Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and a related apparatus, which are beneficial to avoiding the problem of data loss. The method comprises: a terminal sends a first message to an access network device, the first message comprising first data and a first moment, the first data being service-related data, the first moment being a moment when the terminal expects to receive second data, the second data being data associated with the first data, or the second data being data associated with the first moment; and the access network device sends the second data to the terminal on the basis of the first moment.

Description

Communication method and related apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority from the Chinese patent application No. 202410698266.1 filed on May 30, 2024, and entitled "Communication method and related apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication, in particular to a communication method and related apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] In some human-computer interaction scenarios, a terminal generates interaction data in response to a user operation, and the terminal can transmit the interaction data to a server through a base station. The server makes a feedback based on the interaction data, that is, sends response data of the interaction data to the terminal through the base station. After receiving the response data from the server, the base station sends the response data to the terminal within a time length specified by a pre-configured access network (AN)-packet delay budget (PDB).

[0004] In fact, after the base station sends the response data to the terminal according to the AN-PDB, the time when the response data arrives at the terminal is more likely to be earlier than the effective time of the response data. Therefore, the terminal needs to cache the response data for a period of time until the effective time. At the effective time, the terminal can play a video picture generated according to the response data, or apply pressure to a sensor according to the response data.

[0005] However, for some lightweight terminals (for example, extended reality (XR) glasses), the storage space is limited. In the scenario where the time when the response data arrives at the terminal is earlier than the effective time of the response data, the terminal does not have enough storage space to store the response data, which may cause a data loss problem. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and related apparatus, which can help to avoid the problem of data loss.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first communication apparatus. The first communication apparatus can be a terminal, a component (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system) configured in the terminal, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the terminal, and the present application does not make any limitation in this regard. Hereinafter, the first communication apparatus is taken as an example of a terminal to introduce the communication method of the present application.

[0008] The method comprises: sending a first message, the first message comprising first data and a first time, the first data being service-related data, and the first time being a time at which the terminal expects to receive second data; and receiving the second data at the first time.

[0009] In one possible scenario, the service can be a loopback service, that is, the service has uplink data transmission and has downlink data associated with the uplink data. The uplink data corresponds to the first data in the present application, and the downlink data associated with the uplink data corresponds to the second data in the present application, that is, the second data is data associated with the first data, and the terminal expects to receive the data associated with the first data at the first time.

[0010] The data associated with the first data can also be described as response data of the first data, or feedback data of the first data.

[0011] In another possible scenario, the second data is irrelevant to the first data, and the second data is data associated with the first time, in other words, the second data is data that the terminal expects to receive at the first time.

[0012] The time at which the terminal expects to receive the second data can also be described as a time at which the terminal requires to receive the second data, or a time at which the terminal needs to receive the second data, or a time at which the terminal requests to receive the second data.

[0013] In the present application, the terminal expects to receive the second data at the first time because the terminal can immediately take effect on the second data after receiving the second data at the first time, which is advantageous to avoid the problem that the second data arrives at the terminal in advance but there is not enough storage space for storage, and further advantageous to avoid the problem of data loss.

[0014] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, between sending the first message, the method further comprises: establishing a first service flow and establishing a second service flow, the first service flow being used to carry the first message, the first message comprising the first data, that is, the first service flow being used to carry the first data, and the second service flow being used to carry the second data.

[0015] The service flow can define a set of parameters that meet the quality of service requirements of a user, and the service flow is, for example, a quality of service (QoS) flow or other terms defined in existing or future protocols that can achieve the same or similar functions, which are not limited in the present application. Hereinafter, the establishment of a first QoS flow and the establishment of a second QoS flow are taken as examples for description.

[0016] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, after the first QoS flow is established, the method further includes: receiving a first request message, the first request message being used to request establishment of a second QoS flow, the first request message comprising a first identifier of the first QoS flow.

[0017] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, after the second QoS flow is established, the method further includes: sending a second request message, the second request message being used to request establishment of the first QoS flow, the second request message comprising a first identifier of the second QoS flow.

[0018] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow are established, the method further includes: sending a third request message, the third request message being used to request establishment of the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow, the third request message comprising a first identifier of the first QoS flow and a first identifier of the second QoS flow. Alternatively, the third request message comprises QoS parameters related to the first QoS flow and QoS parameters related to the second QoS flow.

[0019] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow are established, the method further includes: sending a fourth request message, the fourth request message being used to request establishment of the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow; and receiving a response message of the fourth request message, the response message comprising a first identifier of the first QoS flow and a first identifier of the second QoS flow.

[0020] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second identifier of the first QoS flow and the second identifier of the second QoS flow are the same. The second identifier is used to indicate that the first QoS flow is related to the second QoS flow, or in other words, is used to indicate that the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow belong to the same group, or in other words, is used to indicate that the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow belong to the same service and are respectively used for uplink data transmission and downlink data transmission of the service.

[0021] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before the first message is sent, the method further includes: determining the first time according to a time at which the first data is generated and a time delay requirement.

[0022] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first message further comprises an identifier of the first data.

[0023] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before the second data is received at the first time, the method further includes: receiving configuration information, the configuration information comprising a transmission resource of the second data, the transmission resource at least comprising a time domain resource and a frequency domain resource.

[0024] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the configuration information further includes a configuration of discontinuous reception (DRX) and / or a configuration of a measurement gap.

[0025] The second aspect provides a communication method, which can be executed by a second communication device. The second communication device can be an access network device, a component (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system) configured in the access network device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network device, and the present application does not limit the second communication device. The following describes the communication method of the present application by taking the second communication device as an access network device.

[0026] The method comprises: receiving a first message, the first message comprising first data and a first time, the first data being service-related data, and the first time being a time at which a terminal expects to receive second data, the second data being data associated with the first data or data associated with the first time; and transmitting the second data based on the first time.

[0027] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, before transmitting the second data based on the first time, the method further comprises: determining, according to an identifier of a second QoS flow for carrying the second data, that the second QoS flow is associated with a first QoS flow, the first QoS flow being used to carry the first message, the first message comprising the first data, that is, the first QoS flow being used to carry the first data; and determining the first time from the first message carried by the first QoS flow.

[0028] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first message further comprises an identifier of the first data. It should be noted that the identifier of the first data is assigned by the terminal, and the terminal can transmit the identifier of the first data to the access network device through the first message.

[0029] In another possible implementation, the terminal does not assign an identifier to the first data, and the first message can not comprise the identifier of the first data. Then, the access network device assigns an identifier to the first data after receiving the first data.

[0030] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, before transmitting the second data based on the first time, the method further comprises: transmitting a second message, the second message comprising the first data, and further comprising an identifier of the first data and / or the first time; and receiving a third message, the third message comprising the second data, and further comprising the identifier of the first data and / or the first time.

[0031] It should be understood that the identification of the first data in the second message or the third message can be assigned by the terminal or can be assigned by the access network device.

[0032] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the second message further includes the identification of the first data, and the third message further includes the identification of the first data. The determining of the first time from the first message carried by the first QoS flow includes: determining the first time from the first message carried by the first QoS flow according to the identification of the first data.

[0033] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the second message further includes a second time, and the second time is a time at which the access network device expects to receive the second data.

[0034] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, after receiving the first message, the method further includes: in a case where the terminal receives the second data at the first time, sending configuration information, the configuration information including a transmission resource of the second data, the transmission resource including a time domain resource and a frequency domain resource.

[0035] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the configuration information further includes a configuration of DRX and / or a configuration of a measurement gap.

[0036] The third aspect provides a communication method, which can be executed by a third communication device. The third communication device can be a user plane function (UPF) network element, or a component (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system) configured in the UPF network element, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the UPF network element, and the present application does not limit this. Hereinafter, the communication method of the present application is introduced taking the third communication device as an example of the UPF network element.

[0037] The method includes: receiving a second message, the second message including first data, and further including an identification of the first data and / or a first time, the first data being service-related data, the first time being a time at which a terminal expects to receive second data, the second data being data associated with the first data, or the second data being data associated with the first time; and sending a third message, the third message including the second data, and further including the identification of the first data and / or the first time.

[0038] With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the second message further includes a second time, and the second time is a time at which the access network device expects to receive the second data. The sending of the third message includes: sending the third message based on the second time.

