Communication method, communication apparatus, communication system, chip system, storage medium, and program product

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications. Provided are a communication method, a communication apparatus, a communication system, a chip system, a storage medium, and a program product, which facilitate a reduction in unnecessary signaling overheads between a terminal device and an access network device. The method comprises: a core network device determining first information and sending same, wherein the first information is used for assisting an access network device or a terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter a power saving mode.

Description

Communication methods, communication devices, communication systems, chip systems, storage media, and software products

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411993297.6, filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on December 30, 2024, entitled "Communication Method, Communication Device, Communication System, Chip System, Storage Medium and Program Product", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a communication method, communication device, communication system, chip system, storage medium, and program product. Background Technology

[0003] When the terminal device is in the Radio Resource Control Connected state (RRC_CONNECTED), the terminal device and the access network device can transmit control information and send and receive data. However, when the terminal device is in the Radio Resource Control Inactive state (RRC_INACTIVE), the access network device retains the context information of the terminal device. When the terminal device needs to initiate a service or respond to a network paging, it needs to return from the RRC_INACTIVE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state. In other words, the terminal device cannot directly transmit data when it is in the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0004] However, in some possible scenarios, the amount of data sent and received by the terminal device is small. Sending and receiving data based on the RRC_CONNECTED state may result in low resource utilization and high power consumption of the terminal device. However, if the more energy-efficient RRC_INACTIVE state is switched, data sending and receiving cannot be achieved, which will affect communication efficiency.

[0005] In some examples, when the terminal device is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the access network device may instruct the terminal device to enter the power-saving state based solely on the information of the small service transmission rate to be transmitted. However, the small service transmission rate is only instantaneous or temporary, and the terminal device still needs to be in the RRC_CONNECTED state to fully realize the service. This would cause the terminal device to immediately return to the RRC_CONNECTED state after switching from the RRC_CONNECTED state to the power-saving state. The switching of the RRC state requires signaling interaction between the terminal device and the access network device, which causes unnecessary signaling overhead. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method, communication device, communication system, chip system, storage medium, and program product, which can provide access network equipment or terminal equipment with information to help determine whether the terminal equipment can enter a power-saving state, thereby adding a basis for determining state switching for the access network equipment or terminal equipment, in order to reduce unnecessary signaling overhead between the terminal equipment and the access network equipment.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, applied to a core network device, a chip in a core network device, or software containing core network device functions, the method comprising: determining first information, the first information being used to assist an access network device or a terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter an energy-saving state; and sending the first information.

[0008] In this embodiment, based on the RRC_INACTIVE state, an energy-saving state is proposed. When the terminal device is in the energy-saving state, it can perform data transmission and reception on a portion of the time-frequency resources, thereby reducing power consumption while ensuring data transmission. In the above communication method, based on the introduction of the energy-saving state, the first information sent by the core network device can serve as a basis for the core network device or the terminal device to determine whether the terminal device can enter the energy-saving state. This helps to improve the likelihood of the access network device or the terminal device accurately executing the judgment and reduces unnecessary signaling overhead between the terminal device and the access network device caused by judgment errors due to insufficient judgment basis.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, sending the first information includes: sending the first information to an access network device, the first information being used to assist the access network device in determining whether the terminal device can enter a power-saving state; and / or, sending the first information to a terminal device, the first information being used to assist the terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter a power-saving state.

[0010] For example, the core network device can send first information to the access network device to assist the access network device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the power-saving state when the terminal device is in the RRC_CONNECTED state or the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0011] For example, the core network device can send first information to the terminal device to assist the terminal device in determining whether it can enter the power-saving state when the terminal device is in the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the determination of the first information includes the following three implementation methods:

[0013] In the first implementation, the core network device determines the first information based on the second information. The second information indicates whether the terminal device has energy-saving capability, and the first information assists the access network device or the terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the energy-saving state. Specifically, the first information indicates whether the core network device allows the terminal device to enter the energy-saving state. In this way, if the first information indicates that the terminal device is allowed to enter the energy-saving state, the access network device or the terminal device can further determine when the terminal device should enter the energy-saving state, which improves the accuracy of the determination. If the first information indicates that the terminal device is not allowed to enter the energy-saving state, the determination of state switching is not continued, thus saving energy consumption.

[0014] In the second implementation, the core network device determines the first information based on the third information. The third information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device, and the first information is used to assist the access network device or the terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the power-saving state. Specifically, the first information is used to indicate whether the core network device allows the terminal device to enter the power-saving state, and / or the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device.

[0015] Core network equipment can determine whether to allow (or authorize) a terminal device to enter a power-saving state based on third information. For example, if the terminal device's service is constantly experiencing high traffic, high transmission rate, long transmission time, or extremely unstable traffic conditions with fluctuating transmission rates, the core network equipment may not allow the terminal device to enter a power-saving state. Conversely, if the terminal device's service is experiencing low traffic or short duration, the core network equipment may allow the terminal device to enter a power-saving state. The core network equipment can also determine the service characteristics of the terminal device based on the third information. Therefore, the first information determined based on the third information can be used to indicate whether the core network equipment allows the terminal device to enter a power-saving state, and / or can be used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device.

[0016] In some implementations, the first information is used to indicate whether the core network equipment allows the terminal equipment to enter the energy-saving state. If the first information indicates that the terminal equipment is allowed to enter the energy-saving state, the access network equipment or the terminal equipment can further determine when the terminal equipment should enter the energy-saving state, which helps to improve the accuracy of the judgment. If the first information indicates that the terminal equipment is not allowed to enter the energy-saving state, the judgment of state switching is not continued to save energy.

[0017] In other implementations, the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device. The access network device or the terminal device can determine whether the terminal device should enter the power-saving state and when it can enter the power-saving state based on the service characteristics of the terminal device indicated by the first information (or it can also be described as service traffic characteristics).

[0018] In other implementations, the first information is used to indicate whether the core network equipment allows the terminal equipment to enter the energy-saving state and the service characteristics of the terminal equipment. Based on the first information indicating that the core network equipment allows the terminal equipment to enter the energy-saving state, the access network equipment or the terminal equipment can further determine when the terminal equipment can enter the energy-saving state more precisely based on the service characteristics (or service traffic characteristics) of the terminal equipment indicated by the first information, so as to improve the accuracy of the judgment; or the access network equipment or the terminal equipment can not continue to make a state switching judgment based on the first information indicating that the core network equipment does not allow the terminal equipment to enter the energy-saving state, which is conducive to saving energy consumption.

[0019] In the third implementation, the first information is determined based on the second information and the third information. The first information is used to assist the access network device or the terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the power-saving state. Specifically, the first information is used to indicate whether the core network device allows the terminal device to enter the power-saving state, and / or the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device.

[0020] Optionally, the aforementioned third information may include the volume of business data, the trend of changes in the volume of business data, the duration of the business, and the type of business, such as: the arrival time of periodic business data streams in uplink services, the volume of periodic business data streams in uplink services, the peak transmission rate of periodic business data streams in uplink services, the transmission period of periodic business data streams in uplink services, and the periodic jitter information of periodic business data streams in uplink services; the arrival time of data streams in uplink burst services, the volume of data streams in uplink burst services, the peak transmission rate of data streams in uplink burst services, the duration of data streams in uplink burst services, and the uplink burst... One or more of the following parameters: the end time of the data stream of the service; and / or, the start time of the periodic service data stream in the downlink service, the flow rate of the periodic service data stream in the downlink service, the peak transmission rate of the periodic service data stream in the downlink service, the transmission period of the periodic service data stream in the downlink service, and the periodic jitter information of the periodic service data stream in the downlink service, and one or more of the following parameters: the arrival time of the data stream of the burst service in the downlink service, the flow rate of the data stream of the burst service in the downlink service, the peak transmission rate of the data stream of the burst service in the downlink service, the duration of the data stream of the burst service in the downlink service, and the end time of the data stream of the burst service in the downlink service.

[0021] In cases where the first information is determined based on the third information, or the first information is determined based on the second and third information, the first information may include all or part of the third information, or the first information may include the content after analysis and summary based on the third information. For example, the first information may include the conclusion obtained by the core network equipment based on the third information on when the terminal equipment can enter the energy-saving state. This application does not limit the specific content of the first information.

[0022] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the core network device includes a first network element and a second network element, the first network element including access and mobility management functions, and the second network element including unified data management functions. The method further includes: the first network element determining the second information based on one or more of fourth information, fifth information, or the local configuration of the first network element; wherein the fourth information comes from the terminal device, and the fourth information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports energy-saving mode or the terminal device requests to use energy-saving mode; the fifth information is obtained by the first network element from the second network element, and the fifth information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports energy-saving mode or the terminal device is able to enter energy-saving mode.

[0023] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the core network device includes a first network element and a second network element, the first network element including access and mobility management functions, the second network element including unified data management functions, and the method further includes: the first network element determining the third information based on sixth information, the sixth information being from the second network element, the sixth information including information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device in the local configuration of the second network element, and / or including information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device received by the second network element from an application function entity.

[0024] In this embodiment, the core network device can provide first information to assist the access network device or terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter a power-saving state. In some implementations, the first information can be used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device, and the first information determined by the first network element based on the sixth information can be information at the terminal device level that can indicate all service characteristics of the terminal device. In this way, the access network device or terminal device can determine under what circumstances (or at what time, at what transmission rate, at what data volume, at what duration, at what type, etc.) the terminal device enters a power-saving state based on these service characteristics. Compared with related technologies, where the access network device or terminal device can only decide whether the terminal enters a power-saving state based on real-time service data (which may include real-time service data volume, real-time service transmission rate, service duration, or service type, etc.), the method provided in this embodiment provides more judgment criteria for the access network device or terminal device, which is beneficial to improving the decision accuracy of the access network device or terminal device, reducing signaling interaction caused by inaccurate decisions, and saving signaling overhead for both parties.

[0025] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the core network device includes a first network element and at least one third network element, the first network element includes access and mobility management functions, each of the at least one third network element includes session management functions, and the method further includes: the first network element determining the third information based on at least one seventh piece of information, the at least one seventh piece of information coming from at least one of the third network elements, the at least one seventh piece of information including service characteristic information carried on a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session and / or a Quality of Service (QoS) Flow, the PDU session and / or the QoS Flow being served by the third network element.

[0026] In this embodiment, the third information is determined based on at least one seventh piece of information from at least one third network element. Furthermore, in some implementations, the third information can be used to determine the first information. Since at least one seventh piece of information includes service characteristic information carried by the terminal device on the PDU session and / or QoS Flow, the first information can also be based on the terminal device's PDU session and / or QoS. Flow refers to service characteristics at the granular level. This allows access network devices or terminal devices to determine, based on these characteristics, under what conditions (or when, at what transmission rate, with what data volume, duration, or type) the terminal device enters a power-saving state during service transmission. Compared to related technologies where access network devices or terminal devices can only decide whether to enter a power-saving state based on real-time service data (which may include real-time data volume, real-time transmission rate, duration, or type), the method provided in this application provides access network devices or terminal devices with more refined judgment criteria. This improves the accuracy of access network devices or terminal devices' decisions, reduces signaling interactions caused by inaccurate decisions, and saves signaling overhead for both parties.

