Communication methods, and apparatus

Abstract

Communication methods and an apparatus, which are conducive to flexibly adjusting a mapping relationship between QOS flows and DRBs, and improving the flexibility of DRBs transmitting data packets of QOS flows. A method comprises: a terminal receives first information from an access network device, updates a mapping relationship between a first QoS flow and DRBs on the basis of the first information, and updates a plurality of first DRBs carrying a data packet of the first QoS flow to at least one second DRB, or updates a DRB carrying the data packet of the first QoS flow from one first DRB to a plurality of second DRBs; and then the terminal and the access network device transmit the data packet of the QoS flow by means of the second DRBs.

Description

Communication method and apparatus

[0001] The present application claims priority from the Chinese patent application No. 202411103645.8 filed on August 9, 2024, and entitled "Communication method and apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication, in particular to a communication method and apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] In a mobile communication scenario, information interaction between a terminal and a network device needs to rely on a radio access network protocol stack. For example, in a user plane data transmission process, the radio access network protocol stack can include a radio resource control (RRC) layer, a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a media access link control (MAC), and a physical (PHY) layer, etc.

[0004] In the user plane data transmission process, after the access network device maps the data packets of a quality of service (QoS) flow to a data radio bearer (DRB) at the SDAP layer, the data packets are sequentially processed at the PDCP layer, the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the PHY layer in series. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus, which is beneficial to flexibly adjusting the mapping relationship between a QoS flow and a DRB, and improving the flexibility of the DRB in transmitting data packets of the QoS flow.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a terminal, or by a module (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the terminal, or by a logic node, a logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal. The method includes: receiving first information, the first information being used to update a set of data radio bearers (DRBs) corresponding to a first quality of service (QoS) flow from a first set of DRBs to a second set of DRBs, the first set of DRBs including a plurality of first DRBs, the second set of DRBs including at least one second DRB, or the first set of DRBs including one first DRB and the second set of DRBs including a plurality of second DRBs; and sending a data packet of the first QoS flow through a DRB in the second set of DRBs.

[0007] Based on the above scheme, in the process of transmitting a data packet of a QoS flow, the terminal can flexibly adjust one or more DRBs corresponding to the QoS flow according to the received first information, that is, flexibly change the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the one or more DRBs, thereby improving the flexibility of the DRB in transmitting the data packet of the QoS flow. In the case of updating the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow from a plurality of first DRBs to one second DRB, the physical resources occupied by the transmission of the QoS data packet are reduced. In the case of updating the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow from one first DRB to a plurality of second DRBs, the data packet of the QoS flow is processed in parallel through the plurality of DRBs, thereby reducing the user plane latency. In the case of updating the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow from a plurality of first DRBs to a plurality of second DRBs, the load of the DRBs is balanced.

[0008] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by an access network device, or by a module (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the access network device, or by a logic node, a logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device. The method includes: sending first information, the first information being used to update a set of data radio bearers (DRBs) corresponding to a first quality of service (QoS) flow from a first set of DRBs to a second set of DRBs, the first set of DRBs including a plurality of first DRBs, the second set of DRBs including at least one second DRB, or the first set of DRBs including one first DRB and the second set of DRBs including a plurality of second DRBs; and receiving a data packet of the first QoS flow through a DRB in the second set of DRBs.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible design, the first information includes first indication and / or DRB indication information, the first indication being used to indicate the updating of the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB, and the DRB indication information being used to indicate at least one third DRB, the second set of DRBs including the at least one third DRB.

[0010] In a possible design of the first aspect or the second aspect, the first information includes a first indication, the first information is carried in the fourth DRB, and the second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB or the fourth DRB and a first DRB included in the first DRB set.

[0011] Based on the above scheme, the second DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow in different scenarios can be accurately indicated by the first indication, and then the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow can be accurately and flexibly updated according to the first information.

[0012] In a possible design of the first aspect or the second aspect, when all DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set, the second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB and a first DRB included in the first DRB set; or when part of the DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set or all DRBs in the first DRB set do not belong to the third DRB set, the second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB.

[0013] Based on the above scheme, the second DRB set in different situations can be determined according to the relationship between the first DRB set and the third DRB set, which is beneficial to accurately updating the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB in different application scenarios.

[0014] In a possible design of the first aspect or the second aspect, the first information includes a first indication and DRB indication information, the first information is carried in the fourth DRB, and the second DRB in the second DRB set is at least one third DRB or the fourth DRB and at least one third DRB.

[0015] In a possible design of the first aspect or the second aspect, the DRB indication information is included in a first field, the first field includes at least one bit, at least part of the bits in the at least one bit correspond to at least one DRB, the at least one third DRB or the plurality of third DRBs indicated by the DRB indication information is a DRB corresponding to a first bit in the at least part of the bits, and the first bit is a bit set to a first value in the at least part of the bits.

[0016] In a possible design of the first aspect or the second aspect, an i th bit in the at least part of the bits corresponds to a DRB with an identifier i; or the i th bit corresponds to an i th DRB in a first list, and the first list is a DRB configuration list corresponding to the terminal; where i is a positive integer.

[0017] Based on the scheme, in the process of indicating the third DRB through the DRB indication information, the terminal can accurately determine the DRB identifiers of the third DRBs indicated by the DRB indication information according to the states of the bits in the first field, so as to facilitate the terminal to accurately determine the new mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB.

[0018] With reference to the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible design, the first information is contained in an SDAP header of the first data packet, the first data packet is a downlink data packet of the first QoS flow, and the first data packet is carried on the fourth DRB.

[0019] Based on the scheme, the terminal and the access network device can implement the interaction of the first information by using the SDAP header, so that the first information does not need to be sent through an additional message, and the signaling overhead caused by the interaction of the first information is effectively controlled.

[0020] With reference to the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible design, the first information includes RDI.

[0021] Based on the scheme, the terminal and the access network device can use RDI as the first indication, so that the terminal and the access network device can implement the mapping relationship update according to the fields defined in the existing protocol, and the mapping relationship update has good compatibility with the protocol.

[0022] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible design, the communication method further includes: receiving second information, the second information being used to indicate a third DRB set. Correspondingly, with reference to the second aspect, in a possible design, the communication method further includes: sending second information, the second information being used to indicate a third DRB set.

[0023] Based on the above scheme, the terminal can accurately obtain the third DRB set preconfigured according to the second information, and then accurately identify the current application scenario according to the third DRB set, so as to accurately determine the second DRB set.

[0024] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible design, the communication method further includes: receiving third information, the third information being used to indicate a DRB corresponding to each bit in at least part of the bits. With reference to the second aspect, in a possible design, the communication method further includes: sending third information, the third information being used to indicate a DRB corresponding to each bit in at least part of the bits.

[0025] Based on the above scheme, the terminal can accurately determine the identity of the DRB corresponding to each bit in at least part of the bits corresponding to at least one DRB in the received first field, so as to facilitate the terminal to accurately determine the third DRB indicated by the DRB indication information.

[0026] In a possible design of the first aspect, the communication method further includes: receiving fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate the length of the first field. In a possible design of the second aspect, the communication method further includes: sending the fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate the length of the first field.

[0027] In a possible design of the first aspect, the communication method further includes: sending fifth information, where the fifth information is carried in a fifth DRB, and the fifth information is used to indicate that a mapping relationship between the fifth DRB and a first QoS flow is terminated, and the fifth DRB is a first DRB that is not in the second DRB set and is in the first DRB set. In a possible design of the second aspect, the communication method further includes: receiving the fifth information, where the fifth information is carried in a fifth DRB, and the fifth information is used to indicate that a mapping relationship between the fifth DRB and a first QoS flow is terminated, and the fifth DRB is a first DRB that is not in the second DRB set and is in the first DRB set.

[0028] Based on this scheme, after the terminal determines the second DRB set, the terminal can terminate the mapping relationship between the fifth DRB that is not in the second DRB set and is in the first DRB set and the first QoS flow by sending the fifth information, which is beneficial to remove historical mapping relationships between QoS flows and DRBs, and improve the reliability of QoS flow data packet transmission.

[0029] In a possible design of the second aspect, the communication method further includes: sending sixth information to a target access network device, where the sixth information is used to indicate a DRB configuration list corresponding to the terminal.

[0030] Based on this scheme, in the case that the terminal sends a cell switching, the target access network device corresponding to a cell in which the terminal camps after switching can accurately acquire the DRBs corresponding to each bit in the first field, which is beneficial to the target access network device accurately updating the mapping relationship between QoS flows and DRBs.

[0031] In a possible design of the first aspect, the communication method further includes: receiving fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate the length of the first field. In a possible design of the second aspect, the communication method further includes: sending the fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate the length of the first field.

[0032] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by an access network device, by a module (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) applied to the access network device, and by a logic node, a logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device. The method includes: sending first information, the first information being used to update a data radio bearer (DRB) corresponding to a first quality of service (QoS) flow from a plurality of first DRBs to at least one second DRB; and receiving a data packet of the first QoS flow through the at least one second DRB.

[0033] In a possible design of the third aspect or the fourth aspect, the first information includes a first indication and / or DRB indication information, the first indication is used to indicate that the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB is updated, and the DRB indication information is used to indicate at least one third DRB, the at least one second DRB including the at least one third DRB.

[0034] In a possible design of the third aspect or the fourth aspect, the first information includes a first indication, and the first information is carried in a fourth DRB; the at least one second DRB is the fourth DRB, or the at least one second DRB is the fourth DRB and the plurality of first DRBs.

[0035] In a possible design of the third aspect or the fourth aspect, in a case where all DRBs in the at least one first DRB belong to the third DRB set, the at least one second DRB is the fourth DRB and the plurality of first DRBs; in a case where part of the at least one first DRB belongs to the third DRB set or none of the at least one first DRB belongs to the third DRB set, the at least one second DRB is the fourth DRB.

[0036] In a possible design of the third aspect or the fourth aspect, the first information includes a first indication and DRB indication information, and the first information is carried in a fourth DRB; the at least one second DRB is at least one third DRB; or the at least one second DRB is the fourth DRB and the at least one third DRB.

[0037] In a possible design of the third aspect or the fourth aspect, the DRB indication information is included in a first field, the first field includes at least one bit, at least part of the at least one bit corresponds to at least one DRB, the at least one third DRB indicated by the DRB indication information is a DRB corresponding to a first bit in the at least part of the at least one bit, and the first bit is a bit set to a first value in the at least part of the at least one bit.

[0038] With reference to the third aspect or the fourth aspect, in a possible design, the i th bit of the at least part of bits corresponds to a DRB with an identifier of i; or the i th bit corresponds to an i th DRB in a first list, the first list being a DRB configuration list corresponding to the terminal; where i is a positive integer.

[0039] With reference to the third aspect or the fourth aspect, in a possible design, the first information is included in an SDAP header of a first data packet, the first data packet being a downlink data packet of the first QoS flow, and the first data packet being carried in the fourth DRB.

[0040] With reference to the third aspect or the fourth aspect, in a possible design, the first information includes the RDI.

[0041] With reference to the third aspect, the communication method further includes: receiving second information, the second information being used to indicate the third DRB set. With reference to the fourth aspect, the communication method further includes: sending the second information, the second information being used to indicate the third DRB set.

[0042] With reference to the third aspect, the communication method further includes: receiving third information, the third information being used to indicate a DRB corresponding to each bit of the at least part of bits. With reference to the fourth aspect, the communication method further includes: sending the third information, the third information being used to indicate a DRB corresponding to each bit of the at least part of bits.

[0043] With reference to the third aspect, the communication method further includes: receiving fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate a length of the first field. With reference to the fourth aspect, the communication method further includes: sending the fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate the length of the first field.

[0044] With reference to the third aspect, the communication method further includes: sending fifth information, the fifth information being carried in a fifth DRB, the fifth information being used to indicate a mapping relationship between the fifth DRB and the first QoS flow, and the fifth DRB being a first DRB that does not belong to the at least one second DRB among the multiple first DRBs. With reference to the fourth aspect, the communication method further includes: receiving fifth information, the fifth information being carried in a fifth DRB, the fifth information being used to indicate a mapping relationship between the fifth DRB and the first QoS flow, and the fifth DRB being a first DRB that does not belong to the at least one second DRB among the multiple first DRBs.

[0045] With reference to the fourth aspect, the communication method further includes: sending, to a target access network device, sixth information, the sixth information being used to indicate a DRB configuration list corresponding to the terminal.

[0046] The technical effects brought by the third aspect and any possible design thereof can refer to the technical effects brought by the corresponding or similar design of the first aspect, and the technical effects brought by the fourth aspect and any possible design thereof can refer to the technical effects brought by the corresponding or similar design of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0047] In a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a terminal, or performed by a module (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the terminal, or implemented by a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal. The method includes: receiving first information, the first information being used to update a DRB corresponding to a first quality of service (QoS) flow from a first DRB to a plurality of second DRBs; and sending a data packet of the first QoS flow through the plurality of second DRBs.