[0039] In some implementations of the third aspect, before the third message is sent, the method further includes: determining, based on the identification of the second QoS flow used to carry the second data, that the second QoS flow is associated with a first QoS flow, the first QoS flow being used to carry the second message; and determining the second time from the second message carried by the first QoS flow.

[0040] In some implementations of the third aspect, before the third message is sent, the method further includes: sending a fourth message, the fourth message including the first data, and further including an identification of the first data and / or the first time; and receiving a fifth message, the fifth message including the second data, and further including the identification of the first data and / or the first time.

[0041] In some implementations of the third aspect, the fourth message further includes a third time, the third time being a time at which the user plane function network element expects to receive the second data.

[0042] The fourth aspect provides a communication method, which can be executed by a fourth communication device. The fourth communication device can be a server, a component (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system) configured in the server, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the server, and the present application does not limit the fourth communication device. The following describes the communication method of the present application by taking the fourth communication device as an example.

[0043] The method includes: receiving a fourth message, the fourth message including first data, and further including an identification of the first data and / or a first time, the first data being service-related data, the first time being a time at which a terminal expects to receive second data, the second data being data associated with the first data, or the second data being data associated with the first time; and sending a fifth message, the fifth message including the second data, and further including the identification of the first data and / or the first time.

[0044] In some implementations of the fourth aspect, the fourth message further includes a third time, the third time being a time at which the user plane function network element expects to receive the second data. The sending of the fifth message includes: sending the fifth message based on the third time.

[0045] It should be understood that the second aspect to the fourth aspect of the present application correspond to the technical solution of the first aspect of the present application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation manners are similar, which will not be described again.

[0046] The fifth aspect provides a communication device, which includes: a module for executing the method in any possible implementation manner of any one of the above aspects. Specifically, the device includes a module for executing the method in any possible implementation manner of any one of the above aspects.

[0047] In an example, the apparatus can include a module corresponding to each of the above-described methods of the first aspect, and the module can be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0048] In another example, the apparatus is a communication chip, which can include an input circuit or interface for transmitting information or data, and an output circuit or interface for receiving information or data.

[0049] In another example, the apparatus is a terminal, an access network device, a UPF network element, or a server, which can include a transmitter for transmitting information or data, and a receiver for receiving information or data.

[0050] In another example, the apparatus is configured to perform the method in any possible implementation of the above-described aspects, and the apparatus can be configured in a terminal, an access network device, a UPF network element, or a server.

[0051] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes at least one processor configured to invoke and run a computer program from a memory, so that the apparatus performs the method in any possible implementation of any of the above-described aspects.

[0052] Optionally, the apparatus further includes a memory configured to store instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, and the processor, when executing the instructions stored in the memory, can implement the method described in the above aspects.

[0053] Optionally, the apparatus further includes a transmitter and a receiver, which can be separate or integrated together as a transceiver.

[0054] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), and when the computer program is run, the computer program causes a computer to perform the method in any possible implementation of any of the above-described aspects.

[0055] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), and when the computer program is run on a computer, the computer program causes the computer to perform the method in any possible implementation of any of the above-described aspects.

[0056] In a ninth aspect, the present disclosure provides a chip system, which includes at least one processor configured to support the functions described in any possible implementation manner of any of the aspects above, e.g., receiving or processing data involved in the methods described above, etc.

[0057] In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory configured to store program instructions and data, and the memory is located in or out of the processor.

[0058] Optionally, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0059] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system suitable for embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0060] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture suitable for embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0061] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a scenario suitable for embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0062] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of data transmission provided by embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0063] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of adjusting AN-PDB provided by embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0064] FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0065] FIGS. 7 and 8 are schematic block diagrams of communication apparatus provided by embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0066] The technical solutions in the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0067] Before introducing the communication method and related apparatus provided by embodiments of the present disclosure, the following points are explained first.

[0068] First, in the embodiments shown below, each term and English abbreviation, such as UPF, QoS flow, SDU, etc., are all exemplary examples given for convenience of description, and should not constitute any limitation on the present disclosure. The present disclosure does not exclude the possibility of defining other terms capable of achieving the same or similar functions in existing or future protocols.

[0069] Second, in the embodiments shown below, the first, second, and various numerical numbers are only used for differentiation for convenience of description, and do not limit the scope of embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the first time and the second time are only used to distinguish different times, and do not limit the chronological order.

[0070] Third, "at least one" means one or more, "multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b and c can mean: a, or b, or c, or a and b, or a and c, or b and c, or a, b and c, where a, b and c can be single or multiple.

[0071] Fourth, "sending" and "receiving" in this application represent the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending a first message to an access network device" can be understood as the destination of the first message being the access network device, which can include direct transmission through the air interface, and also includes indirect transmission through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving a first message from a terminal" can be understood as the source of the first message being the terminal, which can include direct reception from the terminal through the air interface, or indirect reception from the terminal through the air interface from other units or modules. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0072] In other words, sending and receiving can be between devices, such as between a terminal and an access network device; it can also be within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within a device through a bus, wire or interface.

[0073] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to embodiments of the present application. The communication system 1000 shown in FIG. 1 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 also includes an Internet 300. The radio access network 100 can include at least one RAN node (e.g., 110a and 110b in FIG. 1) and at least one terminal (e.g., 120a-120j in FIG. 1). The terminals are connected to the RAN nodes wirelessly, and the RAN nodes are connected to the core network 200 wirelessly or via wire. The core network device and the RAN node can be independent and different physical devices, or the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the RAN node can be integrated on the same physical device, or a physical device can integrate the functions of part of the core network device and part of the functions of the RAN node. The terminals and the terminals, and the RAN nodes and the RAN nodes can be connected to each other via wire or wirelessly. FIG. 1 is only a schematic diagram, and the communication system can also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in FIG. 1.

[0074] The radio access network 100 can be a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) related cellular system, for example, a 4th generation mobile communication technology (4G) system (also referred to as a long term evolution (LTE) system), a 5th generation mobile communication technology (5G) system (also referred to as a new radio (NR) system), or can also be applied to a next generation mobile communication system or other similar communication system (for example, a 6th generation mobile communication technology (6G) system), etc., which is not limited in the present application.

[0075] The wireless access network 100 can also be an open RAN (open-RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN). The wireless access network 100 can also be a non-terrestrial network (NTN), a satellite communication network, a high altitude platform station (HAPS) communication network, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) communication network, a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) communication network, etc. The wireless access network 100 can also be a communication system that combines two or more of the above systems.

[0076] The RAN node can also be referred to as a RAN device or an access network device. The RAN node is used to help the terminal to realize wireless access. The plurality of RAN nodes in the communication system 1000 can be the same type of node or different types of nodes.

[0077] The RAN node provided by the embodiments of the present application can be a base station, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation Node B (gNB) in 5G or NR, a RAN node in open radio access network (O-RAN or open RAN), a next generation base station in the 6th generation mobile communication technology (6G). Alternatively, the RAN node can also be a satellite base station in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication network, or a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, etc. Alternatively, the RAN node can also be a module or unit that completes part of the function of the base station, for example, can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (centralized unit, DU), the function of the CU can be implemented by one entity, or by different entities. For example, the function of the CU can be further divided, for example, the control plane (CP) and the user plane (UP) are separated, that is, the control plane of the CU (CU-CP) and the user plane of the CU (CU-UP). The RAN node can be a macro base station, the RAN node can also be a micro base station or an indoor station, can also be a relay node or a host node, etc. The specific technology and specific equipment form of the RAN node are not limited in the present application.

[0078] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver function, which can send signals to a RAN node or receive signals from a RAN node. A terminal can also be referred to as a terminal device, a terminal equipment, a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a mobile terminal, etc. A terminal can be widely applied in various scenarios, such as D2D, V2X communication, machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, automatic driving, remote medical treatment, smart power grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, etc. A terminal can be specifically a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a mechanical arm, a smart home device, etc. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form of the terminal.

[0079] A terminal can be widely applied in various scenarios for communication. The scenarios can include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), device-to-device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X), machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, automatic driving, remote medical treatment, smart power grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, or smart city, etc. A terminal can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, a helicopter, an airplane, a drone, a ship, a robot, a mechanical arm, or a smart home device, etc. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form of the terminal.

