Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method and a related apparatus, which effectively ensure the QoS of services. The method comprises: a network side device determines the PDB of a first downlink data packet, the downlink PDB being determined on the basis of an RTT requirement, and the RTT requirement being an RTT requirement of the first downlink data packet between a terminal device and a server; and, on the basis of the downlink PDB, the network side device transmits the first downlink data packet.

Description

Communication method and related apparatus

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202410869925.3, filed on June 29, 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 technology, and in particular, to a communication method and related apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] A packet delay budget (PDB) defines an upper limit of time delay of a data packet between a terminal device and a user plane function (UPF) N6 interface termination point. In a radio access network (RAN), the PDB can be used to support scheduling configuration and configuration of link layer functions (for example, setting scheduling priority) to enable the data packet to meet the delay requirement of transmission. The PDB can be divided into uplink (UL) PDB and downlink (DL) PDB.

[0004] The UL PDB is used to guarantee the quality of service (QoS) of uplink services, and the DL PDB is used to guarantee the QoS of downlink services, so the appropriate DL PDB and DL PDB are crucial to guarantee the QoS of services. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and related apparatus to better guarantee the QoS of services.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a network side device. For example, the network side device can be an access network device or a UPF network element, or can be a component (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.) configured in the access network device or the UPF network element, or can be a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the access network device or the UPF network element, and the present application does not limit this. In the following, for the convenience of understanding and description, the method is described by taking the access network device as an example of the network side device.

[0007] Exemplarily, the method comprises: determining a downlink PDB of a first downlink data packet, the downlink PDB being determined based on a round trip time (RTT) requirement, the RTT requirement being a requirement for an RTT between the terminal device and the server for the first downlink data packet; and transmitting the first downlink data packet based on the downlink PDB.

[0008] The first downlink data packet can comprise one or more downlink data packets.

[0009] Alternatively, the RTT requirement is a requirement for a transmission time length for transmitting the first data packet from the terminal device to the server, processing the first data packet by the server, and transmitting the processed first data packet from the server to the terminal device. Alternatively, the RTT requirement comprises a total latency requirement of a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) system and a total latency requirement of a non-3GPP system, wherein the total latency requirement of the 3GPP system is an upper limit of a time delay between the terminal device and an N6 interface endpoint of a user plane function (UPF), and the total latency requirement of the non-3GPP system is an upper limit of a time delay between the UPF and the server.

[0010] Optionally, the RTT requirement can be a predefined time length, or the RTT requirement can be determined by the server and indicated to the network side device by the server.

[0011] Based on the technical solution, the network side device determines the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet based on the RTT requirement, and the RTT requirement comprises a transmission delay between the network side device and the server, that is, the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet determined by the network side device not only considers the total latency of the 3GPP system, but also considers the total latency requirement of the non-3GPP system. For an end-to-end service (such as an extended reality (XR) service or a robot service), the total latency requirement of the non-3GPP system can also affect the transmission delay of the data packet. Therefore, the application adjusts the downlink PDB based on the RTT requirement, which can more effectively guarantee the QoS of such services. In addition, the network side device adjusts the downlink PDB based on the actually transmitted data packet, which can dynamically adjust the downlink PDB according to the actual transmission of the data packet, and therefore can better guarantee the QoS of the service.

[0012] In some implementations of the first aspect, the determining the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet comprises: determining a second RTT of the first uplink data packet between the terminal device and the network-side device based on the RTT requirement and the first RTT; and determining the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet based on the second RTT and a first transmission delay.

[0013] The first RTT is an RTT of the first uplink data packet between the first network-side device and the server, and the first transmission delay is a transmission delay of the first uplink data packet from the terminal device to the first network-side device.

[0014] For example, the second RTT = RTT requirement - first RTT, and the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet = second RTT - first transmission delay.

[0015] In some implementations of the first aspect, the method further comprises: determining the first RTT based on a first time and a second time, the first time being a time when the first uplink data packet arrives at the first communication device, and the second time being a time when the second downlink data packet arrives at the network-side device.

[0016] The first downlink data packet is a data packet processed by the server based on the first uplink data packet, and the first uplink data packet can include one or more uplink data packets.

[0017] Since the first downlink data packet can include one or more downlink data packets, and the first uplink data packet can include one or more uplink data packets, when the first uplink data packet includes multiple uplink data packets, the first time of the first uplink data packet can be an average, a maximum, a minimum, or other values related to multiple times when the multiple uplink data packets arrive at the network-side device; when the first downlink data packet includes multiple downlink data packets, the second time of the first downlink data packet can be an average, a maximum, a minimum, or other values related to multiple times when the multiple downlink data packets arrive at the network-side device.

[0018] Optionally, the method further comprises: recording, by the network-side device, the first time when the first uplink data packet arrives at the network-side device.

[0019] Optionally, the method further comprises: recording, by the network-side device, the second time when the first downlink data packet arrives at the network-side device.

[0020] In some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes determining the first downlink data packet corresponding to the first uplink data packet based on the identifier of the first uplink data packet and a corresponding rule, the corresponding rule indicating a correspondence between the identifier of the first uplink data packet and an identifier of the first downlink data packet.

[0021] Optionally, the first uplink data packet and the first downlink data packet are identified by a sequence number (SN).

[0022] Optionally, the method further includes recording, by the network-side device, the identifier of the first uplink data packet.

[0023] Optionally, the method further includes recording, by the network-side device, the identifier of the first downlink data packet.

[0024] In some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes receiving first information from the server, the first information being used to indicate the corresponding rule.

[0025] In some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes receiving second information from the terminal device, the second information being used to indicate a first waiting duration of the first uplink data packet at the terminal device side, the first waiting duration being a waiting duration before the terminal device sends a delay status reporting (DSR), the DSR carrying a remaining uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet, and determining the first transmission delay based on the first waiting duration and a second waiting duration, the second waiting duration being determined based on the remaining uplink PDB, the second waiting duration being less than or equal to the remaining uplink PDB.

[0026] In some implementations of the first aspect, the determining the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet includes receiving third information from a policy control function (PCF), the third information being used to indicate the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet, the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet being related to the RTT requirement.

[0027] In some implementations of the first aspect, the RTT requirement is in granularity of a first data packet set.

[0028] Alternatively, the RTT requirement is an RTT requirement between the terminal device and the server for the first data packet set.

[0029] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: establishing a user protocol data unit (PDU) session and a quality of service (QoS) flow, wherein a QoS parameter of the QoS flow includes the RTT requirement.

[0030] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a communication method, which can be applied to a communication device. For example, the communication device can be a server, or a component (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.) 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 disclosure does not limit the same. Hereinafter, for the convenience of understanding and description, the method is described by taking the server as an example of the communication device.

[0031] For example, the method includes: determining a corresponding rule, the corresponding rule indicating a correspondence between an identifier of the first uplink data packet and an identifier of the first downlink data packet; and sending first information to a network side device, the first information being used to indicate the corresponding rule.

[0032] For the corresponding rule, please refer to the description in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0033] Based on the technical solution, the server sends the corresponding rule indicating the correspondence between the identifier of the first uplink data packet and the identifier of the first downlink data packet to the network side device, so that the network side device receiving the corresponding rule can determine the identifier of the first uplink data packet corresponding to the first downlink data packet based on the identifier of the received first downlink data packet and the corresponding rule, and then determine the time when the first uplink data packet reaches the network side device. In this way, the network side device can determine the round trip time of the first uplink data packet from the network side device to the server, through the server, and then from the server to the network side device, according to the time when the first downlink data packet reaches the network side device and the time when the first uplink data packet reaches the network side device, and then determine the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet based on the round trip time and the RTT requirement. Since the RTT requirement includes not only the total delay of the 3GPP system, but also the total delay requirement of the non-3GPP system, the method for determining the downlink PDB provided by the present disclosure can more effectively guarantee the QoS of the service. In addition, the network side device adjusts the downlink PDB based on the actually transmitted data packet, and this way of adjusting the PDB can dynamically adjust the downlink PDB according to the actual transmission of the data packet, so as to better guarantee the QoS of the service.

[0034] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a network side device. For example, the network side device can be a PCF, or a component (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.) configured in the PCF, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the PCF function, and the present application does not limit the same. Hereinafter, for the convenience of understanding and description, the network side device is taken as an example of the PCF to describe the method.

[0035] Exemplarily, the method comprises: receiving fourth information from a server, the fourth information being used to indicate one or more of the following information of the server: a processing strategy, a processing delay, or a buffer duration; determining a downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and / or an uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet based on the fourth information and an RTT requirement, the RTT requirement being an RTT requirement of the data packet between the terminal device and the server.

[0036] In the above technical solution, the processing strategy comprises periodic processing and triggered processing, the processing delay is a time length from when the server receives the first data packet to when the server processes the first data packet, and the buffer duration can be a fixed processing time of the server for processing the data packet under the periodic processing strategy.

[0037] Optionally, the periodic processing means that the server processes the data packet received within a fixed time length every time interval of the fixed time length; and the triggered processing means that the server processes the data packet as soon as the server receives the data packet.

