Communication methods, communication device and communication system

Abstract

Disclosed in the embodiments of the present disclosure are communication methods, a communication device and a communication system. A communication method, executed by a first network element, comprises: interacting with a second network element for first information, the first information being used for indicating whether a terminal supports a first AI functionality. Thus, the interaction within a network to obtain the support status of a terminal for a first AI functionality is achieved.

Description

Communication method, communication device, and communication system TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of communication, and particularly relates to a communication method, a communication device and a communication system. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the continuous development of AI (Artificial Intelligent) technology, the application field of AI technology (such as image recognition, voice processing, natural language processing, etc.) is also more and more extensive. AI technology not only has been widely applied in education, transportation, home, medical treatment, retail, security and other fields, but also promotes the industrial upgrading in various fields. AI technology is also introduced in the third generation partnership project version 18 (3GPP R18).

[0003] SUMMARY

[0004] The present disclosure provides a communication method, a communication device and a communication system.

[0005] The first aspect of the present disclosure provides a communication method, executed by a first network element, the method comprising:

[0006] interacting with a second network element first information, the first information being used to indicate whether a terminal supports a first AI functionality.

[0007] The second aspect of the present disclosure provides a communication method, executed by a network device, the method comprising:

[0008] interacting with a first network element first information, the first information being used to indicate whether a terminal supports a first AI functionality.

[0009] The third aspect of the present disclosure provides a first network element, comprising:

[0010] a transceiver module, configured to interact with a second network element first information, the first information being used to indicate whether a terminal supports a first AI functionality.

[0011] The fourth aspect of the present disclosure provides a second network element, comprising:

[0012] a transceiver module, configured to interact with a first network element first information, the first information being used to indicate whether a terminal supports a first AI functionality.

[0013] The fifth aspect of the present disclosure provides a communication device, comprising one or more processors.

[0014] The device is configured to perform the communication method of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0015] The sixth aspect of the present disclosure provides a communication system, comprising a terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the method of the first aspect, and the network device is configured to implement the method of the second aspect.

[0016] The sixth aspect of the present disclosure provides a storage medium, which stores instructions, when the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device performs the communication method of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0017] According to the scheme provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, the network can interact with the support situation of the AI functionality of the terminal and the associated information of the supported first AI functionality, so that different network elements in the network can obtain the capability information of the terminal, and then better implement the deployment and application of AI on the terminal, and realize the performance upgrade in the communication field through AI technology, for example, maximize the resource utilization, improve the computing efficiency, and reduce the computing cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure or the background art, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments of the present disclosure or the background art will be described below.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] FIG. 2A is an interaction diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] FIG. 2B is an interaction diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] FIG. 2C is an interaction diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG. 2D is an interaction diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG. 2E is an interaction diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG. 5A is a structural diagram of a first network element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] FIG. 5B is a structural diagram of a second network element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] FIG. 6A is a structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] FIG. 6B is a structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a communication device and a communication system.

[0032] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method is performed by a first network element and includes:

[0033] interacting with a second network element first information, the first information being used to indicate whether a terminal supports a first artificial intelligence (AI) functionality.

[0034] In the above embodiments, the network can interact with the support of the AI functionality of the terminal and the associated information of the supported first AI functionality, so that different network elements in the network can obtain the capability information of the terminal, and the deployment and application of AI on the terminal can be better implemented, and the performance in the communication field can be upgraded through AI technology, for example, the resource utilization rate is maximized, the computing efficiency is improved, and the computing cost is reduced.

[0035] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the interacting with the second network element first information includes:

[0036] receiving first information sent by the terminal, the first information being used to indicate whether the terminal supports the first AI functionality;

[0037] sending the first information to the second network element.

[0038] In the above embodiments, the terminal can send the first information to the first network element, and further, the first network element can forward the first information reported by the terminal to the second network element for storage, so that the second network element can obtain the first information, not only can understand the support of the AI functionality of the terminal, but also can implement the interaction of the first information in the network.

[0039] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the interaction of the first information with the second network element includes:

[0040] Send a fourth message to the second network element, the fourth message being used to request the first message;

[0041] Receive the first information sent by the second network element.

[0042] In the above embodiments, the first network element can request the second network element to send the first information, enabling the first network element to understand the support status of the terminal's AI functionality, and realizing the interaction of the first information within the network.

[0043] Based on the first information, it is determined that the terminal supports the first AI functionality. A second information is sent to the terminal, the second information being used to request the terminal to send a third information, the third information being used to indicate the first associated information of the first AI functionality.

[0044] In the above embodiments, when the first network determines that the terminal supports the first AI functionality, it requests the third information from the terminal and sends the second information based on the actual capabilities of the terminal. That is, if the terminal does not support the functionality, the second and third information will not be transmitted, thereby saving resources and reducing signaling consumption.

[0045] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the terminal receives the third information and sends the third information to the second network element.

[0046] In the above embodiments, the first network element can receive third information to understand the first associated information of the first AI functionality, thereby determining the partial cell configuration information related to the first AI functionality. This enables better training, updating, inference, and maintenance of the first AI functionality. Furthermore, the third information can be sent to the second network element so that the first associated information of the first AI functionality supported by the terminal can be stored in the second network element. This facilitates the terminal's timely understanding of its support for the first AI functionality and the first associated information during cell handover, thereby improving the speed at which relevant resources can be allocated to the first AI functionality more quickly.

[0047] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the fourth information is also used to request the third information; and to receive the third information sent by the second network element.

[0048] In the above embodiments, the second network element stores at least one of the first information and the third information. After receiving a request, it can promptly provide feedback to the first network element on the terminal's support for the first AI functionality and the first associated information, thereby improving the ability to allocate relevant resources for the first AI functionality more quickly.

[0049] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, a fourth message is sent to the second network element, the fourth message being used to request the first message from the terminal;

[0050] In response to not receiving the first information from the terminal from the second network element, a fifth information is sent to the terminal, the fifth information being used to request the terminal to send the first information.

[0051] In the above embodiments, if the first information of the terminal is not received from the second network element, the terminal's support for the first AI functionality can be obtained by requesting the terminal, thus ensuring that the first information is successfully obtained.

[0052] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first associated information of the first AI functionality includes at least one of the following:

[0053] At least some cell configuration information corresponding to the training data of the AI ​​model used to implement the first AI functionality;

[0054] The Associated ID associated with the first AI functionality is mapped to at least a portion of the cell configuration information corresponding to the training data of the AI ​​model.

[0055] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the third information includes a first indication, which indicates that at least one of the current serving cell and the cell group to which the serving cell belongs does not have the Associated ID.

[0056] In the above embodiments, the first instruction can notify the first network element that there is no Associated ID for the first AI functionality in the current serving cell, thereby enabling the first network element to obtain the Associated ID for the first AI functionality in other cells in order to perform related operations on the first AI functionality.

[0057] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the third information includes at least one of the following:

[0058] The first associated information of the first AI functionality corresponding to any one of the current serving cell and serving cell group of the terminal;

[0059] The association information table for the first AI functionality includes one or more Associated IDs associated with the first AI functionality and the cell or cell group corresponding to each Associated ID.

[0060] The first AI functionality's associated information table contains the first associated information of at least one other cell or other cell group besides the terminal's serving cell and / or the cell group to which the serving cell is located.

[0061] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first AI functionality includes one or more AI models, different AI models being trained based on one or more Associated IDs associated with different cells in the association information table.

[0062] Secondly, this disclosure provides a communication method executed by a second network element, the method comprising:

[0063] The terminal interacts with the first network element to exchange first information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal supports the first AI functionality.

[0064] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the interaction of the first information with the first network element includes:

[0065] The terminal receives first information sent by the first network element.

[0066] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the interaction of the first information with the first network element includes:

[0067] Receive the fourth information sent by the first network element, wherein the fourth information is used to request the first information;

[0068] Send the first information to the first network element.

[0069] The terminal receives third information sent by the first network element. The third information is used to indicate the first associated information of the first AI functionality. The third information is sent by the terminal to the first network element.

[0070] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the fourth information is also used to request the third information;

[0071] The third information is sent to the first network element.

