WO2024022492A1

WO2024022492A1 - Communication method and system, user plane function network element, and user equipment

Info

Publication number: WO2024022492A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/109857
Authority: WO
Inventors: 刘佳一凡; 刘海; 陈卓怡; 刘柳; 龙彪
Original assignee: 中国电信股份有限公司
Priority date: 2022-07-28
Filing date: 2023-07-28
Publication date: 2024-02-01
Also published as: CN117528643A

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of communications, and provides a communication method and system, a user plane function (UPF) network element, and a user equipment. The method comprises: a UPF network element receives reflective quality of service (QOS) indication (ROI) information, the ROI information comprising an identifier of a service data flow (SDF); and the UPF network element merely sets, according to the ROI information, ROI fields in some of downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF, some of the downlink data packets being discontinuous.

Description

Communication method, system, user plane functional network element and user equipment

Cross-references to related applications

This application is based on the application with CN application number 202210898232.8 and the filing date is July 28, 2022, and claims its priority. The disclosure content of the CN application is hereby incorporated into this application as a whole.

Technical field

The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular, to a communication method, system, user plane functional network element and user equipment.

Background technique

The 3GGP standard uses Quality of Service (QOS) to describe a set of service requirements. The network side needs to meet these requirements to ensure the service level of data transmission.

The reflective QOS mechanism means that the User Equipment (UE) that supports the reflective QOS function can generate QOS rules for the corresponding uplink data packets based on the received downlink data packets, and control the corresponding uplink data packets based on the QOS rules.

In related technologies, the User Plane Function (UPF) network element sets the Reflective QOS Indication (RQI) field in each downlink data packet corresponding to the Service Data Flow (SDF). (For example, setting the RQI field to 1) to instruct the UE to generate QOS rules for corresponding uplink data packets based on the received downlink data packets.

Contents of the invention

The inventor noticed that the value set for the RQI field is not valid data in the data packet. Under the method in the related art, the UPF network element will waste more communication resources to set the RQI field, resulting in a low transmission rate of valid data. (That is, the proportion of valid data during transmission is low).

In order to solve the above problems, embodiments of the present disclosure propose the following solutions.

According to an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, including: a user plane function UPF network element receiving first reflected quality of service QOS indication information, where the first reflected QOS indication information includes an identifier of the service data flow SDF; The UPF network element only performs settings on the reflection QOS indication RQI field in part of the downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF according to the first reflection QOS indication information, and the part of the downlink data packets are discontinuous.

According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, including: receiving first reflected quality of service QOS indication information; and performing execution on only part of the downlink data packets corresponding to the service data flow according to the first reflected QOS indication information. Reflective QOS settings.

In some embodiments, two adjacent downlink data packets in the partial downlink data packets are separated by corresponding m downlink data packets, and at least two m have the same value, m≥1.

In some embodiments, any two values of m are the same.

In some embodiments, the partial downlink data packet includes the x(m+1)+1th downlink data packet corresponding to the SDF, x≥0, and x is an integer.

In some embodiments, the greater the number of downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF per unit time, the greater the value of m.

In some embodiments, there are m corresponding m downlink data packets spaced between two adjacent downlink data packets in the partial downlink data packets, m≥1, and the setting is used to instruct the user equipment UE to generate the two QOS rules for the uplink data packet corresponding to the previous downlink data packet in the downlink data packet and the uplink data packet corresponding to the m downlink data packets.

In some embodiments, the first downlink data packet in the partial downlink data packet at least carries the value of m corresponding to the first downlink data packet and the second downlink data packet in the partial downlink data packet.

In some embodiments, the number of partial downlink data packets is M, and the first downlink data packet in the partial downlink data packets also carries the i-th downlink data packet and the i-th downlink data packet in the partial downlink data packets. The value of m corresponding to i+1 downlink data packets is 2≤i≤M-1, M≥3.

In some embodiments, the previous downlink data packet among the two downlink data packets carries the value of m corresponding to the two downlink data packets.

In some embodiments, two adjacent downlink data packets in the partial downlink data packets are separated by corresponding m downlink data packets, m≥1, and the first reflected QOS indication information includes QOS execution rules QER and The value of m.

In some embodiments, the value of m lies in the QER.

In some embodiments, the method is executed by a UPF network element, and the method further includes: the UPF network element receiving second reflected QOS indication information, where the second reflected QOS indication information includes the identification of the SDF; The UPF network element stops executing the setting according to the second reflected QOS indication information.

In some embodiments, the method is performed by a UPF network element, and the method further includes: the UPF network element sending the part of the downlink data packet to the user equipment UE via the access network, so that the UE can use the UPF network element according to the under section The upstream data packet generates QOS rules for at least part of the upstream data packet corresponding to the SDF.

In some embodiments, the method is executed by a UPF network element, and the first reflected QOS indication information is sent to the UPF network element by a session management function SMF network element.

