CN118139119A

CN118139119A - Dual path communication method, access terminal, computer device, and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN118139119A
Application number: CN202410479672.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 蔡超; 李兴龙; 范琨; 刘思聪; 林晓伯; 冯庆
Original assignee: China United Network Communications Group Co Ltd
Current assignee: China United Network Communications Group Co Ltd
Priority date: 2024-04-19
Filing date: 2024-04-19
Publication date: 2024-06-04

Abstract

The invention discloses a dual-path communication method, an access terminal, computer equipment and a storage medium, and relates to the technical field of communication. The dual-path communication method is applied to the access terminal, and the access terminal is respectively connected with the network management system and the MEC node. The method comprises the following steps: a network connection is established with the MEC node through the first path and the second path. The first and second smooth round trip times are obtained, respectively. The first recommended parameter and the second recommended parameter are acquired respectively. A score for the first path is obtained based on the first smoothed round trip time and the first proposed parameter, and a score for the second path is obtained based on the second smoothed round trip time and the second proposed parameter. And selecting one path with a lower score from the first path and the second path according to the score of the first path and the score of the second path, and communicating with the MEC node through the selected path. The dual-path communication method can enable the access terminal and the MEC node to maintain more efficient and high-quality communication in real time.

Description

Dual path communication method, access terminal, computer device, and storage medium

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a dual path communication method, an access terminal, a computer device, and a readable storage medium.

Background

In the 5G era, due to the low latency and high bandwidth characteristics of 5G communications, many latency sensitive traffic scenarios have emerged, covering the ToB (business to business) and ToC (consumer to consumer) fields.

Specifically, the business scenario in the ToB domain includes: 1) Telemedicine and tele-surgery: the low latency and high reliability of 5G enables a physician to perform tele-surgery, or to remotely monitor vital signs of a patient, via a tele-surgical robot. This is very useful for telemedicine and emergency. 2) Intelligent manufacturing and industrial automation: the 5G may provide low latency communications for the factory to support industrial automation and robotic control. This is important for precision manufacturing and collaborative robotic operation.

The business scenario in the ToC domain includes: 1) Cloud gaming: the 5G allows the user to smoothly play high-quality games through the cloud game platform, because game data can be streamed in real time at the cloud, and the requirements of local equipment are reduced. 2) Augmented reality (Augmented Reality, AR) experience: in the field of ToC, AR applications, such as AR navigation, AR social media filters, and AR games, are becoming more popular, which require low latency to provide a smooth user experience. 3) The internet of vehicles: the 5G is very critical to automobiles and traffic systems, can support intelligent driving assistance systems, real-time vehicle communication and traffic management, and improves road safety and traffic efficiency.

In the above application scenario, various services are relatively sensitive to network delay. Taking cloud games as an example, when network transmission delay cannot be guaranteed for various reasons, unsmooth game experience can be directly caused, including picture blocking, fault, even game interruption, disconnection and the like. High latency can lead to delays in game play, making movements and interactions in the game look unnatural, and players can feel uncomfortable, which can undermine the game experience. For athletic games, high latency can reduce the player's reaction speed, which can affect the outcome of the game. Some games have real-time interaction requirements and high latency can prevent cooperation between players.

However, access to the network is not stable because it is susceptible to a number of factors, such as external interference, obstructions, distance, and network congestion. These factors may lead to reduced signal quality, disconnected connections, or increased latency, thereby reducing network performance and stability and affecting user experience. There are relevant test data showing that the access network problem is over 70% when the mobile game is stuck. This is due to insufficient network coverage in some locations, excessive loading of access devices such as base stations, or congestion of network outlets.

Disclosure of Invention

The technical problems to be solved by the invention are as follows: in the prior art, various factors such as external interference, obstacles, distance, network congestion and the like may cause signal quality degradation, disconnection or delay increase, thereby reducing network performance and stability and affecting user experience.

Aiming at the defects in the prior art, the following scheme is provided:

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a dual path communication method for use with an access terminal coupled to a network management system and a mobile edge computing MEC (Mobile Edge Computing, MEC) node, respectively. The method comprises the following steps: a network connection is established with the MEC node through the first path and the second path. The first and second smooth round trip times are obtained, respectively. The first recommended parameter and the second recommended parameter are acquired respectively. A score for the first path is obtained based on the first smoothed round trip time and the first proposed parameter, and a score for the second path is obtained based on the second smoothed round trip time and the second proposed parameter. And selecting one path with a lower score from the first path and the second path according to the score of the first path and the score of the second path, and communicating with the MEC node through the selected path. Wherein the first path comprises a cellular network path or a WiFi network path and the second path comprises a cellular network path or a WiFi network path. The first path is different from the second path. The first smooth round trip time is a smooth round trip time for the access terminal to transceive data over the first path and the second smooth round trip time is a smooth round trip time for the access terminal to transceive data over the second path. The first recommendation parameter is used for indicating whether the network management system recommends using the first path, and the second recommendation parameter is used for indicating whether the network management system recommends using the second path.

Optionally, establishing a network connection with the MEC node through the first path and the second path, including: and sending connection request information to the MEC node, wherein the connection request information comprises configuration information of the first path and configuration information of the second path. And in response to receiving the connection response information from the MEC node, performing a multi-path handshake with the MEC node to determine to establish a network connection with the MEC node through the first path and a network connection through the second path. The connection response information is used to indicate to the access terminal that the MEC node acknowledges the first path and the second path.

Optionally, acquiring the first smooth round trip time and the second smooth round trip time respectively includes: the round trip time of the first path in each first period and the round trip time of the second path in each first period are periodically acquired. The first smooth round trip time of the first period is acquired according to the first smooth round trip time of the last first period of the first period and the round trip time of the first path acquired by the first period. And acquiring the second smooth round trip time of the first period according to the second smooth round trip time of the first period and the round trip time of the second path acquired by the first period. The round trip time of the first path in each first period is the round trip time of the access terminal transmitting and receiving data through the first path in each first period. The round trip time of the second path in each first period is the round trip time of the access terminal transmitting and receiving data through the second path in each first period.

Optionally, periodically acquiring the round trip time of the first path in each first period and the round trip time of the second path in each first period includes: and in each first period, sending a detection packet to the MEC node through a first path and a second path respectively, so that the MEC node returns first confirmation information to the access terminal through the first path after responding to the detection packet sent by the access terminal through the first path, and returns second confirmation information to the access terminal through the second path after responding to the detection packet sent by the access terminal through the second path link. In each first period, a first transmission time stamp and a second transmission time stamp are determined. The first transmit timestamp is a timestamp of the access terminal transmitting the probe packet to the MEC node over the first path. In each first period, in response to receiving the first acknowledgement information from the MEC node, a first reception timestamp is recorded. In response to receiving the second acknowledgement information from the MEC node, a second receive timestamp is recorded. And in each first period, acquiring the round trip time of the first path according to the first sending time stamp and the first receiving time stamp, and acquiring the round trip time of the second path according to the second sending time stamp and the second receiving time stamp. Wherein the second transmit timestamp is a timestamp of the access terminal periodically transmitting probe packets to the MEC over the second path link during the first period. The first reception time stamp is used to indicate a time when the access terminal received the first acknowledgement information. The second reception timestamp is used to indicate a time when the access terminal received the second acknowledgement information.

