Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, which are applied to the technical field of communications. The method comprises: a first access network device determining whether the first access network device requires first information, wherein the first information includes at least one of the following: part or all of PDU set information, or part or all of data burst information; and the first access network device sending first indication information to a first core network device, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating whether the first access network device requires the first information. The method enables an access network device to acquire PDU set information and / or data burst information on demand, such that the access network device can perform optimization processing on the basis of the PDU set information and / or the data burst information, thereby facilitating an improvement in the communication performance.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411600049.0, filed on November 8, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0004] Access network devices can provide extended reality (XR) services based on at least one of the following: a set of protocol data units (PDUs) or a data burst. For example, access network devices can configure discontinuous reception (DRX) based on the arrival and end times of data bursts to help terminal devices save energy. Another example is that access network devices can perform packet loss at the PDU set granularity. For instance, when the application layer requires all data packets in a certain PDU set to be transmitted correctly, and some data packets in that PDU set have been lost, the access network device can discard the data packets in that PDU set to conserve resources.

[0005] Before providing services based on PDU sets and / or data bursts, access network devices can obtain PDU set information and / or data burst information. Currently, after the core network sends the quality of service (QoS) parameters (also known as PDU set QoS parameters) of the PDU set to the access network device, if the core network receives an indication from the access network device that the access network device supports PDU set-based handling, then the core network can send PDU set information and data burst information to the access network device. This method has a narrow scope of application and cannot adapt to more scenarios. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that enables access network devices to acquire PDU set information and / or data burst information on demand, so that the access network devices can perform optimized processing based on the PDU set information and / or data burst information, thereby improving communication performance.

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to a first access network device or a module within the first access network device. Exemplarily, the module in the first access network device may be a communication module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core), a chip system, or a processor; or it may be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first access network device. The following description uses the application of this method to a first access network device as an example.

[0008] The method includes: a first access network device determining whether it needs first information, the first information including at least one of the following: part or all of the information in PDU set information, or part or all of the information in data burst information. The first access network device sends first indication information to a first core network device, the first indication information indicating whether it needs the first information.

[0009] For example, the PDU set information includes at least one of the following: PDU set serial number, PDU serial number within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, or the PDU set ending PDU.

[0010] For example, the data burst information includes at least one of the following: a data burst end identifier, a data burst size, or the time of the next burst.

[0011] Using this method, the first access network device can send a first indication message to the first core network device to notify the first core network device whether it needs some or all of the PDU set information and / or data burst information. In this way, the first access network device can obtain the PDU set information and / or data burst information as needed, enabling it to perform optimized processing based on the PDU set information and / or data burst information, such as scheduling optimization, which helps improve communication performance.

[0012] Furthermore, in this method, the operation of the first access network device sending the first indication information does not depend on whether the first access network device obtains the QoS parameters of the PDU set, nor does it depend on whether the first access network device supports PDU set-based processing. This allows the first access network device to flexibly obtain some or all of the information in the PDU set information and / or data burst information, expanding the scope of application of this method and increasing the applicable scenarios.

[0013] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to a first core network device or a module within the first core network device. Exemplarily, the module in the first core network device may be a communication module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), a chip system, or a processor, or may be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first core network device. The following description uses the application of this method to a first core network device as an example.

[0014] The method includes: a first core network device sending first query information to a first access network device, the first query information being used to query whether the first access network device needs first information, the first information including at least one of the following: part or all of the information in PDU set information, or part or all of the information in data burst information. The first core network device receiving first indication information from the first access network device, the first indication information being used to indicate whether the first access network device needs the first information.

[0015] For example, the PDU set information includes at least one of the following: PDU set sequence number, protocol data unit (PDU) sequence number within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, or the PDU set ending PDU.

[0016] For example, the data burst information includes at least one of the following: a data burst end identifier, a data burst size, or the time of the next burst.

[0017] Through this method, the first core network device can determine, based on the first indication information, whether the first access network device needs some or all of the information in the PDU set information and / or data burst information. This allows the first access network device to obtain the PDU set information and / or data burst information as needed, so that the first access network device can perform optimization processing based on the PDU set information and / or data burst information, such as scheduling optimization, which is beneficial to improving communication performance.

[0018] Furthermore, in this method, the operation of the first access network device sending the first indication information does not depend on whether the first access network device obtains the QoS parameters of the PDU set, nor does it depend on whether the first access network device supports PDU set-based processing. This allows the first access network device to flexibly obtain some or all of the information in the PDU set information and / or data burst information, expanding the scope of application of this method and increasing the applicable scenarios.

[0019] Furthermore, the sending of a first query message by the first core network device to the first access network device can be understood as the core network being able to provide first information to the first access network device. Thus, after the first access network device sends a first indication message to the first core network device, it can obtain some or all of the information from the PDU set information and / or data burst information as needed. Additionally, this design avoids the first access network device sending a first indication message to the first core network device when the core network is unable to provide the first information, thereby reducing signaling overhead and preventing resource waste.

[0020] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to a second access network device or a module within the second access network device. Exemplarily, the module in the second access network device may be a communication module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), a chip system, or a processor, or may be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second access network device. The following description uses the application of this method to a second access network device as an example.

[0021] The method includes: a second access network device determining whether it needs second information, the second information including at least one of the following: part or all of the information in PDU set information, or part or all of the information in data burst information. The second access network device sends second indication information to the first access network device, the second indication information indicating whether it needs the second information.

[0022] For example, the PDU set information includes at least one of the following: PDU set sequence number, protocol data unit (PDU) sequence number within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, or the PDU set ending PDU.

[0023] For example, the data burst information includes at least one of the following: a data burst end identifier, a data burst size, or the time of the next burst.

[0024] Optionally, the first access network device is a central unit (CU) and the second access network device is a distributed unit (DU); or, the first access network device is a CU-control plane (CP) device and the second access network device is a CU-user plane (UP) device; or, the first access network device is a master node (MN) and the second access network device is a secondary node (SN); or, the first access network device is a source base station and the second access network device is a target base station.

[0025] Using this method, when a second access network device needs some or all of the PDU set information and / or data burst information, the second access network device can send a second indication message to the first access network device to notify the first access network device whether it needs some or all of the PDU set information and / or data burst information. In this way, the second access network device can obtain the PDU set information and / or data burst information on demand, enabling it to perform optimized processing based on the PDU set information and / or data burst information, such as scheduling optimization, which is beneficial for improving communication performance.

[0026] Based on the first or second aspect, in one possible design, the first information includes: all information in the PDU set information, and / or all information in the data burst information. The first indication information is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs the first information, and may include: the first indication information indicating whether the first access network device needs all information in the PDU set information, and / or whether the first access network device needs all information in the data burst information.

[0027] The first information includes all information in the PDU set information and / or all information in the data burst information. This can be understood as: the first information includes: PDU set information and / or data burst information. Whether the first access network device needs all information in the PDU set information can be understood as: whether the first access network device needs the PDU set information. Whether the first access network device needs all information in the data burst information can be understood as: whether the first access network device needs the data burst information.

[0028] In this design, the first access network device can accurately indicate to the first core network device, via first indication information, whether it needs PDU set information and / or data burst information. Furthermore, in this design, the first indication information can indicate whether the first access network device needs all the information in the PDU set information. Thus, the first indication information can indicate whether the first access network device needs all the information in the PDU set information using a few bits; for example, the first indication information can indicate whether the first access network device needs all the information in the PDU set information using only one bit. Similarly, the first indication information can indicate whether the first access network device needs all the information in the data burst information. Thus, the first indication information can indicate whether the first access network device needs all the information in the data burst information using a few bits.

[0029] Based on the first or second aspect, in one possible design, the first information includes: some or all of the information in the PDU set information, and / or some or all of the information in the data burst information. The first indication information is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs the first information, including: the first indication information indicating whether the first access network device needs any one of the information in the PDU set information, and / or whether the first access network device needs any one of the information in the data burst information.

[0030] In this design, the first access network device can accurately indicate to the first core network device, via the first indication information, whether it needs PDU set information and / or data burst information. Furthermore, this design improves the flexibility of obtaining PDU set information and / or data burst information by indicating whether the first access network device needs any part or all of the information in the PDU set information, and / or whether it needs any part or all of the information in the data burst information. Moreover, if the first access network device only needs part of the PDU set information and / or data burst information, the core network can avoid sending all of the PDU set information and / or data burst information to the first access network device, thereby saving transmission overhead.

[0031] Based on the first or second aspect, in one possible design, the first information is associated with (or corresponds to) a first QoS flow, and the first indication information also indicates the first QoS flow. Exemplarily, the first indication information may include the identity (ID) of the first QoS flow (which may be referred to as the QoS flow ID). With this design, for a specific QoS flow, the first access network device can obtain PDU set information and / or data burst information on demand, enabling it to optimize the specific QoS flow based on the PDU set information and / or data burst information, thus improving communication performance. Furthermore, in this design, the first access network device can request PDU set information and / or data burst information for a specific QoS flow. This allows the core network to send PDU set information and / or data burst information for a specific QoS flow to the first access network device, eliminating the need to send PDU set information and / or data burst information for all QoS flows, thereby saving transmission overhead.

[0032] Based on the first or second aspect, in one possible design, the first information is associated with a first PDU session, and the first indication information also indicates the first PDU session. Exemplarily, the first indication information may include the ID of the first PDU session (which may be referred to as the PDU session ID). With this design, for a specific PDU session, the first access network device can obtain PDU set information and / or data burst information on demand, enabling the first access network device to optimize the processing of the specific PDU session based on the PDU set information and / or data burst information, thereby improving communication performance. Furthermore, in this design, the first access network device can request PDU set information and / or data burst information for a specific PDU session. This allows the core network to send PDU set information and / or data burst information for a specific PDU session to the first access network device, eliminating the need to send PDU set information and / or data burst information for all PDU sessions, thus saving transmission overhead.

[0033] Based on the first aspect, in one possible design, the method further includes: a first core network device sending first query information to a first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device can receive the first query information from the first core network device. The first query information is used to query whether the first access network device needs first information. Optionally, after receiving the first query information from the first core network device, the first access network device can send first indication information to the first core network device, the first indication information being used to indicate whether the first access network device needs the first information. The first core network device sending the first query information to the first access network device can be understood as: the core network is able to provide the first information to the first access network device. In this way, after the first access network device sends the first indication information to the first core network device, it can obtain some or all of the information in the PDU set information and / or data burst information as needed. In addition, this design can avoid the first access network device sending the first indication information to the first core network device when the core network is unable to provide the first information, thereby reducing signaling overhead and avoiding resource waste.

[0034] Based on the first or second aspect, in one possible design, the method further includes: a second core network device sending a first data packet to a first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device receiving the first data packet from the second core network device. The first data packet includes first sub-information, which is information required by the first access network device from the first information; that is, the first data packet includes information required by the first access network device from the first information. For example, the information required by the first access network device from the first information may be information required by the first access network device as indicated by the first indication information. Through this design, the first access network device can obtain information from PDU set information and / or data burst information as needed, thereby enabling optimized processing and improving communication performance.

[0035] Based on the first or second aspect, in one possible design, at least one field in the first data packet has a dummy value. This at least one field corresponds to (or is associated with) second sub-information, which is information in the first information that the first access network device does not need; that is, this at least one field corresponds to (or is associated with) information in the first information that the first access network device does not need. For example, the information in the first information that the first access network device does not need may be information indicated by the first indication information that the first access network device does not need. With this design, for information that the first access network device does not need, the corresponding field in the data packet has an invalid value. Thus, the second core network device can choose not to recognize or process the information corresponding to these fields, thereby reducing the processing complexity of these fields for the second core network device.

[0036] Based on the first or second aspect, in one possible design, the method further includes: the second access network device sending second indication information to the first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device receiving the second indication information from the second access network device. The second indication information is used to indicate whether the second access network device needs second information, and the second information includes at least one of the following: part or all of the PDU set information, or part or all of the data burst information. Optionally, the second information and the first information may be the same or different.

[0037] Optionally, the first access network device is a CU and the second access network device is a DU; or, the first access network device is a CU-CP device and the second access network device is a CU-UP device; or, the first access network device is a primary base station and the second access network device is a secondary base station; or, the first access network device is a source base station and the second access network device is a target base station.

[0038] Using this method, when a second access network device needs some or all of the PDU set information and / or data burst information, the second access network device can send a second indication message to the first access network device to notify the first access network device whether it needs some or all of the PDU set information and / or data burst information. In this way, the second access network device can obtain the PDU set information and / or data burst information on demand, enabling it to perform optimized processing based on the PDU set information and / or data burst information, thus improving communication performance.

[0039] Based on any one of the first to third aspects, in one possible design, where the first access network device is the primary base station and the second access network device is the secondary base station, the method further includes: the first access network device sending third indication information to the first core network device; correspondingly, the first core network device receiving the third indication information from the first access network device. The third indication information is used to indicate whether the second access network device needs the second information. Optionally, the third indication information and the second indication information may be the same or different. For example, when the first access network device transparently transmits the second indication information, the third indication information and the second indication information may be the same. Alternatively, after receiving the second indication information, the first access network device may process the second indication information, for example, by encapsulation, or by combining the second indication information from multiple access network devices to obtain the third indication information. When the first access network device is the primary base station and the second access network device is the secondary base station, the first access network device may send the third indication information to the first core network device to notify the first core network device whether the second access network device needs some or all of the information in the PDU set information and / or data burst information. In this way, the second access network device can obtain PDU set information and / or data burst information as needed, so that the second access network device can perform optimized processing based on the PDU set information and / or data burst information, which is beneficial to improving communication performance.

[0040] Based on any one of the first to third aspects, in one possible design, the method further includes: a first access network device sending second query information to a second access network device; correspondingly, the second access network device receiving the second query information from the first access network device. The second query information is used to query whether the second access network device needs second information. Optionally, after sending the second query information to the second access network device, the first access network device may receive second indication information from the second access network device, the second indication information indicating whether the second access network device needs the second information. The first access network device sending the second query information to the second access network device can be understood as the first access network device and / or the core network being able to provide the second information to the second access network device. Thus, after the second access network device sends the second indication information to the first access network device, it can obtain some or all of the information in the PDU set information and / or data burst information as needed. Furthermore, this design avoids the second access network device sending the second indication information to the first access network device when the first access network device and / or the core network is unable to provide the second information, thereby reducing signaling overhead and avoiding resource waste.

[0041] Based on any one of the first to third aspects, in one possible design, the method further includes: a first access network device sending a second data packet to a second access network device; correspondingly, the second access network device receiving the second data packet from the first access network device. The second data packet includes third sub-information, which is information required by the second access network device in the second information; that is, the second data packet includes information required by the second access network device in the second information. For example, the information required by the second access network device in the second information may be information required by the second access network device as indicated by the second indication information. Through this design, the second access network device can obtain information from the PDU set information and / or data burst information as needed, thereby enabling optimized processing and improving communication performance.

[0042] Based on any one of the first to third aspects, in one possible design, one or more fields in the second data packet have invalid values. These one or more fields correspond to (or are associated with) the fourth sub-information, which is information in the second information that the second access network device does not need; that is, these one or more fields correspond to (or are associated with) information in the second information that the second access network device does not need. For example, the information in the second information that the second access network device does not need may be information indicated by the second indication information that the second access network device does not need. Through this design, for information that the second access network device does not need, the corresponding field in the data packet has an invalid value, thereby reducing the processing complexity of these fields for the first access network device and / or the core network.

[0043] Based on the first aspect or the second aspect, in one possible design, the first access network device sends a first indication information to the first core network device, including: the first access network device sends a first message to the first core network device, the first message including the first indication information. The first message is any one of the following: PDU session resource setup response message; PDU session resource modification response message; PDU session resource notification message; PDU session resource modification indication message; user equipment (UE) context setup response message; UE context modification response message; UE context recovery response message; handover request acknowledgment message; handover notification message; path switch request message; NG interface setup request message; or access network configuration update message (RAN). (CONFIGURATION UPDATE). This design provides multiple possible ways to carry messages containing the first indication information, offering flexibility and applicability to processes that include the aforementioned messages, making it easy to implement.

[0044] Based on any one of the first to third aspects, in one possible design, the method further includes: a first core network device sending fourth indication information to a second core network device; correspondingly, the second core network device receiving the fourth indication information from the first core network device. The fourth indication information is used to indicate the transmission of a data packet including first sub-information, where the first sub-information is information required by the first access network device in the first information. Exemplarily, the first core network device is a session management function network element or an access management function network element; and / or, the second core network device is a user plane network element. Thus, after receiving the fourth indication information, the second core network device can send a data packet including the first sub-information to the first access network device. Through this design, the first core network device can instruct the second core network device to send the first sub-information to the first access network device as needed, thereby enabling the first access network device to obtain PDU set information and / or data burst information as needed, so that the first access network device can perform optimized processing based on the PDU set information and / or data burst information, which is beneficial for improving communication performance.

[0045] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device. In some examples, the communication device may be a first access network device or a module within a first access network device, and the communication device has the functions described in the first aspect. In other examples, the communication device may be a first core network device or a module within a first core network device, and the communication device has the functions described in the second aspect. In still other examples, the communication device may be a second access network device or a module within a second access network device, and the communication device has the functions described in the third aspect.

[0046] In one possible embodiment, the communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the operations involved in any of the first to third aspects described above. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both. For example, the communication device includes an interface unit and a processing unit. The interface unit can be used to transmit and receive signals to enable communication between the communication device and other devices; the processing unit can be used to perform some internal operations of the communication device. The functions performed by the processing unit and the interface unit can correspond to the operations involved in any of the first to third aspects described above.

[0047] In one possible embodiment, the communication device includes a processor. The processor is capable of executing computer programs or instructions, for example, executing computer programs or instructions stored in memory. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the communication device causes it to perform the methods in any of the possible designs described in any of the first to third aspects above.

[0048] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface, which is either a memory built into the communication device or an external memory connected to the communication device.

[0049] In one possible embodiment, the communication device includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the processor is configured to communicate with other devices via the interface circuit and to perform the methods in any of the possible designs of any of the first to third aspects described above.

[0050] Fifthly, this application provides a communication system that may include at least two of a first device, a second device, and a third device. The first device may be a first access network device or a module within a first access network device, used to execute the communication method provided in the first aspect; the second device may be a first core network device or a module within a first core network device, used to execute the communication method provided in the second aspect; and the third device may be a second access network device or a module within a second access network device, used to execute the communication method provided in the third aspect.

[0051] In some possible designs, the communication system includes a first access network device and a first core network device.

[0052] In other possible designs, the communication system includes a first access network device, a first core network device, and a second access network device.

[0053] In some other possible designs, the communication system includes a first access network device and a second access network device.

[0054] In a sixth aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions, wherein when the computer program or instructions are executed, a method in any possible design of any of the first to third aspects described above is implemented.

[0055] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer program product comprising computer program code, wherein when the computer program code is run, a method in any possible design of any of the first to third aspects described above is implemented.

[0056] Eighthly, this application provides a chip that may include at least one processor for executing computer programs or instructions in memory to implement the methods in any possible design of any of the first to third aspects described above.

[0057] The technical effects that can be achieved by any of the fourth to eighth aspects mentioned above can be described with reference to the technical effects that can be achieved by any possible design in any of the first to third aspects mentioned above. The repetitions will not be discussed. Attached Figure Description

[0058] Figure 1 is an architecture diagram of a communication system;

[0059] Figure 2 is an architecture diagram of an access network device;

[0060] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between a data burst and a PDU set;

[0061] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a PDU set information container format;

[0062] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a method for obtaining PDU set information and data burst information;

[0063] Figures 6 to 12 are flowcharts of several communication methods provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0064] Figure 13 is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 14 is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0066] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems. Examples include Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Short-Range Wireless Communication Systems (such as Sidelink, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi or WiFi), Bluetooth, wired networks, Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication systems, Device-to-Device (D2D) communication systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication, Machine-Type Communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), 4th Generation (4G) mobile communication systems (such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems), LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication systems, and 5th Generation (5G) mobile communication systems. No restrictions are imposed on generation (5G) mobile communication systems (such as new radio (NR) systems), future evolution communication systems, or other similar communication systems.

[0067] This application will present various aspects, embodiments, or features relating to systems that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood that individual systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, combinations of these approaches are also possible.

[0068] Figure 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a possible communication system. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system may include a core network (CN) and an access network (AN). The access network may include at least one access network device. Optionally, the access network may also include at least one terminal device. The terminal device may be, for example, the XR device shown in Figure 1. In some implementations, the terminal devices can communicate with each other via a sidelink (SL).

[0069] Optionally, as shown in Figure 1, the communication system may also include a data network (DN). The DN can be a network located outside the mobile communication system, providing services to users. For example, the DN can be a packet data network (PDN), such as the Internet, an Internet Protocol Multimedia Service (IMS) network, a dedicated data network for certain applications, Ethernet, or an Internet Protocol (IP) local area network. The DN can deploy various services, providing data and / or voice services to terminal devices. The DN can contain multiple application servers (AS), each of which can provide at least one service.

