Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: a first network device sends a first request to a second network device, for requesting performance data of a plurality of first granularities of a terminal device, wherein the first request comprises sequence information, and the sequence information is used for indicating the plurality of first granularities; and the second network device receives the first request, and sends a first response, wherein the first response is used for indicating that the performance data of a second granularity cannot be provided, and / or for indicating that the performance data of a third granularity can be provided, the plurality of first granularities including the second granularity and / or the third granularity. In the method embodiment, by sending a request message in a single transmission to request the performance data of the plurality of first granularities, efficient acquisition of the performance data of the plurality of granularities of the terminal device is achieved without increasing communication signaling overhead between base stations.

Description

Communication methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510364076.0, filed on March 24, 2025, entitled "Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)'s Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) project supports base stations using AI / ML to analyze collected data and improve network performance and user experience, such as through energy saving, load balancing, and mobility optimization. The data used for analysis by the base station can come from UEs (User Equipment), such as measurement reports, or from other base stations.

[0004] Data exchange between base stations can include site-related information or terminal performance information. For example, terminal performance information may include average throughput, average packet latency, and average packet loss rate. Terminal performance information refers to the terminal's performance within its assigned base station. Base stations can also report data at other granularities, such as slicing or cell-level granularity. However, current technologies suffer from low data reporting efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that allows for the efficient acquisition of multiple granular performance data of a terminal device without increasing the communication signaling overhead between base stations by sending a request message once or submitting multiple request messages once to request multiple first-granularity performance data.

[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a communication method applied to a first network device, the method comprising: sending a first request to a second network device, the first request being for requesting performance data of a plurality of first granularities, the first request including sequence information for indicating the plurality of first granularities; receiving a first response from the second network device, the first response being for indicating that performance data of a second granularity cannot be provided, and / or the first response being for indicating that performance data of a third granularity can be provided, the plurality of first granularities including the second granularity and / or the third granularity.

[0007] The above method can be applied to a first network device, which can be a network device, a module within a network device (such as a chip system), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a network device. There are no limitations on this.

[0008] In this method, when the first network device sends a first request to the second network device to request performance data of the terminal device, it carries sequence information to indicate multiple first granularities corresponding to the performance data of the terminal device. The sequence information occupies only one information cell, or no additional information cell, allowing the sequence information indicating multiple first granularities to be sent through a single request message. Furthermore, this process does not involve any structural changes to existing information cells, reducing data processing complexity.

[0009] In one feasible implementation, the sequence information includes at least one first element, which indicates a first granularity or a combination of first granularities.

[0010] Using this method to indicate multiple first granularities can reduce the space occupied by indicating the first granularity and reduce communication complexity.

[0011] In one feasible implementation, the first request includes first type information, which is used to indicate the first type corresponding to multiple performance data of first granularity.

[0012] In one feasible implementation, the first response further includes an identifier of second granularity and / or a correspondence of first performance data, wherein the first performance data is at least one of a first type of performance data.

[0013] In this method, performance data that the second network device cannot provide may correspond to different granularities. Adding an identifier for the unavailable second granularity and / or the first performance data to the first response can improve data accuracy.

[0014] In one feasible implementation, the method further includes: sending a second request to a second network device, the second request being for requesting at least one fourth granularity of performance data from the terminal device; receiving a second response from the second network device, the second response being for indicating that a fifth granularity of performance data cannot be provided, and / or the second response being for indicating that a sixth granularity of performance data can be provided, wherein at least one fourth granularity includes the fifth granularity and / or the sixth granularity.

[0015] The first network device can send multiple request messages to the second network device to request performance data of different granularities. Furthermore, each message can also indicate the different performance data configuration information corresponding to different granularities of performance data. This improves the flexibility of the first network device in requesting performance data of multiple granularities.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the second request includes second type information, which indicates a second type corresponding to at least one fourth-granularity performance data.

[0017] In one feasible implementation, the second response further includes a fifth granularity identifier and / or second performance data, wherein the second performance data is at least one of a second type of performance data.

[0018] In one feasible implementation, the first request includes a first identifier, and the second request includes a second identifier. The method further includes sending a first message to a second network device, the first message being used to request performance data of the first terminal device, the first message including the first identifier and the second identifier.

[0019] In this method, a first network device sends multiple request messages to a second network device to request performance data from a terminal device. Then, the first network device sends a first message to the second network device to obtain the performance data from the terminal device. The first message includes multiple identifiers carried in the multiple request messages, used to obtain the performance data of the terminal device requested by each of the multiple request messages. This method reduces the number of times the first message is sent, further reducing the signaling overhead between the first and second network devices. This improves the efficiency of obtaining the performance data from the terminal device.

[0020] In one feasible implementation, the method further includes: receiving first information from a second network device, the first information including third-granularity performance data and sixth-granularity performance data corresponding to the first terminal device.

[0021] In one feasible implementation, the method further includes: receiving second information from a second network device, the second information including indication information for indicating the failure to acquire performance data corresponding to the first terminal device.

[0022] In one feasible implementation, the indication information corresponds to a first data list, which includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a third granularity; third performance data, wherein the third performance data corresponds to the third granularity; and the reason for the failure to acquire the third performance data.

[0023] In this method, when the first network device sends a first message to the second network device to request performance data at a third granularity (which the second network device promises to provide), the second information returned by the second network device includes an indication that it cannot provide the third performance data corresponding to the third granularity. This method can improve the scenarios corresponding to obtaining performance data, ensuring that the first network device can determine the data collection results in each scenario, and thus respond flexibly.

[0024] In one feasible implementation, the first granularity and / or the fourth granularity is at least one of the following: slice granularity, cell granularity, or synchronization signal block (SSB) granularity.

[0025] Secondly, this application provides a communication method applied to a second network device. The method includes: receiving a first request from a first network device, the first request being used to request performance data of a plurality of first granularities from a terminal device, the first request including sequence information used to indicate the plurality of first granularities; sending a first response to the first network device, the first response being used to indicate that performance data of a second granularity cannot be provided, and / or the first response being used to indicate that performance data of a third granularity can be provided, the plurality of first granularities including the second granularity and the third granularity.

[0026] The above method can be applied to a second network device, which can be a network device, a module within a network device (such as a chip system), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a network device. There are no limitations on this.

[0027] In one feasible implementation, the sequence information includes at least one first element, which indicates a first granularity or a combination of first granularities.

[0028] In one feasible implementation, the first request includes first type information, which is used to indicate the first type corresponding to multiple performance data of first granularity.

[0029] In one feasible implementation, the first response further includes an identifier of second granularity and / or first performance data, wherein the first performance data is at least one of a first type of performance data.

[0030] In one feasible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a second request from a first network device, the second request being for requesting at least one fourth granularity of performance data from a terminal device; sending a second response to the first network device, the second response being for indicating that fifth granularity of performance data cannot be provided, and / or the second response being for indicating that sixth granularity of performance data can be provided, wherein the at least one fourth granularity includes both fifth and sixth granularity.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the second request includes second type information, which indicates a second type corresponding to at least one fourth-granularity performance data.

[0032] In one feasible implementation, the second response further includes a fifth granularity identifier and / or second performance data, wherein the second performance data is at least one of a second type of performance data.

[0033] In one feasible implementation, the first request includes a first identifier, and the second request includes a second identifier. The method further includes: receiving a first message from a first network device, the first message being used to request performance data of a first terminal device, the first message including a first identifier and a second identifier.

[0034] In one feasible implementation, the method further includes: sending first information to a first network device, the first information including third-granularity performance data and sixth-granularity performance data corresponding to the first terminal device.

[0035] In one feasible implementation, the method further includes: sending second information to a first network device, the second information including indication information for indicating the failure to acquire performance data corresponding to the first terminal device.

[0036] In one feasible implementation, the indication information corresponds to a first data list, which includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a third granularity; third performance data, wherein the third performance data corresponds to the third granularity; and the reason for the failure to acquire the third performance data.

[0037] In one feasible implementation, the first granularity and / or the fourth granularity is at least one of the following: slice granularity, cell granularity, or synchronization signal block (SSB) granularity.

[0038] Thirdly, a communication device is provided, which includes units or modules for performing the possible methods in either the first or second aspect described above.

[0039] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, the communication device including at least one processor coupled to a memory; wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, such that the methods that may be implemented in either the first or second aspect described above are executed.

[0040] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication system, which includes a first network device and a second network device, wherein the first network device is used to perform the method described in any one of the first aspects, and the second network device is used to perform the method described in any one of the second aspects.

[0041] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to perform the method described in any of the above methods.

[0042] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product, the computer program product comprising: computer program code, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method described in any of the above methods.

[0043] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a chip coupled to a memory for reading and executing program instructions in the memory, so that the device in which the chip is located implements the method described in any of the above methods. Attached Figure Description

[0044] The accompanying drawings used in the embodiments of this application are described below.

