Communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and program product

Abstract

A communication method, an apparatus, a storage medium, and a program product. The method comprises: a termina determines first information, wherein the first information indicates service association between a first transmission object and a tethering apparatus of the terminal, and the first information is used to adjust a transmission delay between a network device and the terminal; the terminal sends the first information to an access network device; and the access network device sends second information on the basis of the first information, wherein the second information is used for adjusting a transmission delay of a second link between a core network device and the access network device, or adjusting a transmission delay of a third link between the access network device and the terminal on the basis of the first information. By shortening the transmission delay of the second link or the third link as much as possible, a transmission delay of tethered service / data is ensured, that is, the total transmission delay of a first link, the second link and the third link is ensured, thereby avoiding the impact from transmission delay uncertainty of the first link, and improving the reliability of communication.

Description

Communication method, apparatus, storage medium and program product

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411297061.9, filed on September 14, 2024, and entitled "Communication method, apparatus, storage medium and program product", the whole content of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0003] For future mobile communication systems, there are deterministic service requirements for automated driving network connection (such as real-time perception services), extended reality (XR) (such as interactive cloud games), and artificial intelligence (AI) agents. For example, there are deterministic requirements for end-to-end latency / latency jitter (e.g., the total end-to-end communication latency does not exceed X ms).

[0004] Taking XR services as an example, it has a wide range of outdoor application scenarios, such as games, video calls, short videos, and movie watching. In such scenarios, there is usually no fixed Wi-Fi access point to provide network services, and the current mainstream XR devices do not include cellular mobile modules, so cellular devices are needed as access points to provide network services. The cellular device itself is also configured with a Wi-Fi / Bluetooth module, so it can provide hotspot access to the XR device at any time. The XR device in this scenario can be referred to as a tethered device of the cellular device.

[0005] Cellular devices mainly communicate based on licensed spectrum, and base stations can make network demand guarantee controllable based on contention-free scheduling. Wi-Fi networks are based on unlicensed spectrum and use a channel access mechanism to seize resources, so the demand guarantee in Wi-Fi networks is uncontrollable. Since the cellular device and the tethered device are based on Wi-Fi transmission, the transmission latency may not be guaranteed, and XR services need to meet the deterministic experience requirements, which will greatly affect the experience of XR services.

[0006] In the case of tethered devices accessing the network, how to avoid the impact of the transmission latency of the first link being unable to be guaranteed is a problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0007] The application provides a communication method, device, storage medium and program product to avoid the influence of the transmission delay of a first link that cannot be guaranteed and improve the reliability of communication.

[0008] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. Exemplarily, the method can be applied to a terminal side, for example, the method can be executed by a terminal or a module (for example, a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, etc.) in the terminal. The module can be a communication module in the terminal or a circuit or chip responsible for a communication function in the terminal, such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system on chip (SoC) chip or a system in package (SIP) chip containing a modem core.

[0009] The method comprises determining first information, the first information indicating that a first transmission object is associated with service of a tethering device of a terminal, the first information being used to adjust a transmission delay between a network device and the terminal, wherein the first transmission object comprises at least one of the following: a first quality of service flow, a first protocol data unit (PDU) session or the terminal; and sending the first information.

[0010] With the method, the terminal indicates, to an access network device, that a first transmission object is associated with service / data of a tethering device of the terminal, the access network device indicates, based on the information 1, that a core network device adjusts a transmission delay of a second link between the core network device and the access network device, or adjusts, based on the information 1, a transmission delay of a third link between the access network device and the terminal, so as to reduce the transmission delay of the second link or the third link as much as possible, thereby guaranteeing the transmission delay of the tethering service / data, that is, guaranteeing the total transmission delay of the first link, the second link and the third link, avoiding the influence of the transmission delay of the first link that cannot be guaranteed, and improving the reliability of communication.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible design, the determination of the first information comprises: an access layer of the terminal receiving second information from a non-access layer of the terminal, the second information indicating that the first quality of service flow is associated with service of the tethering device; and the access layer determining the first information based on the second information.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in another possible design, the method further comprises: the access layer of the terminal determining the first information.

[0013] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible design of the first aspect, the first link includes at least one of the following: a non-3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) communication link, Wi-Fi, or Starlink. rd With reference to the first aspect, in a possible design of the first aspect, the first link includes at least one of the following: a non-3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) communication link, Wi-Fi, or Starlink.

[0014] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible design of the first aspect, the first information further indicates at least one of the following of the first link: load information, latency information, or latency jitter information.

[0015] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible design of the first aspect, the first information further includes identification information of the tethering device.

[0016] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible design of the first aspect, the first information further includes identification information of the first transmission object.

[0017] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible design of the first aspect, the first information is periodically transmitted, or the first information is transmitted in a case where the terminal is associated with the tethering device for service establishment.

[0018] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible design of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving third information, the third information indicating configuration of a first data radio bearer (DRB), the configuration of the first DRB being associated with the first transmission object, the first transmission object being a quality of service flow, and one or more first transmission objects associated with the configuration of the first DRB corresponding to a same tethering device.

[0019] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible design of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving fourth information, the fourth information indicating configuration of a second DRB, the configuration of the second DRB being associated with a second transmission object, the second transmission object being a quality of service flow, and the second transmission object not being associated with service of a tethering device of the terminal.

[0020] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible design of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving fourth information, the fourth information indicating configuration of a second DRB, the configuration of the second DRB being associated with a second transmission object, the second transmission object being a quality of service flow, and the second transmission object not being associated with service of a tethering device of the terminal.

[0021] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible design of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving fourth information, the fourth information indicating configuration of a second DRB, the configuration of the second DRB being associated with a second transmission object, the second transmission object being a quality of service flow, and the second transmission object not being associated with service of a tethering device of the terminal.

[0022] With the design, the second service quality flow is not associated with the service / data of the tethering device of the terminal, i.e., the service quality flow not associated with the service / data of the tethering device of the terminal is not carried on the same DRB as the one or more first service quality flows, the configuration parameters of the second DRB are different from the configuration parameters of the first DRB, so as to distinguish the configuration of the DRB according to whether the DRB carries the tethering service / data.

[0023] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. Exemplarily, the method can be applied to an access network device side, for example, the method can be executed by an access network device, or by a module (for example, a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, etc.) in the access network device. The module can be a communication module in the access network device, or a circuit or chip responsible for a communication function in the access network device, such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SOC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core.

[0024] The method comprises: receiving first information, the first information indicating that a first transmission object is associated with a service of a tethering device of a terminal, wherein the first transmission object comprises at least one of the following: a first service quality flow, a first protocol data unit (PDU) session, or the terminal; and based on the first information, sending second information for adjusting a transmission delay of a second link between a core network device and an access network device; or based on the first information, adjusting a transmission delay of a third link between the access network device and the terminal.

[0025] With the method, the access network device receives an indication from the terminal that a first transmission object is associated with a service of a tethering device of a terminal, and based on the information 1, the access network device instructs the core network device to adjust a transmission delay of a second link between the core network device and the access network device, or adjusts a transmission delay of a third link between the access network device and the terminal based on the information 1. By minimizing the transmission delay of the second link or the third link, the transmission delay of the tethering service / data is guaranteed, i.e., the total transmission delay of the first link, the second link, and the third link is guaranteed, avoiding the impact of the transmission delay of the first link being unable to be guaranteed, and improving the reliability of communication.

[0026] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible design, the second information indicates that the first transmission object is associated with the service of the tethering device; or the second information indicates a reduction value of the transmission delay of the second link; or the second information indicates an increase value of the transmission delay of the third link.

[0027] In combination with the second aspect, in another possible design, the terminal and the tethering device are connected through a first link, and the first link comprises at least one of the following: a non-3GPP communication link, Wi-Fi, or Starlink.

[0028] With reference to the second aspect, in a possible design of the second aspect, the first information further indicates at least one of the following information of the first link: load information, latency information, or latency jitter information; and / or the second information further indicates at least one of the following information of the first link: load information, latency information, or latency jitter information.

[0029] With reference to the second aspect, in a possible design of the second aspect, the first information further includes identification information of the tethering device.

[0030] With reference to the second aspect, in a possible design of the second aspect, the first information further includes identification information of the first transmission object.

[0031] A third aspect provides a communication method. Exemplarily, the method can be applied to a core network device side, for example, the method can be performed by a core network device, or by a module (for example, a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, etc.) in the core network device. The module can be a communication module in the core network device, or a circuit or chip responsible for a communication function in the core network device, such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SOC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core.

[0032] The method includes: receiving second information, the second information indicating a service association between a first transmission object and a tethering device of a terminal, wherein the first transmission object includes at least one of the following: a first quality of service flow, a first PDU session, or the terminal; and adjusting a transmission latency of a second link between the core network device and an access network device based on the second information.

