WO2025209383A1 - Communication method, communication apparatus, and communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a communication method, a communication apparatus, and a communication system. In the method, with respect to an MoQ message, if the MoQ message comprises a plurality of objects, the plurality of objects can be mapped, on the basis of mapping rules, into corresponding QoS flows for transmission, such that the mapping from the objects in the MoQ message to the QoS flows is realized, and the QoS transmission requirements of different objects can be met, and thus the user experience can also be improved.

Description

Communication method, communication device and communication system

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on April 3, 2024, with application number 202410404623.9 and invention name "Communication Method, Communication Device and Communication System", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application.

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, a communication device, and a communication system.

Background Art

In fifth-generation (5G) communication systems, service flows are filtered based on Internet Protocol (IP) quintuple information and mapped to Quality of Service (QoS) flows for transmission. For example, a service's corresponding service flow may include a video stream and an audio stream, each corresponding to a different IP quintuple information. The 5G system processes the data packets based on the IP quintuple information included in the received data. For example, it may map the video stream's data packets to QoS flow #1 and the audio stream's data packets to QoS flow #2, thus ensuring QoS for each service flow through different QoS flows.

However, for different service flows transmitted via the MoQ protocol, each service flow can transmit at least one MoQ message, each containing one or more objects. Service flow objects transmitted on the same QUIC connection reuse the same IP quintuple. Therefore, the 5G system cannot use the IP quintuple information to perform QoS flow mapping for service flow objects on the same connection. QUIC stands for Quick UDP Internet Connections, and MoQ stands for Media over QUIC.

Summary of the Invention

The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, a communication device, and a communication system for improving user experience.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by a first network element or a module (such as a chip) in the first network element. The first network element is a policy control network element or a session management network element. The method includes: determining a first mapping rule, the first mapping rule being used to indicate the first message type of each MoQ message in at least two MoQ messages, and indicating a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and the first message type and a first parameter of each of the MoQ messages, the first parameter including information about the object in the MoQ message, the first message type of the MoQ message indicating that the MoQ message contains multiple objects; the objects in each MoQ message are transmitted through the same connection; and sending the first mapping rule, the first mapping rule being used to map the objects in the at least two MoQ messages to corresponding QoS flows.

Based on the above solution, for a MoQ message, if the MoQ message includes multiple objects, the multiple objects can be mapped to corresponding QoS flows for transmission based on the first mapping rule, thereby realizing the mapping of objects in the MoQ message to QoS flows, which can meet the QoS transmission requirements of different objects, thereby improving the user experience.

In a possible implementation method, the first network element is a policy control network element; the method further includes: receiving the first message type and the first parameter from an application function network element.

In a possible implementation method, the first network element is a policy control network element; the method further includes: receiving indication information from an application function network element, the indication information being used to instruct identification of the type of the MoQ message; and sending the indication information to a session management network element.

In a possible implementation method, the first network element is a session management network element; the method further includes: receiving the first message type and the first parameter from a policy control network element.

In a possible implementation method, the first network element is a session management network element; the method further includes: receiving indication information from a policy control network element, the indication information being used to instruct identification of the type of the MoQ message, and sending the indication information to a user plane network element.

In a possible implementation method, the information of the object in the MoQ message includes at least one of a priority of the object, a candidate value of a track field in the MoQ message, or a candidate value of a group field in the MoQ message.

In one possible implementation method, the method further includes: determining a second mapping rule, the second mapping rule being used to indicate PDU set QoS processing for an object in a MoQ message of a second message type, the second message type being used to indicate a MoQ message containing an object; and sending the second mapping rule.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by a user plane network element or a module (such as a chip) in the user plane network element. The method includes: receiving a first MoQ message; if the first MoQ message is identified as a MoQ message of a first message type, mapping the object in the first MoQ message to a corresponding QoS flow according to a first mapping rule; wherein the first mapping rule is used to indicate the first message type of each MoQ message in at least two MoQ messages, and to indicate a mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the first message type and first parameter of each MoQ message, the first parameter including information about the object in the MoQ message, the first message type of the MoQ message indicating that the MoQ message contains multiple objects; and the objects in each MoQ message are transmitted through the same connection.