[0038] The description of the RTT requirement can refer to the description in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0039] Based on the above technical solution, the downlink PDB and / or the uplink PDB determined by the PCF takes into account the actual processing of the server. Since the changes of the processing strategy, the processing delay and the buffer duration of the server will affect the residence time length of the data packet at the server side, and the residence time length, the downlink PDB and the uplink PDB are included in the RTT requirement, the changes of the residence time length of the data packet at the server side will cause the changes of the downlink PDB and the uplink PDB, and the change amount of the downlink PDB and the uplink PDB is related to the change amount of the residence time length. Therefore, based on the method provided by the present application, the downlink PDB and / or the uplink PDB can be adjusted more reasonably and effectively, so as to more effectively guarantee the QoS of the service.

[0040] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the determining the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and / or the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet based on the fourth information and the RTT requirement comprises: determining the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet based on the fourth information and the RTT requirement.

[0041] Optionally, the method further includes: sending, to the network-side device, third information, the third information being used for indicating the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet.

[0042] With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the determining, based on the fourth information and the RTT requirement, of the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and / or the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet includes: determining, based on the fourth information and the RTT requirement, the downlink PDB of the first uplink data packet.

[0043] Optionally, the method further includes: sending, to the terminal device, fifth information, the fifth information being used for indicating the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet.

[0044] With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the determining, based on the fourth information and the RTT requirement, of the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and / or the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet includes: determining, based on the fourth information and the RTT requirement, the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet.

[0045] Optionally, the method further includes: sending, to the network-side device, third information, the third information being used for indicating the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet; and sending, to the terminal device, fifth information, the fifth information being used for indicating the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet.

[0046] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a communication device. For example, the communication device can be a server, or can be a component (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.) configured in the server, or can be a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the server, and the present application does not make any limitation in this regard. Hereinafter, for the convenience of understanding and description, the method is described by taking the server as an example of the communication device.

[0047] Exemplarily, the method includes: generating fourth information, the fourth information being used for indicating one or more of the following information of the server: a processing strategy, a processing time delay, or a buffer time limit; the processing strategy including periodic processing and triggered processing, and the processing time delay being a time length from receiving a first data packet to processing the first data packet; and sending, to a network-side device, the fourth information.

[0048] The description of the one or more information indicated by the fourth information can refer to the description of the third aspect, and will not be described herein again.

[0049] According to the technical solution, the server sends fourth information to the PCF, the fourth information being used to indicate one or more of the following: a processing strategy, a processing time delay, or a cache period, so that the PCF receiving the fourth information can determine whether the processing strategy, the processing time delay, or the cache period on the server side changes based on the received fourth information. Since the changes of the processing strategy, the processing time delay, and the server cache period on the server side affect the residence time of the data packet on the server side, and the residence time of the data packet on the server side, the downlink PDB, and the uplink PDB are included in the RTT requirement, the changes of the residence time of the data packet on the server side will cause the changes of the downlink PDB and the uplink PDB, and the change amount of the downlink PDB and the uplink PDB is related to the change amount of the residence time of the data packet on the server side. Therefore, according to the method provided in the present application, the downlink PDB and / or the uplink PDB can be adjusted more reasonably and effectively, so that the QoS of the service can be guaranteed more effectively.

[0050] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides an apparatus including modules or units for implementing the method in any of the preceding aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0051] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides an apparatus including a processor configured to implement a method recited in any of the preceding aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0052] The apparatus can further include a memory for storing instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, and the processor executes instructions stored in the memory to implement the method described in the preceding aspects.

[0053] The apparatus can further include a communication interface for enabling communication between the apparatus and other devices. The communication interface can be, for example, a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, or another type of communication interface.

[0054] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a chip system including at least one processor configured to support the functions recited in any of the preceding aspects and any possible implementation thereof, such as receiving or processing data and / or information recited in the method.

[0055] In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing program instructions and data, the memory being located in or outside the processor.

[0056] The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0057] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, including a computer program, which when executed on a computer, causes the computer to implement the method in any one of the above aspects and any possible implementation of the aspect.

[0058] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, including a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which when executed, causes a computer to perform the method in any one of the above aspects and any possible implementation of the aspect.

[0059] It should be understood that the fifth aspect to the ninth aspect of the present application correspond to the technical solutions of the first aspect to the fourth aspect of the present application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding possible implementation are similar, which will not be described again. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0060] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a network architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG. 2 is a 5th generation (5G) quality of service (QoS) model based on a quality of service flow;

[0062] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a QoS architecture;

[0063] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a PDB;

[0064] FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG. 6 is another schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a server processing process provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG. 9 is another schematic block diagram of an apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0069] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0070] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following points will be first explained:

[0071] First, in the embodiments of the present application, the use of prefixes such as "first", "second", etc. is only for the convenience of distinguishing different things belonging to the same name category, and does not constrain the order, size or quantity of the things. For example, "first information" and "second information" are only different information, and there is no time sequence, size relationship or priority relationship between them.

[0072] Second, in the embodiments of the present application, "sending" and "receiving" represent the direction of signal transmission. Among them, "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. Sending and receiving can be carried out between devices, for example, between network side devices and servers; it can also be carried out within a device, for example, between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within a device through a bus, wire or interface.

[0073] It can be understood that the information may be processed as necessary before being sent from the source to the destination, such as encoding, modulation, etc. The destination can also perform corresponding processing after receiving the information from the source, such as decoding, demodulation, etc., so as to interpret the effective information from the source. Similar expressions in the present application can be similarly understood and will not be repeated.

[0074] Third, in the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association between the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the following cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after it, but does not exclude the case that the associated objects before and after it represent an "and" relationship. The specific meaning can be understood in conjunction with the context. "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, or c can represent: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0075] Fourthly, in the embodiments of the present application, the indication can include direct indication and indirect indication, and can also include explicit indication and implicit indication. If the information indicated by certain information (the first information, the second information, and the like described below) is referred to as to-be-indicated information, there are many ways to indicate the to-be-indicated information in the implementation process, for example, but not limited to, the to-be-indicated information can be directly indicated, such as the to-be-indicated information itself or an index of the to-be-indicated information. The to-be-indicated information can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where the other information and the to-be-indicated information have an association relationship. The to-be-indicated information can also be indicated only by a part of the to-be-indicated information, and the other part of the to-be-indicated information is known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of a specific information can be achieved by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, predefined by a protocol), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. The specific manner of indication is not limited in the present application.

[0076] It can be understood that, for the sender of the indication information, the indication information can be used to indicate the to-be-indicated information, and for the receiver of the indication information, the indication information can be used to determine the to-be-indicated information.

[0077] Fifthly, the tables in the embodiments of the present application are only examples. The values of the information in the tables are only examples, and can be configured as other values, which are not limited in the present application. The tables do not limit the protection scope of the present application. For example, the above tables can be appropriately deformed and adjusted, for example, split, merged, and the like. For another example, the parameter names shown in the titles of the tables can also use other names understandable by the communication device, and the values or representation manners of the parameters can also use other values or representation manners understandable by the communication device. For another example, the above tables can also use other data structures in the implementation, for example, an array, a queue, a container, a stack, a linear table, a pointer, a linked list, a tree, a graph, a structure, a class, a heap, a hash table, or the like.

[0078] Sixthly, in the embodiments of the present application, the descriptions such as “when”, “in the case of”, “if”, and the like all refer to that the device (such as a network side device or a terminal device) will make corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances, which is not limited by time, and also does not require the device (such as a network side device or a terminal device) to have a judgment action when implemented, and also does not mean that there are other limitations.

[0079] Seventhly, the predefinition in the present application can be understood as: definition, predefinition, storage, pre-storage, pre-negotiation, pre-configuration, solidification, or pre-burning.

[0080] Eighth, the storage referred to in the present application can be storage in one or more memories. The one or more memories can be separately provided or integrated in an encoder or decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The one or more memories can be partially separately provided and partially integrated in a decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The memory can be any form of storage medium, and the present application is not limited in this regard.

[0081] The technical solutions provided by the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as a long term evolution (LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, a sidelink (SL) communication system, a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system or a new radio access technology (NR), a satellite communication system, etc. The 5G mobile communication system can include non-standalone (NSA) and / or standalone (SA).

[0082] The technical solutions provided by the present application can also be applied to future communication systems.

[0083] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a network architecture 100 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The network architecture 100 is a 5th generation (5G) network architecture. The network elements in the 5G network architecture include a user equipment (UE) 101, an access network (AN) 102, a core network (CN) user data plane user plane function (UPF) 103, a data network (DN) 104, a server 105, and a core network control plane 106.

[0084] The UE 101 has a carrier signal transmission capability, and the UE can also be referred to as a terminal device, an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user apparatus. The following is an aspect description, which is collectively referred to as a terminal device.