In some embodiments, the first reflected QOS indication information is generated by the SMF network element, or is generated by the policy control function PCF network element and sent to the SMF network element.

According to another aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, including: the UE receives discontinuous partial downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF from the UPF network element, and the RQI field in the partial downlink data packet is set, The RQI field in other downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF except the partial downlink data packet has not been set; the UE generates at least part of the uplink data corresponding to the SDF based on the partial downlink data packet. QOS rules for the package.

In some embodiments, the interval between two adjacent downlink data packets in the partial downlink data packet is corresponding m downlink data packets, m≥1, and the UE generates the SDF based on the partial downlink data packet. The corresponding QOS rules for at least part of the uplink data packets include: the UE generates an uplink data packet corresponding to the previous downlink data packet in the two downlink data packets and the m downlink data packets based on the part of the downlink data packets. QOS rules for the corresponding upstream data packets.

In some embodiments, any two values of m are the same.

According to yet another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a user plane functional network element is provided, including: a receiving module configured to receive first reflected QOS indication information, where the first reflected QOS indication information includes an identifier of the service data flow SDF ; and a setting module configured to set only the reflective QOS indication RQI field in the partial downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF according to the first reflective QOS indication information, and the partial downlink data packets are discontinuous.

According to yet another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a user plane functional network element is provided, including: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to execute based on instructions stored in the memory. The method described in any of the above embodiments.

According to yet another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided, including: a receiving module configured to receive first reflected quality of service QOS indication information; and a setting module configured to, according to the first reflected QOS indication information, Only perform reflective QOS settings on some downlink data packets corresponding to the service data flow.

According to yet another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a user equipment is provided, including: a receiving module configured to Receive discontinuous partial downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF from the UPF network element. The RQI field in the partial downlink data packet is set. Other downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF except the partial downlink data packet are received. The setting of the RQI field in has not been performed; and a generating module configured to generate QOS rules for at least part of the uplink data packets corresponding to the SDF according to the part of the downlink data packets.

According to yet another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a user equipment is provided, including: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to execute any one of the above based on instructions stored in the memory. methods described in the examples.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, including: the user plane function UPF network element described in any of the above embodiments; and an SMF network element, where the SMF network element is configured to provide The network element sends the first reflected QOS indication information, where the first reflected QOS indication information includes the identifier of the SDF.

In some embodiments, the system further includes: a PCF network element configured to generate the first reflected QOS indication information and send the first reflected QOS indication information to the SMF network element.

In some embodiments, the system further includes: the user equipment UE described in any of the above embodiments.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, including computer program instructions, wherein when the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the method described in any of the above embodiments is implemented.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method described in any of the above embodiments is implemented.

In this disclosed embodiment, the UPF network element only performs settings on the RQI field in part of the downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF based on the reflected QOS indication information, and does not set other downlink data packets except this part of the downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF. The RQI field in the execution setting. In this way, since the UPF network element does not need to set the RQI field in each downlink data packet corresponding to the SDF, the waste of communication resources is reduced and the transmission rate of effective data is improved (that is, the rate of effective data during the transmission process is improved). proportion) and reduce the working pressure of UPF network elements.

In addition, on the one hand, it reduces the time it takes for UPF network elements to set the RQI field, thereby improving data transmission efficiency; on the other hand, there is no need to set a backoff timer on either the network side or the UE, simplifying applications. Reflects the operation of the QOS mechanism, making it easy to implement.

The technical solution of the present disclosure will be described in further detail below through the accompanying drawings and examples.

Description of drawings

In order to explain the embodiments of the present disclosure or the technical solutions in the prior art more clearly, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only These are some embodiments of the present disclosure. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without exerting creative efforts.

Figure 1 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figure 2 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to other embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to still some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a UPF network element according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a UE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figure 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Detailed ways

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without making creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

The relative arrangement of components and steps, numerical expressions, and numerical values set forth in these examples do not limit the scope of the disclosure unless otherwise specifically stated.

At the same time, it should be understood that, for convenience of description, the dimensions of various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to actual proportional relationships.

Techniques, methods and devices known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods and devices should be considered part of the authorized specification.

In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values are to be construed as illustrative only and not as limiting. Accordingly, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters refer to similar items in the following figures, so that once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need further discussion in subsequent figures.

The communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may include: receiving first reflected quality of service QOS indication information; and executing only part of the downlink data packets corresponding to the service data flow according to the first reflected QOS indication information. Line reflection QOS settings.

In the above embodiment, reflective QOS settings are only performed on part of the downlink data packets corresponding to the service data flow according to the reflection QOS indication information, and reflection QOS settings are not performed on other downlink data packets except this part of the downlink data packets. In this way, it not only reduces the waste of communication resources and improves the effective data transmission rate (that is, increases the proportion of effective data during the transmission process), but also reduces the time consumed in executing reflective QOS settings, thus improving the data transmission efficiency. . In addition, this method also simplifies the operation of applying the reflective QOS mechanism and is easy to implement.

