Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, for use in implementing collaboration between computing power of an edge server and computing power of the cloud, in a scenario in which computing power is deployed on an access network side closer to a terminal device. The method comprises: receiving first data and second data; and processing the first data on the basis of pre-configured first configuration information, and sending first information to an access network device, the first information comprising the second data and first indication information, the first indication information being used for instructing to forward the second data to a cloud server, and the first configuration information being used for configuring collaborative computing between an edge server and the cloud server. Thus, upon receiving the first data and the second data, the edge server may send part of data to the cloud server for collaborative processing, this part of data may be data that cannot be locally processed, or may be data screened out to improve efficiency. In this way, collaborative computing between a local side and the cloud is achieved, thereby meeting processing requirements, such as low-latency requirements.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510201515.6, filed on February 24, 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] Computing power is a crucial driving force for the development of artificial intelligence (AI). AI computing power is typically provided by cloud platforms, and related data can be sent to the cloud platform for processing via the network. With the widespread adoption of personal terminals such as smartphones and tablets, the amount of data has surged, placing higher demands on computing platforms. Furthermore, in practical applications, many scenarios require the computation of massive amounts of data and timely feedback. In these cases, the data transmission path from the terminal device to the cloud platform may be long, failing to meet latency requirements and potentially posing security and privacy issues.

[0005] Based on this, edge computing was developed, which distributes computing tasks from the cloud platform to edge nodes for processing. Compared with cloud computing, edge computing has lower latency and higher data security.

[0006] However, in current edge computing scenarios, the edge nodes that provide computing power are deployed outside the 3GPP network, and may still be unable to meet the latency requirements of some scenarios due to the distance between the computing power and the terminal. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This application provides a communication method and apparatus for achieving collaboration between edge server computing power and cloud computing power in scenarios where computing power is deployed on the access network side closer to the terminal device.

[0008] Firstly, this application provides a communication method applicable to a communication device, which can be a standalone device or a component integrated into a device (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, component, module, or functional module). Specifically, the communication device can be an edge server or a component within an edge server. The method may include: receiving first data and second data; processing the first data according to pre-configured first configuration information; and sending first information to an access network device, wherein the first information includes second data and first indication information, the first indication information indicating that the second data be forwarded to a cloud server, and the first configuration information configuring collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server.

[0009] Based on the above method, after receiving the first and second data, the edge server can send a portion of the data to the cloud server for collaborative processing. This data can be data that cannot be processed locally, or data filtered out to improve efficiency. In this way, collaborative computing between the local machine and the cloud is achieved, thereby meeting processing requirements such as low latency. The first and second data can be data to be processed from terminal devices.

[0010] In one possible design, the first indication information may include at least one of the following: a preset quality of service flow identifier (QFI), a first bit, or user plane function element address information, wherein the preset QFI corresponds to the collaborative computing requirements of the edge server and the cloud server, and the first bit is used to indicate that the second data is forwarded to the cloud server; or, the first indication information includes the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the cloud server. This allows for flexible implementation of the first indication information using various types of information, enabling access network devices to forward the second data to the cloud server for processing based on the first indication information, thereby achieving collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server and meeting processing requirements, such as low latency.

[0011] In one possible design, before sending the first information to the access network device, it can be determined based on computing power or resource information that the processing of the second data is not supported. This allows the edge server to determine which data requires assistance from the cloud server for processing, enabling collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server to meet processing requirements, such as low latency.

[0012] In one possible design, the first configuration information may include one or more of the following: indication information on whether collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server is allowed, application information supporting collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server, information about the cloud server, or latency information of the cloud server's computing. This allows for accurate determination of the relevant circumstances regarding the cloud server's assistance to the edge server in processing data based on the first configuration information.

[0013] In one possible design, third data is received from the access network device, which is obtained by processing the second data; the third data and fourth data are sent to the terminal device, where the fourth data is obtained by processing the first data. This allows the processed data corresponding to the first and second data to be accurately returned to the terminal device.

[0014] In one possible design, the first configuration information is received from the session management network element before receiving the first data and the second data; or, the first configuration information is received from the policy management unit; or, the first configuration information is received from the application network element. This allows for flexible acquisition of the first configuration information.

[0015] In one possible design, the first configuration information from the session management network element can be received by: receiving the first configuration information from the session management network element through an established first protocol data unit (PDU) session; or, receiving the first configuration information from the session management network element through a first N4 session modification request. This allows for flexible acquisition of the first configuration information from the session management network element in multiple ways.

[0016] In one possible design, receiving the first configuration information from the policy management unit can be achieved by: sending a message requesting the first configuration information to the policy management unit through the session management network element, and receiving the first configuration information from the policy management unit through the session management network element.

[0017] In one possible design, the method for receiving the first configuration information from the application network element can be: sending a message requesting the first configuration information to the application network element through the session management network element, and receiving the first configuration information from the application network element through the session management network element.

[0018] In one possible design, a first request is sent to a first device, which requests the address information of the cloud server; the first device is a domain name server (DNS) or an edge application server discovery function (EASDF); the address information of the cloud server is received from the first device. This allows for accurate acquisition of the cloud server's address, ensuring that the second data is accurately sent to the cloud server, thereby enabling collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server to meet processing requirements, such as low latency.

[0019] In one possible design, the first request includes the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the cloud server. This allows for accurate identification of the cloud server and the acquisition of its address.

[0020] In one possible design, resource configuration information is sent to the cloud server, which is used to register idle computing resources. This allows the cloud server to utilize the idle computing resources of other edge servers when assisting them in processing data, thereby improving resource utilization.

[0021] Secondly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a communication device. This device can be a standalone device or a component integrated into a device (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, component, module, or functional module). Specifically, the communication device can be an access network device or a component within an access network device. The method can include: receiving first data and second data, and sending the first data and second data to an edge server; receiving first information from the edge server, the first information including the second data and first indication information, the first indication information indicating that the second data be forwarded to a cloud server; and sending the second data to a user plane function network element, which is communicatively connected to the cloud server, according to the first indication information.

[0022] The above method enables access network devices to forward data that edge servers cannot process or data filtered for efficiency improvements to cloud servers, allowing cloud servers to collaboratively process the data and meet processing requirements, such as low latency. The first and second data can be data to be processed from terminal devices.

[0023] In one possible design, second information is received from the user plane function network element. This second information includes third data and second indication information. The third data is obtained by processing the second data, and the second indication information instructs the third data to be forwarded to the edge server. Based on the second indication information, the third data is sent to the edge server. This allows subsequent access network devices to forward data processed by the cloud server to the edge server.

[0024] In one possible design, the second indication information may include at least one of the following: a preset Quality of Service Flow Identifier (QFI), a second bit, or access network device address information, wherein the preset QFI corresponds to the collaborative computing requirements of the edge server and the cloud server, and the second bit is used to indicate that the third data is forwarded to the edge server; or, the second indication information includes the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the edge server or the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the cloud server. This allows for flexible implementation of the second indication information using various types of information, enabling the access network device to forward the third data to the edge server based on the second indication information, thereby forwarding the data processed by the cloud server to the edge server.

[0025] In one possible design, the first indication information may include at least one of the following: a preset QFI, a first bit, or user plane function network element address information, wherein the preset QFI corresponds to the collaborative computing requirements of the edge server and the cloud server, and the first bit is used to indicate that the second data is forwarded to the cloud server; or, the first indication information includes the IP address of the cloud server. This allows for flexible implementation of the first indication information using various types of information, enabling the access network device to forward the second data to the cloud server for processing based on the first indication information, thereby achieving collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server and meeting processing requirements, such as low latency.

[0026] In one possible design, a Quality of Service (QoS) mapping rule is received. This QoS mapping rule indicates the association between the QoS stream corresponding to a first Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session and the QoS stream corresponding to a second PDU session. The first PDU session is used to transmit data between the terminal device and the edge server, and the second PDU session is used to transmit data between the terminal device and the cloud server. This allows data to be transmitted through the QoS streams corresponding to the relevant PDU sessions, thus meeting the QoS requirements of edge-cloud collaboration.

[0027] In one possible design, receiving the first information from the edge server can be achieved by receiving the first information from the edge server through a first QoS stream of the first PDU session. Further, sending the second data to the user plane function element can be achieved by determining a second QoS stream for transmitting the second data in the second PDU session based on the first QoS stream of the first PDU session and the QoS mapping rules; and sending the second data to the user plane function element through the QoS stream corresponding to the second QoS stream of the second PDU session. This allows data to be transmitted through the QoS stream corresponding to the relevant PDU session, satisfying the QoS requirements of edge-cloud collaboration.

[0028] In one possible design, third data is received from the user plane function network element via the second QoS stream of the second PDU session; the third data is obtained by processing the second data; a first QoS stream of the first PDU session is determined for transmitting the third data based on the second QoS stream of the second PDU session and the QoS mapping rules; the third data is then sent to the edge server via the first QoS stream of the first PDU session. This allows data to be transmitted via the QoS stream corresponding to the relevant PDU session, satisfying the QoS requirements of edge-cloud collaboration.

[0029] Thirdly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a communication device. This device can be a standalone device or a component integrated into a device (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, component, module, or functional module). Specifically, the communication device can be a user plane function network element or a component within a user plane function network element. The method can include: receiving third data from a cloud server; sending second information to an access network device according to pre-configured second configuration information, the second information including the third data and second indication information, the second indication information indicating that the third data be forwarded to an edge server; and the second configuration information configuring collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server. This enables the access network device to forward data processed by the cloud server to the edge server, thus achieving collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server and meeting processing requirements, such as low latency.

[0030] In one possible design, the second configuration information includes information for identifying data from the edge server. This allows user plane function elements to recognize that third data needs to be forwarded to the edge server, thereby forwarding data processed by the cloud server to the edge server.

[0031] In one possible design, the information used to identify the data packet to the edge server includes the address information of the edge server. This allows the user plane function element to recognize that third-party data needs to be forwarded to the edge server, thereby forwarding the data processed by the cloud server to the edge server.

[0032] In one possible design, the second indication information may include at least one of the following: a preset QFI, a second bit, or access network device address information, wherein the preset QFI corresponds to the collaborative computing requirements of the edge server and the cloud server, and the second bit is used to indicate forwarding to the edge server; or, the second indication information includes the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the edge server or the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the cloud server. This allows for flexible implementation of the second indication information using various types of information, enabling the access network device to forward third data to the edge server based on the second indication information, thereby forwarding data processed by the cloud server to the edge server.

[0033] In one possible design, second data is received from the access network device; the second data originates from the terminal device; the second data is then sent to the cloud server, and the third data is obtained by processing the second data. This allows data that the edge server cannot process to be forwarded to the cloud server for assistance, enabling collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server to meet processing requirements, such as low latency.

[0034] In one possible design, the second configuration information is received from the session management network element; or, the second configuration information is received from the policy management unit. This allows for flexible acquisition of the second configuration information.

[0035] In one possible design, the second configuration information from the session management network element can be received by: receiving the second configuration information from the session management network element through an established second protocol data unit (PDU) session; or, receiving the second configuration information from the session management network element through a second N4 session establishment modification request. This allows for flexible acquisition of the second configuration information from the session management network element in multiple ways.

[0036] In one possible design, receiving the second configuration information from the policy management unit can be achieved by: sending a message requesting the second configuration information to the policy management unit through the session management network element, and receiving the second configuration information from the policy management unit through the session management network element.

[0037] Fourthly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a communication device. This device can be a standalone device or a component integrated into a device (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, component, module, or functional module). Specifically, the communication device can be a session management network element or a component within a session management network element. The method can include: sending first configuration information to an edge server, the first configuration information being used to configure collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server; and sending second configuration information to a user plane function network element, the second configuration information being used to configure collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server. This allows the edge server to forward data it cannot process or data filtered for efficiency improvements to the cloud server for processing based on the first configuration information, achieving collaborative computing between local and cloud environments, thereby meeting processing requirements such as low latency. Furthermore, the above method can also allow the user plane function network element to forward data processed by the cloud server to the edge server based on the second configuration information.