[0085] The terminal device can be a device that provides voice / data connectivity to a user, such as a handheld device with wireless connection function, a vehicle-mounted device, and the like. Currently, some examples of terminal devices can be a mobile phone, a pad, a computer (such as a notebook computer, a palm computer, and the like) with wireless transceiver function, a mobile internet device (MID), a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a drone, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), and the like.

[0086] Among them, the wearable device can also be called a wearable smart device, which is a general term for devices that are designed and developed by applying wearable technology to daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. The wearable device is a portable device that is directly worn on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. The wearable device is not only a hardware device, but also a device that realizes powerful functions through software support and data interaction and cloud interaction. The general wearable smart device includes a device with full functions and large size, which can realize complete or partial functions without relying on a smart phone, such as a smart watch or smart glasses, and a device that focuses on a certain application function and needs to be used in cooperation with other devices, such as a smart phone, such as various smart wristbands and smart jewelry for monitoring vital signs.

[0087] The terminal device can also be a terminal device in an IoT system. IoT is an important part of future information technology development, and its main technical feature is to connect objects through communication technology and network, so as to realize the intelligent network of man-machine interconnection and object-object interconnection. IoT technology can achieve mass connection, deep coverage and terminal power saving through, for example, narrow band (NB) technology.

[0088] The terminal device can also include intelligent printers, train detectors, gas station sensors, and the like, and the main functions include collecting data (part of the terminal device), receiving control information and downlink data from the access network device, and transmitting electromagnetic waves to transmit uplink data to the access network device.

[0089] In addition, the terminal device in the present application can also be a virtualized device, for example, implemented through general hardware and instantiated virtualization functions, or special hardware and instantiated virtualization functions. Among them, the general hardware can be a server, such as a cloud server.

[0090] It should be understood that the specific form of the terminal device is not limited in the present application.

[0091] The AN 102 is a device with wireless transceiving function, for example, can be a radio access network (RAN) device, used to provide wireless communication function service, and can access the terminal device to the wireless network. The radio access network device can be a node in the radio access network, referred to as RAN node.

[0092] In a possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station (BS), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a home evolved NodeB, or a home Node B (HNB), a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point (AP), a mobile switching center, or a base station in a future mobile communication system, etc. The RAN node can also be a device assuming a base station function in a device to device (D2D) communication system, a vehicle to everything (V2X) communication system, a machine to machine (M2M) communication system, and an internet to things (IoT) communication system, etc. The RAN node can also be a RAN node in a non terrestrial network (NTN), i.e., the RAN node can be deployed on a high altitude platform or a satellite. The RAN node can be a macro base station, or a micro base station or an indoor station, or a relay node or a donor node, etc., or a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, or a node in an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN) scenario, etc.

[0093] In another possible scenario, a terminal is assisted by multiple RAN nodes to implement wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of a base station. For example, the RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU can be separately arranged, or can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna processing unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0094] It can be understood that the RU is a unit for transmitting, receiving, amplifying and digitizing radio frequency signals, and the RU is located near the antenna or integrated into the antenna; the DU and the CU are computing modules of the base station, which send digitized radio signals into the network, and the DU is physically located at or near the RU, while the CU can be located closer to the core. It should be understood that in future systems, the functions provided by the CU, DU and RU can be re-sliced.

[0095] Among them, the CU provides support for higher layers of the protocol stack, such as the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and the radio resource control (RRC), while the DU provides support for lower layers of the protocol stack, such as the radio link control (RLC) layer, the medium access control (MAC) layer, and the physical (PHY) layer.

[0096] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, the CU can also be referred to as an open CU (O-CU), the DU can also be referred to as an open DU (O-DU), the CU-CP can also be referred to as an open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), the CU-UP can also be referred to as an open CU-UP (O-CU-UP), and the RU can also be referred to as an open RU (O-RU).

[0097] Among them, any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. That is, the wireless access network device in this application can be a virtualized device, such as being implemented by a general-purpose hardware and instantiated virtualized functions, or a special-purpose hardware and instantiated virtualized functions. Among them, the general-purpose hardware can be a server, such as a cloud server.

[0098] It should be understood that the specific form of the wireless access network device is not limited in this application.

[0099] It should also be understood that the UE 101 and the AN 102 can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface; can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons and artificial satellites in the air. The application embodiments do not limit the application scenarios of the AN 102 and the UE 101.

[0100] AN 102 and UE 101 can communicate through a licensed spectrum, can communicate through an unlicensed spectrum, or can communicate through both the licensed spectrum and the unlicensed spectrum; can communicate through a spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), can communicate through a spectrum above 6 GHz, or can communicate through both the spectrum below 6 GHz and the spectrum above 6 GHz. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0101] UPF 103 is a functional unit of a user plane, and is mainly responsible for forwarding of packet data, quality of service (QoS) control, charging information statistics, and connection to an external network.

[0102] DN 104 is a network responsible for providing services for UE 101, for example, some DN provides UE 101 with an online function, and some other DN provides UE 101 with an SMS function, and the like.

[0103] Server 105 is a device that communicates with UE 101, and can send service data, for example, data of a video service or data of a voice service, to UE 101. Embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0104] The core network control plane 106 is mainly responsible for service process interaction, issuing data packet forwarding strategy to the user plane, QoS control strategy, etc. As shown in FIG. 1, the control plane network element in the core network control plane 106 can include: an access and mobility function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), a policy control function (PCF), an application function (AF), a network exposure function (NEF), etc. Among them, the AMF is mainly responsible for the access and mobility management of the UE 101. The SMF is mainly responsible for managing the creation, deletion, etc. of user protocol data unit (PDU) sessions, maintaining PDU session context and user plane forwarding pipe information. The PCF is mainly responsible for performing policy control, similar to the policy and charging rules function (PCRF) network element in the long term evolution (LTE), including generating, managing user, session, quality of service (QoS) flow processing strategy, service quality, and generating charging rules, and issuing the corresponding rules to the UPF network element through the SMF. The AF is mainly responsible for providing various service functions, which can interact with the core network through the NEF network element, and can interact with the policy management framework for policy management. The NEF is used to provide a framework for network capability exposure related authentication and interface, and to transfer information between 5G system network functions and other network functions.

[0105] In the network architecture shown in FIG. 1, the UE 101 communicates with the AMF through an N1 interface, which is used for transmitting non access stratum (NAS) signaling. The AN 102 communicates with the AMF through an N2 interface; the AN 102 communicates with the UPF 103 through an N3 interface, which uses a GPRS tunnelling protocol for the user plane (GTP-U) protocol to tunnel user data; the UPF 103 communicates with the SMF through an N4 interface, which is used for policy configuration of the UPF 103 and the like. The UPF 103 communicates with the external DN 104 through an N6 interface, which requires support of a leased line or an L2 / L3 layer tunnel in certain scenarios, and can communicate with the DN network based on an internet protocol (IP).

[0106] It is explained herein that the network side device in the embodiments of the present application can be an access network device or a core network element; each network element involved in the embodiments of the present application can be the network element mentioned in FIG. 1 above, or a network element having the same function as the network element mentioned above in a future communication system. For example, the user plane function network element can be a UPF network element, or a network element having the same function as the UPF network element in a future communication system; the application function network element can be an AF network element, or a network element having the same function as the AF network element; the policy management network element can be a PCF network element, or a network element having the same function as the PCF network element.

[0107] For the communication system shown in FIG. 1, the server 105 can communicate with the UE 101 through the DN 104, the UPF 103, the core network control plane 106, and the AN 102. Exemplarily, a certain video streaming service on the server 105 is transmitted to the UE 101 through the DN 104, the UPF 103, the core network control plane 106, and the AN 102.

[0108] In a mobile communication system, when a terminal device communicates with an external network, a path called a protocol data unit (PDU) session needs to be established through a mobile communication network. Data of the communication is transmitted in the form of a QoS flow in the PDU session to realize control and management of QoS. There can be one or more QoS flows in a PDU session (or multiple QoS flows can share the same PDU session), and user services in the same QoS flow have the same QoS service level, such as scheduling, admission control, and the like.

[0109] Figure 2 is a 5G QoS model based on a quality of service flow. Node B (NB) can be the above-mentioned RAN node, and UPF refers to a function in the 5G core network (5GC) for processing user data plane data. As shown in Figure 2, a radio bearer (RB) is a data link established between the NB and the UE, and the RB and the QoS flow are not one-to-one corresponding; the NG-U tunnel is a user plane data tunnel established between the 5GC and the NG-RAN.

[0110] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a QoS architecture. As shown in Figure 3, for downlink data, when the application layer data packet arrives at the UPF, the UPF identifies the data packet corresponding to which QoS flow according to the packet detection rule (PDR), and marks the QoS flow identifier (QFI), and reaches the AN through the PDU session; the RAN maps the QoS flow to the AN resource according to the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the RB, and sends the data packet to the UE through the AN resource.

[0111] Correspondingly, for uplink data, when the application layer data packet of the terminal device is generated, the terminal device identifies the data packet corresponding to which QoS flow according to the QoS rules, and marks the QFI, and sends it to the AN through the corresponding AN resource according to the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the RB; the AN sends the data packet to the UPF, and then forwards it to the application server.

