Data processing method applicable to dual connectivity (DC) scenario

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method applicable to a dual connectivity (DC) scenario. The method is applied to a master node MN. The method comprises: receiving QoS parameters of a PDU set, and sending first indication information to a core network, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating the PDU set processing capability of a QoS flow of the master node MN and / or a secondary node SN. The master node MN can acquire the PDU set processing capability of the secondary node SN by means of an Xn interface interaction process. In the DC scenario, the method can ensure that an access network device receives a data packet matching the device capability of the access network device, thereby improving the service experience of users.

Description

A data processing method applied to a dual connectivity (DC) scenario

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202410447449.6, filed on April 12, 2024, and entitled "A data processing method applied to a dual connectivity (DC) scenario", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of wireless communication, and more particularly, to a data processing method applied to a dual connectivity (DC) scenario. BACKGROUND

[0003] Extended reality (XR) refers to various types of environments that combine reality and virtuality generated by computing technology and wearable devices, as well as human-computer interaction, and specifically includes the following typical forms: augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and virtual reality (VR).

[0004] A 5G system is based on the granularity of quality of service flow (QoS flow) to forward and process data and guarantee the quality of service (QoS). The 5G core network (5GC) in the 5G system indicates the QoS requirements of different QoS flows to the radio access network (RAN) through a QoS profile. For ordinary services of the 5G system, only the granularity of protocol data unit (PDU) is required for QoS guarantee, but for XR services, it is usually expected to require QoS guarantee at the granularity of PDU set. Therefore, for XR services, the base station needs to have the ability to process PDU sets. In the dual connectivity (DC) scenario, the processing capabilities of PDU sets of two network devices may be different, and how to coordinate the PDU set processing capabilities of the two network devices to jointly guarantee the QoS of XR services is a technical problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0005] The application provides a communication method applied to a dual connectivity (DC) scenario. In the DC scenario, the method can enable an access network device, including a master node (MN) and a secondary node (SN), to correctly process data packets of XR services, guarantee the QoS of the XR services, and improve service experience.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method applied to a dual connectivity (DC) scenario is provided. The method includes: a master node (MN) receiving PDU set QoS parameters, and sending first indication information to a core network, the first indication information being used to indicate the PDU set processing capability of a QoS flow of the MN and / or a secondary node (SN).

[0007] In combination with the first aspect, the first indication information is set as SUPPORTED, indicating that the MN and / or the SN support PDU set processing of the QoS flow.

[0008] In combination with the first aspect, the MN receives second indication information sent by the SN, the second indication information being used to indicate the PDU set processing capability of the QoS flow of the SN. The second indication information is set as SUPPORTED, indicating that the SN supports PDU set processing of the QoS flow.

[0009] In the above technical solution, the PDU set processing capability of the QoS flow is the PDU set processing capability of the QoS flow at the Transport Network Layer (TNL) granularity. It can also be carried in a QoS Flow per TNL Information information element or a UP Transport Layer Information information element.

[0010] In the above solution, the core network can process the QoS flow data in reference to the indication of the first indication information. In the downlink transmission process, when the QoS flow needs to be guaranteed based on PDU set, and the MN feedbacks the first indication information indicating that PDU set processing is supported, the core network adds related information of the PDU set in the packet header of each data packet when transmitting the data packet to the MN or the SN. The related information can be information used to identify the PDU set or parameters reflecting the attributes of the PDU set, such as the PDU set sequence number, the sequence number of the PDU in the PDU set, the PDU set size, the PDU set importance, and the like, so that the MN or the SN can distinguish different data packets belonging to which PDU set. If the first indication information indicates that PDU set processing is not supported, the core network does not need to add the information. The access network device can receive data packets matching the processing capability of the device, thereby guaranteeing the XR service experience of the terminal user.

[0011] In the above scheme, the core network can correctly process the XR service data packet according to the capability of the access network device, and the access network device can receive the data packet matched with the capability of the device itself, thereby guaranteeing the QoS of the XR service.

[0012] In a second aspect, a method for interaction between two network nodes to process the capability of a PDU set is provided. The method comprises: a master node MN sending a QoS parameter of a PDU set to a secondary node SN, and receiving second indication information sent by the secondary node SN, the second indication information being used to indicate the PDU set processing capability of a QoS flow of the SN.

[0013] In the above scheme, the second indication information can be carried in an Xn interface message, specifically, it can be an S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message, or an S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message, or an S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUIRED message, or other Xn interface messages. Further, the second indication information can be carried in a PDU Session Reource Setup Response Info-SN terminated information element or a PDU Session Reource Modification Response Info-SN terminated information element, or can be carried in other information elements.

[0014] The second indication information can be the PDU set processing capability of each transport network layer (TNL) granularity QoS flow. The second indication information can be carried in a QoS Flow per TNL Information information element or a UP Transport Layer Information information element.

[0015] It should be understood that the beneficial effects of the scheme of the second aspect are similar to those of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0016] In a third aspect, another method for interacting PDU set handling capability between two network devices is provided. The method includes that a first network device initiates a PDU set handling capability interaction request, which carries PDU set handling capability information of the first network device. The PDU set handling capability information can be a PDU set based handling indicator, which is set as SUPPORT if the first network device supports PDU set handling for the QoS flow. A second network device responds to the PDU set handling capability interaction request and sends a PDU set handling capability interaction response message, which carries PDU set handling capability information of the second network device.

[0017] The first network device and the second network device are different network devices. When the first network device is a master node (MN), the second network device is a secondary node (SN); and when the first network device is a secondary node (SN), the second network device is a master node (MN).

[0018] In the above solution, the PDU set handling capability interaction request can be carried in an XN SETUP REQUEST message or an NG-RAN NODE CONFIGURATION UPDATE message, or can be carried in other XN interface messages. The PDU set handling capability interaction response message can be carried in an XN SETUP RESPONSE message or an NG-RAN NODE CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE message, or can be carried in other XN interface messages.

[0019] In the above solution, the PDU set handling capability information exchanged between the first network device and the second network device can be network device granularity or cell granularity.

[0020] In a fourth aspect, a processor is provided for executing the method provided in any of the implementation manners of the first aspect to the third aspect. In the process of executing the method, the process of sending and obtaining / receiving the information in the above method can be understood as the process of outputting the information by the processor and the process of receiving the input information by the processor. When the information is output, the processor outputs the information to an interface, and the information is transmitted through the interface. After the information is output by the processor, it can also need to be processed before reaching the interface. Similarly, when the processor receives the input information, the interface obtains / receives the information and inputs it to the processor. Further, after the interface receives the information, the information can need to be processed before being input to the processor.