[0027] In one implementation, the core network device further includes a fourth network element, the fourth network element including a policy control function, and at least one of the seventh information is determined by each of the at least one third network element based on information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device in the local configuration from the fourth network element, and / or by the application function entity through the information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device provided to each of the at least one third network element by the fourth network element.

[0028] In another implementation, the core network device further includes a fifth network element, which includes user plane functions, and at least one of the seventh pieces of information is provided by the fifth network element to at least one of the third network elements.

[0029] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the core network device includes a first network element and a sixth network element, the first network element includes access and mobility management functions, the sixth network element includes network data analysis functions, and the method further includes: the first network element obtaining third information from the sixth network element, wherein the third information at the sixth network element is obtained by statistical prediction from the sixth network element.

[0030] In this embodiment, the network data analysis function of the sixth network element is used to provide third information to the first network element. This does not require the participation of other network elements in the core network, making it more convenient and faster. It is beneficial to improve the speed at which the first network element obtains third information. For the whole solution, while providing a basis for judgment for access network devices or terminal devices and improving the decision-making accuracy of access network devices or terminal devices, it is also beneficial to improve efficiency.

[0031] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the core network equipment includes a first network element and a seventh network element. The first network element includes access and mobility management functions, and the seventh network element includes policy control functions. The method further includes: the first network element receiving eighth information from the access network equipment, the eighth information indicating that the terminal device has entered an energy-saving state; and the first network element sending ninth information to the seventh network element based on the eighth information, the ninth information instructing the seventh network element to adjust the control policy and charging policy of the terminal device. In this way, the core network side's control policy and charging policy for the terminal device can be adjusted in a timely manner according to changes in its RRC status, which is beneficial to improving the accuracy of terminal device control and charging, and thus improving the user experience.

[0032] Secondly, this application provides a communication method applied to an access network device, a chip in an access network device, or software containing access network device functions. The method includes: receiving first information from a core network device, the first information being used to assist the access network device in determining whether a terminal device can enter a power-saving state; and determining whether the terminal device can enter a power-saving state based on the first information.

[0033] Compared to related technologies where access network devices rely solely on real-time downlink data to determine whether a terminal device can enter energy-saving mode, the embodiments of this application can provide access network devices with more criteria for judgment. Furthermore, since core network devices can carry, manage, and control the services of terminal devices, the first information from the core network devices helps improve the accuracy of the access network devices in performing this judgment and reduces unnecessary signaling overhead between terminal devices and access network devices due to improper decision-making.

[0034] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first information is determined by the core network device based on the second information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device has energy-saving capability; the first information is used to assist the access network device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the energy-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to enter the energy-saving state; or, the first information is determined by the core network device based on third information, which is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device; the first information is used to assist the access network device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the energy-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to enter the energy-saving state, and / or, the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device; or, the first information is determined by the core network device based on the second and third information; the first information is used to assist the access network device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the energy-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to enter the energy-saving state, and / or, the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device.

[0035] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the third information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device. The third information includes the amount of service data, the trend of change in the amount of service data, the duration of the service, and the type of service, etc. The specific content of the third information may be similar to the third information described in the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0036] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: receiving tenth information and eleventh information from a terminal device, wherein the tenth information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has energy-saving capability, and the eleventh information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device; the step of determining whether the terminal device can enter energy-saving mode based on the first information includes: determining whether the terminal device can enter energy-saving mode based on one or more of the first information, the tenth information, and the eleventh information.

[0037] In this way, in addition to receiving the first information from the core network equipment, the access network equipment can also receive the tenth and eleventh information from the terminal equipment. The access network equipment has more evidence to determine whether the terminal equipment can enter the energy-saving state, which is conducive to making more reasonable and accurate judgments on the terminal equipment. This further helps to reduce unnecessary signaling overhead between the terminal equipment and the access network equipment due to decision-making errors.

[0038] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: when the terminal device enters a power-saving state, sending an eighth message, the eighth message being used to indicate that the terminal device has entered a power-saving state.

[0039] Thirdly, this application also provides a communication method applied to a terminal device, or a module (such as a chip) in a terminal device, or software (such as a control subsystem) containing terminal device functions. The method includes: receiving first information from a core network device, the first information being used to assist the terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter an energy-saving state; and determining whether the terminal device can enter an energy-saving state based on the first information.

[0040] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first information is determined by the core network device based on the second information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device has energy-saving capability; the first information is used to assist the access network device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the energy-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to enter the energy-saving state; or, the first information is determined by the core network device based on the third information, which is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device; the first information is used to assist the access network device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the energy-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to enter the energy-saving state, and / or, the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device; or, the first information is determined by the core network device based on the second and third information; the first information is used to assist the access network device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the energy-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to enter the energy-saving state, and / or, the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device.

[0041] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the third information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device. The third information includes the amount of service data, the trend of change in the amount of service data, the duration of the service, and the type of service, etc. The specific content of the third information may be similar to the third information described in the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0042] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the method further includes: sending tenth information and eleventh information to the access network device, wherein the tenth information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has energy-saving capability, and the eleventh information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device.

[0043] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, comprising a unit or module for performing the first to third aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0044] Fifthly, a communication system is provided, comprising a core network device, an access network device, and a terminal device. The core network device is used to execute the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect or any embodiment thereof; the access network device is used to execute the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect or any embodiment thereof; and the terminal device is used to execute the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the third aspect or any embodiment thereof.

[0045] Sixthly, another communication system is provided, comprising core network equipment, access network equipment, and terminal equipment. The core network equipment includes a first network element, which includes access and mobility management functions. The first network element is used to perform the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect or any embodiment of the first aspect.

[0046] Optionally, the core network equipment further includes a second network element, which includes a unified data management function. The first information may be determined based on the second information and / or the third information. Further, the second information is determined by the first network element based on one or more of the fourth information, the fifth information, or the local configuration of the first network element. The fourth information comes from the terminal device and is used to indicate that the terminal device supports energy-saving mode or that the terminal device requests to use energy-saving mode. The fifth information is obtained by the first network element from the second network element and is used to indicate that the terminal device supports energy-saving mode or that the terminal device can enter energy-saving mode. The third information may be determined by the first network element based on the sixth information, which comes from the second network element. The sixth information includes information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device in the local configuration of the second network element, and / or includes information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device received by the second network element from the application function entity.

[0047] Optionally, the core network equipment may further include at least one third network element, each of the at least one third network element including session management function, and the aforementioned third information may also be determined by the first network element based on at least one seventh information, the at least one seventh information comes from at least one third network element, the at least one seventh information includes service characteristic information carried on Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions and / or Quality of Service (QoS) Flows, the PDU sessions and / or QoS Flows are served by at least one third network element.

[0048] Optionally, the core network equipment further includes a fourth network element, which includes policy control functions. The aforementioned at least one seventh piece of information is determined by each of the at least one third network element based on information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device in the local configuration of the fourth network element, and / or by the application function entity through the information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device provided to each of the at least one third network element by the fourth network element.

[0049] Optionally, the core network equipment also includes a fifth network element, which includes user plane functions, and at least one seventh piece of information is provided by the fifth network element to at least one third network element.

[0050] Optionally, the core network equipment also includes a sixth network element, which includes network data analysis functions. The first network element obtains third information from the sixth network element, and the third information at the sixth network element is obtained by statistical prediction from the sixth network element.

[0051] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed, causes a computer to perform the methods described in the first to third aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0052] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the first to third aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0053] Ninth aspect, a chip system is provided, the chip system being applied to an electronic device, the chip system including one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to invoke computer instructions to cause the electronic device to perform the first to third aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0054] It should be understood that the beneficial effects of the features corresponding to the first aspect in the second to ninth aspects can be referred to the relevant description of the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0055] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 2 illustrates the switching process from RRC connection state to RRC power saving state in related technologies;

[0057] Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0061] Figure 7 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0062] Figure 8 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0063] Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figure 10 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0065] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the following points will be explained first:

[0066] In this application, "instruction" can include direct instruction, indirect instruction, explicit instruction, and implicit instruction. When describing a certain instruction information for the purpose of instructing A, it can be understood that the instruction information carries A, directly instructs A, or indirectly instructs A.

[0067] In this application, " / " can indicate that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" can be used to describe three relationships between the related objects. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural.

[0068] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more, such as three, four, or more. Similar expressions (such as at least one, at least one, etc.) are used in the same way. "At least one of the following," "one or more of the following," or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, which may include only a single item or a combination of multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, or b, or c; a and b; or a and c; or b and c; or a, b, and c. Where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0069] In this application, for the convenience of describing the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" may be used to distinguish them. The terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" are not necessarily different.

[0070] In this application, the words "exemplary," "example," or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary," "example," or "for example" should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. The use of the words "exemplary," "example," or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner to facilitate understanding.

[0071] In this application, "sending information / data" only indicates the direction of information / data transmission, including direct transmission via the device's communication interface (such as an air interface, or simply air interface). "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of a module interface. "Sending" can include indirect transmission by the processing unit through the communication interface, meaning that after the processing unit outputs information / data through the module interface, it is transmitted to the device's communication interface and then sent out. "Receiving information / data" only indicates the direction of information / data transmission, including direct reception via the communication interface. "Receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of a module interface. "Receiving information / data" can include indirect reception by the processing unit through the communication interface, meaning that after the communication interface receives information / data, it is transmitted to the processing unit's module interface and then input to the processing unit. "Sending information / data to… (such as a terminal)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal. It can include sending information / data directly or indirectly to the terminal. "Receiving information / data from… (such as a terminal)" can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal, and can include receiving information / data directly or indirectly from the terminal. Information / data may undergo necessary processing, such as format changes, between the source and destination, but the destination can understand the valid information / data from the source. Similar statements in this application can be understood in a similar way, and will not be repeated here.

[0072] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, 5th Generation (5G) communication systems, satellite communication systems, Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) systems, and the solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems or other communication systems. This application does not limit these applications.

[0073] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 100 applicable to the communication method provided in this application. Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting system architecture.

[0074] As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 includes a radio access network (RAN) device 101, a core network (CN) device 102, and at least one terminal device 103.

[0075] Access network device 101 can also be referred to as RAN node. Access network device 101 can be understood as a general term for such devices used to help terminal devices achieve wireless access. In this embodiment of the application, the number and type of access network devices in communication system 100 are not specifically limited. Optionally, communication system 101 may also include other access network devices (or RAN nodes), such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in FIG1), etc.

[0076] In some implementations, terminal device 103 is connected to access network device 101 wirelessly, and access network device 101 is connected to core network device 102 wirelessly or via wired connection. Core network device 102 and access network device 101 may each comprise different physical devices, or they may be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and wireless access network logical functions.

[0077] Access network device 101 can be an entity or access node in a 3GPP-related cellular system, such as a 4G, 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolution system. Access network device 101 can also be an entity or access node in an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), cloud radio access network (CRAN), or wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system. Access network device 101 can also be an entity or access node in a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0078] Access network device 101, also known as RAN entity or access node, is part of the communication system and assists terminals in achieving wireless access. In the case of multiple access network devices 101 in the communication system 100, these devices can be nodes of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN nodes and terminal devices are relative. For example, helicopters or drones can be configured as mobile base stations. For terminal devices accessing the RAN via helicopters or drones, these helicopters or drones are base stations; however, for the base stations assisting helicopters or drones in accessing the network, the helicopters or drones are terminal devices. Access network device 101 and terminal device 103 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices.

