Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, which are applied to the technical field of communications. The method comprises: a first access network device acquiring first information, the first information being used for determining a priority of a first Quality of Service (QoS) flow among at least two QoS flows in a first multimodal service to which the first QoS flow belongs. The first access network device performing joint admission control on the at least two QoS flows according to the priority. The method allows for differentiated admission control to be performed on at least two QoS flows belonging to one multimodal service. In this way, when a portion of the at least two QoS flows are rejected or released, another QoS flow among the at least two QOS flows may be authorized or reserved, allowing a communication system in which a first access network device is located to continue providing the multimodal service for a terminal.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510054132.0, filed on January 13, 2025, entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0004] Multimodal services may include several interconnected service flows. These service flows may transmit (or include) multiple types of data (e.g., at least two of audio, video, location, or haptic data).

[0005] Multimodal service flows can be mapped to multiple Quality of Service (QoS) flows, which can be understood as QoS flows belonging to the same multimodal service. How to manage multiple QoS flows belonging to the same multimodal service requires further research. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and apparatus for managing multiple QoS streams belonging to the same multimodal service.

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

[0008] The method may include: a first access network device acquiring first information, the first information being used to determine the priority of a first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows in its respective first multimodal service; and the first access network device performing joint admission control on the at least two QoS flows based on the priority.

[0009] Optionally, the first information is used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows in its belonging first multimodal service, and can be understood as any of the following: the first information can be used to determine the relative priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows; the first information is used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows, wherein the at least two QoS flows belong to the first multimodal service and include the first QoS flow; or, the first information is used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow among the associated at least two QoS flows.

[0010] Optionally, the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows can be understood as: the importance or importance level of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. Correspondingly, the first information used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows can be understood as: the first information used to determine the importance or importance level of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows, for example, the first information used to determine whether the first QoS flow is important among the at least two QoS flows. For example, the first QoS flow being important among at least two QoS flows can be understood as at least one of the following: in the event of a first QoS flow access failure, rejection, or release, the first multimodal service cannot operate; or, in the event of a first QoS flow access failure, rejection, or release, each of the at least two QoS flows cannot operate. The first QoS flow being unimportant among at least two QoS flows can be understood as at least one of the following: in the event of a first QoS flow access failure, rejection, or release, the first multimodal service can operate; or, in the event of a first QoS flow access failure, rejection, or release, there may be an operable QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows.

[0011] Using this method, the first access network device can determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows in its respective first multimodal service, and perform joint admission control on the at least two QoS flows according to the priority, thereby enabling differentiated admission control for at least two QoS flows belonging to a multimodal service. Thus, when some QoS flows in the at least two QoS flows are denied or released, the other QoS flows in the at least two QoS flows may be authorized or reserved, and the communication system to which the first access network device resides can still provide the multimodal service to the terminal.

[0012] In one possible design, the first information includes the multi-modal service ID (MMSID) of the first multi-modal service. Thus, upon receiving the first information, the first access network device can determine the first multi-modal service based on its MMSID, thereby determining the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows within the first multi-modal service.

[0013] In one possible design, the first information includes information indicating the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows (hereinafter referred to as information #1). In some examples, information #1 may explicitly indicate the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows. For example, information #1 may include the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows. In other examples, information #1 may implicitly indicate the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows. For example, information #1 may be information that corresponds to the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows (hereinafter referred to as the first correspondence).

[0014] Optionally, as mentioned above, the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows can be understood as the importance or importance level of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. In this case, the first information includes information indicating the importance of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. For example, when the first information includes a first identifier, the first QoS flow is an important QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows; and / or, when the first information does not include a first identifier, the first QoS flow is an unimportant QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. The first identifier may have other names, such as a critical indicator, etc., without limitation.

[0015] With this design, the first information can accurately indicate the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows.

[0016] In one possible design, the first access network device performs joint admission control on at least two QoS flows based on priority, including: the first access network device performs access control on at least two QoS flows according to priority. Optionally, this access control can be access control during initial access or access control during handover. Through this design, the first access network device can perform access control on at least two QoS flows according to their priority within the at least two QoS flows, thereby enabling differentiated access control for at least two QoS flows belonging to a multimodal service. Thus, when some QoS flows are denied access, the other QoS flows may be authorized, and the communication system to which the first access network device resides can still provide the multimodal service to the terminal.

[0017] Optionally, as mentioned above, the priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows can be understood as the importance or importance level of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. In this case, the first access network device performing access control on the at least two QoS flows according to the priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows can be understood as the first access network device performing access control on the at least two QoS flows according to the importance of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. For example, when the first access network device can meet the QoS requirements of all important QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows, the first access network device may allow all important QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows to access. As another example, when the first access network device cannot meet the QoS requirements of all important QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows, the first access network device may allow some important QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows to access, wherein these important QoS flows may be randomly selected from all important QoS flows. For example, if the first access network device cannot meet the QoS requirements of any important QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows, the first access network device will refuse access to all QoS flows in the at least two QoS flows; in other words, if the first access network device cannot meet the QoS requirements of any important QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows, then each QoS flow in the at least two QoS flows will not be able to access.

[0018] In one possible design, the first access network device performs access control on at least two QoS flows according to priority. This includes: the first access network device sequentially performs access control on the at least two QoS flows in descending order of priority of each QoS flow within the at least two QoS flows. With this design, the first access network device can first perform access control on the higher-priority QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows. Thus, the higher-priority QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows can be authorized (or allowed to access), while the lower-priority QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows may be denied access. The communication system to which the first access network device resides can still provide the multimodal service to the terminal.

[0019] In one possible design, the first access network device performs joint admission control on at least two QoS flows based on priority, including: the first access network device rejects or releases one or more QoS flows from the at least two QoS flows according to priority. Optionally, rejection can be replaced by not accepting. With this design, the first access network device can reject or release lower-priority QoS flows according to the priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows, thereby enabling differentiated rejection or release operations for at least two QoS flows belonging to a multimodal service. Thus, when some QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows can be rejected or released, other QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows may not be rejected or released, and the communication system to which the first access network device resides can still provide the multimodal service to the terminal.

[0020] Optionally, as mentioned above, the priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows can be understood as the importance or importance level of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. In this case, the first access network device rejecting or releasing one or more QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows according to the priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows can be understood as the first access network device rejecting or releasing one or more QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows according to the importance or importance level of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. For example, when the first access network device can meet the QoS requirements of all important QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows, the first access network device may not reject or release all important QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows. As another example, when the first access network device cannot meet the QoS requirements of all important QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows, the first access network device may not reject or release all important QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows. Here, the important QoS flows may be randomly selected from all important QoS flows. For example, when the first access network device is unable to meet the QoS requirements of any important QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows, the first access network device rejects or releases all QoS flows in the at least two QoS flows; in other words, when the first access network device is unable to meet the QoS requirements of any important QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows, each QoS flow in the at least two QoS flows is rejected or released.

[0021] In one possible design, one or more QoS flows are the lowest priority QoS flows among at least two QoS flows. Optionally, having one or more QoS flows be the lowest priority QoS flows among at least two QoS flows can be understood as follows: the first access network device can reject or release one or more QoS flows from at least two QoS flows in ascending order of priority of each QoS flow within the at least two QoS flows. With this design, the first access network device can reject or release the low-priority QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows, while the high-priority QoS flows may not be rejected or released, and the communication system to which the first access network device resides can still provide the multimodal service to the terminal.

[0022] In one possible design, the first access network device performs joint admission control on at least two QoS flows based on priority, including: establishing or modifying at least one QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows; a terminal switching from a second access network device to the first access network device; or the first access network device not meeting the QoS requirements of at least one QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. This design provides multiple possible application scenarios for "the first access network device performing joint admission control on at least two QoS flows based on priority" and is easy to implement. Furthermore, in this design, the first access network device can perform joint admission control on at least two QoS flows as needed under at least one of the aforementioned conditions.

[0023] In one possible design, the first access network device acquires the first information by receiving first information from a session management function (SMU) network element. With this design, the first access network device can acquire the first information from the SMU network element, thereby accurately determining the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows based on the first information.

[0024] In one possible design, the first access network device acquires the first information by: the first access network device receiving at least one data packet from the first device, each of the at least one data packet including the first information, and the at least one data packet being carried by a first QoS flow.

[0025] Optionally, the first device is a user plane network element, and at least one data packet is a downlink data packet from the user plane network element; or, the first device is a terminal, and at least one data packet is an uplink data packet from the terminal.

[0026] With this design, the first access network device can obtain first information from the data packets from the first device, and thus accurately determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows based on the first information.

[0027] In one possible design, each data packet in at least one data packet includes first information, including: the header of each data packet in at least one data packet includes the first information. Optionally, the first data packet is any one of the at least one data packets. The header of the first data packet includes the first information. The header of the first data packet may be, for example, any of the following: a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer header of the first data packet; a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer header of the first data packet; or a GRS tunneling protocol-user plane (GTP-U) layer header of the first data packet (in this case, the first data packet may be a downlink data packet). With this design, the first access network device can obtain the first information in the packet header without parsing the payload of the data packet, thus enabling rapid acquisition of the first information.

[0028] In one possible design, the method further includes: a first access network device receiving first indication information from a session management function network element, the first indication information being used to instruct the first access network device to perform joint admission control on at least two QoS flows according to priority.

[0029] Optionally, the first indication information can be used to instruct the first access network device to perform joint admission control on at least two QoS flows based on the priority of the first QoS flow in at least two QoS flows. This can be understood as: the first indication information can be used to instruct the first access network device to read (or identify) the first information in at least one data packet; or, the first indication information can be used to instruct the first access network device to read (or identify) the first information in at least one data packet, and to instruct the first access network device to perform joint admission control on at least two QoS flows based on the priority of the first QoS flow in at least two QoS flows.

[0030] Through this design, the first access network device can perform joint admission control on at least two QoS flows based on the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows, according to the instructions of the session management function network element. This allows the session management function network element to flexibly configure the operation of the first access network device.

[0031] In one possible design, the first access network device acquires the first information by receiving first information from the second access network device when the terminal switches from the second access network device to the first access network device. With this design, when the terminal switches between access network devices, the target access network device can acquire the first information from the source access network device, thereby accurately determining the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows based on the first information.

[0032] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to a first device or a device within the first device. The device in the first device may be a module within the first device (e.g., a communication module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication and / or sensing functions (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), a chip system, or a processor), or the device in the first device may be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first device. For ease of description, the following explanation uses a first device as an example.

[0033] The method may include: a first device sending at least one data packet to a first access network device, each data packet including first information, the at least one data packet being carried by a first QoS flow; the first information being used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows in its respective first multimodal service.

[0034] Optionally, the first device is a user plane network element, and at least one data packet is a downlink data packet from the user plane network element; or, the first device is a terminal, and at least one data packet is an uplink data packet from the terminal.

[0035] In one possible design, the first information includes the MMSID of the first multimodal service.

[0036] In one possible design, the first information includes information for indicating the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows.

[0037] In one possible design, the first data packet is any one of at least one data packets. The method further includes: a first device acquiring a second data packet, the second data packet being carried by a first QoS flow. The second data packet and third information can be used to determine the first information. The third information can be used to identify the priority of one or more service flows among at least two service flows indicated by the second data packet. The at least two service flows belong to a first multimodal service. The first device adds the first information to the second data packet to obtain the first data packet. With this design, the first device can accurately determine the first information based on the third information and the data packet acquired by the first device.

[0038] Optionally, the priority of one or more service flows among at least two service flows can be understood as: the importance or importance level of one or more service flows among the at least two service flows. Correspondingly, the third information can be used to identify the priority of one or more service flows among the at least two service flows indicated by the second data packet, which can be understood as: the third information can be used to identify the importance or importance level of one or more service flows among the at least two service flows indicated by the second data packet, for example, the third information can be used to identify whether the one or more service flows indicated by the second data packet are important among the at least two service flows.

[0039] For example, the third information indicates that when the second data packet includes the second identifier, it means that the one or more service flows corresponding to the second data packet are important service flows among the at least two service flows; when the second data packet does not include the second identifier, it means that the one or more service flows corresponding to the second data packet are unimportant service flows among the at least two service flows. The second identifier may have other names, such as an importance indicator, and is not limited thereto.

[0040] In one possible design, the third information is used to indicate that the first field in the second data packet indicates the priority of the one or more service flows among the at least two service flows. Thus, after acquiring the second data packet, the first device can accurately determine the priority of the one or more service flows among the at least two service flows by querying the first field.

[0041] In one possible design, the method further includes: the first device receiving third information from the session management function network element.

[0042] In one possible design, the first device is a user plane network element. The method further includes: the first device receiving second indication information from a session management function network element. The second indication information is used to instruct the first device to mark (or indicate) the priority of a QoS flow among multiple QoS flows in its multimodal service within downlink data packets. With this design, the first device can mark (or indicate) the priority of a QoS flow among multiple QoS flows in its multimodal service within downlink data packets according to the indication from the session management function network element. This allows the session management function network element to flexibly configure the operation of the first device. Furthermore, if the first device does not receive the second indication information, the first device may not mark (or indicate) the priority of a QoS flow among multiple QoS flows in its multimodal service within downlink data packets, thereby reducing the transmission overhead of downlink data packets.

[0043] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to a session management function network element or a device within a session management function network element. The device within the session management function network element can be a module (e.g., a communication module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication and / or sensing functions (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), a chip system, or a processor), or it can be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the session management function network element's functions. For ease of description, the following explanation uses a session management function network element as an example.

[0044] The method may include: a session management function network element determining first information, the first information being used to determine the priority of a first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows in its belonging first multimodal service; and the session management function network element sending the first information to a first access network device.