Optionally, the step of obtaining the first smooth round trip time of the first period according to the first smooth round trip time of the last first period of the first period and the round trip time of the first path obtained by the first period includes: the first smoothed round trip time SmoothedRTT (i) of the ith first period is obtained according to SmoothedRTT1 (i) = (1- α) = (SmoothedRTT 1 (i-1) +α ×rtt1 (i), where i is an integer greater than 0, α is a smoothing parameter, smoothedRTT (i-1) is the first smoothed round trip time of the first period immediately preceding the ith first period, and RTT1 (i) is the round trip time of the first path obtained by the ith first period. Obtaining the second smooth round trip time of the first period according to the second smooth round trip time of the last first period of the first period and the round trip time of the second path obtained by the first period, comprising: obtaining a second round trip time SmoothedRTT (i) of the ith first period according to SmoothedRTT2 (i) = (1- α) = (SmoothedRTT 2 (i-1) +α) ×rtt2 (i), wherein SmoothedRTT (i-1) is the second round trip time of the (i-1) th first period, and RTT2 (i) is the round trip time of the second path obtained by the ith first period.

Optionally, the first recommended parameter is periodically obtained by the network management system according to the network parameter of the first path and sent to the access terminal, and the second recommended parameter is periodically obtained by the network management system according to the network parameter of the second path and sent to the access terminal, and the network parameter includes a bandwidth utilization parameter, and/or a packet loss rate parameter, and/or a link congestion alarm parameter.

Optionally, the first recommended parameter is a network management system based onThe obtained first suggestion parameter NetworkAdvice (j) of the jth second period, where j is an integer greater than 0, bandwidthUtilization (j) is a bandwidth utilization parameter of the first path in the jth second period, packetLossRate (j) is a packet loss rate parameter of the first path in the jth second period, congestionAlert (j) is a link congestion alarm parameter of the first path in the jth second period, and w1, w2, w3 are weight coefficients respectively. The second proposal parameter is based on the network management systemThe obtained second proposed parameter NetworkAdvice (j) of the jth second period, wherein BandwidthUtilization (j) is a bandwidth utilization parameter of the second path in the jth second period, packetLossRate (j) is a packet loss rate parameter of the second path in the jth second period, and CongestionAlert (j) is a link congestion alarm parameter of the second path in the jth second period.

Optionally, obtaining a score of the first path according to the first smoothed round trip time and the first proposed parameter includes: score1 (k) of the kth first path is obtained according to Score1 (k) =w4× SmoothedRTT1 (i) -w5×1-NetworkAdvice (j)), wherein SmoothedRTT (i) is the first smooth round trip time of the ith first period periodically obtained by the access terminal. NetworkAdvice1 (j) is a first proposed parameter that the network management system periodically obtains and transmits to the access terminal the jth second period. i. k and j are integers greater than 0, the ith first period and the jth second period correspond to the time for obtaining the first path score for the kth time, and w4 and w5 are weight coefficients respectively. Obtaining a score for the second path based on the second round trip time and the second proposed parameter, comprising: score2 (k) of the kth second path is obtained from Score2 (k) =w4× SmoothedRTT2 (i) -w5×1-NetworkAdvice (j)). Wherein SmoothedRTT (i) is the second smooth round trip time of the ith first period periodically acquired by the access terminal; networkAdvice2 (j) is a second proposed parameter for a jth second period that the network management system periodically acquires and transmits to the access terminal.

In a second aspect the present invention provides an access terminal connected to a network management system and to an MEC node, respectively. The access terminal comprises a path establishment module, a round trip time acquisition module, a suggestion parameter acquisition module, a score acquisition module and a path selection module. Wherein, the path establishment module is configured to: a network connection is established with the MEC node through the first path and the second path. The first path includes a cellular network path or a WiFi network path and the second path includes a cellular network path or a WiFi network path. The first path is different from the second path. The round trip time acquisition module is configured to: the first and second smooth round trip times are obtained, respectively. The first smooth round trip time is a smooth round trip time for the access terminal to transceive data over the first path and the second smooth round trip time is a smooth round trip time for the access terminal to transceive data over the second path. The advice parameter obtaining module is arranged to: the first recommended parameter and the second recommended parameter are acquired respectively. The first recommendation parameter is used for indicating whether the network management system recommends using the first path, and the second recommendation parameter is used for indicating whether the network management system recommends using the second path. The score acquisition module is configured to: a score for the first path is obtained based on the first smoothed round trip time and the first proposed parameter, and a score for the second path is obtained based on the second smoothed round trip time and the second proposed parameter. The path selection module is configured to: and selecting one path with a lower score from the first path and the second path according to the score of the first path and the score of the second path, and communicating through the selected path MEC node.

In a third aspect, the invention provides a computer device comprising a memory and a processor, the memory having a computer program stored therein, the processor performing the above-described dual-path communication method when the processor runs the computer program stored in the memory.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor, performs the above-described dual path communication method.

According to the dual-path communication method, the access terminal, the computer equipment and the storage medium, two network paths are constructed between the access terminal and the MEC node for communication, one network path with lower time delay and faster response is selected from the two network paths according to the parameters of real-time change of the two network paths, so that the access terminal and the MEC node can keep high-efficiency and high-quality communication in real time, in addition, disconnection between the access terminal and the MEC node caused by interruption of one network path is avoided, and therefore the stability of a network can be improved, and better experience feeling can be provided for a user.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a communication network in the related art;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a dual-path communication network according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a dual path communication method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of another dual path communication method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of yet another dual-path communication method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of yet another dual-path communication method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 7 is a block diagram of an access terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a block diagram of another access terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 9 is a block diagram of yet another access terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 10 is a block diagram of internal hardware of an access terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a panel of an access terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 is a block diagram of another access terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 13 is a block diagram of yet another access terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 14 is a schematic view of an external appearance of a further access terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 15 is a block diagram of another computer device in an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical scheme of the present invention better understood by those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention will be given with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is to be understood that the specific embodiments and figures described herein are merely illustrative of the invention, and are not limiting of the invention.

It is to be understood that the various embodiments of the invention and the features of the embodiments may be combined with each other without conflict.

It is to be understood that only the portions relevant to the present invention are shown in the drawings for convenience of description, and the portions irrelevant to the present invention are not shown in the drawings.

It should be understood that each unit and module in the embodiments of the present invention may correspond to only one physical structure, may be formed by a plurality of physical structures, or may be integrated into one physical structure.

It will be appreciated that, without conflict, the functions and steps noted in the flowcharts and block diagrams of the present invention may occur out of the order noted in the figures.

It is to be understood that the flowcharts and block diagrams of the present invention illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, apparatuses, devices, methods according to various embodiments of the present invention. Where each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a unit, module, segment, code, or the like, which comprises executable instructions for implementing the specified functions. Moreover, each block or combination of blocks in the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations can be implemented by hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions, or by combinations of hardware and computer instructions.

It should be understood that the units and modules related in the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by software, or may be implemented by hardware, for example, the units and modules may be located in a processor.

The following is a definition of some nouns involved in embodiments of the invention:

1. An access terminal refers to an access, connection, or convergence device of a low-level physical device (low-level physical devices include, but are not limited to, vehicle terminals, cell phone terminals, sensor devices, industrial execution units, etc.), which may be an industrial gateway, a router, etc. The wireless communication chip is built in the wireless communication system and supports wireless communication capability such as 4G, wiFi G and 5G, wired communication capability and the like.