Figure 1 is a flowchart of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

The communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps 102 to 104 shown in FIG. 1 .

In step 102, the UPF network element receives reflected QOS indication information.

Here, the reflected QOS indication information includes the identifier of the SDF.

In some embodiments, the reflected QOS indication information may be sent by the Session Management Function (SMF) network element to the UPF network element.

In step 104, the UPF network element only sets the RQI field in some downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF according to the reflected QOS indication information.

In some embodiments, the UPF network element may set the RQI field in only part of the downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF (rather than all downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF) based on the identification of the SDF in the reflected QOS indication information. This setting may be, for example, setting the RQI field (for example, setting the RQI field to 1), and the value of the RQI field in other downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF that has not been set is defaulted to 0.

In some embodiments, some downlink data packets may be continuous or discontinuous.

In some embodiments, the settings performed by the UPF network element are used to instruct the UE to generate QOS rules for at least part of the uplink data packets corresponding to the SDF.

In the above embodiment, the UPF network element only performs settings on the RQI field in part of the downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF based on the reflected QOS indication information, and does not set the RQI field in other downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF except this part of the downlink data packets. The RQI field execution setting. In this way, since the UPF network element does not need to set the RQI field in each downlink data packet corresponding to the SDF, the waste of communication resources is reduced and the transmission rate of effective data is improved (that is, the rate of effective data during the transmission process is improved). proportion) and reduce the working pressure of UPF network elements.

In addition, on the one hand, it reduces the time it takes for UPF network elements to set the RQI field, thereby improving data transmission efficiency; on the other hand, neither the network side nor the UE needs to set a backoff timer, simplifying The operation of applying the reflective QOS mechanism is easy to implement.

In some embodiments, the reflected QOS indication information may be generated by the SMF network element and sent to the UPF network element. In other embodiments, the reflected QOS indication information may be generated by the Policy Control Function (PCF) network element and sent to the SMF network element, and then sent by the SMF network element to the UPF network element.

In this way, changes to the existing network architecture and the interaction process between network elements are relatively small, and it is easy to implement the above technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure.

In the embodiment of this disclosure, unless otherwise specified, "downlink data packet corresponding to SDF" and "uplink data packet corresponding to SDF" refer to the downlink data packet and uplink data packet corresponding to the same service, and "partial downlink data packet" refers to the Downlink data packet that performs setting of RQI field.

In some embodiments, part of the downlink data packets may include n downlink data packets, n≥1.

In some cases, some downlink data packets may include n discontinuous downlink data packets, n≥2. For example, some downlink data packets may be M discontinuous downlink data packets, M≥3.

In other cases, part of the downlink data packets may include n consecutive downlink data packets. For example, some downlink data packets may be n consecutive downlink data packets, n≥2.

The following will first describe the situation in which some downlink data packets include n discontinuous downlink data packets with reference to some embodiments.

In some embodiments, corresponding m downlink data packets may be spaced between two adjacent downlink data packets in some downlink data packets, m≥1. In some embodiments, the reflected QOS indication information received by the UPF network element may carry the value of m. For example, m downlink data packets corresponding to the interval between the first downlink data packet and the second downlink data packet in the partial downlink data packet; the interval between the second downlink data packet and the third downlink data packet in the partial downlink data packet The corresponding m downlink data packets; and so on.

In some embodiments, at least two m values are the same, that is, there are at least two groups of downlink data packets separated by the same number of downlink data packets, wherein each group of downlink data packets includes adjacent Two downstream packets. For example, the first group of downlink data packets includes the first downlink data packet and the second downlink data packet in the partial downlink data packets; the second group of downlink data packets includes the second downlink data packet and the second downlink data packet in the partial downlink data packets. 3 downstream packets; and so on.

In some embodiments, any two values of m are the same, that is, the same number of downlink data packets are spaced between any two adjacent downlink data packets.

In some embodiments, the greater the number of downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF per unit time, the greater the value of m. For example, since the number of downlink data packets corresponding to the voice service data flow per unit time is usually larger than that of the web browsing service The number of downlink data packets corresponding to the data flow is larger. Therefore, the value of m when SDF is a voice service data flow is greater than the value of m when SDF is a web browsing service data flow. For example, when SDF is a voice service data flow, the value of m may be 50, and when SDF is a web browsing service data flow, the value of m may be 10.

In this way, the value of m can be set according to the service type corresponding to the SDF to further improve data transmission efficiency.

In some embodiments, the setting performed by the UPF network element on the RQI field in some downlink data packets can be used to instruct the UE to generate an uplink data packet corresponding to the previous downlink data packet in two adjacent downlink data packets and the corresponding uplink data packet. QOS rules for the uplink data packets corresponding to the m downlink data packets corresponding to the two adjacent downlink data packets.