Based on the above solution, for the first MoQ message, if the first MoQ message includes multiple objects, the multiple objects can be mapped to corresponding QoS flows for transmission based on the first mapping rule, thereby realizing the mapping of objects in the MoQ message to QoS flows, which can meet the QoS transmission requirements of different objects, thereby improving the user experience.

In a possible implementation method, the information of the object in the MoQ message includes at least one of a priority of the object, a candidate value of a track field in the MoQ message, or a candidate value of a group field in the MoQ message.

In a possible implementation method, the method further includes: if it is identified that the first MoQ message is a MoQ message of the second message type, performing PDU aggregate QoS processing on the first MoQ message according to a second mapping rule;

The second mapping rule is used to indicate that PDU set QoS processing is performed on the object in the MoQ message of the second message type, and the second message type is used to indicate a MoQ message containing one object.

In a possible implementation method, the method further includes: receiving indication information, where the indication information is used to instruct identification of a type of the MoQ message; and identifying the type of the first MoQ message according to the indication information.

In a third aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, which can be performed by an application function network element or a module (e.g., a chip) within the application function network element. The method includes: sending a first message type and a first parameter to a first network element; wherein the first message type is used to indicate an MoQ message containing multiple objects, and the first parameter includes the priority of the objects in the MoQ message of the first message type.

In a possible implementation method, the method further includes: sending a second message type to the first network element, where the second message type is used to indicate a MoQ message containing an object.

In a possible implementation method, the method further includes: sending indication information to the first network element, where the indication information is used to instruct identification of the type of the MoQ message.

In a possible implementation method, the first network element is a policy control network element or a session management network element.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a first network element or a module (such as a chip) in the first network element. The first network element is a policy control network element or a session management network element. The method includes: determining a mapping rule, the mapping rule being used to indicate the first message type or the second message type of each MoQ message in at least two MoQ messages, and indicating a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and the first message type and a first parameter of each MoQ message, and/or a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and the second message type and a second parameter of each MoQ message, the first message type being used to indicate a flow-by-flow MoQ message, the first parameter including information about an object in a MoQ message of the first message type; the second message type being used to indicate a packet-by-packet MoQ message, the second parameter including information about an object in a MoQ message of the second message type; the objects in each MoQ message being transmitted over the same connection; and sending the mapping rule, the mapping rule being used to map the objects in the at least two MoQ messages to corresponding QoS flows.

Based on the above solution, for a MoQ message, if the MoQ message includes multiple objects, the multiple objects can be mapped to corresponding QoS flows for transmission based on the mapping rules. If the MoQ message includes one object, the one object can also be mapped to the corresponding QoS flow for transmission based on the mapping rules. This implements the mapping of objects in the MoQ message to QoS flows, can meet the QoS transmission requirements of different objects, and thus can improve user experience.

In a possible implementation method, the first network element is a policy control network element; the method further includes: receiving the first message type, the first parameter, the second message type, and the second parameter from an application function network element.

In a possible implementation method, the first network element is a policy control network element; the method further includes: receiving indication information from an application function network element, the indication information being used to indicate identification of the type of the MoQ message; and sending the indication information to a session management network element.

In a possible implementation method, the first network element is a session management network element; the method further includes: receiving the first message type, the first parameter, the second message type, and the second parameter from a policy control network element.

In a possible implementation method, the first network element is a session management network element; the method further includes: receiving indication information from a policy control network element, the indication information being used to indicate identification of the type of the MoQ message; and sending the indication information to a user plane network element.

In a possible implementation method, the information of the object in the MoQ message of the first message type includes at least one of the priority of the object in the MoQ message of the first message type, the candidate value of the track field in the MoQ message of the first message type, or the candidate value of the group field in the MoQ message of the first message type; the information of the object in the MoQ message of the second message type includes at least one of the priority of the object in the MoQ message of the second message type, the candidate value of the track field in the MoQ message of the second message type, or the candidate value of the group field in the MoQ message of the second message type.