[0048] In a sixth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method is performed by an access network device, or performed by a module (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the access network device, or implemented by a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network device. The method includes: sending first information, the first information being used to update a DRB corresponding to a first quality of service (QoS) flow from a first DRB to a plurality of second DRBs; and sending a data packet of the first QoS flow through the plurality of second DRBs.

[0049] With reference to the fifth aspect or the sixth aspect, in a possible design, the first information includes a first indication and / or DRB indication information, the first indication is used to indicate that the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB is updated, and the DRB indication information is used to indicate at least one third DRB, and the plurality of second DRBs includes the at least one third DRB.

[0050] With reference to the fifth aspect or the sixth aspect, in a possible design, the first information includes a first indication, and the first information is carried in a fourth DRB; and the plurality of second DRBs includes the fourth DRB and the first DRB.

[0051] With reference to the fifth aspect or the sixth aspect, in a possible design, the first information includes a first indication and DRB indication information, and the first information is carried in a fourth DRB; and the plurality of second DRBs includes the fourth DRB and at least one third DRB, or the DRB indication information is used to indicate a plurality of third DRBs, and the plurality of second DRBs includes the plurality of third DRBs.

[0052] In a possible design of the fifth aspect or the sixth aspect, the DRB indication information is included in a first field, the first field includes at least one bit, at least part of the at least one bit corresponds to at least one DRB, and the at least one third DRB or the plurality of third DRBs indicated by the DRB indication information is / are the DRB(s) corresponding to a first bit among the at least part of the at least one bit, where the first bit is a bit set to a first value among the at least part of the at least one bit.

[0053] In a possible design of the fifth aspect or the sixth aspect, an i-th bit among the at least part of the at least one bit corresponds to a DRB with an identifier i; or the i-th bit corresponds to an i-th DRB in a first list, and the first list is a DRB configuration list corresponding to the terminal.

[0054] In a possible design of the fifth aspect or the sixth aspect, the first information is included in an SDAP header of a first data packet, the first data packet is a downlink data packet of a first QoS flow, and the first data packet is carried on the fourth DRB.

[0055] In a possible design of the fifth aspect or the sixth aspect, the first information includes an RDI.

[0056] In a possible design of the fifth aspect, the communication method further includes: receiving third information, where the third information is used to indicate a DRB corresponding to each bit among the at least part of the at least one bit. In a possible design of the sixth aspect, the communication method further includes: sending third information, where the third information is used to indicate a DRB corresponding to each bit among the at least part of the at least one bit.

[0057] In a possible design of the fifth aspect, the communication method further includes: receiving fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate a length of the first field. In a possible design of the sixth aspect, the communication method further includes: sending fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate a length of the first field. In a possible design of the sixth aspect, the communication method further includes: sending sixth information to the target access network device, where the sixth information is used to indicate a DRB configuration list corresponding to the terminal.

[0058] The technical effects of the fifth aspect and any possible design thereof can refer to the technical effects of the corresponding or similar design of the first aspect, and the technical effects of the sixth aspect and any possible design thereof can refer to the technical effects of the corresponding or similar design of the first aspect, which are not repeated here.

[0059] In a seventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can implement various methods. The communication apparatus includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the methods, which can be implemented by hardware, software, or combinations of both. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0060] In some possible design, the communication apparatus can include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module can be used to implement the processing functions in any of the aspects and any of their possible implementation manners. The transceiver module can include a receiving module and a sending module, which can be used to implement the receiving function and the sending function in any of the aspects and any of their possible implementation manners.

[0061] In some possible design, the transceiver module can be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0062] In an eighth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor and a memory. The memory is used to store computer instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the communication apparatus to perform the method in any of the aspects.

[0063] In a ninth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface is used to communicate with modules other than the communication apparatus. The processor is used to execute computer programs or instructions, so that the communication apparatus performs the method in any of the aspects.

[0064] In a tenth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes at least one processor. The processor is used to execute computer programs or instructions stored in a memory, so that the communication apparatus performs the method in any of the aspects. The memory can be coupled with the processor, or can be independent of the processor.

[0065] In an eleventh aspect, a communication apparatus (for example, the communication apparatus can be a chip or a chip system) is provided, which includes a processor, which is used to implement the functions involved in any of the first aspect to the eighth aspect.

[0066] In some possible design, the communication apparatus includes a memory, which is used to save necessary program instructions and data.

[0067] In some possible design, when the apparatus is a chip system, the apparatus can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0068] It should be understood that the communication apparatus provided in the seventh aspect to the eleventh aspect can be the terminal in the first aspect to the third aspect, can be a module or unit (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit) corresponding to the terminal in executing the method / operation / step / action described in the first aspect to the third aspect, or can be a module or unit capable of being used in matching with the terminal, or can also be a logic node, a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the terminal function; or the communication apparatus can be the access network device in the fourth aspect to the sixth aspect, can be a module or unit (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit) corresponding to the access network device in executing the method / operation / step / action described in the fourth aspect to the sixth aspect, or can be a module or unit capable of being used in matching with the access network device, or can also be a logic node, a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the access network device.

[0069] It should be understood that when the communication apparatus in any one of the seventh aspect to the eleventh aspect is a chip, the sending action / function of the communication apparatus can be understood as outputting information, and the receiving action / function of the communication apparatus can be understood as inputting information.

[0070] The twelfth aspect provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed on the communication apparatus, the communication apparatus can execute the method in any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect.

[0071] The thirteenth aspect provides a computer program product containing instructions, and when the computer program product is executed on the communication apparatus, the communication apparatus can execute the method in any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect.

[0072] The fourteenth aspect provides a communication system, which includes a terminal and an access network device. The terminal is configured to execute the method in the first aspect to the third aspect and any possible design thereof, and the access network device is configured to execute the method in the fourth aspect to the sixth aspect and any possible design thereof.

[0073] The technical effects brought by any one of the seventh aspect to the fourteenth aspect can refer to the technical effects brought by different design manners in the first aspect to the sixth aspect, and will not be described here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0074] FIG. 1 is a structure diagram of a radio access network side protocol stack provided in the present application;

[0075] FIG. 2 is a message format diagram provided in the present application;

[0076] FIG. 3 is a principle diagram of a protocol layer function provided in the present application;

[0077] Fig. 4 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication system provided by the present application;

[0078] Fig. 5 is a structural schematic diagram of an O-RAN system provided by the present application;

[0079] Fig. 6 is a protocol layer architecture schematic diagram of a CU-DU provided by the present application;

[0080] Fig. 7 is another protocol layer architecture schematic diagram of a CU-DU provided by the present application;

[0081] Fig. 8 is a protocol layer architecture schematic diagram of an access network device in an O-RAN system provided by the present application;

[0082] Fig. 9 is a flow schematic diagram of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0083] Fig. 10 is a mapping relationship schematic diagram of a QoS flow and a DRB provided by the present application;

[0084] Fig. 11 is a flow schematic diagram of a QoS flow and DRB mapping relationship configuration provided by the present application;

[0085] Fig. 12 is another flow schematic diagram of a QoS flow and DRB mapping relationship configuration provided by the present application;

[0086] Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of a first field provided by the present application;

[0087] Fig. 14 is a flow schematic diagram of a communication method under an O-RAN architecture provided by the present application;

[0088] Figs. 15-17 are structural schematic diagrams of a communication device provided by the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0089] In the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, “ / ” represents a “or” relationship of the objects associated in front and back, for example, A / B can represent A or B; “and / or” in the present application is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, where A, B can be singular or plural.

[0090] In the description of the present application, "a plurality of" means two or more than two, unless otherwise specified. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of the items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0091] In addition, in order to facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, "first", "second" and the like are used to distinguish the same items or similar items with basically the same function and role. Those skilled in the art can understand that "first", "second" and the like do not limit the quantity and execution order, and "first", "second" and the like do not necessarily mean different.

[0092] In the embodiments of the present application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment or design presented as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the words "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner. The embodiments described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application are not necessarily to be understood as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

[0093] It can be understood that "embodiments" mentioned throughout the specification mean that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiments are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It can be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence of each process does not mean the execution order, and the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0094] It can be understood that in the present application, "when" and "if" refer to the corresponding processing under certain objective conditions, not the time limit, and do not require judgment action when implementing, nor mean that there are other limitations.

[0095] It can be understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented independently in some scenarios without relying on other features, such as the scheme currently based on, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Also, in some scenarios, it can be combined with other features according to demand. Correspondingly, the devices given in the embodiments of the present application can also realize these features or functions, which will not be described here.

[0096] In the present application, the same or similar parts among various embodiments can be mutually referred to, unless otherwise specified. In various embodiments of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referred to, unless otherwise specified and logically conflicted. The embodiments of the present application described below do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present application.

[0097] In order to facilitate the understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, first, a brief introduction of the related technologies of the present application is given as follows.

[0098] 1. Radio access network side protocol stack

[0099] The radio protocol stack on the radio access network side can be divided into a user plane protocol stack and a control plane protocol stack. The user plane protocol stack can include a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a media access control (MAC) layer, and a physical (PHY) layer, etc. Among them, the PHY layer belongs to the first layer (also referred to as layer 1 (L1)), the MAC layer, the RLC layer, the PDCP layer, and the SDAP layer belong to the second layer (also referred to as layer 2 (L2)). The RRC layer of the control plane belongs to the third layer (also referred to as layer 3 (L3)).

[0100] Generally, the service provided by layer 2 for transmitting user data between the terminal and the access network device can be referred to as a radio bearer (RB). Exemplarily, the service for transmitting user data between the terminal and the access network device can be implemented by each protocol layer belonging to layer 2. That is, the processing of each protocol layer on the data packet can be figuratively referred to as a radio bearer, and each data packet in the radio bearer needs to pass through the processing of each protocol layer in layer 2.

[0101] Exemplarily, each radio bearer configuration includes a PDCP entity, and is associated with an RLC entity, and one RLC entity corresponds to one logical channel. The logical channel can be understood as a channel between the RLC layer and the MAC layer.

[0102] Referring to FIG. 1, in a user plane protocol stack, an SDAP layer is located above a PDCP layer, the PDCP layer is located above an RLC layer, the RLC layer is located above a MAC layer, and the MAC layer is located above a physical layer. For data downlink, after downlink data arrives at an access network device, each protocol layer processes a data packet in turn according to the order from top to bottom shown in FIG. 1, and finally transmits the data packet to a terminal through an air interface. After the terminal receives the data packet through the air interface, the terminal processes the data packet in turn according to an order opposite to that of the access network device. The processing of the data packet by each protocol layer is implemented by a multifunctional entity corresponding to the protocol layer, for example, the processing of the PDCP layer is implemented by a corresponding PDCP layer entity.

[0103] Currently, for data processing in a single quality of service (QoS) flow, after data of the QoS flow is mapped to a data radio bearer (DRB) at an SDAP layer, the data is processed in turn at a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a PHY layer.

[0104] 2. Service data adaptation protocol layer

[0105] Currently, main functions of the SDAP layer include: mapping a QoS flow to a DRB, adding a QoS flow identifier (QFI) to an SDAP header of an uplink and downlink protocol data unit (PDU), and implementing a reflective QoS flow.

[0106] The purpose of adding the QFI to the SDAP header of the PDU by the SDAP layer is to enable the PDU to support a non-access stratum reflection QoS (NAS Reflection QoS) function. The function of implementing the reflective QOS flow by the SDAP layer is mainly concentrated on a terminal side, and an access network device implements this function by carrying an RDI in a downlink data packet.

[0107] The messages of the SDAP layer mainly include two types: data messages and control messages. The first bit of the control message is used to distinguish whether the message is a data (D) message or a control (C) message. At present, the control message of the SDAP layer only includes one End-Marker Control PDU, and the message format of the control message can refer to (a) in FIG. 2. The first bit of the first row (OCT1) of the control message is used to indicate whether the message is a data message or a control message, the second bit is set as R to indicate that the bit is a reserved bit, and the subsequent bits can be used to carry a QFI identifier. The function of the End-Marker Control PDU is to notify the access network device that the terminal stops the mapping relationship between the QoS flow corresponding to the QFI carried by the control message and the DRB carrying the message.

[0108] For example, in the process of changing the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB through RRC signaling, the application example of the End-Marker Control PDU is as follows:

[0109] 1. The access network device configures the mapping relationship between the uplink QoS flow and the DRB for the terminal through RRC signaling, for example, QoS flow 1 is mapped to DRB1.

[0110] 2. The terminal sends the uplink message of QoS flow 1 on DRB1 according to the indication of the access network device.