[0045] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of a network slicing structure provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0046] Figure 1B is a schematic diagram of the communication system architecture used in the embodiments of this application.

[0047] Figure 1C is a schematic diagram of an ORAN architecture provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0048] Figure 1D shows a RIC architecture in ORAN provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0049] Figure 1E is a schematic diagram of a base station communication scenario provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0050] Figures 2 to 4A and 5 are flowcharts of several communication methods provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0051] Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of a slice support scenario for UE cross-registration area handover provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0052] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0053] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0054] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of this application can be used interchangeably. Unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship; for example, A / B can represent A or B. "And / or" in this application is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, in the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" refers to 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 represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be one or multiple. Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish between network elements and similar items with essentially the same function. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that the terms "first" and "second" are not necessarily different.

[0055] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" in the embodiments described in this application mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0056] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, the words "exemplary," "for example," etc., are used to indicate that they are examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplary" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of the term "exemplary" is intended to present the concept in a concrete manner.

[0057] The following detailed embodiments further illustrate the objectives, technical solutions, and beneficial effects of this application. It should be understood that the following are merely specific embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made based on the technical solutions of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

[0058] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0059] First, the terms used in the embodiments of this application will be explained.

[0060] AI and ML: Current mobile networks, supporting increasingly diverse services, require support for ultra-high speeds, ultra-low latency, ultra-high reliability, and massive connectivity, making network planning, configuration, and resource scheduling increasingly complex. Furthermore, the increasing use of higher frequencies by mobile networks places greater demands on base station energy efficiency. These new requirements, scenarios, and characteristics present unprecedented challenges to mobile network planning, operation, and efficient management. Relying on manual experience or simple algorithms for network planning, self-optimization of network configuration, and resource scheduling suffers from drawbacks such as high time consumption, high cost, and poor adaptability of self-optimization and scheduling algorithms, making them inadequate for addressing these new challenges.

[0061] Introducing AI and ML into mobile networks can significantly improve the efficiency of network planning, configuration, and resource scheduling, enabling network intelligence. AI can simulate arbitrary nonlinear models, thus effectively adapting to real-world environments and approaching performance limits. AI and ML acquire massive amounts of data, using ML algorithms to train models and / or make decision inferences from this data, outputting AI models and / or decision results (such as predictions of service data volume over a certain future timeframe). To achieve RAN intelligence, it is necessary to research key technologies such as the RAN intelligent wireless network framework, the related functions and protocol processes of AI modules / platforms, etc.

[0062] Slicing: With the development of mobile communication technology, various new services and application scenarios are constantly emerging. These services have significantly different requirements for network functions, connectivity performance, and security. Using a single network to carry these services would make it difficult to simultaneously meet the demands for high bandwidth, low latency, and high reliability. Furthermore, building a separate network for each service would incur enormous costs. This necessitates that next-generation networks be flexible, scalable, and able to meet diverse service needs. To address this, next-generation networks provide customized network services to users through end-to-end network slicing. Specifically, as shown in Figure 1A, which is a schematic diagram of a network slicing structure provided in an embodiment of this application, by flexibly allocating network resources and deploying networks on demand, next-generation networks virtually create multiple logical subnets with different characteristics and mutual isolation on the same physical infrastructure to provide targeted services to users. For example, for enhanced mobile broadband (eMMB) services, massive machine-type communication (mMTC) services, and ultra-reliable low-latency communication (uRLLC) services, the logical subnets are divided into eMMB slices, mMTC slices, and uRLLC slices, respectively. The physical infrastructure supporting network slicing can include the RAN, central data center (DC), local DCs, regional DCs, and switches connecting the DCs. The RAN can support different network communication technologies, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Wi-Fi, or next-generation network communication technologies (5G, 6G, or later). A mobile cloud engine (MCE) can also be introduced into the network, distinguishing between the real-time (RT) portion of the RAN (RAN-RT) and the non-real-time (NRT) portion (RAN-NRT). The MCE can also include access controllers (ACs), caches, etc. The service network (or core network) to which the RAN connects can include the user plane (UP) and the control plane (CP), and can also include Internet of Things (IoT) servers to support IoT services.

[0063] The different logical subnets described above are identified and distinguished by "single network slice selection assistance information" (S-NSSAI). Each S-NSSAI may include the following:

[0064] 1. Slice or service type (SST): refers to the specific characteristics and business type of the slice.

[0065] 2. Slice Differentiator (SD): As a supplement to SST, it can further differentiate multiple network slice instances that satisfy the same SST, and is optional.

[0066] Note: NSSAI = S-NSSAI List (i.e., one or more S-NSSAI(s)), applies throughout. It is recommended to use NSSAI when referring to multiple slices in general, and S-NSSAI when referring to a specific slice.

[0067] NSSAI can be categorized in the following ways:

[0068] 1. Subscribed NSSAI: Subscribed data belonging to the user;

[0069] 2. Default NSSAI: Depending on the operator's policy, one or more of the user's subscription NSSAIs may be set as the default NSSAI. If the UE does not carry an allowed NSSAI in the registration request message, and a default NSSAI exists, the network will use the default NSSAI to provide services to the UE.

[0070] 3. Requested NSSAI: This refers to the allowed NSSAI or configured NSSAI carried by the UE in the registration request message;

[0071] 4. Allowed NSSAI: The NSSAIs allowed by the UE in the current registration area (RA). It indicates which S-NSSAI(s) among the NSSAIs requested by the UE are allowed by the network. The network will provide the UE with the "Allowed NSSAI" information element (IE) in the registration accept message. In addition, the protocol also introduces partially allowed NSSAI, which is used to indicate the network slices supported by only some TAs in the current registration area.

[0072] Tracking Area (TA): TA is a concept in the core network of a mobile communication system used to facilitate the determination of a UE's location. The core network assigns a TA to a UE upon access, and the UE then registers with its assigned TA. This allows the core network to perform paging only by sending a page to all cells under all TAs registered with the UE, without needing to search the entire network. When a UE moves to an unregistered TA, it will initiate a TA update to notify the core network of the location change.

[0073] Registration Area (RA): The TA is the area where the UE does not need to perform location registration during movement. The RA corresponds to the location area where a location update process is performed. The core network provides the UE with the corresponding Tracking Area List (TAL) for the current RA, where the TAL is a list of multiple TAs. When the UE moves to a cell that is not in the TAL corresponding to the current RA (i.e., the UE moves out of the current RA), the UE needs to initiate a core network registration process. From the above process, it can be seen that the UE does not need to perform registration updates when moving within the RA. After the UE moves out of the RA, it needs to perform a registration update. After the registration update, the core network provides the UE with the TAL corresponding to the new RA.

[0074] The system architecture involved in the embodiments of this application is described below.

[0075] Figure 1B is a schematic diagram of the communication system architecture used in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1B, the communication system includes at least one user equipment (UE) (UE1 and UE2), at least one access network (AN) device (AN device 1 to AN device 3), and a core network. The UEs are connected to the AN devices wirelessly, and the AN devices are connected to the core network wirelessly or via a wired connection. The core network devices can be independent physical devices, or they can integrate the functions of the core network devices and the logical functions of the AN devices onto the same physical device. Alternatively, a single physical device can integrate some of the functions of the core network devices and some of the functions of the AN devices. UEs and AN devices can be interconnected via wired or wireless connections. Figure 1B is only a schematic diagram, and the number of devices included is an example. The communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1B.

[0076] During mobility, a UE may switch from one AN device to another. If the AN device has AI / ML prediction capabilities, it can predict UE mobility information based on the UE's current information, such as the UE's historical mobility information and UE measurement reports. Furthermore, AN devices can exchange predicted UE mobility information for subsequent UE resource management by the target AN device.

[0077] The UE involved in the embodiments of this application may also be referred to as a terminal, terminal device, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc. A terminal device can be a user-side entity used to receive or transmit signals, such as a mobile phone. Terminal devices can be used to connect people, objects, and machines. Terminal devices can communicate with one or more core networks through network devices. Terminal devices include handheld devices with wireless connectivity, other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, or vehicle-mounted devices. Terminal devices can be portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-embedded, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices. Terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as cellular communication, D2D, V2X, point-to-point (P2P), machine-to-machine (M2M), machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation, autonomous delivery and mobility, etc.Examples of terminal devices include: 3GPP standard user equipment (UE), fixed equipment, mobile equipment, handheld devices, wearable devices, cellular phones, smartphones, session initiated protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal computers, smart books, vehicles, satellites, global positioning system (GPS) devices, drones, helicopters, aircraft, ships, remote control devices, smart home devices, industrial equipment, personal communication service (PCS) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless network cameras, tablets, handheld computers, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices such as smartwatches, VR devices, AR devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, terminals in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems, wireless terminals in self-driving vehicles, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, and smart city applications. Wireless terminals in cities include smart gas pumps, high-speed rail devices, and smart homes such as smart speakers, smart coffee machines, and smart printers. Terminal devices in 5G networks or future public land mobile networks (PLMNs) also include devices in Zigbee networks, LoRa networks, Bluetooth (BT) slaves, BLE slaves, and Wi-Fi stations (STAs). Terminal devices can also be part of IoT systems, also known as IoT nodes. IoT is a crucial component of future information technology development. Its main technical characteristic is connecting objects to networks via communication technologies, thereby achieving intelligent networks that enable human-machine and machine-to-machine interconnection. Connections can be made using broadband or narrowband technologies. IoT technology, for example, can achieve massive connectivity, deep coverage, and low power consumption through narrowband (NB) technology. IoT technologies include reflective communication, spread spectrum, and ultra-wideband (UWB), which will not be elaborated further.

