Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, which are applicable to a tethered connection scenario, and can alleviate congestion on a connection between a terminal and a tethering device, thereby improving the user experience. In the method, there is a non-3GPP connection between the terminal and the tethering device, and the terminal may report, to a network, a congestion condition corresponding to the non-3GPP connection, for example, whether there is congestion, the degree of congestion, a data transmission rate on the non-3GPP connection, and a transmission delay. Correspondingly, the network receives the congestion condition which corresponds to the non-3GPP connection and is reported by the terminal, and performs congestion control on the basis of the congestion condition. That is to say, the network can sense both the degree of congestion of an air interface connection and that of the non-3GPP connection, and can thus obtain a suitable congestion control policy by means of comprehensive consideration, so as to cope with the congestion on the non-3GPP connection and avoid a reduction in the transmission efficiency caused by the congestion on the non-3GPP connection, thereby improving the user experience.

Description

Communication method and apparatus

[0001] The present application claims priority from the Chinese patent application No. 202411389336.1 filed on September 30, 2024, and entitled "Communication method and apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0003] Extended reality (XR) can be understood as various types of environments that combine reality and virtuality generated by computing technology and wearable devices, specifically including augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), virtual reality (VR), etc.

[0004] Currently, mainstream XR devices do not support 5th generation (5G) mobile communication modules by themselves. If 5G network communication is needed, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Starlink, etc. is used to connect to a 5G terminal, and then the transmission resources of the 5G network are used for transmission. This XR device needs to connect to the 5G network through a 5G terminal, which can be referred to as a tethering connection scenario.

[0005] In the tethering connection scenario, congestion may occur between the air interface, the XR device and the 5G terminal. However, there is currently no congestion control scheme for the tethering connection scenario, which may result in a decrease in user experience. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus, which can alleviate the congestion on the connection between the terminal and the tethering device, and improve the user experience.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be executed by a terminal, or by a component of the terminal, such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system of the terminal, or by a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the terminal. The method comprises determining first information and sending the first information to a radio access network (RAN) node. The first information indicates a congestion situation corresponding to a first connection, and the first connection is a connection between the terminal and a tethering device.

[0008] Based on the scheme, in a case that there is a connection (e.g., a non-3GPP connection) between the terminal and the tethering device, the terminal can report the congestion corresponding to the connection to the network, so that the network can perform congestion control according to the congestion corresponding to the connection reported by the terminal. That is, the network can simultaneously perceive the congestion degrees of the air interface and the non-3GPP connection, and thus can comprehensively consider a suitable congestion control strategy, thereby relieving the congestion on the non-3GPP connection, avoiding that the transmission efficiency is reduced due to the congestion of the non-3GPP connection, and further improving the user experience.

[0009] In a possible design, the sending, to the RAN node, of the first information includes: after receiving second information from the RAN node, sending the first information to the RAN node, the second information indicating that the terminal reports the congestion corresponding to the first connection; or in a case that the congestion corresponding to the first connection changes, sending the first information to the RAN node; or when a first timer expires, sending the first information to the RAN node.

[0010] Based on the implementation, the terminal can report the congestion corresponding to the first connection based on the indication of the RAN node, ensuring that the RAN node can timely perceive the congestion corresponding to the first connection, and meanwhile, resource consumption caused by frequent reporting of the terminal can be avoided. Alternatively, the terminal can report the congestion to the RAN node in a case that the congestion corresponding to the first connection changes, or after the timer expires, so that the RAN node can timely perceive the change of the congestion, and meanwhile, the RAN node does not need to frequently send information to instruct the terminal to report, and resource consumption can be reduced.

[0011] In a possible design, the method further includes: sending, to the RAN node, capability information, the capability information indicating that the terminal can report the congestion corresponding to the first connection.

[0012] Based on the possible design, the terminal can send the capability information to the RAN node, so that the RAN node learns whether the terminal can report the congestion corresponding to the first connection, and thus instructs the terminal to report when the terminal can report the congestion, avoiding that the RAN node directly sends information to instruct the terminal to report in a case that the terminal does not have the reporting capability, and causing resource waste.

[0013] In a possible design, the method further includes: sending, to the RAN node, third information, the third information indicating that the terminal is connected with the tethering device.

[0014] Based on the possible design, the terminal can indicate to the RAN node that the terminal is connected with the tethering device, so that the RAN node can learn that the first connection exists in the connection of the terminal, and thus can subsequently instruct the terminal to report the congestion of the first connection. Avoiding that the RAN node instructs the terminal to report the congestion of the first connection in a case that the first connection does not exist in the connection of the terminal, and causing resource waste.

[0015] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a RAN node, or a component of the RAN node, e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system of the RAN node, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the RAN node. The method comprises: receiving first information from a terminal, the first information indicating a congestion situation corresponding to a first connection, the first connection being a connection between the terminal and a tethering device; and performing congestion control according to the first information. The technical effects brought by the second aspect can refer to those brought by the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0016] In a possible design, the method further comprises: sending second information to the terminal, the second information indicating that the terminal reports the congestion situation corresponding to the first connection.

[0017] In a possible design, the performing of the congestion control comprises: activating or deactivating packet loss based on packet importance, adjusting a proportion of Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) marks, or adjusting a size of a percentage used to represent a network congestion level and reported to an application server.

[0018] In a possible design, the activating of the packet loss based on the packet importance comprises: sending fourth information to the terminal, the fourth information indicating that the terminal discards downlink packets with low importance.

[0019] In a possible design, the method further comprises: receiving capability information from the terminal, the capability information indicating that the terminal is capable of reporting the congestion situation corresponding to the first connection.

[0020] In a possible design, the method further comprises: receiving third information from the terminal, the third information indicating that the terminal is connected to the tethering device.

[0021] The technical effects brought by any of the designs of the second aspect can refer to those brought by the corresponding designs of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0022] In a possible design in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the first information comprises at least one of the following: congestion indication information, congestion level information, or congestion auxiliary information. The congestion indication information indicates whether the first connection is congested. The congestion level information indicates a congestion level of the first connection. The congestion auxiliary information comprises at least one of the following of the first connection: a data transmission rate, a transmission delay size, a packet loss rate size, a buffer queue length, or downlink data transmission state information. The downlink data transmission state information is used to indicate a data packet or a data volume transmitted to the tethering device through the first connection.

[0023] Based on the possible design, the congestion indication information indicates whether the first connection is congested, and thus the congestion indication information can be generally implemented by a 1-bit variable. That is, the terminal can report the congestion situation of the first connection to the RAN node using very low resource overhead, thereby saving resources and signaling overhead. Alternatively, the terminal can indicate the congestion degree of the first connection to the RAN node, so that the RAN node can more accurately perceive the congestion situation of the first connection, for example, can perceive the high and low of the congestion degree, thereby being able to more accurately and reasonably perform congestion control and improve the efficiency of congestion control. Alternatively, the terminal can report congestion assistance information such as data transmission rate, transmission delay size, etc. to the RAN node. Since the RAN node generally has higher computing power than the terminal, the RAN node can more accurately determine the congestion situation of the first connection based on the congestion assistance information, thereby more accurately and reasonably performing congestion control and improving the efficiency of congestion control.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible design, the congestion indication information indicates that the first connection is congested in at least one of the following cases: the data transmission rate of the first connection is lower than a first threshold, the data transmission rate of the first connection is lower than the data transmission rate between the terminal and the RAN node, the transmission delay of the first connection is greater than a second threshold, the packet loss rate of the first connection is greater than a third threshold, for downlink transmission, the buffer queue length of the first connection increases, for uplink transmission, the buffer queue length of the first connection decreases, the number of data packets transmitted to the tethering device through the first connection is less than a fourth threshold, or the amount of data transmitted to the tethering device through the first connection is less than a fourth threshold.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible design, the congestion degree is determined according to at least one of the following of the first connection: data transmission rate, transmission delay size, packet loss rate, or buffer queue length.

[0026] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible design, the first information indicates the congestion situation of a first data flow in the first connection, and the first data flow is associated with a first quality of service (QoS) flow, a first protocol data unit (PDU) session, or a first data radio bearer (DRB).

[0027] Based on the possible design, the terminal can report the congestion situation of the first connection with QoS flow, PDU session, or DRB as granularity, that is, can report a more fine-grained congestion situation, so that the RAN node can perceive the congestion situation corresponding to each QoS flow, PDU session, or DRB associated with the first connection, and then can perform congestion control with QoS flow, PDU session, or DRB as granularity, implement more fine-grained congestion control, and improve the efficiency of congestion control.

[0028] In a possible design of the first aspect or the second aspect, the first information indicates a congestion situation corresponding to uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission in the first connection.

[0029] Based on the possible design, the terminal can report the congestion situation corresponding to the uplink transmission and / or the downlink transmission in the first connection respectively, so that the RAN node can perform congestion control respectively for the uplink transmission and / or the downlink transmission, thereby improving the congestion control efficiency.

[0030] In a possible design of the first aspect or the second aspect, the first connection is a non-third generation partnership project (3GPP) connection. For example, the non-3GPP connection is one of wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, or starlink.

[0031] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a terminal, or by a component of the terminal, such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system of the terminal, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal. The method includes determining that a first connection is congested, the first connection being a connection between the terminal and a tethering device; and setting a first flag in a data packet associated with the first connection, the first flag being used to indicate that the first connection is congested. For example, the first flag is an explicit congestion notification (ECN) flag.

[0032] Based on the scheme, the terminal is allowed to set the first flag in the data packet associated with the first connection, so that the terminal can set the first flag according to the congestion degree of the first connection, thereby enabling the L4S mode to be used in the tethering scenario, and reflecting or indicating the congestion of the first connection, so that the source can make accurate adjustment to alleviate the congestion on the first connection, so that the end-to-end congestion control takes effect, avoids the transmission efficiency being reduced due to the congestion of the non-3GPP connection, and further improves the user experience.

[0033] In a possible design of the method, the method further includes receiving first information from a network device, the first information indicating that the terminal is allowed to set the first flag in the data packet associated with the first connection.

[0034] In a possible design, the first information indicates that the terminal is allowed to set the first flag in a data packet of a first quality of service (QoS) flow, a first protocol data unit (PDU) session, or a first data radio bearer (DRB) bearer, and the first QoS flow or the first PDU session or the first DRB is associated with a first data flow in the first connection.

[0035] In one possible design, determining that the first connection is congested includes determining that the first connection is congested when at least one of the following conditions is satisfied: a data transmission rate of the first connection is lower than a first threshold, the data transmission rate of the first connection is lower than a data transmission rate between the terminal and the RAN node, a transmission delay of the first connection is greater than a second threshold, a packet loss rate of the first connection is greater than a third threshold, a buffer queue length of the first connection increases for downlink transmission, the buffer queue length of the first connection decreases for uplink transmission, a number of data packets transmitted to the tethering device via the first connection is less than a fourth threshold, or an amount of data transmitted to the tethering device via the first connection is less than the fourth threshold.

[0036] In one possible design, the method further includes determining that a second connection is congested, and the first flag is further used to indicate that the second connection is congested, where the second connection is a connection between the terminal and a radio access network (RAN) node.

[0037] Based on this possible design, the terminal can comprehensively consider the congestion degree of the non-3GPP connection and the air interface, and thus can comprehensively consider a suitable congestion control strategy, thereby alleviating the congestion on the non-3GPP connection and avoiding the transmission efficiency from being reduced due to the non-3GPP connection congestion, and further improving user experience.

[0038] In one possible design, the method further includes receiving second information from the network device, where the second information indicates a congestion condition of the second connection.

[0039] In one possible design, the second information includes congestion degree information and / or flag proportion information, where the congestion degree information indicates a congestion degree of the second connection, and the flag proportion information indicates a percentage of data packets corresponding to the second connection that need to be set with the first flag.

[0040] In one possible design, the method further includes sending third information to the network device, where the third information indicates that the terminal is capable of or agrees to set the first flag for data packets associated with the first connection.

[0041] In one possible design, the method further includes sending fourth information to the network device, where the fourth information indicates that the terminal is connected to the tethering device.