[0111] 3. The access network device configures the new mapping relationship between the uplink QoS flow and the DRB for the terminal through RRC signaling, for example, QoS flow 1 is mapped to DRB2.

[0112] 4. After the terminal determines that the original mapping rule of the QoS flow and the DRB is no longer used according to the latest mapping relationship configuration of the access network device, the terminal sends the End-Marker Control PDU on DRB1, and carries the QFI of QoS flow 1 in the message.

[0113] 5. After the access network device receives the End-Marker Control PDU, the access network device identifies the QFI carried in the message, determines that the QoS flow corresponding to the QFI is QoS flow 1, and determines that the message of QoS flow 1 will not be sent on DRB1. After receiving the message of QoS flow 1 on DRB1, the access network device can determine that the message is an illegal message.

[0114] 6. The UE sends the uplink message of QoS flow 1 on DRB2.

[0115] In addition, in the process of changing the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB through RRC signaling, if the terminal cannot find the original mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB, the terminal can send the End-Marker Control PDU on the pre-configured default DRB.

[0116] The data message of the SDAP layer includes two types, one is a data message without an SDAP header, and the other is a data message with an SDAP header. The data message with the SDAP header includes a downlink message sent by the access network device to the terminal and an uplink message sent by the terminal to the access network device. The message format of the data message without the SDAP header (Data PDU without SDAP header) can refer to (b) in FIG. 2, and the first row (Oct1) to the Kth row (Oct K) are all data Data, and K is an integer greater than 1. The message format of the downlink data message with the SDAP header (DL Data PDU with SDAP header) sent by the access network device to the terminal can refer to (c) in FIG. 2, and the SDAP header (Oct1) includes an RDI field, an RQI field, and a QFI field. The message format of the uplink data message (UL Data PDU with SDAP header) sent by the terminal to the access network device can refer to (d) in FIG. 2, and the first bit of the SDAP header (Oct1) is used to distinguish whether the type of the message is a data (D) message or a control (C) message, the second bit is a reserved bit, and the remaining bits include the QFI field.

[0117] The RDI is used to indicate the terminal to complete the reverse mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB, or to change the reverse mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB through the user plane data. The QFI is used to indicate the QoS flow corresponding to the message. The RQI is used to indicate whether the non-access layer updates the mapping relationship between the service data flow (SDF) and the QoS flow, that is, the mapping relationship between the SDF and the QoS flow sending the SDF data message. For example, the QoS flow of the SDF data message is determined according to the message five-tuple.

[0118] The length of the RDI field is 1 bit, and the meaning of the RDI field can refer to Table 1:

[0119] Table 1

[0120] In the case where the RDI field is set to 0, the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB is not changed; in the case where the RDI field is set to 1, the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB is stored in the mapping rule of the DRB and the QoS flow.

[0121] The process of establishing a new uplink mapping rule through RDI is as follows:

[0122] 1. The terminal has not established a mapping rule between the uplink data packet of QoS flow 1 and the DRB.

[0123] 2. In the case where the access network device establishes a mapping rule between the uplink data packet of QoS flow 1 and the DRB through the terminal, the access network device sends the downlink data packet of QoS flow 1 on DRB1, and sets the RDI field in the SDAP header of the downlink data packet to 1, indicating that the terminal establishes the mapping relationship between the uplink data packet and the DRB according to the mapping relationship between the downlink data packet and the DRB. The establishment of the mapping relationship between the uplink data packet and the DRB according to the mapping relationship between the downlink data packet and the DRB of the QoS flow is also called reverse mapping.

[0124] 3. After the terminal receives the downlink data packet with the RDI field set to 1 on DRB1, the terminal determines the mapping relationship between the uplink data packet of QoS flow 1 and DRB1 according to the QFI identifier in the downlink data packet.

[0125] 4. The terminal sends an End-Marker Control PDU to the access network device on the default DRB, indicating that the access network device has completed the mapping rule, and stores the mapping relationship between the uplink data packet of QoS flow 1 and DRB1, and the terminal subsequently sends the uplink data packet of QoS flow 1 on DRB1.

[0126] Further, the process of updating the uplink mapping rule through RDI is as follows:

[0127] 1. The terminal has established a mapping relationship between the uplink data packet of QoS flow 1 and DRB1.

[0128] 2. In the case where the access network device notifies the terminal to map the uplink data packet of QoS flow 1 to DRB2, the access network device sends the downlink data packet of QoS flow 1 on DRB2, and sets the RDI field in the SDAP header of the downlink data packet to 1, indicating that the terminal establishes the mapping relationship between the uplink data packet and the DRB according to the mapping relationship between the downlink data packet and the DRB. The establishment of the mapping relationship between the uplink data packet and the DRB according to the mapping relationship between the downlink data packet and the DRB of the QoS flow is also called reverse mapping.

[0129] 3. After the terminal receives the downlink data packet with the RDI field set to 1 on DRB1, the terminal determines the mapping relationship between the uplink data packet of QoS flow 1 and DRB2 according to the QFI identifier in the downlink data packet.

[0130] 4. The terminal sends an End-Marker Control PDU to the access network device on the DRB1, indicating that the access network device has completed the mapping rule, and stores the mapping relationship between the QoS flow 1 uplink data packet and the DRB2, and the terminal subsequently sends the QoS flow 1 uplink data packet on the DRB2.

[0131] The length of the RQI field is 1 bit, and the meaning of the RQI field can refer to Table 2:

[0132] Table 2

[0133] In the case where the RQI field is set to 0, the mapping relationship between the SDF and the QoS flow is not changed; in the case where the RQI field is set to 1, the non-access layer RQI is notified to be set to 1. The RQI is mainly used for the interaction between the core network device and the access network device, and the access network device only performs forwarding notification, which will not be described here.

[0134] Referring to (a) in FIG. 3, the SDAP 1 maps different QoS flows (QoS flow 1 and QoS flow 2) included in the session 1 to one DRB corresponding to each QoS flow, and the SDAP 2 maps the QoS flow 3 to one DRB corresponding to the QoS flow 3. At present, in the process of mapping the data packet of the QoS flow to the DRB, the data packet of one QoS flow is only mapped to one DRB, and the SDAP layer can also support multiple QoS mapping to the same DRB. For example, in the case where the service type of one terminal is more (there are multiple QoS flows) and the number of DRBs is limited, multiple QoS flows with similar QoS characteristics can be mapped to the same DRB through the mapping relationship configuration of the QoS flow to the DRB.

[0135] With the development of mobile communication systems, users have increasingly greater demand for high-speed and low-latency services. For example, as shown in (b) in FIG. 3, the network architecture and target report of the international mobile telecommunications (IMT) evolution discloses that the target peak rate of the future mobile communication system considers 50, 100, and 200 gigabits per second (Gbit / s), and the air interface latency target is 0.1 milliseconds to 1 millisecond. In the case where the data packet of the QoS flow is carried through one DRB, the pressure of the protocol stack processing is greater, and such a high data rate cannot be supported, which may cause data loss or large air interface latency.

[0136] That is to say, for future networks, there will be high-rate low-latency service scenarios that require faster user plane processing efficiency to reduce user plane processing latency, support higher data rates, and improve data processing efficiency. However, the current user plane data processing latency is large and the efficiency is low, which cannot meet the latency requirements of high-rate low-latency services.

[0137] Based on this, the present application provides a communication method, in the process of data packet transmission of the first QoS flow between the access network device and the terminal, the terminal can update the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow from the multiple first DRBs to at least one second DRB, or update the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow from one first DRB to multiple second DRBs according to the received first information, that is, flexibly change the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and one or more DRBs, and improve the flexibility of the DRB in transmitting QoS flow data packets. In the case of updating the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow from multiple first DRBs to one second DRB, it is beneficial to reduce the physical resources occupied by QoS data packet transmission; in the case of updating the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow from one first DRB to multiple second DRBs, the data packets of the QoS flow are processed in parallel through multiple DRBs, thereby reducing the user plane latency; in the case of updating the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow from multiple first DRBs to multiple second DRBs, it is beneficial to balance the load of the DRB.

[0138] The technical scheme of the embodiment of the present application can be used in various communication systems, which can be a third generation partnership project (3GPP) communication system, for example, a long term evolution (LTE) system, a fourth generation (4G) system such as a new radio (NR) system, a 5G system, a system of mixed networking of LTE and 5G, a non-terrestrial network (NTN), a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a vehicle to everything (V2X) communication system, a machine-type communication (MTC) system, an internet of things (IOT) system, or other future communication systems. The communication system can also be a non-3GPP communication system, which is not limited.

[0139] The communication system applicable to the present application is only illustrative, and the communication system applicable to the present application is not limited thereto. The communication system provided by the present application does not cause any limitation to the scheme of the present application. Herein, the following will not be described in detail.

[0140] FIG. 4 shows a possible, non-limiting system diagram. As shown in FIG. 4, a communication system 40 includes a radio access network (RAN) 400 and a core network (CN) 500. The RAN 400 includes at least one access network device (e.g., 410a and 410b in FIG. 4, collectively referred to as 410) and at least one terminal (e.g., 420a-420j in FIG. 4, collectively referred to as 420). Other access network devices, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in FIG. 4), etc., can also be included in the RAN 400. The terminal 420 is connected to the access network device 410 in a wireless manner. The access network device 410 is connected to the core network 500 in a wireless or wired manner. The core network device in the core network 500 and the access network device 410 in the RAN 400 can be different physical devices, respectively, or can be the same physical device integrated with the logical functions of the core network and the logical functions of the wireless access network.

[0141] The RAN 400 can be a 3GPP related cellular system, such as a 4G, 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolution system. The RAN 400 can also be an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. The RAN 400 can also be a communication system that combines two or more of the above systems.

[0142] The terminal can also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal can be widely applied to various scenarios, such as D2D, V2X communication, MTC, IoT, virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, remote medical treatment, smart power grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, wearable device, vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicle, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, mechanical arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0143] The core network device can include an authentication management function (AMF), a session management network element (SMF), a policy control network element (PCF), a user data management network element (UDM), an application function network element (AF), a network exposure function network element (NEF), and a user plane function network element (UPF), etc.

[0144] The AMF is mainly responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as user location update, user registration network, user handover, etc.; the SMF is mainly responsible for session management in the mobile network, such as session establishment, modification, and release. Specific functions include allocating IP addresses for users, selecting UPFs that provide message forwarding functions, etc.; the PCF is responsible for providing policies to the AMF and SMF, such as QoS policies and slice selection policies; the UDM is used to store user data, such as subscription information and authentication / authorization information; the AF is responsible for providing services to the 3GPP network, such as influencing service routing and interacting with the PCF for policy control; the NEF is mainly responsible for exposing the capabilities of each network function and converting between internal messages and external information; and the UPF is mainly responsible for processing user messages, such as forwarding, charging, etc.

[0145] The access network device 410, which can also be referred to as a RAN node, a RAN entity, or an access node, etc., constitutes a part of the communication system 400 and helps terminals to achieve wireless access. The plurality of access network devices 410 in the communication system 400 can be nodes of the same type or nodes of different types. In some scenarios, the roles of the access network device 410 and the terminal 420 are relative, for example, the network element 420i in FIG. 4 can be a helicopter or a drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For a terminal 420j that accesses the RAN 400 through the network element 420i, the network element 420i is a base station; but for the base station 410a, the network element 420i is a terminal. The access network device 410 and the terminal 420 are sometimes collectively referred to as communication apparatuses, for example, the network elements 410a and 410b in FIG. 4 can be understood as communication apparatuses with base station functions, and the network elements 420a-420j can be understood as communication apparatuses with terminal functions.

[0146] In a possible scenario, the access network device can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a TRP, a next generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc. The access network device can be a macro base station (such as 410a in FIG. 4), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 410b in FIG. 4), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the access network device can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. For example, the access network device in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology can be a road side unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the access network device in this application can also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). The access network device in this application can also be a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0147] In another possible scenario, multiple access network devices cooperate to assist a terminal to implement wireless access, and different access network devices respectively implement part of the functions of a base station. For example, the access network device 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).

[0148] In different systems, 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, CU can also be referred to as O-CU (open CU), DU can also be referred to as O-DU, CU-CP can also be referred to as O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be referred to as O-CU-UP, and RU can also be referred to as O-RU. For the convenience of description, the CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU are taken as examples for description in this application. Any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be realized by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0149] For example, as shown in FIG. 5, it is a possible and non-limiting schematic diagram of an O-RAN system. In which, the CU, DU and RU cooperate to assist the terminal to realize wireless access. The CU, DU and RU can be included in the access network device, and the CU and DU can be included in the BBU of the access network device.