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a user plane network element or a module (such as a chip) in the user plane network element. The method includes: receiving a first MoQ message; if the first MoQ message is identified as a MoQ message of a first message type, mapping the object in the first MoQ message to a corresponding QoS flow according to a mapping rule; or, if the first MoQ message is a MoQ message of a second message type, mapping the object in the first MoQ message to a corresponding QoS flow according to the mapping rule; wherein the mapping rule is used to indicate the first message type or the second message type of each MoQ message in at least two MoQ messages, and to indicate a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and the first message type and first parameter of each MoQ message, and/or a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and the second message type and second parameter of each MoQ message, the first message type is used to indicate a flow-by-flow MoQ message, the first parameter includes information about the object in the MoQ message of the first message type; the second message type is used to indicate a packet-by-packet MoQ message, the second parameter includes information about the object in the MoQ message of the second message type; the objects in each MoQ message are transmitted over the same connection.

Based on the above solution, for the first MoQ message, if the first MoQ message includes multiple objects, the multiple objects can be mapped to corresponding QoS flows for transmission based on the mapping rules. If the first MoQ message includes one object, the one object can also be mapped to the corresponding QoS flow for transmission based on the mapping rules. This implements the mapping of objects in the MoQ message to QoS flows, can meet the QoS transmission requirements of different objects, and thus can improve user experience.

In a possible implementation method, the information of the object in the MoQ message of the first message type includes at least one of the priority of the object in the MoQ message of the first message type, the candidate value of the track field in the MoQ message of the first message type, or the candidate value of the group field in the MoQ message of the first message type; the information of the object in the MoQ message of the second message type includes at least one of the priority of the object in the MoQ message of the second message type, the candidate value of the track field in the MoQ message of the second message type, or the candidate value of the group field in the MoQ message of the second message type.

In a possible implementation method, the method further includes: receiving indication information, where the indication information is used to instruct identification of a type of the MoQ message; and identifying the type of the first MoQ message according to the indication information.

In a possible implementation method, the method further includes: receiving the mapping rule from a policy control network element or a session management network element.

In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by an application function network element or a module (such as a chip) in the application function network element. The method includes: sending the first message type, the first parameter, the second message type, and the second parameter to a first network element; wherein the first message type is used to indicate a flow-by-flow MoQ message, and the first parameter includes the priority of the object in the MoQ message of the first message type; the second message type is used to indicate a packet-by-packet MoQ message, and the second parameter includes the priority of the object in the MoQ message of the second message type.

In a possible implementation method, the method further includes: sending indication information to the first network element, where the indication information is used to instruct identification of the type of the MoQ message.

In a possible implementation method, the first network element is a policy control network element or a session management network element.

In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a first network element or a module (such as a chip) in the first network element. The device has the function of implementing any implementation method of the first or fourth aspects described above. The function may be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a user plane network element or a module (such as a chip) in a user plane network element. The device has the function of implementing any implementation method of the second or fifth aspect above. The function can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be an application function network element or a module (such as a chip) in an application function network element. The device has the function of implementing any implementation method of the third aspect or the sixth aspect above. The function can be implemented by hardware or by executing corresponding software implementation by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a unit or means for executing each step of any implementation method in the above-mentioned first to sixth aspects.

In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the processor is configured to communicate with other devices via the interface circuit and execute any of the implementation methods described in aspects 1 to 6 above. The processor comprises one or more.

Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory for storing computer instructions, the memory being coupled to a processor, and the processor executing the computer instructions stored in the memory so that the device executes any implementation method in the above-mentioned first to sixth aspects.

In the twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are run by a communication device, any implementation method in the above-mentioned first to sixth aspects is executed.

In the thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, which, when run on a communication device, enables any implementation method in the above-mentioned first to sixth aspects to be executed.