[0112] It can be understood that each QoS flow in a PDU session has a corresponding QoS profile, and the profile includes a set of parameters of the QoS flow, and the parameter includes a PDB used to guarantee the transmission delay of the service. The PDB defines an upper limit of the time delay of a data packet between the UE and the N6 interface endpoint of the UPF (i.e., the transmission part of the 3GPP system). Taking the 5G network architecture shown in Figure 1 as an example, when a certain data packet arrives at the UPF 103, the UPF 103 needs to transmit the data packet to the UE 101 within the PDB. More specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the PDB is composed of the packet delay budget from the core network device to the access network device and the packet delay budget from the access network device to the terminal device. Among them, the packet delay budget from the core network device to the access network device can be referred to as CN PDB, and the packet delay budget from the access network device to the terminal device can be referred to as AN PDB. That is, the AN PDB is determined by subtracting the static value of the CN PDB from the PDB.

[0113] In the RAN, the PDB can be used to support scheduling configuration, priority scheduling weight, and other link layer related functions to ensure that the data packet can meet the delay requirement of transmission. If the delay of a data packet exceeds the PDB, the sending end can select to actively discard the data packet and consider the data packet lost or continue transmission according to the type of the QoS flow. Further, the policy control function (PCF) can divide the PDB into UL PDB and DL PDB according to the round trip delay requirement of the data flow between the terminal device and the UPF N6 interface, and the two can be equal or different. The UL PDB indicates the PDB of the uplink data packet of the data flow, and the DL PDB indicates the PDB of the downlink data packet of the data flow.

[0114] Currently, the adjustment of the value of the UL PDB or the DL PDB needs to be initiated by the session management function (SMF), and the SMF determines the adjustment of the UL PDB and / or the DL PDB according to the average value of the delay of multiple data packets measured by the UPF between the UE and the UPF N6 interface within a period of time. The PDB determined in this way may have the problem that the value of the DL PDB or the UL PDB is too large or too small for some data packets. Secondly, for end-to-end services such as extended reality (XR) and robots, i.e., the uplink data generated by the terminal device triggers the server to process and generates downlink data feedback to the terminal device, the transmission delay of such services may be affected by the uplink and downlink PDB and server processing. If the UL PDB and / or the DL PDB is adjusted in the existing manner, i.e., only the transmission delay within the 3GPP network is concerned, and the transmission delay between the terminal device and the external network is not concerned, it may be difficult to better guarantee the QoS of such services.

[0115] Therefore, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and related apparatus. In the method, the RTT requirement of the service between the terminal device and the server, and the actual transmission of the uplink data packet and / or the downlink data packet are used to dynamically adjust the DL PDB or the UL PDB, effectively guaranteeing the transmission delay of the uplink and downlink data packets, and further guaranteeing the QoS of the service.

[0116] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the method provided by the present application can be applied to the network architecture shown in FIG. 1, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0117] FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, the method is shown from the perspective of device interaction, but the present application does not limit the subject of the method execution. For example, the network-side device in FIG. 5 can be replaced by a chip, a chip system, or a processor supporting the network-side device to implement the method, and can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network-side device; the terminal device in FIG. 5 can be replaced by a chip, a chip system, or a processor supporting the terminal device to implement the method, and can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device; the server in FIG. 5 can be replaced by a chip, a chip system, or a processor supporting the server to implement the method, and can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the server.

[0118] It should be understood that when the communication method shown in FIG. 5 is applied to the network architecture shown in FIG. 1, the network-side device can be an AN or a UPF. It should be noted that if the network-side device is an AN, the target PDB described below is an AN PDB, and specifically, the target uplink PDB is an uplink AN PDB, and the target downlink PDB is a downlink AN PDB; if the network-side device is a UPF, the target PDB described below is an upper limit of the time delay of a data packet between the terminal device and the N6 interface endpoint of the UPF.

[0119] As shown in FIG. 5, the method 500 can include S501-S508. The steps in the method 500 are described in detail below.

[0120] S501, the network-side device determines a downlink PDB of a first downlink data packet, the downlink PDB being determined based on an RTT requirement.

[0121] The RTT requirement is an RTT requirement between the terminal device and the server for the first downlink data packet; or in other words, the RTT requirement is a transmission delay requirement for a data packet in the QoS flow to be transmitted from the terminal device to the server, processed by the server, and then transmitted from the server to the terminal device after processing. That is, the RTT requirement includes the PDB mentioned above and the round-trip transmission delay requirement from the UPF to the server.

[0122] Optionally, the RTT requirement can be a predefined time period, or the RTT requirement can be determined by the server and indicated to the network-side device by the server.

[0123] It can be understood that the RTT requirement can be related to the service, or in other words, different services can define different RTT requirements.

[0124] It can also be understood that the RTT requirement can also be referred to as a round trip PDB (RT-PDB) or other names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0125] Optionally, the first downlink data packet can include one or more downlink data packets from the server.

[0126] S502, the network side device transmits the first downlink data packet based on the downlink PDB.

[0127] Exemplarily, the network side device transmits the first data packet to the terminal device within the transmission duration defined by the target downlink PDB.

[0128] In the embodiments of the present application, the network side device determines the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet based on the RTT requirement, and the RTT requirement includes the transmission delay between the network side device and the server, that is, the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet determined by the network side device not only considers the total delay of the 3GPP system, but also considers the total delay requirement of the non-3GPP system. For end-to-end services (such as extended reality (XR) and robot services), the total delay requirement of the non-3GPP system can also affect the transmission delay of the data packet. Therefore, the method of adjusting the downlink PDB based on the RTT requirement can more effectively guarantee the QoS of such services. In addition, the network side device adjusts the downlink PDB based on the actually transmitted data packet. This way of adjusting the PDB can dynamically adjust the downlink PDB according to the actual transmission of the data packet, so it can also better guarantee the QoS of the service.

[0129] Optionally, the network side device determines the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet, including: the network side device determines the second RTT between the terminal device and the network side device for the first uplink data packet based on the RTT requirement and the first RTT; the network side device determines the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet based on the second RTT and the first transmission delay.

[0130] The first downlink data packet of the present application is a data packet obtained after the first uplink data packet is processed by the server.

[0131] The first RTT is the RTT of the first uplink data packet between the network side device and the server, or in other words, the first RTT is the transmission time required for the first uplink data to be sent from the network side device, to reach the server, to be processed by the server, to be sent again from the server to reach the network side device; the first transmission delay is the transmission time of the first uplink data packet from the terminal device to the network side device, or in other words, the first transmission delay is the sum of the transmission time of the first uplink data packet from the terminal device to the network side device and the transmission time of the first downlink data packet from the network side device to the terminal device.

[0132] Exemplarily, the second RTT = RTT requirement - first RTT; the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet = second RTT - first transmission delay.

[0133] Optionally, before S501, the method 500 further includes: S503, the network side device determines the first RTT based on the first time and the second time.

[0134] The first time is the time when the first uplink data packet reaches the network side device, and the second time is the time when the second downlink data packet reaches the network side device.

[0135] That is, the first uplink data packet is generated by the terminal device and sent to the server through the network side device. Correspondingly, the server receives and processes the first uplink data packet to obtain the first downlink data packet, and sends the first downlink data packet to the terminal device through the network side device. Therefore, based on the first time and the second time, the transmission delay of the first uplink data packet from the network side device to the server, after being processed by the server, to the first downlink data packet from the server to the network side device can be determined.

[0136] Exemplarily, the first RTT = second time - first time.

[0137] Optionally, the method 500 further includes: the network side device records the first time when the first uplink data packet reaches the network side device.

[0138] Optionally, the method 500 further includes: the network side device records the second time when the first downlink data packet reaches the network side device.

[0139] Wherein, record can be replaced by save, store, etc.

[0140] Since the network side device can record the arrival times of multiple uplink data packets (including the first uplink data packet) and the arrival times of multiple downlink data packets (including the first downlink data packet), and the network side device cannot directly obtain the uplink data packet corresponding to the downlink data packet, the network side device needs to further determine the first uplink data packet corresponding to the first downlink data packet after receiving the first downlink data packet.

[0141] Optionally, before S503, the method 500 further comprises: S504, determining, by the network-side device, the first uplink data packet corresponding to the first downlink data packet based on the identifier of the first uplink data packet and the corresponding rule.

[0142] The corresponding rule indicates a corresponding relationship between the identifier of the first uplink data packet and the identifier of the first downlink data packet.

[0143] Exemplarily, the first uplink data packet and the first downlink data packet can be identified by SN, and there is a corresponding relationship (i.e., the corresponding rule) between the SN of the first uplink data packet and the SN of the first downlink data packet. For example, the SN of the first uplink data packet = the SN of the first downlink data packet, or the SN of the first uplink data packet = the SN of the first downlink data packet + C, C is a constant, and C is greater than 0. In this way, when the network-side device receives the first downlink data packet, the network-side device can determine the SN of the first uplink data packet based on the SN of the first downlink data packet and the corresponding rule, and further determine the first time from the multiple arrival times recorded by the network-side device.