[0079] In one possible scenario, access network equipment can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. RAN nodes can be macro base stations, micro base stations, indoor stations, relay nodes, donor nodes, or radio controllers in CRAN scenarios. Optionally, RAN nodes can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology, the access network equipment can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0080] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each RAN node performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0081] 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 ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called 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 and hardware modules.

[0082] Terminal equipment can also be called a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc.

[0083] In this application embodiment, core network equipment can be understood as a general term for physical equipment in the core network. In some implementations, core network equipment may include one or more of the following functional entities: access and mobility management function (AMF) entity, session management function (SMF) entity, user plane function (UPF) entity, policy control function (PCF) entity, unified data management (UDM) entity, application function (AF) entity, network exposure function (NEF) entity, network data analytics function (NWDAF) entity, etc., which will not be listed here.

[0084] Specifically, the AMF entity can be responsible for access management and mobility management of terminal devices; the SMF entity can be responsible for session management, such as user session establishment; the UPF entity can be a user plane functional entity, mainly responsible for connecting to external networks; the PCF entity's main function can be a policy decision point, providing rules such as billing control based on service data flow and application detection, gating, and quality of service flow; the UDM entity can be an entity that stores user subscription data; the AF's main function can be to interact with the 3GPP core network to provide services, influencing service flow routing, access network capability opening, policy control, etc.; the NEF entity can be used to securely open services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions, such as third parties, edge computing, and AF; and the NWDAF can be used to provide network data collection and analysis functions based on big data and artificial intelligence technologies.

[0085] It should be noted that in this application, an entity may also be referred to as a network element or a functional entity. For example, an AMF entity may also be referred to as an AMF network element or an AMF functional entity, and an SMF entity may also be referred to as an SMF network element or an SMF functional entity, etc. This application does not limit the scope of the application.

[0086] In the embodiments of this application, the terminal device, access network device, and core network device can all be hardware devices, or software functions running on dedicated hardware or general-purpose hardware. For example, software functions running on general-purpose hardware can be virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform), or entities that include dedicated or general-purpose hardware devices and software functions. This application does not limit the specific form of each device involved.

[0087] To better understand the methods provided in the embodiments of this application, the terms involved in this application will be briefly explained below.

[0088] 1. Radio Resource Control (RRC) Status

[0089] The RRC status describes the current state of the radio resource control connection between the terminal device and the access network device. Through the RRC status, the network can understand the activity of the terminal device and allocate and manage radio resources accordingly. The terminal device and the network communicate via a radio channel. To achieve data exchange, many common settings need to be configured, including low-level configurations. The role of the RRC is to control these configurations and ensure smooth communication.

[0090] RRC status includes the following:

[0091] ①RRC Connected State (RRC_CONNECTED): In this state, an RRC connection is established between the terminal device and the access network device, enabling data transmission. The context information of the terminal device is stored in the access network device and the core network. The access network device knows the cell to which the terminal device belongs and can control the mobility of the terminal device.

[0092] ②RRC Idle State (RRC_IDLE): In this state, no RRC connection is established between the terminal device and the access network device. The terminal device can perform operations such as public land mobile network (PLMN) selection, broadcast system information reception, and cell reselection mobility. When data needs to be sent to the terminal device, the network will initiate a paging process to enable the terminal device to initiate an RRC access request and enter the RRC connected state.

[0093] ③ RRC Inactive State (RRC_INACTIVE): In this state, although the RRC connection between the terminal device and the access network device is suspended, the connection between the terminal device and the core network still exists. This means that the terminal device can quickly return to the RRC_CONNECTED state to reduce signaling overhead and power consumption. In this state, the access network device still knows the notification area to which the terminal device belongs and can initiate paging to restore the RRC connection.

[0094] The transitions between RRC states depend on the activity of the terminal device and the network requirements. For example, when a terminal device first connects to the network, it transitions from the RRC_IDLE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state. If the terminal device is inactive for a certain period, the connection between the terminal device and the network device will transition to the RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE state. When the terminal device needs to send or receive data, it will recover from the RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state. When the terminal device's connection to the network is lost or fails, it will transition back from the RRC_CONNECTED or RRC_INACTIVE state to the RRC_IDLE state.

[0095] In some potential scenarios, the amount of data transmitted and received by the terminal device is relatively small. Data transmission and reception based on the RRC_CONNECTED state results in low resource utilization and high power consumption for the terminal device. However, switching to the more energy-efficient RRC_INACTIVE state prevents data transmission and reception. Therefore, related technologies propose an RRC energy-saving state based on the RRC_INACTIVE state. When the terminal device is in energy-saving mode, it can perform data transmission and reception on a portion of the time-frequency resources to improve wireless resource utilization and ensure data transmission while reducing terminal device power consumption.

[0096] Optionally, the aforementioned RRC energy-saving state can also be referred to as the high-efficiency data transmission (H-EDT) state, enhanced RRC connection state, energy-saving RRC connection state, inactive state with H-EDT, or connected state with H-EDT, etc., or simply as energy-saving state or any other arbitrary name. This application does not limit the specific name of this state. Any state with the same or similar capabilities as the energy-saving state described in this application can be understood as an equivalent substitution for the energy-saving state involved in this application. For simplicity, this application uses the abbreviation "energy-saving state" as the name of this state in the embodiments for description.

[0097] The energy-saving capabilities described in the embodiments of this application may include:

[0098] When the terminal device is in power-saving mode, an RRC connection is maintained between the terminal device and the access network device. The access network device and the core network device store and maintain the context information of the terminal device, and the terminal device can transmit data with the network side.

[0099] In this application, the energy-saving state can be understood as a special RRC_CONNECTED state. The following describes the possible capabilities of the energy-saving state from different perspectives by comparing it with the RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0100] In one possible approach, the number of data radio bearers (DRBs) established between a terminal device in power-saving mode and an access network device can be less than the number of DRBs established between the access network device and the terminal device in RRC_CONNECTED mode compared to the number of DRBs established between the terminal device and the access network device in RRC_CONNECTED mode. Alternatively, it can be understood that the radio resources configured by the network for the terminal device in power-saving mode can be less than the radio resources configured by the network for the terminal device in RRC_CONNECTED mode.

[0101] In one possible approach, compared to a terminal device in the RRC_CONNECTED state, a terminal device in energy-saving mode may not need to detect the downlink reference signal periodically transmitted by the network side, and / or may not need to transmit periodic uplink reference signals to the network side, thereby saving power consumption. Correspondingly, for the network side, since the terminal device in energy-saving mode does not need to monitor the periodic downlink reference signal, and / or does not need to transmit the uplink reference signal to the network side, the network device also does not need to transmit the downlink reference signal for the terminal device in this state, nor does it need to perform channel measurements based on the uplink reference signal, thus saving power consumption. For example, the downlink reference signal periodically transmitted by the network side may include a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), more specifically, for example, a CSI-RS with a period of 20 milliseconds; as another example, the periodic uplink reference signal transmitted by the terminal device may include a sounding reference signal (SRS). This application does not limit the type of reference signal.

[0102] In one possible approach, compared to a terminal device in RRC_CONNECTED state, data transmission between a terminal device in energy-saving state and the network side may or may not have a duration limit. In some implementations, the data transmission duration between a terminal device in energy-saving state and the network side is less than or equal to a transmission duration threshold. This transmission duration threshold may be pre-configured, protocol-defined, or network-configured; this application does not specifically limit it.

[0103] In one possible approach, compared to a terminal device in RRC_CONNECTED state, the data transmission between a terminal device in energy-saving mode and the network side can be subject to a transmission rate limitation. In some implementations, this can be understood as energy-saving mode being suitable for services that do not require high-speed transmission. For example, it can be said that the amount of data transmitted when transmitting data with the network side in energy-saving mode is less than or equal to a transmission rate threshold. In some implementations, this transmission rate threshold can be pre-configured, protocol-defined, or network-configured; this application does not specifically limit this.

[0104] In one possible approach, compared to a terminal device in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the data transmission between a terminal device in the power-saving state and the network side may or may not be limited in terms of the amount of data transmitted; this application does not make any specific limitations on this.

[0105] In one possible approach, when the terminal device is in power-saving mode, the context information of the terminal device stored by the access network device and / or core network device is the same as, or substantially the same as, the context information of the terminal device stored by the access network device and / or core network device when the terminal device is in RRC_INACTIVE state. In some implementations, the terminal device context information stored by the access network device and / or core network device for the terminal device in power-saving mode is more than the terminal device context information stored for the terminal device in RRC_INACTIVE state. For example, the additional context information may include security context, such as at least one of the data plane integrity key K_{UP,int}, data plane encryption key K_{UP,enc}, and control plane encryption key K_{CP,enc}. In the terminal device context information stored by the terminal device in the current RRC_INACTIVE state, only the control plane integrity key K_{RRC,int} is retained.

[0106] Figure 2 illustrates, exemplarily, the switching process 200 from RRC connected state to RRC power-saving state in the related art. As shown in Figure 2, when the terminal device is in RRC connected state, and the access network device needs to transmit downlink data 1 to the terminal device, it executes S201 to S202.

[0107] S201, The access network equipment decides whether the terminal equipment enters energy-saving mode based on downlink data 1.

[0108] It should be understood that access network equipment can decide whether terminal equipment should enter power-saving mode based on the current traffic or transmission rate of downlink data 1.

[0109] In some implementations, in RRC connected state, the terminal device can also report the uplink data transmission rate, uplink data volume, or a bias decision based on the uplink data transmission rate and data volume to the access network device to assist the access network device in making decisions; in RRC inactive state, the terminal device can make its own decision on whether to enter power-saving state based on uplink data.

[0110] S202. The access network device initiates an RRC Release command to instruct the terminal device to enter power-saving mode; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the instruction.

[0111] Optionally, the RRC release command can carry a common search space / user-specific search space (CSS / USS) to indicate the resources available to the terminal device. The CSS / USS is mainly used for monitoring the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0112] S203, The terminal device enters power saving mode and receives downlink data 1.

[0113] Optionally, the terminal device can perform blind detection according to the search space carried in the RRC release instruction to receive downlink data 1.

[0114] In one possible implementation, the access network device may have just decided that the terminal device should enter a power-saving state, and the subsequent downlink data transmission rate will suddenly increase. For example, the access network device still has downlink data 2 to transmit to the terminal device. The transmission rate requirement of downlink data 2 is greater than or much greater than the transmission rate requirement of downlink data 1. Therefore, the access network device needs to execute S204 to S206 to maintain the subsequent data stream transmission.

[0115] S204. The access network equipment decides whether the terminal equipment enters the connected state based on downlink data 2.

[0116] S205. The access network device initiates an RRC Resume command to instruct the terminal device to restore the connection state; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the command.

[0117] S206. The terminal device enters the connection state and receives downlink data 2.

