Network energy-saving management method and apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application are a network energy-saving management method and apparatus, which are used for improving the effect of intent management. The method comprises: determining network energy-saving intent information and sending same to a second communication apparatus, wherein the network energy-saving intent information comprises information of an energy-saving area, an energy consumption objective thereof and at least two performance requirements thereof, each performance requirement comprises one communication type and a performance objective corresponding thereto, and the parameter types of the performance objectives corresponding to different communication types are the same, but the parameter values thereof can be different from each other.

Description

A network energy-saving management method and device

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on March 4, 2024, with application number 202410243257.3 and application name "A Method and Device for Intent Management", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

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

[0004] The evolution of fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication technology (5G-advanced, 5G-A) networks has brought increased operational complexity due to the large number of access devices and diverse services. Network automation and intelligence are key issues in 5G-A networks. Automation and intelligence technologies (such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data analytics) can be applied to various scenarios throughout the network lifecycle, including network planning, deployment, optimization, and service operations. They can reduce manual operations, lower operator operating expenses (OPEX), improve O&M efficiency, enhance the service experience, and enable various vertical industries (such as autonomous driving and smart cities).

[0005] Intents can be used to describe user expectations for networks or services, but they do not define specific network or service configuration parameters or specify management tasks for the intent management system. Intents allow users to request networks and services without detailed knowledge of how these services will be provided. Intent management systems can automatically learn network and service behavior and use intelligent and automated mechanisms to meet user needs expressed through intents.

[0006] An intent management system can receive intents from one or more users, each of which can include one or more intent targets (such as network or business requirements). As networks evolve and operators' needs become increasingly sophisticated, improving intent management to better serve users is a critical issue. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for managing network energy conservation, which can be performed by a first communication device. The first communication device here can be a device (or functional unit, or management platform, etc.) with an intent management function in a communication network (such as a 5G-A network, a subnetwork of a 5G-A network, etc.), such as a cross-domain management functional unit, and can also refer to a processor, module, chip, or chip system that implements the method in a device with an intent management function. The method includes: determining network energy conservation intention information and sending the network energy conservation intention information to a second communication device, the network energy conservation intention information including information of an energy conservation area, an energy consumption target, a first performance requirement, and a second performance requirement, for indicating that the performance of the energy conservation area needs to meet the energy consumption target, the first performance target, and the second performance target.

[0008] Among them, the first performance requirement includes a first performance target and a corresponding first communication type, the second performance requirement includes a second performance target and a corresponding second communication type, the first communication type and the second communication type are network types or service types; the first performance target and the second performance target correspond to the same parameter type.

[0009] This application introduces differentiated guarantee information of network type / service type into the energy-saving intention, enabling operators to perform differentiated energy-saving control for different network types / service types, thereby improving the network energy-saving effect and meeting the differentiated energy-saving demands of operators.

[0010] In one possible design, the network type includes at least one of the following: network standard or network frequency band. This approach introduces differentiated guarantee information for network standards / frequency bands into the energy-saving intent, enabling operators to implement differentiated energy-saving controls for different network standards / frequency bands, thereby further improving network energy-saving effects.

[0011] In one possible design, the service type includes at least one of the following: multimedia type, application type, application service type, and slice type. This approach introduces differentiated service type assurance information into the energy-saving intent, enabling operators to implement differentiated energy-saving controls for different service types, thereby further improving network energy efficiency.

[0012] In one possible design, both the first performance objective and the second performance objective include at least one of the following parameter types: transmission rate or transmission delay. This approach allows for different transmission rates and transmission delays to be configured for different network types and service types, further improving network energy efficiency.

[0013] In one possible design, the method further includes: obtaining capability information of the second communication device, wherein the capability information indicates support for configuring different performance targets for different communication types. The capabilities of the domain management functional units can be aligned in the above manner, thereby further improving network energy saving effects.

[0014] In one possible design, the capability information indicates support for configuring different performance targets for different communication types, including at least one of the following: support for configuring different performance targets for different network types; support for configuring different performance targets for different service types. This approach aligns the specific capabilities of domain management functional units, supporting the granularity of differentiated experience assurance, thereby further improving network energy efficiency.

[0015] In one possible design, the capability information indicates support for configuring different performance targets for different network types, including at least one of the following: support for configuring different performance targets for different network standards; support for configuring different performance targets for different network frequency bands. This approach aligns the specific capabilities of domain management functional units, supporting the granularity of differentiated experience assurance, thereby further improving network energy efficiency.

[0016] In one possible design, the method further includes: receiving a network energy-saving intention report from a second communication device, the network energy-saving intention report including the execution result of the first communication type and the corresponding first performance target, as well as the execution result of the second communication type and the corresponding second performance target; and adjusting the performance target corresponding to the first communication type and the performance target corresponding to the second communication type based on the execution results. This approach can further optimize network energy-saving effects.

[0017] In one possible design, the network energy-saving intention report includes the execution result of the first communication type and the corresponding first performance target, and the execution result of the second communication type and the corresponding second performance target, including:

[0018] If the first communication type is a first network standard and the second communication type is a second network standard, the network energy-saving intention report includes the first network standard and the execution results of the performance target corresponding to the first network standard, and the second network standard and the execution results of the performance target corresponding to the second network standard;

[0019] If the first communication type is a first network frequency band and the second communication type is a second network frequency band, the network energy-saving intention report includes the first network frequency band and the execution result of the performance target corresponding to the first network frequency band, and the second network frequency band and the execution result of the performance target corresponding to the second network frequency band;

[0020] If the first communication type is the first service type and the second communication type is the second service type, the network energy-saving intention report includes the first service type and the execution results of the performance targets corresponding to the first service type, as well as the second service type and the execution results of the performance targets corresponding to the second service type.

[0021] This method can further optimize the network energy saving effect.

[0022] In one possible design, the execution result of the first performance objective is the value of the performance parameter corresponding to the first performance objective after energy-saving optimization in the energy-saving area, and the execution result of the second performance objective is the value of the performance parameter corresponding to the second performance objective after energy-saving optimization in the energy-saving area. This approach allows further adjustment of network energy-saving intent based on the specific results of energy-saving optimization, thereby further optimizing network energy-saving effects.

[0023] In one possible design, the execution result of the first performance objective is whether the first performance objective is met after energy-saving optimization in the energy-saving area, and the execution result of the second performance objective is whether the second performance objective is met after energy-saving optimization in the energy-saving area. This approach, on the one hand, can further adjust the network energy-saving intention based on the energy-saving optimization results, thereby further optimizing the network energy-saving effect, and on the other hand, it can also reduce signaling overhead.

[0024] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for managing network energy saving, which can be executed by a second communication device. The second communication device here can be a device (or functional unit, or management platform, etc.) with an intent execution function in a communication network, such as a domain management functional unit, and can also refer to a processor, module, chip, or chip system that implements the method in a device with an intent execution function. The method includes: receiving network energy saving intention information from a first communication device, the network energy saving intention information including information of an energy-saving area, an energy consumption target, a first performance requirement, and a second performance requirement. According to the energy consumption target, the first performance target, and the second performance target in the network energy-saving intention information, a first energy-saving strategy and a second energy-saving strategy of the network devices in the energy-saving area are determined, and the first energy-saving strategy and the second energy-saving strategy are sent to at least one network device in the energy-saving area.

[0025] The first performance requirement includes a first performance target and a corresponding first communication type. The second performance requirement includes a second performance target and a corresponding second communication type. The communication type corresponding to the first energy-saving strategy is the communication type corresponding to the first performance target, and the communication type corresponding to the second energy-saving strategy is the communication type corresponding to the second performance target. The first communication type and the second communication type are network types or service types. The first performance target and the second performance target correspond to the same parameter type.