[0033] With the method, the core network device receives second information sent by the access network device, the second information indicating a service association between a first transmission object and a tethering device of a terminal, and the core network device adjusts a transmission latency of a second link between the core network device and the access network device based on the second information, so as to reduce the transmission latency of the second link as much as possible, thereby guaranteeing the transmission latency of the tethering service / data, i.e., guaranteeing the total transmission latency of the first link, the second link, and the third link, avoiding the influence of the unguaranteed transmission latency of the first link, and improving the reliability of communication.

[0034] With reference to the third aspect, in a possible design of the third aspect, the second information indicates the service association between the first transmission object and the tethering device; or the second information indicates a reduction value of the transmission latency of the second link; or the second information indicates an increase value of a transmission latency of a third link between the access network device and the terminal.

[0035] With reference to the third aspect, in another possible implementation, the second information indicates at least one of the following information of the first link between the terminal and the tethering device: load information, latency information, or latency jitter information, and the adjusting the transmission latency of the second link based on the second information comprises: determining an adjustment amount of the transmission latency of the second link based on the at least one information of the first link; and adjusting the transmission latency of the second link based on the adjustment amount.

[0036] A fourth aspect provides a communication apparatus for implementing the communication method in the first aspect or any of the implementation forms of the first aspect. The apparatus can be a terminal, or a module (for example, a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, etc.) applied to the terminal, or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of realizing all or part of the terminal functions.

[0037] A fifth aspect provides a communication apparatus for implementing the communication method in the second aspect or any of the implementation forms of the second aspect. The apparatus can be an access network device, or a module (for example, a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, etc.) applied to the access network device, or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of realizing all or part of the access network device functions.

[0038] A sixth aspect provides a communication apparatus for implementing the communication method in the second aspect or any of the implementation forms of the second aspect. The apparatus can be a core network device, or a module (for example, a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, etc.) applied to the core network device, or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of realizing all or part of the core network device functions.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus in the fourth aspect to the sixth aspect includes units, modules, or means for performing the method in any of the first aspect to the third aspect or any of the implementation forms. The units, modules, or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0040] For example, the communication apparatus can include a sending unit, a receiving unit, and further include a processing unit. The sending unit and the receiving unit can be independent, or can be combined together (referred to as a “transceiving unit”).

[0041] The communication device is configured to implement the method of the first aspect or any of the implementation forms of the first aspect, and the processing unit is configured to determine first information, the first information indicating that a first transmission object is associated with a service of a tethering device of the communication device, the first information being used to adjust a transmission delay between a network device and the communication device, wherein the first transmission object comprises at least one of the following: a first quality of service flow, a first PDU session, or the communication device; and the transceiver is configured to send the first information.

[0042] Optionally, the communication device is an access layer of a terminal, and the transceiver is further configured to receive second information from a non-access layer of the communication device, the second information indicating that the first quality of service flow is associated with the service of the tethering device; and the processing unit is further configured to determine the first information based on the second information.

[0043] Optionally, the communication device is an access layer of a terminal, and the processing unit is further configured to determine the first information.

[0044] Optionally, the communication device and the tethering device are connected through a first link, and the first link comprises at least one of the following: a non-3GPP communication link, Wi-Fi, or Starlink.

[0045] Optionally, the first information further indicates at least one of the following information of the first link: load information, delay information, or delay jitter information.

[0046] Optionally, the first information further comprises identification information of the tethering device.

[0047] Optionally, the first information further comprises identification information of the first transmission object.

[0048] Optionally, the sending of the first information is periodic, or the first information is sent in a case where it is determined that the communication device is associated with the service of the tethering device.

[0049] Optionally, the transceiver is further configured to receive third information, the third information indicating a configuration of a first DRB, the configuration of the first DRB being associated with the first transmission object, the first transmission object being a quality of service flow, and one or more first transmission objects associated with the configuration of the first DRB corresponding to a same tethering device.

[0050] Optionally, the transceiver is further configured to receive fourth information, the fourth information indicating a configuration of a second DRB, the configuration of the second DRB being associated with a second transmission object, the second transmission object being a quality of service flow, and the second transmission object not being associated with a service of a tethering device of the communication device.

[0051] In a possible implementation of the method in the second aspect, the first information indicates that the first transmission object is associated with the tethering device of the terminal in service, and the first transmission object comprises at least one of the following: a first quality of service flow, a first PDU session, or the terminal; and the transceiver is further configured to send second information based on the first information, the second information being used to adjust a transmission delay of a second link between the core network device and the access network device; or the processing unit is configured to adjust a transmission delay of a third link between the access network device and the terminal based on the first information.

[0052] Optionally, the second information indicates that the first transmission object is associated with the tethering device in service; or the second information indicates a reduction value of the transmission delay of the second link; or the second information indicates an increase value of the transmission delay of the third link.

[0053] Optionally, the terminal and the tethering device are connected through a first link, and the first link comprises at least one of the following: a non-3GPP communication link, Wi-Fi, or Starlink.

[0054] Optionally, the first information further indicates at least one of the following information of the first link: load information, delay information, or delay jitter information; and / or the second information further indicates at least one of the following information of the first link: load information, delay information, or delay jitter information.

[0055] Optionally, the first information further comprises identification information of the tethering device.

[0056] Optionally, the first information further comprises identification information of the first transmission object.

[0057] In a possible implementation of the method in the third aspect, the transceiver is configured to receive second information, the second information indicating that a first transmission object is associated with a tethering device of a terminal in service, and the first transmission object comprising at least one of the following: a first quality of service flow, a first PDU session, or the terminal; and the processing unit is configured to adjust a transmission delay of a second link between a core network device and an access network device based on the second information.

[0058] Optionally, the second information indicates that the first transmission object is associated with the tethering device in service; or the second information indicates a reduction value of the transmission delay of the second link; or the second information indicates an increase value of a transmission delay of a third link between the access network device and the terminal.

[0059] Optionally, the second information indicates at least one of the following information of the first link between the terminal and the tethered device: load information, latency information, or latency jitter information, and the adjusting the transmission latency of the second link based on the second information comprises: determining an adjustment amount of the transmission latency of the second link based on the at least one information of the first link; and adjusting the transmission latency of the second link based on the adjustment amount.

[0060] In another possible implementation, the communication apparatus in the fourth aspect to the sixth aspect above comprises a processor, and the processor is configured to enable the apparatus to perform the corresponding functions in the communication method above.

[0061] Optionally, the processor can be coupled with a memory for storing the programs (instructions) and / or data necessary for the apparatus. Optionally, the communication apparatus can further comprise a communication interface for enabling the apparatus to communicate with other network elements. Optionally, the memory can be located inside the communication apparatus or outside the communication apparatus.

[0062] Optionally, the communication apparatus can further comprise a transceiver, and the processor is coupled with the transceiver, and is configured to execute the computer programs or instructions to control the transceiver to receive and send information, and when the processor executes the computer programs or instructions, the processor is further configured to enable the above method through a logic circuit or an executed code instruction. The transceiver can be a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or an input / output interface, and is configured to receive a signal from another communication apparatus outside the communication apparatus and transmit the signal to the processor, or send a signal from the processor to another communication apparatus outside the communication apparatus. When the communication apparatus is a chip, the transceiver is a transceiver circuit or an input / output interface.

[0063] When the communication apparatus in the fourth aspect to the sixth aspect above is a chip, the sending unit can be an output unit such as an output circuit or a communication interface, and the receiving unit can be an input unit such as an input circuit or a communication interface. When the communication apparatus is a terminal, the sending unit can be a transmitter or a transmitter, and the receiving unit can be a receiver or a receiver.

[0064] In a seventh aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, and the computer readable storage medium stores computer programs or instructions, and when the computer programs or instructions are executed, the method in the above aspects is implemented.

[0065] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product is provided, and the computer program product comprises instructions, and when the instructions are executed on a communication apparatus, the communication apparatus performs the method in the above aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0066] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting communication system;

[0067] Figures 2a and 2b are schematic diagrams of the access network device protocol stack and network element modules provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0068] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an open wireless access network architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a tethered scenario provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0070] Figures 5-8 are schematic flowcharts of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0071] Figures 9 and 10 are schematic diagrams of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0072] The scheme of this application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0073] The technical solution provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as fourth-generation (4G) communication systems. th Generation 4G mobile communication system, fifth generation (5G) th This technology can be applied to various scenarios, including 5G mobile communication systems, future evolution systems, and converged communication systems, as well as existing communication systems. The application scenarios of the technical solutions provided in this application can include multiple areas, such as machine-to-machine (M2M), macro-micro communication, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (uRLLC), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC). These scenarios may include, but are not limited to, communication between terminals, communication between network devices, and communication between network devices and terminals. Network devices include access network devices and core network devices.

[0074] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting communication system. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 1000 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. The communication system 1000 can also include the Internet 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., 110a and 110b in FIG. 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (e.g., 120a-120j in FIG. 1, collectively referred to as 120). Other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in FIG. 1), etc., can also be included in the RAN 100. The terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110. The RAN node 110 is connected to the core network 200 through wireless or wired means. The core network devices in the core network 200 and the RAN nodes 110 in the RAN 100 can be different physical devices respectively, or can be the same physical device integrated with the logical functions of the core network and the radio access network respectively.