[0045] In one possible design, the first information includes the Multimodal Service Identifier (MMSID) of the first multimodal service.

[0046] In one possible design, the first information includes information for indicating the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows.

[0047] In one possible design, the method further includes: a session management function network element receiving second information from a policy control function network element, the second information being used to determine the priority of a first service flow among at least two service flows in its belonging first multimodal service; correspondingly, the session management function network element can determine the priority of the first service flow among at least two service flows in its belonging first multimodal service based on the second information. The second information can be used to determine the first information; correspondingly, the session management function network element can determine the first information based on the second information. For example, the session management function network element can determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows based on the priority of each service flow among the one or more service flows in the at least two service flows, thereby determining the first information. Through this design, the session management function network element can accurately determine the priority among QoS flows belonging to the first multimodal service based on the priority among service flows belonging to the first multimodal service.

[0048] Optionally, the second information is used to determine the priority of the first service flow among at least two service flows in the first multimodal service to which it belongs, and can be understood as any of the following: the second information can be used to determine the relative priority of the first service flow among the at least two service flows; the second information is used to determine the priority of the first service flow among the at least two service flows, wherein the at least two service flows belong to the first multimodal service and the at least two service flows include the first service flow; or, the second information is used to determine the priority of the first service flow among the at least two associated service flows.

[0049] Optionally, the second information sent by the policy control function network element to the session management function network element may be included in the policy and charging control (PCC). For example, the second information may be included in the first PCC rule corresponding to the first service flow.

[0050] Optionally, after receiving the first PCC rule, the session management function network element can bind the first PCC rule to a third QoS flow. The third QoS flow is the QoS flow used to carry the first service flow among the at least two QoS flows. The third QoS flow may or may not be the first QoS flow. The specific binding method is not limited; for example, it can adopt the method specified in the protocol.

[0051] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to an application function network element or a device within an application function network element. The device within the application function network element can be a module (e.g., a communication module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication and / or sensing functions (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), a chip system, or a processor), or it can be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the application function network element. For ease of description, the following explanation uses an application function network element as an example.

[0052] The method may include: an application function network element determining second information, the second information being used to determine the priority of a first service flow among at least two service flows in its belonging first multimodal service; and the application function network element sending the second information to a policy control function network element.

[0053] Optionally, the application function network element can directly send the second information to the policy control function network element; or, the second information can be sent to the policy control function network element through the network open function network element.

[0054] Optionally, for each of the at least two service flows, the application function network element may also send at least one of the following to the policy control function network element: service flow description information, QoS requirements, QoS monitoring requirements, or the MMSID of the first multimodal service. The service flow description information may include at least one of the following: Internet Protocol (IP) triples, quintuples, or application IDs, etc.; the MMSID of the first multimodal service can be used to explicitly indicate that these service flows belong to the first multimodal service.

[0055] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to a terminal or a device within a terminal. The device within the terminal can be a module (e.g., a communication module, circuitry or chip responsible for communication and / or sensing functions (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), a chip system, or a processor), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal's functions. For ease of description, the following explanation uses a terminal as an example.

[0056] The method may include: the terminal determining second information, the second information being used to indicate the priority of the first service flow among at least two service flows in its first multimodal service; and the terminal sending the second information to the policy control function network element.

[0057] Optionally, the terminal may send the second information to the policy control function network element in sequence through the first access network device, the access management function network element, and the session management function network element.

[0058] Optionally, for each of the at least two service flows, the terminal may also send at least one of the following to the policy control function network element: service flow description information, QoS requirements, QoS monitoring requirements, or the MMSID of the first multimodal service. The service flow description information may include at least one of the following: IP triplet, quintuple, or application ID, etc.; the MMSID of the first multimodal service can be used to explicitly indicate that these service flows belong to the first multimodal service.

[0059] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to a session management function network element or a device within a session management function network element. The device within the session management function network element can be a module (e.g., a communication module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication and / or sensing functions (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), a chip system, or a processor), or the device within the session management function network element can be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the session management function network element. For ease of description, the following explanation uses a session management function network element as an example.

[0060] The method may include: a session management function network element determining third information, which can be used to identify the priority of one or more service flows among at least two service flows indicated by a second data packet, wherein the second data packet is a data packet acquired by a first device and carried by a first QoS flow; and the at least two service flows belong to a first multimodal service. The session management function network element sends the third information to the first device.

[0061] Optionally, the session management function network element can obtain third information from the policy control function network element. For example, the policy control function network element can send a third PCC rule to the session management function network element, the third PCC rule including the third information.

[0062] Optionally, after receiving the third PCC rule, the session management function network element can bind the third PCC rule to the first QoS flow. The specific binding method is not limited, for example, it can adopt the method specified in the protocol.

[0063] In one possible design, the third information is used to indicate: the first field in the second data packet is used to indicate the priority of one or more service flows in the at least two service flows.

[0064] In one possible design, the method further includes: a session management function network element sending a first indication information to a first access network device, the first indication information being used to instruct the first access network device on the priority of a first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows.

[0065] In one possible design, the method further includes: the session management function network element sending second indication information to the first device, the second indication information being used to instruct the first device to mark (or indicate) the priority of the QoS flow in the downlink data packet among the multiple QoS flows in its respective multimodal service.

[0066] Seventhly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to an application function network element or a device within an application function network element. The device within the application function network element can be a module (e.g., a communication module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication and / or sensing functions (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), a chip system, or a processor), or it can be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the application function network element. For ease of description, the following explanation uses an application function network element as an example.

[0067] The method may include: an application function network element determining third information, which can be used to identify the priority of one or more service flows among at least two service flows indicated by a second data packet. The at least two service flows belong to a first multimodal service. The application function network element sends the third information to a policy control function network element.

[0068] Optionally, the application function network element can directly send third information to the policy control function network element; or, it can send third information to the policy control function network element through the network open function network element.

[0069] Optionally, for each of the at least two service flows, the application function network element may also send at least one of the following to the policy control function network element: service flow description information, QoS requirements, QoS monitoring requirements, or the MMSID of the first multimodal service. The service flow description information may include at least one of the following: IP triplet, quintuple, or application ID, etc.; the MMSID of the first multimodal service can be used to explicitly indicate that these service flows belong to the first multimodal service.

[0070] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to a terminal or a device within a terminal. The device within the terminal can be a module (e.g., a communication module, circuitry or chip responsible for communication and / or sensing functions (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), a chip system, or a processor), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal's functions. For ease of description, the following explanation uses a terminal as an example.

[0071] The method may include: the terminal determining third information, which can be used to identify the priority of one or more service flows among at least two service flows indicated by the second data packet. The at least two service flows belong to a first multimodal service. The terminal sends the third information to the policy control function network element.

[0072] Optionally, the terminal may send third information to the policy control function network element through the first access network device, the access management function network element, and the session management function network element in sequence.

[0073] Optionally, for each of the at least two service flows, the terminal may also send at least one of the following to the policy control function network element: service flow description information, QoS requirements, QoS monitoring requirements, or the MMSID of the first multimodal service. The service flow description information may include at least one of the following: IP triplet, quintuple, or application ID, etc.; the MMSID of the first multimodal service can be used to explicitly indicate that these service flows belong to the first multimodal service.

[0074] Ninthly, this application provides a communication device.

[0075] In some examples, the communication device may be a first access network device, or a module within the first access network device (e.g., a communication module, circuitry or chip responsible for communication and / or sensing functions (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), a chip system, or a processor), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first access network device. The communication device possesses the functionality to implement the first aspect described above.

[0076] In other examples, the communication device may be a first device, a module within the first device (e.g., a communication module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication and / or sensing functions (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), a chip system, or a processor), or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first device. The communication device possesses the functionality to implement the second aspect described above.

[0077] In other examples, the communication device may be a session management function network element, a module within a session management function network element (e.g., a communication module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication and / or sensing functions (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), a chip system, or a processor), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the session management function network element functions. The communication device possesses the functionality to implement the third or sixth aspects described above.

[0078] In other examples, the communication device may be an application function network element, a module within an application function network element (e.g., a communication module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication and / or sensing functions (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), a chip system, or a processor), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the application function network element functions. The communication device possesses the functionality to implement the fourth or seventh aspect described above.

[0079] In other examples, the communication device may be a terminal, a module within a terminal (e.g., a communication module, circuitry or chip responsible for communication and / or sensing functions (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), a chip system, or a processor), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal's functions. The communication device possesses the functions required to implement the fifth or eighth aspects described above.

[0080] In one possible embodiment, the communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the operations involved in any of the first to eighth aspects described above. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both. For example, the communication device includes an interface unit and a processing unit. The interface unit can be used to transmit and receive signals to enable communication between the communication device and other devices; the processing unit can be used to perform some internal operations of the communication device. The functions performed by the processing unit and the interface unit can correspond to the operations involved in any of the first to eighth aspects.

[0081] In one possible embodiment, the communication device includes a processor. The processor is capable of executing computer programs or instructions that, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design of any of the first to eighth aspects described above.

[0082] In one possible embodiment, the communication device includes a processor and a memory, the memory of which may store necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions involved in any of the first to eighth aspects described above. The processor may execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, and when the computer programs or instructions are executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design of any of the first to eighth aspects described above.

[0083] In one possible embodiment, the communication device includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the processor is configured to communicate with other devices via the interface circuit and to execute methods in any possible design of any of the first to eighth aspects described above.

[0084] Tenthly, this application provides a communication system that may include at least two of a first to a fifth device. The first device may execute the communication method provided in the first aspect, the second device may execute the communication method provided in the second aspect, the third device may execute the communication method provided in the third or sixth aspect, the fourth device may execute the communication method provided in the fourth or seventh aspect, and the fifth device may execute the communication method provided in the fifth or eighth aspect.

[0085] In some possible designs, the communication system includes at least two of the first to fifth devices. The first device is a first access network device; the second device is a user plane network element or terminal; the third device is a session management function network element for executing the communication method provided in the sixth aspect above; the fourth device is an application function network element for executing the communication method provided in the seventh aspect above; and the fifth device is a terminal for executing the communication method provided in the eighth aspect above. Optionally, when the second device is a terminal, the second device and the fifth device may be the same terminal. For example, the communication system includes the first device and the second device. Another example is that the communication system includes the first device and the third device. Yet another example is that the communication device includes the first device, the third device, and the fourth device. Yet another example is that the communication device includes the first device, the second device, the third device, and the fourth device. Yet another example is that the communication device includes the first device, the second device, the third device, the fourth device, and the fifth device.

[0086] In other possible designs, the communication system includes at least two of the first, third, to fifth devices. The first device is a first access network device; the third device is a session management function network element for executing the communication method provided in the third aspect; the fourth device is an application function network element for executing the communication method provided in the fourth aspect; and the fifth device is a terminal for executing the communication method provided in the fifth aspect. For example, the communication system includes the first and third devices. Another example is that the communication device includes the first, third, and fourth devices. Yet another example is that the communication device includes the first, third, fourth, and fifth devices.

[0087] In one aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions, wherein when the computer program or instructions are executed, a method in any possible design of any of the first to eighth aspects described above is implemented.

[0088] In a twelfth aspect, this application provides a computer program product comprising computer program code, wherein when the computer program code is run, a method in any possible design of any of the first to eighth aspects described above is implemented.

[0089] In a thirteenth aspect, this application provides a chip for reading a computer program stored in a memory to execute a method in any of the possible designs of any of the first to eighth aspects described above.

[0090] The specific content and technical effects of any of the above-mentioned aspects 2 to 13 can be referred to the descriptions in the preceding aspects of that aspect, and repeated parts will not be discussed. Attached Figure Description

[0091] Figure 1 is an architecture diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0092] Figures 2 to 6 are flowcharts of several communication methods provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0093] Figure 7 is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0094] Figure 8 is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0095] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as wireless local area networks (WLANs), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi or WiFi) systems, fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication systems (such as long-term evolution (LTE) systems), fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication systems (such as new radio (NR) systems), or future communication systems. The methods provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to terrestrial network communication systems or non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication systems. NTN communication systems can be, for example, satellite communication systems, and may also include unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), high-altitude platform stations (HAPS), and other aerial access network equipment; this application does not limit these aspects.

[0096] This application will present various aspects, embodiments, or features relating to systems that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that individual systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, combinations of these approaches are also possible.

[0097] Figure 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication system may include terminals and equipment in an operator network. Optionally, the communication system may also include data network (DN) and / or application function (AF) network elements. The operator network may also be referred to as a general network, public network, public data network, or public land mobile network (PLMN), etc., without limitation.

[0098] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities that can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, as a mobile device, handheld device (such as a mobile phone), wearable device, or vehicle-mounted device; or it can be deployed on water (such as a ship); or it can be deployed in the air (such as an airplane, balloon, or satellite); or it can also be a wireless device (such as a communication module, modem, or chip system) built into the above devices.

[0099] A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, wireless terminal equipment, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, remote station, user terminal, user agent, or user device, etc. A terminal typically contains communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform the corresponding communication functions. The terminal can also be configured with programs or instructions for performing these communication functions.

[0100] Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), 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, and smart cities. 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. Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices or smart wearable devices, are a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables. Terminals used in vehicles are called in-vehicle terminal devices, which include, for example, transportation vehicles with wireless communication capabilities, communication modules, or on-board units (OBUs).

[0101] For example, a terminal may include a mobile phone (or "cellular" phone), a computer with a mobile terminal device, or a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, or computer-embedded mobile device. For instance, a terminal may be a Personal Communication Service (PCS) phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), or other similar devices. A terminal may also include restricted devices, such as devices with limited power consumption, limited storage capacity, or limited computing power. For example, a terminal may be an information sensing device such as a barcode scanner, radio frequency identification (RFID), a sensor, a global positioning system (GPS), or a laser scanner. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0102] Equipment in an operator's network may include access network equipment and core network equipment.