[0042] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a network device, or a component of the network device, such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system of the network device, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device. The network device can be a RAN node or a core network device. The method includes determining first information and sending the first information to a first terminal. The first information indicates that the terminal is allowed to set a first flag in a data packet associated with a first connection, the first connection being a connection between the terminal and a tethering device, and the first flag being used to indicate congestion of the first connection. The first flag can be an Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) flag. The fourth aspect can bring the technical effects as described in the third aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0043] In a possible design, the first information indicates that the terminal is allowed to set the first flag in a data packet of a first Quality of Service (QoS) flow, a first Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, or a first Data Radio Bearer (DRB) bearer, the first QoS flow or the first PDU session or the first DRB being associated with a first data flow in the first connection.

[0044] In a possible design, the method further includes sending, to the terminal, second information indicating a congestion status of a second connection, the second connection being a connection between the terminal and a Radio Access Network (RAN) node.

[0045] In a possible design, the second information includes congestion degree information and / or flag proportion information. The congestion degree information indicates a congestion degree of the second connection, and the flag proportion information indicates a percentage of data packets corresponding to the second connection that need to set the first flag.

[0046] In a possible design, the method further includes receiving third information from the terminal, the third information indicating that the terminal is capable of or agrees to set the first flag for the data packet associated with the first connection.

[0047] In a possible design, the method further includes receiving fourth information from the terminal, the fourth information indicating that the terminal is connected to the tethering device.

[0048] In a fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The apparatus can implement various methods. The apparatus includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the methods, which can be implemented by hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0049] In some possible design, the communication apparatus can include a processing module and a transceiving module. The processing module can be used to implement the processing functions in any of the aspects and any possible implementation thereof. The transceiving module can include a receiving module and a sending module, which are used to implement the receiving function and the sending function in any of the aspects and any possible implementation thereof respectively.

[0050] In some possible design, the transceiving module can be composed of a transceiving circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0051] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor and a memory. The memory is used to store computer instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the communication apparatus to perform the method in any of the aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0052] In a seventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface is used to communicate with modules outside the communication apparatus. The processor is used to execute computer programs or instructions, so as to cause the communication apparatus to perform the method in any of the aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0053] In an eighth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes at least one processor. The processor is used to execute computer programs or instructions stored in a memory, so as to cause the communication apparatus to perform the method in any of the aspects and any possible implementation thereof. The memory can be coupled with the processor, or can be independent of the processor.

[0054] In a ninth aspect, a communication apparatus (for example, the communication apparatus can be a chip or a chip system) is provided, which includes a processor used to implement the functions in any of the aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0055] In some possible design, the communication apparatus includes a memory used to save necessary program instructions and data.

[0056] In some possible design, when the apparatus is a chip system, the apparatus can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0057] The communication apparatus in the fifth aspect to the ninth aspect can be the terminal in the first aspect or the third aspect, or an apparatus included in the terminal, such as a chip or a chip system. Alternatively, the communication apparatus can be the RAN node in the second aspect, or an apparatus included in the RAN node, such as a chip or a chip system. Alternatively, the communication apparatus can be the network device in the fourth aspect, or an apparatus included in the network device, such as a chip or a chip system.

[0058] In a tenth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can be a terminal, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit) in the terminal performing the method / operation / step / action described in the first aspect or the third aspect, or a module or unit capable of being used with the terminal; or the communication apparatus can be a RAN node, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit) in the RAN node performing the method / operation / step / action described in the second aspect, or a module or unit capable of being used with the RAN node; or the communication apparatus can be a network device, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit) in the network device performing the method / operation / step / action described in the fourth aspect, or a module or unit capable of being used with the network device.

[0059] It can be understood that, when the communication apparatus provided in any one of the fifth aspect to the tenth aspect is a chip, the sending action / function of the communication apparatus can be understood as outputting information, and the receiving action / function of the communication apparatus can be understood as inputting information.

[0060] In an eleventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed on a communication apparatus, the communication apparatus is caused to perform the method described in any one of the aspects above and any possible design thereof.

[0061] In a twelfth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, and when the computer program product is executed on a communication apparatus, the communication apparatus is caused to perform the method described in any one of the aspects above and any possible design thereof.

[0062] In a thirteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes a terminal and a RAN node. The terminal is configured to implement the method described in the first aspect above and any possible design thereof, and the RAN node is configured to implement the method described in the second aspect above and any possible design thereof.

[0063] In a fourteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes a terminal and a network device. The terminal is configured to implement the method described in the third aspect above and any possible design thereof, and the network device is configured to implement the method described in the fourth aspect above and any possible design thereof.

[0064] The technical effects brought by any one of the fifth aspect to the fourteenth aspect can be referred to the technical effects brought by different design manners of the first aspect to the fourth aspect, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0065] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a tethered connection scenario provided by the present application;

[0066] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a principle of a PSI-based congestion control scheme provided by the present application;

[0067] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a principle of a L4S-based congestion control scheme provided by the present application;

[0068] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a principle of a network congestion exposure-based congestion control scheme provided by the present application;

[0069] Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication system provided by the present application;

[0070] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a CU-DU separation provided by the present application;

[0071] Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a flow of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0072] Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a flow of another communication method provided by the present application;

[0073] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a flow of yet another communication method provided by the present application;

[0074] Figs. 10-12 are schematic diagrams of structures of communication apparatuses provided by the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0075] In the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, “ / ” represents that the objects before and after the “ / ” are in an “or” relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; “and / or” in the present application is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural.

[0076] In the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, “multiple” means two or more than two. “At least one of the following” or the like means any combination of the items, including any combination of single item or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, a and b and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0077] In addition, in order to facilitate clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, the terms "first", "second", and the like are used to distinguish the same or similar items or functions with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art can understand that the terms "first", "second", and the like do not limit the quantity and execution order, and the terms "first", "second", and the like do not necessarily mean different.

[0078] In the embodiments of the present application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment or design presented as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. In fact, a word "exemplary" or "for example" is used to present concepts in a particular manner, which is convenient for understanding.

[0079] It can be understood that the "embodiments" mentioned throughout the specification mean that the specific features, structures, or characteristics related to the embodiments are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It can be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence number of each process does not mean the execution order, and the execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0080] It can be understood that in the present application, "when" and "if" refer to the corresponding processing under certain objective conditions, not the time limit, and do not require judgment actions when implementing, nor mean that there are other limitations.

[0081] It can be understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented independently in some scenarios without relying on other features, such as the scheme currently based on, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. In some scenarios, the features or functions can be combined with other features according to the needs. Correspondingly, the devices given in the embodiments of the present application can also realize these features or functions, which will not be described here.

[0082] In the present application, except for special description, the same or similar parts of each embodiment can be mutually referred. In the various embodiments of the present application, if there is no special description and no logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referred. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship. The implementation modes of the present application described below do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present application. Before introducing the embodiments, some terms related to the present application are introduced.

[0083] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, first, a brief introduction of the related technologies of the present application is given as follows.

[0084] 1、Extended reality (eXtended reality, XR):

[0085] XR is one of the multimedia applications that the industry focuses on at present. Specifically, it includes the following several typical forms: augmented reality (augmented reality, AR), mixed reality (mixed reality, MR), virtual reality (virtual reality, VR).

[0086] The 3rd generation partnership project (3rd generation partnership project, 3GPP) version 17 (Rel-17) has modeled and analyzed the service characteristics of XR. Generally, XR services periodically generate data frames according to a certain frame rate. Taking an AR service with a frame rate of 60 frames per second (fps) as an example, 60 video images are generated per second, and a video frame appears about every 16.66 milliseconds (ms). A video frame can be transmitted by multiple data packets, which can be divided into one or more protocol data unit (protocol data unit, PDU) sets (i.e., PDU set).

[0087] XR services usually have high latency requirements. Taking the uplink AR service as an example, its typical packet delay budget (packet delay budget, PDB) is 30 ms, that is, the upper limit of the transmission delay between the arrival of the data packet at the terminal access layer and the arrival of the data packet at the user plane function (user plane function, UPF) network element N6 interface is 30 ms. If the data packet is not transmitted successfully within the time required by the PDB, the data packet is considered to be timed out.

[0088] Alternatively, the XR service can also express the latency requirement through the PDU packet set delay budget (PDU set delay budget, PSDB). The meaning of PSDB is similar to that of PDB, which defines the upper limit of the transmission delay of a group of data packets (such as a PDU set). For example, for uplink transmission, PSDB can refer to the upper limit of the time from the arrival of the first data packet in the PDU set at the terminal access layer to the arrival of the last data packet at the N6 interface of the UPF; for downlink transmission, PSDB can refer to the upper limit of the time from the arrival of the first data packet in the PDU set at the N6 interface of the UPF to the arrival of the last data packet at the terminal access layer.

[0089] 2. Tethering connection:

[0090] Currently, mainstream XR devices do not support 3GPP communication modules themselves. If 3GPP network communication is needed, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, or Starlink can be used to connect to a 3GPP terminal, and then the transmission resources of the 3GPP network are used for transmission. This scenario in which an XR device needs to access a 3GPP network through another 3GPP terminal can also be referred to as a tethering connection scenario. In this scenario, the XR device can also be referred to as a tethering device.

[0091] For example, as shown in FIG. 1, taking a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system as an example, an XR device establishes a connection with a 5G terminal through Wi-Fi. For uplink transmission, data generated by the XR device is first transmitted to the 5G terminal through Wi-Fi, and then transmitted to an XR application server through the 5G system (such as a 5G access network and a core network). Correspondingly, for downlink transmission, data generated by the server is transmitted to the 5G terminal through the 5G system, and then transmitted to the XR device through Wi-Fi.

[0092] 3. Congestion control:

[0093] In the case of network congestion, that is, the data to be transmitted per unit time exceeds the capacity that the network can provide, the network cannot guarantee the timely transmission of all data, which may cause data delay or packet loss problems, thereby affecting user experience.

[0094] In a mobile communication network, congestion usually occurs in the air interface, that is, in the wireless transmission between the base station and the terminal, which is caused by limited air interface resources and unstable air interface channel quality. For example, a 5G network supports multiple air interface congestion control schemes to alleviate the impact of air interface congestion on user experience. The following describes several 5G air interface congestion control schemes commonly used for XR services.

[0095] 3.1. Packet loss scheme based on PDU set importance (PSI):

[0096] The data of part of the XR service can be distinguished in different importance. For example, in the case of XR video service using group of picture (GOP) based encoding, each video frame can be encoded as an I frame or a P frame or a B frame. Among them, the I frame uses intra-frame independent encoding mode, and the receiving side can decode the data of the I frame without relying on other frames after receiving the I frame. The P frame and the B frame use inter-frame dependent encoding mode, and the receiving side needs to receive the related I frame when receiving the P frame and the B frame, so as to completely decode the data of the P frame and the B frame, that is, the decoding of the P frame and the B frame needs to rely on the I frame. Therefore, it can be considered that the I frame has higher importance than the P frame and the B frame.

[0097] In order to distinguish the importance of different data packets, 5G supports the concept of PSI, that is, each data packet can be associated with a PSI, so as to identify the relative importance of different data packets. For example, the value range of PSI is 0-15, the value 1 represents the highest importance, the value 15 represents the lowest importance, and 0 represents that the importance cannot be determined.

[0098] In the packet loss scheme based on PSI, when the base station detects that the air interface is congested, for downlink transmission, the base station can preferentially discard part of the data packets with lower importance; for uplink, the base station can instruct the terminal to preferentially discard part of the data packets with lower importance. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, taking the data packets numbered 1-8 as an example, which need to be transmitted between the base station and the terminal in the downlink transmission and the uplink transmission, under normal circumstances, the data packets are transmitted in sequence. In the case of air interface congestion, for uplink, the terminal discards the data packets 1-4 with lower importance, and sends the data packets 5-8 to the base station; for downlink, the base station discards the data packets 1-4 with lower importance, and sends the data packets 5-8 to the terminal.

[0099] 3.2, low-latency, low-loss, scalable throughput (L4S) scheme:

[0100] Generally, the root cause of air interface congestion is that the data generation rate of the source exceeds the upper limit of the air interface transmission rate. Therefore, in order to alleviate the congestion, the source can be prompted to reduce the data transmission rate by certain means. L4S is a scheme for prompting the source to reduce the data transmission rate.