[0038] In one possible design, the first configuration information may include one or more of the following: indication information on whether collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server is allowed, application information supporting collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server, and information about the cloud server or latency information. This allows for accurate determination of the relevant circumstances regarding the cloud server's assistance to the edge server in processing data based on the first configuration information.

[0039] In one possible design, the second configuration information includes information for identifying data packets destined for the edge server. This allows user plane function elements to recognize when to forward third data to the edge server.

[0040] In one possible design, the first configuration information can be sent to the edge server by: sending the first configuration information to the edge server through a first Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session; or sending a modification request to the edge server through a first N4 session to receive the first configuration information. This allows for flexible sending of the first configuration information to the edge server.

[0041] In one possible design, the second configuration information is sent to the user plane function network element by: sending the second configuration information to the user plane function network element through a second PDU session; or, sending the second configuration information to the user plane function network element by establishing a modification request through a second N4 session. This allows for flexible sending of the second configuration information to the user plane function network element.

[0042] In one possible design, a message requesting the first configuration information and the second configuration information is sent to the policy management unit; the first configuration information and the second configuration information are then received from the policy management unit. This ensures accurate acquisition of the first and second configuration information, enabling the sending of the first configuration information to the edge server and the second configuration information to the user plane function elements.

[0043] In one possible design, a Quality of Service (QoS) mapping rule is sent to the access network device. This QoS mapping rule indicates the association between the QoS flow corresponding to the first Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session and the QoS flow corresponding to the second PDU session. This allows subsequent data transmission via the QoS flow corresponding to the relevant PDU session.

[0044] Fifthly, this application also provides a communication device, which can be a standalone device or a component integrated into a device (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, component, module, or functional module, etc.). Specifically, the communication device can be an edge server, or a component within an edge server. The communication device has the functionality to implement the methods described in the first aspect or various possible design examples of the first aspect. The functionality can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the described functionality.

[0045] In one possible design, the communication device may include a processing unit, and optionally a transceiver unit, which may perform the functions of the methods described in the first aspect or various possible design examples of the first aspect, which will not be elaborated here.

[0046] In one possible design, the communication device includes one or more processors, and optionally also includes a memory and / or a transceiver. The transceiver is used to send and receive data, messages, or information, and to communicate with other devices in the system. The processor is configured to support the communication device in performing the corresponding functions in the first aspect or various possible design examples of the first aspect described above. The memory is coupled to the processor and stores the necessary program instructions and data for the communication device.

[0047] Sixthly, this application also provides a communication device, which can be a standalone device or a component integrated into a device (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, component, module, or functional module, etc.). Specifically, the communication device can be an access network device or a component within an access network device. The communication device has the functionality to implement the methods described in the second aspect or various possible design examples of the second aspect. The functionality can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the described functionality.

[0048] In one possible design, the communication device may include a processing unit, and optionally a transceiver unit, which may perform the functions of the methods described in the second aspect or various possible design examples of the second aspect, which will not be elaborated here.

[0049] In one possible design, the communication device includes one or more processors, and optionally also includes memory and / or a transceiver. The transceiver is used to send and receive data, messages, or information, and to communicate with other devices in the system. The processor is configured to support the communication device in performing the corresponding functions in the second aspect or various possible design examples of the second aspect described above. The memory is coupled to the processor and stores the necessary program instructions and data for the communication device.

[0050] Seventhly, this application also provides a communication device, which can be a standalone device or a component integrated into a device (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, component, module, or functional module, etc.). Specifically, the communication device can be a user plane function network element, or a component within a user plane function network element. The communication device has the functionality to implement the methods described in the third aspect or various possible design examples of the third aspect. The functionality can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the described functionality.

[0051] In one possible design, the communication device may include a processing unit, and optionally a transceiver unit, which may perform the functions of the methods described in the third aspect or various possible design examples of the third aspect, which will not be elaborated here.

[0052] In one possible design, the communication device includes one or more processors, and optionally also includes a memory and / or a transceiver. The transceiver is used to send and receive data, messages, or information, and to communicate with other devices in the system. The processor is configured to support the communication device in performing the corresponding functions in the third aspect or various possible design examples of the third aspect described above. The memory is coupled to the processor and stores the necessary program instructions and data for the communication device.

[0053] Eighthly, this application also provides a communication device, which can be a standalone device or a component integrated into a device (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, component, module, or functional module, etc.). Specifically, the communication device can be a session management network element, or a component within a session management network element. The communication device has the functionality to implement the methods described in the second aspect or various possible design examples of the second aspect. The functionality can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the described functionality.

[0054] In one possible design, the communication device may include a processing unit, and optionally a transceiver unit, which may perform the functions of the methods described in the fourth aspect or various possible design examples of the fourth aspect, which will not be elaborated here.

[0055] In one possible design, the communication device includes one or more processors, and optionally also includes a memory and / or a transceiver. The transceiver is used to send and receive data, messages, or information, and to communicate with other devices in the system. The processor is configured to support the communication device in performing the corresponding functions in the fourth aspect or various possible design examples of the fourth aspect described above. The memory is coupled to the processor and stores the necessary program instructions and data for the communication device.

[0056] Ninthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication system that may include an edge server, an access network device, a user plane function network element, and a session management network element. The edge server can be used to implement the methods described in the first aspect or various possible design examples of the first aspect. The access network device can be used to implement the methods described in the second aspect or various possible design examples of the second aspect. The user plane function network element can be used to implement the methods described in the third aspect or various possible design examples of the third aspect. The session management network element can be used to implement the methods described in the fourth aspect or various possible design examples of the fourth aspect.

[0057] Tenthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods described in the first aspect and any possible design of the embodiments of this application, or in the second aspect and any possible design of the second aspect, or in the third aspect and any possible design of the third aspect, or in the fourth aspect and any possible design of the fourth aspect. Exemplarily, the computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer. For example, but not limited to, the computer-readable medium can include non-transient computer-readable media, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage media, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible to a computer.

[0058] Eleventhly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product, including a computer program or instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect, or in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect, or in the third aspect or any possible design of the third aspect, or in the fourth aspect or any possible design of the fourth aspect to be executed.

[0059] In a twelfth aspect, this application also provides a chip or chip system, including one or more processors, said processors being coupled to at least one memory for reading and executing program instructions stored in said memory to enable the chip or chip system to implement the methods described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect, or in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect, or in the third aspect or any possible design of the third aspect, or in the fourth aspect or any possible design of the fourth aspect.

[0060] For the various aspects of the third to twelfth aspects mentioned above, and the technical effects that may be achieved by each aspect, please refer to the description of the technical effects that may be achieved by the various possible solutions for the first aspect or the first aspect, or the various possible solutions for the second aspect or the second aspect, or the various possible solutions for the third aspect or the third aspect, or the various possible solutions for the fourth aspect or the fourth aspect. It will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0061] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in this application;

[0062] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of an ORAN system provided in this application;

[0063] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another ORAN system architecture provided in this application;

[0064] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in this application;

[0065] Figure 5a is a flowchart of a communication method provided in this application;

[0066] Figure 5b is a schematic diagram of a protocol stack provided in this application;

[0067] Figure 5c is a schematic diagram of another protocol stack provided in this application;

[0068] Figure 5d is a schematic diagram of another protocol stack provided in this application;

[0069] Figure 6 is a flowchart of an example of a communication method provided in this application;

[0070] Figure 7 is a flowchart of an example of another communication method provided in this application;

[0071] Figure 8 is a flowchart of an example of another communication method provided in this application;

[0072] Figure 9 is a flowchart of an example of another communication method provided in this application;

[0073] Figure 10 is a flowchart of an example of another communication method provided in this application;

[0074] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in this application;

[0075] Figure 12 is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0076] This application provides a communication method and apparatus for scenarios where computing power is deployed on the access network side closer to the terminal device, thereby enabling the synergy between the computing power of the edge server and the cloud computing power. 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 problems are similar, the implementations of the apparatus and method can be mutually referred to, and repeated details will not be elaborated further.

[0077] In the description of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used only for the purpose of distinguishing descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or order.

[0078] In the description of this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0079] In the description of this application, "and / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. " / " means "or", for example, a / b means a or b.

[0080] To more clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the communication methods and devices provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0081] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems. Examples include Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Short-Range Wireless Communication Systems (such as Sidelink, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi or WiFi), Bluetooth, wired networks, Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication systems, Device-to-Device (D2D) communication systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication, Machine-Type Communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), 4th Generation (4G) mobile communication systems (such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems), LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication systems, and 5th Generation (5G) mobile communication systems. No restrictions are imposed on generation (5G) mobile communication systems (such as new radio (NR) systems), future evolution communication systems, or other similar communication systems.

[0082] For example, Figure 1 illustrates a possible communication system architecture applicable to embodiments of this application. Figure 1 is a system architecture for multi-access edge computing (MEC) as defined by the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). This system includes terminal equipment, an access network (AN), and a core network (CN). The core network is, for example, a 5G core network (5GC), which may include network exposure function (NEF), network function repository function (NRF), unified data management (UDM), access and mobility management function (AMF), policy control function (PCF), session management function (SMF), application function (AF), user plane function (UPF), edge application server (EAS), and edge application server discovery function (EASDF), among other network elements. The 5GC can communicate with the data network (DN) through the UPF.

[0083] The core network can include multiple UPFs, each performing different functions. For example, Figure 1 includes UPFs corresponding to the uplink classifier (UL CL) / branching point (BP), UPFs corresponding to the central (C) - protocol data unit (PDU) session anchor (PSA), and UPFs corresponding to the local (L) - PSA. For instance, in MEC technology, the EAS can provide services as a data network, acting as an edge node to offload computational tasks from the central node, which may be located, for example, in the DN. In uplink transmission, data can be offloaded to the EAS by the UPF (e.g., the UPF corresponding to L-PSA), and the EAS provides computational services.

[0084] Figure 1 illustrates this using an EAS as an independent network element. Optionally, the EAS can also be included in the UPF, as a function of the UPF or as a functional module included in the UPF. For example, the EAS in Figure 1 can be included in the UPS (UL CL / BP), in which case the UPF (L-PSA) may not exist, or the UPF (L-PSA) may exist and have other uses. Alternatively, the EAS can also be included in the AN, as a function of the AN or as a functional network element included in the AN.

[0085] Figure 1 shows an example of the connection between EAS and UPF. Optionally, EAS can also be directly connected to AN, meaning that EAS and AN can communicate directly without the UPF intermediary. For example, in Figure 1, AN and EAS can be directly connected without going through UPF (UL CL / BP) and UPF (L-PSA).

[0086] Besides EAS, Figure 1 also uses an example where the central node is an independent network element, which can be located within the DN. Alternatively, the central node can be included in the UPF, as a function of the UPF or as a functional module included in the UPF. For example, the central node in Figure 1 can be included in the UPS (UL CL / BP), in which case the UPF (C-PSA) may not exist, or the UPF (C-PSA) may exist and have other uses. Alternatively, the central node can also be included in the AN, as a function of the AN or as a functional network element included in the AN.

[0087] Figure 1 shows an example of a central node connected to a UPF. Alternatively, the central node can also be directly connected to the AN, meaning that the central node and the AN can communicate directly without the UPF intermediary. For example, in Figure 1, the AN and the central node can be directly connected without going through a UPF (UL CL / BP) or a UPF (C-PSA).

