Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: a data sending end sending a data packet to a data receiving end, wherein the data packet has undergone source coding; receiving retransmission instruction information sent by the data receiving end, wherein the retransmission instruction information is used for instructing to retransmit data having a transmission error in the data packet; and sending data error information to an application layer that performs source coding on the data packet, wherein the data error information comprises information about the data having the transmission error. In conventional communication processes, application layers cannot acquire transmission statuses of data over air interfaces, and therefore, conventional source coding has low resistance to air interface interference. However, in the described method, upon receiving the data error information, the data receiving end sends the information about the data having the transmission error to the application layer, such as an application layer of a terminal device or an application server, so that the application layer can perform source coding on the basis of a transmission status over an air interface, thereby improving the resistance of source coding to air interface interference, and improving user experience.

Description

Communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202411381367.2, filed on September 29, 2024, and entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0004] In recent years, with the continuous development of the fifth generation (5G) communication system, the data transmission delay is continuously reduced, and the transmission capacity is increasingly large. The 5G communication system gradually increases some multimedia services with strong real-time performance and large data capacity requirements, such as video transmission, cloud gaming (CG) and extended reality (XR), etc., wherein XR includes virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).

[0005] For the above-mentioned service data with large data capacity, the data can be subjected to semantic source coding to extract semantic information related to the receiver task. The extracted multiple features have different importance, and different channel transmission strategies can be used for transmission during transmission. Compared with the traditional communication method, the data subjected to semantic source coding utilizes feature flow fault-tolerant air interface communication. Even if bit transmission errors occur during transmission, the feature flow communication can still recover or infer the intention or information of the sending end at the receiving end. Even if errors occur, the picture error area can still be recovered well.

[0006] However, the current source coding has weak resistance to air interface interference. When air interface transmission interference occurs, it is difficult to guarantee the communication quality. SUMMARY

[0007] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus for realizing the case that the application layer acquires air interface transmission, which helps to improve the resistance of source coding to air interface interference.

[0008] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a data sending end, such as a data sending end, or a communication module / processing module in the data sending end, or a circuit or chip responsible for a communication function in the data sending end (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system on chip (SoC) chip or a system in package (SIP) chip containing a modem core), or a circuit or chip responsible for a processing function in a data receiving end (such as a graphics processing unit (GPU), an artificial intelligence (AI) processor, or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)).

[0009] For example, in the method, the data sending end sends a data packet to the data receiving end, the data packet is source encoded, retransmission indication information sent by the data receiving end is received, the retransmission indication information is used to indicate retransmission of data with transmission errors in the data packet, and data error information including information of the data with the transmission errors is transmitted to an application layer performing source encoding on the data packet.

[0010] In a traditional communication process, an application layer cannot obtain transmission of data on an air interface, and therefore, source encoding and channel encoding are completely independent. As a result, traditional source encoding has low resistance to air interface interference, and it is difficult to guarantee communication quality under different air interface interference conditions, thereby reducing user experience. In the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, after the data receiving end receives the data error information, the information of the data with the transmission errors is sent to the application layer, such as an application layer of a terminal device or an application server, so that the application layer can obtain the transmission of the data on the air interface, and source encoding can be performed according to the transmission of the data on the air interface, thereby improving the resistance of source encoding to air interface interference, and realizing improvement of user experience.

[0011] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: the application layer updates a source encoder according to the information of the data with the transmission errors. Since the new source encoder is generated according to the information of the data with the transmission errors, and the information of the data with the transmission errors can reflect current air interface interference, the updated source encoder is more conducive to resisting air interface interference, thereby improving data transmission reliability and guaranteeing user experience.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the application layer updates the source encoder according to the information of the data with transmission errors, including: the application layer updates the source encoder based on mask learning according to a relationship between the data with transmission errors and mask elements, the relationship between the data with transmission errors and the mask elements including one or more of the following relationships: a relationship between a number of the data with transmission errors and a number of the mask elements; a relationship between the number of the data with transmission errors and a distribution of the mask elements; a relationship between a distribution of the data with transmission errors and a distribution of the mask elements; and a relationship between the distribution of the data with transmission errors and the number of the mask elements. The relationship between the data with transmission errors and the mask elements can reflect the mask elements corresponding to positions of the data that are specifically affected by air interface interference, and the application layer updates the source encoder according to the relationship, which can make the updated source encoder more conducive to eliminating interference at the corresponding positions, thereby improving the reliability of communication.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the application layer updates the source encoder according to the information of the data with transmission errors, including: when the number of the data with transmission errors is greater than or equal to a first preset threshold, or when a probability of the data with transmission errors is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold, the application layer updates the source encoder according to the information of the data with transmission errors. After receiving the data error information, the application layer can first determine the number or the probability of the data with transmission errors, and if the preset threshold is not reached, it can be determined that the air interface transmission interference is a casual factor or a long-term interference factor, and therefore the source encoder can not be updated. When the number or the probability of the data with transmission errors reaches the preset threshold, it can be determined that the air interface transmission interference is long-term, and therefore the source encoder is updated according to the information of the data with transmission errors.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending information of the updated source encoder to the data receiving end. The data sending end sends the information of the updated source encoder to the data receiving end, so that the application layer at the opposite end can update the source decoder according to the information of the updated source encoder, thereby improving the decoding accuracy and improving the reliability of communication.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the source encoder is a source encoder based on mask learning, and the information of the updated source encoder includes updated mask information of the source encoder, and the mask information includes a value of at least one mask element. After the source encoder is updated, the value of the mask element used by the source encoder can change, and the changed value of the mask element can be sent to the data receiving end, so that the application layer at the opposite end updates the source decoder according to the changed value of the mask element.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the sending of the information of the updated source encoder to the data receiving end comprises: sending the information of the updated source encoder to the data receiving end through radio resource control (RRC) signaling or medium access control control element (MAC CE) signaling.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the retransmission indication information comprises distribution information of code blocks (CBs) or code block groups (CBGs) with transmission errors. In this implementation, when the retransmission indication information indicates the data with transmission errors, the indication can be performed in units of CBs, so as to correspond to the mask elements in the source encoder.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the data error information comprises distribution information of code blocks (CBs) or code block groups (CBGs) with transmission errors. The distribution information of the CBs and / or CBGs with transmission errors is sent to the application layer, so as to facilitate the application layer to determine the mask elements corresponding to the positions of the data affected by the air interface interference.

[0019] In a possible implementation, the data sending end is a terminal device, and the data receiving end is an access network device; or the data sending end is an access network device, and the data receiving end is a terminal device.

[0020] In a possible implementation, when the data sending end is an access network device and the data receiving end is a terminal device, the passing of the data error information to the application layer that source encodes the data packet comprises: the access network device sends the data error information to an application server.

[0021] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, applied to a data receiving end, for example, a data receiving end, or a communication module / processing module in the data receiving end, or a circuit or chip responsible for a communication function in the data receiving end (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core, or a circuit or chip responsible for a processing function in the data receiving end (such as a GPU, an AI processor, or an ASIC).

[0022] For example, the method is applied to a data receiving end, in which the data receiving end receives a data packet, the data packet is source encoded and channel encoded, if there is data with transmission errors in the data packet, retransmission indication information is sent, the retransmission indication information is used to indicate retransmission of the data with transmission errors in the data packet, and information of an updated source encoder is received.

[0023] In a possible implementation, when the data receiving end is a terminal device, the method further comprises: decoding the received data packet according to the information of the updated source encoder.

[0024] In a possible implementation, when the data receiving end is an access network device, the method further includes: sending information of the updated source encoder to an application server.

[0025] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, applied to an application server, for example, an application server, a module (for example, a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) in the application server, or a logic node, a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the application server.

[0026] For example, in the method, the application server sends a data packet, the data packet is source encoded, receives data error information, the data error information includes information of the transmission error data, and updates a source encoder according to the information of the transmission error data.

