Communication method, and apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and an apparatus. The method comprises: receiving first indication information, the first indication information being used for indicating serial numbers of first protocol data units (PDUs), the first PDUs corresponding to first time information, the serial numbers of the first PDUs being sequence identifiers of the first PDUs in a first protocol data unit set, a difference value between a serial number of a k-th first PDU and a serial number of a (k-1)-th first PDU in the first data unit set being N, and N being a positive integer greater than 0; receiving a first data packet on the basis of the first indication information, the first data packet comprising the first PDUs and the first time information; and testing the first PDUs, the first time information and second time information being used for determining an actually available transmission time for the first PDUs from the beginning of transmission by a network device to reception by a terminal device, and the second time information being the time for testing the first PDUs. Using the present application can ensure a transmission delay, thus improving user experience.

Description

Communication method and apparatus

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411233239.3, filed on September 3, 2024, and entitled "Communication method and apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0003] In recent years, with the continuous development of the fifth-generation (5G) communication system, the data transmission delay is continuously reduced, and the transmission capacity is getting larger and larger. The 5G communication system gradually penetrates into some multimedia services with strong real-time performance and large data capacity requirements, such as video transmission, cloud gaming (CG) and extended reality (XR), etc. The XR includes virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Compared with traditional video services, XR has the advantages of multi-view and strong interactivity, and provides users with a new visual experience.

[0004] However, the XR service has a relatively strict end-to-end delay requirement. Generally speaking, the transmission delay from the time when the data packet arrives at the core network to the time when the terminal device receives the data packet needs to be controlled within 15 milliseconds (ms) to ensure user experience. In order to meet the delay requirement, the delay from the time when the data packet arrives at the core network to the time when the network device receives the data packet can be set to 5 ms, and the time from the start of data packet transmission at the network device to the reception of the data packet at the terminal device can be set to 10 ms. However, due to the serious jitter in the process of data packet transmission from the core network to the network device, sometimes the jitter may exceed 3 ms or more. If the transmission time from the start of data packet transmission at the network device to the reception of the data packet at the terminal device is still 10 ms under the condition of large jitter value, the entire transmission delay may exceed 15 ms, affecting user experience. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus, which can guarantee transmission delay and improve user experience.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a second device. The second device can be a radio access network device, or can be a component (for example, a processor, a chip, a circuit, or a chip system, etc.) in the radio access network device, or can be a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the radio access network device. The method comprises the following steps: receiving first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a sequence number of a first protocol data unit (PDU), the first PDU corresponding to first time information, and the sequence number of the first PDU being an order identifier of the first PDU in a first PDU set; the difference between the sequence number of the kth first PDU in the first PDU set and the sequence number of the (k-1)th first PDU is N, N is a positive integer greater than 0, and k is a positive integer greater than 1; receiving a first data packet based on the first indication information, the first data packet comprising the first PDU and the first time information; and detecting the first PDU, wherein the first time information and second time information are used to determine the actual available transmission time of the first PDU from the start of transmission by the network device to the reception by the terminal device, and the second time information is the time of detecting the first PDU.

[0007] Exemplarily, the radio access network device can also be referred to as a network device.

[0008] In the method, by adding the first time information corresponding to the first PDU in the first data packet, the transmission delay budget, i.e., the actual available transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device, can be determined based on the first time information and the second time information. Compared with the case that the actual transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the network device is greater than the target core network packet delay budget (CN PDB) (the target CN PDB is the expected delay budget of the data packet from the core network device to the network device), the transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device is still transmitted according to the target access network packet delay budget (AN PDB) (the target AN PDB is the expected delay budget of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device), so that the delay of the data packet from the core network device to the terminal device exceeds the target delay, the target delay is the sum of the target CN PDB and the target AN PDB, which affects the user experience. Through the embodiment of the application, for example, when the actual transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the network device exceeds the target CN PDB in the case that the jitter of the data packet from the core network device to the network device is relatively serious, it is confirmed that the actual available transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device is the target AN PDB minus the time of the part exceeding the target CN PDB; for example, when the actual transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the network device does not exceed the target CN PDB, it is confirmed that the actual available transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device is the target AN PDB plus the time of the part not exceeding the target CN PDB; in summary, by timely adjusting the actual available transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device on the basis of the target CN PDB, the overall transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the terminal device is ensured, and further, the user experience is improved.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the first time information includes one of: a time when the first PDU arrives at the first device; a time when the first set of protocol data units arrives at the first device; a time when the first PDU is sent from the first device; a time when the first set of protocol data units is sent from the first device; or a time when the first time information is added in the first data packet.

[0010] In the method, by adding the first time information in the first data packet, the signaling overhead can be reduced and the complexity is low.

[0011] In another possible implementation, the first time information is in a header of the first data packet.

[0012] In a further possible implementation, the first indication information comprises the N.

[0013] In this way, the first PDU can be quickly determined.

[0014] In a further possible implementation, the first indication information further comprises an offset value offset, wherein the offset and the N satisfy the following relationship: PSN mod N = offset; wherein the PSN is a sequence number of the first PDU.

[0015] In this way, the first PDU can be quickly determined.

[0016] In a further possible implementation, the first indication information comprises a sequence number set, the sequence number set comprising a sequence number of the first PDU.

[0017] In this way, the first PDU can be quickly determined.

[0018] In a further possible implementation, the method further comprises determining a transmission delay budget based on the first time information and the second time information, the transmission delay budget being an actual available transmission time of the first PDU from being transmitted by the network device to being received by the terminal device.

[0019] In the above method, in this way, the actual available transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device can be determined, the overall transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the terminal device is ensured, and further, user experience is improved.

[0020] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a first device, the first device can be a core network device, can be a component (for example, a processor, a chip, a circuit, or a chip system, etc.) in the core network device, or can be a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the core network device, and the method comprises the following steps: sending first indication information, the first indication information being used for indicating a sequence number of a first protocol data unit (PDU), the first PDU corresponding to first time information, the sequence number of the first PDU being an order identifier of the first PDU in a first data unit set, wherein a difference between the sequence number of a kth first PDU in the first data unit set and the sequence number of a (k-1) th first PDU is N, the N being a positive integer greater than 0, and the k being a positive integer greater than 1; sending a first data packet based on the first indication information, the first data packet comprising the first PDU and the first time information, the first time information being used for determining a transmission delay budget, the transmission delay budget being an actual available transmission time of the first PDU from being transmitted by the network device to being received by the terminal device.

[0021] Exemplarily, the core network device can be an access and mobility management (AMF) network element, a user plane function (UPF) network element, or a session management function (SMF) network element.

[0022] In the above method, by adding the first time information corresponding to the first PDU in the first data packet, the transmission time delay budget can be determined based on the first time information. Compared with the case where the jitter in the process of transmitting the data packet from the core network device to the network device is relatively serious, i.e., the actual transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the network device exceeds the target core network packet time delay budget (CN PDB) (the target CN PDB is the expected time delay budget of the data packet from the core network device to the network device), the transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device is still transmitted according to the target access network packet time delay budget (AN PDB) (the target AN PDB is the expected time delay budget of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device), thereby causing the time delay of the data packet from the core network device to the terminal device to exceed the target time delay, the target time delay being the sum of the target CN PDB and the target AN PDB, affecting the user experience. Through the embodiments of the present application, for example, in the case where the jitter in the process of transmitting the data packet from the core network device to the network device is relatively serious, and the actual transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the network device exceeds the target CN PDB, it is confirmed that the actual available transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device is the target AN PDB minus the time of the part exceeding the target CN PDB; for example, in the case where the actual transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the network device does not exceed the target CN PDB, it is confirmed that the actual available transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device is the target AN PDB plus the time of the part not exceeding the target CN PDB; in summary, by timely adjusting the actual available transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device on the basis of the target CN PDB, the overall transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the terminal device is ensured, and further, the user experience is improved.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the first time information includes one of: a time at which the first PDU arrives at the first device; a time at which the first set of protocol data units arrives at the first device; a time at which the first PDU is sent from the first device; a time at which the first set of protocol data units is sent from the first device; or a time at which the first time information is added in the first data packet.

[0024] In the above method, by adding the first time information in the first data packet, the signaling overhead can be reduced and the complexity is low.

[0025] In yet another possible implementation, the first time information is in a header of the first data packet.

[0026] In a further possible implementation, the first indication information comprises the N.

[0027] In a further possible implementation, the first indication information further comprises an offset value offset, wherein the following relationship is satisfied between the offset and the N: PSN mod N = offset; wherein the PSN is a sequence number of the first PDU.