[0101] In the L4S scheme, when the 5G system senses the air interface congestion, the base station or the core network can set the explicit congestion notification (ECN) flag in the Internet protocol (IP) header of the data packet. The data receiver feeds back the ECN-echo flag in the feedback packet to the data source (i.e., the data sender) according to the received ECN flag in the data packet, so that the data source can sense the network congestion and actively reduce the sending rate to alleviate the congestion.

[0102] For example, as shown in FIG. 3, in the downlink transmission, the data source is an application server and the data receiver is a terminal. The application server first sends data at a high rate. After the 5G system detects the air interface congestion, the 5G system sets the ECN flag in the IP header of the downlink data packet. The terminal feeds back the ECN-echo flag in the feedback packet to the application server according to the received ECN flag in the data packet. After the application server detects the ECN-echo flag, the application server reduces the sending rate to alleviate the congestion.

[0103] Alternatively, in the uplink transmission, the data source is a terminal and the data receiver is an application server. The terminal first sends data at a high rate. After the 5G system detects the air interface congestion, the 5G system sets the ECN flag in the IP header of the uplink data packet. The application server feeds back the ECN-echo flag in the feedback packet to the terminal according to the received ECN flag in the data packet. After the terminal detects the ECN-echo flag, the terminal reduces the sending rate to alleviate the congestion.

[0104] Further, in the L4S scheme, the data source can infer the degree of network congestion according to the proportion of the received data packet carrying the ECN-echo flag, and then make appropriate rate adjustment.

[0105] 3.3, Network congestion exposure scheme:

[0106] The network congestion envelope is a more direct way to prompt the data source to adjust the sending rate. As shown in FIG. 4, when the 5G system detects the air interface congestion, the 5G system provides the application server with a percentage representing the level of network congestion according to the degree of air interface congestion. After receiving the percentage, the application server can adjust the downlink data sending rate or notify the terminal to adjust the uplink data sending rate.

[0107] The above congestion control scheme is for air interface congestion, because the base station or the core network can directly sense the channel condition of the air interface, and can more accurately evaluate the degree of air interface congestion according to the load and resource occupation condition of the air interface.

[0108] However, for tethering scenarios, there is a non-3GPP wireless transmission in addition to the air interface transmission, for example, the XR device and the 5G terminal transmit through Wi-Fi. The non-3GPP transmission also has the possibility of congestion, for example, for Wi-Fi transmission, there are many users in a certain area who need to use the same Wi-Fi frequency band at the same time, and multiple users need to occupy transmission resources, which may cause congestion.

[0109] When non-3GPP connection is congested, even if the air interface resource is sufficient, the data transmission rate will still be reduced from the system point of view. That is, the congestion of the non-3GPP connection may also cause rate reduction or packet loss, etc., thereby reducing user experience. However, since the 5G network cannot perceive the existence of the non-3GPP connection in the tethering scenario, nor can it perceive the channel condition of the non-3GPP connection, the above congestion control scheme cannot be used to solve the congestion occurring on the non-3GPP connection.

[0110] Based on this, the present application provides a communication method, in which a non-3GPP connection exists between a terminal and a tethering device, and the terminal can report the congestion condition corresponding to the non-3GPP connection to the network, such as whether it is congested, the congestion degree, the data transmission rate on the non-3GPP connection, the transmission delay, etc. Therefore, the network can perform congestion control according to the congestion condition corresponding to the non-3GPP connection reported by the terminal. That is, the network can perceive the congestion degree of the air interface and the non-3GPP connection at the same time, so it can consider appropriate congestion control strategies comprehensively, thereby being able to cope with the congestion on the non-3GPP connection, avoiding the reduction of transmission efficiency caused by non-3GPP connection congestion, and further improving user experience.

[0111] The technical scheme of the embodiments of the present application can be used in various communication systems, which can be a 3GPP communication system, for example, a long term evolution (LTE) system, etc. fourth generation (4G) system, a new radio (NR) system, etc. 5G system, a system of mixed networking of LTE and 5G, a non-terrestrial network (NTN), a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication system, a machine-type communication (MTC) system, an internet of things (IOT) system, or other future communication systems. The communication system can also be a non-3GPP communication system, which is not limited.

[0112] ​​​​The communication system applicable to the present application is only illustrative, and the communication system applicable to the present application is not limited thereto. The communication system provided by the present application does not cause any limitation to the scheme of the present application. Herein, the following will not be described in detail.

[0113] FIG. 5 shows a possible, non-limiting system diagram. As shown in (a) of FIG. 5 (hereinafter referred to as FIG. 5(a)), a communication system 50 includes a radio access network (RAN) 500. Optionally, the communication system can also include a core network (CN) 600 and a data network (DN) 700.

[0114] The RAN 500 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., 510a and 510b in FIG. 5(a), collectively referred to as 510) and at least one terminal (e.g., 520a-520j in FIG. 5(a), collectively referred to as 520). Optionally, the core network 600 includes at least one core network device. The data network 700 can include an application server, such as an application server for XR services.

[0115] Optionally, the RAN 500 can also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in FIG. 5(a)), etc. The terminal 520 is connected to the RAN node 510 in a wireless manner. The RAN node 510 is connected to the core network 600 in a wireless or wired manner. The core network device in the core network 600 and the RAN node 510 in the RAN 500 can be different physical devices, or can be the same physical device integrated with the core network logic function and the radio access network logic function.

[0116] The terminal 520 in the RAN 500 can be referred to as a first terminal. As one possible implementation, the first terminal can be connected to a tethering device through a first connection, or in other words, the first terminal and the tethering device have a first connection. Illustratively, the tethering device does not belong to the RAN 500, or in other words, the tethering device is located outside the RAN 500, and the tethering device can also be referred to as an XR device, etc., without limitation. That is, the communication system can also be as shown in (b) of FIG. 5 (hereinafter referred to as FIG. 5(b)). At this time, the first connection can be a non-3GPP connection, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or Starlink, of course, the first connection can also be other non-3GPP connections, which are not limited by the present application.

[0117] As another possible implementation, the first terminal can communicate with a second terminal through a first connection, or in other words, the first terminal and the second terminal have a first connection. At this time, the first connection can be a sidelink (SL) connection.

[0118] Exemplarily, the RAN node 510 in the RAN 500 is not aware of the existence of the first connection, nor the channel condition of the first connection. In addition, the RAN node 510 is also not aware of the existence of the tethering device or the second terminal.

[0119] Optionally, based on the system shown in FIG. 5(b), for a service, the following behavior example, service data can be generated by an application server in the data network 700, forwarded by the data network, transmitted to the core network through the interface (such as the N6 interface) between the data network and the core network, and then transmitted by the core network to the RAN node through the interface (such as the N3 interface) between the core network and the RAN. The RAN node transmits the data to the first terminal through the air interface (also known as the Uu interface), and finally the first terminal transmits the data to the tethering device through the first connection. The uplink transmission path is opposite to the downlink, which is not described here.

[0120] In a possible implementation, the terminal 520 (i.e., the first terminal) can also be referred to as a terminal device, a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a mobile terminal, etc. The terminal can be widely applied to various scenarios, such as D2D, V2X communication, MTC, IoT, virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, 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, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, a drone, a helicopter, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a mechanical arm, a smart home device, etc. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0121] In a possible implementation, the tethering device can be a device that establishes a data connection with the first terminal through a non-3GPP manner such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, star flash, etc., so as to be able to transmit data through the 3GPP network. For example, the tethering device can be an XR glasses, a head-mounted display, etc.

[0122] In a possible implementation, the second terminal can be a device that establishes a data connection with the first terminal through the SL connection, so as to be able to transmit data through the 3GPP network. For example, the second terminal can be an IoT device, etc., without limitation.

[0123] In a possible implementation, the RAN 500 can be a 3GPP related cellular system, e.g., a 4G, 5G mobile communication system, a mobile communication system with hybrid networking of 4G and 5G, or a future-oriented evolved system. The RAN 500 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), an NTN network (e.g., an NTN supporting a transparent mode and / or a regenerative mode, or an NTN supporting a gaze mode (earth fixed cell) and / or a non-gaze mode (earth moving cell)), or a Wi-Fi system. The RAN 500 can also be a communication system in which two or more of the above systems are fused.

[0124] In some scenarios, the roles of the RAN nodes 510 and the terminals 520 are relative, e.g., the network element 520i in FIG. 5(a) can be a helicopter or a drone, which can be configured to move a base station, and for a terminal 520j accessing to the RAN 500 through the network element 520i, the network element 520i is a base station; but for the base station 510a, the network element 520i is a terminal. The RAN nodes 510 and the terminals 520 are sometimes both referred to as communication apparatuses, e.g., the network elements 510a and 510b in FIG. 5(a) can be understood as communication apparatuses with base station functions, and the network elements 520a-520j can be understood as communication apparatuses with terminal functions.

[0125] In some scenarios, the communication between the RAN nodes 510 and the terminals 520 follows a certain protocol layer structure, which 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.

[0126] As a possible implementation, a RAN node 510, which can also be referred to as a RAN entity or an access node, etc., forms part of the communication system to assist terminals in accessing the wireless access. The RAN nodes 510 in the communication system 120 can be of the same type or of different types.

[0127] In one possible scenario, the RAN node 510 can be a base station, an evolved Node B (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc. The RAN node can be a macro base station (e.g. 510a in Figure 5(a)), a micro base station or indoor gNB (e.g. 510b in Figure 5(a)), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a 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 RAN node in V2X technology can be a road side unit (RSU).

[0128] In another possible scenario, a plurality of RAN nodes cooperate to assist terminals in accessing the wireless access, and different RAN nodes implement part of the functions of an access network device (e.g. a base station). For example, the RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU can be separately configured or included in the same network element, e.g. in a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, e.g. in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna processing unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0129] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU can also be referred to as O-RAN central unit (O-CU), DU can also be referred to as O-RAN distributed unit (O-DU), CU-CP can also be referred to as O-RAN central unit control plane (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be referred to as O-RAN central unit user plane (O-CU-UP), and RU can also be referred to as O-RAN radio unit (O-RU). Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0130] As a possible implementation, CU, DU and RU respectively implement part of the protocol layer functions of the access network device, for example, part of the protocol layer functions are implemented in the CU, and the remaining part or all of the protocol layer functions are implemented in the DU. The CU can control one or more DUs. One DU can be connected to one or more RUs.

[0131] For example, as shown in (a) of FIG. 6, the CU can deploy RRC layer, SDAP layer and PDCP layer, or in other words, the CU can be understood as a logical node carrying the RRC layer, SDAP layer and PDCP layer of the access network device. Therefore, the CU has the processing capability of RRC, PDCP and SDAP layers, and of course, the CU can also implement or carry other control functions. The DU can deploy RLC layer, MAC layer and PHY layer, or in other words, the DU can be understood as a logical node carrying RLC layer, MAC layer and PHY layer, so that the DU has the processing capability of RLC, MAC and PHY layers, and of course, the DU can also implement or carry other functions.

[0132] Optionally, the CU (for example, PDCP layer and higher layer) is connected to the DU (for example, RLC layer and lower layer) through some interfaces, which can be F1 and the like. In some examples, these interfaces (for example, F1 interface) can provide control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane) functions (for example, interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, etc.). For example, F1 supports control plane functions through F1-C and supports user plane functions through F1-U.

[0133] In an example, a CU can include a CU-CP and a CU-UP. As shown in (b) of FIG. 6, the CU-CP can be understood as a logical node carrying the RRC layer and the PDCP control plane part (PDCP-C) for implementing the control plane function of the CU. The CU-UP can be understood as a logical node carrying the SDAP layer and the PDCP user plane part (PDCP-U) for implementing the user plane function of the CU. The CU-CP and the CU-UP can communicate through an E1 interface.

[0134] The above function division of the CU and the DU is only an example and does not constitute a limitation on the CU and the DU. In addition, the CU and the DU can also be configured to have the functions as needed. For example, the CU or the DU can be configured as a node having more protocol layer functions, or the CU or the DU can be configured as a node having partial processing functions of the protocol layer. For example, part of the functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layer above the RLC layer are arranged in the CU, and the remaining functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layer below the RLC layer are arranged in the DU. For another example, the functions of the CU or the DU can be divided according to the service type or other system requirements, for example, according to the delay, the functions that need to meet the delay requirement are arranged in the DU, and the functions that do not need to meet the delay requirement are arranged in the CU.

