Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and provides a communication method and apparatus. In the method, a second RAN node can indicate to a first RAN node a transmission mode of second indication information. The second indication information is used for indicating quality of service configuration information associated with a first service. The transmission mode of the second indication information comprises sending the second indication information to a first node associated with the first service by means of a user plane path, and / or sending the second indication information to a second node associated with the first service by means of air interface signaling. The first RAN node is a RAN node to which the second node is to be handed over or may be handed over, or the first RAN node is an auxiliary RAN node that provides dual connectivity for the second node. Thus, according to the above-described method, the RAN node to which the second node is to be handed over or may be handed over, or the auxiliary RAN node that provides dual connectivity for the second node can be enabled to promptly send the second indication information to the first node or the second node.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on March 20, 2024, with application number 202410327695.8 and invention name “Communication Method and Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular to communication methods and devices. Background Art

[0003] In a communication system, a radio access network (RAN) node can obtain a quality of service (QoS) profile based on the current network status and indicate the QoS profile to a terminal and / or application server. Subsequently, the terminal and / or application server can determine the task scheduling result corresponding to the QoS profile and execute the task based on the task scheduling result. In the above process, since the QoS profile is related to the task scheduling result, the quality of service provided by the current network can meet the QoS requirements of the task, thereby ensuring user experience.

[0004] Understandably, in real-world applications, the channel state in a communication system is constantly changing. Therefore, after obtaining a QoS profile, the RAN node must promptly notify the terminal and / or application server. This allows the terminal and application server to promptly determine the task scheduling results. This prevents the current network's quality of service from failing to meet the task's QoS requirements, thereby impacting the user experience. Therefore, how the RAN node promptly communicates the QoS profile to the terminal and / or application server is crucial. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus that enables a RAN node to promptly indicate a QoS profile to a terminal and / or an application server.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be performed by a second RAN node. The second RAN node herein may refer to the second RAN node itself, or may refer to a processor, circuit, module, logical node, chip, or chip system in the second RAN node that implements the method.

[0008] The method includes: obtaining first indication information for indicating a transmission mode of second indication information, and sending the first indication information to a first RAN node. The second indication information is used to indicate quality of service configuration information associated with a first service, and the transmission mode of the second indication information includes sending the second indication information to the first node associated with the first service via a user plane path, and / or sending the second indication information to the second node associated with the first service via air interface signaling. The first RAN node is a RAN node to which the second node will or may switch, or the first RAN node is an auxiliary RAN node providing dual connectivity for the second node.

[0009] Based on the method provided in the first aspect above, the second RAN node can indicate a transmission method for the second indication information to the RAN node to which the second node is about to or may switch, or to the auxiliary RAN node providing dual connectivity for the second node, so that these RAN nodes can send the second indication information to the first node / second node using the method indicated by the second RAN node. Sending the second indication information to the first node via a user plane path can enable the first node to quickly obtain the second indication information, and sending the second indication information to the second node via air interface signaling can enable the second node to quickly obtain the second indication information.

[0010] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information is carried in a handover request message, or the first indication information is carried in a secondary station add request message, a secondary station change request message, or an inter-station anchor point handover request message.

[0011] Based on the above possible implementation manner, the second RAN node may send the first indication information to the first RAN node in a handover procedure, a secondary station adding procedure, a secondary station changing procedure, or an inter-station anchor point handover procedure.

[0012] In a possible implementation manner, obtaining the first indication information includes: receiving the first indication information from a first network element of the core network.

[0013] Based on the above possible implementation manner, the second RAN node may obtain the first indication information from the core network (such as a session management network element of the core network), and then send the first indication information to the first RAN node.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving third indication information, where the third indication information indicates that the first RAN node does not support sending the second indication information through a user plane path, or indicates that the first RAN node does not send the second indication information through the user plane path.

[0015] Based on the foregoing possible implementations, the second RAN node may determine that the first RAN node does not use a user plane path to send the second indication information. The second RAN node may also instruct the first node and / or the second node not to use a user plane path to send the second indication information, so that the first node and / or the second node determines that the received second indication information is delayed.

[0016] In a possible implementation manner, sending the first indication information to the first RAN node includes: sending the first indication information to the first RAN node through a second network element of the core network.

[0017] Based on the above possible implementation, the second RAN node may forward the first indication information to the first RAN node via the core network (e.g., an access and mobility management network element of the core network). For example, if the second RAN node and the first RAN node do not belong to an area managed by the same access and mobility management network element, or if the second RAN node and the first RAN node belong to an area managed by the same access and mobility management network element but no Xn interface exists between the two RAN nodes, the second RAN node may send the first indication information to the first RAN node via the access and mobility management network element.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the second indication information includes at least one of the following: quality of service profile index information associated with the first service, quality of service configuration parameter information associated with the first service, quality of service profile adjustment information, or quality of service notification control information.

[0019] Based on the possible implementation manners described above, the quality of service configuration information associated with the first service may be indicated by using the one or more types of information described above.

[0020] In a possible implementation manner, the first node is a user plane network element or an application server, and the second node is a terminal.

[0021] Based on the above possible implementation manner, the second RAN node may instruct the first RAN node to send the second indication information to the user plane network element or application server through the user plane path, and send the second indication information to the terminal through air interface signaling.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the quality of service configuration information associated with the first service includes quality of service configuration information of a session of the first service, or quality of service configuration information of a quality of service flow of the first service.

[0023] Based on the above possible implementation manner, the quality of service configuration information associated with the first service may be quality of service configuration information at a session granularity, or quality of service configuration information at a quality of service flow granularity.

[0024] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a first RAN node. The first RAN node is the RAN node to which a second node associated with a first service will or may switch, or the first RAN node is an auxiliary RAN node providing dual connectivity for the second node. The first RAN node herein can refer to the first RAN node itself, or can refer to a processor, circuit, module, logical node, chip, or chip system in the first RAN node that implements the method.

[0025] The method includes: receiving first indication information, determining second indication information based on at least one candidate quality of service configuration information, and sending the second indication information based on the first indication information. The first indication information indicates a transmission method for the second indication information. The second indication information is used to indicate quality of service configuration information associated with a first service, and the transmission method for the second indication information includes sending the second indication information to a first node associated with the first service via a user plane path and / or sending the second indication information to a second node via air interface signaling.

[0026] Based on the method provided in the second aspect above, the first RAN node may send the second indication information to the first node through a user plane path, so that the first node quickly obtains the second indication information, and / or the first RAN node may send the second indication information to the second node through air interface signaling, so that the second node quickly obtains the second indication information.

[0027] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information is carried in a handover request message, or the first indication information is carried in a secondary station add request message, a secondary station change request message, or an inter-station anchor point handover request message.

[0028] Based on the above possible implementation manner, the first RAN node may receive the first indication information in a handover procedure, a secondary station adding procedure, a secondary station changing procedure, or an inter-station anchor point handover procedure.

[0029] In a possible implementation manner, receiving the first indication information includes: receiving the first indication information from a second network element of the core network; or receiving the first indication information from a second RAN node.

[0030] Based on the foregoing possible implementation manner, the first RAN node may obtain the first indication information from the core network (such as a session management network element of the core network), or obtain the first indication information from the second RAN node.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the transmission method of the second indication information includes sending the second indication information to the first node through the user plane path, and sending the second indication information according to the first indication information includes: sending the second indication information to the user plane network element through the user plane path.

[0032] Based on the foregoing possible implementation manner, the first RAN node may send the second indication information to the user plane network element through the user plane path, so that the user plane network element sends the second indication information to the application server.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: in a case where it is determined that the second indication information is not sent to the first node via the user plane path, sending third indication information, the third indication information indicating that sending the second indication information via the user plane path is not supported, or indicating that the second indication information is not sent via the user plane path.

[0034] Based on the foregoing possible implementation manner, a node that receives the third indication information, such as the second RAN node, may determine that the first RAN node does not send the second indication information to the first node through a user plane path.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the second indication information includes at least one of the following: quality of service profile index information associated with the first service, quality of service configuration parameter information associated with the first service, quality of service profile adjustment information, or quality of service notification control information.

[0036] Based on the possible implementation manners described above, the quality of service configuration information associated with the first service may be indicated by using the one or more types of information described above.

[0037] In a possible implementation manner, the first node is a user plane network element or an application server, and the second node is a terminal.

[0038] Based on the foregoing possible implementation manner, the first RAN node may send the second indication information to the user plane network element or application server through a user plane path, or send the second indication information to the terminal through air interface signaling.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the quality of service configuration information associated with the first service includes quality of service configuration information of a session of the first service, or quality of service configuration information of a quality of service flow of the first service.

[0040] Based on the above possible implementation manner, the quality of service configuration information associated with the first service may be quality of service configuration information at a session granularity, or quality of service configuration information at a quality of service flow granularity.

[0041] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by an access and mobility management network element. The access and mobility management network element here can refer to the access and mobility management network element itself, or it can refer to a processor, circuit, module, logical node, chip, or chip system that implements the method in the access and mobility management network element.

[0042] The method includes: receiving first indication information from a second RAN node, and sending the first indication information to a first RAN node. The first indication information indicates a transmission mode of second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate quality of service configuration information associated with a first service, and the transmission mode of the second indication information includes sending the second indication information to the first node associated with the first service via a user plane path, and / or sending the second indication information to the second node associated with the first service via air interface signaling. The first RAN node is the RAN node to which the second node is to be handed over.

[0043] Based on the method provided in the third aspect above, the access and mobility management network element may forward the first indication information sent by the second RAN node to the first RAN node, so that the first RAN node can send the second indication information to the first node / the second node using the instruction of the second RAN node. Sending the second indication information to the first node via a user plane path allows the first node to quickly obtain the second indication information, and sending the second indication information to the second node via air interface signaling allows the second node to quickly obtain the second indication information.

[0044] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information is carried in a handover request message.

[0045] Based on the foregoing possible implementation manner, the access and mobility management network element may forward the first indication information sent by the second RAN node to the first RAN node through a handover procedure.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving third indication information from the first RAN node, where the third indication information indicates that the first RAN node does not support sending the second indication information through a user plane path, or indicates that the first RAN node does not send the second indication information through the user plane path.

[0047] Based on the foregoing possible implementation manner, the access and mobility management network element may determine that the first RAN node does not send the second indication information through the user plane path.

[0048] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending third indication information to the second RAN node.

[0049] Based on the foregoing possible implementation manner, the access and mobility management network element may further send third indication information to the second RAN node, so that the second RAN node instructs the first RAN node to not send the second indication information through the user plane path to the first node and / or the second node, so that the first node and / or the second node determines that the received second indication information is delayed.

[0050] In a possible implementation, the second indication information includes at least one of the following: quality of service profile index information associated with the first service, quality of service configuration parameter information associated with the first service, quality of service profile adjustment information, or quality of service notification control information.

[0051] Based on the possible implementation manners described above, the quality of service configuration information associated with the first service may be indicated by using the one or more types of information described above.

[0052] In a possible implementation manner, the first node is a user plane network element or an application server, and the second node is a terminal.

[0053] Based on the above possible implementation manner, the first RAN node may send the second indication information to the user plane network element or application server through the user plane path, and send the second indication information to the terminal through air interface signaling.

[0054] In a possible implementation, the quality of service configuration information associated with the first service includes quality of service configuration information of a session of the first service, or quality of service configuration information of a quality of service flow of the first service.

[0055] Based on the above possible implementation manner, the quality of service configuration information associated with the first service may be quality of service configuration information at a session granularity, or quality of service configuration information at a quality of service flow granularity.