[0028] In a further possible implementation, the first indication information comprises a sequence number set, the sequence number set comprising the sequence number of the first PDU.

[0029] In the above manner, the first PDU can be quickly determined.

[0030] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which can be applied to a second device, the second device can be a radio access network device, or can be a component (for example, a processor, a chip, a circuit, or a chip system, etc.) in the radio access network device, or can be a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the radio access network device.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus can comprise a module or unit or means corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect, which can be a hardware circuit, or software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus comprises a processing unit and a transceiver unit, the transceiver unit is configured to receive first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a sequence number of a first protocol data unit (PDU), the first PDU corresponding to first time information, the sequence number of the first PDU being an order identifier of the first PDU in a first PDU set, wherein a difference between the sequence number of a kth first PDU in the first PDU set and the sequence number of a (k-1)th first PDU is N, the N being a positive integer greater than 0, the k being a positive integer greater than 1; the transceiver unit is configured to receive a first data packet based on the first indication information, the first data packet comprising the first PDU and the first time information; the processing unit is configured to detect the first PDU, wherein the first time information and second time information are used to determine an actual available transmission time of the first PDU from a network device to a terminal device, the second time information being a time of detecting the first PDU.

[0033] In a possible implementation, the first time information comprises one of: a time when the first PDU arrives at the first device; a time when the first set of protocol data units arrives at the first device; a time when the first PDU is sent out from the first device; a time when the first set of protocol data units is sent out from the first device; or a time when the first time information is added in the first data packet.

[0034] In yet another possible implementation, the first time information is in a header of the first data packet.

[0035] In yet another possible implementation, the first indication information comprises: the N.

[0036] In yet another possible implementation, the first indication information further comprises: an offset value offset, wherein a relationship between the offset and the N satisfies: PSN mod N = offset; wherein the PSN is a sequence number of the first PDU.

[0037] In yet another possible implementation, the first indication information comprises: a set of sequence numbers, the set of sequence numbers comprising a sequence number of the first PDU.

[0038] In yet another possible implementation, the processing unit is configured to determine a transmission delay budget based on the first time information and the second time information, the transmission delay budget being an actual available transmission time for the first PDU from being transmitted by the network device to being received by the terminal device.

[0039] As to the technical effects brought by the third aspect or possible implementation, reference can be made to the introduction of the technical effects of the first aspect or corresponding implementation.

[0040] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which can be applied to a first device, the first device can be a core network device, or can be a component (for example, a processor, a chip, a circuit, or a chip system, etc.) in the core network device, or can be a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the core network device functions.

[0041] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus can comprise a module or unit or means corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect, which can be a hardware circuit, or software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0042] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus comprises: a processing unit and a transceiver, the transceiver is configured to send first indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate a sequence number of a first protocol data unit (PDU), the first PDU corresponds to first time information, and the sequence number of the first PDU is used to identify an order of the first PDU in a first PDU set, wherein a difference between the sequence number of a kth first PDU in the first PDU set and a sequence number of a (k-1)th first PDU is N, the N is a positive integer greater than 0, and the k is a positive integer greater than 1; and the transceiver is configured to send a first data packet based on the first indication information, the first data packet comprises the first PDU and the first time information, and the first time information is used to determine a transmission delay budget, the transmission delay budget is an actual available transmission time of the first PDU from a network device to a terminal device.

[0043] In a possible implementation, the first time information comprises one of: a time when the first PDU arrives at a first device; a time when the first PDU set arrives at the first device; a time when the first PDU is sent from the first device; a time when the first PDU set is sent from the first device; or a time when the first time information is added in the first data packet.

[0044] In another possible implementation, the first time information is in a header of the first data packet.

[0045] In another possible implementation, the first indication information comprises the N.

[0046] In another possible implementation, the first indication information further comprises an offset value offset, and a relationship between the offset and the N satisfies: PSN mod N = offset, where the PSN is the sequence number of the first PDU.

[0047] In another possible implementation, the first indication information comprises a sequence number set, and the sequence number set comprises the sequence number of the first PDU.

[0048] As to the technical effects brought by the fourth aspect or possible implementation, reference can be made to the introduction of the technical effects of the second aspect or corresponding implementation.

[0049] In the fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which comprises at least one processor, and the at least one processor invokes a computer program or instruction stored in a memory to execute the method of the first aspect or possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0050] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus further includes a memory and a communication interface. Optionally, the memory and the processor are integrated together.

[0051] In a possible implementation, the memory is located outside the communication apparatus.

[0052] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, including at least one processor, which invokes a computer program or instructions stored in a memory to execute the method in the second aspect or the possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0053] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus further includes a memory and a communication interface. Optionally, the memory and the processor are integrated together.

[0054] In a possible implementation, the memory is located outside the communication apparatus.

[0055] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip apparatus, including at least one processor, which invokes a computer program or instructions stored in a memory to implement the method in any of the aspects or the possible implementation manner of any of the aspects.

[0056] In a possible implementation, an input of the chip apparatus corresponds to the receiving operation in any of the aspects or the possible implementation manner of any of the aspects, and an output of the chip apparatus corresponds to the sending operation in any of the aspects or the possible implementation manner of any of the aspects.

[0057] Optionally, the processor is coupled with the memory through an interface.

[0058] Optionally, the chip apparatus further includes a memory, and the memory stores computer program instructions.

[0059] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores computer programs or instructions, and when the computer programs or instructions are run on a processor, a method in any of the aspects is implemented.

[0060] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which includes computer programs or instructions, and when the computer programs or instructions are run on a processor, a method in any of the aspects is implemented.

[0061] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, including the apparatus in the fifth aspect and the apparatus in the sixth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0062] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0063] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of another communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of an ORAN system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a Cloud VR / AR communication network according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of transmission of an XR video according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an end-to-end QoS guarantee architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a latency guarantee method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] FIGS. 9-12 are schematic diagrams of a first PDU according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a first data packet according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a method for sharing an AN PDB and a CN PDB according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] FIGS. 15 and 16 are schematic diagrams of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram of a structure of another communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0076] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, any other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0077] Reference within this application to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" or "some embodiments" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" or "in some embodiments" in various places within specifications are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, although it can. The terms "including," "comprising," "having" and variations thereof are meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified otherwise, "or" as used herein is

[0078] In the description of the application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means "or", for example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this article is only a description of the relationship between the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can mean: A alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B alone. In addition, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "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 and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0079] It can be understood that in this application, "indication" can include direct indication, indirect indication, display indication, and implicit indication. When describing a certain indication information for indicating A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0080] In this application, the information indicated by the indication information is referred to as the to-be-indicated information. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the to-be-indicated information, for example, but not limited to, the to-be-indicated information can be directly indicated, such as the to-be-indicated information itself or the index of the to-be-indicated information, or the to-be-indicated information can be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, wherein the other information and the to-be-indicated information have an association relationship. It can also only indicate part of the to-be-indicated information, and the other part of the to-be-indicated information is known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of a specific information can also be achieved by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, the protocol stipulates), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent.

[0081] The to-be-indicated information can be sent together as a whole or can be sent separately in multiple sub-information, and the sending period and / or sending occasion of the sub-information can be the same or different. The specific sending method is not limited in the present application. The sending period and / or sending occasion of the sub-information can be predefined, for example, predefined according to a protocol, or can be configured by the transmitting end device by sending configuration information to the receiving end device.

[0082] It can be understood that “sending” and “receiving” in the present application represent the direction of signal transmission. For example, “sending information to XX” can be understood as that the destination of the information is XX, which can include direct sending through the air interface, and also includes indirect sending through the air interface by other units or modules. “Receiving information from YY” can be understood as that the source of the information is YY, which can include direct receiving from YY through the air interface, and also includes indirect receiving from YY through the air interface from other units or modules. “Sending” can also be understood as “output” of a chip interface, and “receiving” can also be understood as “input” of a chip interface.

[0083] In other words, sending and receiving can be between devices, for example, between network devices and terminal devices, or can be within a device, for example, between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within a device through a bus, wire or interface.

[0084] It can be understood that the information can be processed as necessary between the source and the destination of the information transmission, such as encoding and modulation, but the destination can understand the effective information from the source. Similar expressions in the present application can be understood similarly, and will not be repeated here.