[0118] As can be seen from the above process 200, the access network device may instruct the terminal device to enter the power-saving state based on the current downlink data situation. In fact, the current downlink data transmission rate is low and may only be instantaneous or temporary. However, the core network device only transmits service data in real time and does not perceive how the service data will be transmitted in the next moment. Therefore, in one possible scenario, after the terminal device switches to the power-saving state, when subsequent data transmission is performed, it is detected that the terminal device still needs to be in the RRC_CONNECTED state to fully realize the service. This makes it necessary for the terminal device to immediately return to the RRC_CONNECTED state after switching from the RRC_CONNECTED state to the power-saving state. In other words, in some implementations, the interaction of the above process 200 is unnecessary. The access network device's decision on whether the terminal device enters the power-saving state is not accurate enough, which may cause unnecessary signaling overhead between the terminal device and the access network device.

[0119] In some scenarios, terminal devices can determine whether they can enter power-saving mode based on uplink data. However, inaccurate decisions regarding whether to enter power-saving mode may lead to unnecessary signaling overhead between the terminal device and the access network equipment. The causes of this problem are similar to those on the access network equipment side and will not be elaborated further.

[0120] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, communication device, communication system, chip system, storage medium, and program product. The core network device can send first information, which is used to assist the access network device or terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter a power-saving state. The first information can provide the core network device or terminal device with additional judgment basis for determining whether the terminal device can enter a power-saving state. The first information sent by the core network device is beneficial to improving the accuracy of the decision-making of the access network device or terminal device, and is beneficial to reducing unnecessary signaling overhead between the terminal device and the access network device caused by judgment errors due to insufficient judgment basis.

[0121] The communication method provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 3 to 5. The embodiments shown in this application illustrate the communication method provided in this application from the perspective of device interaction. The specific form and number of the devices shown are merely examples and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation of the method provided in this application.

[0122] It should be understood that the terminal equipment, access network equipment, and core network equipment involved in this application can be the equipment itself, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the communication device in implementing the communication method provided in this application, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the communication method. This application does not make any specific limitations in this regard.

[0123] Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 300 provided in an embodiment of this application. This method 300 can be applied to the communication system 100 shown in Figure 1. The method 300 specifically includes the following steps:

[0124] S301. The core network equipment determines the first information, which is used to assist the access network equipment or terminal equipment in determining whether the terminal equipment can enter the power-saving state.

[0125] S302. The core network device sends first information to the access network device, which is used to assist the access network device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the power-saving state; correspondingly, the access network device receives the first information.

[0126] S303. The core network equipment sends first information to the terminal equipment, which is used to assist the terminal equipment in determining whether it can enter the power-saving state; correspondingly, the terminal equipment receives the first information.

[0127] In some implementations, such as when the terminal device is in RRC connected state or RRC inactive state, the access network device executes S304.

[0128] S304. The access network equipment determines whether the terminal equipment can enter the energy-saving state based on the first information.

[0129] In other implementations, such as when the terminal device is in an RRC inactive state, the terminal device executes S305.

[0130] It should be understood that in the RRC inactive state, the connection between the terminal device and the access network device is disconnected, but the context information about the terminal device still exists in both the terminal device and the access network device. Therefore, in this case, the terminal device can determine on its own whether to switch from the RRC inactive state to the power-saving state.

[0131] S305. The terminal device determines whether it can enter the energy-saving state based on the first information.

[0132] One interpretation of "the first information is used to assist the access network device or terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the energy-saving state" is as follows: the first information can be used to assist the access network device or terminal device in determining whether the terminal device is currently in the energy-saving state, or whether it will enter the energy-saving state at some future time after receiving the first information. For the access network device or terminal device, after making a judgment based on the first information, it can instruct the terminal device to enter the energy-saving state when the corresponding time for the terminal device to enter the energy-saving state arrives. The corresponding time for the terminal device to enter the energy-saving state described here can refer to any time after the access network device or terminal device receives the first information, and this application does not specifically limit it.

[0133] Another interpretation of "the first information is used to assist access network equipment or terminal equipment in determining whether the terminal equipment can enter the power-saving state" is: when the access network equipment needs to transmit data or is transmitting data, it determines whether the terminal equipment is currently in the power-saving state based on the data to be transmitted (data transmission rate or data volume or transmission duration) and the first information.

[0134] In this embodiment, the core network device can send first information to assist the access network device or terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the power-saving state. The access network device or terminal device can determine whether the terminal device can enter the power-saving state based on the first information from the core network device. The method provided in this application provides auxiliary information from the core network device for the access network device or terminal device to determine whether the terminal device can enter the power-saving state, which is beneficial to improving the accuracy of the decision-making of the access network device or terminal device and reducing unnecessary signaling overhead between the terminal device and the access network device.

[0135] In one possible scenario, if the terminal device is in RRC connected state or RRC inactive state, the access network device may determine that the terminal device should enter power-saving state based solely on the data that needs to be transmitted or is being transmitted, and instruct the terminal device to enter power-saving state. However, if it is determined that the terminal device needs to maintain its current state after making a judgment based on the first information, signaling overhead similar to the above process 200 can be avoided.

[0136] In another possible scenario, if the terminal device is in RRC connected state or RRC inactive state, the access network device may determine that the terminal device needs to maintain the current state based solely on the data that needs to be transmitted or is being transmitted. However, if it is further determined based on the first information, it will be determined that the terminal device should enter the power-saving state. In this way, the first information helps the access network device make an accurate judgment and improves the accuracy of the access network device's decision.

[0137] As an optional embodiment, the method by which the core network device determines the first information in the above method 300 may include any one of the following three methods:

[0138] Method 1: Determine the first information based on the second information. The second information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has energy-saving capability, and the first information is used to assist the access network device or the terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the energy-saving state. Specifically, the first information is used to indicate whether the core network device allows the terminal device to enter the energy-saving state.

[0139] "Whether the terminal device has energy-saving capability" can be understood as whether the terminal device has the ability to enter an energy-saving state.

[0140] In this approach, the first information is used to indicate whether the core network equipment allows the terminal equipment to enter the power-saving state, or it can be understood as the first information being used to indicate whether the core network equipment authorizes the terminal equipment to enter the power-saving state.

[0141] In some implementations, when the second information indicates that the terminal device has energy-saving capability and the core network device also allows the terminal device to enter energy-saving mode, the first information is used to indicate that the core network device allows the terminal device to enter energy-saving mode.

[0142] In other implementations, the second information indicates that the terminal device has energy-saving capability, but the core network device does not allow the terminal device to enter the energy-saving state (this situation may be that the core network device refuses any terminal device to enter the energy-saving state, or that the terminal user has not registered for energy-saving services, has not paid fees, etc., resulting in authentication failure). In this case, the first information is used to indicate that the core network device does not allow the terminal device to enter the energy-saving state.

[0143] In some implementations, the second information indicates that the terminal device does not have energy-saving capability. In this case, the first information determined by the core network device is used to instruct the core network device not to allow the terminal device to enter the energy-saving state.

[0144] When the first information is used to instruct the core network device whether to allow the terminal device to enter an energy-saving state, the access network device or the terminal device can use the first information to assist in determining whether the terminal device can enter an energy-saving state. For example, the first information is used to instruct the core network device to allow the terminal device to enter an energy-saving state; however, specifically, at a certain moment, based on the transmitted data, whether the terminal device enters an energy-saving state can still be determined by the access network device or the terminal device. The indication given by the first information can be understood as auxiliary rather than decisive.

[0145] Method 2: Determine the first information based on the third information. The third information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device, and the first information is used to assist the access network device or the terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the power-saving state. Specifically, the first information is used to indicate whether the core network device allows the terminal device to enter the power-saving state, and / or, the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device.

[0146] It should be understood that the service characteristics of the terminal device indicated by the third information may be the traffic characteristics of all services of the terminal device at the granularity of the terminal device, or the traffic characteristics of each service obtained at the granularity of one or more services in the terminal device, or other service characteristics at a more refined granularity. This application does not make any specific limitations on this.

[0147] It is worth noting that regardless of the granularity of the business characteristics, they all reflect the overall characteristics of the business. In some implementations, third-party information may include the volume of business data, the trend of changes in business data volume, the duration of the business, and the business type. For example: the arrival time, volume, peak transmission rate, and transmission period of periodic business data streams in uplink services; and the arrival time, volume, peak transmission rate, and duration of bursty uplink data streams. One or more of the following parameters: the end time of the data stream of the service; and / or, the start time of the periodic service data stream in the downlink service, the flow rate of the periodic service data stream in the downlink service, the peak transmission rate of the periodic service data stream in the downlink service, the transmission period of the periodic service data stream in the downlink service, and the periodic jitter information of the periodic service data stream in the downlink service, and one or more of the following parameters: the arrival time of the data stream of the burst service in the downlink service, the flow rate of the data stream of the burst service in the downlink service, the peak transmission rate of the data stream of the burst service in the downlink service, the duration of the data stream of the burst service in the downlink service, and the end time of the data stream of the burst service in the downlink service.

[0148] In some implementations, the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device, or the first information is used to indicate whether the core network device allows the terminal device to enter the power-saving state and the service characteristics of the terminal device. In such cases, the first information may include all or part of the original content of the third information, or the first information may include the content after analysis and summary based on the third information. For example, the first information may include the conclusion of the core network device on when the terminal device can enter the power-saving state based on the third information. This application does not limit the specific content of the first information.

[0149] When the first information includes all or part of the original content of the third information, the core network equipment or terminal equipment can determine whether the terminal equipment can enter the energy-saving state based on the content, and if it is determined that the terminal equipment can enter the energy-saving state, further determine when the terminal equipment enters the energy-saving state.

[0150] When the first information is used to indicate whether the core network equipment allows the terminal equipment to enter the power-saving state, the meaning of the first information is similar to the description in Method 1 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0151] Method 3: Determine the first information based on the second and third information. The first information is used to assist the access network device or terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the power-saving state. Specifically, the first information is used to indicate whether the core network device allows the terminal device to enter the power-saving state, and / or, the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device.

[0152] When the first information is used to indicate whether the core network equipment allows the terminal equipment to enter the power-saving state, the meaning of the first information is similar to the description in Method 1 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0153] When the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device, or when the first information is used to indicate whether the core network device allows the terminal device to enter the power-saving state and the service characteristics of the terminal device, the meaning of the first information is similar to the description in Method 2 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0154] As an optional embodiment, the second information mentioned above can be pre-defined or defaulted. For example, it can be assumed that all terminal devices have energy-saving capabilities or that all terminal devices do not have energy-saving capabilities. In other words, the second information does not need to be obtained interactively.

[0155] As another optional embodiment, the aforementioned second information is determined by the first network element included in the core network equipment.

[0156] In one implementation, the core network equipment includes a first network element and a second network element. The first network element includes access and mobility management functions, and the second network element includes unified data management functions. The first network element determines the second information in the following ways: the first network element determines the second information based on one or more of the fourth information, the fifth information, or the local configuration of the first network element; wherein, the fourth information comes from the terminal device and is used to indicate that the terminal device supports energy-saving mode or that the terminal device requests to use energy-saving mode; the fifth information is obtained by the first network element from the second network element and is used to indicate that the terminal device supports energy-saving mode or that the terminal device can enter energy-saving mode.

[0157] Optionally, the first network element can be an access and mobility management function (AMF), and the second network element can be a unified data management function (UDM). This application does not specifically limit this. In some implementations, the fourth information can be sent to the AMF in the registration request carried by the terminal device during the registration process with the network. The fourth information is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports energy-saving mode or requests to use energy-saving mode. The fifth information can be the subscription information configured to the UDM by the terminal device when opening an account. The fifth information is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports energy-saving mode or can enter energy-saving mode. The local configuration of the AMF can also include information on whether the terminal device has energy-saving mode capability.