[0056] In a fourth aspect, a communications device is provided for implementing the aforementioned method. The communications device may be the second RAN node described in the first aspect; or the first RAN node described in the second aspect; or the access and mobility management network element described in the third aspect. The communications device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to implementing the aforementioned method. The modules, units, or means may be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the aforementioned functions.

[0057] In one possible implementation, the communication device may include a processing module and an interface module. The processing module may be configured to implement the processing functions described in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The processing module may, for example, be a processor. The interface module, also referred to as an interface unit, may be configured to implement the sending and / or receiving functions described in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The interface module may be comprised of an interface circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0058] In a possible implementation, the interface module includes a sending module and a receiving module, which are respectively used to implement the sending and receiving functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof.

[0059] In a fifth aspect, a communications device is provided, comprising: a processor configured to execute a computer program (or computer-executable instructions) stored in a memory and / or a logic circuit, causing the communications device to perform the method described in any of the above aspects. The communications device may be the second RAN node described in the first aspect; or the first RAN node described in the second aspect; or the access and mobility management network element described in the third aspect. Optionally, the number of the processors may be one or more.

[0060] In a possible implementation manner, the communication device further includes a memory.

[0061] In a possible implementation, the processor and the memory are integrated together; or the memory is independent of the processor.

[0062] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface, which is used for the communication device to communicate with other devices, such as sending or receiving data and / or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface can be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

[0063] In one possible implementation, the processor and / or memory further includes an artificial intelligence (AI) module for implementing AI-related functions. The AI ​​module can implement AI functions through software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. For example, the AI ​​module includes a radio access network (RAN) intelligent controller (RIC) module. For example, the AI ​​module can be a near real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0064] In one possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. Optionally, when the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0065] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and an interface circuit; the interface circuit being configured to receive a computer program or instruction and transmit it to the processor; and the processor being configured to execute the computer program or instruction, thereby causing the communication device to perform the method described in any of the above aspects. The communication device may be the second RAN node described in the first aspect; or the first RAN node described in the second aspect; or the access and mobility management network element described in the third aspect. Optionally, the number of the processors may be one or more.

[0066] In one possible implementation, the processor further includes an AI module for implementing AI-related functions. The AI ​​module can implement AI functions through software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. For example, the AI ​​module includes a RIC module. For example, the AI ​​module can be a near-real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0067] In one possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. Optionally, when the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0068] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer-readable storage medium is run on the computer, the computer can execute the method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0069] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0070] In a ninth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a second RAN node for executing the method described in the first aspect, and a first RAN node for executing the method described in the second aspect.

[0071] In a possible implementation manner, the communication system further includes an access and mobility management network element configured to execute the method described in the third aspect.

[0072] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any possible implementation method in the third to ninth aspects can be referred to the technical effects brought about by any aspect in the first to second aspects or different possible implementation methods in any aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0073] It is understandable that, provided that the solutions are not contradictory, the solutions in each aspect can be combined. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0074] FIG1A is a schematic diagram of a virtual reality (VR) task provided in this application;

[0075] FIG1B is a schematic diagram of a deep neural network (DNN) model provided in this application;

[0076] FIG1C is a schematic diagram of a process in which a RAN node indicates a task scheduling result or a service traffic pattern to a network node through an alternative quality of service mechanism;

[0077] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the communication system architecture provided by this application;

[0078] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the communication device provided in this application;

[0079] FIG4 is a flow chart of the communication method provided in this application;

[0080] FIG5 is a second flow chart of the communication method provided by this application;

[0081] FIG6 is a third flow chart of the communication method provided by this application;

[0082] FIG7 is a fourth flow chart of the communication method provided by this application;

[0083] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0084] Before introducing the technical solution of this application, the relevant technical terms involved in this application are explained. It is understood that these explanations are intended to make this application easier to understand and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0085] 1. Terminal

[0086] The terminal in this application is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities. The terminal can be deployed on land, including indoors, outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water (such as ships, etc.); it can also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.). The terminal can also be called a terminal device, and the terminal device can be a user equipment (UE), a mobile station (MS), a mobile terminal (MT), etc., or a device for providing voice or data connectivity to users. Among them, UE includes handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, vehicle-mounted devices (such as cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed railways, etc.), wearable devices (such as smart watches, smart bracelets, pedometers, etc.) or computing devices. Exemplarily, UE can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a PDA, a mobile internet device (MID), a satellite terminal or a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities. A UE may also be a VR terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless modem, a smart point of sale (POS) machine, customer-premises equipment (CPE), an intelligent robot, a robotic arm, workshop equipment, smart home devices (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electric meters, etc.), a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in unmanned driving, a wireless terminal in telemedicine, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in intelligent transportation, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, an in-vehicle terminal, a roadside unit (RSU) with terminal functions, or an aerial device (e.g., an intelligent robot, a hot air balloon, a drone, an airplane), etc. A terminal may also be other devices with terminal functions, for example, a terminal may also be a device that functions as a terminal in device-to-device (D2D) communication.

[0087] As an example and not a limitation, in this application, the terminal may be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be referred to as wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. For example, a wearable device is not only a hardware device, but also a device that achieves powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include devices that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as devices that focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0088] In the present application, the terminal may also be a terminal in an Internet of Things (IoT) system. IoT is an important component of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection. The terminal in the present application may be a terminal in machine type communication (MTC). The terminal of the present application may be an on-board module, on-board module, on-board component, on-board chip or on-board unit built into a vehicle as one or more components or units. The vehicle may implement the method of the present application through the built-in on-board module, on-board module, on-board component, on-board chip or on-board unit.

[0089] 2. RAN Node

[0090] The RAN node in this application can be any device with wireless transceiver functions, which can provide wireless access services for terminals. RAN nodes may include but are not limited to: evolved base stations (NodeB or eNB or e-NodeB, evolutionary Node B) in long term evolution (LTE), evolved base stations (next generation eNB, ng-eNB) in next generation LTE, base stations (gNodeB or gNB) or transmission receiving points (TRP) in new radio (NR), base stations of subsequent evolution of the third generation partnership project (3GPP), access nodes in wireless fidelity (WiFi) systems, wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes, etc. The base station can be: a macro base station, a micro base station, a pico base station, a small station, a relay station, or a balloon station, etc. Multiple base stations can support networks of the same technology mentioned above, or they can support networks of different technologies mentioned above. The base station may include one or more co-sited or non-co-sited TRPs. The RAN node can also be a wireless controller in the cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. The RAN node can also be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), a radio unit (RU), a road side unit (RSU) with base station function, a wired access gateway or a core network element, etc. The RAN node can also be a server, a wearable device, a machine communication device or an on-board device, etc. For example, the access network device in the vehicle to everything (V2X) technology can be an RSU. The following description takes the RAN node as a base station as an example. The multiple RAN nodes can be base stations of the same type or different types. The base station can communicate with the terminal or communicate with the terminal through a relay station.The terminal can communicate with multiple base stations of different technologies. For example, the terminal can communicate with a base station supporting an LTE network, or with a base station supporting a fifth generation (5G) network. It can also support dual connectivity with a base station of an LTE network and a base station of a 5G network, or with a base station of a 6G network and a base station of a 5G network. Alternatively, the terminal can also communicate with multiple base stations of the same technology. For example, the terminal can support dual connectivity with a base station of an LTE network, or support dual connectivity with a base station of a 5G network (which can be called NR-DC (new radio dual connectivity)), or support dual connectivity with a base station of a 6G network.

[0091] In this application, the CU and DU may be separately configured or may be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). It is understood that the CU may be classified as a network device in an access network, or as a network device in a core network, without limitation.

[0092] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an open radio access network (ORAN) system, CU may also be called O-CU (open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application takes CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0093] It is understandable that in some scenarios, the roles of RAN nodes and terminals are relative. For example, a helicopter or drone, which is usually configured as a terminal, can also be configured as a mobile base station, and the device that accesses the RAN via the helicopter or drone is configured as a terminal.

[0094] 3. Extended reality (XR)

[0095] XR refers to various virtual and real-world environments, as well as human-machine interactions, generated by computing technologies and wearable devices. These environments offer multiple perspectives and strong interactivity, providing users with a completely new experience and possessing enormous application value and commercial potential. XR primarily encompasses virtual-reality interaction technologies such as VR, AR, and mixed reality (MR), and can be widely applied in entertainment, gaming, healthcare, advertising, industry, online education, and engineering. The following introduces VR, AR, and MR technologies, respectively.

[0096] VR technology combines computer graphics, multimedia, and other technologies to simulate the functions of human senses such as vision, hearing, and touch, making people feel as if they are actually there, immersed in a computer-generated virtual world. They can also communicate in real time through language, gestures, etc., enhancing the sense of immersion. Through VR technology, people can not only experience the real world realistically, but also break through the limitations of time and space and experience the wonderful experience of entering a virtual world. VR technology usually requires users to wear an XR terminal (such as a head-mounted device) to simulate vision and / or hearing and / or touch for the user. VR technology can also track the user's movements to timely update the simulated visual and / or auditory and / or tactile content. For example, VR technology can process the user's status information (such as the user's location information and posture information) to display scene content corresponding to the user's status information on the XR terminal.

[0097] AR technology can use computer technology to overlay virtual information onto the real world, displaying it through devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and glasses for people to perceive, thereby achieving a grand fusion of the real and the virtual and enriching the real world. In short, it is to give physical objects more information, enhance the sense of three-dimensionality, and strengthen the visual effects and interactive experience. For example, AR technology can process perceived visual information (usually including depth information) to merge virtual information with the real world and be perceived by users, thereby achieving an "enhancement" of the real world.

[0098] MR technology can mix the real world and the virtual world to produce a new visual environment that contains both physical entities and virtual information, and the content seen in the visual environment is "real-time".

[0099] 4. Multi-node collaboration

[0100] In recent years, video rendering services such as cloud gaming and VR, and AI services such as terminal visual cognition, AR, and MR, have placed increasing demands on network transmission bandwidth and terminal computing power. However, network transmission bandwidth and terminal computing power are limited and can no longer meet the needs of these services.

[0101] Taking the video rendering business as an example, if video rendering is performed on the terminal, the terminal's computing power is insufficient to achieve purely local high-definition video rendering. If video rendering is performed on the cloud, it cannot meet the low latency requirements and is limited by the network's transmission capacity, the picture will have black edge effects, distortion, and other phenomena.

[0102] Taking AI services as an example, if AI services are executed on the terminal, the terminal's computing power and power are insufficient to support local AI reasoning. If AI services are executed in the cloud, while meeting low latency requirements, AI reasoning in the cloud requires a large uplink bandwidth, which will limit uplink coverage and the number of users.

[0103] Therefore, in order to balance the computing power of the terminal and the transmission capacity of the network, a solution for multi-node collaboration to jointly process tasks is proposed. Among them, a task can refer to the work of processing data through multiple steps. The multiple steps can be parallel steps, or serial steps, or parallel and serial steps. To facilitate the description of the multiple steps included in a task, one step or multiple related steps in the multiple steps can be regarded as a subtask, that is, a task can include multiple subtasks.

[0104] In this application, a service, such as a video rendering service or an AI service, may include one or more tasks. If a service includes one task, the terminal and the cloud can each perform a portion of the subtasks to reduce the task's demands on the terminal and computing power and the network's transmission bandwidth. If a service includes multiple tasks, the terminal and the cloud can collaborate to jointly process all or part of the multiple tasks. For example, for each of the tasks in all or part of the tasks, the terminal and the cloud can each perform a portion of the subtasks to reduce the multiple tasks' demands on the terminal and computing power and the network's transmission bandwidth.