[0144] Taking the corresponding rule as: the SN of the first uplink data packet = the SN of the first downlink data packet + C, and C = 2 as an example, if the SN of the first downlink data packet = 5, then the network-side device can determine the SN of the uplink data packet corresponding to the first downlink data packet = 5 - 2 = 3 based on the corresponding rule, and further determine that the uplink data packet with SN = 2 is the first uplink data packet.

[0145] Optionally, the method 500 further comprises: recording, by the network-side device, the identifier of the first uplink data packet. For example, the network-side device records the SN of the first uplink data packet.

[0146] As mentioned above, the network-side device can receive multiple uplink data packets, and therefore the network-side device can establish a first mapping relationship between the identifiers of the multiple uplink data packets and the times when the multiple uplink data packets arrive at the network-side device (for the convenience of description, hereinafter referred to as the arrival times of the uplink data packets).

[0147] Table 1 shows a first mapping relationship.

[0148] Table 1

[0149] As shown in Table 1, the uplink data packet with SN = 1 arrives at the network-side device at time T1, the uplink data packet with SN = 2 arrives at the network-side device at time T2, and the uplink data packet with SN = 3 arrives at the network-side device at time T3. It can be understood that Table 1 can further include a corresponding relationship between the SN of more uplink data packets and the arrival times of the uplink data packets.

[0150] Optionally, the method 500 further comprises: recording, by the network-side device, the identifier of the first downlink data packet. For example, the network-side device records the SN of the first downlink data packet.

[0151] Similarly, since the network-side device can also receive multiple downlink data packets, the network-side device can establish a second mapping relationship between the identifiers of the multiple downlink data packets and the time instants at which the multiple downlink data packets arrive at the network-side device (hereinafter referred to as the arrival time instants of the downlink data packets for the sake of convenience).

[0152] Table II shows a second mapping relationship.

[0153] Table II

[0154] As shown in Table II, the downlink data packet with SN = 1 arrives at the network-side device at time instant T1’, the downlink data packet with SN = 2 arrives at the network-side device at time instant T2’, and the downlink data packet with SN = 3 arrives at the network-side device at time instant T3’. It can be understood that Table II can also include a correspondence between the SNs of more downlink data packets and the arrival time instants of the downlink data packets.

[0155] Since the downlink data packets are data packets obtained by processing the uplink data packets by the server, there is a correspondence between the uplink data packets and the downlink data packets received by the network-side device. In the case where the network-side device receives multiple downlink data packets and multiple uplink data packets, the network-side device can establish a third mapping relationship between the identifiers of the multiple downlink data packets and the identifiers of the multiple uplink data packets based on a correspondence rule.

[0156] Table III shows a third mapping relationship. The third mapping relationship shown in Table III is determined based on a correspondence rule that the SN of the first uplink data packet = the SN of the first downlink data packet.

[0157] Table III

[0158] As shown in Table III, the uplink data packet corresponding to the downlink data packet with SN = 1 has SN = 1, the uplink data packet corresponding to the downlink data packet with SN = 2 has SN = 2, and the uplink data packet corresponding to the downlink data packet with SN = 3 has SN = 3. It can be understood that Table III can also include a correspondence between the SNs of more uplink data packets and the SNs of downlink data packets.

[0159] In combination with the first mapping relationship, the second mapping relationship, and the third mapping relationship, a fourth mapping relationship between the arrival time instants of the downlink data packets and the arrival time instants of the uplink data packets can be obtained.

[0160] Table IV shows a fourth mapping relationship.

[0161] Table Four

[0162] As shown in Table Four, the uplink data packet arriving at the network side device at T1 corresponds to the downlink data packet arriving at the network side device at T1', the uplink data packet arriving at the network side device at T2 corresponds to the downlink data packet arriving at the network side device at T2', and the uplink data packet arriving at the network side device at T3 corresponds to the downlink data packet arriving at the network side device at T3'. Each uplink data packet corresponds to a transmission delay. Specifically, d1 is the transmission delay of the uplink data packet with SN = 1 from the terminal device to the network side device, d2 is the transmission delay of the uplink data packet with SN = 2 from the terminal device to the network side device, and d3 is the transmission delay of the uplink data packet with SN = 3 from the terminal device to the network side device. It can be understood that Table Four can also include a correspondence relationship between the arrival time of more uplink data packets and the arrival time of more uplink data packets, and can also include a correspondence relationship between more uplink data packets and more transmission delays.

[0163] From Table Four, it can be obtained that the downlink RT-PDB of the downlink data packet with SN = 1 is (T1'-T1)-d1, the downlink RT-PDB of the downlink data packet with SN = 2 is (T2'-T2)-d2, and the downlink RT-PDB of the downlink data packet with SN = 3 is (T3'-T3)-d3.

[0164] It can be understood that each row of correspondence relationship shown in Table Four can be dynamically updated. For example, in the case of obtaining the downlink PDB of the downlink data packet with SN = 1, the first row can be deleted; for another example, in the case that the network side device receives a new uplink data packet, a new row can be created. Specifically, the network side device receives the uplink data packet with SN = 4, and then a new row is created, in which the transmission time is the transmission delay d4 of the uplink data packet with SN = 4 from the terminal device to the network side device.

[0165] Optionally, before S504, the method 500 further includes: S505, the server sends first information to the network side device, the first information being used to indicate the corresponding rule. Correspondingly, the network side device receives the first information from the server.

[0166] Since the server can process the uplink data packet to obtain the downlink data packet, the server can determine the corresponding rule to indicate to the network side device.

[0167] Optionally, the method 500 further includes: the terminal device sends the first uplink data packet to the server through the network side device. Correspondingly, the server receives the first uplink data packet; processes the first uplink data packet to obtain a first downlink data packet; determines an identifier of the first downlink data packet based on a corresponding rule; and sends the first downlink data packet with the identifier to the terminal device through the network side device.

[0168] Taking the corresponding rule as: SN of the first uplink data packet = SN of the first downlink data packet + C, and C = 2, for example, if the SN of the first uplink data packet received by the server is 3, the server can determine, based on the corresponding rule, that the SN of the first downlink data packet is 3 + 2 = 5, and then sends the first downlink data packet with SN = 5 to the terminal device through the network side device.

[0169] Optionally, before S501, the method 500 further includes: S506, the terminal device sends second information to the network side device, the second information being used to indicate a first waiting duration of the first uplink data packet at the terminal device side. Correspondingly, the network side device receives the second information from the terminal device.

[0170] The first waiting duration is a waiting duration before the terminal device sends a delay status reporting (DSR), and the DSR carries a residual uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet. It can be understood that, without considering the processing duration of the terminal device for the uplink data packet, the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet can be a sum of the first waiting duration and the residual uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet.

[0171] It can be understood that the second information can be sent simultaneously with the first uplink data packet, or can be sent separately, which is not limited in the present application.

[0172] Optionally, the method 500 further includes: the terminal device sends the DSR to the network side device. Correspondingly, the network side device receives the DSR, and schedules a transmission resource for transmitting the first uplink data packet based on the residual uplink PDB, so that the first uplink data packet can arrive at the network side device within the residual uplink PDB.

[0173] Since the network side device considers the arrival time of the uplink data packet when scheduling the transmission resource for the first uplink data packet, that is, the network side device can determine the duration (referred to as a second waiting duration in the present application, which is less than or equal to the residual uplink PDB) that the first uplink data packet needs to continue to wait after the terminal device sends the DSR, the network device can determine the first transmission delay based on the obtained first waiting duration and the second waiting duration.

[0174] Optionally, before S503 or S501, the method 500 further includes: S507, determining, by the network-side device, the first transmission delay based on the first waiting duration and the second waiting duration.

[0175] For example, the uplink PDB of the first data packet is 15 ms, when the first waiting duration is 5 ms, the remaining uplink PDB is about 10 ms, and the network-side device obtains the remaining uplink PDB, and schedules a transmission resource for the first uplink data packet based on the remaining uplink PDB, so that the first uplink data packet can be transmitted to the network-side device within a time duration of 10 ms. If the transmission resource scheduled by the network side can make the first uplink data packet be transmitted to the network-side device within 8 ms (i.e., the second waiting duration is 8 ms), the network-side device can determine the first transmission delay to be 13 ms based on the first waiting duration 5 ms and the second waiting duration 8 ms.

[0176] Optionally, the method 500 further includes: S508, establishing a PDU session and a QoS flow.

[0177] Optionally, the QoS parameter of the QoS flow can include an RTT requirement.

[0178] For the description of establishing a PDU session and a QoS flow, please refer to the related description of the prior art, which will not be repeated here.

[0179] It can be understood that the data packet (including the first uplink data packet, the first downlink data packet, etc.) described in the above method 500 can be replaced by a data packet set, which can be understood as a complete data packet required by an application layer to complete a service once, for example, the left eye video data packet and the right eye video data packet required by a virtual reality (VR) device to play at a certain moment can be packaged into a data packet set, which can also be referred to as a PDU set.