[0080] A RAN node and a terminal can be fixed in position or movable. A RAN node and a terminal can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can be deployed on water surface; can also be deployed on an airplane, a balloon and a man-made satellite. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios of a RAN node and a terminal.

[0081] The roles of the RAN nodes and the terminals can be relative. For example, the helicopter or the drone 120i in FIG. 1 can be configured to be a mobile RAN node, and for those terminals 120j that access to the wireless access network 100 through 120i, the terminal 120i is a RAN node; but for the RAN node 110a, 120i is a terminal, that is, 110a and 120i communicate through a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate through an interface protocol between RAN nodes and RAN nodes, and in this case, 120i is also a RAN node relative to 110a. Therefore, the RAN nodes and the terminals can be collectively referred to as communication apparatuses, 110a and 110b in FIG. 1 can be referred to as communication apparatuses with RAN node functions, and 120a-120j in FIG. 1 can be referred to as communication apparatuses with terminal functions.

[0082] The RAN nodes and the terminals, the RAN nodes and the RAN nodes, and the terminals and the terminals can communicate through licensed spectrum, can communicate through unlicensed spectrum, and can communicate through both licensed spectrum and unlicensed spectrum; can communicate through spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), can communicate through spectrum above 6 GHz, and can communicate through both spectrum below 6 GHz and spectrum above 6 GHz. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0083] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the RAN nodes can also be performed by modules (such as chips) in the RAN nodes, or can be performed by control subsystems containing RAN node functions. The control subsystems containing RAN node functions herein can be control centers in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. The functions of the terminals can also be performed by modules (such as chips or modems) in the terminals, or can be performed by devices containing terminal functions.

[0084] The core network device refers to a device in the core network that provides service support for the terminal. Currently, some examples of core network devices are: access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, session management function (SMF) network elements, UPF network elements, and the like, which are not listed one by one here.

[0085] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to embodiments of the present application. FIG. 2 takes the 5th generation mobile communication technology (5G) network architecture as an example, and the network functions and entities shown include: UE, RAN, UPF, AMF, SMF, data network (DN).

[0086] It should be noted that more or fewer network functions and entities than those shown in FIG. 2 can also be included in some embodiments, which are not limited herein. For example, the network architecture optionally further includes unified data management (UDM), network exposure function (NEF), policy control function (PCF), network repository function (NRF), network slice selection function (NSSF), authentication server function (AUSF), network data analytics function (NWDAF).

[0087] The names of the network functions and entities shown in the present application are all exemplary examples given for the convenience of description, and should not constitute any limitation on the present application. The present application does not exclude the possibility of defining other terms capable of achieving the same or similar functions in existing or future protocols.

[0088] The UE, RAN, UPF and DN in FIG. 2 are generally referred to as user plane (or data plane) network functions and entities, and user data traffic can be transmitted through a protocol data unit (PDU) session established between the UE and the DN, which passes through the RAN node and the UPF, which can be considered as a user plane network element of the core network. Other network elements are referred to as control plane network functions and entities (or control plane network elements), which are mainly responsible for authentication and authorization, registration management, session management, mobility management and policy control, etc., so as to realize reliable and stable transmission of user layer traffic. Among them, the user plane is used to carry service data, and the control plane is used to carry signaling messages.

[0089] The interaction relationship between network functions and entities and the corresponding interfaces are shown in FIG. 2. For example, the UE and the AMF can interact through the N1 interface, and the interaction message is called the N1 message. Some interfaces are implemented in the form of service interfaces.

[0090] The AMF is a network element, module or component that provides access management functions, and is mainly responsible for signaling processing, such as access control, mobility management, attachment and detachment, gateway selection, and the like. When the AMF network element provides services for a session in the terminal, it provides storage resources for the control plane of the session to store the identity of the session, the identity of the SMF associated with the identity of the session, and the like.

[0091] The SMF is a network element, module or component responsible for processing user traffic, such as user plane function selection, user plane function redirection, IP address allocation, and establishment, modification and release of bearers for QoS control.

[0092] The UPF is responsible for forwarding and receiving user data in the terminal. The UPF can receive user data from the DN and transmit it to the UE through the RAN node; the UPF can also receive user data from the UE through the RAN node and forward it to the DN. The transmission resources and scheduling functions provided by the UPF for the UE are managed and controlled by the SMF network element.

[0093] The related technologies and concepts involved in the present application are introduced below.

[0094] In some human-computer interaction scenarios, the terminal generates interaction data in response to user operations, and the terminal can transmit the interaction data to the server (for example, a server deployed in the DN described in FIG. 2) through the base station, and the server sends data associated with the interaction data to the terminal through the base station, which can be regarded as response data of the interaction data. After receiving the response data from the server, the base station can estimate the AN-PDB between the base station and the terminal according to historical scheduling information and application end-to-end latency, and then the base station transmits the response data to the terminal within the time period specified by the AN-PSDB. This scheduling method is called latency-based scheduling.

[0095] Referring to one example scenario of FIG. 3, the terminal is an XR eyewear, and the XR eyewear generates head turning data in response to the user's head turning operation. After receiving the head turning data, the server generates picture data associated with the head turning data according to the head turning data. Then, the server transmits the picture data to the terminal through the base station.

[0096] However, in actual data transmission process, the actual arrival time of the picture data at the base station (referred to as actual arrival time) and the theoretically arrival time of the picture data at the base station (referred to as theoretical arrival time) may have errors, as shown in the schematic diagram of data transmission in FIG. 4, if the actual arrival time of the picture data is earlier than the theoretical arrival time of the picture data, the time actually left for the base station scheduling is sufficient, but the base station still sends the picture data to the terminal according to the pre-estimated AN-PDB, so the picture data will arrive at the terminal in advance, and therefore the terminal needs to buffer the picture data until the specified picture pushing time, at which time the terminal displays the picture on the screen. If the actual arrival time of the picture data is later than the theoretical arrival time of the picture data, the picture data may be about to expire, but the base station still sends the picture data to the terminal according to the pre-estimated AN-PDB, so it is likely that the terminal receives the picture data at a time later than the specified picture pushing time, which will affect the user experience.

[0097] Based on the delay-based scheduling, considering that the data may arrive earlier or later than the theoretical arrival time, as shown in the schematic diagram of adjusting AN-PDB in FIG. 5, the base station can extend or shorten the size of AN-PDB according to the deviation between the actual arrival time and the theoretical arrival time of the data.

[0098] However, this dynamic adjustment of AN-PDB can only be applied to periodic service data transmission, because the periodic service has a theoretical arrival time, so the base station can adjust the size of AN-PDB according to the deviation between the actual arrival time and the theoretical arrival time of the data. For non-periodic services, such as random burst services, the base station may not know the generation time of the data after receiving the data, so it is more difficult to know the theoretical arrival time of the data, and it is also difficult to adjust the size of AN-PDB. In addition, under the constraint of AN-PDB, the data will most likely arrive at the terminal earlier than the specified effective time, so the data needs to be buffered on the terminal for a period of time until the specified effective time. However, for some lightweight terminals, such as XR glasses, smart bracelets, etc., the storage space is limited, and in the case that the data arrives at the terminal earlier than the effective time, the terminal does not have enough storage space to store the data, which may cause data loss.

[0099] Therefore, the present application provides a communication method, in which the terminal can inform the base station of the time at which the terminal expects to receive the data, so that the base station can send the data to the terminal accordingly, so that the terminal can receive the data at that time. After receiving the data at that time, the terminal does not need to buffer immediately, which can avoid the problem of data loss of terminals with limited storage space.

[0100] FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 600 provided by an embodiment of the present application, the method 600 comprising S601 and S602, and optionally, the method 600 further comprises S603 to S608, and the specific steps are as follows:

[0101] S601, the terminal sends a first message to the access network device, the first message comprising first data and a first time, the first data being service-related data, and the first time being a time at which the terminal expects to receive second data, the second data being data associated with the first data or data associated with the first time. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the first message.

[0102] The first data is, for example, a service data unit (SDU).

[0103] In one scenario, the second data is data associated with the first data, that is, the second data is response data or feedback data of the first data.