[0135] As a possible implementation, the RAN 500 can also include a non-real time RAN intelligent controller (Non-RT RIC or NRT RIC) and / or a near-real time RAN intelligent controller (Near-RT RIC or nRT RIC).

[0136] Among them, the Non-RT RIC is used to implement the non-real time intelligent management of the RAN, can implement artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) including model training and model updating, and guide the application programs / functions in the Near-RT RIC based on the policy. The Near-RT RIC is used to implement the near-real time intelligent management of the RAN, and realizes the near-real time control and optimization of the modules and resources of the O-RAN through data collection and related operations on the E2 interface. The E2 interface can be understood as an open interface between two nodes (or endpoints).

[0137] All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application can also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualized functions instantiated on a platform, such as a cloud platform. The RAN node in this application can also be a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the access network device functions.

[0138] In a possible implementation, the core network device can be understood as a device in the core network that supports a service of the terminal. Exemplarily, some core network devices include an access and mobility management function (AMF) entity, a session management function (SMF) entity, a user plane function (UPF) entity, and the like, which are not listed one by one. 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 a user; and the UPF entity can be a functional entity of a user plane, mainly responsible for connecting an external network. 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.

[0139] It should be noted that the communication system described in the embodiments of the present application is for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can know that the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems as the network architecture evolves and new service scenarios appear.

[0140] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described below in combination with the system shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6. It should be noted that in the embodiments described below, the names of messages, the names of parameters, or the names of information, etc. are only examples, and in other embodiments, they can also be other names, and the method provided by the present application does not make specific limitations.

[0141] It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, each device can perform part or all of the steps in the embodiments of the present application, and these steps or operations are only examples, and the embodiments of the present application can also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, each step can be executed in a different order presented in the embodiments of the present application, and it is possible that not all operations in the embodiments of the present application are executed.

[0142] It can be understood that the terminal and the RAN node are taken as an example to illustrate the execution subject of the interaction in the present application, but the present application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction. For example, the method executed by the terminal in the present application can also be executed by a module (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor) applied to the terminal, and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal function; the method executed by the RAN node in the present application can also be executed by a module (such as a chip, a chip system, or a processor) applied to the RAN node, and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the RAN node function.

[0143] The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described below. As shown in FIG. 7, the communication method can include the following steps:

[0144] S701, the terminal determines first information.

[0145] The first information indicates the congestion situation corresponding to the first connection. The first connection is a connection between the terminal and the tethering device. For example, the first connection is a non-3GPP connection. The non-3GPP connection may, for example, be one of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or Starlink. Of course, the non-3GPP connection can also be any connection that does not belong to the 3GPP connection in future communication technologies, and the present application does not limit this.

[0146] S702, the terminal sends the first information to the RAN node. Correspondingly, the RAN node receives the first information from the terminal.

[0147] As a first possible implementation, as shown in FIG. 8, before step S702, the RAN node can send second information to the terminal, and correspondingly, the terminal receives the second information from the RAN node. The second information indicates that the terminal reports the congestion situation corresponding to the first connection. After receiving the second information, the terminal can execute step S702 to send the second information to the RAN node.

[0148] For example, the second information can be carried in an RRC message or layer 1 / layer 2 signaling, which can include but is not limited to a PDCP control PDU (i.e., PDCP control PDU), a MAC control element (media access control, MAC CE), or downlink control information (downlink control information, DCI).

[0149] Based on this implementation, the terminal can report the congestion situation corresponding to the first connection based on the indication of the RAN node, so as to ensure that the RAN node can timely perceive the congestion situation corresponding to the first connection, and at the same time, resource consumption caused by frequent reporting of the terminal can be avoided.

[0150] As a second possible implementation, the terminal can send the first information to the RAN node in a case that the congestion situation corresponding to the first connection changes.

[0151] For example, the change of the congestion situation corresponding to the first connection can include, but is not limited to, the first connection changing from congestion to non-congestion, the first connection changing from non-congestion to congestion, the degree of congestion of the first connection changing, or the degree of congestion of the first connection changing by more than a certain range.

[0152] For example, the degree of congestion of the first connection changing by more than a certain range can be understood as the degree of congestion of the first connection changing by a range greater than or equal to a certain threshold. For example, when the degree of congestion of the first connection changes from 20% to greater than or equal to 30%, or changes from 20% to less than or equal to 10%, it can be considered that the degree of congestion of the first connection changes by more than a certain range.

[0153] Based on this implementation, the terminal can report the congestion situation to the RAN node in a case that the congestion situation corresponding to the first connection changes, so that the RAN node can timely perceive the change of the congestion situation, and at the same time, without the RAN node frequently sending information to instruct the terminal to report, the resource overhead can be reduced.

[0154] As a third possible implementation, the terminal can send the first information to the RAN node when the first timer expires. For example, the first timer can be started after the terminal last reports the congestion situation of the first connection, and the duration of the first timer can be pre-defined by a protocol or pre-configured by the RAN node, which is not limited.

[0155] For example, the terminal can start the first timer after reporting the congestion situation of the first connection each time, and report the current congestion situation of the first connection after the first timer expires, and so on. That is, the terminal can periodically report the congestion situation of the first connection, and the reporting period can be the duration of the first timer.

[0156] Based on this implementation, the terminal can periodically report the congestion situation corresponding to the first connection, so that the RAN node can continuously perceive the congestion situation, and at the same time, without the RAN node frequently sending information to instruct the terminal to report, the resource overhead can be reduced.

[0157] Optionally, the second and third possible implementations can also be combined, and the terminal can send the first information to the RAN node in a case that the congestion situation corresponding to the first connection changes and the first timer expires.

[0158] Optionally, in the second or third possible implementation, the RAN node can also send the second information to the terminal. After receiving the second information, the terminal sends the first information to the RAN node to indicate the congestion of the first connection in case that the congestion of the first connection corresponding to the first connection changes or the first timer expires.

[0159] S703, the RAN node performs congestion control according to the first information.

[0160] In a possible implementation, the RAN node performs congestion control, including at least one of the following: activating or deactivating packet importance-based packet dropping, adjusting the proportion of ECN flag, or adjusting the size of the percentage reported to the application server.

[0161] As a possible implementation, activating or deactivating packet importance-based packet dropping includes activating or deactivating downlink packet importance-based packet dropping. For example, in case that the first information indicates that the first connection is congested or the degree of congestion of the first connection is high, the downlink packet importance-based packet dropping is activated; in case that the first information indicates that the first connection is not congested or the degree of congestion of the first connection is low, the downlink packet importance-based packet dropping is deactivated. The implementation of the packet importance-based packet dropping can refer to the PSI-based packet dropping scheme introduced in 3.1 above, which is not repeated here.

[0162] For example, activating packet importance-based packet dropping can include that the RAN node sends fourth information to the terminal, and correspondingly, the terminal receives the fourth information from the RAN node. The fourth information indicates that the terminal discards downlink packets with low importance. For example, the downlink packets with low importance are downlink packets with PSI greater than or equal to a certain threshold. Correspondingly, after receiving the fourth information, the terminal can discard downlink packets with low importance according to the indication of the RAN node, thereby alleviating the congestion on the first connection.

[0163] Optionally, for uplink transmission, the RAN node can send indication information to the terminal to instruct the terminal to inform the tethering device to reduce the sending rate or discard uplink packets with low importance in case that the RAN node determines that the first connection is congested or the degree of congestion of the first connection is high according to the first information. Alternatively, the terminal can directly inform or instruct the tethering device to reduce the sending rate or discard uplink packets with low importance in case that the terminal detects that the first connection is congested or the degree of congestion of the first connection is high, thereby alleviating the congestion.

[0164] As a possible implementation, the adjusting the proportion of the ECN flag can comprise: adjusting the proportion of the uplink or downlink ECN flag. For example, in a case that the first information indicates that the first connection is congested, or the degree of the congestion of the first connection is high, the proportion of the uplink or downlink ECN flag can be increased; in a case that the first information indicates that the first connection is not congested, or the degree of the congestion of the first connection is low, the proportion of the uplink or downlink ECN flag can be decreased. Wherein, the ECN flag and the congestion control based on the ECN flag can refer to the L4S scheme introduced in 3.2 above, and will not be described here again.

[0165] As a possible implementation, the size of the percentage reported to the application server is used to represent the degree of network congestion. The adjusting the size of the percentage reported to the application server can comprise: adjusting the size of the uplink or downlink percentage reported to the application server. The size of the uplink percentage represents the degree of network congestion of the uplink transmission, and the size of the downlink percentage represents the degree of network congestion of the downlink transmission.

[0166] For example, in a case that the first information indicates that the first connection is congested, or the degree of the congestion of the first connection is high, the size of the uplink or downlink percentage can be increased; in a case that the first information indicates that the first connection is not congested, or the degree of the congestion of the first connection is low, the size of the uplink or downlink percentage can be decreased. Wherein, the implementation of the congestion control based on the size of the percentage reported to the application server can refer to the network congestion exposure scheme introduced in 3.3 above, and will not be described here again.

[0167] Based on the above scheme, in a case that there is a non-3GPP connection between the terminal and the tethering device, the terminal can report the congestion situation corresponding to the non-3GPP connection to the network, such as whether it is congested, the degree of congestion, the data transmission rate on the non-3GPP connection, the transmission delay, etc. Therefore, the network can perform congestion control according to the congestion situation corresponding to the non-3GPP connection reported by the terminal. That is, the network can simultaneously perceive the degree of congestion of the air interface and the non-3GPP connection, and thus can comprehensively consider a suitable congestion control strategy, thereby alleviating the congestion on the non-3GPP connection, avoiding the reduction of transmission efficiency caused by the congestion of the non-3GPP connection, and further improving the user experience.

[0168] The overall flow of the communication method provided by the present application is described above. The related implementation involved in the communication method will be described in detail below.

[0169] In a possible implementation, the first information can include at least one of congestion indication information, congestion degree information, or congestion auxiliary information.

[0170] As a possible implementation, the congestion indication information indicates whether the first connection is congested. In this implementation, the congestion status of the first connection can be understood as that the first connection is congested or not congested, for example, the first information indicates that the first connection is congested, or indicates that the first connection is not congested.

[0171] For example, the congestion indication information can be implemented by a 1-bit BOOL variable. For example, in the case that the value of the BOOL variable is true, it indicates that the first connection is congested; in the case that the value of the BOOL variable is false, it indicates that the first connection is not congested. Alternatively, the congestion indication information can be implemented by a 1-bit indicator. For example, in the case that the value of the 1-bit is a first value, it indicates that the first connection is congested; in the case that the value of the 1-bit is a second value, it indicates that the first connection is not congested. The first value can be "1", and the second value can be "0"; or the first value can be "0", and the second value can be "1", which is not limited.

[0172] Alternatively, for example, the congestion indication information can only indicate congestion. For example, in the case that the first connection is congested, the terminal sends the congestion indication information to the RAN node, and after receiving the congestion indication information, the RAN node can know that the first connection is congested. In the case that the first connection is not congested, the terminal can not send the indication information to indicate that the first connection is not congested, and the RAN node does not receive the congestion indication information indicating congestion, and thus knows that the first connection is not congested.

[0173] For example, the congestion of the first connection can include at least one of the following: a) the data transmission rate of the first connection is lower than a first threshold; b) the data transmission rate of the first connection is lower than the data transmission rate between the terminal and the RAN node, i.e., the data transmission rate of the non-3GPP connection is lower than the data transmission rate of the air interface; c) the transmission delay of the first connection is greater than a second threshold; d) the packet loss rate of the first connection is greater than a third threshold; e) for downlink transmission, the buffer queue length of the first connection increases; for uplink transmission, the buffer queue length of the first connection decreases; f) the number of data packets transmitted to the tethered device through the first connection is less than a fourth threshold, or the amount of data transmitted to the tethered device through the first connection is less than a fourth threshold. That is, in the case that at least one of a)-f) is satisfied, the congestion indication information can indicate that the first connection is congested; or in the case that the congestion indication information indicates that the first connection is congested, at least one of a)-e) is satisfied.