[0105] It can be understood that the terminal or cloud in this application can be collectively referred to as a network node. The network node can be any device with computing and communication capabilities. In addition to the terminal and the cloud, the network node can also be a RAN node, a functional module of the RAN node (such as CU, DU or RIC, etc.), a core network element, a server, an application server (APP server), a cloud server, a cloud platform (cloud platform), a mobile edge computing (MEC) platform or a computing execution entity (CEF), etc., without limitation. Among them, the introduction of the terminal and the RAN node can refer to the explanation of the technical terms involved in this application in the above text. The core network network element is, for example, one or more of the following network elements: a user plane function (UPF) network element, an access management function (AMF) network element, a session management function (SMF) network element, a policy control function (PCF) network element or an application function (AF) network element. The cloud platform can be located in the data network behind the UPF network element, and can interact with the fifth-generation system (5GS) through the N6 interface for user-plane application layer data to provide computing services.

[0106] In summary, a task can be divided into multiple subtasks, and these multiple subtasks can be executed by multiple network nodes. It should be understood that this application does not limit the number of network nodes that execute a task. For example, a task can be divided into three subtasks, each executed by three network nodes, or it can be divided into two subtasks, each executed by two network nodes.

[0107] The following uses the terminal and the cloud as examples to introduce the specific process of multiple network nodes executing tasks.

[0108] Referring to Figure 1A , the VR task can be divided into subtasks 101 and 102. The terminal can obtain initial data (e.g., image information), input the initial data into subtask 101, obtain intermediate data, and send the intermediate data to the cloud. After receiving the intermediate data, the cloud inputs it into subtask 102 to obtain the target data.

[0109] It is understandable that when dividing a task, there may be multiple ways of dividing the task, and different ways of dividing the task may correspond to different communication requirements.

[0110] For example, taking the video rendering task as an example, the video rendering task can be divided into foreground and background separation. For example, the foreground part of the picture is generally difficult to predict and has a small rendering volume, so it can be rendered locally by the terminal. The background part of the picture is predictable and has a large rendering volume, so it can be rendered by the cloud. Alternatively, the video rendering task can be divided according to the user's gaze point. For example, the picture at the center of the gaze point can be rendered locally by the terminal, and the picture around the gaze point can be rendered by the cloud. Alternatively, the video rendering task can be divided by object, such as selecting different nodes for rendering based on the rendering calculation and data volume of different objects.

[0111] For video rendering tasks, different splitting methods correspond to different amounts of video data to be transmitted, so different splitting methods correspond to different communication requirements. For example, in Table 1, the average bit rate of data transmission required by pure cloud rendering is 4Mbps, the peak is 40Mbps, and the allowed transmission delay is 25ms. The average bit rate of data transmission required by end-cloud collaborative rendering is 0.49Mbps~1.8Mbps, the peak is 3.8Mbps, and the allowed transmission delay is 50ms. It can be seen that end-cloud collaborative processing of video rendering tasks can reduce the downlink transmission rate requirements. Therefore, choosing an appropriate splitting method for video rendering tasks can increase the number of downlink transmission users accessing the network.

[0112] Table 1

[0113] Taking AI computing tasks as an example, the computational model for an AI computing task can be divided into multiple sub-models, with one or more sub-models considered a sub-task. For example, the AI ​​computing model is a neural network (NN) model or a DNN model. NN / DNN models can include multiple layers, such as input layers, convolution layers, pooling layers, and fully connected layers. These layers can be divided, for example, with the input and convolution layers deployed on the terminal and the pooling and fully connected layers deployed on the cloud. In this way, the terminal can use perception modules such as radar, cameras, controllers, or microphones to perceive user behavior data (such as user location, posture, or voice information) or surrounding environment data (such as videos or images of the surrounding environment), sequentially input this data into the input and convolution layers, generate intermediate data, and send this intermediate data to the cloud. Subsequently, after receiving the intermediate data, the cloud sequentially inputs the intermediate data into the pooling and fully connected layers to generate the target data. Optionally, the cloud can also send the target data to the terminal.

[0114] Further research revealed that when tasks are split, different locations of task splitting (hereinafter referred to as task splitting points) may result in different amounts of intermediate data and different computing loads on the terminal.

[0115] Exemplarily, taking the DNN model shown in Figure 1B as an example, the DNN model includes an input layer, a convolutional layer 1, a pooling layer 1, a convolutional layer 2, a pooling layer 2, a convolutional layer 3, a pooling layer 3, a convolutional layer 4, a pooling layer 4, a convolutional layer 5, an activation function (such as a rectified linear unit (ReLU)), a pooling layer 5, a fully connected layer 1, a fully connected layer 2 and an output layer. The initial data is input into the above layers in sequence to obtain the target data. Figure 1B also shows five candidate split points, namely candidate split point 0 to candidate split point 4, and these five candidate split points have different positions in the DNN model. It can be understood that the layers before the candidate split point can be deployed on the terminal, and the layers after the candidate split point can be deployed on the cloud. For example, candidate split point 0 is located before the input layer, so the terminal does not perform any tasks and sends the initial data to the cloud, which then performs all tasks. Candidate split point 1 is located after pooling layer 1, so the terminal performs tasks before pooling layer 1, and the cloud performs tasks after pooling layer 1. Candidate split point 2 is located after pooling layer 2, so the terminal performs tasks before pooling layer 2, and the cloud performs tasks after pooling layer 2. Candidate split point 3 is located after pooling layer 5, so the terminal performs tasks before pooling layer 5, and the cloud performs tasks after pooling layer 5. Candidate split point 4 is located after the output layer, so the terminal performs all tasks, the cloud does not perform any tasks, and the terminal does not send any intermediate data to the cloud. The approximate output uplink data size (i.e., the amount of intermediate data) and the computational load in the terminal (required UL data rate) corresponding to each candidate split point are different. Taking candidate split points 1 and 2 as examples, in Table 2, the approximate output uplink data size corresponding to candidate split point 1 is 120 Mbit / s, and the corresponding terminal computational load is low (low); the approximate output uplink data size corresponding to candidate split point 2 is 24 Mbit / s, and the corresponding terminal computational load is high (high). A larger approximate output uplink data size indicates more data the terminal needs to transmit, i.e., a larger amount of intermediate data. Therefore, the smaller the terminal computational load, i.e., the lower the terminal computational load. Conversely, a smaller approximate output uplink data size indicates less data the terminal needs to transmit, and the higher the terminal computational load. Therefore, while meeting the terminal computational load requirements, selecting an appropriate task split point can reduce the data rate to be transmitted, thereby increasing the number of users with network access.

[0116] Table 2

[0117] In summary, the task scheduling results can affect the size of intermediate data, communication requirements, and the computing load of the terminal, making the determination of task scheduling crucial. The task scheduling results can indicate how at least one network node should execute the task—in other words, which subtasks within the task the network node should execute.

[0118] 5. Alternative Quality of Service (QoS) Mechanisms

[0119] To reduce the risk of releasing QoS flows due to RAN resource constraints, RAN nodes can indicate task scheduling results or service traffic patterns to network nodes through alternative QoS mechanisms. The service flow pattern indicates bit rate, bit rate, frame rate, or resolution, among other things. Specifically, different alternative QoS configuration information (or alternative QoS profiles) can be used to describe the QoS requirements for different task split points or different service traffic patterns. This allows the RAN node to select appropriate alternative QoS configuration information based on the current communication state and indicate the selected alternative QoS configuration information to the network node, allowing the network node to determine the task scheduling results or service traffic pattern.

[0120] The following describes the specific process of a RAN node indicating a task scheduling result or service traffic pattern to a network node using an alternative quality of service mechanism, using a network node including a terminal and an application server as an example. As shown in Figure 1C, this process may include the following steps:

[0121] S101: A RAN node obtains at least one candidate quality of service configuration information from a core network.

[0122] S102: The RAN node determines target quality of service configuration information from at least one candidate quality of service configuration information according to a current network state.

[0123] It is understood that if the RAN node cannot meet the quality of service required by the current quality of service configuration information, for example, the guaranteed flow bit rate (GFBR), packet delay budget (PDB) (which can be uplink PDB, downlink PDB, or the sum of uplink and downlink PDBs), or packet error rate (PER) required by the current quality of service configuration information, the RAN node can determine whether it can meet the corresponding quality of service requirements one by one according to the priority order of at least one alternative quality of service configuration information. If the RAN node can meet the GFBR, PDB, or PER required by a certain alternative quality of service configuration information, the RAN node determines to use the matching alternative quality of service configuration information to provide service for the corresponding quality of service flow. The matching alternative quality of service configuration information is the target quality of service configuration information.

[0124] S103: The RAN node sends indication information indicating target quality of service configuration information to the core network. Correspondingly, the core network receives the indication information from the RAN node.

[0125] For example, the RAN node sends the above indication information to a session management function (SMF) network element in the core network.

[0126] S104: The core network sends the above instruction information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the above instruction information from the core network.

[0127] For example, the SMF network element sends the above indication information to the terminal through non-access stratum (NAS) signaling, so that the terminal determines whether the current service quality configuration information has changed, or determines the scheduling result of the task or the business traffic pattern based on the indication information.

[0128] S105: The core network sends the above instruction information to the application server. Correspondingly, the application server receives the instruction information from the core network.

[0129] For example, the SMF network element sends the indication information to the application server so that the application server determines whether the current service quality configuration information has changed, or determines the scheduling result of the task or the business traffic pattern based on the indication information.

[0130] It is understandable that the core network may execute S104 first and then S105, or execute S105 first and then S104, or execute S104 and S105 simultaneously, without limitation.

[0131] It is understandable that when the network status is restored and the RAN can meet the previous service quality configuration information, the RAN node can notify the terminal and application server through the core network so that the terminal and application server can use the previous task segmentation to execute tasks, or use the previous business traffic mode to process business data.

[0132] In the above process, since the QoS configuration information is related to the task's scheduling results or traffic patterns, the QoS provided by the current network can meet the task's QoS requirements, ensuring a good user experience. However, in real-world applications, channel conditions are constantly changing. Therefore, after the RAN node determines the target QoS configuration information, it must promptly communicate it to the terminal and / or application server. This allows the terminal and application server to promptly determine the task's scheduling results or traffic patterns, thereby preventing the current network's QoS from failing to meet the task's QoS requirements and negatively impacting the user experience. Therefore, how the RAN node promptly communicates the target QoS configuration information to the terminal and / or application server is crucial.

[0133] In order to solve the above problems, the present application provides a communication method. In this method, the second RAN node can obtain first indication information and send the first indication information to the first RAN node. The first indication information indicates the transmission mode of the second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate the quality of service configuration information associated with the first service. The transmission mode of the second indication information includes sending the second indication information to the first node associated with the first service through the user plane path, and / or sending the second indication information to the second node associated with the first service through air interface signaling. The first RAN node is the RAN node to which the second node is to be switched or may be switched, or the first RAN node is an auxiliary RAN node that provides dual connectivity for the second node.

[0134] In the above process, the second RAN node can indicate the transmission method of the second indication information to the first RAN node, so that the first RAN node can send the second indication information to the first node / second node according to the transmission method indicated by the second RAN node, so that the first node / second node can quickly obtain the second indication information.