2. An access network is a communication network that transmits data via wireless signals, typically implemented using wireless local area network (Wi-Fi), cellular networks (e.g., 4G and 5G), bluetooth, etc. It allows the device to connect to the internet or other network without requiring a physical connection, providing convenient mobility and flexibility. The access network includes a connection link between a base station, a UPF, a WiFi AP, etc., and its associated devices.

3. Multi-access edge computing (Multi Edge Computing, MEC) is a distributed computing architecture that pushes computing and storage resources towards the edge of the network, near end users and devices. The method allows real-time data processing and application execution to be performed at a position close to a data source, so that time delay is reduced, response speed is improved, applications such as the Internet of things, smart cities, automatic driving and the like are supported, and more efficient edge calculation and service deployment are realized. In an operator's network, MEC nodes often integrate more functions, including some communication functions, etc., to meet various network requirements and application scenarios, such as mobile edge communication, content distribution, or related security services, etc.

4. A Network management system (Network MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, NMS) is a software and hardware integrated system for monitoring, managing and maintaining computer networks and communication devices. The network management system is a generic term, and can be classified into an operation and maintenance system, an operation system, a self-service system, etc. according to different situations.

As shown in fig. 1, in the related art network architecture, a plurality of underlying physical devices 1011 to 101N are connected to a MEC node 103 through an access network by an access terminal 102, and the MEC node 103 is directly connected to a network management system 104 and is connected to the network management system 104 through a bearer network. In fig. 1, the access terminal 102 and the MEC node 103 are in single-path communication, and the access terminal 102 is not connected to the network management system 104, i.e., the access terminal 102 is not managed by the network management system 104, because 1) the access terminal 102 is at the bottom layer of the network, near the traffic, and from a technology implementation point of view, there is no need for being managed by the nanotubes; 2) The network management system 104 is in the jurisdiction of the network operator, but the asset attribution of the access terminal 102 is relatively flexible and not necessarily managed by the operator.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, an embodiment of the present invention provides a dual path communication method applied to an access terminal 202, where the access terminal 202 is connected to a network management system 204 and an MEC node 203, respectively.

Illustratively, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of underlying physical devices 2011-201N are coupled to an access terminal 202, the access terminal 202 is coupled to an MEC node 203 via an access network, and the access terminal 202 is also coupled to a network management system 204. In fig. 2, the access terminal 202 and the MEC node 203 are in dual-path communication, and the access terminal is connected to the network management system, that is, the access terminal is managed by the network management system, so that dual-path data transmission between the access terminal and the MEC can be better realized, and better network guarantee is brought. Alternatively, access terminal 202 may be of an operator's asset or may be managed by the operator via a form of network service.

As shown in fig. 3, the method includes steps 301 to 305.

Step 301, establishing a network connection with the MEC node through the first path and the second path.

In step 301, the first path includes a cellular network path or a WiFi network path, and the second path includes a cellular network path or a WiFi network path. The first path is different from the second path.

It will be appreciated that the first path and the second path may also include other network paths. A dual path may be established between the access terminal and the MEC node based on MPTCP and MPQUIC protocols.

Illustratively, embodiments of the present invention establish a dual path between an access terminal and an MEC node based on the MPQUIC protocol. MPQUIC (Multipath Quick UDP Internet Connections) is an extension of the QUIC protocol aimed at improving the usability and performance of the connection by utilizing multipath techniques. QUIC (Quick UDP Internet Connections) is a modern transport layer protocol aimed at providing faster connection establishment and more reliable data transmission. It will be appreciated that in embodiments of the invention, both the access terminal and the MEC node may support MPQUIC protocols, which typically require configuration in the operating system and applications or use of network stacks supporting MPQUIC. Second, the access terminal needs to connect to both the cellular network and the WiFi network. This may be accomplished by enabling a cellular data connection (e.g., a 4G or 5G connection) and connecting to a WiFi network (e.g., a home or business WiFi network) on the access terminal.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4, the implementation of step 301 includes step 401 and step 402.

Step 401, sending connection request information to the MEC node.

In step 401, the connection request information includes configuration information of the first path and configuration information of the second path.

It will be appreciated that prior to initiating a connection request, the access terminal and MEC node need to initialize, i.e., the access terminal initializes MPQUIC a protocol stack in preparation for initiating a connection.

Illustratively, the implementation of step 401 is: the access terminal sends a QUIC connection request to the server containing MPQUIC supported extensions and preferred multi-path configurations (i.e., configuration information for the first path and configuration information for the second path). This message (i.e., connection request information) is commonly referred to as ClientHello. The ClientHello also includes therein a connection ID generated by the access terminal, as well as the supported encryption suites and other connection parameters.

In response to receiving the connection response information from the MEC node, a multi-path handshake is performed with the MEC node to determine to establish a network connection with the MEC node over a first path and a network connection over a second path.

In step 402, connection response information is used to instruct the MEC node to confirm the first path and the second path to the access terminal, where the connection response information is sent to the access terminal by the MEC node in response to receiving the connection request information from the access terminal.

Illustratively, the MEC node, upon receiving a connection request, generates a ServerHello response (i.e., connection response information) from the request of the access terminal. ServerHello contains the connection ID generated by the MEC node, the selected multipath configuration, and the encryption suite and other parameters supported by the MEC node. The MEC node may also send certificates and public keys in ServerHello for authentication and secure key agreement. The access terminal and the MEC node then begin a multi-path handshake including the key exchange and the selection of data transmission paths. This process includes a number of handshake messages for negotiating the keying material, generating the session key and validating the connection parameters. The specific content and sequence of the handshake messages depends on the multipath configuration and negotiation results. Finally, the access terminal and the MEC node mutually acknowledge the established multipath connection to ensure consistency of the connection parameters, which may include acknowledgement and verification of the handshake message.

It will be appreciated that after connection establishment, the particular path to be used for data transmission is selected between the access terminal and the MEC according to a multi-path configuration, i.e. the best path is selected according to network conditions, performance metrics and policies.

Step 302, respectively obtaining a first smooth round trip time and a second smooth round trip time.

In step 302, a first smooth round trip time is a smooth round trip time for an access terminal to transceive data over a first path and a second smooth round trip time is a smooth round trip time for an access terminal to transceive data over a second path.

It will be appreciated that a smooth round trip time may represent a delay of the path link, typically a positive number, with a smaller smooth round trip time representing a lower delay.

In some embodiments, the first smooth round trip time and the second smooth round trip time are periodically acquired. In this case, as shown in fig. 5, the implementation method of step 302 includes steps 501 to 503.

Step 501, periodically acquiring the round trip time of the first path in each first period and the round trip time of the second path in each first period.

In step 501, the first period is a period during which the access terminal periodically acquires a first smooth round trip time. The round trip time of the first path in each first period is the round trip time of the access terminal transmitting and receiving data through the first path in each first period. The round trip time of the second path in each first period is the round trip time of the access terminal transmitting and receiving data through the second path in each first period.

It will be appreciated that the first smoothing time is a weighted average of the round trip times of the first path in each first period and the second smoothing time is a weighted average of the round trip times of the second path in each first period.