[0078] The UE can be a wireless device in the various scenarios described above, or a device for configuring a wireless device, such as a communication module, modem, or chip in the aforementioned devices. The terminal device can also be a terminal device in a future wireless communication system. The terminal device can be used in dedicated network equipment or general-purpose equipment. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form adopted by the terminal device.

[0079] The AN device involved in the embodiments of this application may also be referred to as a base station (BS), a radio access network (RAN) node, RAN device or network element, base station, access point (AP), network device, small tower, etc. Base stations can broadly encompass various names listed below, or be interchangeable with them, such as: RAN node, NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next-generation NodeB (gNB), access network equipment in an open radio access network (O-RAN), relay station, access point, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), master eNB (MeNB), secondary eNB (SeNB), multi-standard radio (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, building baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), centralized unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), and radio unit (RFU). Units (RU), centralized unit control plane (CU-CP) nodes, centralized unit user plane (CU-UP) nodes, positioning nodes, etc. They can also be Zigbee base stations, Bluetooth master (BT master), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) master, LoRa base stations, Wi-Fi access points. Base stations can be macro base stations, micro base stations, relay nodes, donor nodes, or similar entities, or combinations thereof. Network equipment can also refer to communication modules, modems, or chips used in the aforementioned devices or apparatuses.Network equipment can also be mobile switching centers, devices that function as base stations in device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, and network-side equipment in future communication systems. Network equipment can support networks using the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or device forms employed by the network equipment.

[0080] In some deployments, the RAN equipment mentioned in the embodiments of this application may be a device including a CU, or a DU, or a device including both CU and DU, or a device with a control plane CU node (central unit-control plane (CU-CP)) and a user plane CU node (central unit-user plane (CU-UP)) and a DU node. For example, network equipment may include gNB-CU-CP, gNB-CU-UP, and gNB-DU.

[0081] In some deployments, the RAN device can be an open radio access network (ORAN) architecture, etc. For example, when the RAN device is an ORAN architecture, the RAN device in this application embodiment can be an access network element in the ORAN, or a module of an access network element, etc. In the ORAN system, CU can also be called open (O)-CU, DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU.

[0082] Referring to Figure 1C, which is a schematic diagram of an ORAN architecture provided in an embodiment of this application, network elements are connected via interfaces (e.g., NG, Xn) or air interfaces (Uu). These network element nodes, such as core network equipment, RAN nodes, and one or more UE devices, may also be equipped with one or more AI modules (only one is shown in Figure 1C). A RAN node can be a single RAN node or can include multiple RAN nodes, for example, including CU and DU. CU and / or DU may also be equipped with one or more AI modules. Optionally, a CU may be further divided into CU-CP and CU-UP. CU-CP and / or CU-UP are equipped with one or more AI models. The AI ​​modules are used to implement corresponding AI functions. The AI ​​modules deployed in different network elements may be the same or different. Depending on the different parameter configurations, the AI ​​modules can implement different functions. The model of an AI module can be configured based on one or more of the following parameters: structural parameters (e.g., at least one of the following: number of neural network layers, neural network width, inter-layer connections, neuron weights, neuron activation function, or bias in the activation function), input parameters (e.g., type and / or dimension of input parameters), or output parameters (e.g., type and / or dimension of output parameters). The bias in the activation function can also be referred to as the bias of the neural network. An AI module can have one or more models. A model can infer an output, which includes one or more parameters. The learning, training, or inference processes of different models can be deployed on different nodes or devices, or they can be deployed on the same node or device.

[0083] The ORAN AI architecture shown in Figure 1C is an endogenous AI architecture. Figure 1D illustrates another intelligent controller (RIC) architecture in ORAN. The RIC architecture communication system includes RAN RICs. RICs include near-real-time (near-RT) RICs and non-real-time (non-RT) RICs. Near-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. Near-real-time RICs can obtain network-side and / or terminal-side information from RAN nodes (e.g., CUs, CU-CPs, CU-UPs, DUs, and / or RUs) and / or terminals. This information can be used as training data or inference data. Optionally, near-real-time RICs can deliver inference results 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 near-real-time RIC delivers an inference result to a DU, which then forwards it to an RU.

[0084] 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., CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and / or 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 the inference result to a DU, which then forwards it to an RU. The near-real-time RIC and non-real-time RIC can also be configured as separate network elements. Optionally, near-real-time and non-real-time RICs can also be part of other devices; for example, a near-real-time RIC can be located in a RAN node (e.g., in a CU or DU), while a non-real-time RIC can be located in Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM), a cloud server, a core network device, or other network devices.

[0085] To facilitate understanding, we will introduce a technical solution 1 that can be used to obtain performance data of terminal devices.

[0086] 1. Data collection and reporting between base stations

[0087] Base stations can use AI / ML analytics to collect data and improve network performance and user experience, such as through network energy saving, load balancing, and mobility optimization. The data used for analysis by the base station can come from the user experience (UE), such as measurement reports, or from other base stations.

[0088] Referring to Figure 1E, which is a schematic diagram of a base station communication scenario provided by an embodiment of this application, as shown in Figure 1E(a), base station 1 and base station 2 interact with each other. Base station 1 sends a data collection request message to base station 2, requesting base station 2 to collect relevant data of the UE, such as: predicted resource usage, predicted number of connected UEs, energy consumption, UE performance, UE trajectory, etc. Base station 2 replies with a data collection response message, indicating which data can be provided or which data reporting failed. In Figure 1E(b), base station 2 sends a data collection update message to base station 1, sending the collected data. The collected data is based on the data requested by base station 1 in Figure 1E(a) and the data that base station 2 can provide in response.

[0089] Alternatively, in some cases, before base station 2 sends a data collection update message to base station 1, base station 1 may also send a trigger message to trigger base station 2 to send the data collection update message. For example, in Figure 1E(c), base station 1 sends a handover (HO) request message to base station 2 to trigger the UE to hand over to base station 2. Therefore, base station 2 collects the UE's performance data and reports the collected UE performance data to base station 1.

[0090] 2. Information elements in data collection and reporting

[0091] Please refer to Table 1.1 below for the information elements that may be carried in the aforementioned data collection request message:

[0092] Table 1.1

[0093] As shown in Table 1.1, each row in this table corresponds to a credit element, or a subdirectory under a credit element. Each column lists a feature corresponding to a credit element. The meaning of each column is explained in detail below:

[0094] IE / Group Name: The cell or group name corresponding to the cell.

[0095] Presence: The state of this information cell. M represents mandatory, O represents optional, and C represents conditional.

[0096] Range: Indicates the range of values.

[0097] IE type and reference: Indicates the cell type and associated information. Some values ​​(e.g., 9.2.3.185) refer to the name of the table to which the cell is associated.

[0098] Semantics description: Represents the semantic description of a cell.

[0099] Criticality: Indicates whether the information element is a critical information element.

[0100] Assigned Criticality: Indicates how to handle cases where other values ​​are specified for this feature. "reject" means to reject, and "ignore" means to ignore.

[0101] The following is a brief introduction to the information cells in Table 1.1:

[0102] "NG-RAN node1 Measurement ID" and "NG-RAN node2 Measurement ID" are paired identifiers. These two identifiers are generated based on the data collection request message, where the former identifies the base station 1 that sent the request message, and the latter identifies the base station 2 that received the request message (or sent a response message).

[0103] The "Report Characteristics for Data Collection" field indicates whether to request the collection (or whether base station 2 needs to report) of certain performance data. The semantic description of this information element specifies the performance data that can be requested for collection. A bit value of "1" indicates that the performance data will be collected, and a bit value of "0" indicates that the performance data will not be collected. For example, bit 1 indicates whether to request the collection of "predicted radio resource status," bit 2 indicates whether to request the collection of "predicted number of UEs accessing the network," etc. Bits 4 through 7 indicate UE performance data, including average UE throughput (downlink or uplink, UL), average packet delay (DL / UL), and average packet loss (DL / UL), etc.