[0104] In one example scenario, the terminal is an XR eyewear, the XR eyewear generates head turning data in response to a head turning operation of a user, and then the terminal can receive picture data of an angle corresponding to the head turning data. In this example, the first data is the head turning data, and the data associated with the first data is picture data of an angle corresponding to the head turning data. The head turning data can also be described as a control instruction related to head turning.

[0105] In another example scenario, the terminal is a mobile phone, the mobile phone generates original image data in response to a photographing operation of a user, and then the mobile phone can receive image data rendered from the original image data. In this example, the first data is the original image data, and the data associated with the first data is image data rendered from the original image data.

[0106] In another example scenario, the terminal is an XR haptic glove, the XR haptic glove generates gesture data in response to a gesture operation of a user, and then the XR haptic glove can receive touch data corresponding to the gesture data. In this example, the first data is the gesture data, and the data associated with the first data is the touch data.

[0107] In another scenario, the second data is data associated with the first time, and is irrelevant to the first data, that is, the second data is data that the terminal expects to receive at the first time.

[0108] The time at which the terminal expects to receive the second data can also be described as a time at which the terminal requires to receive the second data, or a time at which the terminal requests to receive the second data, or a time at which the terminal needs to receive the second data.

[0109] S602, the access network device sends the second data to the terminal based on the first time. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the second data.

[0110] In a possible implementation, the terminal comprises a communication interface and an application (or a sensor), for example, a camera application, a video application, a game application, etc., and a sensor, for example, a camera, a pressure sensor, a tactile sensor, a visual sensor, a biological sensor, etc. The application (or the sensor) generates the first data and transmits the first data to the communication interface, and then the communication interface sends the first data to the access network device. Correspondingly, the communication interface of the terminal receives the second data from the access network device, and then the communication interface sends the second data to the application (or the sensor) and makes the second data take effect on the application (or the sensor), for example, the camera application displays an image generated based on the second data, for another example, the video application displays a video generated based on the second data, and for another example, the tactile sensor applies pressure generated based on the second data.

[0111] It should be noted that after the application (or the sensor) generates the first data, the application (or the sensor) can send the first data and a fourth time to the communication interface, the fourth time being a time at which the application (or the sensor) expects to receive the second data, or in other words, the fourth time being a time at which the second data takes effect on the application (or the sensor).

[0112] Wherein, the taking effect can be replaced by using, implementing, executing, displaying, playing, etc. With reference to the above examples, the first data is the head turning data, and the second data is picture data corresponding to an angle of the head turning data, and the taking effect means playing a picture generated based on the picture data; the first data is original image data, and the second data is image data rendered based on the original image data, and the taking effect means displaying an image generated based on the rendered image data; the first data is a finger operation, and the second data is touch data corresponding to the finger operation, and the taking effect means applying pressure to the sensor based on the touch data, or executing a vibration operation.

[0113] In a possible implementation, the application (or the sensor) determines the fourth time according to a time at which the first data is generated and a time delay requirement. The time delay requirement can be a requirement of a round trip time (RTT) or a requirement of a motion-to-photon (MTP) time delay.

[0114] It should be understood that the fourth time is time information at an application layer, for example, a time of several o'clock, several minutes and several seconds.

[0115] The first time point is a time point at which the terminal expects to receive the second data. After receiving the first data and the fourth time point, the communication interface determines the first time point based on the fourth time point and taking into account one or more of the following delay factors: a time delay of the second data from the communication interface to the application (or sensor), a scheduling time delay of the communication interface, or an internal processing time delay of the communication interface. Based on the above definition of the first time point, the communication interface can directly send the second data to the application (or sensor) without storing the second data after receiving the second data at the first time point.

[0116] The first time point is time information that can be understood by the communication system, for example, a system frame number, a time slot number, or an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol.

[0117] More specifically, S602 includes: determining, by the access network device, a sending time point of the second data based on the first time point and the delay factors, denoted as a fifth time point, and sending the second data to the terminal at the fifth time point. The delay factors include one or more of the following: network load conditions, UE behavior, a transmission time delay between the access network device and the terminal, an internal processing time delay of the access network device, or a scheduling time delay of the access network device. In this way, the access network device sends the second data at the fifth time point, which can meet the requirement of the terminal receiving the second data at the first time point.

[0118] It should be noted that when the transmission time delay between the access network device and the terminal is very short, even shorter than a unit of time, the first time point and the fifth time point can be the same time point. For example, when the time unit is a time slot and each time slot is 0.5 ms, when the transmission time delay between the access network device and the terminal is shorter than 0.5 ms, the time slot number of the fifth time point is the same as the time slot number of the first time point, that is, the first time point and the fifth time point are the same time point.

[0119] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal expects to receive the second data at the first time point because the terminal can immediately take effect of the second data after receiving the second data at the first time point. Therefore, for the terminal with limited storage space, it is beneficial to avoid the problem that the second data arrives at the terminal in advance but there is not enough storage space for storage, and further to avoid the problem of data loss.

[0120] In some other embodiments, the method 600 can further include more steps, for example, S603 to S608 described below, and the introduction of each step is as follows.

[0121] The terminal has one service associated uplink and downlink data transmission, and the data characteristics of the two-way data transmission are quite different. For example, the turnaround data of the uplink transmission has high delay requirement but low bandwidth requirement, and the picture data of the downlink transmission has high bandwidth requirement but no reliability requirement. Therefore, two different service flows need to be established to meet the transmission requirements of uplink and downlink. The service flow can define a set of parameters that meet the quality of service requirements of the user, such as QoS flow, or other terms with the same or similar functions defined in existing or future protocols, which are not limited in the present application. The following describes the establishment of two QoS flows as an example, and the two QoS flows are used for uplink transmission and downlink transmission respectively.

[0122] In a possible implementation, before S601, the method 600 further includes S603: the terminal interacts with a control plane network element of the core network to establish a first QoS flow and a second QoS flow, wherein the first QoS flow is used to carry the first message, and the second QoS flow is used to carry the second data. After the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow are established, the terminal can transmit the service-related data with the UPF network element.

[0123] The scheduling of the above-mentioned first QoS flow and the second QoS flow has correlation, or in other words, is corresponding, therefore, the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow need to be associated, through the association relationship of the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow, the data carried by the QoS flow can be associated with the data carried by the second QoS flow, and accurate scheduling of the data is realized.

[0124] The following describes how to associate the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow.

[0125] In a possible implementation, the terminal first triggers the establishment of the first QoS flow, and after the establishment of the first QoS flow, the control plane network element (for example, the AMF network element) triggers the establishment of the second QoS flow, for example, the control plane network element sends a first request message to the terminal, the first request message is used to request the establishment of the second QoS flow, and the first request message includes a first identifier of the first QoS flow. Optionally, the first request message further includes a first identifier of the second QoS flow. In this way, the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow are associated by carrying the first identifier of the first QoS flow in the message for requesting the establishment of the second QoS flow.

[0126] The first identifier is a flow identifier of the QoS flow, for example, a QoS flow identifier (QoS flow identifier, QFI), or a 5G QoS identifier (5G QoS identifier, 5QI), or an identifier with similar functions, which are not limited in the present application.

[0127] In another possible implementation, the control plane network element first triggers establishment of the second QoS flow, and after the second QoS flow is established, the terminal triggers establishment of the first QoS flow, for example, the terminal sends a second request message to the control plane network element, the second request message is used to request establishment of the first QoS flow, and the second request message includes the first identifier of the second QoS flow. In this way, the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow are associated by carrying the first identifier of the first QoS flow and the first identifier of the second QoS flow in the message for requesting establishment of the first QoS flow.

[0128] It should be noted that the terminal sends the first identifier of the first QoS flow to the control plane network element in the process of establishing the first QoS flow, so that the control plane network element can obtain the first identifier of the first QoS flow, and then can carry the first identifier of the first QoS flow in the first request message. Similarly, the control plane network element sends the first identifier of the second QoS flow to the terminal in the process of establishing the second QoS flow, so that the terminal can obtain the first identifier of the second QoS flow, and then can carry the first identifier of the second QoS flow in the second request message.