In some embodiments, the first downlink data packet in the partial downlink data packets may be the first downlink data packet corresponding to the SDF. In this case, some downlink data packets may include the x(m+1)+1th downlink data packet corresponding to the SDF, x≥0, and x is an integer.

Assume m=9, that is, some downlink data packets include the first downlink data packet, the 11th downlink data packet, the 21st downlink data packet and the 31st downlink data packet corresponding to the SDF.

The setting performed by the UPF network element on the RQI field in this part of the downlink data packet can be used to instruct the UE to generate the uplink data packet corresponding to the first downlink data packet and the interval between the first downlink data packet and the 11th downlink data packet. QOS rules for the uplink data packets corresponding to the 9 downlink data packets, and generate the uplink data packet corresponding to the 11th downlink data packet and the 9 downlink data intervals between the 11th downlink data packet and the 21st downlink data packet The QOS rules of the upstream data packet corresponding to the packet, and so on, which will not be described again here.

In other embodiments, the first downlink data packet in the partial downlink data packet may be any downlink data packet among other downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF except the first downlink data packet. In this case, some downlink data packets may include the x(m+1)+yth downlink data packet corresponding to the SDF, y≥2, and y is an integer.

Assuming m=9, y=3, some downlink data packets may include the 3rd downlink data packet, the 13th downlink data packet, the 23rd downlink data packet and the 33rd downlink data packet corresponding to the SDF. That is, the first downlink data packet among the partial downlink data packets is the third downlink data packet corresponding to the SDF.

The setting performed by the UPF network element on the RQI field in this part of the downlink data packet can be used to instruct the UE to generate the uplink data packet corresponding to the third downlink data packet and the interval between the third downlink data packet and the 13th downlink data packet. QOS rules for the uplink data packets corresponding to the 9 downlink data packets, and generate the uplink data packet corresponding to the 13th downlink data packet and the 9 downlink data intervals between the 13th downlink data packet and the 23rd downlink data packet The QOS rules of the upstream data packet corresponding to the packet, and so on, which will not be described again here.

In some embodiments, the UPF network element may also receive the second reflection QOS indication information, and stop setting the RQI field in some downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF according to the second reflection QOS indication information. Here, the second reflected QOS indication information may include the identification of the SDF.

It should be understood that, for the convenience of distinction, the reflected QOS indication information received by the UPF network element that only performs setting of the RQI field in part of the downlink data packet corresponding to the SDF is called "first reflective QOS indication information", and the reflected QOS indication information received by the UPF network element is The reflective QOS indication information that stops performing settings on the RQI field in this part of the downlink data packet is called "second reflective QOS indication information".

For example, the UPF network element can only respond to the 3rd downlink data packet, the 13th downlink data packet, the 23rd downlink data packet and the 33rd downlink data packet corresponding to the SDF based on the received first reflection QOS indication information. The RQI field in the packet performs the setting. If the UPF network element receives the second reflection QOS indication information before setting the RQI field in the 43rd downlink data packet, the UPF network element will stop setting the RQI field in the 43rd downlink data packet and subsequent downlink data packets. Execute the setup. After this stop, the UPF network element can also restart performing the setting of the RQI field according to the first reflected QOS indication information received again subsequently.

In this way, the network side can be allowed to stop using the reflective QoS mechanism at any time and adjust QoS related policies and execution in a timely manner.

In some embodiments, at least one of the first reflected QOS indication information and the second reflected QOS indication information may be sent by the SMF network element to the UPF network element.

In some embodiments, at least one of the first reflected QOS indication information and the second reflected QOS indication information may be generated by the SMF network element and sent to the UPF network element. In other embodiments, at least one of the first reflected QOS indication information and the second reflected QOS indication information may be generated by the PCF network element and sent to the SMF network element, and then sent by the SMF network element to the UPF network element.

In some embodiments, the first reflected QOS indication information may include a QOS Enforcement Rule (QER) and a value of m.

In some embodiments, the value of m may be located in the QER, ie, the QER carries the value of m. In this way, the UPF network element can obtain the value of m by receiving QER.

In some embodiments, the UPF network element can insert the value of m into some downlink data packets, so that some downlink data packets carry the value of m, and the UE can obtain the value of m by receiving the partial downlink data packets.

In some embodiments, the first downlink data packet in the partial downlink data packet may carry at least part of the downlink data packet. The value of m corresponding to the first downlink data packet and the second downlink data packet in the row data packet.

In some embodiments, the number of partial downlink data packets is M, M≥3. The first downlink data packet in the partial downlink data packet can also carry the value of m corresponding to the i-th downlink data packet and the i+1-th downlink data packet in the partial downlink data packet, 2≤i≤M-1 . For example, in addition to the m value corresponding to the first downlink data packet and the second downlink data packet, the first downlink data packet in some downlink data packets can also carry the second downlink data packet and the third downlink data packet. The value of m corresponding to the downlink data packet. The values of these two m can be the same or different.

