CN114390699A

CN114390699A - State parameter processing method and device and network equipment

Info

Publication number: CN114390699A
Application number: CN202011142829.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 周叶
Original assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Current assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-10-22
Filing date: 2020-10-22
Publication date: 2022-04-22
Also published as: WO2022083364A1

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a state parameter processing method and device and network equipment. The method is applied to an access network element and comprises the following steps: receiving target information sent by a core network element, and acquiring a first state parameter included in the target information; the first state parameter comprises a data flow identification and a first sequence number; the first sequence number is a sequence number corresponding to a transmission order in which the core network element transmits the first data packet through the target transmission interface; generating a second state parameter of the target data stream corresponding to the data stream identification according to the first sequence number; and updating a third state parameter of the target radio bearer corresponding to the target data flow. The embodiment of the application solves the problem that in the prior art, when a PTM transmission mechanism transmits the same data packet between different access network nodes, the corresponding bearing count values may be different.

Description

State parameter processing method and device and network equipment

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of mobile communications technologies, and in particular, to a method and an apparatus for processing a state parameter, and a network device.

Background

In a wireless communication system, there is a scenario in which a plurality of terminals (UEs) request the same downlink service data. For such a scenario, a Point-to-Multipoint (PTM) mechanism is proposed in the industry, where PTM allows a network to send a single downlink data packet by using a specific radio resource, and multiple UEs can receive the downlink data packet at the same time. Compared with the traditional Point-to-Point or unicast (PTP) mechanism, the wireless resource consumption can be reduced.

For the conventional PTP mode, a cell may dynamically adjust air interface transmission parameters, such as Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) and beam direction, according to the channel quality between the base station and the unicast receiving terminal, so as to improve the spectrum utilization efficiency. However, for PTM mode, the signaling of the base station needs to cover as much as possible all UEs within the cell, even UEs whose location and channel quality are not known by the network, such as UEs not in Radio Resource Control (RRC). In view of this, the network side conventionally has to adopt relatively conservative air interface transmission parameters, such as MCS with lower code rate and omni-directional transmission, to use more air interface resources to transmit less information.

The multicast-applicable scenes are various, and there are services with strict delay requirement and loose reliability requirement, such as live broadcast of a video platform, and there are also services with loose delay requirement and strict reliability requirement. In most scenarios, the transmitting end wants to enable each UE receiving the service to receive all data in the service in sequence without repetition as much as possible.

During air interface transmission, in order to ensure lossless and sequential delivery of downlink data packets, the wireless communication system adopts a bearer mechanism, and sets a bearer count value for each data packet transmitted through the air interface. The bearer count values are accumulated one by one starting from 0. The UE may perform data continuity operations based on the count value of each data packet in a bearer, the continuity operations including sorting the data packets, detecting whether they are duplicated or missing, and so on.

However, in the New air interface technology (5th Generation New Radio, 5G NR) system of the fifth Generation mobile communication technology, the bearer is autonomously determined by the 5G access network node how to establish. Specifically, when the 5G core network sends data to the 5G access network, it marks which data stream and which service session the data packet belongs to; and the 5G access network node may autonomously decide to bring one or more data streams belonging to the same service session into the same bearer for air interface transmission.

For a PTM scenario, time points at which a plurality of 5G access network nodes start PTM transmission may be different, and contents of a first data packet received by each node from a 5G core network and sent to a UE through an air interface by using a bearer count value 0 may be different, so that bearer count values for data packets with the same contents are different between different 5G access network nodes, and thus when the UE moves between the nodes, data continuity operation cannot be performed according to the bearer count values on the data packets, and a service quality requirement of a service cannot be satisfied.

Therefore, when the same data packet is transmitted between different access network nodes in the existing PTM transmission mechanism, the corresponding bearer count values may be different, which results in a problem that the continuity of the service cannot be guaranteed.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the present application provide a method and an apparatus for processing a state parameter, and a network device, so as to solve a problem in the prior art that when a PTM transmission mechanism transmits the same data packet between different access network nodes, corresponding bearer count values may be different.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a state parameter processing method, applied to an access network element, including:

receiving target information sent by a core network element, and acquiring a first state parameter included in the target information; the first state parameter comprises a data flow identification and a first sequence number; the first sequence number is a sequence number corresponding to a transmission order in which the core network element transmits the first data packet through the target transmission interface;

generating a second state parameter of the target data stream corresponding to the data stream identification according to the first sequence number; the second state parameter indicates a count value of a data packet of the target data stream transmitted by the core network element;

updating a third state parameter of a target radio bearer corresponding to the target data stream; the third state parameter indicates a count value of data packets carried by the target radio bearer.

Optionally, the method comprises:

carrying a second serial number when sending a second data packet through an air interface bearer; the second sequence number is determined by the third state parameter corresponding to the air interface bearer.

Optionally, the generating a second state parameter of the target data flow corresponding to the data flow identifier according to the first sequence number includes:

the first sequence number is used as a second state parameter of the target data flow corresponding to the data flow identification; or

And adding one to the first serial number, or adding one to the first serial number and then performing modulo processing with a preset serial number threshold value to obtain a second state parameter of the target data stream corresponding to the data stream identifier.