[0070] For example, in this communication system, for downlink transmission, data generated by the application server is forwarded through the data network and sent to the core network via the N6 interface. The core network then transmits the data to the access network device via the N3 interface, and the access network device sends the data to the terminal device via the Uu air interface. The uplink transmission path is the reverse of the downlink transmission path and will not be described further.

[0071] The core network can include control plane network elements and user plane network elements. Control plane network elements include, for example, access management function network elements, unified data management network elements, session management function network elements, or policy control function network elements. User plane network elements include, for example, user plane function network elements. The following is a description of some network elements in the core network.

[0072] Access management function (AMF) network elements are responsible for access control and mobility management of terminal devices accessing the operator's network. This includes functions such as mobility state management, assigning temporary user identities, authentication, and authorization. In 5G communication systems, this AMF network element may be an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network element. In future communication systems, AMF network elements may have other names, without limitation.

[0073] The unified data management network element is responsible for generating authentication credentials, processing user identifiers (such as storing and managing permanent user identities), and managing subscription data. In 5G communication systems, this unified data management network element can be a unified data management (UDM) network element. In future communication systems, this unified data management network element may have other names, without limitation.

[0074] The session management function (SMF) network element is primarily responsible for session management in mobile networks, such as session establishment, modification, and release. It can also assign Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to users and select user plane function (MPF) network elements that provide packet forwarding capabilities. In 5G communication systems, this SMF network element may be a Session Management Function (SMF) network element. In future communication systems, the SMF network element may have other names without limitation.

[0075] The policy control function network element primarily provides policy rules and is also responsible for acquiring user subscription information related to policy decisions. In 4G communication systems, this policy control function network element can be a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) network element. In 5G communication systems, this policy control function network element can be a policy control function (PCF) network element. In future communication systems, the policy control function network element may have other names, without limitation.

[0076] User plane function (UDP) network elements are responsible for receiving and forwarding user data. For example, they can receive user data from the DN (Digital Network Node) and transmit it to the terminal device through the access network equipment; UDP network elements can also receive user data from the terminal device through the access network equipment and forward it to the DN. In 5G communication systems, this UDP network element can be a user plane function (UPF) network element. In future communication systems, UDP network elements may have other names, without limitation.

[0077] The above describes some of the network elements involved in the core network. It is understood that the core network may also involve other network elements, such as one or more of the following: unified data repository (UDR) network elements, network slice selection function (NSSF) network elements, or network exposure function (NEF) network elements, etc. The term "network element" mentioned in this application can be replaced with "device." For example, core network element and core network equipment have the same meaning. Optionally, the term "network element" can be omitted from the device name mentioned in this application. For example, AMF network element and AMF have the same meaning.

[0078] The term "terminal equipment" can also be referred to as UE, terminal, access terminal, subscriber unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user equipment.

[0079] A terminal device can be a device that provides wireless communication capabilities, such as a handheld device or an in-vehicle device with wireless connectivity. Currently, examples of terminal devices include: mobile phones, satellite mobile terminals, cellular phones, smartphones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices (such as smartwatches, smart bracelets, pedometers, smart glasses, etc.), in-vehicle equipment (such as cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), satellite terminals, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, smart point-of-sale (POS) machines, customer-premises equipment (CPE), wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving cars, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, and wireless terminals in smart homes. The embodiments of this application do not limit the scope of the application to wireless terminals in the home (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), intelligent robots, robotic arms, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, flying devices (e.g., intelligent robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes), terminals in 5G networks, or terminal devices in future evolved public land mobile networks (PLMNs). As an example and not a limitation, in the embodiments of this application, the terminal device can also be a mobile termination (MT) in an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node. When an IAB node faces its parent node, it can be considered a terminal; in this case, the IAB node acts as an MT.

[0080] Access network equipment is a network-side device with wireless transceiver capabilities. For example, in a radio access network (RAN), the device that provides wireless communication capabilities to terminal devices is called a RAN device or RAN node. As an example, the RAN can be an access network within the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as a 4G network, a 5G network (e.g., a new radio (NR) network), or a future-oriented network. Another example is that the RAN can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a communication network combining two or more of these.

[0081] Optionally, the access network equipment can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, an access node in a Wi-Fi system, a wireless relay node, or a wireless backhaul node, etc. Optionally, the base station can be a terrestrial base station or a non-terrestrial base station, such as a satellite or a temporarily deployed drone base station, etc.

[0082] Optionally, the access network equipment can also be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station, such as a CU, a DU, or a radio unit (RU). A CU can be associated with one or more DUs. CUs and DUs can be set up separately or can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0083] As shown in Figure 2, in some implementations, the access network device may include a CU and a DU. Access network devices including CU and DU separate the protocol layers of the gNB in ​​the NR system. Some protocol layer functions are centrally controlled by the CU, while the remaining partial or complete protocol layer functions are distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU. In a typical protocol stack partitioning method, the CU includes radio resource control (RRC) and the corresponding packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) for the control plane, while the DU includes the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, and the physical (PHY) layer.

[0084] Optionally, the CU can be further divided into CP and UP. CU-CP is responsible for control plane functions, mainly including RRC and the corresponding PDCP (i.e., PDCP-control plane, PDCP-C) for the control plane. PDCP-C is mainly responsible for control plane data encryption / decryption, integrity protection, and data transmission. CU-UP is responsible for user plane functions, mainly including the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) and the corresponding PDCP (i.e., PDCP-user plane, PDCP-U) for the user plane. SDAP is mainly responsible for processing core network data and mapping flows to bearers. PDCP-U is mainly responsible for data plane encryption / decryption, integrity protection, header compression, sequence number maintenance, and data transmission. CU-CP and CU-UP can be connected via the E1 interface. CU-CP represents the gNB connecting to the core network via the NG interface and connecting to the DU via the F1 interface control plane (i.e., F1-C). CU-UP connects to the DU via the F1 interface user plane (i.e., F1-U). Of course, another possible implementation is that PDCP-C is also in CU-UP.

[0085] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN, or ORAN) system, CU can also be called open CU (open CU, O-CU), DU can also be called open DU (open DU, O-DU), CU-CP can also be called open CU-CP (open CU-CP, O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called open CU-UP (open CU-UP, O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called open RU (open RU, O-RU). For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0086] When applied to O-RAN, access network equipment can also possess artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. For example, O-RAN includes an intelligent controller. This intelligent controller can be a non-real-time RAN intelligent controller (RIC / non-RT RIC / NRT RIC) or a near-real-time RAN intelligent controller (RIC / near-RT RIC / nRT RIC). A non-real-time RIC can be used to implement non-real-time intelligent management of RAN functions, enabling workflows including model training and updates, and guiding applications / functions in the NRT RIC based on policies. A near-real-time RIC can be used to implement near-real-time intelligent management of the RAN. Through data collection and related operations on the E2 interface, near-real-time control and optimization of O-RAN modules and resources are achieved.

[0087] Access network devices and terminals can be fixed in location or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed in the air on aircraft, balloons, and artificial satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the access network devices and terminals.

[0088] The communication systems and service scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. Those skilled in the art will understand that, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0089] The relevant terms used in the embodiments of this application will be explained below. It should be noted that these explanations are for the purpose of making the embodiments of this application easier to understand, and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope of protection claimed by this application.

[0090] 1. XR services:

[0091] XR refers to various environments that combine reality and virtuality, generated by computing technology and wearable devices, as well as human-computer interaction. Specifically, it includes several typical forms: Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Virtual Reality (VR). XR is currently one of the key 5G multimedia applications being considered in the industrial sector. Typically, XR services generate data frames periodically at a certain frame rate. Taking an AR service with a frame rate of 60 frames per second (fps) as an example, 60 frames of video images are generated per second, with one video frame appearing approximately every 16.66 milliseconds (ms). A single video frame may be transmitted via multiple data packets.

[0092] One video frame can correspond to one data burst; in other words, multiple data packets used to transmit one video frame can constitute one data burst. One video frame can correspond to one or more PDU sets; in other words, multiple data packets used to transmit one video frame can be divided into one or more PDU sets. Therefore, one data burst can include one or more PDU sets. Different video frames can be the same or different in size; correspondingly, the number of PDU sets included in data bursts transmitted in different periods can be the same or different. Figure 3 illustrates this with an example of different numbers of PDU sets included in data bursts transmitted in different periods.

[0093] 2. PDU set information:

[0094] PDU set information can be carried in data packets, for example, in the packet header, to indicate the PDU set information associated with that data packet. A PDU set can be a collection of one or more data packets in the transport layer, corresponding to the smallest granularity of application layer data processing; for example, a PDU set can correspond to a video frame or a stripe within a video frame.

[0095] For example, PDU set information may include at least one of the following:

[0096] (1) PDU set sequence number (PSSN): This indicates the sequence number of the PDU set to which the data packet belongs. Based on this, the access network device can identify which data packets belong to the same PDU set.

[0097] (2) PDU sequence number within a PDU set: This indicates the sequence number of the data packet within its respective PDU set. Based on this, access network devices can identify the order of data packets within the same PDU set.

[0098] (3) PDU set size (PSSize): This indicates the total size of the PDU set to which this data packet belongs, and the unit can be bytes.

[0099] (4) PDU set importance (PSI): This indicates the importance of the PDU set to which the data packet belongs compared to other PDU sets in the same data stream. The importance value ranges from 0 to 15, where 0 indicates that the importance cannot be determined; from 1 to 15, the larger the value, the lower the importance. Higher importance means that the PDU set is more important to the application and has a greater impact on the user experience. Based on this, access network devices can perform packet dropping according to the importance of the data. For example, when congestion occurs, access network devices can prioritize dropping PDU sets with lower importance to alleviate congestion and minimize the impact on the user experience.

[0100] (5) End PDU of the PDU set (EPDU): This indicates whether the data packet is the last data packet in its PDU set. Based on this, the access network device can determine whether all data packets of the PDU set have arrived; in other words, the access network device can determine whether it will receive more data packets of that PDU set. For example, if the data packets received by the access network device include an EPDU of a certain PDU set, the access network device can determine that all data packets of that PDU set have arrived; in other words, the access network device can determine that it will not receive more data packets of that PDU set. If the data packets received by the access network device do not include an EPDU of a certain PDU set, the access network device can determine that all data packets of that PDU set have not arrived; in other words, the access network device can determine that it will receive more data packets of that PDU set.

[0101] It should be understood that the PDU set information above is only an example, and the PDU set information may include more or less information during the standard evolution process, without limitation.

[0102] 3. Data burst information:

[0103] Data burst information can be carried within data packets, for example, in the packet header, indicating information about the data burst associated with that data packet. A data burst can be a group of data packets generated and sent by an application within a very short period of time. For example, a data burst may include multiple data packets used to transmit a video frame; in other words, a data burst may correspond to a single video frame. Optionally, a data burst may contain one or more PDU sets.

[0104] For example, the data burst information may include at least one of the following:

[0105] (1) End of data burst (EDB): This indicates whether the data packet is the last data packet in its data burst. Based on this, the access network device can determine whether all data packets of the data burst have arrived; in other words, the access network device can determine whether it will receive more data packets from that data burst. For example, if the data packets received by the access network device include the EDB of a certain data burst, the access network device can determine that all data packets of that data burst have arrived; in other words, the access network device can determine that it will not receive more data packets from that data burst. If the data packets received by the access network device do not include the EDB of a certain data burst, the access network device can determine that all data packets of that data burst have not arrived; in other words, the access network device can determine that it will receive more data packets from that data burst.

[0106] (2) Data burst size (DBS): This indicates the total size of the data burst to which the data packet belongs, and the unit can be bytes.

[0107] (3) Time to next burst (TTNB): This indicates the time interval between the next data burst and the current data packet. Based on this, access network devices can predict (or know, or determine) the arrival time of the next data burst in advance, thereby optimizing scheduling strategies.

[0108] It should be understood that the above data burst information is only an example, and during the evolution of the standard, the data burst information may include more or less information, without limitation.

[0109] 4. Methods for carrying PDU set information and data burst information:

[0110] PDU set information and data burst information can be carried through the GPRS tunneling protocol for the user plane (GTP-U) extension header. For example, 3GPP Release 18 defines a GTP-U extension header for carrying PDU set information and data burst information, called the PDU set information container. The format of the PDU set information container can be shown in Figure 4.

[0111] 5. Methods for access network devices to obtain PDU set information and data burst information:

[0112] Currently, access network devices can obtain PDU set information and data burst information using the method shown in Figure 5. As shown in Figure 5, this method includes:

[0113] S501: The first core network device sends the QoS parameters of the PDU set to the access network device (e.g., the base station).

[0114] For example, the first core network device may be an SMF.

[0115] Optionally, the QoS parameters of a PDU set may include at least one of the following: PDU set delay budget (PSDB), PDU set error rate (PSER), or PDU set integrated handling (PSIHI).

[0116] S502: The access network device sends instruction information #1 to the first core network device.

[0117] Specifically, instruction information #1 is used to indicate that the access network device supports PDU set-based processing. For example, instruction information #1 may be a PDU set handling support indicator.

[0118] S503: The first core network device sends instruction information #2 to the second core network device.

[0119] For example, the second core network device may be a UPF.

[0120] Specifically, instruction information #2 is used to instruct the sending of a data packet containing a PDU set information container to the access network device.

[0121] S504: The second core network device sends a data packet containing a PDU set information container to the access network device.

[0122] As shown above, the PDU set information container can carry PDU set information and data burst information; correspondingly, access network devices can obtain PDU set information and data burst information from the PDU set information container.

[0123] It should be understood that the access network device will only execute S502 if it supports PDU set-based processing; if the access network device does not support PDU set-based processing, it will not execute S502 and will not obtain PDU set information and data burst information through the method shown in Figure 5.

[0124] It should also be understood that if the first core network device does not send the QoS parameters of the PDU set to the access network device, the access network device will not execute S502, and thus will not obtain the PDU set information and data burst information through the method shown in Figure 5.

[0125] 6. In this application, "instruction" or "for instruction" may include explicit instruction (or direct instruction) and implicit instruction (or indirect instruction). When describing information for instructing A, it may include whether the information explicitly instructs A or implicitly instructs A, but does not necessarily mean that the information carries A.

[0126] The indication methods involved in the embodiments of this application should be understood to cover various methods that enable the party to be indicated to obtain the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately. Moreover, the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different, without limitation.

[0127] In the embodiments of this application, "information" can be an explicit indication, that is, a direct indication through signaling, or obtained by combining other rules or parameters with parameters indicated by signaling, or by deduction. It can also be an implicit indication, that is, obtained based on rules or relationships, or based on other parameters, or by deduction. No limitation is imposed.

[0128] 7. In this application, communication between different devices can refer to direct communication between different devices (i.e., without the need for relaying or forwarding by other devices), or communication between different devices through other devices (i.e., requiring relaying or forwarding by other devices), or communication between a functional unit within a device and other devices through another functional unit. For example, "sending information to…(terminal)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal, and may include sending information directly or indirectly to the terminal. "Receiving information from…(terminal)" can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal, and may include receiving information directly or indirectly from the terminal. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination ends, such as format changes, digital-to-analog conversion, amplification, filtering, etc., but the destination end can understand the valid information from the source end. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0129] 8. In this application, the words "exemplarily," "for example," "for instance," and "example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. It should be understood that the examples in this application may also be implemented in other ways. In this application, "of," "corresponding, relevant," and "corresponding" may sometimes be used interchangeably, and it should be noted that their intended meanings are consistent when their distinction is not emphasized.

[0130] 9. In this application, any two of the programs, instructions, and code may be substituted for one another.

[0131] 10. In this application, “in the case of…”, “when…”, “if…”, and “if…” can have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably.

[0132] As mentioned earlier, currently, after the core network sends the QoS parameters of the PDU set to the access network device, if the core network receives an indication from the access network device that the access network device supports PDU set-based processing, then the core network can send PDU set information and data burst information to the access network device. If the core network does not send the QoS parameters of the PDU set to the access network device, or if the core network sends the QoS parameters of the PDU set to the access network device but the access network device does not support PDU set-based processing, then the access network device cannot obtain the PDU set information and data burst information.

[0133] Access network devices can not only perform PDU set-based processing based on PDU set information and data burst information, but also optimize processing accordingly. For example, after determining that a data burst has ended, the access network device can instruct (or configure, or arrange) the terminal device to enter a sleep state, thereby achieving energy saving for the terminal device. Furthermore, the access network device can allocate and / or reserve resources based on the size of the data burst or the arrival time of the next burst.

[0134] However, with the current method (i.e., the method shown in Figure 5), if the core network does not send the QoS parameters of the PDU set to the access network device, or if the core network sends the QoS parameters of the PDU set to the access network device but the access network device does not support processing based on the PDU set, the access network device cannot obtain the PDU set information and data burst information, and therefore cannot perform optimization processing based on the PDU set information and data burst information.

[0135] Further research is needed on how to enable access network devices to obtain PDU set information and / or data burst information on demand.

[0136] Based on this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method and apparatus, which enable access network devices to acquire PDU set information and / or data burst information on demand, so that access network devices can perform optimized processing based on the PDU set information and / or data burst information, thereby improving communication performance. The method and apparatus described in this application are based on the same technical concept. Since the principles by which the method and apparatus solve the problem are similar, the implementations of the apparatus and method can be referred to each other, and repeated details will not be elaborated further.

[0137] The various communication methods provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. These methods can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG1, but are not limited thereto. The embodiments of this application take the interaction between a first access network device and a first core network device as an example for description. Optionally, the execution entity in the embodiments of this application may also include a second access network device and / or a second core network device. Optionally, unless otherwise specified, "access network device" in the following text can be replaced with a module in the access network device. The module in the access network device may be a communication module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), a chip system or processor in the access network device, or may be a logical node, logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device. Unless otherwise specified, "core network device" in the following text can be replaced with a module in the core network device. The modules in the core network equipment can be communication modules, circuits or chips responsible for communication functions (such as modem chips, or SoC chips or SIP chips containing modem cores), chip systems or processors, or logical nodes, logical modules or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the core network equipment.

[0138] For example, in the following description, the first core network device may be an AMF, SMF, or UPF; and / or, the second core network device may be a UPF. Optionally, the first core network device and the second core network device may be the same or different. When the first core network device and the second core network device are the same, the interaction between the first core network device and the second core network device in the following description is an optional step.

[0139] It is understood that, in the embodiments of this application, at least one of the first access network device, the first core network device, the second access network device, or the second core network device may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also perform other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the steps may be performed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessarily necessary to perform all the operations in the embodiments of this application.

[0140] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a first communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. In this method, a first access network device may send information to a first core network device indicating whether the first access network device needs PDU set information and / or data burst information. As shown in Figure 6, the method may include:

[0141] S601: The first core network device sends query information #a1 to the first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device receives query information #a1 from the first core network device.

[0142] Specifically, query information #a1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs information #a1. Optionally, query information #a1 can be replaced by: query information #a1 requesting indication information #a1, and indication information #a1 indicating whether the first access network device needs information #a1. The specific content of indication information #a1 will be explained in S602, and will not be elaborated here.

[0143] Information #a1 may include at least one of the following: all information in the PDU set information, or all information in the data burst information. Here, all information in the PDU set information can be understood as: PDU set information; and all information in the data burst information can be understood as: data burst information.

[0144] For example, PDU set information includes at least one of the following: PDU set serial number, PDU serial numbers within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, or the last PDU in the PDU set. The specific content of each piece of information in the PDU set information can be found in the explanation of PDU set information in the terminology section above, and will not be repeated here. It should be understood that the above PDU set information is merely an example; during the evolution of the standard, PDU set information may include more or less information, and this is not limited.

[0145] For example, data burst information includes at least one of the following: a data burst end identifier, a data burst size, or the time of the next burst. The specific content of each piece of information in the data burst information can be found in the explanation of data burst information in the terminology section above, and will not be repeated here. It should be understood that the above data burst information is merely an example; during the evolution of the standard, the data burst information may include more or less information, and this is not limited.

[0146] In this application, the first core network device sending query information #a1 to the first access network device can be understood as: the core network is able to provide information #a1 to the first access network device. Thus, after the first access network device sends indication information #a1 to the first core network device, it can obtain PDU set information and / or data burst information as needed. Furthermore, this method avoids the first access network device sending indication information #a1 to the first core network device when the core network is unable to provide information #a1, thereby reducing signaling overhead and avoiding resource waste.

[0147] The query information #a1 can be used to query whether the first access network device needs information #a1. There are several ways to do this, and the following are some examples.