[0026] This application introduces differentiated guarantee information of network type / service type into the energy-saving intention, enabling operators to perform differentiated energy-saving control for different network types / service types, thereby improving the network energy-saving effect and meeting the differentiated energy-saving demands of operators.

[0027] In one possible design, the network type includes at least one of the following: network standard or network frequency band. This approach introduces differentiated guarantee information for network standards / frequency bands into the energy-saving intent, enabling operators to implement differentiated energy-saving controls for different network standards / frequency bands, thereby further improving network energy-saving effects.

[0028] In one possible design, the service type includes at least one of the following: multimedia type, application type, application service type, and slice type. This approach introduces differentiated service type assurance information into the energy-saving intent, enabling operators to implement differentiated energy-saving controls for different service types, thereby further improving network energy efficiency.

[0029] In one possible design, both the first performance objective and the second performance objective include at least one of the following parameter types: transmission rate or transmission delay. This approach allows for different transmission rates and transmission delays to be configured for different network types and service types, further improving network energy efficiency.

[0030] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending capability information to the first communication device, the capability information indicating support for configuring different performance targets for different communication types. The above method can align the capabilities of the domain management functional units, thereby further improving network energy saving effects.

[0031] In one possible design, the capability information indicates support for configuring different performance targets for different communication types, including at least one of the following: support for configuring different performance targets for different network types; support for configuring different performance targets for different service types. This approach aligns the specific capabilities of domain management functional units, supporting the granularity of differentiated experience assurance, thereby further improving network energy efficiency.

[0032] In one possible design, the capability information indicates support for configuring different performance targets for different network types, including at least one of the following: support for configuring different performance targets for different network standards; support for configuring different performance targets for different network frequency bands. This approach aligns the specific capabilities of domain management functional units, supporting the granularity of differentiated experience assurance, thereby further improving network energy efficiency.

[0033] In one possible design, the method further includes: obtaining execution results of the first performance target and the second performance target; and sending a network energy-saving intention report to the first communication device, where the network energy-saving intention report includes the first communication type and the corresponding execution results of the first performance target, and the second communication type and the corresponding execution results of the second performance target. This approach can further optimize network energy-saving effects.

[0034] In one possible design, the network energy-saving intention report includes the execution result of the first communication type and the corresponding first performance target, and the execution result of the second communication type and the corresponding second performance target, including:

[0035] If the first communication type is a first network standard and the second communication type is a second network standard, the network energy-saving intention report includes the first network standard and the execution results of the performance target corresponding to the first network standard, and the second network standard and the execution results of the performance target corresponding to the second network standard;

[0036] If the first communication type is a first network frequency band and the second communication type is a second network frequency band, the network energy-saving intention report includes the first network frequency band and the execution result of the performance target corresponding to the first network frequency band, and the second network frequency band and the execution result of the performance target corresponding to the second network frequency band;

[0037] If the first communication type is the first service type and the second communication type is the second service type, the network energy-saving intention report includes the first service type and the execution results of the performance targets corresponding to the first service type, as well as the second service type and the execution results of the performance targets corresponding to the second service type.

[0038] This method can further optimize the network energy saving effect.

[0039] In one possible design, obtaining the execution results of the first performance target and the second performance target includes: receiving execution information from at least one network device, the execution information indicating the results of executing the first energy-saving strategy and the second energy-saving strategy, the execution information including at least one of the following parameter values: the energy consumption value after energy-saving optimization, the value of the first performance parameter after executing the first energy-saving strategy, or the value of the first performance parameter after executing the second energy-saving strategy, the first performance parameter being the performance parameter corresponding to the first performance target and the second performance target; and determining the execution results of the first performance target and the execution results of the second performance target based on the execution information. In this way, the network energy-saving intention can be further adjusted based on the feedback from the network devices in the energy-saving area, thereby further optimizing the network energy-saving effect.

[0040] In one possible design, the execution result of the first performance objective is the value of the performance parameter corresponding to the first performance objective after energy-saving optimization in the energy-saving area, and the execution result of the second performance objective is the value of the performance parameter corresponding to the second performance objective after energy-saving optimization in the energy-saving area. This approach allows further adjustment of network energy-saving intent based on the specific results of energy-saving optimization, thereby further optimizing network energy-saving effects.

[0041] In one possible design, the execution result of the first performance objective is whether the first performance objective is met after energy-saving optimization in the energy-saving area, and the execution result of the second performance objective is whether the second performance objective is met after energy-saving optimization in the energy-saving area. This approach, on the one hand, can further adjust the network energy-saving intention based on the energy-saving optimization results, thereby further optimizing the network energy-saving effect, and on the other hand, it can also reduce signaling overhead.

[0042] In one possible design, the method further includes: adjusting the first energy-saving strategy and the second energy-saving strategy based on the execution results of the first performance objective and the execution results of the second performance objective to obtain adjusted first energy-saving strategies and second energy-saving strategies; and transmitting the adjusted first energy-saving strategies and second energy-saving strategies to at least one network device within the energy-saving area. In this manner, the energy-saving strategy can be further adjusted based on feedback from the network devices within the energy-saving area, thereby further optimizing the network energy-saving effect.

[0043] In a third aspect, the present application further provides a communication device, which is a first communication device or a chip in the first communication device. The communication device has the function of implementing any of the methods provided in the first aspect above. The communication device can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0044] In one possible design, the communication device includes: a processor configured to support the communication device in executing the corresponding functions of the first communication device in the method described above. The communication device may also include a memory, which may be coupled to the processor and stores program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. Optionally, the communication device also includes an interface circuit, which is used to support communication between the communication device and a device such as a second communication device, such as the transmission and reception of data or signals. Exemplarily, the interface circuit may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

[0045] For example, a communication device has the functionality to implement the method provided in the first aspect above. The processor may be configured to determine network energy-saving intention information. The interface circuit may be configured to transmit the network energy-saving intention information to a second communication device. The network energy-saving intention information includes information about an energy-saving zone, an energy consumption target, a first performance requirement, and a second performance requirement, indicating that the performance of the energy-saving zone must meet the energy consumption target, the first performance target, and the second performance target.

[0046] Among them, the first performance requirement includes a first performance target and a corresponding first communication type, the second performance requirement includes a second performance target and a corresponding second communication type, and the first communication type and the second communication type both include at least one of the following: network type or service type; the first performance target and the second performance target correspond to the same parameter type, and the first communication type and the second communication type are different.

[0047] For details, please refer to the relevant description of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0048] In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding functional modules for implementing the steps in the above method. The functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0049] In one possible design, the structure of the communication device includes a processing unit (or processing module) and a communication unit (or communication module). These units can perform the corresponding functions in the above method example. For details, please refer to the description of the method provided in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0050] For example, a communication device may have the functionality to implement the method provided in the first aspect. A processing unit may be configured to determine network energy-saving intention information. A communication unit may be configured to transmit the network energy-saving intention information to a second communication device. The network energy-saving intention information includes information about an energy-saving zone, an energy consumption target, a first performance requirement, and a second performance requirement, indicating that the performance of the energy-saving zone must meet the energy consumption target, the first performance target, and the second performance target.

[0051] Among them, the first performance requirement includes a first performance target and a corresponding first communication type, the second performance requirement includes a second performance target and a corresponding second communication type, and the first communication type and the second communication type both include at least one of the following: network type or service type; the first performance target and the second performance target correspond to the same parameter type, and the first communication type and the second communication type are different.