[0072] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, at least one of the first information and the third information sent by the first network element corresponding to the source cell of the terminal is received;

[0073] Send at least one of the first information and the third information to the first network element corresponding to the target cell of the terminal.

[0074] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first associated information of the first AI functionality includes at least one of the following:

[0075] At least some cell configuration information corresponding to the training data of the AI ​​model used to implement the first AI functionality;

[0076] The Associated ID associated with the first AI functionality is mapped to at least a portion of the cell configuration information corresponding to the training data of the AI ​​model.

[0077] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the third information includes a first indication, which indicates that at least one of the current serving cell and the cell group to which the serving cell belongs does not have the Associated ID.

[0078] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the third information includes at least one of the following:

[0079] The association information table for the first AI functionality includes one or more Associated IDs associated with the first AI functionality and the cell or cell group corresponding to each Associated ID.

[0080] The first AI functionality's associated information table contains the first associated information of at least one other cell or other cell group besides the terminal's current serving cell and / or the cell group to which the serving cell is located.

[0081] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first AI functionality includes one or more AI models, different AI models being trained based on one or more Associated IDs associated with different cells in the association information table.

[0082] Thirdly, this disclosure provides a first network element, which includes a transceiver module; wherein the transceiver module is used to perform the transceiver operations in the first aspect and the embodiments described in the first aspect.

[0083] Fourthly, this disclosure provides a second network element, which includes a transceiver module; wherein the transceiver module is used to perform the transceiver operations in the second aspect and the embodiments described in the second aspect.

[0084] Fifthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication device, which includes one or more processors; wherein the communication device is used to execute the first aspect and optional implementations of the first aspect, or to execute the second aspect and optional implementations of the second aspect.

[0085] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication system comprising: a terminal, a first network element, and a second network element; wherein the first network element is configured to perform the method described in the first aspect and its optional implementations, and the first network element is configured to perform the method described in the second aspect and its optional implementations.

[0086] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a terminal, cause the terminal to perform the method described in the first aspect and its optional implementations, and when executed on a network device, cause the network device to perform the method described in the second aspect and its optional implementations.

[0087] Eighthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a program product that, when executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to perform the method described in the first aspect and its optional implementations, or to perform the method described in the second aspect and its optional implementations.

[0088] In a ninth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as described in the first aspect and optional implementations of the first aspect, or to perform the method as described in the second aspect and optional implementations of the second aspect.

[0089] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a chip or chip system. The chip or chip system includes processing circuitry configured to perform the method described according to the first aspect and optional implementations thereof, or configured to perform the method described according to the second aspect and optional implementations thereof.

[0090] It is understood that the aforementioned terminal, first network element, second network element, communication system, storage medium, program product, computer program, chip, or chip system are all used to execute the methods proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can be referred to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods, and will not be repeated here.

[0091] This disclosure provides a communication method, communication device, and communication system. In some embodiments, the terms "communication method" and "information processing method" can be used interchangeably; the terms "message transmission device" and "information processing device" and "communication device" can be used interchangeably; and the terms "message transmission system" and "information processing system" and "communication system" can be used interchangeably.

[0092] This disclosure is not exhaustive, but merely illustrative of some embodiments, and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure. Unless otherwise specified, each step in a particular embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a particular embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily interchanged. Furthermore, the optional implementation methods in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; moreover, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, for example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0093] In each of the disclosed embodiments, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0094] The terminology used in the embodiments of this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0095] In this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, elements expressed in the singular form, such as "a," "an," "the," "the," "the aforementioned," "the," "this," etc., can mean "one and only one," or "one or more," "at least one," etc. For example, when using articles such as "a," "an," "the," etc. in translation, the noun following the article can be understood as either a singular or a plural expression.

[0096] In the embodiments disclosed herein, "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0097] In some embodiments, the terms “at least one of”, “one or more”, “a plurality of”, “multiple”, etc., may be used interchangeably.

[0098] In some embodiments, the notation "at least one of A and B", "A and / or B", "A in one case, B in another", "in response to one case A, in response to another case B", etc., may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execute A regardless of B); in some embodiments, B (execute B regardless of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0099] In some embodiments, the notation "A or B" may include the following technical solutions, depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execution of A regardless of B); in some embodiments, B (execution of B regardless of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0100] The prefixes "first," "second," etc., used in the embodiments of this disclosure are merely for distinguishing different descriptive objects and do not impose restrictions on the position, order, priority, quantity, or content of the descriptive objects. The description of the descriptive objects is found in the claims or the context of the embodiments, and the use of prefixes should not constitute unnecessary restrictions. For example, if the descriptive object is a "field," the ordinal numbers preceding "field" in "first field" and "second field" do not restrict the position or order of the "fields." "First" and "second" do not restrict whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they restrict the order of "first field" and "second field." Similarly, if the descriptive object is a "level," the ordinal numbers preceding "level" in "first level" and "second level" do not restrict the priority between "levels." Furthermore, the number of descriptive objects is not limited by ordinal numbers and can be one or more. For example, in "first device," the number of "devices" can be one or more. Furthermore, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the object being described is "device", then "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different. Similarly, if the object being described is "information", then "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their content can be the same or different.

[0101] In some embodiments, “including A,” “containing A,” “for indicating A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0102] In some embodiments, the terms “in response to…”, “in response to determining…”, “in the case of…”, “when…”, “if…”, “if…”, etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0103] In some embodiments, the terms “greater than,” “greater than or equal to,” “not less than,” “more than,” “more than or equal to,” “not less than,” “higher than,” “higher than or equal to,” “not lower than,” and “above” can be used interchangeably, as can the terms “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not greater than,” “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not more than,” “lower than,” “lower than or equal to,” “not higher than,” and “below”.

[0104] In some embodiments, the apparatus and device may be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to the names recorded in the embodiments. In some cases, they may also be understood as "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "body", etc.

[0105] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in the network, such as access network devices, core network devices, etc.

[0106] In some embodiments, "access network device (AN device)" may also be referred to as "radio access network device (RAN device)," "base station (BS)," "radio base station," or "fixed station." In some embodiments, it may also be understood as "node," "access point," "transmission point (TP)," "reception point (RP)," "transmission / reception point (TRP)," "panel," "antenna panel," "antenna array," "cell," "macro cell," "small cell," "femto cell," "pico cell," "sector," "cell group," "serving cell," "carrier," "component carrier," or "bandwidth part (BWP)."

[0107] In some embodiments, "terminal" or "terminal device" may be referred to as "user equipment (UE)," "user terminal," "Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) device," "mobile station (MS)," "mobile terminal (MT)," "subscriber station," "mobile unit," "subscriber unit," "wireless unit," "remote unit," "mobile device," "wireless device," "wireless communication device," "remote device," "mobile subscriber station," "access terminal," "mobile terminal," "wireless terminal," "remote terminal," "handset," "user agent," "mobile client," "client," etc.

[0108] In some embodiments, access network devices, core network devices, or network devices can be replaced by terminals. For example, embodiments of this disclosure can also be applied to structures where communication between access network devices, core network devices, or network devices and terminals is replaced by communication between multiple terminals (e.g., device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, the structure can also be configured such that the terminal has all or part of the functions of the access network device. Furthermore, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" can be replaced with terms corresponding to communication between terminals (e.g., "sidelink"). For example, uplink channel, downlink channel, etc., can be replaced with sidelink channel, and uplink link, downlink, etc., can be replaced with sidelink link.

[0109] In some embodiments, the terminal may be replaced by an access network device, a core network device, or a network device. In this case, the access network device, core network device, or network device may also be configured to have all or some of the functions of the terminal.

[0110] In some embodiments, the acquisition of data, information, etc., may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the location is situated.

[0111] In some embodiments, data, information, etc., may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0112] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0113] [Correction based on Rule 91 06.12.2024] As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 includes a terminal 101 and a network device 102.

[0114] In some embodiments, terminal 101 includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: mobile phone, wearable device, Internet of Things device, car with communication function, smart car, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, wireless terminal device in industrial control, wireless terminal device in self-driving, wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, wireless terminal device in smart grid, wireless terminal device in transportation safety, wireless terminal device in smart city, and wireless terminal device in smart home.

[0115] In some embodiments, network device 102 may include at least one of access network device and core network device.