In some embodiments, the previous downlink data packet among the two adjacent downlink data packets in the partial downlink data packet may carry the value of m corresponding to the two downlink data packets.

For example, after receiving the previous downlink data packet among the two adjacent downlink data packets in the partial downlink data packet, the UE can start the counter according to the value of m carried in the previous downlink data packet and generate the previous downlink data. QOS rules for the uplink data packet corresponding to the packet and the uplink data packet corresponding to the m downlink data packets corresponding to the two downlink data packets. After the QOS rule of the uplink data packet corresponding to the last downlink data packet among the m downlink data packets is generated, the aforementioned counter is reset to zero. At this time, if the UE receives the latter of the two downlink data packets and the RQI field in the latter downlink data packet is set, the UE can start based on the value of m carried in the latter downlink data packet. counter and perform the previous steps similarly. It should be understood that the value of m carried in the previous downlink data packet and the latter downlink data packet of the two downlink data packets may be the same or different.

Next, the case where some downlink data packets include n consecutive downlink data packets will be described with reference to some embodiments.

In some embodiments, the consecutive n downlink data packets may be the 1st to nth downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF. In this case, the setting performed by the UPF network element on the RQI field in some downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF can be used to instruct the UE to generate QOS rules for all uplink data packets corresponding to the SDF.

In other embodiments, the consecutive n downlink data packets may be any n consecutive downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF except the first downlink data packet. In this case, the setting performed by the UPF network element on the RQI field in the partial downlink data packet corresponding to the SDF can be used to instruct the UE to only generate the partial uplink data packet corresponding to the SDF (for example, the first of any n consecutive downlink data packets). QOS rules for the uplink data packet corresponding to the first downlink data packet and the uplink data packets corresponding to all downlink data packets after the first downlink data packet).

For example, the 10 consecutive downlink data packets can be the 3rd to 12th downlink data packet corresponding to the SDF. The UPF network element executes the RQI field in the 3rd to 12th downlink data packet. The settings can be used to instruct the UE to only generate QOS rules for the uplink data packet corresponding to the 3rd downlink data packet and all downlink data packets after the 3rd downlink data packet, without generating QOS rules for the 1st downlink data packet. QOS rules for the downlink data packet and part of the uplink data packet corresponding to the second downlink data packet.

In some embodiments, the greater the number of downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF per unit time, the smaller the value of n. For example, since the number of downlink data packets corresponding to the voice service data flow per unit time is usually greater than the number of downlink data packets corresponding to the web browsing service data flow, the value of n when SDF is a voice service data flow It is smaller than the value of n when SDF is a web browsing service data flow. For example, when the SDF is a voice service data flow, the value of n may be 5, and when the SDF is a web browsing service data flow, the value of n may be 10.

In this way, the value of n can be set according to the service type corresponding to the SDF to further improve data transmission efficiency.

In some embodiments, the reflected QOS indication information received by the UPF network element may include the value of QER and n.

In some embodiments, the value of n may be located in the QER, ie, the QER carries the value of n. In this way, the UPF network element can obtain the value of n by receiving QER.

In some embodiments, the UPF network element may send part of the downlink data packets to the UE via the Access Network (AN), so that the UE generates QOS rules for at least part of the uplink data packets corresponding to the SDF based on the part of the downlink data packets.

Next, the steps that the UE can perform are described with reference to some embodiments.

Figure 2 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to other embodiments of the present disclosure.

The communication method according to other embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps 202 to 204 shown in FIG. 2 .

In step 202, the UE receives some downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF from the UPF network element.

Here, the RQI field in some downlink data packets is set, and the RQI field in other downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF is not set. For example, the RQI field in some downlink data packets is set (for example, the RQI field is set to 1), while the value of the RQI field in other downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF defaults to 0.

In some embodiments, some downlink data packets received by the UE may be continuous or discontinuous.

In step 204, the UE generates QOS rules for at least part of the uplink data packets corresponding to the SDF based on the part of the downlink data packets.

In some embodiments, when a partial downlink data packet includes n discontinuous downlink data packets, the UE may generate the previous downlink of two adjacent downlink data packets in the partial data packet based on the partial downlink data packet. QOS rules for the uplink data packet corresponding to the data packet and the uplink data packet corresponding to the m downlink data packets corresponding to the two downlink data packets.

In this case, two adjacent downlink data packets in some downlink data packets can be separated by corresponding m downlink data packets, m≥1.

In other embodiments, when some downlink data packets include n consecutive downlink data packets, as some implementations, if the n consecutive downlink data packets are the 1st to nth downlink data corresponding to the SDF packets, the UE can generate QOS rules for all uplink data packets corresponding to the SDF based on part of the downlink data packets; as another implementation method, if the n consecutive downlink data packets are corresponding to the SDF except for the first downlink data packet For any n downlink data packets, the UE can generate QOS rules for the partial uplink data packets corresponding to the SDF based on the partial downlink data packets (for example, any n downlink data packets and the partial uplink data packets corresponding to all subsequent downlink data packets).