In the fourteenth aspect, the present application provides a chip (or chip system), which includes a processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, and the memory stores a computer program; the processor is used to call part or all of the computer program in the memory, so that any implementation method of the above-mentioned first to sixth aspects is executed.

In a fifteenth aspect, the present application provides a communication system comprising a first network element for executing any implementation method of the first aspect, and a user-side network element for executing any implementation method of the second aspect.

Optionally, the communication system also includes an application function network element for executing any implementation method of the third aspect.

In the sixteenth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, comprising a first network element for executing any implementation method of the fourth aspect, and a user-side network element for executing any implementation method of the fifth aspect.

Optionally, the communication system also includes an application function network element for executing any implementation method of the sixth aspect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a service-oriented architecture;

Figures 2(a) to 2(b) are schematic flow charts of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

3 to 6 are flow charts of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

7 and 8 are schematic structural diagrams of the communication device provided in the embodiments of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a service-oriented architecture. The 5G network architecture shown in Figure 1 includes the data network (DN) and the carrier network. The following briefly describes the functions of some of these network elements.

The operator network includes one or more of the following network elements: authentication server function (AUSF) network element, unified data repository (UDR) network element, policy control function (PCF) network element, unified data management (UDM) network element, access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, application function (AF) network element, session management function (SMF) network element, network repository function (NRF) network element, network exposure function (NEF) network element, user plane function (UPF) network element, access network (AN) equipment (the AN equipment in the figure is a radio access network (RAN) equipment as an example), etc. In the above-mentioned operator network, network elements or devices other than access network devices can be referred to as core network network elements or core network devices.

Access network equipment includes wired access network equipment and wireless access network equipment. Among them, wireless access network equipment can be a base station (base station), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a next-generation base station in a sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system; it can also be a module or unit that performs part of the functions of a base station, for example, a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the access network equipment.

Terminal devices that communicate with access network devices include terminals, user equipment (UE), mobile stations, mobile terminals, etc. The figure uses the UE as an example of a terminal device. Terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, wearable device, vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by the terminal device.

Access network equipment and terminal devices can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water; or in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of access network equipment and terminal devices.

The mobility management element (MNE) is primarily responsible for the attachment, mobility management, and tracking area update (TAU) processes of terminal devices in mobile networks. The MNE terminates non-access stratum (NAS) messages, completes registration management, connection management, reachability management, and mobility management, allocates tracking area lists (TA lists), and transparently routes session management (SM) messages to the session management element. In 5G communications, the MNE may be an AMF element. In future communications, such as the 6th generation (6G), the MNE may still be an AMF element or have other names, which are not limited in this application.

The session management network element is a control plane network element provided by the operator network, which is responsible for managing the protocol data unit (PDU) session of the terminal device. The PDU session is a channel for transmitting PDUs. The terminal device transmits PDUs to each other with the DN through the PDU session. The SMF network element is responsible for establishing, maintaining and deleting PDU sessions. The session management network element includes session management (such as session establishment, modification and release, including tunnel maintenance between user plane network elements and access network equipment), selection and control of user plane network elements, service and session continuity (SSC) mode selection, roaming and other session-related functions. In 5G communications, the session management network element can be an SMF network element. In future communications such as 6G communications, the session management network element can still be an SMF network element, or have other names, which are not limited in this application.

The user plane network element is a gateway provided by the operator and serves as the gateway for communication between the operator network and the DN. The user plane network element includes user plane-related functions such as packet routing and transmission, packet detection, service usage reporting, QoS processing, lawful interception, uplink packet detection, and downlink packet storage. In 5G communications, the user plane network element can be a UPF network element. In future communications such as 6G communications, the user plane network element can still be a UPF network element or have other names, which are not limited in this application.