[0135] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0136] The method provided in this application can be used in various communication systems. For example, the communication system can be a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), an LTE system, a 5G communication system, a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, a 3GPP-related communication system, a communication system evolved after 5G (such as a sixth generation (6G) communication system), or a system integrating multiple systems, etc., without limitation. Among them, 5G can also be called new radio (NR). The method provided in this application is described below using the communication system 1000 shown in Figure 2 as an example. Figure 2 is only a schematic diagram and does not constitute a limitation on the applicable scenarios of the technical solution provided in this application.

[0137] As shown in Figure 2, a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 1000 provided in this application is provided. In Figure 2, the communication system 1000 includes a RAN 100 and a core network (CN) 200. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (such as 110a and 110b in Figure 2, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (such as 120a-120j in Figure 2, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment (not shown in Figure 2). The terminal 120 is connected to the RAN node 110 wirelessly. The RAN node 110 is connected to the core network 200 wirelessly or wiredly. The core network equipment in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device that integrates the core network logical functions and the radio access network logical functions.

[0138] The RAN 100 may be a 3GPP-related cellular system, such as a 4G or 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolutionary system (such as a 6G mobile communication system). The RAN 100 may also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a WiFi system. The RAN 100 may also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0139] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and facilitates wireless access for terminals. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in communication system 1000 can be of the same type or different types. For further information on RAN nodes and terminals, please refer to the corresponding descriptions above.

[0140] The core network 200 may include network elements for implementing various core network functions, such as session management function (SMF) network elements, access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, user plane function (UPF) network elements, etc.

[0141] Optionally, the communication system 1000 further includes an application server 300. The application server 300 can communicate with the core network 200. For example, the application server 300 can receive information from the RAN 100 via the core network 200. Optionally, the application server is located in a data network behind the core network user plane function and interacts with user plane application layer data via the N6 interface to provide computing and data services.

[0142] It is understood that the communication system 1000 shown in FIG2 is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the technical solutions of this application. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in a specific implementation, the communication system 1000 may further include other devices, and the number of RAN nodes and terminals may be determined based on specific needs and is not limited.

[0143] Optionally, each network element or device in Figure 2 of the present application (such as a RAN node, a terminal or an access and mobility management network, etc.) can also be referred to as a communication device, which can be a general device or a dedicated device. This application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0144] Optionally, the relevant functions of each network element or device (such as a RAN node, terminal, or access and mobility management network) in Figure 2 of this application can be implemented by a single device, or by multiple devices, or by one or more functional modules within a single device. This application does not impose specific limitations on this. It is understood that the above functions can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or a combination of hardware and software, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform).

[0145] In specific implementation, each network element or device in Figure 2 of the present application (such as a RAN node, a terminal, or an access and mobility management network, etc.) can adopt the composition structure shown in Figure 3, or include the components shown in Figure 3. Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a communication device that can be applied to the present application. It can be understood that the communication device 30 includes necessary forms of means such as modules, units, elements, circuits, or interfaces, which are appropriately configured together to execute the solution provided by the present application. For example, the communication device 30 includes one or more processors 301 for implementing the method provided by the present application.

[0146] The processor 301 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. For example, the processor 301 may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control the communication device 30 (such as a RAN node, terminal, access and mobility management network element or chip, etc.), execute software programs, and process data of the software programs. Optionally, in one design, the processor 301 may include a program 305 (sometimes also referred to as code or instructions), which may be executed on the processor 301 so that the communication device 30 performs the methods described in the following embodiments. In another possible design, the communication device 30 includes a circuit (not shown in FIG. 3 ), which is used to implement the methods described in the following embodiments.

[0147] Optionally, the communication device 30 may include one or more memories 303. The memory 303 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM), a cache or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or 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 thereto. The memory provided in this application may generally be non-volatile. Optionally, the memory 303 stores a program 307 (sometimes also referred to as code or instruction), and the program 307 can be executed on the processor 301 so that the communication device 30 executes the method described in the following method embodiment.

[0148] Optionally, the processor 301 may include an AI module 306, and / or the memory 303 may include an AI module 308. The AI ​​module is used to implement AI-related functions. The AI ​​module may be implemented using software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. For example, the AI ​​module may include a real-time information processing (RIC) module. For example, the AI ​​module may be a near-real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0149] Optionally, data may be stored in the processor 301 and / or the memory 303. The processor 301 and the memory 303 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0150] Optionally, the communication device 30 may further include a transceiver 302 and / or an antenna 304. The processor 301, sometimes also referred to as a processing unit, controls the communication device 30. The transceiver 302, sometimes also referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or a transceiver, is configured to implement the transceiver functions of the communication device 30 via the antenna 304.

[0151] It is understandable that the composition structure shown in Figure 3 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. In addition to the components shown in Figure 3, the communication device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0152] The method provided by the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Each network element in the following embodiment may include the components shown in FIG3 , which will not be described in detail.

[0153] It is understood that the term "connection" in this application can refer to direct or indirect connection; in addition, it can refer to electrical connection or communication connection. For example, when two electrical components A and B are connected, it can refer to A and B being directly connected, or it can refer to A and B being indirectly connected through other electrical components or a connection medium, so that electrical signals can be transmitted between A and B. For another example, when two devices A and B are connected, it can refer to A and B being directly connected, or it can refer to A and B being indirectly connected through other communication devices or a communication medium, so that A and B can communicate.

[0154] It can be understood that the message names between network elements or the names of parameters in the messages in the following embodiments of the present application are only examples, and other names may be used in specific implementations, and the present application does not make any specific limitations on this.

[0155] It is understandable that in this application, "sending information to... (such as a terminal)" can be understood as the destination end of the information being the terminal. This can include sending information to the terminal directly or indirectly. "Receiving information from... (such as a terminal)" can be understood as the source end of the information being the terminal, which can include receiving information from the terminal directly or indirectly. The information may undergo necessary processing between the source end and the destination end of the information transmission, such as format changes, but the destination end can understand the valid information from the source end. Similar expressions in this application can be understood similarly and will not be repeated here.

[0156] It is understood that in this application, " / " can indicate that the objects associated with each other are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can mean A or B; "and / or" can be used to describe that there are three relationships between the associated objects, 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. In addition, expressions similar to "at least one of A, B and C" or "at least one of A, B or C" are usually used to indicate any of the following: A exists alone; B exists alone; C exists alone; A and B exist at the same time; A and C exist at the same time; B and C exist at the same time; A, B and C exist at the same time. The above uses A, B and C as an example to illustrate the optional items of the item. When there are more elements in the expression, the meaning of the expression can be obtained according to the above rules.

[0157] In order to facilitate the description of the technical solutions of the present application, in the present application, words such as "first" and "second" may be used to distinguish between technical features with the same or similar functions. The words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and the words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit them to be different. In the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design. The use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete way for easy understanding.

[0158] It is understood that the "embodiment" mentioned throughout the specification means that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments in the entire specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It is understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence number of each process does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the present application.

[0159] It can be understood that in this application, "when...", "in the case of...", "if" and "if" all mean that corresponding processing will be taken under certain objective circumstances, and do not limit the time, nor do they require judgment actions when implementing them, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0160] The term "simultaneously" in this application may be understood as at the same time point, within a period of time, or within the same cycle.

[0161] It is understood that some optional features in this application may, in certain scenarios, be implemented independently of other features, such as the solution on which they are currently based, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects. They may also be combined with other features in certain scenarios as needed. Accordingly, the devices provided in this application may also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be described in detail here.

[0162] It is understandable that the same step or steps or technical features with the same function in different embodiments of the present application can be referenced to each other.

[0163] It is understood that in the present application, the first RAN node and / or the second RAN node and / or the access and mobility management network element may perform some or all of the steps in the present application. These steps are merely examples, and the present application may also perform other steps or variations of various steps. In addition, the steps may be performed in a different order than presented in the present application, and it is possible that not all of the steps in the present application need to be performed.

[0164] It is understood that the method provided below in this application uses a first RAN node, a second RAN node, and an access and mobility management network element as examples of the execution entities of the interaction diagram to illustrate the method, but this application does not limit the execution entities of the interaction diagram. For example, the first RAN node in the method provided in the following embodiments of this application may also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the first RAN node to implement the method, or may be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the server functions; the second RAN node in the method provided below in this application may also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the second RAN node to implement the method, or may be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the second RAN node functions; the access and mobility management network element in the method provided below in this application may also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the access and mobility management network element to implement the method, or may be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the access and mobility management network element functions.

[0165] As shown in FIG4 , a communication method provided by the present application may include the following steps:

[0166] S401: The second RAN node obtains first indication information.

[0167] In the present application, the second RAN node can be any RAN node in the communication system 1000 shown in Figure 2. The first indication information can indicate the transmission method of the second indication information. The transmission method of the second indication information includes sending the second indication information to the first node through the user plane path, and / or sending the second indication information to the second node through air interface signaling. Among them, the first node and the second node are network nodes associated with the first service. The introduction of the network nodes can refer to the corresponding description above. Exemplarily, the first node is an application server and the second node is a terminal. In addition, since the second indication information can be transmitted through the user plane path, the first node can also be a user plane network element (such as a UPF network element). It can be understood that after receiving the second indication information, the user plane network element can send the second indication information to the application server.

[0168] Optionally, the air interface signaling includes at least one of the following: downlink control information (DCI), medium access control control element (MAC CE), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) control protocol data unit (PDU) (PDCP control PDU) message or radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0169] As an example, the first indication information includes at least one bit, and the value of the at least one bit indicates the transmission method of the second indication information. For example, the first indication information includes 1 bit, and when the value of the 1 bit is "0" or "1", it indicates that the second indication information is sent to the first node through the user plane path, or indicates that the second indication information is sent to the second node through air interface signaling. For another example, the first indication information includes 2 bits, and when the value of the 2 bits is "11" or "00", it indicates that the second indication information is sent to the first node through the user plane path, and indicates that the second indication information is sent to the second node through air interface signaling; when the value of the 2 bits is "01", it indicates that the second indication information is sent to the second node through air interface signaling; when the value of the 2 bits is "10", it indicates that the second indication information is sent to the first node through the user plane path.

[0170] As another example, the first indication information includes an identifier of a transmission mode, which indicates the transmission mode of the second indication information. For example, when the first indication information includes "upf", "upfQoSnotification", or "up", it indicates that the second indication information is sent to the first node through the user plane path; when the first indication information includes "uu", "dci", "macce", "pdcppdu", or "rrc", it indicates that the second indication information is sent to the second node through air interface signaling; when the first indication information includes one of "upf", "upfQoSnotification", or "up" and one of "uu", "dci", "macce", "pdcppdu", or "rrc", it indicates that the second indication information is sent to the first node through the user plane path, and indicates that the second indication information is sent to the second node through air interface signaling.

[0171] In one possible design, the second indication information is used to indicate quality of service configuration information associated with the first service. For example, the second indication information includes at least one of the following: quality of service profile index information associated with the first service, quality of service configuration parameter information associated with the first service, quality of service profile adjustment information, or quality of service notification control (QNC) information.

[0172] In the present application, the quality of service profile associated with the first service refers to the quality of service profile determined according to the above-mentioned alternative quality of service mechanism. The quality of service profile includes the quality of service profile index information and the quality of service configuration parameter information. Among them, the quality of service profile index information can identify the quality of service profile. The quality of service configuration parameter information may include at least one of GFBR, uplink PDB, downlink PDB, the sum of uplink and downlink PDBs, or PER. The quality of service profile adjustment information and the quality of service notification control information may indicate that the quality of service profile has changed or been adjusted. Therefore, after receiving the second indication information, the first node and the second node can determine that the network side has updated the quality of service profile, and the first node and the second node can re-determine at least one of the task scheduling result of the first service or the service traffic pattern of the first service.