As some implementations of step 204, the UE may generate QOS rules for the uplink data packet corresponding to the previous downlink data packet and the uplink data packet corresponding to the m downlink data packets according to the partial downlink data packet.

For other specific descriptions of the method shown in Figure 2, please refer to the related embodiments of the method shown in Figure 1, and will not be described again here.

The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure will be further described below with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 .

Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to further embodiments of the present disclosure.

The communication method according to other embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps 302 to 318 shown in FIG. 3 .

In step 302, the PCF network element determines whether the SDF needs to adopt the reflective QOS mechanism.

In some embodiments, the PCF network element can determine whether the SDF needs to use the QOS reflection mechanism based on the service requirements corresponding to the SDF.

If it is determined that the SDF needs to use the reflective QOS mechanism, step 304 is continued.

In step 304, the PCF network element generates reflected QOS indication information (in some embodiments, the reflected QOS indication information is first reflected QOS indication information).

Here, the reflected QOS indication information may carry the identifier of the SDF.

In step 306, the PCF network element sends the reflected QOS indication information to the SMF network element.

In step 308, the SMF network element sends the reflected QOS indication information to the UPF network element.

Here, the reflected QOS indication information is used to instruct the UPF network element to only respond to some of the downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF. The RQI field execution setting.

For example, in the case where some downlink data packets include n consecutive downlink data packets, the reflected QOS indication information may include QER and the value of n.

For example, in the case where some downlink data packets include n discontinuous downlink data packets and corresponding m downlink data packets are spaced between two adjacent downlink data packets, the reflected QOS indication information (in this case, reflected The QOS indication information (the first reflected QOS indication information) may include QER and the value of m.

In step 310, the UPF network element only sets the RQI field in some downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF according to the reflected QOS indication information.

In step 312, the UPF network element sends part of the downlink data packet to the AN.

For example, AN can be a Radio Access Network (RAN).

In step 314, the AN sends part of the downlink data packet to the UE.

In some embodiments, the UPF network element sends all downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF to the AN, and the AN forwards them to the UE. Among all the downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF, only the RQI field in some downlink data packets is set, and the RQI field in other downlink data packets except this part of the downlink data packet is not set.

In step 316, the UE generates QOS rules for at least part of the uplink data packets corresponding to the SDF based on the part of the downlink data packets.

In step 318, the UE performs control on at least part of the uplink data packets corresponding to the SDF according to the generated QOS rules.

For specific description of the method shown in Figure 3, please refer to the related embodiments of the methods shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2, and will not be described again here.

Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to still some embodiments of the present disclosure.

The communication method according to other embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps 402 to 416 shown in FIG. 4 .

In step 402, the SMF network element determines whether the SDF needs to adopt the reflective QOS mechanism.

In some embodiments, the SMF network element can determine whether the SDF needs to use the QOS reflection mechanism based on the service requirements corresponding to the SDF.

If it is determined that the SDF needs to use the reflective QOS mechanism, continue to step 404.

In step 404, the SMF network element generates reflected QOS indication information (in some embodiments, the reflected QOS indication information is first reflected QOS indication information).

In step 406, the SMF network element sends the reflected QOS indication information to the UPF network element.

Here, the reflected QOS indication information is used to instruct the UPF network element to only perform setting of the RQI field in some downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF.

In step 408, the UPF network element only sets the RQI field in some downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF according to the reflected QOS indication information.

In step 410, the UPF network element sends part of the downlink data packet to the AN.

In step 412, the AN sends part of the downlink data packet to the UE.

In step 414, the UE generates QOS rules for at least part of the uplink data packets corresponding to the SDF based on the part of the downlink data packets.

In step 416, the UE performs control on at least part of the uplink data packets corresponding to the SDF according to the generated QOS rules.

For specific descriptions of steps 406 to 416, please refer to the relevant descriptions of steps 308 to 318, and will not be described again here.

Each embodiment in this specification is described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on its differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. For the UPF network element and UE embodiments, since they basically correspond to the method embodiments, the description is relatively simple. For relevant details, please refer to the partial description of the method embodiments.

An embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a communication device, which includes a receiving module and a setting module. Here, the receiving module may be configured to receive the first reflected quality of service QOS indication information; the setting module may be configured to perform reflective QOS setting only on part of the downlink data packets corresponding to the service data flow according to the first reflected QOS indication information.

Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a UPF network element according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in Figure 5, the UPF network element 500 includes a receiving module 501 and a setting module 502.

The receiving module 501 may be configured to receive reflected QOS indication information (in some embodiments, the reflected QOS indication information is the first reflected QOS indication information).