[0104] Reporting Periodicity for Data Collection: This indicates the period during which data collection reports are submitted.

[0105] Requested Prediction Time: Indicates the point in time when data collection began. For a one-time report, the start time is the moment the data collection request message is received from base station 2. In periodic reports, the start time is offset according to the reporting period for each subsequent data collection update message.

[0106] UE Trajectory Collection Configuration: The configuration for collecting UE trajectories.

[0107] UE Performance Collection Configuration: Collection configuration for UE performance.

[0108] In response to a request from base station 1 to collect data, base station 2 can send a data collection response message indicating whether it can provide the data.

[0109] Please refer to Table 1.2 for a partial list of information elements that may be carried in a data collection response message:

[0110] Table 1.2

[0111] As shown in Table 1.2, the corresponding columns in Table 1.1 are also included, and each column has the same meaning. Table 1.2 also includes the identifier group NG-RAN node1 Measurement ID. Furthermore, assuming that base station 1 sends a data collection request message 1 containing group 1 identifiers, and base station 2 sends a data collection response message 1 to reply whether it can provide the data requested in data collection request message 1, then the identifier group in data collection response message 1 is also group 1 identifiers.

[0112] The data collection response message carries the Node Measurement Failed Report Characteristics information element, which indicates performance data indicating measurement failures.

[0113] It also carries a Cause information element: used to indicate the reason for measurement data failure.

[0114] In response to the data requested by base station 1, base station 2 can report to base station 1 via a data collection update message.

[0115] Please refer to Table 1.3 for a partial list of information elements that may be carried in data collection update messages:

[0116] Table 1.3

[0117] As shown in Table 1.3, the corresponding columns in Table 1.1 are also included, and each column has the same meaning. Table 1.3 also includes the information cell NG-RAN node1 Measurement ID and NG-RAN node1 Measurement ID (which can be referred to as a group of identifiers). Furthermore, assuming that base station 1 sends a data collection request message 1 containing a group 1 identifier, and base station 2 sends a data collection update message 1 to provide the data requested by the data collection request message 1, then the group of identifiers in the data collection update message 1 is also a group 1 identifier.

[0118] The data collection update message also includes the following information elements:

[0119] UE Associated Info Result List: This list contains results of UE-associated information. Base station 1 requests the collection of UE performance data at the UE level in its request submission message, while base station 2 sends the data collection results at the UE level. Therefore, each data collection result will be associated with a UE.

[0120] UE Associated Info Result Item: UE associated information result item.

[0121] UE Assistant Identifier: Represents the UE identifier associated with the collected UE performance data.

[0122] UE Performance: Collected UE performance data.

[0123] Measured UE Trajectory: The measured UE trajectory.

[0124] In technical solution 1 as described above, the data collection requesting end (e.g., base station 1) sends a data collection request message to request the data collection providing end (e.g., base station 2) to collect data. Since the data collection requesting end is a communication node, it typically collects performance data within the node's scope (or at the node level). However, in some cases, it may be necessary to collect UE performance data at other granularities. For example, collecting UE performance data at the slice level, synchronization signal block (SSB) level, or cell level. In technical solution 1, the data collection requesting end cannot request multi-granularity UE performance data by sending a single data collection request message.

[0125] Based on this, please refer to Figure 2, which is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method includes:

[0126] 201. A first network device sends a first request, which is for performance data of multiple first granularities. The first request includes sequence information, which is used to indicate the multiple first granularities. Correspondingly, a second network device receives the first request.

[0127] In this embodiment, the first network device and the second network device can be the base station or RAN node described in Figure 1A above. Therefore, the first network device can also be referred to as base station 1, and the second network device can also be referred to as base station 2. Further details will not be provided below. The first request sent by the first network device can be a data collection request message, used to request performance data of multiple first granularities from the terminal device. These multiple first granularities can be, for example, node granularity, slice granularity, SSB granularity, or cell granularity.

[0128] In this embodiment of the application, multiple first granularities are characterized by sequence information, which includes at least one first element. The first element is used to indicate the first granularity or to indicate a combination of first granularities.

[0129] Optionally, the sequence information is a first bitmap, which includes a first value and a second value, where the first value is the first element.

[0130] The first bitmap includes several bits, each of which can have a value of "1" or "0". The first value can be "1", indicating the first granularity for which performance data needs to be requested. The second value is "0", corresponding to other granularities for which performance data does not need to be requested. Alternatively, the first value can be "0" and the second value can be "1", but this embodiment does not limit this.

[0131] In the first request, a separate information cell can be added to carry the first bitmap. Alternatively, the first bitmap can be carried using an existing information cell.

[0132] For example, the first request includes a UE Performance Collection Configuration element, which carries relevant configurations for UE performance data, such as the duration of UE performance data collection. Therefore, a new first element (italicized) can be added to the table associated with the UE Performance Collection Configuration element to carry sequence information, indicating the granularity of UE performance data collection. See Table 2.1 for details:

[0133] Table 2.1

[0134] As shown in Table 2.1, the first information element is named UE granularity reporting type, but it can also be named other information elements. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0135] The first information cell includes a first bitmap. Each bit in the first bitmap is used to indicate UE performance data at a certain granularity. For example, the second bit is used to indicate the slice granularity, and the third bit is used to indicate the SSB granularity. When the value of the second bit is "1", it is used to indicate UE performance data that requests slice granularity, and when the value of the bit is "0", it is used to indicate performance data that does not request slice granularity.

[0136] Optionally, the first element is text information or index information.

[0137] For example, multiple first-level units can be indicated directly in the data collection request or in the UE Performance Collection Configuration information element via text information or index information.

[0138] In this scenario, assuming the first request sent by the first network device is to request UE performance data at both the slice granularity and SSB granularity, then the first request can directly include text information: slice granularity, SSB granularity. Each granularity's text information corresponds to a first element. Alternatively, the first request can include text information: slice granularity, SSB granularity. This text information corresponds to a first element, used to indicate the combination of the two first granularities.

[0139] In some cases, the first network device can be configured with a correspondence between granularity and index. For example: 1. Slice granularity; 2. SSB granularity; 3. Cell granularity; 4. Slice granularity and SSB granularity; 5. Slice granularity and cell granularity; 6. SSB granularity and cell granularity. The first request includes index 1 and index 5, each corresponding to a first element. The former indicates a first granularity, and the latter indicates a combination of two first granularities.

[0140] As can be seen, in this embodiment, when the first network device sends a first request to the second network device to request performance data of the terminal device, it carries sequence information to indicate multiple first granularities corresponding to the performance data of the terminal device. The sequence information occupies only one information cell, or no additional information cell, allowing sequence information indicating multiple first granularities to be sent through a single request message. Furthermore, this process does not involve structural changes to existing information cells, reducing data processing complexity.

[0141] 202. The second network device sends a first response, the first response indicating that performance data of the second granularity cannot be provided, and / or the first response indicating that performance data of the third granularity can be provided, wherein the first granularity includes the second granularity and / or the third granularity.

[0142] After receiving the first request, the second network device can send a first response to the first network device. This first response may indicate that performance data at a second granularity cannot be provided. The second granularity can be one or more granularities, and may be included within multiple first granularities. For example, suppose the first request includes slice granularity and SSB granularity. If the second granularity in the first response is SSB granularity, it means the second network device cannot provide performance data at the SSB granularity. Alternatively, if the second granularity is both slice granularity and SSB granularity, it means the second network device cannot provide the requested performance data at both slice granularity and SSB granularity.

[0143] Alternatively, the first response may indicate that third-granularity performance data can be provided. This third granularity can be one or more granularities, and may also be included within multiple first granularities. For example, if the third granularity is slice granularity, it means the second network device can provide UE performance data at the slice granularity. Or, if the third granularity is both slice granularity and SSB granularity, it means the second network device can provide performance data at both the requested slice granularity and SSB granularity.

[0144] In some cases, the first response can simultaneously indicate that performance data at the second granularity cannot be provided, while performance data at the third granularity can be provided. For example, the first response may include a second bitmap indicating the availability of multiple first granularities requested by the second network device in response to the first request. Assume there are two first granularities: slice granularity and SSB granularity. The second bitmap consists of two bits with a value of 10, where the first bit being "1" indicates that slice granularity performance data can be provided, and the second bit being "0" indicates that SSB granularity performance data cannot be provided.

[0145] In some cases, the second network device may not send a first response. This can be used to indicate by default that it can provide performance data for all of the multiple first granularities requested by the first network device. Alternatively, it can also indicate by default that it cannot provide performance data for all of the multiple first granularities requested by the first network device.

[0146] Optionally, the first request includes first type information, which is used to indicate the first type corresponding to multiple performance data of the first granularity.