[0173] It is understandable that the quality of service configuration information associated with the first service includes the quality of service configuration information of the session of the first service, or the quality of service configuration information of the quality of service flow of the first service. In other words, the quality of service configuration information associated with the first service can be at the granularity of a session (such as a PDU session) or the granularity of a quality of service flow, without limitation.

[0174] In a possible implementation manner, the second RAN node obtains the first indication information from the core network or a RAN node other than the second RAN node.

[0175] As an example, a first network element of a core network, such as a session management network element, sends first indication information to a second RAN node. Accordingly, the second RAN node receives the first indication information from the first network element. For example, the first network element detects establishment of a session for a first service and sends the first indication information to the second RAN node.

[0176] As another example, a second network element of the core network, such as an access and mobility management network element, sends first indication information to a second RAN node. Accordingly, the second RAN node receives the first indication information from the second network element. For example, a third RAN node, distinct from the second RAN node, sends the first indication information to the second RAN node via the second network element. The third RAN node is the RAN node that the second node accessed before accessing the second RAN node.

[0177] As another example, a fourth RAN node sends first indication information to a second RAN node. Accordingly, the second RAN node receives the first indication information from the fourth RAN node. The fourth RAN node is a RAN node that the second node accessed before accessing the second RAN node, or the fourth RAN node is a primary radio access network node that provides dual connectivity for the second node, i.e., the second RAN node and the fourth RAN node provide dual connectivity for the second node. For example, after obtaining the first indication information through any of the aforementioned methods, the fourth RAN node may send the first indication information to the second RAN node.

[0178] S402: The second RAN node sends first indication information to the first RAN node. Correspondingly, the first RAN node receives the first indication information from the second RAN node.

[0179] In the present application, the first RAN node may be a RAN node different from the second RAN node in the communication system 1000 shown in FIG2 .

[0180] In one possible design, the first RAN node is the RAN node to which the second node will or may switch. In other words, upon determining that the second node will or may switch to the first RAN node, the second RAN node may send first indication information to the first RAN node, so that after the first RAN node determines the second indication information, it can promptly send the second indication information to the first node and / or the second node. In this case, the first indication information may be carried in a handover request message.

[0181] In another possible design, the first RAN node is a secondary RAN node providing dual connectivity for the second node. It will be appreciated that in this case, the second RAN node may be the primary RAN node providing dual connectivity for the second node. That is, the second RAN node and the first RAN node may provide dual connectivity for the second node. In this case, the first indication information may be carried in a secondary station add request message, a secondary station change request message, or an inter-station anchor point handover request message.

[0182] In summary, the communication method provided in the present application can be applied to the scenario where the second node moves, so that the RAN node to which the second node is to switch or may switch, or the auxiliary RAN node providing dual connection for the second node, promptly determines the method of transmitting the second indication information, thereby quickly sending the second indication information to the second node and / or the first node, avoiding the service quality provided by the current network failing to meet the service quality requirements of the first service, thereby improving the user experience.

[0183] It is understandable that the second RAN node may send the first indication information directly to the first RAN node, or may send the first indication information to the first RAN node through the second network element, without limitation. In the present application, the second RAN node sending the first indication information to the first RAN node through the second network element may be understood as the second RAN node sending the first indication information to the second network element, and after receiving the first indication information, the second network element directly sends the first indication information to the first RAN node, or processes the first indication information, such as performing operations such as encapsulation, adding information, or deleting information, and then sends the processed first indication information to the first RAN node.

[0184] Optionally, after receiving the first indication information, the first RAN node may determine not to send the second indication information to the first node via the user plane path, or may determine to send the second indication information to the first node via the user plane path. For example, if the first RAN node does not support sending the second indication information via the user plane path, or if the first RAN node supports sending the second indication information via the control plane path but does not support sending the second indication information via the user plane path, the first RAN node may determine not to send the second indication information via the user plane path. Alternatively, for the purpose of network optimization (e.g., considering load balancing), the first RAN node may determine not to send the second indication information via the user plane path.

[0185] Optionally, when it is determined that the second indication information is not to be sent to the first node via the user plane path, the first RAN node may send third indication information to the second RAN node. Accordingly, the second RAN node receives the third indication information from the first RAN node. The third indication information indicates that the second indication information is not supported to be sent via the user plane path, or indicates that the second indication information is not to be sent via the user plane path. For example, the third indication information includes 1 bit, and when the value of the 1 bit is "0" or "1", it indicates that the second indication information is not supported to be sent via the user plane path, or indicates that the second indication information is not to be sent via the user plane path. Subsequently, the second RAN node may indicate to the core network or application server that the second indication information it received is delayed.

[0186] It is understandable that the first RAN node may send the third indication information directly to the second RAN node, or may send the third indication information to the second RAN node via the second network element. For example, if the first RAN node receives the first indication information directly from the second RAN node, the first RAN node sends the second indication information directly to the second RAN node; if the first RAN node receives the first indication information via the second network element, the first RAN node sends the second indication information to the second RAN node via the second network element.

[0187] In the present application, the first RAN node sending the third indication information to the second RAN node through the second network element can be understood as the first RAN node sending the third indication information to the second network element. After receiving the third indication information, the second network element directly sends the third indication information to the second RAN node, or processes the third indication information, such as performing operations such as encapsulation, adding information, or deleting information, and sends the processed third indication information to the second RAN node.

[0188] S403: The first RAN node determines second indication information according to at least one candidate quality of service configuration information.

[0189] In one possible implementation, the first RAN node may obtain at least one candidate QoS configuration information from the core network or the second RAN node, and determine the target QoS configuration information (i.e., the QoS configuration information associated with the first service) from the at least one candidate QoS configuration information based on the current network state. This process may refer to the description of S102 above. Subsequently, the first RAN node may determine the second indication information based on the target QoS configuration information.

[0190] S404: The first RAN node sends second indication information according to the first indication information.

[0191] It can be understood that if the first indication information indicates that the second indication information is to be sent to the first node through the user plane path, the first RAN node sends the second indication information to the first node through the user plane path. For example, the first RAN node sends the second indication information to the user plane network element through the user plane path, and after receiving the second indication information, the user plane network element sends the second indication information to the application server. The second indication information sent by the first RAN node to the user plane network element may be included in the tunnel protocol user plane part (such as: general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol user plane part (GTP-U)) header of one or more data transmitted on the NG3 interface. The second indication information sent by the user plane network element to the application server can be sent to the application server in a capability open manner or in a path-borne manner. The capability open manner can be understood as the user plane network element sending the second indication information to the application server through the capability open network element or the local capability open network element using the application programming interface (API) method. The accompanying method can be understood as carrying the second indication information through a header of a real-time transport protocol (RTP), a RTP control protocol (RTCP), or a quick UDP internet connection (QUIC). Optionally, after receiving the second indication information, the application server can send the second indication information to the second node.

[0192] It will be appreciated that if the first indication information indicates that the second indication information is to be sent to the second node via air interface signaling, the first RAN node sends the second indication information to the second node via air interface signaling. For example, the second RAN node sends the second indication information to the second node via a DCI, a MAC CE, a PDCP control PDU message, or an RRC message. Optionally, after receiving the second indication information, the second node may send the second indication information to the application server.

[0193] It can be understood that if the first indication information indicates that the second indication information is sent to the first node through the user plane path, and indicates that the second indication information is sent to the second node through air interface signaling, the first RAN node sends the second indication information to the first node through the user plane path, and sends the second indication information to the second node through air interface signaling.

[0194] In one possible implementation, after receiving the second indication information, the first node or the second node may determine the task scheduling result or the service traffic pattern of the first service based on the second indication information. In other words, the first node or the second node may promptly adjust the task scheduling result or the service traffic pattern of the first service.

[0195] Among them, the task scheduling result of the first business indicates the split point of the task associated with the first business. The task scheduling result of the first business also indicates at least one of the following: the amount of tasks performed by the first node or the amount of tasks performed by the second node. The business traffic pattern of the first business indicates at least one of the following: the business characteristics of the first business, the business rate of the first business, the bit rate corresponding to the first business, the code rate corresponding to the first business, the frame rate corresponding to the first business, the resolution corresponding to the first business, or the switch of the rendering function. Among them, the business characteristics of the first business can characterize the importance of the data of the first business. Alternatively, when the first business is an AI business, the business characteristics of the first business can characterize the feature map of the AI ​​model. In the present application, different business characteristics can be associated with different business service qualities, so the first node or the second node can determine the corresponding business service quality based on the business characteristics of the first business.

[0196] It can be understood that the actions of the first RAN node or the second RAN node or the second network element in the above steps can be executed by the processor 301 in the communication device 30 shown in Figure 3 calling the application code stored in the memory 303, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0197] Based on the method shown in Figure 4, in the scenario where the second node is mobile, the second RAN node can instruct the first RAN node on the transmission method of the second indication information, so that after the first RAN node obtains the second indication information, it can promptly send the second indication information to the first node and / or the second node according to the instruction of the second RAN node. Because the second indication information is determined based on the air interface channel state, timely sending the second indication information to the first node and / or the second node can enable the first node and / or the second node to promptly adjust the task scheduling results or service traffic pattern of the first service based on the air interface channel state, thereby avoiding packet loss when transmitting data of the first service.

[0198] It is understandable that in the scenario where the second node moves, the second node may be handed over across sites. Cross-site handover allows the second node to enjoy uninterrupted service regardless of how it moves within the network coverage area. However, when the second node is handed over across sites, the service quality will be switched due to large fluctuations in the service quality between the second node and the target cell. Through the method shown in Figure 4, the first RAN node to which the target cell belongs can quickly notify the first node and / or the second node of the service quality switch, so that the first node and / or the second node can adjust the task scheduling results of the first service or the service traffic pattern of the first service in a timely manner.

[0199] Optionally, the above-mentioned "handover" may refer to an RRC connection state mobility management process. For example, the process includes a serving cell change process in a standalone (SA) mode, or a primary cell (PCell) change process or a primary secondary cell (PSCell) change process in a non-standalone (NSA) mode.

[0200] In the SA networking mode, the handover can be divided into three scenarios: intra-site handover, inter-site Xn handover, and inter-site NG handover, depending on whether the RAN nodes to which the service cells before and after the handover belong cross sites, or whether there are corresponding Xn interfaces between the RAN nodes when crossing sites. Among them, intra-site handover in the SA group refers to the second node switching from one cell to another, and the RAN nodes to which the two cells belong are the same. Inter-site Xn handover in the SA network refers to the second node switching from one cell to another, and the RAN nodes to which the two cells belong are different, but the RAN nodes to which the two cells belong belong to the area managed by the same access and mobility management network element, and there is an Xn interface between the RAN nodes to which the two cells belong. Inter-site NG handover in the SA network refers to the second node switching from one cell to another, and the RAN nodes to which the two cells belong are different, and the RAN nodes to which the two cells belong do not belong to the area managed by the same access and mobility management network element, or the RAN nodes to which the two cells belong are different, and the RAN nodes to which the two cells belong belong to the area managed by the same access and mobility management network element, but there is no Xn interface between the RAN nodes to which the two cells belong.

[0201] In NSA networking mode, handovers can include SgNB addition, SgNB change, or MeNB handover. In NSA mode, the RAN node in the LTE network can act as the master node, and the RAN node in the 5G NR network can act as the secondary node, which is called EN-DC (EUTRA-NR dual connectivity) or MR-DC (multi-RAT dual connectivity) in 3GPP.