[0075] The RAN 100 can be a 3GPP related cellular system, such as a 4G, 5G mobile communication system, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system, or a future communication network (or referred to as a future-oriented evolved system). The RAN 100 can also be an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a Wi-Fi system. The RAN 100 can also be a communication system that combines two or more of the above systems.

[0076] Embodiments of the present application mainly relate to the following network elements: the terminal 120, the RAN node 110, and the core network device.

[0077] The terminal can also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal can be widely applied to various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, automatic driving, remote medical treatment, smart power grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, wearable device, vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicle, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, mechanical arm, smart home device, etc. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0078] The RAN node 110 can also be referred to as a network device, access network device, RAN entity, or access node, etc., which constitutes part of the communication system, and helps the terminal to realize wireless access. The plurality of RAN nodes 110 in the communication system 1000 can be nodes of the same type or nodes of different types. In some scenarios, the roles of the RAN node 110 and the terminal 120 are relative, for example, the network element 120i in FIG. 1 can be a helicopter or an unmanned aerial vehicle, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For those terminals 120j that access the RAN 100 through the network element 120i, the network element 120i is a base station; but for the base station 110a, the network element 120i is a terminal. The RAN node 110 and the terminal 120 are sometimes both referred to as communication apparatuses, for example, the network elements 110a and 110b in FIG. 1 can be understood as communication apparatuses with base station functions, and the network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication apparatuses with terminal functions.

[0079] The communication between the access network device and the terminal follows a certain protocol layer structure. The protocol layer can include a control plane protocol layer and a user plane protocol layer. The control plane protocol layer can include at least one of a radio resource control (RRC) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a media access control (MAC) layer, or a physical (PHY) layer, etc. The user plane protocol layer can include at least one of a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, or a physical layer, etc.

[0080] The base station and the terminal can be fixed in position or mobile. The base station and the terminal can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on water; can also be deployed on airplanes, balloons, and artificial satellites. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios of the base station and the terminal.

[0081] The roles of the base station and the terminal can be relative, for example, the helicopter or the unmanned aerial vehicle 120i in FIG. 1 can be configured as a mobile base station, and for the terminal 120j that accesses the wireless access network 100 through 120i, the terminal 120i is a base station; but for the base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, that is, 110a and 120i communicate through a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate through a base station-to-base station interface protocol, at this time, relative to 110a, 120i is also a base station. Therefore, the base station and the terminal can be collectively referred to as a communication device, 110a and 110b in FIG. 1 can be referred to as a communication device with a base station function, and 120a-120j in FIG. 1 can be referred to as a communication device with a terminal function.

[0082] In the embodiments of the present application, the base station is also referred to as an access network device, and the device for realizing the function of the access network device can be an access network device; can also be a device capable of supporting the access network device to realize the function, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a hardware circuit plus a software module. The device can be installed in the access network device or used in combination with the access network device. In the embodiments of the present application, only the device for realizing the function of the access network device is taken as an example to illustrate the access network device, and the scheme of the embodiments of the present application is not limited.

[0083] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the UE is also referred to as a terminal, and the device for implementing the function of the terminal can be a terminal, or can be a device capable of supporting the terminal to implement the function, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a hardware circuit plus a software module. The device can be installed in the terminal or used in combination with the terminal. In the embodiments of the present application, only the device for implementing the function of the terminal is taken as an example for description, and the scheme of the embodiments of the present application is not limited in this way.

[0084] In a possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc. The RAN node can be a macro base station (such as 110a in FIG. 1), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in FIG. 1), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a cloud-radio access network (CRAN) scenario. Optionally, the RAN node can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. For example, the network device in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology can be a road side unit (RSU).

[0085] In another possible scenario, a terminal is assisted by multiple RAN nodes to implement wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of functions of a base station. For example, a RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a central unit-control plane (CU-CP), a central unit-user plane (CU-UP), or a radio unit (also referred to as a wireless unit), etc. The CU and the DU can be separately arranged, or can be included in the same network element, for example, in a baseband unit (BBU). The CU node and the DU node split the protocol layers of the access network device, and part of the protocol layers are centrally controlled by the CU, and the remaining part or all of the protocol layers are distributed in the DU and controlled by the CU. As an implementation manner, the CU is deployed with a radio resource control (RRC) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer in a protocol stack; and the DU is deployed with a radio link control (RLC) layer, a media access control (MAC) layer, and a physical layer (PHY) in the protocol stack. Therefore, the CU has processing capability of RRC, PDCP, and SDAP. The DU has processing capability of RLC, MAC, and PHY. It can be understood that the above-mentioned splitting of functions is only an example, and does not limit the CU and the DU. The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, for example, included in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna processing unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0086] As shown in FIG. 2a, an access network device protocol stack and network element module provided by an embodiment of the present application are shown in a schematic diagram, the access network device includes a CU and a DU, wherein the CU includes a CU-CP and a CU-UP. The CU-CP is connected with the DU through an F1-C interface; the CU-UP is connected with the DU through an F1-U interface. Among them, the DU has processing capabilities of RLC, MAC and PHY; the CU-CP has processing capabilities of RRC and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer; and the CU-UP has processing capabilities of SDAP and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 2b, another access network device protocol stack and network element module provided by an embodiment of the present application are shown in a schematic diagram, the access network device includes a CU and a DU, the CU has processing capabilities of RRC, PDCP and SDAP; and the DU has processing capabilities of RLC, MAC and PHY. Among them, one CU can be connected with one or more DUs, and the CU is connected with the DU through an F1 interface.

[0088] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, an architecture schematic diagram of an open radio access network provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown, the O-RAN includes a CU, a DU and a RU, one CU can be connected with one or more DUs, and one DU can be connected with one or more RUs. Among them, the CU includes a CU-CP and a CU-UP. In the ORAN system, the CU can also be referred to as an open-central unit (O-CU), the DU can also be referred to as an open-distributed unit (O-DU), the CU-CP can also be referred to as an open-central unit-control plane (O-CU-CP), the CU-UP can also be referred to as an open-central unit-user plane (O-CU-UP), and the RU can also be referred to as an open-radio unit (O-RU).

[0089] O-CU is short for Open Radio Access Network Central Unit or Open Radio Access Network Control Unit. The O-CU is used to implement the RRC layer, the PDCP layer, the SDAP layer and other control functions in the 3GPP standard.

[0090] O-CU-CP is short for Open Radio Access Network Central Unit Control Plane or Open Radio Access Network Control Unit Control Plane. The O-CU-CP is similar to the CU-CP in the NR system, and is used to implement the functions of the RRC layer and the control plane functions of the PDCP layer.

[0091] O-CU-UP is short for Open Radio Access Network Central Unit User Plane or Open Radio Access Network Control Unit User Plane. The O-CU-UP is similar to the CU-UP in the NR system, and is used to implement the functions of the SDAP layer and the user plane functions of the PDCP layer.

[0092] O-DU is short for Open Radio Access Network Distributed Unit. Based on low-layer function splitting, the O-DU is used to implement the high layer (close to the MAC layer) of the RLC layer, the MAC layer and the PHY layer in the 3GPP standard. The high layer functions of the PHY layer include one or more of the following: forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding, scrambling / descrambling, or modulation / demodulation.

[0093] O-RAN is the abbreviation of open radio access network radio unit. Based on low-layer function segmentation, it is used to realize the low-layer function of PHY in 3GPP standard and the radio frequency function. Among them, the low-layer function of the physical layer includes one or more of the following: fast Fourier transform (FFT) transform / inverse fast Fourier transform (iFFT) transform, digital beamforming, or extraction and filtering of physical random access channel (PRACH) and the like. Similar to the transmission reception point (TRP) or remote radio head (RRH) in 3GPP, but it includes the low-layer function of the PHY, such as FFT / iFFT or PRACH extraction.

[0094] For the convenience of description, the CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU are taken as examples for description in this application. Any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be realized by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0095] The core network device refers to a device in the core network (CN) that provides service support for the terminal. At present, some examples of core network devices are: access and mobility management function (AMF) entity, session management function (SMF) entity, user plane function (UPF) entity, and the like, which are not listed one by one here. Among them, the AMF entity can be responsible for access management and mobility management of the terminal; the SMF entity can be responsible for session management, such as session establishment of the user; and the UPF entity can be a functional entity of the user plane, mainly responsible for connecting external networks. It should be noted that the entity in this application can also be referred to as a network element or a functional entity, for example, the AMF entity can also be referred to as an AMF network element or an AMF functional entity, and for example, the SMF entity can also be referred to as an SMF network element or an SMF functional entity.

[0096] It should be appreciated that the number and types of devices in the communication system shown in FIG. 1 are merely illustrative, and the present application is not limited thereto. In actual applications, more terminals, more access network devices, and other network elements, such as core network devices and / or network elements for implementing artificial intelligence functions, can also be included in the communication system.