For example, the access terminal may first determine the length of time of the first period, i.e., the access terminal first determines the time interval for transmitting the probe packet. Typically, the length of the first period may be between a few milliseconds and a few seconds, depending on how often the network operator needs to measure the round trip time.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 6, the implementation of step 501 includes steps 601 through 604.

In step 601, in each first period, a probe packet is sent to the MEC node through the first path and the second path respectively.

Illustratively, the probe packet may be a probe packet of a particular format constructed by the access terminal. For example, the access terminal may create a special probe packet, typically a small UDP packet, that does not contain the application data. The probe packet typically contains some identification information so that the receiving party can recognize that this is a probe packet and process it accordingly.

In step 601, the MEC node returns a first acknowledgement message to the access terminal via a first path in response to receiving a probe packet sent by the access terminal via a first path link, and returns a second acknowledgement message to the access terminal via a second path in response to receiving a probe packet sent by the access terminal via a second path link.

Step 602, determining a first transmission time stamp and a second transmission time stamp in each first period.

In step 602, the first transmission timestamp is a timestamp of the access terminal transmitting the probe packet to the MEC node through the first path. The second transmit timestamp is a timestamp of the access terminal periodically transmitting probe packets to the MEC over the second path link during the first period.

Step 603, during each first period, recording a first reception timestamp in response to receiving the first acknowledgement information from the MEC node, and recording a second reception timestamp in response to receiving the second acknowledgement information from the MEC node.

In step 603, a first reception timestamp is used to indicate a time when the access terminal received the first acknowledgement information. The second reception timestamp is used to indicate a time when the access terminal received the second acknowledgement information.

Step 604, in each first period, acquiring the round trip time of the first path according to the first sending timestamp and the first receiving timestamp, and acquiring the round trip time of the second path according to the second sending timestamp and the second receiving timestamp.

Illustratively, steps 602 through 604 are illustratively described with respect to interactions between an access terminal and a MEC node over a period, as follows: after the sender (access terminal) transmits the probe packet to the receiver through the first path and the second path, the transmission time stamp (i.e., the first transmission time stamp and the second transmission time stamp) is recorded. When the receiving side receives the probe packet through the first path and the second path, respectively, and transmits acknowledgement information (i.e., first acknowledgement information and second acknowledgement information, such as ACK), it (ACK) may contain time stamps (i.e., first reception time stamp and second reception time stamp) of the ACK transmitted by the receiving side (MEC node). After receiving the ACK through the first path and the second path, respectively, the sender (access terminal) may determine the reception time stamps (i.e., the first transmission time stamp and the second transmission time stamp), and then may calculate the round trip time of the corresponding path using the corresponding time stamps. For example, the round trip time of the first path is obtained by subtracting the first transmission time stamp from the time indicated by the first reception time stamp, and the round trip time of the second path is obtained by subtracting the second transmission time stamp from the time indicated by the second reception time stamp.

Step 502, obtaining the first smooth round trip time of the first period according to the first smooth round trip time of the last first period of the first period and the round trip time of the first path obtained by the first period.

In step 502, if the first cycle is the first cycle, the first smooth round trip time of the first cycle immediately preceding the first cycle is 0.

In some embodiments, the implementation method of step 502 includes: the first smooth round trip time SmoothedRTT (i) for the ith first period is obtained according to equation (1).

SmoothedRTT1(i)＝(1-α)*SmoothedRTT1(i-1)+α*RTT1(i) (1)

In the formula (1), i is an integer greater than 0, α is a smoothing parameter, smoothedRTT (i-1) is a first smoothed round trip time of the (i-1) th first period, and RTT1 (i) is a round trip time of the first path acquired by the i-th first period. The i-th first period refers to the present first period, and the (i-1) -th first period refers to the last first period of the present first period.

It can be understood that, in the case where the present first period is the first period, i.e. i=1 in the formula (1), the first smooth round trip time of the previous first period of the present first period is:

SmoothedRTT1 (i-1) = SmoothedRTT1 (1-1) = SmoothedRTT1 (0) =0, the first smooth round trip time of the first period is:

SmoothedRTT1(i)＝SmoothedRTT1(1)

＝(1-α)*SmoothedRTT1(1-1)+α*RTT1(1)

＝(1-α)*0+α*RTT1(1)

＝α*RTT1(1)

It can be appreciated that, in practical application, the smoothing parameter α can be flexibly set according to the network planning situation. Typically, the smoothing parameter α is a value less than 1 (e.g., 0.1 or 0.2). In the case where the value of the smoothing parameter α is larger (i.e., closer to 1), the value of the first smoothed round trip time (SmoothedRTT (i)) of the present first period is closer to the value of the round trip time RTT1 (i) of the first path acquired by the present first period, the estimation of the smoothed round trip time can adapt to the change faster, i.e., the smoothed round trip time is more sensitive to the latest round trip time change, but may be more susceptible to noise and jitter. In the case where the value of the smoothing parameter α is small (i.e., closer to 0), the value of the first smoothed round trip time (SmoothedRTT (i)) of the present first period is closer to the value of the first smoothed round trip time SmoothedRTT (i-1) of the last first period of the present first period, the estimation of the smoothed round trip time is more stable, but may respond slower to the latest round trip time change.

Step 503, obtaining the second smooth round trip time of the first period according to the second smooth round trip time of the first period and the round trip time of the second path obtained by the first period.

In step 503, when the first cycle is the first cycle, the second smooth round trip time of the first cycle immediately preceding the first cycle is 0.

It will be appreciated that the method of obtaining the second smooth round trip time of the present first period in step 503 may be the same as the method of obtaining the first smooth round trip time of the present first period in step 502.

Illustratively, a second smooth round trip time SmoothedRTT (i) for the present first period may be obtained according to equation (2).

SmoothedRTT2(i)＝(1-α)*SmoothedRTT2(i-1)+α*RTT2(i) (2)

In the formula (2), i is an integer greater than 0, α is a smoothing parameter, smoothedRTT (i-1) is a second smooth round trip time of a first cycle immediately preceding the first cycle, and RTT2 (i) is a round trip time of a second path acquired by the first cycle.

Regarding the explanation of the smoothing parameter α in the formula (2) and the values and calculation manners of the variables in the formula (2) in the case of i=1, reference may be made to the related description of the formula (1), and the description thereof will not be repeated here.

It should be understood that the order of steps 502 and 503 is not limited in the embodiments of the present invention, that is, steps 502 and 503 may be performed simultaneously or not.

It will be appreciated that using a smooth round trip time estimation method during the round trip time acquisition process may reduce the jitter (ripple) of the round trip time measurement, making the round trip time estimation more stable and reliable, as the presence of jitter (e.g., frequent path changes or transmission rates) may lead to unstable network decisions.

Step 303, respectively obtaining a first recommended parameter and a second recommended parameter.

In step 303, the first recommendation parameter is used to indicate whether the network management system recommends using the first path, and the second recommendation parameter is used to indicate whether the network management system recommends using the second path.

It will be appreciated that the network management system may centrally collect, store and analyze network data from access terminals and MEC nodes, and may also view link conditions, monitor bandwidth utilization, congestion conditions, etc. in real time. Thus, the access terminal may obtain the first recommended parameter and the second recommended parameter from the network management system.