[0129] In another possible implementation, the terminal triggers establishment of the first QoS flow and establishment of the second QoS flow, for example, the terminal sends a third request message to the control plane network element, the third request message is used to request establishment of the first QoS flow and establishment of the second QoS flow, and the third request message includes the first identifier of the first QoS flow and the first identifier of the second QoS flow, so that the terminal requests to establish two QoS flows at a time, and the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow are associated by carrying the first identifier of the first QoS flow and the first identifier of the second QoS flow in the third request message.

[0130] In another possible implementation, the terminal triggers establishment of the first QoS flow and establishment of the second QoS flow, for example, the terminal sends a fourth request message to the control plane network element, the fourth request message is used to request establishment of the first QoS flow and establishment of the second QoS flow. The terminal receives a response message of the fourth request message from the control plane network element, and the response message includes the first identifier of the first QoS flow and the first identifier of the second QoS flow. In this way, the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow are associated by carrying the first identifier of the first QoS flow and the first identifier of the second QoS flow in the response message of the fourth request message.

[0131] In another possible implementation, after the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow are established, the control plane network element allocates a unified identifier for the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow to associate the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow.

[0132] The unified identifier can be regarded as a second identifier of the first QoS flow and a second identifier of the second QoS flow. For example, the second identifier is a group identifier (or called a group identification, a group identifier, a class identifier), and the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow have the same group identifier, which indicates that the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow belong to the same group, that is, the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow are associated.

[0133] In combination with the above description, in a possible implementation, when the terminal establishes the first QoS flow, the terminal can send a fifth request message to the control plane network element, the fifth request message being used to request to establish the first QoS flow, and the fifth request message carrying the first identifier of the first QoS flow and the second identifier of the first QoS flow; or the terminal receives a response message of the fifth request message from the control plane network element, and the response message includes the first identifier and the second identifier of the first QoS flow. After the first QoS flow is established, when the second QoS flow is established, the control plane network element sends a sixth request message to the terminal, and the sixth request message includes the first identifier and the second identifier of the second QoS flow, so that the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow both have the second identifier, which indicates that the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow belong to the same group, or belong to the same service and are respectively used for uplink transmission and downlink transmission.

[0134] After receiving the first message, the access network device can determine whether the terminal can receive the second data at the first time according to the capability of the access network device, or whether the terminal can receive the second data at the first time. In a possible implementation, the access network device determines whether the terminal can receive the second data at the first time according to the RTT between the access network device and the terminal in a historical time.

[0135] For example, the historical round-trip delay is 10 ms, the time when the terminal sends the first data is t1, the first time is t2, if t2-t1 is less than 10 ms, the access network device cannot meet the requirement of the terminal receiving the second data at the first time, and if t2-t1 is greater than or equal to 10 ms, the access network device can meet the requirement of the terminal receiving the second data at the first time.

[0136] In another possible implementation, the access network device can estimate whether the access network device has enough transmission resources to schedule the second data at a fifth time, and the fifth time is the time when the access network device sends the second data. For example, for some real-time services or services of a guaranteed bit rate (GBR) type, the access network device has reserved transmission resources in advance for the services, that is, the access network device has no idle resources to schedule the second data at the fifth time, and therefore cannot meet the requirement of the terminal receiving the second data at the first time.

[0137] Optionally, before S602, the method 600 further includes S604: the access network device sends configuration information to the terminal, and the terminal receives the configuration information, in the case that the access network device can meet the requirement of the terminal receiving the second data at the first time. The configuration information includes the transmission resource of the second data, for example, the time domain resource and the frequency domain resource, to inform the terminal to detect the second data sent by the access network device at which time and in which frequency band.

[0138] In some possible cases, the terminal is in a DRX sleep phase at the first time, in which the terminal can stop part or all of the function modules and thus cannot receive the second data. Therefore, the access network device can adjust the DRX configuration based on the first time, and carry the configuration of the adjusted DRX in the configuration information, to avoid the case that the terminal cannot receive the second data at the first time due to being in the DRX sleep phase.

[0139] In some possible cases, the first time is in a time period corresponding to a measurement gap, that is, the terminal can perform cell measurement or the like at the first time, and the terminal cannot perform data transmission in the time period corresponding to the measurement gap. Therefore, the access network device can adjust the configuration of the measurement gap based on the first time, and carry the configuration of the adjusted measurement gap in the configuration information, so that the first time is in the time period corresponding to the measurement gap, and thus the case that the terminal cannot receive the second data at the first time is avoided.

[0140] The service of the terminal can generate multiple pieces of data, and the multiple pieces of data can be distinguished by the identifier of the data. The first data in the embodiment of the application is one piece of data, for example, the first data is one PDU set, and one PDU set can be regarded as one piece of data, and for another example, the first data is one data burst, and one data burst can be regarded as one piece of data.

[0141] As an optional embodiment, the first message further includes the identifier of the first data, which is the identifier of the service, for example, the identifier of the PDU set or the identifier of the data burst. When the first data is image data, the identifier of the first data can be the identifier of the image.

[0142] In the above description, the terminal includes a communication interface and an application (or a sensor), the application (or the sensor) can assign an identifier to the first data, and then the application (or the sensor) sends the identifier of the first data to the communication interface. Alternatively, the application (or the sensor) does not assign an identifier to the first data, and then the communication interface assigns an identifier to the first data after receiving the first data from the application (or the sensor).

[0143] The identifier of the first data can also be described as an index of the first data, or a sequence number (SN) of the first data, and embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0144] After receiving the first message, in a case where the first message further includes the identifier of the first data, the access network device records an association relationship between the identifier of the first data and the first time, which indicates that the terminal expects to receive the second data at the first time.

[0145] For example, the terminal obtains first head turning data in response to a head turning operation of a user, the first head turning data corresponds to identifier 1, and the terminal expects to receive picture data associated with the first head turning data at t1, and then the access network device can record an association relationship between identifier 1 and t1, which indicates that the terminal expects to receive the picture data associated with the first head turning data at t1. Subsequently, the terminal obtains second head turning data in response to a head turning operation of the user, the second head turning data corresponds to identifier 2, and the terminal expects to receive picture data associated with the second head turning data at t2, and then the access network device can further record an association relationship between identifier 2 and t2, which indicates that the terminal expects to receive the picture data associated with the second head turning data at t2. In this way, after subsequently receiving the picture data associated with the first head turning data and identifier 1, the access network device can determine, according to identifier 1, that the terminal expects to receive the picture data associated with the first head turning data at t1, and determine, according to identifier 2, that the terminal expects to receive the picture data associated with the second head turning data at t2.

[0146] Optionally, before S602, the method 600 further includes S605: the access network device sends a second message to the UPF network element, the second message includes the first data, and further includes the identifier of the first data and / or the first time. Correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the second message. Further, after S605, the method 600 further includes S606: the UPF network element sends a fourth message to the server, the fourth message includes the first data, and further includes the identifier of the first data and / or the first time, and correspondingly, the server receives the fourth message.

[0147] The UPF network element can transparently transmit the message from the access network device to the server, that is, the second message and the fourth message can be the same message, and the fourth message includes the same content as the second message.

[0148] For example, the second message includes the first data, and further includes the identifier of the first data, and correspondingly, the fourth message includes the first data, and further includes the identifier of the first data. This way of transmitting the identifier of the first data is beneficial to reducing signaling overhead. For ease of description, the first data and the identifier of the first data are referred to as content 1 in the following, and in this example, the second message includes the content 1, and the fourth message includes the content 1.

[0149] For example, the second message includes the first data, and further includes the first time, and correspondingly, the fourth message includes the first data, and further includes the first time. This way of transmitting time information is more direct and efficient. For ease of description, the first data and the first time are referred to as content 2 in the following. In this example, the second message includes the content 2, and the fourth message includes the content 2.

[0150] The first time in the content 1 can be replaced by a fifth time, that is, the second message includes the first data, and further includes the fifth time. For ease of description, the first data and the fifth time are referred to as content 3 in the following. In this example, the second message includes the content 3, and the fourth message includes the content 3.