[0097] It can be understood that all or part of the functions implemented by one or more of the terminal, the access network device, the core network device, or the network element for implementing artificial intelligence functions can be virtualized, that is, implemented by one or more of a special-purpose processor or a general-purpose processor and a corresponding software module. Among them, the terminal and the access network device involve the interface of air interface transmission, and the transceiving function of the interface can be implemented by hardware. The core network device, such as an operation administration and maintenance (OAM) network element, can be virtualized. Optionally, one or more functions of the virtualized terminal, access network device, core network device, or network element for implementing artificial intelligence functions can be implemented by a cloud device, such as a cloud device in an over the top (OTT) system.

[0098] The present application can be applied to a scenario in which a tethering device accesses a network.

[0099] Tethering in the embodiments of the present application, which can also be referred to as tethering, refers to sharing a cellular network or a Wi-Fi network received by a terminal to other devices for use through a wireless or wired manner. Tethering is a network sharing technology, which can connect a laptop, a personal computer (PC), a tablet, or other smart terminals and the like to the terminal through a Wi-Fi connection manner to use packet data services. A user can start the tethering function of a mobile device, and a user using a smart terminal providing the tethering function is referred to as a tethering user.

[0100] As described in the background, the terminal provides the tethering device with a network. The terminal mainly communicates based on licensed spectrum, and the access network device can make the network demand guarantee controllable based on the contention-free scheduling. The access network device can obtain quality of service (QoS) parameters (such as a packet delay budget (PDB) and the like) from the core network, and the access network device performs transmission / scheduling of the air interface based on the QoS parameters provided by the core network. In an actual network, the delay of the terminal in different positions is also different. For example, the delay corresponding to the terminal at the near midpoint in the coverage range of the access network device is shorter. The Wi-Fi network is based on unlicensed spectrum, and is based on a channel access mechanism to occupy resources, and therefore the demand guarantee in the Wi-Fi network is uncontrollable (the result of channel access has randomness). As shown in Table 1, some performance test results of the Wi-Fi network are as follows:

[0101] Table 1: Wi-Fi network performance test results

[0102] Since the transmission between the terminal and the tethering device is based on Wi-Fi, the transmission delay may not be guaranteed, and the service / data of the tethering device needs to meet the deterministic experience requirement, which will greatly affect the experience of the service / data of the tethering device.

[0103] As shown in FIG. 4, it is a schematic diagram of a tethering scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application. In the tethering scenario, since the transmission between the terminal and the tethering device is based on Wi-Fi, the transmission delay may not be guaranteed, and the XR service needs to meet the deterministic experience requirement, which will greatly affect the experience of the XR service. For example, the access network device obtains the transmission delay requirement (such as PDB) of the service from the core network as 10 ms, if the air interface transmission (between the access network device and the terminal) delay is 8 ms, and the Wi-Fi link (the link between the terminal and the tethering device) transmission delay is 5 ms, the total transmission delay will exceed 10 ms, and the deterministic experience of the XR service cannot be met.

[0104] Therefore, the present application provides a communication scheme. The terminal indicates, to the access network device, that a first transmission object is associated with the service / data of the tethering device of the terminal. The access network device indicates, based on the first information, the core network device to adjust the transmission delay of a second link between the core network device and the access network device, or adjusts, based on the first information, the transmission delay of a third link between the access network device and the terminal, so as to reduce the transmission delay of the second link or the third link as much as possible, thereby guaranteeing the transmission delay of a first link between the terminal and the tethering device, and improving the reliability of communication.

[0105] Based on the above communication system, the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described as follows:

[0106] As shown in FIG. 5, it is a flowchart of the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. Exemplarily, the method can include the following steps:

[0107] S501. The terminal determines information 1.

[0108] In the embodiment, the terminal and the tethering device are connected through a first link. The first link includes at least one of the following: a non-3GPP communication link, Wi-Fi, or Starlink. The embodiment takes Wi-Fi as an example for description.

[0109] The tethering device itself does not include a cellular module and cannot access a cellular network. The terminal provides network access for the tethering device in the embodiment. Since the terminal and the tethering device are connected, the terminal can determine the information 1. The information 1 indicates that a first transmission object is associated with the service / data of the tethering device of the terminal, or indicates that the first transmission object corresponds to the tethering service / data, or indicates that the first transmission object corresponds to the service / data of the tethering device, or indicates that the first transmission object needs to be transmitted through the first link. The first transmission object includes at least one of the following: a first quality of service (QoS) flow, a first PDU session, or a terminal, i.e., the tethering device and the terminal perform the above service or transmit the above data on the first QoS flow, or the tethering device and the terminal perform the above service or transmit the above data on the first PDU session, or the tethering device and the terminal perform the above service or transmit the above data.

[0110] Exemplarily, the information 1 can also indicate whether the first transmission object is associated with the service / data of the tethering device of the terminal, or indicate whether the first transmission object corresponds to the tethering service / data, or indicate whether the first transmission object corresponds to the service / data of the tethering device, or indicate whether the first transmission object needs to be transmitted through the first link. For example, the information 1 can be 1 bit. When the value of the information 1 is a first value, it is used to indicate that the first transmission object is associated with the service / data of the tethering device of the terminal, or indicate that the first transmission object corresponds to the tethering service / data, or indicate that the first transmission object corresponds to the service / data of the tethering device, or indicate that the first transmission object needs to be transmitted through the first link. When the value of the information 1 is a second value, it indicates that the first transmission object is not associated with the service / data of the tethering device of the terminal, or indicates that the first transmission object does not correspond to the tethering service / data, or indicates that the first transmission object does not correspond to the service / data of the tethering device, or indicates that the first transmission object does not need to be transmitted through the first link.

[0111] Exemplarily, the tethering service / data refers to service / data corresponding to the tethering device, or service / data of the tethering device.

[0112] Since the tethering device is connected with the terminal through Wi-Fi, the transmission delay of the Wi-Fi link cannot be guaranteed, and the tethering service / data needs to be transmitted through the second link between the core network device and the access network device, the third link between the access network device and the terminal, and the first link between the terminal and the tethering device, therefore, in the case that the transmission delay of the first link cannot be guaranteed, the transmission delay of the tethering service / data can be guaranteed by adjusting the transmission delay of the second link and / or the third link, by trying to reduce the transmission delay of the second link or the third link, so as to guarantee the total transmission delay of the first link, the second link and the third link, avoiding the influence of the transmission delay of the first link that cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, the terminal determines information 1, which is used to adjust the transmission delay between the network device and the terminal. The network device includes the access network device and / or the core network device. Exemplarily, adjusting the transmission delay between the network device and the terminal can be reducing the transmission delay of the third link between the access network device and the terminal, and / or reducing the transmission delay of the second link between the core network device and the access network device.

[0113] S502. The terminal sends information 1 to the access network device.

[0114] Correspondingly, the access network device receives the information 1.

[0115] After the terminal determines the above information 1, the terminal sends the information 1 to the access network device.

[0116] After the access network device receives the above information 1, the access network device can perform the following steps S503a and / or S503b:

[0117] S503a. The access network device sends information 2 to the core network device based on the information 1.

[0118] Correspondingly, the core network device receives the information 2.

[0119] The access network device sends information 2 to the core network device, the information 2 being used to adjust the transmission delay of the second link between the core network device and the access network device. The core network device receives the above information 2 and adjusts the transmission delay of the second link based on the information 2.

[0120] Exemplarily, the information 2 can also indicate whether to adjust the transmission delay of the second link between the core network device and the access network device. For example, when the value of the information 2 is a first value, the transmission delay of the second link between the core network device and the access network device is adjusted; when the value of the information 2 is a second value, it is indicated that the transmission delay of the second link between the core network device and the access network device is not adjusted.

[0121] When the core network device adjusts the transmission delay of the second link, the transmission delay of the second link and / or the third link is adjusted, and the transmission delay of the tethering service / data is guaranteed by reducing the transmission delay of the second link or the third link as much as possible, so that the total transmission delay of the first link, the second link and the third link is guaranteed, and the influence of the unguaranteed transmission delay of the first link is avoided. For example, the total transmission delay requirement is 10 ms, the transmission delay of the first link between the terminal and the tethering device is 5 ms, the transmission delay of the third link between the access network device and the terminal is 2 ms, and the transmission delay of the second link between the core network device and the access network device is 3 ms before adjustment and is adjusted to 2 ms, so that the total transmission delay requirement can be met even if the transmission delay of the first link is 6 ms.

[0122] S503b. The access network device adjusts the transmission delay of the third link between the access network device and the terminal based on the information 1.

[0123] After receiving the information 1, the access network device can also adjust the transmission delay of the third link between the access network device and the terminal based on the information 1.

[0124] For example, the total transmission delay requirement is 10 ms, the transmission delay of the first link between the terminal and the tethering device is 5 ms, the transmission delay of the second link between the core network device and the access network device is 2 ms, and the transmission delay of the third link between the access network device and the terminal is 3 ms before adjustment and is adjusted to 2 ms, so that the total transmission delay requirement can be met even if the transmission delay of the first link is 6 ms.

[0125] It can be understood that the steps S503a and S503b can be executed alternatively or simultaneously. That is, the transmission delay of the second link can be adjusted by the core network device, or the transmission delay of the third link can be adjusted by the access network device, or the transmission delay of the second link can be adjusted by the core network device and the transmission delay of the third link can be adjusted by the access network device, so that the transmission delay of the first link can be better guaranteed.