[0103] The access network equipment can be located between the terminal and the core network equipment, and is used to provide wireless access services to the terminal. The access network equipment typically contains communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform the corresponding communication functions. The access network equipment may also be configured with programs or instructions for performing the corresponding communication functions, as well as the corresponding programs or instructions themselves.

[0104] In one possible scenario, the access network equipment can be a base station (BS), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission point (TP), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a mobile switching center, a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a next-generation base station in a future communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. The access network equipment can also be a macro base station, a micro base station or indoor station, a relay node or donor node, a radio controller in a CRAN scenario, a satellite, a drone, a balloon, or an aircraft. Optionally, the access network equipment can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle, or an in-vehicle device. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the access network equipment in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0105] In another possible scenario, multiple access network devices collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each device performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, the access network devices can be a central unit (CU or control unit), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and DU can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0106] 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 an open CU (O-CU), DU can also be called an open DU (O-DU), CU-CP can also be called an open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called an open CU-UP (O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called an open RU (O-RU). 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.

[0107] Core network equipment can include control plane network elements and user plane network elements. Control plane network elements include, for example, access management function network elements, unified data management network elements, session management function network elements, policy control function network elements, network repository function network elements, or network open function network elements. User plane network elements include, for example, user plane function network elements. The following section introduces some of the network elements in the core network.

[0108] Access management function (AMF) network elements are responsible for access control and mobility management of terminal devices accessing the operator's network. This includes functions such as mobility state management, assigning temporary user identities, authentication, and authorization. In 5G communication systems, this AMF network element may be an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network element. In future communication systems, AMF network elements may have other names, without limitation.

[0109] The unified data management network element is responsible for generating authentication credentials, processing user identifiers (such as storing and managing permanent user identities), and managing subscription data. In 5G communication systems, this unified data management network element can be a unified data management (UDM) network element. In future communication systems, this unified data management network element may have other names, without limitation.

[0110] The session management function (SMF) network element is primarily responsible for session management in mobile networks, such as session establishment, modification, and release. It can also assign IP addresses to users and select user plane function network elements that provide packet forwarding capabilities. In 5G communication systems, this SMF network element may be a session management function (SMF) network element. In future communication systems, the SMF network element may have other names without limitation.

[0111] The policy control function network element primarily provides policy rules and is also responsible for acquiring user subscription information related to policy decisions. In 4G communication systems, this policy control function network element can be a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) network element. In 5G communication systems, this policy control function network element can be a policy control function (PCF) network element. In future communication systems, the policy control function network element may have other names, without limitation.

[0112] The network repository function (NRF) element primarily provides registration and discovery services for network function services. In 5G communication systems, this NRF element can be a network repository function (NRF) element. In future communication systems, the NRF element may have other names, without limitation.

[0113] Network exposure function (NEF) network elements are responsible for providing secure interfaces to third-party network operators. In 5G communication systems, NEF network elements can be network exposure function (NEF) network elements. In future communication systems, NEF network elements may also have other names, without limitation.

[0114] User plane function (UDP) network elements are responsible for receiving and forwarding user data. For example, they can receive user data from the DN (Digital Network Node) and transmit it to the terminal device through the access network equipment; UDP network elements can also receive user data from the terminal device through the access network equipment and forward it to the DN. In 5G communication systems, this UDP network element can be a user plane function (UPF) network element. In future communication systems, UDP network elements may have other names, without limitation.

[0115] The term "network element" as used in this application can be replaced with "equipment". For example, core network element and core network equipment have the same meaning. Optionally, the term "network element" can be omitted from the equipment name mentioned in this application. For example, AMF network element and AMF have the same meaning.

[0116] In Figure 1, Nausf, Namf, Npcf, Nsmf, Nudm, Naf, N1, N2, N3, N4, and N6 are interface sequence numbers. The meanings of these interface sequence numbers can be found in the definitions of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard protocol, and are not limited here.

[0117] It is understood that the network element or function shown in Figure 1 can be a network component in a hardware device, a software function running on dedicated hardware, or a virtualized function instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). One possible implementation is that the aforementioned network element or function can be implemented by a single device, multiple devices working together, or a functional module within a single device; no specific limitations are imposed on this.

[0118] The communication systems and service scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0119] The relevant terms used in the embodiments of this application will be explained below. It should be noted that these explanations are for the purpose of making the embodiments of this application easier to understand, and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope of protection claimed by this application.

[0120] 1. QoS flow:

[0121] In communication systems (e.g., 5G systems), when a terminal has a service communication requirement, a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session is established. The QoS stream corresponding to the PDU session can be used to carry the service flow. For example, the terminal can obtain the Internet Protocol (IP) address from the network side through the PDU session establishment process, thereby enabling interaction with external service servers. The communication system (e.g., 5G system) can map the service to the corresponding QoS stream based on the service flow description information, such as a Service Data Flow (SDF) template.

[0122] 2. QoS Requirements:

[0123] A QoS requirement may also be referred to as any of the following: QoS demand, QoS profile, QoS configuration file, or QoS attribute file. Optionally, a QoS flow may correspond to a QoS requirement. For example, the QoS requirement may indicate at least one of the following QoS parameters for the QoS flow: guaranteed flow bit rate (GFBR), packet delay budget (PDB), or packet error rate, etc.

[0124] Among them, GFBR can be used to characterize the minimum guaranteed rate of QoS flow.

[0125] PDB can be used to characterize the maximum transmission latency of data packets carried by a QoS stream.

[0126] PER can be used to characterize the minimum packet error of packets carried by a QoS flow.

[0127] 3. PDU Session:

[0128] A PDU session is a channel used to transmit PDUs. Optionally, a PDU session can be a logical connection between a terminal and a DN, providing the terminal with a user plane connection to the DN. For example, a PDU session includes: a terminal-to-access network device, an access network device-to-user plane network element, and a user plane network element-to-DN session.

[0129] 4. GTP-U Tunnel:

[0130] A GTP-U tunnel can be used for communication between access network equipment and user plane network elements; alternatively, a GTP-U tunnel can serve as a communication channel between access network equipment and user plane network elements. For example, a GTP-U tunnel between an access network equipment and a user plane network element can be used to transmit (or carry) data from and / or to a terminal. This GTP-U tunnel is at the PDU session granularity, meaning that each PDU session can correspond to one GTP-U tunnel between the access network equipment and the user plane network element; in other words, for each PDU session, a GTP-U tunnel between the access network equipment and the user plane network element can be established.

[0131] 5. Multimodal services:

[0132] Multimodal services may include several interconnected service flows. These service flows may transmit different types of data (e.g., at least two of audio, video, location, or haptic data); correspondingly, these service flows may be multiple types of service flows, for example, they may include at least two of video streams, audio streams, or haptic streams.

[0133] In multimodal services, service flows can originate from one or more devices. For example, a service flow in a multimodal service can originate from a single terminal, or from one or more devices connected to a single terminal, or from multiple terminals. When a service flow in a multimodal service originates from a single terminal, these service flows can be transmitted through a single PDU session. When a service flow in a multimodal service originates from multiple terminals, these service flows can be transmitted through the network corresponding to a data network name (DNN) or single-network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI).

[0134] Alternatively, in this application, the business flow may also have other names, such as sub-business flow, service flow, media flow, or data flow, without limitation.

[0135] Multimodal services can be identified by MMSID. MMSID explicitly indicates the association between service flows and multimodal services. Policy control function network elements can derive PCC rules based on MMSID, and determine appropriate QoS policies for service flows in the multimodal service corresponding to that MMSID based on the PCC rules.

[0136] 6. The relationship between multimodal services and QoS flows:

[0137] When a QoS flow carries the service flow of a multimodal service, the QoS flow can be understood as at least one of the following: a QoS flow belonging to the multimodal service, or a QoS flow within the multimodal service.

[0138] Optionally, a QoS flow can carry one or more service flows of a multimodal service; in other words, the QoS flow and the service flows in the multimodal service can have a one-to-one relationship, or a one-to-many relationship.

[0139] 7. In this application, "instruction" or "for instruction" may include explicit instruction (or direct instruction) and implicit instruction (or indirect instruction). When describing information for instructing A, it may include whether the information explicitly instructs A or implicitly instructs A, but does not necessarily mean that the information carries A.

[0140] The indication methods involved in the embodiments of this application should be understood to cover various methods that enable the party to be indicated to obtain the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately. Moreover, the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different, without limitation.

[0141] In the embodiments of this application, "information" can be an explicit indication, that is, a direct indication through signaling, or obtained by combining other rules or parameters with parameters indicated by signaling, or by deduction. It can also be an implicit indication, that is, obtained based on rules or relationships, or based on other parameters, or by deduction. No limitation is imposed.

[0142] 8. In this application, communication between different devices can refer to direct communication between different devices (i.e., without the need for relaying or forwarding by other devices), or communication between different devices through other devices (i.e., requiring relaying or forwarding by other devices), or communication between a functional unit within a device and other devices through another functional unit. For example, "sending information to…(terminal)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal, and may include sending information directly or indirectly to the terminal. "Receiving information from…(terminal)" can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal, and may include receiving information directly or indirectly from the terminal. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination ends, such as format changes, digital-to-analog conversion, amplification, filtering, etc., but the destination end can understand the valid information from the source end. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0143] 9. In this application, the words "exemplarily," "for example," "for instance," and "example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. It should be understood that the examples in this application may also be implemented in other ways. In this application, "of," "corresponding, relevant," and "corresponding" may sometimes be used interchangeably, and it should be noted that their intended meanings are consistent when the distinction is not emphasized.

[0144] 10. In this application, any two of the programs, instructions and code may be substituted for one another.

[0145] 11. In this application, "greater than or equal to" and "greater than" are interchangeable. For example, "A is greater than threshold 1" and "A is greater than or equal to threshold 1" are interchangeable. "Less than or equal to" and "less than" are interchangeable. For example, "A is less than threshold 1" and "A is less than or equal to threshold 1" are interchangeable.

[0146] 12. In this application, “in the case of…”, “when…”, “if…”, and “if…” can have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably.

[0147] Currently, in the research on policy control enhancement for service flows in cooperative multimodal services, there exists a QoS enhancement scheme. This method allows the access control (AF) to provide policy information of service flows in multimodal services to the communication system (e.g., a 5G system), and the communication system can perform operations such as admission control based on this policy information.

[0148] For example, for each group of service flows in a multimodal service, the AF (Agent Focus) can provide service flow association requirements (or service flow association needs) to the communication system (e.g., a 5G system) through interaction between the AF and the PCF (Process Control Fund). The service flow association requirements include a service flow coordination group ID and group-level processing requirements for a group of service flows. The service flow coordination group ID can be used to identify a group of service flows; the group-level processing requirements may include information for association control of service flows within the group, such as information on the criticality of jointly completing admission control / resource allocation, or information indicating the synchronous delivery of service flows to the receiving end. The PCF can map the service flow coordination group to a QoS flow coordination group in the communication system (e.g., a 5G system) and generate (or determine, or derive) associated group-level processing policies based on the service flow association requirements. The PCF can provide group-level processing policies (or group-level processing requirements) for service flows within the group to PCC (Process Control Control) rules, wherein the group-level processing policies may include joint admission control and resource allocation information to indicate joint resource allocation among service flows in the communication system (e.g., a 5G system).

[0149] Currently, for multiple service flows in a multimodal service, if resources cannot be allocated to some of these service flows due to network resource constraints, the communication system will not allocate resources to any of them. Since service flows can be mapped to QoS flows, if, for multiple QoS flows in a multimodal service, some of these QoS flows cannot be granted and / or kept due to network resource constraints, the communication system (e.g., a 5G system) will not grant and / or keep any of these QoS flows, resulting in the communication system being unable to provide the multimodal service to the terminal.

[0150] However, multimodal services can be associated with applications (or application programs). For certain applications, these applications are acceptable when the communication system authorizes or retains a portion of the QoS streams in the multimodal services associated with those applications. For example, the QoS streams of a multimodal service associated with an application might include a QoS stream carrying a video stream and a QoS stream carrying an audio stream. If the communication system authorizes the QoS stream carrying the audio stream but not the QoS stream carrying the video stream, the application can function or be accepted. However, using the above method, if the communication system does not authorize the QoS stream carrying the video stream, it will not authorize the QoS stream carrying the audio stream or the QoS stream carrying the video stream, thus failing to provide the multimodal service to the terminal.

[0151] Therefore, further research is needed on how to manage multiple QoS flows in multimodal services.

[0152] Based on this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method and apparatus for managing multiple QoS flows belonging to the same multimodal service. The method and apparatus described in this application are based on the same technical concept. Since the principles by which the method and apparatus solve the problem are similar, the implementations of the apparatus and method can be mutually referred to, and repeated details will not be elaborated further.

[0153] The various communication methods provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. These methods can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG1, but are not limited thereto. The execution entity in the embodiments of this application may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: a first access network device, a second access network device, a first device, a session management function network element, an application function network element, or a policy control function network element. Among them, the first device is, for example, a terminal or a user plane network element. Optionally, in the embodiments of this application, any device (e.g., a first access network device, a second access network device, or a first device) may be replaced by a module in that device (e.g., a communication module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), a chip system, or a processor), or may be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of that device; any network element (e.g., a session management function network element, an application function network element, or a policy control function network element) may be replaced by a module in that network element (e.g., a communication module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), a chip system, or a processor), or may be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of that network element.

[0154] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, each executing entity may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also perform other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the steps may be performed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessary to perform all the operations in the embodiments of this application.

[0155] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 2, the method may include:

[0156] S201: The first access network device obtains the first information.