[0088] AN can also stand for Radio Access Network (RAN). RAN can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4th generation (4G) mobile communication systems (e.g., Long Term Evolution, LTE), 5th generation (5G) mobile communication systems (e.g., New Radio, NR), or future-oriented communication systems. RAN can also be an Open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN), or a WiFi system. RAN can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0089] RAN can include at least one RAN node, which may also be referred to as RAN entity, network device, access network device or access node, etc. It constitutes part of the communication system and is used to help terminal devices achieve wireless access.

[0090] In one possible scenario, the access network device can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. The access network device can be a macro base station, a micro base station or indoor station, a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the access network device can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network device in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the access network device 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). The access network device in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the access network device functions.

[0091] In another possible scenario, multiple access network devices collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, with each access network device performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, the access network devices can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and DU can be configured separately 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).

[0092] 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.

[0093] In some implementations, Figures 2 and 3 illustrate an architecture diagram of an ORAN system. As shown in Figure 2, the ORAN system includes a RAN intelligent controller (RIC). The RIC includes a near-real-time (near-RT) RIC and a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC. The near-real-time RIC is used for model training and inference. For example, it is used to train an AI model and then use that AI model for inference. The near-real-time RIC can obtain network-side and / or terminal-side information from RAN nodes (e.g., at least one of CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, RU) and / or terminals. This information can be used as training data or inference data. Optionally, the near-real-time RIC can deliver the inference results to RAN nodes and / or terminals. Optionally, CU and DU, and / or DU and RU, can exchange inference results. For example, the near-real-time RIC delivers the inference results to the DU, and the DU sends them to the RU. This is used to implement near-real-time intelligent management of the RAN. Near real-time control and optimization of O-RAN modules and resources are achieved through data collection and related operations on the E2 interface.

[0094] Non-real-time RICs are used for model training and inference. For example, they are used to train AI models and then use those models for inference. Non-real-time RICs can obtain network-side and / or terminal-side information from RAN nodes (e.g., at least one of CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, RU) and / or terminals. This information can be used as training data or inference data, and the inference results can be delivered to RAN nodes and / or terminals. Optionally, inference results can be exchanged between CUs and DUs, and / or between DUs and RUs; for example, a non-real-time RIC delivers inference results to a DU, which then forwards them to an RU.

[0095] Near real-time RICs and non-real-time RICs can also be configured as separate network elements. Optionally, near real-time RICs and non-real-time RICs can also be part of other devices. For example, near real-time RICs can be set in RAN nodes (e.g., CU, DU), while non-real-time RICs can be set in operation administration and maintenance (OAM) systems, cloud servers, core network devices, or other network devices.

[0096] In some embodiments, in conjunction with Figure 3, the O-CU can be used to implement the radio resource control (RRC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, and other control functions in the 3GPP standard.

[0097] The O-CU-CP is similar to the CU-CP in the NR system, used to implement the functions of the RRC layer and the control plane functions of the PDCP layer. The O-CU-CP is a part of the O-CU.

[0098] O-CU-UP is similar to CU-UP in the NR system, used to implement the functions of the SDAP layer and the user plane functions of the PDCP layer. O-CU-CP is a part of O-CU.

[0099] O-DU is based on low-layer function segmentation and is used to implement the radio link control (RLC) layer, media access control (MAC) layer, and higher physical layer (PHY) layer in the 3GPP standard. Among them, the higher physical layer functions include one or more of the following: forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding, scrambling / descrambling, or modulation / demodulation.

[0100] O-RU is based on low-layer function segmentation and is used to implement lower physical layer (PHY) functions and radio frequency (RF) functions in the 3GPP standard. The low physical layer functions include one or more of the following: fast fourier transform (FFT) / inverse fast fourier transform (iFFT), digital beamforming, or extraction and filtering of the physical random access channel (PRACH). It is similar to the transmission reception point (TRP) or remote radio head (RRH) in 3GPP, but includes low physical layer functions such as FFT / iFFT or PRACH extraction.

[0101] Terminal devices can also be called user equipment (UE) (shown as an example in Figure 1), mobile stations, mobile terminals, etc. Terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminal devices can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal device.

[0102] The Access and Mobility Management (AMF) network element is responsible for access control and mobility management of terminal devices accessing the operator's network. This includes functions such as mobility state management, allocation of temporary user identities, authentication, and authorization. It should be understood that in 5G communication systems, this AMF network element may be an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network element. In future communication systems, the AMF network element may have other names, without limitation.

[0103] The session management function (SMF) network element is primarily responsible for session management in mobile networks, such as session establishment, modification, and release. It can also assign Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to users and select user plane function network elements that provide packet forwarding capabilities. It should be understood that in 5G communication systems, this SMF network element can be a session management function (SMF) network element. In future communication systems, the SMF network element may have other names, without limitation.

[0104] 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.

[0105] It should be understood that Figure 1 is merely an illustrative example and is not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0106] For example, Figure 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of another possible communication system architecture applicable to embodiments of this application. This communication system may include terminal equipment, RAN, CN, and at least one computing unit. In Figure 4, it is shown as 5GC, which may include network elements such as AMF, SMF, PCF, NEF, and computing management function (CMF).

[0107] The computing unit (far-edge intelligent node, FeIN) can also be called a task execution function (TEF), computing execution function (CEF), or computing power node / board. FeIN is defined as a node that provides computing resources and is responsible for executing computing tasks (i.e., providing computing power), such as local model inference and image rendering. Figure 1 illustrates three computing units, FeIN1, FeIN2, and FeIN3. FeIN can be a logical function for computing services. It is understood that a logical function is not a network element, and its deployment location is not limited. This logical function may belong to the core network or the access network; it may be deployed independently or as part of an existing network element.

[0108] Optionally, the quantity relationship between base stations and FeINs can be 1:N (N is an integer greater than or equal to 1), or it can be N:M, where M is a positive integer less than N, meaning that one FeIN can connect to multiple base stations.

[0109] FeINs may be deployed independently or as part of an existing network element, such as the RAN or UPF. When a FeIN is deployed independently, the RAN and FeIN can have independent interfaces, such as the Nx interface. The control plane and user plane can be deployed together or separately. For example, when deployed separately, if the FeIN is FeIN-C and FeIN-U, the Nx interfaces are Nx-C and Nx-U, respectively. When a FeIN is part of an existing network element, such as part of a UPF, the interface between the RAN and FeIN is the N3 interface. When a FeIN is part of a base station function, the N3 or Nx interface in Figure 4 does not exist. Optionally, a FeIN can be a function of a CU or DU.

[0110] The Computing Management Function (CMF) is responsible for managing computing connections, including computing service subscription and authorization, computing service policies (transmission + computing policies), computing service session management, computing execution function registration and discovery, computing service mobility management, and so on. It should be understood that in 5G communication systems, this computing management function network element can be a computing management function (CMF). In future communication systems, the computing management function network element may have other names, without limitation.

[0111] Optionally, the CMF can exist independently of the SMF, as shown in Figure 4. Optionally, the CMF can also be part of the SMF.

[0112] The communication systems and service scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. Those skilled in the art will understand that, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0113] Currently, in edge computing scenarios, edge servers providing computing power are deployed outside the 3GPP network. These edge servers communicate with user plane network elements via the N6 interface. This deployment method can result in significant distances between the computing power and terminal devices, potentially leading to substantial data transmission latency and failing to meet the latency requirements of some scenarios. Therefore, this application proposes deploying computing power on the access network side, bringing the computing power closer to the terminal devices and thus reducing latency to meet the high low-latency requirements of some service scenarios. For example, computing power can be deployed on the RAN. Deploying computing power on the RAN can be understood as the RAN's function including providing computing power or introducing independent computing network elements with direct interface connections to the RAN.

[0114] In some scenarios, even if the access network has computing power deployed on its side, the edge servers on that side may still be unable to process all the data under preset requirements. For example, the edge servers may be under high load, and only a portion of the data can be processed locally, leaving some data that cannot be processed in a timely manner. Therefore, it has been proposed that cloud servers can assist edge servers in completing computations; however, there is still no clear solution for how to achieve edge-cloud collaborative computing. Based on this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can achieve edge-cloud collaborative computing.

[0115] In the following embodiments, a specific device (or network element, etc.) is used as an example to describe the communication method provided in this application. It should be understood that the operation performed by the specific device (or network element, etc.) can also be implemented by a processor, chip, chip system, or functional module in the specific device (or network element, etc.).

[0116] Based on the above description, this application provides a communication method, as shown in FIG5a. The process of this method may include:

[0117] Step 501: The terminal device sends the first data and the second data to the access network device.

[0118] Optionally, the first data and the second data can be data from the same business. For example, the business could be AI business, sensing business, XR business, etc.

[0119] For example, the first data and the second data can be data to be processed by the terminal device. The first data and the second data to be processed can be understood as the first data and the second data needing to be processed, such as AI processing or perception processing.

[0120] Optionally, the first data and the second data can also be data from different business operations, and this application does not limit this.

[0121] Step 502: The access network device sends the first data and the second data to the edge server.

[0122] In this application, a cloud server may also be referred to as a cloud application server. An edge server may also be referred to as an edge application server or edge application server.

[0123] In this application, optionally, the protocol stack between the edge server and the access network device can be as shown in Figures 5b to 5d.

[0124] For example, when the access network device sends the first data and the second data to the edge server, it can do so through the protocol stack shown in Figures 5b and 5c.

[0125] The source address of the first and second data sent by the terminal device can be the address of the terminal device, and the destination address can be a preset address. Optionally, the preset address can reuse the address of the edge server or the address of the cloud server.

[0126] Step 503: The edge server processes the first data according to the pre-configured first configuration information and sends first information to the access network device. The first information includes second data and first indication information. The first indication information is used to instruct the second data to be forwarded to the cloud server, and the first configuration information is used to configure the edge server and the cloud server to perform collaborative computing. Accordingly, the access network device receives the first information from the edge server.

[0127] In some embodiments, the first configuration information may include one or more of the following: indication information on whether edge servers and cloud servers are allowed to perform collaborative computing, application information that supports collaborative computing between edge servers and cloud servers, information about cloud servers, or latency information of cloud server computing.

[0128] For example, application information that supports collaborative computing between edge servers and cloud servers may include application identification (APP ID) or APP Internet protocol (IP) address, etc.

[0129] Information about a cloud server may include the IP address information of the applications running on the cloud server, or the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the cloud server.

[0130] Optionally, the first configuration information may also include cloud server processing capacity information, such as load information, computing / processing speed information, computing accuracy information, etc.

[0131] In some embodiments, the first indication information may include at least one of the following: a preset Quality of Service Flow Identifier (QFI), a first bit, or user plane function network element address information, wherein the preset QFI corresponds to the collaborative computing requirements of the edge server and the cloud server, and the first bit is used to indicate that the second data is forwarded to the cloud server; or, the first indication information may include the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the cloud server.

[0132] In some embodiments, the edge server can determine that the data is data to be processed based on the destination addresses of the first data and the second data. Optionally, when the destination addresses of the first data and the second data are preset addresses (e.g., the address of the edge server or the address of the cloud server), the edge server can first determine whether it can process the first data and the second data locally. If it can be processed, it processes the data locally; if it cannot be processed, it forwards the data to the cloud server for assistance.

[0133] Optionally, before sending the first information to the access network device, the edge server may determine, based on its local computing power or resource information, that it does not support processing the second data. Therefore, the edge server processes the first data locally and sends the second data to the cloud server for processing. For example, the edge server may determine that its local computing power does not support processing the second data, or that its local resources are insufficient to process the second data.

[0134] Optionally, the second set of data can also be data filtered out by the edge server to improve efficiency.