[0126] According to the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal indicates the service / data of the tethering device of the terminal associated with the first transmission object to the access network device, the access network device indicates the core network device to adjust the transmission delay of the second link between the core network device and the access network device based on the information 1, or adjusts the transmission delay of the third link between the access network device and the terminal based on the information 1, so as to reduce the transmission delay of the second link or the third link as much as possible, so as to guarantee the transmission delay of the tethering service / data, that is, guarantee the total transmission delay of the first link, the second link and the third link, avoid the influence of the transmission delay of the first link that cannot be guaranteed, and improve the reliability of the communication.

[0127] The above embodiment describes that the terminal can indicate the service / data of the tethering device of the terminal associated with the first transmission object to the access network device, so as to adjust the transmission delay. Further, the terminal can also indicate the further information of the first link to the access network device, so that the network device can better determine the transmission delay. The following will be described in detail through embodiments:

[0128] As shown in FIG. 6, it is a flowchart of another communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application. The method can include the following steps:

[0129] S601. The terminal determines information 1.

[0130] The information 1 indicates the service / data of the tethering device of the terminal associated with the first transmission object, and the information 1 is used to adjust the transmission delay between the network device and the terminal. The first transmission object includes at least one of the following: a first QoS flow, a first PDU session or a terminal.

[0131] The specific implementation of this step can refer to the step S501 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5.

[0132] Further, in the embodiment, the terminal can determine the information 1 through the following implementation modes:

[0133] In one implementation, the non-access statum (NAS) of the terminal sends information 2 to the access stratum (AS) of the terminal, where the information 2 indicates that the first QoS flow is associated with the service / data of the tethering device; and the AS of the terminal determines the information 1 based on the information 2, i.e., determines that the first QoS flow, the first PDU session, or the terminal is associated with the service / data of the tethering device. The first PDU session is the session corresponding to the first QoS flow. The information 1 and / or the information 2 can further include the identification information of the tethering device. For example, the NAS of the terminal can obtain the information / indication that the first QoS flow is associated with the service / data of the tethering device from the application layer of the terminal, and thus determine that the first QoS flow is associated with the service / data of the tethering device. For another example, the tethering device can be a display device attached to the terminal, and thus the application layer of the terminal can obtain the information / indication. For yet another example, the application layer of the terminal can interact with the application layer of the tethering device to obtain the information / indication.

[0134] In another implementation, the AS of the terminal obtains the data packet corresponding to the first QoS flow, and determines the information 1 based on the information included in the data packet. The information 1 can further include the identification information of the tethering device.

[0135] In yet another implementation, the non-access statum of the terminal sends information 2 to the access stratum of the terminal, where the information 2 indicates that the first transmission object is associated with the session / service / data of the tethering device of the terminal. The information 2 can further include the identification information of the tethering device. The information 1 can be the same as the content of the information 2 or be obtained based on the information 2.

[0136] In yet another implementation, the access stratum of the terminal determines the information 1 by itself.

[0137] In actual implementation, the terminal can determine the information 1 in a manner other than the above-described manners, which is not limited in the present application.

[0138] Further, the information 1 can further include the identification information of the tethering device.

[0139] Further, the information 1 further comprises identification information of the first transmission object. For example, the information 1 comprises identification information of the first PDU session, which indicates whether the corresponding first PDU session has tethered traffic / data, or whether the corresponding first PDU session has tethered device traffic / data, or whether the first PDU session has traffic / data that needs to be transmitted through the Wi-Fi link. It can be understood that the first PDU session is a PDU session corresponding to the first QoS flow. For another example, the information 1 comprises identification information of the first QoS flow, which indicates whether the corresponding first QoS flow has tethered traffic / data, or whether the corresponding first QoS flow has tethered device traffic / data, or whether the first QoS flow has traffic / data that needs to be transmitted through the Wi-Fi link. For yet another example, the information 1 comprises identification information of the terminal, which indicates whether the corresponding terminal has tethered traffic / data, or whether the corresponding terminal has tethered device traffic / data, or whether the terminal has traffic / data that needs to be transmitted through the Wi-Fi link.

[0140] S602. The terminal sends information 1 to the access network device.

[0141] Correspondingly, the access network device receives the information 1.

[0142] After determining the above information 1, the terminal sends the information 1 to the access network device.

[0143] Exemplarily, the sending of the above information 1 can be periodic; or the information 1 is sent in a case where it is determined that the terminal and the tethered device traffic are associated; or before the implementation of the present embodiment, the terminal determines that the first transmission object is not associated with the tethered device traffic, and in the present embodiment, the terminal determines that the first transmission object is associated with the tethered device traffic, that is, the content of the information 1 is changed, and then the above information 1 is sent.

[0144] S603. The terminal sends information 3 to the access network device.

[0145] Correspondingly, the access network device receives the information 3.

[0146] The terminal and the tethered device are connected through the first link, and therefore, the terminal can obtain at least one of the following information of the first link: load information, latency information, or latency jitter information. After obtaining the above information of the first link, the terminal sends information 3 to the access network device. The information 3 indicates at least one of the following information of the first link: load information, latency information, or latency jitter information.

[0147] It can be understood that the above information of the first link can correspond to uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission between the tethering device and the terminal. Further, the above at least one information of the first link corresponding to the uplink transmission can be different from the above at least one information of the first link corresponding to the downlink transmission.

[0148] Exemplarily, the above information 1 and information 3 can be sent separately, can be sent in a message, or the above information 1 and information 3 are the same information.

[0149] After the access network device receives the above information 1 and / or information 3, the following steps S604a and / or S604b can be performed:

[0150] S604a. The access network device sends information 2 to the core network device based on information 1 and / or information 3.

[0151] Correspondingly, the core network device receives the information 2.

[0152] After the access network device receives the information 1 and / or information 3, the information 2 is sent to the core network device, the information 2 is used to adjust the transmission delay of the second link between the core network device and the access network device, and the information 2 is obtained based on the above information 1 and / or information 3. The core network device receives the above information 2, and adjusts the transmission delay of the second link based on the information 2.

[0153] Among them, the indication content of information 2 or the core network device adjusts the transmission delay of the second link based on information 2, which can have the following implementation ways:

[0154] In one implementation way, the information 2 is obtained based on the above information 1. The information 2 indicates that the first transmission object is associated with the service / data of the tethering device. Then, the core network device receives the information 2, and can adjust the transmission delay of the second link according to the parameters obtained by itself. For example, the core network device can adjust the transmission delay of the second link according to the topology relationship or routing between the core network device and the access network device.

[0155] In another implementation way, the information 2 indicates a recommended reduction value of the transmission delay of the second link. Since the access network device receives the information 1 and / or information 3, the recommended reduction value of the transmission delay of the second link can be obtained based on the information 1 and / or information 3, and the information 2 is sent to the core network device to indicate the recommended reduction value of the transmission delay of the second link.

[0156] In yet another implementation, the information 2 indicates an increase value of the transmission delay of the third link. In this implementation, the access network device can also indicate the increase value of the transmission delay of the third link to the core network device, due to the access of the tethering device, which can cause the increase of the transmission delay of the third link. The core network device can reduce the transmission delay of the second link as much as possible to meet the total transmission delay requirement, in case that the core network device learns the increase of the transmission delay of the third link and the core network device can learn the total transmission delay requirement.

[0157] Further, in case that the core network device adjusts the transmission delay of the second link, the access network device receives the information 3 as mentioned above, and can also forward the information 3 to the core network device, and the core network device adjusts the transmission delay of the second link based on the information 2 and / or the information 3. The core network device determines the adjustment amount of the transmission delay of the second link based on the load information, the delay information, or the delay jitter information of the first link, and adjusts the transmission delay of the second link based on the adjustment amount.

[0158] Further, the information 2 can also include the identification information of the first transmission object. For example, the information 2 includes the identification information of the first PDU session, which indicates whether the corresponding first PDU session has tethering traffic / data, or whether the corresponding first PDU session has the traffic / data of the tethering device, or whether the first PDU session has traffic / data that needs to be transmitted through the Wi-Fi link. For another example, the information 2 includes the identification information of the first QoS flow, which indicates whether the corresponding first QoS flow has tethering traffic / data, or whether the corresponding first QoS flow has the traffic / data of the tethering device, or whether the first QoS flow has traffic / data that needs to be transmitted through the Wi-Fi link. For yet another example, the information 2 includes the identification information of the terminal, which indicates whether the corresponding terminal has tethering traffic / data, or whether the corresponding terminal has the traffic / data of the tethering device, or whether the terminal has traffic / data that needs to be transmitted through the Wi-Fi link.

[0159] S604b. The access network device adjusts the transmission delay of the third link between the access network device and the terminal based on the information 1 and / or the information 3.

[0160] After the access network device receives the information 1 and the information 3 as mentioned above, the access network device can also adjust the transmission delay of the third link between the access network device and the terminal based on the information 1 and the information 3.