[0180] It can also be understood that if the data packet is replaced by the data packet set, the identification of the data packet can be replaced by the identification of the data packet set, for example, each data packet set is identified by an identification (that is, the identification is at the granularity of the data packet set), or the data packets with the same identification form a data packet set (that is, the identification is at the granularity of the data packet).

[0181] Optionally, when the data packet is replaced by the data packet set, the above RTT requirement also needs to be at the granularity of the data packet set, that is, the RTT requirement is the RTT requirement between the terminal device and the server for each data packet set.

[0182] FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 6, the method is illustrated from the perspective of device interaction, but the present application does not limit the subject performing the method. For example, the network-side device in FIG. 6 can be replaced by a chip, chip system, or processor supporting the network-side device to implement the method, and can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network-side device; the terminal device in FIG. 6 can be replaced by a chip, chip system, or processor supporting the terminal device to implement the method, and can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device; the server in FIG. 6 can be replaced by a chip, chip system, or processor supporting the server to implement the method, and can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the server; the PCF in FIG. 6 can be replaced by a chip, chip system, or processor supporting the PCF to implement the method, and can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the PCF.

[0183] It should be understood that when the communication method shown in FIG. 6 is applied to the network architecture shown in FIG. 1, the network-side device can be an AN or a UPF. It should be noted that if the network-side device is an access network device, the target PDB described below is an AN PDB, and specifically, the target uplink PDB is an uplink AN PDB, and the target downlink PDB is a downlink AN PDB; if the network-side device is a UPF, the target PDB described below is an upper limit of the time delay of a data packet between the terminal device and the N6 interface endpoint of the UPF.

[0184] As shown in FIG. 6, the method 600 can include S601-S605. The steps in the method 600 are described in detail below.

[0185] S601, the server sends fourth information to the PCF.

[0186] The fourth information is used to indicate one or more of the following information of the server: processing policy, processing delay, or server buffer deadline. Correspondingly, the PCF receives the fourth information from the server.

[0187] The processing policy includes periodic processing and triggered processing, and the triggered processing can be understood as non-periodic processing; the processing delay is the time length from when the server receives the first data packet to when the server processes the first data packet; and the server buffer deadline can be a fixed processing time of the server processing the data packet under the periodic processing policy. It can be understood that the server buffer deadline can change with the change of the server processing period.

[0188] Periodic processing refers to that the server processes the data packets received in a fixed time interval every time interval. Trigger processing refers to that the server processes the data packets as soon as the data packets are received. In other words, under the periodic processing strategy, the data packets arriving at the server need to wait until the processing time arrives, and then the server can process the data packets. Under the trigger processing strategy, the data packets arriving at the server do not need to wait, and the server can directly process the data packets.

[0189] It can be understood that when the processing strategy of the server changes, for example, from periodic processing to trigger processing, the processing delay will also change to 0.

[0190] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a server processing process provided by an embodiment of the present application. The processing strategy of the server is periodic processing, and the server processes data packets every time interval #1. As shown in FIG. 7, the server cache deadline is t0, t1 and t2, and the interval between t0 and t1 is time interval #1, and the interval between t1 and t2 is time interval #1. In each first time interval, the server can receive three uplink data packets.

[0191] As shown in FIG. 7, the server receives uplink data packet P1, uplink data packet P2 and uplink data packet P3 in sequence from t0 to t1. Since the server cache deadline is t1, the server does not process the uplink data packets P1, P2 and P3 when receiving the uplink data packets P1, P2 and P3, and processes the uplink data packets P1, P2 and P3 when t1 arrives.

[0192] Optionally, the server can send the fourth information to the PCF when the following conditions are met: the processing delay of the server changes; the server actively adjusts the server cache deadline according to the arrival of the uplink data packets; the server adjusts the processing strategy based on the service change.

[0193] Optionally, the server periodically sends the fourth information to the PCF, for example, the server sends the fourth information to the PCF once every certain period of time.

[0194] Optionally, in the case that the processing strategy of the server is periodic processing, the fourth information indicates that the processing strategy is periodic processing, and indicates the processing delay or the server cache deadline.

[0195] Optionally, in the case that the processing strategy of the server is trigger processing, the fourth information indicates that the processing strategy is trigger processing.

[0196] S602, the PCF determines the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and / or the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet based on the fourth information and the RTT requirement.

[0197] The description of the RTT requirement can refer to the description in the method 500, which will not be repeated here.

[0198] Optionally, the PCF determines the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and / or the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet based on the fourth information and the RTT requirement, comprising: determining whether the processing strategy of the server changes based on the fourth information received twice; if the processing strategy of the server changes from periodic processing to triggered processing, determining the processing delay saved on the server side; determining the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and / or the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet based on the saved processing delay and the RTT requirement.

[0199] For example, the RTT requirement is 70 milliseconds, the processing delay of the server is 10 milliseconds when the processing strategy of the server is periodic processing, the uplink PDB + the downlink PDB = 40 milliseconds, the transmission delay between the UPF and the server is 20 milliseconds and does not change; if the processing strategy of the server changes to triggered processing, the server side can save 10 milliseconds of processing delay, and the saved 10 milliseconds of processing delay can be used to adjust the uplink PDB and / or the downlink PDB, i.e. the uplink PDB + the downlink PDB = (40 + 10 = 50) milliseconds. Assuming that the uplink PDB = the downlink PDB = 20 milliseconds before the processing strategy changes, after the processing strategy changes, the uplink PDB and the downlink PDB can be adjusted to 25 milliseconds, or the uplink PDB is adjusted to 30 milliseconds and the downlink PDB does not change; or the downlink PDB is adjusted to 30 milliseconds and the downlink PDB does not change.

[0200] Optionally, the PCF determines the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and / or the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet based on the fourth information and the RTT requirement, comprising: determining whether the processing strategy of the server changes based on the fourth information received twice; if the processing strategy of the server changes from periodic processing to periodic processing, determining the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and / or the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet based on the processing delay of the server or the server cache deadline and the RTT requirement.

[0201] For example, the RTT requirement is 70 ms, the processing strategy of the server is triggered processing, the processing delay of the server is 0 ms, the sum of the uplink PDB and the downlink PDB is 50 ms, the transmission delay between the UPF and the server is 20 ms and does not change; if the processing strategy of the server is changed to periodic processing and the processing delay of the server is 10 ms, the sum of the uplink PDB and the downlink PDB can be adjusted to 40 ms while ensuring that the RTT requirement does not change. Assuming that the uplink PDB and the downlink PDB are both 25 ms before the processing strategy is changed, after the processing strategy is changed, the uplink PDB and the downlink PDB can both be adjusted to 20 ms, or the uplink PDB is adjusted to 15 ms and the downlink PDB does not change, or the downlink PDB is adjusted to 15 ms and the uplink PDB does not change.

[0202] Optionally, the PCF determines the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and / or the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet based on the fourth information and the RTT requirement, including: determining, based on the fourth information received twice, that the processing strategy of the server has not changed; determining, in a case where the processing strategy of the server is periodic processing, an increase range or a decrease range of the processing duration; and determining, based on the increase range or the decrease range of the processing duration and the RTT requirement, the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and / or the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet.

[0203] Optionally, the PCF determines the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and / or the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet based on the fourth information and the RTT requirement, including: determining, based on the fourth information received twice, that the processing strategy of the server has not changed; determining, in a case where the processing strategy of the server is periodic processing, a change in the server cache deadline; and determining, based on the change in the server cache deadline and the RTT requirement, the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and / or the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet.

[0204] The change in the server cache deadline includes an advance amount of the server cache deadline or a delay amount of the server cache deadline.

[0205] In the embodiments of the present application, the downlink PDB and / or the uplink PDB determined by the PCF takes into account the actual processing of the server. Since the processing strategy, processing delay and server cache expiration time of the server will affect the residence time of the data packet on the server side, and the residence time of the data packet on the server side, and the downlink PDB and the uplink PDB are included in the RTT requirement, the change of the residence time of the data packet on the server side will cause the change of the downlink PDB and the uplink PDB, and the change amount of the downlink PDB and the uplink PDB is related to the change amount of the residence time. Therefore, based on the method provided in the present application, the downlink PDB and / or the uplink PDB can be more reasonably and effectively adjusted, so as to more effectively guarantee the QoS of the service.

[0206] In a possible implementation, the PCF determines the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and / or the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet based on the fourth information and the RTT requirement, including: determining the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet based on the fourth information and the RTT requirement.

[0207] Optionally, the method 600 further includes: the PCF sends third information to the network side device, the third information being used to indicate the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet. Correspondingly, the network side device receives the third information from the PCF.

[0208] In another possible implementation, the PCF determines the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and / or the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet based on the fourth information and the RTT requirement, including: the PCF determines the downlink PDB of the first uplink data packet based on the fourth information and the RTT requirement.

[0209] Optionally, the method 600 further includes: the PCF sends fifth information to the terminal device, the fifth information being used to indicate the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the fifth information from the PCF.