[0158] As an optional embodiment, the aforementioned third information can also be determined by a first network element included in the core network equipment. The first network element determining the third information can include the following three possible implementation methods.

[0159] In a first possible implementation where the first network element determines the third information, the core network equipment includes a first network element and a second network element. The first network element includes access and mobility management functions, and the second network element includes unified data management functions. The method by which the first network element determines the third information includes: the first network element determining the third information based on sixth information, where the sixth information comes from the second network element, and the sixth information includes information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device in the local configuration of the second network element, and / or includes information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device received by the second network element from an application function entity.

[0160] Optionally, the application function entity may be an application function (AF) server, but this application does not specifically limit this.

[0161] In a second possible implementation of the first network element determining the third information, the core network equipment includes a first network element and at least one third network element. The first network element includes access and mobility management functions, and each of the at least one third network element includes session management functions. The first network element determines the third information by: the first network element determining the third information based on at least one seventh piece of information, the at least one seventh piece of information coming from at least one third network element, and the at least one seventh piece of information including service characteristic information carried on Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions and / or Quality of Service (QoS) Flows, the PDU sessions and / or QoS Flows being served by the third network element.

[0162] Optionally, the third network element may be a session management function (SMF) entity, but this application does not specifically limit this.

[0163] In some implementations, the services of the terminal device can be carried by at least one third network element. The services carried by each of the at least one third network element can be the same or different, or partially the same and partially different. The content contained in each of the at least one seventh information from the at least one third network element can also be the same or different, or partially the same and partially different, but this application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0164] In a third possible implementation of determining the third information by the first network element, the core network equipment includes a first network element and a sixth network element. The first network element includes access and mobility management functions, and the sixth network element includes network data analysis functions. The method further includes: the first network element obtains the third information from the sixth network element, and the third information at the sixth network element is obtained by statistical prediction from the sixth network element.

[0165] Optionally, the sixth network element may be a Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF), but this application does not specifically limit this.

[0166] Figure 4 illustrates, exemplarily, a communication method 400 provided by the entity of this application, including a process in which a first network element determines second information and a process in which the first network element determines third information in the manner described above.

[0167] Method 400 may include the following steps:

[0168] S401, the first network element determines the second information based on one or more of the fourth information, the fifth information, or the local configuration of the first network element.

[0169] In some implementations, the terminal device can execute S402 to send fourth information to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the fourth information, which is used to instruct the terminal device to support power-saving mode or for the terminal device to request the use of power-saving mode. The fourth information may, for example, be sent by the terminal device to the first network element in a registration request during the registration process with the network.

[0170] In some implementations, the second network element can execute S403 to send fifth information to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the fifth information, which is used to indicate that the terminal device supports power saving mode or that the terminal device can enter power saving mode. Optionally, the second network element can actively send the fifth information to the first network element, or it can send the fifth information to the first network element after receiving information from the first network element. Here, the information received by the second network element from the first network element can be information from the first network element requesting the fifth information from the second network element, or it can be other preset interactive information. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0171] S404. The second network element sends sixth information to the first network element. The sixth information includes information 2 related to the service characteristics of the terminal device in the local configuration of the second network element, and / or includes information 1 related to the service characteristics of the terminal device received by the second network element from the application function entity. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the sixth information.

[0172] Optionally, the information 1 and information 2 related to the service characteristics of the terminal device described in the embodiments of this application may be the same or different, and this application does not make specific limitations in this regard.

[0173] The above S404 can also be described as the first network element obtaining the sixth information from the second network element.

[0174] In one possible implementation, before S404, method 400 further includes: a first network element determining whether a terminal device has energy-saving capability based on second information; if the terminal device has energy-saving capability, the first network element executes S404; otherwise, the first network element can send first information to the access network device or the terminal device, whereby the first information is used to indicate that the terminal device is not allowed to enter energy-saving mode. The first network element sending the first information to the access network device or the terminal device when it determines that the terminal device has energy-saving capability helps reduce unnecessary signaling interactions between the first network element and other network elements to obtain third information when the terminal device does not have energy-saving capability, thus saving energy for each network element on the core network side. Furthermore, it also helps reduce the amount of information in the first information, saving first information bits.

[0175] In some implementations, the information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device in the local configuration of the second network element can be all or part of the subscription data of the terminal device stored in the second network element.

[0176] In some implementations, the application function entity executes S405 to send information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device to the second network element.

[0177] Optionally, the core network equipment may also include an eighth network element, which may include network open functions. The application function entity may provide information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device to the second network element through the eighth network element. For example, the application function entity may provide information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device to the eighth network element through parameter provision signaling. The eighth network element may send the information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device to the second network element through Nudm_ParameterProvision signaling, and return parameter provision response signaling to the application function entity after sending.

[0178] Optionally, the eighth network element may be a network exposure function (NEF) entity, but this application does not limit this.

[0179] S406, the first network element determines the third information based on the sixth information.

[0180] It should be understood that the third information may be the same as the sixth information, or it may be a part of the sixth information, or it may be valid information that can characterize the service characteristics of the terminal equipment after the first network element analyzes and summarizes the sixth information. This application does not make any specific limitations on this.

[0181] In some implementations, the sixth information in S406 can be included in an existing message sent by the second network element to the first network element during the process of the terminal device registering with the network. This can utilize the existing interaction process and reduce the signaling interaction between the first network element and the second network element.

[0182] Optionally, the information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device described in S405 above may be stored in the second network element through the interaction between the application function entity and the second network element before the terminal device registers with the network. In this way, if the first network element obtains the sixth information based on the registration process, it can directly obtain it from the second network element. Alternatively, the information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device described in S405 above may be stored in the second network element through the interaction between the application function entity and the second network element after the terminal device registers with the network. In this case, when the second network element receives the information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device from the application function entity, it can send this information to the second network element to trigger the subsequent processes of this application.

[0183] In one possible scenario, the sixth information may change as the contracted service or payment status of the terminal device changes. If the sixth information is updated, the second network element may send the updated sixth information to the first network element. After receiving the updated sixth information, the first network element may re-execute S406 and subsequent associated steps based on the updated sixth information.

[0184] S407. The first network element determines the first information based on the second information and / or the third information.

[0185] The specific implementation of S407 by the first network element can be similar to the way the core network equipment determines the first information as described above. In this step, the executing subject of determining the first information is the first network element. The meaning of the first information and the process of determining the first information will not be elaborated here.

[0186] S408. The first network element sends first information to the access network device; correspondingly, the access network device receives the first information.

[0187] When the terminal device is in RRC connected state, or when the terminal device is in RRC inactive state and the access network device has downlink data to be transmitted, the access network device can execute S409.

[0188] S409. The access network equipment determines whether the terminal equipment can enter the energy-saving state based on the first information.

[0189] S410, the first network element sends first information to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information.

[0190] When the terminal device is in the RRC inactive state and the terminal device has uplink data to be transmitted, the data connection between the terminal device and the access network device is disconnected, but the connection between the terminal device and the core network device (which can be understood as the first network element in the core network device) still exists, the terminal device can execute S411.

[0191] S411. The terminal device determines whether it can enter the energy-saving state based on the first information.

[0192] Optionally, the first information can be used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device, which may include uplink and downlink service characteristics. Since the terminal device can send uplink service data, it can determine whether it can enter a power-saving state when there is uplink data to be transmitted using information related to the uplink service characteristics. Therefore, in one implementation, the first information sent by the first network element to the terminal device may not include information related to the downlink service characteristics of the terminal device, in order to save the signaling overhead of the first network element.

[0193] In one possible implementation, if the access network device or the terminal device determines that the terminal device can enter the power-saving state and the terminal device has already entered the power-saving state, the access network device can execute S413.

[0194] S413. The access network device sends the eighth information to the first network element. The eighth information is used to indicate that the terminal device has entered the power saving state. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the eighth information.

[0195] Furthermore, the core network equipment may also include a seventh network element, which includes a policy control function. In some implementations, the seventh network element may be a policy control function (PCF) entity, but this application does not specifically limit this.

[0196] S414. The first network element sends the ninth information to the seventh network element based on the eighth information. The ninth information is used to instruct the seventh network element to adjust the control strategy and billing strategy of the terminal equipment. Correspondingly, the seventh network element receives the ninth information.

[0197] S415 and the seventh network element adjust the control and billing strategies of the terminal equipment to the corresponding control and billing strategies under the energy-saving state based on the ninth information.

[0198] In this embodiment, the core network device can provide first information to assist the access network device or terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter a power-saving state. In some implementations, the first information can be used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device, and the first information determined by the first network element based on the sixth information can be information at the terminal device level that can indicate all service characteristics of the terminal device. In this way, the access network device or terminal device can determine under what circumstances (or at what time, at what transmission rate, at what data volume, at what duration, at what type, etc.) the terminal device enters a power-saving state based on these service characteristics. Compared with related technologies, where the access network device or terminal device can only decide whether the terminal enters a power-saving state based on real-time service data (which may include real-time service data volume, real-time service transmission rate, service duration, or service type, etc.), the method provided in this embodiment provides more judgment criteria for the access network device or terminal device, which is beneficial to improving the decision accuracy of the access network device or terminal device, reducing signaling interaction caused by inaccurate decisions, and saving signaling overhead for both parties.

[0199] It is worth noting that, in the case of the registration process based on the terminal device in the above method 400, when the first network element performs the above steps performed by the first network element, the registration process can also be completed through interaction with other devices. This application does not limit the specific registration process.

[0200] Figure 5 illustrates, exemplarily, another communication method 500 provided in an embodiment of this application, including a process by which a first network element determines second information, and a process by which the first network element determines third information in the manner described in the second implementation above.

[0201] In one possible implementation, the core network device further includes a fourth network element, which includes policy control functions. At least one seventh piece of information is determined by each of the at least one third network element based on information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device in the local configuration of the fourth network element, and / or by the application function entity through the information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device provided to each of the at least one third network element by the fourth network element.

[0202] Optionally, the fourth network element can be a policy control function (PCF) entity, but this application does not specifically limit this.

[0203] The embodiment in Figure 5 uses at least one seventh piece of information required for the interactive first network element to determine the third information during the establishment of a protocol data unit (PDU) session as an example. However, it should be understood that this embodiment should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0204] Method 500 may include the following steps:

[0205] S501~S503 correspond similarly to S401~S403 mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0206] S504. The terminal device sends a PDU session establishment request to the first network element; correspondingly, the first network element receives the request.

[0207] In some implementations, the PDU session request can be sent via PDU Session Establishment Request signaling. Optionally, the PDU session establishment request can be initiated by the terminal device itself when there is data to be transmitted between the terminal device and the network, or can be initiated by the terminal device at the instruction of the network; this application does not specifically limit this.

[0208] Optionally, the first network element may also obtain at least one seventh piece of information required to determine the third information from the PDU session modification process. Therefore, in S504, the terminal device may send a PDU session modification request to the first network element. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0209] It should be understood that a single PDU session establishment request can establish one or more PDU sessions, and a PDU session can contain one or more quality of service (QoS) flows. Optionally, the PDU session establishment request may carry the identifiers of one or more PDU sessions, as well as the identifiers of one or more QoS flows corresponding to each PDU session.