[0085] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a third generation partnership project (3rd generation partnership project, 3GPP) related cellular communication system, for example, a fourth generation (4th generation, 4G) communication system, such as a long term evolution (long term evolution, LTE) communication system, and can also be applied to a fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) communication system, such as a 5G new radio (new radio, NR) communication system, or various future communication systems and future communication networks. The method provided by the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to a Bluetooth system, a wireless fidelity (wireless fidelity, WiFi) system, a LoRa system or a vehicle-to-vehicle system, a communication system supporting multiple wireless technology fusion, a device-to-device (device-to-device, D2D) system. The method provided by the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to a satellite communication system, which can be integrated with the above communication system. The wireless communication system related in the present application also includes but is not limited to: a narrow band internet of things (narrow band-internet of things, NB-IoT) system, a global system for mobile communications (global system for mobile communications, GSM) system, an enhanced data rate for GSM evolution (enhanced data rate for GSM evolution, EDGE) system, a wideband code division multiple access (wideband code division multiple access, WCDMA) system, a code division multiple access 2000 (code division multiple access, CDMA2000) system, or a time division-synchronous code division multiple access (time division-synchronous code division multiple access, TD-SCDMA) system.

[0086] Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application. The architecture of the communication system shown in FIG. 1 is used to illustrate an application scenario of the present application. The communication system includes a first device 101 and a second device 102. The first device can be a core network device, which can be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, a user plane function (UPF) network element, or a session management (SMF) network element. The AMF network element is mainly used for registration management, connection management, access management, mobility management, and various functions related to security and access management and authorization. The UPF network element is mainly used for routing and forwarding of user plane data packets. The SMF network element is mainly used for session establishment, modification, and release management. The second device can be a radio access network device, such as a network device, which can be any of the network devices described below. It should be noted that the terminal device involved in the embodiments of the present application can be any of the terminal devices described below. The apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the first device 101 or the second device 102. It can be understood that FIG. 1 only shows one possible communication system architecture to which the embodiments of the present application can be applied. In other possible scenarios, the communication system architecture can also include other devices. The embodiments of the present application can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG. 1.

[0087] Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of another communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application, the communication system including a core network and a radio access network, the radio access network can include a next generation NodeB (gNB) and a next generation evolved NodeB (ng-eNB), the gNB is configured to provide a NR user plane and control plane protocol to a user equipment (UE), and the ng-eNB is configured to provide an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRA) user plane and control plane protocol to the UE. The core network can include an AMF network element or a UPF network element. From a functional perspective, the core network can further include an SMF network element. The gNB and the ng-eNB are connected through an Xn interface, the gNB / ng-eNB is connected with the AMF network element through an NG-C interface, and is connected with the UPF network element through an NG-U interface. It can be understood that FIG. 2 only shows one possible communication system architecture to which the embodiments of the present application can be applied, and in other possible scenarios, the communication system architecture can also include other devices. The embodiments of the present application can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG. 2.

[0088] (1) Terminal device, also known as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., is a device that provides voice or data connectivity to a user. Specifically, it includes a device that provides voice to a user, or a device that provides data connectivity to a user, or a device that provides both voice and data connectivity to a user. For example, it can include a handheld device with wireless connection function, or a processing device connected to a wireless modem. The terminal device can communicate with a core network through a radio access network (RAN), exchange voice or data with the RAN, or interact with the RAN for voice and data. Currently, the terminal device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer (Pad), a notebook computer, a palm computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device (such as a smart watch, a smart bracelet, a pedometer, etc.), a vehicle-mounted device (such as a car, a bicycle, an electric vehicle, an airplane, a ship, a train, a high-speed rail, etc.), a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a haptic terminal device, a smart home device (such as a refrigerator, a television, an air conditioner, an electricity meter, etc.), a smart robot, a workshop device, a wireless terminal in unmanned driving, a wireless terminal in remote surgery, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a flight device (such as a smart robot, a hot air balloon, a drone, an airplane), etc. The terminal device can also be other devices with terminal functions, for example, the terminal device can also be a device that plays a terminal function in D2D communication.The terminal device can also include a vehicle to everything (V2X) terminal device, a machine to machine / machine-type communications (M2M / MTC) terminal device, an internet of things (IoT) terminal device, a light terminal device, a reduced capability UE (REDCAP UE), a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a remote station, an access point (AP), a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, a user agent, or a user device, a drone device, etc. For example, it can include a mobile phone (or called "cellular" phone), a computer with a mobile terminal device, a portable, pocket, handheld, built-in computer mobile device, etc. For example, personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc. It also includes limited devices, such as devices with lower power consumption, or devices with limited storage capacity, or devices with limited computing capacity, etc. For example, it includes information sensing devices such as bar code, radio frequency identification (RFID), sensor, global positioning system (GPS), laser scanner, etc. In this application, the terminal device with wireless transceiver function and the chip that can be provided in the terminal device are collectively referred to as terminal device.

[0089] It should be noted that the terminal device can be a device or apparatus with a chip, or a device or apparatus integrated with a circuit, or a chip, module or control unit in the above-mentioned device or apparatus, and the specific application is not limited.

[0090] (2) The network device is a device deployed in a wireless access network to provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. The network device can also be referred to as a radio access network (RAN) entity, an access node, a network node, or a communication apparatus, etc.

[0091] Specifically, the network device can be an access network device of a third generation partnership project (3GPP) related cellular system. For example, a fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication system, or a 5G mobile communication system. The network device can also be an access network device in an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN) or a cloud radio access network (CRAN). Alternatively, the network device can also be an access network device in a communication system obtained by fusing two or more of the above communication systems.

[0092] The network device includes, but is not limited to, an evolved Node B (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (for example, a home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, a macro base station, a micro base station, a wireless relay node, a donor node, a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario, a wireless backhaul node, a transmission point (TP), or a transmission reception point (TRP). The network device can also be an access network device in a 5G mobile communication system. For example, a next generation base station (gNB) in a new radio (NR) system, a TRP, a TP, or one or a group (including multiple antenna panels) of antenna panels of a base station in a 5G mobile communication system. Alternatively, the network device can also be a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point. For example, 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. For example, a BBU. The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit. For example, in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). Alternatively, the network device can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. For example, in V2X technology, the network device can be a road side unit (RSU).

[0093] It should be noted that the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU can also have different names in different systems, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, the CU can also be referred to as an open central unit (O-CU) or an open CU, the DU can also be referred to as an open distributed unit (O-DU), the central unit control plane (CU-CP) can also be referred to as an open central unit control plane (O-CU-CP) or an open CU-CP, the central unit user plane (CU-UP) can also be referred to as an open central unit user plane (O-CU-UP) or an open CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as an open radio unit (O-RU), which is not limited in the present application. Any one of the CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU in the present application can be realized by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0094] In some deployments, the CU implements part of the functions of a gNB, and the DU implements part of the functions of a gNB, for example, please refer to FIG. 3, which is a schematic diagram of an ORAN system provided by an embodiment of the present application, a base station includes at least one distributed unit (DU) and one central unit (CU), the CU is responsible for processing non-real-time functions, for example, implementing the functions of the radio resource control (RRC), the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, the DU is responsible for processing functions with higher real-time performance, for example, implementing the functions of the radio link control (RLC), the media access control (MAC), and the physical (PHY) layer, the CU and the DU communicate through the F1 interface, and the maximum transmission delay is about 3 ms to 10 ms. Among them, NG is the interface between the radio access network and the 5G core network; Xn-C is the control plane interface between gNBs; F1 is the interface between the CU and the DU. Since the information of the RRC layer will eventually become the information of the PHY layer, or be converted from the information of the PHY layer, therefore, under this architecture, high-layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling or PDCP layer signaling, can also be considered as being sent by the DU, or by the DU+RU. It can be understood that the network device can be a CU node, or a DU node, or a device including a CU node and a DU node. In addition, the CU can be divided into a network device in the access network RAN, or the CU can be divided into a network device in the core network CN, which is not limited here.

[0095] It should be noted that the network device can be the device or apparatus shown above, or a component (for example, a chip), a module, or a unit in the device or apparatus shown above, and the specific application is not limited.

[0096] In order to better understand the scheme provided by the embodiments of the present application, the following will first introduce some terms, concepts or processes related to the embodiments of the present application.

[0097] I. Extended Reality (XR)

[0098] In recent years, with the continuous development of the fifth generation communication system, the data transmission delay is continuously reduced, and the transmission capacity is getting larger and larger, and the 5G communication system gradually penetrates into some real-time strong, large data capacity requirement multimedia services, such as video transmission, cloud gaming (CG) and extended reality (XR), etc., wherein XR includes virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).