[0148] In some examples, query information #a1-1 and query information #a1-2 correspond (or are associated with) the PDU set information and data burst information in information #a1, respectively. If query information #a1 includes query information #a1-1, then query information #a1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs PDU set information; if query information #a1 includes query information #a1-2, then query information #a1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs data burst information; if query information #a1 includes both query information #a1-1 and query information #a1-2, then query information #a1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs both PDU set information and data burst information.

[0149] In other examples, query information #a1 can be used to query whether the first access network device needs PDU set information and data burst information; in other words, as long as query information #a1 is received, the first access network device can determine that the first core network device needs to query whether the first access network device needs PDU set information and data burst information.

[0150] In some possible ways, query information #a1 is associated (or corresponds to) QoS flow #1; in other words, query information #a1 can be a QoS flow level. Associating query information #a1 with QoS flow #1 can be understood as: query information #a1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs information #a1 for QoS flow #1. Optionally, query information #a1 can indicate QoS flow #1. For example, query information #a1 may include the ID of QoS flow #1.

[0151] It should be understood that the first access network device serves one or more QoS flows. Query information #a1 can be used to query whether the first access network device needs information #a1 for some or all of the QoS flows in the one or more QoS flows. The query method is the same as QoS flow #1, and will not be repeated here.

[0152] Optionally, if query information #a1 does not indicate QoS flows, then query information #a1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs information #a1 for all QoS flows served by the first access network device.

[0153] In other possible ways, query information #a1 is associated (or corresponds to) session #1 (e.g., a PDU session); in other words, query information #a1 can be session-level. The association of query information #a1 with session #1 can be understood as: query information #a1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs information #a1 for session #1. Optionally, query information #a1 can indicate session #1. For example, query information #a1 may include the ID of session #1.

[0154] It should be understood that the first access network device serves one or more sessions. Query information #a1 can be used to query whether the first access network device needs information #a1 for some or all of the sessions in the one or more sessions. The query method is the same as session #1, and will not be repeated here.

[0155] Optionally, if query information #a1 does not indicate a session, then query information #a1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs information #a1 for all sessions served by the first access network device.

[0156] There are also some possible ways to associate query information #a1 with QoS flow #1 and session #1. The implementation process can be referred to the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0157] Optionally, the query information #a1 can be carried in a traditional message or in a new message, without limitation. For example, the query information #a1 can be carried in any of the following messages: PDU SESSION RESOURCE SETUP REQUEST; PDU SESSION RESOURCE MODIFY REQUEST; UE CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST; UE CONTEXT MODIFY REQUEST; UE CONTEXT RESUME REQUEST; HANDOVER REQUEST; or AMF CONFIGURATION UPDATE.

[0158] It should be understood that the query information #a1 may also have other names, such as request information, without restriction.

[0159] Optionally, the first core network device may send query information #a1 to the first access network device to request indication information #a1, or the first access network device may proactively send indication information #a1 to the first core network device. Accordingly, S601 is an optional step, shown in dashed lines in Figure 6.

[0160] S602: The first access network device sends indication information #a1 to the first core network device; correspondingly, the first core network device receives indication information #a1 from the first access network device.

[0161] The indication information #a1 is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs information #a1; in other words, the indication information #a1 is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs PDU set information and / or data burst information. Optionally, the indication information #a1 is used to explicitly indicate (or directly indicate) whether the first access network device needs information #a1. The specific content of information #a1 can be found in the description of information #a1 in S601, and will not be repeated here.

[0162] The indication information #a1 can indicate whether the first access network device needs information #a1 in several ways, such as any one of mode a1 to mode a3.

[0163] Method a1: Indication information #a1-1 and indication information #a1-2 correspond (or are associated with) the PDU set information and data burst information in information #a1, respectively. If indication information #a1 includes indication information #a1-1, it indicates that the first access network device requires PDU set information; if indication information #a1 does not include indication information #a1-1, it indicates that the first access network device does not require PDU set information. If indication information #a1 includes indication information #a1-2, it indicates that the first access network device requires data burst information; if indication information #a1 does not include indication information #a1-2, it indicates that the first access network device does not require data burst information.

[0164] For example, if indication information #a1 includes indication information #a1-1 but does not include indication information #a1-2, it means that the first access network device needs PDU set information but does not need data burst information.

[0165] For example, if indication information #a1 does not include indication information #a1-1, but includes indication information #a1-2, it means that the first access network device does not need PDU set information, but needs data burst information.

[0166] For example, if indication information #a1 includes indication information #a1-1 and indication information #a1-2, it means that the first access network device needs PDU set information and data burst information.

[0167] This application does not limit the specific implementation of instruction information #a1-1 and instruction information #a1-2.

[0168] Optionally, mode a1 can also be understood as: instruction information #a1 indicates the information required by the first access network device; in other words, instruction information #a1 indicating the information required by the first access network device is also within the scope of protection of this application.

[0169] In mode a1, the indication information #a1 can accurately indicate whether the first access network device needs information #a1. Furthermore, in this mode, the indication information #a1 only includes the indication information corresponding to the PDU set information and / or data burst information when the first access network device needs PDU set information and / or data burst information, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0170] Method a2: Indication information #a1 includes indication information #a1-3 and indication information #a1-4; indication information #a1-3 and indication information #a1-4 correspond (or are associated with) the PDU set information and data burst information in information #a1, respectively. If the value of indication information #a1-3 is #1 (e.g., 1 or 0), it indicates that the first access network device needs PDU set information; if the value of indication information #a1-3 is #2 (e.g., 0 or 1), it indicates that the first access network device does not need PDU set information. Values ​​#1 and #2 are different. If the value of indication information #a1-4 is #3 (e.g., 1 or 0), it indicates that the first access network device needs data burst information; if the value of indication information #a1-4 is #4 (e.g., 0 or 1), it indicates that the first access network device does not need data burst information. Values ​​#3 and #4 are different.

[0171] The following example illustrates method a2, with value #1 being 1, value #2 being 0, value #3 being 1, and value #4 being 0.

[0172] For example, if the value of indication information #a1-3 is 1 and the value of indication information #a1-4 is 0, it means that the first access network device needs PDU set information but does not need data burst information.

[0173] For example, if the value of indication information #a1-3 is 0 and the value of indication information #a1-4 is 1, it means that the first access network device does not need PDU set information, but needs data burst information.

[0174] For example, if the value of indication information #a1-3 is 1 and the value of indication information #a1-4 is 1, it means that the first access network device needs PDU set information and data burst information.

[0175] For example, if the value of indication information #a1-3 is 0 and the value of indication information #a1-4 is 0, it means that the first access network device does not need PDU set information or data burst information.

[0176] Through method a2, the instruction information #a1 can accurately indicate whether the first access network device needs information #a1.

[0177] Method a3: The indication information #a1 is a bit map #a1. The bit map #a1 is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs information #a1, that is, the bit map #a1 is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs PDU set information and / or data burst information.

[0178] For example, if the value of bitmap #a1 is #5 (e.g., 10), it indicates that the first access network device needs PDU set information but not data burst information; if the value of bitmap #a1 is #6 (e.g., 01), it indicates that the first access network device does not need PDU set information but needs data burst information; if the value of bitmap #a1 is #7 (e.g., 11), it indicates that the first access network device needs both PDU set information and data burst information; if the value of bitmap #a1 is #8 (e.g., 00), it indicates that the first access network device needs neither PDU set information nor data burst information. Bitmap #a1, for example, includes 2 bits.

[0179] Through method a3, the instruction information #a1 can accurately indicate whether the first access network device needs information #a1.

[0180] In some possible approaches, information #a1 is associated with (or corresponds to) QoS flow #1, and indication information #a1 also indicates QoS flow #1; in other words, information #a1 and indication information #a1 can be QoS flow levels. The association of information #a1 with QoS flow #1 and indication information #a1 also indicating QoS flow #1 can be understood as: indication information #a1 indicates whether the first access network device needs information #a1 for QoS flow #1. Optionally, indication information #a1 may include the ID of QoS flow #1.

[0181] It should be understood that the first access network device serves one or more QoS flows. Indication information #a1 can indicate whether the first access network device needs information #a1 for some or all of the QoS flows in the one or more QoS flows. The method of indication can be referred to QoS flow #1, and will not be repeated here.

[0182] Optionally, if the indication information #a1 does not indicate a QoS flow, then the indication information #a1 indicates whether the first access network device needs information #a1 for all QoS flows served by the first access network device.

[0183] In other possible approaches, information #a1 is associated with (or corresponds to) session #1 (e.g., a PDU session), and indication information #a1 also indicates session #1; in other words, information #a1 and indication information #a1 can be session-level. The association of information #a1 with session #1 and indication information #a1 also indicating session #1 can be understood as: indication information #a1 indicates whether the first access network device needs information #a1 for session #1. Optionally, indication information #a1 may include the ID of session #1.

[0184] It should be understood that the first access network device serves one or more sessions. Indication information #a1 can indicate whether the first access network device needs information #a1 for some or all of the sessions in the one or more sessions. The method of indication is the same as that for session #1, and will not be repeated here.

[0185] Optionally, if the indication information #a1 does not indicate a session, then the indication information #a1 indicates whether the first access network device needs information #a1 for all sessions served by the first access network device.

[0186] In other possible approaches, information #a1 is associated (or corresponds to) QoS flow #1 and session #1, indicating that information #a1 also indicates QoS flow #1 and session #1. The implementation process can be referred to the foregoing description and will not be repeated here.

[0187] Optionally, the indication information #a1 can be carried in a traditional message or in a new message, without limitation. For example, the indication information #a1 can be carried in any of the following messages: PDU session resource establishment response message; PDU session resource modification response message; PDU session resource notification message; PDU session resource modification indication message; UE context establishment response message; UE context modification response message; UE context recovery response message; handover request confirmation message; handover notification message; path handover request message; NG interface establishment request message; or access network configuration update message.

[0188] It should be understood that the instruction message #a1 may also have other names, such as feedback message or response message, without restriction.

[0189] In some examples, the instruction message #a1 indicates that the first access network device needs PDU set information and / or data burst information; accordingly, the core network can send PDU set information and / or data burst information to the first access network device via S603 to S604. In other examples, the instruction message #a1 indicates that the first access network device does not need either PDU set information or data burst information; accordingly, the core network does not need to send PDU set information and data burst information to the first access network device. Accordingly, S603 to S604 are optional steps, shown by dashed lines in Figure 6.

[0190] S603: The first core network device sends instruction information #a2 to the second core network device; correspondingly, the second core network device receives instruction information #a2 from the first core network device.

[0191] The instruction information #a2 is used to instruct the transmission of a data packet including sub-information #a1. For example, instruction information #a2 is used to instruct the second core network device to transmit a data packet including sub-information #a1. This application does not limit the specific manner in which instruction information #a2 is used.

[0192] Sub-information #a1 refers to the information required by the first access network device in information #a1. For example, the information required by the first access network device in information #a1 may be: information indicated by information #a1 indicating that the first access network device needs PDU set information but not data burst information, then the information required by the first access network device in information #a1 is PDU set information. Another example: if information #a1 indicates that the first access network device does not need PDU set information but needs data burst information, then the information required by the first access network device in information #a1 is data burst information. Yet another example: if information #a1 indicates that the first access network device needs both PDU set information and data burst information, then the information required by the first access network device in information #a1 is both PDU set information and data burst information.

[0193] In some possible approaches, if indication information #a1 also indicates QoS flow #1, then indication information #a2 is used to indicate the transmission of a data packet including sub-information #a1, which may include: indication information #a2 indicating that a data packet including sub-information #a1 is transmitted for QoS flow #1. For example, indication information #a2 indicates that the second core network device transmits a data packet including sub-information #a1 for QoS flow #1; in other words, indication information #a2 indicates that the second core network device carries sub-information #a1 in the data packet for QoS flow #1.

[0194] In other possible embodiments, if indication information #a1 also indicates session #1, then indication information #a2 is used to indicate the transmission of a data packet including sub-information #a1, and may include: indication information #a2 indicating that a data packet including sub-information #a1 is sent for session #1. For example, indication information #a2 indicates that the second core network device sends a data packet including sub-information #a1 for session #1; in other words, indication information #a2 indicates that the second core network device carries sub-information #a1 in the data packet for session #1.

[0195] In some other possible approaches, if indication information #a1 also indicates QoS flow #1 and session #1, then indication information #a2 is used to indicate the transmission of a data packet including sub-information #a1. This may include: indication information #a2 indicating that a data packet including sub-information #a1 is transmitted for QoS flow #1 and session #1. The implementation process can be referred to the foregoing description and will not be repeated here.

[0196] It should be understood that sub-information #a1 may include some or all of the information in information #a1. Sub-information #a1 may also have other names, such as information, without limitation.

[0197] The instruction message #a2 can be carried in a traditional message or in a new message, without limitation. For example, the instruction message #a2 can be carried in either of the following messages: an N4 Session Establishment Request message; or an N4 Session Modification Request message.

[0198] It should be understood that the instruction message #a2 may also have other names, such as command messages, without restriction.

[0199] S604: The second core network device sends data packet #a1 to the first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device receives data packet #a1 from the second core network device.

[0200] The data packet #a1 includes sub-information #a1, which is the information required by the first access network device in information #a1; that is, the data packet #a1 includes the information required by the first access network device in information #a1. For example, the header of the data packet #a1 includes sub-information #a1; in other words, the header of the data packet #a1 includes the information required by the first access network device in information #a1. For instance, the header of the data packet #a1 may include a PDU set information container, which may include the information required by the first access network device in information #a1. The format of the PDU set information container is shown in Figure 4. The specific content of the information required by the first access network device in information #a1 can be found in the description of "information required by the first access network device in information #a1" in S603, and will not be repeated here.

[0201] In some implementations, if the indication information #a2 indicates that a data packet including sub-information #a1 is sent for QoS flow #1, then data packet #a1 can be a data packet for QoS flow #1; in other words, the second core network device can carry sub-information #a1 in a data packet for QoS flow #1.

[0202] In other implementations, if the indication information #a2 indicates that a data packet including sub-information #a1 is sent for session #1, then data packet #a1 can be a data packet for session #1; in other words, the second core network device can carry sub-information #a1 in a data packet for session #1.

[0203] In some implementations, if the indication information #a2 indicates that a data packet including sub-information #a1 should be sent for QoS flow #1 and session #1, then data packet #a1 can be a data packet for QoS flow #1 and session #1; in other words, the second core network device can carry sub-information #a1 in the data packet for QoS flow #1 and session #1.

[0204] In some possible configurations, in data packet #a1, at least one field has a dammy value, for example, 0. This at least one field corresponds to (or is associated with) sub-information #a2, which is information in information #a1 that the first access network device does not need. In other words, this at least one field corresponds to (or is associated with) information in information #a1 that the first access network device does not need.

[0205] Where the value of at least one field is invalid, it can be replaced with: the value of at least one field is reserved bits.

[0206] Optionally, the information that the first access network device does not need in information #a1 can be: information that the first access network device indicates it does not need. For example, if information #a1 indicates that the first access network device needs PDU set information but not data burst information, then the information that the first access network device does not need in information #a1 is data burst information. Another example: if information #a1 indicates that the first access network device does not need PDU set information but needs data burst information, then the information that the first access network device does not need in information #a1 is PDU set information. Yet another example: if information #a1 indicates that the first access network device needs neither PDU set information nor data burst information, then the information that the first access network device does not need in information #a1 is both PDU set information and data burst information.

[0207] For example, the header of data packet #a1 may include a PDU set information container, which is used to indicate PDU set information and / or data burst information. In the PDU set information container, at least one field corresponding to sub-information #a2 has an invalid value. For example, if indication information #a1 indicates that the first access network device needs PDU set information but not data burst information, and the data burst information corresponds to the EDB field in the PDU set information container, then the EDB field has an invalid value. As another example, if indication information #a1 indicates that the first access network device does not need PDU set information but needs data burst information, and the PDU set information corresponds to the following fields in the PDU set information container: EPDU, PDU set size indicator (PSSI), PSSN, PSI, and PSSize, then the following fields have invalid values: EPDU, PSSI, PSSN, and PSI. PSSI is used to indicate whether the PSSize field exists. Optionally, the PSSize field is optional. When the value of PSSI is invalid, the PDU collection information container may not include the PSSize field, thus eliminating the need to set the value of the PSSize field to invalid.

[0208] In this application, sub-information #a2 may include a portion of the information in information #a1. Sub-information #a2 may also have other names, such as "information," without limitation.

[0209] Using the method shown in Figure 6, the first access network device can send indication information #a1 to the first core network device to notify the first core network device whether the first access network device needs PDU set information and / or data burst information. In this way, the first access network device can obtain PDU set information and / or data burst information as needed, enabling it to perform optimized processing based on the PDU set information and / or data burst information, thus improving communication performance.

[0210] Furthermore, in this method, the operation of the first access network device sending the indication information #a1 does not depend on whether the first access network device obtains the QoS parameters of the PDU set, nor does it depend on whether the first access network device supports PDU set-based processing. This allows the first access network device to flexibly obtain PDU set information and / or data burst information, expanding the scope of application of this method and increasing applicable scenarios.

[0211] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a second communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Based on the method shown in Figure 6, in this method, the second access network device may further send information to the first access network device to indicate whether the second access network device needs PDU set information and / or data burst information. As shown in Figure 7, the method may include:

[0212] S701: The first core network device sends query information #a1 to the first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device receives query information #a1 from the first core network device.

[0213] Among them, query information #a1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs information #a1.

[0214] For details on S701, please refer to S601; further details will not be provided here.

[0215] Optionally, the first core network device may send query information #a1 to the first access network device to request indication information #a1, or the first access network device may proactively send indication information #a1 to the first core network device. Accordingly, S701 is an optional step, shown in dashed lines in Figure 7.

[0216] S702: The first access network device sends query information #a2 to the second access network device; correspondingly, the second access network device receives query information #a2 from the first access network device.

[0217] Optionally, the first access network device may be a CU and the second access network device may be a DU; or, the first access network device may be a CU-CP device and the second access network device may be a CU-UP device; or, the first access network device may be a primary base station and the second access network device may be a secondary base station; or, the first access network device may be a source base station and the second access network device may be a target base station.

[0218] Specifically, query information #a2 is used to query whether the second access network device needs information #a2. Optionally, query information #a2 can be replaced by: query information #a2 requesting indication information #a3, and indication information #a3 indicating whether the second access network device needs information #a2. The specific content of indication information #a3 will be explained in detail in S703, and will not be elaborated here.

[0219] Information #a2 may include at least one of the following: all information in the PDU set information, or all information in the data burst information. Here, all information in the PDU set information can be understood as PDU set information; all information in the data burst information can be understood as data burst information. For the specific content of the PDU set information and the data burst information, please refer to the descriptions of PDU set information and data burst information in S601, respectively, which will not be repeated here.

[0220] In this application, the first access network device sending query information #a2 to the second access network device can be understood as: the first access network device and / or the core network are able to provide information #a2 to the second access network device. Thus, after the second access network device sends indication information #a3 to the first access network device, it can obtain PDU set information and / or data burst information as needed. Furthermore, this method avoids the second access network device sending indication information #a3 to the first access network device when the first access network device and / or the core network are unable to provide information #a2, thereby reducing signaling overhead and avoiding resource waste.

[0221] The query information #a2 is used to query whether the second access network device needs information #a2. For details, please refer to the explanation in S601 that "the query information #a1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs information #a1", except that the query information #a1 is replaced with the query information #a2, the first access network device is replaced with the second access network device, and information #a1 is replaced with information #a2. No further details will be provided.

[0222] Optionally, the query information #a2 can be carried in a traditional message or in a new message, without limitation. For example, when the first access network device is a CU and the second access network device is a DU, the query information #a2 can be carried in any of the following messages: UE CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST; UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST; or UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION CONFIRM. For example, when the first access network device is a CU-CP and the second access network device is a CU-UP, the query information #a2 can be carried in any of the following messages: BEARER CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST; BEARER CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST; or BEARER CONTEXT MODIFICATION CONFIRM. For example, when the first access network device is the primary base station and the second access network device is the secondary base station, the query information #a2 can be carried in either of the following messages: a secondary base station addition request message (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST); or a secondary base station modification request message (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST). For example, when the first access network device is the source base station and the second access network device is the target base station, the query information #a2 can be carried in a handover request message (HANDOVER REQUEST).

[0223] It should be understood that query information #a2 may also have other names, such as request information, without restriction.

[0224] Optionally, the first access network device may send query information #a2 to the second access network device to request indication information #a3, or the second access network device may proactively send indication information #a3 to the first access network device. Accordingly, S702 is an optional step, shown in dashed lines in Figure 7.

[0225] S703: The second access network device sends indication information #a3 to the first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device receives indication information #a3 from the second access network device.