[0027] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending information of the updated source encoder.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the source encoder is a source encoder based on mask learning, and the information of the updated source encoder includes updated mask information of the source encoder, and the mask information includes values of at least one mask element.

[0029] In a possible implementation, the updating of the source encoder according to the information of the transmission error data includes: updating the source encoder based on mask learning according to a relationship between the transmission error data and the mask element, and the relationship between the transmission error data and the mask element includes one or more of the following relationships: a relationship between a number of the transmission error data and a number of the mask element, a relationship between the number of the transmission error data and a distribution of the mask element, a relationship between a distribution of the transmission error data and a distribution of the mask element, and a relationship between the distribution of the transmission error data and the number of the mask element.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the updating of the source encoder according to the information of the transmission error data includes: when a number of the transmission error data is greater than or equal to a first preset threshold, or when a probability of the transmission error is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold, the source encoder is updated according to the information of the transmission error data.

[0031] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which has the functions of the first aspect, e.g., the communication apparatus includes modules or units or means corresponding to the operations of the first aspect, which can be implemented in software, or in hardware, or in a combination of software and hardware.

[0032] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which has the functions of the second aspect, e.g., the communication apparatus includes modules or units or means corresponding to the operations of the second aspect, which can be implemented in software, or in hardware, or in a combination of software and hardware.

[0033] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which has the functions of the third aspect, e.g., the communication apparatus includes modules or units or means corresponding to the operations of the third aspect, which can be implemented in software, or in hardware, or in a combination of software and hardware.

[0034] In a seventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled to a memory. The memory is used to store part or all of the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions related to the first aspect. The one or more processors can execute the computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication apparatus to implement the method in any possible design or implementation manner of the first aspect. The interface circuit is used to implement the communication function within the communication apparatus and / or the communication function of the communication apparatus with other devices or components.

[0035] In a possible design, the processor is configured to communicate with other devices or components via the interface circuit.

[0036] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can further include the memory.

[0037] The communication apparatus can be a data sending end, or a communication / processing module in the data sending end, or a chip responsible for communication function in the data sending end, such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip) or a SoC or SIP chip containing a modem module, or a circuit or chip responsible for processing function in the data sending end, such as a GPU, an AI processor, or an ASIC.

[0038] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, which comprises an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled with a memory. The memory is configured to store part or all of the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions related to the second aspect. The one or more processors can execute the computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication apparatus to implement the method in any possible design or implementation manner of the second aspect. The interface circuit is configured to implement the communication function within the communication apparatus and / or the communication function of the communication apparatus with other apparatuses or components.

[0039] In a possible design, the processor is configured to communicate with other apparatuses or components via the interface circuit.

[0040] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can further comprise the memory.

[0041] The communication apparatus can be a data receiving end, a communication / processing module in the data receiving end, a chip responsible for the communication function such as a modem chip (also referred to as a baseband chip) or an SoC or SIP chip containing a modem module in the data receiving end, or a circuit or chip responsible for the processing function (such as a GPU, an AI processor, or an ASIC) in the data receiving end.

[0042] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, which comprises an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled with a memory. The memory is configured to store part or all of the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions related to the third aspect. The one or more processors can execute the computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication apparatus to implement the method in any possible design or implementation manner of the third aspect. The interface circuit is configured to implement the communication function within the communication apparatus and / or the communication function of the communication apparatus with other apparatuses or components.

[0043] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which comprises the communication apparatus in the fourth aspect and the communication apparatus in the fifth aspect. In a possible design, the communication system can further comprise the communication apparatus in the sixth aspect.

[0044] In an eleventh aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which comprises the communication apparatus in the seventh aspect and the communication apparatus in the eighth aspect. In a possible design, the communication system can further comprise the communication apparatus in the ninth aspect.

[0045] In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip, comprising: a processor coupled with a memory, the memory being configured to store instructions, when the instructions are executed by the processor, causing the chip to implement the method in the first aspect to the third aspect and any implementation manner thereof.

[0046] In a thirteenth aspect, the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, the computer readable storage medium storing computer readable instructions, when the computer readable instructions are read and executed by a computer, causing the computer to execute the method in any possible design of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0047] In a fourteenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, when the computer program product is read and executed by a computer, causing the computer to execute the method in any possible design of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0048] The technical effects that can be achieved by any possible implementation manner in the second aspect to the fourteenth aspect are the same as those of the corresponding implementation manner in the first aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0049] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a cloud VR / AR communication network according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a transmission architecture of a semantic communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an application framework according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of another application framework according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a relationship between error data and mask tokens according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of another relationship between error data and mask tokens according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of yet another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG. 11 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG. 12 is a structural schematic diagram of another communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] In recent years, with the continuous development of the fifth generation (5G) communication system, the data transmission delay is continuously reduced, and the transmission capacity is increasingly large, and the 5G communication system gradually increases some multimedia services with strong real-time performance and large data capacity requirements, such as video transmission, cloud gaming (CG) and extended reality (XR), etc., wherein XR includes virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).

[0062] With the rapid increase of communication transmission rate, real-time video transmission service has gradually become one of the core services in the current network. With the continuous progress and improvement of XR technology, the related industry has also developed vigorously. Today, VR technology, as a kind of XR, has entered various fields closely related to people's production and life, such as education, entertainment, military, medical treatment, environmental protection, transportation, public health, etc. Compared with traditional video services, VR has the advantages of multi-view and strong interactivity, providing users with a new visual experience. VR integrates computer graphics, multimedia and other technologies, simulates the functions of human visual, auditory and tactile sensory organs, making people feel as if they are in the virtual world, and can communicate in real time through language, gestures and other means, enhancing the sense of immersion. Through VR technology, users can not only feel as if they are in the virtual world, but also break through the limitations of time and space, and experience the wonderful experience of entering the virtual world. AR is to use computer technology to superimpose virtual information on the real world, and display it through mobile phones, tablets, glasses and other devices, which can be perceived by people, so as to realize the fusion of reality and virtuality, and enrich the real world. In short, it is to give real objects more information, enhance the sense of three-dimensionality, and strengthen the visual effect and interactive experience.

[0063] Cloud XR is a technology that introduces cloud computing and cloud rendering into VR / AR business applications. With the help of high-speed and stable networks, cloud VR and cloud augmented reality (AR) transmit the display output and sound output from the cloud to user equipment (UE) after encoding and compression, so as to realize cloud-based VR / AR business content and rendering. The terminal device of VR / AR can also meet the needs of lightweight and mobility. FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the architecture of a cloud VR / AR communication network. The terminal device of VR / AR (UE1 and UE2 in FIG. 1) is connected to the network through a base station or other access points to obtain VR / AR business data from the cloud.

[0064] Cloud XR has strict latency requirements for the network. The motion-to-photon (MTP) latency is less than 20 ms, which can provide an immersive experience for users. Otherwise, it may cause motion sickness and poor user experience. If an asynchronous rendering technology is used, the end-to-end interaction latency can be relaxed to 70 ms. After excluding the encoding and rendering latency on the server side and the decoding processing latency on the terminal side, only 20 ms is left for network transmission, of which the uplink transmission latency and the downlink transmission latency are each 10 ms. In recent years, with the evolution of XR business, including the maturity of haptic internet technology, the latency requirements for the network are further strict. For example, in a remote control system, in order to ensure the high fidelity of haptics and remote operation, the sampling rate of haptic information should not be less than 1 kHz, and the transmission latency requirement for each sample is 5 ms, which brings great challenges to the 5G system.