[0157] The first information can be used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow in at least two QoS flows within its first multimodal service; correspondingly, the first access network device can determine the priority of the first QoS flow in the at least two QoS flows based on the first information.

[0158] Optionally, the first information is used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow in at least two QoS flows belonging to the first multimodal service, which can be understood as any of the following: the first information can be used to determine the relative priority of the first QoS flow in at least two QoS flows; the first information is used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow in at least two QoS flows, wherein the at least two QoS flows belong to the first multimodal service and include the first QoS flow; or, the first information is used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow in the associated at least two QoS flows.

[0159] Optionally, the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows can be understood as: the importance or importance level of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. Correspondingly, the first information is used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows, which can be understood as: the first information is used to determine the importance or importance level of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows. For example, the first information is used to determine whether the first QoS flow is important among at least two QoS flows. Exemplarily, the first QoS flow being important among at least two QoS flows can be understood as at least one of the following: when the first QoS flow access fails or is rejected or released, the first multimodal service cannot run; or, when the first QoS flow access fails or is rejected or released, each QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows cannot run. The first QoS flow being unimportant among at least two QoS flows can be understood as at least one of the following: when the first QoS flow access fails or is rejected or released, the first multimodal service can run; or, when the first QoS flow access fails or is rejected or released, there may be QoS flows that can run among the at least two QoS flows.

[0160] In some possible ways, the first information may include the MMSID of the first multimodal service. The specific content of the MMSID can refer to the description of the MMSID in the above-mentioned explanation part of the terms, and will not be elaborated here. Optionally, after receiving the first information, the first access network device may determine the first multimodal service according to the MMSID of the first multimodal service, so as to determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows in the first multimodal service. For example, if the first information includes MMSID#1, and MMSID#1 is the MMSID of multimodal service #1, and the QoS flows in multimodal service #1 include: QoS flow #1 and QoS flow #2, then the first information can be used to determine the priority of QoS flow #1 among QoS flow #1 and QoS flow #2.

[0161] As mentioned above, the first information can be used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows; correspondingly, the first access network device can determine the priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows according to the first information. There are various ways to determine, for example, way a1 or way a2:

[0162] Way a1: The first information includes information (hereinafter simply referred to as information #1) for indicating the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows; correspondingly, the first access network device can determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows according to information #1.

[0163] In some implementations, information #1 may explicitly indicate the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows. For example, information #1 may include the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows.

[0164] In other implementations, information #1 may implicitly indicate the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows. For example, information #1 may be information that corresponds to the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows (hereinafter referred to as the first correspondence).

[0165] For example, information #1 could be priority identifier #1, which has a first correspondence with the priority of the first QoS flow in at least two QoS flows. This first correspondence could be pre-defined, such as as specified by a protocol; or it could be determined by the first access network device; or it could be notified to the first access network device by other devices (e.g., core network devices).

[0166] For example, when information #1 includes a first identifier, the first QoS flow has a first priority among at least two QoS flows; when information #1 does not include a first identifier, the first QoS flow has a second priority among at least two QoS flows. The first priority is higher than the second priority; or, the first priority is lower than the second priority. Optionally, in this example, priority can be replaced with importance.

[0167] Optionally, as mentioned above, the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows can be understood as the importance or importance level of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. In this case, the first information includes information indicating the importance of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. For example, when the first information includes a first identifier, the first QoS flow is an important QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows; and / or, when the first information does not include a first identifier, the first QoS flow is an unimportant QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. The first identifier may have other names, such as a critical indicator, etc., without limitation.

[0168] Through this method a1, the first information can accurately indicate the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows.

[0169] Method a2: The first information includes information indicating the priority of a portion of the QoS flows in the at least two QoS flows (hereinafter referred to as information #2); the first QoS flow is the QoS flow other than the portion of the QoS flows in the at least two QoS flows, and the priority of the first QoS flow in the at least two QoS flows is the third priority. Accordingly, the first access network device can determine the priority of the portion of the QoS flows in the at least two QoS flows based on information #2, and determine the priority of the first QoS flow in the at least two QoS flows based on the priority of the portion of the QoS flows in the at least two QoS flows.

[0170] Optionally, the way in which information #2 indicates the priority of a portion of the QoS flow among at least two QoS flows can be referred to the description of "information #1 indicates the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows" in method a1, except that information #1 is replaced with information #2 and the first QoS flow is replaced with a portion of the QoS flows, which will not be repeated here.

[0171] Optionally, the third priority is different from the priority of this portion of the QoS flow in at least two QoS flows. For example, the third priority is lower than the priority of this portion of the QoS flow in at least two QoS flows. Or, for example, the third priority is higher than the priority of this portion of the QoS flow in at least two QoS flows.

[0172] For example, the at least two QoS flows include QoS flow #1 and QoS flow #2. If the first information indicates that QoS flow #1 has the fourth priority among the at least two QoS flows, then QoS flow #2 has the third priority among the at least two QoS flows, where the third priority is different from the fourth priority. For example, if the first information indicates that QoS flow #1 has the highest priority among the at least two QoS flows, then QoS flow #2 may have the lowest priority among the at least two QoS flows. Also, for example, if the first information indicates that QoS flow #1 has the lowest priority among the at least two QoS flows, then QoS flow #2 may have the highest priority among the at least two QoS flows.

[0173] Through this method a2, the first access network device can accurately determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows based on the first information. Furthermore, in this method, the first access network device does not need to obtain information indicating the priority of each QoS among at least two QoS flows, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0174] The first message may have other names, such as instruction message or priority instruction message, without restriction.

[0175] S202: The first access network device performs joint admission control on at least two QoS flows based on the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows.

[0176] Optionally, admission control can be understood as access control, and / or, as rejection or release. In access control, "access" can be replaced by "grant" or "accept," etc.; "reject" can be replaced by "not accept," and "release" can be replaced by "keep" or "not retain."

[0177] There are multiple ways to implement S202, such as method b1 or method b2:

[0178] Method b1: The first access network device performs access control on at least two QoS flows according to the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows.

[0179] In some implementations, the first access network device may perform access control on at least two QoS flows sequentially, according to the order of priority of each QoS flow in the at least two QoS flows from high to low. For example, the at least two QoS flows include QoS flow #1 and QoS flow #2, where QoS flow #1 has a higher priority than QoS flow #2. The first access network device may perform access control on QoS flow #1 first, and then on QoS flow #2. If the first access network device can meet the QoS requirements of QoS flow #1 but cannot meet the QoS requirements of QoS flow #2, then the first access network device may authorize QoS flow #1 but may not authorize QoS flow #2.

[0180] Through this implementation, the first access network device can first perform access control on the higher priority QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. In this way, the higher priority QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows can be authorized (or allowed to access), and the lower priority QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows can be denied access. The communication system where the first access network device is located can still provide the multimodal service to the terminal.

[0181] In other implementations, for QoS flows with a priority greater than a first priority threshold among at least two QoS flows, the first access network device may perform access control first; for QoS flows with a priority less than or equal to the first priority threshold among at least two QoS flows, the first access network device may perform access control subsequently. The first priority threshold may be pre-set, such as as specified in the protocol; or it may be determined by the first access network device; or it may be notified to the first access network device by other devices (e.g., core network devices).

[0182] For example, at least two QoS flows include QoS flows #1 to #3. The priorities of QoS flows #1 to #3 in the at least two QoS flows are as follows: priority #1 to priority #3. If priority #1 and priority #2 are greater than a first priority threshold, and priority #3 is less than or equal to the first priority threshold, then the first access network device may first perform access control on QoS flows #1 and #2, and then perform access control on QoS flow #3. If the first access network device can meet the QoS requirements of QoS flows #1 and #2, but cannot meet the QoS requirements of QoS flow #3, then the first access network device may authorize QoS flows #1 and #2, but may not authorize QoS flow #3.

[0183] Through this implementation, the first access network device can first perform access control on the higher priority QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. In this way, the higher priority QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows can be authorized (or allowed to access), and the lower priority QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows can be denied access. The communication system where the first access network device is located can still provide the multimodal service to the terminal.

[0184] Optionally, before performing access control on at least two QoS flows, the first access network device may first determine the priority of each QoS flow within the at least two QoS flows. The method of determination can be found in the description of determining the priority of the first QoS flow within the at least two QoS flows in S201, and will not be repeated here. It should be understood that the first access network device may determine the priorities of different QoS flows within the at least two QoS flows in the same or different ways. For example, if the at least two QoS flows include QoS flow #1 and QoS flow #2, the first access network device may determine the priorities of QoS flow #1 and QoS flow #2 within the at least two QoS flows using the method a1 described above. Alternatively, if the at least two QoS flows include QoS flow #1 and QoS flow #2, the first access network device may determine the priority of QoS flow #1 within the at least two QoS flows using the method a1 described above, and determine the priority of QoS flow #2 within the at least two QoS flows using the method a2 described above.

[0185] Through method b1, the first access network device can perform access control on at least two QoS flows according to their priority among at least two QoS flows, thereby enabling differentiated access control for at least two QoS flows belonging to a multimodal service. In this way, when some QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows are denied access, the other QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows may be authorized, and the communication system to which the first access network device resides can still provide the multimodal service to the terminal.

[0186] Optionally, as mentioned above, the priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows can be understood as the importance or importance level of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. In this case, the first access network device performing access control on the at least two QoS flows according to the priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows can be understood as the first access network device performing access control on the at least two QoS flows according to the importance of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. For example, when the first access network device can meet the QoS requirements of all important QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows, the first access network device may allow all important QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows to access. As another example, when the first access network device cannot meet the QoS requirements of all important QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows, the first access network device may allow some important QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows to access, wherein these important QoS flows may be randomly selected from all important QoS flows. For example, if the first access network device cannot meet the QoS requirements of any important QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows, the first access network device will refuse access to all QoS flows in the at least two QoS flows; in other words, if the first access network device cannot meet the QoS requirements of any important QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows, then each QoS flow in the at least two QoS flows will not be able to access.

[0187] Method b2: The first access network device rejects or releases one or more QoS flows from at least two QoS flows according to the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows.

[0188] In some implementations, the one or more QoS flows are the one or more QoS flows with the lowest priority among at least two QoS flows. Optionally, the one or more QoS flows being the one or more QoS flows with the lowest priority among at least two QoS flows can be understood as: the first access network device can reject or release one or more QoS flows among at least two QoS flows in ascending order of priority of each QoS flow among at least two QoS flows.

[0189] For example, at least two QoS flows include QoS flow #1 and QoS flow #2, where QoS flow #1 has a higher priority than QoS flow #2. If the first access network device cannot meet the QoS requirements of QoS flow #2, it may first reject or release QoS flow #2. Then, if the first access network device can meet the QoS requirements of QoS flow #1, it may not reject or release QoS flow #1; if the first access network device cannot meet the QoS requirements of QoS flow #1, it may reject or release QoS flow #1.

[0190] Through this implementation, the first access network device can reject or release the lower priority QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows, while the higher priority QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows may not be rejected or released, and the communication system where the first access network device is located can still provide the multimodal service to the terminal.

[0191] In other implementations, the one or more QoS flows are one or more QoS flows with a priority lower than a second priority threshold among at least two QoS flows. The second priority threshold may be pre-set, such as as specified in the protocol; or it may be determined by the first access network device; or it may be notified to the first access network device by other devices (e.g., core network devices). Optionally, the second priority threshold and the first priority threshold may be the same or different.

[0192] Optionally, the one or more QoS flows are one or more QoS flows with a priority less than the second priority threshold among at least two QoS flows. This can be understood as follows: for QoS flows with a priority less than the second priority threshold among at least two QoS flows, the first access network device may first perform a rejection or release operation; for QoS flows with a priority greater than or equal to the second priority threshold among at least two QoS flows, the first access network device may subsequently perform a rejection or release operation.

[0193] For example, at least two QoS flows include QoS flows #1 to #3. The priorities of QoS flows #1 to #3 in the at least two QoS flows are as follows: priority #1 to priority #3. If priority #1 is greater than or equal to a second priority threshold, and priorities #2 and #3 are less than the second priority threshold, then the first access network device may first perform a rejection or release operation on QoS flows #2 and #3. Then, if the first access network device can meet the QoS requirements of QoS flow #1, then the first access network device may not reject or release QoS flow #1; if the first access network device cannot meet the QoS requirements of QoS flow #1, then the first access network device may reject or release QoS flow #1.

[0194] Through this implementation, the first access network device can reject or release the lower priority QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows, while the higher priority QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows may not be rejected or released, and the communication system where the first access network device is located can still provide the multimodal service to the terminal.

[0195] Optionally, before rejecting or releasing one or more of the at least two QoS flows, the first access network device may first determine the priority of each QoS flow in the at least two QoS flows. The method of determination can be referred to the description of "the first access network device may first determine the priority of each QoS flow in the at least two QoS flows" in method b1, and will not be repeated here.

[0196] Through method b2, the first access network device can reject or release lower-priority QoS flows according to the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows, thereby enabling differentiated rejection or release operations for at least two QoS flows belonging to a multimodal service. In this way, when some QoS flows among at least two QoS flows can be rejected or released, other QoS flows among those at least two QoS flows may not be rejected or released, and the communication system to which the first access network device resides can still provide the multimodal service to the terminal.