[0135] Optionally, the edge server can determine, based on the first configuration information, that the cloud server can assist the edge server in processing data, and thus can send second data that the edge server cannot process locally to the cloud server for processing. Optionally, the first configuration information includes indication information on whether collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server is allowed. If the indication information indicates that collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server is allowed, then the edge server determines that the cloud server can assist the edge server in processing data. Optionally, the first configuration information includes application information that supports collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server. For example, the application information may be the IP address of an application on the cloud server. If the destination address of the second data is the address of the cloud server, the edge server can determine, based on the destination address of the second data, that the second data can be sent to the cloud server for processing. Alternatively, if the application information is the IP address of an application on the edge server, and the destination address of the second data is the address of the edge server, the edge server can determine, based on the destination address of the second data, that the second data can be sent to the cloud server for processing. Optionally, the first configuration information includes information about the cloud server or the latency information of the cloud server's computation. The edge server can estimate whether the latency of sending the second data to the cloud server for processing can meet the business requirements based on the latency requirements of the business corresponding to the second data, and thus determine whether the second data can be sent to the cloud server for processing.

[0136] For example, the edge server processes first data and sends first information to the access network device according to pre-configured first configuration information. The method can be as follows: when the first configuration information includes indication information on whether the edge server and the cloud server are allowed to perform collaborative computing, and the indication information on whether the edge server and the cloud server are allowed to perform collaborative computing indicates that the edge server and the cloud server are allowed to perform collaborative computing, the edge server determines that the second data is allowed to be processed by the cloud server, processes the first data, and sends the first information to the access network device; when the first configuration information includes application information that supports collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server, if the destination address of the second data is associated with the address of the server where the application information is located, the edge server determines that the second data is allowed to be processed by the cloud server, processes the first data, and sends the first information to the access network device; when the first configuration information includes latency information for cloud server computing, the edge server determines that the latency of sending the second data to the cloud server for processing meets the service requirements based on the latency requirements of the service corresponding to the second data, determines that the second data is allowed to be processed by the cloud server, processes the first data, and sends the first information to the access network device.

[0137] In some examples, the edge server can send first information to the access network device in the form of a data packet, wherein the first indication information may be included in the user plane tunneling protocol (GPRS tunneling protocol for the user plane, GTP-U) header of the data packet.

[0138] In one optional implementation, before receiving the first data and the second data, the edge server may receive first configuration information from the session management network element; or, receive first configuration information from the policy management unit; or, receive first configuration information from the application network element.

[0139] For example, the edge server can receive the first configuration information from the session management network element in the following ways: the edge server receives the first configuration information from the session management network element through the established first protocol data unit (PDU) session; or, the edge server receives the first configuration information from the session management network element through the establishment of a modification request in the first N4 session.

[0140] For example, receiving the first configuration information from the policy management unit can be achieved by the edge server sending a message requesting the first configuration information to the policy management unit through the session management network element, and receiving the first configuration information from the policy management unit through the session management network element.

[0141] For example, the edge server can receive the first configuration information from the application network element by sending a message requesting the first configuration information to the application network element through the session management network element, and receiving the first configuration information from the application network element through the session management network element.

[0142] In some possible ways, when the edge server sends the first information to the access network device, it can do so via the protocol stack shown in Figure 5b or Figure 5c.

[0143] In some scenarios, when an edge server sends second data, the source address of the second data can be modified to the edge server's address. This source address can indicate that the processed data for the second data needs to be returned to the edge server. In this scenario, the second data can be partial data from a certain business process.

[0144] In some other scenarios, when the edge server sends the second data, it can keep the source address of the second data as the address of the terminal device. At the same time, the edge server can send an additional indication message to indicate that the second data is data that needs to be processed by a certain business part, or directly instruct the cloud server to return the processed data to the edge server, so that the cloud server can return the processed data to the edge server.

[0145] In some other scenarios, when the edge server sends second data, it can keep the source address of the second data as the address of the terminal device. This source address can indicate that the processed data of the second data can be returned to the terminal device.

[0146] In some other scenarios, when the edge server sends second data, it can keep the source address of the second data as the address of the terminal device, and at the same time send an indication message to indicate that the processed data of the second data should be returned to the terminal device.

[0147] In some other scenarios, when the edge server sends the second data, it also sends an indication message to indicate that the second data is all the data of a certain service, so that the cloud server can process the second data and return the data directly to the terminal device.

[0148] In one optional implementation, before sending the first information to the access network device, the edge server may send a first request to the first device. The first request is used to request the address information of the cloud server, and the edge server receives the address information of the cloud server from the first device. The first device is a domain name server (DNS) or an edge application server discovery function (EASDF) network element.

[0149] Optionally, the first request may include the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the cloud server.

[0150] Step 504: The access network device sends the second data to the user plane function network element according to the first instruction information, wherein the user plane function network element is communicatively connected to the cloud server.

[0151] The access network device determines that the second data needs to be forwarded to the cloud server based on the first indication information in the first information, and then sends the second data to the user plane function network element. Then the user plane function network element executes step 505: the user plane function network element sends the second data to the cloud server.

[0152] Optionally, the access network device sends the second data to the user plane function network element according to the first indication information. The method may be as follows: when the first indication information includes a preset QFI, the access network device determines that the second data is data that needs to be processed by the edge-cloud collaboration and sends the second data to the user plane function network element; when the first indication information includes the address information of the user plane function network element, the access network device determines that the second data needs to be processed by the cloud server and sends the second data to the user plane function network element according to the address of the user plane function network element; when the first indication information includes a second bit, the access network device determines that the second data needs to be processed by the cloud server and sends the second data to the user plane function network element.

[0153] In one alternative implementation, the access network device may receive quality of service (QoS) mapping rules, which are used for QoS assurance between FeIN and the cloud server.

[0154] In one example, QoS mapping rules are used to indicate the association between the QoS flow corresponding to the first PDU session and the QoS flow corresponding to the second PDU session.

[0155] The first PDU session is used for transmitting data between the terminal device and the edge server. The second PDU session is used for transmitting data between the terminal device and the cloud server.

[0156] Optionally, the first PDU session and the second PDU session can be pre-established. For the specific process of establishing the first PDU session, please refer to step 601 in the following specific example, and for the process of establishing the second PDU session, please refer to step 602 in the following specific example.

[0157] Alternatively, when it is necessary to forward the second data, the access network device may trigger the establishment of a second PDU session.

[0158] In some examples, the access network device can receive first information (including second data) from the edge server through the first QoS flow of the first PDU session. Further, when the access network device sends the second data to the user plane function network element, the method can be: the access network device determines the second QoS flow of the second PDU session for transmitting the second data according to the first QoS flow and QoS mapping rules of the first PDU session for transmitting the second data, and sends the second data to the user plane function network element through the second QoS flow of the second PDU session.

[0159] Further, as shown in step 506 of Figure 5a, the cloud server processes the second data to obtain the third data and sends the third data to the user plane function network element.

[0160] In an optional implementation, the user plane function network element may further perform step 507: the user plane function network element sends second information to the access network device according to the pre-configured second configuration information, the second information including third data and second indication information, the second indication information being used to forward the third data to the edge server; the second configuration information being used to configure the edge server and the cloud server to perform collaborative computing.

[0161] It should be understood that step 507 here refers to the scenario where the data after the second data processing needs to be returned to the edge server. This application only uses this scenario as an example for explanation.

[0162] Optionally, if the processed data from the second data can be directly returned to the terminal device, the user plane function network element can reuse the current process to send the third data to the terminal device after receiving the third data. In this case, the user plane function network element does not need to send the aforementioned second indication information. Optionally, in this case, after receiving the third data, the terminal device can send an indication to the edge server that the data processing has been completed, thus releasing the transmission control protocol (TCP) connection between the terminal device and the edge server.

[0163] For example, the second indication information may include at least one of the following: a preset Quality of Service Flow Identifier (QFI), a second bit, or access network device address information, wherein the preset QFI corresponds to the collaborative computing requirements of the edge server and the cloud server, and the second bit is used to indicate that the third data is forwarded to the edge server; or, the second indication information may include the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the edge server or the IP address of the cloud server.

[0164] In one implementation, the second configuration information may include information for identifying data from the edge server.

[0165] The information used to identify the data of the edge server may include the address information of the edge server.

[0166] For example, the user plane function network element sends second information to the access network device according to the pre-configured second configuration information. The method can be: the user plane function network element determines that third data needs to be sent to the edge server based on the information used to identify the data of the edge server, and sends the second information to the access network device.

[0167] In one optional implementation, the user plane function network element may receive second configuration information from the session management network element; or, it may receive second configuration information from the policy management unit.

[0168] For example, a user plane function network element may receive second configuration information from a session management network element by: the user plane function network element receiving the second configuration information from the session management network element through an established second PDU session; or, receiving the second configuration information from the session management network element by establishing a modification request through a second N4 session.

[0169] For example, the user plane function network element receives the second configuration information from the policy management unit in the following ways: sending a message requesting the second configuration information to the policy management unit through the session management network element, and receiving the second configuration information from the policy management unit through the session management network element.

[0170] Further, as shown in step 508 of Figure 5a, the access network device sends third data to the edge server according to the second instruction information.

[0171] The access network device can determine that the third data needs to be forwarded to the edge server based on the second indication information in the second information, and then send the third data to the edge server.

[0172] Optionally, the access network device sends third data to the edge server according to the second indication information. The method may be as follows: when the second indication information includes a preset QFI, the access network device determines that the third data is data processed by edge-cloud collaboration and sends the third data to the edge server; when the second indication information includes the address information of the access network device or the address information of the edge server, the access network device determines that the third data is data processed by edge-cloud collaboration and sends the third data to the edge server; when the second indication information includes a second bit, the access network device sends the third data to the edge server according to the indication of the second bit.

[0173] Optionally, the access network device receives the third data from the user plane function network element through the second QoS flow of the second PDU session. Further, the access network device can determine the first QoS flow of the first PDU session for transmitting the third data by using the second QoS flow and QoS mapping rules of the second PDU session for transmitting the third data, and send the third data to the edge server through the first QoS flow of the first PDU session.

[0174] Further, as shown in step 509 of Figure 5a, the edge server sends third data and fourth data to the terminal device, whereby the fourth data is obtained by processing the first data.

[0175] In some implementations, the edge server can further process the third and fourth data before sending them to the terminal device. For example, the edge server can perform operations such as data integration on the third and fourth data, and then send the integrated data to the terminal device.

[0176] In one alternative implementation, when the cloud server processes the second data, it can use the local computing power resources of the cloud server or the idle computing power resources of other edge servers to assist the edge server in processing the data.

[0177] Optionally, the cloud server can monitor the idle status of all edge servers, meaning each edge server can register its local idle computing resources with the cloud server. For example, an edge server can send resource configuration information to the cloud server to register idle computing resources, enabling the cloud server to utilize the idle computing resources of at least one edge server to perform computational operations. For instance, if data that an edge server cannot process is sent to the cloud server, the cloud server can utilize the idle computing resources of at least one other edge server to process that data.

[0178] Based on this example, after receiving the first and second data, the edge server can send a portion of the data to the cloud server for collaborative processing. This portion of data can be data that cannot be processed locally, or data that has been filtered out to improve efficiency. In this way, collaborative computing between local and cloud environments can be achieved, thereby meeting processing requirements such as low latency.

[0179] The communication method provided in this application embodiment will be described in detail below through specific examples.

[0180] Figure 6 illustrates an example of a communication method, where CMF is part of SMF. The process of this example may include the following steps:

[0181] Step 601: Establish the first PDU session between the UE and FeIN. The first PDU session is used for data transmission between the UE and FeIN.

[0182] Step 601 may specifically include the following steps: The CMF receives a first PDU session establishment request sent by the UE, which establishes a first PDU session between the UE and the FeIN. Optionally, the first PDU session establishment request carries indication information requesting the FeIN to provide computing power, which is used to request the CMF to establish the first PDU session between the UE and the FeIN. The first PDU session establishment request may also carry information such as the QoS requirements of the service and the location of the UE. Further, the CMF selects a suitable FeIN based on the QoS requirements of the service, the capacity or load of the FeIN, the location of the UE, etc., and exchanges signaling with the UE, RAN, and FeIN respectively to establish a user plane connection between the UE and the FeIN.