[0161] The terminal sends the information 3 as mentioned above to the access network device, and the access network device can more accurately determine the transmission delay of the third link based on the information 1 and the information 3.

[0162] It can be understood that the steps S604a and S604b can be executed alternatively or both. That is, the core network device adjusts the transmission delay of the second link, or the access network device adjusts the transmission delay of the third link; or both the core network device adjusts the transmission delay of the second link and the access network device adjusts the transmission delay of the third link, so that the total transmission delay requirement can be better guaranteed.

[0163] According to the communication method provided by the embodiment of the application, the terminal indicates the service association between the first transmission object and the tethering device of the terminal to the access network device, and the terminal can also send the load information, delay information or delay jitter information of the first link to the access network device, so as to more accurately determine the total transmission delay. The access network device instructs the core network device to adjust the transmission delay of the second link between the core network device and the access network device based on the information 1 and / or information 3, or adjusts the transmission delay of the third link between the access network device and the terminal based on the information 1 and / or information 3. By trying to reduce the transmission delay of the second link or the third link, the transmission delay of the tethering service is guaranteed, that is, the total transmission delay of the first link, the second link and the third link is guaranteed, avoiding the influence of the transmission delay of the first link that cannot be guaranteed, and improving the reliability of communication.

[0164] The above embodiment describes that the terminal can indicate the service association between the first transmission object and the tethering device of the terminal to the access network device to adjust the transmission delay. Further, the access network device can also perform DRB configuration based on the information 1. The following will be described by embodiments:

[0165] As shown in FIG. 7, it is a flowchart of another communication method provided by the embodiment of the application. The method can include the following steps:

[0166] S701. The terminal determines information 1.

[0167] The information 1 indicates the service / data association between the first QoS flow and the tethering device of the terminal, and the information 1 is used to adjust the transmission delay between the network device and the terminal.

[0168] The specific implementation of this step can refer to the step S501 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 or the step S601 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, which will not be described here.

[0169] S702. The terminal sends the information 1 to the access network device.

[0170] Correspondingly, the access network device receives the information 1.

[0171] The specific implementation of this step can refer to the step S502 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 or the step S602 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, which will not be described here.

[0172] S703. The terminal sends information 3 to the access network device.

[0173] Correspondingly, the access network device receives the information 3.

[0174] The information 3 indicates at least one of the following information of the first link: load information, latency information, or latency jitter information.

[0175] The specific implementation of this step can refer to step S603 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, which will not be described here again.

[0176] After the access network device receives the information 1 and / or the information 3, the access network device can perform the following steps S704a and / or S704b:

[0177] S704a. The access network device sends information 2 to the core network device based on the information 1 and / or the information 3.

[0178] Correspondingly, the core network device receives the information 2.

[0179] The information 2 is used to adjust the transmission latency of the second link between the core network device and the access network device.

[0180] The specific implementation of this step can refer to step S503a of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 or step S604a of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, which will not be described here again.

[0181] S704b. The access network device adjusts the transmission latency of the third link between the access network device and the terminal based on the information 1 and / or the information 3.

[0182] The specific implementation of this step can refer to step S503b of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 or step S604b of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, which will not be described here again.

[0183] S705. The access network device sends information 4 to the terminal.

[0184] Correspondingly, the terminal receives the information 4.

[0185] In order to meet the adjusted transmission latency, the access network device can reconfigure the association relationship between the first QoS flow and the DRB configuration. The information 4 indicates the configuration of the first DRB. The configuration of the first DRB is associated with the first QoS flow. The configuration of the first DRB includes at least one of the following: SDAP configuration, PDCP configuration, RLC configuration, or logic channel (LCH) configuration.

[0186] Exemplarily, one tethering device can correspond to one or more first QoS flows, the one or more first QoS flows can be carried in a first DRB, and the configuration of the first DRB is associated with the one or more first QoS flows corresponding to the same tethering device. The access network device carries the one or more first QoS flows of the same tethering device in the same type of DRB, thereby improving the performance of communication.

[0187] In another embodiment, the access network device can also send information 5 to the terminal, which indicates the configuration of the second DRB. The configuration of the second DRB is associated with the second QoS flow. The second QoS flow is not associated with the traffic / data of the tethering device of the terminal (for example, the second QoS flow is associated with the traffic / data of the terminal itself), that is, the QoS flow not associated with the traffic / data of the tethering device of the terminal is not carried in the same DRB as the one or more first QoS flows, and the access network device performs the configuration of the second DRB. Exemplarily, the configuration parameters of the first DRB and the configuration parameters of the second DRB are different, so as to distinguish the configuration of the DRB according to whether the DRB carries the tethering traffic / data.

[0188] In another embodiment, the first tethering device can correspond to one or more first QoS flows, the one or more first QoS flows can be carried in a first DRB, and the configuration of the first DRB is associated with the one or more first QoS flows corresponding to the first tethering device; the second tethering device can correspond to one or more third QoS flows, the one or more third QoS flows can be carried in a third DRB, and the configuration of the third DRB is associated with the one or more third QoS flows corresponding to the third tethering device.

[0189] According to the communication method provided by the embodiment of the application, the terminal indicates that the first transmission object is associated with the traffic / data of the tethering device of the terminal to the access network device, the access network device indicates the core network device to adjust the transmission delay of the second link between the core network device and the access network device based on the information 1, or adjusts the transmission delay of the third link between the access network device and the terminal based on the information 1, thereby reducing the transmission delay of the second link or the third link as much as possible, so as to guarantee the transmission delay of the tethering traffic / data, that is, to guarantee the total transmission delay of the first link, the second link and the third link, thereby avoiding the influence of the unguaranteed transmission delay of the first link, and improving the reliability of communication; and the access network device carries the one or more first QoS flows of the same tethering device in the same type of DRB, thereby improving the performance of communication.

[0190] As shown in FIG. 8, it is a flow diagram of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the application. The method is applied to an O-RAN architecture. Exemplarily, the method can include the following steps:

[0191] S801. The terminal determines information 1.

[0192] The specific implementation of this step can refer to step S501 shown in FIG. 5, step S601 shown in FIG. 6, or step S701 shown in FIG. 7, which will not be described here again.

[0193] S802. The terminal sends the information 1 to the O-RU, the O-RU sends the information 1 to the O-DU, and the O-DU sends the information 1 to the O-CU.

[0194] The specific implementation of this step can refer to step S501 shown in FIG. 5, step S601 shown in FIG. 6, or step S701 shown in FIG. 7. The difference is that, in this embodiment, the terminal sends the information 1 to the O-RU, the O-RU sends the information 1 to the O-DU, and the O-DU sends the information 1 to the O-CU.

[0195] S803. The terminal sends the information 3 to the O-RU, the O-RU sends the information 3 to the O-DU, and the O-DU sends the information 3 to the O-CU.

[0196] The information 3 indicates at least one of the following information of the first link: load information, latency information, or latency jitter information.

[0197] The specific implementation of this step can refer to step S603 shown in FIG. 6 or step S703 shown in FIG. 7. The difference is that, in this embodiment, the terminal sends the information 3 to the O-RU, the O-RU sends the information 3 to the O-DU, and the O-DU sends the information 3 to the O-CU.

[0198] After the access network device receives the information 1 and / or the information 3, the following steps S804a and / or S804b can be performed:

[0199] S804a. The O-CU sends information 2 to the core network device based on the information 1 and / or the information 3.

[0200] Correspondingly, the core network device receives the information 2.

[0201] The information 2 is used to adjust the transmission latency of the second link between the core network device and the access network device.

[0202] The specific implementation of this step can refer to step S503a of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, step S604a of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, or step S704a of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7. The difference is that, in this embodiment, the O-CU sends the information 2 to the core network device.

[0203] S804b. The O-CU adjusts the transmission latency of the third link between the access network device and the terminal based on the information 1 and / or the information 3.

[0204] The specific implementation of this step can refer to step S503b in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, step S604b in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, or step S704b in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7. The difference is that, in this embodiment, the O-CU adjusts the transmission delay of the third link.

[0205] According to the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal indicates, to the access network device, that the first transmission object is associated with the service / data of the tethering device of the terminal, and the terminal can also send, to the access network device, load information, delay information, delay jitter information, etc. of the first link, so as to more accurately determine the total transmission delay. The access network device instructs the core network device to adjust the transmission delay of the second link between the core network device and the access network device based on information 1 and / or information 3, or adjusts the transmission delay of the third link between the access network device and the terminal based on information 1 and / or information 3. By trying to reduce the transmission delay of the second link or the third link, the transmission delay of the tethering service / data is guaranteed, that is, the total transmission delay of the first link, the second link and the third link is guaranteed, avoiding the influence of the transmission delay of the first link that cannot be guaranteed, and improving the reliability of communication.