[0210] S505, the first network element sends a PDU session context update request to each of the at least one third network element; correspondingly, each of the at least one third network element receives the request.

[0211] In some implementations, PDU session context update requests can be sent via the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Request signaling.

[0212] It should be noted that core network equipment includes multiple third network elements. Here, "at least one third network element" can refer to all third network elements that provide PDU sessions and QoS Flow services to terminal equipment.

[0213] S506, Each of at least one third network element sends a PDU session update request to the fourth network element; correspondingly, the fourth network element receives the request.

[0214] In some implementations, PDU session policy update requests can be sent via the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Update Create Request signaling.

[0215] S507, The fourth network element obtains information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device from the application function entity.

[0216] S508, the fourth network element sends a PDU session policy update response to each of the at least one third network element. The response carries information 3 related to the service characteristics of the terminal device, and information 4 related to the service characteristics of the terminal device in the local configuration of the fourth network element. Correspondingly, each of the at least one third network element receives the response.

[0217] It is worth noting that the fourth network element sends information corresponding to the PDU session and QoS Flow served by each of the at least one third network element to each network element.

[0218] Optionally, the PDU session policy update response and the information it carries can be sent via the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Update Create Response signaling.

[0219] It should also be understood that the information 3 and information 4 related to the service characteristics of the terminal device described in the embodiments of this application may be the same or different, and this application does not make specific limitations in this regard.

[0220] S509. Each of at least one third network element sends a PDU session context update response to the first network element, carrying seventh information, the seventh information including information 3 related to the service characteristics of the terminal device, and / or information 4 related to the service characteristics of the terminal device in the local configuration of the fourth network element; correspondingly, the first network element receives the at least one seventh information from the at least one third network element.

[0221] It should be understood that information 3 related to the service characteristics of the terminal device may include service characteristic information of the terminal device carried on PDU sessions and / or QoS Flows, and information 4 related to the service characteristics of the terminal device may also include service characteristic information of the terminal device carried on PDU sessions and / or QoS Flows.

[0222] Optionally, the PDU session context update response and the information it carries can be sent via the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Response signaling.

[0223] S510, the first network element determines the third information based on at least one seventh piece of information.

[0224] Furthermore, S511 to S519 can correspond to or be similar to S407 to S415 mentioned above, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0225] In this embodiment, the third information is determined based on at least one seventh piece of information from at least one third network element. Furthermore, in some implementations, the third information can be used to determine the first information. Since at least one seventh piece of information includes service characteristic information carried by the terminal device on the PDU session and / or QoS Flow, the first information can also include the terminal device's PDU session and / or QoS... Flow refers to service characteristics at the granular level. This allows access network devices or terminal devices to determine, based on these characteristics, under what conditions (or when, at what transmission rate, with what data volume, duration, or type) the terminal device enters a power-saving state during service transmission. Compared to related technologies where access network devices or terminal devices can only decide whether to enter a power-saving state based on real-time service data (which may include real-time data volume, real-time transmission rate, duration, or type), the method provided in this application provides access network devices or terminal devices with more refined judgment criteria. This improves the accuracy of access network devices or terminal devices' decisions, reduces signaling interactions caused by inaccurate decisions, and saves signaling overhead for both parties.

[0226] Figure 6 illustrates, exemplarily, another communication method 600 provided by the entity of this application, including a process by which a first network element determines second information, and another process by which the first network element determines third information in the second implementation described above.

[0227] In one possible implementation, the core network equipment also includes a fifth network element, which includes user plane functions, and at least one seventh piece of information is provided by the fifth network element to at least one third network element.

[0228] Optionally, the fifth network element can be a user plane function (UPF), but this application does not specifically limit this.

[0229] The embodiment in Figure 6 is also described as an example of determining at least one seventh piece of information required by the first network element to determine the third information during the PDU session establishment process. However, it should be understood that this embodiment should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0230] Method 600 may include the following steps:

[0231] S601~S603 can be similar to S401~S403, and will not be elaborated here.

[0232] S604. The terminal device sends a PDU session establishment request to the first network element; correspondingly, the first network element receives the request. This step is similar to S504 above, and will not be explained again here.

[0233] S605, First network element determination indication information 1, including target PDU session identifier and / or target QoS Flow identifier, used to instruct each of at least one third network element to perform traffic monitoring on the target PDU session, and / or to perform traffic monitoring on the target QoS Flow.

[0234] Optionally, the target PDU session may include a portion of the PDU session of the service corresponding to the PDU session to be established by the terminal device, and the QoS Flow may also include a portion of the QoS Flow of the service corresponding to the PDU session to be established by the terminal device. This can reduce the monitoring pressure on the subsequent fifth network element and help save the energy consumption of the fifth network element.

[0235] In one possible implementation, after determining the second information, the first network element can determine whether the terminal device has energy-saving capability based on the second information. If it receives a PDU session establishment request from the terminal device and determines that the terminal device has energy-saving capability, it executes S605. Otherwise, the first network element can send the first information to the access network device or the terminal device. In this case, the first information is used to indicate that the terminal device is not allowed to enter the energy-saving state. The first network element executes S605 and subsequent steps to obtain the third information only if it determines that the terminal device has energy-saving capability. This helps to reduce unnecessary signaling interactions between the first network element and other network elements to obtain the third information when the terminal device does not have energy-saving capability, thus saving energy for each network element on the core network side. Furthermore, it also helps to reduce the amount of information in the first information and save the first information bits.

[0236] In one possible implementation, method 600 may further include: the second network element sending an information update notification to the first network element, and the first network element executing S605 upon receiving the information update notification. Optionally, the information update notification may refer to an update of the sixth information determined by the second network element as described in method 400 above, or further, it may refer to an update of information 1 related to the service characteristics of the terminal device received by the second network element from the application function entity. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0237] S606, the first network element sends a PDU session context update request to each of the at least one third network element, the request containing indication information 1; correspondingly, each of the at least one third network element receives the indication information 1.

[0238] S607. Each of at least one third network element sends an N4 session establishment request to the fifth network element, the request containing indication information 1; correspondingly, the fifth network element receives the indication information 1.

[0239] N4 can refer to a control channel or interface protocol between a third network element and a fifth network element. The N4 session establishment request can be sent via N4Session Establishment Request signaling.

[0240] S608. Perform traffic monitoring on the target PDU session and / or the target QoS Flow to obtain at least one seventh piece of information corresponding to at least one third network element. Each seventh piece of information includes a traffic monitoring result corresponding to the target PDU session served by a third network element, and / or a traffic monitoring result corresponding to the target QoS Flow.

[0241] Optionally, the traffic monitoring results corresponding to the target PDU session / target QoS Flow may include information such as the service model and transmission duration corresponding to the target PDU session, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0242] S609. The fifth network element reports the N4 session to at least one third network element, including the seventh information corresponding to each network element; correspondingly, each of the at least one third network element receives the information.

[0243] S610, each of at least one third network element sends a PDU session context update request response to the first network element, carrying at least one seventh piece of information; correspondingly, the first network element receives at least one seventh piece of information.

[0244] S611, the first network element determines the third information based on at least one seventh piece of information.

[0245] Furthermore, S612 to S620 can correspond to or be similar to S407 to S415 mentioned above, and will not be described again here.

[0246] In this embodiment, the traffic monitoring performed by the fifth network element on the target PDU session / target QoS Flow is a real-time monitoring of the target PDU session / target QoS Flow. The first network element can calculate or predict the service characteristic information of all PDU sessions / QoS Flows of the terminal device based on the seventh information containing the traffic monitoring results corresponding to the target PDU session. This information is included in the first information to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device, serving as the basis for the access network device or the terminal device to determine whether the terminal device can enter the energy-saving state. This is beneficial to improving the decision accuracy of the access network device or the terminal device, reducing signaling interaction caused by inaccurate decisions, and saving signaling overhead for both parties.

[0247] Figure 7 exemplarily illustrates another communication method 700 provided by the entity of this application, including a process in which a first network element determines second information, and another process in which the first network element determines third information in the second implementation described above. The embodiment in Figure 7 is still described using at least one seventh piece of information required for the interactive first network element to determine the third information during the PDU session establishment process as an example; however, it should be understood that this embodiment should not be construed as limiting the scope of this application.

[0248] Method 700 includes the following steps:

[0249] S701 to S705 are similar to S501 to S505, and will not be described again here.

[0250] S706, Each of at least one third network element obtains the subscription information of the terminal device from the second network element.

[0251] S707. Each network element in at least one third network element interacts based on the subscription information obtained from the second network element to determine indication information 2. Indication information 2 includes a specified PDU session identifier and / or a specified QoS Flow identifier. Indication information 2 is used to instruct each network element in at least one third network element to perform traffic monitoring on the specified PDU session and / or to perform traffic monitoring on the specified QoS Flow.

[0252] S708. Each of at least one third network element sends an N4 session establishment request to the fifth network element, the request containing indication information 2; correspondingly, the fifth network element receives the indication information 2.

[0253] S709. The fifth network element performs traffic monitoring on a specified PDU session and / or a specified QoS Flow, and obtains at least one seventh piece of information corresponding to at least one third network element. Each seventh piece of information includes a traffic monitoring result corresponding to a specified PDU session served by a third network element, and / or a traffic monitoring result corresponding to a specified QoS Flow.

[0254] S710 to S712 are similar to S609 to S620 in method 600, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0255] It can be seen that the main difference between method 700 and method 600 is that the network element sending the instruction information to the fifth network element is different. The target PDU session in method 600 and the specified PDU session in method 700 can be the same or different. The target QoS Flow in method 600 and the specified QoS Flow in method 700 can also be the same or different. This application does not make specific limitations in this regard. However, the beneficial effects of method 600 and method 700 are similar, and for the sake of brevity, they will not be described again.

[0256] In the embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 7 above, the completed PDU session establishment process is not shown. However, it should be understood that, based on the steps shown in the above embodiments, the terminal device can still complete the PDU session establishment process through interaction with the access network device and the core network device. The specific steps can be referred to the relevant technologies, and will not be repeated here.

[0257] Figure 8 illustrates, exemplarily, another communication method 800 provided in an embodiment of this application, including a process by which a first network element determines second information, and a process by which the first network element determines third information in the manner described in the third implementation above.

[0258] Method 800 includes the following steps:

[0259] S801~S803 are similar to S401~S403 mentioned above, and will not be described again here.

[0260] S804, the first network element subscribes to the third information from the sixth network element.

[0261] In one possible implementation, the first network element determines whether the terminal device has energy-saving capability based on the second information determined in S801 to S803. If the terminal device is determined to have energy-saving capability, the first network element executes S804.

[0262] S805 and the sixth network element obtain third information by statistically predicting based on big data related to the terminal equipment. The third information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal equipment.

[0263] It should be understood that the sixth network element can possess artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. The sixth network element can use AI to perform communication analysis and / or communication prediction on the communication big data related to terminal devices recorded at the sixth network element to obtain third information.

[0264] S806, the sixth network element sends the third information to the first network element.

[0265] In some implementations, the sixth network element may send third information to the first network element when a preset time interval is reached or when the amount of big data related to communication with the terminal device at the sixth network element reaches a preset threshold. This application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0266] Furthermore, S807~S815 and S407~S415 can be similar to each other, and will not be described again here.