[0197] Optionally, as mentioned above, the priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows can be understood as the importance or importance level of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. In this case, the first access network device rejecting or releasing one or more QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows according to the priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows can be understood as the first access network device rejecting or releasing one or more QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows according to the importance or importance level of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. For example, when the first access network device can meet the QoS requirements of all important QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows, the first access network device may not reject or release all important QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows. As another example, when the first access network device cannot meet the QoS requirements of all important QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows, the first access network device may not reject or release all important QoS flows among the at least two QoS flows. Here, the important QoS flows may be randomly selected from all important QoS flows. For example, when the first access network device is unable to meet the QoS requirements of any important QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows, the first access network device rejects or releases all QoS flows in the at least two QoS flows; in other words, when the first access network device is unable to meet the QoS requirements of any important QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows, each QoS flow in the at least two QoS flows is rejected or released.

[0198] Optionally, method b2 can be replaced by: the first access network device retaining (or maintaining, or guaranteeing, or continuing to satisfy) one or more QoS flows from at least two QoS flows according to the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows (hereinafter referred to as retaining (or maintaining, or guaranteeing, or continuing to satisfy) N QoS flows from at least two QoS flows, where N is a positive integer).

[0199] In some implementations, the N QoS flows are one or more QoS flows with the highest priority among at least two QoS flows. Optionally, the N QoS flows being one or more QoS flows with the highest priority among at least two QoS flows can be understood as: the first access network device can retain (or maintain, or guarantee, or continue to satisfy) one or more QoS flows among at least two QoS flows in descending order of priority of each QoS flow among at least two QoS flows.

[0200] For example, at least two QoS flows include QoS flow #1 and QoS flow #2, where QoS flow #1 has a higher priority than QoS flow #2. If the first access network device can meet the QoS requirements of QoS flow #1, it may retain QoS flow #1. Then, if the first access network device can meet the QoS requirements of QoS flow #2, it may retain QoS flow #2; if the first access network device cannot meet the QoS requirements of QoS flow #2, it may reject or release QoS flow #2.

[0201] Through this implementation, the first access network device can retain the high-priority QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows, and can choose not to retain the low-priority QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. In this way, the communication system where the first access network device is located can still provide the multimodal service to the terminal.

[0202] In other implementations, the N QoS flows are one or more QoS flows among at least two QoS flows whose priority is greater than or equal to the second priority threshold. The specific details of the second priority threshold can be found in the explanation above and will not be repeated here.

[0203] Optionally, the N QoS flows are one or more QoS flows with a priority greater than or equal to the second priority threshold among at least two QoS flows. This can be understood as follows: for QoS flows with a priority greater than or equal to the second priority threshold among at least two QoS flows, the first access network device may first perform a reservation operation; for QoS flows with a priority less than the second priority threshold among at least two QoS flows, the first access network device may perform a reservation operation later.

[0204] For example, at least two QoS flows include QoS flows #1 to #3. The priorities of QoS flows #1 to #3 among the at least two QoS flows are as follows: priority #1 to priority #3. If priority #1 and priority #2 are greater than or equal to a second priority threshold, and priority #3 is less than the second priority threshold, then the first access network device may first perform a reservation operation on QoS flows #1 and #2. Then, if the first access network device can meet the QoS requirements of QoS flow #3, the first access network device may reserve QoS flow #3; if the first access network device cannot meet the QoS requirements of QoS flow #3, the first access network device may reject or release QoS flow #3.

[0205] Through this implementation, the first access network device can retain the high-priority QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows, and can choose not to retain the low-priority QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. In this way, the communication system where the first access network device is located can still provide the multimodal service to the terminal.

[0206] Optionally, the second QoS flow belongs to the at least two QoS flows, and the second QoS flow and the first QoS flow may be the same or different. When the first access network device processes the second QoS flow, the second QoS flow may be mapped to a data radio bearer (DRB), for example, the second QoS flow may be mapped to at least two DRBs.

[0207] In some possible ways, S202 can be applied to at least one of the following situations #1 to #3; in other words, the first access network device can execute S202 under at least one of the following situations #1 to #3. For example, under at least one of the following situations #1 to #3, the first access network device can perform joint admission control on at least two QoS flows through mode b1 or mode b2.

[0208] Case #1: Establish or modify at least one of the two QoS flows.

[0209] Optionally, case #1 can be understood as: initial access is performed for at least one of the at least two QoS flows.

[0210] In some examples, the at least two QoS flows include QoS flow #1 and QoS flow #2. When QoS flow #1 and / or QoS flow #2 is established, the first access network device may execute S202.

[0211] In other examples, the at least two QoS flows include QoS flow #1 and QoS flow #2. If QoS flow #1 and / or QoS flow #2 is modified, the first access network device may execute S202.

[0212] Optionally, establishing at least one QoS flow among at least two QoS flows can occur during a QoS flow establishment procedure (or initial QoS flow establishment procedure) for at least one QoS flow among at least two QoS flows; in other words, during the QoS flow establishment procedure for at least one QoS flow among at least two QoS flows, the first access network device can execute S202. For example, the at least two QoS flows include QoS flow #1 and QoS flow #2. During the QoS flow establishment procedure for QoS flow #1 and / or QoS flow #2, the first access network device can execute S202.

[0213] Optionally, modifying at least one QoS flow among at least two QoS flows can occur during a QoS flow modification procedure for at least one QoS flow among at least two QoS flows; in other words, during a QoS flow modification procedure for at least one QoS flow among at least two QoS flows, the first access network device can execute S202. For example, the at least two QoS flows include QoS flow #1 and QoS flow #2. During a QoS flow modification procedure for QoS flow #1 and / or QoS flow #2, the first access network device can execute S202.

[0214] Scenario #2: The terminal switches from the second access network device to the first access network device.

[0215] Optionally, case #2 can be understood as: the terminal is switching between access network devices, and the target access network device is the first access network device.

[0216] Optionally, the terminal may be the terminal corresponding to the first multimodal service; and / or, the terminal may be the terminal that implements the first multimodal service.

[0217] Scenario #3: The first access network device does not meet the QoS requirements of at least one of at least two QoS flows. For example, for the at least one QoS flow, the first access network device does not meet at least one of the following QoS requirements: GFBR, PDB, or PER.

[0218] For example, the at least two QoS flows include QoS flow #1 and QoS flow #2. If the first access network device does not meet the QoS requirements of QoS flow #1 and / or QoS flow #2, the first access network device may execute S202.

[0219] Optionally, when the air interface resources of the first access network device change, the first access network device may not meet the QoS requirements of at least one of the at least two QoS flows; and / or, when the terminal switches from the second access network device to the first access network device, the first access network device may not meet the QoS requirements of at least one of the at least two QoS flows.

[0220] This approach offers a variety of possible application scenarios for S202 and is easy to implement.

[0221] Using the method shown in Figure 2, the first access network device can determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows in its respective first multimodal service, and perform joint admission control on the at least two QoS flows according to the priority. This allows for differentiated admission control of at least two QoS flows belonging to a multimodal service. Thus, when some QoS flows in the at least two QoS flows are rejected or released, the other QoS flows in the at least two QoS flows may be authorized or reserved, and the communication system to which the first access network device resides can still provide the multimodal service to the terminal.

[0222] As mentioned above, the first access network device can obtain the first information in various ways, such as any one of methods c1 to c3.

[0223] Method c1: The session management function network element sends the first information to the first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device receives the first information from the session management function network element, as shown in S201a in Figure 2.

[0224] Optionally, the first information may be included in the QoS requirements of the first QoS flow.

[0225] Optionally, the first information can be carried in a traditional message or in a new message. For example, the first information can be carried in an N2 session message.

[0226] Through method c1, the first access network device can obtain first information from the session management function network element, thereby accurately determining the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows based on the first information.

[0227] In some possible approaches, in approach c1, the policy control function network element may send second information to the session management function network element; correspondingly, the session management function network element receives the second information from the policy control function network element. The second information can be used to determine the priority of the first service flow among at least two service flows in its belonging first multimodal service. The second information can be used to determine the first information. Accordingly, the session management function network element may execute steps A1 to A2.

[0228] Step A1: The session management function network element can determine the priority of the first service flow among at least two service flows based on the second information.

[0229] Optionally, the method by which the second information is used to determine the priority of the first service flow among at least two service flows in its first multimodal service can be referred to in S201 regarding the statement "the first information can be used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows," except that the first information is replaced with the second information and the QoS flow is replaced with the service flow, which will not be repeated here. Accordingly, the session management function network element can determine the priority of the first service flow among at least two service flows based on the second information.

[0230] Optionally, the second information is used to determine the priority of the first service flow among at least two service flows in the first multimodal service to which it belongs, and can be understood as any of the following: the second information can be used to determine the relative priority of the first service flow among the at least two service flows; the second information is used to determine the priority of the first service flow among the at least two service flows, wherein the at least two service flows belong to the first multimodal service and the at least two service flows include the first service flow; or, the second information is used to determine the priority of the first service flow among the at least two associated service flows.

[0231] Step A2: The session management function network element can determine the first information based on the second information.

[0232] As previously stated, the first information can be used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows. Optionally, the first QoS flow can be used to carry one or more service flows among the at least two service flows, and the one or more service flows include the first service flow. The priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows can be determined based on the priority of each service flow among the one or more service flows in the at least two service flows; correspondingly, the session management function network element can determine the priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows based on the priority of each service flow among the one or more service flows in the at least two service flows, thereby determining the first information.

[0233] In some examples, the one or more service flows are considered as a single service flow; the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows can be the priority of the single service flow among at least two service flows.

[0234] In other examples, the one or more service flows are multiple service flows; the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows may be the highest priority of the one or more service flows among at least two service flows; or, it may be the lowest priority of the one or more service flows among at least two service flows.

[0235] Optionally, before determining the first information, the session management function network element may determine the priority of each service flow in the one or more service flows among at least two service flows. The method of determination can refer to the description in S201 regarding the determination of the priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows, except that the first information is replaced by the second information and the QoS flow is replaced by the service flow; further details are omitted here. It should be understood that the first access network device may determine the priority of different service flows in the one or more service flows among at least two service flows in the same or different ways.

[0236] Optionally, the second information sent by the policy control function network element to the session management function network element may be included in the PCC rule. For example, the second information may be included in the first PCC rule corresponding to the first service flow. Optionally, after receiving the first PCC rule, the session management function network element may bind the first PCC rule to a third QoS flow. The third QoS flow is the QoS flow used to carry the first service flow among the at least two QoS flows. The third QoS flow may or may not be the first QoS flow. The specific binding method is not limited; for example, it may adopt the method specified in the protocol.

[0237] In some implementations, the second information acquired by the policy control function network element may come from the application function network element. For example, the application function network element may determine the second information and send it to the policy control function network element. Specifically, the application function network element may send the second information directly to the policy control function network element; alternatively, it may send the second information to the policy control function network element through the network open function network element. Optionally, the second information sent by the application function network element to the policy control function network element may be carried in an AF request.

[0238] In other implementations, the second information acquired by the policy control function network element may come from the terminal. For example, the terminal may send the second information to the policy control function network element sequentially through the first access network device, the access management function network element, and the session management function network element.

[0239] In this way, the session management function network element can accurately determine the priority of QoS flows belonging to the first multimodal service based on the priority of service flows belonging to the first multimodal service.

[0240] Method c2: The first device sends at least one data packet to the first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device receives at least one data packet from the first device, as shown in S201b of FIG2. Each of the at least one data packet may include first information, and the at least one data packet may be carried by a first QoS flow.

[0241] Optionally, the first device is a user plane network element, and the at least one data packet is a downlink data packet from the user plane network element; or, the first device is a terminal, and the at least one data packet is an uplink data packet from the terminal.

[0242] In some implementations, the header of each data packet in the at least one data packet includes first information. Optionally, the first data packet is any one of the at least one data packets. The header of the first data packet includes first information. The header of the first data packet may be, for example, any of the following: a PDCP layer header of the first data packet; an SDAP layer header of the first data packet; or a GTP-U layer header of the first data packet (in this case, the first data packet may be a downlink data packet). Through this implementation, the first access network device can obtain the first information in the packet header without parsing the packet payload, thus enabling rapid acquisition of the first information.

[0243] Through method c2, the first access network device can obtain first information from the data packets from the first device, thereby accurately determining the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows based on the first information.

[0244] In some possible approaches, in approach c2, the first data packet is any one of at least one data packet. The third information can be used to identify the priority of one or more service flows among at least two service flows indicated by the second data packet. The second data packet can be a data packet acquired by the first device. The at least two service flows can belong to a first multimodal service. The second data packet and the third information can be used to determine the first information. The second data packet with the added first information can be the first data packet. Accordingly, the first device can perform steps B1 to B3:

[0245] Step B1: The first device acquires the second data packet. Optionally, the second data packet is carried by the first QoS stream.

[0246] In some implementations, the first device is a user plane network element, and the second data packet can be a downlink data packet. For example, the user plane network element can receive the second data packet from the DN.

[0247] In other implementations, the first device is a terminal, and the second data packet can be an uplink data packet. For example, the terminal may generate the second data packet. Alternatively, the terminal may receive a second data packet from another device via a sidelink.

[0248] Step B2: The first device determines the first information based on the second data packet and the third information.

[0249] In some implementations, third information can be used to identify the priority of one or more service flows among at least two service flows indicated by the second data packet. This third information may include: the third information indicating that a first field in the second data packet indicates the priority of one or more service flows among the at least two service flows. Thus, after acquiring the second data packet, the first device can accurately determine the priority of the one or more service flows among the at least two service flows by querying the first field.

[0250] Optionally, the third information may also indicate the correspondence between the value of the first field and the priority of the one or more service flows in the at least two service flows. For example, the third information may indicate that there are two priorities, and when the value of the first field is the first value (e.g., 1), the one or more service flows have the highest priority in the at least two service flows; when the value of the first field is the second value (e.g., 2), the one or more service flows have the lowest priority in the at least two service flows. It should be understood that the number of priorities may be greater than or equal to two and is not limited.