[0206] It can be understood that the method and / or steps implemented by the terminal in each of the above embodiments can also be implemented by a component (such as a chip or circuit) that can be used for the terminal; the method and / or steps implemented by the access network device can also be implemented by a component (such as a chip or circuit) that can be used for the access network device; the method and / or steps implemented by the core network device can also be implemented by a component (such as a chip or circuit) that can be used for the core network device. When implemented by the component as described above, the receiving / sending can be understood as inputting / outputting, that is, the component communicates with other components of the access network device, the terminal, and the core network device. In addition, the method implemented by the access network device can also be divided into being executed by multiple execution subjects, for example, being divided into being executed by at least one of a CU, a DU, an RU, etc.; the method implemented by the terminal can also be divided into being executed by multiple execution subjects, for example, being divided into being executed by multiple components for the terminal; the method implemented by the core network device can also be divided into being executed by multiple execution subjects, for example, being divided into being executed by multiple components for the core network device. These execution subjects can be logically and / or physically separated.

[0207] The above describes the scheme provided by the embodiments of the present application from the perspective of interaction among the terminal, the access network device and the core network device. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present application further provide a communication apparatus for implementing the above methods. The communication apparatus can be the terminal in the above method embodiments, or a component applicable to the terminal; or the communication apparatus can be the access network device in the above method embodiments, or a component applicable to the access network device; or the communication apparatus can be the core network device in the above method embodiments, or a component applicable to the core network device. It can be understood that, in order to implement the above functions, the communication apparatus comprises corresponding hardware structure and / or software module for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in the embodiments disclosed in the present application, the present application can be realized in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is realized in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to realize the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0208] The embodiments of the present application can divide the functions of the communication apparatus according to the above method embodiments, for example, each function module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated in one processing unit. The integrated module can be realized in the form of hardware or software function module. It should be noted that the division of the modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. There can be another division manner in actual implementation.

[0209] Based on the same concept of the above communication method, the present application further provides a communication apparatus as follows:

[0210] As shown in FIG. 9, it is a structure schematic diagram of a communication apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application. The communication apparatus 900 comprises a transceiver unit 901 and a processing unit 902. Wherein:

[0211] Exemplarily, the above transceiver unit 901 can comprise a receiving unit and a sending unit, which can be an entirety or independent units.

[0212] When the communication apparatus 900 is configured to implement the function of the terminal, the transceiver unit 901 is configured to perform the operation of the terminal in step S502 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, and the processing unit 902 is configured to perform step S501 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5; or the transceiver unit 901 is configured to perform one or more operations of the terminal in steps S602 and S603 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, and the processing unit 902 is configured to perform step S601 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6; or the transceiver unit 901 is configured to perform one or more operations of the terminal in steps S702, S703 and S705 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, and the processing unit 902 is configured to perform step S701 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7; or the transceiver unit 901 is configured to perform one or more operations of the terminal in steps S802 and S803 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, and the processing unit 902 is configured to perform step S801 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8.

[0213] When the communication apparatus 900 is configured to implement the function of the access network device, the transceiver unit 901 is configured to perform one or more operations of the access network device in steps S502 and S503a in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, and the processing unit 902 is configured to perform step S503b in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5; or the transceiver unit 901 is configured to perform one or more operations of the access network device in steps S602, S603 and S604a in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, and the processing unit 902 is configured to perform step S604b in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6; or the transceiver unit 901 is configured to perform one or more operations of the access network device in steps S702, S703, S704a and S705 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, and the processing unit 902 is configured to perform step S704b in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7; or the transceiver unit 901 is configured to perform one or more operations of the O-CU in steps S802, S803 and S804a in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, and the processing unit 902 is configured to perform step S804b in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8.

[0214] When the communication apparatus 900 is configured to implement the function of the core network device, the transceiver unit 901 is configured to perform the operation of the core network device in step S503a in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5; or the transceiver unit 901 is configured to perform the operation of the core network device in step S604a in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6; or the transceiver unit 901 is configured to perform the operation of the core network device in step S704a in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7; or the transceiver unit 901 is configured to perform the operation of the core network device in step S804a in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8.

[0215] The specific implementation of the transceiver unit 901 and the processing unit 902 can refer to the related description in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5-8.

[0216] The division of the modules in the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, another division manner can be used. In addition, the function modules in each example in the present application can be integrated in one processor, or can be physically separated, or two or more modules can be integrated in one module. The integrated module can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software function module.

[0217] As shown in FIG. 10, FIG. 10 is a structural schematic diagram of another communication apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application. The communication apparatus 1000 includes a processor 1001. Optionally, the communication apparatus 1000 can further include an interface circuit 1002 (indicated by a dashed line in the figure), and the processor 1001 and the interface circuit 1002 are coupled with each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 1002 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication apparatus 1000 can further include a memory 1003 (indicated by a dashed line in the figure), which is used to store instructions executed by the processor 1001, or to store input data required by the processor 1001 in running instructions, or to store data generated after the processor 1001 runs instructions.

[0218] When the communication apparatus 900 is used to implement the function of the terminal, the interface circuit 1002 is configured to perform the operation of the terminal in step S502 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, and the processor 1001 is configured to perform step S501 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5; or the interface circuit 1002 is configured to perform one or more operations of the terminal in steps S602 and S603 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, and the processor 1001 is configured to perform step S601 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6; or the interface circuit 1002 is configured to perform one or more operations of the terminal in steps S702, S703 and S705 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, and the processor 1001 is configured to perform step S701 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7; or the interface circuit 1002 is configured to perform one or more operations of the terminal in steps S802 and S803 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, and the processor 1001 is configured to perform step S801 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8.

[0219] When the communication apparatus 900 is configured to implement the function of the access network device, the interface circuit 1002 is configured to perform one or more operations of the access network device in steps S502 and S503a in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, and the processor 1001 is configured to perform step S503b in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5; or the interface circuit 1002 is configured to perform one or more operations of the access network device in steps S602, S603 and S604a in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, and the processor 1001 is configured to perform step S604b in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6; or the interface circuit 1002 is configured to perform one or more operations of the access network device in steps S702, S703, S704a and S705 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, and the processor 1001 is configured to perform step S704b in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7; or the interface circuit 1002 is configured to perform one or more operations of the O-CU in steps S802, S803 and S804a in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, and the processor 1001 is configured to perform step S804b in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8.

[0220] When the communication apparatus 900 is configured to implement the function of the core network device, the interface circuit 1002 is configured to perform the operation of the core network device in step S503a in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5; or the interface circuit 1002 is configured to perform the operation of the core network device in step S604a in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6; or the interface circuit 1002 is configured to perform the operation of the core network device in step S704a in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7; or the interface circuit 1002 is configured to perform the operation of the core network device in step S804a in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8.

[0221] For specific implementation of the processor 1001, the interface circuit 1002 and the memory 1003, refer to the related description in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5-8.

[0222] When the communication apparatus is a chip applied to the access network device, the chip implements the function of the access network device in the method embodiments. The chip receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the access network device, and the information is sent by a terminal to the access network device; or the chip sends information to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the access network device, and the information is sent by the access network device to the terminal.

[0223] When the communication apparatus is a chip applied to the terminal, the chip implements the function of the terminal in the method embodiments. The chip receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal, and the information is sent by the access network device to the terminal; or the chip sends information to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal, and the information is sent by the terminal to the access network device.

[0224] In addition, it should be noted that the aforementioned transceiver unit and / or processing unit can be implemented by a virtual module, for example, the processing unit can be implemented by a software function unit or a virtual device, and the transceiver unit can be implemented by a software function or a virtual device. Alternatively, the processing unit or the transceiver unit can also be implemented by an entity device, for example, if the device is implemented by a chip / chip circuit, the transceiver unit can be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface, which performs an input operation (corresponding to the aforementioned receiving operation) and an output operation (corresponding to the aforementioned sending operation); and the processing unit is an integrated processor or a microprocessor or an integrated circuit.

[0225] 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 (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) 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.

[0226] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instructions, when the computer program or instructions are executed, the method in the above embodiments is implemented.

[0227] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product containing instructions, when the instructions are run on a computer, the computer executes the method in the above embodiments.

[0228] The embodiments of the present application further provide a communication system, which comprises the communication device.

[0229] The embodiments of the present application further provide a circuit, which is coupled with a memory, and is used for executing the method shown in the above embodiments. The circuit can comprise a chip circuit.

[0230] The embodiments of the present application further provide a chip device, which comprises a processor, and is used for calling computer degrees or computer instructions stored in the memory, so that the processor executes the method provided in any one of the above method embodiments.

[0231] In a possible implementation manner, an input of the chip device corresponds to the receiving operation in any one of the above method embodiments, and an output of the chip device corresponds to the sending operation in any one of the above method embodiments.

[0232] Optionally, the processor is coupled with the memory through an interface.

[0233] Optionally, the chip device further comprises a memory, and the memory stores computer degree or computer instruction.

[0234] When the communication device is a module applied to an access network device, the access network device module implements the functions of the access network device in the above method embodiments. The access network device module receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the access network device, and the information is sent by a terminal to the access network device; or the access network device module sends information to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the access network device, and the information is sent by the access network device to the terminal. The access network device module herein can be a baseband chip of the access network device, or a CU, a DU or other modules, or a device under the O-RAN architecture, such as an open CU, an open DU, etc.