Illustratively, in an embodiment of the present invention, the network management system may be configured with the following three aspects of functionality:

1) Real-time data is provided to quickly detect link problems.

2) And configuring an alarm mechanism, and sending out alarm notification when key performance parameters such as bandwidth utilization rate, congestion condition or packet loss rate exceed a threshold value.

3) Link utilization and alert related information is sent to the access terminal so that the access terminal can optimize link selection.

It will be appreciated that in practical applications, it is necessary to open SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) protocols between the MEC node and the network management system and between the access terminal and the network management system, so that the MEC node and the access terminal send parameter information of the link to which they are connected to the network management system in real time. SNMP is a commonly used protocol that can be used to monitor and manage network devices. It should be noted that, the uplink interface of the access terminal and the downlink interface of the MEC node are not necessarily the same link, and therefore, in order to grasp the link status, the network management system needs to interact link information with the MEC node and the access terminal, respectively.

In some embodiments, the first proposed parameter is a first proposed parameter NetworkAdvice (j) of a jth second period acquired by the network management system according to equation (3).

NetworkAdvice1(j)＝w1*BandwidthUtilization1(j)+w2*PacketLossRate1(j)+w3*CongestionAlert1(j) (3)

In the formula (3), j is an integer greater than 0, bandwidthUtilization (j) is a bandwidth utilization parameter of the first path in the j-th second period, packetLossRate (j) is a packet loss rate parameter of the first path in the j-th second period, congestionAlert (j) is a link congestion alarm parameter of the first path in the j-th second period, and w1, w2 and w3 are weight coefficients respectively.

It will be appreciated that the bandwidth utilization parameter BandwidthUtilization (j) for the first path at the jth second period is typically between 0 and 1.1 indicates full bandwidth utilization and 0 indicates no utilization. For example, the bandwidth utilization parameter may be represented using real-time bandwidth utilization data or a moving average. The packet loss ratio parameter PacketLossRate (j) of the first path in the jth second period is typically between 0 and 1.1 indicates that all packets are lost, and 0 indicates that no packets are lost. The packet loss rate parameter may be represented, for example, using real-time packet loss rate data or a moving average. The link congestion alert parameter CongestionAlert (j) for the first path at the j-th second period may be a binary value, 1 indicating that a link congestion alert exists, and 0 indicating that no congestion alert exists. The first proposed parameter NetworkAdvice (j) may be a value between 0 and 1, where 0 indicates that the link is not proposed for use and 1 indicates that the link is proposed for use. Since the values of BandwidthUtilization (j), packetLossRate (j), and CongestionAlert (j) may change in real time over time, the value of NetworkAdvice (j) also changes in real time over time.

It can be appreciated that the values of the weight coefficients w1, w2, w3 may be set according to the actual application scenario, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the values of the weight coefficients w1, w2, w 3.

In some embodiments, the network management system may assign a proposed parameter of the interrupted path to 1 in the event that the network management system monitors that any one of the first path and the second path is interrupted, so that the access terminal may select an uninterrupted path from the first path and the second path to communicate with the MEC node.

It will be appreciated that the second recommended parameter may be obtained in the same manner as the first recommended parameter.

Illustratively, the second proposed parameter is a second proposed parameter NetworkAdvice (j) of the jth second period that the network management system obtains according to equation (4).

In equation (4), bandwidthUtilization (j) is a bandwidth utilization parameter of the second path in the j-th second period, packetLossRate (j) is a packet loss rate parameter of the second path in the j-th second period, congestionAlert (j) is a link congestion alarm parameter of the second path in the j-th second period, and w1, w2, and w3 are weight coefficients, respectively.

For the description of the parameters in the formula (4), reference may be made to the description of the parameters in the formula (3), and the description thereof will not be repeated here.

For example, the network management system may set alarm information including severe alarm information and general alarm information. The network management system can send out serious alarm information under the condition that any one of the first path and the second path is monitored to be interrupted, and the recommended parameter of the interrupted path is assigned to be 1. And under the condition that the network management system does not monitor any one of the first path and the second path to be interrupted, the corresponding proposal parameters can be calculated by using the formula (3) and the formula (4).

For example, regarding alert information and corresponding operations, the following code may be used to represent:

It will be appreciated that the above code is merely a representation, the nature of which introduces a decision step, wherein SEVEREALERTDETECTED is a flag indicating whether a link outage or other serious alarm is detected. This flag will be true if the network management system issues a severe alarm message, or false otherwise. If this flag is to be true, the suggestion parameter NetworkAdvice (e.g., networkAdvice (j) or NetworkAdvice (j)) of the corresponding path is set to 1, indicating that the use of a link without interruption is forcibly suggested (when the suggestion parameter of the corresponding path is 1, the score of the corresponding path will be a larger value). If no serious alarms are detected, the network management system calculates the proposed parameters NetworkAdvice of the corresponding paths according to the bandwidth utilization parameters (BandwidthUtilization) of the corresponding paths, the packet loss rate parameters (PacketLossRate) of the corresponding paths and the congestion alarm parameters (CongestionAlert) of the corresponding paths to obtain the suggestions of the network management system for path selection, so that the access terminal can balance smooth delay and the suggestions of the network management system when selecting the paths.

Step 304, a score of the first path is obtained according to the first smooth round trip time and the first suggested parameter, and a score of the second path is obtained according to the second smooth round trip time and the second suggested parameter.

In some embodiments, the implementation of step 304 includes: the Score1 (k) of the kth first path is obtained according to equation (5). A Score2 (k) of the kth second path is obtained according to equation (6).

Score1(k)＝w4*SmoothedRTT1(i)-w5*(1-NetworkAdvice1(j)) (5)

In equation (5), smoothedRTT (i) is the first smooth round trip time of the ith first period periodically acquired by the access terminal, and the first period is the period during which the access terminal periodically acquires the first smooth round trip time. NetworkAdvice1 (j) is a first recommended parameter that the network management system periodically acquires and transmits to the access terminal a j-th second period, which is a period in which the network management system periodically acquires the first recommended parameter. i. k and j are integers greater than 0, the ith first period and the jth second period correspond to the time for obtaining the first path score for the kth time, and w4 and w5 are weight coefficients respectively.

Score2(k)＝w4*SmoothedRTT2(i)-w5*(1-NetworkAdvice2(j)) (6)

In equation (6), smoothedRTT (i) is the second round trip time of the ith first period periodically acquired by the access terminal, the first period being the period during which the access terminal periodically acquires the second round trip time. NetworkAdvice2 (j) is a second proposed parameter that the network management system periodically acquires and transmits to the access terminal a j-th second period, which is a period in which the network management system periodically acquires the first proposed parameter. i. k and j are integers greater than 0, the ith first period and the jth second period correspond to the time for obtaining the second path score for the kth time, and w4 and w5 are weight coefficients respectively.

It will be appreciated that if either Score1 (k) or Score2 (k) is negative, this means that the advice of the network management system has a greater impact on the selection link, whereas if either Score1 (k) or Score2 (k) is positive, this means that the smooth round trip time has a greater impact on the selection link.

It will be appreciated that the weight parameters w4 and w5 are used to balance the importance of the two factors, smooth round trip time and advice of the network management system, respectively. The values of the w4 and w5 weight coefficients can be set according to the actual application scenario so as to reflect the priority of the operator on delay and network advice. The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the values of the weight coefficients w4 and w 5.