[0202] In order to better understand the method provided by this application, the method provided by this application is specifically described below in combination with various handover scenarios. The following method is introduced by taking the first node as a user plane network element, the second node as a terminal, the first network element as a session management network element, and the second network element as an access and mobility management network element as an example.

[0203] First, the communication method provided in this application is introduced by taking the SA network cross-site Xn switching process as an example.

[0204] As shown in FIG5 , another communication method provided by the present application may include the following steps:

[0205] S501: A session management network element sends first indication information to a second RAN node. Correspondingly, the second RAN node receives the first indication information from the session management network element.

[0206] Exemplarily, the session management network element may send the first indication information to the second RAN node via the access and mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the second RAN node receives the first indication information from the session management network element via the access and mobility management network element.

[0207] S502: The second RAN node sends measurement configuration information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the measurement configuration information from the second RAN node.

[0208] It can be understood that the measurement configuration information is used to configure the terminal to perform measurements. For example, the measurement configuration information is used to configure one or more of measurement objects, measurement gaps, reporting configurations, triggering quantities, or measurement identities. Among them, the measurement object refers to the object on which the terminal performs measurement, for example, the measurement object includes the synchronization signal and physical broadcasting channel (PBCH) block (SSB) frequency, SSB subcarrier spacing, SSB-based measurement timing configuration (SMTC), whitelist cells or blacklist cells, etc. The measurement GAP is the time period for the terminal to leave the current frequency point and measure at other frequencies, so the measurement GAP can be configured when inter-frequency measurement or inter-system measurement is involved. The reporting configuration can configure the standard for triggering the terminal to report the measurement report and the format of the measurement report. The triggering quantity is the strategy for triggering event reporting. The measurement identity is used to combine the measurement object and the reporting configuration as a set.

[0209] Optionally, the measurement configuration information may be carried in an RRC message, such as an RRC reconfiguration (RRCReconfiguration) message.

[0210] Optionally, after receiving the RRC reconfiguration message, the terminal may send an RRC reconfiguration complete (RRCReconfigurationComplete) message to the second RAN node to indicate that configuration of the measurement configuration information is complete.

[0211] S503: The terminal performs measurement according to the measurement configuration information.

[0212] S504: The terminal sends a measurement report to the second RAN node. Correspondingly, the second RAN node receives the measurement report from the terminal.

[0213] Exemplarily, when the event condition is met, the terminal sends a measurement report to the second RAN node.

[0214] S505: The second RAN node sends a handover request message to the first RAN node. Correspondingly, the first RAN node receives the handover request message from the second RAN node.

[0215] Exemplarily, after receiving the measurement report, the second RAN node may determine whether to perform a handover based on the measurement results indicated in the measurement report. If the second RAN node determines that the terminal should be handed over to the first RAN node, it sends a handover request message to the first RAN node. The handover request message may carry the first indication information. It is understood that the handover request is an Xn handover request message.

[0216] S506: The first RAN node sends a HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message to the second RAN node. Correspondingly, the second RAN node receives the HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message from the first RAN node.

[0217] It is understandable that after receiving the handover request message, the first RAN node may perform admission control and, when allowing the terminal access, send a handover request response message to the second RAN node. The handover request response message includes the transmission resources allocated by the first RAN node to the terminal.

[0218] Optionally, if some PDU sessions fail to be switched, the switching request response message may indicate the PDU sessions that failed to be switched.

[0219] It can be understood that if the first RAN node determines not to send the second indication information to the user plane network element through the user plane path, the handover request response message may also carry third indication information.

[0220] S507: The second RAN node sends a handover instruction to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the handover instruction from the second RAN node.

[0221] The handover indication is used to instruct the terminal to handover to the cell of the first RAN node. The handover indication may be carried in an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0222] Optionally, the second RAN node may also send a PDCP sequence number (SN) to the first RAN node through a sequence number status transfer (SN STATUS TRANSFER) message, so that the first RAN node can determine which data packets have been sent to the terminal by the second RAN node and which data packets have not been sent to the terminal.

[0223] Optionally, the terminal initiates a non-contention random access to the cell of the first RAN node, which may carry a dedicated preamble. After receiving the random access request, the first RAN node may send a path switch request (PATH SWITCH REQUEST) message to the access and mobility management network element to indicate that the terminal has changed its serving cell. The message may carry the target cell identifier to be accessed by the terminal, the converted PDU session list, etc. After receiving the message, the core network may update the downlink GTP-U data plane path address, such as changing the GTP-U address on the RAN side to the address of the first RAN node. Subsequently, the first RAN node may send a terminal context release (UE CONTEXT RELEASE) message to the second RAN node so that the second RAN node releases the context of the terminal.

[0224] S508: The first RAN node determines second indication information according to at least one candidate quality of service configuration information.

[0225] S509: The first RAN node sends second indication information according to the first indication information.

[0226] It is understood that after the first RAN node allocates transmission resources to the terminal, it can determine the second indication information based on the at least one alternative quality of service configuration information. Therefore, S508-S509 can be executed during the handover process or after the handover is completed. For example, S508-S509 can be executed simultaneously with S506 or after S506, without limitation. For other descriptions of S508-S509, please refer to the corresponding description of S403-S404 above and will not be repeated here.

[0227] It can be understood that the actions of the first RAN node or the second RAN node in the above steps can be executed by the processor 301 in the communication device 30 shown in Figure 3 calling the application code stored in the memory 303, and this application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0228] Based on the method shown in Figure 5, during the SA networking cross-site Xn handover process, the second RAN node (i.e., the source RAN node) can indicate the transmission method of the second indication information to the first RAN node (i.e., the target RAN node), so that after the first RAN node obtains the second indication information, it can promptly send the second indication information to the terminal and / or the user-plane network element according to the instruction of the second RAN node. Subsequently, the user-plane network element can send the second indication information to the application server. Since the second indication information is determined based on the air interface channel status, sending the second indication information to the terminal and / or application server in a timely manner can enable the terminal and / or application server to adjust the task scheduling result of the first service or the service traffic pattern of the first service in a timely manner according to the air interface channel status, thereby avoiding affecting the user experience due to the SA networking cross-site Xn handover process.

[0229] The following uses the SA network cross-site NG switching process as an example to introduce the communication method provided by this application.

[0230] As shown in FIG6 , another communication method provided by the present application may include the following steps:

[0231] S601: A session management network element sends first indication information to a second RAN node. Correspondingly, the second RAN node receives the first indication information from the session management network element.

[0232] S602: The second RAN node sends measurement configuration information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the measurement configuration information from the second RAN node.

[0233] S603: The terminal performs measurement according to the measurement configuration information.

[0234] S604: The terminal sends a measurement report to the second RAN node. Correspondingly, the second RAN node receives the measurement report from the terminal.

[0235] The above processes of S601 to S604 are similar to the processes of S501 to S504 , and reference may be made to the corresponding descriptions of S501 to S504 , which will not be repeated here.

[0236] S605: The second RAN node sends a handover request message to the access and mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the access and mobility management network element receives the handover request message from the second RAN node.

[0237] Exemplarily, after receiving the measurement report, the second RAN node may determine whether to perform a handover based on the measurement results indicated in the measurement report. If the second RAN node determines that the terminal should be handed over to the first RAN node, it sends a handover request message to the access and mobility management network element, so that the access and mobility management network element forwards the handover request message to the first RAN node. The handover request message may carry the first indication information. It will be understood that the handover request is an NG handover request message. In other words, the second RAN node sends the handover request message to the access and mobility management network element via the NG link.

[0238] It is understandable that if in S601, the first indication information sent by the session management network element to the second RAN node through the access and mobility management network element is stored by the access and mobility management network element, the handover request message in S605 may not carry the first indication information.

[0239] Optionally, the handover request message further includes an identifier of the first RAN node, a list of PDU sessions for performing data forwarding, etc.

[0240] S606: The access and mobility management network element sends a handover request message to the first RAN node. Correspondingly, the first RAN node receives the handover request message from the access and mobility management network element.

[0241] It is understandable that the handover request message in S606 carries the first indication information. If the handover request message in S605 does not carry the first indication information, the access and mobility management network element may add the first indication information to the received handover request message and then send the handover request message with the first indication information added to the first RAN node.

[0242] S607: The first RAN node sends a handover request response message to the access and mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the access and mobility management network element receives the handover request response message from the first RAN node.

[0243] It is understood that after receiving the handover request message, the first RAN node may perform admission control and, when allowing the terminal access, may send a handover request response message to the access and mobility management network element. The handover request response message may include the transmission resources allocated by the first RAN node to the terminal.

[0244] Optionally, if some PDU sessions fail to be switched, the switching request response message may indicate the PDU sessions that failed to be switched.

[0245] It can be understood that if the first RAN node determines not to send the second indication information to the user plane network element through the user plane path, the handover request response message may also carry third indication information, so that the access and mobility management network element sends the third indication information to the second RAN node through the handover command in S608.

[0246] S608: The access and mobility management network element sends a handover command (HANDOVER COMMAND) to the second RAN node. Correspondingly, the second RAN node receives the handover command from the access and mobility management network element.

[0247] Exemplarily, the handover command may include the address of the first RAN node, a list of tunnel endpoint identifiers (TEIDs) used for data forwarding, and a list of radio bearers that need to be released by the second RAN node.

[0248] S609: The second RAN node sends a handover instruction to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the handover instruction from the second RAN node.

[0249] The handover indication is used to instruct the terminal to handover to the cell of the first RAN node. The handover indication may be carried in an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0250] Optionally, the second RAN node may also send the PDCP SN to the access and mobility management network element through an uplink RAN ​​status transfer (UPLINK RAN STATUS TRANSFER) message, so that the access and mobility management network element sends the PDCP SN to the first RAN node through a downlink RAN ​​status transfer (DOWNLINK RAN STATUS TRANSFER) message.

[0251] Optionally, the terminal initiates a non-contention random access to the cell of the first RAN node, which may carry a dedicated preamble. After receiving the random access request, the first RAN node may send a path switch request (PATH SWITCH REQUEST) message to the access and mobility management network element to indicate that the terminal has changed its serving cell. The message may carry the target cell identifier to be accessed by the terminal, the converted PDU session list, etc. After receiving the message, the core network may update the downlink GTP-U data plane path address, such as changing the GTP-U address on the RAN side to the address of the first RAN node. Subsequently, the access and mobility management network element may send a terminal context release (UE CONTEXT RELEASE) message to the second RAN node so that the second RAN node releases the context of the terminal.

[0252] S610: The first RAN node determines second indication information according to at least one candidate quality of service configuration information.

[0253] S611: The first RAN node sends second indication information according to the first indication information.

[0254] It is understood that after the first RAN node allocates transmission resources to the terminal, it can determine the second indication information based on the at least one alternative quality of service configuration information. Therefore, S610-S611 can be executed during the handover process or after the handover is completed. For example, S610-S611 can be executed simultaneously with S607 or after S607, without limitation. For other descriptions of S610-S611, please refer to the corresponding descriptions of S403-S404 above and will not be repeated here.

[0255] It can be understood that the actions of the first RAN node or the second RAN node or the access and mobility management network element in the above steps can be executed by the processor 301 in the communication device 30 shown in Figure 3 calling the application code stored in the memory 303, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0256] Based on the method shown in Figure 6, during the SA networking cross-site NG handover process, the second RAN node (i.e., the source RAN node) can indicate the transmission method of the second indication information to the first RAN node (i.e., the target RAN node) through the access and mobility management network element, so that after the first RAN node obtains the second indication information, it can promptly send the second indication information to the terminal and / or the user plane network element according to the instruction of the second RAN node. Subsequently, the user plane network element can send the second indication information to the application server. Since the second indication information is determined based on the air interface channel state, sending the second indication information to the terminal and / or application server in a timely manner can enable the terminal and / or application server to adjust the task scheduling result of the first service or the service traffic pattern of the first service in a timely manner according to the air interface channel state, thereby avoiding affecting the user experience due to the SA networking cross-site NG handover process.