[0235] It should be noted that one or more of the above units or units can be realized by software, hardware or a combination of both. When any of the above units or units is realized by software, the software exists in the form of computer program instructions and is stored in the memory, and the processor can be used to execute the program instructions and realize the above method flow.

[0236] In this application, the processor can be a general processor, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, which can realize or execute the methods, steps and logic block diagrams disclosed in this application. The general processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in this application can be directly embodied as hardware processor execution or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0237] When the above units or units are realized by hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of CPU, microprocessor, digital signal processing (DSP) chip, microcontroller unit (MCU), artificial intelligence processor, ASIC, SoC, FPGA, programmable logic device (PLD), special digital circuit, hardware accelerator or non-integrated discrete device, which can run necessary software or be independent of software to execute the above method flow.

[0238] Optionally, the embodiment of the present application further provides a chip system, comprising: at least one processor and an interface, the at least one processor is coupled with a memory through the interface, when the at least one processor runs a computer program or instructions in the memory, the chip system executes the method in any of the method embodiments. Optionally, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can contain a chip and other discrete devices, and the embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitation to this.

[0239] The memory in the present application can also be a circuit or other any device capable of realizing the storage function, used for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory can be any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but is not limited to this. For example, the memory can be a non-volatile memory such as a digital versatile disc (DVD), a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), etc., and can also be a volatile memory such as a random-access memory (RAM).

[0240] It can be understood that in the present application, "indication" can include direct indication, indirect indication, display indication, and implicit indication. When describing that certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A. In the present 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 an index of the to-be-indicated information, or the to-be-indicated information can be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where the other information and the to-be-indicated information have an association relationship. The to-be-indicated information can also be indicated only by a part of the to-be-indicated information, and the other part of the to-be-indicated information is known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of a specific information can also be achieved by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, a protocol stipulates), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. The to-be-indicated information can be sent as a whole, or can be sent separately into 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 configured by a transmitting end device through sending configuration information to a receiving end device.

[0241] At least one of the terms, indicates one or more. More than one refers to two or more. The "and / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, B exists alone, and A, B can be single or multiple. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the front and rear associated objects. In addition, it should be understood that although the terms first, second, etc. may be used in the present application to describe various objects, these objects should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish each object from each other. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions are used to represent any combination of the listed items; for example, at least one of A, B and (or) C can represent the following cases: A exists alone, B exists alone, C exists alone, A and B exist together, B and C exist together, A and C exist together, A, B and C exist together, and A, B, C can be single or multiple.

[0242] The terms "comprising" and "having" mentioned above and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but can optionally include other steps or units not listed, or can optionally include other steps or units inherent to the process, method, product or device. It should be noted that in the present application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate an example, illustration or description. Any method or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the present application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other methods or design solutions. Rather, the use of "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concept in a specific way.

[0243] A network element in a communication system can send a signal to another network element or receive a signal from another network element. The signal can include information, signaling or data, etc. The network element can also be replaced by an entity, network entity, device, UE, communication module, node, communication node, etc. In the present application, the network element is taken as an example for description. For example, the communication system can include at least one UE and at least one network device. The network device can send a downlink signal to the UE, and / or the UE can send an uplink signal to the network device. In addition, it can be understood that if the communication system includes multiple UEs, the multiple UEs can also send signals to each other, that is, the sending network element and the receiving network element of the signal can be UEs.

[0244] In the above embodiments, all or part can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode.

[0245] Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, other variations and modifications of the disclosed embodiments can be understood and implemented by those skilled in the art through viewing the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "one" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. Some measures described in mutually different dependent claims can be combined and produce a good result.

[0246] It can be understood that various numerical numbers involved in the embodiments of the present application are only for convenient differentiation and do not limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the serial number of the above processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of the processes should be determined by its function and inherent logic.

[0247] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own focus, and the parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment can refer to the relevant description of other embodiments.

[0248] The components in the device of the embodiments of the present application can be combined, divided and deleted according to actual needs. Those skilled in the art can combine or combine the features of different embodiments and different embodiments described in the specification.

[0249] In this application, under the premise of no logical contradiction, examples can be referred to each other, for example, methods and / or terms between method embodiments can be referred to each other, for example, functions and / or terms between device embodiments can be referred to each other, and for example, functions and / or terms between device examples and method examples can be referred to each other.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: determining first information, the first information indicating that a first transmission object is associated with a service of a tethering device of a terminal, the first information being used to adjust a transmission delay between a network device and the terminal, wherein the first transmission object comprises at least one of the following: a first quality of service flow, a first protocol data unit (PDU) session, or the terminal; sending the first information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The determination of the first information comprises: an access layer of the terminal receiving second information from a non-access layer of the terminal, the second information indicating that the first quality of service flow is associated with the service of the tethering device; the access layer determining the first information based on the second information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: the access layer of the terminal determining the first information.

4. The method of any one of claims 1-3, wherein, The terminal is connected to the tethering device through a first link, the first link comprising at least one of the following: a non-third generation partnership project (3GPP) communication link, Wi-Fi, or Starlink.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The first information further indicates at least one of the following information of the first link: load information, delay information, or delay jitter information.

6. The method of any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The first information further comprises identification information of the tethering device.

7. The method of any one of claims 1-6, wherein, The first information further comprises identification information of the first transmission object.

8. The method of any one of claims 1-7, wherein, The sending of the first information is periodic, or the first information is sent in a case where it is determined that the terminal is associated with the service of the tethering device.

9. The method of any one of claims 1-8, wherein, The method comprises: receiving third information, the third information indicating a configuration of a first data radio bearer (DRB), the configuration of the first DRB being associated with the first transmission object, the first transmission object being a quality of service flow, and the configuration of the first DRB being associated with one or more first transmission objects corresponding to a same tethering device.

10. The method of any one of claims 1-8, wherein, The method comprises: receiving fourth information, the fourth information indicating a configuration of a second DRB, the configuration of the second DRB being associated with a second transmission object, the second transmission object being a quality of service flow, and the second transmission object not being associated with a service of a tethering device of a terminal.

11. A communication method, comprising: The method comprises: receiving first information, the first information indicating that a first transmission object is associated with a service of a tethering device of a terminal, wherein the first transmission object comprises at least one of the following: a first quality of service flow, a first protocol data unit (PDU) session, or the terminal; based on the first information, sending second information, the second information being used to adjust a transmission delay of a second link between a core network device and an access network device; or based on the first information, adjusting a transmission delay of a third link between the access network device and the terminal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The second information indicates that the first transmission object is associated with the service of the tethering device; or The second information indicates a reduction value of the transmission delay of the second link; or The second information indicates an increase value of the transmission delay of the third link.

13. The method of claim 11 or 12, wherein, The terminal is connected to the tethering device through a first link, the first link comprising at least one of the following: a non-third generation partnership project (3GPP) communication link, Wi-Fi, or Starlink.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The first information further indicates at least one of the following information of the first link: load information, latency information, or latency jitter information. The second information further indicates at least one of the following information of the first link: load information, latency information, or latency jitter information.

15. The method of any one of claims 11-14, wherein, The first information further comprises identification information of the tethering device.

16. The method of any one of claims 11-15, wherein, The first information further comprises identification information of the first transmission object.

17. A method of communication, comprising: The method comprises: receiving second information indicating a service association of a first transmission object with a tethering device of a terminal, wherein the first transmission object comprises at least one of: a first quality of service flow, a first protocol data unit, PDU, session, or the terminal; adjusting, based on the second information, a transmission latency of a second link between a core network device and an access network device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, The second information indicates the service association of the first transmission object with the tethering device; or The second information indicates a reduction value of the transmission latency of the second link; or The second information indicates an increase value of a transmission latency of a third link between the access network device and the terminal.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein, The second information indicates at least one of the following information of a first link between the terminal and the tethering device: load information, latency information, or latency jitter information, and the adjusting, based on the second information, of the transmission latency of the second link comprises: determining, based on the at least one information of the first link, an adjustment amount of the transmission latency of the second link; adjusting, based on the adjustment amount, the transmission latency of the second link.

20. A communications device, characterized by A unit for implementing the method of any one of claims 1-10, or a unit for implementing the method of any one of claims 11-16, or a unit for implementing the method of any one of claims 17-19.

21. A communications device, characterized by A processor, wherein the processor is configured to cause the communication apparatus to implement the method of any one of claims 1-10, or the method of any one of claims 11-16, or the method of any one of claims 17-19, when the communication apparatus executes the computer program.

22. A communication system, characterized by A first communication apparatus for implementing the method of any one of claims 11-16, and a second communication apparatus for implementing the method of any one of claims 17-19.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium has stored therein a computer program or instructions which, when executed, cause the method of any one of claims 1-10 to be implemented, or the method of any one of claims 11-16 to be implemented, or the method of any one of claims 17-19 to be implemented.

24. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product contains program instructions which, when executed, cause the method of any one of claims 1-10 to be implemented, or the method of any one of claims 11-16 to be implemented, or the method of any one of claims 17-19 to be implemented.

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