[0116] In some embodiments, the access network device is, for example, a node or device that connects a terminal to a wireless network. The access network device may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following in a 5G communication system: evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), next-generation Node B (gNB), node B (NB), home node B (HNB), home evolved node B (HeNB), radio backhaul device, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), base band unit (BBU), mobile switching center, base station in a 6G communication system, open RAN, cloud RAN, base station in other communication systems, and access node in a Wi-Fi system.

[0117] In some embodiments, the technical solutions of this disclosure can be applied to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces between or within access network devices involved in the embodiments of this disclosure can be transformed into internal interfaces of Open RAN. The processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented by software or programs.

[0118] In some embodiments, the access network device may be composed of a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). The CU may also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can separate the protocol layer of the access network device. Some of the protocol layer functions are centrally controlled by the CU, while the remaining part or all of the protocol layer functions are distributed in the DU and centrally controlled by the CU. However, this is not the only possibility.

[0119] In some embodiments, a core network device may be a single device comprising one or more network elements, or it may be multiple devices or a group of devices, each comprising all or part of the aforementioned one or more network elements. Network elements may be virtual or physical. The core network may include, for example, at least one of an Evolved Protocol Core (EPC), a 5G Core Network (5GCN), or a Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0120] It is understood that the communication system described in this disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0121] [Corrected according to Article 91, 06.12.2024] The following embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG1, or some of the main bodies, but are not limited thereto. The main bodies shown in FIG1 are illustrative. The communication system may include all or some of the main bodies in FIG1, or may include other main bodies outside of FIG1. ​​The number and form of each main body are arbitrary. Each main body may be physical or virtual. The connection relationship between the main bodies is illustrative. The main bodies may not be connected or may be connected. The connection can be in any way, it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection, it can be a wired connection or a wireless connection.

[0122] The embodiments disclosed herein can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G new radio (NR), Future Radio Access (FRA), New-Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR), New radio access (NX), Future generation radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), and IEEE 802.20, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth (a registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) systems, systems utilizing other communication methods, and next-generation systems built upon them, etc. Furthermore, multiple systems can be combined (e.g., a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0123] In 3GPP Release 18, a research project on artificial intelligence technology in the radio interface was established in RAN1. The project aims to study how to introduce artificial intelligence technology into the radio interface and explore how artificial intelligence technology can help improve the transmission technology of the radio interface.

[0124] In mobile communication research (e.g., 6G), AI services can be offered in more dimensions, such as AI-enabled connectivity. This means using AI methods to improve communication performance, for example, using AI for beam management.

[0125] Computing power services refer to the network side providing computing power to the terminal side, such as helping the terminal to perform model training and model inference.

[0126] Ultimate AI service refers to enhancing the network transmission pipeline to improve the experience of AI application services.

[0127] The concept of "network additional condition" (NW) was introduced in the discussion. This concept describes information related to network configuration or implementation, such as the downtilt angle and beamwidth of network-side antennas. The terminal needs to understand the NW during data collection and model management to ensure consistency between training and inference data. However, the network does not want to expose specific network-private information to the terminal, hence the concept of "Associated ID." Specifically, the network maps a NW NW to an Associated ID, and the terminal does not know the true physical meaning of a particular Associated ID. The terminal only needs to compare the Associated ID received during training data collection with the Associated ID received during model inference to determine whether the current model is suitable for the network environment.

[0128] Furthermore, for a specific use case, such as AI-based positioning or AI-based beam management, the correspondence between Associated ID and actual NW additional condition depends on the network implementation. In different cells or cell groups, the same Associated ID may correspond to different NW additional conditions. For example, Associated ID #1 in cell 1 might correspond to information related to the transmit beam angle, while in cell 2, Associated ID #2 might represent information related to transmit power.

[0129] In AI / ML use cases, a functionality describes a feature that an endpoint supports. A functionality can contain one or more AI models. The endpoint can report the AI ​​functionality it supports to the network. For example, AI-based spatial beam prediction is one AI functionality, while AI-based temporal beam prediction is another.

[0130] Since an AI model may be associated with a certain Associated ID, a function may also be associated with one or more Associated IDs. Furthermore, Associated IDs also have a scope of validity. So how should function identification be performed in this case?

[0131] In the communication method disclosed herein, the network can interact with the terminal's support status for AI functionality and the associated information of the first supported AI functionality, enabling different network elements within the network to obtain the endpoint's capability information, thereby better realizing the deployment and application of AI on the terminal and achieving performance upgrades in the communication field through AI technology.

[0132] The communication methods, communication equipment, and communication systems provided in this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0133] Figure 2A is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2A, the communication method involved in this embodiment is executed by a communication system, and the method includes:

[0134] Step S2101: The first network element sends the fourth information to the second network element.

[0135] In some embodiments, the first network element sends fourth information to the second network element; optionally, the second network receives the fourth information.

[0136] In some embodiments, the first network element may be an access network device, such as a base station.

[0137] In some embodiments, the second network element can be a network element in the core network, such as an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network element.

[0138] In some embodiments, the fourth information is used to request the second network element to send at least one of the first information and the third information.

[0139] In some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate whether the terminal supports a first AI functionality.

[0140] In some embodiments, the third information is used to indicate the first associated information of the first AI functionality.

[0141] In some embodiments, the fourth information is used to query whether the terminal supports the first AI functionality.

[0142] In some embodiments, the fourth information is used to determine whether the terminal supports the first AI functionality.

[0143] In some embodiments, the fourth information is used to query the first associated information of the first AI functionality.

[0144] In some embodiments, the fourth information is used to request the first associated information of the first AI functionality.

[0145] In some embodiments, the name of the fourth information is not limited, and it may be, for example, “AI functionality query information”, “AI functionality determination information”, “related information request information”, “related information query information”, etc.

[0146] In step S2102, the first network element sends the fifth information to the terminal.

[0147] In some embodiments, if the first information is not stored in the second network element, that is, if the first network element does not receive the first information from the second network element, the network device may send the fifth information to the terminal. Optionally, the terminal may receive the fifth information.

[0148] In some embodiments, the fifth information is used to query whether the terminal supports the first AI functionality.

[0149] In some embodiments, the fifth information is used to determine whether the terminal sends a message that supports the first AI functionality.

[0150] In some embodiments, the fifth information is used to obtain whether the terminal supports the first AI functionality.

[0151] In some embodiments, the name of the fifth piece of information is not limited, and it may be, for example, “AI functionality query information” or “AI functionality acquisition information”.

[0152] In some embodiments, the first AI functionality is one or more AI functionalitys among a plurality of AI functionalitys. For example, there may be a set of AI functionality that allows a network device to query whether a terminal supports a particular AI functionality, which is referred to as the first AI functionality.

[0153] In some embodiments, the fifth information may carry identification information of one or more first AI functionalitys to be queried, such as the functionality name, index value, etc.

[0154] In some embodiments, the fifth information may be a bitmap including AI functionality in the AI ​​functionality set, where one or more first AI functionality to be queried takes a first value on the bitmap, such as "1", and AI functionality not to be queried takes a second value on the bitmap, such as "0".

[0155] Step S2103: The terminal sends the first information to the first network element.

[0156] In some embodiments, the terminal may send first information to the network device. Optionally, the network device may receive the first information.

[0157] In some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate whether the terminal supports a first AI functionality.

[0158] In some embodiments, the first information may indicate that the terminal supports a first AI functionality.

[0159] In some embodiments, the first information may indicate that the terminal does not support the first AI functionality.

[0160] In some embodiments, the first information may include a bit or an information field, through which the bit or information field indicates whether the terminal supports a first AI functionality.

[0161] In some embodiments, the value of the aforementioned bit or information field is a first value, such as "1", which can indicate that the terminal supports the first AI functionality; alternatively, the value of the aforementioned bit or information field is a second value, such as "0", which can indicate that the terminal does not support the first AI functionality.

[0162] In some embodiments, the name of the first information is not limited, and it may be, for example, "indication information", "functionality indication information", etc.

[0163] In step S2104, the first network element sends the second information to the terminal.

[0164] In some embodiments, the network device may send second information to the terminal, and optionally, the terminal may receive the second information.