[0251] Optionally, the priority of the first service flow among the at least two service flows can be understood as: the importance or importance level of the first service flow among the at least two service flows. Correspondingly, the third information can be used to identify the priority of one or more service flows among the at least two service flows indicated by the second data packet, which can be understood as: the third information can be used to identify the importance or importance level of one or more service flows among the at least two service flows indicated by the second data packet, for example, the third information can be used to identify whether the one or more service flows indicated by the second data packet are important among the at least two service flows.

[0252] For example, the third information indicates that when the second data packet includes the second identifier, it means that the one or more service flows corresponding to the second data packet are important service flows among the at least two service flows; when the second data packet does not include the second identifier, it means that the one or more service flows corresponding to the second data packet are unimportant service flows among the at least two service flows. The second identifier may have other names, such as an importance indicator, and is not limited thereto.

[0253] The third information may have other names, such as priority description information or priority protocol description information, without restriction.

[0254] In some possible ways, the first device may acquire the third information before determining the first information.

[0255] In some implementations, the session management function network element can send third information to the first device; correspondingly, the first device can receive third information from the session management function network element. The third information can be carried in a traditional message or in a new message, without restriction. For example, when the first device is a user plane network element, the third information can be carried in an N4 session message. As another example, when the first device is a terminal, the third information can be carried in an N1 session management (SM) message.

[0256] Optionally, before sending the third information to the first device, the session management function network element may obtain the third information from the policy control function network element. For example, the policy control function network element may send a third PCC rule to the session management function network element, the third PCC rule including the third information. Optionally, after receiving the third PCC rule, the session management function network element may bind the third PCC rule to the first QoS flow; the specific binding method is not limited, for example, it may adopt a method specified in the protocol.

[0257] In other implementations, when the first device is a terminal, the terminal obtains third information determined by itself. For example, the terminal can receive third information from the service layer via a modem.

[0258] Step B3: The first device adds the first information to the second data packet to obtain the first data packet.

[0259] For example, the first device adds first information to the header of the second data packet to obtain the first data packet. When the first device is a terminal, the header of the second data packet may be, but is not limited to, a PDCP layer header or an SDAP layer header. When the first device is a user plane network element, the header of the second data packet may be, but is not limited to, a PDCP layer header, an SDAP layer header, or a GTP-U layer header.

[0260] In this way, the first device can accurately determine the first information based on the third information and the data packets obtained by the first device.

[0261] In some possible approaches, in approach c2, the method shown in Figure 2 further includes step C1:

[0262] Step C1: The session management function network element sends a first indication message to the first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device receives the first indication message from the session management function network element.

[0263] The first indication information can be used to instruct the first access network device to perform joint admission control on at least two QoS flows according to the priority of the first QoS flow in at least two QoS flows; correspondingly, after receiving the first indication information, the first access network device can execute S202.

[0264] Optionally, the first indication information can be used to instruct the first access network device to perform joint admission control on at least two QoS flows based on the priority of the first QoS flow in at least two QoS flows. This can be understood as: the first indication information can be used to instruct the first access network device to read (or identify) the first information in at least one data packet; or, the first indication information can be used to instruct the first access network device to read (or identify) the first information in at least one data packet, and to instruct the first access network device to perform joint admission control on at least two QoS flows based on the priority of the first QoS flow in at least two QoS flows.

[0265] The first instruction message can be carried in a traditional message or in a new message, without restriction. The first instruction message can have other names, such as joint access control instruction message, without restriction.

[0266] Optionally, step C1 can be performed before S202, and the execution order of steps C1 and S201 is not limited.

[0267] Optionally, when the session management function network element sends third information to the user plane network element, the order in which the first indication information and the third information are sent is not limited.

[0268] In this manner, the first access network device can, according to the instructions of the session management function network element, perform joint admission control on at least two QoS flows based on the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows. This allows the session management function network element to flexibly configure the operation of the first access network device.

[0269] In some possible approaches, in approach c2, when the first device is a user plane network element, the method shown in Figure 2 further includes step D1:

[0270] Step D1: The session management function network element sends a second instruction message to the first device; correspondingly, the first device receives the second instruction message from the session management function network element.

[0271] The second indication information can be used to instruct the first device to mark (or indicate) the priority of a QoS flow among multiple QoS flows in its multimodal service within the downlink data packet. Accordingly, after receiving the second indication information, the first device can mark (or indicate) the priority of a QoS flow among multiple QoS flows in its multimodal service within the downlink data packet. For example, the first device can execute steps B1 to B3 above to mark (or indicate) the priority of a QoS flow among multiple QoS flows in its multimodal service within the downlink data packet.

[0272] The second instruction information can be carried in a traditional message or in a new message, without restriction. When the session management network element sends the third information to the application function network element, the second instruction information and the third information can be carried in the same message or in different messages. When the second instruction information and the third information are carried in different messages, the order in which they are sent is not limited.

[0273] The second instruction information may have other names, such as marker instruction information, etc., without restriction.

[0274] Optionally, step D1 can be performed before step B2, and the execution order of steps D1 and B1 is not limited.

[0275] In this manner, the first device can, according to the instructions of the session management function network element, mark (or indicate) the priority of a QoS flow among multiple QoS flows in its respective multimodal service within downlink data packets. This allows the session management function network element to flexibly configure the operation of the first device. Furthermore, if the first device does not receive the second indication information, it may choose not to mark (or indicate) the priority of a QoS flow among multiple QoS flows in its respective multimodal service within downlink data packets, thereby reducing the transmission overhead of downlink data packets.

[0276] Method c3: When the terminal switches from the second access network device to the first access network device, the second access network device sends first information to the first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device receives the first information from the second access network device, as shown in S201c in Figure 2.

[0277] Optionally, the first information can be carried in a traditional message or in a new message. For example, the first information can be carried in a handover request message.

[0278] Optionally, before sending the first information, the second access network device may obtain the first information. The method of obtaining the information can refer to method c1 or method c2, except that the first access network device is replaced by the second access network device, which will not be described in detail here.

[0279] In method c3, when the terminal switches between access network devices, the target access network device can obtain first information from the source access network device, thereby accurately determining the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows based on the first information.

[0280] The methods shown in Figures 3 to 6 are possible examples of the method shown in Figure 2.

[0281] Figure 3 illustrates a possible example of method c1 in the method shown in Figure 2. The method in Figure 3 is illustrated using the Session Management Function (SMF), Policy Control Function (PCF), and Application Function (AF) network elements as examples. In the method shown in Figure 3, the SMF determines the first information based on the second information and sends the first information to the access network device. The second information is used to determine the priority of the first service flow among at least two service flows within its respective first multimodal service. The second information is provided by the AF; in other words, the second information comes from the AF.

[0282] Figure 4 illustrates a possible example of method c1 in the method shown in Figure 2. The method in Figure 4 is illustrated using the Session Management Function (SMF), Policy Control Function (PCF), Access Management Function (AMF), and UE as an example. In the method shown in Figure 4, the SMF determines the first information based on the second information and sends the first information to the access network device. The second information is used to determine the priority of the first service flow among at least two service flows in its corresponding first multimodal service. The second information is provided by the UE; in other words, the second information comes from the UE.

[0283] Figure 5 illustrates a possible example of mode c2 in the method shown in Figure 2. The method in Figure 5 is illustrated using the Session Management Function (SMF), Policy Control Function (PCF), Application Function (AF), and UPF as the first device. In the method shown in Figure 5, the UPF determines the first information based on the third information and the second data packet obtained by the UPF, and sends the first information to the access network device. The third information can be used to identify the priority of one or more service flows among the at least two service flows indicated by the second data packet. The at least two service flows belong to the first multimodal service, and the at least two service flows include the first service flow. The third information is provided by the AF; in other words, the third information comes from the AF.

[0284] Figure 6 illustrates a possible example of mode c2 in the method shown in Figure 2. The method in Figure 6 is illustrated using the Session Management Function (SMF), Policy Control Function (PCF), Access Management Function (AMF), Application Function (AF), and UE as the first device. In the method shown in Figure 6, the UE determines the first information based on the third information and the second data packet obtained by the UE, and sends the first information to the access network device. The third information can be used to identify the priority of one or more service flows among the at least two service flows indicated by the second data packet. The at least two service flows belong to the first multimodal service, and the at least two service flows include the first service flow. The third information is provided by the AF; in other words, the third information comes from the AF. Alternatively, the third information is provided by the UE; in other words, the third information comes from the UE.

[0285] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 3, the method includes:

[0286] S301: AF sends an AF request to PCF.

[0287] The AF request may include second information, which is used to determine the priority of the first service flow among at least two service flows in its first multimodal service. The specific content of the second information can be found in the description of the second information in method c1 of Figure 2, and will not be repeated here.

[0288] Optionally, the AF request may include information indicating the priority of each of the at least two traffic flows in some or all of the traffic flows.

[0289] In some implementations, for each of the at least two service flows, the AF request may also include at least one of the following: service flow description information, QoS requirements, QoS monitoring requirements, or the MMSID of the first multimodal service. The service flow description information may include at least one of the following: IP triples, quintuples, or application IDs, etc.; the MMSID of the first multimodal service can be used to explicitly indicate that these service flows belong to the first multimodal service.

[0290] Optionally, the AF can send an AF request directly to the PCF; or, it can send an AF request to the PCF through the NEF.

[0291] S302: PCF sends the first PCC rule to SMF.

[0292] The first PCC rule may include the second information. Optionally, the second information may be obtained by the PCF from the AF; or it may be obtained by the PCF from local storage. For example, the second information may be determined by the PCF based on local configuration, and the method of determination is not limited.

[0293] In some implementations, for each of the at least two service flows, the PCF can generate a PCC rule for that service flow, generating at least two PCC rules in total, and send these at least two PCC rules to the SMF. The at least two PCC rules may include a first PCC rule. Optionally, the second PCC rule may be any one of the at least two PCC rules. The second PCC rule may or may not be the first PCC rule. The second PCC rule may include information for determining the priority of the service flow corresponding to the second PCC rule within the at least two service flows.

[0294] S303: SMF sends the first information to the first access network device.

[0295] The first information can be used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows in its corresponding first multimodal service. For details on the first information, please refer to the description of the first information in S201, which will not be repeated here.

[0296] In some implementations, before sending the first information, the SMF can determine the first information based on the second information. The specific method of determination can be referred to steps A1 to A2 in the method shown in Figure 2, and will not be repeated here. Optionally, the second information can be obtained by the SMF from the PCF; or it can be obtained by the SMF from local storage. For example, the second information is determined by the SMF based on local configuration, and the method of determination is not limited.

[0297] Optionally, the SMF can bind the first PCC rule to a third QoS flow based on the first PCC rule and / or local configuration. The third QoS flow is the QoS flow used to carry the first service flow among the at least two QoS flows. The third QoS flow may or may not be the first QoS flow. The binding method is not limited; for example, it can use the method specified in the protocol. Optionally, the SMF can bind each of the at least two PCC rules to one of the at least two QoS flows. Here, the first PCC rule is used as an example.

[0298] Optionally, the SMF may instruct the first access network device to perform joint admission control on at least two QoS flows based on the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows, and the method of instruction is not limited. For example, the SMF may implicitly instruct the first access network device to perform joint admission control on at least two QoS flows based on the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows by sending a first message to the access network device; in other words, when the first access network device receives the first message, the first access network device may determine that it should perform joint admission control on at least two QoS flows based on the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows.

[0299] S304: The first access network device performs joint admission control on at least two QoS flows based on the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows.

[0300] For details on S304, please refer to S202; further details will not be provided here.

[0301] S301 and S302 are optional steps.

[0302] The technical effects of the method shown in Figure 3 can be referred to the method shown in Figure 2, and the repeated parts will not be described again.

[0303] Furthermore, in this method, the priority of the first service flow among at least two service flows in its first multimodal service is indicated by the AF (Application Filter), for example, it may be indicated by the application represented by the AF. The priority of the first service flow among these at least two service flows can be used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows in its first multimodal service. Thus, the first access network device can perform joint admission control on at least two QoS flows based on the priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows, thereby meeting the application's requirements.

[0304] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4, the method includes:

[0305] S401: The UE sends a non-access stratum (NAS) message to the AMF.

[0306] The NAS message may include second information, which is used to determine the priority of the first service flow among at least two service flows in its first multimodal service. The specific content of the second information can be found in the description of the second information in method c1 of Figure 2, and will not be repeated here.

[0307] Optionally, the NAS message may include information indicating the priority of each service flow in some or all of the at least two service flows within the at least two service flows.

[0308] In some implementations, for each of the at least two service flows, the NAS message may also include at least one of the following: service flow description information, QoS requirements, QoS monitoring requirements, or the MMSID of the first multimodal service. The service flow description information may include at least one of the following: IP triples, quintuples, or application IDs, etc.; the MMSID of the first multimodal service can be used to explicitly indicate that these service flows belong to the first multimodal service.

[0309] S402: AMF sends a NAS session message to SMF.

[0310] The NAS session message may include a second piece of information.

[0311] Optionally, the NAS session message may include information indicating the priority of each service flow in some or all of the at least two service flows within the at least two service flows.

[0312] In some implementations, for each of the at least two service flows, the NAS session message may also include at least one of the following: service flow description information, QoS requirements, QoS monitoring requirements, or the MMSID of the first multimodal service.

[0313] Optionally, the NAS session message can be a PDU session update session modification context (PDU session_UpdateSMContext) message.

[0314] S403: SMF initiates the modification process related to session policy; SMF and PCF execute the modification process related to session policy.

[0315] In some implementations, the PCF sends a first PCC rule to the SMF. This first PCC rule may include second information. Optionally, this second information may be obtained by the PCF from the SMF; or it may be obtained by the PCF locally, for example, the second information is determined by the PCF based on its local configuration, and the method of determination is not limited.