Optionally, the obtaining of the first state parameter carried in the target information includes:

acquiring a data stream identifier and an initial first sequence number carried in the target information, using the data stream identifier as the data stream identifier of the first state parameter, and using the initial first sequence number as the first sequence number of the first state parameter, or

And acquiring a data stream identifier and a fourth sequence number carried in the target information, using the data stream identifier as the data stream identifier of the first state parameter, and generating the first sequence number of the first state parameter according to the fourth sequence number and a third state parameter.

Optionally, the destination information includes the first data packet or synchronization information.

Optionally, the updating the third state parameter of the target radio bearer corresponding to the target data flow includes:

determining a target radio bearer corresponding to the target data flow;

and summing the second state parameters corresponding to the data stream carried by the target radio bearer to obtain a third state parameter of the target radio bearer.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a method for processing a state parameter, where the method is applied to a core network element, and includes:

sending target information to an access network element, wherein the target information carries a first state parameter of a first data packet, so that the access network element generates a second state parameter of a target data stream corresponding to a data stream identifier according to a first serial number, and updates a third state parameter of a target radio bearer corresponding to the target data stream;

wherein the first state parameter includes the data flow identifier and the first sequence number corresponding to the first packet; the first sequence number is a sequence number corresponding to a transmission order of a first data packet transmitted by a core network element through a target transmission interface;

the second state parameter indicates a count value of a data packet of the target data stream transmitted by the core network element; the third state parameter indicates the number of data packets carried by the target radio bearer.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a network device, including a memory, a transceiver, a processor:

a memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for transceiving data under control of the processor; a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and performing the following operations:

Optionally, the processor is configured to:

determining a target radio bearer corresponding to the target data flow;

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides an electronic device, where the electronic device includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, and the processor, when executing the computer program, implements the steps in the state parameter processing method according to the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a network device, including a memory, a transceiver, a processor:

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a state parameter processing apparatus, which is applied to an access network element, and includes:

the information receiving module is used for receiving target information sent by a core network element and acquiring a first state parameter included in the target information; the first state parameter comprises a data flow identification and a first sequence number; the first sequence number is a sequence number corresponding to a transmission order in which the core network element transmits the first data packet through the target transmission interface;

the parameter generation module is used for generating a second state parameter of the target data stream corresponding to the data stream identifier according to the first serial number; the second state parameter indicates a count value of a data packet of the target data stream transmitted by the core network element;

a parameter updating module, configured to update a third state parameter of a target radio bearer corresponding to the target data stream; the third state parameter indicates a count value of data packets carried by the target radio bearer.

In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a state parameter processing apparatus, where the state parameter processing apparatus is applied to a core network element, and the apparatus includes:

an information sending module, configured to send target information to an access network element, where the target information carries a first state parameter of a first data packet, so that the access network element generates, according to a first sequence number, a second state parameter of a target data stream corresponding to a data stream identifier, and updates a third state parameter of a target radio bearer corresponding to the target data stream;

the first state parameter comprises a data stream identifier and a first sequence number corresponding to the first data packet; the first sequence number is a sequence number corresponding to a transmission order in which the core network element transmits the first data packet through the target transmission interface;

In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides an electronic device, which includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, and when the processor executes the computer program, the steps in the method are implemented.

In an eighth aspect, the present application further provides a processor-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, where the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the steps in the method as described above.

In the embodiment of the application, target information sent by a network element of a core network is received, and a first state parameter included in the target information is acquired; and generating a second state parameter of the target data stream corresponding to the data stream identifier according to the first sequence number, and updating a third state parameter of a target radio bearer corresponding to the target data stream, so that when the same data packet is transmitted between different access network elements, the corresponding bearer count values are the same, and the service continuity of the UE is ensured when the different access network elements are switched.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments of the present application will be briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art that other drawings can be obtained according to these drawings without inventive exercise.

Fig. 1 is a flowchart of a state parameter processing method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a second flowchart of a state parameter processing method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a block diagram of a state parameter processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is a second block diagram of a state parameter processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a block diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 is a second block diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In the embodiment of the present application, the term "and/or" describes an association relationship of associated objects, and means that there may be three relationships, for example, a and/or B, which may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. The character "/" generally indicates that the former and latter associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

In the embodiments of the present application, the term "plurality" means two or more, and other terms are similar thereto.

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

The embodiment of the application provides a state parameter processing method and device and network equipment, so as to solve the problem that in the prior art, when a PTM transmission mechanism transmits the same data packet between different access network nodes, corresponding bearing count values may be different.

The method and the device are based on the same application concept, and because the principles of solving the problems of the method and the device are similar, the implementation of the device and the method can be mutually referred, and repeated parts are not repeated.

In addition, the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the application can be applied to various systems, especially 5G systems. For example, the applicable system may be a global system for mobile communication (GSM) system, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) system, a long term evolution (long term evolution, LTE) system, an LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, an LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, an LTE-a (long term evolution) system, a universal mobile system (universal mobile telecommunications system, UMTS), a Worldwide Interoperability for Mobile Access (WiMAX) system, a New Radio network (NR 5) system, etc. These various systems include terminal devices and network devices. The System may further include a core network portion, such as an Evolved Packet System (EPS), a 5G System (5GS), and the like.