[0174] The downlink transmission can be understood as a transmission from the terminal to the tethering device, or a transmission from the application server to the tethering device. The uplink transmission can be understood as a transmission from the tethering device to the terminal, or a transmission from the tethering device to the application server. The buffer queue of the first connection can be a buffer queue of the first connection in the terminal, in which data associated with the first connection is buffered. The data associated with the first connection can be understood as data transmitted through the first connection, or data transmitted on the first connection, etc.

[0175] For example, for the downlink transmission, when the length of the buffer queue increases, it indicates that the data transmission rate of the first connection is lower than the air interface data transmission rate, and it can be considered that the first connection is congested. For the uplink transmission, when the length of the buffer queue decreases, it also indicates that the data transmission rate of the first connection is lower than the air interface data transmission rate, or lower than the expected data transmission rate, and it can be considered that the first connection is congested.

[0176] For example, the data packets transmitted to the tethering device through the first connection can be understood as data packets that have been transmitted or correctly transmitted to the tethering device through the first connection, or the amount of data transmitted to the tethering device through the first connection can be understood as the amount of data that has been transmitted or correctly transmitted to the tethering device through the first connection. The amount of data can be represented by the number of data packets or the number of bits, for example.

[0177] Correspondingly, the first connection not being congested can include at least one of the following: A) the data transmission rate of the first connection is higher than or equal to the first threshold; B) the data transmission rate of the first connection is higher than or equal to the data transmission rate between the terminal and the RAN node, i.e., the data transmission rate of the non-3GPP connection is higher than or equal to the air interface data transmission rate; C) the transmission delay of the first connection is less than or equal to the second threshold; D) the packet loss rate of the first connection is less than or equal to the third threshold; E) for the downlink transmission, the length of the buffer queue of the first connection is unchanged or decreases; for the uplink transmission, the length of the buffer queue of the first connection is unchanged or increases; F) the number of data packets transmitted to the tethering device through the first connection is greater than or equal to the fourth threshold, or the amount of data transmitted to the tethering device through the first connection is greater than or equal to the fourth threshold. That is, in the case where at least one of A)-F) is satisfied, the congestion indication information can indicate that the first connection is not congested; or in the case where the congestion indication information indicates that the first connection is not congested, at least one of A)-E) is satisfied.

[0178] For example, the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, or the fourth threshold can be pre-defined by a protocol, or can be pre-configured by the RAN node, or can be determined by the terminal itself, without limitation.

[0179] Based on the implementation, the congestion indication information indicates whether the first connection is congested, and thus the congestion indication information can be generally implemented by a 1-bit variable. That is, the RAN node can be reported the congestion of the first connection using very low resource overhead, thereby saving resources and signaling overhead.

[0180] As a possible implementation, the congestion degree information indicates a congestion degree of the first connection. In this implementation, for example, the congestion of the first connection can be understood as the congestion degree of the first connection, or the congestion level of the first connection, for example, the first information indicates the congestion degree or the congestion level of the first connection.

[0181] For example, the greater the percentage or the higher the level, the more serious the congestion or the higher the congestion degree; the smaller the percentage or the lower the level, the less serious the congestion or the lower the congestion degree. The percentage of 0 can indicate that the first connection is not congested.

[0182] For example, the terminal can determine the congestion degree of the first connection according to the data transmission situation of the first connection. For example, the terminal determines the congestion degree of the first connection according to at least one of the data transmission rate, the transmission delay size, the packet loss rate size, or the buffer queue length of the first connection.

[0183] For example, the lower the data transmission rate, the greater the transmission delay, or the greater the packet loss rate, the higher the congestion degree of the first connection; the higher the data transmission rate, the smaller the transmission delay, or the smaller the packet loss rate, the lower the congestion degree of the first connection.

[0184] For example, for downlink transmission, the longer the buffer queue length, the higher the congestion degree of the first connection; the shorter the buffer queue length, the lower the congestion degree of the first connection. For uplink transmission, the shorter the buffer queue length, the higher the congestion degree of the first connection; the longer the buffer queue length, the lower the congestion degree of the first connection. The buffer queue and uplink and downlink transmission can refer to the foregoing related description, which will not be repeated here.

[0185] Based on the implementation, the terminal can indicate the congestion degree of the first connection to the RAN node, so that the RAN node can more accurately perceive the congestion of the first connection, for example, can perceive the high and low of the congestion degree, thereby can more accurately and reasonably perform congestion control, and improve the efficiency of congestion control.

[0186] As a possible implementation, the congestion auxiliary information comprises at least one of the following of the first connection: a data transmission rate, a transmission latency size, a packet loss rate size, a buffer queue length, or downlink data transmission status information. The downlink data transmission status information is used to indicate a data packet or a data volume transmitted to the tethered device through the first connection, for example, the downlink data transmission status information comprises a sequence number of a data packet that has been transmitted or correctly transmitted to the tethered device through the first connection, or a data volume that has been transmitted or correctly transmitted to the tethered device through the first connection. The data volume may, for example, be represented by a number of data packets or a number of bits.

[0187] For example, in this implementation, the congestion situation of the first connection can be understood as congestion or no congestion of the first connection, or a congestion degree of the first connection, or a congestion level of the first connection. The congestion situation can be implicitly indicated by the congestion auxiliary information described above. For example, the data transmission rate, the transmission latency size, etc. can be used to indicate whether the first connection is congested or not, or the congestion degree of the first connection, which can be referred to the related description above and will not be repeated here. Alternatively, the data volume transmitted by the terminal can be determined according to the downlink data transmission status information, and then whether the first connection is congested or not can be determined according to the data volume transmitted by the RAN node to the terminal and the data volume transmitted by the terminal. For example, if the data volume transmitted by the RAN node to the terminal is greater than the data volume transmitted by the terminal, it can be considered that the first connection is congested.

[0188] Based on this implementation, the terminal can report the congestion auxiliary information, such as the data transmission rate, the transmission latency size, etc., to the RAN node. Since the RAN node generally has higher computing capability than the terminal, the RAN node can more accurately determine the congestion situation of the first connection based on the congestion auxiliary information, so as to more accurately and reasonably perform congestion control and improve the efficiency of congestion control.

[0189] In a possible implementation, the terminal can report the congestion situation of the first connection at a granularity of a quality of service (QoS) flow, a PDU session, or a data radio bearer (DRB), or the congestion situation reported by the terminal can be at a QoS flow level or a PDU session level or a DRB level. That is, the congestion situation reported by the terminal can be associated with a QoS flow, a PDU session, or a DRB.

[0190] For example, the first information can indicate a congestion condition corresponding to a first data flow in the first connection. The first data flow can be associated with a first QoS flow, a first PDU session, or a first DRB. That is, in the first connection, a data packet transmitted through the first data flow is associated with the first QoS flow or the first PDU session or the first DRB over the air interface. In this case, the first information can further include an identifier (ID) of the first QoS flow or an identifier of the first PDU session or an identifier of the first DRB, to indicate that the terminal reports the congestion condition corresponding to the first data flow associated with the first QoS flow or the first PDU session or the first DRB.

[0191] For example, in the case where the first information indicates a congestion condition corresponding to a first data flow in the first connection, the congestion indication information can indicate whether the first data flow in the first connection is congested or whether the first data flow is congested when being transmitted in the first connection; the congestion degree information can indicate a congestion degree of the first data flow in the first connection or a congestion degree when the first data flow is transmitted in the first connection; and the congestion assistance information can include at least one of a data transmission rate of the first data flow, a transmission delay size, a packet loss rate size, a buffer queue length, or downlink data transmission state information of the first data flow. The downlink data transmission state information of the first data flow can indicate a data packet or a data volume of the first data flow transmitted to the terminal device through the first connection.

[0192] Optionally, the first information can further indicate a congestion condition corresponding to another data flow in the first connection. For example, the first information can further indicate a congestion condition corresponding to a second data flow in the first connection. The second data flow can be associated with a second QoS flow or a second PDU session or a second DRB. The number of data flows indicated by the first information is not limited in the present application.

[0193] Based on this embodiment, the terminal can report a congestion condition of the first connection in the granularity of a QoS flow, a PDU session, or a DRB, that is, a more fine-grained congestion condition can be reported, so that the RAN node can perceive the congestion conditions corresponding to each QoS flow, PDU session, or DRB associated with the first connection, and further perform congestion control in the granularity of a QoS flow, a PDU session, or a DRB, to achieve more fine-grained congestion control and improve the efficiency of congestion control.

[0194] In another possible embodiment, the terminal can report a congestion condition of the first connection in the granularity of the terminal. For example, the terminal can report a congestion condition corresponding to all data flows in the first connection.

[0195] In a possible implementation, the RAN node can indicate to the terminal a granularity of the reported congestion situation. For example, the second information can include granularity indication information, which indicates the terminal to report the congestion situation in a granularity of a QoS flow, or a PDU session, or a DRB, or the terminal, or to report the congestion situation at a QoS flow level, or a PDU session level, or a DRB level, or a terminal level. For example, the second information can include a QoS identifier, or a PDU session identifier, or a DRB identifier. Accordingly, after receiving the second information, the terminal can report the congestion situation at the indicated level.

[0196] For example, when indicating the terminal to report the congestion situation at a terminal level, it can mean that the terminal is indicated to report the congestion situation corresponding to all data flows of the first connection. When indicating the terminal to report the congestion situation at a QoS flow level, or a PDU session level, or a DRB level, it can mean that the terminal is indicated to report the congestion situation of a specific data flow of the first connection, or the congestion situation of a data flow associated with a specific QoS flow, or a PDU session, or a DRB.

[0197] Based on this implementation, the RAN node can require the terminal to report the corresponding congestion information for a specific QoS flow, or a PDU session, or a DRB. After the terminal reports the congestion situation at the corresponding granularity, the RAN node can perform congestion control at the granularity of a QoS flow, or a PDU session, or a DRB, to achieve more refined congestion control and improve the efficiency of congestion control.

[0198] In a possible implementation, the congestion situation reported by the terminal can be distinguished between uplink and downlink. For example, the terminal can report the congestion situation corresponding to uplink and the congestion situation corresponding to downlink of the first connection respectively.

[0199] For example, the first information can indicate the congestion situation corresponding to uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission in the first connection. For example, the congestion indication information can indicate whether the uplink transmission and / or the downlink transmission in the first connection is congested; the congestion degree information can indicate the congestion degree of the uplink transmission and / or the downlink transmission in the first connection; and the congestion auxiliary information can include the data transmission rate, the transmission delay size, the packet loss rate size, or the buffer queue length of the uplink transmission in the first connection, and / or the transmission delay size, the packet loss rate size, the buffer queue length, or the downlink data transmission state information of the downlink transmission in the first connection.

[0200] Optionally, the congestion situation corresponding to the uplink transmission reported by the terminal can be at a QoS flow level, or a PDU session level, or a DRB level. The congestion situation corresponding to the downlink transmission reported by the terminal can also be at a QoS flow level, or a PDU session level, or a DRB level.

[0201] In a possible implementation, as shown in FIG. 8, before the RAN node sends the second information, the terminal can send capability information to the RAN node, and accordingly, the RAN node receives the capability information from the terminal. The capability information indicates whether the terminal can report the congestion situation of the first connection. When the capability information indicates that the terminal can report the congestion situation of the first connection, the RAN node can send the second information.

[0202] As a possible implementation, the capability information can be at a QoS flow level, or at a PDU level, or at a DRB level, or at a terminal level. That is, the capability information can indicate whether the terminal can report the congestion information corresponding to the data flow in the first connection associated with a specific QoS flow level or PDU level or DRB level, or whether the terminal can report the congestion information corresponding to all data flows in the first connection.

[0203] As a possible implementation, the terminal can actively send the capability information when establishing a connection with the RAN node, or can send the capability information in response to a request from the RAN node. For example, before the terminal sends the capability information, the RAN node can send capability request information to the terminal to request the terminal to report the capability information.