Here, the reflected QOS indication information includes the identification of the service data flow SDF.

The setting module 502 may be configured to perform setting only on the reflection QOS indication RQI field in some downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF according to the reflection QOS indication information.

In some embodiments, the setting module 502 may be configured to perform settings on only the reflection QOS indication RQI field in part of the downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF according to the reflection QOS indication information, where this part of the downlink data packet The packets are not continuous.

In some embodiments, the UPF network element 500 may also include other modules that perform other operations described above.

Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a UE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in Figure 6, UE 600 includes a receiving module 601 and a generating module 602.

The receiving module 601 may be configured to receive partial downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF from the UPF network element. Here, the RQI field in some downlink data packets is set, and the RQI field in other downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF is not set.

In some embodiments, the receiving module 601 may be configured to receive discontinuous partial downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF from the UPF network element.

The generation module 602 may be configured to generate QOS rules for at least part of the uplink data packets corresponding to the SDF according to the part of the downlink data packets.

In some embodiments, UE 600 may also include other modules that perform other operations described above.

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the electronic device 700 includes a memory 701 and a processor 702 coupled to the memory 701 . The processor 702 is configured to execute the method of any of the foregoing embodiments based on instructions stored in the memory 701 .

Memory 701 may include, for example, system memory, fixed non-volatile storage media, and the like. System memory may store, for example, operating systems, application programs, boot loaders, and other programs.

The electronic device 700 may also include an input/output interface 703, a network interface 704, a storage interface 705, and the like. These interfaces 703, 704, and 705, and the memory 701 and the processor 702 may be connected through a bus 706, for example. The input and output interface 703 provides a connection interface for input and output devices such as a monitor, mouse, keyboard, and touch screen. Network interface 704 provides a connection interface for various networked devices. The storage interface 705 provides a connection interface for external storage devices such as SD cards and USB disks.

In some embodiments, the electronic device 700 may be a UPF network element or a UE.

As shown in Figure 8, the communication system 800 includes the UPF network element 801 of any of the above embodiments (for example, the UPF network element 801 is the UPF network element 500/700) and the SMF network element 802.

The SMF network element 802 may be configured to send reflected QOS indication information to the UPF network element 801 (in some embodiments, the reflected QOS indication information is the first reflected QOS indication information), where the reflected QOS indication information includes the identification of the SDF.

In some embodiments, communication system 800 may also include PCF network element 803. The PCF network element 803 may be configured to generate reflected QOS indication information and send the reflected QOS indication information to the SMF network element 802.

In some embodiments, the communication system 800 may further include an AN configured to receive a portion of the data packet from the UPF network element 801 and send the portion of the data packet to the UE.

In some embodiments, the communication system 800 may also include the UE 804 of any of the above embodiments (such as UE 600/700).

Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer-readable storage medium, including computer program instructions. When the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the method of any of the above embodiments is implemented.

An embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a computer program product, including a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method of any of the above embodiments is implemented.

Up to this point, various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail. To avoid obscuring the concepts of the present disclosure, some details that are well known in the art have not been described. Based on the above description, those skilled in the art can completely understand how to implement the technical solution disclosed here.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Accordingly, the present disclosure may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment that combines software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable non-transitory storage media (including, but not limited to, disk memory, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) having computer-usable program code embodied therein. .

The disclosure is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the disclosure. It will be understood that the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart illustrations and/or in one block or blocks in the block diagrams can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, such that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a use A device for realizing the functions specified in one process or multiple processes of the flowchart and/or one block or multiple blocks of the block diagram.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that causes a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to operate in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including the instruction means, the instructions The device implements the functions specified in a process or processes of the flowchart and/or a block or blocks of the block diagram.

These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that when the computer A series of operational steps are executed on a computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, whereby the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide for implementing a process or processes in a flowchart and/or a block diagram The steps for a function specified in a box or boxes.

Although some specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail through examples, those skilled in the art will understand that the above examples are for illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art should understand that the above embodiments can be modified or some technical features can be equivalently replaced without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

A method of communication including:

The user plane function UPF network element receives the first reflected quality of service QOS indication information, where the first reflected QOS indication information includes the identification of the service data flow SDF;

The UPF network element only performs settings on the reflection QOS indication RQI field in part of the downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF according to the first reflection QOS indication information, and the part of the downlink data packets are discontinuous.
A method of communication including:

Receive the first reflected quality of service QOS indication information;