The unified data management network element (UDME) is a control plane network element provided by the operator. It is responsible for storing information such as the subscriber permanent identifier (SUPI), credentials, security context, and subscription data of subscribers on the operator's network. This information stored by the DME can be used to authenticate and authorize terminal devices to access the operator's network. Subscribers on the operator's network can specifically be users who use services provided by the operator's network, such as users using China Telecom or China Mobile SIM cards. The SUPI of the subscriber can be, for example, the SIM card number. The credential and security context of the subscriber can be small files storing encryption keys or information related to the SIM card encryption, used for authentication and/or authorization. The security context can be data (cookies) or tokens stored on the user's local terminal (e.g., a mobile phone). The subscription data of the subscriber can be services associated with the SIM card, such as the SIM card's data plan or network usage. It should be noted that SUPI, credentials, security context, authentication data (cookie), and token are equivalent to authentication and authorization-related information. In this application document, for the sake of convenience of description, no distinction or restriction is made. Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments of this application will be described using security context as an example, but the embodiments of this application are also applicable to authentication and/or authorization information expressed in other ways. In 5G communications, the unified data management network element can be a UDM network element. In future communications such as 6G communications, the unified data management network element can still be a UDM network element, or have other names, which are not limited in this application.

The unified database network element is a control plane network element provided by the operator, which includes the access function of executing contract data, policy data, application data, and other types of data. In 5G communications, the unified database network element can be a UDR network element. In future communications such as 6G communications, the unified database network element can still be a UDR network element or have other names, which are not limited in this application.

The network open network element is a control plane network element provided by the operator. The network open network element opens the external interface of the operator network to a third party in a secure manner. When the session management network element needs to communicate with the network element of a third party, the network open network element can serve as a relay for the communication between the session management network element and the network element of the third party. When the network open network element acts as a relay, it can translate the identification information of the subscriber, as well as the identification information of the third-party network element. For example, when the network open network element sends the SUPI of the subscriber from the operator network to the third party, the SUPI can be translated into its corresponding external identity. Conversely, when the network open network element sends the external ID (the network element ID of the third party) to the operator network, it can be translated into SUPI. In 5G communication, the network open network element can be a NEF network element. In future communications such as 6G communication, the network open network element can still be a NEF network element, or have other names, which are not limited in this application.

The application function network element (AFNE) is used to communicate application-side requirements to the network, such as quality of service (QoS) requirements or user status event subscriptions. The AFNE can be a third-party functional entity or an application server deployed by the operator. In 5G communications, the AFNE can be an AFNE. In future communications such as 6G communications, the AFNE can still be an AFNE or have other names, which are not limited in this application.

The policy control network element is a control plane function provided by the operator, including user subscription data management, policy control, charging policy control, QoS control, etc. In 5G communications, the policy control network element can be a PCF network element. In future communications such as 6G communications, the policy control network element can still be a PCF network element or have other names, which are not limited in this application.

The network storage function network element can be used to provide network element discovery function, and provide network element information corresponding to the network element type based on the request of other network elements. The network storage function network element also provides network element management services, such as network element registration, update, deregistration, and network element status subscription and push. In 5G communication, the network storage function network element can be an NRF network element. In future communications such as 6G communication, the network storage function network element can still be an NRF network element, or have other names, which are not limited in this application.

A DN is a network located outside of a carrier network. A carrier network can connect to multiple DNs, and a variety of services can be deployed on the DN, providing data and/or voice services to terminal devices. For example, a DN is the private network of a smart factory. Sensors installed in the workshop can be terminal devices. The DN houses a sensor control server, which provides services to the sensors. Sensors can communicate with the control server, receive instructions from the control server, and transmit collected sensor data to the control server based on the instructions. Another example is a DN that is a company's internal office network. An employee's mobile phone or computer can be a terminal device, allowing them to access information and data resources on the company's internal office network.

In Figure 1, Nausf, Npcf, Nudr, Nudm, Naf, Namf, Nsmf, Nnrf, and Nnef are service-oriented interfaces provided by the AUSF network element, PCF network element, UDR network element, UDM network element, AF network element, AMF network element, SMF network element, NRF network element, and NEF network element, respectively, and are used to invoke corresponding service-oriented operations. N1, N2, N3, N4, and N6 are interface serial numbers, and their meanings are as follows:

1) N1: The interface between the AMF network element and the terminal device, which can be used to transmit non-access stratum (NAS) signaling (such as QoS rules from the AMF network element) to the terminal device.