[0150] Referring to FIG. 5, the access network device communicates with the core network device through a backhaul link and communicates with the terminal through an air interface. Specifically, the BBU of the access network device communicates with the core network device through the backhaul link, and the RU of the access network device communicates with at least one terminal device through the air interface. The BBU communicates with at least one RU through a front-haul link, and the CU communicates with at least one DU through a mid-haul link. The BBU and the RU can be co-located or not co-located.

[0151] As a possible implementation, the CU and the DU respectively implement part of the protocol layer functions of the access network device, such as the functions of part of the protocol layer are implemented in the CU, and the remaining part or all of the protocol layer functions are implemented in the DU, and the CU can control one or more DUs.

[0152] For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the CU can deploy the RRC layer, the SDAP layer and the PDCP layer, or in other words, the CU can be understood as a logical node carrying the RRC layer, the SDAP layer and the PDCP layer of the access network device. Therefore, the CU has the processing capability of the RRC, PDCP and SDAP layers, and of course, the CU can also implement or carry other control functions. The DU can deploy the RLC layer, the MAC layer and the PHY layer, or in other words, the DU can be understood as a logical node carrying the RLC layer, the MAC layer and the PHY layer, so that the DU has the processing capability of the RLC, MAC and PHY layers, and of course, the DU can also implement or carry other functions.

[0153] Optionally, the CU is connected with network nodes such as core network nodes through some interfaces, which can be N2 interface and the like. In addition, the CU can also implement part of the functions of the core network. The CU (e.g., PDCP layer and higher layer) is connected with the DU (e.g., RLC layer and lower layer) through some interfaces, which can be F1 interface and the like. In some examples, these interfaces (e.g., F1 interface) can provide control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane) functions (e.g., interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, and the like). For example, F1 supports control plane functions through F1-C and supports user plane functions through F1-U.

[0154] In an example, the CU can include a CU-CP and a CU-UP, and the CU-CP and the CU-UP can communicate through an E1 interface. As shown in FIG. 7, the CU-CP can be understood as a logical node carrying an RRC layer and a control plane part of PDCP (PDCP-C), used to implement the control plane function of the CU, and the CU-CP can communicate with the DU through F1-C. The CU-UP can be understood as a logical node carrying an SDAP layer and a user plane part of PDCP (PDCP-U), used to implement the user plane function of the CU, and the CU-UP can communicate with the DU through F1-U.

[0155] The CU-CP can interact with a network element in the core network for implementing the control plane function, and the network element in the core network for implementing the control plane function can be an access and mobility function network element, such as an AMF network element in a 5G system. The CU-UP can interact with a network element in the core network for implementing the user plane function, and the network element in the core network for implementing the user plane function can be, for example, a UPF network element.

[0156] The above function division of the CU and the DU is only an example and does not constitute a limitation on the CU and the DU. In addition, the CU and the DU can also be configured as needed to have the functions. For example, the CU or the DU can be configured as a node having more protocol layer functions, or the CU or the DU can be configured as a node having part of the processing functions of the protocol layer. For example, part of the functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layer above the RLC layer are arranged in the CU, and the remaining functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layer below the RLC layer are arranged in the DU. For another example, the functions of the CU or the DU can be divided according to the service type or other system requirements, for example, according to the delay, and the functions that need to meet the delay requirement are arranged in the DU, and the functions that do not need to meet the delay requirement are arranged in the CU.

[0157] For example, in some examples, the CU can not carry the PDCP layer, i.e., only carry the RRC layer. The CU-CP can not carry the PDCP-C, the CU-UP can not carry the PDCP-U, or there can be no CU-UP. In some other examples, the DU can not carry the RLC layer. In addition, there can be no CU and only DU.

[0158] As one possible implementation, the DU and the RU can cooperate to jointly implement the functions of the PHY layer. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the DU can deploy the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and the higher physical layer (Higher PHY). The RU can deploy the lower physical layer (Lower PHY) and the radio frequency (RF) processing functions. The DU can control at least one RU, and the DU and the RU can communicate through a fronthaul interface. The DU and the RU can be co-located or not co-located.

[0159] The higher physical layer is closer to the MAC layer, and the functions of the higher physical layer can include at least one of the following: forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding, scrambling / descrambling, modulation / demodulation, etc. The lower physical layer is closer to the radio frequency side, and the functions of the lower physical layer can include at least one of the following: fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT), digital beamforming, and filtering, etc.

[0160] Referring to FIG. 8, the DU and the RU interact control plane information and user plane information through a lower-layer split control user synchronization (LLS-CUS) interface via a lower-layer split control, user, and synchronization (LLS-CUS) interface. The LLS-CUS interface can include an LLS-C interface (for providing a control plane C-Plane) and an LLS-U interface (for providing a user plane U-Plane). In addition, the DU and the RU interact management information through an LLS-M interface via a fronthaul link, and the LLS-M interface provides a management plane (M-Plane). For example, the control plane C-Plane refers to real-time control between the DU and the RU, and the management plane M-Plane refers to non-real-time management operations between the DU and the RU.

[0161] The above function division of the DU and the RU is merely an example and does not limit the DU and the RU. The functions of the DU and the RU can be configured in multiple ways according to design. For example, the DU is configured to implement baseband functions, the RU is configured to implement radio frequency functions, and the like.

[0162] As a possible implementation, the O-RAN system can also include a non-real time RAN intelligent controller (Non-RT RIC or NRT RIC) and / or a near-real time RAN intelligent controller (Near-RT RIC or nRT RIC).

[0163] The Non-RT RIC is used to implement non-real time intelligent management of the RAN, can implement artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) including model training and model updating, and guide applications / functions in the Near-RT RIC based on a policy. The Near-RT RIC is used to implement near-real time intelligent management of the RAN, and implements near-real time control and optimization of modules and resources of the O-RAN through data collection and related operations on an E2 interface. The E2 interface can be understood as an open interface between two nodes (or endpoints).

[0164] In the above, the PDCP layer is located at the access network side (for example, the PDCP layer is located in the CU) as an example for description, in the future, the PDCP layer can also be located at the core network side, for example, the function of the PDCP layer is implemented by a core network element. That is, it can be considered that the PDCP layer is located in a network device, which can be an access network device or a core network device, and is not limited.

[0165] It should be noted that the communication system described in the embodiments of the present application is used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and does not limit the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. It can be known by those skilled in the art that, with the evolution of network architecture and the appearance of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0166] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described below by taking the interaction between a terminal and an access network device as an example in the communication system shown in FIG. 4. It should be noted that the names of messages, parameters, or information between the terminal and the access network device in the embodiments of the present application are only examples, and other names can also be used in other embodiments, and the method provided by the present application does not make a specific limitation on this.

[0167] It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal or the access network device can perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of the present application, and these steps or operations are only examples, and the embodiments of the present application can also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, each step can be performed in a different order according to the embodiments of the present application, and it is possible that not all operations in the embodiments of the present application are performed.

[0168] It can be understood that the access network device and the terminal are taken as an example to illustrate the execution subject of the interaction in the present application, but the present application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction. For example, the method performed by the access network device in the present application can also be performed by a module (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor) applied to the access network device, and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the function of the access network device; the method performed by the terminal in the present application can also be performed by a module (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor) applied to the terminal, and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the function of the terminal.

[0169] In addition, "sending information" in the present application can be understood as a device sending information to another device, or can also be understood as a logical module in a device sending information to another logical module. For example, "the access network device sending information" can be understood as the access network device sending information to another device (such as a terminal), or can be understood as a logical module 1 (such as a processing module) in the access network device sending information to a logical module 2 (such as a transceiver module) in the access network device.

[0170] "Receiving information" in the present application can be understood as a device receiving information from another device, or can also be understood as a logical module in a device receiving information from another logical module. For example, "the terminal receiving information" can be understood as the terminal receiving information from another device (such as an access network device), or can be understood as a logical module 1 (such as a processing module) in the terminal receiving information from a logical module 2 (such as a transceiver module) in the terminal.

[0171] In this application, "sending information to (for example, a terminal)" or related illustrations in the drawings can be understood as that the destination of the information is the terminal. It can include directly or indirectly sending information to the terminal. "Receiving information from (for example, an access network device)" or "receiving information from (for example, an access network device)" or "receiving information sent by (for example, an access network device)", or related illustrations in the drawings can be understood as that the source of the information is the access network device, and can include directly or indirectly receiving information from the access network device. The information between the source and the destination of the information sending can be processed as necessary, for example, format change, etc., but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be similarly understood, and will not be repeated here.

[0172] The communication method provided by the embodiment of the application is described below. Referring to FIG. 9, the flowchart of the communication method can include the following steps:

[0173] S901, the access network device sends first information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first information from the access network device.

[0174] The first information is used to update the DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow from the first DRB set to the second DRB set. The first DRB set includes at least one first DRB, and the second DRB set includes at least one second DRB.

[0175] For example, the DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow can be understood as a DRB set composed of at least one DRB carrying the data packet of the first QoS flow, or also can be understood as a DRB set composed of at least one DRB having a mapping relationship with the first QoS flow. That is, the DRB included in the DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow is used to transmit the data packet of the first QoS flow. In addition, the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow can also be understood as a branch, a branch, a path, a bearer or a channel corresponding to the first QoS flow.

[0176] As a possible implementation, in the case that the DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow includes multiple DRBs, such as the case that it includes multiple first DRBs or multiple second DRBs, each DRB included in the DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow respectively transmits part of the data packet of the first QoS flow, and at least part of the data packets transmitted by different DRBs are different. That is, the data packets of the first QoS flow are transmitted in parallel by the DRBs in the DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow.

[0177] For example, referring to FIG. 10, the DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow is DRB1, DRB2 and DRB3, and the data packets of the first QoS flow include data packet 1, data packet 2, data packet 3, …, data packet 10. In the case of transmitting (sending or receiving) the data packets of the first QoS flow through the DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow, data packets 1 to 3 can be transmitted through DRB1, data packets 4 to 7 can be transmitted through DRB2, and data packets 8 to 10 can be transmitted through DRB3; or, data packets 1 to 5 can be transmitted through DRB1, data packets 6 to 8 can be transmitted through DRB2, and data packets 9 and 10 can be transmitted through DRB3. The data packets of the first QoS flow are transmitted in parallel through the DRBs in the DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow, which significantly reduces the total time of transmitting the data packets of the first QoS flow, and is beneficial to improving the data processing rate of the QoS flow.

[0178] As a possible implementation, the first DRB set includes a plurality of first DRBs, and the second DRB set includes at least one second DRB. That is, the first information is used to update the DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow from the first DRB set to the second DRB set, which can also be understood as the first information is used to update the plurality of first DRBs corresponding to the first QoS flow to the at least one second DRB.

[0179] As another possible implementation, the first DRB set includes one first DRB, and the second DRB set includes a plurality of second DRBs, that is, the first information is used to update the DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow from the first DRB set to the second DRB set, which can also be understood as the first information is used to update the one first DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow to the plurality of second DRBs.

[0180] For example, the first information can be included in the downlink data packet of the first QoS flow. For example, the first information is included in the SDAP header of the downlink data packet of the first QoS flow. Alternatively, the first information can also be sent by the access network device to the terminal through a predefined message.

[0181] The downlink data packet of the first QoS flow can be understood as the first data packet of the first QoS flow in the data packet, and the transmission direction is from the access network device to the terminal. Correspondingly, the uplink data packet of the first QoS flow can be understood as the second data packet of the first QoS flow in the data packet, and the transmission direction is from the terminal to the access network device. The predefined message can be understood as a specified message defined in the protocol, or a specified message agreed in advance by the terminal and the access network device.

[0182] That is, the terminal receives a first data packet of the first QoS flow on a DRB on which the access network device issues a downlink data packet of the first QoS flow, and then parses an SDAP header of the first data packet to obtain the first information. Alternatively, the terminal can also directly receive a predefined message from the access network device through the air interface, and obtain the first information by parsing the predefined message.

[0183] In a case where the first information is contained in an SDAP header of a downlink data packet of the first QoS flow, the communication method in the embodiments of the present application can also be executed by a first entity in the terminal and the access network device, the first entity being configured to implement the function of the SDAP layer, or in other words, the first entity being an SDAP layer entity.

[0184] S902, the terminal sends a data packet of the first QoS flow to the access network device through a second DRB in the second DRB set. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the data packet of the first QoS flow from the terminal through the second DRB in the second DRB set.

[0185] For example, after receiving the first information, the terminal saves the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and each second DRB in the second DRB set, and interacts with the access network device through the second DRB included in the second DRB set to transmit the data packet of the first QoS flow.