The terminal device referred to in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a device providing voice and/or data connectivity to a user, a handheld device having a wireless connection function, or another processing device connected to a wireless modem. In different systems, the names of the terminal devices may be different, for example, in a 5G system, the terminal device may be called a User Equipment (UE). A wireless terminal device, which may be a mobile terminal device such as a mobile telephone (or "cellular" telephone) and a computer having a mobile terminal device, for example, a portable, pocket, hand-held, computer-included, or vehicle-mounted mobile device, may communicate with one or more Core Networks (CNs) via a Radio Access Network (RAN). Examples of such devices include Personal Communication Service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) stations, and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). The wireless terminal device may also be referred to as a system, a subscriber unit (subscriber unit), a subscriber station (subscriber station), a mobile station (mobile), a remote station (remote station), an access point (access point), a remote terminal device (remote terminal), an access terminal device (access terminal), a user terminal device (user terminal), a user agent (user agent), and a user device (user device), which are not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

The network device according to the embodiment of the present application may be a base station, and the base station may include a plurality of cells for providing services to a terminal. A base station may also be referred to as an access point, or a device in an access network that communicates over the air-interface, through one or more sectors, with wireless terminal devices, or by other names, depending on the particular application. The network device may be configured to exchange received air frames with Internet Protocol (IP) packets as a router between the wireless terminal device and the rest of the access network, which may include an Internet Protocol (IP) communication network. The network device may also coordinate attribute management for the air interface. For example, the network device according to the embodiment of the present application may be a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) in a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) or a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), may be a network device (NodeB) in a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), may be an evolved Node B (eNB or e-NodeB) in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) System, may be a 5G Base Station (gbb) in a 5G network architecture (next evolution System), may be a Home evolved Node B (HeNB), a relay Node (relay Node), a Home Base Station (femto), a pico Base Station (pico Base Station), and the like, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In some network architectures, a network device may include a Centralized Unit (CU) node and a Distributed Unit (DU) node, which may also be geographically separated.

Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) transmission may be performed between the network device and the terminal device by using one or more antennas, where the MIMO transmission may be Single User MIMO (SU-MIMO) or Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO). The MIMO transmission may be 2D-MIMO, 3D-MIMO, FD-MIMO, or massive-MIMO, or may be diversity transmission, precoding transmission, beamforming transmission, or the like, depending on the form and number of root antenna combinations.

In a wireless communication system, handover refers to an operation of changing a transmission path in a communication network for one service. In a handover process involving a network element in which a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) is changed (that is, originally, a PDCP network element is used For transmission, and another PDCP network element is used For transmission at a certain time), in order to improve the continuity of a downlink service sent in a PTP (precision time Protocol) manner, and even achieve the requirements of lossless and in-sequence delivery, a source PDCP network element that is handed over provides, to a target PDCP network element that is handed over, Data that is received from a core network but not yet sent to a UE, and the mechanism is called "Data forwarding" (Data For forwarding).

In general, the mapping from the service flow of the source PDCP network element side and the target PDCP network element side to the radio bearer is the same, the data forwarding may be performed according to the granularity of the radio bearer, and each data packet includes a sequence number. Meanwhile, the source PDCP network element side also provides a transmission status summary of the source PDCP network element to the target PDCP network element side, where the PDCP count value indicates which PDCP data packets have been successfully received over the air interface by the UE. During the switching process, the UPF sends an End Marker (End Marker) to the source transmission path for each session, and all the data thereafter is sent through the new transmission path. When the source PDCP network element side receives the end identifier sent by the UPF, it knows that the session is no longer being transmitted through the N3 tunnel on the source side, and the previously received packet is the last packet transmitted through the tunnel. Thereafter, for each radio bearer, when all data to be forwarded on the radio bearer has been sent to the target PDCP network element side, the source PDCP network element side will send an end identifier. Upon receiving this end identifier for the radio bearer, the target PDCP learns that data forwarding for the radio bearer has ended. Thereafter, for new packets it receives from the UPF via the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, numbering will continue on the basis of the count value of the last packet of Data forwarding. This mechanism ensures that the PDCP count is continuous and the packet content is continuous when the UE receives data.

However, if the target PDCP network element side of the service data is transmitting in PTM during the handover of the target UE, the PDCP count value is not adjusted for the target UE in order to not interfere with the service continuity of other UEs receiving the service data. Therefore, if the service continuity of the target UE is to be ensured, the PDCP count values of the source side and the target side should be the same when the source side and the target side are required to transmit service packets with the same content. Therefore, in order to ensure that PDCP count values of different PDCP network elements are the same when transmitting service data packets with the same content, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for processing state parameters, as shown in fig. 1, where the method is applied to an access network element, and the method includes:

step 101, receiving target information sent by a core network element, and acquiring a first state parameter included in the target information; the first state parameter comprises a data flow identification and a first sequence number; the first sequence number is a sequence number corresponding to a transmission order in which the core network element transmits the first data packet via the target transmission interface.

Wherein, the access network element, for example, a PDCP network element or a Radio Link Control (RLC) network element; core network elements such as User Plane Function (UPF) elements, Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) elements, or Session Management Function (SMF) elements. For convenience of description, in the embodiment of the present application, an access network element is a PDCP network element, a core network element is a UPF network element, for example, and other cases (the access network element is another network element or the core network element is another network element) are similar to the embodiment of the present application and are not described herein again.