[0226] Indication information #a3 is used to indicate whether the second access network device needs information #a2; in other words, indication information #a3 is used to indicate whether the second access network device needs PDU set information and / or data burst information. Optionally, indication information #a3 is used to explicitly indicate (or directly indicate) whether the second access network device needs information #a2. The specific content of information #a2 can be found in the description of information #a2 in S702, and will not be repeated here. The specific content of indication information #a3 indicating whether the second access network device needs information #a2 can be found in the description of "indication information #a1 is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs information #a1" in S602, except that indication information #a1 is replaced with indication information #a3, the first access network device is replaced with the second access network device, and information #a1 is replaced with information #a2, and will not be repeated here.

[0227] In some possible configurations, information #a2 is associated with (or corresponds to) QoS flow #2, and indication information #a3 also indicates QoS flow #2; in other words, information #a2 and indication information #a3 can be QoS flow levels. For details, refer to the explanation in S602 regarding "information #a1 is associated with (or corresponds to) QoS flow #1, and indication information #a1 also indicates QoS flow #1," except that information #a1 is replaced with information #a2; QoS flow #1 is replaced with QoS flow #2; and the first access network device is replaced with the second access network device. Further details are omitted. QoS flow #1 and QoS flow #2 can be the same or different.

[0228] In other possible configurations, information #a2 is associated with (or corresponds to) session #2, and indication information #a3 also indicates session #2; in other words, information #a2 and indication information #a3 can be at the session level. For details, refer to the description in S602 of "information #a1 is associated with (or corresponds to) session #1, and indication information #a1 also indicates session #1," except that information #a1 is replaced with information #a2; session #1 is replaced with session #2; and the first access network device is replaced with the second access network device. Further details are omitted. Session #1 and session #2 can be the same or different.

[0229] In other possible approaches, information #a2 is associated (or corresponds to) QoS flow #2 and session #2, and information #a3 also indicates QoS flow #2 and session #2. The implementation process can be referred to the foregoing description and will not be repeated here.

[0230] Optionally, the indication information #a3 can be carried in a traditional message or in a new message, without limitation. For example, when the first access network device is a CU and the second access network device is a DU, the indication information #a3 can be carried in any of the following messages: UE CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE; UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE; or UE CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUIRED. For example, when the first access network device is a CU-CP and the second access network device is a CU-UP, the indication information #a3 can be carried in any of the following messages: BEARER CONTEXT SETUP RESPONSE; BEARER CONTEXT MODIFICATION RESPONSE; or BEARER CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUIRED. For example, when the first access network device is the primary base station and the second access network device is the secondary base station, the indication information #a3 can be carried in either of the following messages: a secondary base station add request confirmation message (S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE); or a secondary base station modify request confirmation message (S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE). For example, when the first access network device is the source base station and the second access network device is the target base station, the indication information #a3 can be carried in a handover request confirmation message (HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE).

[0231] It should be understood that the instruction message #a3 may also have other names, such as feedback message or response message, without restriction.

[0232] S704: The first access network device sends indication information #a1 to the first core network device; correspondingly, the first core network device receives indication information #a1 from the first access network device.

[0233] The indication information #a1 is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs information #a1. Information #a1 and information #a2 may be the same or different. For example, information #a2 may be part or all of information #a1.

[0234] For details of S704, please refer to S602; the parts that are repeated will not be repeated here.

[0235] In some possible embodiments, the indication information #a1 is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs information #a1, and may include: the indication information #a1 indicating whether the base station to which the first access network device belongs (hereinafter referred to as base station #1) needs information #a1. Base station #1 includes the first access network device and at least one second access network device. For example, the first access network device is a CU, and the second access network device is a DU. Another example is that the first access network device is a CU-CP, and the second access network device is a CU-UP.

[0236] Optionally, in this method, the indication information #a1 may be determined based on the indication information #a3 from at least one second access network device, in which case the information #a2 may be part or all of the information #a1.

[0237] For example, if at least one second access network device includes DU#1 to DU#2, and indication information #a3 from DU#1 indicates whether DU#1 needs PDU set information, and indication information #a3 from DU#2 indicates whether DU#2 needs PDU set information, then indication information #a1 can indicate whether base station #1 needs PDU set information.

[0238] For example, if at least one second access network device includes DU#1 to DU#2, and indication information #a3 from DU#1 indicates whether DU#1 needs data burst information, and indication information #a3 from DU#2 indicates whether DU#2 needs data burst information, then indication information #a1 can indicate whether base station #1 needs data burst information.

[0239] For example, if at least one second access network device includes DU#1 to DU#2, and indication information #a3 from DU#1 indicates whether DU#1 needs PDU set information, and indication information #a3 from DU#2 indicates whether DU#2 needs data burst information, then indication information #a1 can indicate whether base station #1 needs both PDU set information and data burst information.

[0240] For example, if at least one second access network device includes CU-UP#1 to CU-UP#2, and indication information #a3 from CU-UP#1 indicates whether CU-UP#1 needs PDU set information, and indication information #a3 from CU-UP#2 indicates whether CU-UP#2 needs data burst information, then indication information #a1 can indicate whether base station #1 needs both PDU set information and data burst information.

[0241] For example, if at least one second access network device includes DU#1 and CU-UP#1, and indication information #a3 from DU#1 indicates whether DU#1 needs PDU set information, and indication information #a3 from CU-UP#1 indicates whether CU-UP#1 needs data burst information, then indication information #a1 can indicate whether base station #1 needs PDU set information and data burst information.

[0242] In some examples, instruction #a1 indicates that the first access network device needs PDU set information and / or data burst information; correspondingly, the core network can send PDU set information and / or data burst information to the first access network device via S705 to S706. In other examples, instruction #a1 indicates that the first access network device does not need either PDU set information or data burst information; correspondingly, the core network does not need to send PDU set information and data burst information to the first access network device. Accordingly, S705 to S706 are optional steps, shown by dashed lines in Figure 7.

[0243] S705: The first core network device sends instruction information #a2 to the second core network device; correspondingly, the second core network device receives instruction information #a2 from the first core network device.

[0244] Among them, the indication information #a2 is used to indicate the transmission of a data packet including sub-information #a1, where sub-information #a1 is the information required by the first access network device in information #a1.

[0245] S706: The second core network device sends data packet #a1 to the first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device receives data packet #a1 from the second core network device.

[0246] Among them, data packet #a1 includes sub-information #a1.

[0247] For details on S705 to S706, please refer to S603 to S604, which will not be repeated here.

[0248] In some examples, the instruction #a3 indicates that the second access network device does not need either PDU set information or data burst information. In this case, the second access network device may choose not to obtain PDU set information and data burst information.

[0249] In other examples, instruction #a3 indicates that the second access network device requires PDU set information and / or data burst information. In this case, there are various implementation methods for the second access network device to obtain PDU set information and / or data burst information, for example, at least one of implementation methods a1 to a3.

[0250] Implementation method a1:

[0251] Optionally, implementation method a1 can be applied to the following scenarios: the first access network device can be a CU, and the second access network device can be a DU; or the first access network device can be a source base station, and the second access network device can be a target base station.

[0252] In the following scenario, the indication information #a1 in S704 can be used to indicate whether base station #1 needs information #a1: the first access network device can be a CU, and the second access network device can be a DU. The specific content of the indication information #a1 indicating whether base station #1 needs information #a1 can be referred to in S704 for the explanation that "indication information #a1 is used to indicate whether the base station to which the first access network device belongs (hereinafter referred to as base station #1) needs information #a1," and will not be repeated here. Optionally, in this scenario, S704 to S706 can be placed after S702 to S703.

[0253] In the following scenario, the order of any step in S702 to S703 and any step in S704 to S706 is not restricted: the first access network device can be the source base station, and the second access network device can be the target base station. For example, S704 to S706 can precede S702 to S703. Also, for example, S704 to S706 can follow S702 to S703.

[0254] Implementation method a1 may include S707:

[0255] S707: The first access network device sends data packet #a2 to the second access network device; correspondingly, the second access network device receives data packet #a2 from the first access network device.

[0256] Specifically, data packet #a2 includes sub-information #a3, which is information required by the second access network device in information #a2; that is, data packet #a2 includes information required by the second access network device in information #a2. For example, the header of data packet #a2 includes sub-information #a3; in other words, the header of data packet #a2 includes information required by the second access network device in information #a2.

[0257] For the specific content of data packet #a2, please refer to the description of data packet #a1 in S604, except that sub-information #a1 is replaced with sub-information #a3, the first access network device is replaced with the second access network device, and information #a1 is replaced with information #a2. Repeated parts will not be described again.

[0258] In some possible scenarios, one or more fields in data packet #a2 may have invalid values, such as 0. These fields correspond to (or are associated with) sub-information #a4, which is information in information #a2 that the second access network device does not need. In other words, these fields correspond to (or are associated with) information in information #a2 that the second access network device does not need.

[0259] One or more fields may have invalid values, which can be replaced with: the value of one or more fields is a reserved bit.

[0260] Optionally, the information that the second access network device does not need in information #a2 can be: the information that the second access network device does not need as indicated by information #a3. For details, please refer to the explanation in S604 that "the information that the first access network device does not need in information #a1 can be: the information that the first access network device does not need as indicated by information #a1", except that information #a1 is replaced with information #a2, information #a1 is replaced with information #a3, and the first access network device is replaced with the second access network device. It will not be described again.

[0261] In some possible ways, after receiving data packet #a1, the first access network device may pass data packet #a1 to the second access network device. In this case, data packet #a1 and data packet #a2 are the same.

[0262] In other possible approaches, the first access network device processes data packet #a1 to obtain data packet #a2. As mentioned earlier, data packet #a1 includes sub-information #a1, which is the information required by the first access network device in information #a1; data packet #a2 includes sub-information #a3, which is the information required by the second access network device in information #a2. Optionally, the first access network device may delete information in sub-information #a1 except for sub-information #a3, or the first access network device may set information in sub-information #a1 except for sub-information #a3 to invalid values, thereby obtaining data packet #a2.

[0263] For example, base station #1 includes a first access network device and at least one second access network device. The first access network device is a CU, and the at least one second access network device includes DU#1 to DU#2. If indication information #a3 from DU#1 indicates that DU#1 needs PDU set information, and indication information #a3 from DU#2 indicates that DU#2 needs data burst information, then base station #1 needs both PDU set information and data burst information. If the CU receives data packet #a1, which includes PDU set information and data burst information, and data packet #a1 is a data packet to be sent to DU#2, then the CU can delete the PDU set information from data packet #a1 to obtain data packet #a2, and send data packet #a2 to DU#2.

[0264] Implementation method a2:

[0265] Optionally, implementation method a2 can be applied to the following scenario: the first access network device can be the main base station, and the second access network device can be the auxiliary base station.

[0266] Implementation method a2 may include S708 to S710:

[0267] S708: The first access network device sends indication information #a4 to the first core network device; correspondingly, the first core network device receives indication information #a4 from the first access network device.

[0268] Specifically, indication information #a4 is used to indicate whether the second access network device needs information #a2. Optionally, indication information #a4 is used to explicitly indicate (or directly indicate) whether the second access network device needs information #a2. The specific content of indication information #a4 indicating whether the second access network device needs information #a2 can be found in S602's explanation of "indication information #a1 is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs information #a1," except that indication information #a1 is replaced with indication information #a4, the first access network device is replaced with the second access network device, and information #a1 is replaced with information #a2. Further details are omitted here.

[0269] Indication information #a4 may be the same as or different from indication information #a3 in S703. In some examples, the first access network device may transparently transmit indication information #a3 to the first core network device after receiving it. In this case, indication information #a4 and indication information #a3 may be the same. In other examples, after receiving indication information #a3, the first access network device may process it, such as encapsulation, or combine indication information #a3 from multiple second access network devices to obtain indication information #a4. In this case, indication information #a4 and indication information #a3 may be different.

[0270] Optionally, the indication information #a4 may be carried in a traditional message or in a new message, without limitation. For example, the indication information #a4 may be carried in at least one of the following messages: PDU session resource establishment response message; PDU session resource modification response message; PDU session resource notification message; PDU session resource modification indication message; UE context establishment response message; UE context modification response message; UE context recovery response message; handover request confirmation message; handover notification message; path handover request message; NG interface establishment request message; or access network configuration update message.

[0271] Instruction information #a4 and instruction information #a1 in S704 can be carried in the same message or in different messages. When instruction information #a4 and instruction information #a1 are carried in different messages, the order of S704 and S708 is not limited.

[0272] Optionally, the combination of indication information #a4 and indication information #a1 in S704 can be understood as follows: the primary base station can indicate to the first core network equipment whether it needs PDU set information and / or data burst information, and it can also indicate to the first core network equipment whether the secondary base station needs PDU set information and / or data burst information. The specific method of indication is not limited. For example, indication information #a1 can be associated with the tunnel address of the primary base station to indicate whether the primary base station needs PDU set information and / or data burst information; indication information #a4 can be associated with the tunnel address of the secondary base station to indicate whether the secondary base station needs PDU set information and / or data burst information.

[0273] S709: The first core network device sends instruction information #a5 to the second core network device; correspondingly, the second core network device receives instruction information #a5 from the first core network device.

[0274] The instruction information #a5 is used to instruct the transmission of a data packet including sub-information #a3. For example, instruction information #a5 is used to instruct the second core network device to transmit a data packet including sub-information #a3.

[0275] S710: The second core network device sends data packet #a3 to the second access network device; correspondingly, the second access network device receives data packet #a3 from the second core network device.

[0276] Among them, data packet #a3 includes sub-information #a3, which is the information required by the second access network device in information #a2.

[0277] The specific content of S709 to S710 can be found in S603 to S604, except that indication information #a2 is replaced with indication information #a5, data packet #a1 is replaced with data packet #a3, the first access network device is replaced with the second access network device, sub-information #a1 is replaced with sub-information #a3, and indication information #a1 is replaced with indication information #a3. Further details are omitted.

[0278] Implementation method a3:

[0279] Optionally, implementation method a3 can be applied to the following scenario: the first access network device can be a CU-CP device, and the second access network device can be a CU-UP device. In this scenario, the indication information #a1 in S704 can be used to indicate whether base station #1 needs information #a1. The specific content of the indication information #a1 indicating whether base station #1 needs information #a1 can be referred to in S704 for the explanation that "indication information #a1 is used to indicate whether the base station to which the first access network device belongs (hereinafter referred to as base station #1) needs information #a1," and will not be repeated here. Optionally, in this scenario, S704 can be after S702 to S703; S705 to S706 are optional steps. In other words, in this scenario, the method shown in Figure 7 may not include S705 to S706.

[0280] Implementation method a3 may include S711 to S712:

[0281] S711: The first core network device sends instruction information #a6 to the second core network device; correspondingly, the second core network device receives instruction information #a6 from the first core network device.

[0282] The instruction information #a6 is used to instruct the transmission of a data packet including sub-information #a3. For example, instruction information #a6 is used to instruct the second core network device to transmit a data packet including sub-information #a3.

[0283] S712: The second core network device sends data packet #a4 to the second access network device; correspondingly, the second access network device receives data packet #a4 from the second core network device.

[0284] Among them, data packet #a4 includes sub-information #a3, which is the information required by the second access network device in information #a2.

[0285] For details of S711 to S712, please refer to S603 to S604, except that the indication information #a2 is replaced with the indication information #a6, the data packet #a1 is replaced with the data packet #a4, the first access network device is replaced with the second access network device, and the sub-information #a1 is replaced with the sub-information #a3. These details will not be repeated here.

[0286] Optionally, in the method shown in Figure 7, steps S701 to S703 and S705 to S712 are optional.

[0287] The method shown in Figure 7 has the same effect as the method shown in Figure 6, and the repetitions will not be repeated.

[0288] Using this method, when the second access network device needs PDU set information and / or data burst information, the second access network device can send a second indication message to the first access network device to notify the first access network device whether it needs PDU set information and / or data burst information. In this way, the second access network device can obtain PDU set information and / or data burst information on demand, enabling it to perform optimized processing based on the PDU set information and / or data burst information, thus improving communication performance.

[0289] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a third communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method is a possible example of the method shown in Figure 6 or Figure 7. As shown in Figure 8, the method may include:

[0290] S801: The first core network device sends query information #a1 to the main base station; correspondingly, the main base station receives query information #a1 from the first core network device.

[0291] Among them, query information #a1 is used to query whether the main base station needs information #a1.

[0292] For details on S801, please refer to S601 or S701, except that the first access network device is replaced with the main base station. The repetitive parts will not be repeated.

[0293] For example, the first core network device can send query information #a1 to the CU-CP device in the main base station; correspondingly, the CU-CP device receives query information #a1 from the first core network device.

[0294] S802: The CU-CP device sends query information #a2-1 to the CU-UP device; correspondingly, the CU-UP device receives query information #a2-1 from the CU-CP device.

[0295] The query information #a2-1 is used to query whether the CU-UP device needs information #a2-1.

[0296] The specific content of S802 can be found in S702, except that the first access network device is replaced with a CU-CP device, the second access network device is replaced with a CU-UP device, the query information #a2 is replaced with query information #a2-1, and information #a2 is replaced with information #a2-1. Further details are omitted.

[0297] S803: The CU-CP device sends query information #a2-2 to the DU; correspondingly, the DU receives query information #a2-2 from the CU-CP device.

[0298] The query information #a2-2 is used to query whether DU needs information #a2-2.

[0299] For details of S803, please refer to S702, except that the first access network device is replaced with the CU-CP device, the second access network device is replaced with the DU, the query information #a2 is replaced with the query information #a2-2, and the information #a2 is replaced with the information #a2-2. Further details will not be repeated.

[0300] It should be understood that the CU-CP device belongs to the CU. Therefore, S803 can be understood as: the CU sends query information #a2-2 to the DU; correspondingly, the DU receives query information #a2-2 from the CU.

[0301] The order of S802 and S803 is not limited.

[0302] S804: The CU-UP device sends indication information #a3-1 to the CU-CP device; correspondingly, the CU-CP device receives indication information #a3-1 from the CU-UP device.

[0303] Among them, the instruction information #a3-1 is used to indicate whether the CU-UP device needs information #a2-1.

[0304] For details of S804, please refer to S703, except that the first access network device is replaced with a CU-CP device, the second access network device is replaced with a CU-UP device, the indication information #a3 is replaced with the indication information #a3-1, and the information #a2 is replaced with the information #a2-1. Further details are omitted.

[0305] S805: DU sends indication information #a3-2 to CU-CP device; correspondingly, CU-CP device receives indication information #a3-2 from DU.

[0306] Among them, the instruction information #a3-2 is used to indicate whether DU needs information #a2-2.

[0307] For details of S805, please refer to S703, except that the first access network device is replaced with a CU-CP device, the second access network device is replaced with a DU, the indication information #a3 is replaced with the indication information #a3-2, and the information #a2 is replaced with the information #a2-2. Further details are omitted.

[0308] It should be understood that the CU-CP device belongs to the CU. Therefore, S805 can be understood as: the DU sends instruction information #a3-2 to the CU; correspondingly, the CU receives instruction information #a3-2 from the DU.

[0309] The order of S804 and S805 is not limited.

[0310] S806: The primary base station sends query information #a2-3 to the secondary base station; correspondingly, the secondary base station receives query information #a2-3 from the primary base station.

[0311] The query information #a2-3 is used to query whether the secondary base station needs information #a2-3.

[0312] For details on S806, please refer to S702, except that the first access network device is replaced with the main base station, the second access network device is replaced with the auxiliary base station, the query information #a2 is replaced with the query information #a2-3, and the information #a2 is replaced with the information #a2-3. Further details are omitted.

[0313] For example, the CU-CP device in the primary base station sends query information #a2-3 to the secondary base station; correspondingly, the secondary base station receives query information #a2-3 from the CU-CP device.

[0314] S807: The secondary base station sends indication information #a3-3 to the primary base station; correspondingly, the primary base station receives indication information #a3-3 from the secondary base station.

[0315] Among them, the indication information #a3-3 is used to indicate whether the secondary base station needs information #a2-3.

[0316] For details on S807, please refer to S703, except that the first access network device is replaced with the main base station, the second access network device is replaced with the auxiliary base station, the indication information #a3 is replaced with the indication information #a3-3, and the information #a2 is replaced with the information #a2-3. Further details are omitted.

[0317] For example, the secondary base station sends indication information #a3-3 to the CU-CP device in the primary base station; correspondingly, the CU-CP device receives indication information #a3-3 from the secondary base station.

[0318] The execution order of any step in S806 to S807 and any step in S802 to S805 is not limited. Any two of the messages #a2-1, #a2-2, and #a2-3 may be the same or different.

[0319] Steps S802 to S807 are optional.

[0320] S808: The main base station sends indication information #a1 to the first core network device; correspondingly, the first core network device receives indication information #a1 from the main base station.

[0321] The indication information #a1 is used to indicate whether the main base station needs information #a1.

[0322] For details on S808, please refer to S602 and S704, except that the first access network device is replaced with the main base station, which will not be elaborated further.