[0147] The first type corresponds to the performance data at the first granularity. The first type can be a single performance data point (indicator) or a collection of multiple performance data points (indicators). Corresponding to Table 1.1 above, this is the Report Characteristics for Data Collection information element indicating the collection of multiple performance data points. Alternatively, in this embodiment, the performance data at different granularities are UE performance data, and therefore can correspond to the UE performance data indicated by bits 4 to 7 under the Report Characteristics for Data Collection information element. The first type information can indicate all four performance data points, or only a portion of them. Multiple performance data points at the first granularity all correspond to the first type, meaning that for multiple first granularities, the performance data indicated by the first type information needs to be collected.

[0148] Optionally, the first response may also include an identifier of second granularity and / or first performance data, wherein the first performance data is at least one of a first type of performance data.

[0149] The first response is used to indicate when the second network device cannot provide performance data at the second granularity. It may include an identifier for the second granularity, such as a slice number or SSB index, indicating which slice or beam direction the second network device cannot provide performance data for. Alternatively, the first response may include the name of specific performance data to indicate that the second network device cannot provide the corresponding type of performance data. For example, if the first performance data in the first response is named "Average Packet Loss Rate," it means the second network device cannot provide the UE's average packet loss rate.

[0150] Alternatively, for different granularities, there may be different performance data that cannot be provided. Therefore, the first response may also include the correspondence between the identifier of the second granularity and the first performance data, such as (S-NSSAI 2, average packet loss rate), indicating that the second network device cannot provide the average packet loss rate under S-NSSAI 2.

[0151] Specifically, please refer to Table 2.2, which is a cell structure table in a data collection response message provided in an embodiment of this application:

[0152] Table 2.2

[0153] As shown in Table 2.2, the data collection response message of technical solution 1 includes a Node Measurement Failed Report Characteristics information element, which is used to indicate the indicators of UE performance data that the second network device cannot provide (or has failed to collect). Since technical solution 1 only collects UE performance data at the node granularity, the indicators of UE performance data that cannot be provided also correspond to the node granularity. However, in this embodiment, the first request is used to request UE performance data of multiple first granularities. Therefore, the first response needs to indicate the information of the first granularity (also the second granularity) corresponding to the indicators (first performance data) of UE performance data that the second network device cannot provide.

[0154] For example, see Table 2.3, which is a cell structure table in a first response provided in an embodiment of this application:

[0155] Table 2.3

[0156] As shown in Table 2.3, the first response includes the identifier of the second granularity and the first performance data. Specifically, the following subdirectories (italicized parts) have been added to the Node Measurement Initiation Result List information element:

[0157] The first information element (UE granularity type) is used to indicate multiple first granularities corresponding to the UE performance data requested by the first request.

[0158] The second granularity information (slice information and SSB information) refers to the granularity among multiple first granularities where the second network device cannot provide UE performance data. The second granularity information can be the name or identifier of the second granularity. For example, when the second granularity is a slice granularity, the second granularity information could be S-NSSAI1. When the second granularity is an SSB granularity, the second granularity information could be SSB0.

[0159] In addition, Table 2.3 also includes Node Measurement Failed Report Characteristics, which indicate the first performance data corresponding to the identifier of the second granularity. Since the performance data requested by the first request corresponds to the first type, the first performance data is at least one of the performance data of the first type.

[0160] Sending the first response using the above method enables the first network device to more clearly determine which granularities of performance data the second network device cannot (or can) provide. This helps the first network device to adjust its data analysis model or the way it obtains performance data, thereby improving the efficiency and accuracy of data analysis.

[0161] Optionally, referring to Figure 3, another communication method provided by an embodiment of this application is shown in Figure 3. The method includes:

[0162] 301. A first network device sends a first request, the first request being for requesting at least one performance data of a first granularity, the first request including a first identifier. Correspondingly, a second network device receives the first request.

[0163] The description of step 301 can be found in the relevant description of step 201 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0164] Furthermore, the first granularity in this embodiment is not limited to multiple granularities; it can also be a single granularity. For example, the first request refers to performance data for requesting slice granularity. Therefore, the first request may or may not include sequence information indicating the first granularity. That is to say, this implementation method can be combined with the foregoing embodiments (step 301 can be replaced by step 201), or it can be a standalone implementation method.

[0165] In addition, the first request includes a first identifier, which is used to identify the first request; that is, the first identifier is generated based on the first request. Specifically, the first identifier can be the two identifiers, NG-RAN node1 Measurement ID and NG-RAN node2 Measurement ID, as shown in Table 1.1 above. Therefore, the first identifier can be referred to as the first set of identifiers.

[0166] 302. The second network device sends a first response, the first response indicating that performance data of the second granularity cannot be provided, and / or the first response indicating that performance data of the third granularity can be provided, wherein at least one first granularity includes the second granularity and / or the third granularity.

[0167] The description of step 302 (optional step) can be found in the description of step 202 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0168] Optionally, the first response may also include the first (group) identifier.

[0169] 303. The first network device sends a second request to the second network device. The second request is for requesting at least one fourth-granularity performance data of the terminal device, and the second request includes a second identifier. Correspondingly, the second network device receives the second request.

[0170] Similar to step 301, the second request includes a second identifier for identifying the second request. The second identifier may be referred to as a second set of identifiers.

[0171] Optionally, the first granularity and the second granularity are different granularities.

[0172] Specifically, the first network device can send different request messages to request performance data at different granularities. For example, the first request is used to request performance data at the node and slice granularities, while the second request is used to request performance data at the SSB granularity. The configuration information for the performance data corresponding to the two granularities can be the same or different.

[0173] Optionally, the second request may include different performance data configuration information than the first request.

[0174] Specifically, the second request and the first request may include different performance data configuration information. For example, the metrics or metric parameters (Report Characteristics for Data Collection values) of the UE performance data requested in the first request and the second request may be different, or the duration of data collection (Collection Time Duaration for UE performance value) may be different, etc.

[0175] The first granularity and the fourth granularity can be different granularities, or they can include the same granularity. For example, the first granularity includes slice granularity, and the fourth granularity also includes slice granularity, but the duration in the first request is different from the duration in the second request. That is, the second network device needs to obtain UE performance data of slice granularity according to different durations.

[0176] Optionally, the second request includes second type information, which is used to indicate the second type corresponding to at least one fourth granularity performance data.

[0177] For example, the first granularity of performance data in the first request corresponds to the first type, such as the UE's average throughput and average latency. The fourth granularity of performance data in the second request corresponds to the second type, such as the UE's average packet loss rate. The first and second types are different performance data configuration information.

[0178] Alternatively, the first network device can send further requests, such as a third or fourth request, to the second network device to request more granular performance data about the UE. These different requests also correspond to different performance data configuration information.

[0179] 304. The second network device sends a second response, indicating that performance data at the fifth granularity cannot be provided, and / or the second response indicates that performance data at the sixth granularity can be provided, wherein at least one fourth granularity includes both the fifth and sixth granularities. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the second response.

[0180] After receiving the second request, the second network device, similar to receiving the first request in step 202 above, may send a second response to indicate that it cannot provide performance data at the fifth granularity, or that it can provide performance data at the sixth granularity, or both. Alternatively, the second network device may not send a second response; if the first network device does not receive a second response, it is assumed by default that the second network device can provide all UE performance data at the fourth granularity. Alternatively, it may be assumed by default that the second network device cannot provide all UE performance data at the fourth granularity.

[0181] Optionally, the second response may also include a fifth granularity identifier and / or a correspondence of second performance data, wherein the second performance data is at least one of the second type of performance data.

[0182] Similar to the description in step 202 above, the second response is used to indicate when the second network device cannot provide performance data at the fifth granularity, and may include an identifier for the fifth granularity. Alternatively, the second response may include the name of the specific performance data that the second network device cannot provide, indicating that the second network device cannot provide performance data of the corresponding type, for example, the name of the specific performance data that cannot be provided is "second performance data". Alternatively, the second response may also include a correspondence between the identifier of the fifth granularity and the second performance data, indicating that the second network device cannot provide the second performance data under the identifier of that fifth granularity.

[0183] Optionally, the second response may also include a second (group) identifier.

[0184] 305. The first network device sends a first message, which requests performance data of the first terminal device. The first message includes a first identifier and a second identifier. Correspondingly, the second network device receives the first message.

[0185] The first message is used to trigger the second network device to acquire and send performance data from the first terminal device. For example, the first message could be a handover request message requesting base station 2 to hand over the UE from base station 1 to base station 2, or a dual-connection request message requesting the establishment of a communication connection between base station 2 and the UE. Therefore, the first message includes an identifier of the first terminal device. Additionally, the first message includes a first identifier and a second identifier. The first identifier instructs the second network device to provide at least one first-granularity (first type) performance data requested in the first request, and the second identifier instructs the second network device to provide at least one fourth-granularity (second type) performance data requested in the second request.