[0210] In another possible implementation, the PCF determines the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and / or the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet based on the fourth information and the RTT requirement, including: the PCF determines the downlink PDB of the first uplink data packet based on the fourth information and the RTT requirement.

[0211] Optionally, the method 600 further includes: S603 and S604:

[0212] S603, the PCF sends third information to the network side device, the third information being used to indicate the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet. Correspondingly, the network side device receives the third information from the PCF.

[0213] S604, the PCF sends fifth information to the terminal device, the fifth information being used for indicating the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the fifth information from the PCF.

[0214] Optionally, before S601, the method 600 further includes: S605, establishing a PDU session and a QoS flow.

[0215] Optionally, the QoS parameter of the QoS flow can include an RTT requirement.

[0216] For the description of establishing the PDU session and the QoS flow, refer to the related description of the prior art, which will not be repeated here.

[0217] It can be understood that the embodiments shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 can be combined with each other or independently implemented. When FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are independently implemented, more or fewer steps than those shown in the steps of FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 can be performed; when the embodiments shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are combined, the communication method provided by the present application can include: the PCF sends third information to the network side device, the third information being used for indicating the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet. Correspondingly, the network side device receives the third information, and determines the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet based on the third information, and other more detailed processes can refer to the description of the embodiments shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6.

[0218] The embodiments of the present application also provide a method for adjusting the uplink PDB and / or the downlink PDB by multiplexing QoS monitoring. Exemplarily, the method can include the following steps one to nine:

[0219] Step one, a PDU session and a QoS flow are established between a terminal device and a server.

[0220] For the description of establishing the PDU session and the QoS flow, refer to the related description of the prior art, which will not be repeated here.

[0221] Optionally, the QoS parameter of the QoS flow can include an RTT requirement, the RTT requirement being used for guaranteeing the end-to-end transmission delay.

[0222] Step two, the server sends first information to the PCF, the first information being used for indicating a corresponding rule. Correspondingly, the PCF receives the first information from the server.

[0223] For the description of the corresponding rule, refer to the related description in S505, which will not be repeated here.

[0224] Step three, the PCF generates a QoS monitoring policy, and sends a PCC rule to the SMF, wherein the PCC rule carries the corresponding rule. Correspondingly, the SMF receives the PCC rule.

[0225] The QoS monitoring policy can be carried in the PCC rule.

[0226] Step four, the SMF sends the corresponding rule to the UPF. Correspondingly, the UPF receives the corresponding rule from the SMF.

[0227] Step five, the UPF measures the transmission delay of the uplink data packet between the terminal device and the UPF, and measures the transmission delay of the downlink data packet between the terminal device and the UPF.

[0228] The process can refer to the description of the prior art, and will not be repeated here.

[0229] However, it should be noted that in the present application, the UPF measures the transmission delay of the uplink data packet from the UPF to the UPF and the transmission delay of the downlink data packet corresponding to the uplink data packet.

[0230] Step six, the UPF sends a QoS monitoring report to the PCF, wherein the QoS monitoring report includes the measurement result of the UPF. Correspondingly, the PCF receives the QoS monitoring report.

[0231] The measurement result is the transmission delay between the terminal device and the UPF and / or the transmission delay of the downlink data packet between the terminal device and the UPF.

[0232] Step seven, the PCF adjusts the uplink PDB and / or the downlink PDB based on the measurement result, to obtain an adjusted uplink PDB and / or an adjusted downlink PDB.

[0233] Optionally, in the case of obtaining the adjusted uplink PDB, the method further comprises: step eight, the PCF sends the adjusted uplink PDB to the terminal device through the SMF.

[0234] Optionally, in the case of obtaining the adjusted downlink PDB, the method further comprises: step nine, the PCF sends the adjusted downlink PDB to the AN through the SMF.

[0235] In the embodiments of the present application, the UPF considers the transmission delay of the data packet from the UPF to the server and the transmission delay of the data packet from the server to the UPF when measuring, and since this part of the transmission delay may also affect the transmission delay of the data packet, therefore, the method of adjusting the PDB provided by the present application can more effectively guarantee the QoS of such services.

[0236] The method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail above in combination with FIG. 1 to FIG. 7. The apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below in combination with FIG. 8 and FIG. 9.

[0237] FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are schematic diagrams of possible apparatuses provided by the embodiments of the present application. The apparatuses can be used to implement the functions of the terminal device or the network side device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above method embodiments.

[0238] FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in FIG. 8, the apparatus 800 includes a processing module 810 and a transceiver module 820.

[0239] In a possible design, the apparatus 800 is configured to implement the functions of the network side device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 5.

[0240] For example, the processing module 810 is configured to: determine a downlink PDB of a first downlink data packet, where the downlink PDB is determined based on an RTT requirement, and the RTT requirement is an RTT requirement between the terminal device and a server for the first downlink data packet; and the transceiver module 820 is configured to: transmit the first downlink data packet based on the downlink PDB.

[0241] Optionally, the processing module 810 is specifically configured to: determine a second RTT between the terminal device and the network side device for a first uplink data packet based on the RTT requirement and a first RTT, where the first RTT is an RTT between the first network side device and the server for the first uplink data packet; and determine the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet based on the second RTT and a first transmission delay, where the first transmission delay is a transmission delay of the first uplink data packet from the terminal device to the first network side device.

[0242] Optionally, the processing module 810 is further configured to: determine the first RTT based on a first time and a second time, where the first time is a time when the first uplink data packet arrives at the first communication apparatus, and the second time is a time when the second downlink data packet arrives at the network side device, and the first downlink data packet is a data packet obtained by processing the first uplink data packet by using the server.

[0243] Optionally, the processing module 810 is further configured to: determine the first downlink data packet corresponding to the first uplink data packet based on an identifier of the first uplink data packet and a corresponding rule, where the corresponding rule indicates a corresponding relationship between the identifier of the first uplink data packet and an identifier of the first downlink data packet.

[0244] Optionally, the transceiver 820 is further configured to receive first information from the server, the first information being used to indicate the corresponding rule.

[0245] Optionally, the transceiver 820 is further configured to receive second information from the terminal device, the second information being used to indicate a first waiting duration of the first uplink data packet at the terminal device side, the first waiting duration being a waiting duration before a delay state report (DSR) of the terminal device, the DSR carrying a remaining uplink packet delay budget (PDB) of the first uplink data packet; and the processing module 810 is further configured to determine the first transmission delay based on the first waiting duration and a second waiting duration, the second waiting duration being determined based on the remaining uplink PDB, and the second waiting duration being less than or equal to the remaining uplink PDB.

[0246] Optionally, the transceiver 820 is further configured to receive third information from the PCF, the third information being used to indicate a downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet, the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet being related to the RTT requirement.

[0247] Optionally, the processing module 810 is further configured to establish a PDU session and a QoS flow, and a QoS parameter of the QoS flow includes the RTT requirement.

[0248] More detailed descriptions of the processing module 810 and the transceiver 820 can be directly obtained by referring to the related descriptions in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, and thus are not described herein.

[0249] Another possible design is that the apparatus 800 is configured to implement the functions of the PCF in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 6.

[0250] Exemplarily, the transceiver 820 is configured to receive fourth information from the server, the fourth information being used to indicate one or more of the following information of the server: a processing policy, a processing delay, or a buffer lifetime; the processing policy includes periodic processing and triggered processing, and the processing delay is a duration from when the server receives a first data packet to when the first data packet is processed; and the processing module 810 is configured to determine a downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and / or an uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet based on the fourth information and an RTT requirement, the RTT requirement being an RTT requirement between the terminal device and the server.

[0251] Optionally, the processing module 810 is specifically configured to determine the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet based on the fourth information and the RTT requirement; and the transceiver 820 is further configured to send third information to a network side device, the third information being used to indicate the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet.

[0252] Optionally, the processing module 810 is specifically configured to determine the downlink PDB of the first uplink data packet based on the fourth information and the RTT requirement; and the transceiver module 820 is further configured to send fifth information to the terminal device, where the fifth information is used to indicate the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet.

[0253] Optionally, the processing module 810 is specifically configured to determine the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet based on the fourth information and the RTT requirement; and the transceiver module 820 is further configured to send third information to the network-side device, where the third information is used to indicate the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet; and send fifth information to the terminal device, where the fifth information is used to indicate the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet.

[0254] Optionally, the processing module 810 is further configured to establish a PDU session and a QoS flow, where the QoS parameter of the QoS flow includes the RTT requirement.

[0255] More detailed description of the processing module 810 and the transceiver module 820 can be directly obtained by referring to the related description in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, which will not be repeated here.

[0256] It should be noted that the apparatus 800 can include a sending module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, the apparatus 800 can include a receiving module but not a sending module. Specifically, whether the apparatus 800 includes a sending module and a receiving module can depend on whether the above-mentioned scheme executed by the apparatus 800 includes a sending action and a receiving action. It can be understood that, since the apparatus 800 has a communication function, it can also be referred to as a communication apparatus.