[0257] The communication method provided by this application is described below using a cross-site conditional handover (CHO) process as an example.

[0258] As shown in FIG7 , another communication method provided by the present application may include the following steps:

[0259] S701: A session management network element sends first indication information to a second RAN node. Correspondingly, the second RAN node receives the first indication information from the session management network element.

[0260] S702: The second RAN node sends measurement configuration information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the measurement configuration information from the second RAN node.

[0261] S703: The terminal performs measurement according to the measurement configuration information.

[0262] S704: The terminal sends a measurement report to the second RAN node. Correspondingly, the second RAN node receives the measurement report from the terminal.

[0263] It can be understood that in the method shown in Figure 7, the terminal supports CHO. Therefore, before S702, the terminal can report its capabilities to the second RAN node. For example, the terminal can send its support capabilities for same-frequency CHO and different-frequency CHO to the second RAN node through the terminal capability information (UECapabilityInformation). In S702, the second RAN node can configure the measurement configuration information according to the capabilities previously reported by the terminal. For example, the second RAN node can configure the reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold value of the measurement event through the measurement configuration information. For example, the second RAN node can configure the terminal to report a measurement report when it measures that the RSRP of the neighboring cell is 1dB higher than that of the source cell. The purpose of the second RAN node configuring the threshold value is to enable the terminal to find multiple candidate cells that meet the threshold value as soon as possible. The multiple candidate cells belong to at least one candidate RAN node.

[0264] For other descriptions of the above S701 to S704, please refer to the corresponding descriptions in S501 to S504, which will not be repeated here.

[0265] S705: The second RAN node sends a handover request message to at least one candidate RAN node. Correspondingly, the at least one candidate RAN node receives the handover request message from the second RAN node.

[0266] It will be appreciated that the second RAN node may send a handover request message to each of at least one candidate RAN node. The at least one RAN node may include the first RAN node. Any handover request message may be used to request a CHO handover. The handover request message may also include first indication information.

[0267] S706: At least one candidate RAN node sends a handover request response message to the second RAN node. Correspondingly, the second RAN node receives the handover request response message from the at least one candidate RAN node.

[0268] It will be appreciated that after receiving the handover request message, the at least one candidate RAN node may perform admission control and, if the terminal is allowed access, send a handover request response message to the second RAN node. The handover request response message includes the transmission resources reserved by the at least one candidate RAN node for the terminal. It will be appreciated that the at least one candidate RAN node continues to reserve the transmission resources for the terminal until it receives the handover cancel message sent by the second RAN node.

[0269] Optionally, if some PDU sessions fail to be switched, the switching request response message may indicate the PDU sessions that failed to be switched.

[0270] It can be understood that if a candidate RAN node determines not to send the second indication information to the user plane network element through the user plane path, the handover request response message sent by the candidate RAN node may further carry the third indication information.

[0271] S707: The second RAN node sends a CHO handover command to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the CHO handover command from the second RAN node.

[0272] The CHO handover command is used to instruct the terminal to perform CHO handover. The CHO handover command may be carried in an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0273] Optionally, the CHO handover command may include information about each candidate RAN node and handover conditions. For example, if the handover condition is that the RSRP of the neighboring cell is 3dB higher than that of the source cell, the terminal can autonomously handover to a cell that meets this condition after finding it among the candidate cells.

[0274] Optionally, after receiving the CHO handover command, the terminal does not immediately initiate a handover action, but instead continues to maintain a connection and transmission with the second RAN node. The terminal can continuously determine whether there is a cell that meets the handover conditions. When the terminal detects that a candidate cell meets the handover conditions, it may not send a measurement report to the second RAN node, but may make its own decision and directly perform the handover. If the terminal decides to handover to the first RAN node, the terminal may initiate random access to the first RAN node and establish an RRC connection. The terminal may also disconnect the connection with the second RAN node. For example, the first RAN node may send a handover success message to the second RAN node. After receiving the message, the second RAN node disconnects the connection with the terminal.

[0275] Optionally, the second RAN node may further send the PDCP SN to the first RAN node via a sequence number status transfer (SN STATUS TRANSFER) message, so that the first RAN node can determine which data packets have been sent by the second RAN node to the terminal and which data packets have not been sent to the terminal.

[0276] It will be appreciated that the second RAN node may send a handover cancellation message to at least one RAN node other than the first RAN node, informing these RAN nodes to release reserved resources and cached data. The first RAN node may also perform a path switch, transferring the core network connection from the second RAN node to the first RAN node, thereby completing the conditional handover.

[0277] S708: The first RAN node determines second indication information according to at least one candidate quality of service configuration information.

[0278] S709: The first RAN node sends second indication information according to the first indication information.

[0279] It can be understood that the actions of at least one candidate RAN node or the second RAN node in the above steps can be executed by the processor 301 in the communication device 30 shown in Figure 3 calling the application code stored in the memory 303, and this application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0280] Based on the method shown in Figure 7, during the cross-site conditional handover process, the second RAN node (i.e., the source RAN node) can indicate the transmission method of the second indication information to at least one candidate RAN node. Therefore, when the terminal switches to the first RAN node among the at least one candidate RAN node, the first RAN node can promptly send the second indication information to the terminal and / or the user-plane network element according to the instruction of the second RAN node. Subsequently, the user-plane network element can send the second indication information to the application server. Since the second indication information is determined based on the air interface channel state, sending the second indication information to the terminal and / or the application server in a timely manner can enable the terminal and / or the application server to adjust the task scheduling result of the first service or the service traffic pattern of the first service in a timely manner according to the air interface channel state, thereby avoiding affecting the user experience due to the cross-site conditional handover process.

[0281] It should be understood that the methods shown in Figures 5 to 7 above are only examples of handover scenarios. In specific applications, the methods provided in this application can also be combined with other handover scenarios. For example, the method provided in this application can also be applied to the process of the primary node initiating secondary station addition, secondary station change, or inter-station anchor handover to the secondary node in NSA networking or dual connectivity scenarios. Specifically, the primary node (such as the second RAN node mentioned above) can carry the first indication information in the message sent to the secondary node (such as the first RAN node), such as the secondary station addition request message, the secondary station change request message, or the inter-station anchor handover request message, so that the secondary node sends the second indication information to the terminal and / or application server in a timely manner according to the instruction of the primary node. For another example, the secondary node (such as the second RAN node mentioned above) can carry the first indication information in the message sent to the primary node (such as the first RAN node), such as the secondary station adjustment request message or the secondary station update request message, so that the primary node sends the second indication information to the terminal and / or application server in a timely manner according to the instruction of the secondary node.

[0282] It can be understood that the above-mentioned dual connection scenario may include dual connection between the terminal and a base station of different technologies, such as EN-DC or MR-DC, or dual connection between the terminal and a base station of the same technology, such as NR-DC. For details, please refer to the introduction of the technical terms involved in this application in the previous text. It should be understood that the above-mentioned dual connection scenario can also be a dual connection in a CP-UP separation scenario. In this scenario, the master node can be used to transmit control plane messages, and the secondary node can be used to transmit user plane messages.

[0283] The various embodiments mentioned above in this application can be combined without limitation if there is no contradiction between the solutions.

[0284] The above mainly introduces the solution provided by this application from the perspective of interaction between various network elements. Accordingly, this application also provides a communication device, which can be the first RAN node in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above first RAN node, or a component that can be used for the first RAN node; or the communication device can be the second RAN node in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above second RAN node, or a component that can be used for the second RAN node; or the communication device can be the access and mobility management network element in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above access and mobility management network element, or a component that can be used for the access and mobility management network element. It will be understood that in order to implement the above functions, the above first RAN node, second RAN node, or access and mobility management network element includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to each function. Those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that, in combination with the various exemplary units and algorithmic operations described in the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or in a hardware-driven manner by computer software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0285] The present application can divide the first RAN node, the second RAN node, or the access and mobility management network element into functional modules based on the above-mentioned method examples. For example, the functional modules can be divided into corresponding functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into a single processing module. The above-mentioned integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules. It should be understood that the module division in this application is illustrative and only represents a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used.

[0286] For example, FIG8 illustrates a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 80, where the functional modules are integrated. Communication device 80 includes a processing module 801 and an interface module 802. Processing module 801, also known as a processing unit, performs operations other than transceiver operations and may be, for example, a processing circuit or processor. Interface module 802, also known as an interface unit, performs transceiver operations and may be, for example, an interface circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0287] In some embodiments, the communication device 80 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 8 ) for storing program instructions and data.

[0288] In some embodiments, the communication device 80 may further include an AI module (not shown in FIG8 ) for implementing AI-related functions. The AI ​​module may implement AI functions through software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. For example, the AI ​​module includes an RIC module. Optionally, the AI ​​module and the storage module are integrated into a single module, or the AI ​​module and the processing module 801 are integrated into a single module.

[0289] Exemplarily, the communication device 80 is configured to implement the functions of a second RAN node. The communication device 80 is, for example, the second RAN node in the embodiments shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 7 .

[0290] Processing module 801 is configured to obtain first indication information. The first indication information indicates a transmission method for second indication information, and the second indication information indicates quality of service configuration information associated with the first service. The transmission method for the second indication information includes sending the second indication information to a first node associated with the first service via a user plane path and / or sending the second indication information to a second node associated with the first service via air interface signaling. For example, processing module 801 may be configured to execute S401.

[0291] Interface module 802 is configured to send first indication information to a first RAN node. The first RAN node is a RAN node to which the second node will or may switch, or the first RAN node is an auxiliary RAN node providing dual connectivity for the second node. For example, interface module 802 may be configured to execute S402.

[0292] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information is carried in a handover request message, or the first indication information is carried in a secondary station add request message, a secondary station change request message, or an inter-station anchor point handover request message.

[0293] In a possible implementation manner, the processing module 801 is specifically configured to receive first indication information from a first network element of the core network through the interface module 802 .

[0294] In one possible implementation, the interface module 802 is further configured to receive third indication information, where the third indication information indicates that the first RAN node does not support sending the second indication information through a user plane path, or indicates that the first RAN node does not send the second indication information through a user plane path.

[0295] In a possible implementation manner, the interface module 802 is specifically configured to send the first indication information to the first RAN node through the second network element of the core network.

[0296] In a possible implementation, the second indication information includes at least one of the following: quality of service profile index information associated with the first service, quality of service configuration parameter information associated with the first service, quality of service profile adjustment information, or quality of service notification control information.

[0297] In a possible implementation, the first node is a user plane network element or an application server, and the second node is a terminal.

[0298] In a possible implementation manner, the quality of service configuration information associated with the first service includes quality of service configuration information of a session of the first service, or quality of service configuration information of a quality of service flow of the first service.

[0299] When used to implement the function of the second RAN node, for other functions that can be implemented by the communication device 80, reference can be made to the relevant introductions of the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 7, and no further details will be given.

[0300] Alternatively, illustratively, the communication device 80 is configured to implement the functions of the first RAN node. The communication device 80 is, for example, the first RAN node described in the embodiments shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 7 .

[0301] Interface module 802 is configured to receive first indication information. The first indication information indicates a transmission method for second indication information, and the second indication information indicates quality of service configuration information associated with the first service. The transmission method for the second indication information includes sending the second indication information to a first node associated with the first service via a user plane path and / or sending the second indication information to a second node via air interface signaling. For example, interface module 802 may be configured to execute S402.