[0204] Based on this implementation, the terminal can report the capability information to the RAN node, so that the RAN node knows whether the terminal can report the congestion situation of the first connection, and accordingly, instructs the terminal to report when the terminal can report the congestion situation. This avoids the RAN node directly sending information to instruct the terminal to report in the case where the terminal does not have the reporting capability, which causes resource waste.

[0205] In a possible implementation, before step S702, the terminal can send third information to the RAN node, and accordingly, the RAN node receives the third information from the terminal. The third information can indicate that the terminal is connected to a tethering device, or indicate that the connection of the terminal includes the first connection or a non-3GPP connection, or indicate that the device connected to the terminal includes a tethering device.

[0206] As a possible implementation, the third information can further indicate which data of the air interface is transmitted through the connection between the terminal and the tethering device, or indicate which QoS flow or PDU session or DRB of the air interface is associated with the connection between the terminal and the tethering device.

[0207] Exemplarily, the third information can comprise a QoS flow list, which can comprise at least one QoS flow, indicating that the connection between the terminal and the tethering device is used to transmit data in the at least one QoS flow, or indicating that the connection between the terminal and the tethering device is associated with the at least one QoS flow. Alternatively, the third information can comprise a plurality of QoS lists, QoS flows in a same QoS list being associated with a same non-3GPP connection, and QoS flows in different QoS lists being associated with different non-3GPP connections. Similarly, the third information can also comprise a PDU session list or a DRB list, which can be referred to the above description of the QoS flow list, and thus will not be described herein again.

[0208] As a possible implementation, after receiving the third information, the RAN node learns that the terminal is connected with the tethering device, and further learns the QoS flow or the PDU session or the DRB associated with the connection, and thus can send the second information to the terminal to instruct the terminal to report the congestion information corresponding to the connection, or to instruct the terminal to report the congestion information of the QoS flow level or the PDU session level or the DRB level corresponding to the connection.

[0209] In the above method, the terminal reports the congestion situation corresponding to the non-3GPP connection to the RAN node, and the RAN node performs congestion control according to the congestion situation. In addition, the present application also provides another communication method, in which the terminal can participate in the congestion control. As shown in FIG. 9, the communication method comprises the following steps:

[0210] S901, the terminal determines that the first connection is congested.

[0211] The first connection is a connection between the terminal and the tethering device. Exemplarily, the first connection is a non-3GPP connection. The non-3GPP connection can be one of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or Starlink, which can be referred to the above description in step S701 and thus will not be described herein again.

[0212] As a possible implementation, the terminal determines that the first connection is congested when at least one of the following conditions is met: a) the data transmission rate of the first connection is lower than a first threshold; b) the data transmission rate of the first connection is lower than the data transmission rate between the terminal and the RAN node, i.e., the data transmission rate of the non-3GPP connection is lower than the data transmission rate of the air interface; c) the transmission delay of the first connection is greater than a second threshold; d) the packet loss rate of the first connection is greater than a third threshold; e) for downlink transmission, the buffer queue length of the first connection increases; for uplink transmission, the buffer queue length of the first connection decreases. That is, when at least one of the above conditions a)-e) is met, it indicates that the first connection is congested, which can be referred to the above description of the congestion indication information and thus will not be described herein again.

[0213] S902, the terminal sets the first flag in a part of data packets associated with the first connection.

[0214] The first flag is used to indicate congestion of the first connection, or the first flag is used to indicate congestion of the non-3GPP connection. For example, the first flag is an ECN flag, such as an ECN flag in the L4S scheme.

[0215] In a possible implementation, the data packets associated with the first connection can be understood as data packets transmitted through the first connection, or data packets transmitted on the first connection, or data packets with a sender (source) or a receiver (destination) being a tethered device.

[0216] Based on the scheme, the terminal is allowed to set the first flag in the data packets associated with the first connection, so that the terminal can set the first flag according to the congestion degree of the first connection, so that the L4S mode can also be used in the tethered scenario, and the congestion of the first connection can be reflected or indicated, so that the source can make accurate adjustment to alleviate the congestion on the first connection, so that the end-to-end congestion control takes effect, avoids the transmission efficiency being reduced due to the non-3GPP connection congestion, and further improves the user experience.

[0217] In a possible implementation, the terminal can set the first flag in a part of data packets associated with the first connection based on authorization or indication of the network device. For example, before step S902, the method further includes: the network device sends first information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first information from the network device.

[0218] The network device can be a RAN node or a core network device. For example, the RAN node can send the first information to the terminal through an RRC message or layer 1 / layer 2 signaling, and the layer 1 / layer 2 signaling can include but is not limited to a PDCP control PDU, a MAC CE, or a DCI. Alternatively, the core network device can send the first information to the terminal through a non-access layer (NAS) message.

[0219] The first information indicates (allows) the terminal to set the first flag in the data packets associated with the first connection. Further, the first information can indicate (allow) the terminal to set the first flag in the uplink and / or downlink data packets associated with the first connection.

[0220] As a possible implementation, the network device can indicate which QoS flow or PDU session or DRB carried data packets the terminal is allowed to set the first flag in, in terms of QoS flow or PDU session or DRB. That is, the first information can be at the QoS flow level or the PDU session level or the DRB level.

[0221] Exemplarily, the first information indicates (allows) the terminal to set the first flag in a data packet of a first QoS flow or a first PDU session or a first DRB. Wherein, the first QoS flow or the first PDU session or the first DRB is associated with a first data flow in the first connection. That is, in the first connection, the data packet transmitted through the first data flow is associated with the first QoS flow or the first PDU session or the first DRB over the air interface. In this scenario, the first information can further include an identifier (ID) of the first QoS flow or an identifier of the first PDU session or an identifier of the first DRB.

[0222] Correspondingly, in this scenario, the terminal can set the first flag in part of the data packets of the first data flow associated with the first QoS flow or the first PDU session or the first DRB indicated by the first information based on the indication of the first information.

[0223] As another possible implementation, the network device can also indicate the terminal in granularity of the terminal, for example, indicating the terminal to set the first flag in all data packets associated with the first connection. The indication granularity of the network device is not limited in the present application.

[0224] In a possible implementation, after receiving the first information, the terminal can send third information to the network device, which can indicate that the terminal agrees or is capable of setting the first flag for the data packets associated with the first connection, or indicate that the terminal enables or activates the capability of setting the first flag for the data packets associated with the first connection.

[0225] Exemplarily, when the network device indicates the terminal to set the first flag for the data packets of a certain QoS flow associated with the first connection, if the terminal has the capability or agrees to set the first flag, or the terminal enables or activates the setting capability of the first flag, the terminal can send the third information to the network device for feedback.

[0226] In another possible implementation, the terminal can also send the third information to the network device before receiving the first information, to indicate that the terminal is capable of setting the first flag for the data packets associated with the first connection, or indicate that the terminal enables or activates the capability of setting the first flag for the data packets associated with the first connection. After receiving the third information, the network device can send the first information to the terminal.

[0227] Exemplarily, in the above two possible implementations, the third information can include a QoS flow list, which can include at least one QoS flow associated with the first connection, and the terminal is capable of setting the first flag for the data packets of the at least one QoS flow associated with the first connection. Similarly, the third information can also include a PDU session list or a DRB list, which can be referred to the related description of the QoS flow list, and will not be repeated here.

[0228] In a possible implementation, the terminal can further send fourth information to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives the fourth information from the terminal. The fourth information indicates that the terminal is connected with the tethering device, or indicates that the connection of the terminal includes the first connection or the non-3GPP connection, or indicates that the device connected with the terminal includes the tethering device.

[0229] As a possible implementation, the fourth information can further indicate which data of the air interface is transmitted through the connection between the terminal and the tethering device, or indicate which QoS flow or PDU session or DRB of the air interface is associated with the connection between the terminal and the tethering device.

[0230] For example, the fourth information can include a QoS flow list, which can include at least one QoS flow, indicating that the data in the at least one QoS flow is transmitted through the connection between the terminal and the tethering device, or indicating that the at least one QoS flow is associated with the connection between the terminal and the tethering device. Alternatively, the fourth information can include multiple QoS lists, the QoS flows in the same QoS list are associated with the same non-3GPP connection, and the QoS flows in different QoS lists are associated with different non-3GPP connections. Similarly, the fourth information can also include a PDU session list or a DRB list, which can be referred to the above description of the QoS flow list, and will not be repeated here.

[0231] As a possible implementation, after receiving the fourth information, the RAN node knows that the terminal is connected with the tethering device, and further knows the QoS flow or PDU session or DRB associated with the connection, and thus can send the first information to the terminal to instruct the terminal to set the first flag.

[0232] In a possible implementation, in the step S902, the terminal sets the first flag in the part of data packets associated with the first connection according to the congestion degree of the first connection without considering the congestion of the air interface. In this scenario, the network device still sets the first flag when the air interface is congested.

[0233] As a possible implementation, for downlink transmission, the terminal can determine an initial proportion (denoted as proportion 1) of setting the first flag according to the congestion degree of the first connection. If the terminal determines that the network device has set the first flag in a certain proportion (denoted as proportion 2) of downlink data packets according to the received downlink data packets, the terminal can additionally set the first flag in the downlink data packets of (proportion 1-proportion 2).

[0234] For example, the network device sets the first flag in 20% of the downlink data packets according to the congestion degree of the air interface. If the terminal determines that the proportion of data packets that need to set the first flag is 30% according to the congestion degree of the first connection, the terminal can additionally set the first flag in 10% of the downlink data packets.

[0235] As a possible implementation, for uplink transmission, the terminal can set the first flag in a certain proportion (denoted as proportion 1) of uplink data packets according to the congestion degree of the first connection. The network device can determine whether the proportion needs to be adjusted based on the received uplink data packets and the air interface congestion degree. For example, in the case where the proportion 1 does not need to be adjusted, the network device no longer sets the first flag additionally; in the case where the proportion 1 needs to be increased, the network device additionally sets the first flag in the data packets for which the terminal does not set the first flag.

[0236] Based on this implementation, the terminal can set the first flag according to the congestion degree of the first connection, and the network device can set the first flag according to the air interface congestion degree. From the perspective of the system as a whole, the congestion control comprehensively considers the congestion degrees of the non-3GPP connection and the air interface, and therefore, a suitable congestion control strategy can be comprehensively considered, so as to alleviate the congestion on the non-3GPP connection, avoid the transmission efficiency from being reduced due to the congestion of the non-3GPP connection, and further improve the user experience.

[0237] In another possible implementation, in the step S902, the terminal can set the first flag in the data packets associated with the first connection according to the air interface congestion degree and the congestion degree of the first connection. In this scenario, the network device no longer sets the first flag according to the air interface congestion degree, so as to avoid conflict with the terminal.

[0238] As a possible implementation, the terminal sets the first flag according to the air interface congestion degree and the congestion degree of the first connection in the case where the air interface is congested. That is, before the step S902, the terminal further determines that the air interface is congested, or in other words, the terminal further determines that the second connection is congested, and the second connection is the connection between the terminal and the RAN node, i.e., the connection on the air interface. In this scenario, the first flag is further used to indicate the congestion of the second connection, or the first flag can indicate the network congestion.

[0239] As a possible implementation, since the terminal simultaneously acts as the receiver / sender of the air interface and the receiver / sender of the first connection, the terminal can perceive the congestion degrees of the air interface and the first connection. Therefore, the terminal can determine that the second connection is congested based on its own perception of the air interface.

[0240] As another possible implementation, although the terminal can perceive the air interface congestion to a certain extent, since the RAN node has a better understanding of the overall situation of the air interface resources, the RAN node can provide the terminal with the air interface congestion information, and the terminal can determine the congestion situation of the second connection according to the air interface congestion information provided by the RAN node.

[0241] That is, in the case that the network device is a RAN node, the method can further comprise: the network device sending second information to the terminal, and correspondingly, the terminal receiving the second information from the network device. The second information indicates the congestion situation of the second connection.

[0242] For example, the second information can include congestion degree information and / or flag proportion information. The congestion degree information indicates the congestion degree of the second connection. The flag proportion information indicates the percentage of data packets corresponding to the second connection that need to be set with the first flag.