[0183] Optionally, the protocol stack for the channel between RAN and FeIN is the same as that for the N3 tunnel.

[0184] Step 602: Establish a second PDU session between the UE and the UPF. The second PDU session is used for data transmission between the UE and the cloud server.

[0185] Step 602 may specifically include the following steps: The CMF receives a second PDU session establishment request sent by the UE, which establishes a second PDU session between the UE and the UPF. The second PDU session establishment request may carry information such as the data network domain name and the UE's location. Further, the CMF selects a suitable UPF based on the data network domain name and the UE's location, and exchanges signaling with the UE, RAN, and UPF respectively to establish a user plane connection between the UE and the UPF, thereby realizing data transmission between the UE and the cloud server. The UPF and the cloud server transmit data via the N6 interface. The data network corresponding to the data network domain name includes the cloud server.

[0186] The above scheme establishes two PDU sessions through steps 601 and 602. In another scheme, in step 601, the CMF receives a PDU session establishment request sent by the UE, which establishes a PDU session between the UE and the FeIN. Optionally, the UE may include an indication in the PDU session establishment request requesting the FeIN to provide computing power, which is used to request the CMF to establish a PDU session between the UE and the FeIN. Optionally, the PDU session establishment request may also include the data network domain name of the cloud server's data network. Thus, the CMF selects appropriate FeIN and UPF based on the data network domain name and the UE's location, and interacts with the UE, FeIN, RAN, and UPF respectively, thereby establishing user plane connections between the UE and FeIN, and between FeIN and UPF. The UPF and the cloud server transmit data via the N6 interface. The above PDU session can be used for data transmission between the UE and FeIN, and between FeIN and the cloud server.

[0187] Optionally, in the other scheme described above, the UE may request to establish a user plane connection between the UE and FeIN, and FeIN may request the CMF to establish a user plane connection between FeIN and UPF. Thus, the CMF establishes user plane connections between the UE and FeIN, and between FeIN and UPF, enabling data transmission between the UE and FeIN, and between FeIN and the cloud server.

[0188] Step 603: CMF sends the first configuration information to FeIN.

[0189] Optionally, step 603 may also be included in step 601.

[0190] The first configuration information is used by FeIN to determine whether edge-cloud collaboration is required, and the QoS parameters for edge-cloud collaboration, etc.

[0191] The first configuration information may include one or more of the following: indication information on whether edge servers (i.e., FeIN) and cloud servers are allowed to perform collaborative computing, application information that supports collaborative computing between edge servers and cloud servers, information about cloud servers, or latency information of cloud server computing, etc.

[0192] The indication information on whether edge servers (FeIN) and cloud servers are allowed to collaborate on computing can directly indicate whether the cloud server can assist the edge server in processing data; or it can be understood as authorization information for edge-cloud collaboration, such as whether the first PDU session and the second PDU session allow edge-cloud collaboration.

[0193] Application information that supports collaborative computing between edge servers and cloud servers may include application identification (APP ID) or APP Internet protocol (IP) address, etc.

[0194] The information of a cloud server may include the IP address information of the applications running on the cloud server.

[0195] For details, please refer to the aforementioned descriptions, which will not be repeated here.

[0196] Step 604: CMF sends the second configuration information to UPF.

[0197] Optionally, step 604 may also be included in step 602. Alternatively, the CMF may send the second configuration information to the UPF via the second PDU session.

[0198] The second configuration information may include information used to identify data packets destined for the edge server, or it can be understood as the second configuration information used to identify downlink data packets. The second configuration information can also be understood as packet filtering rules.

[0199] The information used to identify the data packets to the edge server may include the edge server's address information. For example, the second piece of information may include FeIN's IP address.

[0200] The order of steps 603 and 604 is not limited in this application.

[0201] Step 605: The UE sends the first data and the second data to FeIN via the RAN.

[0202] This can be understood as the RAN routing the UE's first and second data to the FeIN.

[0203] The source address of the first and second data is the UE IP.

[0204] The destination addresses for both the first and second data can be preset addresses. Optionally, the preset addresses can reuse the addresses of edge servers or cloud servers (such as the IP address of a cloud server).

[0205] For example, the address of a cloud server can be the address of the central node application server (C-AS) or the address of EAS.

[0206] Optionally, when the RAN sends the UE's first and second data to the FeIN, it can do so through the protocol stack shown in Figure 5b or Figure 5c.

[0207] Step 606: FeIN processes the first data according to the first configuration information and sends the first information to the RAN. The first information includes the second data and the first indication information. The first indication information is used to instruct the second data to be forwarded to the cloud server.

[0208] In some embodiments, FeIN can determine that the data is data to be processed based on the destination addresses of the first data and the second data. Optionally, when the destination addresses of the first data and the second data are preset addresses (e.g., FeIN's address or the address of the cloud server), FeIN can first determine whether it can process the first data and the second data locally. If it can be processed, it processes the data locally; if it cannot be processed, it forwards the data to the cloud server for assistance.

[0209] Optionally, FeIN may determine that it does not support processing the second data based on its local computing power or resource availability. Therefore, FeIN processes the first data locally and sends the second data to the cloud server for processing.

[0210] Optionally, FeIN can determine from the first configuration information that the cloud server can assist FeIN in processing data, and then send the second data that FeIN cannot process locally to the cloud server for processing.

[0211] In some examples, FeIN can send the first information to the RAN in the form of a data packet, where the first indication information may be present in the user plane tunneling protocol (GPRS tunneling protocol for the user plane, GTP-U) header of the data packet.

[0212] Optionally, the first indication information includes at least one of the following: a preset quality of service flow identifier (QFI), a first bit, or UPF address information, wherein the preset QFI corresponds to the collaborative computing requirements of the edge server and the cloud server, and the first bit is used to indicate that the second data is forwarded to the cloud server.

[0213] For example, UPF address information can be an L-PSA address, etc.

[0214] In some possible ways, when FeIN sends the first information to the access network device, it can be done through the protocol stack shown in Figure 5b or Figure 5c.

[0215] In step 606, the destination address of the second data is the address of the cloud server.

[0216] Step 607: The RAN determines that the second data needs to be forwarded to the cloud server based on the first instruction information in the first information.

[0217] Step 608: RAN sends the second data to UPF.

[0218] The RAN sends the second data to the UPF through the second PDU session.

[0219] Optionally, if the second PDU session is not established at this time, the RAN can trigger the establishment of the second PDU session. The specific process is similar to the establishment process in step 602 above, and can be referred to accordingly. Optionally, the second PDU session establishment request sent by the RAN may carry information such as the data network domain name and the UE's location. Alternatively, the second PDU session establishment request sent by the RAN to the CMF may include the identifier of the first PDU session, so that the CMF can establish the second PDU session by referring to the configuration of the first PDU session (e.g., the UE's location, the FeIN selected by the first PDU session, etc.).

[0220] Step 609: UPF sends the second data to the cloud server.

[0221] Step 610: The cloud server processes the second data to obtain the third data and sends the third data to the UPF.

[0222] In some scenarios, when FeIN sends the second data in step 606 above, the source address of the second data can be modified to the address of FeIN. This source address can indicate that the processed data of the second data needs to be returned to FeIN. In this scenario, the second data can be understood as part of the data for a certain service.

[0223] In other scenarios, when FeIN sends the second data in step 606 above, FeIN can additionally send an indication message to indicate that the second data is part of a certain service's data, or directly instruct the cloud server to return the processed data to FeIN, so that the cloud server returns the processed data to FeIN. For example, this indication message can be carried in the header of the second data packet.

[0224] Furthermore, the destination address of the third data sent by the cloud server is the address of FeIN.

[0225] Step 611: The UPF sends a second message to the RAN, which includes third data and second indication information. The second indication information is used to instruct the third data to be forwarded to the edge server.

[0226] Optionally, the UPF determines whether the third data needs to be forwarded to the edge FeIN based on the destination address of the third data and the second configuration information, and then sends the second information to the RAN.

[0227] For example, UPF can determine that the third data needs to be forwarded to the edge server based on the IP 5-tuple of the third data (e.g., the destination address is an EAS address).

[0228] In some examples, UPF can send a second message in the form of a data packet, where the second indication message may be present in the packet header.

[0229] Optionally, the second indication information may include at least one of the following: a preset QFI, a second bit, or access network device address information, wherein the preset QFI corresponds to the collaborative computing requirements of the edge server and the cloud server, and the second bit is used to indicate that the third data is forwarded to the edge server.

[0230] Optionally, the source address of the third-party data can be the address of the cloud server, and the destination address can be the address of the edge server.

[0231] Step 612: The RAN determines that the third data needs to be forwarded to the FeIN based on the second indication information in the second information.

[0232] Step 613: RAN sends third data to FeIN.

[0233] Step 614: FeIN sends third and fourth data to the UE. The fourth data is obtained by processing the first data.

[0234] Optionally, the source address of the third and fourth data is the address of the edge server, and the destination address is the UE IP.

[0235] In some implementations, FeIN can further process the third and fourth data before sending them to the UE. For example, FeIN can perform operations such as data integration on the third and fourth data.

[0236] It should be noted that in this example, if the application IP deployed on FeIN is a private network IP, FeIN will also need to perform network address translation (NAT).

[0237] Based on this example, after receiving the first and second data, the edge server can send a portion of the data to the cloud server for collaborative processing. This portion of data can be data that cannot be processed locally, or data that has been filtered out to improve efficiency. In this way, collaborative computing between local and cloud environments can be achieved, thereby meeting processing requirements such as low latency.

[0238] The above example illustrates the scenario where data processed by the cloud server is returned to FeIN. Optionally, in some scenarios, UPF can also directly return the third data to UE. In this scenario, the second data can be understood as all the data for a certain service, or as the part of the data for a certain service that can be decoupled from the first data.

[0239] In some embodiments, when FeIN sends the second data in step 606 above, the source address of the second data can be kept as the address of the UE. This source address can indicate that the data processed by the second data can be returned to the UE.

[0240] In some embodiments, when FeIN sends the second data in step 606 above, the source address of the second data can be kept as the address of the UE, and an indication message can be sent to indicate that the processed data of the second data is returned to the UE.

[0241] In some embodiments, when FeIN sends the second data in step 606 above, it also sends an indication message to indicate that the second data is all the data of a certain service, so that the cloud server processes the second data and returns the data directly to the UE.

[0242] In the above scenario, after receiving the third data, the UPF can reuse the current procedure to send the third data to the UE. In this case, the UPF does not need to send the aforementioned second instruction information.

[0243] Optionally, in the above scenario, after the UE receives the third data, it can send a message to FeIN indicating that the data has been processed, which can release the TCP connection between the UE and FeIN.

[0244] Figure 7 illustrates an example of a communication method, where CMF is part of SMF. This example builds upon the example shown in Figure 6 by adding indications for Quality of Service (QoS) mapping rules, which can support QoS guarantees in edge-cloud collaborative computing. The process of this example may include the following steps:

[0245] Step 701: Establish the first PDU session between the UE and FeIN. The first PDU session is used for data transmission between the UE and FeIN.

[0246] Optionally, the channel between RAN and FeIN is similar to the N3 tunnel, which is based on the GTP-U protocol.

[0247] For details, please refer to the description in step 601 above, which will not be repeated here. Specifically, in step 701, during the establishment of the first PDU session, when the CMF and RAN exchange signaling, the CMF can send a first QoS configuration file to the RAN. The first QoS configuration file contains QoS parameters corresponding to one or more QoS flows corresponding to the first PDU session. QoS parameters for a QoS flow can include: QoS flow identifier (QFI), packet error rate (PER), maximum bit rate (MBR), etc. QoS parameters can also include end-to-end latency, which refers to the time required from the UE sending data to the FeIN via the RAN, to the FeIN sending data to the UE via the RAN, and the UE receiving the data.