[0065] Semantic communication is a technology that first extracts, compresses and transmits selected features of the original signal, and then communicates using semantic level information. This technology takes the task as the main body, transmits after understanding, and greatly improves the transmission efficiency and reliability of the communication system. The transmission architecture of the semantic communication system can be as shown in FIG. 2. At the data sending end, the data to be transmitted passes through a semantic source encoder and a channel encoder in turn to extract a semantic information feature stream related to the task of the receiver. When the feature stream is transmitted, the extracted multiple feature streams (or slices) have different importance and can be transmitted using different channel transmission strategies. At the data receiving end, the received data passes through channel decoding and semantic source decoding in turn. In this source-channel coding separation architecture design, channel coding is only related to channel conditions, and semantic coding is only related to semantic information sources.

[0066] Traditional communication methods mainly focus on the correct transmission of bit streams. If part of the bits are transmitted incorrectly, the picture recovery at the receiving end will not be able to recover the intention or information transmitted by the sending end. The error bits will present a mosaic state, and the entire picture will appear to be garbled. However, after using source and channel coding, the error tolerance of the feature stream in air communication is utilized. Even if errors occur in the transmission process, the feature stream communication can still recover or infer the intention or information of the sending end at the receiving end, and the picture error area can still be recovered well.

[0067] The random mask learning mechanism in the mask pre-training model matches the random situation of packet loss in the transmission process. Therefore, the mask pre-training model can better simulate the random packet loss situation at the receiving end, and can efficiently and parallelly repair the semantic feature domain of the feature stream (or slice) with packet loss at the receiving end. The randomness of the mask in the mask pre-training model has no any constraint, and therefore can support repair under any packet loss situation.

[0068] The mask operation is as follows: for a given visual token visual tokens , a mask ratio r is sampled from a uniform distribution of (0, 1), and then a random number of tokens are selected from the given N visual tokens , and the number of tokens is , and a learnable mask token M ∈ R 1×C is used to replace the randomly selected token to obtain masked tokens . The purpose of mask pre-training is to reconstruct the token at the mask position from the unmasked token by predicting the value and distribution parameters.

[0069] When transmitting in the physical layer, the data with transmission errors is usually in the unit of a code block (CB), and the number of tokens corresponding to one CB can be one or more, that is, the error probability of the one or more tokens is the same and has a correlation relationship. However, the current mask token does not consider the correlation relationship, so that the source has a low ability to resist air interface interference.

[0070] Therefore, the embodiment of the present application provides a communication method for enhancing the resistance of source coded data to air interface interference, ensuring the reliability of data transmission, and improving user experience.

[0071] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example, a 5th generation (5G) or new radio (NR) system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, an internet of things (IoT) communication system, a satellite communication system, a future communication system such as a 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system, or a converged system of multiple systems, and the like.

[0072] FIG. 3 exemplarily provides a system architecture diagram to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable. As shown in FIG. 3, the communication system 10 can include a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200, and further can include an Internet 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., 110a and 110b in FIG. 3, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (e.g., 120a-120j in FIG. 3, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 can further include other RAN nodes, for example, a wireless relay device and / or a wireless backhaul device (not shown in FIG. 3), and the like. The terminal 120 is connected to the RAN node 110 in a wireless manner. The RAN node 110 is connected to the core network 200 in a wireless or wired manner. The core network device in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 can be different physical devices respectively, or can be the same physical device integrated with the logical functions of the core network and the logical functions of the radio access network.

[0073] The RAN 100 can be a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) related cellular system, for example, a 4G, 5G mobile communication system, or a future evolution system. The RAN 100 can also be an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. The RAN 100 can also be a communication system in which two or more of the above systems are converged.

[0074] The RAN node 110, which can also be referred to as an access network device, a RAN entity, or an access node, etc., forms part of the communication system, and is configured to facilitate the wireless access by the terminals. The RAN nodes 110 in the communication system 10 can be of the same type or can be of different types. In some scenarios, the roles of the RAN node 110 and the terminal 120 are relative, e.g., the network element 120i in Figure 3 can be a helicopter or a drone, which can be configured to move as a mobile base station, and for those terminals 120j accessing the RAN 100 via the network element 120i, the network element 120i is a base station; but for the base station 110a, the network element 120i is a terminal. Both the RAN node 110 and the terminal 120 are sometimes referred to as communication apparatuses, e.g., the network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 3 can be understood as communication apparatuses with base station functionalities, and the network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication apparatuses with terminal functionalities

[0075] In a possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a 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., 110a in Figure 3), a micro base station or an indoor station (e.g., 110b in Figure 3), 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 access network device in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology can be a road side unit (RSU). 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 (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node can also be provided with a communication module, circuit or chip for performing corresponding communication functions, and program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions. 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 functions of the RAN node.

[0076] In another possible scenario, a terminal is assisted by multiple RAN nodes to implement wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of functions of a base station. For example, a RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU can be separately arranged, or can also be included in the same network element, for example, in a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, for example, included in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna processing unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0077] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an ORAN system, the CU can also be referred to as an O-CU (open CU), the DU can also be referred to as an O-DU, the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as an O-RU. For the convenience of description, the CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU are taken as examples for description in this application. Any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0078] A terminal can be a device or module with corresponding communication functions and can access the above-mentioned communication system. The terminal can also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, remote medical treatment, smart power grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, wearable device, vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicle, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, mechanical arm, smart home device, transport vehicle with wireless communication function, communication module, etc. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the device form of the terminal. The terminal is usually provided with a communication module, circuit or chip for performing corresponding communication functions. The terminal is also configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions.

[0079] In order to support artificial intelligence (AI) technology in a wireless network, an AI node can also be introduced in the network.

[0080] The AI node can be deployed in one or more of the following positions in the communication system: access network node (RAN node), terminal device, or core network device, etc., or the AI node can also be deployed separately, for example, in a position other than any of the above devices, such as a host or cloud server of an over the top (OTT) system. The AI node can communicate with other devices in the communication system, which can be one or more of the following: network device, terminal device, or core network element, etc.

[0081] It can be understood that the present application does not limit the number of AI nodes. For example, when there are multiple AI nodes, the multiple AI nodes can be divided based on functions, such as different AI nodes responsible for different functions.

[0082] It can also be understood that the AI node can be a separate device, can be integrated into the same device to implement different functions, or can be a network element in a hardware device, or a software function running on a dedicated hardware, or a virtualized function instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform), and the present application does not limit the specific form of the above-mentioned AI node.

[0083] An AI node can be an AI network element or an AI module.

[0084] Figure 4 illustrates a possible application framework in a communication system. As shown in Figure 4, network elements in the communication system are connected through interfaces (e.g., NG, Xn) or air interfaces. One or more AI modules (only one is shown in Figure 4 for clarity) are deployed in one or more of the network element nodes, such as a core network device, an access network node (RAN node), a terminal, or one or more devices in operations administration and maintenance (OAM). The access network node can be a single RAN node or can include multiple RAN nodes, e.g., including a CU and a DU. The CU and / or the DU can also be provided with one or more AI modules. The CU can also be split into a CU-CP and a CU-UP, and the CU-CP and / or the CU-UP can be provided with one or more AI modules.

[0085] An AI module is used to implement a corresponding AI function. AI modules deployed in different network elements can be the same or different. The model of an AI module can implement different functions according to different parameter configurations. The model of an AI module can be configured based on one or more of the following parameters: a structural parameter (e.g., at least one of a number of neural network layers, a neural network width, a connection relationship between layers, a weight of a neuron, an activation function of a neuron, or a bias in the activation function), an input parameter (e.g., a type of input parameter and / or a dimension of the input parameter), or an output parameter (e.g., a type of output parameter and / or a dimension of the output parameter). The bias in the activation function can also be referred to as a bias of a neural network.

[0086] In one example, the neural network described above can be a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neuron network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), or a generative adversarial network (GAN).

[0087] A DNN is an artificial neural network architecture that has multiple layers of nonlinear transformation units stacked together in a hierarchical structure, forming a deep computational model. Compared with a shallow neural network, a deep neural network has more hidden layers, allowing the network model to capture more complex internal structures of data and high-level abstract features.