[0243] For example, in the case that the second information includes the congestion degree information, the terminal can determine the percentage of the first flag to be set according to the congestion degree of the second connection and the congestion degree of the first connection, and thus set the first flag. In the case that the second information includes the flag proportion information, the terminal can adjust the percentage indicated by the flag proportion information according to the congestion degree of the first connection, thus determine the final percentage of the first flag to be set, and set the first flag based on the percentage.

[0244] Based on this implementation, the terminal can comprehensively consider the congestion degree of the non-3GPP connection and the air interface, and thus can comprehensively consider appropriate congestion control strategies, thereby alleviating the congestion on the non-3GPP connection, avoiding the reduction of transmission efficiency caused by the congestion of the non-3GPP connection, and further improving the user experience.

[0245] In a possible implementation, the above method embodiments can also be appropriately modified to apply to congestion control in the SL scenario. For example, the connection between the terminal and the tethering device described above can be replaced by the connection between the first terminal and the second terminal, i.e., the first connection can be an SL connection. For example, in the method shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8, the first terminal can report the congestion situation corresponding to the SL connection between the first terminal and the second terminal, and the RAN node can perform congestion control based on the congestion situation corresponding to the SL connection. In the method shown in FIG. 9, the first terminal can participate in the congestion control on the SL, for example, determine to set the first flag in the data packets associated with the SL connection when the SL connection is congested. For details, reference can be made to the related implementation described above, which will not be described here again.

[0246] In a possible implementation, for the above method embodiments, in the CU-DU architecture or the ORAN system, the RAN node described above can be a CU or a DU. The interaction between the terminal and the RAN node can be the interaction with the CU (such as the interaction through the RRC message), or can be the interaction with the DU (such as the interaction through layer 1 / layer 2 signaling). Alternatively, the terminal can interact with the DU and the CU, for example, the terminal sends information to the DU through layer 1 / layer 2 signaling, and the DU sends the information to the CU.

[0247] The method provided in the present application is described above, and in addition, the present application also provides a communication device for implementing the functions described in the above method embodiments.

[0248] It can be understood that, in order to implement the above functions, the communication device comprises a hardware structure and / or a software module corresponding to the execution of 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 herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is implemented in hardware or computer software driven hardware depends on the specific application of the technical solution and the design constraints. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0249] The embodiments of the present application can divide the function modules of the communication device according to the above method embodiments, for example, each function module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated in one processing module. The above integrated module can be realized in the form of hardware or software function module. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. Actual implementation can have another division manner.

[0250] FIG. 10 shows a structural schematic diagram of a communication device 100. The communication device 100 comprises a processing module 1001 and a transceiver module 1002. The communication device 100 can be used to implement the functions of the above terminal or RAN node or network device.

[0251] In some embodiments, the communication device 100 can also comprise a storage module (not shown in FIG. 10) for storing program instructions and data.

[0252] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1002, which can also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement the sending and / or receiving functions. The transceiver module 1002 can be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver or a communication interface.

[0253] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1002 can include a receiving module and a sending module, which are respectively used to execute the receiving and sending steps of the terminal or RAN node or network device in the above method embodiments, and / or are used to support other processes of the technologies described herein; the processing module 1001 can be used to execute the processing steps of the terminal or RAN node or network device in the above method embodiments, and / or are used to support other processes of the technologies described herein.

[0254] In the communication apparatus 100 is used to implement the function of the terminal, in one possible implementation:

[0255] The processing module 1001 is configured to determine the first information, and the transceiver module 1002 is configured to send the first information to the RAN node. The first information indicates the congestion situation corresponding to the first connection, and the first connection is the connection between the terminal and the tethering device.

[0256] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is configured to send the first information to the RAN node, including: the transceiver module 1002 is configured to send the first information to the RAN node after receiving the second information from the RAN node, the second information indicating that the terminal reports the congestion situation corresponding to the first connection; or the transceiver module 1002 is configured to send the first information to the RAN node in the case that the congestion situation corresponding to the first connection changes; or the transceiver module 1002 is configured to send the first information to the RAN node when the first timer expires.

[0257] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to send the capability information to the RAN node, the capability information indicating that the terminal can report the congestion situation corresponding to the first connection.

[0258] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to send the third information to the RAN node, the third information indicating that the terminal is connected with the tethering device.

[0259] In the communication apparatus 100 is used to implement the function of the terminal, in another possible implementation:

[0260] The processing module 1001 is configured to determine that the first connection is congested, and the first connection is the connection between the terminal and the tethering device; and the processing module 1001 is further configured to set the first flag in the part of data packets associated with the first connection, the first flag being used to indicate that the first connection is congested.

[0261] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is configured to receive the first information from the network device, the first information indicating that the terminal is allowed to set the first flag in the data packets associated with the first connection.

[0262] Optionally, the processing module 1001 is configured to determine that the first connection is congested, including: the processing module 1001 is configured to determine that the first connection is congested in the case that at least one of the following conditions is met: the data transmission rate of the first connection is lower than a first threshold, the data transmission rate of the first connection is lower than the data transmission rate between the terminal and the RAN node, the transmission delay of the first connection is greater than a second threshold, or the packet loss rate of the first connection is greater than a third threshold.

[0263] Optionally, the processing module 1001 is further configured to determine that the second connection is congested, and the first flag is further configured to indicate the congestion of the second connection, the second connection being a connection between the terminal and a radio access network (RAN) node.

[0264] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to receive second information from the network device, the second information indicating the congestion of the second connection.

[0265] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to send third information to the network device, the third information indicating that the terminal is capable of or agrees to set the first flag for the data packets associated with the first connection.

[0266] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to send fourth information to the network device, the fourth information indicating that the terminal is connected to the tethering device.

[0267] When the communication apparatus 100 is configured to implement a function of the RAN node, the transceiver module 1002 is configured to receive first information from the terminal, the first information indicating a congestion condition corresponding to a first connection, the first connection being a connection between the terminal and a tethering device; and the processing module 1001 is configured to perform congestion control according to the first information.

[0268] The transceiver module 1002 is configured to receive first information from the terminal, the first information indicating a congestion condition corresponding to a first connection, the first connection being a connection between the terminal and a tethering device; and the processing module 1001 is configured to perform congestion control according to the first information.

[0269] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to send second information to the terminal, the second information indicating that the terminal reports the congestion condition corresponding to the first connection.

[0270] Optionally, the processing module 1001 is configured to perform the congestion control, including: the processing module 1001 is configured to activate or deactivate packet loss based on data packet importance, adjust a proportion of explicit congestion notification (ECN) flags, or adjust a size of a percentage used to represent a network congestion degree, the percentage being reported to an application server.

[0271] Optionally, the processing module 1001 is configured to activate the packet loss based on the data packet importance, including: the processing module 1001 is configured to send fourth information to the terminal through the transceiver module 1002, the fourth information indicating that the terminal discards downlink data packets with low importance.

[0272] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to receive capability information from the terminal, the capability information indicating that the terminal is capable of reporting the congestion condition corresponding to the first connection.

[0273] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to receive third information from the terminal, the third information indicating that the terminal is connected to the tethering device.

[0274] When the communication apparatus 100 is configured to implement a function of the core network device, the transceiver module 1002 is configured to receive first information from the terminal, the first information indicating a congestion condition corresponding to a first connection, the first connection being a connection between the terminal and a tethering device; and the processing module 1001 is configured to perform congestion control according to the first information.

[0275] The processing module 1001 is configured to determine first information. The transceiver module 1002 is configured to send the first information to the first terminal. The first information indicates that the terminal is allowed to set a first flag in a data packet associated with a first connection, the first connection is a connection between the terminal and the tethering device, and the first flag is used to indicate congestion of the first connection. For example, the first flag is an Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) flag.

[0276] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to send second information to the terminal, the second information indicating congestion of a second connection, the second connection being a connection between the terminal and a Radio Access Network (RAN) node.

[0277] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to receive third information from the terminal, the third information indicating that the terminal is capable of or agrees to set the first flag for the data packet associated with the first connection.

[0278] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further configured to receive fourth information from the terminal, the fourth information indicating that the terminal is connected to the tethering device.

[0279] The above method embodiments involve all related content of each step, which can be referred to the function description of the corresponding functional module, and thus will not be repeated here.

[0280] In the present application, the communication apparatus 100 can be in the form of an integrated manner to present each functional module. The "module" here can refer to a specific application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and a memory executing one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0281] In some embodiments, when the communication apparatus 100 in FIG. 10 is a chip or a chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1002 can be realized through the input / output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 1001 can be realized through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or chip system.

[0282] Since the communication apparatus 100 provided in the present embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects that can be obtained thereby can be referred to the above method embodiments, and thus will not be repeated here.

[0283] As a possible product form, the terminal or the RAN node or the network device described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented using one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), programmable logic devices (PLD), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuitry, or any combination of circuitry capable of performing the various functions described throughout the present application.

[0284] As another possible product form, the terminal or the RAN node or the network device described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by a general bus architecture. For ease of illustration, refer to FIG. 11, which is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus 1100 provided by the embodiments of the present application, the communication apparatus 1100 including a processor 1101 and a transceiver 1102. The communication apparatus 1100 can be a terminal, or a chip or chip system therein; or the communication apparatus 1100 can be a RAN node, or a chip or module therein; or the communication apparatus 1100 can be a network device, or a chip or module therein. FIG. 11 only shows the main components of the communication apparatus 1100. In addition to the processor 1101 and the transceiver 1102, the communication apparatus can further include a memory 1103, and an input output apparatus (not shown in FIG. 11).

[0285] Optionally, the processor 1101 is mainly used for processing communication protocols and communication data, and controlling the whole communication apparatus, executing software programs, processing data of the software programs, so as to implement the methods provided in the method embodiments described above. The memory 1103 is mainly used for storing software programs and data. The transceiver 1102 can include radio frequency circuitry and an antenna, the radio frequency circuitry being mainly used for conversion between baseband signals and radio frequency signals and processing the radio frequency signals. The antenna is mainly used for transceiving radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. The input output apparatus, such as a touch screen, a display screen, a keyboard, etc., is mainly used for receiving data input by a user and outputting data to the user.

[0286] Optionally, the processor 1101, the transceiver 1102, and the memory 1103 can be connected through a communication bus.

[0287] When the communication apparatus is powered on, the processor 1101 can read the software program in the memory 1103, execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 1101 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted, and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal, and transmits the radio frequency signal in the form of electromagnetic wave through the antenna. When data is transmitted to the communication apparatus, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1101. The processor 1101 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0288] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuit and the antenna can be arranged independently of the processor performing the baseband processing, for example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuit and the antenna can be arranged remotely from the communication apparatus.

[0289] In some embodiments, in the hardware implementation, those skilled in the art can conceive that the above-mentioned communication apparatus 100 can adopt the form of the communication apparatus 1100 shown in FIG. 11. As an example, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 1001 in FIG. 10 can be realized by the processor 1101 in the communication apparatus 1100 shown in FIG. 11 invoking the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1103. The functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1002 in FIG. 10 can be realized by the transceiver 1102 in the communication apparatus 1100 shown in FIG. 11.

[0290] As another possible product form, the terminal or the RAN node or the network equipment in the present application can adopt the constituent structure shown in FIG. 12, or include the components shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a constituent diagram of a communication apparatus 1200 provided in the present application. The communication apparatus 1200 can be a terminal or a chip or a system on chip in the terminal; or can be a RAN node or a chip or a system on chip in the RAN node; or can be a network equipment or a chip or a system on chip in the network equipment.

[0291] As shown in FIG. 12, the communication apparatus 1200 includes at least one processor 1201, and at least one communication interface (only one communication interface 1204 is shown in FIG. 12 as an example, and the processor 1201 is taken as an example for description). Optionally, the communication apparatus 1200 can further include a communication bus 1202 and a memory 1203.

[0292] The processor 1201 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a network processing unit (NP), a digital signal processing (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a PLD, or any combination thereof. The processor 1201 can also be other apparatuses with processing capabilities, such as a circuit, a device, or a software module, without limitation.

[0293] The communication bus 1202 is used to connect different components in the communication apparatus 1200, so that different components can communicate. The communication bus 1202 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 12, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0294] The communication interface 1204 is used to communicate with other devices or communication networks. For example, the communication interface 1204 can be a module, a circuit, a transceiver, or any device capable of communication. Alternatively, the communication interface 1204 can also be an input / output interface in the processor 1201, used to realize the signal input and signal output of the processor.