[0099] With the rapid improvement of communication transmission rate, real-time video transmission service has gradually become one of the core services in the current network. With the continuous progress and improvement of extended reality technology, the related industry has also developed vigorously. Today, XR technology has entered the fields of education, entertainment, military, medical treatment, environmental protection, transportation, public health and other fields closely related to people's production and life. Compared with traditional video services, XR has the advantages of multi-view and strong interactivity, providing users with a new visual experience. VR integrates computer graphics, multimedia and other technologies, simulates the functions of human visual, auditory and tactile sensory organs, making people feel as if they are in the scene, immersed in the virtual world generated by the computer, and can communicate in real time through language, gestures and other means, enhancing the sense of immersion. Through VR technology, people can experience the wonderful experience of entering the virtual world while feeling the realistic world. AR is to use computer technology to superimpose virtual information on the real world and display it through mobile phones, tablets, glasses and other devices, which can be perceived by people, so as to realize the integration of reality and virtuality, and enrich the real world. In short, it is to give the real object more information, enhance the stereoscopic effect, and strengthen the visual effect and interactive experience.

[0100] Cloud VR and Cloud AR are to introduce the concept and technology of cloud computing and cloud rendering into VR / AR business applications, and to transmit the encoded and compressed display output and sound output from the cloud to the user's terminal device through a high-speed and stable network, realizing the cloud of VR / AR business content and the cloud of rendering. VR / AR terminal devices can also meet the needs of lightweight and mobility. Please refer to Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a Cloud VR / AR communication network. As shown in the figure, UE1 and UE2 are VR / AR terminal devices, which are connected to the network through a base station or other access points to obtain VR / AR services from the cloud.

[0101] II. XR transmission

[0102] Please refer to FIG. 5, which is a schematic diagram of XR video transmission. A picture frame of an XR video is divided into dozens of IP packets, for example, 50 IP packets, at the network transmission layer. The dozens of IP packets are transmitted to the fixed network / core network, and then transmitted to the terminal device through the RAN. During the network transmission process, if an IP packet is transmitted incorrectly, the entire picture frame cannot be recovered.

[0103] For XR transmission, the QoS guarantee mechanism includes QoS flows supporting guaranteed bit rate (GBR) and non-GBR, and also supports inductive QoS.

[0104] In a PDU session, the QoS flow is the minimum granularity for distinguishing QoS. In the 5G system, the QoS flow is identified by the QoS flow identifier (QFI), and the QFI is unique within a PDU session, that is, a PDU session can have multiple (up to 64) QoS flows, but the QFI of each QoS flow is different. In a PDU session, user plane traffic flows with the same QFI use the same traffic forwarding treatment (such as scheduling). In terms of configuration granularity, a PDU session can correspond to multiple radio bearers (RBs), and traffic on the same radio bearer can also use different service levels; a radio bearer can contain multiple QoS flows. The configuration of QoS is at the QoS flow level.

[0105] In 5G System (5GS), QoS flow is controlled by SMF network element in core network, which can be pre-configured or through PDU session establishment and modification. The characteristics of a QoS flow consists of 3 parts: 1st part: QoS profile on access network (AN) side: these profiles are provided by SMF network element to AN through N2 interface, or pre-configured in AN. 2nd part: QoS rule on UE side: these rules can be provided by SMF network element to UE through N1, or derived by UE through reflective QoS mechanism; 3rd part: uplink and downlink packet detection rule (PDR) on UPF network element side: these PDR(s) are provided by SMF network element to UPF network element through N4 interface.

[0106] III. QoS Profile

[0107] The information about QoS flow characteristics provided by SMF network element to gNB can be called QoS profile, or QoS configuration (QoS Profile). Whether a QoS flow is "GBR" or "Non-GBR" depends on its QoS profile. The QoS parameters contained in a QoS profile of a QoS flow are as follows:

[0108] 1. QoS parameters contained in QoS profile of each QoS flow: 5G QoS Identifier (5QI), allocation and retention priority (ARP).

[0109] 2. QoS profile of each Non-GBR QoS flow can also contain parameter: reflective qos attribute (RQA);

[0110] 3. QoS profile of each GBR QoS flow also contains parameters: guaranteed flow bit rate (GFBR), maximum flow bit rate (MFBR);

[0111] 4. QoS profile of each GBR QoS flow can also contain: notification control, maximum packet loss rate.

[0112] IV. QoS Rules

[0113] The UE performs classification and marking of uplink user plane data traffic, i.e. associates uplink data to corresponding QoS flows according to QoS rules. These QoS rules can be explicitly provided to the UE (i.e. configured to the UE by signaling in PDU session establishment / modification procedures), or pre-configured on the UE, or implicitly derived by the UE using reflective QoS mechanism. A QoS rule has the following characteristics:

[0114] 1. A QoS rule contains: QFI of the associated QoS flow, set of packet filters (a list of filters), priority.

[0115] 2. A QoS flow can have multiple QoS rules.

[0116] 3. Each PDU session is configured with a default QoS rule, which is associated to a QoS flow.

[0117] Five, 5QI

[0118] 5QI is a scalar used to index a 5G QoS characteristic, 5QI represents the radio characteristics that a QoS flow has, each QoS has. 5QI is standardized, some are pre-configured, and some are dynamically defined. 5QI can include packet delay budget (PDB), which represents GBR QoS flow: under the premise of meeting GFBR, the maximum delay delay threshold that 98% of data packets should not exceed critical GBR, and under the premise of meeting GBER, data packets exceeding PDB are considered to have been lost. Among them, the packet delay budget (PDB) defines the upper limit of the time that the data packet can be delayed between the UPF network element and the UE. Please refer to Figure 6, which is an end-to-end QoS guarantee architecture diagram, the transmission process of the data packet is as follows: the data packet is transmitted from the server to the data network, and after passing through the UPF and the AN, it reaches the terminal device, or from the terminal device through the AN and the UPF, and then to the data network Finally to the server. From the data packet arriving at the core network, the transmission delay guarantee from the data packet arriving at the core network to the terminal device receiving the data packet is realized by segment control, wherein the CN PDB can also be referred to as the target CN PDB, which is the expected delay budget for the data packet from the core network device to the network device. It is transmitted and guaranteed through the bearer network between the core network and the base station, and in actual deployment, it is usually composed of optical fibers and routers, so the CN PDB is considered to be realized by the TCP / IP protocol guarantee; AN PDB can also be referred to as target AN PDB, which is the expected delay budget for the data packet from the network device to the terminal device, and is controlled and guaranteed through the access network / air interface between the base station and the terminal. It is usually affected and determined by the quality of the wireless channel and the scheduling of the base station. XR service has a relatively strict end-to-end delay requirement, please refer to Figure 7, which is a schematic diagram of a delay guarantee method. Generally speaking, from the data packet arriving at the core network, the transmission delay from the data packet arriving at the core network to the terminal device receiving the data packet needs to be controlled within 15 milliseconds (ms) to ensure user experience. In order to meet the delay requirement, for example, CNPDB can be set to 5ms, and AN PDB can be set to 10ms. However, due to the serious jitter in the process of transmitting data packets from the core network to the network device, sometimes the jitter may exceed 3ms or more. If the jitter value is relatively large, in order not to affect the user experience and make the entire transmission process delay not exceed 15ms, the actual available transmission time of the data packet from the base station to the terminal device is less than 10ms, which may cause the data packet transmission to be incomplete, or if the jitter value is relatively large, the data packet is transmitted from the network device to the terminal device. The time for receiving the data packet is still transmitted according to 10ms, which may cause the entire transmission delay to exceed 15ms, affecting the user experience. In order to solve the above problems, the embodiments of the present application propose the following solutions.

[0119] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below in combination with the communication system shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2.

[0120] Referring to FIG. 8, FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application, which includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0121] Step S801: The first device sends first indication information.

[0122] For example, the first device sends the first indication information to the second device, and correspondingly, the second device receives the first indication information from the first device. For example, the first device can be the first device in FIG. 1, and the second device can be the second device in FIG. 1. For example, the first device can be an SMF network element, an AMF network element or a UPF network element in FIG. 2, and the second device can be a gNB or an ng-eNB in FIG. 2.

[0123] The first indication information is used to indicate the sequence number of the first PDU, and the first PDU corresponds to the first time information. The first PDU can refer to a PDU corresponding to the first time information.

[0124] In a possible implementation, the sequence number of the first PDU is the order identifier of the first PDU in a first protocol data unit (PDU) set. The difference between the sequence number of the kth first PDU in the first PDU set and the sequence number of the (k-1)th first PDU is N, where N is a positive integer greater than 0, and k is a positive integer greater than 1. In other words, the difference between the sequence numbers of two adjacent first PDUs in the first PDU set is N. In other words, the interval between the kth first PDU and the (k-1)th first PDU in the first PDU set is (N-1) PDUs. It can be understood that the interval between two adjacent first PDUs in the first PDU set is (N-1) PDUs.