[0186] Optionally, the method further includes: 306. The second network device sends first information, the first information including third-granularity performance data and sixth-granularity performance data corresponding to the first terminal device. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the first information.

[0187] If the second network device is able to provide the first network device with performance data at the third granularity and the sixth granularity corresponding to the first terminal device, it will send this performance data to the first network device via the first message. As described above, the second network device may promise to provide the first network device with performance data at the third granularity and the sixth granularity in the first and second responses sent in advance, and then send the corresponding data to the first network device in the first message according to the promise.

[0188] As can be seen, in this embodiment, the first network device sends multiple request messages to the second network device to request performance data from the terminal device. Then, the first network device sends a first message to the second network device to obtain the performance data from the terminal device. The first message includes multiple identification information carried in the multiple request messages, used to obtain the performance data of the terminal device requested by each of the multiple request messages. This method reduces the number of times the first message is sent, further reducing the signaling overhead between the first and second network devices. This improves the efficiency of obtaining the performance data from the terminal device.

[0189] The above embodiments illustrate a scenario where a first network device requests performance data, and a second network device responds by providing the requested performance data, thus enabling the first network device to obtain this performance data. However, in some cases, even if the second network device responds by providing the requested performance data, there may actually be situations where the first network device is unable to obtain this performance data due to factors such as slice licensing or changes in signal quality.

[0190] Based on this, please refer to Figure 4A, which is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided by an embodiment of this application. The method includes the following steps:

[0191] 401. A first network device sends a first request, the first request being for requesting at least one performance data of a first granularity, the first request including a first identifier. Correspondingly, a second network device receives the first request.

[0192] The description of step 401 can be found in the relevant description of step 301 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0193] In this embodiment, the first granularity requested by the first network device can be node granularity, slice granularity, SSB granularity, or cell granularity, etc. Specifically, the case where the first network device sends a data collection request message to request performance data at the node granularity has been described in Table 1.1 and related descriptions above, and the "UE Performance Collection Configuration" therein is associated with the configuration information corresponding to the requested node-granularity performance data. If the request message is sent to request performance data at other granularities, the data collection request message and the corresponding configuration information need to be modified accordingly for differentiation. The following explanation uses slice granularity as an example of other granularities.

[0194] Specifically, performance data related to slice granularity can be added to the performance data to be collected. For example, "predicted available slice capacity" can be added as a performance data point.

[0195] Alternatively, the first request can indicate the spatial resources corresponding to the performance data of the reported slice granularity.

[0196] Alternatively, configuration information for performance data at a specific slice granularity can be set in the first request. This can include the slice identifier to which the configuration information is adapted, the duration of performance data collection, or the performance data at the slice granularity to be collected, etc.

[0197] Optionally, the configuration information for performance data at the specific slice granularity can be enabled or disabled. If disabled, the configuration information for performance data at the slice granularity is the general configuration information; if enabled, the configuration information for performance data at the slice granularity is the specific configuration information.

[0198] Assuming the first request is for UE performance data at the slice granularity, the cell structure corresponding to the first request can be found in the following table:

[0199] Table 3.1

[0200] The italicized text in Table 3.1 is new content, specifically including:

[0201] A new 10th bit has been added to the Report Characteristics for Data Collection information cell to indicate whether the performance data "predicted slice available capacity" needs to be obtained.

[0202] The "Cell To Report Item for Data Collection" element now includes a subdirectory called "Slice To Report List for Data Collection," which indicates the list of cells corresponding to the slice-level data collection report (the spatial resources corresponding to the reported slice-level performance data). This indicates that the request message is for obtaining UE performance data at the slice level. It contains information about the public land mobile network (PLMN) identifier corresponding to the requested slice level, the S-NSSAI list (or NSSAI), and the S-NSSAI itself, indicating which slice's UE performance data is being collected. Additionally, a new element called "Finer Granularity UE Performance Collection Configuration List" (specifically for slice-level performance data configuration) has been added as a supplement to the "UE Performance Collection Configuration" element. This element can be used specifically for configuring UE performance data at the slice level. For example, if it is necessary to obtain the average throughput and average packet latency at the slice granularity, then the "Report Characteristics for Finer Granularity UE Performance" information element is set in this information element, and the average throughput and average packet latency at the slice granularity are indicated in it through a bit map.

[0203] The first network device sends a first request to obtain UE performance data at the slice granularity, and the second network device can respond accordingly in its first response. For example, in the cell structure shown in Table 1.2, a new subdirectory, Slice Measurement Initiation Result, is added under Node Measurement Initiation Result Item to indicate the cell list corresponding to the results obtained from initiating slice granularity data measurement. And under Cell Measurement Initiation Result Item, a new subdirectory, Slice Measurement Initiation Result, is added to indicate the performance data of failed measurements at the slice granularity.

[0204] 402. The second network device sends a first response, the first response indicating that performance data of the second granularity cannot be provided, and / or the first response indicating that performance data of the third granularity can be provided, wherein at least one first granularity includes the second granularity and / or the third granularity.

[0205] The description of step 402 (optional step) can be found in the description of step 302 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0206] 403. The first network device sends a first message, which requests performance data of the first terminal device and includes a first identifier. Correspondingly, the second network device receives the first message.

[0207] As described above, in some cases, due to UE movement or changes in communication quality, the second network device may not be able to provide the performance data that the first response commitment could provide to the first network device.

[0208] For example, referring to Figure 4B, which is a schematic diagram of slice support for UE cross-registration area handover provided by an embodiment of this application, as shown in Figure 4B, the slice resource management network element on the network side plans the slice support for the UE in each registration area based on network resource conditions. The UE's allowed NSSAI is different in different registration areas. For example, as shown in Figure 4B, the UE moves from RA1 to RA2 according to the path shown. Assume that the UE's allowed NSSAI in RA1 includes S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2, and the slice services required by the UE are S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2. However, the UE's allowed NSSAI in RA2 does not include S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2. Therefore, if the UE moves to RA2 and accesses a cell in RA2, the UE's slice NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2 services will be suspended.

[0209] 404. The second network device sends second information, which includes indication information for indicating the failure to acquire performance data corresponding to the first terminal device. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the second information.

[0210] As shown in Table 1.2 above, when sending a data collection response message, base station 2 can only provide feedback on whether the current base station can measure and report the requested slice-level UE performance. However, in reality, it is possible that base station 2 is capable of measuring and reporting slice-level UE performance, but for a specific UE, the corresponding slice is not supported when moving to base station 2, resulting in the inability to measure and report the indicated slice-level UE performance. As shown in Table 1.3 above, the data collection response message of technical solution 1 does not support base station 2 in reporting the failure of UE performance measurement and reporting for the aforementioned specific UE. However, in this embodiment, in the second information, an indication information for indicating the failure to obtain performance data corresponding to the first terminal device is added.

[0211] Optionally, the indication information corresponds to a first data list, which includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the third granularity; third performance data, wherein the third performance data corresponds to the third granularity; and the reason for the failure to obtain the third performance data.

[0212] The third granularity refers to the granularity of the performance data that the second network device promises to provide. The third performance data can be part or all of the performance data corresponding to the third granularity.

[0213] Specifically, please refer to Table 3.2, which is a cell structure table of second information provided in an embodiment of this application:

[0214] Table 3.2

[0215] As shown in Table 3.2, the second information provided in this application embodiment, compared to the data collection update message provided in technical solution 1, adds a subdirectory called "Measurement Failed Report Characteristics list" (italicized part) under the "UE Associated Info Result Item" subdirectory. This subdirectory is used to indicate a list of UE performance data that failed to be measured at the slice granularity (the second network device promises to provide slice granularity performance data). This subdirectory indicates the items of UE performance data at the slice granularity that failed to be measured through "Measurement Failed Report Characteristics Item". This item can specifically include the following subdirectories:

[0216] Measurement Failed Report Characteristics: This indicates slice-level UE performance data that base station 2 failed to collect. Specifically, it can be indicated using a bitmap, where each bit corresponds to a UE performance data metric. A value of "1" indicates that the metric failed to collect, and a value of "0" indicates that the metric was collected. Alternatively, a value of "0" indicates collection failure, and a value of "0" indicates that the metric was collected.

[0217] Cause: Indicates the reason for collecting slice-level UE performance data.

[0218] Slice information: This indicates the specific slice in which the collection of UE performance data failed. Slice information can be a slice identifier, such as S-NSSAI 1 and S-NSSAI 2.

[0219] If the second information also needs to indicate the failure to acquire UE performance data at other granularities, a new Measurement Failed Report Characteristics Item can be added under the Measurement Failed Report Characteristics list to specifically indicate UE performance data for which measurements at other granularities failed. That is, the same second information may include one or more first data lists corresponding to different granularities; this application example does not limit this.

