QoS Flow Notification Exchange for Congestion-Aware Network Handover

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing radio access networks face challenges in efficiently updating congestion and quality of service information when QoS flows or serving devices change, leading to inconsistencies in network-side device awareness of these changes.

Innovation Solution

Implement an information interaction method and apparatus that enable network-side devices to detect and respond to changes in QoS flows and serving devices by exchanging specific information through user plane tunnels and performing congestion marking operations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If QoS flow changes serving device or data flow changes QoS flow, then information disclosed through user plane tunnels changes, but network-side device cannot obtain the changed information timely

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation consistencyVSAvoidinformation update delay
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the network-side device receives notifications about QoS flow changes and serving device changes from access network devices. This feedback loop ensures that the network-side device is promptly informed of information changes through structured notification messages, resolving the timing issue between information change and information update.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Adaptability or versatility

If QoS flow undergoes inter-access network device transfer, then serving device changes, but information consistency across network devices deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveflow mobilityVSAvoidinformation consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces notification messages as intermediaries that carry change information between access network devices and the network-side device. These standardized notification messages act as mediators to ensure consistent information propagation during QoS flow transfers between different access network devices, maintaining information consistency while supporting flow mobility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Productivity

If congestion information and QoS notifications are disclosed through user plane tunnels, then information transmission is achieved, but network-side device awareness of changes is delayed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation transmission efficiencyVSAvoidchange information availability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by having access network devices proactively send notification messages to the network-side device before or at the moment of QoS flow changes. This advance notification ensures that the network-side device is prepared and aware of upcoming changes, eliminating information gaps while maintaining efficient transmission through user plane tunnels.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4694306A1Information interaction method and communication device
Publication Date: 2026.02.11 VIVO MOBILE COMM CO LTD
  • EP4694306A1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP4694306A1 patent drawingFigure 1C~1D
  • EP4694306A1 patent drawingFigure 1E~1F

AI summary

Embodiments of this application provide an information interaction method and a communication device. The method applied to a first communication device includes: performing, by a first communication device, a first operation, including at least one of the following: in a case that a first condition is met, the first communication device performs a first sub-operation; the first communication device obtains fourth information, and the first communication device performs a second sub-operation based on the fourth information; the first communication device receives a QoS notification corresponding to a first data flow from a second communication device, and the first communication device sends a QoS notification corresponding to a first QoS flow or the first data flow based on the obtained QoS notification corresponding to the first data flow; and the first communication device receives congestion information corresponding to the first data flow from a second communication device, and the first communication device performs at least one of the following based on the obtained congestion information corresponding to the first data flow: disclosing a QoS notification corresponding to the first QoS flow or the first data flow, and performing a congestion marking operation on data packets of the first QoS flow.