[0125] In a possible example, referring to FIG. 9, which is a schematic diagram of a first PDU set, for example, PDU set 1, according to an embodiment of the present application, the PDU set 1 includes 90 PDUs, PDU 1, PDU 2, …, PDU 89, and the sequence numbers of the PDUs are PSN 0, PSN 1, …, PSN 89 respectively, N = 2, and the first PDUs are the PDUs with sequence numbers PSN 0, PSN 2, PSN 4, …, PSN 88 in the PDU set 1, for example, the difference between the sequence number of the PDU with sequence number PSN 2 and the sequence number of the PDU with sequence number PSN 0 is 2, and the difference between the sequence number of the PDU with sequence number PSN 4 and the sequence number of the PDU with sequence number PSN 2 is 2, therefore, the difference between the sequence number of the kth first PDU and the sequence number of the (k-1)th first PDU in the PDU set 1 is 2, in other words, the interval between the kth first PDU and the (k-1)th first PDU in the PDU set 1 is (N-1) = (2-1) = 1 PDU, and it can be understood that the interval between the adjacent two first PDUs in the PDU set 1 is 1 PDU.

[0126] In another possible implementation, the first PDUs are the PDUs with the difference between the sequence number of the kth first PDU and the sequence number of the (k-1)th first PDU being N, starting from the first transmitted PDU, or the first PDUs are the PDUs with the difference between the sequence numbers of the adjacent two first PDUs being N, starting from the first transmitted PDU, or the first PDUs are the PDUs with the interval between the kth first PDU and the (k-1)th first PDU being (N-1) PDUs, starting from the first transmitted PDU, and it can be understood that the interval between the adjacent two first PDUs is (N-1) PDUs. Optionally, the first PDUs are the PDUs with the difference between the sequence number of the kth first PDU and the sequence number of the (k-1)th first PDU being N, starting from the first transmitted PDU in the first PDU set, or the first PDUs are the PDUs with the interval between the adjacent two first PDUs being (N-1) PDUs, starting from the first transmitted PDU in the first PDU set.

[0127] In another possible example, referring to FIG. 10, which is a schematic diagram of another first PDU provided by the embodiment of the present application, for example, there are two first PDU sets, PDU set 1 and PDU set 2, PDU set 1 includes 90 PDUs, PDU 1, PDU 2, …, PDU 89, and the sequence numbers of the PDUs are PSN 0, PSN 1, PSN 2, …, PSN 88, PSN 89, respectively; PDU set 2 includes 100 PDUs, PDU 1, PDU 2, …, PDU 98, PDU 99, and the sequence numbers of the PDUs are PSN 0, PSN 1, PSN 2, …, PSN 98, PSN 99, respectively, for example, N = 2; in PDU set 1, the first PDU to be transmitted is the PDU with the sequence number PSN 0 in PDU set 1, the first PDU is the PDU with a sequence number that is N = 2 greater than the sequence number of the (k-1)th first PDU, that is, it can be understood that in PDU set 1, the interval between adjacent first PDUs is (N-1) = (2-1) = 1 PDU, that is, the first PDUs are the PDUs with the sequence numbers PSN 0, PSN 2, PSN 4, PSN 6, …, PSN 86, PSN 88 in PDU set 1; in PDU set 2, the first PDU to be transmitted is the PDU with the sequence number PSN 0 in PDU set 2, the first PDU is the PDU with a sequence number that is N = 2 greater than the sequence number of the (k-1)th first PDU, that is, it can be understood that in PDU set 2, the interval between adjacent first PDUs is (N-1) = (2-1) = 1 PDU, that is, the first PDUs are the PDUs with the sequence numbers PSN 0, PSN 2, PSN 4, PSN 6, …, PSN 96, PSN 98 in PDU set 2.

[0128] The first indication information includes N. In a possible implementation, the second device determines the sequence number of the first PDU based on the first indication information and a predefined rule. The predefined rule can be PSN mod N = 0, where PSN is the sequence number of the first PDU. In another possible implementation, the first indication information can further include an offset value offset. The offset and N satisfy the following relationship: PSN mod N = offset, where PSN is the sequence number of the first PDU. Optionally, the offset can be agreed upon by a protocol or predefined. The relationship between the offset and N can be agreed upon by a protocol or predefined. In another possible implementation, the first indication information includes a sequence number set, the sequence number set includes the sequence number of the first PDU, the first PDU belongs to a first protocol data unit set, and the sequence number set is a subset of a sequence number set of the PDU included in the first protocol data unit set. For example, refer to FIG. 11, which is a schematic diagram of another first PDU according to an embodiment of the present application. The first PDU set is PDU set1, and the PDU set1 includes 90 PDUs, namely PDU1, PDU2, …, PDU89. The sequence numbers of the PDUs are PSN0, PSN1, …, PSN89 respectively. The sequence number set is {1, 3, 5, 8, 10}, that is, the PDUs with the sequence numbers PSN1, PSN3, PSN5, PSN8, and PSN10 in the PDU set1 are the first PDUs. In this way, the first PDU can be quickly determined.

[0129] Optionally, the first indication information can be configured in a related field in a general packet radio system tunneling protocol-control plane (GPRS tunneling protocol-control plane, GTP-C).

[0130] Optionally, the first indication information can further include a related parameter of the first protocol data unit, including one or more of the following: a PDU set delay budget (pdu set delay budget, PSDB), a PDU set error rate (pdu set error rate, PSER), or a PDU set importance (pdu set importance, PSI). The PDU set delay budget represents a transmission delay budget at the PDU set level. The PDU set error rate represents a transmission error probability at the PDU set level. The PDU set importance represents the importance of each PDU set. Through the above parameters, the transmission delay, error frame, and importance of the transmitted video frame (which can also be referred to as a PDU set) can be measured.

[0131] In a possible implementation, before the first device sends the first indication information, the method further includes: determining, by the first device, the first indication information based on network load information.

[0132] The network load information refers to the load condition of a bearer network between a core network and a radio access network, i.e., the load condition of a bearer network between the first device and the second device. For example, the first device can use an internet control message protocol (ICMP) packet internet groper (ping) to detect the load condition of the bearer network. For example, if the time of a ping packet is relatively stable and the value is small, a large number of PDUs can be configured between two adjacent first PDUs, and vice versa. If the time of the ping packet fluctuates greatly or the value is high, a small number of PDUs can be configured between two adjacent first PDUs. Please refer to FIG. 12, which is a schematic diagram of another first PDU according to an embodiment of the present application. For example, a video frame includes 90 PDUs, each PDU has a sequence number PSN0, PSN1, PSN2, …, PSN89. Since the time of the ping packet is relatively stable and the value is small, a large number of PDUs are configured between two adjacent first PDUs, for example, N=4, i.e., the difference between the sequence number of the kth first PDU and the sequence number of the (k-1)th first PDU is N=4, and the first PDUs are the PDUs with sequence numbers PSN0, PSN4, PSN8, PSN12, …. Since the time of the ping packet fluctuates greatly or the value is high, a small number of PDUs are configured between two adjacent first PDUs, for example, N=2, i.e., the difference between the sequence number of the kth first PDU and the sequence number of the (k-1)th first PDU is N=2, and the first PDUs are the PDUs with sequence numbers PSN0, PSN2, PSN4, PSN6, PSN8, ….

[0133] Step S802: The first device sends the first data packet based on the first indication information.

[0134] For example, the first device sends the first data packet to the second device based on the first indication information, and the second device receives the first data packet from the first device based on the first indication information.

[0135] The first data packet includes the first PDU and first time information. The first time information is in a header of the first data packet. The first data packet is a general packet radio system tunneling protocol-user plane (GPRS tunneling protocol-user plane, GTP-U) data packet. The first time information includes one of the following: a time at which the first PDU arrives at the first device; a time at which a first protocol data unit set arrives at the first device; a time at which the first PDU is sent from the first device; a time at which the first protocol data unit set is sent from the first device; or a time at which the first time information is added in the first data packet. The time at which the first PDU arrives at the first device can include a time at which the first PDU is transmitted to the first device, and can also include a time at which the first PDU is received by the first device. The time at which the first protocol data unit set arrives at the first device can include a time at which the first protocol data unit set is transmitted to the first device, and can also include a time at which the first protocol data unit set is received by the first device. The time at which the first PDU is sent from the first device can include a time at which the first device sends the first PDU. The time at which the first protocol data unit set is sent from the first device can include a time at which the first device sends the first protocol data unit set. The time at which the first time information is added in the first data packet can include a time at which the first PDU and the first time information are encapsulated.