[0165] In some embodiments, the second information may be used to instruct the terminal to send a third information.

[0166] In some embodiments, the second information may be an information field or bit in existing information. When the information field or bit has a specific value, it may instruct the terminal to send one or more first associated information of the first AI functionality.

[0167] In some embodiments, after obtaining the first information, the network device may, based on the first information, determine that the terminal supports the first AI functionality, and then send the second information to the terminal to instruct the terminal to report the third information.

[0168] In some embodiments, the name of the second information is not limited, and it may be, for example, "indication information of associated information", "reporting information of associated information", "acquisition information of associated information", etc.

[0169] In step S2105, the terminal sends third information to the first network element.

[0170] In some embodiments, the terminal may send third information to the network device, and optionally, the network device may receive the third information.

[0171] In some embodiments, the third information may include one or more first associated information of the first AI functionality.

[0172] In some embodiments, the third information may identify one or more first associated information of the first AI functionality.

[0173] In some embodiments, the first associated information of the first AI functionality is at least one of the following:

[0174] At least some cell configuration information corresponding to the training data of the AI ​​model used to implement the first AI functionality;

[0175] The associated identification (ID) of the first AI functionality is mapped to at least part of the cell configuration information corresponding to the training data of the AI ​​model within the first AI functionality.

[0176] In some embodiments, the cell configuration information corresponding to the training data of the AI ​​model described above may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: the configuration of the cell's reference signal (RS), antenna tilt angle, transmit power, and beamwidth. It is understood that the AI ​​model used to implement the first AI functionality may collect and transmit training data based on the cell configuration information during training.

[0177] In some embodiments, to ensure the security of cell configuration information, at least a portion of the cell configuration information corresponding to the AI ​​model training data can be mapped to Associated ID.

[0178] In some embodiments, different cells may correspond to different Associated IDs.

[0179] In some embodiments, when different cells correspond to the same Associated ID, the same Associated ID#1 can correspond to different configuration information in different cells. For example, cell 1 and cell 2 correspond to the same Associated ID#1. In cell 1, Associated ID#1 can correspond to configuration information related to the transmission beam angle, while in cell 2, Associated ID#1 represents configuration information related to the transmission power.

[0180] In some embodiments, the Associated ID associated with the first AI functionality may be one or more.

[0181] In some embodiments, the first associated information of the first AI functionality includes at least one of the following:

[0182] The first Associated ID associated with the terminal's current serving cell;

[0183] The second Associated ID associated with the cell group where the terminal's current serving cell is located.

[0184] That is, the content included in the third information is the first association information of the first AI functionality corresponding to any one of the current serving cell of the terminal and the cell group in which the current serving cell is located. In other words, the first association information of the first AI functionality may include at least one of the first Associated ID and the second Associated ID.

[0185] In some embodiments, the first AI functionality may include one or more AI models, which are trained based on one or more Associated IDs associated with different cells.

[0186] In some embodiments, different AI models can generate an association information table for a first AI functionality based on one or more Associated IDs associated with different cells. The association information table includes one or more Associated IDs associated with the first AI functionality and at least one of the cells and cell groups to which each Associated ID is applicable.

[0187] In some embodiments, the terminal may maintain an association information table, such as adding and deleting associated Associated IDs, as well as the cells and cell groups to which the Associated IDs apply.

[0188] For example, the AI ​​model used to implement the first AI functionality may include two AI models. The first AI model is trained based on training data identified as Associated IDs #1 and #4 in cell #1 and Associated IDs #2 and #5 in cell #2, while the second AI model is trained based on training data identified as Associated IDs #1 and #7 in cell #3 and Associated IDs #2 and #6 in cell #4. Optionally, the Associated IDs associated with the first AI functionality can generate an association information table as shown in Table 1 below.

[0189] Table 1

[0190] It is understood that each element in Table 1 exists independently. These elements are listed in the same table as an example, but this does not mean that all elements in the table must exist simultaneously as shown in the table. The value of each element is independent of the values ​​of any other element in Table 1. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that the value of each element in Table 1 is an independent embodiment. The first AI functionality's association information table includes one or more Associated IDs associated with the first AI functionality and at least one of the cells and cell groups to which each Associated ID applies.

[0191] In some embodiments, the first association information of the first AI functionality may include the associated ID of at least one of the terminal's current serving cell and the cell group to which the current serving cell is located, and the associated ID of at least one other cell and / or cell group in the above association information table.

[0192] In some embodiments, the first association information for the first AI functionality may include first association information for at least one other cell and cell group besides the terminal's current serving cell and / or the cell group to which the current serving cell belongs. For example, it may be the Associated ID associated with at least one other cell besides the terminal's current serving cell in the association information table mentioned above.

[0193] In some embodiments, the first association information of the first AI functionality may include all the first association information.

[0194] In some embodiments, the first associated information of the first AI functionality may include the aforementioned associated information table.

[0195] In some embodiments, when the network device sends second information to the terminal, that is, when the network device queries the first association information of the first AI functionality supported by the terminal, it does not need to pay attention to the terminal's current serving cell and the cell group to which the current serving cell belongs. The terminal can send the Associated ID corresponding to one or more cells in the association information table of the first AI functionality to the network device.

[0196] In some embodiments, the third information may also include the scope of application of the first associated information, which includes at least one of the applicable cells and the applicable cell groups.

[0197] In some embodiments, the first association information does not include either the first Associated ID or the second Associated ID, and no third information is sent to the network device.

[0198] In some embodiments, the first association information does not include either the first Associated ID or the second Associated ID, and third information including a first indication is sent to the network device, wherein the first indication is used to indicate at least one unassociated Associated ID in the current serving cell and the cell group in which the current serving cell is located.

[0199] In some embodiments, the terminal's current serving cell and / or the cell group where the serving cell is located are included in the association information table. The third information may only include the Associated ID associated with the current serving cell.

[0200] In some embodiments, the cell group where the terminal's current serving cell is located is a cell group in the association information table, and the terminal sends third information to the network device. The third information may only include the Associated ID associated with the cell group where the current serving cell is located.

[0201] In some embodiments, the terminal's current serving cell and / or the cell group to which the serving cell is located sends third information to the network device in the association information table. The third information may only include the Associated ID associated with the current serving cell and / or the cell group to which the terminal is located.

[0202] For example, the related information table in Table 1 above will be used as an example for explanation:

[0203] When a terminal accesses cell#1 and the second network element does not store the terminal's third information, the terminal can report the associated information Associated ID#1 and Associated ID#4 corresponding to cell#1 through the third information.

[0204] When a terminal accesses cell#2 and the second network element does not store the terminal's third information, the terminal can report the associated information Associated ID#2 and Associated ID#5 corresponding to cell#2 through the third information.

[0205] When a terminal accesses cell#3 and the second network element does not store the terminal's third information, the terminal can report the associated information Associated ID#1 and Associated ID#7 corresponding to cell#3 through the third information.

[0206] When a terminal accesses cell#4 and the second network element does not store the terminal's third information, the terminal can report only the associated information Associated ID#2 and Associated ID#6 corresponding to cell#4 through the third information.

[0207] In some embodiments, the terminal's current serving cell is a cell in the association information table, and the second information includes the Associated ID associated with the current serving cell and the Associated ID associated with at least one other cell in the association information table.

[0208] For example, the association information table in Table 1 above will be used as an example for explanation: When the terminal accesses cell#1 and the second network element does not store the terminal's third information, the terminal can report the association information Associated ID#1 and Associated ID#4 corresponding to cell#1, and Associated ID#2 and Associated ID#5 corresponding to cell#2.

[0209] In some embodiments, if the terminal's current serving cell is not a cell in the association information table, it will not send the second information to the network device.

[0210] In some embodiments, if the terminal's current serving cell is not a cell in the association information table, the terminal sends second information, including a first indication, to the network device.

[0211] For example, the associated information table in Table 1 above is used as an example for explanation: When the terminal accesses cell#5, the terminal does not send third information or carries a first indication in the third information, which is used to indicate that the terminal's current cell or cell group does not have a related Associated ID for the first AI functionality.

[0212] In step S2106, the first network element sends at least one of the first information and the third information to the second network element.