It will be appreciated that the time length of the first period and the time length of the second period may be the same or different, and that the ith first period and the jth second period may include the kth time to obtain the first path score and the second path score.

It is to be appreciated that the access terminal can obtain the score of the first path and the score of the second path aperiodically, or can obtain the score of the first path and the score of the second path periodically. Illustratively, taking a period in which the access terminal periodically obtains the score of the first path and the score of the second path as a third period, the time length of the first period, and the time length of the second period may be the same or different.

Step 305, selecting one path with a lower score from the first path and the second path according to the score of the first path and the score of the second path, and communicating with the MEC node through the selected path.

As can be appreciated, according to the formulas (5) and (6), the path with a lower score has a lower time delay and a faster response speed, and each network parameter of the path is more suitable for data transmission, so that a path with a lower value corresponding to the score can be selected from the score of the first path and the score of the second path to communicate with the MEC node.

In the dual-path communication method provided by the embodiment of the invention, two network paths are constructed between the access terminal and the MEC node for communication, and one network path with lower time delay and faster response is selected from the two network paths according to the parameters of real-time change of the two network paths, so that the access terminal and the MEC node can keep high-efficiency and high-quality communication in real time, and in addition, the disconnection between the access terminal and the MEC node caused by the interruption of one network path is avoided, thereby improving the stability of the network and providing better experience for users.

An embodiment of the present invention provides an access terminal, as shown in fig. 7, the access terminal 700 includes a path establishment module 701, a round trip time acquisition module 702, a recommendation parameter acquisition module 703, a score acquisition module 704, and a path selection module 705.

The path establishment module 701 is configured to: a network connection is established with the MEC node through the first path and the second path. The first path includes a cellular network path or a WiFi network path and the second path includes a cellular network path or a WiFi network path. The first path is different from the second path.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 8, the path establishment module 701 includes a connection request information transmission unit 7011 and a multi-path handshake unit 7012.

The connection request information transmission unit 7011 is provided with: and sending connection request information to the MEC node, wherein the connection request information comprises configuration information of the first path and configuration information of the second path.

The multipath handshake unit 7012 is set to: in response to receiving the connection response information from the MEC node, a multi-path handshake is performed with the MEC node to determine to establish a network connection with the MEC node through a first path and a network connection through a second path. The connection response information is used to instruct the MEC node to acknowledge the first path and the second path to the access terminal, the connection response information being sent by the MEC node to the access terminal in response to receiving the connection request information from the access terminal.

The round trip time acquisition module 702 is configured to: the first and second smooth round trip times are obtained, respectively. The first smooth round trip time is a smooth round trip time for the access terminal to transceive data over the first path and the second smooth round trip time is a smooth round trip time for the access terminal to transceive data over the second path.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 9, the round trip time acquisition module 702 is configured to periodically acquire a first smooth round trip time and a second smooth round trip time, the round trip time acquisition module 702 including a round trip time acquisition unit 7021, a first smooth round trip time acquisition unit 7022, and a second smooth round trip time acquisition unit 7023.

The round trip time acquisition unit 7021 is set to: the round trip time of the first path in each first period and the round trip time of the second path in each first period are periodically acquired. The first period is a period during which the access terminal periodically acquires a first smooth round trip time.

In some embodiments, the round trip time acquisition unit 7021 is configured to: and in each first period, sending a detection packet to the MEC node through a first path and a second path respectively, so that the MEC node returns first confirmation information to the access terminal through the first path after responding to the detection packet sent by the access terminal through the first path, and returns second confirmation information to the access terminal through the second path after responding to the detection packet sent by the access terminal through the second path link. In each first period, a first transmission time stamp and a second transmission time stamp are determined. In each first period, in response to receiving the first acknowledgement information from the MEC node, a first reception timestamp is recorded. In response to receiving the second acknowledgement information from the MEC node, a second receive timestamp is recorded. And in each first period, acquiring the round trip time of the first path according to the first sending time stamp and the first receiving time stamp, and acquiring the round trip time of the second path according to the second sending time stamp and the second receiving time stamp. The first transmission time stamp is a time stamp of the access terminal transmitting the probe packet to the MEC node through the first path. The second transmit timestamp is a timestamp of the access terminal periodically transmitting probe packets to the MEC over the second path link during the first period. The first reception time stamp is used to indicate a time when the access terminal received the first acknowledgement information. The second reception timestamp is used to indicate a time when the access terminal received the second acknowledgement information.

The first smooth round trip time acquisition unit 7022 is set to: the first smooth round trip time of the first period is acquired according to the first smooth round trip time of the last first period of the first period and the round trip time of the first path acquired by the first period. In the case where the first cycle is the first cycle, the first smooth round trip time of the first cycle immediately preceding the first cycle is 0.

In some embodiments, the first smoothed round trip time acquisition unit 7022 is configured to: the first smoothed round trip time SmoothedRTT (i) of the first cycle is obtained according to SmoothedRTT1 (i) = (1- α) = (SmoothedRTT 1 (i-1) +α ×rtt1 (i), where i is an integer greater than 0, α is a smoothing parameter, smoothedRTT (i-1) is the first smoothed round trip time of the first cycle immediately preceding the first cycle, and RTT1 (i) is the round trip time of the first path obtained by the first cycle.

The second smooth round trip time acquisition unit 7023 is set to: the second round trip time of the first cycle is acquired according to the second round trip time of the last first cycle of the first cycle and the round trip time of the second path acquired by the first cycle. When the first cycle is the first cycle, the second round trip time of the first cycle immediately preceding the first cycle is 0.

The advice parameter obtaining module 703 is arranged to: the first recommended parameter and the second recommended parameter are acquired respectively. The first recommendation parameter is used for indicating whether the network management system recommends using the first path, and the second recommendation parameter is used for indicating whether the network management system recommends using the second path.

In some embodiments, the first proposed parameter is periodically acquired by the network management system according to a network parameter of the first path and sent to the access terminal, and the second proposed parameter is periodically acquired by the network management system according to a network parameter of the second path and sent to the access terminal, where the network parameter includes a bandwidth utilization parameter, and/or a packet loss rate parameter, and/or a link congestion alarm parameter.

In some embodiments, the first recommended parameter is a network management system based onThe obtained first proposed parameter NetworkAdvice (j) of the jth second period, wherein BandwidthUtilization (j) is a bandwidth utilization parameter of the first path in the jth second period, packetLossRate (j) is a packet loss rate parameter of the first path in the jth second period, congestionAlert (j) is a link congestion alarm parameter of the first path in the jth second period, and w1, w2 and w3 are weight coefficients respectively.

The score acquisition module 704 is configured to: a score for the first path is obtained based on the first smoothed round trip time and the first proposed parameter, and a score for the second path is obtained based on the second smoothed round trip time and the second proposed parameter.

In some embodiments, the score acquisition module 704 is configured to: score1 (k) of the kth first path is obtained according to Score1 (k) =w4× SmoothedRTT1 (i) -w5×1-NetworkAdvice (j)), wherein SmoothedRTT (i) is a first smooth round trip time of the ith first period periodically obtained by the access terminal, and the first period is a period of the access terminal periodically obtaining the first smooth round trip time. NetworkAdvice1 (j) is a first recommended parameter that the network management system periodically acquires and transmits to the access terminal a j-th second period, which is a period in which the network management system periodically acquires the first recommended parameter. i. k and j are integers greater than 0, the ith first period and the jth second period correspond to the time for obtaining the first path score for the kth time, and w4 and w5 are weight coefficients respectively.