[0052] For details, please refer to the relevant description of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0053] In a fourth aspect, the present application further provides a communication device, which is a second communication device or a chip in the second communication device. The communication device has the function of implementing any of the methods provided in the second aspect above. The communication device can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0054] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor configured to support the communication device in executing the corresponding functions of the second communication device in the method described above. The communication device may also include a memory, which may be coupled to the processor and stores program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. Optionally, the communication device also includes an interface circuit for supporting communication between the communication device and a device such as the first communication device, such as the transmission and reception of data or signals. Exemplarily, the interface circuit may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

[0055] For example, a communication device may have the functionality to implement the method provided in the second aspect. The interface circuit may be configured to receive network energy-saving intention information from a first communication device, the network energy-saving intention information including information about an energy-saving zone, an energy consumption target, and a first performance requirement and a second performance requirement. The processor may be configured to determine first and second energy-saving strategies for network devices within the energy-saving zone based on the energy consumption target, first and second performance targets in the network energy-saving intention information. The interface circuit may also be configured to transmit the first and second energy-saving strategies to at least one network device within the energy-saving zone.

[0056] The first performance requirement includes a first performance target and a corresponding first communication type; the second performance requirement includes a second performance target and a corresponding second communication type; the communication type corresponding to the first energy-saving strategy is the communication type corresponding to the first performance target, and the communication type corresponding to the second energy-saving strategy is the communication type corresponding to the second performance target. The first communication type and the second communication type each include at least one of the following: a network type or a service type; the first performance target and the second performance target correspond to the same parameter type, and the first communication type and the second communication type are different.

[0057] For details, please refer to the relevant description of the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0058] In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding functional modules for implementing the steps in the above method. The functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0059] In one possible design, the structure of the communication device includes a processing unit (or processing module) and a communication unit (or communication module). These units can perform the corresponding functions in the above method example. For details, please refer to the description of the method provided in the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0060] For example, a communication device has the functionality to implement the method provided in the first aspect above. A communication unit may be configured to receive network energy-saving intention information from a first communication device, the network energy-saving intention information including information about an energy-saving zone, an energy consumption target, a first performance requirement, and a second performance requirement. A processing unit may be configured to determine first and second energy-saving strategies for network devices within the energy-saving zone based on the energy consumption target, the first and second performance targets in the network energy-saving intention information. The communication unit may also be configured to transmit the first and second energy-saving strategies to at least one network device within the energy-saving zone.

[0061] The first performance requirement includes a first performance target and a corresponding first communication type; the second performance requirement includes a second performance target and a corresponding second communication type; the communication type corresponding to the first energy-saving strategy is the communication type corresponding to the first performance target, and the communication type corresponding to the second energy-saving strategy is the communication type corresponding to the second performance target. The first communication type and the second communication type each include at least one of the following: a network type or a service type; the first performance target and the second performance target correspond to the same parameter type, and the first communication type and the second communication type are different.

[0062] For details, please refer to the relevant description of the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0063] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, and the processor is used to implement the method in the aforementioned first aspect and any possible design through logic circuits or execution code instructions.

[0064] In the sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, the processor being used to implement the method in the aforementioned second aspect and any possible design through logic circuits or executing code instructions.

[0065] In the seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the method of the aforementioned first aspect or second aspect and any possible design is implemented.

[0066] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product storing instructions is provided, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method in the aforementioned first aspect or second aspect and any possible design.

[0067] In a ninth aspect, a chip system is provided, comprising a processor and a memory, for implementing the method of the first or second aspect and any possible design. The chip system may be composed of a chip alone or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0068] In the tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising: a first communication device, a second communication device, and at least one network device in an energy-saving area, wherein the first communication device implements the method in the aforementioned first aspect and any possible design, the second communication device implements the method in the aforementioned second aspect and any possible design, and the at least one network device in the energy-saving area is used to perform energy-saving optimization according to the first energy-saving strategy and the second energy-saving strategy from the second communication device.

[0069] The technical effects that can be achieved by the technical solutions in any of the third to tenth aspects mentioned above can be described with reference to the technical effects that can be achieved by the technical solutions in the first aspect mentioned above, and the repeated parts will not be repeated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0070] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a network energy saving management method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0075] The technical solutions involved in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication networks, such as: 5G communication networks (also referred to as new radio (NR) networks), 5G-A networks, long term evolution (LTE) networks, advanced long term evolution (LTE-A) networks, future communication networks (such as 6G communication networks), etc., without limitation.

[0076] For ease of understanding, some of the terms used in the embodiments of this application are explained below.

[0077] 1) Intent: This can be used to describe expectations for a communication network. It can include requirements, goals, conditions, and constraints for the communication network, but does not specify how to achieve these expectations. The communication network determines what solution to use to meet the intent.

[0078] An intent may include one or more intent targets, which are goals that the intent expects to achieve, such as the proportion of high load in area 1 being less than 10%. For example, an intent may include capacity intent (for example, the capacity intent requires the proportion of high load in area 1 to be less than 10%), coverage intent (for example, the coverage intent requires the proportion of weak coverage in area 1 to be less than 20%), rate intent (for example, the rate intent requires the proportion of low-rate users in area 1 to be less than 5%), network energy-saving intent (for example, the network energy-saving intent requires the energy consumption in area 1 to be less than X, in this example, area 1 can be called an energy-saving area), etc.

[0079] 2) Intent-driven management system: An intent-driven management system can be understood as a system that uses intent for closed-loop automation management and control. The intent-driven management system can translate intent into policies and management tasks, which can then be executed by the intent-driven management system to achieve closed-loop automation. In an intent-driven intent management approach, intent can drive the intent management system to use various closed-loop automations to fulfill the intent. The intent management system can also be called an intent handling function. The intent management system can be an operations management system or supporting function of a communication network.

[0080] 3) A managed object is used to describe information about a managed object or management task in a management system (such as an intent management system). The management object information model can be used as an interaction parameter in a management interface. Creating a management object means creating management information in the management system, enabling the management system to manage the managed object or perform management tasks based on the management information. In the embodiments of the present application, an intent can be considered a management object in the management system. An intent can also be referred to as an intent management object, that is, a management object of an intent.

[0081] 4) Intent Report: An intent report is information provided to the user about the intended outcome. It can include one or more of the following: intent execution results, feasibility evaluation, and conflict information. For example, an intent report for a network energy-saving intent can be called a network energy-saving intent report, an intent report for a capacity intent can be called a capacity intent report, and so on.

[0082] It should be noted that the above name is only an exemplary name, and this application does not limit the naming of intent, intent management system, intent report, intent object, etc.

[0083] Furthermore, it should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably in the embodiments of this application. Unless otherwise specified, references to ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of this application are intended to distinguish between multiple objects and are not intended to define the order, timing, priority, or importance of multiple objects. For example, the references to a first communication type and a second communication type do not indicate a difference in priority or importance between the two communication types.

[0084] In the embodiments of the present application, the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, means "singular noun or plural noun", that is, "one or more". "At least one" means one or more, and "plural" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there may be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B means: A or B. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c means: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0085] In addition, the terms "including" and "having" in the embodiments, claims, and drawings of this application are not exclusive. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or modules is not limited to the listed steps or modules and may also include steps or modules that are not listed.

[0086] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of an autonomous network system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application. This system architecture can also be called a network management system architecture, etc. The system architecture includes: a service operation unit, a cross-domain management function unit, a domain management function unit, and multiple network elements.

[0087] A service operation unit can manage one or more cross-domain management function units. A cross-domain management function unit can manage one or more domain management function units. A domain management function unit can manage one or more network elements. The following is a brief introduction to each unit.

[0088] (1) Business operation unit.

[0089] A business operations unit, also known as a communication service management function (CSMF), provides functions and management services such as billing, settlement, accounting, customer service, sales, network monitoring, communications service lifecycle management, and business intent translation. This unit can include a carrier's operational system or a vertical operational technology system.