[0213] In some embodiments, the first network element may send at least one of the first information and the third information to the second network element so that the second network element can store the terminal's support for the first AI functionality and the first associated information of the first AI functionality. This allows the second network element to quickly obtain the terminal's support for the first AI functionality and the first associated information after subsequent cell handover, without having to query the terminal, thus saving resources.

[0214] In some embodiments, terms such as “send,” “transmit,” “uplink,” “uplink transmission,” “uplink transmission,” “downlink,” “downlink transmission,” “downlink transmission,” “report,” “send,” “transmit,” “bidirectional transmission,” “send and / or receive” can be used interchangeably.

[0215] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc., are not limited to the names described in the embodiments. Terms such as “message”, “signal”, “signaling”, “report”, “configuration”, “indication”, “instruction”, “command”, “channel”, “parameter”, “domain”, “field”, “symbol”, “symbol”, “codebook”, “codeword”, “codepoint”, “bit”, “data”, “program”, and “chip” can be used interchangeably.

[0216] The communication method involved in the embodiments of this disclosure may include at least one of steps S2101 to S2104. For example, step S2102 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, and steps S2101+S2102 may be implemented as standalone embodiments, etc., but are not limited thereto.

[0217] In this implementation or embodiment, unless there is contradiction, each step can be independent, arbitrarily combined or exchanged in order, optional methods or optional examples can be arbitrarily combined, and can be arbitrarily combined with any steps of other implementations or other embodiments.

[0218] Figure 2B is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2B, the communication method involved in this embodiment is executed by a system, and the method includes:

[0219] Step S2201: The first network element sends the fifth information to the terminal.

[0220] For a detailed description of step S2201, please refer to the description of step S2102 in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0221] Step S2202: The terminal sends the first information to the first network element.

[0222] For a detailed description of step S2202, please refer to the description of step S2103 in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0223] In step S2203, the first network element sends the second information to the terminal.

[0224] For a detailed description of step S2203, please refer to the description of step S2104 in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0225] Step S2204: The terminal sends third information to the first network element.

[0226] For a detailed description of step S2204, please refer to the description of step S2105 in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0227] In step S2205, the first network element sends at least one of the first information and the third information to the second network element.

[0228] For a detailed description of step S2205, please refer to the description of step S2106 in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0229] Figure 2C is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2C, the communication method involved in this embodiment is executed by a system, and the method includes:

[0230] Step S2301: The first network element sends the fourth information to the second network element.

[0231] For a detailed description of step S2301, please refer to the description of step S2101 in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0232] In step S2302, the second network element sends the first information to the first network element.

[0233] In some embodiments, in response to the availability of the terminal's first information in the second network element, the second network element may send the first information to the first network element. Optionally, the second network element may have received the terminal's first information from the first network element during a previous communication process, such as a cell handover scenario, and stored the terminal's first information.

[0234] In step S2303, the first network element sends the second information to the second network element.

[0235] In some embodiments, if the first network element determines that the terminal supports the first AI functionality based on the first information sent by the second network element, it may send the second information to the second network element to request the second network element to send the first associated information of the first AI functionality.

[0236] For a detailed description of the first associated information regarding the first AI functionality, please refer to the relevant content recorded in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0237] In some embodiments, the fourth information may also request the third information from the second network element; that is, the fourth information may request the first information and / or the third information from the second network element. If the fourth information is also used to request the third information, step S2303 may be skipped, and step S2304 may be executed directly.

[0238] In step S2304, the second network element sends the third information to the first network element.

[0239] In some embodiments, in response to the fact that the second network element stores third information of the terminal, the second network element may send the third information to the first network element.

[0240] In some embodiments, in response to the fact that the second network element does not store the terminal's third information, the first network element may send the second information to the terminal, requesting the terminal to send the third information.

[0241] For a detailed description of the third information, please refer to the relevant content in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0242] For example, the related information table in Table 1 above will be used as an example for explanation:

[0243] When the terminal accesses cell#1, the base station of cell#1 may request the AMF network element to send the first information indicating whether the terminal supports the first AI functionality. In other words, the base station of cell#1 sends the fourth information to the AMF network element, requesting the AMF network element to send the first information to indicate whether the terminal supports the first AI functionality.

[0244] In some embodiments, when the AMF network element does not obtain the terminal's first information, cell#1 will request the terminal to send the first information, which is the fifth information sent to the terminal, requesting the terminal to send first information on whether it supports the first AI functionality. Optionally, if the terminal supports the first AI functionality, it can send third information to the network device, which is used to indicate the first associated information of the first AI functionality.

[0245] In some embodiments, when a terminal moves from cell #1 to cell #2, the base station of cell #2 may request the AMF network element to indicate the terminal's support for the first AI functionality. The AMF network element replies with first information to the base station of cell #2, indicating the terminal's support for the first AI functionality.

[0246] In some embodiments, when the AMF network element obtains information storing the terminal's support for the first AI functionality and the first association information of the first AI functionality, the AMF network element may send at least one of the first information and the third information to the terminal. Optionally, the AMF network element may send the association information table of the first AI functionality to the base station of cell #2. Optionally, the AMF network element may send the Associated ID #2 and Associated ID #5 associated with cell #2 to the base station of cell #2.

[0247] Figure 2D is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2D, the communication method involved in this embodiment is executed by a system, and the method includes:

[0248] Step S2401: The first network element sends the fourth information to the second network element.

[0249] For a detailed description of step S2401, please refer to the description of S2101 in the above embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0250] In step S2402, the second network element sends the first information to the first network element.

[0251] For a detailed description of step S2402, please refer to the description of S2302 in the above embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0252] In some embodiments, the second network element may contain only the terminal's first information. In this case, the second network element sends only the first information to the first network element and continues to perform subsequent steps.

[0253] In some embodiments, the second network element stores the terminal's first information and third information. In this case, the second network element can send the first information and third information to the first network element, and the first network element does not need to request the third information from the terminal, and subsequent steps can be omitted.

[0254] In step S2403, the first network element sends the second information to the terminal.

[0255] For a detailed description of step S2303, please refer to the description of S2104 in the above embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0256] In step S2404, the terminal sends third information to the first network element.

[0257] For a detailed description of step S2304, please refer to the description of step S2105 in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0258] In step S2405, the first network element sends the third information to the second network element.

[0259] For a detailed description of step S2405, please refer to the description of step S2106 in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0260] For example, the related information table in Table 1 above will be used as an example for explanation:

[0261] When the terminal accesses cell#1, the base station of cell#1 may request the AMF network element to send the first information indicating whether the terminal supports the first AI functionality. In other words, the base station of cell#1 sends the fourth information to the AMF network element, requesting the AMF network element to send the first information to indicate whether the terminal supports the first AI functionality.

[0262] In some embodiments, when the AMF network element does not obtain the terminal's first information, cell#1 will request the terminal to send the first information, which is the fifth information sent to the terminal, requesting the terminal to send first information on whether it supports the first AI functionality. Optionally, if the terminal supports the first AI functionality, it can send third information to the network device, which is used to indicate the first associated information of the first AI functionality.

[0263] In some embodiments, when a terminal moves from cell #1 to cell #2, the base station of cell #2 may request the AMF network element to indicate the terminal's support for the first AI functionality. The AMF network element replies with first information to the base station of cell #2, indicating the terminal's support for the first AI functionality.

[0264] In some embodiments, the base station of cell #2 may send second information to the terminal, requesting the terminal to report the first association information of the first AI functionality. Further, the terminal may send the first association information of the first AI functionality via third information. Optionally, the terminal may send an association information table of the first AI functionality to the base station of cell #2. Optionally, the terminal may send Associated ID #1 and Associated ID #4 associated with cell #1 to the base station of cell #2.

[0265] Figure 2E is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2E, the communication method involved in this embodiment is executed by a system, and the method includes:

[0266] Step S2501: The terminal sends at least one of the first information and the third information to the first network element of the source cell.

[0267] In some embodiments, cell handover may occur during terminal movement. When accessing a source cell, the terminal may send at least one of first information and third information to a first network element of the source cell.