The path selection module 705 is arranged to: and selecting one path with a lower score from the first path and the second path according to the score of the first path and the score of the second path, and communicating with the MEC node through the selected path.

For example, as shown in fig. 10, in a specific example of an access terminal provided in an embodiment of the present invention, a hardware structure inside the access terminal 1000 may include a processing unit 1001, a memory unit 1002, a communication unit 1003, a first interface unit 1004, a second interface unit 1005, a first antenna unit 1006, and a second antenna unit 1007. The processing unit 1001 may be a CPU chip, for example, the CPU chip may be an armcotex-a 534 with a dominant frequency of 1.6GHz. The processing unit 1001 is connected to a memory unit 1002. The communication unit 1003 is connected between the first interface unit 1004, the second interface unit 1005, and the processing unit 1001, respectively, to facilitate processing and transmission of data. The communication unit 1003 is connected to the first antenna unit 1006 through the first interface unit 1004, and the communication unit 1003 is also connected to the second antenna unit 1007 through the second interface unit 1005 to transmit and receive data. Each of the first interface unit 1004 and the second interface unit 1005 is provided with at least one interface (for example, the interfaces may be ethernet, serial, wireless interfaces, etc.), and the first interface unit 1004 and the second interface unit 1005 are connected to the processing unit 1001, respectively, so that the processing unit 1001 communicates with other devices or networks. The first interface unit 1004 is connected to the communication unit 1003, the first antenna unit 1006, and the external device, respectively, and the second interface unit 1005 is connected to the communication unit 1003, the second antenna unit 1007, and the external device, respectively, to transfer data to the communication unit 1003. The first antenna unit 1006 includes a WiFi antenna and/or a 5G antenna, and the second antenna unit 1007 includes a WiFi antenna and/or a 5G antenna, for example, the WiFi antenna may support dual band (2.4G and 5.8G), the 5G antenna may support NSA network and SA network, and the like. It is understood that the first interface unit 1004 and the second interface unit 1005 may be integrated as one interface unit, and the first antenna unit 1006 and the second antenna unit 1007 may include a plurality of antennas, respectively.

Illustratively, in the specific example provided by the embodiment of the present invention, the structure of the panel of the access device 1000 is as shown in fig. 11 to 13.

In fig. 11, B is a WiFi antenna connection point ANT1.C is the ground connection point. D is a power switch. E is a threaded power connection port, DC 12V 3.33A. F is Console port, asynchronous mode, 115200bps bit rate, 8 bit data bits, 1 bit stop bit, no parity check, no data stream control. G is the SIM card slot. H is a USB3.0 interface. I is a screw fixing hole. J is 5 independent 10/100/1000Base-T RJ45 ports. K is a reset key. L is WiFi and is the antenna connection point ANT2.

In fig. 12, M is a screw fixing hole. N is the 5G antenna interface ANT7.O is an RS232 interface (DB 9 hole) S2.P is the 5G antenna interface ANT5.Q is the RS232 interface (DB 9 well) S1.R is the LTE antenna interface ANT3.S is a screw fixing hole.

In fig. 13, T is a screw fixing hole. U is the LTE antenna interface ANT4.V is the 5G antenna interface ANT6.W is the 5G antenna interface ANT8.X is a screw fixing hole.

Illustratively, an embodiment of the present invention provides an access terminal 1000 that may be externally viewed as shown in fig. 14. Access terminal 1000 is provided with a first panel 1401, a second panel 1402, a third panel 1403 and a number of antennas 1404.

It will be appreciated that the panels of fig. 11-13 may be provided on one panel of access terminal 1000 as shown in fig. 14, or may be provided on multiple panels of access terminal 1000, in this example, the panel shown in fig. 11 is provided on a first panel 1401 of access terminal 1000 as shown in fig. 14, the panel shown in fig. 12 is provided on a second panel 1402 of access terminal 1000 as shown in fig. 14, and the panel shown in fig. 13 is provided on a third panel 1403 of access terminal 1000 as shown in fig. 14. A number of antennas 1404 may correspond to the first antenna unit 1006 and the second antenna unit 1007.

It will be appreciated that embodiments of the present invention are not limited in the appearance of access terminal 1000, and that the appearance shown in fig. 14 is merely an example.

The specific solution and the beneficial effects of an access terminal 700 according to some embodiments of the present invention may refer to the related description of a dual-path communication method according to some embodiments of the present invention, which is not described herein.

Some embodiments of the present invention provide a computer device, as shown in fig. 15, where the computer device 1500 includes a memory 1501 and a processor 1502, where the memory 1501 stores a computer program, and when the processor 1502 runs the computer program stored in the memory 1501, the processor 1502 performs the above-mentioned dual-path communication method.

The specific solution and the beneficial effects of a computer device provided by some embodiments of the present invention may refer to the related description of a dual-path communication method provided by some embodiments of the present invention, which is not described herein again.

Some embodiments of the present invention provide a computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which when executed by a processor, the processor performs the dual path communication method described above.

Embodiments of the present invention may refer to a related description of a dual path communication method according to some embodiments of the present invention, which is not repeated herein.

It is to be understood that the above embodiments are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention, but not in limitation thereof. Various modifications and improvements may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and substance of the invention, and are also considered to be within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A dual path communication method, characterized by being applied to an access terminal, wherein the access terminal is respectively connected with a network management system and a mobile edge computing MEC node; the method comprises the following steps:

establishing a network connection with the MEC node through a first path and a second path; the first path comprises a cellular network path or a WiFi network path, and the second path comprises a cellular network path or a WiFi network path; the first path is different from the second path;

Respectively acquiring a first smooth round trip time and a second smooth round trip time; the first smooth round trip time is a smooth round trip time for the access terminal to transceive data over the first path, and the second smooth round trip time is a smooth round trip time for the access terminal to transceive data over the second path;

Respectively acquiring a first suggestion parameter and a second suggestion parameter; the first recommended parameter is used for indicating whether the network management system recommends using a first path, the second recommended parameter comprises a first value and a second value, the network management system recommends using the second path when the second recommended parameter is the first value, and the network management system does not recommends using the second path when the second recommended parameter is the second value;

obtaining a score of the first path according to the first smooth round trip time and the first suggested parameter, and obtaining a score of the second path according to the second smooth round trip time and the second suggested parameter; and

And selecting one path with a lower score from the first path and the second path according to the scores of the first path and the second path, and communicating with the MEC node through the selected path.

2. The dual path communication method of claim 1, wherein the establishing a network connection with the MEC node via the first path and the second path comprises:

Transmitting connection request information to the MEC node, wherein the connection request information comprises configuration information of the first path and configuration information of the second path; and

In response to receiving connection response information from the MEC node, performing a multi-path handshake with the MEC node to determine to establish a network connection with the MEC node over the first path and a network connection over the second path; the connection response information is to instruct the access terminal that the MEC node acknowledges the first path and the second path.