[0088] A CNN is a deep neural network with a convolutional structure. A CNN includes a feature extractor composed of convolutional layers and subsampling layers. The feature extractor can be viewed as a filter, and the convolution process can be viewed as convolving an input image or a convolutional feature map with a trainable filter.

[0089] An RNN is a type of recursive neural network that takes sequence data as input, performs recursion in the direction of sequence evolution, and connects all nodes (recurrent units) in a chain.

[0090] A GAN is a deep learning model. It is composed of a generator and a discriminator, and is trained through adversarial learning. The purpose is to estimate the latent distribution of data samples and generate new data samples.

[0091] An AI module can have one or more models. A model can infer an output, which includes a parameter or multiple parameters. The learning process, training process, or inference process of different models can be deployed in different nodes or devices, or can be deployed in the same node or device.

[0092] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a possible application framework in a communication system. As shown in Figure 5, the communication system includes a RAN intelligent controller (RIC). For example, the RIC can be the AI module shown in Figure 4, which is used to implement AI-related functions. The RIC includes a near-real time RIC (near-RT RIC) and a non-real time RIC (Non-RT RIC). The non-real time RIC mainly processes non-real time information, such as data that is not sensitive to latency, which can be on the order of seconds. The real-time RIC mainly processes near-real-time information, such as data that is relatively sensitive to latency, which is on the order of tens of milliseconds.

[0093] The near-real-time RIC can be used for model training and inference. For example, for training an AI model, and using the AI model for inference. The near-real-time RIC can obtain network-side and / or terminal-side information from RAN nodes (such as CUs, CU-CPs, CU-UPs, DUs, and / or RUs) and / or terminals. This information can be used as training data or inference data. The near-real-time RIC can deliver inference results to RAN nodes and / or terminals. The CU and the DU, and / or the DU and the RU, can interact with the inference results. For example, the near-real-time RIC delivers the inference results to the DU, which sends them to the RU.

[0094] The non-real-time RIC can also be used for model training and inference. For example, for training an AI model, inference is performed using the model. The non-real-time RIC can obtain network-side and / or terminal-side information from the RAN node (e.g., CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and / or RU) and / or the terminal. The information can be used as training data or inference data, and the inference result can be delivered to the RAN node and / or the terminal. The inference result can be exchanged between the CU and the DU, and / or between the DU and the RU, for example, the non-real-time RIC delivers the inference result to the DU, which sends it to the RU.

[0095] The near-real-time RIC and the non-real-time RIC can also be separately provided as a network element. The near-real-time RIC and the non-real-time RIC can also be part of other devices, for example, the near-real-time RIC can be provided in the RAN node (e.g., CU, DU), and the non-real-time RIC can be provided in the OAM, in the cloud server, in the core network device, or in other network devices.

[0096] In this application, “sending information” can be understood as a device sending information to another device, or a logical module in a device sending information to another logical module in the device. For example, “the access network device sending information” can be understood as the access network device sending information to another device (e.g., a terminal), or a logical module 1 in the access network device sending information to a logical module 2 in the access network device.

[0097] In this application, “receiving information” can be understood as a device receiving information from another device, or a logical module in a device receiving information from another logical module in the device. For example, “the access network device receiving information” can be understood as the access network device receiving information from another device (e.g., a terminal), or a logical module 1 in the access network device receiving information from a logical module 2 in the access network device.

[0098] In this application, “sending information to … (e.g., a terminal)” or related illustrations in the drawings can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal. It can include directly or indirectly sending information to the terminal. “Receiving information from … (e.g., a terminal)” or “receiving information sent by … (e.g., a terminal)” or related illustrations in the drawings can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal. It can include directly or indirectly receiving information from the terminal. The information can be processed as necessary between the source and the destination of the information, such as format conversion, etc., but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be similarly understood, and will not be repeated here.

[0099] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in the figure, the method can include the following steps:

[0100] In step 601, the data sending end sends a data packet, which is source encoded.

[0101] In the above step, the data sending end sends the source encoded data packet to the data receiving end. The data sending end can be a terminal device or an access network device.

[0102] For example, for uplink transmission, the application layer of the terminal device can source encode the data to be sent. The source encoded data is sent to the physical layer of the terminal device. The physical layer of the terminal device channel encodes the source encoded data. Then, the terminal device sends the source encoded and channel encoded data packet to the access network device through the air interface, so that the access network device sends the data packet to the application server. In the above process, the terminal device is the data sending end, and the access network device is the data receiving end.

[0103] For example, for downlink transmission, the application server source encodes the data to be sent and sends the source encoded data packet to the access network device. The access network device channel encodes the source encoded data packet, and then sends the source encoded and channel encoded data packet to the terminal device through the air interface. In the above process, the access network device is the data sending end, and the terminal device is the data receiving end.

[0104] Since source encoding can help improve transmission efficiency and transmission reliability, it is particularly suitable for services with large data volume and high reliability requirements, such as VR, AR, cloud VR, cloud AR, CG, and other service scenarios.

[0105] In step 602, if the data receiving end determines that there is transmission error data in the data, it sends retransmission indication information, which is used to instruct retransmission of the transmission error data in the data packet.

[0106] After receiving the data packet sent by the data sending end, the data receiving end decodes the data packet. If there is transmission error data, it sends retransmission indication information to the data sending end to instruct the data sending end to retransmit the transmission error data, so that the data receiving end can correctly decode and obtain the correct data.

[0107] For example, for uplink transmission, after receiving the data packet sent by the terminal device, the access network device decodes the data packet, and if it is determined that there is data with transmission error, the access network device can perform retransmission scheduling through downlink control information (DCI), that is, the retransmission indication information is carried in the DCI signaling and sent to the terminal device.

[0108] For example, for downlink transmission, after receiving the data packet sent by the application server through the access network device, the terminal device decodes the data packet, and if all the data is correctly received and decoded, the terminal device can reply an acknowledgement (ACK) message to the access network device, and if the terminal device determines that there is data with transmission error, the terminal device can feed back a negative acknowledgement (NACK) message to the access network device, indicating that there is data with transmission error, so that the access network device retransmits the data with transmission error.

[0109] Optionally, the retransmission indication information can include one or more of the following information: identification information of the CB with transmission error, identification information of the code block group (CBG) with transmission error, distribution information of the CB with transmission error, distribution information of the CBG with transmission error, and the like.

[0110] In a possible implementation, if all the data is correctly received, the data receiving end can also send indication information to indicate that the data is correctly received.

[0111] In step 603, the data sending end sends data error information to the application layer that performs source encoding on the data packet, wherein the data error information includes information of the data with transmission error.

[0112] After receiving the retransmission indication information, the data sending end determines that there is data with transmission error, and then sends data error information to the application layer that performs source encoding on the data packet, to indicate information of the data with transmission error, such as identification of the CB with transmission error, identification of the CBG with transmission error, and the like.

[0113] For uplink transmission, after receiving the retransmission indication information sent by the access network device, the terminal device can send data error information to the application layer of the terminal device, so that the application layer of the terminal device can obtain the situation of the data in air interface transmission.

[0114] For downlink transmission, after receiving the retransmission indication information sent by the terminal device, the access network device can send data error information to the application server, so that the application server can obtain the situation of the data in air interface transmission.

[0115] Optionally, the data error information can include one or more of the following: identification information of the CBs with transmission errors, identification information of the code block groups (CBGs) with transmission errors, distribution information of the CBs with transmission errors, distribution information of the CBGs with transmission errors, and the like.

[0116] In a possible implementation, the data sending end can send the received retransmission indication information directly to the application layer, in which case the retransmission indication information is the data error information; or the data sending end can determine the data error information according to the retransmission indication information, and then send the data error information to the application layer. For example, the retransmission indication information indicates identification information of a transport block (TB) that needs to be retransmitted, and the data receiving end determines identification information of CBs with transmission errors according to the identification information of the TB that needs to be retransmitted, and then sends the data error information (including the determined identification information of the CBs with transmission errors) to the application layer.