[0268] For details regarding the specific process of the terminal sending the first and third information to the first network element, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0269] In some embodiments, before step S2501, the first network element of the source cell may send information to the second network element and the terminal, requesting to obtain the terminal's first information and third information. Optionally, the first network element of the source cell may directly request the terminal. Optionally, the first network element of the source cell may first request the second network element, and if the second network element fails to obtain the first information and third information, request the first information and third information from the terminal. For specific implementation details, please refer to the relevant content in the above embodiments; further elaboration is not provided here.

[0270] In step S2502, the first network element of the source cell sends at least one of the first information and the third information to the second network element.

[0271] In some embodiments, a first network element of the source cell may send at least one of first information and third information to a second network element so as to store the first information and third information of the terminal in the second network element.

[0272] In step S2503, the first network element of the target cell sends fourth information to the second network element. The fourth information is used to request at least one of the first information and the third information.

[0273] For a detailed description of the fourth piece of information, please refer to the relevant content in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0274] Step S2504: The second network element sends at least one of the first information and the third information to the first network element of the target cell.

[0275] For a detailed description of the fourth piece of information, please refer to the relevant content in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0276] In some embodiments, when a terminal moves from cell #1 to cell #2, the base station of cell #2 may request the AMF network element to indicate the terminal's support for the first AI functionality. The AMF network element replies with first information to the base station of cell #2, indicating the terminal's support for the first AI functionality.

[0277] In some embodiments, when a terminal moves from cell #1 to cell #2, the base station of cell #2 may request the AMF network element to indicate the terminal's support for the first AI functionality. The AMF network element replies with first information to the base station of cell #2, indicating the terminal's support for the first AI functionality.

[0278] In some embodiments, when the AMF network element obtains information storing the terminal's support for the first AI functionality and the first association information of the first AI functionality, the AMF network element may send at least one of the first information and the third information to the terminal. Optionally, the AMF network element may send the association information table of the first AI functionality to the base station of cell #2. Optionally, the AMF network element may send the Associated ID #2 and Associated ID #5 associated with cell #2 to the base station of cell #2.

[0279] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the communication method involved in this embodiment is executed by a first network element, and the method includes:

[0280] Step S3101: Interact with the second network element to exchange first information. The first information is used to indicate whether the terminal supports the first AI functionality.

[0281] In some embodiments, the interaction of the first information with the second network element includes:

[0282] The receiving terminal sends first information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal supports a first AI functionality.

[0283] The first information is sent to the second network element.

[0284] In some embodiments, the interaction of the first information with the second network element includes:

[0285] Send a fourth message to the second network element, the fourth message being used to request the first message;

[0286] Receive the first information sent by the second network element.

[0287] In some embodiments, the first network element determines that the terminal supports the first AI functionality based on the first information, and sends the second information to the terminal. The second information is used to request the terminal to send the third information, and the third information is used to indicate the first associated information of the first AI functionality.

[0288] In some embodiments, the terminal sends third information.

[0289] In some embodiments, the third information is sent to the second network element.

[0290] In some embodiments, the fourth information is further used to request the third information;

[0291] Receive the third information sent by the second network element.

[0292] In some embodiments, a fourth message is sent to the second network element, the fourth message being used to request the first message from the terminal;

[0293] In response to not receiving the first information from the terminal from the second network element, a fifth information is sent to the terminal, the fifth information being used to request the terminal to send the first information.

[0294] In some embodiments, the first associated information of the first AI functionality includes at least one of the following:

[0295] At least some cell configuration information corresponding to the training data of the AI ​​model used to implement the first AI functionality;

[0296] The Associated ID associated with the first AI functionality is mapped to at least a portion of the cell configuration information corresponding to the training data of the AI ​​model within the first AI functionality.

[0297] In some embodiments, the third information includes a first indication, which indicates that the terminal’s current serving cell and the serving cell’s cell group have at least one unassociated ID.

[0298] In some embodiments, the third information includes at least one of the following:

[0299] The first associated information of the first AI functionality corresponding to either the current serving cell or the current serving cell group of the terminal;

[0300] The association information table of the first AI functionality includes one or more Associated IDs associated with the first AI functionality and the cell or cell group corresponding to each Associated ID;

[0301] The first AI functionality's association information table includes the first association information of at least one other cell and other cell groups besides the terminal's current serving cell and / or the cell group to which the serving cell is located.

[0302] In some embodiments, the first AI functionality includes one or more AI models, different AI models being trained based on one or more Associated IDs associated with different cells in the association information table.

[0303] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the communication method involved in this embodiment is executed by a second network element, and the method includes:

[0304] Step S4101: Interact with the first network element to exchange first information. The first information is used to indicate whether the terminal supports the first AI functionality.

[0305] In some embodiments, interacting with the first network element to exchange first information includes:

[0306] The terminal receives first information sent by the first network element.

[0307] In some embodiments, interacting with the first network element to exchange first information includes:

[0308] Receive the fourth information sent by the first network element, wherein the fourth information is used to request the first information;

[0309] Send the first information to the first network element.

[0310] In some embodiments, the terminal receives third information sent by the first network element, the third information being used to indicate first associated information of the first AI functionality, the third information being sent by the terminal to the first network element.

[0311] In some embodiments, the fourth information is further used to request the third information;

[0312] The third information is sent to the first network element.

[0313] In some embodiments, the terminal receives at least one of the first information and the third information sent by the first network element corresponding to the source cell of the terminal; and sends at least one of the first information and the third information to the first network element corresponding to the target cell of the terminal.

[0314] In some embodiments, the first associated information of the first AI functionality is at least one of the following:

[0315] At least some cell configuration information corresponding to the training data of the AI ​​model used to implement the first AI functionality;

[0316] The Associated ID associated with the first AI functionality is mapped to at least a portion of the cell configuration information corresponding to the training data of the AI ​​model within the first AI functionality.

[0317] In some embodiments, the third information includes a first indication, which indicates at least one unassociated ID in the current serving cell of the terminal and the cell group to which the current serving cell belongs.

[0318] In some embodiments, the third information includes at least one of the following:

[0319] The first association information of the first AI functionality corresponding to either the current serving cell of the terminal or the group in which the current serving cell belongs;

[0320] The association information table for the first AI functionality includes one or more Associated IDs associated with the first AI functionality and at least one of the cells and cell groups corresponding to each Associated ID.

[0321] The first AI functionality's association information table includes the first association information of at least one other cell and other cell groups besides the serving cell and / or the cell group to which the serving cell is located.

[0322] The communication method provided in this disclosure will be further described below with reference to the following embodiments.

[0323] In some embodiments, an information interaction method may be applied to a first network node (corresponding to the first network element in the above embodiments). The first network node receives first information from a terminal, the first information indicating the support status of a first AI functionality. The support status includes whether the terminal supports the first AI functionality. The first network node also receives second information from the terminal, the second information identifying first associated information of the AI ​​functionality. The associated information indicates at least some cell configuration information corresponding to the training data of the model training the first AI functionality, for example, network information configured for the cell.

[0324] In some embodiments, the first network node sends the first information to the second network node (corresponding to the second network element in the above embodiments).

[0325] In some embodiments, the method further includes the first network node requesting first information of the terminal from the second network node.

[0326] In some embodiments, in response to a first network node obtaining that the terminal supports a first AI functionality, the first network node sends third information to the terminal, the third information being used to request the terminal to send second information.

[0327] In some embodiments, the second information may include at least one of the following:

[0328] The first AI functionality relates to some network information in the local access cell (i.e., the serving cell);

[0329] (1) In the access cell, if there is network information associated with the access cell, the Associated ID associated with the network information shall be reported.

[0330] (2) In the access cell, if there is no network information associated with the access cell, the second information is not sent, or the second information contains no network information associated with the access cell at least.

[0331] The first AI functionality relates to network information in this community and other communities.

[0332] In some embodiments, the first network node sends the first information and the second information to the second network node.

[0333] In some embodiments, the second information includes all network information associated with the first AI functionality.

[0334] In some embodiments, the first network node may request the second network node the terminal's support for AI functionality and its associated information.

[0335] In some embodiments, in response to a request received by a second network node from a first network node, the second network node sends the terminal's support status for the first AI functionality to the first network node.

[0336] In some embodiments, the second network node also sends the association information of the first AI functionality to the first network node.