[0302] The processing module 801 is configured to determine second indication information according to at least one candidate quality of service configuration information. For example, the processing module 801 may be configured to execute S403.

[0303] The interface module 802 is further configured to send the second indication information according to the first indication information. For example, the interface module 802 may be configured to execute S404.

[0304] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information is carried in a handover request message, or the first indication information is carried in a secondary station add request message, a secondary station change request message, or an inter-station anchor point handover request message.

[0305] In a possible implementation, the interface module 802 is specifically configured to receive first indication information from a second network element of the core network; or, the interface module 802 is specifically configured to receive first indication information from a second RAN node.

[0306] In a possible implementation, the transmission method of the second indication information includes sending the second indication information to the first node through a user plane path, and the interface module 802 is specifically configured to send the second indication information to the user plane network element through the user plane path.

[0307] In one possible implementation, the interface module 802 is further used to send third indication information when it is determined that the second indication information is not sent to the first node through the user plane path, where the third indication information indicates that sending the second indication information through the user plane path is not supported, or indicates that the second indication information is not sent through the user plane path.

[0308] In a possible implementation, the second indication information includes at least one of the following: quality of service profile index information associated with the first service, quality of service configuration parameter information associated with the first service, quality of service profile adjustment information, or quality of service notification control information.

[0309] In a possible implementation, the first node is a user plane network element or an application server, and the second node is a terminal.

[0310] In a possible implementation manner, the quality of service configuration information associated with the first service includes quality of service configuration information of a session of the first service, or quality of service configuration information of a quality of service flow of the first service.

[0311] When used to implement the function of the first RAN node, for other functions that can be implemented by the communication device 80, reference can be made to the relevant introductions of the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 7, and no further details will be given.

[0312] Alternatively, illustratively, the communication device 80 is used to implement the functions of an access and mobility management network element. The communication device 80 is, for example, the access and mobility management network element described in the embodiment shown in FIG4 or the embodiment shown in FIG6.

[0313] The interface module 802 is configured to receive first indication information from a second RAN node. The first indication information indicates a transmission mode of second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate quality of service configuration information associated with the first service, and the transmission mode of the second indication information includes sending the second indication information to the first node associated with the first service via a user plane path and / or sending the second indication information to the second node associated with the first service via air interface signaling.

[0314] The interface module 802 is further configured to send first indication information to a first RAN node. The first RAN node is the RAN node to which the second node is to be handed over.

[0315] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information is carried in a handover request message.

[0316] In one possible implementation, the interface module 802 is further configured to receive third indication information from the first RAN node, where the third indication information indicates that the first RAN node does not support sending the second indication information through a user plane path, or indicates that the first RAN node does not send the second indication information through the user plane path.

[0317] In a possible implementation, the interface module 802 is further configured to send third indication information to the second RAN node.

[0318] In a possible implementation, the second indication information includes at least one of the following: quality of service profile index information associated with the first service, quality of service configuration parameter information associated with the first service, quality of service profile adjustment information, or quality of service notification control information.

[0319] In a possible implementation, the first node is a user plane network element or an application server, and the second node is a terminal.

[0320] In a possible implementation manner, the quality of service configuration information associated with the first service includes quality of service configuration information of a session of the first service, or quality of service configuration information of a quality of service flow of the first service.

[0321] When used to implement the functions of the access and mobility management network element, for other functions that the communication device 80 can implement, please refer to the relevant introduction of the embodiment shown in Figure 4 or the embodiment shown in Figure 6, and no further details will be given.

[0322] In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art may appreciate that the communication device 80 may be in the form shown in Figure 3. For example, the processor 301 in Figure 3 may call the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 303 to enable the communication device 80 to execute the method described in the above method embodiment.

[0323] Exemplarily, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 801 and the interface module 802 in FIG8 can be implemented by the processor 301 in FIG3 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 303. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 801 in FIG8 can be implemented by the processor 301 in FIG3 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 303, and the functions / implementation processes of the interface module 802 in FIG8 can be implemented by the transceiver 302 in FIG3.

[0324] It is understandable that one or more of the above modules or units can be implemented by software, hardware or a combination of the two. When any of the above modules or units is implemented in software, the software exists in the form of computer program instructions and is stored in a memory, and a processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow. The processor can be built into a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or ASIC, or it can be an independent semiconductor chip. In addition to the core for executing software instructions to perform calculations or processing within the processor, it can further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs) or logic circuits that implement dedicated logic operations.

[0325] When the above modules or units are implemented in hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of a CPU, a microprocessor, a digital signal processing (DSP) chip, a microcontroller unit (MCU), an artificial intelligence processor, an ASIC, a SoC, an FPGA, a PLD, a dedicated digital circuit, a hardware accelerator or a non-integrated discrete device, which can run the necessary software or not rely on the software to execute the above method flow.

[0326] Optionally, the present application also provides a chip system, comprising: at least one processor and an interface, wherein the at least one processor is coupled to a memory via the interface, and when the at least one processor executes a computer program or instruction in the memory, the method in any of the above method embodiments is executed. In one possible implementation, the chip system also includes a memory. Optionally, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0327] Optionally, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. All or part of the processes in the above-mentioned method embodiments can be completed by a computer program to instruct the relevant hardware. The program can be stored in the above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, it can include the processes of the above-mentioned method embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium can be an internal storage unit of the communication device of any of the above-mentioned embodiments, such as a hard disk or memory of the communication device. The above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium can also be an external storage device of the above-mentioned communication device, such as a plug-in hard disk, a smart memory card (smart media card, SMC), a secure digital (secure digital, SD) card, a flash card (flash card), etc. equipped on the above-mentioned communication device. Furthermore, the above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium can also include both the internal storage unit of the above-mentioned communication device and an external storage device. The above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium is used to store the above-mentioned computer program and other programs and data required by the above-mentioned communication device. The above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or is to be output.

[0328] Optionally, the present application also provides a computer program product. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments may be completed by a computer program instructing related hardware. The program may be stored in the above computer program product, and when executed, the program may include the processes in the above method embodiments.

[0329] Optionally, the present application also provides a computer instruction. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be completed by computer instructions to instruct related hardware (such as a computer, processor, terminal or RAN node, etc.). The program can be stored in the above computer-readable storage medium or in the above computer program product.

[0330] Optionally, the present application further provides a communication system, comprising: the first RAN node and the second RAN node in the above embodiment. Optionally, the communication system further comprises the access and mobility management network element in the above embodiment.

[0331] Through the description of the above implementation methods, technical personnel in the relevant field can clearly understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, only the division of the above-mentioned functional modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above-mentioned functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0332] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the modules or units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0333] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may be one physical unit or multiple physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed in multiple places. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0334] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional units.

[0335] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited to this. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Obtain first indication information, where the first indication information indicates a transmission mode of second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate quality of service configuration information associated with the first service, and the transmission mode of the second indication information includes sending the second indication information to a first node associated with the first service through a user plane path, and / or sending the second indication information to a second node associated with the first service through air interface signaling; The first indication information is sent to a first radio access network node, where the first radio access network node is a radio access network node to which the second node is to be switched or may be switched, or the first radio access network node is an auxiliary radio access network node that provides dual connectivity for the second node.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first indication information is carried in a handover request message, or the first indication information is carried in a secondary station adding request message, a secondary station changing request message, or an inter-station anchor point handover request message.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The obtaining of the first indication information includes: Receive the first indication information from a first network element of a core network.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: Third indication information is received, where the third indication information indicates that the first radio access network node does not support sending the second indication information through a user plane path, or indicates that the first radio access network node does not send the second indication information through a user plane path.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The sending the first indication information to the first radio access network node includes: The first indication information is sent to the first radio access network node through a second network element of the core network.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The second indication information includes at least one of the following: quality of service profile index information associated with the first service, quality of service configuration parameter information associated with the first service, quality of service profile adjustment information, or quality of service notification control information.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first node is a user plane network element or an application server, and the second node is a terminal.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The quality of service configuration information associated with the first service includes quality of service configuration information of a session of the first service, or quality of service configuration information of a quality of service flow of the first service.

9. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a first radio access network node or a chip in the first radio access network node, where the first radio access network node is a radio access network node to which a second node associated with a first service is to be switched or may be switched, or the first radio access network node is an auxiliary radio access network node that provides dual connectivity for the second node, and the method includes: receiving first indication information, where the first indication information indicates a transmission mode of second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate quality of service configuration information associated with the first service, and the transmission mode of the second indication information includes sending the second indication information to a first node associated with the first service through a user plane path, and / or sending the second indication information to the second node through air interface signaling; Determining the second indication information according to at least one candidate quality of service configuration information; The second indication information is sent according to the first indication information.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The first indication information is carried in a handover request message, or the first indication information is carried in a secondary station adding request message, a secondary station changing request message, or an inter-station anchor point handover request message.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that The receiving first indication information includes: receiving the first indication information from a second network element of a core network; or, Receive the first indication information from the second radio access network node.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that The transmission manner of the second indication information includes sending the second indication information to the first node through a user plane path, and the sending the second indication information according to the first indication information includes: The second indication information is sent to the user plane network element through the user plane path.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: If it is determined not to send the second indication information to the first node through the user plane path, third indication information is sent, where the third indication information indicates that sending the second indication information through the user plane path is not supported, or indicates that the second indication information is not sent through the user plane path.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that The second indication information includes at least one of the following: quality of service profile index information associated with the first service, quality of service configuration parameter information associated with the first service, quality of service profile adjustment information, or quality of service notification control information.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that The first node is a user plane network element or an application server, and the second node is a terminal.

16. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 15, characterized in that The quality of service configuration information associated with the first service includes quality of service configuration information of a session of the first service, or quality of service configuration information of a quality of service flow of the first service.

17. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: receiving first indication information from a second radio access network node, where the first indication information indicates a transmission mode of second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate quality of service configuration information associated with a first service, and the transmission mode of the second indication information includes sending the second indication information to a first node associated with the first service through a user plane path, and / or sending the second indication information to a second node associated with the first service through air interface signaling; The first indication information is sent to a first radio access network node, where the first radio access network node is the radio access network node to which the second node is to be handed over.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The first indication information is carried in a handover request message.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive third indication information from the first radio access network node, where the third indication information indicates that the first radio access network node does not support sending the second indication information through a user plane path, or indicates that the first radio access network node does not send the second indication information through a user plane path.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein The method further comprises: Send the third indication information to the second radio access network node.

21. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 20, characterized in that The second indication information includes at least one of the following: quality of service profile index information associated with the first service, quality of service configuration parameter information associated with the first service, quality of service profile adjustment information, or quality of service notification control information.

22. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 21, characterized in that The first node is a user plane network element or an application server, and the second node is a terminal.

23. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 22, characterized in that The quality of service configuration information associated with the first service includes quality of service configuration information of a session of the first service, or quality of service configuration information of a quality of service flow of the first service.

24. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 9 to 16, or a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 17 to 23.

25. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, the processor being coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store a program or instruction, which, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or the method according to any one of claims 9 to 16, or the method according to any one of claims 17 to 23.

26. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instruction stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program or instructions are executed, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, or the method according to any one of claims 9 to 16, or the method according to any one of claims 17 to 23.

27. A computer program product, comprising computer program code, characterized in that: When the computer program code is run on a computer, the computer is enabled to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 8, or the method of any one of claims 9 to 16, or the method of any one of claims 17 to 23.

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