[0136] Optionally, the first data packet includes first indication information. The first indication information is in a GTP-U header. The first indication information can further include related parameters of the first protocol data unit, including one or more of the following: a sequence number (pdu set sequence number, PSSN) of the first PDU set, a sequence number (pdu sequence number within a pdu set, PSN) of a PDU included in the first PDU set, or a size (pdu set size, PSSize) of the first PDU set.

[0137] In a possible implementation, before the first device sends the first data packet based on the first indication information, the first device encapsulates the first time information and the first PDU into the first data packet. For example, the first time information is encapsulated in a header of the first data packet. Please refer to FIG. 13, which is a schematic diagram of a first data packet according to an embodiment of the present application. The first data packet includes the first PDU and the first time information. The first PDU and the first time information are encapsulated in the first data packet. The first time information is in a header (GTP-U header) of the first data packet.

[0138] In step S803, the second device detects the first PDU.

[0139] The second device detecting the first PDU can refer to that, after the second device receives the first data packet based on the first indication information, the first PDU is obtained according to the packet header of the first data packet.

[0140] The second device detecting the first PDU is the second time information. The first time information and the second time information are used to determine the actual available transmission time of the first PDU from the network device to the terminal device. The actual available transmission time of the first PDU from the network device to the terminal device includes the actual available transmission time of the first PDU from the second device to the terminal device.

[0141] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the second device determining a transmission delay budget based on the first time information and the second time information, the transmission delay budget being the actual available transmission time of the first PDU from the network device to the terminal device. For example, the first time information is T1, the second time information is T2, and the transmission delay budget TB = AN PDB + CN PDB - (T2-T1), where AN PDB is the expected transmission delay budget of the data packet from the second device to the terminal device, which can also be referred to as the target AN PDB, and CN PDB is the expected transmission delay budget of the data packet from the first device to the second device, which can also be referred to as the target CN PDB. In this way, the actual available transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device can be determined, the overall transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the terminal device is ensured, and the user experience is further improved.

[0142] In an example, referring to FIG. 14, FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a method for sharing AN PDB and CN PDB, according to an embodiment of the present application. By jointly using the delay budget of AN PDB and CN PDB, for example, under the premise that CN PDB is set to 5 ms and AN PDB is set to 10 ms:

[0143] For example, the CNto AN sharing in FIG. 14 includes that if the actual transmission time of the data packet between the core network device and the access network device, i.e., the actual transmission time between the first device and the second device, does not exceed the CN PDB (target), the remaining CN PDB value, i.e., the AN PDB (shared), can be shared to the AN PDB, thereby increasing the transmission budget between the network device and the terminal device, i.e., between the second device and the terminal device. For example, T1 = 1 ms, T2 = 5, T2-T1 = 4 ms, since 4 ms is less than the CN PDB (target), i.e., 5 ms, which is the value of the CN PDB (target), the remaining (5 ms-4 ms = 1 ms) can be shared to the AN PDB, thereby increasing the transmission budget between the second device and the terminal device, i.e., the delay between the second device and the terminal device is increased from the original AN PDB = 10 ms to 10+1 = 11 ms.

[0144] For example, the ANto CN sharing in FIG. 14 includes that if the actual transmission time of the data packet between the core network device and the access network device, i.e., the actual transmission time between the first device and the second device, exceeds the CN PDB (target), the second device needs to subtract the excess part of the CN PDB, i.e., the CN PDB (shared), from the original AN PDB (target) to ensure transmission. For example, T1 = 1 ms, T2 = 7, T2-T1 = 6 ms, since 6 ms is greater than the CN PDB (target), i.e., 5 ms, the excess part of the CN PDB is (6-5 = 1 ms), i.e., the CN PDB (shared) is 1 ms, and the second device needs to subtract the excess part of the CN PDB from the original AN PDB (target) to ensure transmission, i.e., the second device determines that the actual available transmission delay of the data packet from the second device to the terminal device is (10-1) = 9 ms.

[0145] In the method described in FIG. 8, by adding the first time information corresponding to the first PDU in the first data packet, the transmission delay budget can be determined based on the first time information. Compared with the case where the jitter during the transmission of the data packet from the core network device to the network device is relatively serious, that is, the actual transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the network device exceeds the target core network packet delay budget (CNPDB) (the target CNPDB is the expected delay budget of the data packet from the core network device to the network device), the transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device is still transmitted according to the target access network packet delay budget (ANPDB) (the target ANPDB is the expected delay budget of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device), thereby causing the delay of the data packet from the core network device to the terminal device to exceed the target delay (the target delay is the sum of the target CNPDB and the target ANPDB), and affecting the user experience. Through the embodiment of the present application, for example, in the case where the jitter during the transmission of the data packet from the core network device to the network device is relatively serious, when the actual transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the network device exceeds the target CNPDB, it is confirmed that the actual available transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device is the target ANPDB minus the time of the part exceeding the target CNPDB; for example, in the case where the actual transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the network device does not exceed the target CNPDB, it is confirmed that the actual available transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device is the target ANPDB plus the time of the part not exceeding the target CNPDB; in short, by timely adjusting the actual available transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device on the basis of the target CNPDB, the overall transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the terminal device is ensured, and further, the user experience is improved.

[0146] When the second device includes a CU and a DU, please refer to FIG. 15, which is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0147] Step S1501: The first device sends first indication information to the CU in the second device.

[0148] Correspondingly, the CU in the second device receives the first indication information from the first device. For details, please refer to the related description in step S801.

[0149] Step S1502: The first device sends a first data packet to the CU in the second device based on the first indication information.

[0150] Correspondingly, the CU in the second device receives the first data packet from the first device based on the first indication information. For details, please refer to the related description in step S802.

[0151] Step S1503: The CU in the second device sends the first data packet to the DU in the second device.

[0152] Step S1504: The DU in the second device detects the first PDU.

[0153] For details, refer to the related description in step S803.

[0154] Step S1505: The DU in the second device determines the transmission latency budget based on the first time information and the second time information.

[0155] The transmission latency budget is the actual available transmission time for the first PDU from the start of transmission by the network device to the reception by the terminal device. For details, refer to the related description in step S803.

[0156] In the method described in FIG. 15, by adding the first time information corresponding to the first PDU in the first data packet, the transmission delay budget can be determined based on the first time information. Compared with the case where the jitter during the transmission of the data packet from the core network device to the network device is relatively serious, that is, the actual transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the network device exceeds the target core network packet delay budget (CN PDB) (the target CN PDB is the expected delay budget of the data packet from the core network device to the network device), the transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device is still transmitted according to the target access network packet delay budget (AN PDB) (the target AN PDB is the expected delay budget of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device), wherein the target CN PDB is the expected delay target of the data packet from the core network device to the network device, and the target AN PDB is the expected delay target of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device, so that the delay of the data packet from the core network device to the terminal device exceeds the target delay (the target delay is the sum of the target CN PDB and the target AN PDB), affecting the user experience. Through the embodiment of the present application, for example, in the case where the jitter during the transmission of the data packet from the core network device to the network device is relatively serious, when the actual transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the network device exceeds the target CN PDB, it is confirmed that the actual available transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device is the target AN PDB minus the time of the part exceeding the target CN PDB; for example, in the case where the actual transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the network device does not exceed the target CN PDB, it is confirmed that the actual available transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device is the target AN PDB plus the time of the part not exceeding the target CN PDB; in short, by timely adjusting the actual available transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device on the basis of the target CN PDB, the overall transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the terminal device is ensured, and further, the user experience is improved.

[0157] When the second device includes a CU and a DU, please refer to FIG. 16, which is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0158] Step S1601: The first device sends first indication information to the CU in the second device.

[0159] Correspondingly, the CU in the second device receives the first indication information from the first device. For details, please refer to the related description in step S801.

[0160] Step S1602: The first device sends a first data packet to the CU in the second device based on the first indication information.

[0161] Correspondingly, the CU in the second device receives the first data packet from the first device based on the first indication information. Details can be referred to the related description in step S802.

[0162] Step S1603: The CU in the second device detects the first PDU.

[0163] Details can be referred to the related description in step S803.

[0164] Step S1604: The CU in the second device determines a transmission latency budget based on the first time information and the second time information.