[0021] For the operations of transmitting, sending and acquiring / receiving involved, if no special description is made, or if it is not contrary to the actual role or internal logic in the related description, it can be understood as output and receiving, input, etc. operation, and also can be understood as the transmitting, sending and receiving operation performed by the radio frequency circuit and the antenna, and the present application does not limit this.

[0022] In the implementation process, the above-mentioned processor can be a processor specially used for executing these methods, or a processor executing computer programs or instructions in the memory to execute these methods, such as a general-purpose processor. The above-mentioned memory can be a non-transitory memory, such as a read only memory (ROM), which can be integrated on the same chip as the processor, or can be separately arranged on different chips. The present application does not limit the type of memory and the arrangement mode of the memory and the processor.

[0023] In a fifth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which stores program codes for execution by a device, and the program codes include codes for executing the method provided in any of the implementation manners of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0024] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute the method provided in any of the implementation manners of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0025] In a seventh aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The processor reads instructions stored on a memory through the communication interface and executes the method provided in any of the implementation manners of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0026] Optionally, as an implementation manner, the chip can further include a memory, and the memory stores computer programs or instructions. The processor is configured to execute the computer programs or instructions stored on the memory, and when the computer programs or instructions are executed, the processor is configured to execute the method provided in any of the implementation manners of the first aspect to the third aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a 5G system based on a QoS architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a control plane architecture of an MR-DC scenario.

[0030] FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device (e.g., UE) supporting EN-DC.

[0031] FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device (e.g., UE) supporting MR-DC.

[0032] FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of an MR-DC architecture supporting multiple bearer types.

[0033] FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method in a dual connectivity (DC) scenario according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] FIG. 8 is a schematic flowchart of a method for a master node (MN) to acquire a PDU set processing capability of a secondary node (SN) in a dual connectivity (DC) scenario according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0035] FIG. 9 is a schematic flowchart of a method for two access network devices to acquire a PDU set processing capability according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0036] FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0037] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of another communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0038] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a chip system according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0040] First, in the present application, "for indicating" can include for directly indicating and for indirectly indicating. When describing that certain indication information is for indicating A, it can include that the indication information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, and does not mean that A must be carried in the indication information.

[0041] The information indicated by the indication information is referred to as to-be-indicated information. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the to-be-indicated information, for example, but not limited to, the to-be-indicated information can be directly indicated, such as the to-be-indicated information itself or an index of the to-be-indicated information. The to-be-indicated information can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where the other information and the to-be-indicated information have an association relationship. The to-be-indicated information can also be indicated only by a part of the to-be-indicated information, and the other part of the to-be-indicated information is known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of a specific information can also be realized by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, a protocol stipulates), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. At the same time, the common part of each information can be identified and uniformly indicated, so as to reduce the indication overhead caused by separately indicating the same information.

[0042] Second, "at least one" in the present application means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, "first", "second", and various numbers (for example, "#1", "#2", and the like) are only used for the convenience of description and do not limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the serial number of each process below does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that the objects thus described can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, so as to be able to describe solutions other than the embodiments of the present application. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, "S210" and the like are only labels used for the convenience of description and do not limit the order of execution steps.

[0043] Third, in the embodiments of the present application, "exemplary" or "for example" and the like are used to indicate an example, illustration or description. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the present application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Rather, the use of "exemplary" or "for example" and the like is intended to present the relevant concept in a specific manner.

[0044] Fourth, "save" in the embodiments of the present application can mean saving in one or more memories. The one or more memories can be separately provided or integrated in the encoder or decoder, processor, or communication device. The one or more memories can be partially separately provided and partially integrated in the decoder, processor, or communication device. The type of memory can be any form of storage medium, which is not limited in the present application.

[0045] Fifth, in the embodiments of the present application, "protocol" can refer to a standard protocol in the communication field, which can include NR protocol and related protocols applied to future communication systems, which is not limited in the present application.

[0046] Sixth, in the embodiments of the present application, "of", "corresponding", "corresponding", and "associated" can be used interchangeably at times, and it should be pointed out that their meanings are consistent when their differences are not emphasized.

[0047] Seventh, in the embodiments of the present application, "in the case of", "when", "if" can be used interchangeably at times, and it should be pointed out that their meanings are consistent when their differences are not emphasized.

[0048] Eighth, the term "and / or" in this document is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent three cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after it.

[0049] For ease of description, the system architecture of the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below.

[0050] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as global system of mobile communication (GSM) system, code division multiple access (CDMA) system, wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, general packet radio service (GPRS), long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, 5th Generation (5G) mobile communication system or new radio (NR), and future evolved communication system, etc. The present application does not limit this. Among them, the 5G mobile communication system can be non-standalone (NSA) or standalone (SA).

[0051] The technical solutions provided in the application can also be applied to machine type communication (MTC), long term evolution-machine (LTE-M), device-to-device (D2D) network, machine to machine (M2M) network, internet of things (IoT) network or other network. The IoT network may, for example, include a vehicle network. In the vehicle network system, the communication modes are collectively referred to as vehicle to X (V2X, X can represent any thing), for example, the V2X can include vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle to pedestrian (V2P) communication or vehicle to network (V2N) communication, and the like.

[0052] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can also be referred to as a user equipment (UE), a mobile station (MS), a mobile terminal (MT), etc., and refers to a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user. For example, the terminal device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical treatment, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a drone, a drone controller, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios. The terminal device also includes a device capable of sidelink (sidelink) communication, such as a vehicle terminal, or a handheld terminal capable of V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication, etc. For the convenience of description, the terminal device will be described below by taking a terminal or a UE as an example.