[0337] The first associated information may be one of the following:

[0338] The first AI functionality involves some network information associated with the local access cell;

[0339] (1) In the access cell, if there is network information associated with the access cell, the Associated ID associated with the network information shall be reported.

[0340] (2) In the access cell, if there is no network information associated with the access cell, the second information is not sent, or the second information contains no network information associated with the access cell at least.

[0341] The first AI functionality relates to network information in this community and other communities.

[0342] In some embodiments, for example, the first AI functionality includes two AI models. The first AI model is trained based on Associated IDs #1 and #4 in cell #1 and Associated IDs #2 and #5 in cell #2. The second AI model is trained based on Associated IDs #1 and #7 in cell #3 and Associated IDs #2 and #6 in cell #4. The Associated IDs associated with the first AI functionality can be summarized as shown in Table 1 of the above embodiments, which is the association information table of the first AI functionality, and will not be elaborated here.

[0343] In some embodiments:

[0344] When a terminal accesses Cell 1, the base station of Cell 1 may request information from the AMF (Application Functionality Manager) regarding whether the terminal supports the first AI functionality. If the AMF does not have this information, Cell 1 will request the terminal to send whether it supports the first AI functionality, and if so, send the first associated information of the first AI functionality.

[0345] The base station of cell 1 sends a message to the AMF asking whether the first terminal supports the first AI functionality.

[0346] When the terminal moves to cell 2 (Cell #2), the base station of cell 2 can request the AMF (Active Software Function) to confirm the terminal's support for the first AI functionality. The AMF then replies to the base station of cell 2 that the terminal supports the first AI functionality.

[0347] At this time, the base station of cell 2 can send information to the terminal, requesting the terminal to report the first association information of the first AI functionality.

[0348] The terminal reports the first associated information for the first AI functionality.

[0349] Optionally, the terminal reports the information in Table 1 of the above embodiments, that is, the associated information table of the first AI functionality, as shown in Table 1.

[0350] Optionally, the terminal only reports Associated IDs #1 and #4 of cell 1.

[0351] In other embodiments:

[0352] When a terminal accesses cell 1, the base station of cell 1 may request information from the AMF (Application Functionality Manager) regarding whether the terminal supports the first AI functionality. If the AMF does not have this information, cell 1 will request the terminal to send whether it supports the first AI functionality, and if so, to send the first associated information of the first AI functionality.

[0353] The base station of cell 1 sends to the AMF whether the first terminal supports the first AI functionality and the first association information of the first AI functionality. For example, it can report the association information table of the first AI functionality to the AMF, as shown in Table 1.

[0354] When the terminal moves to cell 2, the base station of cell 2 can request the terminal's support for the first AI functionality and the first associated information of the first AI functionality from the AMF.

[0355] Optionally, the AMF replies to the base station of cell 2 that the terminal supports the first AI functionality.

[0356] Optionally, the AMF replies to the base station of cell 2 with the first association information of the first AI functionality.

[0357] Optionally, the AMF replies to the base station of cell 2 with the association information table of the first AI functionality, as shown in Table 1.

[0358] Optionally, the AMF replies to the base station of cell 2 with the Associated ID #2, #5 associated with cell 2.

[0359] This disclosure also provides an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the terminal in any of the above methods. Alternatively, another apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network functional node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0360] It should be understood that the division of units or modules in the above device is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, the units or modules in the device can be implemented by a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor connected to a memory containing instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or to implement the functions of the units or modules in the above device. The processor can be, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory can be internal or external to the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits. The functionality of some or all of the units or modules can be achieved through the design of these hardware circuits, which can be understood as one or more processors. For example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The functionality of some or all of the units or modules is achieved through the design of the logical relationships between the components within the circuit. In another implementation, the hardware circuit can be implemented using a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gates. The connection relationships between the logic gates are configured through configuration files, thereby achieving the functionality of some or all of the units or modules. All units or modules of the above device can be implemented entirely through processor-called software, entirely through hardware circuits, or partially through processor-called software with the remaining parts implemented through hardware circuits.

[0361] In this embodiment, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction read and execute capabilities, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationships of hardware circuits. The logical relationships of the aforementioned hardware circuits are fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and configuring the hardware circuit can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. Furthermore, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a Neural Network Processing Unit (NPU), a Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), or a Deep Learning Processing Unit (DPU).

[0362] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first network element proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 5A, the first network element 5100 may include at least one of a transceiver module 5101, a processing module 5102, etc. In some embodiments, the transceiver module is used to interact with a second network element to exchange first information, the first information being used to indicate whether the terminal supports a first AI functionality.

[0363] The aforementioned transceiver module is further configured to receive first information sent by the terminal, the first information being used to indicate whether the terminal supports the first AI functionality; and to send the first information to the second network element.

[0364] The aforementioned transceiver module is further configured to send fourth information to the second network element, the fourth information being used to request the first information; and to receive the first information sent by the second network element.

[0365] The aforementioned transceiver module is further configured to determine, based on the first information, that the terminal supports the first AI functionality, and send second information to the terminal, wherein the second information is used to request the terminal to send third information, and the third information is used to indicate the first associated information of the first AI functionality.

[0366] The aforementioned transceiver module is also used to receive the third information sent by the terminal and to send the third information to the second network element.

[0367] The fourth information is also used to request the third information; the transceiver module is also used to receive the third information sent by the second network element.

[0368] The aforementioned transceiver module is further configured to send a fourth message to the second network element, the fourth message being used to request the first message from the terminal; and in response to not receiving the first message from the terminal from the second network element, to send a fifth message to the terminal, the fifth message being used to request the terminal to send the first message.

[0369] In some embodiments, the first associated information of the first AI functionality includes at least one of the following:

[0370] At least some cell configuration information corresponding to the training data of the AI ​​model used to implement the first AI functionality;

[0371] The Associated ID associated with the first AI functionality is mapped to at least a portion of the cell configuration information corresponding to the training data of the AI ​​model.

[0372] In some embodiments, the third information includes a first indication, which indicates that the terminal's current serving cell and the cell group to which the serving cell belongs have at least one unassociated ID.

[0373] In some embodiments, the third information includes at least one of the following:

[0374] The first association information of the first AI functionality corresponding to any item in the current serving cell and the group to which the serving cell belongs;

[0375] The association information table for the first AI functionality includes one or more Associated IDs associated with the first AI functionality and the cell or cell group corresponding to each Associated ID.

[0376] The first association information in the association information table of the first AI functionality includes at least one other cell or other cell group other than the serving cell or the cell group to which the serving cell is located.

[0377] In some embodiments, the first AI functionality includes one or more AI models, different AI models being trained based on one or more Associated IDs associated with different cells in the association information table.

[0378] Optionally, the transceiver module described above is used to perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the terminal in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0379] Optionally, the above processing module is used to perform at least one of the other steps executed by the terminal in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0380] In some embodiments, the processing module can be replaced by the processor, and the transceiver module can be replaced by the transceiver.

[0381] Figure 5B is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second network element proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 5B, the second network element 5200 may include at least one of a transceiver module 5201, a processing module 5202, etc. In some embodiments, the transceiver module is used to interact with the first network element to exchange first information, the first information being used to indicate whether the terminal supports a first artificial intelligence (AI) function.

[0382] The aforementioned transceiver module is also used to receive first information sent by the first network element, wherein the first information is sent by the terminal to the first network element.

[0383] The aforementioned transceiver module is further configured to receive fourth information sent by the first network element, the fourth information being used to request the first information; and to send the first information to the first network element.

[0384] The aforementioned transceiver module is further configured to receive third information sent by the first network element, the third information being used to indicate the first associated information of the first AI functionality, and the third information being sent by the terminal to the first network element.

[0385] The fourth information is also used to request the third information; the transceiver module is also used to send the third information to the first network element.

[0386] The aforementioned transceiver module is further configured to receive at least one of the first information and the third information sent by the first network element corresponding to the source cell of the terminal; and to send at least one of the first information and the third information to the first network element corresponding to the target cell of the terminal.