[0257] FIG. 9 is another schematic block diagram of an apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 9, the apparatus 900 includes one or more processors 910. The processor 910 can be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, etc. For example, it can be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be configured to process a communication protocol and communication data, and the central processing unit can be configured to control the apparatus (e.g., a terminal device, a network-side device or a chip, etc.), execute a software program, and process data of the software program.

[0258] Optionally, in one design, the processor 910 can include a program (which can also be referred to as code or instructions) that can be run on the processor 910, so that the apparatus 900 executes the method performed by the terminal device or the network-side device in the above-mentioned method embodiments. In another possible design, the apparatus 900 includes a circuit (not shown in FIG. 9) for implementing the functions of the terminal device or the network-side device in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0259] Exemplarily, the processor 910 can be configured to execute the computer program or instructions in the memory to implement the steps performed by the terminal device or the network side device in the method embodiments shown in any one of the embodiments shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6.

[0260] Optionally, one or more memories 920 can be included in the apparatus 900, and programs (which can also be referred to as codes or instructions) can be stored in the memories 920, and the programs can be run on the processor 910, so that the apparatus 900 performs the method performed by the terminal device or the network side device in the above embodiments.

[0261] Optionally, data can also be stored in the processor 910 and / or the memory 920. The processor and the memory can be separately arranged or integrated together.

[0262] Optionally, the apparatus 900 can further include a communication interface 930. The processor 910 can also be referred to as a processing unit, and controls the apparatus (such as the terminal device or the network side device). The communication interface 930 can also be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or a transceiver, etc., and is configured to implement the transceiving function of the apparatus.

[0263] Optionally, the apparatus 900 further includes a communication interface 930. The processor 910 and the communication interface 930 are coupled with each other. It can be understood that the communication interface 930 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0264] It can be understood that the apparatus 900 can also be referred to as a communication apparatus because it has a communication function.

[0265] When the apparatus 900 is used to implement the method shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6, the processor 910 is configured to perform the functions of the processing unit, and the communication interface 930 is configured to perform the functions of the transceiving module. Whether the communication interface 930 is configured to transmit or receive can be determined according to whether the apparatus 900 is configured to perform a transmitting action or a receiving action in the scheme.

[0266] When the apparatus 900 is a chip applied to a terminal device, the chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The chip of the terminal device receives a signal from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal device, and the signal can be transmitted by the network side device to the terminal device; or the chip of the terminal device transmits a signal to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal device, and the signal can be transmitted by the terminal device to the network side device.

[0267] When the apparatus 900 is a chip applied to a network side device, the chip implements the functions of the network side device in the method embodiments. The chip of the network side device receives a signal from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network side device, and the signal can be sent by a terminal device to the network side device. Alternatively, the chip of the network side device sends a signal to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network side device, and the signal can be sent by the network side device to the terminal device.

[0268] It can be understood that when the apparatus 900 is a terminal device or a network side device, the communication interface 930 can be a transceiver, and specifically can include a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter is configured to send a signal, and the receiver is configured to receive a signal. When the apparatus 900 is a chip applied to a terminal device or a network side device, the communication interface 930 can be an input / output circuit. The input circuit can be configured to receive, and the output interface can be configured to send.

[0269] It should be noted that the method embodiments described above can be applied to a processor or implemented by the processor. The processor can be an integrated circuit chip with a signal processing capability. In the implementation process, each step of the method embodiments described above can be completed by an integrated logic circuit or an instruction in the form of software in the processor.

[0270] The processor described above can be a general processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general processor can be a microprocessor, or any conventional processor, etc.

[0271] The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as hardware code processing executed by a processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium in the art, such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read only memory, a programmable read only memory, an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, or the like. The storage medium is located in the storage, and the processor reads the information in the storage, and combines the hardware to complete the steps of the above method.

[0272] The memory in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM) or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM can be used, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM) and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the system and method described herein is intended to include, but not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0273] The present application also provides a computer program product, which, when running on a processor, can implement the method shown in the above method embodiment.

[0274] The present application also provides a computer readable storage medium, which contains computer instructions, which, when running on a processor, can implement the method shown in the above method embodiment.

[0275] The present application also provides a communication system, which includes the network side device and the terminal device described above. Optionally, the communication system can also include one or more of the following: PCF or server.

[0276] The method provided by the above embodiments can be realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof, in whole or in part. When realized by software, the method can be realized in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product can include one or more computer instructions. When loaded and executed by a computer, the computer instructions can generate the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center through a wired (for example, coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber (DSL)) or wireless (for example, infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. containing one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic disk), an optical medium (for example, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (for example, a solid state disk (SSD)), etc.

[0277] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the units and algorithm steps of the examples 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 realized 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.

[0278] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, device, and unit can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0279] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device, and method can be realized by other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices, or units, and can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0280] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, i.e. may be located in one place, or may be distributed to multiple network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment scheme.

[0281] In addition, the functional units in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present separately, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0282] If the functions are realized in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application or the part of the present application that essentially contributes to the prior art or the part of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a plurality of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network side device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory, a random access memory, a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various program code storage media.

[0283] 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, Applied to network-side devices, the method includes: The downlink packet delay budget (PDB) of the first downlink data packet is determined. The downlink PDB is determined based on the round-trip time (RTT) requirement, which is the RTT requirement of the first downlink data packet between the terminal device and the server. The first downlink data packet is transmitted based on the downlink PDB.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet includes: Based on the RTT requirement and the first RTT, a second RTT is determined between the terminal device and the network-side device for the first uplink data packet, wherein the first RTT is the RTT between the network-side device and the server for the first uplink data packet; Based on the second RTT and the first transmission delay, the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet is determined, where the first transmission delay is the transmission delay of the first uplink data packet from the terminal device to the network-side device.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on a first time and a second time, the first RTT is determined. The first time is the time when the first uplink data packet arrives at the network-side device, and the second time is the time when the second downlink data packet arrives at the network-side device. The first downlink data packet is the data packet after the first uplink data packet has been processed by the server.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the identifier and corresponding rule of the first uplink data packet, the first downlink data packet corresponding to the first uplink data packet is determined, wherein the corresponding rule indicates the correspondence between the identifier of the first uplink data packet and the identifier of the first downlink data packet.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive first information from the server, the first information being used to indicate the corresponding rule.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device receives second information, which indicates a first waiting time for the first uplink data packet on the terminal device side. The first waiting time is the waiting time before the terminal device sends a Delay Status Report (DSR), and the DSR carries the remaining uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet. The first transmission delay is determined based on the first waiting time and the second waiting time, wherein the second waiting time is determined based on the remaining uplink PDB and the second waiting time is less than or equal to the remaining uplink PDB.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet includes: Receive third information from the policy control function (PCF), the third information being used to indicate the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet, the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet being related to the RTT requirement; Based on the third information, the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet is determined.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The RTT requirement is based on the first data packet set.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Establish a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session and a Quality of Service (QoS) stream, wherein the QoS parameters of the QoS stream include the RTT requirement.

10. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The server receives fourth information, which indicates one or more of the following: processing strategy, processing latency, or server cache expiration time; the processing strategy includes periodic processing and triggered processing, and the processing latency is the time from when the server receives the first data packet to when it processes the first data packet. Based on the fourth information and the round-trip time (RTT) requirement, the downlink packet delay budget (PDB) of the first downlink data packet and / or the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet are determined, wherein the RTT requirement is the RTT requirement of the data packet between the terminal device and the server.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The RTT requirement is based on the first data packet set.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The step of determining the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and / or the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet based on the fourth information and RTT requirements includes: Based on the fourth information and RTT requirements, the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet is determined. The method further includes: Send third information to the network-side device, the third information being used to indicate the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet.

13. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The step of determining the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and / or the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet based on the fourth information and RTT requirements includes: Based on the fourth information and RTT requirements, the downlink PDB of the first uplink data packet is determined. The method further includes: A fifth message is sent to the terminal device, the fifth message being used to indicate the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet.

14. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The step of determining the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and / or the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet based on the fourth information and RTT requirements includes: Based on the fourth information and RTT requirements, the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet and the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet are determined. The method further includes: Send third information to the network-side device, the third information being used to indicate the downlink PDB of the first downlink data packet; A fifth message is sent to the terminal device, the fifth message being used to indicate the uplink PDB of the first uplink data packet.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: Establish a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session and a Quality of Service (QoS) stream, wherein the QoS parameters of the QoS stream include the RTT requirement.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9; or, modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 10 to 15.

17. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a processor for causing the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, or the method as described in any one of claims 10 to 15, by executing a computer program and / or by logic circuitry.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that, It also includes a memory for storing computer programs and / or configuration files for the logic circuitry.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, It also includes a communication interface for inputting and / or outputting signals.

20. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method of any one of claims 1 to 9 is executed; or, the method of any one of claims 10 to 15 is executed.

21. A computer program product, characterized in that, The method includes a computer program, which, when run, executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9; or, executes the method according to any one of claims 10 to 15.

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