[0053] The access network device refers to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that accesses a terminal to a wireless network, which can also be referred to as a base station, for example, an NR gNB, an LTE eNB, and various types of base stations. For ease of description, the embodiments of the present application uniformly refer to the "access network device" as "base station". Among them, the NR gNB can adopt a centralized unit (CU) and distributed unit (DU) separated architecture, such as the base station #1 shown in FIG. 1, the CU and the DU are connected through the F1 interface for message transmission; or can adopt a CU and DU integrated architecture, such as the base station #2 shown in FIG. 1, the embodiments of the present application do not limit it. In the scenario of separate deployment of the access network device including the CU and the DU, the CU supports radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and other protocols; the DU mainly supports radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and physical layer protocols. In the dual connectivity (DC) scenario, the terminal device can be connected to two base stations at the same time, one of which serves as a control anchor point to provide control plane connection and user plane connection for the terminal, referred to as the master base station, and the other only provides user plane connection for the terminal, referred to as the secondary base station.

[0054] The core network device refers to a device in the core network (CN) that provides service support for the terminal. At present, some examples of core network devices are: access and mobility management function (AMF) entity, session management function (SMF) entity, user plane function (UPF) entity, and the like, which are not listed one by one here. Among them, the AMF entity can be responsible for access management and mobility management of the terminal; the SMF entity can be responsible for session management, such as session establishment of the user; the UPF entity can be a functional entity of the user plane, mainly responsible for connecting external networks. It should be noted that the entity in the present application can also be referred to as a network element or a functional entity, for example, the AMF entity can also be referred to as an AMF network element or an AMF functional entity, and for example, the SMF entity can also be referred to as an SMF network element or an SMF functional entity.

[0055] The network device provides services for a cell, and a terminal device communicates with the cell through a transmission resource (for example, a frequency domain resource or a spectrum resource) allocated by the network device. The cell can belong to a macro base station (for example, a macro eNB or a macro gNB) or a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cell can include a metro cell, a micro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, and the like. The small cell has a small coverage range and low transmission power, and is suitable for providing a high-rate data transmission service.

[0056] In this application, the device for implementing the function of the access network device can be the access network device, or can be a device capable of supporting the access network device to implement the function, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a hardware circuit plus a software module. The device can be installed in the access network device or can be used in matching with the access network device. In the technical solutions provided in this application, the device for implementing the function of the access network device is the access network device, and the access network device is taken as an example of a base station to describe the technical solutions provided in this application.

[0057] In the embodiments of this application, one network device can include one or more cells, and each cell includes one or more transmission reception points (TRPs) or transmission points (TPs).

[0058] In order to facilitate understanding of the solutions of the embodiments of this application, the technical terms related to the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below.

[0059] 1. PDU set

[0060] A set of multiple data packets in the transmission layer corresponds to the minimum granularity of application layer data processing. In some application scenarios, the application layer can correctly parse the corresponding data unit only after correctly receiving all data packets of a PDU set. In other application scenarios, the application layer can correctly parse the corresponding data unit after correctly receiving a certain proportion of data packets in the PDU set.

[0061] 2. XR service

[0062] Extended Reality (XR) refers to various types of reality and virtuality combined environments generated by computing technology and wearable devices, as well as human-computer interaction. XR specifically includes the following typical forms: AR, VR and Mixed Reality (MR).

[0063] The 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) Rel-17 models and analyzes the service characteristics of XR. Generally, XR services periodically generate data frames at a certain frame rate. Taking an AR service with a frame rate of 60 frames per second (fps) as an example, 60 video images are generated per second, and a video frame occurs approximately every 16.67 ms. A video frame can be transmitted by multiple data packets, which can be divided into one or more PDU sets.

[0064] 3. Quality of Service (QoS)

[0065] Quality of Service refers to a technology used to solve network delay and congestion problems. When the network is congested, data may be discarded. In order to meet the requirements of different applications for different QoS, the network needs to allocate and schedule resources according to the requirements of users, and provide different QoS for different data.

[0066] 4. QoS Flow

[0067] The 5G system transmits and processes data based on the granularity of QoS flow and guarantees its QoS.

[0068] The 5G core network establishes one or more protocol data unit sessions (PDU sessions) for a UE, and a QoS flow is a data flow with the same source and destination address and the same QoS requirement in a PDU session. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a 5G system based on a QoS architecture according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2, a PDU session is established between a UE and a UPF, a wireless bearer is established between the UE and the NB, a core network tunnel is established between the NB and the UPF, and the PDU session includes multiple QoS flows, including a first QoS flow, a second QoS flow, and the like.

[0069] For downlink, 5GC maps data packets with the same characteristics, including source internet protocol (IP) address, destination IP address, source port number, destination port number and transport layer protocol number, into the same QoS flow by identifying the characteristics of the data packets, and carries QoS flow ID (QFI) in the data packet header to identify which QoS flow the data packet belongs to. For uplink, 5GC can display or implicitly configure the mapping relationship between the above data packet characteristics and QoS flow to UE, and UE maps uplink data to be transmitted into different QoS flows.

[0070] Data of different QoS flows are independent of each other when transmitted in the 5G system. For each QoS flow, 5GC sends its QoS profile to the radio access network (RAN) to indicate its QoS requirements, such as packet delay budget (PDB) and packet error rate (PER), which represent the quality of service expected to be obtained by the data of the QoS flow when transmitted in the 5G system. PDB represents the upper limit of the transmission delay of data packets between the core network and the UE, and data packets that fail to be correctly transmitted within the PDB are considered to have timed out. PER represents the upper limit of the packet error rate during the transmission of the QoS flow, i.e., the proportion of data packets that are processed by the sending end but not correctly received by the receiving end. Specifically, the core network and the UE can be understood as follows: for downlink behavior, it can be understood as starting from the UPF of the core network to the UE; for uplink behavior, it can be understood as starting from the UE to the UPF of the core network.

[0071] For a PDU session, RAN establishes one or more data radio bearers (DRBs) for it, and maps each QoS flow to the DRBs for air interface transmission. Multiple QoS flows can be mapped to one DRB, but one QoS flow cannot be mapped to multiple DRBs. QoS flows with the same or similar QoS requirements are usually mapped to the same DRB, thereby providing the same QoS guarantee in the air interface.

[0072] 5. QoS parameters of PDU

[0073] 5GC indicates the QoS requirements of different QoS flows to RAN through QoS profile, which are reflected by various QoS parameters. For example, common QoS parameters include PDB, PER, etc. The transport network should try its best to guarantee the QoS requirements of services to guarantee the user's service experience.