[0151] On the basis of the second message including the content 1 and the fourth message including the content 1, the second message further includes the fifth time, that is, the second message includes the first data, an identifier of the first data, and the fifth time, and the fourth message includes the first data, the identifier of the first data, and the fifth time. For ease of description, the first data, the identifier of the first data, and the fifth time are referred to as content 4 in the following. In this example, the second message includes the content 4, and the fourth message includes the content 4.

[0152] On the basis of the second message including the content 2 and the fourth message including the content 2, the second message further includes the fifth time, and the fourth message further includes the fifth time, that is, the second message includes the first data, the first time, and the fifth time, and the fourth message includes the first data, the first time, and the fifth time. For ease of description, the first data, the first time, and the fifth time are referred to as content 5 in the following. In this example, the second message includes the content 5, and the fourth message includes the content 5.

[0153] In order to control the transmission delay between the access network device and the UPF network element, and further ensure that the terminal receives the second data at the first time, after receiving the first message, the access network device determines a time at which the access network device expects to receive the second data according to the first time, which is referred to as a second time. Then, the access network device can carry the second time in the second message, that is, the second message further includes the second time on the basis of any one of the content 1 to the content 5. In this way, the subsequent UPF network element can send the second data to the access network device based on the second time, which will be described in detail below.

[0154] It should be understood that the access network device determines the second time based on the first time and considering one or more of the following delay factors: transmission delay between the access network device and the terminal, internal processing delay of the access network device, or scheduling delay of the access network device. The access network device receives the second data at the second time, which can ensure that the terminal receives the second data at the first time.

[0155] In order to control the transmission delay between the UPF network element and the server, and further ensure that the terminal receives the second data at the first time, after receiving the second message, the UPF network element determines a time at which the UPF network element expects to receive the second data according to the second time, denoted as a third time. Then, the UPF network element can carry the third time in the fourth message, that is, the fourth message further includes the third time on the basis of any one of content 1 to content 5, so that the subsequent server can send the second data to the UPF network element based on the third time. For details, see the description below, which is not described here.

[0156] It should be understood that the UPF network element determines the third time based on the second time and taking into account one or more of the following delay factors: transmission delay between the UPF network element and the access network device, internal processing delay of the UPF network element, or scheduling delay of the UPF network element. The UPF network element receives the second data at the third time, which can ensure that the access network device receives the second data at the second time.

[0157] In the above description, the first data of the terminal is transmitted to the server through the base station and the UPF network element. The access network device can also send the identifier of the first data and / or the first time to the server through the UPF network element while sending the first data to the server through the UPF network element. The process of the server sending the second data to the terminal through the UPF network element and the access network device is introduced below.

[0158] After receiving the fourth message, the server obtains the second data based on the first data. For example, based on the head data, the picture data corresponding to the angle of the head data is obtained. For another example, based on the original image data, the rendered image data is obtained. For another example, based on the gesture data, the touch data of the sensor is obtained.

[0159] Optionally, after S606, the method 600 further includes S607: the server sends a fifth message to the UPF network element, the fifth message including the second data and further including the identifier of the first data and / or the first time, and correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the fifth message. Further, after S607, the method 600 further includes S608: the UPF network element sends a third message to the access network device, the third message including the second data and further including the identifier of the first data and / or the first time, and correspondingly, the access network device receives the third message.

[0160] The UPF network element can pass the message from the server to the access network device, that is, the fifth message and the third message can be the same message. The content included in the fifth message is related to the content included in the fourth message, and the content included in the third message can be the same as the content included in the fifth message.

[0161] For example, the fourth message includes the content 1, and correspondingly, the fifth message includes the second data, and further includes the identifier of the first data, and correspondingly, the third message includes the second data, and further includes the identifier of the first data. For the convenience of description, the second data and the identifier of the first data are referred to as the content 6 hereinafter, and in this example, the fifth message includes the content 6, and the third message includes the content 6.

[0162] For another example, the fourth message includes the content 2, and correspondingly, the fifth message includes the second data, and further includes the first time, and correspondingly, the third message includes the second data, and further includes the first time. For the convenience of description, the second data and the first time are referred to as the content 7 hereinafter, and in this example, the fifth message includes the content 7, and the third message includes the content 7.

[0163] For another example, the fourth message includes the content 3, and correspondingly, the fifth message includes the second data, and further includes the fifth time, and correspondingly, the third message includes the second data, and further includes the fifth time. For the convenience of description, the second data and the fifth time are referred to as the content 8 hereinafter, and in this example, the fifth message includes the content 8, and the third message includes the content 8.

[0164] For another example, the fourth message includes the content 4, and correspondingly, the fifth message includes the content 6, and further includes the fifth time, that is, the fifth message includes the second data, the identifier of the first data, and the fifth time, and correspondingly, the third message includes the second data, the identifier of the first data, and the fifth time. For the convenience of description, the data associated with the first data, the identifier of the first data, and the fifth time are referred to as the content 9 hereinafter.

[0165] For another example, the fourth message includes the content 5, and correspondingly, the fifth message includes the content 7, and further includes the fifth time, that is, the fifth message includes the second data, the first time, and the fifth time, and correspondingly, the third message includes the second data, the first time, and the fifth time. For the convenience of description, the data associated with the first data, the first time, and the fifth time are referred to as the content 10 hereinafter.

[0166] After receiving the third message, the access network device can send the second data to the terminal based on the content included in the third message. More specifically, since the terminal can establish multiple QoS flows for transmitting uplink data, the access network device first needs to determine the QoS flow associated with the second QoS flow carrying the second data, that is, the first QoS flow, and then the access network device determines the first time from the first message carried by the first QoS flow, and then the access network device can perform the above S602, that is, sends the second data to the terminal based on the first time.

[0167] The following further describes how to determine that the second QoS flow is associated with the first QoS flow in combination with the identifier of the second QoS flow.

[0168] In a possible implementation, the third message further comprises the first identifier of the second QoS flow on the basis of any one of the content 6 to the content 10 described above, and the access network device determines, according to the first identifier of the second QoS flow, that the second QoS flow is associated with the first QoS flow by searching the stored association relationship of the QoS flow after receiving the third message.

[0169] In another possible implementation, the third message further comprises the second identifier of the second QoS flow on the basis of any one of the content 6 to the content 10 described above, and the access network device determines, according to the second identifier of the second QoS flow, that the first QoS flow having the same second identifier as the second QoS flow by searching the stored association relationship of the QoS flow after receiving the third message, in other words, the second identifier of the first QoS flow and the second identifier of the second QoS flow are the same, which means that the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow are associated.

[0170] In addition, in another possible implementation, the third message further comprises the first identifier of the first QoS flow and the first identifier of the second QoS flow on the basis of any one of the content 6 to the content 10 described above, and the access network device can determine that the first QoS flow is associated with the second QoS flow according to the third message after receiving the third message.

[0171] The first identifier and the second identifier can be referred to the description in the above, which will not be repeated here.

[0172] It should be noted that, in the case that the third message comprises the content 6 described above, since the content 6 does not comprise the receiving time and / or the sending time of the data associated with the first data, the access network device first determines that the second QoS flow is associated with the first QoS flow according to the description in the above, and then, since the first QoS flow can carry multiple messages, the data related to the services included in different messages can correspond to different receiving times, therefore, the access network device can determine the receiving time corresponding to the first data, i.e., the first time, from the first message carried by the first QoS according to the identifier of the first data. In addition, if the access network device stores the association relationship between the configuration information for transmitting the second data and the identifier of the first data, the access network device can send the second data to the terminal based on the configuration information. The configuration information comprises the transmission resource of the second data, and optionally, further comprises the configuration of the DRX and the configuration of the measurement gap.

[0173] It should be noted that, in the case that the third message includes any one of the above content 7 to content 10, the access network device can determine the time (i.e., the fifth time) at which the second data is sent to the terminal and / or the time (i.e., the first time) at which the terminal expects to receive the second data from the third message, so that the access network device does not need to query the stored information to determine the first time or the fifth time, and such an implementation is more simple and efficient.

[0174] In combination with the foregoing description, if the fourth message further includes the third time on the basis of any one of the above content 1 to content 5, S607 includes: the server sends the fifth message to the UPF network element based on the third time. More specifically, the server determines the time at which the second data is sent to the UPF network element based on the third time and a delay factor, denoted as the sixth time, and sends the fifth message to the UPF network element at the sixth time. The delay factor includes one or more of the following: a transmission delay between the server and the UPF network element, an internal processing delay of the server, or a scheduling delay of the server. The server sends the second data to the UPF network element at the sixth time, which can meet the requirement that the UPF network element receives the second data at or before the third time.