[0248] Step 702: Establish a second PDU session between the UE and the UPF. The second PDU session is used for data transmission between the UE and the cloud server.

[0249] For details, please refer to the relevant description of step 602 above, which will not be repeated here. Specifically, in step 702, during the establishment of the second PDU session, when the CMF and RAN exchange signaling, the CMF can send a second QoS configuration file to the RAN. The second QoS configuration file contains QoS parameters corresponding to one or more QoS flows corresponding to the second PDU session. QoS parameters for a QoS flow can include: QFI, PER, MBR, etc. QoS parameters can also include end-to-end latency, which refers to the time required for data to be sent from the RAN to the RAN and for the RAN to receive the corresponding processing result.

[0250] Step 703: CMF sends the first configuration information to FeIN.

[0251] For details, please refer to the relevant description of step 603 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0252] Step 704: CMF sends the second configuration information to UPF.

[0253] For details, please refer to the description of step 604 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0254] Step 705: CMF sends QoS mapping rules to RAN. The QoS mapping rules are used for QoS assurance between FeIN and the cloud server.

[0255] In one example, the QoS mapping rule indicates the association between the QoS flow corresponding to the first PDU session and the QoS flow corresponding to the second PDU session.

[0256] Optionally, the CMF can send QoS mapping rules to the RAN based on the QoS requirements of the service and the computing load of the FeIN. For example, if certain data is transmitted through the first QoS stream in the first PDU session, in an edge-cloud collaboration scenario, the data needs to be transmitted through the second QoS stream corresponding to the second PDU session.

[0257] Optionally, the CMF can also send QoS mapping rules to the FeIN. Subsequently, the FeIN carries the QFI (such as the converted QFI value) of the QoS flow determined based on the QoS mapping rules in the packet header. For example, if a certain data sent by the UE to the FeIN is transmitted through a first QoS flow in the first PDU session, the FeIN determines a second QoS flow for transmitting that data in the second PDU session based on the QoS mapping rules and the first QoS flow, and sends the QFI corresponding to the second QoS flow to the RAN.

[0258] The order of steps 703, 704 and 705 is not limited in this application.

[0259] Optionally, step 705 may also be included in the process of step 701 or 702.

[0260] Step 706: The UE sends the first data and the second data to the FeIN via the RAN.

[0261] Specifically, in the first PDU session, the UE sends first data and second data to the RAN based on the first QoS flow, and the RAN sends first data and second data to the FeIN based on the first QoS flow in the first PDU session.

[0262] For details on the first and second data, please refer to the description of step 605 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0263] Step 707: FeIN processes the first data according to the first configuration information and sends the first information to the RAN. The first information includes the second data and the first indication information. The first indication information is used to instruct the second data to be forwarded to the cloud server.

[0264] For details, please refer to the description of step 606 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0265] For example, FeIN sends first information (including second data) to RAN based on a first QoS flow through a first PDU session.

[0266] Step 708: The RAN determines that the second data needs to be forwarded to the cloud server based on the first indication information in the first information, and determines the second QoS flow of the second PDU session used to transmit the second data based on the first QoS flow and QoS mapping rules of the first PDU session that transmits the second data.

[0267] Steps 705-708 above are implemented based on the QoS mapping rules sent by the CMF, and the following description will only use this implementation as an example. In another implementation, the CMF can configure the end-to-end delays corresponding to the QoS flows of the first PDU session and the second PDU session to the RAN. The end-to-end delays corresponding to the QoS flows of the first PDU session and the second PDU session can be found in the foregoing description. After receiving the second data, the RAN determines the second QoS flow of the second PDU session for transmitting the second data based on the transmission time of the second data and the end-to-end delays corresponding to the QoS flows of the first PDU session and the second PDU session. For example, if the end-to-end delay corresponding to the first PDU session is 100ms and the transmission time of the second data is 30ms, then the QoS flow corresponding to the end-to-end delay of less than 70ms should be selected from the end-to-end delays corresponding to the QoS flows of the second PDU session.

[0268] Step 709: The RAN sends the second data to the UPF through the second QoS flow of the second PDU session.

[0269] Optionally, if the second PDU session has not been established at this time, the RAN triggers the establishment of the second PDU session. See the relevant description in step 608 above for details.

[0270] Step 710: UPF sends the second data to the cloud server.

[0271] Step 711: The cloud server processes the second data to obtain the third data and sends the third data to the UPF.

[0272] For details, please refer to the description of step 610 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0273] Step 712: The UPF sends a second message to the RAN, which includes third data and second indication information. The second indication information is used to instruct the third data to be forwarded to the edge server.

[0274] For details, please refer to the description of step 611 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0275] For example, the UPF sends second information (including third data) to the RAN based on the second QoS flow through the second PDU session.

[0276] Step 713: The RAN determines that the third data needs to be forwarded to the FeIN based on the second indication information in the second information, and determines the first QoS flow of the first PDU session for transmitting the third data based on the second QoS flow number and QoS mapping rules of the second PDU session for transmitting the third data.

[0277] Step 714: The RAN sends the third data to the FeIN through the first QoS flow of the first PDU session.

[0278] Step 715: FeIN sends third and fourth data to the UE. The fourth data is obtained by processing the first data.

[0279] For details, please refer to the description of step 614 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0280] It should be noted that in this example, if the application IP deployed on FeIN is a private network IP, FeIN will also need to perform network address translation (NAT).

[0281] Based on this example, after receiving the first and second data, the edge server can send a portion of the data to the cloud server for collaborative processing. This portion of data can be data that cannot be processed locally, or data that has been filtered out to improve efficiency. In this way, collaborative computing between local and cloud environments can be achieved, thereby meeting processing requirements such as low latency.

[0282] Figure 8 illustrates another example of a communication method where FeIN needs to locate the application on the central cloud when proactively offloading the application to a cloud server for processing. The process in this example may include the following steps:

[0283] Step 801: FeIN receives the first configuration information from SMF.

[0284] In one example, the core network side triggers the configuration of the first configuration information. For instance, the SMF can send the first configuration information to the FeIN.

[0285] In another example, the configuration of the first configuration information can be triggered by a third-party device. For example, the AF triggers the transmission of the first configuration information. For instance, the AF sends the first configuration information to the NEF, the NEF sends the first configuration information to the SMF, and the SMF sends the first configuration information to the FeIN.

[0286] In this example, the first configuration information may include one or more of the following: application information that supports collaborative computing between edge servers and cloud servers, cloud server information, etc.

[0287] The information about the cloud server can include information about the applications running on the cloud server. For example, the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of an application running on the cloud server.

[0288] Step 802: The UE sends the first data and the second data to the FeIN via the RAN.

[0289] For details, please refer to the relevant description of step 605 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0290] Step 803: FeIN determines that the local machine cannot process the second data, and based on the first configuration information, determines that the second data needs to be forwarded to the cloud server for processing.

[0291] Step 804: FeIN sends a first request to the first device. The first request is used to request the address information of the cloud server.

[0292] The first request may include the FQDN of the cloud server.

[0293] Optionally, the first device can be DNS or EASDF.

[0294] In some embodiments, when the first device is DNS, the first request may be a DNS request.

[0295] In other embodiments, when the first device is EASDF, the first request may be an edge-cloud collaboration request.

[0296] Step 805: The first device sends the address information of the cloud server to FeIN.

[0297] The address information of a cloud server can be its IP address.

[0298] Steps 806 to 814 are similar to those of steps 606 to 614 mentioned above, and can be referred to in relation to each other, so they will not be repeated here.

[0299] The operation performed by SMF in Figure 8 can also be replaced by CMF, and this application does not limit this.

[0300] In some embodiments of this application, the operation of CMF can also be performed by SMF.

[0301] Based on this example, after receiving the first and second data, the edge server can send a portion of the data to the cloud server for collaborative processing. This portion of data can be data that cannot be processed locally, or data that has been filtered out to improve efficiency. In this way, collaborative computing between local and cloud environments can be achieved, thereby meeting processing requirements such as low latency.

[0302] In some embodiments, when processing data, the cloud server can assist the edge server in processing data by using the local computing power resources of the cloud server or the idle computing power resources of other edge servers.

[0303] Optionally, the cloud server can monitor the idle status of all edge servers, meaning that edge servers can register their local idle computing resources with the cloud server. For example, an edge server can send resource configuration information to the cloud server to register its idle computing resources, enabling the cloud server to utilize the idle computing resources of at least one edge server to perform computational operations.

[0304] Based on the above description, Figure 9 illustrates another communication method, in which the cloud server can use the idle computing power (or idle computing power) of the edge server to perform computing operations. In this method, the edge server needs to register its idle computing power resources with the cloud server. Referring to Figure 9, a schematic diagram of an edge server registering idle computing power resources is shown. The process of this method may include the following steps:

[0305] Step 901: FeIN sends resource configuration information to the cloud server. The resource configuration information is used to register the idle computing resources of the edge server.

[0306] The resource configuration information may include the APP ID in the FeIN, the address of the FeIN (such as an IP address), and the port ID. The port ID is used to distinguish the data streams of different APPs.

[0307] Step 902: After the second data that FeIN cannot process is sent to the cloud server for processing, the cloud server can call on the idle computing resources of at least one other FeIN to process the second data.

[0308] It should be understood that registering at least one other FeIN's idle computing resources to the cloud server is similar to step 901.

[0309] It should be understood that the process of FeIN sending unprocessed data to the cloud server and the cloud server returning processed data to FeIN can be found in the relevant descriptions of the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0310] Figure 10 illustrates another communication method. In this example, the RAN can identify the IP address of the data. Therefore, the protocol stack between the RAN and FeIN can be understood as shown in Figure 5d. Referring to Figure 10, the process of this method may include the following steps:

[0311] Step 1001: RAN obtains edge server application information.

[0312] For example, the RAN can configure the IP address and port number information of the applications supported by the edge server.

[0313] RAN can also configure the IP address and port number information of the applications supported by the cloud server.

[0314] Step 1002: The UE sends the first data and the second data to the RAN.

[0315] The source address of the first and second data is the UE IP, and the destination address is the IP address of the cloud server (which can be understood as the IP address of the application supported by the cloud server) or the IP address of the edge server (which can be understood as the IP address of the application supported by the edge server).

[0316] This example uses the destination address of a cloud server as an example.

[0317] Step 1003: The RAN identifies the destination addresses of the first data and the second data, and determines that the first data and the second data can be processed by the FeIN based on the destination addresses, and sends the first data and the second data to the FeIN.

[0318] Optionally, if the destination address of the first data is the address of a cloud server, the RAN can determine whether to process it using the FeIN based on the destination address. If the FeIN has deployed an application associated with the application corresponding to that destination address, then it can be processed by the FeIN.

[0319] Optionally, the RAN can record the IP 5-tuple of the first and second data, along with the corresponding DRB, PDU session ID, and QFI. The recorded information is used for downlink data routing and can be understood as routing information.

[0320] For example, in the routing information maintained by the RAN, when the destination address of data is 10.10.10.10 and the source IP address is 11.11.11.11, the corresponding PDU session ID, DRB index, and corresponding QFI value are recorded. Alternatively, the RAN can also record the source port, destination port, and IP protocol layer information of the data, that is, record one or more of the following: the data's IP 5-tuple and the corresponding PDU session ID, UE ID, DRB index, and corresponding QFI value. When the RAN identifies a match in the data's IP 5-tuple, it looks up one or more of the corresponding PDU session ID, UE ID, DRB index, and corresponding QFI value for use in downlink data routing.

[0321] Step 1004: FeIN processes the first data. When it determines that it cannot process the second data, it sends the first information to the RAN. The first information includes the second data and the first indication information. The first indication information is used to instruct the second data to be forwarded to the cloud server for processing.