[0186] Based on the above scheme, in the process of transmitting the data packet of the first QoS flow, the terminal can update the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the DRB according to the first information from the access network device, update the DRB carrying the data packet of the first QoS flow from a plurality of first DRBs to at least one second DRB, or update the DRB carrying the data packet of the first QoS flow from one first DRB to a plurality of second DRBs, thereby significantly improving the flexibility of the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB and the transmission of the QoS flow data packet by the DRB. In a case where the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow is updated from a plurality of first DRBs to one second DRB, the physical resources occupied by the transmission of the QoS data packet are reduced. In a case where the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow is updated from one first DRB to a plurality of second DRBs, the data packet of the QoS flow is processed in parallel through a plurality of DRBs, thereby reducing the user plane latency. In a case where the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow is updated from a plurality of first DRBs to a plurality of second DRBs, the load of the DRB is balanced.

[0187] The overall flow of the communication method provided by the present application is described above, and the specific implementation of each step is introduced below.

[0188] Optionally, the first information includes a first indication and / or DRB indication information.

[0189] The first indication is used to indicate that the mapping relationship of the QoS flow is updated, and the DRB indication information is used to indicate at least one third DRB. The second DRB set includes the at least one third DRB.

[0190] For example, when the first information is included in a downlink data packet of the first QoS flow, the first indication can be an RDI, for example, an RDI field set to 1. When the first information is included in a predefined message transmitted independently, the first indication can be a specified field a in the message, for example, a specified field a set to 0 or 1.

[0191] In the case that the first information or the first indication in the first information is an RDI, the communication method in the embodiment of the present application has good adaptability to the existing protocol. In the process of applying the communication method in the embodiment of the present application, no great modification is needed for the existing protocol, which is conducive to reducing the difficulty of flexibly changing the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the plurality of DRBs through the first information.

[0192] For example, the DRB indication information can be a DRB identifier of the at least one third DRB, for example, a device identifier of the DRB, a physical address of the DRB, an Internet protocol address of the DRB, or a number of the DRB, etc. Alternatively, the DRB indication information can also be association relationship indication information indicating an association relationship between each DRB in a predefined plurality of DRBs and the first QoS flow. Based on this scheme, in the process of changing the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB, the identity of the DRB having the mapping relationship with the first QoS flow can be accurately determined according to the DRB indication information.

[0193] It is worth mentioning that the at least one third DRB indicated by the DRB indication information can include all or part of the first DRBs in the first DRB set, or the at least one third DRB indicated by the DRB indication information does not include the first DRB. That is, the at least one third DRB can partially overlap with the first DRBs included in the first DRB set, or the at least one third DRB is completely non-overlapping with the first DRBs included in the first DRB set, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0194] As a possible implementation, the first information is carried in the fourth DRB, and the first information includes the first indication.

[0195] It is worth mentioning that the first information carried in the fourth DRB in the following embodiments of the present application can be understood as that a message containing the first information is transmitted from the access network device to the terminal through the fourth DRB; or it can also be understood that the first information is included in the SDAP header of the downlink data packet (first data packet) of the first QoS flow transmitted through the fourth DRB.

[0196] In this case, the second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB, or the second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB and the first DRB included in the first DRB set. For example, the second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB can be understood as one of the second DRBs in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB; or can also be understood as the second DRBs in the second DRB set include the fourth DRB; or can also be understood as one of the second DRBs in the second DRB set is acted by the fourth DRB.

[0197] The second DRB set can include the following two possible implementations:

[0198] For example, the first DRB set includes a plurality of first DRBs, and the second DRB set includes at least one second DRB.

[0199] For example, the at least one second DRB is the fourth DRB and the plurality of first DRBs, or the at least one second DRB is the fourth DRB.

[0200] That is, in the case where the first DRB set includes a plurality of first DRBs, the first information carried by the fourth DRB is used to indicate that the fourth DRB carrying the first information and the plurality of first DRBs included in the first DRB set are all used as the second DRB in the second DRB set, that is, the second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB and the plurality of first DRBs. Or, the first information carried by the fourth DRB is used to indicate that the fourth DRB carrying the first information is used as the second DRB in the second DRB set, that is, the second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB.

[0201] That is, in the case where the first QoS flow corresponds to a plurality of first DRBs, the plurality of first DRBs corresponding to the first QoS flow and the fourth DRB carrying the first information can be used as the second DRB, and the update of the QoS flow and DRB mapping relationship can be realized by reserving the original mapping relationship and adding a new mapping relationship. Or, in the case where the first QoS flow corresponds to a plurality of first DRBs, the fourth DRB can also be used as the second DRB, and the update of the QoS flow and DRB mapping relationship can be realized by releasing the original mapping relationship and setting a new mapping relationship.

[0202] For example, the at least one second DRB is the fourth DRB, or the fourth DRB and the plurality of first DRBs can be determined in the following two possible ways:

[0203] In a case that all DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set, the at least one second DRB is the fourth DRB and the first DRBs; in a case that part of the DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set or none of the DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set, the at least one second DRB is the fourth DRB.

[0204] That is, in a case that all DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set, the second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB and the first DRB included in the first DRB set; in a case that part of the DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set or none of the DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set, the second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB.

[0205] The third DRB set can be understood as a default DRB set, or can also be understood as a DRB set containing one or more default DRBs. The default DRB set can be predefined by a protocol or can be agreed by the terminal and the access network device in advance.

[0206] For example, all DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set can be understood as that the DRBs in the first DRB set can all be found in the third DRB set, or can also be understood as that the first DRB set is the third DRB set (default DRB set).

[0207] Similarly, part of the DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set can be understood as that there are DRBs in the first DRB set that do not belong to the third DRB set, or part of the DRBs in the first DRB set cannot be found in the third DRB set. None of the DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set can be understood as that the intersection of the first DRB set and the third DRB set is an empty set.

[0208] For example, the third DRB set includes 6 DRBs: DRB1 to DRB6, the first information is carried on DRB4, and the first DRB set contains 2 DRBs: DRB1 and DRB2. In the process of determining the at least one second DRB included in the second DRB set, since all DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set, the at least one second DRB is DRB1, DRB2 and DRB4.

[0209] For example, the third DRB set includes 2 DRBs: DRB1 and DRB2, the first information is carried in DRB4, and the first DRB set includes 2 DRBs: DRB5 and DRB6. In the process of determining the at least one second DRB included in the second DRB set, since none of the DRBs in the first DRB set belongs to the third DRB set, the at least one second DRB is DRB4.

[0210] That is, in the case where all the first DRBs corresponding to the first QoS flow are predefined default DRBs, the at least one second DRB included in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB carrying the first information and the first DRBs corresponding to the first QoS flow; in the case where not all or none of the first DRBs corresponding to the first QoS flow are predefined default DRBs, the at least one second DRB included in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB carrying the first information.

[0211] Based on the scheme, when the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the plurality of DRBs is updated according to the first information, the second DRB included in the second DRB set can be determined according to the first QoS flow to a first DRB set, so that the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the plurality of DRBs can be accurately updated in different scenarios.

[0212] In the case where all the DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set, the at least one second DRB is the fourth DRB; in the case where part of the DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set or none of the DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set, the at least one second DRB is the fourth DRB and the first DRBs.

[0213] That is, in the case where all the DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set, the second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB; in the case where part of the DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set or none of the DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set, the second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB and the first DRB included in the first DRB set.

[0214] The manner of determining the at least one second DRB according to the relationship between the first DRB set and the third DRB set in the above scheme is similar to the manner of determining the at least one second DRB according to the relationship between the first DRB set and the third DRB set in the foregoing embodiments. The difference is that in the present scheme, when all the DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set, the at least one second DRB is the fourth DRB; when part of the DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set or none of the DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set, the at least one second DRB is the fourth DRB and the first DRBs. The specific method of determining the at least one second DRB included in the second DRB set can refer to the description in the foregoing embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0215] Manner two, the first DRB set includes one first DRB, and the second DRB set includes a plurality of second DRBs.

[0216] The plurality of second DRBs are the fourth DRB and the first DRB.

[0217] That is, in the case where the first DRB set includes one first DRB, the first information carried by the fourth DRB is used to indicate that the fourth DRB carrying the first information and the first DRB included in the first DRB set are all taken as second DRBs, that is, the plurality of second DRBs included in the second DRB set are the first DRB and the fourth DRB.

[0218] Based on the above scheme, when the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the plurality of DRBs is updated according to the first information, the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow can be accurately updated from one first DRB to a plurality of second DRBs through the first information, the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the plurality of DRBs is flexibly changed, which is beneficial to realize parallel processing of a QoS flow data packet through a plurality of DRBs and reduce the total time length of QoS flow data packet processing.

[0219] It is worth mentioning that in the foregoing embodiments, the fourth DRB carrying the first information does not belong to the first DRB set, that is, the fourth DRB does not belong to the plurality of first DRBs corresponding to the first QoS flow. In the case where the fourth DRB carrying the first information is one of the plurality of first DRBs, the at least one second DRB can be the fourth DRB or the plurality of first DRBs corresponding to the first QoS flow.

[0220] For example, in a case where the first DRBs contained in the first DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow are DRB1 and DRB2, if the fourth DRB carrying the first information is DRB1, the at least one second DRB contained in the second DRB set is DRB1 and DRB2, i.e., the DRB mapping relationship of the first QoS flow is not updated, and the original mapping relationship is maintained; or the at least one second DRB contained in the second DRB set is DRB1, i.e., part of the mapping relationship in the original mapping relationship is released, and the mapping relationship between the DRB carrying the first information in the first DRB set and the QoS flow is maintained.

[0221] For example, the first information contains the first indication, and the first indication is RDI. An application flow of the method shown in FIG. 9 can be as shown in FIG. 11. As shown in FIG. 11, the flow can include the following steps.

[0222] S1101, the access network device sends DRB configuration information of a first QoS flow to a terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the DRB configuration information of the first QoS flow from the access network device.

[0223] The DRB configuration information is used to configure a first DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow.

[0224] For example, the DRB configuration information can include indexes of the first DRBs in the first DRB set; or the DRB configuration information can include identities of the first DRBs in the first DRB set; or the DRB configuration information can indicate that the first DRB set is a default DRB set, i.e., the first DRB set contains a plurality of first DRBs, and the plurality of first DRBs are all DRBs in the default DRB set.

[0225] S1102, the terminal maps the first QoS flow to the first DRBs contained in the first DRB set.

[0226] For example, in a case where the DRB configuration information contains DRB identities DRB1, DRB2 and DRB3, the first DRB set contains three first DRBs DRB1, DRB2 and DRB3. After receiving the DRB configuration information, the terminal maps the first QoS flow to DRB1, DRB2 and DRB3, and transmits data packets of the first QoS flow in parallel through DRB1, DRB2 and DRB3 in the first DRB set.

[0227] S1103, the access network device sends first information to the terminal on the fourth DRB, and the first information includes a first indication. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first information from the access network device on the fourth DRB. The first indication is the RDI field set to 1 in the SDAP header in the downlink data packet of the first QoS flow.

[0228] For example, the access network device can add an SDAP header including an RDI field set to 1 to the downlink data packet (first data packet) of the first QoS flow through the SDAP entity, and send the first data packet with the added SDAP header to the terminal through the fourth DRB, that is, carry the RDI field set to 1 as the first indication in the first information in the first data packet to the terminal. The terminal obtains the first information from the access network device by parsing the SDAP header of the first data packet received on the fourth DRB.

[0229] S1104, the terminal determines a second DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow.

[0230] For example, after the SDAP entity of the terminal receives the first data packet submitted from the lower protocol layer entity, it parses the SDAP header of the first data packet, and determines the second DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow according to the indication of the RDI field set to 1. The terminal can refer to the related description in the foregoing embodiments for the way of determining the second DRB set according to the RDI field as the first information, which will not be described here.

[0231] As another possible implementation, the first information is carried on the fourth DRB, and the first information includes the first indication and DRB indication information.

[0232] For example, in the case where the first information is included in the SDAP header of the downlink data packet (first data packet) of the first QoS flow, the first indication can be carried through the RDI field, and the DRB indication information can be carried through a predefined field in the SDAP header. Alternatively, the first indication and the DRB indication information can be carried through a predefined field of N bits in the SDAP header, the first bit of the predefined field carries the first indication, and the remaining bits carry the DRB indication information, N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The predefined field can be understood as a specified field pre-agreed by the terminal and the access network device, or a specified field pre-defined by the protocol.

[0233] In this case, the second DRB in the second DRB set is at least one third DRB, or the second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB and at least one third DRB. The second DRB set can include the following three possible implementation manners:

[0234] The first DRB set includes a plurality of first DRBs, and the second DRB set includes at least one second DRB.

[0235] The at least one second DRB is at least one third DRB, or the at least one second DRB is a fourth DRB and at least one third DRB.