[0074] 6. QoS parameters of PDU set

[0075] XR services usually expect to require QoS guarantee at the granularity of PDU set, which is determined by the encoding mode of XR services. Since a PDU set corresponds to the smallest unit of application layer data processing, for example, a video frame, for many applications, only when all the data packets of the PDU set are correctly received, the receiving side can successfully decode the video frame. Therefore, XR services need the transport network to provide overall QoS guarantee for the PDU set, to avoid partial data packets in the PDU set from causing the entire video frame decoding failure due to timeout or error.

[0076] 3GPP R18 (Release-18) designs a new QoS parameter for XR services, called PDU set QoS parameter, including PDU set delay budget (PSDB), PDU set error rate (PSER) and PDU set integrated information (PSIHI). PSDB and PSER correspond to the traditional PDB and PER respectively. PSDB represents the upper limit of the time delay from the transmission of the first data packet in the PDU set between the core network and the UE to the completion of the transmission of the last data packet in the PDU set between the core network and the UE, that is, the upper limit of the transmission time delay of the PDU set between the core network and the UE. The PDU set that fails to be completely and correctly transmitted within PSDB is considered to be timed out. PSER represents the upper limit of the proportion of the number of PDU sets that fail to be correctly transmitted in the transmission process of the QoS flow, that is, the upper limit of the proportion of the PDU sets that are processed by the sending end but not correctly received by the receiving end. PSIHI is a description of whether the PDU set integrity is required for the QoS flow, which indicates whether the receiving side correctly receives all the data packets in the PDU set when the application layer processes the PDU set. This is related to the specific implementation of the application.

[0077] In one implementation, an application can only decode a PDU set correctly if all the packets in the PDU set are received correctly. In this case, the transport network should try its best to ensure that all the packets in a PDU set are transmitted correctly within the delay budget when transmitting the PDU set, because once a packet is lost or timed out, the application layer at the receiving end cannot process the PDU set in time, resulting in a degraded user experience. If it is determined that one packet in the PDU set cannot be transmitted correctly in time, the sending side can also give up transmitting the remaining packets, because even if the remaining packets are transmitted correctly, the application cannot process them, and actively giving up can save network resources. In another implementation, an application can decode a PDU set without receiving all the packets in the PDU set correctly, for example, when the PDU set is processed by the sending side using redundancy coding, the receiving side can recover the data of the PDU set completely as long as it receives a certain number or proportion of the packets. In this case, even if some packets in the PDU set have been lost or timed out, the sending side should continue to transmit the remaining packets, because they are still useful to the application layer.

[0078] Through the PDU set QoS parameter, the core network requires the RAN to provide PDU set granularity QoS guarantee for the PDU set-based QoS flow (such as XR service), so as to improve the satisfaction of XR users.

[0079] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to embodiments of the present application. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system can include at least one terminal device; the communication system can also include at least two network devices, such as base station #1 and base station #2 shown in FIG. 1. The terminal device can communicate with base station #1 and base station #2 simultaneously. As an example, the terminal device and base station #1, and the terminal device and base station #2 can communicate through wireless links. Each communication device, such as the terminal device, base station #1 or base station #2, can be configured with multiple antennas. For each communication device in the communication system, the configured multiple antennas can include at least one transmitting antenna for transmitting signals and at least one receiving antenna for receiving signals. Therefore, each communication device in the communication system, the terminal device and base station #1, and the terminal device and base station #2 can communicate through multi-antenna technology.

[0080] It should be understood that FIG. 1 is only a simplified schematic diagram for ease of understanding, and the communication system can also include other network devices or can also include other terminal devices, which are not shown in FIG. 1.

[0081] It should also be understood that the terminal device simultaneously communicating with the base station #1, base station #2 can also be referred to as multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC) of the terminal device. Among them, one network device communicating with the terminal device can be referred to as a master node (MN), and another network device communicating with the terminal device can be referred to as a secondary node (SN). As an example, it is assumed that the base station #1 is the MN and the base station #2 is the SN.

[0082] As an example, according to the difference between the MN and the SN type, the MR-DC scenario can be further divided into: EN-DC, NR-DC, NE-DC. As an example, when the MR-DC scenario is provided herein, the specific dual connectivity type is not limited, which can be EN-DC, NR-DC, NE-DC and other subsequent evolved dual connectivity types.

[0083] For example, FIG. 3 is a control plane architecture diagram supporting MR-DC. In the MR-DC scenario, the access network device is connected to the core network through the MN, and the MN and the SN exchange related information of the control plane through the Xn interface.

[0084] Next, the EN-DC and the NR-DC will be described in detail respectively.

[0085] 1. EN-DC

[0086] EN-DC refers to LTE and 5G dual connectivity. The letter E represents evolved universal terrestrial radio access new radio (E-UTRA), which is the air interface in the LTE cellular network. The letter N represents new radio (NR), which is a global standard for a unified, more powerful 5G wireless air interface. That is, the terminal device supporting EN-DC can be connected to the LTE master node eNB (MN-eNB) and the 5G-NR secondary node gNB (SN-gNB) at the same time. EN-DC is a technology that can introduce 5G services and data rates in a 4G-based network.

[0087] For example, FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device (e.g., UE) supporting EN-DC. As shown in FIG. 4, the bearers in the network can be classified into three categories: master cell group (MCG) bearers, secondary cell group (SCG) bearers, and Split bearers. In EN-DC, MCG bearers use PDCP, RLC, and MAC corresponding to the master node, and for EN-DC, 4G (E-UTRA) is the master node, so MCG bearers use E-UTRA PDCP, E-UTRA RLC, and E-UTRA MAC. SCG bearers use PDCP, RLC, and MAC corresponding to the secondary node, and for EN-DC, 5G-NR (gNB) is the secondary node, so SCG bearers use NR PDCP, NR RLC, and NR MAC. Split bearers split the air interface data into two bearers, and in PDCP, NR PDCP is used, in RLC, the air interface data of the MN is carried using E-UTRA RLC, and the air interface data of the SN is carried using NR RLC, and in MAC, the air interface data of the MN is carried using E-UTRA MAC, and the air interface data of the SN is carried using NR MAC.

[0088] It should be understood that the LTE master node eNB (MN-eNB) uses multiple different frequency points to form a multi-layer cell network, and these cells can all serve as control plane anchor points, so these 4G cells are collectively referred to as MCG, and the wireless data bearers established thereon are referred to as MCG bearers. Correspondingly, multiple 5G cells form an SCG, and the wireless data bearers established thereon are referred to as SCG bearers. Split bearers refer to splitting the air interface data into two bearers.