[0322] Optionally, in some scenarios, the business processes corresponding to the first and second data may have multiple processing requirements, such as image processing and audio processing. In this case, FeIN may upload the image to a cloud server for processing, while processing the audio locally.

[0323] For example, the first indication information includes the IP address of the cloud server. Alternatively, the first indication information may include the IP 5-tuple information of the second data.

[0324] For example, the source address of the second data is the IP address of the UE, and the destination address is the address of the cloud server.

[0325] Optionally, FeIN may also perform NAT translation. For example, if the destination IP address of the data received by FeIN is the IP address of the cloud server (i.e., a public IP address), while the application deployed on FeIN can have a private IP address, FeIN will use NAT translation to replace the destination IP address of the data with the private IP address. For data processed locally, in one scenario, the source address is the private IP address of the local application, and the destination IP address is the IP address of the cloud server. In this case, FeIN can use NAT translation to replace the source IP address of the data with the UE's IP address.

[0326] Step 1005: The RAN determines that the second data needs to be forwarded to the cloud server based on the first instruction information in the first information.

[0327] Optionally, the RAN determines the corresponding PDU session ID and QFI based on the IP 5-tuple of the second data, and then determines the corresponding PDU session and QoS flow.

[0328] Step 1006: RAN sends the second data to UPF.

[0329] Optionally, the RAN sends the second data to the UPF through a defined PDU session and QoS flow.

[0330] Step 1007: UPF sends the second data to the cloud server.

[0331] Step 1008: The cloud server processes the second data to obtain the third data and sends the third data to the UPF.

[0332] The source address of the fourth data is the address of the cloud server, and the destination address is the UE IP.

[0333] Step 1009: The UPF sends a second message to the RAN, which includes third data and second indication information. The second indication information is used to instruct the third data to be forwarded to the edge server.

[0334] For example, the second indication information may include the IP address of the edge server or the IP address of the cloud server. Alternatively, the second indication information may include the IP 5-tuple information of the third data.

[0335] Step 1010: The RAN determines that the third data needs to be forwarded to the FeIN based on the second indication information in the second information.

[0336] For example, when the UPF sends data to the RAN, the RAN detects that the source IP address of the data is the cloud server address (e.g., 11.11.11.11) and the destination IP address is the UE's IP address or the edge server's IP address (e.g., 10.10.10.10). The RAN determines that the data may be edge-cloud collaborative data, or in other words, the RAN determines that the FeIN has deployed the corresponding application information, and the RAN forwards the data to the FeIN.

[0337] Step 1011: RAN sends third data to FeIN.

[0338] Step 1012: FeIN sends the third and fourth data to the UE. The fourth data is obtained by processing the first data. The RAN determines the corresponding PDU session ID and DRB index based on the IP 5-tuple of the second data packet and the information recorded in step 1003.

[0339] Based on this example, after receiving the first and second data, the edge server can send a portion of the data to the cloud server for collaborative processing. This portion of data can be data that cannot be processed locally, or data that has been filtered out to improve efficiency. In this way, collaborative computing between local and cloud environments can be achieved, thereby meeting processing requirements such as low latency.

[0340] Figure 10 illustrates an example where the second instruction information instructs the third data to be forwarded to the edge server. Optionally, the second instruction information can also instruct the third data to be forwarded to the UE. In this case, the second instruction information may include the UE's address. Furthermore, the RAN can directly forward the third data to the UE based on the second instruction information.

[0341] It should be noted that the steps shown in the foregoing embodiments are merely examples, and other steps may be optionally included, which are not limited in this application.

[0342] In the foregoing embodiments, the description takes the independent deployment of FeIN and RAN as an example. In some embodiments, FeIN can be deployed co-located with RAN, or it can be understood that FeIN is deployed within RAN. When FeIN is deployed within RAN, the interaction between RAN and FeIN can be understood as internal RAN operation.

[0343] The foregoing embodiments describe a process in which an edge server sends data to a cloud server during edge-cloud collaborative computing, and the cloud server assists in processing the data. Optionally, the cloud server may also send data that it cannot process to the edge server, and the edge server assists in processing the data.

[0344] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a communication device. Referring to FIG11, the communication device 1100 may include a transceiver unit 1101 and a processing unit 1102. The transceiver unit 1101 is used for communication by the communication device 1100, such as receiving or sending information (signals or data). The processing unit 1102 is used for controlling and managing the operation of the communication device 1100. The processing unit 1102 can also control the steps performed by the transceiver unit 1101.

[0345] Exemplarily, the communication device 1100 can be a standalone device or a component integrated into a device (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, component, module, or functional module, etc.). Specifically, the communication device 1100 can be an edge server (e.g., FeIN) or a component within an edge server (e.g., FeIN) in the above embodiments. Alternatively, the communication device 1100 can specifically be an access network device (e.g., RAN) or a component within an access network device (e.g., RAN) in the above embodiments. Alternatively, the communication device 1100 can specifically be a user plane function network element (e.g., UPF) or a component within a user plane function network element (e.g., UPF) in the above embodiments. Alternatively, the communication device 1100 can specifically be a session management network element (e.g., SMF or CMF) or a component within a session management network element (e.g., SMF or CMF) in the above embodiments.

[0346] In one embodiment, when the communication device 1100 is used to implement the function of the edge server in the above embodiment, the transceiver unit 1101 can be used to receive first data and second data; the processing unit 1102 can be used to process the first data according to the pre-configured first configuration information; the transceiver unit 1101 can also be used to send first information to the access network device, the first information including second data and first indication information, the first indication information is used to instruct the second data to be forwarded to the cloud server, and the first configuration information is used to configure the edge server and the cloud server to perform collaborative computing.

[0347] In one example, the first indication information may include at least one of the following: a preset Quality of Service Flow Identifier (QFI), a first bit, or user plane function network element address information, wherein the preset QFI corresponds to the collaborative computing requirements of the edge server and the cloud server, and the first bit is used to indicate that the second data is forwarded to the cloud server; or, the first indication information includes the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the cloud server.

[0348] In an optional implementation, the processing unit 1102 may also be used to: determine, based on computing power or resource information, that it does not support processing the second data before the transceiver unit 1101 sends the first information to the access network device.

[0349] Optionally, the first configuration information may include one or more of the following: indication information on whether edge servers and cloud servers are allowed to perform collaborative computing, application information that supports collaborative computing between edge servers and cloud servers, information about cloud servers, or latency information of cloud server computing.

[0350] In some embodiments, the transceiver unit 1101 may also be used to receive third data from the access network device, the third data being obtained by processing the second data; and to send the third data and the fourth data to the terminal device, the fourth data being obtained by processing the first data.

[0351] In an optional implementation, the transceiver unit 1101 may also be used to: receive first configuration information from a session management network element before receiving the first data and the second data; or, receive first configuration information from a policy management unit; or, receive first configuration information from an application network element.

[0352] In one possible manner, when receiving the first configuration information from the session management network element, the transceiver unit 1101 can be used to: receive the first configuration information from the session management network element through an established first protocol data unit (PDU) session; or, receive the first configuration information from the session management network element through a first N4 session establishment modification request.

[0353] In one possible approach, when receiving the first configuration information from the policy management unit, the transceiver unit 1101 can be used to: send a message requesting the first configuration information to the policy management unit through the session management network element, and receive the first configuration information from the policy management unit through the session management network element.

[0354] In one possible approach, when receiving the first configuration information of the application network element, the transceiver unit 1101 can be used to: send a message requesting the first configuration information to the application network element through the session management network element, and receive the first configuration information from the application network element through the session management network element.

[0355] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1101 can also be used to send a first request to the first device, the first request being used to request the address information of the cloud server; the first device is a domain name server (DNS) or EASDF; and to receive the address information of the cloud server from the first device.

[0356] For example, the first request includes the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the cloud server.

[0357] In some embodiments, the transceiver unit 1101 can also be used to send resource configuration information to the cloud server, the resource configuration information being used to register idle computing resources.

[0358] In another embodiment, when the communication device 1100 is used to implement the functions of the access network device in the above embodiments, the transceiver unit 1101 can be used to: receive first data and second data; send the first data and second data to an edge server; receive first information from the edge server, the first information including second data and first indication information, the first indication information being used to instruct the second data to be forwarded to a cloud server; and send the second data to a user plane function network element according to the first indication information, the user plane function network element being communicatively connected to the cloud server. The processing unit 1102 can be used to control the operation of the transceiver unit 1101.

[0359] In an optional implementation, the transceiver unit 1101 can also be used to receive second information from a user plane function network element, the second information including third data and second indication information, the third data being obtained by processing the second data, the second indication information being used to instruct the third data to be forwarded to the edge server; and to send the third data to the edge server according to the second indication information.

[0360] The exemplary second indication information includes at least one of the following: a preset Quality of Service Flow Identifier (QFI), a second bit, or access network device address information, wherein the preset QFI corresponds to the collaborative computing requirements of the edge server and the cloud server, and the second bit is used to indicate that the third data is forwarded to the edge server; or

[0361] The second instruction information includes the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the edge server or the IP address of the cloud server.

[0362] In some examples, the first indication information includes at least one of the following: a preset QFI, a first bit, or user plane function network element address information, wherein the preset QFI corresponds to the collaborative computing requirements of the edge server and the cloud server, and the first bit is used to indicate that the second data should be forwarded to the cloud server; or

[0363] The first instruction information includes the IP address of the cloud server.

[0364] In some embodiments, the transceiver unit 1101 can also be used to receive a Quality of Service (QoS) mapping rule, which is used to indicate the association between the QoS stream corresponding to the first Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session and the QoS stream corresponding to the second PDU session; wherein the first PDU session is used to transmit data between the terminal device and the edge server, and the second PDU session is used to transmit data between the terminal device and the cloud server.

[0365] Optionally, when receiving the first information from the edge server, the transceiver unit 1101 can be used to: receive the first information from the edge server through the first QoS flow of the first PDU session; the processing unit 1102 can also be used to determine the second QoS flow of the second PDU session for transmitting the second data according to the first QoS flow and QoS mapping rules of the first PDU session; when sending the second data to the user plane function network element, the transceiver unit 1101 can be used to: send the second data to the user plane function network element through the second QoS flow of the second PDU session.

[0366] In an optional implementation, the transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to receive third data from the user plane function network element through the second QoS flow of the second PDU session; the third data is obtained by processing the second data; the processing unit 1102 is further configured to determine the first QoS flow of the first PDU session according to the second QoS flow and QoS mapping rules of the second PDU session; the transceiver unit 1101 is further configured to send the third data to the edge server through the first QoS flow of the first PDU session.

[0367] In another embodiment, when the communication device 1100 is used to implement the functions of the user plane function network element in the above embodiments, the transceiver unit 1101 can be used to receive third data from the cloud server; according to the pre-configured second configuration information, send second information to the access network device, the second information including the third data and second indication information, the second indication information being used to instruct the third data to be forwarded to the edge server; the second configuration information being used to configure the edge server and the cloud server to perform collaborative computing. The processing unit 1102 can be used to control the operation of the transceiver unit 1101.

[0368] Optionally, the second configuration information includes information for identifying data from the edge server.

[0369] For example, the information used to identify data packets to an edge server includes the edge server's address information.

[0370] In some embodiments, the second indication information includes at least one of the following: a preset QFI, a second bit, or access network device address information, wherein the preset QFI corresponds to the collaborative computing requirements of the edge server and the cloud server, and the second bit is used to indicate forwarding to the edge server; or

[0371] The second instruction information includes the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the edge server or the IP address of the cloud server.

[0372] In one optional implementation, the transceiver unit 1101 can also be used to receive second data from the access network device; the second data comes from the terminal device; send the second data to the cloud server; and the third data is obtained by processing the second data.

