business flow includes the address of the second business flow on the transmission client side and / or the address of the second business flow on the transmission server side.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, wherein The method further comprises: A receiving time record indication is received from the transmission server, where the receiving time record indication is used to indicate the receiving time of the data packets of the first business flow and the second business flow.

21. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send the QoS requirement of the first service flow and / or the QoS requirement of the second service flow to the transmission server.

22. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, characterized in that The packet sending time information of the first business flow is used to indicate the adjustment method of the packet sending time of the data packet of the first business flow, and the packet sending time information of the second business flow is used to indicate the adjustment method of the packet sending time of the data packet of the second business flow.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein The method further comprises: Send the packet sending time information of the first business flow and / or the packet sending time information of the second business flow to the transmission server.

24. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, characterized in that The packet sending time information of the first service flow includes a cache time of the first service flow, where the cache time of the first service flow is used to indicate a cache time of a data packet of the first service flow; The packet sending time information of the second business flow includes the cache time of the second business flow, and the cache time of the second business flow is used to indicate the cache time of the data packet of the second business flow.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein: The method further comprises: The buffering time amount of the first service flow and / or the buffering time amount of the second service flow are sent to the transmission server.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein: The method further comprises: caching data packets of the first service flow according to the cache time of the first service flow; and / or, Cache data packets of the second service flow according to the cache time of the second service flow.

27. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the processor is configured to communicate with other devices via the interface circuit and execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 26.

28. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises instructions, which, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 26.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The storage medium stores a computer program or instruction, and when the computer program or instruction is executed by the communication device, the method described in any one of claims 1 to 26 is implemented.

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