[0117] If the indication information sent by the data receiving end in step 602 is used to indicate that the data is correctly received, the data sending end can also send indication information used to indicate that the data is correctly received to the application layer, so that the application layer can obtain more information about air interface transmission.

[0118] In a conventional communication process, the application layer cannot obtain information about air interface transmission of data, so the source coding and the channel coding are completely independent. Therefore, the conventional source coding has low resistance to air interface interference, and it is difficult to guarantee the communication quality under different air interface interference conditions, thereby reducing the user experience. In the above communication process, after receiving the data error information, the data receiving end sends information about the data with transmission errors to the application layer, such as the application layer of a terminal device or an application server, so that the application layer can obtain information about air interface transmission of data, and can perform source coding according to the air interface transmission, thereby improving the resistance of the source coding to air interface interference, and achieving improved user experience.

[0119] In a possible implementation, after receiving the data error information, the application layer can also update the source encoder according to the information of the data with transmission errors. The application layer can be an application layer of the terminal device or an application server. For example, for uplink transmission, the terminal device determines the information of the data with transmission errors according to the retransmission indication information received from the access network device, and sends the information to the application layer of the terminal device. The application layer of the terminal device updates the source encoder according to the information of the data with transmission errors. For another example, for downlink transmission, after receiving the retransmission indication information sent by the terminal device, the access network device can determine the information of the data with transmission errors according to the retransmission indication information, and send the information to the application server. The application server updates the source encoder according to the information of the data with transmission errors.

[0120] In the implementation, the application layer is already configured with the source encoder, and the application layer encodes the data packet to be sent by using the configured source encoder, that is, the data packet in step 601 is obtained by source encoding by using the source encoder. However, the source encoder is not fixed, and the application layer can update, fine-tune, or retrain the source encoder according to the obtained information of the data with transmission errors, to obtain a new source encoder. Since the new source encoder is generated according to the information of the data with transmission errors, and the information of the data with transmission errors can reflect the interference of the current air interface, the new source encoder is more conducive to resisting the interference of the air interface, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission and guaranteeing user experience.

[0121] Optionally, the application layer can also be preconfigured with a first preset threshold. When the number of data with transmission errors is greater than or equal to the first preset threshold, the application layer updates the source encoder according to the information of the data with transmission errors. Then, after receiving the data error information, the application layer can first determine the cumulative number of data with transmission errors. If the cumulative number does not reach the first preset threshold, it can be determined that the transmission interference of the air interface is not a long-term interference factor, and therefore the source encoder is not updated. When the cumulative number of data with transmission errors reaches the first preset threshold, it can be determined that the transmission interference of the air interface is a long-term interference factor, and therefore the source encoder is updated according to the information of the data with transmission errors.

[0122] Further, the application layer can also update the source encoder according to the information of the data with transmission errors when it is determined that the number of data with transmission errors in a preset time period is greater than or equal to the first preset threshold. For example, when the application layer receives the data error information, it can determine whether the number of data with transmission errors in a past period of time reaches the first preset threshold according to the received data error information. If yes, the source encoder is updated according to the information of the data with transmission errors. Otherwise, the source encoder is not updated.

[0123] Similarly, the second preset threshold can also be preset in the application layer. When the proportion of the data with transmission errors is greater than or equal to the second preset threshold, the application layer updates the source encoder according to the information of the data with transmission errors. Then, after receiving the data error information, the application layer can first determine the proportion of the data with transmission errors. If the proportion of the data with transmission errors does not reach the second preset threshold, it can be determined that the transmission interference of the air interface is a random factor or a long-term interference factor, and therefore the source encoder can not be updated. When the proportion of the data with transmission errors reaches the second preset threshold, it can be determined that the transmission interference of the air interface is long-term, and therefore the source encoder is updated according to the information of the data with transmission errors. Further, the application layer can also update the source encoder according to the information of the data with transmission errors when it is determined that the proportion of the data with transmission errors is greater than or equal to the second preset threshold within a preset time period. For example, after receiving the data error information, the application layer determines that, in the data sent to the first data receiving end in the past period of time, the proportion of the data with transmission errors is 20%, which is greater than the preset threshold of 15%, and therefore the source encoder is updated according to the information of the data with transmission errors.

[0124] Alternatively, the application layer can periodically update the source encoder according to the information of the data with transmission errors.

[0125] Optionally, the source encoder is a source encoder based on mask learning. The random mask learning mechanism in the source encoder based on mask learning matches the random situation of packet loss in the transmission process, and therefore the source encoder based on mask learning can better compensate for the influence of random packet loss.

[0126] The application layer can update the source encoder based on mask learning according to the relationship between the data with transmission errors and the mask element. The application layer of the terminal device or the application server can determine the relationship between the data with transmission errors and the mask element according to the information of the data with transmission errors, and then update the source encoder according to the relationship.

[0127] The mask element can be a mask token. When the mask element refers to a mask token, more attention is paid to the relationship between the data with transmission errors and the position information and quantity information of the mask token in the relationship between the data with transmission errors and the mask element. It can also be understood that the relationship between the data with transmission errors and the mask token focuses more on the position information and quantity information of the mask token corresponding to the data with transmission errors in the mask pattern.

[0128] In one embodiment, the relationship between the erroneous data and the mask elements includes one or more of the following relationships:

[0129] a relationship between the number of erroneous data and the number of mask elements;

[0130] a relationship between the number of erroneous data and the distribution of mask elements;

[0131] a relationship between the distribution of erroneous data and the distribution of mask elements;

[0132] a relationship between the distribution of erroneous data and the number of mask elements.

[0133] For example, as shown in (a) of FIG. 7, CBs 11-14 are erroneous, and in the mask pattern, the four mask tokens corresponding to the erroneous CBs are mask tokens 11-14, as shown in (b) of FIG. 7. Then, in the relationship between the erroneous data and the mask elements, one or more of the following relationships can be included: a relationship between the four erroneous CBs and the four mask tokens, a relationship between the four erroneous CBs and the distribution of the corresponding four mask tokens in the mask pattern (which can also be understood as the distribution of the four mask tokens in the mask pattern position information, i.e., the distribution of mask tokens 11-14 in the mask pattern), a relationship between the distribution of the erroneous CBs 11-14 and the distribution of the corresponding four mask tokens in the mask pattern, and a relationship between the distribution of the erroneous CBs 11-14 and the four mask tokens. The specific values of the mask tokens 11-14 are not the focus in the relationship between the erroneous data and the mask elements.

[0134] For example, the data with transmission errors in the first data transmission is shown in (a) of FIG. 8, CB 9, CB 10 have transmission errors, but since the number of data with transmission errors in a period of time does not reach the first preset threshold, the application layer does not update the source encoder. The data with transmission errors in the second data transmission is shown in (b) of FIG. 8, CB 8', CB 9' have transmission errors, at this time, the number of data with transmission errors in a period of time reaches the first preset threshold, so the application layer updates the source encoder. In the two data transmissions, the data with transmission errors includes 4 CBs, corresponding to 3 mask tokens, which are mask token 8-mask token 10. The relationship between the data with transmission errors and the mask elements according to which the update is made can include one or more of the following: the relationship between the 4 CBs with transmission errors and the 3 mask tokens, the relationship between the distribution of the 4 CBs with transmission errors and the corresponding 3 mask tokens in the mask pattern (i.e., the distribution of mask token 8-mask token 10 in the mask pattern), the relationship between the distribution of CB 9-CB 10, CB 8'-CB 9' with transmission errors and the distribution of the corresponding 3 mask tokens in the mask pattern, the relationship between the distribution of CB 9-CB 10, CB 8'-CB 9' with transmission errors and the 3 mask tokens, and the number of data with transmission errors corresponding to each of mask token 8-mask token 10 (e.g., mask token 8 corresponds to 1 CB with transmission errors, mask token 9 corresponds to 2 CBs with transmission errors, and mask token 10 corresponds to 1 CB with transmission errors).