[0236] That is, in the case where the first DRB set includes a plurality of first DRBs, the first information carried by the fourth DRB is used to indicate that the fourth DRB carrying the first information and the at least one third DRB indicated by the DRB indication information are both used as the second DRB in the second DRB set, that is, the second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB and the at least one third DRB. Alternatively, the first information carried by the fourth DRB is used to indicate that the at least one third DRB indicated by the DRB indication information is used as the second DRB in the second DRB set, that is, the second DRB in the second DRB set is the at least one third DRB.

[0237] That is, in the case where the first QoS flow corresponds to a plurality of first DRBs, the at least one third DRB indicated by the DRB indication information and the fourth DRB can be both used as the second DRB, and the at least one second DRB is the fourth DRB and the at least one third DRB, so that the plurality of DRBs corresponding to the first QoS flow are updated from the plurality of first DRBs to the plurality of second DRBs. Alternatively, the at least one third DRB indicated by the DRB indication information can be used as the second DRB, and the at least one second DRB is the at least one third DRB, so that the first QoS flow is updated from corresponding to the plurality of first DRBs to corresponding to the at least one second DRB.

[0238] For example, the plurality of first DRBs in the first DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow are DRB1 to DRB3, the at least one third DRB indicated by the DRB indication information is DRB5, and the first information is carried by the fourth DRB (denoted as DRB4). In the process of determining the at least one second DRB included in the second DRB set, only the third DRB (i.e., DRB5) indicated by the DRB indication information can be used as the second DRB, that is, the at least one second DRB included in the second DRB set is DRB5. Alternatively, the fourth DRB (i.e., DRB4) carrying the first information and the third DRB (i.e., DRB5) indicated by the DRB indication information can be both used as the second DRB, that is, the at least one second DRB included in the second DRB set is DRB4 and DRB5.

[0239] Based on the above scheme, in a case that the first information includes the DRB indication information and the first indication, at least one second DRB contained in the second DRB set can be accurately determined according to the at least one third DRB indicated by the DRB indication information, so that the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the plurality of DRBs is flexibly and accurately updated.

[0240] Option two, the first DRB set includes one first DRB, and the second DRB set includes a plurality of second DRBs.

[0241] The plurality of second DRBs are the plurality of third DRBs indicated by the DRB indication information, or the plurality of second DRBs are the fourth DRB and the at least one third DRB indicated by the DRB indication information.

[0242] That is, in a case that the first DRB set includes one first DRB, the first information carried by the fourth DRB is used to indicate that the fourth DRB carrying the first information and the at least one third DRB indicated by the DRB indication information are both used as the second DRB in the second DRB set, that is, the second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB and the at least one third DRB. Or, the DRB indication information indicates a plurality of third DRBs, and the first information carried by the fourth DRB is used to indicate that the plurality of third DRBs indicated by the DRB indication information are used as the second DRB in the second DRB set, that is, the second DRB in the second DRB set is the plurality of third DRBs.

[0243] That is, in a case that the first QoS flow corresponds to one first DRB, the at least one third DRB indicated by the DRB indication information and the fourth DRB carrying the first data packet are both used as the second DRB, and the plurality of second DRBs are the fourth DRB and the at least one third DRB; or the plurality of third DRBs indicated by the DRB indication information are used as the second DRB, so that the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow is updated from one first DRB to the plurality of second DRBs.

[0244] In the embodiment, the plurality of second DRBs contained in the second DRB set are determined according to the first indication and the DRB indication information, which is similar to the at least one second DRB contained in the second DRB set determined according to the first indication and the DRB indication information in the foregoing embodiment, and the difference is that in a case that the DRB indication information indicates one third DRB, the fourth DRB carrying the first information and the one third DRB indicated by the DRB indication information are both used as the second DRB, and the specific steps of determining the plurality of second DRBs contained in the second DRB set according to the first indication and the DRB indication information can refer to the related description in the foregoing embodiment, which will not be described here.

[0245] Based on the above scheme, the plurality of second DRBs contained in the first DRB set can be accurately determined according to the DRB indication information, so as to update the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow from one first DRB to a plurality of second DRBs, flexibly update the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the plurality of DRBs, and facilitate the implementation of the plurality of DRBs carrying data packets of one QoS flow.

[0246] Mode three, the first DRB set includes one first DRB, and the second DRB set includes one second DRB.

[0247] Among them, the second DRB in the second DRB set is a third DRB indicated by the DRB indication information.

[0248] That is, in the case where the first DRB set includes one first DRB, the first information carried by the fourth DRB is used to indicate that a third DRB indicated by the DRB indication information is used as the second DRB in the second DRB set, that is, the second DRB in the second DRB set is a third DRB.

[0249] Based on the above scheme, compared with the scheme of updating the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow to the fourth DRB through the first information carried by the fourth DRB, the scheme can flexibly update the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the DRB by updating the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow from one first DRB to any one second DRB (that is, it can be the fourth DRB or other DRB except the fourth DRB) through the DRB indication information.

[0250] Exemplarily, taking the first information including the first indication and the DRB indication information, and the first indication being RDI as an example, one application flow of the method shown in FIG. 9 can be as shown in FIG. 12, and referring to FIG. 12, the flow can include the following steps:

[0251] S1201, the access network device sends the DRB configuration information of the first QoS flow to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the DRB configuration information of the first QoS flow from the access network device.

[0252] S1202, the terminal maps the first QoS flow to the first DRB contained in the first DRB set.

[0253] Step S1201 is similar to step S1101 in the foregoing embodiments, and step S1202 is similar to step S1102 in the foregoing embodiments, and specific schemes can be referred to the related description in steps S1101 and S1102 in the foregoing embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0254] S1203, the access network device sends first information to the terminal on the fourth DRB, and the first information includes the first indication and the DRB indication information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first information from the access network device on the fourth DRB.

[0255] For example, the access network device can add an SDAP header including the first indication and the DRB indication information to the downlink data packet (first data packet) of the first QoS flow through the SDAP entity, and send the first data packet with the added SDAP header to the terminal through the fourth DRB, that is, send the first indication and the DRB indication information constituting the first information to the terminal in the first data packet. The terminal obtains the first information from the access network device by parsing the SDAP header of the first data packet received on the fourth DRB.

[0256] S1204, the terminal determines a second DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow.

[0257] For example, after the SDAP entity of the terminal receives the first data packet from the lower protocol layer entity, it parses the SDAP header of the first data packet, and determines the second DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow according to the first information obtained by parsing the SDAP header. The terminal can determine the second DRB set according to the first information, and the details are described in the foregoing embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0258] In a possible implementation, before step S902, the access network device can send second information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the second information from the access network device. The second information is used to indicate a third DRB set.

[0259] For example, the second information can include a DRB identifier of at least one DRB, such as a device identifier of the DRB, a physical address of the DRB, an Internet protocol address of the DRB, or a number of the DRB, etc. Alternatively, the second information is an index of the third DRB set, and the third DRB set is one of a plurality of predefined DRB sets.

[0260] As a possible implementation, the second information can be included in an RRC message.

[0261] Based on the above scheme, the terminal can align the default DRB set with the access network device in advance according to the second information from the access network device, so as to facilitate the determination of the second DRB set or the second DRB in the process of updating the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB according to the relationship between the first DRB set corresponding to the QoS flow and the third DRB set, or the relationship between the DRB corresponding to the QoS and the default DRB.

[0262] In a possible implementation, the DRB indication information is included in the first field, the first field includes at least one bit, and at least part of the at least one bit corresponds to at least one DRB. The at least one third DRB or the plurality of third DRBs indicated by the DRB indication information are DRBs corresponding to first bits in the at least part of the at least one bit, and the first bits are bits in the at least part of the at least one bit that are set to a first value.

[0263] For example, the DRB indication information included in the first field can be understood as being carried by all or part of bits in the first field, or can also be understood as being carried by bits in the first field that can reflect the mapping relationship between the at least one DRB and the QoS flow.

[0264] For example, the first field can be a bitmap with a plurality of bits, such as a 32-bit bitmap, a 29-bit bitmap, an 8-bit bitmap, or a 16-bit bitmap, and the like. The DRB indication information can be carried in m bits in the bitmap, where m is greater than or equal to 1, and m is less than or equal to the maximum number of bits included in the bitmap.

[0265] For example, the third DRB indicated by the DRB indication information can be understood as all DRBs corresponding to first bits in the plurality of bits of the first field corresponding to the at least one DRB. The first bits are bits in the plurality of bits of the first field corresponding to the at least one DRB that are set to a first value. For example, the bits set to 0 in the plurality of bits of the first field corresponding to the at least one DRB, or the bits set to 1 in the plurality of bits of the first field corresponding to the at least one DRB. The number of first bits can be one or more.

[0266] Referring to FIG. 13, taking the first field as a 32-bit bitmap, the first three bits of the bitmap are reserved bits R, and each of the last 29 bits corresponds to at least one DRB as an example, the DRB indication information can be carried by the last 29 bits in the bitmap. In the case where the first bit is a bit set to 1 in the plurality of bits of the first field corresponding to the at least one DRB, in the process of determining the third DRB indicated by the DRB indication information, all DRBs corresponding to the fourth bit, the fifth bit, and the twelfth bit set to 1 are regarded as the third DRB.

[0267] In addition, one of the three reserved bits (for example, the first bit) can be set as identification information, used to identify the total number of rows or the total length of the first field, and the like.

[0268] Optionally, each bit of the at least part of bits of the first field corresponding to the at least one DRB can correspond to one DRB, or each bit of the at least part of bits of the first field corresponding to the at least one DRB can also correspond to a DRB set including at least two DRBs. Each bit of the at least part of bits of the first field corresponding to the at least one DRB can correspond to one DRB, can correspond to multiple DRBs, or part of the bits can correspond to one DRB and the rest of the bits can correspond to multiple DRBs.

[0269] For example, the first field includes 12 bits, each bit of the 5th bit to the 12th bit of the first field corresponds to one DRB, or each bit of the 5th bit to the 12th bit of the first field corresponds to multiple DRBs, or each bit of the 5th bit to the 9th bit of the first field corresponds to one DRB, and each bit of the 10th bit to the 12th bit of the first field corresponds to multiple DRBs.

[0270] In addition, the DRB set corresponding to the 1st bit of the first field can be set as a default DRB set, and the second DRB set associated with the first QoS flow is the default DRB set when the 1st bit is set to 1 and the other bits are set to 0.

[0271] Based on the above scheme, at least part of bits of the first field are associated with at least one DRB, and the mapping relationship between the at least one DRB associated with the first bit and the QoS flow can be indicated by the state of the first bit itself, so that the DRB indication information can be served by the first bit set to a specified state in the first field, and the third DRB having a mapping relationship with the first QoS flow can be accurately indicated according to the DRB associated with the first bit, and the second DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow can be accurately determined, thereby facilitating flexible change of the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the DRB.

[0272] As a possible implementation, the DRB corresponding to the i-th bit of the at least part of bits of the first field corresponding to the at least one DRB can be a DRB with an identifier i. Alternatively, the DRB corresponding to the i-th bit of the at least part of bits of the first field corresponding to the at least one DRB can be a DRB with an identifier (i±r). Wherein, i is a positive integer, and r is a positive integer.

[0273] For example, the DRB identifier corresponding to the DRB can be understood as a DRB number or a DRB unique code (DRB ID) pre-allocated to each DRB between the terminal and the access network device, and the DRB identifier corresponding to each DRB can be pre-agreed between the terminal and the access network device.

[0274] For example, the i-th bit can be understood as a bit of the first field corresponding to the at least one DRB.

[0275] For example, the bitmap has a first field of 16 bits, each bit corresponds to a DRB, and the DRB is identified as DRB ID. The first bit corresponds to DRB1, the fourth bit corresponds to DRB4, and the i-th bit corresponds to DRBi. Alternatively, the first bit corresponds to DRB3, the fourth bit corresponds to DRB7, and the i-th bit corresponds to DRB(i+3).

[0276] As another possible implementation, in the first field, the i-th bit in the at least part of the bits corresponding to the at least one DRB can correspond to the i-th DRB in a DRB configuration list (denoted as a first list) corresponding to the terminal. Alternatively, the i-th bit can correspond to the (i±r)-th DRB in the first list. Wherein, i is a positive integer, and r is a positive integer.

[0277] For example, the DRB-to add mod list includes a plurality of DRBs configured between the access network device and the terminal, and the plurality of DRBs are arranged in a certain order, and the serial number of each DRB in the DRB-to add mod list after sorting is irrelevant to the DRB number or DRB ID of the DRB. The first list can be sent by the access network device to the terminal.