Specifically, the AMF network element is a relatively core module in the network, and each UE is connected to only one AMF at the same time. The AMF network element communicates with the SMF network element via an Nsmf interface, for example, requests the SMF to establish, modify, and release a service context. The service data is managed by the SMF network element in a Session (Session) mode according to parameters such as service attributes and IP routing of the backbone network, and each Session is managed by only one SMF. In each session, the data may be divided into one or more Service data flows according to Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of different Service data, and a data flow identifier may be set for each Service data flow. The SMF network element manages the UPF network element through the N4 interface, for example, requests the UPF to establish, modify, and release a transmission channel of service data.

When receiving target information sent by a core network element, an access network element acquires a first state parameter included in the target information; the first state parameter includes a data flow identification and a first sequence number.

Specifically, the data flow identifier is an identifier of a data flow to which the currently transmitted service data packet belongs; for example, in the case that the UPF network element sends service data that can be transmitted over the air interface by using a PTM method through an N3 interface, a state variable Tx _ NEXT _ i _ UPF is set for each data stream, where i identifies an identifier of the data stream. The initial value of the state variable is usually 0, but may be other values.

The first sequence number is a sequence number corresponding to a transmission order in which the core network element transmits the first data packet through the target transmission interface; the target transmission interface is, for example, an N3 interface, and in a general case, the UPF network element interacts service data with an external data network (e.g., a backbone network) in a north direction through an N6 interface and interacts service data with an access network element in a south direction through an N3 interface. If the access network is a 5G radio access network, the N3 interface is also referred to as NG-U interface, i.e. the user plane part of the NG interface.

When the UPF network element sends the first packet belonging to stream i through the N3 interface, it first adds a first Sequence Number (Sequence Number) in the packet header of the first packet, which is denoted by Tx _ NEXT _ N3_ i _ UPF. The N3 channel is advantageous in that all packets in the session can be transmitted in sequence without loss by adding interface sequence numbers.

In this way, when receiving the first packet that may be transmitted over the air interface by using the PTM method through the N3 interface, the first sequence number is sent to the SDAP layer of the access network device (e.g., the gNB). And the SDAP layer maps the first data packet to the corresponding radio bearer according to the data flow identification in the data packet and a preset mapping relation, and sends the first data packet and the first sequence number to the PDCP layer of the gNB.

102, generating a second state parameter of the target data stream corresponding to the data stream identifier according to the first sequence number; the second state parameter indicates a count value of a data packet of the target data stream transmitted by the core network element.

The access network element further processes the first serial number to obtain a second state parameter; the second state parameter indicates a count value of a packet of the target data flow transmitted by the core network element, such as a count value of a packet of a target data flow i.

Optionally, the second state parameter is denoted by Rx _ NEXT _ N3_ i _ PDCP _ j, where j denotes the identity of the PDCP; the first sequence number may be added with 1 to obtain a second state parameter, where the second state parameter indicates a sequence number of a next N3 packet of the currently transmitted first packet; or adding 1 to the first serial number and then modulo the preset serial number by adding 1 to the preset serial number to be used as the first serial number; optionally, the preset sequence number upper limit plus 1 is denoted by range n3SN, and the value thereof may be 2²⁴。

Step 103, updating a third state parameter of the target radio bearer corresponding to the target data stream; the third state parameter indicates a count value of data packets carried by the target radio bearer.

The access network element generates a PDCP data packet belonging to a target (e.g., a radio bearer k) according to the second state parameter, sets a count value of the PDCP data packet to a third state parameter (Tx _ NEXT _ Uu _ k _ PDCP _ j), and performs subsequent processing, for example, intercepts a minimum number of bits (a preset number of data bits) of the count value to the third state parameter and submits the third state parameter to a lower protocol layer.

Specifically, after the second state parameter is generated, the access network element updates the third state parameter; the third state parameter represents the count values of all data flows mapped to the radio bearer k, that is, the number of data packets mapped to the target radio bearer is summed, that is, the PDCP count value of the target radio bearer is also summed; optionally, the PDCP count value is typically set to a maximum threshold, e.g., 2³²(ii) a If the third state parameter is greater than or equal to the maximum threshold, truncating a plurality of lowest bits (preset data bits) of the PDCP count value as the third state parameter.

Thus, on one hand, when two different access network elements map data streams according to the same mapping relationship from the data streams to the radio bearers and transmit service data packets through an air interface in a PTM manner, based on the sequential transmission of the core network elements through the N3 interface, it is ensured that the two access network elements can receive service data in the same order.

On the other hand, when the third state parameter (PDCP count value, i.e. bearer count value) is calculated for the PDCP data packet, the value of the third state parameter always is: and the second state parameter of the last data packet of all data flows contained in the radio bearer. Since the sequence of receiving the data packets by the different access network elements through the N3 interface is the same, and when any data packet is processed, the respective "last data packet of each data stream" is also all the same, so that it can be ensured that the third state parameters calculated for the same service data are also the same between the different access network elements as long as the mapping relationship from the data stream to the data bearer is the same; when the access network element sends the data packet to the UE through the air interface bearer, the sequence number of the sent data packet is determined according to the third state parameter, that is, the sequence number of the data packet received by the UE is determined according to the third state parameter; thus, if the UE is switched between different access network elements, for example, from the gNB1 to the gNB2, since the third state parameters calculated by the gNB1 and the gNB2 for the same service data are also the same, and the sequence numbers sent to the UE by the gNB1 and the gNB2 are also the same, that is, the sequence numbers of the data packets received by the UE under different access network elements are the same, thereby ensuring the service continuity when the UE moves between the gnbs.