[0316] In some implementations, for each of the at least two service flows, the PCF can generate a PCC rule for that service flow, generating at least two PCC rules in total. These at least two PCC rules may include a first PCC rule. Optionally, the second PCC rule may be any one of the at least two PCC rules. The second PCC rule may or may not be the first PCC rule. The second PCC rule may include information for determining the priority of the service flow corresponding to the second PCC rule within the at least two service flows.

[0317] S404: SMF sends the first information to the first access network device.

[0318] The first information can be used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows in its respective first multimodal service.

[0319] S405: The first access network device performs joint admission control on at least two QoS flows based on the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows.

[0320] For details on S404 to S405, please refer to S303 to S304, which will not be repeated here.

[0321] S401, S402, and S403 are optional steps.

[0322] The technical effects of the method shown in Figure 4 can be referred to the method shown in Figure 2, and the repeated parts will not be described again.

[0323] In addition, in this method, the priority of the first service flow among at least two service flows in the first multi-modal service to which it belongs is indicated by the UE. For example, it can be indicated by the application layer in the UE. The priority of the first service flow among the at least two service flows can be used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows in the first multi-modal service to which it belongs. In this way, the first access network device performs joint admission control on at least two QoS flows according to the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows, which can meet the requirements of the application layer.

[0324] FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, the method includes:

[0325] S501: The AF sends an AF request to the PCF.

[0326] Among them, the AF request may include third information, and the third information can be used to identify the priority of one or more service flows among at least two service flows indicated by the second data packet among the at least two service flows. The at least two service flows belong to the first multi-modal service. For the specific content of the third information, reference can be made to the description of the third information in manner c2 in the method shown in FIG. 2, and details will not be repeated.

[0327] In some implementations, for each of the at least two service flows, the AF request may further include at least one of the following: service flow description information, QoS requirements, QoS monitoring requirements, or the MMSID of the first multi-modal service. Among them, the service flow description information may include at least one of the following: IP triple, quintuple, or application ID, etc.; the MMSID of the first multi-modal service can be used to explicitly indicate that these service flows belong to the first multi-modal service.

[0328] Optionally, the AF may directly send an AF request to the PCF; or, it may send an AF request to the PCF through the NEF.

[0329] S502: The PCF sends a third PCC rule to the SMF.

[0330] Among them, the third PCC rule may include third information. Optionally, the third information may be obtained by the PCF from the AF; or it may be obtained by the PCF locally. For example, the third information is determined by the PCF according to local configuration, and the determination method is not limited.

[0331] In some implementations, for each of the at least two service flows, the PCF may generate a PCC rule for the service flow, and a total of at least two PCC rules are generated. The at least two PCC rules may include a third PCC rule. Optionally, the fourth PCC rule may be any one of the at least two PCC rules. The fourth PCC rule may be the third PCC rule or may not be the third PCC rule. The fourth PCC rule may include information for identifying the priority of the service flow corresponding to the fourth PCC rule indicated by the second data packet among the at least two service flows.

[0332] S503: The SMF sends third information to the UPF.

[0333] Optionally, the SMF may bind the third PCC rule to the first QoS flow according to the third PCC rule and / or local configuration, and the binding method is not limited. For example, the method specified by the protocol may be adopted. Optionally, the SMF may bind each of the at least two PCC rules to one of the at least two QoS flows. Here, the third PCC rule is taken as an example for illustration.

[0334] Optionally, the SMF sends second indication information, which can be used to indicate that the UPF marks (or indicates) the priority of the QoS flow among the multiple QoS flows in its affiliated multi-modal service in the downlink data packet. For the specific content of the second indication information, reference may be made to the description of the second indication information in step D1 in the method shown in FIG. 2, which will not be elaborated here. Optionally, the second indication information and the third information may be carried in the same message or may be carried in different messages. When the second indication information and the third information are carried in different messages, the sending order of the second indication information and the third information is not limited.

[0335] Optionally, the SMF may also send first indication information to the first access network device, which can be used to indicate that the first access network device performs joint admission control on at least two QoS flows according to the priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows. For the specific content of the first indication information, reference may be made to the description of the first indication information in step C1 in the method shown in FIG. 2, which will not be elaborated here. Optionally, the sending order of the first indication information and the third information is not limited.

[0336] S504: The UPF sends at least one data packet to the first access network device. Each of the at least one data packets may include first information, and the at least one data packet may be carried by the first QoS flow.

[0337] For the specific content of S504, reference may be made to the manner c2 in the method shown in FIG. 2, which will not be elaborated here.

[0338] S505: The first access network device rejects or releases one or more QoS flows among at least two QoS flows according to the priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows.

[0339] For the specific content of S505, reference can be made to method b2 in the method shown in Figure 2, which will not be elaborated here.

[0340] S501 to S503 are optional steps.

[0341] For the technical effects of the method shown in Figure 5, reference can be made to the method shown in Figure 2, and the repeated parts will not be elaborated here.

[0342] In addition, in this method, the third information used to identify the priority of one or more service flows among at least two service flows indicated by the second data packet among the at least two service flows is indicated by the AF, for example, it can be indicated by the application represented by the AF. The priority of the one or more service flows among the at least two service flows can be used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows in its affiliated first multi-modal service. In this way, the first access network device performs joint admission control on at least two QoS flows according to the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows, so as to meet the requirements of the application.

[0343] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 6, this method includes:

[0344] The method shown in Figure 6 may include at least one of Embodiment 1 to Embodiment 3.

[0345] Embodiment 1:

[0346] Embodiment 1 includes S601 to S602:

[0347] S601: The AF sends an AF request to the PCF.

[0348] Among them, the AF request may include the third information. The third information can be used to identify the priority of one or more service flows among at least two service flows indicated by the second data packet among the at least two service flows. The at least two service flows belong to the first multi-modal service.

[0349] S602: The PCF sends a third PCC rule to the SMF.

[0350] Among them, the third PCC rule may include the third information.

[0351] For the specific content of S601 to S602, reference can be made to S501 to S502, which will not be elaborated here.

[0352] Embodiment 2:

[0353] Implementation method two includes S603 to S605:

[0354] S603: The UE sends a NAS message to the AMF.

[0355] The NAS message may include third information, which can be used to identify the priority of one or more service flows among the at least two service flows indicated by the second data packet. The at least two service flows belong to the first multimodal service. The specific content of the third information can be found in the description of third information in method c2 of Figure 2, and will not be repeated here.

[0356] In some implementations, for each of the at least two service flows, the NAS message may also include at least one of the following: service flow description information, QoS requirements, QoS monitoring requirements, or the MMSID of the first multimodal service. The service flow description information may include at least one of the following: IP triples, quintuples, or application IDs, etc.; the MMSID of the first multimodal service can be used to explicitly indicate that these service flows belong to the first multimodal service.

[0357] S604: AMF sends a NAS session message to SMF.

[0358] The NAS session message may include third-party information.

[0359] In some implementations, for each of the at least two service flows, the NAS session message may also include at least one of the following: service flow description information, QoS requirements, QoS monitoring requirements, or the MMSID of the first multimodal service.

[0360] Optionally, the NAS session message can be a PDU session update session modification context (PDU session_UpdateSMContext) message.

[0361] S605: Modification process related to SMF initiation session policy; Modification process related to SMF and PCF execution session policy.

[0362] In some implementations, the PCF sends a third PCC rule to the SMF. This third PCC rule may include third information. Optionally, this third information may be obtained by the PCF from the SMF; or it may be obtained by the PCF locally, for example, the third information is determined by the PCF based on its local configuration, and the method of determination is not limited.

[0363] In some implementations, for each of the at least two service flows, the PCF can generate PCC rules for that service flow, generating at least two PCC rules in total. These at least two PCC rules may include a third PCC rule. Optionally, a fourth PCC rule may be any one of the at least two PCC rules. The specific content of the fourth PCC rule can be found in the description of the fourth rule in S502, and will not be repeated here. It may be the third PCC rule, or it may not be the third PCC rule. The fourth PCC rule may include methods for identifying the priority of the service flow corresponding to the fourth PCC rule, as indicated by the second data packet, within the at least two service flows.

[0364] Optionally, after S602 or S605, the method shown in FIG6 further includes S606:

[0365] S606: SMF sends third information to UE.

[0366] Optionally, the SMF may instruct the UE to mark (or indicate) the priority of a QoS flow among multiple QoS flows in its own multimodal service in the uplink data packet. For example, when the SMF sends third information to the UE, it may instruct the UE to mark (or indicate) the priority of a QoS flow among multiple QoS flows in its own multimodal service in the uplink data packet.

[0367] Optionally, the SMF may instruct the UE to mark (or indicate) the priority of a QoS flow in the uplink data packet among multiple QoS flows in its multimodal service. This can be understood as: the SMF instructs the UE to identify the priority of the QoS flow indicated by the uplink data packet among multiple QoS flows in its multimodal service.

[0368] Implementation Method 3:

[0369] Implementation method three includes S607:

[0370] S607: The UE obtains third information determined by itself. For example, the UE can receive third information from the service layer through the modem.

[0371] Optionally, after S606 or S607, the method shown in Figure 6 further includes:

[0372] S608: The UE sends at least one data packet to the first access network device, wherein each data packet in the at least one data packet may include first information, and the at least one data packet may be carried by a first QoS flow.

[0373] For details on S608, please refer to method c2 in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0374] Optionally, the first information may also be carried in a radio resource control (RRC) message or a medium access control-control element (MAC CE).

[0375] S609: The first access network device rejects or releases one or more QoS flows in at least two QoS flows according to the priority of the first QoS flow in at least two QoS flows.

[0376] For details on S609, please refer to method b2 in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0377] Steps S601 to S607 are optional.

[0378] The technical effects of the method shown in Figure 6 can be referenced from the method shown in Figure 2, and the repeated parts will not be described again.

[0379] Furthermore, in this method, the third information used to identify the priority of one or more service flows among the at least two service flows indicated by the second data packet is indicated by the AF or UE, for example, it may be indicated by the application represented by the AF or the application layer in the UE. The priority of the one or more service flows among the at least two service flows can be used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows in its belonging first multimodal service. In this way, the first access network device performs joint admission control on the at least two QoS flows according to the priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows, thereby satisfying the needs of the application or application layer.

[0380] Based on the same technical concept as the above-described method embodiments, this application provides a corresponding communication device that can be used to perform the functions of the relevant steps in the above-described method embodiments. This function can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. The communication device can be a terminal, access network equipment, or core network equipment, or it can be a device within a terminal, access network equipment, or core network equipment (e.g., a module, communication module, circuit or chip responsible for communication and / or sensing functions (such as a modem chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), chip system, or processor), or it can be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a terminal, access network equipment, or core network equipment.

[0381] In one possible implementation, the communication device provided in this application embodiment has the structure shown in FIG7, including a processing unit 702. Optionally, the communication device further includes an interface unit 701. The functions of each unit in the communication device 700 are described below.

[0382] Interface unit 701 is used for inputting and / or outputting information. Input information can be replaced by received information, and output information can be replaced by transmitted information. When outputting information, interface unit 701 can output information to other devices outside of communication device 700, or to other units within communication device 700. In some embodiments, interface unit 701 can be implemented through at least one of a physical interface, a communication module, a communication interface, and an input / output interface. In other embodiments, interface unit 701 can be implemented through interface circuitry, such as a mobile communication module. The mobile communication module may include one or more of at least one antenna, at least one filter, a switch, a power amplifier, a low-noise amplifier (LNA), etc. Interface unit 701 is used to perform the receiving and transmitting operations in the above method embodiments.

[0383] In this application, the interface unit 701 may also have other names, such as a transceiver unit or a communication unit. Optionally, the interface unit 701 may include a receiving unit and / or a sending unit, used for inputting information and outputting information, respectively. The receiving unit is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiments. The sending unit is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiments.

[0384] The processing unit 702 can be used to support the communication device 700 in performing the processing actions in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 702 can be implemented by one or more processors. For example, the processor can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), microprocessors (MCUs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The processing unit 702 is used to perform processing-related operations in the above method embodiments, for example, to instruct operations other than receiving and transmitting operations in the above method embodiments.

[0385] In one embodiment, the communication device 700 is applied to the first access network device in the embodiment of this application shown in FIG2. The specific functions of the processing unit 702 in this embodiment will be described below.

[0386] The processing unit 702 is configured to: acquire first information, the first information being used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows in its respective first multimodal service; and perform joint admission control on the at least two QoS flows according to the priority.

[0387] In some possible ways, the processing unit 702 is specifically used to: perform access control on at least two QoS flows according to priority.

[0388] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is specifically configured to: sequentially perform access control on at least two QoS flows in descending order of priority of each QoS flow in the at least two QoS flows.

[0389] In some other possible ways, the processing unit 702 is specifically used to: reject or release one or more of at least two QoS flows according to priority.

[0390] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is specifically configured to: perform joint admission control on at least two QoS flows according to priority in at least one of the following situations: establishing or modifying at least one QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows; the terminal switching from the second access network device to the first access network device; the first access network device not meeting the QoS requirements of at least one QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows.

[0391] In some possible ways, the processing unit 702 is specifically used to: receive first information from the session management function network element through the interface unit 701.

[0392] In some other possible configurations, the processing unit 702 is specifically configured to: receive at least one data packet from the first device via the interface unit 701, each of the at least one data packet including first information, and the at least one data packet being carried by a first QoS stream.

[0393] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further configured to: receive first indication information from the session management function network element through the interface unit 701, the first indication information being used to instruct the first access network device to perform joint admission control on at least two QoS flows according to priority.

[0394] In some other possible configurations, the processing unit 702 is specifically configured to: receive first information from the second access network device via the interface unit 701 when the terminal switches from the second access network device to the first access network device.