[0089] 2. NR-DC

[0090] NR-DC refers to 5G and 5G dual connectivity. A terminal device supporting MR-DC can be connected to a 5G-NR master node gNB (MN-gNB) and a 5G-NR secondary node gNB (SN-gNB) at the same time. Further, the UE can also be connected to a gNB that can simultaneously serve as a master node MN and a secondary node SN, and is configured with an MCG and an SCG.

[0091] For example, FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device (e.g., UE) supporting MR-DC. As shown in FIG. 5, the bearers in the network can be divided into three categories: master cell group (MCG) bearers, secondary cell group (SCG) bearers, and Split bearers. In MR-DC, the MN-gNB is the master node, and the MCG bearers use NR PDCP, MN RLC, and MN MAC; the SN-gNB is the secondary node, and the SCG bearers use NR PDCP, SN RLC, and SN MAC. The Split bearers split the air interface data into two bearers, use NR PDCP at the PDCP, use MN RLC for the air interface data of the MN in the RLC, use SN RLC for the air interface data of the SN, use MN MAC for the air interface data of the MN in the MAC, and use SN MAC for the air interface data of the SN.

[0092] For example, FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an MR-DC architecture supporting multiple bearer types. The multiple bearer types supported under MR-DC can include:

[0093] MCG bearers terminated at the MN (MN terminated MCG bearer);

[0094] SCG bearers terminated at the MN (MN terminated SCG bearer);

[0095] Split bearers terminated at the MN (MN terminated split bearer);

[0096] MCG bearers terminated at the SN (SN terminated MCG bearer);

[0097] SCG bearers terminated at the SN (SN terminated SCG bearer);

[0098] Split bearers terminated at the SN (SN terminated split bearer).

[0099] Among them, the MCG bearer refers to only involving the MCG side air interface resources, and the air interface resources mainly refer to resources including RLC / MAC / PHY layers. The SCG bearer refers to only involving the SCG side air interface resources, and the data plane radio bearer is only served by the SN. The Split bearer refers to both the MCG side air interface resources and the SCG side air interface resources, and the data plane radio bearer is simultaneously served by the MN and the SN. The termination at the MN / SN refers to the PDCP entity in the MN or the SN.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 6, taking the following downlink data as an example, assuming that the MN acts as an anchor point, after receiving the data from the core network, for a split bearer, the downlink data is split from the PDCP layer and sent to the RLC / MAC of the MN and the SN respectively for processing. For example, the MN can send the downlink data to the terminal device through the MN RLC and MN MAC layers in the MN, and also send the downlink data to the SN RLC in the SN, and send the downlink data to the terminal device through the SN RLC and MN MAC layers in the SN.

[0101] Currently, since the XR service requires QoS requirement guarantee based on the granularity of PDU set, the corresponding base station needs to support PDU set-based data processing and forwarding. Further, in the downlink transmission process, when the QoS flow needs to be guaranteed based on the PDU set, and the base station supports PDU set processing, the core network adds relevant information of the PDU set in the header of each data packet when transmitting the data packet to the base station. The relevant information can be a parameter for identifying the PDU set or reflecting the attribute of the PDU set, such as the PDU set sequence number, the sequence number of the PDU in the PDU set, the PDU set size, the PDU set importance, etc., so that the base station can distinguish which PDU set different data packets belong to. If the base station does not support PDU set processing, the core network does not need to add these information. Therefore, the core network needs to know the capability information of whether the base station supports PDU set processing. Specifically, if the QoS profile of the QoS flow contains the QoS parameter of the PDU set, the base station reports to the core network whether it supports processing the PDU set.

[0102] Further, the source base station supports processing PDU set, the core network adds the related information of the PDU set in the data packet sent to the source base station, and in the handover process, the source base station can carry the PDU set QoS parameter information of the QoS flow in the handover request message sent to the target base station. If the target base station supports the processing capability of the PDU set, the target base station carries the indication information to the source base station in the handover response message. Further, the indication information can be a PDU Set based Handling Indicator information element, and the field is set to supported. The source base station judges whether the target base station supports the processing capability of the PDU set based on the received response message, and further processes the PDU set information based on the judgment. If the target base station supports the processing capability of the PDU set, the source base station carries the PDU set related information in the data forwarded to the target base station; otherwise, the source base station does not carry the PDU set related information in the data forwarded to the target base station, so as to avoid that the target base station cannot identify the PDU set related information.

[0103] For the MR-DC scenario, the MN has a control plane with the core network, and the control plane information of the SN is forwarded through the MN. The MN and the SN can be independent base station devices and can have different PDU set processing capabilities. When the MN receives the PDU set related information from the core network, if the SN does not support the processing capability of the PDU set, the PDU set related information provided by the core network cannot be identified by the SN, resulting in that the XR service cannot be guaranteed in terms of QoS and affecting the user experience.

[0104] In the scenario where the PDCP entity is located in the MN, the QoS Flow data stream received from the core network first reaches the PDCP entity located in the MN, and then the data is processed by the PDCP entity of the MN. The processing of the data can include forwarding the data by the MN according to the bearer type, etc. In the scenario where the PDCP entity is located in the SN, the QoS Flow data stream received from the core network first reaches the PDCP entity located in the SN, and then the data is processed by the PDCP entity of the SN. The processing of the data can include forwarding the data by the SN according to the bearer type, etc.

[0105] FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart of a data processing method applied to a dual connection scenario according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 7, the data processing method applied to the dual connection scenario can include steps S710 and S720, which will be described in detail below.

[0106] It should be understood that the embodiments shown below do not particularly limit the specific structure of the subject performing the method provided by the embodiments of the present application, as long as the subject can communicate according to the method provided by the embodiments of the present application by running a program in which the code of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application is recorded. For example, the subject performing the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be a receiving end device or a sending end device, or a functional module in the receiving end device or the sending end device that can call and execute the program.

[0107] S710, the master node MN receives the QoS parameters of the PDU set sent by the core network. Specifically, the core network sends the QoS guarantee requirement of the PDU set to the master node MN, and the QoS guarantee requirement can be the QoS parameters of the PDU set contained in the QoS profile of the QoS flow.

[0108] For example, the QoS parameter information of the PDU set can be carried in the PDU SESSION RESOURCE SETUP REQUEST message and the PDU SESSION RESOURCE MODIFY REQUEST message, or in other NG interface messages. For example, the QoS parameter information of the PDU set can be PDU Set QoS parameters, or other QoS related information.