[0090] (2) Cross-domain management functional unit.

[0091] The cross-domain management functional unit may also be referred to as a network management function unit (NMF). The cross-domain management functional unit may perform intent management, for example, it may provide one or more of the following functions or management services: network lifecycle management, network deployment, network fault management, network performance management, network configuration management, network assurance, network optimization functions, translation of the network intent of the communication service provider (intent from communication service provider, intent-CSP), translation of the network intent of the communication service user (intent from communication service consumer, intent-CSC), etc. The network here may include one or more network elements, subnetworks or network slices. For example, the cross-domain management functional unit may be a network slice management function (NSMF), a management data analytic function (MDAF), a cross-domain self-organizing network function (SON-function), or a cross-domain intent management functional unit.

[0092] In certain deployment scenarios, the cross-domain management functional unit may also provide one or more of the following management functions or services: sub-network lifecycle management, sub-network deployment, sub-network fault management, sub-network performance management, sub-network configuration management, sub-network assurance, sub-network optimization, sub-network intent translation for communications service providers, and sub-network intent translation for communications service users. A sub-network may consist of multiple small sub-networks or multiple network slice sub-networks. For example, an operator's access network sub-network may include the access network sub-network of equipment vendor 1 and the access network sub-network of equipment vendor 2.

[0093] It can be understood that, in terms of implementation, the cross-domain management functional unit can be implemented in the form of a management platform + multiple management applications, where the management application implements the management function of one or more networks or sub-networks above; of course, it can also be that a network element in the network has the function of a cross-domain management functional unit.

[0094] (3) Domain management functional unit.

[0095] The domain management function unit may also be referred to as a subnetwork management function (NMF) or a network element / function management function unit or a radio access network (RAN) domain management function unit. The domain management function unit may execute intent, for example, it may provide one or more of the following functions or services: lifecycle management of subnetworks or network elements, deployment of subnetworks or network elements, fault management of subnetworks or network elements, performance management of subnetworks or network elements, assurance of subnetworks or network elements, optimization management of subnetworks or network elements, intent translation of subnetworks or network elements, etc. The subnetwork here may include one or more network elements. Alternatively, the subnetwork here may also include one or more subnetworks, that is, one or more subnetworks form a subnetwork with a larger coverage area. Alternatively, the subnetwork here may also include one or more network slice subnetworks. Among them, the subnetwork may be described in at least one of the following ways:

[0096] Networks in a certain technical domain, such as wireless access networks, core networks, and transport networks;

[0097] A network of a certain standard, such as the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network, LTE network, 5G network, etc.

[0098] A network provided by a certain equipment vendor, such as the network provided by equipment vendor X;

[0099] The network of a certain geographical area, such as the network of factory A, the network of prefecture-level city B, etc.

[0100] It can be understood that, in terms of implementation, the domain management functional unit can be implemented in the form of a management platform + multiple management applications, where the management application implements the management functions of one or more sub-networks or network elements above; of course, it can also be that a network element in the network has the functions of the domain management functional unit.

[0101] (4) Network element.

[0102] A network element is an entity that provides network services, including core network elements, radio access network elements, transport network elements, etc. For example, core network elements may include but are not limited to an access and mobility management function (AMF) entity, a session management function (SMF) entity, a policy control function (PCF) entity, a network data analysis function (NWDAF) entity, a network repository function (NRF) entity, a gateway, etc.

[0103] The radio access network elements may include but are not limited to: various types of base stations (such as next-generation base stations (generation node B, gNB), evolved base stations (evolved Node B, eNB), centralized control units (central unit control panel, CUCP), centralized units (central unit, CU), distributed units (distributed unit, DU), centralized user plane units (central unit user panel, CUUP), etc.

[0104] It should be noted that the naming of each device in Figure 1 is only an example, and this application does not limit the names of each device in Figure 1.

[0105] In the service-oriented management architecture, the focus is on management service producers (MnS producers) and management service consumers (MnS consumers). It should be understood that when the management service is provided by the business operation unit mentioned above, the business operation unit is the management service provider, and other business operation units can be management service consumers; when the management service is provided by the cross-domain management function unit mentioned above, the cross-domain management function unit is the management service provider, and the business operation unit can be the management service consumer; when the management service is provided by the domain management function unit mentioned above, the domain management function unit is the management service provider, and the cross-domain management function unit or the business operation unit can be the management service consumer; when the management service is provided by the network element mentioned above, the network element is the management service provider, and the domain management function unit, the cross-domain management function unit, or the business operation unit can be the management service consumer.

[0106] The embodiment of the present application can perform autonomous function management on autonomous networks of different ranges as shown in Figure 1. The autonomous network range can include the following three situations:

[0107] Single-domain autonomous network: includes network elements and domain management functional units;

[0108] Cross-domain autonomous network: includes network elements, domain management functional units, and cross-domain management functional units;

[0109] Service autonomous network: includes network elements, domain management functional units, cross-domain management functional units and service operation units.

[0110] In an embodiment of the present application, the autonomous network system architecture shown in Figure 1 can be used as an intent management system architecture, for example: management service consumers can generate intents, management service providers can execute the intents generated by management service consumers, and so on.

[0111] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the intent management logical architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application, including an intent monitoring module and an intent execution module, as well as a logical interface (a logical interface between the intent monitoring module and the intent execution module), wherein the intent monitoring module can be used to generate intents, send intents to the intent execution module, and monitor the execution of intents; the intent execution module can be used to translate, implement and evaluate the received intents.

[0112] In some implementations, the following deployment scenarios may exist for the different autonomous network intent monitoring modules and intent execution modules in Figure 1:

[0113] Scenario 1: For a single-domain autonomous network, the intent execution module can be deployed in the domain management functional unit or network element, and the intent monitoring module can be deployed in the cross-domain management functional unit.

[0114] Scenario 2: For cross-domain autonomous networks, the intent execution module can be deployed in the cross-domain management function unit, and the intent monitoring module can be deployed in the business operation unit.

[0115] Scenario 3: For business autonomous networks, the intent execution module can be deployed in the business operation unit, and the intent monitoring module can be deployed in a third-party system (such as an enterprise system) outside the autonomous network.

[0116] In the service-oriented management architecture, the intent monitoring module is the management service consumer, and the intent execution module is the management service provider. The logical interface is the intent-based autonomous management function control interface.

[0117] The preceding describes the intent management logical architecture and deployment scenarios of the intent management system. The following describes the solution background.

[0118] With the development of the network, operators' needs are becoming more and more sophisticated. For example, different frequency bands / standards have different user rate requirements, and different services have different energy-saving requirements. Therefore, how to improve the implementation effect of intent management to better serve users is an issue worthy of attention.

[0119] Based on this, the embodiments of the present application provide a network energy conservation management method and device. By introducing network type / service type differentiated guarantee information into the energy conservation intent, that is, configuring different performance targets for different network types / service types, operators are enabled to perform differentiated energy conservation control for different network types / service types, thereby improving network energy conservation effects and meeting the differentiated energy conservation demands of operators. The method and device are based on the same concept. Since the principles of the method and device for solving problems are similar, the implementation of the device and method can refer to each other, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0120] The method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below in conjunction with the introduction of the above-mentioned Figures 1 and 2.

[0121] It should be noted that the various nouns designed in this application, such as performance requirements, performance targets, network type performance requirements, transmission rate targets, network frequency bands, etc., are only exemplary names, and this application does not limit the naming of each noun.