[0387] The first associated information of the first AI functionality is at least one of the following:

[0388] At least some cell configuration information corresponding to the training data of the AI ​​model used to implement the first AI functionality;

[0389] The Associated ID associated with the first AI functionality is mapped to at least a portion of the cell configuration information corresponding to the training data of the AI ​​model.

[0390] The third information includes a first indication, which indicates that the terminal's current serving cell and the cell group to which the serving cell belongs have at least one unassociated ID.

[0391] The third information includes at least one of the following:

[0392] The first association information of the first AI functionality corresponding to any item in the current serving cell and the group to which the serving cell belongs;

[0393] The association information table for the first AI functionality includes one or more Associated IDs associated with the first AI functionality and at least one of the cells and cell groups corresponding to each Associated ID.

[0394] The first AI functionality's association information table includes the first association information of at least one other cell and other cell groups besides the serving cell and / or the cell group to which the serving cell is located.

[0395] The first AI functionality includes one or more AI models, and different AI models are trained based on one or more Associated IDs associated with different cells in the association information table.

[0396] Optionally, the transceiver module described above is used to perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the terminal in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0397] Optionally, the above processing module is used to perform at least one of the other steps executed by the terminal in any of the above methods, which will not be elaborated here.

[0398] In some embodiments, the processing module can be replaced by the processor, and the transceiver module can be replaced by the transceiver.

[0399] Figure 6A is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 6100 proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. The communication device 6100 can be a network device (e.g., access network device, core network device, etc.), a terminal (e.g., user equipment, etc.), a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device in implementing any of the above methods, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal in implementing any of the above methods. The communication device 6100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0400] As shown in Figure 6A, the communication device 6100 includes one or more processors 6101. The processor 6101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU can be used to control communication devices (e.g., base stations, baseband chips, terminal devices, terminal device chips, DUs or CUs, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. The communication device 6100 is used to execute any of the above methods.

[0401] In some embodiments, the communication device 6100 further includes one or more memories 6102 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 6102 may also be located outside the communication device 6100.

[0402] In some embodiments, the communication device 6100 further includes one or more transceivers 6103. When the communication device 6100 includes one or more transceivers 6103, the transceivers 6103 perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method, and the processor 6101 performs at least one of the other steps.

[0403] In some embodiments, a transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, etc., may be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, transmitting circuit, etc., may be used interchangeably; and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, receiving circuit, etc., may be used interchangeably.

[0404] In some embodiments, the communication device 6100 may include one or more interface circuits 6104. Optionally, the interface circuit 6104 is connected to the memory 6102, and the interface circuit 6104 can be used to receive signals from the memory 6102 or other devices, and can be used to send signals to the memory 6102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 6104 can read instructions stored in the memory 6102 and send the instructions to the processor 6101.

[0405] The communication device 6100 described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 6100 described in this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 6100 may not be limited by FIG. 6A. The communication device may be a standalone device or a part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: (1) a standalone integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the IC collection may also include storage components for storing data and programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, terminal device, smart terminal device, cellular phone, wireless device, handheld device, mobile unit, vehicle device, network device, cloud device, artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0406] Figure 6B is a schematic diagram of the structure of chip 6200 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. For cases where the communication device 6100 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to the schematic diagram of chip 6200 shown in Figure 6B, but it is not limited thereto.

[0407] Chip 6200 includes one or more processors 6201, which are used to perform any of the above methods.

[0408] In some embodiments, chip 6200 further includes one or more interface circuits 6202. Optionally, the interface circuit 6202 is connected to memory 6203, and the interface circuit 6202 can be used to receive signals from memory 6203 or other devices, and the interface circuit 6202 can be used to send signals to memory 6203 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 6202 can read instructions stored in memory 6203 and send the instructions to processor 6201.

[0409] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 6202 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method, and the processor 6201 performs at least one of the other steps.

[0410] In some embodiments, the terms interface circuit, interface, transceiver pin, transceiver, etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0411] In some embodiments, chip 6200 further includes one or more memories 6203 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 6203 may be located outside of chip 6200.

[0412] This disclosure also proposes a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on the communication device 6100, cause the communication device 6100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0413] This disclosure also provides a program product that, when executed by the communication device 6100, causes the communication device 6100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0414] This disclosure also proposes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the above methods.

[0415] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs. When the computer program is loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this disclosure are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., high-density digital video discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks (SSDs)).

[0416] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this disclosure.

[0417] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0418] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this disclosure, but the scope of protection of this disclosure is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method, executed by the first network element, includes: The terminal interacts with the second network element to exchange first information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal supports the first artificial intelligence (AI) function.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The interaction of the first information with the second network element includes: The receiving terminal sends first information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal supports a first AI functionality. The first information is sent to the second network element.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The interaction of the first information with the second network element includes: Send a fourth message to the second network element, the fourth message being used to request the first message; Receive the first information sent by the second network element.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the first information, it is determined that the terminal supports the first AI functionality. A second information is sent to the terminal, the second information being used to request the terminal to send a third information, the third information being used to indicate the first associated information of the first AI functionality.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive the third information sent by the terminal; The third information is sent to the second network element.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The fourth information is also used to request the third information, and the method further includes: Receive the third information sent by the second network element.

7. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a fourth message to the second network element, the fourth message being used to request the first message; In response to not receiving the first information from the second network element, a fifth message is sent to the terminal, the fifth message being used to request the terminal to send the first information.

8. The method according to any one of claims 2-4, characterized in that, The first associated information of the first AI functionality includes at least one of the following: At least some cell configuration information corresponding to the training data of the AI ​​model used to implement the first AI functionality; The Associated ID associated with the first AI functionality is mapped to at least a portion of the cell configuration information corresponding to the training data of the AI ​​model used to implement the first AI functionality.

9. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The third information includes a first indication, which indicates that the terminal's current serving cell and at least one of the serving cell's group does not contain the Associated ID.

10. The method according to any one of claims 2-4, characterized in that, The third information includes at least one of the following: The first association information of the first AI functionality corresponding to any item in the current serving cell and the group to which the serving cell belongs; The association information table of the first AI functionality includes one or more Associated IDs associated with the first AI functionality and the cell or cell group corresponding to each Associated ID; The first AI functionality's association information table includes the first association information of at least one other cell and other cell groups besides the terminal's current serving cell and / or the cell group to which the serving cell is located.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first AI functionality includes one or more AI models, and different AI models are trained based on one or more Associated IDs associated with different cells in the association information table.

12. A communication method, characterized in that, The method, executed by the second network element, includes: The terminal interacts with the first network element to exchange first information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal supports the first AI functionality.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The interaction of the first information with the first network element includes: The terminal receives first information sent by the first network element.

14. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The interaction of the first information with the first network element includes: Receive the fourth information sent by the first network element, wherein the fourth information is used to request the first information; Send the first information to the first network element.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12-13, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal receives third information sent by the first network element. The third information is used to indicate the first associated information of the first AI functionality. The third information is sent by the terminal to the first network element.

16. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The fourth information is also used to request the third information, and the method further includes: The third information is sent to the first network element.

17. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive at least one of the first information and the third information sent by the first network element corresponding to the source cell of the terminal; Send at least one of the first information and the third information to the first network element corresponding to the target cell of the terminal.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12-16, characterized in that, The first associated information of the first AI functionality includes at least one of the following: At least some cell configuration information corresponding to the training data of the AI ​​model used to implement the first AI functionality; The Associated ID associated with the first AI functionality is mapped to at least a portion of the cell configuration information corresponding to the training data of the AI ​​model used to implement the first AI functionality.

19. The method according to any one of claims 15-17, characterized in that, The third information includes a first indication, which indicates that at least one of the current serving cell and the cell group to which the serving cell belongs does not have the Associated ID.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The third information includes at least one of the following: The first association information of the first AI functionality corresponding to any item in the current serving cell and the group to which the serving cell belongs; The association information table for the first AI functionality includes one or more Associated IDs associated with the first AI functionality and at least one of the cells and cell groups corresponding to each Associated ID. The first AI functionality association information table includes the first association information of at least one other cell and other cell groups other than the current serving cell and / or the cell group to which the serving cell belongs.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The first AI functionality includes one or more AI models, and different AI models are trained based on one or more Associated IDs associated with different cells in the association information table.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is used to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 1-11 and 12-21.

Images