[0323] For example, the CU-CP device in the main base station sends indication information #a1 to the first core network device; correspondingly, the first core network device receives indication information #a1 from the CU-CP device.

[0324] Optionally, the execution order of any step in S806 to S807 and S808 is not limited.

[0325] S809: The main base station sends indication information #a4 to the first core network device; correspondingly, the first core network device receives indication information #a4 from the main base station.

[0326] Among them, the indication information #a4 is used to indicate whether the secondary base station needs information #a2.

[0327] For details on S809, please refer to S708, except that the first access network device is replaced with the main base station and the second access network device is replaced with the auxiliary base station, which will not be elaborated further.

[0328] For example, the CU-CP device in the main base station sends indication information #a4 to the first core network device; correspondingly, the first core network device receives indication information #a4 from the CU-CP device.

[0329] Instruction information #a4 and instruction information #a3-3 in S807 may be the same or different. For details, please refer to the explanation in S708 regarding "Instruction information #a4 and instruction information #a3 in S703 may be the same or different", which will not be repeated here.

[0330] Instruction information #a4 and instruction information #a1 in S808 can be carried in the same message or in different messages. When instruction information #a4 and instruction information #a1 are carried in different messages, the order of S808 and S809 is not limited.

[0331] S809 is an optional step.

[0332] Optionally, in the method shown in Figure 8, at least one of the main base station, the CU-UP device in the main base station, the DU in the main base station, or the auxiliary base station may or may not require PDU set information and / or data burst information. These will be explained below.

[0333] 1. Main base station:

[0334] In some examples, the instruction information #a1 indicates that the main base station needs PDU set information and / or data burst information; accordingly, the core network can send PDU set information and / or data burst information to the main base station through S603 to S604, only replacing the first access network device with the main base station, which will not be elaborated further.

[0335] In other examples, the indication information #a1 indicates that the primary base station does not need either PDU set information or data burst information; correspondingly, the core network does not need to send PDU set information and data burst information to the primary base station.

[0336] 2. CU-UP equipment in the main base station:

[0337] In some examples, the instruction information #a3-1 indicates that the CU-UP device needs PDU set information and / or data burst information; accordingly, the CU-UP device can obtain data packets including PDU set information and / or data burst information through S704, S711 to S712, except that the first access network device is replaced by the CU-CP device and the second access network device is replaced by the CU-UP device, which will not be described in detail here.

[0338] In other examples, instruction #a3-1 indicates that the CU-UP device does not need either PDU set information or data burst information; correspondingly, the CU-UP device does not need to acquire data packets that include PDU set information and / or data burst information.

[0339] 3. DU in the main base station:

[0340] In some examples, instruction #a3-2 indicates that the DU needs PDU set information and / or data burst information; accordingly, the DU can obtain data packets including PDU set information and / or data burst information through S705 to S707, except that the first access network device is replaced by the CU and the second access network device is replaced by the DU, which will not be described in detail here.

[0341] In other examples, the instruction #a3-2 indicates that the DU does not need either PDU set information or data burst information; correspondingly, the DU does not need to acquire packets that include PDU set information and / or data burst information.

[0342] 4. Auxiliary base station:

[0343] In some examples, the instruction information #a3-3 indicates that the secondary base station needs PDU set information and / or data burst information; accordingly, the secondary base station can obtain data packets including PDU set information and / or data burst information through implementation method a2 in the method shown in Figure 7, except that the first access network device is replaced by the primary base station and the second access network device is replaced by the secondary base station, which will not be described in detail here.

[0344] In other examples, the indication information #a3-3 indicates that the secondary base station does not need either PDU set information or data burst information; correspondingly, the secondary base station does not need to acquire data packets that include PDU set information and / or data burst information.

[0345] Optionally, in the method shown in Figure 8, steps S801 to S807 are optional.

[0346] The method shown in Figure 8 can achieve the same effect as the method shown in Figure 6 or Figure 7, and will not be described in detail here.

[0347] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating the fourth communication method provided in this application embodiment. In this method, the first access network device can send indication information to the first core network device to indicate whether the first access network device needs any part or all of the information in the PDU set information, and / or whether the first access network device needs any part or all of the information in the data burst information. As shown in Figure 9, the method may include:

[0348] S901: The first core network device sends query information #b1 to the first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device receives query information #b1 from the first core network device.

[0349] Specifically, query information #b1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs information #b1. Optionally, query information #b1 can be replaced by: query information #b1 requesting indication information #b1, and indication information #b1 indicating whether the first access network device needs information #b1. The specific content of indication information #b1 will be explained in S902, and will not be elaborated here.

[0350] Information #b1 may include at least one of the following: some or all of the information in the PDU set information, or some or all of the information in the data burst information. Here, all the information in the PDU set information can be understood as PDU set information; all the information in the data burst information can be understood as data burst information. For the specific content of the PDU set information and the data burst information, please refer to the descriptions of PDU set information and data burst information in S601, respectively, which will not be repeated here.

[0351] In this application, the first core network device sending query information #b1 to the first access network device can be understood as the core network being able to provide information #b1 to the first access network device. Thus, after the first access network device sends indication information #b1 to the first core network device, it can obtain some or all of the information from the PDU set information and / or data burst information as needed. Furthermore, this method avoids the first access network device sending indication information #b1 to the first core network device when the core network is unable to provide information #b1, thereby reducing signaling overhead and avoiding resource waste.

[0352] There are several ways to query whether the first access network device needs information #b1. The following are some examples.

[0353] In some examples, information #b1 includes N pieces of information, where the i-th piece of information corresponds to query information #b1-i, where N is a positive integer and i is an integer from 1 to N. If query information #b1 includes query information #b1-i, then query information #b1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs the i-th piece of information.

[0354] For example, the N pieces of information include: PDU set sequence number, PDU sequence numbers within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, and the last PDU in the PDU set. The PDU set sequence number, PDU sequence numbers within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, and the last PDU in the PDU set correspond to query information #b1-1 to query information #b1-5, respectively. If query information #b1 includes query information #b1-1, then query information #b1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs a PDU set sequence number.

[0355] For example, the N pieces of information include: a data burst end identifier, a data burst size, and a next burst time. The data burst end identifier, data burst size, and next burst time correspond to query information #b1-1 to query information #b1-3, respectively. If query information #b1 includes query information #b1-1 and query information #b1-2, then query information #b1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs a data burst end identifier and a data burst size.

[0356] For example, the N pieces of information include: PDU set sequence number, PDU sequence number within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, last PDU in the PDU set, data burst end identifier, data burst size, and next burst time. The PDU set sequence number, PDU sequence number within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, last PDU in the PDU set, data burst end identifier, data burst size, and next burst time correspond to query information #b1-1 to query information #b1-8, respectively. If query information #b1 includes query information #b1-6, then query information #b1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs a data burst end identifier.

[0357] For example, the N pieces of information include: PDU set end PDU, data burst end identifier, and data burst size. The PDU set end PDU, data burst end identifier, and data burst size correspond to query information #b1-1 to query information #b1-3, respectively. If query information #b1 includes query information #b1-2, then query information #b1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs a data burst end identifier.

[0358] In other examples, query information #b1 can be used to query whether the first access network device needs PDU set information and data burst information; in other words, as long as query information #b1 is received, the first access network device can determine that the first core network device needs to query whether the first access network device needs PDU set information and data burst information.

[0359] In some possible ways, query information #b1 is associated (or corresponds to) QoS flow #1; in other words, query information #b1 can be a QoS flow level. Associating query information #b1 with QoS flow #1 can be understood as: query information #b1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs information #b1 for QoS flow #1. Optionally, query information #b1 can indicate QoS flow #1. For example, query information #b1 may include the ID of QoS flow #1.

[0360] It should be understood that the first access network device serves one or more QoS flows. Query information #b1 can be used to query whether the first access network device needs information #b1 for some or all of the QoS flows in the one or more QoS flows. The query method is the same as QoS flow #1, and will not be repeated here.

[0361] Optionally, if query information #b1 does not indicate a QoS flow, then query information #b1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs information #b1 for all QoS flows served for the first access network device.

[0362] In other possible ways, query information #b1 is associated (or corresponds to) session #1 (e.g., a PDU session); in other words, query information #b1 can be session-level. Associating query information #b1 with session #1 can be understood as: query information #b1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs information #b1 for session #1. Optionally, query information #b1 can indicate session #1. For example, query information #b1 may include the ID of session #1.

[0363] It should be understood that the first access network device serves one or more sessions. Query information #b1 can be used to query whether the first access network device needs information #b1 for some or all of the sessions in the one or more sessions. The query method is the same as session #1, and will not be repeated here.

[0364] Optionally, if query information #b1 does not indicate a session, then query information #b1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs information #b1 for all sessions served by the first access network device.

[0365] There are also some possible ways to associate query information #b1 with QoS flow #1 and session #1. The implementation process can be referred to the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0366] Optionally, the query information #b1 can be carried in a traditional message or in a new message, without limitation. For example, the query information #b1 can be carried in any of the following messages: PDU session resource establishment request message; PDU session resource modification request message; UE context establishment request message; UE context modification request message; UE context recovery request message; handover request message; or, AMF configuration update message.

[0367] It should be understood that query information #b1 may also have other names, such as request information, without restriction.

[0368] Optionally, the first core network device may send query information #b1 to the first access network device to request indication information #b1, or the first access network device may proactively send indication information #b1 to the first core network device. Accordingly, S901 is an optional step, shown as a dashed line in Figure 9.

[0369] S902: The first access network device sends indication information #b1 to the first core network device; correspondingly, the first core network device receives indication information #b1 from the first access network device.

[0370] Indication information #b1 is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs any one of the information #b1; in other words, indication information #b1 is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs any one or all of the information in the PDU set information, and / or to indicate whether the first access network device needs any one or all of the information in the data burst information. Optionally, indication information #b1 is used to explicitly indicate (or directly indicate) whether the first access network device needs any one of the information #b1. The specific content of information #b1 can be found in the description of information #b1 in S901, and will not be repeated here.

[0371] The indication information #b1 can indicate whether the first access network device needs any of the information #b1 in a variety of ways, for example, any of the methods b1 to b3.

[0372] Method b1: Information #b1 includes N pieces of information, where the i-th piece of information corresponds to indication information #b1-i, where N is a positive integer and i is an integer from 1 to N. If indication information #b1 includes indication information #b1-i, it means that the first access network device needs the i-th piece of information; if indication information #b1 does not include indication information #b1-i, it means that the first access network device does not need the i-th piece of information.

[0373] For example, the N pieces of information include: PDU set sequence number, PDU sequence number within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, and the PDU ending in the PDU set. The PDU set sequence number, PDU sequence number within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, and the PDU ending in the PDU set correspond to indication information #b1-1 to indication information #b1-5, respectively. If indication information #b1 includes indication information #b1-1 but does not include indication information #b1-2 to #b1-5, it indicates that the first access network device needs the PDU set sequence number but does not need the PDU sequence number within the PDU set, the PDU set size, the PDU set importance, or the PDU ending in the PDU set.

[0374] For example, the N pieces of information include: a data burst end identifier, a data burst size, and a next burst time. The data burst end identifier, data burst size, and next burst time correspond to indication information #b1-1 to indication information #b1-3, respectively. If indication information #b1 includes indication information #b1-1 and indication information #b1-2, but does not include indication information #b-3, it indicates that the first access network device needs the data burst end identifier and the data burst size, but does not need the next burst time.

[0375] For example, the N pieces of information include: PDU set sequence number, PDU sequence number within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, the last PDU in the PDU set, data burst end identifier, data burst size, and next burst time. The PDU set sequence number, PDU sequence number within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, the last PDU in the PDU set, data burst end identifier, data burst size, and next burst time correspond to indication information #b1-1 to indication information #b1-8, respectively. If indication information #b1 includes indication information #b1-6 but excludes indication information #b1-1 to #b1-5 and indication information #b1-7 to #b1-8, it indicates that the first access network device requires the data burst end identifier but does not require the PDU set sequence number, PDU sequence number within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, the last PDU in the PDU set, data burst size, and next burst time.

[0376] For example, the N pieces of information include: PDU set end PDU, data burst end identifier, and data burst size. The PDU set end PDU, data burst end identifier, and data burst size correspond to indication information #b1-1 to indication information #b1-3, respectively. If indication information #b1 includes indication information #b1-2 but does not include indication information #b1-1 and indication information #b1-3, it means that the first access network device needs the data burst end identifier but does not need the PDU set end PDU and data burst size.

[0377] This application does not limit the specific implementation of the instruction information #a1-i.

[0378] Optionally, method b1 can also be understood as: instruction information #b1 indicates the information required by the first access network device; in other words, instruction information #b1 indicating the information required by the first access network device is also within the scope of protection of this application.

[0379] In method b1, the indication information #b1 can accurately indicate whether the first access network device needs any of the information in information #b1. Furthermore, in this method, the indication information #b1 only includes the indication information corresponding to the information in the PDU set information and / or data burst information if the first access network device needs the information in the PDU set information and / or data burst information, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0380] Method b2: Information #b1 includes N pieces of information. The i-th piece of information in these N pieces of information corresponds to the indication information #b1-i in indication information #b1, where N is a positive integer and i is an integer from 1 to N. If the value of indication information #b1-i is #9 (e.g., 1 or 0), it means that the first access network device needs the i-th piece of information; if the value of indication information #b1-i is #10 (e.g., 0 or 1), it means that the first access network device does not need the i-th piece of information. Values ​​#9 and #10 are different.

[0381] The following example illustrates method b2 with value #9 set to 1 and value #10 set to 0.

[0382] For example, the N pieces of information include: PDU set sequence number, PDU sequence number within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, and the PDU ending in the PDU set. The PDU set sequence number, PDU sequence number within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, and the PDU ending in the PDU set correspond to indication information #b1-1 to indication information #b1-5 in indication information #b1, respectively. If the value of indication information #b1-1 is 1, and the values ​​of indication information #b1-2 to indication information #b1-5 are all 0, it indicates that the first access network device needs the PDU set sequence number, but does not need the PDU sequence number within the PDU set, the PDU set size, the PDU set importance, or the PDU ending in the PDU set.

[0383] For example, the N pieces of information include: a data burst end identifier, a data burst size, and a next burst time. The data burst end identifier, data burst size, and next burst time correspond to indication information #b1-1 to indication information #b1-3 in indication information #b1, respectively. If the values ​​of indication information #b1-1 and indication information #b1-2 are 1, and the value of indication information #b1-3 is 0, it indicates that the first access network device needs the data burst end identifier and the data burst size, but does not need the next burst time.

[0384] For example, the N pieces of information include: PDU set sequence number, PDU sequence number within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, the last PDU in the PDU set, data burst end identifier, data burst size, and next burst time. The PDU set sequence number, PDU sequence number within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, the last PDU in the PDU set, data burst end identifier, data burst size, and next burst time correspond to indication information #b1-1 to indication information #b1-8 in indication information #b1. If the value of indication information #b1-6 is 1, and the values ​​of indication information #b1-1 to indication information #b1-5, and indication information #b1-7 to indication information #b1-8 are all 0, it indicates that the first access network device needs the data burst end identifier, but does not need the PDU set sequence number, PDU sequence number within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, the last PDU in the PDU set, data burst size, and next burst time.

[0385] For example, the N pieces of information include: PDU set end PDU, data burst end identifier, and data burst size. The PDU set end PDU, data burst end identifier, and data burst size correspond to indication information #b1-1 to indication information #b1-3 in indication information #b1, respectively. If the value of indication information #b1-2 is 1, and the values ​​of indication information #b1-1 and indication information #b1-3 are both 0, it means that the first access network device needs the data burst end identifier but does not need the PDU set end PDU and data burst size.

[0386] Through method b2, the instruction information #b1 can accurately indicate whether the first access network device needs any of the information #b1.

[0387] Method b3: Indication information #b1 is bitmap #b1. Bitmap #b1 is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs any of the information #b1, that is, bitmap #b1 is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs any of the PDU set information and / or data burst information.

[0388] Optionally, information #b1 includes N pieces of information; each bit in bitmap #b1 corresponds to one of the N pieces of information, used to indicate whether the first access network device needs the information corresponding to that bit among the N pieces of information. For example, if the value of a bit in bitmap #b1 is value #11 (e.g., 1 or 0), it indicates that the first access network device needs the information corresponding to that bit among the N pieces of information; if the value of a bit in bitmap #b1 is value #12 (e.g., 0 or 1), it indicates that the first access network device does not need the information corresponding to that bit among the N pieces of information. Values ​​#11 and #12 are different.

[0389] For example, bitmap #b1 may include 8 bits, which may correspond to the following information in order from high to low bits: PDU set sequence number, PDU sequence number within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, last PDU of the PDU set, data burst end identifier, next burst time, and data burst size. If the value of bitmap #b1 is 00000101, value #11 is 1, and value #12 is 0, it indicates that the first access network device needs the data burst end identifier and data burst size, but does not need the PDU set sequence number, PDU sequence number within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, last PDU of the PDU set, and next burst time.

[0390] Through method b3, the instruction information #b1 can accurately indicate whether the first access network device needs any of the information #b1.

[0391] In some possible approaches, information #b1 is associated with (or corresponds to) QoS flow #1, and indication information #b1 also indicates QoS flow #1; in other words, information #b1 and indication information #b1 can be QoS flow levels. The association of information #b1 with QoS flow #1 and indication information #b1 also indicating QoS flow #1 can be understood as: indication information #b1 indicates whether the first access network device needs any of the information #b1 for QoS flow #1. Optionally, indication information #b1 may include the ID of QoS flow #1.

[0392] It should be understood that the first access network device serves one or more QoS flows. Indication information #b1 can indicate whether the first access network device needs any of the information #b1 for some or all of the QoS flows in the one or more QoS flows. The method of indication can be referred to QoS flow #1, and will not be repeated here.

[0393] Optionally, if indication information #b1 does not indicate a QoS flow, then indication information #b1 indicates whether the first access network device needs any of the QoS flow information #b1 for all QoS flows served by the first access network device.

[0394] In other possible approaches, information #b1 is associated with (or corresponds to) session #1 (e.g., a PDU session), and indication information #b1 also indicates session #1; in other words, information #b1 and indication information #b1 can be session-level. The association of information #b1 with session #1 and indication information #b1 also indicating session #1 can be understood as: indication information #b1 indicates whether the first access network device needs any of the information #b1 for session #1. Optionally, indication information #b1 may include the ID of session #1.

[0395] It should be understood that the first access network device serves one or more sessions. Instruction information #b1 can indicate whether the first access network device needs any of the information #b1 for some or all of the sessions in the one or more sessions. The method of indication can be referred to session #1, and will not be repeated here.

[0396] Optionally, if indication information #b1 does not indicate a session, then indication information #b1 indicates any of the information #b1 for all sessions that the first access network device needs to serve for the first access network device.

[0397] In other possible approaches, information #b1 is associated (or corresponds to) QoS flow #1 and session #1, indicating that information #b1 also indicates QoS flow #1 and session #1. The implementation process can be referred to the foregoing description and will not be repeated here.

[0398] Optionally, the indication information #b1 can be carried in a traditional message or in a new message, without limitation. For example, the indication information #b1 can be carried in any of the following messages: PDU session resource establishment response message; PDU session resource modification response message; PDU session resource notification message; PDU session resource modification indication message; UE context establishment response message; UE context modification response message; UE context recovery response message; handover request confirmation message; handover notification message; path handover request message; NG interface establishment request message; or access network configuration update message.

[0399] It should be understood that the instruction message #b1 may also have other names, such as feedback message or response message, without restriction.

[0400] In some examples, the instruction message #b1 indicates that the first access network device needs some or all of the PDU set information and / or data burst information; correspondingly, the core network can send some or all of the PDU set information and / or data burst information to the first access network device via S903 to S904. In other examples, the instruction message #b1 indicates that the first access network device does not need either PDU set information or data burst information; correspondingly, the core network does not need to send PDU set information and data burst information to the first access network device. Accordingly, S903 to S904 are optional steps, shown by dashed lines in Figure 9.

[0401] S903: The first core network device sends instruction information #b2 to the second core network device; correspondingly, the second core network device receives instruction information #b2 from the first core network device.

[0402] The instruction information #b2 is used to instruct the transmission of a data packet including sub-information #b1. For example, instruction information #b2 is used to instruct the second core network device to transmit a data packet including sub-information #b1. This application does not limit the specific manner in which instruction information #b2 is used.

[0403] Sub-information #b1 contains information required by the first access network device in information #b1. For example, the information required by the first access network device in information #b1 may be: information indicated by information #b1 indicating that the first access network device requires a data burst end identifier and a data burst size. Another example: if information #b1 indicates that the first access network device requires a PDU set size, then the information required by the first access network device in information #b1 is the PDU set size. Yet another example: if information #b1 indicates that the first access network device requires a PDU set size, a data burst end identifier, and a data burst size, then the information required by the first access network device in information #b1 is the PDU set size, the data burst end identifier, and the data burst size.