[0175] In combination with the foregoing description, if the second message further includes the second time on the basis of any one of the above content 1 to content 5, S608 includes: the UPF network element sends the third message to the access network device based on the second time. More specifically, the UPF network element determines the seventh time based on the second time and a delay factor, and sends the third message to the access network device at the seventh time. The delay factor includes one or more of the following: a transmission delay between the UPF network element and the access network device, an internal processing delay of the UPF network element, or a scheduling delay of the UPF network element. The UPF network element sends the second data to the access network device at the seventh time, which can meet the requirement that the access network device receives the second data at or before the second time.

[0176] Before the UPF network element sends the third message to the access network device based on the second time, it first needs to determine that the time at which the access network device expects to receive the second data is the second time. In one possible implementation, the UPF network element determines the second time, including: the UPF network element determines, according to the identifier of the second QoS flow that carries the second data, that the second QoS flow is associated with the first QoS flow, and then the UPF network element determines the second time from the second message carried by the first QoS flow. In the case that the above second message further includes the identifier of the first data, the UPF network element determines the second time from the second message carried by the first QoS flow, including: the UPF network element determines the second time from the second message carried by the first QoS flow according to the identifier of the first data.

[0177] The UPF network element determines the second time in a more specific manner similar to the manner in which the access network device determines the first time, for example, according to the first identifier of the second QoS flow or the second identifier of the second QoS flow, determines that the second QoS flow is associated with the first QoS, and then determines the second time from the second message carried by the first QoS flow. For details, refer to the description above, which will not be repeated here.

[0178] It should be understood that the size of the sequence number of each process described above does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0179] The communication method according to the embodiments of the present application is described in detail above in combination with FIG. 6. The communication device according to the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below in combination with FIG. 7 and FIG. 8.

[0180] FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 700 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The device 700 includes a transceiver module 710. Optionally, the device 700 further includes a processing module 720.

[0181] The processing module 720 is configured to perform data processing. The transceiver module 710 can implement corresponding communication functions. The transceiver module 710 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication module.

[0182] Optionally, the device 700 can further include a storage module, which can be configured to store data, and / or store computer programs or instructions. The processing module 720 can read the computer programs / instructions and / or data in the storage module, so that the device 700 implements the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0183] The device 700 can be configured to perform the actions performed by the terminal, the access network device or the UPF network element in the above-mentioned method embodiments. Alternatively, the device 700 is a component (such as a chip) configured in the terminal, the access network device or the UPF network element. The processing module 720 is configured to perform processing-related operations of the terminal, the access network device or the UPF network element in the above-mentioned method embodiments. The transceiver module 710 is configured to perform receiving and sending-related operations of the terminal, the access network device or the UPF network element in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0184] Optionally, the transceiver module 710 can include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is configured to perform the sending operations in the above-mentioned method embodiments. The receiving module is configured to perform the receiving operations in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0185] It should be noted that the apparatus 700 can include the sending module but not the receiving module. Alternatively, the apparatus 700 can include the receiving module but not the sending module. Whether the apparatus 700 includes the sending module or the receiving module can depend on whether the apparatus 700 performs the sending action or the receiving action in the above-described solutions.

[0186] Optionally, the apparatus 700 is configured to perform the actions performed by the terminal, the access network device, or the UPF network element in the above-described embodiments of FIG. 6. Details can be referred to the related description in the above-described embodiments of FIG. 6, which will not be repeated here.

[0187] In one embodiment, the transceiver module 710 is configured to: send a first message, the first message including first data and a first time, the first data being service-related data, the first time being a time at which the terminal expects to receive second data, the second data being data associated with the first data, or the second data being data associated with the first time; and receive the second data at the first time.

[0188] Optionally, the processing module 720 is configured to: establish a first QoS flow, and establish a second QoS flow, the first QoS flow being configured to carry the first message, and the second QoS flow being configured to carry the second data.

[0189] Optionally, the transceiver module 710 is configured to: receive a first request message, the first request message being configured to request establishment of the second QoS flow, the first request message including a first identifier of the first QoS flow.

[0190] Optionally, the transceiver module 710 is configured to: send a second request message, the second request message being configured to request establishment of the first QoS flow, the second request message including a first identifier of the second QoS flow.

[0191] Optionally, the transceiver module 710 is configured to: send a third request message, the third request message being configured to request establishment of the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow, the third request message including the first identifier of the first QoS flow and the first identifier of the second QoS flow.

[0192] Optionally, the transceiver module 710 is configured to: send a fourth request message, the fourth request message being configured to request establishment of the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow; and receive a response message to the fourth request message, the response message including the first identifier of the first QoS flow and the first identifier of the second QoS flow.

[0193] Optionally, a second identifier of the first QoS flow and a second identifier of the second QoS flow are the same.

[0194] Optionally, the processing module 720 is configured to: determine the first time according to a time at which the first data is generated and a latency requirement.

[0195] Optionally, the first message further comprises an identification of the first data.

[0196] Optionally, the transceiver 710 is configured to receive configuration information, the configuration information comprising a transmission resource of the second data.

[0197] Optionally, the configuration information further comprises a configuration of DRX and / or a configuration of measurement gap.

[0198] In this embodiment, those skilled in the art can understand that the apparatus 700 can be specifically a terminal in the above-described embodiment shown in FIG. 6, or the functions of the terminal in the above-described embodiment shown in FIG. 6 can be integrated in the apparatus 700. The above-described functions can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software comprises one or more modules corresponding to the above-described functions. The apparatus 700 can be configured to perform each process and / or step corresponding to the terminal in the above-described method embodiments.

[0199] In another embodiment, the transceiver 710 is configured to receive a first message, the first message comprising first data and a first time, the first data being service-related data, the first time being a time at which the terminal expects to receive second data, the second data being data associated with the first data, or the second data being data associated with the first time; and transmit the second data based on the first time.

[0200] Optionally, the processing module 720 is configured to determine, according to an identification of a second QoS flow used to carry the second data, that the second QoS flow is associated with a first QoS flow, the first QoS flow being used to carry the first message; and determine the first time from the first message carried by the first QoS flow.

[0201] Optionally, the first message further comprises an identification of the first data.

[0202] Optionally, the transceiver 710 is configured to transmit a second message, the second message comprising the first data, and further comprising an identification of the first data and / or the first time; and receive a third message, the third message comprising the second data, and further comprising the identification of the first data and / or the first time.

[0203] Optionally, the second message further comprises the identification of the first data, and the third message further comprises the identification of the first data; and the processing module 720 is configured to determine the first time from the first message carried by the first QoS flow according to the identification of the first data.

[0204] Optionally, the second message further comprises a second time, the second time being a time at which the access network device expects to receive the second data.

[0205] Optionally, the transceiver 710 is configured to: in a case that the terminal receives the second data at the first time point, send configuration information, the configuration information comprising transmission resource of the second data.

[0206] Optionally, the configuration information further comprises configuration of DRX and / or configuration of measurement gap.

[0207] In this embodiment, those skilled in the art can understand that the apparatus 700 can be specifically the access network device in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, or the functions of the access network device in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 can be integrated in the apparatus 700. The above functions can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software comprises one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. The apparatus 700 can be used to execute various processes and / or steps corresponding to the access network device in the above method embodiments.

[0208] In another embodiment, the transceiver 710 is configured to: receive a second message, the second message comprising the first data, and further comprising identification of the first data and / or the first time point, the first data being service-related data, and the first time point being a time point at which the terminal expects to receive the second data, the second data being data associated with the first data, or the second data being data associated with the first time point; and send a third message, the third message comprising the second data, and further comprising the identification of the first data and / or the first time point.

[0209] Optionally, the second message further comprises a second time point, the second time point being a time point at which the access network device expects to receive the second data; and the transceiver 710 is configured to: based on the second time point, send the third message.

[0210] Optionally, the processing module 720 is configured to: determine, according to the identification of the second QoS flow used to carry the second data, that the second QoS flow is associated with the first QoS flow, the first QoS flow being used to carry the second message; and determine the second time point from the second message carried by the first QoS flow.