[0109] S720, after the master node MN receives the QoS parameters of the PDU set sent by the core network, the master node MN sends first indication information to the core network, and the first indication information is capability indication information used to indicate the PDU set processing capability of the MN and / or the SN for the QoS flow. The first indication information can be carried in the PDU SESSION RESOURCE SETUP RESPONSE message or the PDU SESSION RESOURCE MODIFY RESPONSE message, or in other NG interface messages. Further, the first indication information can be a PDU set based handling indicator, if the network device supports PDU set processing for the QoS flow, the indication information is set to SUPPORT; if the network device does not support PDU set processing capability, the indication information can be set to NOT-SUPPORT, or can be implicitly indicated, for example, the PDU set based handling indicator information element can not be carried.

[0110] Exemplarily, if the QoS parameters of the PDU set are carried in the NG interface message received by the master node MN, and the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN support the PDU set processing capability, the first indication information is carried in the NG interface response message, and the first indication information indicates that the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN support the PDU set processing.

[0111] Optionally, the first indication information can be the PDU set processing capability of the MN, or the PDU set processing capability of the SN, or the PDU set processing capability of the MN and the SN respectively.

[0112] Optionally, the first indication information can be the PDU set processing capability of each QoS flow per TNL (Transport Network Layer). Exemplarily, the first indication information can be carried in the QoS Flow per TNL Information element or the UP Transport Layer Information element.

[0113] Optionally, if the master node MN feeds back the PDU set processing capability of the QoS flow per TNL, the master node MN does not feed back the PDU set processing capability of the UE granularity, or the master node MN feeds back the PDU set processing capability of the UE granularity and the PDU set processing capability of the QoS flow per TNL simultaneously. If the master node MN feeds back the first indication information and the PDU set processing capability of the UE granularity simultaneously, the core network processes the PDU set data according to the indication in the first indication information.

[0114] The processing of the QoS flow data according to the indication in the first indication information includes: in the downlink transmission process, when the QoS flow needs to be guaranteed based on the PDU set, and the first indication information fed back by the master node MN indicates that the PDU set processing is supported, the core network adds the related information of the PDU set in the header of each data packet when transmitting the data packet to the master node MN or the secondary node SN. The related information can be the parameter for identifying the PDU set or reflecting the attribute of the PDU set, such as the PDU set sequence number, the sequence number of the PDU in the PDU set, the PDU set size, the PDU set importance, etc., so that the master node MN or the secondary node SN can distinguish which PDU set the different data packets belong to. If the first indication information fed back by the master node MN indicates that the PDU set processing is not supported, the core network does not need to add the information.

[0115] Optionally, the master node MN and the secondary node SN can interact PDU set handling capability information through an XN interface procedure. The master node MN can acquire the PDU set handling capability of the secondary node SN through the procedure, or the secondary node SN can acquire the PDU set handling capability of the master node MN through the procedure. The procedure can be before step S710, or between steps S710 and S720, and the specific method is as follows:

[0116] A possible implementation is shown in FIG. 8:

[0117] S810, the master node MN sends the QoS parameter of the PDU set to the secondary node SN. Specifically, the master node MN sends the QoS guarantee requirement of the PDU set to the secondary node, and the QoS guarantee requirement can be the QoS parameter of the PDU set in the QoS profile of the QoS flow.

[0118] The QoS parameter of the PDU set sent by the master node MN can be the QoS parameter of the PDU set obtained from the core network.

[0119] For example, the QoS parameter information of the PDU set can be carried in the Xn interface message, specifically, it can be the S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST message, or the S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST message, or the S-NODE MODIFICATION CONFIRM message, or other Xn interface messages. For example, the QoS parameter information of the PDU set can be PDU Set QoS parameters, or other QoS related information.

[0120] S820, the secondary node SN sends second indication information to the master node MN, and the second indication information is used to indicate the PDU set handling capability of the SN QoS flow. Further, the second indication information can be a PDU set based handling indicator, if the secondary node SN supports the PDU set handling of the QoS flow, the indication information is set to SUPPORT; if the secondary node SN does not support the PDU set handling capability, the indication information can be set to NOT-SUPPORT, or can be implicitly indicated, for example, the PDU set based handling indicator information element can not be carried.

[0121] Exemplarily, the second indication information can be carried in an Xn interface message, specifically, can be an SN addition request confirmation (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE), or an SN modification request confirmation message (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE), or an SN modification request message (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUIRED), or other Xn interface messages. Further, the second indication information can be carried in a PDU Session Reource Setup Response Info-SN terminated information element or a PDU Session Reource Modification Response Info-SN terminated information element, or other information elements.

[0122] Exemplarily, if the XN interface message received by the secondary node SN carries the QoS parameter of the PDU set, if the secondary node SN supports the PDU set processing capability, the first indication information is carried in the XN interface response message, and the first indication information indicates that the secondary node SN supports the PDU set processing.

[0123] Optionally, the second indication information can be the QoS flow PDU set processing capability of each transport network layer (TNL).

[0124] Exemplarily, the second indication information can be carried in a QoS Flow per TNL Information information element or a UP Transport Layer Information information element.

[0125] Optionally, the master node MN receives the second indication information sent by the secondary node, and feeds back the first indication information to the core network according to the second indication information, for indicating the PDU set processing capability of the QoS flow of the MN and / or the SN.

[0126] Optionally, the master node MN processes the QoS flow data according to the second indication information, including that if the secondary node SN supports the PDU set processing capability, the master node MN carries the related information of the PDU set when forwarding the data packet to the secondary node SN, and the related information can be a parameter for identifying the PDU set or reflecting the attribute of the PDU set. If the secondary node SN does not support the PDU set processing capability, the master node MN does not carry the related information of the PDU set when forwarding the data packet to the secondary node SN, so as to avoid that the SN cannot identify the QoS parameter information, and the user experience is damaged.

[0127] In a possible implementation, the master node MN and the secondary node SN can also interact the PDU set handling capability in the Xn interface establishment or configuration update procedure. The method can be applied before the step S710 or between the steps S710 and S720.