2) N2: The interface between the AMF network element and the radio access network equipment, which can be used to transmit radio bearer control information from the core network side to the radio access network equipment.

3) N3: The interface between the wireless access network equipment and the UPF network element, mainly used to transmit uplink user plane data and/or downlink user plane data between the wireless access network equipment and the UPF network element.

4) N4: The interface between the SMF network element and the UPF network element, which can be used to transmit information between the control plane and the user plane, including controlling the issuance of forwarding rules, QoS rules, traffic statistics rules, etc. for the user plane and reporting information on the user plane.

5) N6: The interface between the UPF network element and the DN, used to transmit uplink user data flow and/or downlink user data flow between the UPF network element and the DN.

It is understood that the above-mentioned network element or function can be a network element in a hardware device, a software function running on dedicated hardware, or a virtualized function instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). Optionally, the above-mentioned network element or function can be implemented by a single device, or by multiple devices, or can be a functional module within a single device, and this is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

For ease of explanation, in the embodiment of the present application, the AMF network element, AF network element, UPF network element, SMF network element, and UE are respectively used as an example of a mobility management network element, an application function network element, a user plane network element, a session management network element, and a terminal device. The AMF network element, AF network element, UPF network element, SMF network element, and UE that appear anywhere subsequently can be replaced by a mobility management network element, an application function network element, a user plane network element, a session management network element, and a terminal device, respectively.

To facilitate understanding of the content of this application, the nouns or terms involved in this application are introduced below.

1. MoQ Protocol

The MoQ protocol is an optimized version of the QUIC protocol. Its goal is to define a unified, low-latency, and highly scalable media distribution protocol and architecture based on QUIC. The MoQ protocol can be applied to real-time media services such as cloud gaming, audio and video conferencing, and live streaming.

The MoQ model consists of objects, groups, and/or tracks. Objects are the basic elements and include metadata and payloads. Metadata is visible to relays, and payloads can be encrypted and are visible only to the sender and receiver. Objects can be used to carry data content. For example, an object can contain a video segment, an audio segment, a video frame, or an audio frame. A group contains multiple objects, and a track contains multiple groups or multiple objects. Tracks generally contain more objects than groups.

The protocol defines two types of MoQ messages. The first type of MoQ message (also called a multi-object MoQ message) can send multiple objects on a service flow. For example, the first type of MoQ message can be a per-flow (per-steam) STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, or a per-flow STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message. In addition to containing multiple objects, the STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message can also include a track field (also called a Track Alias field), which contains a track ID. In addition to containing multiple objects, the STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message can also include a group field (also called a group ID field), which contains a group ID.

The second type of MoQ message (also known as a single-object MoQ message) can send a single object on a service flow. For example, the second type of object message can be a per-stream OBJECT_STREAM message, or a per-packet (per-packet or per-datagram) OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message. In addition to containing an object, the OBJECT_STREAM message can also include a track field (also known as a Track Alias field) or a group field (also known as a group ID field). The track field contains the ID of the track to which the object belongs, and the group field contains the ID of the group to which the object belongs. In addition to containing an object, the OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message can also include a track field (also known as a Track Alias field) or a group field (also known as a group ID field). The track field contains the ID of the track to which the object belongs, and the group field contains the ID of the group to which the object belongs.

"Stream-by-stream" refers to the QUIC connection including reliable stream transmission, meaning that the data of the service stream transmitted in the QUIC connection must be reliable, similar to transmission control protocol (TCP). "Packet-by-packet" refers to the QUIC connection including unreliable data transmission, meaning that the data of the service stream transmitted in the QUIC connection does not need to be reliable, similar to UDP transmission. Reliable streams and unreliable data can be transmitted in the same connection or in different QUIC connections.