3. The dual-path communication method of claim 1, wherein the acquiring the first and second smooth round trip times, respectively, comprises:

Periodically acquiring the round trip time of the first path in each first period and the round trip time of the second path in each first period; the round trip time of the first path in each first period is the round trip time of the access terminal receiving and transmitting data through the first path in each first period; the round trip time of the second path in each first period is the round trip time of the access terminal receiving and transmitting data through the second path in each first period;

Acquiring the first smooth round trip time of the first period according to the first smooth round trip time of the last first period of the first period and the round trip time of the first path acquired by the first period; and

The second smooth round trip time of the first period is acquired according to the second smooth round trip time of the first period and the round trip time of the second path acquired by the first period.

4. A dual-path communication method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said periodically acquiring the round trip time of the first path in each first period and the round trip time of the second path in each first period comprises:

In each first period, sending a detection packet to the MEC node through the first path and the second path respectively, so that the MEC node returns first acknowledgement information to the access terminal through the first path after receiving the detection packet sent by the access terminal through the first path, and returns second acknowledgement information to the access terminal through the second path after receiving the detection packet sent by the access terminal through the second path;

Determining a first transmission time stamp and a second transmission time stamp in each first period; the first transmission time stamp is a time stamp of the access terminal transmitting a probe packet to the MEC node through the first path; the second transmission time stamp is a time stamp of the access terminal periodically transmitting probe packets to the MEC through the second path during the first period;

Recording a first reception timestamp in response to receiving the first acknowledgement information from the MEC node within each first period; the first reception time stamp is used for representing the time when the access terminal receives the first acknowledgement information; responsive to receiving the second acknowledgement information from the MEC node, recording a second receive timestamp; the second reception timestamp is used for indicating the time when the access terminal receives the second acknowledgement information; and

And in each first period, acquiring the round trip time of the first path according to the first sending time stamp and the first receiving time stamp, and acquiring the round trip time of the second path according to the second sending time stamp and the second receiving time stamp.

5. A dual-path communication method according to claim 3, wherein the obtaining the first smoothed round trip time of the present first period from the first smoothed round trip time of the previous first period of the present first period and the round trip time of the first path obtained by the present first period comprises: according to

SmoothedRTT1(i)＝(1-α)*SmoothedRTT1(i-1)+α*RTT1(i)

Acquiring a first smooth round trip time SmoothedRTT (i) of an ith first period, wherein i is an integer greater than 0, alpha is a smoothing parameter, smoothedRTT (i-1) is a first smooth round trip time of an (i-1) th first period, RTT1 (i) is a round trip time of the first path acquired by the ith first period, the ith first period is the first period, and the (i-1) th first period is the last first period of the first period;

The obtaining the second smooth round trip time of the first period according to the second smooth round trip time of the last first period of the first period and the round trip time of the second path obtained by the first period includes:

According to

SmoothedRTT2(i)＝(1-α)*SmoothedRTT2(i-1)+α*RTT2(i)

Acquiring a second smooth round trip time SmoothedRTT (i) of the ith first period, wherein SmoothedRTT (i-1) is the second smooth round trip time of the (i-1) th first period, and RTT2 (i) is the round trip time of the second path acquired by the ith first period.

6. The dual-path communication method of claim 1, wherein the first proposed parameter is periodically obtained by the network management system according to a network parameter of the first path and transmitted to the access terminal, and the second proposed parameter is periodically obtained by the network management system according to a network parameter of the second path and transmitted to the access terminal, and the network parameter includes a bandwidth utilization parameter, and/or a packet loss rate parameter, and/or a link congestion alarm parameter.

7. The dual-path communication method of claim 6, wherein the first recommended parameter is a basis of the network management system

NetworkAdvice1(j)＝w1*BandwidthUtilization1(j)+w2*PacketLossRate1(j)+w3*CongestionAlert1(j)

The method comprises the steps of acquiring a first proposal parameter NetworkAdvice (j) of a jth second period, wherein j is an integer larger than 0, bandwidthUtilization (j) is a bandwidth utilization parameter of the first path in the jth second period, packetLossRate (j) is a packet loss rate parameter of the first path in the jth second period, congestionAlert (j) is a link congestion alarm parameter of the first path in the jth second period, and w1, w2 and w3 are weight coefficients respectively;

The second recommended parameter is the network management system according to

NetworkAdvice2(j)＝w1*BandwidthUtilization2(j)+w2*PacketLossRate2(j)+w3*CongestionAlert2(j)

The obtained second proposed parameter NetworkAdvice (j) of the jth second period, wherein BandwidthUtilization (j) is a bandwidth utilization parameter of the second path in the jth second period, packetLossRate (j) is a packet loss rate parameter of the second path in the jth second period, and CongestionAlert (j) is a link congestion alarm parameter of the second path in the jth second period.

8. The dual-path communication method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the score of the first path based on the first smoothed round trip time and the first proposed parameter comprises: according to

Score1(k)＝w4*SmoothedRTT1(i)-w5*(1-NetworkAdvice1(j))

Obtaining a Score1 (k) of the kth first path, wherein SmoothedRTT (i) is a first smooth round trip time of the ith first period periodically obtained by the access terminal; networkAdvice1 (j) is a first proposed parameter of a jth second period periodically acquired by a network management system and sent to the access terminal; i. k and j are integers greater than 0, the ith first period and the jth second period correspond to the time for obtaining the first path score for the kth time, and w4 and w5 are weight coefficients respectively;

the obtaining the score of the second path according to the second round trip time and the second suggested parameter includes: according to

Score2(k)＝w4*SmoothedRTT2(i)-w5*(1-NetworkAdvice2(j))

Obtaining a Score2 (k) of the kth second path, wherein SmoothedRTT (i) is a second smooth round trip time of the ith first period periodically obtained by the access terminal; networkAdvice2 (j) is a second proposed parameter for a jth second period that the network management system periodically acquires and transmits to the access terminal.

9. An access terminal, wherein the access terminal is connected to a network management system and a MEC node, respectively; the access terminal includes:

a path establishment module configured to: establishing a network connection with the MEC node through a first path and a second path; the first path comprises a cellular network path or a WiFi network path, and the second path comprises a cellular network path or a WiFi network path; the first path is different from the second path;

A round trip time acquisition module configured to: respectively acquiring a first smooth round trip time and a second smooth round trip time; the first smooth round trip time is a smooth round trip time for the access terminal to transceive data over the first path, and the second smooth round trip time is a smooth round trip time for the access terminal to transceive data over the second path;

A suggestion parameter acquisition module configured to: respectively acquiring a first suggestion parameter and a second suggestion parameter; the first suggestion parameter is used for indicating whether the network management system suggests using the first path, and the second suggestion parameter is used for indicating whether the network management system suggests using the second path;

A score acquisition module configured to: obtaining a score of the first path according to the first smooth round trip time and the first suggested parameter, and obtaining a score of the second path according to the second smooth round trip time and the second suggested parameter; and

A path selection module configured to: and selecting one path with a lower score from the first path and the second path according to the scores of the first path and the second path, and communicating with the MEC node through the selected path.

10. A computer device comprising a memory and a processor, the memory having a computer program stored therein, the processor performing the dual path communication method according to any of claims 1 to 8 when the processor runs the computer program stored in the memory.

11. A computer readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, characterized in that the computer program, when being executed by a processor, performs the dual path communication method according to any of claims 1 to 8.