[0278] For example, the DRBs configured between the access network device and the terminal include DRB1, DRB3, DRB5, DRB6, DRB7, and DRB8. The DRB-to add mod list of the access network device can be: DRB5, DRB6, DRB7, DRB3, DRB1, and DRB8. The DRB ID of the first DRB in the DRB-to add mod list is 5, and the DRB ID of the fifth DRB is 1. Alternatively, the DRB-to add mod list can also be DRB6, DRB7, DRB3, DRB1, DRB5, and DRB8. The DRB ID of the first DRB in the DRB-to add mod list is 6, and the DRB ID of the fourth DRB is 1. That is, the DRB ID of the i-th DRB in the DRB-to add mod list can not be i, and the i-th DRB is a specific DRB agreed between the terminal and the access network device.

[0279] In the case of the DRB-to add mod list: DRB5, DRB6, DRB7, DRB3, DRB1, and DRB8, if the second bit and the third bit of the first field are the first bits, the third DRB can be the second DRB and the third DRB in the DRB-to add list: DRB6 and DRB7. Alternatively, the third DRB can also be the (i+2)-th DRB in the DRB-to add list, i.e., the fourth DRB and the fifth DRB: DRB3 and DRB1.

[0280] Based on the above scheme, the access network device and the terminal have the same understanding of the DRB corresponding to the i th bit of the at least one DRB in the first field, which facilitates the access network device to accurately indicate the third DRB for the terminal through the first field, and further facilitates the terminal to accurately obtain the second DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow and update the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB.

[0281] In a possible implementation, before step S902, the access network device sends third information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the third information from the access network device. The third information is used to indicate the DRB corresponding to each bit of at least part of the bits of the at least one DRB in the first field.

[0282] For example, the third information is used to indicate the DRB corresponding to each bit, which can be understood as that the third information indicates the DRB identifier of the DRB corresponding to each bit, or can also be understood as that the third information indicates the position or serial number of the bit corresponding to each DRB configured between the terminal and the access network device.

[0283] For example, the third information can include a plurality of sub-information, each sub-information including the DRB identifier of one DRB configured between the terminal and the access network device and the serial number of the bit associated with the DRB. Or, each sub-information includes the position or serial number of one bit and the DRB identifier of the at least one DRB associated with the bit.

[0284] As a possible implementation, the third information can be carried by an RRC message.

[0285] Based on the above scheme, the DRB corresponding to each bit of the at least one DRB in the first field is indicated by the access network device to the terminal through the third information, so that the terminal and the access network device have the same understanding of the DRB corresponding to each bit in the first field, which facilitates the terminal to accurately determine the second DRB set and update the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB according to the DRB indication information.

[0286] In a possible implementation, before step S902, the access network device sends fourth information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the fourth information from the access network device. The fourth information is used to indicate the length of the first field, or the fourth information is used to indicate the length of at least part of the bits of the at least one DRB in the first field.

[0287] For example, the fourth information can be included in the SDAP header of the first QoS flow downlink data packet (first data packet), or the fourth information can also be included in an RRC message.

[0288] As a possible implementation, the fourth information can be implemented by a designated field. For example, if the length of the first field is 1 bit to 63 bits, the fourth information can be implemented by a 6-bit field. In the case that the jth bit of the field is set to 1, the value of the bit is 2 raised to the power of j.

[0289] As another possible implementation, the fourth information can be implemented by a plurality of preset identifiers. Different identifiers correspond to different values. The plurality of preset identifiers can be understood as a plurality of identifiers defined by the protocol in advance, and the corresponding values of each identifier are also defined by the protocol in advance. Alternatively, the plurality of preset identifiers can be understood as a plurality of identifiers predetermined by the terminal and the access network device in advance, and the corresponding values of each identifier are also predetermined.

[0290] For example, the plurality of identifiers include identifier 1, identifier 2, identifier 3, and identifier 4. The value corresponding to identifier 1 is 8 bits, the value corresponding to identifier 2 is 16 bits, the value corresponding to identifier 3 is 29 bits, and the value corresponding to identifier 4 is 32 bits.

[0291] Based on the above scheme, after the terminal receives the fourth information, in the process of determining the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB according to the first field, the terminal can accurately determine the position of the last bit of the field indicating the association relationship between the DRB and the QoS flow, thereby reducing the probability that the terminal determines the second DRB set inconsistently with the second DRB set indicated by the access network device due to an incorrect understanding of the length of the first field or the length of at least part of the bits corresponding to at least one DRB, and further incorrectly updating the mapping relationship between the DRB and the QoS flow, thereby improving the accuracy of updating the mapping relationship between the DRB and the QoS flow.

[0292] In a possible implementation, after step S902, the terminal further sends fifth information to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the fifth information from the terminal. The fifth information is carried in a fifth DRB, and the fifth information is used to indicate the mapping relationship between the fifth DRB and the first QoS flow.

[0293] The fifth DRB is a first DRB in the first DRB set that does not belong to the second DRB set, that is, the fifth DRB is a first DRB that is not used as a second DRB among one or more first DRBs corresponding to the first QoS flow, or in other words, the fifth DRB is a first DRB that is not included in the second DRB set among one or more first DRBs corresponding to the first QoS flow.

[0294] For example, the fact that the fifth information is carried in the fifth DRB can be understood as that the fifth information is included in the data packet transmitted by the fifth DRB, or the message carrying the fifth information can be understood as being transmitted by the fifth DRB.

[0295] Exemplarily, the fifth information is used for indicating termination of the mapping relationship between the fifth DRB and the first QoS flow, which can also be understood as completion of the mapping relationship between the fifth DRB and the first QoS flow, or can also be understood as removal of the mapping relationship between the fifth DRB and the first QoS flow.

[0296] As a possible implementation, the fifth information can be an End-Marker Control PDU. The specific implementation of terminating the mapping relationship between the fifth DRB and the first QoS flow according to the fifth information can refer to the related description in the foregoing embodiments, which will not be described here again.

[0297] As another possible implementation, the fifth information can be implemented through an RRC message, and the fifth information can be a predefined field set to the first state in the RRC message. The predefined field can be a field predefined by a protocol, or can be a field predefined by the terminal and the access network device.

[0298] It is worth mentioning that the sending of the fifth information is an optional step. In the case that each of the one or more first DRBs corresponding to the first QoS corresponds to a second DRB or is included in a second DRB set, the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the first DRB does not need to be completed, and therefore the step of sending the fifth information does not need to be performed. That is, the fifth information is used for removing the mapping relationship between the QoS flow that needs to be invalidated or terminated and the DRB, and in the case of only involving addition of a new QoS flow and DRB mapping relationship and / or maintenance of an old QoS flow and DRB mapping relationship, the step of sending the fifth information does not need to be performed.

[0299] Based on the above scheme, the terminal can accurately remove the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB in the first DRB set that does not belong to the second DRB set according to the indication of the first information, that is, remove the completed mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB, thereby accurately implementing update and maintenance of the QoS flow and DRB mapping relationship.

[0300] In a possible implementation, after step S901, the access network device further sends sixth information to the target access network device, and the sixth information is used for indicating a DRB configuration list corresponding to the terminal.

[0301] The meaning of the DRB configuration list can refer to the related description in the foregoing embodiments, which will not be described here again.

[0302] Exemplarily, the target access network device is an access network device corresponding to a new cell in which the terminal resides after sending the cell handover, or the target access network device is an access network device corresponding to a new cell in which the terminal is about to reside through cell handover.

[0303] Exemplarily, the sixth information can include a DRB configuration list, or the sixth information can also include a plurality of DRBs configured by the terminal and a corresponding serial number of each DRB in the DRB configuration list.

[0304] That is, in the case that the terminal sends a cell handover or is about to send a cell handover, the access network device of the cell currently camped by the terminal sends the sixth information to the access network device of the new cell camped by the terminal, the sixth information indicating a plurality of DRBs configured by the terminal and a serial number of each DRB in the DRB configuration list, so as to facilitate the target access network device to accurately obtain the plurality of DRBs corresponding to the terminal, and to make the target access network device and the terminal align the DRB corresponding to each bit associated with at least one DRB in the first field, so as to facilitate the terminal to update the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the DRB according to the indication information from the target access network device.

[0305] In a possible implementation, for the above method embodiment, in a CU-DU architecture or an ORAN system, the interaction function of the access network device and the terminal can be implemented by a CU or an O-CU. The message sent by the access network device to the terminal and / or the message sent by the terminal to the access network device can be implemented by the CU or the O-CU.

[0306] As a possible implementation, in the case that the function of the first communication device is implemented by the CU or the O-CU, the method shown in FIG. 9 can be transformed into the method described in FIG. 14. Referring to FIG. 14, the method includes the following steps:

[0307] S1401, the RIC node sends indication information to the CU. Correspondingly, the CU receives the indication information from the RIC node. Wherein, the indication information is used to determine the second DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow or the second DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow.

[0308] Wherein, the RIC node can be a non-real-time RIC or a near real-time RIC.

[0309] Exemplarily, the indication information can be the second DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow or the second DRB, or the indication information can be the data volume of the first QoS flow, or the indication information can also be the DRB update method of the first QoS flow.

[0310] The data amount of the first QoS flow can include a guaranteed flow bit rate (GFBR), a maximum flow bit rate (MFBR), or an aggregate maximum bit rate (AMBR) of the first QoS flow, etc. In a case where the indication information includes the data amount of the first QoS flow, the CU determines the second DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow according to the QoS requirement that can be met by each DRB.

[0311] The DRB updating method can include a screening rule of the QoS flow corresponding DRB, such as adopting multiple DRBs to jointly carry the first QoS flow, or adopting the least DRB to carry the first QoS flow, etc. In a case where the indication information includes the DRB updating method of the first QoS flow, the CU screens out the specified number of DRBs or as few DRBs as possible as the second DRB according to the indication of the DRB updating method.

[0312] S1402, the CU sends the first information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first information from the CU.

[0313] The first information is used to update the DRB set corresponding to the first QoS flow from the first DRB set to the second DRB set. The first DRB set includes at least one first DRB, and the second DRB set includes at least one second DRB.

[0314] S1403, the terminal sends the data packet of the first QoS flow to the CU through the second DRB in the second DRB set. Correspondingly, the CU receives the data packet of the first QoS flow from the terminal through the second DRB in the second DRB set.

[0315] Steps S1402 and S1403 are similar to steps S901 and S902 in the foregoing embodiments, and the difference is that the functions realized by the access network device in steps S901 and S902 are realized by the CU in steps S1402 and S1403. The related description can refer to the description of steps S901 and S902 in the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0316] Based on the scheme in the above embodiments, in the process of transmitting the data packets of the first QoS flow, the terminal can update the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the DRB according to the first information from the access network device, update the multiple first DRBs carrying the data packets of the first QoS flow to at least one second DRB, or update the DRB carrying the data packets of the first QoS flow from one first DRB to multiple second DRBs, flexibly change the mapping relationship between the first QoS flow and the multiple DRBs, and facilitate to improve the flexibility of the DRB in transmitting the QoS flow data packets. In the case of updating the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow from multiple first DRBs to one second DRB, the physical resources occupied by the QoS data packet transmission are reduced. In the case of updating the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow from one first DRB to multiple second DRBs, the data packets of the QoS flow are processed in parallel through the multiple DRBs, and the user plane latency is reduced. In the case of updating the DRB corresponding to the first QoS flow from multiple first DRBs to multiple second DRBs, the load of the DRB is balanced.

[0317] The above describes the method provided by the application, and the application further provides a communication device for implementing the functions described in the above method embodiments.

[0318] It can be understood that, to implement the above functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the functions. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is implemented in hardware or computer software driven hardware 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 application.

[0319] The embodiments of the application can divide the functions of the communication device according to the above method embodiments, for example, each function module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or software function module. It should be noted that the division of the modules in the embodiments of the application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. Actual implementation can have another division manner.

[0320] FIG. 15 shows a structural schematic diagram of a communication device 150. The communication device 150 includes a processing module 1501 and a transceiver module 1502. The communication device 150 can be used to implement the functions of the above terminal or access network device.

[0321] In some embodiments, the communication device 150 can further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 15) for storing program instructions and data.

[0322] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1502, which can also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is configured to implement the transmitting and / or receiving functions. The transceiver module 1502 can be constituted by a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0323] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1502 can include a receiving module and a transmitting module for performing the receiving and transmitting steps of the terminal or RAN node in the above method embodiments, and / or for supporting other processes described herein; the processing module 1501 can be configured to perform the processing steps of the terminal or access network device in the above method embodiments, and / or for supporting other processes described herein.

[0324] In a possible implementation, when the communication device 150 is configured to implement the functions of the terminal, the transceiver module 1502 is configured to receive second information, the second information being used to indicate a third DRB set.

[0325] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 1502 is configured to receive third information, the third information being used to indicate a DRB corresponding to each of at least part of the bits.

[0326] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 1502 is configured to receive fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate the length of the first field.