[0220] As can be seen in this embodiment, the first network device sends a first request to the second network device to request performance data of a first granularity. When the second network device promises to provide performance data of a third granularity among multiple first granularities, when the first network device sends a first message to the second network device to request the third granularity performance data, the second information returned by the second network device includes an indication that it cannot provide the third performance data corresponding to the third granularity. This method can improve the scenarios corresponding to obtaining performance data, ensuring that the first network device can determine the data collection results in each scenario, and thus respond flexibly.

[0221] The implementation method of this embodiment can be combined with the method shown in Figure 2 above (step 401 can be replaced with step 201), or combined with the method shown in Figure 3 above (steps 401 to 403 can be replaced with steps 301 to 305), or it can be a separate implementation method.

[0222] Furthermore, when this implementation method is combined with the method shown in Figure 3, steps 306 and 404 can be executed simultaneously, or only one of them can be executed. That is, the second network device can send one of the first information and the second acquisition response messages to the first network device, or it can send both messages simultaneously. Partial granularity of UE performance data is provided through the first information, while the other part of the UE performance data that failed to acquire is indicated through the second acquisition response. Alternatively, the first information and the second acquisition response can also be carried in the same message. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0223] Referring to Figure 5, which is a schematic diagram of a communication method applied to the ORAN architecture according to an embodiment of this application, the method includes the following steps:

[0224] 501. The first CU sends a first request, the second CU receives the first request, and sends the first request to the second DU. The first request is used to request at least one performance data of a first granularity.

[0225] In this embodiment, the first network device includes a first CU and a first DU, and the second network device includes a second CU and a second DU. The first DU may be one or more DUs, and the second DU may also be one or more DUs. Therefore, after receiving the first request, the second CU may distribute it to one or more second DUs.

[0226] 502. The second DU sends a first response, the second CU receives the first response, and sends a second response to the first CU. The second response is used to indicate that performance data at the second granularity cannot be provided, and / or to indicate that performance data at the third granularity can be provided, wherein the first granularity includes the second granularity and / or the third granularity.

[0227] The second CU may collect the first responses sent by one or more second DUs and integrate them to generate a second response to send to the first CU.

[0228] 503. The first CU sends a second request, the second CU receives the second request, and sends the second request to the second DU. The second request is used to request at least one fourth-granularity performance data.

[0229] 504. The second DU sends a third response, the second CU receives the third response, and sends a fourth response to the first CU. The fourth response is used to indicate that performance data at the fifth granularity cannot be provided, and / or to indicate that performance data at the sixth granularity can be provided, wherein at least the fourth granularity includes the fifth granularity and / or the sixth granularity.

[0230] For a detailed description of this method, please refer to the relevant descriptions of steps 301 to 304 in the foregoing embodiments, which will not be repeated here. This method provides an example of applying the methods of the foregoing embodiments to the ORAN architecture. The other methods mentioned above can also be applied to the ORAN architecture, which will not be repeated here.

[0231] Please refer to Figure 6, which is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication device can be used to execute any of the methods in the foregoing embodiments.

[0232] As shown in Figure 6, the communication device includes a processing module 1501 and a transceiver module 1502. The processing module 1501 may be one or more processors, and the transceiver module 1502 may be a transceiver or a communication interface. This communication device can be used to implement the functions of devices such as the first network device and the second network device involved in any of the above method embodiments. These devices may be hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). Optionally, the communication device may also include a storage module 1503 for storing the program code and data of the communication device.

[0233] In a first example, the communication device can be used as a first network device or a chip within a first network device in the embodiments of Figures 2 to 7, and execute the steps performed by the first network device in the above method embodiments. The transceiver module 1502 is used to support communication with a second network device. The processing module 1501 can be used to support the execution of actions performed by the first network device in the above method embodiments, excluding sending and receiving.

[0234] Specifically, the transceiver module 1502 is configured to send a first request to the second network device, the first request being used to request performance data of multiple first granularities, the first request including sequence information, the sequence information being used to indicate multiple first granularities; the transceiver module 1502 is also configured to receive a first response from the second network device, the first response being used to indicate that performance data of second granularity cannot be provided, and / or the first response being used to indicate that performance data of third granularity can be provided, the multiple first granularities including second granularity and / or third granularity.

[0235] In one feasible implementation, the sequence information includes at least one first element, which indicates a first granularity or a combination of first granularities.

[0236] In one feasible implementation, the first request includes first type information, which is used to indicate the first type corresponding to multiple performance data of first granularity.

[0237] In one feasible implementation, the first response further includes an identifier of second granularity and / or first performance data, wherein the first performance data is at least one of a first type of performance data.

[0238] In one feasible implementation, the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to send a second request to the second network device, the second request being for requesting at least one fourth-granularity performance data of the terminal device; the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to receive a second response from the second network device, the second response being for indicating that a fifth-granularity performance data cannot be provided, and / or the second response being for indicating that a sixth-granularity performance data can be provided, wherein at least one fourth granularity includes a fifth granularity and / or a sixth granularity.

[0239] In one possible implementation, the second request includes second type information, which indicates a second type corresponding to at least one fourth-granularity performance data.

[0240] In one feasible implementation, the second response further includes a fifth granularity identifier and / or second performance data, wherein the second performance data is at least one of a second type of performance data.

[0241] In one feasible implementation, the first request includes a first identifier, and the second request includes a second identifier. The method further includes sending a first message to a second network device, the first message being used to request performance data of the first terminal device, the first message including the first identifier and the second identifier.

[0242] In one feasible implementation, the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to: receive first information from the second network device, the first information including third-granularity performance data and sixth-granularity performance data corresponding to the first terminal device.

[0243] In one feasible implementation, the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to: receive second information from the second network device, the second information including indication information for indicating the failure to acquire performance data corresponding to the first terminal device.

[0244] In one feasible implementation, the indication information corresponds to a first data list, which includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a third granularity; third performance data, wherein the third performance data corresponds to the third granularity; and the reason for the failure to acquire the third performance data.

[0245] In a second example, the communication device can function as a second network device or a chip within a second network device in the embodiments of Figures 2-5, and execute the steps performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The transceiver module 1502 supports communication with the first network device. The processing module 1501 can be used to support the execution of actions performed by the second network device in the above method embodiments, excluding sending and receiving.

[0246] Specifically, the transceiver module 1502 is configured to receive a first request from a first network device, the first request being used to request performance data of multiple first granularities from a terminal device, the first request including sequence information used to indicate multiple first granularities; the transceiver module 1502 is also configured to send a first response to the first network device, the first response being used to indicate that performance data of a second granularity cannot be provided, and / or the first response being used to indicate that performance data of a third granularity can be provided, the multiple first granularities including the second granularity and the third granularity.

[0247] In one feasible implementation, the first request includes first type information, which is used to indicate the first type corresponding to multiple performance data of first granularity.

[0248] In one feasible implementation, the first response further includes an identifier of second granularity and / or first performance data, wherein the first performance data is at least one of a first type of performance data.

[0249] In one feasible implementation, the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to receive a second request from the first network device, the second request being for requesting at least one fourth-granularity performance data from the terminal device; the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to send a second response to the first network device, the second response being for indicating that a fifth-granularity performance data cannot be provided, and / or the second response being for indicating that a sixth-granularity performance data can be provided, wherein at least one fourth granularity includes both the fifth and sixth granularities.

[0250] In one possible implementation, the second request includes second type information, which indicates a second type corresponding to at least one fourth-granularity performance data.

[0251] In one feasible implementation, the second response further includes a fifth granularity identifier and / or second performance data, wherein the second performance data is at least one of a second type of performance data.

[0252] In one feasible implementation, the first request includes a first identifier, and the second request includes a second identifier. The method further includes: receiving a first message from a first network device, the first message being used to request performance data of a first terminal device, the first message including a first identifier and a second identifier.

[0253] In one feasible implementation, the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to send first information to the first network device, the first information including third-granularity performance data and sixth-granularity performance data corresponding to the first terminal device.

[0254] In one feasible implementation, the transceiver module 1502 is further configured to send second information to the first network device, the second information including indication information for indicating the failure to acquire performance data corresponding to the first terminal device.

[0255] In one feasible implementation, the indication information corresponds to a first data list, which includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a third granularity; third performance data, wherein the third performance data corresponds to the third granularity; and the reason for the failure to acquire the third performance data.

[0256] In one feasible implementation, the first granularity and / or the fourth granularity is at least one of the following: slice granularity, cell granularity, or synchronization signal block (SSB) granularity.

[0257] The processing module 1501 may be a processor that can execute computer execution instructions stored in the storage module to cause the chip to perform the methods involved in any of the above embodiments.