[0122] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a network energy-saving management method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method can be implemented by a first communication device and a second communication device, wherein the first communication device and the second communication device can be the intention monitoring module and the intention execution module shown in Figure 2, respectively. Of course, the first communication device can also be other devices (or functional units, or management platforms, etc.) with the function of the intention monitoring module, and the second communication device can also be other devices (or functional units, or management platforms, etc.) with the function of the intention execution module. For example: the first communication device and the second communication device can be the cross-domain management functional unit and the RAN domain management functional unit in Figure 1, etc., respectively. The method includes:

[0123] S301: A first communication device determines network energy-saving intention information.

[0124] The network energy-saving intention information includes information about energy-saving areas, energy consumption targets, and at least two performance requirements. Each performance requirement includes a communication type and a performance target corresponding to that communication type. It should be noted that the parameter types of performance targets corresponding to different communication types are the same, but the parameter values ​​can be different. For example, the performance targets in this application can include at least one of the following parameter types: transmission rate or transmission delay. To facilitate understanding of the solution, the following description uses the transmission rate as an example performance target. For ease of description, the performance target will be referred to as the transmission rate target.

[0125] For example, the network energy-saving intention information includes a first performance requirement including a first performance target and a corresponding first communication type, and a second performance requirement including a second performance target and a corresponding second communication type. The first performance target and the second performance target correspond to the same parameter type, but the parameter values ​​corresponding to the first performance target and the second performance target may be different.

[0126] For example, the communication type designed in this application may be a network type / service type. The network energy-saving intention information is exemplarily described below in combination with the network type / service type.

[0127] Example 1: The communication type is the network type. That is, different transmission rate targets can be configured for different network types.

[0128] The at least two performance requirements may include at least two network type performance requirements, each of which includes a transmission rate target corresponding to a network type. For example, transmission rate target a is the transmission rate target for network type 1, and transmission rate target b is the transmission rate target for network type 2.

[0129] Furthermore, the network type may include at least one of the following: a network standard or a network frequency band. That is, different transmission rate targets may be configured for different network standards / network frequency bands.

[0130] Exemplarily, the network standard may include, but is not limited to, UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN), evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN), LTE, NR, and other network standards that may emerge in future communications development.

[0131] The network frequency band can be a specific frequency point or frequency band.

[0132] Taking the network type as an example, the at least two performance requirements may include at least two network standard performance requirements, each of which includes a transmission rate target corresponding to a network standard. For example, transmission rate target 1 is the transmission rate target for EUTRAN, with a target value greater than 10 Mbps; transmission rate target 2 is the transmission rate target for NR, with a target value greater than 100 Mbps.

[0133] For example, the network energy-saving intention information may be in the following format:

[0134] Network energy saving intention information (RANEnergySavingExpectation):

[0135] -CoverageArea: XXX;

[0136] - Energy consumption target (RAN Energy Consumption): <200kWh;

[0137] - Transmission rate target 1 (transmission rate greater than 10 Mbps), network standard: EUTRAN;

[0138] -Transmission rate target 1 (transmission rate greater than 100Mbps), network standard: NR.

[0139] Taking the network type as a network frequency band as an example, the at least two performance requirements mentioned above may include at least two network frequency band performance requirements, each of which includes a transmission rate target corresponding to a network frequency band. For example, transmission rate target 3 is a transmission rate target for 200 MHz, with a target value greater than 100 Mbps; transmission rate target 4 is a transmission rate target for 50 MHz, with a target value greater than 50 Mbps.

[0140] For example, the network energy-saving intention information may be in the following format:

[0141] Network energy saving intention information (RANEnergySavingExpectation):

[0142] -CoverageArea: XXX;

[0143] - Energy consumption target (RAN Energy Consumption): <200kWh;

[0144] - Transmission rate target 3 (transmission rate greater than 100Mbps), network frequency band: 200MHz;

[0145] -Transmission rate target 4 (transmission rate greater than 50Mbps), network frequency band: 50MHz.

[0146] Example 2: The communication type is business type.

[0147] The at least two performance requirements may include at least two service type performance requirements, each service type performance requirement including a transmission rate target corresponding to a service type. For example, transmission rate target c is the transmission rate target for service type 1, and transmission rate target d is the transmission rate target for service type 2.

[0148] Furthermore, the service type includes at least one of the following: multimedia type (e.g., voice, video, image, text, etc.), application type, application service type (e.g., short video, live broadcast, on-demand, high-definition video, etc.), and slice type (e.g., enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC), massive machine type communication (mMTC), vehicle to everything (V2X), etc.). In other words, different transmission rate targets can be configured for different multimedia types / application types / application service types / slice types.

[0149] Taking the application type as an example, the at least two performance requirements may include at least two application performance requirements, each of which includes a transmission rate target corresponding to an application. For example, transmission rate target 5 is the transmission rate target for APP1, with a target value greater than 10 Mbps; transmission rate target 6 is the transmission rate target for APP2, with a target value greater than 100 Mbps.

[0150] For example, the network energy-saving intention information may be in the following format:

[0151] Network energy saving intention information (RANEnergySavingExpectation):

[0152] -CoverageArea: XXX;

[0153] - Energy consumption target (RAN Energy Consumption): <200kWh;

[0154] -Transmission rate target 5 (transmission rate greater than 10Mbps), application type: APP1;

[0155] -Transmission rate target 6 (transmission rate greater than 100Mbps), application type: APP2.

[0156] Taking the application service type as an example, the at least two performance requirements mentioned above may include at least two application service performance requirements, each of which includes a transmission rate target corresponding to an application service. For example, transmission rate target 7 is the transmission rate target for short videos, with a target value greater than 500 Mbps; transmission rate target 8 is the transmission rate target for high-definition video, with a target value greater than 1000 Mbps; and transmission rate target 9 is the transmission rate target for live streaming, with a target value greater than 100 Mbps.

[0157] For example, the network energy-saving intention information may be in the following format:

[0158] Network energy saving intention information (RANEnergySavingExpectation):

[0159] -CoverageArea: XXX;

[0160] - Energy consumption target (RAN Energy Consumption): <200kWh;

[0161] -Transmission rate target 7 (transmission rate greater than 500Mbps), application service type: short video;

[0162] -Transmission rate target 8 (transmission rate greater than 1000Mbps), application service type: high-definition video;

[0163] -Transmission rate target 9 (transmission rate greater than 100Mbps), application service type: live broadcast.

[0164] It should be noted that the above two examples can be implemented simultaneously or separately, that is, the network energy-saving intention information can include one or more of the following: network type performance requirements, network frequency band performance requirements, or service type performance requirements.

[0165] In one possible implementation, the first communication device may obtain capability information of the second communication device. The capability information indicates that differentiated performance guarantees can be provided for different communication types when performing energy-saving optimization. For example, different performance targets (such as transmission rate targets) can be configured for different communication types. Optionally, the capability information may also include the name of the intended target, such as an energy consumption target or a transmission rate target.

[0166] In a specific implementation, the first communication device may send a query request to the second communication device, the query request being used to request capability information of the second communication device, and the second communication device sends a response message to the query request, the response message carrying the capability information.

[0167] The capability information is exemplified below.

[0168] According to the above description, the communication type can be a network type / service type. Therefore, the capability information can specifically indicate at least one of the following: supporting configuration of different performance targets for different network types; supporting configuration of different performance targets for different service types.

[0169] For example, the capability information may include network type differentiated performance target guarantee capability indication information, which indicates that differentiated performance guarantees can be performed for different network types when performing energy-saving optimization, for example, supporting the configuration of different performance targets (such as transmission rate targets) for different network types.

[0170] Furthermore, the capability information indicates support for configuring different performance targets for different network types, and specifically may indicate at least one of the following: support for configuring different performance targets for different network standards; support for configuring different performance targets for different network frequency bands.