[0404] In some possible implementations, if indication information #b1 also indicates QoS flow #1, then indication information #b2 is used to indicate the transmission of a data packet including sub-information #b1. This may include: indication information #b2 indicating that a data packet including sub-information #b1 is transmitted for QoS flow #1. For example, indication information #b2 indicates that the second core network device transmits a data packet including sub-information #b1 for QoS flow #1; in other words, indication information #b2 indicates that the second core network device carries sub-information #b1 in the data packet for QoS flow #1.

[0405] In other possible embodiments, if indication information #b1 also indicates session #1, then indication information #b2 is used to indicate the transmission of a data packet including sub-information #b1, which may include: indication information #b2 indicating that a data packet including sub-information #b1 is sent for session #1. For example, indication information #b2 indicates that the second core network device sends a data packet including sub-information #b1 for session #1; in other words, indication information #b2 indicates that the second core network device carries sub-information #b1 in the data packet for session #1.

[0406] In some other possible approaches, if indication information #b1 also indicates QoS flow #1 and session #1, then indication information #b2 is used to indicate the transmission of a data packet including sub-information #b1, which may include: indication information #b2 indicating that a data packet including sub-information #b1 is transmitted for QoS flow #1 and session #1. The implementation process can be referred to the foregoing description and will not be repeated here.

[0407] It should be understood that sub-information #b1 may include some or all of the information in information #b1. Sub-information #b1 may also have other names, such as information, without limitation.

[0408] The instruction message #b2 can be carried in a traditional message or in a new message, without limitation. For example, the instruction message #b2 can be carried in either of the following messages: an N4 session establishment request message; or an N4 session modification request message.

[0409] It should be understood that the instruction message #b2 may also have other names, such as command messages, without restriction.

[0410] S904: The second core network device sends data packet #b1 to the first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device receives data packet #b1 from the second core network device.

[0411] The data packet #b1 includes sub-information #b1, which is the information required by the first access network device in information #b1; that is, the data packet #b1 includes the information required by the first access network device in information #b1. For example, the header of the data packet #b1 includes sub-information #b1; in other words, the header of the data packet #b1 includes the information required by the first access network device in information #b1. For instance, the header of the data packet #b1 may include a PDU set information container, which may include the information required by the first access network device in information #b1. The format of the PDU set information container is shown in Figure 4. The specific content of the information required by the first access network device in information #b1 can be found in the description of "information required by the first access network device in information #b1" in S903, and will not be repeated here.

[0412] In some implementations, if the indication information #b2 indicates that a data packet including sub-information #b1 is sent for QoS flow #1, then data packet #b1 can be a data packet for QoS flow #1; in other words, the second core network device can carry sub-information #b1 in a data packet for QoS flow #1.

[0413] In other implementations, if the instruction information #b2 indicates that a data packet including sub-information #b1 is sent for session #1, then data packet #b1 can be a data packet for session #1; in other words, the second core network device can carry sub-information #b1 in a data packet for session #1.

[0414] In some implementations, if the indication information #b2 indicates that a data packet including sub-information #b1 should be sent for QoS flow #1 and session #1, then data packet #b1 can be a data packet for QoS flow #1 and session #1; in other words, the second core network device can carry sub-information #b1 in the data packet for QoS flow #1 and session #1.

[0415] In some possible configurations, at least one field in data packet #b1 has an invalid value, such as 0. This at least one field corresponds to (or is associated with) sub-information #b2, which is information in information #b1 that the first access network device does not need. In other words, this at least one field corresponds to (or is associated with) information in information #b1 that the first access network device does not need.

[0416] Where the value of at least one field is invalid, it can be replaced with: the value of at least one field is reserved bits.

[0417] Optionally, the information that the first access network device does not need in information #b1 may be: information that the first access network device indicates it does not need. For example, if information #b1 indicates that the first access network device needs the PDU set sequence number, but does not need the PDU sequence number, PDU set size, PDU set importance, and the PDU set ending PDU within the PDU set, then the information that the first access network device does not need in information #b1 includes: the PDU sequence number, PDU set size, PDU set importance, and the PDU set ending PDU within the PDU set. Another example: if information #b1 indicates that the first access network device needs the data burst end identifier and data burst size, but does not need the next burst time, then the information that the first access network device does not need in information #b1 is the next burst time. For example, if instruction information #b1 indicates that the first access network device needs a data burst end identifier, but does not need the PDU set sequence number, the PDU sequence number within the PDU set, the PDU set size, the PDU set importance, the PDU ending in the PDU set, the data burst size, and the next burst time, then the information that the first access network device does not need in instruction information #b1 includes: the PDU set sequence number, the PDU sequence number within the PDU set, the PDU set size, the PDU set importance, the PDU ending in the PDU set, the data burst size, and the next burst time.

[0418] For example, the header of packet #b1 may include a PDU set information container, which is used to indicate PDU set information and / or data burst information. In the PDU set information container, at least one field corresponding to sub-information #b2 has an invalid value. For example, if indication information #b1 indicates that the first access network device does not need a data burst end identifier, and the data burst end identifier corresponds to the EDB field in the PDU set information container, then the EDB field has an invalid value. As another example, if indication information #b1 indicates that the first access network device does not need the PDU set sequence number, PDU set size, PDU set importance, and PDU set end PDU, and the PDU set sequence number, PDU set size, PDU set importance, and PDU set end PDU correspond to the following fields in the PDU set information container: PSSN, PSSI, PSSize, PSI, and EPDU, then the following fields have invalid values: PSSN, PSSI, PSI, and EPDU.

[0419] In this application, sub-information #b2 may include a portion of the information in information #b1. Sub-information #b2 may also have other names, such as "information," without limitation.

[0420] Using the method shown in Figure 9, the first access network device can send indication information #b1 to the first core network device to notify the first core network device whether it needs any part or all of the PDU set information and / or data burst information. In this way, the first access network device can obtain either the PDU set information and / or data burst information as needed, enabling it to perform optimized processing based on the obtained PDU set information and / or data burst information, thus improving communication performance.

[0421] Furthermore, in this method, the operation of the first access network device sending the indication information #b1 does not depend on whether the first access network device obtains the QoS parameters of the PDU set, nor does it depend on whether the first access network device supports PDU set-based processing. This allows the first access network device to flexibly obtain PDU set information and / or data burst information, expanding the scope of application of this method and increasing applicable scenarios.

[0422] Furthermore, in this method, by instructing the first access network device whether it needs any part or all of the information in the PDU set information, and / or instructing the first access network device whether it needs any part or all of the information in the data burst information, the flexibility of the first access network device in obtaining the PDU set information and / or data burst information can be improved. Moreover, when the first access network device only needs part of the PDU set information and / or data burst information, the first access network device does not need to receive all of the PDU set information and / or data burst information, thereby saving transmission overhead.

[0423] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the fifth communication method provided in this application embodiment. Based on the method shown in Figure 9, in this method, the second access network device may further send indication information to the first access network device to indicate whether the second access network device needs any part or all of the information in the PDU set information, and / or whether the second access network device needs any part or all of the information in the data burst information. As shown in Figure 10, the method may include:

[0424] S1001: The first core network device sends query information #b1 to the first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device receives query information #b1 from the first core network device.

[0425] Among them, query information #b1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs information #b1.

[0426] For details of S1001, please refer to S901, and will not be repeated here.

[0427] S1002: The first access network device sends query information #b2 to the second access network device; correspondingly, the second access network device receives query information #b2 from the first access network device.

[0428] Optionally, the first access network device may be a CU and the second access network device may be a DU; or, the first access network device may be a CU-CP device and the second access network device may be a CU-UP device; or, the first access network device may be a primary base station and the second access network device may be a secondary base station; or, the first access network device may be a source base station and the second access network device may be a target base station.

[0429] Specifically, query information #b2 is used to query whether the second access network device needs information #b2. Optionally, query information #b2 can be replaced by: query information #b2 requesting indication information #b3, and indication information #b3 indicating whether the second access network device needs information #b2. The specific content of indication information #b3 will be explained in detail in S1003, and will not be elaborated here.

[0430] Information #b2 may include at least one of the following: some or all of the information in the PDU set information, or some or all of the information in the data burst information. Here, all the information in the PDU set information can be understood as PDU set information; all the information in the data burst information can be understood as data burst information. For the specific content of the PDU set information and the data burst information, please refer to the descriptions of PDU set information and data burst information in S601, which will not be repeated here.

[0431] In this application, the first access network device sending query information #b2 to the second access network device can be understood as: the first access network device and / or the core network are able to provide information #b2 to the second access network device. Thus, after the second access network device sends indication information #b3 to the first access network device, it can obtain information from the PDU set information and / or data burst information as needed. Furthermore, this method avoids the second access network device sending indication information #b3 to the first access network device when the first access network device and / or the core network are unable to provide information #b2, thereby reducing signaling overhead and avoiding resource waste.

[0432] The query information #b2 is used to query whether the second access network device needs information #b2. For details, please refer to the explanation in S901 that "the query information #b1 is used to query whether the first access network device needs information #b1", except that the query information #b1 is replaced with the query information #b2, the first access network device is replaced with the second access network device, and information #b1 is replaced with information #b2. This will not be repeated here.

[0433] Optionally, the query information #b2 can be carried in a traditional message or in a new message, without limitation. For example, when the first access network device is a CU and the second access network device is a DU, the query information #b2 can be carried in any of the following messages: UE context establishment request message; UE context modification request message; or UE context modification confirmation message. For example, when the first access network device is a CU-CP and the second access network device is a CU-UP, the query information #b2 can be carried in any of the following messages: bearer context establishment request message; bearer context modification request message; or bearer context modification confirmation message. For example, when the first access network device is a primary base station and the second access network device is a secondary base station, the query information #b2 can be carried in any of the following messages: secondary base station addition request message; or secondary base station modification request message. For example, when the first access network device is a source base station and the second access network device is a target base station, the query information #b2 can be carried in a handover request message.

[0434] It should be understood that query information #b2 may also have other names, such as request information, without restriction.

[0435] Optionally, the first access network device may send query information #b2 to the second access network device to request indication information #b3, or the second access network device may proactively send indication information #b3 to the first access network device. Accordingly, S1002 is an optional step, shown as a dashed line in Figure 10.

[0436] S1003: The second access network device sends indication information #b3 to the first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device receives indication information #b3 from the second access network device.

[0437] Indication information #b3 is used to indicate whether the second access network device needs any one of information #b2; in other words, indication information #b3 is used to indicate whether the second access network device needs any one or all of the information in the PDU set information, and / or to indicate whether the second access network device needs any one or all of the information in the data burst information. Optionally, indication information #b3 is used to explicitly indicate (or directly indicate) whether the second access network device needs any one of information #b2. The specific content of information #b2 can be found in the description of information #b2 in S1002, and will not be repeated here. The specific content of indication information #b3 indicating whether the second access network device needs any one of information #b2 can be found in the description of "indication information #b1 is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs any one of information #b1" in S902, except that indication information #b1 is replaced with indication information #b3, the first access network device is replaced with the second access network device, and information #b1 is replaced with information #b2, and will not be repeated here.

[0438] In some possible configurations, information #b2 is associated with (or corresponds to) QoS flow #2, and indication information #b3 also indicates QoS flow #2; in other words, information #b2 and indication information #b3 can be at the QoS flow level. For details, refer to the explanation in S902 regarding "information #b1 is associated with (or corresponds to) QoS flow #1, and indication information #b1 also indicates QoS flow #1," except that information #b1 is replaced with information #b2; QoS flow #1 is replaced with QoS flow #2; and the first access network device is replaced with the second access network device. Further details are omitted. QoS flow #1 and QoS flow #2 can be the same or different.

[0439] In other possible configurations, information #b2 is associated with (or corresponds to) session #2, and indication information #b3 also indicates session #2; in other words, information #b2 and indication information #b3 can be at the session level. For details, refer to the description in S902 of "information #b1 is associated with (or corresponds to) session #1, and indication information #b1 also indicates session #1," except that information #b1 is replaced with information #b2; session #1 is replaced with session #2; and the first access network device is replaced with the second access network device. Further details are omitted. Session #1 and session #2 can be the same or different.

[0440] In other possible approaches, information #b2 is associated (or corresponds to) QoS flow #2 and session #2, and information #b3 also indicates QoS flow #2 and session #2. The implementation process can be referred to the foregoing description and will not be repeated here.

[0441] Optionally, the indication information #b3 can be carried in a traditional message or in a new message, without limitation. For example, when the first access network device is a CU and the second access network device is a DU, the indication information #b3 can be carried in any of the following messages: UE context establishment response message; UE context modification response message; or UE context modification request message. For example, when the first access network device is a CU-CP and the second access network device is a CU-UP, the indication information #b3 can be carried in any of the following messages: bearer context establishment response message; bearer context modification response message; or bearer context modification request message. For example, when the first access network device is a primary base station and the second access network device is a secondary base station, the indication information #b3 can be carried in any of the following messages: secondary base station add request confirmation message; or secondary base station modification request confirmation message. For example, when the first access network device is a source base station and the second access network device is a target base station, the indication information #b3 can be carried in a handover request confirmation message.

[0442] It should be understood that the instruction message #b3 may also have other names, such as feedback message or response message, without restriction.

[0443] S1004: The first access network device sends indication information #b1 to the first core network device; correspondingly, the first core network device receives indication information #b1 from the first access network device.

[0444] Indication information #b1 is used to indicate whether the first access network device requires any of the information in information #b1. Information #b1 and information #b2 may be the same or different. For example, information #b2 may be part or all of information #b1.

[0445] For details of S1004, please refer to S902; any repetitions will not be repeated.

[0446] In some possible embodiments, the indication information #b1 is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs any of the information #b1, and may include: the indication information #b1 indicating whether the base station to which the first access network device belongs (hereinafter referred to as base station #1) needs any of the information #b1. Base station #1 includes the first access network device and at least one second access network device. For example, the first access network device is a CU, and the second access network device is a DU. Another example is that the first access network device is a CU-CP, and the second access network device is a CU-UP.

[0447] Optionally, in this method, the indication information #b1 may be determined based on the indication information #b3 from at least one second access network device, in which case the information #b2 may be part or all of the information #b1.

[0448] For example, if at least one second access network device in base station #1 includes: DU#1 to DU#2, and indication information #b3 from DU#1 indicates whether DU#1 needs a data burst end identifier, and indication information #b3 from DU#2 indicates whether DU#2 needs a data burst end identifier, then indication information #b1 can indicate whether base station #1 needs a data burst end identifier.

[0449] For example, if at least one second access network device in base station #1 includes: DU#1 to DU#2, and indication information #b3 from DU#1 indicates whether DU#1 needs PDU set to end the PDU, and indication information #b3 from DU#2 indicates whether DU#2 needs PDU set to end the PDU, then indication information #b1 can indicate whether base station #1 needs PDU set to end the PDU.

[0450] For example, if at least one second access network device in base station #1 includes DU#1 to DU#2, and indication information #b3 from DU#1 indicates whether DU#1 needs PDU set to end the PDU, and indication information #b3 from DU#2 indicates whether DU#2 needs a data burst end identifier, then indication information #b1 can indicate whether base station #1 needs PDU set to end the PDU and a data burst end identifier.

[0451] For example, if at least one second access network device in base station #1 includes CU-UP#1 to CU-UP#2, and indication information #b3 from CU-UP#1 indicates whether CU-UP#1 needs PDU set to end the PDU, and indication information #b3 from CU-UP#2 indicates whether CU-UP#2 needs a data burst end identifier, then indication information #b1 can indicate whether base station #1 needs PDU set to end the PDU and a data burst end identifier.

[0452] For example, if at least one second access network device in base station #1 includes DU#1 and CU-UP#1, and indication information #b3 from DU#1 indicates whether DU#1 needs PDU set to end the PDU, and indication information #b3 from CU-UP#1 indicates whether CU-UP#1 needs a data burst end identifier, then indication information #b1 can indicate whether base station #1 needs PDU set to end the PDU and a data burst end identifier.

[0453] In some examples, the instruction message #b1 indicates that the first access network device needs information from the PDU set information and / or data burst information; accordingly, the core network can send the PDU set information and / or data burst information to the first access network device via S1005 to S1006. In other examples, the instruction message #b1 indicates that the first access network device does not need either the PDU set information or the data burst information; accordingly, the core network does not need to send the PDU set information and data burst information to the first access network device. Accordingly, S1005 to S1006 are optional steps, shown in dashed lines in Figure 10.

[0454] S1005: The first core network device sends instruction information #b2 to the second core network device; correspondingly, the second core network device receives instruction information #b2 from the first core network device.

[0455] Among them, the instruction information #b2 is used to instruct the transmission of a data packet including sub-information #b1, where sub-information #b1 is the information required by the first access network device in information #b1.

[0456] S1006: The second core network device sends data packet #b1 to the first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device receives data packet #b1 from the second core network device.

[0457] Among them, data packet #b1 includes sub-information #b1.

[0458] For details on S1005 to S1006, please refer to S903 to S904, which will not be repeated here.

[0459] In some examples, the instruction #b3 indicates that the second access network device does not need either PDU set information or data burst information. In this case, the second access network device may choose not to obtain PDU set information and data burst information.

[0460] In other examples, instruction message #b3 indicates that the second access network device requires information from the PDU set information and / or data burst information. In this case, there are multiple implementation methods for the second access network device to obtain the information from the PDU set information and / or data burst information, for example, at least one of implementation methods b1 to b3.

[0461] Implementation method b1:

[0462] Optionally, implementation method b1 can be applied to the following scenarios: the first access network device can be a CU and the second access network device can be a DU; or the first access network device can be a source base station and the second access network device can be a target base station.

[0463] In the following scenario, the indication information #b1 in S1004 can be used to indicate whether base station #1 needs any one of information #b1: the first access network device can be a CU, and the second access network device can be a DU. The specific content of whether the indication information #b1 can indicate whether base station #1 needs any one of information #b1 can be found in the explanation in S1004 regarding "indication information #b1 is used to indicate whether the base station to which the first access network device belongs (hereinafter referred to as base station #1) needs any one of information #b1," and will not be repeated here. Optionally, in this scenario, S1004 to S1006 can be performed after S1002 to S1003.

[0464] In the following scenario, the order of any step in S1002 to S1003 and any step in S1004 to S1006 is not restricted: the first access network device can be the source base station, and the second access network device can be the target base station. For example, S1004 to S1006 can precede S1002 to S1003. Also, for example, S1004 to S1006 can follow S1002 to S1003.

[0465] Implementation method b1 may include S1007:

[0466] S1007: The first access network device sends data packet #b2 to the second access network device; correspondingly, the second access network device receives data packet #b2 from the first access network device.

[0467] Specifically, data packet #b2 includes sub-information #b3, which is information required by the second access network device in information #b2; that is, data packet #b2 includes information required by the second access network device in information #b2. For example, the header of data packet #b2 includes sub-information #b3; in other words, the header of data packet #b2 includes information required by the second access network device in information #b2.

[0468] For the specific content of data packet #b2, please refer to the description of data packet #b1 in S904, except that sub-information #b1 is replaced with sub-information #b3, the first access network device is replaced with the second access network device, and information #b1 is replaced with information #b2. Repeated parts will not be described again.

[0469] In some possible scenarios, one or more fields in data packet #b2 may have invalid values, such as 0. These fields correspond to (or are associated with) sub-information #b4, which is information in information #b2 that the second access network device does not need. In other words, these fields correspond to (or are associated with) information in information #b2 that the second access network device does not need.

[0470] One or more fields may have invalid values, which can be replaced with: the value of one or more fields is a reserved bit.

[0471] Optionally, the information that the second access network device does not need in information #b2 can be: the information that the second access network device does not need as indicated by information #b3. For details, please refer to the explanation in S904 that "the information that the first access network device does not need in information #b1 can be: the information that the first access network device does not need as indicated by information #b1", except that information #b1 is replaced with information #b2, information #b1 is replaced with information #b3, and the first access network device is replaced with the second access network device. It will not be described again.

[0472] In some possible scenarios, after receiving data packet #b1, the first access network device may transmit data packet #b1 to the second access network device. In this case, data packet #b1 and data packet #b2 are identical.

[0473] In other possible approaches, the first access network device processes data packet #b1 to obtain data packet #b2. As mentioned earlier, data packet #b1 includes sub-information #b1, which is the information required by the first access network device in information #b1; data packet #b2 includes sub-information #b3, which is the information required by the second access network device in information #b2. Optionally, the first access network device may delete information in sub-information #b1 except for sub-information #b3, or the first access network device may set information in sub-information #b1 except for sub-information #b3 to invalid values, thereby obtaining data packet #b2.