[0267] In this embodiment, the network data analysis function of the sixth network element is used to provide third information to the first network element without the need for other network elements in the core network. This is more convenient and faster, and helps to improve the speed at which the first network element obtains third information. For the whole solution, while providing a basis for judgment for access network devices or terminal devices and improving the decision-making accuracy of access network devices or terminal devices, it also helps to improve efficiency.

[0268] Based on the embodiments in Figures 3 to 8 above, each method further includes: the access network device receiving tenth information and eleventh information from the terminal device, wherein the tenth information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has energy-saving capability, and the eleventh information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device; the method described in Figures 3 to 8 above for determining whether the terminal device can enter the energy-saving state based on the first information may include: determining whether the terminal device can enter the energy-saving state based on one or more of the first information, the tenth information, and the eleventh information.

[0269] In this way, access network equipment can determine whether a terminal device can enter energy-saving mode based on one or more pieces of information from core network equipment and terminal equipment. This helps to further improve the accuracy of the access network equipment in making this judgment, reduces signaling interaction caused by inaccurate decisions, and saves signaling overhead for both parties.

[0270] The methods provided in the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to several accompanying drawings. The apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0271] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the core network equipment, access network equipment, and terminal equipment may all include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to perform each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0272] Figures 9 and 10 are schematic block diagrams of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of terminal devices or network devices in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0273] Figure 9 illustrates an exemplary communication device 900. As shown in Figure 9, the communication device 900 includes a transceiver unit 901 and a processing unit 902.

[0274] In a first possible implementation, the communication device 900 is used to implement the functions of the core network equipment in the method embodiments of Figures 3 to 8.

[0275] The processing unit 902 is used to determine the first information, which is used to assist the access network device or the terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the power-saving state; the transceiver unit 901 is used to send the first information.

[0276] Optionally, the transceiver unit 901 is further configured to send first information to the access network device, the first information being used to assist the access network device in determining whether the terminal device can enter an energy-saving state; and / or to send first information to the terminal device, the first information being used to assist the terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter an energy-saving state.

[0277] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is further configured to determine the first information based on the second information, wherein the second information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has energy-saving capability, and the first information is used to assist the access network device or the terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the energy-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the core network device allows the terminal device to enter the energy-saving state; or, determine the first information based on the third information, wherein the third information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device, and the first information is used to assist the access network device or the terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the energy-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the core network device allows the terminal device to enter the energy-saving state, and / or, the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device; or, determine the first information based on the second information and the third information, wherein the first information is used to assist the access network device or the terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the energy-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the core network device allows the terminal device to enter the energy-saving state, and / or, the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device.

[0278] Optionally, the core network equipment includes a first network element and a second network element. The first network element includes access and mobility management functions, and the second network element includes unified data management functions. The processing unit 902 is further specifically used to: determine the second information based on one or more of the fourth information, the fifth information, or the local configuration of the first network element; wherein the fourth information comes from the terminal device and is used to instruct the terminal device to support energy-saving mode or the terminal device to request to use energy-saving mode; the fifth information is obtained by the first network element from the second network element and is used to instruct the terminal device to support energy-saving mode or the terminal device to enter energy-saving mode.

[0279] Optionally, the core network equipment includes a first network element and a second network element. The first network element includes access and mobility management functions, and the second network element includes unified data management functions. The processing unit 902 is further specifically used to: determine third information based on sixth information. The sixth information comes from the second network element. The sixth information includes information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device in the local configuration of the second network element, and / or includes information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device received by the second network element from the application function entity.

[0280] Optionally, the core network equipment includes a first network element and at least one third network element. The first network element includes access and mobility management functions, and each of the at least one third network element includes session management functions. The processing unit 902 is further specifically configured to: determine third information based on at least one seventh piece of information, wherein the at least one seventh piece of information comes from at least one third network element, and the at least one seventh piece of information includes service characteristic information carried on a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session and / or Quality of Service (QoS) Flow, wherein the PDU session and / or QoS Flow is served by the third network element.

[0281] Optionally, the core network equipment further includes a fourth network element, which includes policy control functions. At least one seventh piece of information is determined by each of the at least one third network element based on information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device in the local configuration of the fourth network element, and / or by the application function entity through the information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device provided to each of the at least one third network element by the fourth network element.

[0282] Optionally, the core network equipment also includes a fifth network element, which includes user plane functions, and at least one seventh piece of information is provided by the fifth network element to at least one third network element.

[0283] Optionally, the core network equipment includes a first network element and a sixth network element. The first network element includes access and mobility management functions, and the sixth network element includes network data analysis functions. The transceiver unit 901 is also specifically used to: obtain third information from the sixth network element, wherein the third information at the sixth network element is obtained by statistical prediction from the sixth network element.

[0284] Optionally, the third information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device. The third information includes: the arrival time of periodic service data streams in the uplink service, the peak transmission rate of periodic service data streams in the uplink service, the transmission period of periodic service data streams in the uplink service, and the periodic jitter information of periodic service data streams in the uplink service; the arrival time of data streams for bursty uplink services, the peak transmission rate of data streams for bursty uplink services, the duration of data streams for bursty uplink services, and the end time of data streams for bursty uplink services; and / or, the start time of periodic service data streams in the downlink service, the peak transmission rate of data streams for periodic downlink services, the transmission period of periodic service data streams in the downlink service, and the periodic jitter information of periodic service data streams in the downlink service; the arrival time of data streams for bursty downlink services, the peak transmission rate of data streams for bursty downlink services, the duration of data streams for bursty downlink services, and the end time of data streams for bursty downlink services.

[0285] Optionally, the core network equipment includes a first network element and a seventh network element. The first network element includes access and mobility management functions, and the seventh network element includes policy control functions. The transceiver unit 901 is further specifically used for: the first network element receiving eighth information from the access network equipment, the eighth information being used to indicate that the terminal equipment has entered a power-saving state; and sending ninth information to the seventh network element based on the eighth information, the ninth information being used to instruct the seventh network element to adjust the control policy and charging policy of the terminal equipment.

[0286] In a second possible implementation, the communication device 900 is used to implement the functions of the access network device in the method embodiments of Figures 3 to 8.

[0287] The transceiver unit 901 is used to receive first information from the core network equipment, and the first information is used to assist the access network equipment in determining whether the terminal equipment can enter the power-saving state; the processing unit 902 is used to determine whether the terminal equipment can enter the power-saving state based on the first information.

[0288] Optionally, the first information is determined by the core network equipment based on the second information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal equipment has energy-saving capability; the first information is used to assist the access network equipment in determining whether the terminal equipment can enter the energy-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the terminal equipment is allowed to enter the energy-saving state; or, the first information is determined by the core network equipment based on the third information, which is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal equipment; the first information is used to assist the access network equipment in determining whether the terminal equipment can enter the energy-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the terminal equipment is allowed to enter the energy-saving state, and / or, the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal equipment; or, the first information is determined by the core network equipment based on the second and third information; the first information is used to assist the access network equipment in determining whether the terminal equipment can enter the energy-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the terminal equipment is allowed to enter the energy-saving state, and / or, the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal equipment.

[0289] Optionally, the third information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device. The third information includes the amount of service data, the trend of changes in the amount of service data, the duration of the service, and the type of service. The specific content of the third information here can be similar to the description of the third information in the first possible implementation of the communication device 900, and will not be repeated here.

[0290] Optionally, the transceiver unit 901 is further configured to receive tenth information and eleventh information from the terminal device, wherein the tenth information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has energy-saving capability and the eleventh information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device; the processing unit 902 is further configured to determine whether the terminal device can enter energy-saving mode based on one or more of the first information, the tenth information, and the eleventh information.

[0291] Optionally, the transceiver unit 901 is also configured to send an eighth message when the terminal device enters an energy-saving state, the eighth message being used to indicate that the terminal device has entered an energy-saving state.

[0292] In a third possible implementation, the communication device 900 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiments of Figures 3 to 8.

[0293] The transceiver unit 901 is used to receive first information from the core network equipment, and the first information is used to assist the terminal equipment in determining whether the terminal equipment can enter the power-saving state; the processing unit 902 is used to determine whether the terminal equipment can enter the power-saving state based on the first information.

[0294] Optionally, the first information is determined by the core network equipment based on the second information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal equipment has energy-saving capability; the first information is used to assist the access network equipment in determining whether the terminal equipment can enter the energy-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the terminal equipment is allowed to enter the energy-saving state; or, the first information is determined by the core network equipment based on the third information, which is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal equipment; the first information is used to assist the access network equipment in determining whether the terminal equipment can enter the energy-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the terminal equipment is allowed to enter the energy-saving state, and / or, the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal equipment; or, the first information is determined by the core network equipment based on the second and third information; the first information is used to assist the access network equipment in determining whether the terminal equipment can enter the energy-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the terminal equipment is allowed to enter the energy-saving state, and / or, the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal equipment.

[0295] Optionally, the third information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device. The third information includes the amount of service data, the trend of changes in the amount of service data, the duration of the service, and the type of service. The specific content of the third information here can be similar to the description of the third information in the first possible implementation of the communication device 900, and will not be repeated here.

[0296] Optionally, the transceiver unit 901 is also used to send tenth information and eleventh information to the access network equipment. The tenth information is used to indicate whether the terminal equipment has energy-saving capability, and the eleventh information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal equipment.

[0297] It is understood that the division of units in the above-described device is merely a logical functional division. Each function can correspond to a functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or some units can be integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be distributed across different physical entities. Furthermore, the aforementioned functional units can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. 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.

[0298] Figure 10 is another schematic block diagram of the communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 10, the communication device 1000 includes one or more processors 1010. The processor 1010 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, etc. For example, it can be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the device (e.g., a vehicle or a chip), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0299] Optionally, in one design, the processor 1010 may include a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that can be run on the processor 1010, causing the communication device 1000 to perform the methods executed by the core network device, access network device, and terminal device in the above method embodiments. In yet another possible design, the communication device 1000 includes circuitry (not shown in FIG10) for implementing the functions of the core network device, access network device, and terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0300] For example, the processor 1010 can be used to execute a computer program in memory to implement the steps performed by the core network device, access network device, and terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0301] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may include one or more memories 1020 storing computer programs (sometimes referred to as code or instructions) that can be run on the processor 1010, causing the communication device 1000 to perform the methods executed by the core network device, access network device, and terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0302] Optionally, the processor 1010 and / or memory 1020 may also store data. The processor and memory may be configured separately or integrated together.

[0303] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a communication interface 1030. The processor 1010, sometimes referred to as a processing unit, controls the device (e.g., core network equipment, access network equipment, and terminal equipment). The communication interface 1030, sometimes referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, is used to implement the device's transceiver functions; for example, the communication interface 1030 can be used to receive first configuration information.

[0304] Optionally, the processor 1010 and the communication interface 1030 may be coupled to each other. It is understood that the communication interface 1030 may be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0305] When the communication device 1000 is used to implement the method embodiments described above, the processor 1010 can be used to execute the functions of the processing unit 902, and the communication interface 1030 can be used to execute the functions of the transceiver unit 901. Whether the communication interface 1030 is used for sending or receiving depends on whether the communication device 1000 is used to perform a sending or receiving action in the scheme it executes.