[0135] After updating the source encoder, the application layer can also send the information of the updated source encoder to the data receiving end. For uplink transmission, after updating the source encoder, the application layer of the terminal device can send the information of the updated source encoder to the access network device, so that the access network device sends it to the application server, so that the application server can update the source decoder according to the information of the updated source encoder, and then decode the received data from the terminal device according to the updated source decoder. For downlink transmission, after updating the source encoder, the application server can send the information of the updated source encoder to the access network device, so that the access network device sends it to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can update the source decoder according to the information of the updated source encoder, and then decode the received data from the application server according to the updated source decoder.

[0136] Optionally, for the source encoder based on the mask learning, the information of the updated source encoder can comprise updated mask information of the source encoder, the mask information comprising values of at least one mask element. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the values of mask token 11 to mask token 14 in the updated source encoder can change, and taking the change of the values of mask token 11 to mask token 14 as an example, the information of the updated source encoder can comprise the updated values of mask token 11 to mask token 14. For another example, in the example shown in (c) of FIG. 8, the values of mask token 8 to mask token 10 in the updated source encoder can change, and taking the change of the values of mask token 8 to mask token 10 as an example, the information of the updated source encoder can comprise the updated values of mask token 8 to mask token 10.

[0137] In a possible design, the information of the updated source encoder can be sent through radio resource control (RRC) signaling, or can also be sent through media access control (MAC) control element (CE) signaling.

[0138] For example, the terminal device can periodically or aperiodically send the information of the updated source encoder to the access network device through RRC signaling or MAC CE signaling; after receiving the information of the updated source encoder sent by the terminal device, the access network device can send the information of the updated source encoder to the application server through a GPRS tunneling protocol for the user plane (GTP-U) header at a user plane level.

[0139] For another example, the application server can send the information of the updated source encoder to the access network device through the GTP-U header; after receiving the information of the updated source encoder sent by the application server, the access network device can periodically or aperiodically send the information of the updated source encoder to the terminal device through RRC signaling or MAC CE signaling.

[0140] In a possible design, a GTP-U header for carrying information of the updated source encoder can be added with an extension header in an original GTP-U header, as shown in Table 1, to carry a data error profile for carrying the information of the updated source encoder.

[0141] Table 1

[0142] To make the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application more clearly understood, the uplink transmission and the downlink transmission are respectively exemplified below with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10.

[0143] FIG. 9 exemplarily shows a communication process applied to uplink transmission, which can include the following steps.

[0144] In step 901, an application (APP) installed in a UE source encodes data to be sent, and sends the source-encoded data to a modem in the UE.

[0145] In the uplink transmission process, the UE is a data sending end.

[0146] Optionally, the source encoder used by the application installed in the UE can be a source encoder based on mask learning.

[0147] In step 902, the modem in the UE channel encodes the source-encoded data, and sends the source- and channel-encoded data to a RAN through an air interface.

[0148] In step 903, the RAN channel decodes the received data.

[0149] The RAN channel decodes the received data, and determines whether there is data with transmission errors. If there is no data with transmission errors, step 904a is performed; if there is data with transmission errors, step 904b is continued.

[0150] In step 904a, the RAN sends the channel-decoded data to an application server.

[0151] After receiving the channel-decoded data, the application server source decodes the channel-decoded data, thereby obtaining the data sent by the UE.

[0152] Optionally, the RAN can also send indication information of correct transmission to the UE (not shown in FIG. 9). For example, the RAN can indicate correct data transmission through DCI.

[0153] In the uplink transmission process, the RAN is the data receiving end.

[0154] Step 904b, the RAN sends DCI to the UE, the DCI being used to instruct retransmission of the data with transmission errors.

[0155] Optionally, the DCI can include identification information of the CBs with transmission errors, identification information of the CBGs with transmission errors, distribution information of the CBs with transmission errors, distribution information of the CBGs with transmission errors, etc.

[0156] Step 905, the modem of the UE retransmits the data with transmission errors according to the DCI.

[0157] After the retransmission, if the RAN correctly decodes the data on the channel, the data decoded on the channel is sent to an application server (not shown in FIG. 9).

[0158] Step 906, the modem of the UE sends data error information to the application, wherein the data error information includes information of the data with transmission errors.

[0159] Optionally, the data error information can include one or more of the following information: identification information of the CBs with transmission errors, identification information of the CBGs with transmission errors, distribution information of the CBs with transmission errors, distribution information of the CBGs with transmission errors, etc.

[0160] Optionally, when the DCI includes the content required by the data error information, the modem can directly send the DCI to the application; or the UE can also determine the data error information according to the DCI, and then send the data error information to the application.

[0161] In a possible design, if the DCI sent by the RAN is used to instruct that the data transmission is correct, the modem of the UE can also send indication information of the correct data transmission to the application, so that the application obtains the current air interface transmission situation.

[0162] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the execution order of the above-mentioned steps 905 and 906, and step 906 can be executed first, and then step 905.

[0163] Step 907, the application of the UE updates the source encoder according to the data error information.

[0164] Optionally, the application of the UE can determine the relationship between the data with transmission errors and the mask element according to the data error information, and update the source encoder according to the relationship between the data with transmission errors and the mask element. The data with transmission errors can be in units of CBs or CBGs, and the mask element can be the mask token in the foregoing embodiments.

[0165] Optionally, the relationship between the erroneous data and the mask elements can include one or more of the following relationships:

[0166] The number of erroneous CB / CBGs and the number of mask tokens;

[0167] The number of erroneous CB / CBGs and the distribution of mask tokens;

[0168] The distribution of erroneous CB / CBGs and the distribution of mask tokens;

[0169] The distribution of erroneous CB / CBGs and the number of mask tokens.

[0170] Step 908, the UE sends the updated information of the source encoder to the RAN.

[0171] Optionally, the UE can send the updated information of the source encoder to the RAN through RRC signaling or MAC CE signaling.

[0172] Optionally, the updated information of the source encoder can include updated mask information of the source encoder, and the mask information includes the value of at least one mask element. For example, the updated information of the source encoder can include the value of each updated mask token, or it can only include the value of the mask token whose value has changed.

[0173] Step 909, the RAN sends the updated information of the source encoder to the application server.

[0174] Optionally, the RAN can carry the updated information of the source encoder in the GTP-U header and send it to the application server.

[0175] Figure 10 exemplarily provides a communication flow applied to downlink transmission. As shown in Figure 10, the communication flow can include the following steps:

[0176] Step 1001, the application server source encodes the data to be sent, and sends the source encoded data to the RAN.

[0177] Optionally, the source encoder used by the application server can be a mask learning based source encoder.

[0178] Step 1002, the RAN channel encodes the received source encoded data, and sends the source and channel encoded data to the UE through the air interface.

[0179] In the downlink transmission process, the RAN can be understood as a data sending end, and the UE as a data receiving end.

[0180] Step 1003, the modem of the UE performs channel decoding on the received data.

[0181] The modem of the UE performs channel decoding on the received data, and determines whether there is data with transmission error. If there is no data with transmission error, step 1004a is performed; if there is data with transmission error, step 1004b is performed.

[0182] Step 1004a, the modem of the UE sends the channel-decoded data to the application in the UE.

[0183] After receiving the channel-decoded data, the application of the UE performs source decoding on the channel-decoded data, thereby obtaining the data sent by the application server.

[0184] Further, the UE can also send the indication information of correct transmission to the RAN (not shown in FIG. 10). For example, the UE sends an acknowledgement (ACK) message to the RAN, which is used to indicate correct data transmission.

[0185] Step 1004b, the modem of the UE sends a NACK message to the RAN, which is used to indicate retransmission of the data with transmission error.