[0474] For example, base station #1 includes a first access network device and at least one second access network device. The first access network device is a CU, and the at least one second access network device includes DU#1 to DU#2. If indication information #b3 from DU#1 indicates that DU#1 needs a PDU set to end the PDU, and indication information #b3 from DU#2 indicates that DU#2 needs a data burst end identifier, then base station #1 needs both a PDU set to end the PDU and a data burst end identifier. If the CU receives data packet #b1, which includes a PDU set to end the PDU and a data burst end identifier, and data packet #b1 is a data packet to be sent to DU#2, then the CU can delete the PDU set to end the PDU from data packet #b1, obtain data packet #b2, and send data packet #b2 to DU#2.

[0475] Implementation method b2:

[0476] Optionally, implementation method b2 can be applied to the following scenario: the first access network device can be the main base station, and the second access network device can be the auxiliary base station.

[0477] Implementation b2 may include S1008 to S1010:

[0478] S1008: The first access network device sends indication information #b4 to the first core network device; correspondingly, the first core network device receives indication information #b4 from the first access network device.

[0479] Specifically, indication information #b4 is used to indicate whether the second access network device needs any one of information #b2. Optionally, indication information #b4 is used to explicitly indicate (or directly indicate) whether the second access network device needs any one of information #b2. For the specific content of indication information #b4 indicating whether the second access network device needs any one of information #b2, please refer to the explanation in S902 regarding "indication information #b1 is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs any one of information #b1," except that indication information #b1 is replaced with indication information #b4, the first access network device is replaced with the second access network device, and information #b1 is replaced with information #b2. Further details are omitted here.

[0480] Indication information #b4 may be the same as or different from indication information #b3 in S1003. In some examples, the first access network device may transmit indication information #b3 to the first core network device after receiving it. In this case, indication information #b4 and indication information #b3 may be the same. In other examples, after receiving indication information #b3, the first access network device may process it, such as encapsulating it, or combine indication information #b3 from multiple second access network devices to obtain indication information #b4. In this case, indication information #b4 and indication information #b3 may be different.

[0481] Optionally, the indication information #b4 can be carried in a traditional message or in a new message, without limitation. For example, the indication information #b4 can be carried in at least one of the following messages: PDU session resource establishment response message; PDU session resource modification response message; PDU session resource notification message; PDU session resource modification indication message; UE context establishment response message; UE context modification response message; UE context recovery response message; handover request confirmation message; handover notification message; path handover request message; NG interface establishment request message; or access network configuration update message.

[0482] Instruction information #b4 and instruction information #b1 in S1004 can be carried in the same message or in different messages. When instruction information #b4 and instruction information #b1 are carried in different messages, the order of S1004 and S1008 is not limited.

[0483] Optionally, the combination of indication information #b4 and indication information #b1 in S1004 can be understood as follows: the primary base station can indicate to the first core network device whether it needs any part or all of the PDU set information and / or data burst information, and it can also indicate to the first core network device whether the secondary base station needs any part or all of the PDU set information and / or data burst information. The specific method of indication is not limited. For example, indication information #b1 can be associated with the tunnel address of the primary base station to indicate whether the primary base station needs any part or all of the PDU set information and / or data burst information; indication information #b4 can be associated with the tunnel address of the secondary base station to indicate whether the secondary base station needs any part or all of the PDU set information and / or data burst information.

[0484] S1009: The first core network device sends instruction information #b5 to the second core network device; correspondingly, the second core network device receives instruction information #b5 from the first core network device.

[0485] The instruction information #b5 is used to instruct the transmission of a data packet including sub-information #b3. For example, instruction information #b5 is used to instruct the second core network device to transmit a data packet including sub-information #b3.

[0486] S1010: The second core network device sends data packet #b3 to the second access network device; correspondingly, the second access network device receives data packet #b3 from the second core network device.

[0487] Among them, data packet #b3 includes sub-information #b3, which is the information required by the second access network device in information #b2.

[0488] The specific content of S1009 to S1010 can be found in S903 to S904, except that indication information #b2 is replaced with indication information #b5, data packet #b1 is replaced with data packet #b3, the first access network device is replaced with the second access network device, sub-information #b1 is replaced with sub-information #b3, and indication information #b1 is replaced with indication information #b3. Further details are omitted.

[0489] Implementation method b3:

[0490] Optionally, implementation b3 can be applied to the following scenario: the first access network device can be a CU-CP device, and the second access network device can be a CU-UP device. In this scenario, the indication information #b1 in S1004 can be used to indicate whether base station #1 needs information #b1. The specific content of the indication information #b1 indicating whether base station #1 needs information #b1 can be referred to in S1004 for the explanation that "indication information #b1 is used to indicate whether the base station to which the first access network device belongs (hereinafter referred to as base station #1) needs information #b1," and will not be repeated here. Optionally, in this scenario, S1004 can be after S1002 to S1003; S1005 to S1006 are optional steps. In other words, in this scenario, the method shown in Figure 10 may not include S1005 to S1006.

[0491] Implementation b3 may include S1011 to S1012:

[0492] S1011: The first core network device sends instruction information #b6 to the second core network device; correspondingly, the second core network device receives instruction information #b6 from the first core network device.

[0493] The instruction information #b6 is used to instruct the transmission of a data packet including sub-information #b3. For example, instruction information #b6 is used to instruct the second core network device to transmit a data packet including sub-information #b3.

[0494] S1012: The second core network device sends data packet #b4 to the second access network device; correspondingly, the second access network device receives data packet #b4 from the second core network device.

[0495] Among them, data packet #b4 includes sub-information #b3, which is the information required by the second access network device in information #b2.

[0496] The specific content of S1011 to S1012 can be found in S903 to S904, except that the indication information #b2 is replaced with the indication information #b6, the data packet #b1 is replaced with the data packet #b4, the first access network device is replaced with the second access network device, and the sub-information #b1 is replaced with the sub-information #b3. Further details are omitted.

[0497] Optionally, in the method shown in Figure 10, steps S1001 to S1003 and S1005 to S1010 are optional.

[0498] The method shown in Figure 10 has the same effect as the method shown in Figure 9, and the repetitions will not be repeated.

[0499] Furthermore, in this method, by instructing the second access network device whether it needs any part or all of the information in the PDU set information, and / or instructing the second access network device whether it needs any part or all of the information in the data burst information, the flexibility of the second access network device in obtaining the PDU set information and / or data burst information can be improved. Moreover, when the second access network device only needs part of the PDU set information and / or data burst information, the second access network device does not need to receive all of the PDU set information and / or data burst information, thereby saving transmission overhead.

[0500] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating the sixth communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method is a possible example of the method shown in Figure 9 or Figure 10. As shown in Figure 11, the method may include:

[0501] S1101: The first core network device sends query information #b1 to the main base station; correspondingly, the main base station receives query information #b1 from the first core network device.

[0502] Among them, query information #b1 is used to query whether the main base station needs information #b1.

[0503] For details of S1101, please refer to S901 or S1001. The only difference is that the first access network device is replaced with the main base station. The repetitive parts will not be repeated.

[0504] For example, the first core network device can send query information #b1 to the CU-CP device in the main base station; correspondingly, the CU-CP device receives query information #b1 from the first core network device.

[0505] S1102: The CU-CP device sends query information #b2-1 to the CU-UP device; correspondingly, the CU-UP device receives query information #b2-1 from the CU-CP device.

[0506] The query information #b2-1 is used to query whether the CU-UP device needs information #b2-1.

[0507] For details of S1102, please refer to S1002, except that the first access network device is replaced with the CU-CP device, the second access network device is replaced with the CU-UP device, the query information #b2 is replaced with the query information #b2-1, and the information #b2 is replaced with the information #b2-1. Further details are omitted.

[0508] S1103: The CU-CP device sends query information #b2-2 to the DU; correspondingly, the DU receives query information #b2-2 from the CU-CP device.

[0509] The query information #b2-2 is used to query whether DU needs information #b2-2.

[0510] For details of S1103, please refer to S1002, except that the first access network device is replaced with the CU-CP device, the second access network device is replaced with the DU, the query information #b2 is replaced with the query information #b2-2, and the information #b2 is replaced with the information #b2-2. Further details will not be repeated.

[0511] It should be understood that the CU-CP device belongs to the CU. Therefore, S1103 can be understood as: the CU sends query information #b2-2 to the DU; correspondingly, the DU receives query information #b2-2 from the CU.

[0512] The order of S1102 and S1103 is not limited.

[0513] S1104: The CU-UP device sends indication information #b3-1 to the CU-CP device; correspondingly, the CU-CP device receives indication information #b3-1 from the CU-UP device.

[0514] Among them, the instruction information #b3-1 is used to indicate whether the CU-UP device needs any of the information #b2-1.

[0515] For details of S1104, please refer to S1003, except that the first access network device is replaced with a CU-CP device, the second access network device is replaced with a CU-UP device, the indication information #b3 is replaced with the indication information #b3-1, and the information #b2 is replaced with the information #b2-1. Further details are omitted.

[0516] S1105: DU sends indication information #b3-2 to CU-CP device; correspondingly, CU-CP device receives indication information #b3-2 from DU.

[0517] Among them, the instruction information #b3-2 is used to indicate whether the DU needs any one of the information #b2-2.

[0518] For details of S1105, please refer to S1003, except that the first access network device is replaced with a CU-CP device, the second access network device is replaced with a DU, the indication information #b3 is replaced with the indication information #b3-2, and the information #b2 is replaced with the information #b2-2. Further details are omitted.

[0519] It should be understood that the CU-CP device belongs to the CU. Therefore, S1105 can be understood as: the DU sends instruction information #b3-2 to the CU; correspondingly, the CU receives instruction information #b3-2 from the DU.

[0520] The order of S1104 and S1105 is not limited.

[0521] S1106: The primary base station sends query information #b2-3 to the secondary base station; correspondingly, the secondary base station receives query information #b2-3 from the primary base station.

[0522] The query information #b2-3 is used to query whether the secondary base station needs information #b2-3.

[0523] The specific content of S1106 can be found in S1002, except that the first access network device is replaced with the main base station, the second access network device is replaced with the auxiliary base station, the query information #b2 is replaced with the query information #b2-3, and the information #b2 is replaced with the information #b2-3. Further details are omitted.

[0524] For example, the CU-CP device in the primary base station sends query information #b2-3 to the secondary base station; correspondingly, the secondary base station receives query information #b2-3 from the CU-CP device.

[0525] S1107: The secondary base station sends indication information #b3-3 to the primary base station; correspondingly, the primary base station receives indication information #b3-3 from the secondary base station.

[0526] Among them, the indication information #b3-3 is used to indicate whether the secondary base station needs any one of the information #b2-3.

[0527] For details of S1107, please refer to S1003, except that the first access network device is replaced with the main base station, the second access network device is replaced with the auxiliary base station, the indication information #b3 is replaced with the indication information #b3-3, and the information #b2 is replaced with the information #b2-3. Further details are omitted.

[0528] For example, the secondary base station sends indication information #b3-3 to the CU-CP device in the primary base station; correspondingly, the CU-CP device receives indication information #b3-3 from the secondary base station.

[0529] The execution order of any step in S1106 to S1107 and any step in S1102 to S1105 is not limited. Any two of the messages #b2-1, #b2-2, and #b2-3 may be the same or different.

[0530] Steps S1102 to S1107 are optional.

[0531] S1108: The main base station sends indication information #b1 to the first core network device; correspondingly, the first core network device receives indication information #b1 from the main base station.

[0532] Among them, the indication information #b1 is used to indicate whether the main base station needs any of the information #b1.

[0533] For details on S1108, please refer to S902 and S1004, except that the first access network device is replaced with the main base station, which will not be repeated here.

[0534] For example, the CU-CP device in the main base station sends indication information #b1 to the first core network device; correspondingly, the first core network device receives indication information #b1 from the CU-CP device.

[0535] Optionally, the execution order of any of the steps in S1106 to S1107 and S1108 is not limited.

[0536] S1109: The main base station sends indication information #b4 to the first core network device; correspondingly, the first core network device receives indication information #b4 from the main base station.

[0537] Among them, the indication information #b4 is used to indicate whether the secondary base station needs any one of the information #b2.

[0538] For details on S1109, please refer to S1008, except that the first access network device is replaced with the main base station and the second access network device is replaced with the auxiliary base station. Further details will not be provided here.

[0539] For example, the CU-CP device in the main base station sends indication information #b4 to the first core network device; correspondingly, the first core network device receives indication information #b4 from the CU-CP device.

[0540] Instruction information #b4 and instruction information #b3-3 in S1107 may be the same or different. For details, please refer to the explanation in S1008 regarding "Instruction information #b4 and instruction information #b3 in S703 may be the same or different", which will not be repeated here.

[0541] Indication information #b4 and indication information #b1 in S1108 can be carried in the same message or in different messages. When indication information #b4 and indication information #b1 are carried in different messages, the order of S1108 and S1109 is not limited.

[0542] S1109 is an optional step.

[0543] Optionally, in the method shown in Figure 11, at least one of the main base station, the CU-UP device in the main base station, the DU in the main base station, or the auxiliary base station may or may not require PDU set information and / or data burst information. These will be explained below.

[0544] 1. Main base station:

[0545] In some examples, the instruction information #b1 indicates that the main base station needs information from the PDU set information and / or data burst information; accordingly, the core network can send information from the PDU set information and / or data burst information to the main base station through S903 to S904, only replacing the first access network device with the main base station, which will not be elaborated further.

[0546] In other examples, the instruction #b1 indicates that the primary base station does not need either PDU set information or data burst information; correspondingly, the core network does not need to send PDU set information and data burst information to the primary base station.

[0547] 2. CU-UP equipment in the main base station:

[0548] In some examples, instruction information #b3-1 indicates that the CU-UP device needs information from PDU set information and / or data burst information; accordingly, the CU-UP device can obtain data packets including information from PDU set information and / or data burst information through S1004, S1011 to S1012, except that the first access network device is replaced by the CU-CP device and the second access network device is replaced by the CU-UP device, which will not be described in detail here.

[0549] In other examples, instruction #a3-1 indicates that the CU-UP device does not need either PDU set information or data burst information; correspondingly, the CU-UP device does not need to acquire data packets that include PDU set information and / or data burst information.

[0550] 3. DU in the main base station:

[0551] In some examples, instruction #b3-2 indicates that the DU needs information from the PDU set information and / or data burst information; accordingly, the DU can obtain data packets containing information from the PDU set information and / or data burst information through S1005 to S1007, except that the first access network device is replaced by the CU and the second access network device is replaced by the DU, which will not be described in detail here.

[0552] In other examples, the instruction #a3-2 indicates that the DU does not need either PDU set information or data burst information; correspondingly, the DU does not need to acquire packets that include PDU set information and / or data burst information.

[0553] 4. Auxiliary base station:

[0554] In some examples, the instruction information #b3-3 indicates that the secondary base station needs information from the PDU set information and / or data burst information; accordingly, the secondary base station can obtain data packets including information from the PDU set information and / or data burst information through implementation method b2 in the method shown in Figure 10, except that the first access network device is replaced by the primary base station and the second access network device is replaced by the secondary base station, which will not be described in detail here.

[0555] In other examples, the instruction #b3-3 indicates that the secondary base station does not need either PDU set information or data burst information; correspondingly, the secondary base station does not need to acquire data packets that include PDU set information and / or data burst information.

[0556] Optionally, in the method shown in Figure 11, steps S1101 to S1107 are optional.

[0557] The method shown in Figure 11 can achieve the same effect as the method shown in Figure 9 or Figure 10, and will not be described in detail here.

[0558] Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating the seventh communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 12, the method may include:

[0559] S1201: The first core network device sends a first query message to the first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device can receive the first query message from the first core network device.

[0560] The first query information is used to query whether the first access network device needs the first information. The first information includes at least one of the following: part or all of the information in the PDU set information, or part or all of the information in the data burst information.

[0561] In some examples, the first query information can be query information #a1, and the first information can be information #a1. For details, please refer to the descriptions of query information #a1 and information #a1 in the methods shown in Figures 6 to 8, which will not be repeated here.

[0562] In other examples, the first query information can be query information #b1, and the first information can be information #b1. For details, please refer to the descriptions of query information #b1 and information #b1 in the methods shown in Figures 9 to 11, which will not be repeated here.

[0563] For details on S1201, please refer to S601, S701, S801, S901, S1001 or S1101, which will not be repeated here.

[0564] S1201 is an optional step.

[0565] S1202: The first access network device determines whether the first access network device needs the first information.

[0566] This application does not limit the specific method by which the first access network device determines whether it needs the first information.

[0567] S1203: The first access network device sends a first indication message to the first core network device; correspondingly, the first core network device receives the first indication message from the first access network device.

[0568] The first indication information is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs the first information.

[0569] In some examples, the first indication information may be indication information #a1. For details, please refer to the description of indication information #a1 in the methods shown in Figures 6 to 8, which will not be repeated here.

[0570] In other examples, the first indication information may be indication information #b1. For details, please refer to the description of indication information #b1 in the methods shown in Figures 9 to 11, which will not be repeated here.

[0571] For details on S1203, please refer to S602, S704, S808, S902, S1004 or S1108, which will not be repeated here.

[0572] In some possible scenarios, the first core network device sends a fourth indication message to the second core network device; correspondingly, the second core network device receives the fourth indication message from the first core network device. The fourth indication message is used to instruct the transmission of a data packet including first sub-information, where the first sub-information is the information required by the first access network device from the first information.

[0573] In some examples, the fourth indication information may be indication information #a2. For details, please refer to the explanation of indication information #a2 in the methods shown in Figures 6 to 8, which will not be repeated here.

[0574] In other examples, the fourth indication information may be indication information #b2. For details, please refer to the description of indication information #b2 in the methods shown in Figures 9 to 11, which will not be repeated here.

[0575] For details on the specific content of the fourth instruction information sent by the first core network device to the second core network device, please refer to S603, S705, S903 or S1005, and will not be repeated here.

[0576] In some possible configurations, the second core network device may send a first data packet to the first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device receives the first data packet from the second core network device. The first data packet includes first sub-information, which is information required by the first access network device from the first information; that is, the first data packet includes the information required by the first access network device from the first information.

[0577] In some examples, the first data packet may be data packet #a1, and the first sub-information may be sub-information #a1. For details, please refer to the description of data packet #a1 and sub-information #a1 in the methods shown in Figures 6 to 8, which will not be repeated here.

[0578] In other examples, the first data packet may be data packet #b1, and the first sub-information may be sub-information #b1. For details, please refer to the description of data packet #b1 and sub-information #b1 in the methods shown in Figures 9 to 11, which will not be repeated here.

[0579] The specific content of the first data packet sent by the second core network device to the first access network device can be found in S604, S706, S904 or S1006, and will not be repeated here.

[0580] Optionally, in the first data packet, at least one field may have an invalid value. This at least one field corresponds to (or is associated with) the second sub-information, which is information in the first information that the first access network device does not need; that is, this at least one field corresponds to (or is associated with) information in the first information that the first access network device does not need.

[0581] In some examples, the second sub-information may be sub-information #a2. For details, please refer to the explanation of sub-information #a2 in the methods shown in Figures 6 to 8, which will not be repeated here.

[0582] In other examples, the second sub-information may be sub-information #b2. For details, please refer to the explanation of sub-information #b2 in the methods shown in Figures 9 to 11, which will not be repeated here.

[0583] In some possible configurations, the second access network device sends second indication information to the first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device receives the second indication information from the second access network device. The second indication information is used to indicate whether the second access network device requires second information, which includes at least one of the following: part or all of the PDU set information, or part or all of the data burst information. Optionally, the second information and the first information may be the same or different.

[0584] In some examples, the second indication information may be indication information #a3 in the method shown in Figure 7, and the second information may be information #a2 in the method shown in Figure 7; or, the second indication information may be indication information #a3-1 in the method shown in Figure 8, and the second information may be information #a2-1 in the method shown in Figure 8; or, the second indication information may be indication information #a3-2 in the method shown in Figure 8, and the second information may be information #a2-2 in the method shown in Figure 8; or, the second indication information may be indication information #a3-3 in the method shown in Figure 8, and the second information may be information #a2-3 in the method shown in Figure 8.

[0585] In other examples, the second indication information may be indication information #b3 in the method shown in Figure 10, and the second information may be information #b2 in the method shown in Figure 10; or, the second indication information may be indication information #b3-1 in the method shown in Figure 11, and the second information may be information #b2-1 in the method shown in Figure 11; or, the second indication information may be indication information #b3-2 in the method shown in Figure 11, and the second information may be information #b2-2 in the method shown in Figure 11; or, the second indication information may be indication information #b3-3 in the method shown in Figure 11, and the second information may be information #b2-3 in the method shown in Figure 11.

[0586] The specific content of the second instruction information sent by the second access network device to the first access network device can be found in S703, S804, S805, S807, S1003, S1104, S1105 or S1107, and will not be repeated here.