[0128] In a possible implementation, as shown in FIG. 9:

[0129] In S910, the first network device initiates a PDU set handling capability interaction request, carrying PDU set handling capability information of the first network device. The PDU set handling capability information can be a PDU set based handling indicator. If the first network device supports PDU set handling for the QoS flow, the indicator is set to SUPPORT; if the first network device does not support the PDU set handling capability, the indicator can be set to NOT-SUPPORT, or can be implicitly indicated. For example, the PDU set based handling indicator information element can not be carried.

[0130] In S920, the second network device sends a PDU set handling capability interaction response message in response to the PDU set handling capability interaction request, carrying PDU set handling capability information of the second network device.

[0131] The first network device and the second network device are different network devices. The first network device and the second network device can be two different base stations.

[0132] Further, the first network device can be a master node MN or a secondary node SN, and the second network device can be a secondary node SN or a master node MN. When the first network device is a master node MN, the second network device is a secondary node SN; when the first network device is a secondary node SN, the second network device is a master node MN.

[0133] Optionally, the PDU set handling capability interaction request can be carried in an XN setup request message (XN SETUP REQUEST) or an NG-RAN node configuration update message (NG-RAN NODE CONFIGURATION UPDATE), or can be carried in other XN interface messages. The PDU set handling capability interaction response message can be carried in an XN setup response message (XN SETUP RESPONSE) or an NG-RAN node configuration update acknowledgment message (NG-RAN NODE CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE), or can be carried in other XN interface messages.

[0134] Further, the first network device and the second network device exchange the PDU set processing capability information in a network device granularity or in a cell granularity.

[0135] Taking the first network device as a master node MN as an example, after the MN and the SN exchange the PDU set processing capability information, the MN can send the PDU set processing capability of the MN and / or the SN to a core network. The MN can process QoS flow mapping according to the PDU set processing capability of the SN. If the MN supports the PDU set processing capability and the SN does not support the PDU set processing capability, the MN can avoid mapping data with PDU set QoS guarantee requirements to a bearer terminated at the SN or to an SCG bearer terminated at the MN and a separated bearer terminated at the MN.

[0136] It should be understood that the size of the serial number of the above processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of the processes should be determined according to their functions and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0137] It should also be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referred to if there is no special description and no logical conflict. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0138] It should also be understood that in some of the above embodiments, the devices in the existing network architecture are mainly taken as examples for exemplary description. It should be understood that the specific form of the device is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, devices that can realize the same function in the future are also applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0139] It can be understood that the methods and operations realized by the devices (master node MN and secondary node SN) in the above various method embodiments can also be realized by components (such as chips or circuits) that can be used for the devices.

[0140] It can also be understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application can not depend on other features in some scenarios, or can be combined with other features in some scenarios, without limitation.

[0141] Those skilled in the art should realize that the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is realized in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians can use different methods for each specific application to realize the described functions, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0142] The following describes the communication apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application in detail in combination with FIG. 10 to FIG. 12. It should be understood that the description of the apparatus embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments, and therefore, the content not described in detail can be referred to the method embodiments, and part of the content will not be described again for the sake of brevity.

[0143] The embodiments of the present application can divide the function modules of the sending end device or the receiving end device according to the method examples described above, for example, each function module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated in one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software function module. It should be noted that the division of the modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division, and another division manner can be used in actual implementation. The following will be described taking the example of dividing each function module according to each function.

[0144] FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of the communication apparatus 10 provided by the embodiments of the present application. The apparatus 10 includes a transceiver module 11 and a processing module 12. The transceiver module 11 can realize corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 12 is used for data processing, that is, the transceiver module 11 is used for executing the operations related to receiving and sending, and the processing module 12 is used for executing other operations except receiving and sending. The transceiver module 11 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0145] Optionally, the apparatus 10 can further include a storage module 13, which can be used for storing instructions and / or data, and the processing module 12 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module to enable the apparatus to implement the actions of the device in each of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0146] In one design, the apparatus 10 can correspond to the master node MN or the secondary node SN in the method embodiments described above, or be a component (such as a chip) of the master node MN or the secondary node SN apparatus.

[0147] The apparatus 10 can implement the steps or processes performed by the master node MN or the secondary node SN apparatus in FIG. 7 described above, wherein the transceiver module 11 can be used to execute the transceiver-related operations of the master node MN or the secondary node SN apparatus in FIG. 7 described above, and the processing module 12 can be used to execute the processing-related operations of the first communication apparatus in FIG. 7 described above.

[0148] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 11 is configured to receive the QoS parameters of the PDU set, and the QoS parameters of the PDU set can be the QoS guarantee requirement in the QoS profile of the QoS flow sent by the core network. The processing module 12 is configured to process related data according to the QoS parameters of the PDU set.

[0149] The sending module 13 is configured to send first indication information, which is capability indication information, for indicating PDU set processing capability of a QoS flow of the MN and / or the SN.

[0150] Optionally, the first indication information can be PDU set processing capability of the MN, or PDU set processing capability of the SN, or PDU set processing capability of the MN and the SN respectively.

[0151] Optionally, the first indication information can be QoS flow PDU set processing capability at a per-Transport Network Layer (TNL) granularity.

[0152] In another possible implementation, the receiving module 11 is configured to receive QoS parameters of a PDU set, which can be QoS guarantee requirements in a QoS profile of a QoS flow sent by another network device. The processing module 12 is configured to process related data according to the QoS parameters of the PDU set.

[0153] The sending module 13 is configured to send second indication information, which is capability indication information, for indicating PDU set processing capability of a QoS flow of the processing module 12.

[0154] It should also be understood that the apparatus 10 herein is embodied in the form of functional modules. The term “module” herein can refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated or group) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and / or other suitable components that provide the described functionality. In one optional example, those skilled in the art can understand that the apparatus 10 can be embodied as the first communication apparatus in the above-described embodiments, and can be configured to perform the processes and / or steps corresponding to the first communication apparatus in the above-described method embodiments. Alternatively, the apparatus 10 can be embodied as the second communication apparatus in the above-described embodiments, and can be configured to perform the processes and / or steps corresponding to the second communication apparatus in the above-described method embodiments. To avoid repetition, details are not described herein.

[0155] The apparatus 10 of each of the above solutions has a function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the device (e.g., the first communication apparatus) in the above method. The function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions; for example, the transceiver module can be replaced by a transceiver (e.g., the sending unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a receiver), and other units such as the processing module can be replaced by a processor, which respectively perform the transceiving operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0156] In addition, the transceiver module 11 described above can also be a transceiver circuit (e.g., which can include a receiving circuit and a sending circuit), and the processing module can be a processing circuit.