[0171] For example, the network type differentiated performance target guarantee capability indication information may include network standard differentiated performance target guarantee capability indication information, which indicates that differentiated performance guarantees can be performed for different network standards when performing energy-saving optimization, for example, supporting the configuration of different performance targets (such as transmission rate targets) for different network standards.

[0172] The network type differentiated performance target guarantee capability indication information may also include network frequency band differentiated performance target guarantee capability indication information. The network frequency band differentiated performance target guarantee capability indication information indicates that differentiated performance guarantees can be performed for different network frequency bands when performing energy-saving optimization. For example, different performance targets (such as transmission rate targets) can be configured for different network frequency bands.

[0173] The capability information may also include service type differentiated performance target guarantee capability indication information, which indicates that differentiated performance guarantees can be performed for different service types when performing energy-saving optimization. For example, different performance targets (such as transmission rate targets) can be configured for different service types.

[0174] Furthermore, the service type differentiated performance target guarantee capability indication information may include at least one of the following: multimedia differentiated performance target guarantee capability indication information, application differentiated performance target guarantee capability indication information, application service differentiated performance target guarantee capability indication information, and slice differentiated performance target guarantee capability indication information.

[0175] The multimedia differentiated performance target guarantee capability indication information indicates that differentiated performance guarantees can be performed for different multimedia types during energy-saving optimization, for example, supporting configuration of different performance targets (such as transmission rate targets) for different multimedia types.

[0176] The application differentiated performance target guarantee capability indication information indicates that differentiated performance guarantees can be performed for different applications when performing energy-saving optimization, for example, supporting configuration of different performance targets (such as transmission rate targets) for different applications.

[0177] The application service differentiated performance target guarantee capability indication information indicates that differentiated performance guarantees can be performed for different application services during energy-saving optimization, for example, supporting configuration of different performance targets (such as transmission rate targets) for different application services.

[0178] The slice differentiated performance target guarantee capability indication information indicates that differentiated performance guarantees can be performed for different slices when performing energy-saving optimization, for example, supporting the configuration of different performance targets (such as transmission rate targets) for different slices.

[0179] Optionally, in addition to the above-mentioned method of obtaining capability information, the first communication device may also obtain capability information of the second communication device through other methods, such as manual input.

[0180] S302: The first communication device sends network energy-saving intention information. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the network energy-saving intention information.

[0181] The network energy-saving intention information instructs the second communication device to perform energy-saving optimization on the energy-saving area according to the energy consumption target, the first performance target, and the second performance target.

[0182] In a possible implementation, the second communication device may determine the wireless network energy-saving intention expectation according to the network energy-saving intention information.

[0183] For example, when the network energy-saving intention information includes the network standard performance requirement, the energy consumption target and the performance target (such as the transmission rate target) corresponding to the network standard can be determined. For details, please refer to the description of Example 1 above.

[0184] When the network energy-saving intention information includes the network frequency band performance requirement, the energy consumption target and the performance target (such as the transmission rate target) corresponding to the network frequency band can be determined. For details, please refer to the description of Example 1 above.

[0185] When the network energy-saving intention information includes service type performance requirements, the energy consumption target and the performance target (such as transmission rate target) corresponding to the service type can be determined. For details, please refer to the description of Example 2 above.

[0186] S303: The second communication device determines an energy-saving strategy for network devices in the energy-saving area according to the energy consumption target, the first performance target, and the second performance target.

[0187] In the present application, the second communication device may determine at least two energy-saving strategies based on the energy consumption target, the first performance target, and the second performance target, and different energy-saving strategies correspond to different communication types. Taking the first communication type and the second communication type as an example, the second communication device may determine the first energy-saving strategy and the second energy-saving strategy based on the energy consumption target, the first performance target, and the second performance target. The communication type corresponding to the first energy-saving strategy is the communication type corresponding to the first performance target, and the communication type corresponding to the second energy-saving strategy is the communication type corresponding to the second performance target.

[0188] Optionally, the energy-saving strategy (eg, the first energy-saving strategy and the second energy-saving strategy) determined by the second communication device may be a network device-level energy-saving strategy or a cell-level energy-saving strategy.

[0189] S304: The second communication device sends the determined energy-saving policy to at least one network device in the energy-saving area. Correspondingly, the at least one network device in the energy-saving area receives the energy-saving policy.

[0190] At least one network device in the energy-saving area may execute the energy-saving policy after receiving the energy-saving policy.

[0191] In one possible implementation, the second communication device may further obtain the execution results of the performance requirements in the network energy-saving intention information, specifically, the execution results of each performance target in the network energy-saving intention information. The second communication device may send a network energy-saving intention report to the first communication device, where the network energy-saving intention report includes the execution results of the performance requirements in the network energy-saving intention information, specifically, the execution results of each performance target in the network energy-saving intention information. The first communication device may adjust the performance requirements in the network energy-saving intention information based on the execution results, specifically, by adjusting the performance targets in the performance requirements.

[0192] Taking the first and second communication types described above as an example, the second communication device can obtain the execution results of the first performance target and the execution results of the second performance target. Accordingly, the network energy-saving intention report includes the execution results of the first communication type and the corresponding first performance target, as well as the execution results of the second communication type and the corresponding second performance target.

[0193] Accordingly, the first communication device may adjust the performance target corresponding to the first communication type and the performance target corresponding to the second communication type according to the execution result of the first communication type and the corresponding first performance target and the execution result of the second communication type and the corresponding second performance target.

[0194] Exemplarily, the execution result of the performance requirement (or the execution result of the performance target) can be the value of the performance parameter corresponding to the performance target after energy-saving optimization is performed in the energy-saving area, or it can be whether the performance target is met after energy-saving optimization is performed in the energy-saving area.

[0195] For example, the execution result of the first performance objective may be the value of the performance parameter corresponding to the first performance objective after energy-saving optimization is performed in the energy-saving area, and the execution result of the second performance objective may be the value of the performance parameter corresponding to the second performance objective after energy-saving optimization is performed in the energy-saving area. Alternatively, the execution result of the first performance objective may be whether the first performance objective is met after energy-saving optimization is performed in the energy-saving area, and the execution result of the first performance objective may be whether the second performance objective is met after energy-saving optimization is performed in the energy-saving area.

[0196] The following describes the network energy-saving intention report using examples of the above communication types.

[0197] Combined with the above example 1:

[0198] The network energy saving intention report may include network standard differentiated rate target execution information. The network standard differentiated rate target execution information may include at least two transmission rate target execution information, each transmission rate target execution information corresponds to a network standard. For example, transmission rate target 1 is the transmission rate target of EUTRAN, the target is met, and the target performance value is 20Mbps; transmission rate target 2 is the transmission rate target of NR, the target is not met, and the target performance value is 80Mbps.

[0199] For example, the network energy-saving intention report may be in the following format:

[0200] Network Energy Saving Intent Report (RANEnergySavingIntentReport):

[0201] - Energy consumption target (RAN Energy Consumption), met, <200kWh;

[0202] -Transmission rate target 1 (transmission rate greater than 10 Mbps), met, network standard: EUTRAN;

[0203] -Transmission rate target 1 (transmission rate greater than 100Mbps) is not met. Network standard: NR.

[0204] The network energy-saving intention report may also include network frequency band differentiated rate target execution information. This information may include at least two transmission rate target execution information pieces, one for each network frequency band. For example, transmission rate target 3 may be a 200 MHz transmission rate target, which is not met and has a target value greater than 100 Mbps; transmission rate target 4 may be a 50 MHz transmission rate target, which is met and has a target value greater than 50 Mbps.

[0205] For example, the network energy-saving intention report may be in the following format:

[0206] Network Energy Saving Intent Report (RANEnergySavingIntentReport):

[0207] - Energy consumption target (RAN Energy Consumption), met, <200kWh;

[0208] -Transmission rate target 3 (transmission rate greater than 100Mbps), not met, network frequency band: 200MHz;

[0209] -Transmission rate target 4 (transmission rate greater than 50Mbps) is met, network frequency band: 50MHz.