In the embodiment of the application, target information sent by a network element of a core network is received, and a first state parameter included in the target information is acquired; and generating a second state parameter of the target data stream corresponding to the data stream identifier according to the first sequence number, and updating a third state parameter of a target radio bearer corresponding to the target data stream, so that when the same data packet is transmitted between different access network elements, the corresponding bearer count values are the same, and the service continuity of the UE is ensured when the different access network elements are switched. The embodiment of the application solves the problem that in the prior art, when a PTM transmission mechanism transmits the same data packet between different access network nodes, the corresponding bearing count values may be different.

In an alternative embodiment, the method comprises:

carrying a second serial number when sending a second data packet through an air interface bearer; the second sequence number is determined by the third state parameter corresponding to the air interface bearer, for example, a plurality of lowest bits (a preset data bit number) of the third state parameter are intercepted as the second sequence number.

When different access network elements transmit the same data packet, the corresponding bearing count values are the same; if the UE is switched between different access network elements, for example, from the gNB1 to the gNB2, since the third state parameters calculated for the same service data of the gNB1 and the gNB2 are also the same, and the sequence numbers sent to the UE by the gNB1 and the gNB2 are also the same, that is, the sequence numbers of the data packets received by the UE under different access network elements are the same, thereby ensuring the service continuity when the UE moves between the gnbs.

In an optional embodiment, the generating, according to the first sequence number, the second state parameter of the target data flow corresponding to the data flow identifier includes:

The first sequence number may be added with 1 to obtain a second state parameter, where the second state parameter indicates a sequence number of a next N3 packet of the currently transmitted first packet; or adding 1 to the first serial number and then adding 1 to a preset serial number threshold (preset serial number upper limit) to obtain a module as the first serial number; optionally, the value obtained by adding 1 to the preset serial number threshold may be 2²⁴。

In an optional embodiment, the obtaining the first state parameter carried in the target information includes:

acquiring a data stream identifier and an initial first sequence number carried in the target information, taking the data stream identifier as the data stream identifier of the first state parameter, and taking the initial first sequence number as the first sequence number of the first state parameter; or

Since in a wireless communication system, the count value and the sequence number and the state variable are often stored in a format of a non-negative integer with a fixed bit length, there is theoretically a case where the values are cyclic (for example, in an 8-bit non-negative shaping value, 255+1 ═ 0). Therefore, the first serial number of the first state parameter is generated according to the fourth serial number and the third state parameter, for example, the data bit number of the fourth serial number is smaller than the data bit number of the third state variable, which indicates that part of the data bits of the original fourth serial number are cut off; if the third state parameter is 5 data bits and the fourth sequence number is 3 data bits, the fourth sequence number is a result of intercepting the lowest 3 bits from the original fourth sequence number; that is, after Hyper Frame Number (HFN), the original fourth sequence Number is truncated by several highest data bits; therefore, in this embodiment of the application, if the fourth serial number lacks N data bits compared to the third state parameter, the first N data bits of the third state variable are added before the fourth serial number, and the first serial number is restored.

For example, in order to reduce resource consumption, when the UPF network element transmits downlink data, the sequence number (fourth sequence number) of N3 is still included, and when the gNB network element receives the data, the N3 count value is determined by the third state parameter corresponding to the N3 sequence number, and then the first sequence number is determined.

In an alternative embodiment, the destination information comprises the first data packet or synchronization information.

If the PDCP entity processes the earliest received packet, for example, the first packet of the data flow i, the second state parameter cannot be calculated due to the lack of the last packet of the data flow; therefore, when the access network element starts to receive service data through the N3 interface, and the service data can be transmitted over the air by using the PTM method, the UPF sends a synchronization message through the N3 interface, where the synchronization message includes an identifier of each data stream in the corresponding session and a first sequence number for the data stream.

Thus, after receiving the synchronization information, the access network element initializes the value of the second state parameter to the second state parameter calculated according to the first sequence number in the synchronization information according to the identifier of the data stream in the synchronization information.

In an optional embodiment, the updating the third state parameter of the target radio bearer corresponding to the target data flow includes:

determining a target radio bearer corresponding to the target data flow;

and summing the second state parameters corresponding to the data streams carried by the target radio bearer to obtain a third state parameter of the target radio bearer, wherein the third state parameter represents count values of all the data streams mapped to the target radio bearer, that is, the number of data packets mapped to the target radio bearer is summed, that is, the PDCP count value of the target radio bearer.

For example, referring to table 1 below, table 1 shows part of state parameters of a service session transmitted over the air by means of PTM. Three data streams are contained, each identified as R, G, B. The network element of the gNB1 and the network element of the gNB2 both map data streams R and G onto radio bearer 1 and data stream B onto radio bearer 2.

The gNB1 begins reception from the very beginning of a UPF sending data over the N3 interface, whereas the gNB2 begins reception after the UPF has transmitted 10 packets.