[0295] The memory 1203 can be a device with a storage function, used to store instructions and / or data. The instructions can be a computer program. For example, the memory 1203 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and / or instructions, or a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and / or instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage medium, or other magnetic storage device, etc., without limitation.

[0296] It is noted that the memory 1203 can be independent of the processor 1201, or can be integrated with the processor 1201. The memory 1203 can be located in the communication device 1200, or can be located outside the communication device 1200, without limitation. The processor 1201 can be used to execute instructions stored in the memory 1203 to implement the methods provided by the embodiments described below.

[0297] Optionally, the processor 1201 and / or the memory 1203 can include an artificial intelligence (AI) module, which is used to implement AI-related functions. The AI module can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. For example, the AI module can include a radio access network intelligent controller (RIC) module. For example, the AI module can be a near-real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0298] As an optional implementation, the communication device 1200 can further include an output device 1205 and an input device 1206. The output device 1205 communicates with the processor 1201 and can display information in various ways. For example, the output device 1205 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector, etc. The input device 1206 communicates with the processor 1201 and can receive user input in various ways. For example, the input device 1206 can be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, a sensor device, etc.

[0299] In some embodiments, in a hardware implementation, those skilled in the art can conceive that the communication device 100 shown in FIG. 10 can adopt the form of the communication device 1200 shown in FIG. 12. As an example, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 1001 in FIG. 10 can be implemented by the processor 1201 in the communication device 1200 shown in FIG. 12 invoking computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1203. The functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1002 in FIG. 10 can be implemented by the communication interface 1204 in the communication device 1200 shown in FIG. 12.

[0300] It should be noted that the structure shown in FIGS. 10-12 does not constitute a specific limitation on the terminal or the RAN node or the network device. For example, in some embodiments of the present application, the terminal or the RAN node or the network device can include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or split certain components, or different arrangement of components. The components shown can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0301] In some embodiments, the present application also provides a communication apparatus, which comprises a processor configured to implement the method in any of the preceding method embodiments.

[0302] As a possible implementation, the communication apparatus further comprises a memory. The memory is configured to store necessary computer programs and data. The computer programs can include instructions, and the processor can invoke the instructions in the computer programs stored in the memory to instruct the communication apparatus to perform the method in any of the preceding method embodiments. Of course, the memory can also not be in the communication apparatus.

[0303] As another possible implementation, the communication apparatus further comprises an interface circuit, which is a code / data read / write interface circuit, and is configured to receive computer execution instructions (the computer execution instructions are stored in the memory, and can be read directly from the memory or can pass through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0304] As yet another possible implementation, the communication apparatus further comprises a communication interface, which is configured to communicate with modules outside the communication apparatus.

[0305] It can be understood that the communication apparatus can be a chip or a chip system. When the communication apparatus is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip or can include a chip and other discrete devices, and the present application does not make a specific limitation on this.

[0306] The present application also provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instructions, and the computer program or instructions are executed by a computer to realize the functions of any of the preceding method embodiments.

[0307] The present application also provides a computer program product, which is executed by a computer to realize the functions of any of the preceding method embodiments.

[0308] Those skilled in the art can understand that, for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working processes of the system, apparatus and unit described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the preceding method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0309] It can be understood that the system, apparatus and method described in the present application can also be implemented in other manners. For example, the apparatus embodiment described above is merely illustrative. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There can be another division manner for the actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections can be indirect couplings or communication connections through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0310] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, i.e., can be located in one place, or can be distributed to multiple network units. The components shown as units can or can not be physical units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment. In addition, the functional units in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present separately, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0311] 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.) manner. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or data storage device including one or more servers, data centers, etc. integrated with the medium. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (such as a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (such as a solid state drive (SSD)), etc. In the embodiments of the present application, the computer can include the apparatus described above.

[0312] Although the application has been described in connection with the embodiments thereof with reference to the various drawings, it will be understood that other variations and modifications of the details, and specific embodiments disclosed can be effected without departing from the application. In its broadest form, the application comprises the combinations of features of the application as described hereinabove. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

[0313] Although the application has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of further modifications and this application is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the application following, in general, the principles of the application and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the application pertains. Accordingly, the description and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: determining first information, the first information indicating a congestion situation corresponding to a first connection, the first connection being a connection between the terminal and the tethering device; sending the first information to a radio access network (RAN) node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first information comprises at least one of the following: congestion indication information, congestion degree information, or congestion auxiliary information. The congestion indication information indicates whether the first connection is congested. The congestion degree information indicates a congestion degree of the first connection. The congestion auxiliary information comprises at least one of the following of the first connection: a data transmission rate, a transmission delay size, a packet loss rate size, a buffer queue length, or downlink data transmission state information, the downlink data transmission state information being used to indicate a data packet or a data volume transmitted to the tethering device through the first connection.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The congestion indication information indicates that the first connection is congested in at least one of the following cases: a data transmission rate of the first connection is lower than a first threshold, the data transmission rate of the first connection is lower than a data transmission rate between the terminal and the RAN node, a transmission delay of the first connection is greater than a second threshold, a packet loss rate of the first connection is greater than a third threshold, for downlink transmission, the buffer queue length of the first connection increases, for uplink transmission, the buffer queue length of the first connection decreases, a number of data packets transmitted to the tethering device through the first connection is less than a fourth threshold, or a data volume transmitted to the tethering device through the first connection is less than a fourth threshold.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, The congestion degree is determined according to at least one of the following of the first connection: a data transmission rate, a transmission delay size, a packet loss rate size, or a buffer queue length.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The sending of the first information to the RAN node comprises: after receiving second information from the RAN node, the first information is sent to the RAN node, the second information indicating that the terminal reports a congestion situation corresponding to the first connection; or, in a case where a congestion situation corresponding to the first connection changes, the first information is sent to the RAN node; or when a first timer expires, the first information is sent to the RAN node.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The first information indicates a congestion situation corresponding to a first data flow in the first connection, the first data flow being associated with a first quality of service (QoS) flow, a first protocol data unit (PDU) session, or a first data radio bearer (DRB).

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The first information indicates a congestion situation corresponding to uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission in the first connection.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The method further comprises: sending capability information to the RAN node, the capability information indicating that the terminal can report a congestion situation corresponding to the first connection.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The method further comprises: sending third information to the RAN node, the third information indicating that the terminal is connected with a tethering device.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The first connection is a non-third generation partnership project (3GPP) connection.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The non-3GPP connection is one of the following: wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, or starlink.

12. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: receiving first information from the terminal, the first information indicating a congestion situation corresponding to a first connection, the first connection being a connection between the terminal and a tethering device; performing congestion control according to the first information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The first information comprises at least one of the following: congestion indication information, congestion degree information, or congestion auxiliary information. The congestion indication information indicates whether the first connection is congested. The congestion degree information indicates a congestion degree of the first connection. The congestion auxiliary information comprises at least one of the following of the first connection: a data transmission rate, a transmission delay size, a packet loss rate size, a buffer queue length, or downlink data transmission state information, the downlink data transmission state information being used to indicate a number of data packets or a data volume transmitted to the tethering device through the first connection.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, When the first connection is congested, the congestion indication information indicates that: a data transmission rate of the first connection is lower than a first threshold, the data transmission rate of the first connection is lower than a data transmission rate between the terminal and the RAN node, a transmission delay of the first connection is greater than a second threshold, a packet loss rate of the first connection is greater than a third threshold, for downlink transmission, the buffer queue length of the first connection increases, for uplink transmission, the buffer queue length of the first connection decreases, the number of data packets transmitted to the tethering device through the first connection is less than a fourth threshold, or the data volume transmitted to the tethering device through the first connection is less than a fourth threshold.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein, The congestion degree is determined according to at least one of the following of the first connection: a data transmission rate, a transmission delay size, a packet loss rate size, or a buffer queue length.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12-15, characterized in that, The method further comprises: sending second information to the terminal, the second information indicating that the terminal reports a congestion situation corresponding to the first connection.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12-16, characterized in that, The first information indicates a congestion situation corresponding to a first data flow in the first connection, the first data flow being associated with a first quality of service (QoS) flow, a first protocol data unit (PDU) session, or a first data radio bearer (DRB).

18. The method according to any one of claims 12-17, characterized by, The first information indicates a congestion situation corresponding to uplink transmission and / or downlink transmission in the first connection.

19. The method according to any one of claims 12-18, characterized in that, The performing congestion control comprises: activating or deactivating packet loss based on packet importance, adjusting a proportion of explicit congestion notification (ECN) marks, or adjusting a size of a percentage used to represent a network congestion degree and reported to an application server.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, The activating packet loss based on packet importance comprises: sending fourth information to the terminal, the fourth information indicating that the terminal discards downlink packets with low importance.

21. The method according to any one of claims 12-20, characterized in that, The method further comprises: receiving capability information from the terminal, the capability information indicating that the terminal is capable of reporting a congestion situation corresponding to the first connection.

22. The method according to any one of claims 12-21, characterized in that, The method further comprises: receiving third information from the terminal, the third information indicating that the terminal is connected with a tethering device.

23. The method according to any one of claims 12-22, characterized in that, The first connection is a non-third generation partnership project (3GPP) connection.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein, The non-3GPP connection is one of the following: wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, or starlink.

25. A method of communication, comprising: The method comprises: determining that a first connection is congested, the first connection being a connection between the terminal and the tethering device; setting a first flag in a part of data packets associated with the first connection, the first flag being used to indicate that the first connection is congested.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving first information from a network device, the first information indicating that the terminal is allowed to set the first flag in data packets associated with the first connection.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein, The first information indicates that the terminal is allowed to set the first flag in data packets of a first quality of service (QoS) flow, a first protocol data unit (PDU) session, or a first data radio bearer (DRB), the first QoS flow or the first PDU session or the first DRB being associated with a first data flow in the first connection.

28. The method of any one of claims 25-27, wherein, The determining that the first connection is congested comprises: determining that the first connection is congested when at least one of the following conditions is met: a data transmission rate of the first connection is lower than a first threshold, the data transmission rate of the first connection is lower than a data transmission rate between the terminal and a RAN node, a transmission delay of the first connection is greater than a second threshold, a packet loss rate of the first connection is greater than a third threshold, for downlink transmission, a buffer queue length of the first connection increases, for uplink transmission, the buffer queue length of the first connection decreases, a number of data packets transmitted to the tethering device through the first connection is less than a fourth threshold, or an amount of data transmitted to the tethering device through the first connection is less than a fourth threshold.

29. The method of any one of claims 25-28, wherein, The method further comprises: determining that a second connection is congested, the first flag being further used to indicate that the second connection is congested, the second connection being a connection between the terminal and a radio access network (RAN) node.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving second information from a network device, the second information indicating a congestion status of the second connection.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein, The second information comprises congestion degree information and / or flag proportion information; wherein the congestion degree information indicates a congestion degree of the second connection, and the flag proportion information indicates a percentage of data packets corresponding to the second connection that need to set the first flag.

32. The method of any one of claims 25-31, wherein, The method further comprises: sending third information to a network device, the third information indicating that the terminal is capable of or agrees to set the first flag for data packets associated with the first connection.

33. The method of any one of claims 25-32, wherein, The method further comprises: sending fourth information to a network device, the fourth information indicating that the terminal is connected with a tethering device.

34. The method of any one of claims 25-33, wherein, The first flag is an explicit congestion notification (ECN) flag.

35. A communications device, characterized by The communication apparatus comprises a processor; the processor is configured to run a computer program or instructions, so as to enable the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1-11, or to perform the method of any one of claims 12-24, or to perform the method of any one of claims 25-34.

36. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs that, when run on a computer, cause the method of any one of claims 1-11 to be performed, or cause the method of any one of claims 12-24 to be performed, or cause the method of any one of claims 25-34 to be performed.

37. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises computer instructions; when part or all of the computer instructions are run on a computer, cause the method of any one of claims 1-11 to be performed, or cause the method of any one of claims 12-24 to be performed, or cause the method of any one of claims 25-34 to be performed.

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