[0395] In another embodiment, the communication device 700 is applied to the first device in the embodiment of this application shown in FIG2. The specific functions of the processing unit 702 in this embodiment will be described below.

[0396] The processing unit 702 is configured to: send at least one data packet to the first access network device through the interface unit 701, wherein each data packet in the at least one data packet includes first information, and the at least one data packet is carried by a first QoS flow; the first information is used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow in at least two QoS flows in its first multimodal service.

[0397] In some possible ways, the first data packet is any one of at least one data packets, and the processing unit 702 is further configured to: obtain a second data packet, the second data packet being carried by a first QoS flow, the second data packet and third information being used to determine the first information, the third information being used to identify the priority of one or more of the at least two service flows indicated by the second data packet in the at least two service flows, the at least two service flows belonging to a first multimodal service; add the first information to the second data packet to obtain the first data packet.

[0398] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is also configured to: receive third information from the session management function network element through the interface unit 701.

[0399] In some possible ways, the processing unit 702 is also configured to: receive second indication information from the session management function network element through the interface unit 701, the second indication information being used to instruct the first device to mark (or indicate) the priority of the QoS flow in the multiple QoS flows of its respective multimodal service in the downlink data packet.

[0400] In another embodiment, the communication device 700 is applied to the session management function network element in the embodiment of this application shown in FIG2. The specific functions of the processing unit 702 in this embodiment will be described below.

[0401] The processing unit 702 is configured to: determine first information, which is used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows in its first multimodal service; and send the first information to the first access network device through the interface unit 701.

[0402] In some possible ways, the processing unit 702 is also configured to: receive second information from the policy control function network element through the interface unit 701, the second information being used to determine the priority of the first service flow in at least two service flows in its first multimodal service, the second information being used to determine the first information.

[0403] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further configured to: bind the first PCC rule to a third QoS flow after receiving the first PCC rule. The third QoS flow is the QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows used to carry the first service flow, and the third QoS flow may or may not be the first QoS flow.

[0404] In another embodiment, the communication device 700 is applied to an application function network element or terminal shown in FIG2 of this application embodiment. The specific functions of the processing unit 702 in this embodiment will be described below.

[0405] The processing unit 702 is configured to: determine second information, which is used to determine the priority of the first service flow in at least two service flows in its first multimodal service; and send the second information to the policy control function network element through the interface unit 701.

[0406] In some possible ways, the processing unit 702 is also used to: for each of the at least two service flows, send at least one of the following to the policy control function network element through the interface unit 701: service flow description information, QoS requirements, QoS monitoring requirements, or the MMSID of the first multimodal service.

[0407] In another embodiment, the communication device 700 is applied to the session management function network element in the embodiment of this application shown in FIG2. The specific functions of the processing unit 702 in this embodiment will be described below.

[0408] Processing unit 702 is configured to: determine third information, which can be used to identify the priority of one or more service flows in at least two service flows indicated by the second data packet, the second data packet being a data packet acquired by the first device, the second data packet being carried by the first QoS flow, and the at least two service flows belonging to the first multimodal service; and send the third information to the first device through interface unit 701.

[0409] In some possible ways, the processing unit 702 is specifically used to: obtain third information from the policy control function network element through the interface unit 701.

[0410] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further configured to: bind the third PCC rule to the first QoS flow after receiving the third PCC rule.

[0411] In some possible configurations, the processing unit 702 is further configured to: send first indication information to the first access network device via the interface unit 701, the first indication information being used to instruct the first access network device on the priority of the first QoS flow in at least two QoS flows.

[0412] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further configured to: send second indication information to the first device through the interface unit 701, the second indication information being used to instruct the first device to mark (or indicate) the priority of the QoS flow in the downlink data packet among the multiple QoS flows in its respective multimodal service.

[0413] In another embodiment, the communication device 700 is applied to an application function network element or terminal shown in FIG2 of this application embodiment. The specific functions of the processing unit 702 in this embodiment will be described below.

[0414] Processing unit 702 is configured to: determine third information, which can be used to identify the priority of one or more service flows in at least two service flows indicated by the second data packet, wherein at least two service flows belong to the first multimodal service; and send the third information to the policy control function network element through interface unit 701.

[0415] In some possible ways, the processing unit 702 is also used to: for each of the at least two service flows, send at least one of the following to the policy control function network element through the interface unit 701: service flow description information, QoS requirements, QoS monitoring requirements, or the MMSID of the first multimodal service.

[0416] In one possible design, when the communication device 700 is a communication equipment or a communication module within a communication equipment, the functionality of the processing unit 702 can be implemented by one or more processors. For example, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core. The functionality of the interface unit 701 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0417] In one possible design, when the communication device 700 is a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in a communication device, such as a modem chip or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing unit 702 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores. The function of the interface unit 701 can be implemented by the interface circuit or data transceiver circuit on the aforementioned chip.

[0418] The communication equipment can be a terminal, an access network device, or a core network device.

[0419] A more detailed description of the processing unit 702 and the interface unit 701 can be obtained directly from the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in Figures 2 to 6, and will not be repeated here.

[0420] It should be noted that the module division in the above embodiments of this application is illustrative and only represents a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, exist as separate physical units, or have two or more units integrated into one unit. The integrated units can be implemented in hardware, as software functional units, or in a combination of hardware and software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0421] For example, the functional unit in any of the above devices may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as one or more ASICs, one or more CPUs, one or more MCUs, one or more DSPs, or one or more FPGAs, or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms.

[0422] If the integrated units described above are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0423] In one possible implementation, the communication device provided in this application embodiment is shown in FIG8. The communication device 800 includes a processor 802. Optionally, the communication device 800 further includes an interface circuit 801 and a memory 803. The interface circuit 801, the processor 802, and the memory 803 are coupled to each other.

[0424] Optionally, the interface circuit 801, processor 802, and memory 803 are coupled to each other via bus 804. Bus 804 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Buses can be divided into address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 8, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0425] Interface circuit 801 is used for inputting and / or outputting information. Input information can be replaced by received information, and output information can be replaced by transmitted information. When outputting information, interface circuit 801 can output information to other devices outside of communication device 800, or to other units within communication device 800. For example, interface circuit 801 can be implemented through at least one of a physical interface, a communication module, a communication interface, an input / output interface, and a mobile communication module. The mobile communication module may include one or more of at least one antenna, at least one filter, a switch, a power amplifier, an LNA, etc. Interface circuit 801 is used to perform the receiving and transmitting operations in the above method embodiments.

[0426] Interface circuit 801 may be one of the following: a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, a communication circuit, an interface, a communication interface, or an input / output interface (e.g., a chip's input / output interface). Interface circuit 801 may include input interface circuitry and output interface circuitry, used for inputting information and outputting information, respectively. The input interface circuitry is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiments. The output interface circuitry is used to perform the transmitting operation in the above method embodiments.

[0427] The transceiver can be used for communication with other communication devices. For example, if communication device 800 is a terminal, the transceiver can be used to communicate with access network equipment or with another terminal. As another example, if communication device 800 is an access network device, the transceiver can be used to communicate with a terminal or with another access network device.

[0428] Optionally, the transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter. The receiver is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiments. The transmitter is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiments.

[0429] Optionally, the transceiver can be integrated with the processor 802 or exist independently and be coupled to the processor 802 through the interface circuit of the communication device 800. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0430] Processor 802 can be used to support communication device 800 in performing the processing actions in the above method embodiments. When communication device 800 is used to implement the above method embodiments, processor 802 can also be used to implement the functions of processing unit 702. Processor 802 can be a CPU, or other general-purpose processors, DSPs, ASICs, FPGAs, or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. General-purpose processors can be microprocessors or any conventional processor. Processor 802 is used to perform processing-related operations in the above method embodiments, for example, to instruct operations other than receiving and sending operations in the above method embodiments.

[0431] In one embodiment, the communication device 800 is applied to the first access network device in the embodiment of this application shown in FIG2. The specific functions of the processor 802 in this embodiment are described below.

[0432] The processor 802 is configured to: acquire first information, the first information being used to determine the priority of a first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows in its respective first multimodal service; and perform joint admission control on the at least two QoS flows according to the priority.

[0433] In another embodiment, the communication device 800 is applied to the first device in the embodiment of this application shown in FIG2. The specific functions of the processor 802 in this embodiment are described below.

[0434] The processor 802 is configured to: send at least one data packet to a first access network device via an interface circuit 801, each data packet including first information, the at least one data packet being carried by a first QoS flow; the first information being used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows in its respective first multimodal service.

[0435] In another embodiment, the communication device 800 is applied to the session management function network element in the embodiment of this application shown in FIG2. The specific functions of the processor 802 in this embodiment are described below.

[0436] The processor 802 is configured to: determine first information, the first information being used to determine the priority of the first QoS flow among at least two QoS flows in its first multimodal service; and send the first information to the first access network device via the interface circuit 801.

[0437] In another embodiment, the communication device 800 is applied to an application function network element or terminal shown in Figure 2 of this application embodiment. The specific functions of the processor 802 in this embodiment are described below.

[0438] The processor 802 is configured to: determine second information, which is used to determine the priority of the first service flow in at least two service flows in its first multimodal service; and send the second information to the policy control function network element through the interface circuit 801.

[0439] In another embodiment, the communication device 800 is applied to the session management function network element in the embodiment of this application shown in FIG2. The specific functions of the processor 802 in this embodiment are described below.

[0440] Processor 802 is configured to: determine third information, which can be used to identify the priority of one or more service flows in at least two service flows indicated by the second data packet, the second data packet being a data packet acquired by the first device, the second data packet being carried by the first QoS flow, and the at least two service flows belonging to the first multimodal service; and send the third information to the first device through interface circuit 801.

[0441] In another embodiment, the communication device 800 is applied to an application function network element or terminal shown in Figure 2 of this application embodiment. The specific functions of the processor 802 in this embodiment are described below.

[0442] Processor 802 is configured to: determine third information, which can be used to identify the priority of one or more service flows in at least two service flows indicated by the second data packet, wherein the at least two service flows belong to a first multimodal service; and send the third information to the policy control function network element through interface circuit 801.

[0443] The specific functions of processor 802 can be found in the description of the communication methods provided in the above embodiments and examples of this application, as well as the specific functional description of communication device 700 in the embodiment of this application shown in FIG7, which will not be repeated here.

[0444] Memory 803 is used to store program instructions and / or data. Specifically, program instructions may include program code, which includes computer operation instructions. Memory 803 may include RAM and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device. Processor 802 executes the program instructions stored in memory 803 and uses the data stored in memory 803 to implement the above-mentioned functions, thereby realizing the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application. Memory 803 may be integrated with processor 802 or may be a memory outside the communication device.

[0445] It is understood that the memory 803 in Figure 8 of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be RAM, which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0446] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a computer program product including computer-executable instructions, which, when run, causes the methods provided in the above embodiments to be executed.

[0447] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods provided in the above embodiments.

[0448] The storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access. For example, but not limited to, a computer-readable medium can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

[0449] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a chip for reading a computer program stored in a memory and implementing the method provided in the above embodiments.

[0450] Based on the above embodiments, this application provides a chip system including a processor for supporting a computer device in implementing the functions involved in the devices in the above embodiments. In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing necessary programs and data of the computer device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0451] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0452] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or one or more blocks of the block diagrams.

[0453] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0454] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0455] In this application, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably. "At least one item" refers to one or more items, and "more than one item" refers to two or more items. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0456] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

[0457] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, An apparatus for use in a first access network device or a first access network device, comprising: Obtain first information, which is used to determine the priority of the first Quality of Service (QoS) flow among at least two QoS flows in its first multimodal service; Joint admission control is performed on the at least two QoS flows based on the stated priority.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first information includes the multimodal service identifier (MMSID) of the first multimodal service.

3. The method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first information includes information for indicating the priority of the first QoS flow among the at least two QoS flows.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Based on the priority, joint admission control is performed on the at least two QoS flows, including: Access control is performed on the at least two QoS flows according to the stated priority.

5. The method as described in claim 4, characterized in that, According to the stated priority, access control is performed on the at least two QoS flows, including: Access control is performed on the at least two QoS flows sequentially according to the order of priority of each QoS flow in the at least two QoS flows from high to low.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Based on the priority, joint admission control is performed on the at least two QoS flows, including: According to the stated priority, reject or release one or more of the at least two QoS flows.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The one or more QoS flows are the one or more QoS flows with the lowest priority among the at least two QoS flows.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, Based on the priority, joint admission control is performed on the at least two QoS flows, including: Joint admission control is performed on the at least two QoS flows based on the priority in at least one of the following cases: Establish or modify at least one of the at least two QoS flows; The terminal switches from the second access network device to the first access network device; The first access network device does not meet the QoS requirements of at least one of the at least two QoS flows.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, Obtain first information, including: Receive the first information from the session management function network element.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, Obtain first information, including: Receive at least one data packet from a first device, each of the at least one data packet including the first information, the at least one data packet being carried by the first QoS stream.

11. The method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The first device is a user plane network element, and the at least one data packet is a downlink data packet from the user plane network element; or The first device is a terminal, and the at least one data packet is an uplink data packet from the terminal.

12. The method as described in claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, Each of the at least one data packet includes the first information, including: The header of each of the at least one data packet includes the first information.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that, Also includes: The first indication information is received from the session management function network element. The first indication information is used to instruct the first access network device to perform joint admission control on the at least two QoS flows according to the priority.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, Obtain first information, including: When the terminal switches from the second access network device to the first access network device, it receives the first information from the second access network device.

15. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a unit for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1-14.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a processor for executing computer programs or instructions that cause the apparatus to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-14.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-14.

18. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes: computer program code, which, when the computer program code is run, implements the method as described in any one of claims 1-14.

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