[0210] Combined with the above example 2:

[0211] The network energy-saving intention report may include service type-differentiated rate target execution information. This service type-differentiated rate target execution information may include at least two transmission rate target execution information pieces, each corresponding to a service type. For example, transmission rate target c is the transmission rate target for service type 1, and transmission rate target d is the transmission rate target for service type 2.

[0212] Taking the application service type as an example, the service type differentiated rate target execution information may include: transmission rate target 7 is the transmission rate target for short videos, if it is not met, the target value is greater than 500Mbps; transmission rate target 8 is the transmission rate target for high-definition videos, if it is met, the target value is greater than 1000Mbps; transmission rate target 9 is the transmission rate target for live broadcasts, if it is met, the target value is greater than 100Mbps.

[0213] For example, the network energy-saving intention report may be in the following format:

[0214] Network Energy Saving Intent Report (RANEnergySavingIntentReport):

[0215] - Energy consumption target (RAN Energy Consumption), met, <200kWh;

[0216] -Transmission rate target 7 (transmission rate greater than 500Mbps) is not met. Application service type: short video;

[0217] -Transmission rate target 8 (transmission rate greater than 1000Mbps), meeting application service type: high-definition video;

[0218] -Transmission rate target 9 (transmission rate greater than 100Mbps), met, application service type: live broadcast.

[0219] Optionally, the network energy-saving intention report may further include an identifier of each execution result, which may be an identifier of a corresponding performance target / performance requirement, or an identifier of the execution result itself.

[0220] The following describes a method in which the second communication device obtains the execution results of each performance target.

[0221] Optionally, the second communication device may receive execution information from at least one network device and determine the execution results of each performance target based on the execution information. The execution information indicates the results of executing the energy-saving strategy. For example, taking the first performance target and the second performance target as examples, the execution information includes at least one of the following parameter values: the energy consumption value after energy-saving optimization, the value of the first performance parameter after executing the first energy-saving strategy, or the value of the first performance parameter after executing the second energy-saving strategy, where the first performance parameter is the performance parameter corresponding to the first performance target and the second performance target.

[0222] Optionally, the second communication device may further adjust the energy-saving policy based on the execution results of the performance target and transmit the adjusted energy-saving policy to at least one network device within the energy-saving area. For example, taking the first performance target and the second performance target as an example, the second communication device may further adjust the first energy-saving policy and the second energy-saving policy based on the execution results of the first performance target and the execution results of the second performance target to obtain adjusted first energy-saving policy and second energy-saving policy; and transmit the adjusted first energy-saving policy and second energy-saving policy to at least one network device within the energy-saving area.

[0223] This application introduces differentiated guarantee information of network type / service type into the energy-saving intention, enabling operators to perform differentiated energy-saving control for different network types / service types, thereby improving the network energy-saving effect and meeting the differentiated energy-saving demands of operators.

[0224] In addition, by describing whether differentiated performance assurance is supported in the capability information, the differentiated performance assurance capabilities of different intent execution systems can be distinguished, and operators can accurately obtain the differentiated performance assurance capabilities of the intent execution systems, which is conducive to further improving network energy saving effects.

[0225] Furthermore, by indicating the execution results of performance targets in the network energy-saving intention report, operators can optimize the network energy-saving intention according to the execution results, which is conducive to further improving the network energy-saving effect.

[0226] It is understood that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the first communication device or the second communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily appreciate 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 hardware or in a manner driven by computer software depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0227] Figures 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the first communication device or the second communication device in the above method embodiments, thereby also achieving the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0228] As shown in Figure 4, communication device 400 includes a processing unit 410 and a communication unit 420. Processing unit 410 may be a processor or processing circuit, and communication unit 420 may also be a transceiver unit or input / output interface. Communication device 400 may be used to implement the steps performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the above embodiments.

[0229] When the communication device 400 is used to implement the steps performed by the first communication device (or the cross-domain management functional unit) in the above embodiment: determining network energy-saving intention information, the network energy-saving intention information including information of the energy-saving area, the energy consumption target, the first performance requirement and the second performance requirement, wherein the first performance requirement includes a first performance target and a corresponding first communication type, the second performance requirement includes a second performance target and a corresponding second communication type, the first communication type and the second communication type are network types or service types; the first performance target and the second performance target correspond to the same parameter type;

[0230] The network energy-saving intention information is sent to the second communication device, where the network energy-saving intention information is used to indicate that the performance of the energy-saving area needs to meet the energy consumption target, the first performance target, and the second performance target.

[0231] Optionally, the method further includes: acquiring capability information of the second communication device, where the capability information indicates support for configuring different performance targets for different communication types.

[0232] Optionally, the method also includes: receiving a network energy-saving intention report from the second communication device, the network energy-saving intention report including the execution results of the first communication type and the corresponding first performance target, and the execution results of the second communication type and the corresponding second performance target; adjusting the performance target corresponding to the first communication type and the performance target corresponding to the second communication type according to the execution results.

[0233] When the communication device 400 is used to implement the steps performed by the second communication device (or RAN domain management functional unit) in the above embodiment: receiving network energy-saving intention information from the first communication device, the network energy-saving intention information includes information of the energy-saving area, energy consumption target, first performance requirement and second performance requirement, wherein the first performance requirement includes a first performance target and a corresponding first communication type, and the second performance requirement includes a second performance target and a corresponding second communication type, and the first communication type and the second communication type are network types or service types; the first performance target and the second performance target correspond to the same parameter type; determining the first energy-saving strategy and the second energy-saving strategy of the network equipment in the energy-saving area based on the energy consumption target, the first performance target and the second performance target, wherein the communication type corresponding to the first energy-saving strategy is the communication type corresponding to the first performance target, and the communication type corresponding to the second energy-saving strategy is the communication type corresponding to the second performance target; and sending the first energy-saving strategy and the second energy-saving strategy to at least one network device in the energy-saving area.

[0234] Optionally, the method further includes: sending capability information to the first communication device, where the capability information indicates support for configuring different performance targets for different communication types.

[0235] Optionally, the method also includes: obtaining the execution results of the first performance target and the execution results of the second performance target; sending a network energy-saving intention report to the first communication device, the network energy-saving intention report including the first communication type and the corresponding execution results of the first performance target, and the second communication type and the corresponding execution results of the second performance target.

[0236] Optionally, obtaining the execution results of the first performance target and the second performance target includes: receiving execution information from the at least one network device, the execution information indicating the results of executing the first energy-saving strategy and the second energy-saving strategy, the execution information including at least one of the following parameter values: the energy consumption value after energy-saving optimization, the value of the first performance parameter after executing the first energy-saving strategy, or the value of the first performance parameter after executing the second energy-saving strategy, the first performance parameter being the performance parameter corresponding to the first performance target and the second performance target; determining the execution results of the first performance target and the execution results of the second performance target based on the execution information.

[0237] Optionally, the method also includes: adjusting the first energy-saving strategy and the second energy-saving strategy according to the execution results of the first performance target and the execution results of the second performance target to obtain adjusted first energy-saving strategy and second energy-saving strategy; and sending the adjusted first energy-saving strategy and second energy-saving strategy to at least one network device within the energy-saving area.

[0238] The division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. In addition, the functional modules in the various embodiments of the present application can be integrated into a processor, or can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module. The above-mentioned integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It is understood that the functions or implementations of the various modules in the embodiments of the present application can be further referred to the relevant description of the method embodiment.