Wherein Tx _ NEXT _ N3_ R _ UPF represents a first sequence number of data stream R;

tx _ NEXT _ N3_ G _ UPF denotes a first sequence number of data stream G;

tx _ NEXT _ N3_ B _ UPF represents the first sequence number of data stream B;

rx _ NEXT _ N3_ R _ PDCP _1 represents the second state parameter of the data stream R at PDCP 1;

rx _ NEXT _ N3_ G _ PDCP _1 represents the second state parameter of data stream G at PDCP 1;

rx _ NEXT _ N3_ B _ PDCP _1 represents the second state parameter of data stream B at PDCP 1;

tx _ NEXT _ Uu _1_ PDCP _1 represents the third state parameter of radio bearer 1;

tx _ NEXT _ Uu _2_ PDCP _1 represents the third state parameter of radio bearer 2.

Table 1:

as can be seen from table 1, at time T0, the N3 interface transmits synchronization information indicating that the current first sequence number of each data stream is 0. At this time, the access network element gNB1 directly sets the second state parameter for each data stream to the value of the corresponding first sequence number, that is, 0; meanwhile, the gNB1 sets the third state parameter of the radio bearer 1 to the sum of the second state parameter corresponding to the data flow R and the second state parameter corresponding to the data flow G, that is, 0, and sets the third state parameter of the radio bearer 1 to the second state parameter corresponding to the data flow B, that is, 0.

At the time of T1, N3 transmits a data packet number 0 of the data stream B, at this time, the access network element gNB1 determines that the first sequence number of the data stream B is 0, and adds 1 to the first sequence number to obtain a second state parameter 1; the third state parameter of radio bearer 2 is simultaneously updated to the value of the second state parameter of data flow B, i.e. 1.

At the time of T2, N3 transmits a data packet number 0 of the data stream G, at this time, the access network element gNB1 determines that the first sequence number of the data stream G is 0, and adds 1 to the first sequence number to obtain a second state parameter 1; simultaneously updating a third state parameter of the radio bearer 1 to be the sum of a second state parameter of the data flow R and a second state parameter of the data flow G, namely 1;

at the time of T3, N3 transmits the data packet No. 1 of the data stream B, at this time, the access network element gNB1 determines that the first sequence number of the data stream G is 1, and adds 1 to the first sequence number to obtain a second state parameter 2; simultaneously updating the third state parameter of the radio bearer 2 to the value of the second state parameter of the data flow B, namely 2;

……

when the gNB2 starts to receive the data packets at different times, the third state parameters calculated in the same manner as described above are the same, so that the sequence numbers of the data packets sent to the UE by the gNB1 and the gNB2 are the same, and the sequence numbers of the data packets received by the UE under different gNB network elements are consistent, thereby ensuring the service continuity when the UE moves between the gnbs.

Referring to fig. 2, an embodiment of the present application provides a state parameter processing method, where the method is applied to a core network element, and the method includes:

step 201, sending target information to an access network element, where the target information carries a first state parameter of a first data packet, so that the access network element generates a second state parameter of a target data stream corresponding to a data stream identifier according to a first sequence number, and updates a third state parameter of a target radio bearer corresponding to the target data stream.

Wherein, an access network element, such as a PDCP network element or an RLC network element; a core network element UPF network element, an AMF network element or an SMF network element. For convenience of description, in the embodiment of the present application, an access network element is a PDCP network element, a core network element is a UPF network element, for example, and other cases (the access network element is another network element or the core network element is another network element) are similar to the embodiment of the present application and are not described herein again.

Wherein the first state parameter includes the data flow identifier and the first sequence number corresponding to the first packet; the first sequence number is a sequence number corresponding to a transmission order of a first data packet transmitted by a core network element through a target transmission interface; the target transmission interface is, for example, an N3 interface, and in a general case, the UPF network element interacts service data with an external data network (e.g., a backbone network) in a north direction through an N6 interface and interacts service data with an access network element in a south direction through an N3 interface. If the access network is a 5G radio access network, the N3 interface is also referred to as NG-U interface, i.e. the user plane part of the NG interface.

The second state parameter indicates a count value of a data packet of the target data stream transmitted by the core network element; the third state parameter indicates the number of data packets carried by the target radio bearer. The access network element further processes the first serial number to obtain a second state parameter; the second state parameter indicates a count value of a packet of the target data flow transmitted by the core network element, such as a count value of a packet of a target data flow i.

Specifically, after the second state parameter is generated, the access network element updates the third state parameter; the third state parameter represents the count values of all data flows mapped to the radio bearer k, that is, the number of data packets mapped to the target radio bearer is summed, that is, the PDCP count value of the target radio bearer is also summed; optionally, the PDCP count value is typically set to a maximum threshold, e.g., 2³²(ii) a And if the third state parameter is larger than the third state parameter, intercepting a plurality of lowest bits (preset data bits) of the PDCP count value as the third state parameter.

In the embodiment of the application, target information is sent to an access network element, the target information carries a first state parameter of a first data packet, so that the access network element generates a second state parameter of a target data stream corresponding to a data stream identifier according to a first sequence number, and updates a third state parameter of a target radio bearer corresponding to the target data stream, and when the same data packet is transmitted between different access network elements, corresponding bearer count values are the same, so that service continuity of the UE during switching of different access network elements is ensured. The embodiment of the application solves the problem that in the prior art, when a PTM transmission mechanism transmits the same data packet between different access network nodes, the corresponding bearing count values may be different.