[0327] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 1502 is configured to send fifth information, the fifth information being carried in a fifth DRB, the fifth information being used to indicate the termination of the mapping relationship between the fifth DRB and the first QoS flow, the fifth DRB being a first DRB in the first DRB set that does not belong to the second DRB set.

[0328] In a possible implementation, when the communication device 150 is configured to implement the functions of the access network device, the transceiver module 1502 is configured to send second information, the second information being used to indicate a third DRB set.

[0329] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 1502 is configured to send fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate the length of the first field.

[0330] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 1502 is configured to receive fifth information, the fifth information being carried in a fifth DRB, the fifth information being used to indicate the termination of the mapping relationship between the fifth DRB and the first QoS flow, the fifth DRB being a first DRB in the first DRB set that does not belong to the second DRB set.

[0331] All the related content of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be cited to the function description of the corresponding function module, which will not be repeated here.

[0332] In the present application, the communication apparatus 150 can be presented in the form of integrated division of each function module. The "module" here can refer to a specific application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and a memory executing one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0333] In some embodiments, when the communication apparatus 150 in FIG. 15 is a chip or a chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1502 can be implemented through the input / output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 1501 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or chip system.

[0334] Since the communication apparatus 150 provided by the present embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects it can obtain can refer to the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0335] As a possible product form, the terminal or access network equipment described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented using one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuits, or any combination of circuits capable of performing the various functions described throughout the present application.

[0336] As another possible product form, the terminal or access network equipment described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by a general bus architecture. For ease of illustration, see FIG. 16, which is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus 1600 provided by the embodiments of the present application, which includes a processor 1601 and a transceiver 1602. The communication apparatus 1600 can be a terminal, or a chip or chip system therein; or the communication apparatus 1600 can be an access network equipment, or a chip or module therein. FIG. 16 only shows the main components of the communication apparatus 1600. In addition to the processor 1601 and the transceiver 1602, the communication apparatus can further include a memory 1603, and an input / output device (not shown in the figure).

[0337] Optionally, the processor 1601 is mainly used for processing communication protocol and communication data, and controlling the whole communication device, executing software program, processing data of the software program, so as to realize the method provided in the above method embodiments. The memory 1603 is mainly used for storing software program and data. The transceiver 1602 can include radio frequency circuit and antenna, the radio frequency circuit is mainly used for conversion between baseband signal and radio frequency signal and processing of the radio frequency signal. The antenna is mainly used for receiving and transmitting radio frequency signal in the form of electromagnetic wave. The input and output device, such as touch screen, display screen, keyboard and the like, is mainly used for receiving user input data and outputting data to the user.

[0338] Optionally, the processor 1601, the transceiver 1602 and the memory 1603 can be connected through a communication bus.

[0339] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 1601 can read the software program in the memory 1603, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When it is necessary to send data wirelessly, the processor 1601 performs baseband processing on the data to be sent, and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal, and sends the radio frequency signal in the form of electromagnetic wave through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1601. The processor 1601 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0340] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuit and the antenna can be arranged independently of the processor performing baseband processing, for example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuit and the antenna can be arranged remotely from the communication device.

[0341] In some embodiments, in hardware implementation, those skilled in the art can conceive that the above-mentioned communication device 150 can adopt the form of the communication device 1600 shown in FIG. 16.

[0342] As an example, the function / implementation process of the processing module 1501 in FIG. 15 can be realized by the processor 1601 in the communication device 1600 shown in FIG. 16 calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1603. The function / implementation process of the transceiving module 1502 in FIG. 15 can be realized by the transceiver 1602 in the communication device 1600 shown in FIG. 16.

[0343] As yet another possible product form, the terminal or the access network device in the present application can adopt the constituent structure shown in FIG. 17, or include the components shown in FIG. 17. FIG. 17 is a constituent diagram of a communication apparatus 1700 provided by the present application, which can be a terminal or a chip or system on chip in the terminal; or can be an access network device or a module or chip or system on chip in the access network device.

[0344] As shown in FIG. 17, the communication apparatus 1700 includes at least one processor 1701, and at least one communication interface (only one communication interface 1704 is shown in FIG. 17 as an example, and the processor 1701 is taken as an example for description). Optionally, the communication apparatus 1700 can further include a communication bus 1702 and a memory 1703.

[0345] The processor 1701 can be a general central processing unit (CPU), a general processor, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a PLD, or any combination thereof. The processor 1701 can also be other apparatuses with processing functions, such as a circuit, a device, or a software module, without limitation.

[0346] The communication bus 1702 is used to connect different components in the communication apparatus 1700, so that the different components can communicate. The communication bus 1702 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 17, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0347] The communication interface 1704 is used to communicate with other devices or communication networks. For example, the communication interface 1704 can be a module, a circuit, a transceiver, or any apparatus capable of realizing communication. Optionally, the communication interface 1704 can also be an input / output interface in the processor 1701, used to realize signal input and signal output of the processor.

[0348] The memory 1703 can be an apparatus with a storage function, used to store instructions and / or data. The instructions can be a computer program.

[0349] Exemplarily, the memory 1703 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and / or instructions that are not to be changed by the device; or a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and / or instructions that are to be changed by the device. The memory 1703 can also be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, a magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices or any other non-transitory computer-readable medium, without limitation.

[0350] It should be noted that the memory 1703 can exist independently of the processor 1701, or can be integrated with the processor 1701. The memory 1703 can be located within the communication device 1700, or can be located outside the communication device 1700, without limitation. The processor 1701 can be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 1703 to implement the methods provided by the embodiments described below.

[0351] As an optional implementation, the communication device 1700 can further include an output device 1705 and an input device 1706. The output device 1705 is in communication with the processor 1701 and can display information in various ways. For example, the output device 1705 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector, etc. The input device 1706 is in communication with the processor 1701 and can receive user input in various ways. For example, the input device 1706 can be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, a sensor device, etc.

[0352] In some embodiments, in a hardware implementation, those skilled in the art can conceive that the communication device 150 shown in FIG. 15 can take the form of the communication device 1700 shown in FIG. 17.

[0353] As an example, the function / implementation process of the processing module 1501 in FIG. 15 can be implemented by invoking the computer-executed instructions stored in the memory 1703 by the processor 1701 in the communication apparatus 1700 shown in FIG. 17. The function / implementation process of the transceiving module 1502 in FIG. 15 can be implemented by the communication interface 1704 in the communication apparatus 1700 shown in FIG. 17.

[0354] It should be noted that the structure shown in FIG. 17 does not constitute a specific limitation on the terminal or the access network device. For example, in some embodiments of the present application, the terminal or the access network device can include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or split certain components, or different component arrangements. The components shown can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0355] In some embodiments, the embodiments of the present application also provide a communication apparatus, which includes a processor configured to implement the method in any of the method embodiments.

[0356] As a possible implementation, the communication apparatus further includes a memory. The memory is configured to store necessary computer programs and data. The computer programs can include instructions, and the processor can invoke the instructions in the computer programs stored in the memory to instruct the communication apparatus to perform the method in any of the method embodiments. Of course, the memory can also not be in the communication apparatus.

[0357] As another possible implementation, the communication apparatus further includes an interface circuit, which is a code / data read-write interface circuit, and is configured to receive computer-executed instructions (stored in the memory, possibly directly from the memory, or possibly through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0358] As yet another possible implementation, the communication apparatus further includes a communication interface configured to communicate with modules outside the communication apparatus.

[0359] It can be understood that the communication apparatus can be a chip or a chip system. When the communication apparatus is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices, and the embodiments of the present application do not make a specific limitation thereon.

[0360] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instructions, and the computer program or instructions are executed by a computer to implement the functions of any of the method embodiments.

[0361] The present application also provides a computer program product, which is executed by a computer to implement the functions of any of the method embodiments.

[0362] Those skilled in the art can understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0363] It can be understood that the system, device and method described in the present application can also be implemented in other manners. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic; for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and there can be another division manner in actual implementation; 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 displayed or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections between the units can be indirect couplings or communication connections through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be electrical, mechanical or in other forms.

[0364] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, i.e., can be located in one place, or can be distributed on a plurality of network units. The components shown as units can or can not be physical units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purposes of the embodiments.

[0365] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be a physically independent unit, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0366] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. 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 site, computer, server or data center to another website site, computer, server or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or include one or more data storage devices such as servers, data centers, etc. integrated with the medium. The available medium can be magnetic medium (such as floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), optical medium (such as DVD), or semiconductor medium (such as solid state drive (SSD)) and the like. In the embodiments of the present application, the computer can include the device described above.

[0367] Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, it is understood that other variations of the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed application, from an inspection of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite articles "a" or "an" do not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

[0368] Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with specific features and embodiments thereof, it is understood that modifications and combinations can be made thereto within the scope of the application. Accordingly, the description and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and are not to be regarded as limiting the scope of the application as defined in the appended claims. Obviously, many modifications and variations of this application are possible in light of its teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, this application can be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: receiving first information, the first information being used for updating a data radio bearer (DRB) set corresponding to a first quality of service (QoS) flow from a first DRB set to a second DRB set, the first DRB set comprising a plurality of first DRBs, and the second DRB set comprising at least one second DRB, or the first DRB set comprising one first DRB, and the second DRB set comprising a plurality of second DRBs; sending a data packet of the first QoS flow through a second DRB in the second DRB set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first information comprises a first indication and / or DRB indication information, the first indication being used for indicating an updated mapping relationship between a QoS flow and a DRB, the first indication comprising an RDI, and the DRB indication information being used for indicating at least one third DRB, the second DRB set comprising the at least one third DRB.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first information comprises the first indication, and the first information is carried in a fourth DRB. The second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB, or the second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB and a first DRB included in the first DRB set.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, When all DRBs in the first DRB set belong to a third DRB set, the second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB and a first DRB included in the first DRB set. When part of the DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set, or none of the DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set, the second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first information comprises the first indication and the DRB indication information, and the first information is carried in a fourth DRB. The second DRB in the second DRB set is the at least one third DRB, or the second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB and the at least one third DRB.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that, The first information is included in an SDAP header of a first data packet, the first data packet being a downlink data packet of the first QoS flow, and the first data packet being carried in the fourth DRB.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method further comprises: sending fifth information, the fifth information being carried in a fifth DRB, and the fifth information being used for indicating termination of a mapping relationship between the fifth DRB and the first QoS flow, the fifth DRB being a first DRB in the first DRB set and not belonging to the second DRB set.

8. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: sending first information, the first information being used for updating a data radio bearer (DRB) set corresponding to a first quality of service (QoS) flow from a first DRB set to a second DRB set, the first DRB set comprising a plurality of first DRBs, and the second DRB set comprising at least one second DRB, or the first DRB set comprising one first DRB, and the second DRB set comprising a plurality of second DRBs; receive, by a second DRB in the second DRB set, data packets of the first QoS flow.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The first information includes a first indication and / or DRB indication information, the first indication is used to indicate updating a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and a DRB, the first indication includes an RDI, and the DRB indication information is used to indicate at least one third DRB, and the second DRB set includes the at least one third DRB.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The first information includes the first indication, and the first information is carried in a fourth DRB. A second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB, or a second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB and a first DRB included in the first DRB set.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, In a case where all DRBs in the first DRB set belong to a third DRB set, a second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB and a first DRB included in the first DRB set. In a case where part of the DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set or none of the DRBs in the first DRB set belong to the third DRB set, a second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein, The first information includes the first indication and the DRB indication information, and the first information is carried in a fourth DRB. A second DRB in the second DRB set is the at least one third DRB, or a second DRB in the second DRB set is the fourth DRB and the at least one third DRB.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that, The first information is included in an SDAP header of a first data packet, the first data packet is a downlink data packet of the first QoS flow, and the first data packet is carried in the fourth DRB.

14. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that, The method further includes: receiving fifth information, the fifth information being carried in a fifth DRB, the fifth information being used to indicate terminating a mapping relationship between the fifth DRB and the first QoS flow, and the fifth DRB being a first DRB in the first DRB set that does not belong to the second DRB set.

15. A communications device, characterized by The communication device includes a processor, and the processor is configured to run a computer program or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the method in any one of claims 1-7 or to cause the communication device to perform the method in any one of claims 8-14.

16. A chip or chip system, characterized by The chip or chip system includes a processor coupled with a memory, and the memory is configured to store a program or instructions, and when the program or instructions are executed by the processor, the method in any one of claims 1-7 is performed or the method in any one of claims 8-14 is performed.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs, and when the computer instructions or programs are run on a computer, the method in any one of claims 1-7 is performed or the method in any one of claims 8-14 is performed.

18. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises computer instructions; when part or all of the computer instructions are run on a computer, the method as claimed in any one of claims 1-7 is executed, or the method as claimed in any one of claims 8-14 is executed.

Images