[0239] In one possible embodiment, a communication device may be as shown in FIG5 . The device may be a communication device or a chip in a communication device, wherein the communication device may be a terminal device or a network device in the above embodiments. The device includes a processor 501 and a communication interface 502, and may also include a memory 503. The processing unit 410 may be the processor 501. The communication unit 420 may be the communication interface 502.

[0240] The processor 501 can be a central processing unit (CPU), a digital processing unit, etc. The communication interface 502 can be a transceiver, an interface circuit such as a transceiver circuit, a transceiver chip, etc. The device also includes: a memory 503 for storing programs executed by the processor 501. The memory 503 can be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), etc., or a volatile memory (volatile memory), such as a random-access memory (RAM). The memory 503 is any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to this.

[0241] The processor 501 is used to execute the program code stored in the memory 503, specifically to execute the actions of the processing unit 410, which will not be described in detail in this application. The communication interface 502 is specifically used to execute the actions of the communication unit 420, which will not be described in detail in this application.

[0242] The specific connection medium between the communication interface 502, processor 501, and memory 503 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In Figure 5, the memory 503, processor 501, and communication interface 502 are connected via bus 504. The bus is represented by a bold line in Figure 5. The connection between other components is only for illustrative purposes and is not intended to be limiting. Buses can be divided into address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of illustration, Figure 5 only uses a single bold line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0243] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing computer software instructions required to execute the above-mentioned processor, which includes a program required to execute the above-mentioned processor.

[0244] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, including a communication device for implementing the function of the first communication device in the embodiment of FIG. 3 and a communication device for implementing the function of the second communication device in the embodiment of FIG. 3 .

[0245] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application can adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application can adopt the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0246] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the flow chart and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more flow charts and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0247] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0248] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0249] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A network energy saving management method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Determining network energy-saving intention information, the network energy-saving intention information including information of an energy-saving area, an energy consumption target, a first performance requirement, and a second performance requirement, wherein the first performance requirement includes a first performance target and a corresponding first communication type, and the second performance requirement includes a second performance target and a corresponding second communication type, the first communication type and the second communication type being network types or service types; and the first performance target and the second performance target correspond to the same parameter type; The network energy-saving intention information is sent to a second communication device, where the network energy-saving intention information is used to indicate that the performance of the energy-saving area needs to meet the energy consumption target, the first performance target, and the second performance target.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The network type includes at least one of the following: a network standard or a network frequency band.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The service type includes at least one of the following: multimedia type, application type, application service type, and slice type.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The first performance target and the second performance target both include at least one of the following parameter types: transmission rate or transmission delay.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: Capability information of the second communication device is acquired, where the capability information indicates support for configuring different performance targets for different communication types.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein The capability information indicates support for configuring different performance targets for different communication types, including: The capability information indicates at least one of the following: Supports configuring different performance targets for different network types; Supports configuring different performance targets for different business types.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein The capability information indicates support for configuring different performance targets for different network types, including: The capability information indicates at least one of the following: Supports configuring different performance targets for different network standards; Supports configuring different performance targets for different network frequency bands.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The method further comprises: receiving a network energy-saving intention report from the second communication device, the network energy-saving intention report including an execution result of the first communication type and the corresponding first performance target, and an execution result of the second communication type and the corresponding second performance target; The performance target corresponding to the first communication type and the performance target corresponding to the second communication type are adjusted according to the execution result.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The network energy-saving intention report includes the first communication type and the corresponding execution result of the first performance target, and the second communication type and the corresponding execution result of the second performance target, including: If the first communication type is a first network standard and the second communication type is a second network standard, the network energy-saving intention report includes the first network standard and the execution results of the performance targets corresponding to the first network standard, and the second network standard and the execution results of the performance targets corresponding to the second network standard; If the first communication type is a first network frequency band and the second communication type is a second network frequency band, the network energy-saving intention report includes the first network frequency band and the execution results of the performance target corresponding to the first network frequency band, and the second network frequency band and the execution results of the performance target corresponding to the second network frequency band; If the first communication type is a first service type and the second communication type is a second service type, the network energy-saving intention report includes the first service type and the execution results of the performance targets corresponding to the first service type, as well as the second service type and the execution results of the performance targets corresponding to the second service type.

10. A network energy saving management method, characterized in that: The method comprises: receiving network energy-saving intention information from a first communication device, the network energy-saving intention information including information of an energy-saving area, an energy consumption target, a first performance requirement, and a second performance requirement, wherein the first performance requirement includes a first performance target and a corresponding first communication type, and the second performance requirement includes a second performance target and a corresponding second communication type, the first communication type and the second communication type being network types or service types; and the first performance target and the second performance target corresponding to the same parameter type; Determining a first energy-saving strategy and a second energy-saving strategy for the network device in the energy-saving area according to the energy consumption target, the first performance target, and the second performance target, wherein the communication type corresponding to the first energy-saving strategy is the communication type corresponding to the first performance target, and the communication type corresponding to the second energy-saving strategy is the communication type corresponding to the second performance target; The first energy-saving policy and the second energy-saving policy are sent to at least one network device in the energy-saving area.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein The network type includes at least one of the following: a network standard or a network frequency band.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein: The service type includes at least one of the following: multimedia type, application type, application service type, and slice type.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein: The first performance target and the second performance target both include at least one of the following parameter types: transmission rate or transmission delay.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein: The method further comprises: Capability information is sent to the first communication device, where the capability information indicates support for configuring different performance targets for different communication types.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The capability information indicates support for configuring different performance targets for different communication types, including: The capability information indicates at least one of the following: Supports configuring different performance targets for different network types; Supports configuring different performance targets for different business types.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein The capability information indicates support for configuring different performance targets for different network types, including: The capability information indicates at least one of the following: Supports configuring different performance targets for different network standards; Supports configuring different performance targets for different network frequency bands.

17. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein: The method further comprises: Obtaining an execution result of the first performance objective and an execution result of the second performance objective; A network energy-saving intention report is sent to the first communication device, where the network energy-saving intention report includes the execution result of the first communication type and the corresponding first performance target, and the execution result of the second communication type and the corresponding second performance target.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein The network energy-saving intention report includes the first communication type and the corresponding execution result of the first performance target, and the second communication type and the corresponding execution result of the second performance target, including: If the first communication type is a first network standard and the second communication type is a second network standard, the network energy-saving intention report includes the first network standard and the execution results of the performance targets corresponding to the first network standard, and the second network standard and the execution results of the performance targets corresponding to the second network standard; If the first communication type is a first network frequency band and the second communication type is a second network frequency band, the network energy-saving intention report includes the first network frequency band and the execution results of the performance target corresponding to the first network frequency band, and the second network frequency band and the execution results of the performance target corresponding to the second network frequency band; If the first communication type is a first service type and the second communication type is a second service type, the network energy-saving intention report includes the first service type and the execution results of the performance targets corresponding to the first service type, as well as the second service type and the execution results of the performance targets corresponding to the second service type.

19. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or the method according to any one of claims 10 to 18.

20. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, and the processor is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or the method according to any one of claims 10 to 18 through a logic circuit or execution instruction.

21. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises a computer program or an instruction, and when the computer program or the instruction is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or the method according to any one of claims 10 to 18 is implemented.

22. A chip system, characterized in that: The chip system includes: A processor and an interface, wherein the processor is used to call and execute instructions from the interface, and when the processor executes the instructions, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or the method according to any one of claims 10 to 18 is implemented.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or the method according to any one of claims 10 to 18 is implemented.

24. A communication system, characterized in that: including a first communication device and a second communication device, and at least one network device in an energy-saving area; The first communication device is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9; The second communication device is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 10 to 18; The at least one network device is configured to execute the received energy-saving policy.

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