With the above description of the state parameter processing method provided in the embodiment of the present application, a state parameter processing apparatus provided in the embodiment of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to fig. 3, an embodiment of the present application further provides a state parameter processing apparatus, which is applied to an access network element, and includes:

an information receiving module 301, configured to receive target information sent by a network element of a core network, and obtain a first state parameter included in the target information; the first state parameter comprises a data flow identification and a first sequence number; the first sequence number is a sequence number corresponding to a transmission order in which the core network element transmits the first data packet via the target transmission interface.

Specifically, the AMF network element is a relatively core module in the network, and each UE is connected to only one AMF at the same time. The AMF network element communicates with the SMF network element via an Nsmf interface, for example, requests the SMF to establish, modify, and release a service context. The service data is managed by the SMF network element in a Session (Session) mode according to parameters such as service attributes and IP routing of the backbone network, and each Session is managed by only one SMF. In each session, the data stream may be divided into one or more service data streams according to QoS requirements of different service data, and a data stream identifier may be set for each service data stream. The SMF network element manages the UPF network element through the N4 interface, for example, requests the UPF to establish, modify, and release a transmission channel of service data.

When a UPF network element sends a first packet belonging to stream i over the N3 interface, it first adds a first sequence number, denoted Tx _ NEXT _ N3_ i _ UPF, to the header of the first packet. The N3 channel is advantageous in that all packets in the session can be transmitted in sequence without loss by adding interface sequence numbers.

A parameter generating module 302, configured to generate a second state parameter of the target data flow corresponding to the data flow identifier according to the first sequence number; the second state parameter indicates a count value of a data packet of the target data stream transmitted by the core network element.

A parameter updating module 303, configured to update a third state parameter of the target radio bearer corresponding to the target data stream; the third state parameter indicates a count value of data packets carried by the target radio bearer.

Specifically, after the second state parameter is generated, the access network element updates the third state parameter; the third state parameter represents the count values of all data flows mapped to the radio bearer k, that is, the number of data packets mapped to the target radio bearer is summed, that is, the PDCP count value of the target radio bearer is also summed; optionally, the PDCP count value is typically set to a maximum threshold, e.g., 2³²(ii) a If it is in the third stateAnd if the state parameter is larger than the third state parameter, intercepting a plurality of lowest bits (preset data bits) of the PDCP count value as the third state parameter.

Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the method includes:

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the parameter generating module 302 includes:

the first processing submodule is used for taking the first sequence number as a second state parameter of the target data flow corresponding to the data flow identification; or

And the second processing submodule is used for adding one to the first serial number, or adding one to the first serial number and then carrying out modulo processing on the processed first serial number and a preset serial number threshold value to obtain a second state parameter of the target data stream corresponding to the data stream identifier.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the information receiving module 301 includes:

a first obtaining sub-module, configured to obtain a data stream identifier and an initial first sequence number carried in the target information, use the data stream identifier as the data stream identifier of the first state parameter, and use the initial first sequence number as the first sequence number of the first state parameter, or

And the second obtaining submodule is used for obtaining a data stream identifier and a fourth sequence number carried in the target information, using the data stream identifier as the data stream identifier of the first state parameter, and generating the first sequence number of the first state parameter according to the fourth sequence number and the third state parameter.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the target information includes the first data packet or the synchronization information.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the parameter updating module 303 includes:

a determining submodule, configured to determine a target radio bearer corresponding to the target data stream;

and the summation submodule is used for carrying out summation processing on the second state parameter corresponding to the data stream carried by the target radio bearer to obtain a third state parameter of the target radio bearer.

In this embodiment of the present application, an information receiving module 301 receives target information sent by a network element of a core network, and obtains a first state parameter included in the target information; the parameter generating module 302 generates a second state parameter of the target data stream corresponding to the data stream identifier according to the first sequence number, and the parameter updating module 303 updates a third state parameter of the target radio bearer corresponding to the target data stream, so that when the same data packets are transmitted between different access network elements, the corresponding bearer count values are the same, thereby ensuring service continuity of the UE during switching between different access network elements.

Referring to fig. 4, an embodiment of the present application further provides a state parameter processing apparatus, which is applied to a core network element, and includes:

the information sending module 401 is configured to send target information to an access network element, where the target information carries a first state parameter of a first data packet, so that the access network element generates a second state parameter of a target data stream corresponding to a data stream identifier according to a first sequence number, and updates a third state parameter of a target radio bearer corresponding to the target data stream.

The first state parameter comprises a data stream identifier and a first sequence number corresponding to the first data packet; the first sequence number is a sequence number corresponding to a transmission order in which the core network element transmits the first data packet through the target transmission interface; the target transmission interface is, for example, an N3 interface, and in a general case, the UPF network element interacts service data with an external data network (e.g., a backbone network) in a north direction through an N6 interface and interacts service data with an access network element in a south direction through an N3 interface. If the access network is a 5G radio access network, the N3 interface is also referred to as NG-U interface, i.e. the user plane part of the NG interface.

In this embodiment of the present application, the information sending module 401 sends target information to an access network element, where the target information carries a first state parameter of a first data packet, so that the access network element generates a second state parameter of a target data stream corresponding to a data stream identifier according to a first sequence number, and updates a third state parameter of a target radio bearer corresponding to the target data stream, so that when the same data packet is transmitted between different access network elements, corresponding bearer count values are the same, so as to ensure service continuity of the UE when different access network elements are switched. The embodiment of the application solves the problem that in the prior art, when a PTM transmission mechanism transmits the same data packet between different access network nodes, the corresponding bearing count values may be different.