[0165] The transmission latency budget is the actual available transmission time for the first PDU from the network device starting transmission to the terminal device receiving. Details can be referred to the related description in step S803.

[0166] Step S1605: The CU in the second device sends the transmission latency budget to the DU in the second device.

[0167] In the method described in FIG. 16, by adding the first time information corresponding to the first PDU in the first data packet, the transmission delay budget can be determined based on the first time information. Compared with the case that the jitter in the process of transmitting the data packet from the core network device to the network device is relatively serious, that is, the actual transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the network device exceeds the target core network packet delay budget (CN PDB) (the target CN PDB is the expected delay budget of the data packet from the core network device to the network device), the transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device is still transmitted according to the target access network packet delay budget (AN PDB) (the target AN PDB is the expected delay budget of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device), wherein the target CN PDB is the expected delay target of the data packet from the core network device to the network device, and the target AN PDB is the expected delay target of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device, so that the delay of the data packet from the core network device to the terminal device exceeds the target delay (the target delay is the sum of the target CN PDB and the target AN PDB), affecting the user experience. Through the embodiment of the present application, for example, in the case that the jitter in the process of transmitting the data packet from the core network device to the network device is relatively serious, when the actual transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the network device exceeds the target CN PDB, it is confirmed that the actual available transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device is the target AN PDB minus the time of the part exceeding the target CN PDB; for example, in the case that the actual transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the network device does not exceed the target CN PDB, it is confirmed that the actual available transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device is the target AN PDB plus the time of the part not exceeding the target CN PDB; in short, by timely adjusting the actual available transmission time of the data packet from the network device to the terminal device on the basis of the target CN PDB, the overall transmission time of the data packet from the core network device to the terminal device is ensured, and further, the user experience is improved.

[0168] The above describes the method of the embodiment of the present application in detail, and the device of the embodiment of the present application is provided below.

[0169] Please refer to FIG. 17, which is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device 1700 provided by the embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1700 can include a module or unit or means corresponding to each method / operation / step / action performed by the first device or the second device in the above method embodiment. The module or unit or means can be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0170] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus 1700 can include a processing unit 1701 and a transceiver unit 1702, which are specifically as follows:

[0171] The processing unit 1701 is configured to perform data processing. The transceiver unit 1702 can implement corresponding communication functions. The transceiver unit 1702 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication module.

[0172] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1700 can further include a storage unit, which can be configured to store instructions and / or data. The processing unit 1701 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit, so as to implement the foregoing method embodiments.

[0173] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1702 can include a sending unit and a receiving unit. The sending unit is configured to perform the sending operations in the foregoing method embodiments. The receiving unit is configured to perform the receiving operations in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0174] It should be noted that the communication apparatus 1700 can include the sending unit and not include the receiving unit. Alternatively, the communication apparatus 1700 can include the receiving unit and not include the sending unit. Specifically, whether the sending unit and the receiving unit are included in the communication apparatus 1700 can depend on whether the sending action and the receiving action are included in the foregoing schemes performed by the communication apparatus 1700.

[0175] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1700 is configured to perform the actions performed by the second device in the embodiments shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 15 or FIG. 16. For details, refer to the related description in the embodiments shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 15 or FIG. 16, which are not described herein again. For example, the communication apparatus 1700 is configured to perform the following scheme: the transceiver unit 1702 is configured to receive first indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate a sequence number of a first protocol data unit (PDU), the first PDU corresponds to first time information, and the sequence number of the first PDU is an order identifier of the first PDU in a first data unit set, wherein a difference between the sequence number of a kth first PDU in the first data unit set and the sequence number of a (k-1)th first PDU is N, the N is a positive integer greater than 0, and the k is a positive integer greater than 1; the transceiver unit 1702 is configured to receive a first data packet based on the first indication information, the first data packet includes the first PDU and the first time information; and the processing unit 1701 is configured to detect the first PDU, wherein the first time information and second time information are used to determine an actual available transmission time of the first PDU from the network device to the terminal device, and the second time information is a time of detecting the first PDU.

[0176] In a possible implementation, the first time information comprises one of: a time when the first PDU arrives at the first device; a time when the first set of protocol data units arrives at the first device; a time when the first PDU is sent out from the first device; a time when the first set of protocol data units is sent out from the first device; or a time when the first time information is added in the first data packet.

[0177] In another possible implementation, the first time information is in a header of the first data packet.

[0178] In another possible implementation, the first indication information comprises: the N.

[0179] In another possible implementation, the first indication information further comprises: an offset value offset, wherein a relationship between the offset and the N satisfies: PSN mod N = offset; wherein the PSN is a sequence number of the first PDU.

[0180] In another possible implementation, the first indication information comprises: a sequence number set, the sequence number set comprising a sequence number of the first PDU.

[0181] In another possible implementation, the processing unit 1701 is configured to determine a transmission delay budget based on the first time information and the second time information, the transmission delay budget being an actual available transmission time for the first PDU from being transmitted by the network device to being received by the terminal device.

[0182] It should be noted that the implementation and advantages of each module can also be referred to the corresponding description of the method embodiments shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 15 or FIG. 16.

[0183] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1700 is configured to perform the actions performed by the first device in the embodiments of FIG. 8, FIG. 15 or FIG. 16. For details, refer to the related description in the embodiments of FIG. 8, FIG. 15 or FIG. 16, which are not described here in detail. For example, the communication apparatus 1700 is configured to perform the following scheme: the transceiver 1702 is configured to send first indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate a sequence number of a first protocol data unit (PDU), the first PDU corresponds to first time information, the sequence number of the first PDU is an order identifier of the first PDU in a first data unit set, wherein the difference between the sequence number of the kth first PDU in the first data unit set and the sequence number of the (k-1)th first PDU is N, the N is a positive integer greater than 0, and the k is a positive integer greater than 1; the transceiver 1702 is configured to send a first data packet based on the first indication information, the first data packet includes the first PDU and the first time information, and the first time information is used to determine a transmission delay budget, the transmission delay budget is an actual available transmission time of the first PDU from the network device to the terminal device.

[0184] In a possible implementation, the first time information includes one of the following: a time when the first PDU arrives at the first device; a time when the first data unit set arrives at the first device; a time when the first PDU is sent from the first device; a time when the first data unit set is sent from the first device; or a time when the first time information is added in the first data packet.

[0185] In another possible implementation, the first time information is in a header of the first data packet.

[0186] In another possible implementation, the first indication information includes the N.

[0187] In another possible implementation, the first indication information further includes an offset value offset, wherein the offset and the N satisfy the following relationship: PSN mod N = offset; wherein the PSN is the sequence number of the first PDU.

[0188] In another possible implementation, the first indication information includes a sequence number set, and the sequence number set includes the sequence number of the first PDU.

[0189] It should be noted that the implementation and benefits of each module can also be referred to the corresponding description of the method embodiments of FIG. 8, FIG. 15 or FIG. 16.

[0190] The division of the modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, another division manner can be used.

[0191] The processing unit 1701 in the above embodiments can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuit. The transceiving unit 1702 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit. The transceiving unit 1702 can also be referred to as a communication module or a communication interface. The storage module can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0192] Please refer to FIG. 18, which is a structural schematic diagram of another communication apparatus 1800 provided by the embodiments of the present application. The communication apparatus 1800 can include modules or units or means corresponding to the methods / operations / steps / actions performed by the first device or the second device in the above method embodiments. The modules or units or means can be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0193] The communication apparatus 1800 includes at least one processor 1801. Optionally, the communication apparatus 1800 also includes a communication interface 1803, and optionally, the communication apparatus 1800 also includes a memory 1802. The processor 1801, the memory 1802, and the communication interface 1803 are connected with each other through a bus 1804. Optionally, the processor 1801 can be integrated with the memory 1802.

[0194] The memory 1802 includes, but is not limited to, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM). The memory 1802 is used to store related computer programs and data. The communication interface 1803 is used to receive and send data.

[0195] The processor 1801 can be one or more central processing units (CPUs). In the case where the processor 1801 is a CPU, the CPU can be a single-core CPU or a multi-core CPU.

[0196] The processor 1801 in the communication apparatus 1800 is configured to read the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 1802 to implement the functions of the above processing unit. The communication interface 1803 in the communication apparatus 1800 is configured to implement the functions of the above transceiving unit.

[0197] The chip device includes at least one processor configured to invoke a computer program or instructions stored in a memory, so that the processor executes the method provided in the above embodiments.

[0198] In a possible implementation, the input of the chip device corresponds to the receiving operation in any one of the above embodiments, and the output of the chip device corresponds to the sending operation in any one of the above embodiments.