[0186] Optionally, the NACK message can include the identification information of the CB with transmission error, the identification information of the CBG with transmission error, the distribution information of the CB with transmission error, the distribution information of the CBG with transmission error, etc.

[0187] Step 1005, the RAN retransmits the data with transmission error according to the NACK message.

[0188] After retransmission, if the modem of the UE correctly performs channel decoding on the data, the channel-decoded data is sent to the application of the UE (not shown in FIG. 10).

[0189] Step 1006, the RAN sends data error information to the application server, wherein the data error information includes information of the data with transmission error.

[0190] Optionally, the data error information can include one or more of the following information: the identification information of the CB with transmission error, the identification information of the CBG with transmission error, the distribution information of the CB with transmission error, the distribution information of the CBG with transmission error, etc.

[0191] Optionally, when the NACK message includes the required content of the data error information, the RAN can directly send the content of the NACK message to the application server; or the RAN can also determine the data error information according to the NACK message, and then send the data error information to the application server.

[0192] In a possible design, if the UE sends an ACK message, the RAN can also send the indication information of correct data transmission to the application server, so that the application server obtains the current air interface transmission status.

[0193] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the execution order of the steps 1005 and 1006, and the step 1006 can be executed first, and then the step 1005 can be executed.

[0194] In step 1007, the application server updates the source encoder according to the data error information.

[0195] Optionally, the application server can determine the relationship between the data with transmission errors and the mask elements according to the data error information, and update the source encoder according to the relationship between the data with transmission errors and the mask elements. The data with transmission errors can be in the unit of CB or CBG, and the mask elements can be the mask token in the foregoing embodiments.

[0196] Optionally, the relationship between the data with transmission errors and the mask elements can include one or more of the following relationships:

[0197] The relationship between the number of CBs / CBGs with transmission errors and the number of mask tokens;

[0198] The relationship between the number of CBs / CBGs with transmission errors and the distribution of mask tokens;

[0199] The relationship between the distribution of CBs / CBGs with transmission errors and the distribution of mask tokens;

[0200] The relationship between the distribution of CBs / CBGs with transmission errors and the number of mask tokens.

[0201] In step 1008, the application server sends the information of the updated source encoder to the RAN.

[0202] Optionally, the application server can send the information of the updated source encoder to the RAN by carrying the information in the GTP-U header.

[0203] In step 1009, the RAN sends the information of the updated source encoder to the UE.

[0204] Optionally, the RAN can send the updated information of the source encoder to the UE through RRC signaling or MAC CE signaling.

[0205] Optionally, the updated information of the source encoder can include updated mask information of the source encoder, the mask information including values of at least one mask element. For example, the updated information of the source encoder can include updated values of each mask token, or can only include values of the mask token whose value is changed.

[0206] FIG. 11 shows a possible exemplary block diagram of a communication apparatus involved in the embodiments of the present application. As shown in FIG. 11, the communication apparatus 1100 can include modules or units for implementing the above-mentioned method embodiments. In one possible design, the communication apparatus 1100 includes a processing unit 1102 and a communication unit 1103. Optionally, the communication apparatus 1100 can further include a storage unit 1101 for storing apparatus program code and / or data.

[0207] The communication apparatus 1100 can be a data sending end in the above-mentioned embodiments, for example, a communication module in the data sending end or a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in the data sending end.

[0208] In one embodiment, the processing unit 1102 is configured to send, through the communication unit 1103, a data packet to a data receiving end, the data packet being source encoded; receive retransmission indication information sent by the data receiving end, the retransmission indication information being used to indicate retransmission of data with transmission errors in the data packet; and pass data error information to an application layer that source encodes the data packet, the data error information including information of the data with transmission errors.

[0209] In addition, each unit described above can also be used to support other processes performed by the data sending end in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 to 10. The beneficial effects can refer to the previous description, which will not be repeated here.

[0210] The communication apparatus 1100 can also be a data receiving end in the above-mentioned embodiments, for example, a communication module in the data receiving end or a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in the data receiving end.

[0211] When the communication apparatus is a data receiving end, the processing unit 1102 is configured to receive, through the communication unit 1103, a data packet, the data packet being source encoded and channel encoded; send retransmission indication information if there is data with transmission errors in the data packet, the retransmission indication information being used to indicate retransmission of the data with transmission errors in the data packet; and receive updated information of a source encoder.

[0212] In addition, the various modules described above can also be used to support other processes performed by the data receiving end in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6-10. The beneficial effects can refer to the foregoing description, which will not be repeated here.

[0213] When the communication apparatus 1100 is an application server or a communication module in the application server, the processing unit 1102 is configured to send, through the communication unit 1103, a data packet that has been source encoded, receive, through the communication unit 1103, data error information including information of data with transmission errors, and update a source encoder according to the information of data with transmission errors.

[0214] In addition, the various modules described above can also be used to support other processes performed by the application server in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6-10. The beneficial effects can refer to the foregoing description, which will not be repeated here.

[0215] In a possible design, when the communication apparatus 1100 is a data sending end or a communication module in the data sending end, or a data receiving end or a communication module in the data receiving end, or an application server or a communication module in the application server, the function of the processing unit 1102 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor can include a modem chip, or a system on chip (SoC) chip or a SIP chip including a modem core. The function of the communication unit 1103 can be implemented by a transceiver circuit.

[0216] In a possible design, when the communication apparatus 1100 is a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in a data sending end, a data receiving end, or an application server, such as a modem chip or a system on chip (SoC) chip or a SIP chip including a modem core, the function of the processing unit 1102 can be implemented by circuitry including one or more processors or processor cores in the chip. The function of the communication unit 1103 can be implemented by an interface circuit or a data transceiver circuit on the chip.

[0217] In a possible design, when the communication apparatus 1100 is a data sending end or a processing module in the data sending end, or a data receiving end or a processing module in the data receiving end, or an application server or a processing module in the application server, the function of the processing unit 1102 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor can include a GPU, or a system on chip (SoC) chip or a SIP chip including a GPU. Alternatively, the processor can include an AI processor, or a SoC chip or a SIP chip including an AI processor. Alternatively, the processor can include an ASIC, or a SoC chip or a SIP chip including an ASIC. The function of the communication unit 1103 can be implemented by a transceiver circuit.

[0218] In a possible design, when the communication apparatus 1100 is a data transmitter, a data receiver, or a circuit or a chip responsible for processing functions in an application server, such as a GPU or a system on chip (SoC) chip or a system in package (SIP) chip containing a GPU, an AI processor or a SoC chip or a SIP chip containing an AI processor, or an ASIC or a SoC chip or a SIP chip containing an ASIC, the processing unit 1102 can be implemented by circuitry including one or more processors or processor cores in the chip.

[0219] It can be understood that the division of units in the above apparatus is merely a logical division of functions, one function can correspond to one functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or part of the units can be integrated into one physical entity, or distributed on different physical entities. In addition, the above functional units can be implemented in the form of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Whether a certain function is implemented in hardware or software depends on a specific application and design constraint condition of the technical solution. A person skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for a specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0220] In one example, the functional units in any of the above apparatuses can be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, for example, one or more ASICs, or one or more CPUs, one or more microcontroller units (MCUs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms.

[0221] In one example, the storage unit 1101 can include a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable memory, and / or a register, etc.

[0222] Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram of another communication apparatus provided by the embodiment of the present application, which comprises a processor 1201, a communication interface 1202, and further can comprise a memory 1203, a bus 1204. Wherein the processor 1201, the communication interface 1202 and the memory 1203 can be connected with each other through the bus 1204; the bus 1204 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The above bus 1204 can be divided into an address bus, a data bus and a control bus, etc. For the convenience of representation, only one line is represented in Fig. 12, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0223] The processor 1201 can be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP) or a combination of the CPU and the NP. The processor can further comprise a hardware chip. The hardware chip can be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD) or a combination thereof. The PLD can be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a Generic Array Logic (GAL) or any combination thereof. The memory 1203 can be a volatile memory or a nonvolatile memory, or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. The nonvolatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM) or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache.