[0587] In some possible implementations, where the first access network device is the primary base station and the second access network device is the secondary base station, the first access network device sends a third indication message to the first core network device; correspondingly, the first core network device receives the third indication message from the first access network device. The third indication message is used to indicate whether the second access network device requires the second information. For example, the third indication message may be: indication message #a4 in the method shown in Figure 7, or indication message #b4 in the method shown in Figure 10.

[0588] The specific content of the third instruction information sent by the first access network device to the first core network device can be found in the description of S708 or S1008, and will not be repeated here.

[0589] In some possible approaches, the first access network device sends a second query message to the second access network device; correspondingly, the second access network device receives the second query message from the first access network device. The second query message is used to query whether the second access network device needs the second information. Optionally, after sending the second query message to the second access network device, the first access network device may receive second indication information from the second access network device, which indicates whether the second access network device needs the second information.

[0590] In some examples, the second query information can be query information #a2 in the method shown in Figure 7, and the second information can be information #a2 in the method shown in Figure 7; or, the second query information can be query information #a2-1 in the method shown in Figure 8, and the second information can be information #a2-1 in the method shown in Figure 8; or, the second query information can be query information #a2-2 in the method shown in Figure 8, and the second information can be information #a2-2 in the method shown in Figure 8; or, the second query information can be query information #a2-3 in the method shown in Figure 8, and the second information can be information #a2-3 in the method shown in Figure 8.

[0591] In other examples, the second query information may be query information #b2 in the method shown in Figure 10, and the second information may be information #b2 in the method shown in Figure 10; or, the second query information may be query information #b2-1 in the method shown in Figure 11, and the second information may be information #b2-1 in the method shown in Figure 11; or, the second query information may be query information #b2-2 in the method shown in Figure 11, and the second information may be information #b2-2 in the method shown in Figure 11; or, the second query information may be query information #b2-3 in the method shown in Figure 11, and the second information may be information #b2-3 in the method shown in Figure 11.

[0592] The specific content of the second query information sent by the first access network device to the second access network device can be found in S702, S802, S803, S806, S1002, S1102, S1103 or S1106, and will not be repeated here.

[0593] In some possible scenarios, the first access network device sends a second data packet to the second access network device; correspondingly, the second access network device receives the second data packet from the first access network device. The second data packet includes third sub-information, which is information required by the second access network device from the second information; that is, the second data packet includes the information required by the second access network device from the second information.

[0594] In some examples, the second data packet may be data packet #a2, and the third sub-information may be sub-information #a3. For details, please refer to the description of data packet #a2 and sub-information #a3 in the methods shown in Figures 7 and 8, which will not be repeated here.

[0595] In other examples, the second data packet may be data packet #b2, and the third sub-information may be sub-information #b3. For details, please refer to the description of data packet #b2 and sub-information #b3 in the methods shown in Figures 10 and 11, which will not be repeated here.

[0596] The specific content of the second data packet sent by the first access network device to the second access network device can be found in S707 or S1007, and will not be repeated here.

[0597] Optionally, in the second data packet, one or more fields may contain invalid values. These one or more fields correspond to (or are associated with) the fourth sub-information, which is information in the second information that the second access network device does not need; that is, these one or more fields correspond to (or are associated with) information in the second information that the second access network device does not need.

[0598] In some examples, the fourth sub-information may be sub-information #a4. For details, please refer to the explanation of sub-information #a4 in the methods shown in Figures 7 and 8, which will not be repeated here.

[0599] In other examples, the fourth sub-information may be sub-information #b4. For details, please refer to the explanation of sub-information #b4 in the methods shown in Figures 10 and 11, which will not be repeated here.

[0600] Using this method, the first access network device can send a first indication message to the first core network device to notify the first core network device whether it needs some or all of the PDU set information and / or data burst information. In this way, the first access network device can obtain the PDU set information and / or data burst information as needed, enabling it to perform optimized processing based on the PDU set information and / or data burst information, thereby improving communication performance.

[0601] Furthermore, in this method, the operation of the first access network device sending the first indication information does not depend on whether the first access network device obtains the QoS parameters of the PDU set, nor does it depend on whether the first access network device supports PDU set-based processing. This allows the first access network device to flexibly obtain some or all of the information in the PDU set information and / or data burst information, expanding the scope of application of this method and increasing the applicable scenarios.

[0602] Based on the same technical concept as the above-described method embodiments, this application provides a corresponding communication device that can be used to perform the functions of the relevant steps in the above-described method embodiments. This function can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. The communication device can be an access network device or a core network device, or it can be a device within the access network device or core network device (e.g., a module, communication module, circuit or chip responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), chip system, or processor), or it can be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network device or core network device.

[0603] In one possible implementation, the communication device provided in this embodiment of the application has the structure shown in FIG13, including a processing unit 1302. Optionally, the communication device further includes an interface unit 1301. The functions of each unit in the communication device 1300 are described below.

[0604] Interface unit 1301 is used for inputting and / or outputting information. Input information can be replaced by received information, and output information can be replaced by transmitted information. When outputting information, interface unit 1301 can output information to other devices outside of communication device 1300, or to other units within communication device 1300. In some embodiments, interface unit 1301 can be implemented using at least one of a physical interface, a communication module, a communication interface, and an input / output interface. In other embodiments, interface unit 1301 can be implemented using interface circuitry, such as a mobile communication module. The mobile communication module may include one or more of at least one antenna, at least one filter, a switch, a power amplifier, a low-noise amplifier (LNA), etc. Interface unit 1301 is used to perform the receiving and transmitting operations in the above method embodiments.

[0605] In this application, the interface unit 1301 may also have other names, such as a transceiver unit or a communication unit. Optionally, the interface unit 1301 may include a receiving unit and / or a sending unit, used for inputting information and outputting information, respectively. The receiving unit is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiments. The sending unit is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiments.

[0606] The processing unit 1302 can be used to support the communication device 1300 in performing the processing actions in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 1302 can be implemented by one or more processors. For example, the processor can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), microprocessors (MCUs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The processing unit 1302 is used to perform processing-related operations in the above method embodiments, for example, to instruct operations other than receiving and transmitting operations in the above method embodiments.

[0607] In one embodiment, the communication device 1300 is applied to the first access network device in the method shown in any of the figures 6 to 12. The specific functions of the processing unit 1302 in this embodiment will be described below.

[0608] Processing unit 1302 is configured to: determine whether the first access network device needs first information, the first information including at least one of the following: part or all of the information in PDU set information, or part or all of the information in data burst information; and send first indication information to the first core network device through interface unit 1301, the first indication information being used to indicate whether the first access network device needs first information.

[0609] In some possible configurations, the processing unit 1302 is further configured to: receive first query information from the first core network device via the interface unit 1301, the first query information being used to query whether the first access network device requires the first information.

[0610] Optionally, the processing unit 1302 is further configured to: receive a first data packet from the second core network device through the interface unit 1301, the first data packet including first sub-information, the first sub-information being information required by the first access network device in the first information.

[0611] In some possible embodiments, the processing unit 1302 is further configured to: receive second indication information from the second access network device via the interface unit 1301, the second indication information being used to indicate whether the second access network device requires second information, the second information including at least one of the following: part or all of the PDU set information, or part or all of the data burst information.

[0612] Optionally, when the first access network device is the main base station and the second access network device is the auxiliary base station, the processing unit 1302 is further configured to: send third indication information to the first core network device through the interface unit 1301, wherein the third indication information is used to indicate whether the second access network device needs the second information.

[0613] In some implementations, the processing unit 1302 is also used to: send second query information to the second access network device through the interface unit 1301, the second query information being used to query whether the second access network device needs the second information.

[0614] Optionally, the processing unit 1302 is specifically configured to: send a first message to the first core network device through the interface unit 1301, the first message including first indication information. The first message may be any one of the following: a PDU session resource establishment response message; a PDU session resource modification response message; a PDU session resource notification message; a PDU session resource modification indication message; a UE context establishment response message; a UE context modification response message; a UE context recovery response message; a handover request confirmation message; a handover notification message; a path handover request message; an NG interface establishment request message; or, an access network configuration update message.

[0615] In another embodiment, the communication device 1300 is applied to the first core network device in the method shown in any of the figures 6 to 12. The specific functions of the processing unit 1302 in this embodiment are described below.

[0616] Processing unit 1302 is configured to: send first query information to the first access network device through interface unit 1301, the first query information being used to query whether the first access network device needs first information, the first information including at least one of the following: part or all of the information in PDU set information, or part or all of the information in data burst information; and receive first indication information from the first access network device through interface unit 1301, the first indication information being used to indicate whether the first access network device needs first information.

[0617] In some possible configurations, the processing unit 1302 is further configured to: send a fourth indication message to the second core network device via the interface unit 1301, the fourth indication message being used to indicate the sending of a data packet including first sub-information, the first sub-information being the information required by the first access network device in the first information.

[0618] Optionally, when the first access network device is the main base station and the second access network device is the auxiliary base station, the processing unit 1302 is further configured to: receive third indication information from the first access network device through the interface unit 1301, the third indication information being used to indicate whether the second access network device needs second information, the second information including at least one of the following: part or all of the PDU set information, or part or all of the data burst information.

[0619] In some possible configurations, the processing unit 1302 is specifically configured to: receive a first message from the first access network device via the interface unit 1301, the first message including first indication information; wherein the first message is any one of the following: a PDU session resource establishment response message; a PDU session resource modification response message; a PDU session resource notification message; a PDU session resource modification indication message; a UE context establishment response message; a UE context modification response message; a UE context recovery response message; a handover request confirmation message; a handover notification message; a path handover request message; an NG interface establishment request message; or an access network configuration update message.

[0620] In one possible design, when the communication device 1300 is a communication equipment or a communication module within a communication equipment, the functionality of the processing unit 1302 can be implemented by one or more processors. For example, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core. The functionality of the interface unit 1301 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0621] In one possible design, when the communication device 1300 is a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in a communication device, such as a modem chip or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing unit 1302 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores. The function of the interface unit 1301 can be implemented by the interface circuit or data transceiver circuit on the aforementioned chip.

[0622] The communication equipment can be an access network device or a core network device.

[0623] A more detailed description of the processing unit 1302 and the interface unit 1301 can be obtained directly from the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in Figures 6 to 12, and will not be repeated here.

[0624] It should be noted that the module division in the above embodiments of this application is illustrative and only represents a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, exist as separate physical units, or have two or more units integrated into one unit. The integrated units can be implemented in hardware, as software functional units, or in a combination of hardware and software. Whether a function is executed 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 application.

[0625] For example, the functional unit in any of the above devices may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as one or more ASICs, one or more CPUs, one or more MCUs, one or more DSPs, or one or more FPGAs, or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms.

[0626] If the integrated units described above are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0627] In one possible implementation, the communication device provided in this application embodiment is shown in FIG14. The communication device 1400 includes a processor 1402. Optionally, the communication device 1400 further includes an interface circuit 1401 and a memory 1403. The interface circuit 1401, the processor 1402, and the memory 1403 are coupled to each other.

[0628] Optionally, the interface circuit 1401, processor 1402, and memory 1403 are coupled to each other via bus 1404. Bus 1404 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Buses can be divided into address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 14, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0629] Interface circuit 1401 is used for inputting and / or outputting information. Input information can be replaced with received information, and output information can be replaced with transmitted information. When outputting information, interface circuit 1401 can output information to other devices outside of communication device 1400, or to other units within communication device 1400. For example, interface circuit 1401 can be implemented through at least one of a physical interface, a communication module, a communication interface, an input / output interface, and a mobile communication module. The mobile communication module may include one or more of at least one antenna, at least one filter, a switch, a power amplifier, an LNA, etc. Interface circuit 1401 is used to perform the receiving and transmitting operations in the above method embodiments.

[0630] Interface circuit 1401 may be one of the following: a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, a communication circuit, an interface, a communication interface, or an input / output interface (e.g., a chip's input / output interface). Interface circuit 1401 may include input interface circuitry and output interface circuitry, used for inputting information and outputting information, respectively. The input interface circuitry is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiments. The output interface circuitry is used to perform the transmitting operation in the above method embodiments.

[0631] The transceiver can be used for communication with other communication devices. For example, if communication device 1400 is an access network device, the transceiver can be used to communicate with core network devices or with another access network device. Alternatively, if communication device 1400 is a core network device, the transceiver can be used to communicate with access network devices or with another core network device.

[0632] Optionally, the transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter. The receiver is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiments. The transmitter is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiments.

[0633] Optionally, the transceiver can be integrated with the processor 1402 or exist independently and be coupled to the processor 1402 through the interface circuit of the communication device 1400. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0634] Processor 1402 can be used to support communication device 1400 in performing the processing actions in the above method embodiments. When communication device 1400 is used to implement the above method embodiments, processor 1402 can also be used to implement the functions of processing unit 1302. Processor 1402 can be a CPU, or other general-purpose processors, DSPs, ASICs, FPGAs, or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. General-purpose processors can be microprocessors or any conventional processor. Processor 1402 is used to perform processing-related operations in the above method embodiments, for example, to instruct operations other than receiving and sending operations in the above method embodiments.

[0635] In one embodiment, the communication device 1400 is applied to the first access network device in the method shown in any of the figures 6 to 12. The specific functions of the processor 1402 in this embodiment are described below.

[0636] The processor 1402 is configured to: determine whether the first access network device needs first information, the first information including at least one of the following: part or all of the information in the PDU set information, or part or all of the information in the data burst information; and send first indication information to the first core network device through the interface circuit 1401, the first indication information being used to indicate whether the first access network device needs the first information.

[0637] In another embodiment, the communication device 1400 is applied to the first core network device in the method shown in any of the figures 6 to 12. The specific functions of the processor 1402 in this embodiment are described below.

[0638] The processor 1402 is configured to: send first query information to the first access network device via interface circuit 1401, the first query information being used to query whether the first access network device needs first information, the first information including at least one of the following: part or all of the information in the PDU set information, or part or all of the information in the data burst information; and receive first indication information from the first access network device via interface circuit 1401, the first indication information being used to indicate whether the first access network device needs first information.

[0639] The specific functions of processor 1402 can be found in the description of the communication methods provided in the above embodiments and examples of this application, as well as the specific functional description of communication device 1300 in the embodiment of this application shown in FIG13, which will not be repeated here.

[0640] Memory 1403 is used to store program instructions and / or data. Specifically, program instructions may include program code, which includes computer operation instructions. Memory 1403 may include RAM and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device. Processor 1402 executes the program instructions stored in memory 1403 and uses the data stored in memory 1403 to implement the above-mentioned functions, thereby realizing the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application. Memory 1403 may be integrated with processor 1402 or may be a memory outside the communication device.

[0641] It is understood that the memory 1403 in Figure 14 of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be RAM, which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0642] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a computer program product including computer-executable instructions, which, when run, causes the methods provided in the above embodiments to be executed.

[0643] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods provided in the above embodiments.

[0644] The storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access. For example, but not limited to, a computer-readable medium can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

[0645] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a chip for reading a computer program stored in a memory and implementing the method provided in the above embodiments.

[0646] Based on the above embodiments, this application provides a chip system including a processor for supporting a computer device in implementing the functions involved in the devices in the above embodiments. In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing necessary programs and data of the computer device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0647] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0648] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or one or more blocks of the block diagrams.

[0649] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0650] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0651] In this application, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably. "At least one item" refers to one or more items, and "more than one item" refers to two or more items. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0652] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

[0653] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, A module applied to a first access network device or in the first access network device, comprising: Determine whether the first access network device needs the first information, wherein the first information includes at least one of the following: part or all of the information in the Protocol Data Unit Set (PDU set) information, or part or all of the information in the Data Burst information; Send a first indication message to the first core network device, the first indication message being used to indicate whether the first access network device needs the first information.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first information includes: all information in the PDU set information, and / or all information in the data burst information; The first indication information is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs the first information, including: The first indication information is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs all the information in the PDU set information, and / or whether the first access network device needs all the information in the data burst information.

3. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first information includes: some or all of the information in the PDU set information, and / or some or all of the information in the data burst information; The first indication information is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs the first information, including: The first indication information is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs any part or all of the information in the PDU set information, and / or whether the first access network device needs any part or all of the information in the data burst information.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first information is associated with a first Quality of Service (QoS) flow, and the first indication information further indicates the first QoS flow; and / or, The first information is associated with the first protocol data unit (PDU) session, and the first indication information also indicates the first PDU session.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, Also includes: The system receives first query information from the first core network device, which is used to query whether the first access network device needs the first information.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, Also includes: A first data packet is received from a second core network device. The first data packet includes first sub-information, which is information required by the first access network device from the first information.

7. The method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, In the first data packet, at least one field has an invalid value. The at least one field is a field corresponding to the second sub-information, which is information that the first access network device does not need in the first information.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive second indication information from a second access network device, the second indication information being used to indicate whether the second access network device needs second information, the second information including at least one of the following: part or all of the PDU set information, or part or all of the data burst information.

9. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The first access network device is a centralized unit (CU), and the second access network device is a distributed unit (DU); or The first access network device is a Centralized Unit-Control Plane (CU-CP) device, and the second access network device is a Centralized Unit-User Plane (CU-UP) device; or The first access network device is the primary base station, and the second access network device is the secondary base station; or The first access network device is the source base station, and the second access network device is the target base station.

10. The method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, In the case where the first access network device is the primary base station and the second access network device is the secondary base station, the system further includes: A third indication message is sent to the first core network device, the third indication message being used to indicate whether the second access network device needs the second information.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that, Also includes: Send a second query message to the second access network device. The second query message is used to query whether the second access network device needs the second message.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The PDU set information includes at least one of the following: PDU set sequence number, protocol data unit (PDU) sequence number within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, or the PDU set ending PDU; And / or, The data burst information includes at least one of the following: a data burst end identifier, a data burst size, or the time of the next burst.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that, Send a first instruction message to the first core network device, including: Send a first message to the first core network device, the first message including the first indication information; The first message is any one of the following: PDU session resource establishment response message; PDU session resource modification response message; PDU session resource notification message; PDU session resource modification instruction message; User Equipment (UE) Context Establishment Response Message; UE context modification response message; UE context recovery response message; Switch request confirmation message; Toggle notification messages; Path switching request message; NG interface establishment request message; or Access network configuration update message.

14. A communication method, characterized in that, A module applied to or in the first core network device, including: Send a first query message to the first access network device. The first query message is used to query whether the first access network device needs the first information. The first information includes at least one of the following: part or all of the information in the Protocol Data Unit Set (PDU set) information, or part or all of the information in the Data Burst information. The system receives a first indication message from the first access network device, the first indication message being used to indicate whether the first access network device needs the first information.

15. The method as described in claim 14, characterized in that, The first information includes: all information in the PDU set information, and / or all information in the data burst information; The first indication information is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs the first information, including: The first indication information is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs all the information in the PDU set information, and / or whether the first access network device needs all the information in the data burst information.

16. The method as described in claim 14, characterized in that, The first information includes: some or all of the information in the PDU set information, and / or some or all of the information in the data burst information; The first indication information is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs the first information, including: The first indication information is used to indicate whether the first access network device needs any part or all of the information in the PDU set information, and / or whether the first access network device needs any part or all of the information in the data burst information.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, characterized in that, The first information is associated with a first Quality of Service (QoS) flow, and the first indication information further indicates the first QoS flow; and / or, The first information is associated with the first protocol data unit (PDU) session, and the first indication information also indicates the first PDU session.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that, Also includes: A fourth instruction message is sent to the second core network device. The fourth instruction message is used to instruct the transmission of a data packet including a first sub-information, where the first sub-information is the information required by the first access network device in the first information.

19. The method as described in claim 18, characterized in that, In the case where the first access network device is the primary base station and the second access network device is the secondary base station, the following is also included: The device receives a third indication message from the first access network device. The third indication message is used to indicate whether the second access network device needs second information. The second information includes at least one of the following: part or all of the PDU set information, or part or all of the data burst information.

20. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 19, characterized in that, The PDU set information includes at least one of the following: PDU set sequence number, protocol data unit (PDU) sequence number within the PDU set, PDU set size, PDU set importance, or the PDU set ending PDU; And / or, The data burst information includes at least one of the following: a data burst end identifier, a data burst size, or the time of the next burst.

21. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 20, characterized in that, Receiving first indication information from the first access network device includes: Receive a first message from the first access network device, the first message including the first indication information; The first message is any one of the following: PDU session resource establishment response message; PDU session resource modification response message; PDU session resource notification message; PDU session resource modification instruction message; User Equipment (UE) Context Establishment Response Message; UE context modification response message; UE context recovery response message; Switch request confirmation message; Toggle notification messages; Path switching request message; NG interface establishment request message; or Access network configuration update message.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes units for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1-21.

23. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a processor for executing computer programs or instructions that cause the apparatus to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-21.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-21.

25. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes: computer program code, wherein when the computer program code is run, the method as described in any one of claims 1-21 is implemented.

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