[0199] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory through an interface.

[0200] Optionally, the chip device further includes a memory in which computer program instructions are stored.

[0201] The computer readable storage medium stores computer programs or instructions, and when the computer programs or instructions run on a processor, the method executed by the first device or the second device in the above method embodiments is implemented.

[0202] The computer program product includes computer programs or instructions, and when the computer programs or instructions run on a processor, the method executed by the first device or the second device in the above method embodiments is implemented.

[0203] The communication system includes the first device in the above embodiments and the second device in the above embodiments. The first device is configured to perform part or all of the operations of the first device in the above method embodiments, and the second device is configured to perform part or all of the operations of the second device in the above method embodiments.

[0204] It can be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0205] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be realized by hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, a register, a hard disk, a mobile hard disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor, so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a base station or a terminal. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the base station or the terminal.

[0206] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When realized by software, all or part of the embodiments can be realized in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer programs or 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 performed. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable apparatus. The computer programs or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer programs or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center through a wired or wireless manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape; an optical medium, for example, a digital video disc; or a semiconductor medium, for example, a solid-state disk. The computer-readable storage medium can be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or can include both volatile and non-volatile storage media.

[0207] In various embodiments of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referred to each other if there is no special description and logical conflict. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0208] In the description of the present application, the words "first", "second", "S801", or "S802" and the like are only used for the purpose of distinguishing description and facilitating the context of the writing, and the different order numbers themselves do not have specific technical meanings, cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, and also cannot be understood as indicating or implying the execution order of the operation, and the execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and inherent logic.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: Comprising: receiving first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a sequence number of a first protocol data unit (PDU), the first PDU corresponding to first time information, the sequence number of the first PDU being an order identifier of the first PDU in a first protocol data unit set, wherein a difference between the sequence number of a kth first PDU in the first data unit set and a sequence number of a (k-1)th first PDU is N, the N being a positive integer greater than 0, the k being a positive integer greater than 1; receiving a first data packet based on the first indication information, the first data packet comprising the first PDU and the first time information; detecting the first PDU, wherein the first time information and second time information are used to determine an actual available transmission time of the first PDU from a network device starting to transmit to a terminal device receiving, the second time information being a time of detecting the first PDU.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first time information comprises one of: a time of the first PDU arriving at a first device; a time of the first protocol data unit set arriving at the first device; a time of the first PDU being sent out from the first device; a time of the first protocol data unit set being sent out from the first device; or a time of adding the first time information in the first data packet.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first time information is in a header of the first data packet.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first indication information comprises: The N.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The first indication information further comprises: an offset value, wherein a relationship between the offset and the N satisfies: PSN mod N = offset; wherein the PSN is the sequence number of the first PDU.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first indication information comprises: a sequence number set comprising the sequence number of the first PDU.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method further comprises: determining a transmission latency budget based on the first time information and the second time information, the transmission latency budget being the actual available transmission time of the first PDU from a network device starting to transmit to a terminal device receiving.

8. A communication method characterized by comprising: Comprising: sending first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a sequence number of a first protocol data unit (PDU), the first PDU corresponding to first time information, the sequence number of the first PDU being an order identifier of the first PDU in a first protocol data unit set, wherein a difference between the sequence number of a kth first PDU in the first data unit set and a sequence number of a (k-1)th first PDU is N, the N being a positive integer greater than 0, the k being a positive integer greater than 1; sending a first data packet based on the first indication information, the first data packet comprising the first PDU and the first time information, the first time information being used to determine a transmission latency budget, the transmission latency budget being an actual available transmission time of the first PDU from a network device starting to transmit to a terminal device receiving.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The first time information comprises one of: a time of the first PDU arriving at a first device; a time of the first protocol data unit set arriving at the first device; a time when the first PDU is sent from the first device; a time when the first set of protocol data units is sent from the first device; or a time when the first time information is added in the first data packet.

10. The method of claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, The first time information is in a header of the first data packet.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The first indication information includes: The N.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The first indication information further includes: an offset value offset, wherein a relationship between the offset and the N satisfies: PSN mod N = offset; wherein the PSN is a sequence number of the first PDU.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8-10, characterized in that, The first indication information includes: a sequence number set, the sequence number set including a sequence number of the first PDU.

14. A communications device, characterized by comprising a processing unit and a transceiver unit, the transceiver unit configured to receive first indication information, the first indication information used to indicate a sequence number of a first protocol data unit (PDU), the first PDU corresponding to first time information, the sequence number of the first PDU being an order identifier of the first PDU in a first set of protocol data units, wherein a difference between the sequence number of a kth first PDU in the first set of data units and a sequence number of a (k-1)th first PDU is N, the N being a positive integer greater than 0, the k being a positive integer greater than 1; the transceiver unit further configured to receive, based on the first indication information, a first data packet, the first data packet including the first PDU and the first time information; the processing unit configured to detect the first PDU, wherein the first time information and second time information are used to determine an actual available transmission time of the first PDU from a network device starting to transmit to a terminal device receiving, the second time information being a time of detecting the first PDU.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein, The first time information includes one of: a time when the first PDU arrives at the first device; a time when the first set of protocol data units arrives at the first device; a time when the first PDU is sent from the first device; a time when the first set of protocol data units is sent from the first device; or a time when the first time information is added in the first data packet.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 or 15, wherein, The first time information is in a header of the first data packet.

17. The apparatus of any of claims 14-16, wherein, The first indication information includes: The N.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein, The first indication information further includes: an offset value offset, wherein a relationship between the offset and the N satisfies: PSN mod N = offset; wherein the PSN is a sequence number of the first PDU.

19. The apparatus of any one of claims 14-16, wherein, The first indication information includes: a sequence number set, the sequence number set including a sequence number of the first PDU.

20. The apparatus of any of claims 14-19, wherein, The method further includes: determining, based on the first time information and the second time information, a transmission latency budget, the transmission latency budget being an actual available transmission time of the first PDU from a network device starting to transmit to a terminal device receiving.

21. A communications device, characterized by comprising a processing unit and a transceiver unit, the transceiver unit configured to receive first indication information, the first indication information used to indicate a sequence number of a first protocol data unit (PDU), the first PDU corresponding to first time information, the sequence number of the first PDU being an order identifier of the first PDU in a first set of protocol data units, wherein a difference between the sequence number of a kth first PDU in the first set of data units and a sequence number of a (k-1)th first PDU is N, the N being a positive integer greater than 0, the k being a positive integer greater than 1; the transceiver unit further configured to receive, based on the first indication information, a first data packet, the first data packet including the first PDU and the first time information; the processing unit configured to detect the first PDU, wherein the first time information and second time information are used to determine an actual available transmission time of the first PDU from a network device starting to transmit to a terminal device receiving, the second time information being a time of detecting the first PDU. The transceiver is configured to send first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a sequence number of a first protocol data unit (PDU), the first PDU corresponding to first time information, the sequence number of the first PDU being an order identifier of the first PDU in a first protocol data unit set, wherein a difference between the sequence number of a kth first PDU in the first protocol data unit set and a sequence number of a (k-1)th first PDU is N, the N being a positive integer greater than 0, and the k being a positive integer greater than 1. The transceiver is further configured to send a first data packet based on the first indication information, the first data packet including the first PDU and the first time information, the first time information being used to determine a transmission latency budget, the transmission latency budget being an actual available transmission time of the first PDU from a network device to a terminal device.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein, The first time information includes one of: a time when the first PDU arrives at a first device; a time when the first protocol data unit set arrives at the first device; a time when the first PDU is sent from the first device; a time when the first protocol data unit set is sent from the first device; or a time when the first time information is added in the first data packet.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 or 22, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: The first time information is in a header of the first data packet.

24. The apparatus of any one of claims 21-23, wherein, The first indication information includes: the N.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein, The first indication information further includes: an offset value offset, wherein a relationship between the offset and the N satisfies: PSN mod N = offset; wherein the PSN is the sequence number of the first PDU.

26. The apparatus of any one of claims 21-23, wherein, The first indication information includes: a sequence number set, the sequence number set including the sequence number of the first PDU.

27. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus includes at least one processor that invokes a computer program or instructions stored in a memory to perform the method of any one of claims 1-7.

28. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus includes at least one processor that invokes a computer program or instructions stored in a memory to perform the method of any one of claims 8-13.

29. A communication system, characterized by The communication system includes the apparatus of claim 27 and the apparatus of claim 28.

30. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed on a processor, implement the method of any one of claims 1-13.

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