[0224] Wherein the processor 1201 is configured to implement data processing operation of the communication apparatus, and the communication interface 1202 is configured to implement receiving operation and sending operation of the communication apparatus.

[0225] When the communication apparatus is a data sending end, the processor 1201 is configured to send a data packet to a data receiving end through the communication interface 1202, the data packet being source encoded; receive retransmission indication information sent by the data receiving end, the retransmission indication information being used to indicate retransmission of data with transmission errors in the data packet; and pass data error information to an application layer that source encodes the data packet, the data error information including information of the data with transmission errors.

[0226] In addition, the various components described above can also be used to support other processes performed by the data sending end in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6-10. The beneficial effects can be referred to the foregoing description, which will not be repeated here.

[0227] When the communication apparatus is a data receiving end, the processor 1201 is configured to receive a data packet through the communication interface 1202, the data packet being source encoded and channel encoded; if there is data with transmission errors in the data packet, send retransmission indication information, the retransmission indication information being used to indicate retransmission of the data with transmission errors in the data packet; and receive information of an updated source encoder.

[0228] In addition, the various components described above can also be used to support other processes performed by the data receiving end in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6-10. The beneficial effects can be referred to the foregoing description, which will not be repeated here.

[0229] When the communication apparatus is an application server, the processor 1201 is configured to send a data packet through the communication interface 1202, the data packet being source encoded; receive data error information, the data error information including information of data with transmission errors; and update a source encoder according to the information of the data with transmission errors.

[0230] In addition, the various components described above can also be used to support other processes performed by the application server in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6-10. The beneficial effects can be referred to the foregoing description, which will not be repeated here.

[0231] Based on the same technical concept, the embodiments of the present application also provide a communication system, which can include a data sending end and a data receiving end, and further can include an application server.

[0232] Based on the same technical concept, the embodiments of the present application also provide a computer readable storage medium, which stores computer readable instructions, when the computer readable instructions are run on a computer, the method steps performed by any of the nodes are executed.

[0233] Based on the same technical concept, the embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product containing instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the method steps performed by any of the nodes described above to be performed.

[0234] Based on the same technical concept, the embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, comprising: a processor coupled with a memory, the memory being configured to store instructions, when the instructions are executed by the processor, causing the chip to implement the method steps performed by any of the nodes described above.

[0235] The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of the present application can be used interchangeably. "At least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the front and rear associated objects. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single item or multiple items. For example, "at least one of A, B or C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC, and "at least one of A, B and C" can also be understood to include A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. In addition, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers "first", "second", etc. mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish a plurality of objects, and are not used to limit the order, time sequence, priority or importance of the plurality of objects.

[0236] In the present specification, the reference to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" and the like means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the application. Thus, the appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment", "in some embodiments", "in other embodiments", "in additional embodiments", and so on, in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, unless otherwise specified. The terms "comprise", "comprising", "have", "having", "include", "including", and "contain", "containing", and their variants, mean "including but not limited to", unless otherwise specified.

[0237] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Moreover, the present application can take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0238] The computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks or in conjunction with the flowcharts described above.

[0239] These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function specified in the flowchart block or blocks or in conjunction with the flowcharts described above.

[0240] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks or in conjunction with the flowcharts described above.

[0241] Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present application are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, the application can be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: Applied to a data sending end, the method comprises: sending a data packet to a data receiving end, the data packet being source encoded; receiving retransmission indication information sent by the data receiving end, the retransmission indication information being used for indicating retransmission of data with transmission errors in the data packet; delivering data error information to an application layer that source encodes the data packet, the data error information comprising information of the data with transmission errors.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: The application layer updates a source encoder according to the information of the data with transmission errors.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The application layer updates a source encoder according to the information of the data with transmission errors, comprising: The application layer updates a source encoder based on mask learning according to a relationship between the data with transmission errors and mask elements; The relationship between the data with transmission errors and the mask elements comprises one or more of the following relationships: a relationship between a number of the data with transmission errors and a number of the mask elements; a relationship between a number of the data with transmission errors and a distribution of the mask elements; a relationship between a distribution of the data with transmission errors and a distribution of the mask elements; a relationship between a distribution of the data with transmission errors and a number of the mask elements.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The application layer updates a source encoder according to the information of the data with transmission errors, comprising: When a number of the data with transmission errors is greater than or equal to a first preset threshold, or when a probability of the data with transmission errors is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold, the application layer updates the source encoder according to the information of the data with transmission errors.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, The method further comprises: sending information of the updated source encoder to the data receiving end.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The source encoder is a source encoder based on mask learning; The information of the updated source encoder comprises mask information updated by the source encoder, the mask information comprising values of at least one mask element.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The sending of the information of the updated source encoder to the data receiving end comprises: sending the information of the updated source encoder to the data receiving end through radio resource control (RRC) signaling or medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) signaling.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The retransmission indication information comprises distribution information of code blocks (CBs) or code block groups (CBGs) with transmission errors.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The data error information comprises distribution information of code blocks (CBs) and / or code block groups (CBGs) with transmission errors.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The data sending end is a terminal device, and the data receiving end is an access network device; or The data sending end is an access network device, and the data receiving end is a terminal device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, When the data sending end is an access network device and the data receiving end is a terminal device, the delivering of the data error information to the application layer that source encodes the data packet comprises: The access network device sends the data error information to an application server.

12. A communication method characterized by comprising: Applied to a data receiving end, the method comprises: receiving a data packet, the data packet being source encoded and channel encoded; if there is data with transmission errors in the data packet, sending retransmission indication information, the retransmission indication information being used for indicating retransmission of the data with transmission errors in the data packet; receiving information of an updated source encoder.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, When the data receiving end is a terminal device, the method further comprises: decoding the received data packet according to the information of the updated source encoder.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein, When the data receiving end is an access network device, the method further comprises: sending the information of the updated source encoder to an application server.

15. A method of communication, comprising: Applied to an application server, the method comprises: sending a data packet, the data packet being encoded by a source encoder; receiving data error information, the data error information comprising information of data with transmission errors; updating the source encoder according to the information of the data with transmission errors.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The method further comprises: sending the information of the updated source encoder.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, The source encoder is a source encoder based on mask learning. The information of the updated source encoder comprises updated mask information of the source encoder, and the mask information comprises values of at least one mask element.

18. The method according to any one of claims 15-17, characterized by, The updating of the source encoder according to the information of the data with transmission errors comprises: updating the source encoder based on mask learning according to a relationship between the data with transmission errors and the mask elements. The relationship between the data with transmission errors and the mask elements comprises one or more of the following relationships: a relationship between a number of the data with transmission errors and a number of the mask elements; a relationship between a number of the data with transmission errors and a distribution of the mask elements; a relationship between a distribution of the data with transmission errors and a distribution of the mask elements; a relationship between a distribution of the data with transmission errors and a number of the mask elements.

19. The method according to any one of claims 15-18, characterized in that, The updating of the source encoder according to the information of the data with transmission errors comprises: when a number of the data with transmission errors is greater than or equal to a first preset threshold or when a probability of the data with transmission errors is greater than or equal to a second preset threshold, updating the source encoder according to the information of the data with transmission errors.

20. A communications device, characterized by comprise: a processor coupled to a memory, the memory being configured to store programs or instructions, when the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, the apparatus executes the method according to any one of claims 1-19.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores instructions, when the instructions are run on a computer, the computer executes the method according to any one of claims 1-19.

22. A computer program product comprising instructions, characterized in that, When the instructions are run on a computer, the computer executes the method according to any one of claims 1-19.

23. A communications device, characterized by comprise units for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1-19.

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