[0258] Furthermore, a processor may include a controller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), and registers. For example, the controller is primarily responsible for instruction decoding and issuing control signals for the operations corresponding to the instructions. The ALU is primarily responsible for performing fixed-point or floating-point arithmetic operations, shift operations, and logical operations, and can also perform address operations and translations. Registers are primarily responsible for storing register operands and intermediate operation results temporarily stored during instruction execution. In specific implementations, the processor's hardware architecture can be an ASIC architecture, a microprocessor without interlocked piped stages architecture (MIPS), an advanced reduced instruction set machine (RISC) machine (ARM) architecture, or a network processor (NP) architecture, etc. The processor can be single-core or multi-core.

[0259] The storage module can be an internal storage module of the chip, such as a register or cache. Alternatively, the storage module can be an external storage module, such as ROM or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, such as RAM.

[0260] It should be noted that the functions of the processor and interface can be implemented through hardware design, software design, or a combination of both; no restrictions are imposed here.

[0261] Furthermore, it should be noted that the aforementioned transceiver unit and / or processing unit can be implemented through virtual modules. For example, the processing unit can be implemented through software functional units or virtual devices, and the transceiver unit can be implemented through software functions or virtual devices. Alternatively, the processing unit or transceiver unit can also be implemented through physical devices. For example, if the device is implemented using a chip / chip circuit, the transceiver unit can be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface, performing input operations (corresponding to the aforementioned receiving operation) and output operations (corresponding to the aforementioned sending operation); the processing unit is an integrated processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit.

[0262] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7, the communication device 1200 may include one or more of the following components: a processor 1201, a memory 1202, and a communication interface 1203. The processor 1201, the memory 1202, and the communication interface 1203 are interconnected and perform communication between them. The memory 1202 may store one or more computer programs, which may be configured to implement the methods described in the above embodiments when executed by one or more processors 1201.

[0263] Processor 1201 may include one or more processing cores. Processor 1201 connects to various parts within the communication device 1200 using various interfaces and lines, and performs various functions and processes data of the communication device 1200 by running or executing instructions, programs, code sets, or instruction sets stored in memory 1202, and by calling data stored in memory 1202. Optionally, processor 1201 may be implemented using at least one hardware form of Digital Signal Processing (DSP), Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or Programmable Logic Array (PLA). Processor 1201 may integrate one or a combination of several of the following: Central Processing Unit (CPU), Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), and modem. It is understood that the aforementioned modem may also not be integrated into processor 1201, but may be implemented separately through a communication chip.

[0264] The memory 1202 may include random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM). The memory 1202 can be used to store instructions, programs, code, code sets, or instruction sets. The memory 1202 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store instructions for implementing an operating system, instructions for implementing at least one function (such as touch functionality, sound playback functionality, image playback functionality, etc.), and instructions for implementing the various method embodiments described above. The data storage area may also store data created during the use of the communication device 1200.

[0265] It is understood that the communication device 1200 may include more or fewer structural elements than those shown in the above block diagram.

[0266] This application provides a communication system, which includes a terminal device, a first network device and a second service network, or may also include network elements in other service networks.

[0267] This application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to perform any of the methods described above.

[0268] This application provides a computer program product, which includes computer program code. When the computer program code is run, it causes the computer to perform any of the methods described above.

[0269] This application provides a chip coupled to a memory for reading and executing program instructions in the memory, so that the device in which the chip is located implements any of the methods described above.

[0270] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have their own emphasis. Parts not described in detail in a particular embodiment can be found in the relevant descriptions of other embodiments. It should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity, the foregoing method embodiments are all described as a series of actions. However, those skilled in the art should understand that this application is not limited to the described order of actions, as some steps may be performed in other orders or simultaneously according to this application. Furthermore, those skilled in the art should also understand that the embodiments described in the specification are preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily essential to this application.

[0271] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of the units described above is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units may be electrical or other forms.

[0272] The units described above as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0273] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit it. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

A communication method characterized by comprising: Applied to a first network device, the method includes: Send a first request to a second network device. The first request is used to request performance data of multiple first granularities. The first request includes sequence information, which is used to indicate the multiple first granularities. Receive a first response from the second network device, the first response indicating that the performance data at a second granularity cannot be provided, and / or the first response indicating that the performance data at a third granularity can be provided, wherein the plurality of first granularities includes the second granularity and / or the third granularity. The method of claim 1, wherein The sequence information includes at least one first element, which is used to indicate the first granularity or to indicate a combination of the first granularities. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first request includes first type information, which is used to indicate the first type corresponding to the plurality of first granularity performance data. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The first response also includes an identifier of the second granularity and / or first performance data, wherein the first performance data is at least one of the first type of performance data. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The method further includes: Send a second request to the second network device, the second request being used to request at least one fourth-granularity performance data from the terminal device; Receive a second response from the second network device, the second response indicating that the performance data at the fifth granularity cannot be provided, and / or the second response indicating that the performance data at the sixth granularity can be provided, wherein the at least one fourth granularity includes the fifth granularity and / or the sixth granularity. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The second request includes second type information, which indicates the second type corresponding to the performance data of the at least one fourth granularity. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The second response also includes the identifier of the fifth granularity and / or the correspondence of the second performance data, wherein the second performance data is at least one of the second type of performance data. The method according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that The first request includes a first identifier, the second request includes a second identifier, and the method further includes: A first message is sent to the second network device. The first message is used to request the acquisition of performance data of the first terminal device. The first message includes the first identifier and the second identifier. The method of claim 8, wherein The method further includes: Receive first information from the second network device, the first information including the third-granularity performance data and the sixth-granularity performance data corresponding to the first terminal device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The method further includes: The system receives second information from the second network device, the second information including indication information for indicating the failure to acquire performance data corresponding to the first terminal device. The method of claim 10, wherein The indication information corresponds to a first data list, which includes at least one of the following: The identifier of the third granularity; Third performance data, wherein the third performance data corresponds to the third granularity; The reason for the failure to obtain the third performance data. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The first granularity and / or the fourth granularity is at least one of the following: slice granularity, cell granularity, or synchronization signal block (SSB) granularity. A communication method characterized by comprising: Applied to a second network device, the method includes: A first request is received from a first network device, the first request being used to request performance data of a plurality of first granularities from a terminal device, the first request including sequence information, the sequence information being used to indicate the plurality of first granularities; Send a first response to the first network device, the first response indicating that the performance data at a second granularity cannot be provided, and / or the first response indicating that the performance data at a third granularity can be provided, wherein the plurality of first granularities include the second granularity and the third granularity. The method of claim 13, wherein The sequence information includes at least one first element, which is used to indicate the first granularity or to indicate a combination of the first granularities. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that The first request includes first type information, which is used to indicate the first type corresponding to the plurality of first granularity performance data. The method of claim 15, wherein The first response also includes an identifier for the second granularity and / or first performance data, wherein the first performance data is at least one of the first type of performance data. The method according to any one of claims 13-16, characterized in that The method further includes: Receive a second request from the first network device, the second request being used to request at least one fourth-granularity performance data from the terminal device; A second response is sent to the first network device, the second response indicating that the performance data at the fifth granularity cannot be provided, and / or the second response indicating that the performance data at the sixth granularity can be provided, the at least one fourth granularity including the fifth granularity and the sixth granularity. The method of claim 17, wherein The second request includes second type information, which indicates the second type corresponding to the performance data of the at least one fourth granularity. The method of claim 18, wherein The second response also includes the identifier of the fifth granularity and / or second performance data, wherein the second performance data is at least one of the second type of performance data. The method according to any one of claims 17-19, characterized in that The first request includes a first identifier, the second request includes a second identifier, and the method further includes: A first message is received from the first network device. The first message is used to request the acquisition of performance data of the first terminal device. The first message includes the first identifier and the second identifier. The method of claim 20, wherein The method further includes: Send first information to the first network device, the first information including the third-granularity performance data and the sixth-granularity performance data corresponding to the first terminal device. The method according to any one of claims 13-21, characterized in that The method further includes: Send a second message to the first network device, the second message including indication information for indicating the failure to acquire performance data corresponding to the first terminal device. The method of claim 22, wherein The indication information corresponds to a first data list, which includes at least one of the following: The identifier of the third granularity; Third performance data, wherein the third performance data corresponds to the third granularity; The reason for the failure to obtain the third performance data. The method of claim 17, wherein The first granularity and / or the fourth granularity is at least one of the following: slice granularity, cell granularity, or synchronization signal block (SSB) granularity. A communication device, characterized by Used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 24. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein The device is a network device or a chip in a network device. A communication apparatus, characterized by comprising: The communication apparatus comprises at least one processor coupled with a memory; Wherein, the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory, so that the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 24 is realized. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized by, The computer readable storage medium stores a computer program, which when executed, causes the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 24 to be realized. A computer program, characterized in that When the computer program is executed, the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 24 is realized.

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