[0373] In one optional implementation, the transceiver unit 1101 may also be used to receive second configuration information from the session management network element; or, to receive second configuration information from the policy management unit.

[0374] Optionally, when receiving the second configuration information from the session management network element, the transceiver unit 1101 may be used to: receive the second configuration information from the session management network element through the established second protocol data unit (PDU) session; or, receive the second configuration information from the session management network element through the establishment of a modification request for the second N4 session.

[0375] Optionally, when receiving the second configuration information from the policy management unit, the transceiver unit 1101 can be used to: send a message requesting the second configuration information to the policy management unit through the session management network element, and receive the second configuration information from the policy management unit through the session management network element.

[0376] In another embodiment, when the communication device 1100 is used to implement the functions of the session management network element in the above embodiments, the transceiver unit 1101 can be used to send first configuration information to the edge server, the first configuration information being used to configure collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server; and to send second configuration information to the user plane function network element, the second configuration information being used to configure collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server. The processing unit 1102 can be used to control the operation of the transceiver unit 1101.

[0377] Optionally, the first configuration information may include one or more of the following: indication information on whether edge servers and cloud servers are allowed to perform collaborative computing, application information that supports collaborative computing between edge servers and cloud servers, information about cloud servers, or latency information.

[0378] For example, the second configuration information includes information for identifying data packets to the edge server.

[0379] In some embodiments, when the transceiver unit 1101 sends the first configuration information to the edge server, it may be used to: send the first configuration information to the edge server through a first protocol data unit (PDU) session; or send the first configuration information to the edge server through a first N4 session establishment modification request.

[0380] In some embodiments, when the transceiver unit 1101 sends the second configuration information to the user plane function network element, it may be used to: send the second configuration information to the user plane function network element through the second PDU session; or, send the second configuration information to the user plane function network element by establishing a modification request through the second N4 session.

[0381] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1101 can also be used to send a message requesting the first configuration information and the second configuration information to the policy management unit; and to receive the first configuration information and the second configuration information from the policy management unit.

[0382] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1101 can also be used to send a Quality of Service (QoS) mapping rule to the access network device. The QoS mapping rule is used to indicate the association between the QoS flow of the first Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session and the QoS flow of the second PDU session.

[0383] It should be noted that the division of units in the embodiments of this application is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. The functional units in the embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated units described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional units.

[0384] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, 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 of 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.

[0385] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a communication device. Referring to FIG12, the communication device 1200 may include one or more processors 1202. Optionally, the communication device 1200 may further include one or more transceivers 1201. Optionally, the communication device 1200 may further include at least one memory 1203. The memory 1203 may be disposed inside or outside the communication device 1200. The processor 1202 may control the transceiver 1201 to receive and send information, messages, or data.

[0386] Specifically, processor 1202 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of a CPU and an NP. Processor 1202 may further include hardware chips. These hardware chips may be application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or combinations thereof. The PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof.

[0387] The transceiver 1201, processor 1202, and memory 1203 are interconnected. Optionally, the transceiver 1201, processor 1202, and memory 1203 are interconnected via bus 1204; bus 1204 can be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Buses can be categorized as address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 12, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0388] In one alternative embodiment, memory 1203 is used to store programs, etc. Specifically, the program may include program code, which includes computer operation instructions. Memory 1203 may include RAM, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as one or more disk storage devices. Processor 1202 executes the application program stored in memory 1203 to implement the above-mentioned functions, thereby realizing the functions of communication device 1200.

[0389] In one embodiment, when the communication device 1200 implements the functions of the edge server (such as FeIN) in the aforementioned method embodiments, the transceiver 1201 can implement the send / receive operations performed by the edge server (such as FeIN) in the aforementioned method embodiments; the processor 1202 can implement other operations performed by the edge server (such as FeIN) in the aforementioned method embodiments besides the send / receive operations. Specific details can be found in the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0390] In another embodiment, when the communication device 1200 implements the functions of the edge server (such as FeIN) in the aforementioned method embodiments, the processor 1202 can implement the operations performed by the edge server (such as FeIN) in the aforementioned method embodiments. Specific details can be found in the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0391] In yet another embodiment, when the communication device 1200 implements the functions of the access network device in the aforementioned method embodiments, the transceiver 1201 can perform the transmit / receive operations executed by the access network device in the aforementioned method embodiments; the processor 1202 can perform other operations besides the transmit / receive operations executed by the access network device in the aforementioned method embodiments. Specific details can be found in the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0392] In yet another embodiment, when the communication device 1200 implements the functions of the access network device in the aforementioned method embodiments, the processor 1202 can implement the operations performed by the access network device in the aforementioned method embodiments. Specific details can be found in the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0393] In another embodiment, when the communication device 1200 implements the functions of the user plane function network element (such as UPF) in the aforementioned method embodiments, the transceiver 1201 can implement the transmit / receive operations performed by the user plane function network element (such as UPF) in the aforementioned method embodiments; the processor 1202 can implement other operations performed by the user plane function network element (such as UPF) in the aforementioned method embodiments besides the transmit / receive operations. Specific details can be found in the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0394] In yet another embodiment, when the communication device 1200 implements the functions of the user plane function network element (such as UPF) in the aforementioned method embodiments, the processor 1202 can implement the operations performed by the user plane function network element (such as UPF) in the aforementioned method embodiments. Specific details can be found in the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0395] In another embodiment, when the communication device 1200 implements the functions of the session management network element (such as SMF or CMF) in the aforementioned method embodiments, the transceiver 1201 can implement the transmit / receive operations performed by the session management network element (such as SMF or CMF) in the aforementioned method embodiments; the processor 1202 can implement other operations besides transmit / receive operations performed by the session management network element (such as SMF or CMF) in the aforementioned method embodiments. Specific details can be found in the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0396] In yet another embodiment, when the communication device 1200 implements the functions of the session management network element (such as SMF or CMF) in the aforementioned method embodiments, the processor 1202 can implement the operations performed by the session management network element (such as SMF or CMF) in the aforementioned method embodiments. Specific details can be found in the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0397] Based on the above embodiments, this application provides a communication system that may include edge servers, cloud servers, access network devices, user plane function network elements, and session management network elements involved in the above embodiments.

[0398] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing computer programs or instructions. When the computer programs or instructions are executed by a computer, the computer can implement the communication methods provided in the above-described method embodiments.

[0399] This application also provides a computer program product for storing computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed by a computer, the computer can implement the communication method provided in the above-described method embodiments.

[0400] This application also provides a chip or chip system, including logic circuitry, which is used to execute the communication method provided in the above-described method embodiments.

[0401] This application also provides a chip or chip system, including one or more processors, the one or more processors being coupled to at least one memory, for calling a program in the memory to enable the chip or chip system to implement the communication method provided in the above method embodiments.

[0402] This application also provides a chip or chip system coupled to at least one memory, which is used to implement the communication method provided in the above method embodiments.

[0403] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0404] 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.

[0405] 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.

[0406] 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.

[0407] 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, include: Receive the first and second data; According to the pre-configured first configuration information, the first data is processed and the first information is sent to the access network device. The first information includes second data and first indication information. The first indication information is used to instruct the second data to be forwarded to the cloud server. The first configuration information is used to configure the edge server and the cloud server to perform collaborative computing.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first indication information includes at least one of the following: a preset Quality of Service Flow Identifier (QFI), a first bit, or user plane function element address information, wherein the preset QFI corresponds to the collaborative computing requirements of the edge server and the cloud server, and the first bit is used to indicate that the second data should be forwarded to the cloud server; or The first indication information includes the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the cloud server.

3. The method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Before sending the first information to the access network device, the method further includes: Based on computing power or resource information, it is determined that processing the second data is not supported.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The first configuration information includes one or more of the following: indication information on whether the edge server and the cloud server are allowed to perform collaborative computing, application information supporting collaborative computing between the edge server and the cloud server, information about the cloud server, or latency information of the cloud server's computing.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive third data from the access network device, the third data being obtained by processing the second data; The third and fourth data are sent to the terminal device, wherein the fourth data is obtained by processing the first data.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Before receiving the first data and the second data, the method further includes: Receive the first configuration information from the session management network element; or Receive the first configuration information from the policy management unit; or Receive the first configuration information from the application network element.

7. The method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, Receiving the first configuration information from the session management network element includes: The first configuration information is received from the session management network element through the established first protocol data unit (PDU) session; or, the first configuration information is received from the session management network element through the establishment of a first N4 session modification request. or, Receiving the first configuration information from the policy management unit includes: The session management network element sends a message requesting the first configuration information to the policy management unit, and receives the first configuration information from the policy management unit through the session management network element. or, Receiving the first configuration information of the application network element includes: The session management network element sends a message requesting the first configuration information to the application network element, and receives the first configuration information from the application network element through the session management network element.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The method further includes: A first request is sent to a first device, the first request being used to request the address information of the cloud server; the first device is a domain name server (DNS) or EASDF. Receive the address information of the cloud server from the first device.

9. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The first request includes the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the cloud server.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send resource configuration information to the cloud server; the resource configuration information is used to register idle computing resources.

11. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive the first and second data; Send the first data and the second data to the edge server; Receive first information from the edge server, the first information including the second data and first indication information, the first indication information being used to instruct the second data to be forwarded to the cloud server; According to the first instruction information, the second data is sent to the user plane function network element, which is communicatively connected to the cloud server.

12. The method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: The user plane function network element receives second information, the second information including third data and second indication information, the third data being obtained by processing the second data, and the second indication information being used to instruct the third data to be forwarded to the edge server; According to the second instruction information, the third data is sent to the edge server.

13. The method as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The second indication information includes at least one of the following: a preset Quality of Service Flow Identifier (QFI), a second bit, or access network device address information, wherein the preset QFI corresponds to the collaborative computing requirements of the edge server and the cloud server, and the second bit is used to indicate that the third data is forwarded to the edge server; or The second indication information includes the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the edge server or the IP address of the cloud server.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11-13, characterized in that, The first indication information includes at least one of the following: a preset QFI, a first bit, or user plane function network element address information, wherein the preset QFI corresponds to the collaborative computing requirements of the edge server and the cloud server, and the first bit is used to indicate that the second data is forwarded to the cloud server; or The first indication information includes the IP address of the cloud server.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11-14, characterized in that, The method further includes: The system receives a Quality of Service (QoS) mapping rule, which indicates the association between the QoS stream corresponding to the first Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session and the QoS stream corresponding to the second PDU session; wherein the first PDU session is used to transmit data between the terminal device and the edge server, and the second PDU session is used to transmit data between the terminal device and the cloud server.

16. The method as described in claim 15, characterized in that, Receiving the first information from the edge server includes: The first information is received from the edge server through the first QoS stream of the first PDU session; Sending the second data to the user plane function network element includes: Based on the first QoS flow of the first PDU session and the QoS mapping rule, determine the second QoS flow of the second PDU session used to transmit the second data; The second data is sent to the user plane function network element through the second QoS flow of the second PDU session.

17. The method as described in claim 15, characterized in that, The method further includes: The third data is received from the user plane function network element through the second QoS stream of the second PDU session; the third data is obtained by processing the second data. Based on the second QoS stream of the second PDU session and the QoS mapping rule, determine the first QoS stream of the first PDU session used to transmit the third data; The third data is sent to the edge server through the first QoS flow of the first PDU session.

18. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes units or modules for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1-10, or units or modules for performing the method as described in any one of claims 11-17.

19. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a processor for executing computer programs or instructions to implement the method as claimed in any one of claims 1-10, or to implement the method as claimed in any one of claims 11-17.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a communication device, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-10, or the method as described in any one of claims 11-17.

21. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-10 to be implemented, or the method as described in any one of claims 11-17 to be implemented.

22. A chip or chip system, characterized in that, The chip or chip system includes a processor configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-10, or to perform the method as described in any one of claims 11-17.

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