It should be noted that the division of the unit in the embodiment of the present application is schematic, and is only a logic function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation. In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in a form of hardware, and can also be realized in a form of a software functional unit.

The integrated unit, if implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a processor readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application may be substantially implemented or contributed by the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution may be embodied in a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, a network device, or the like) or a processor (processor) to execute all or part of the steps of the method according to the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: various media capable of storing program codes, such as a usb disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

It should be noted that the apparatus provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the method embodiment and achieve the same technical effect, and detailed descriptions of the same parts and beneficial effects as the method embodiment in this embodiment are omitted here.

As shown in fig. 5, embodiments of the present application further provide a network device comprising a memory 520, a transceiver 540, a processor 510;

a memory 520 for storing a computer program;

a transceiver 540 for receiving and transmitting data under the control of the processor 510;

a processor 510 for reading the computer program in the memory 520 and performing the following operations:

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the processor 510 is configured to:

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the generating a second state parameter of the target data flow corresponding to the data flow identifier according to the first sequence number includes:

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the obtaining of the first state parameter carried in the target information includes:

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the updating the third state parameter of the target radio bearer corresponding to the target data flow includes:

determining a target radio bearer corresponding to the target data flow;

Wherein in fig. 5, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with one or more processors 510, represented by processor 510, and various circuits of memory 520, represented by memory 520, being linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. Bus interface 530 provides an interface. The transceiver 540 may be a number of elements including a transmitter and a receiver that provide a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium including wireless channels, wired channels, fiber optic cables, and the like. The processor 510 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 520 may store data used by the processor 510 in performing operations.

The processor 510 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), and the processor 510 may also have a multi-core architecture.

The processor 510 is configured to execute any of the methods provided by the embodiments of the present application by calling the computer program stored in the memory 520 according to the obtained executable instructions. The processor 510 and the memory 520 may also be physically separated.

As shown in fig. 6, embodiments of the present application also provide a terminal comprising a memory 620, a transceiver 640, a processor 610;

a memory 620 for storing a computer program;

a transceiver 640 for receiving and transmitting data under the control of the processor 610;

a processor 610 for reading the computer program in the memory 620 and performing the following operations:

Where in fig. 6, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with one or more processors 610, represented by processor 610, and various circuits of memory 620, represented by memory 620, being linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. Bus interface 630 provides an interface. The transceiver 640 may be a number of elements including a transmitter and a receiver that provide a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium including wireless channels, wired channels, fiber optic cables, and the like. The processor 610 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 620 may store data used by the processor 610 in performing operations.

The processor 610 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), and the processor 610 may also have a multi-core architecture.

The processor 610 may be configured to invoke the computer program stored in the memory 620 to perform any of the methods provided by the embodiments of the present application according to the obtained executable instructions. The processor 610 and the memory 620 may also be physically separated.

Embodiments of the present application also provide a processor-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing a processor to execute a state parameter processing method.

The processor-readable storage medium can be any available medium or data storage device that can be accessed by a processor, including, but not limited to, magnetic memory (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tape, magneto-optical disks (MOs), etc.), optical memory (e.g., CDs, DVDs, BDs, HVDs, etc.), and semiconductor memory (e.g., ROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, non-volatile memory (NAND FLASH), Solid State Disks (SSDs)), etc.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of the present application may be provided as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present application may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present application may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, optical storage, and the like) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the application. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-executable instructions. These computer-executable instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These processor-executable instructions may also be stored in a processor-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the processor-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These processor-executable instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is intended to include such modifications and variations as well.

Claims

1. A state parameter processing method is applied to an access network element and is characterized by comprising the following steps:

2. The state parameter processing method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises:

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the generating a second state parameter of a target data flow corresponding to a data flow identifier according to the first sequence number includes:

4. The state parameter processing method according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring the first state parameter carried in the target information includes:

5. The state parameter processing method according to claim 1, wherein the destination information includes the first packet or synchronization information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating the third state parameter of the target radio bearer corresponding to the target data flow comprises:

determining a target radio bearer corresponding to the target data flow;

7. A state parameter processing method is applied to a core network element, and is characterized by comprising the following steps:

8. The state parameter processing method according to claim 7, wherein the destination information includes the first packet or synchronization information.

9. A network device comprising a memory, a transceiver, a processor:

10. The network device of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to:

11. The network device of claim 9, wherein the generating the second state parameter of the target data flow corresponding to the data flow identifier according to the first sequence number comprises:

12. The network device of claim 9, wherein the obtaining the first state parameter carried in the target information comprises:

13. The network device of claim 9, wherein the destination information comprises the first packet or synchronization information.

14. The network device of claim 9, wherein the updating the third state parameter of the target radio bearer corresponding to the target data flow comprises:

determining a target radio bearer corresponding to the target data flow;

15. A network device comprising a memory, a transceiver, a processor:

16. The network device of claim 15, wherein the destination information comprises the first packet or synchronization information.

17. A state parameter processing device applied to an access network element is characterized by comprising:

18. A state parameter processing device applied to a core network element is characterized by comprising:

19. A processor-readable storage medium, characterized in that the processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program for causing a processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 8.