[0211] Optionally, the transceiver 710 is configured to: send a fourth message, the fourth message comprising the first data, and further comprising the identification of the first data and / or the first time point; and receive a fifth message, the fifth message comprising the second data, and further comprising the identification of the first data and / or the first time point.

[0212] Optionally, the fourth message further comprises a third time point, the third time point being a time point at which the user plane function network element expects to receive the second data.

[0213] In this embodiment, those skilled in the art can understand that the apparatus 700 can be specifically a UPF network element in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, or the functions of the UPF network element in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 can be integrated in the apparatus 700. The above functions 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. The apparatus 700 can be used to execute each process and / or step corresponding to the UPF network element in the above method embodiment.

[0214] It should be understood that the apparatus 700 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 (for example, a shared processor, a dedicated processor, or a group processor, etc.) and a memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, a combination logic circuit, and / or other suitable components that support the described functions.

[0215] In the embodiment of the present application, the apparatus 700 can also be a chip or a chip system, for example, a system on chip (SoC). Correspondingly, the transceiver module can be a transceiver circuit of the chip, which is not limited herein.

[0216] FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of another communication apparatus 800 provided by the embodiment of the present application. The apparatus 800 includes a processor 810. Optionally, the sensing apparatus 800 further includes a transceiver 820 and a memory 830. Wherein, the processor 810, the transceiver 820 and the memory 830 communicate with each other through an internal connection path, the memory 830 is used to store instructions, and the processor 810 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 830 to control the transceiver 820 to transmit and / or receive signals.

[0217] The number of the processor 810 can be one or more.

[0218] The processor 810 and the memory 830 can be separately arranged, or can be integrated together.

[0219] Optionally, the apparatus 800 further includes a power supply circuit, which can be used to supply power for the apparatus 800.

[0220] It should be understood that the apparatus 800 can be specifically a terminal, an access network device or a UPF network element in the above-described embodiments, or the functions of the terminal, the access network device or the UPF network element in the above-described embodiments can be integrated in the apparatus 800, and the apparatus 800 can be used to perform each step and / or process corresponding to the terminal, the access network device or the UPF network element in the above-described method embodiments. Optionally, the memory 830 can include a read-only memory and a random access memory, and provide instructions and data for the processor. Part of the memory can also include a non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory can also store device type information. The processor 810 can be used to execute the instructions stored in the memory, and when the processor executes the instructions, the processor 810 can perform each step and / or process corresponding to the terminal, the access network device or the UPF network element in the above-described method embodiments.

[0221] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer readable storage medium for storing a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method described in the above-described embodiments.

[0222] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product, which comprises a computer program or instructions, which, when executed, causes a computer to perform the method described in the above-described embodiments.

[0223] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the processor can be a central processing unit (CPU), and the processor can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), ASICs, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor.

[0224] In the implementation process, each step of the above-described method can be completed by the integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor or the instructions in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as hardware processor execution completion, or executed by the combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, or other mature storage media in the art. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor executes the instructions in the memory to complete the steps of the above-described method in combination with the hardware. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0225] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the modules 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.

[0226] 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 module can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0227] 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 merely schematic, for example, the division of the modules is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, multiple modules 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 displayed or discussed modules can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0228] The modules described as separate components can or can not be physically separated, and the components displayed as modules can or can not be physical modules, that is, they can be located in one place, or can be distributed on multiple network modules. According to actual needs, part or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0229] In addition, each functional module in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated into a processing module, or each module can exist physically, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module.

[0230] If the functions are implemented in the form of software function modules 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 number 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.

[0231] 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, characterized in that, include: Send a first message, the first message including first data and a first moment, the first data being business-related data, the first moment being the moment when the terminal expects to receive the second data, the second data being data associated with the first data, or the second data being data associated with the first moment; The second data is received at the first moment.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before sending the first message, the method further includes: A first Quality of Service (QoS) flow is established, and a second QoS flow is established, wherein the first QoS flow is used to carry the first message, and the second QoS flow is used to carry the second data.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, After establishing the first QoS flow, the method further includes: A first request message is received, which is used to request the establishment of the second QoS flow. The first request message includes a first identifier of the first QoS flow.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, After establishing the second QoS flow, the method further includes: Send a second request message, which is used to request the establishment of the first QoS flow, and the second request message includes a first identifier of the second QoS flow.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Before establishing the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow, the method further includes: A third request message is sent, which is used to request the establishment of the first QoS stream and the second QoS stream. The third request message includes a first identifier of the first QoS stream and a first identifier of the second QoS stream.

6. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Before establishing the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow, the method further includes: Send a fourth request message, the fourth request message being used to request the establishment of the first QoS flow and the second QoS flow; A response message to the fourth request message, the response message including a first identifier of the first QoS flow and a first identifier of the second QoS flow.

7. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that, The second identifier of the first QoS flow is the same as the second identifier of the second QoS flow.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, Before sending the first message, the method further includes: The first moment is determined based on the moment when the first data was generated and the latency requirement.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The first message also includes the identifier of the first data.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, Before receiving the second data at the first moment, the method further includes: Receive configuration information, which includes the transmission resources for the second data.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The configuration information also includes the configuration for discontinuous DRX reception and / or the configuration for measurement gaps.

12. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive a first message, the first message including first data and a first moment, the first data being business-related data, the first moment being the moment when the terminal expects to receive second data, the second data being data associated with the first data, or the second data being data associated with the first moment; Based on the first moment, the second data is sent.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, Before sending the second data based on the first time point, the method further includes: Based on the identifier of the second QoS flow used to carry the second data, it is determined that the second QoS flow is associated with the first QoS flow, which is used to carry the first message; The first moment is determined from the first message carried by the first QoS stream.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first message also includes the identifier of the first data.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, Before sending the second data based on the first time point, the method further includes: Send a second message, the second message including the first data, and also including the identifier of the first data and / or the first time; Receive a third message, the third message including the second data, and also including the identifier of the first data and / or the first time.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The second message also includes the identifier of the first data, and the third message also includes the identifier of the first data; Determining the first moment from the first message carried by the first QoS stream includes: The first moment is determined from the first message carried by the first QoS stream based on the identifier of the first data.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The second message also includes a second moment, which is the moment when the access network device expects to receive the second data.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, characterized in that, After receiving the first message, the method further includes: If the terminal receives the second data at the first moment, configuration information is sent, the configuration information including the transmission resources of the second data.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The configuration information also includes the configuration for discontinuous DRX reception and / or the configuration for measurement gaps.

20. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive a second message, the second message including first data, and also including the identifier of the first data and / or a first time, the first data being service-related data, the first time being the time when the terminal expects to receive the second data, the second data being data associated with the first data, or the second data being data associated with the first time; Send a third message, the third message including the second data, and also including the identifier of the first data and / or the first time.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The second message also includes a second moment, which is the moment when the access network device expects to receive the second data; Sending the third message includes: Based on the second moment, the third message is sent.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, Before sending the third message based on the second time, the method further includes: Based on the identifier of the second QoS flow used to carry the second data, it is determined that the second QoS flow is associated with the first QoS flow, which is used to carry the second message; The second moment is determined from the second message carried by the first QoS stream.

23. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 22, characterized in that, Before sending the third message, the method further includes: Send a fourth message, the fourth message including the first data, and also including the identifier of the first data and / or the first time; A fifth message is received, the fifth message including the second data, and also including the identifier of the first data and / or the first time.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The fourth message also includes a third moment, which is the moment when the user plane function element expects to receive the second data.

25. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, or modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 19, or modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 20 to 24.

26. A communication device, characterized in that, The method includes at least one processor coupled to a memory for storing a program or instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 11 to be executed, or cause the method of any one of claims 12 to 19 to be executed, or cause the method of any one of claims 20 to 24 to be executed.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Used to store a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11 to be performed, or causes the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 19 to be performed, or causes the method as described in any one of claims 20 to 24 to be performed.

28. A computer program product, characterized in that, include: A computer program or instruction that, when executed, causes the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11 to be performed, or causes the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 19 to be performed, or causes the method as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 24 to be performed.

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