According to the first reflective QOS indication information, reflective QOS setting is performed only on part of the downlink data packets corresponding to the service data flow.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein two adjacent downlink data packets in the partial downlink data packets are separated by corresponding m downlink data packets, and at least two m have the same value, m≥1 .
The method of claim 3, wherein any two values of m are the same.
The method according to claim 4, wherein the partial downlink data packet includes the x(m+1)+1th downlink data packet corresponding to the SDF, x≥0, and x is an integer.
The method according to claim 3, wherein the greater the number of downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF per unit time, the greater the value of m.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein two adjacent downlink data packets in the partial downlink data packets are spaced by corresponding m downlink data packets, m≥1, and the setting is used to indicate to the user The device UE generates QOS rules for the uplink data packet corresponding to the previous downlink data packet in the two downlink data packets and the uplink data packet corresponding to the m downlink data packets.
The method according to claim 7, wherein the first downlink number in the partial downlink data packet The data packet at least carries the value of m corresponding to the first downlink data packet and the second downlink data packet in the partial downlink data packet.
The method according to claim 8, wherein the number of the partial downlink data packets is M, and the first downlink data packet in the partial downlink data packets also carries the i-th partial downlink data packet. The value of m corresponding to the downlink data packet and the i+1th downlink data packet, 2≤i≤M-1, M≥3.
The method according to claim 7, wherein the previous one of the two downlink data packets carries the value of m corresponding to the two downlink data packets.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein two adjacent downlink data packets in the partial downlink data packets are separated by corresponding m downlink data packets, m≥1, and the first reflected QOS indication The information includes the QOS execution rule QER and the value of m.
The method of claim 11, wherein the value of m is located in the QER.
The method according to any one of claims 1-12, wherein the method is executed by a UPF network element, and the method further includes:

The UPF network element receives second reflected QOS indication information, and the second reflected QOS indication information includes the identification of the SDF;

The UPF network element stops executing the setting according to the second reflected QOS indication information.
The method according to any one of claims 1-12, wherein the method is executed by a UPF network element, and the method further includes:

The UPF network element sends the partial downlink data packet to the user equipment UE via the access network, so that the UE generates QOS rules for at least part of the uplink data packet corresponding to the SDF based on the partial downlink data packet.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the method is executed by a UPF network element, and the first reflected QOS indication information is sent to the UPF network element by a session management function SMF network element.
The method according to claim 15, wherein the first reflected QOS indication information is generated by the SMF network element, or is generated by a policy control function PCF network element and sent to the SMF network element.
A method of communication including:

The UE receives discontinuous partial downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF from the UPF network element. The RQI field in the partial downlink data packet is set. The SDF corresponds to other downlink data except the partial downlink data packet. The RQI field in the packet has not been set as described;

The UE generates QOS rules for at least part of the uplink data packets corresponding to the SDF according to the part of the downlink data packets.
The method according to claim 17, wherein two adjacent downlink data packets in the partial downlink data packets are separated by corresponding m downlink data packets, m≥1, and the UE The QOS rules for generating at least part of the uplink data packets corresponding to the SDF include:

The UE generates QOS rules for the uplink data packet corresponding to the previous one of the two downlink data packets and the uplink data packet corresponding to the m downlink data packets based on the partial downlink data packet.
The method according to claim 17 or 18, wherein two adjacent downlink data packets in the partial downlink data packets are spaced by corresponding m downlink data packets, and at least two m have the same value, m≥1 .
The method of claim 19, wherein any two values of m are the same.
A user plane functional network element, including:

A receiving module configured to receive first reflected QOS indication information, where the first reflected QOS indication information includes an identifier of the service data flow SDF;

The setting module is configured to set only the reflective QOS indication RQI field in the partial downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF according to the first reflective QOS indication information, and the partial downlink data packets are discontinuous.
A user plane functional network element, including:

memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory configured to execute instructions based on instructions stored in the memory The method described in any one of claims 1-16.
A communication device including:

A receiving module configured to receive the first reflected quality of service QOS indication information;

The setting module is configured to perform reflective QOS setting only on part of the downlink data packets corresponding to the service data flow according to the first reflective QOS indication information.
A user device including:

The receiving module is configured to receive discontinuous partial downlink data packets corresponding to the SDF from the UPF network element. The RQI field in the partial downlink data packet is set. The SDF corresponding to the partial downlink data packet is other than the partial downlink data packet. The RQI field in other downlink data packets has not been set as described above;

A generating module configured to generate QOS rules for at least part of the uplink data packets corresponding to the SDF according to the part of the downlink data packets.
A user device including:

memory; and

A processor coupled to the memory is configured to perform the method of any one of claims 17-20 based on instructions stored in the memory.
A communications system including:

The user plane functional network element according to claim 21 or 22; and

The SMF network element is configured to send the first reflected QOS indication information to the UPF network element, where the first reflected QOS indication information includes the identifier of the SDF.
The system of claim 26, further comprising:

The PCF network element is configured to generate the first reflected QOS indication information and send the first reflected QOS indication information to the SMF network element.
The system of claim 26 or 27, further comprising:

The user equipment according to claim 24 or 25.
A computer-readable storage medium includes computer program instructions, wherein when the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the method of any one of claims 1-20 is implemented.
A computer program product includes a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method of any one of claims 1-20 is implemented.