[0157] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of another communication apparatus 20 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The apparatus 20 includes a processor 21 configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in a memory 22, or read data / signaling stored in the memory 22, to perform the methods in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the processor 21 is one or more.

[0158] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 11, the apparatus 20 further includes the memory 22 configured to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The memory 22 can be integrated with the processor 21, or can be separately arranged. Optionally, the memory 22 is one or more.

[0159] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 11, the apparatus 20 further includes a transceiver 23 configured to receive and / or send signals. For example, the processor 21 is configured to control the transceiver 23 to receive and / or send signals.

[0160] As one solution, the apparatus 20 is configured to implement the operations performed by the access network device or the master node MN or the secondary node SN in the above method embodiments.

[0161] It should be appreciated that a processor as mentioned in this application can be any known or future developed processor, and more particularly, a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or the like. The general purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine, etc.

[0162] It should also be appreciated that a memory as described herein can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or a combination of both. By way of illustration, and not limitation, non-volatile memory can include read only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically EPROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can include random access memory (RAM), which acts as external cache. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in many forms such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0163] It should be noted that when the processor is a general purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, the memory (storage module) can be integrated in the processor.

[0164] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but not be limited to, the following types of memory: a cache, a buffer, a RAM, a ROM, a flash memory, a hard drive, a solid state drive, a magnetic drive, a removable media drive, a CD-ROM drive, a DVD-ROM drive, a DVD-RAM drive, a Blu-ray drive, a media card, or the like.

[0165] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 30 according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip system 30 (or also referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 31 and an input / output interface 32.

[0166] The logic circuit 31 can be a processing circuit in the chip system 30. The logic circuit 31 can be coupled to a storage unit, and invoke instructions in the storage unit, so that the chip system 30 can implement the methods and functions of the embodiments of the present application. The input / output interface 32 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system 30, and output information processed by the chip system 30, or input data or signaling information to be processed by the chip system 30.

[0167] As an option, the chip system 30 is configured to implement operations performed by the access network device or the master node MN or the secondary node SN in the above method embodiments.

[0168] For example, the logic circuit 31 is configured to implement processing-related operations performed by the access network device or the master node MN or the secondary node SN in the above method embodiments; and the input / output interface 32 is configured to implement sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0169] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer readable storage medium, which stores computer instructions for implementing the method performed by the device in the above method embodiments.

[0170] For example, the computer program is executed by a computer, so that the computer can implement the method performed by the access network device or the master node MN or the secondary node SN in the above method embodiments.

[0171] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product, which includes instructions, and the instructions are executed by a computer to implement the method performed by the access network device or the master node MN or the secondary node SN in the above method embodiments.

[0172] The embodiments of the present application also provide a communication system, which includes the above master node MN and secondary node SN.

[0173] The explanations and beneficial effects of the related contents in any of the above apparatuses can refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0174] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0175] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0176] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described device embodiments are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0177] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separated, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or can be distributed on a plurality of network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0178] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically independently, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0179] If the functions are implemented in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially or the parts that contribute to the prior art or parts of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a plurality of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

[0180] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method used in a dual-connection DC scenario, characterized in that: The master node MN receives the QoS parameters of the PDU set and sends first indication information to the core network, where the first indication information is used to indicate the processing capability of the master node MN and / or the secondary node SN for the PDU set.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first indication information is set to SUPPORTED to indicate that processing of the PDU set is supported.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The master node MN sends the QoS parameters of the PDU set to the secondary node SN, and receives second indication information sent by the secondary node SN, where the second indication information is used to indicate the processing capability of the PDU set of the secondary node SN.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The second indication information is set to SUPPORTED to indicate that processing of the PDU set is supported.

5. The method according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The PDU aggregate processing capability is the QoS flow PDU aggregate processing capability at the Transport Network Layer (TNL) granularity.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first indication information is carried in an NG interface message, and the NG interface message includes a PDU session resource setup response PDU SESSION RESOURCE SETUP RESPONSE message or a PDU session resource modification response PDU SESSION RESOURCE MODIFY RESPONSE message.

7. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that The second indication information is carried in an XN interface message, where the XN interface message includes one or more of the following messages: SN add request confirmation message (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE); SN modification request confirmation message (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE); SN modification request message (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUIRED).

8. A communication method used in a dual-connection DC scenario, characterized in that: The secondary node SN receives the PDU aggregate QoS parameter and sends second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate the processing capability of the secondary node SN for the PDU aggregate.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The secondary node SN receives the PDU set QoS parameters, including: the SN receives the QoS parameters of the PDU set from the primary node MN; Sending the second indication information includes: sending the second indication information to the MN.

10. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that The second indication information is carried in an XN interface message, where the XN interface message includes one or more of the following messages: SN add request confirmation message (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE); SN modification request confirmation message (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE); SN modification request message (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUIRED).

11. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The second indication information is set to SUPPORTED to indicate that processing of the PDU set is supported.

12. A communication method applied to dual-connection DC, characterized in that: The first network device initiates a PDU collective processing capability interaction request, carries the PDU collective processing capability information of the first network device, and receives response information from the second network device, wherein the response information includes the PDU collective processing capability information of the second network device, and the first network device and the second network device are different.

13. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that: The PDU aggregate processing capability information may be at the network device granularity or the cell granularity.

14. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that: The first network device is a master node MN in a DC scenario, and the second network device is a slave node SN in a DC scenario; Alternatively, the first network device is a secondary node SN in a DC scenario, and the second network device is a master node MN in a DC scenario.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that: The PDU set processing capability interaction request message is an XN setup request message (XN SETUP REQUEST) or an NG-RAN node configuration update message (NG-RAN NODE CONFIGURATION UPDATE); the response information of the second network device is an XN setup response message (XN SETUP RESPONSE) or an NG-RAN node configuration update confirmation message (NG-RAN NODECONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE).

16. A communication device, characterized in that: The apparatus comprises a processor coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store computer programs or instructions, and the processor being used to execute the computer programs or instructions in the memory, so that the apparatus performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

18. A chip system, characterized in that: include: A processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a communication device equipped with the chip system executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

19. A computer program product, characterized in that When the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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