[0306] When the communication device 1000 is a chip applied to a terminal device, the chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiment; when the communication device 1000 is a chip applied to an access network device, the chip implements the functions of the access network device in the above method embodiment; when the communication device 1000 is a chip applied to a core network device, the chip implements the functions of the core network device in the above method embodiment.

[0307] It is understood that when the communication device 1000 is a core network device, access network device, or terminal device, the communication interface 1030 can be a transceiver, specifically including a transmitter and a receiver, with the transmitter used to send signals and the receiver used to receive signals. When the communication device 1000 is a chip applied to core network devices, access network devices, or terminal devices, the communication interface 1030 can be an input / output circuit, wherein the input circuit can be used for receiving and the output interface can be used for sending.

[0308] Optionally, the communication device 1000 also includes a power supply circuit for supplying power to the communication device 1000.

[0309] The above-described method embodiments can be applied to or implemented by a processor. The processor may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. Optionally, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0310] The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can reside in mature storage media in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0311] The memory in the embodiments 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 read-only memory (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 random access memory (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 used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0312] This application also provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions of the core network device, access network device and terminal device involved in any of the above method embodiments, such as sending, receiving or processing the information involved in the above methods.

[0313] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing computer program instructions and data, which may be located inside or outside the processor.

[0314] The chip system can consist of chips or include chips and other discrete components.

[0315] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), and when the computer program is run, the method provided in the embodiments of this application is executed.

[0316] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is run, the methods provided in the embodiments of this application are executed.

[0317] This application also provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned terminal equipment, access network equipment, and core network equipment.

[0318] The methods provided in the above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, they can be implemented, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. This computer program product may include one or more computer instructions. When these computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic disk), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0319] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0320] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0321] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0322] The unit described as a separate component may or may not be physically separate. The component shown as a unit may or may not be a physical unit; that is, it may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0323] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0324] If this function is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, or part of it, 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.) 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, random access memory, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0325] 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 relationships.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to core network equipment, the method includes: First information is determined, which is used to assist access network devices or terminal devices in determining whether the terminal device can enter an energy-saving state. Send the first message.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Sending the first information includes: Send the first information to the access network device. The first information is used to assist the access network device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the power-saving state. And / or, The first information is sent to the terminal device, and the first information is used to assist the terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the power-saving state.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The determination of the first information includes: The first information is determined based on the second information, wherein the second information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has the capability of an energy-saving state. The first information is used to assist access network devices or terminal devices in determining whether a terminal device can enter an energy-saving state. Specifically, the first information is used to indicate whether the core network device allows the terminal device to enter an energy-saving state. or, The first information is determined based on the third information, wherein the third information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device. The first information is used to assist access network devices or terminal devices in determining whether a terminal device can enter an energy-saving state. Specifically, the first information is used to indicate whether the core network device allows the terminal device to enter an energy-saving state, and / or, the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device. or, The first information is determined based on the second and third information. The first information is used to assist the access network device or terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the power-saving state. Specifically, the first information is used to indicate whether the core network device allows the terminal device to enter the power-saving state, and / or, the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The core network equipment includes a first network element and a second network element. The first network element includes access and mobility management functions, and the second network element includes unified data management functions. The method further includes: The first network element determines the second information based on one or more of the fourth information, the fifth information, or the local configuration of the first network element; The fourth information comes from the terminal device and is used to indicate that the terminal device supports energy-saving mode or that the terminal device requests to use energy-saving mode; the fifth information is obtained by the first network element from the second network element and is used to indicate that the terminal device supports energy-saving mode or that the terminal device can enter energy-saving mode.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The core network equipment includes a first network element and a second network element. The first network element includes access and mobility management functions, and the second network element includes unified data management functions. The method further includes: The first network element determines the third information based on the sixth information, which comes from the second network element. The sixth information includes information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device in the local configuration of the second network element, and / or includes information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device received by the second network element from the application function entity.

6. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The core network equipment includes a first network element and at least one third network element. The first network element includes access and mobility management functions, and each of the at least one third network element includes session management functions. The method further includes: The first network element determines the third information based on at least one seventh piece of information, wherein at least one seventh piece of information comes from at least one third network element, and the at least one seventh piece of information includes service characteristic information carried on a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session and / or a Quality of Service (QoS) Flow, wherein the PDU session and / or the QoS Flow is served by at least one third network element.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The core network equipment further includes a fourth network element, which includes a policy control function. At least one of the seventh pieces of information is determined by each of the at least one of the third network elements based on information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device in the local configuration of the fourth network element, and / or by the application function entity through the information related to the service characteristics of the terminal device provided to each of the at least one of the third network elements by the fourth network element.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The core network equipment also includes a fifth network element, which includes user plane functions, and at least one of the seventh pieces of information is provided by the fifth network element to at least one of the third network elements.

9. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The core network equipment includes a first network element and a sixth network element. The first network element includes access and mobility management functions, and the sixth network element includes network data analysis functions. The method further includes: The first network element obtains the third information from the sixth network element, and the third information at the sixth network element is obtained by statistical prediction from the sixth network element.

10. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 9, characterized in that, The third information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device, and the third information includes: One or more of the following: arrival time of periodic service data streams in uplink services, flow rate of periodic service data streams in uplink services, peak transmission rate of periodic service data streams in uplink services, transmission period of periodic service data streams in uplink services, and periodic jitter information of periodic service data streams in uplink services; arrival time of burst service data streams in uplink services, flow rate of burst service data streams in uplink services, peak transmission rate of burst service data streams in uplink services, duration of burst service data streams in uplink services, and end time of burst service data streams in uplink services. And / or, The following are considered as one or more of the following: start time of periodic service data stream in downlink service, flow rate of periodic service data stream in downlink service, peak transmission rate of periodic service data stream in downlink service, transmission period of periodic service data stream in downlink service, and periodic jitter information of periodic service data stream in downlink service; arrival time of burst service data stream in downlink service, flow rate of burst service data stream in downlink service, peak transmission rate of burst service data stream in downlink service, duration of burst service data stream in downlink service, and end time of burst service data stream in downlink service.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The core network equipment includes a first network element and a seventh network element. The first network element includes access and mobility management functions, and the seventh network element includes policy control functions. The method further includes: The first network element receives eighth information from the access network device, the eighth information being used to indicate that the terminal device has entered a power-saving state; The first network element sends the ninth information to the seventh network element based on the eighth information. The ninth information is used to instruct the seventh network element to adjust the control strategy and billing strategy of the terminal equipment.

12. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to access network equipment, the method includes: The access network device receives first information from the core network device, which is used to assist the access network device in determining whether the terminal device can enter a power-saving state. Based on the first information, it is determined whether the terminal device can enter an energy-saving state.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The first information is determined by the core network device based on the second information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device has energy-saving capability; the first information is used to assist the access network device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the energy-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to enter the energy-saving state; or, The first information is determined by the core network device based on the third information, which is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device; the first information is used to assist the access network device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the power-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to enter the power-saving state, and / or, the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device; or, The first information is determined by the core network device based on the second and third information; the first information is used to assist the access network device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the power-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to enter the power-saving state, and / or, the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The third information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device, and the third information includes: One or more of the following: arrival time of periodic service data streams in uplink services, flow rate of periodic service data streams in uplink services, peak transmission rate of periodic service data streams in uplink services, transmission period of periodic service data streams in uplink services, and periodic jitter information of periodic service data streams in uplink services; arrival time of burst service data streams in uplink services, flow rate of burst service data streams in uplink services, peak transmission rate of burst service data streams in uplink services, duration of burst service data streams in uplink services, and end time of burst service data streams in uplink services. And / or, The following are considered as one or more of the following: start time of periodic service data stream in downlink service, flow rate of periodic service data stream in downlink service, peak transmission rate of periodic service data stream in downlink service, transmission period of periodic service data stream in downlink service, and periodic jitter information of periodic service data stream in downlink service; arrival time of burst service data stream in downlink service, flow rate of burst service data stream in downlink service, peak transmission rate of burst service data stream in downlink service, duration of burst service data stream in downlink service, and end time of burst service data stream in downlink service.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive tenth and eleventh information from the terminal device, wherein the tenth information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has energy-saving capability, and the eleventh information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device; The step of determining whether the terminal device can enter power-saving mode based on the first information includes: Based on one or more of the first information, the tenth information, and the eleventh information, it is determined whether the terminal device can enter an energy-saving state.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the terminal device enters power-saving mode, an eighth message is sent, which indicates that the terminal device has entered power-saving mode.

17. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a terminal device, the method includes: The terminal device receives first information from the core network equipment, which is used to assist the terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter an energy-saving state. Based on the first information, it is determined whether the terminal device can enter an energy-saving state.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The first information is determined by the core network device based on the second information, which is used to indicate whether the terminal device has energy-saving capability; the first information is used to assist the terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the energy-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to enter the energy-saving state; or, The first information is determined by the core network device based on the third information, which is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device; the first information is used to assist the terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the power-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to enter the power-saving state, and / or, the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device; or, The first information is determined by the core network device based on the second and third information; the first information is used to assist the terminal device in determining whether the terminal device can enter the power-saving state, specifically: the first information is used to indicate whether the terminal device is allowed to enter the power-saving state, and / or, the first information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The third information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device, and the third information includes: One or more of the following: arrival time of periodic service data streams in uplink services, flow rate of periodic service data streams in uplink services, peak transmission rate of periodic service data streams in uplink services, transmission period of periodic service data streams in uplink services, and periodic jitter information of periodic service data streams in uplink services; arrival time of burst service data streams in uplink services, flow rate of burst service data streams in uplink services, peak transmission rate of burst service data streams in uplink services, duration of burst service data streams in uplink services, and end time of burst service data streams in uplink services. And / or, The following are considered as one or more of the following: start time of periodic service data stream in downlink service, flow rate of periodic service data stream in downlink service, peak transmission rate of periodic service data stream in downlink service, transmission period of periodic service data stream in downlink service, and periodic jitter information of periodic service data stream in downlink service; arrival time of burst service data stream in downlink service, flow rate of burst service data stream in downlink service, peak transmission rate of burst service data stream in downlink service, duration of burst service data stream in downlink service, and end time of burst service data stream in downlink service.

20. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send tenth and eleventh information to the access network device. The tenth information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has energy-saving capability, and the eleventh information is used to indicate the service characteristics of the terminal device.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a processor coupled to a memory for storing a computer program, the processor executing the computer program stored in the memory to cause the communication device to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11; or to cause the communication device to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 16; or to cause the communication device to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 20.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a processor and a communication interface, the processor being configured to control the communication interface to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11; or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 16; or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 17 to 20.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer stores instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11; or cause the computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 16; or cause the computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 20.

24. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes: a computer program that, when run, causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11; or causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 16; or causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 17 to 20.

25. A chip system, characterized in that, The chip system is applied to an electronic device, the chip system including one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to invoke computer instructions to cause the electronic device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11; or to cause the electronic device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 16; or to cause the electronic device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 17 to 20.

26. A communication system, characterized in that, It includes core network equipment, access network equipment, and terminal equipment, wherein the core network equipment is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 11, the access network equipment is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 16, and the terminal equipment is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 17 to 20.

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