In the embodiment of the present application, one MoQ message corresponds to one service flow, that is, one MoQ message is sent on one service flow, and the MoQ message contains one or more objects. Of course, the present application is not limited to sending only one MoQ message on one service flow, and multiple MoQ messages can also be sent.

2. QoS Flow Mapping Mechanism

In 5G communication systems, service flows are filtered based on IP quintuple information and mapped to QoS flows for transmission. For example, if the service flow corresponding to a service includes a video stream and an audio stream, and the video and audio streams have different IP quintuple information, the 5G system processes the data packets based on the IP quintuple information included in the received data. For example, the video stream data packets may be mapped to QoS flow #1, and the audio stream data packets may be mapped to QoS flow #2. This allows QoS assurance for different media streams through different QoS flows.

However, different service flows transmitted via the MoQ protocol can transmit at least one MoQ message per service flow, and each MoQ message contains one or more objects. Service flow objects (e.g., objects of different service flows) transmitted on the same connection (based on QUIC) reuse the same IP quintuple. Therefore, the 5G system cannot map service flow objects on the same connection to different QoS flows through the IP quintuple information. In other words, the objects of service flows transmitted on the same connection all correspond to the same IP quintuple, making it impossible for the 5G system to distinguish between the objects of different service flows through the IP quintuple information.

For example, MoQ message #1 is sent on service flow #1, and includes object #1. MoQ message #2 is sent on service flow #2, and includes objects #2 through #4, that is, objects #2, #3, and #4. MoQ message #3 is sent on service flow #3, and includes objects #5 through #9, that is, objects #5, #6, #7, #8, and #9. If service flows #1, #2, and #3 are transmitted on the same connection (based on QUIC), the different objects in service flows #1, #2, and #3 all correspond to the same IP five-tuple information, that is, objects #1 through #9 all correspond to the same IP five-tuple information. Because different objects may have different QoS transmission requirements, different objects need to be mapped to different QoS flows. However, because these objects all correspond to the same IP five-tuple information, QoS flow mapping of service flows cannot be performed using the IP five-tuple information.

In an embodiment of the present application, one or more service streams can be transmitted on a QUIC connection. Each service stream corresponds to one or more MoQ messages (hereinafter, one service stream corresponds to one MoQ message as an example). Each MoQ message contains one or more objects. A service stream can also be referred to as a media stream. Specifically, the service stream or media stream can be a video stream, an audio stream, a tactile stream, or other types of streams. Furthermore, a service stream transmitted on a QUIC connection can also be referred to as a QUIC stream.

To solve the above problems, this application provides corresponding solutions.

Figure 2(a) is a flow chart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. This method is executed by a first network element (or a module within the first network element, such as a chip), a UPF network element (or a module within the UPF network element, such as a chip), and an AF network element (or a module within the AF network element, such as a chip). The following description uses the first network element, the UPF network element, and the AF network element as an example to illustrate this method.

The method comprises the following steps:

Step 201a: The first network element determines a first mapping rule.

The first network element is a mobility management entity (MME), an SMF network element, a PCF network element, or another type of network element. This application will be described later using the example where the first network element is an SMF network element or a PCF network element.

The first mapping rule is used to indicate a first message type of each MoQ message in at least two MoQ messages, and to indicate a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and the first message type and a first parameter of each MoQ message. The objects in the at least two MoQ messages are transmitted through the same connection (based on QUIC), so the objects in the at least two MoQ messages correspond to the same IP 5-tuple information.

The first message type is used to indicate a MoQ message containing multiple objects. For example, the MoQ message of the first message type may be the aforementioned STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message or STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, etc.

The first parameter includes information about an object in a MoQ message of the first message type. The information about the object may include at least one of the priority of the object, candidate values of the track field in the MoQ message, or candidate values of the group field in the MoQ message. The track field in the MoQ message is used to indicate the track to which the object in the MoQ message belongs. The group field in the MoQ message is used to indicate the group to which the object in the MoQ message belongs. For example, when the MoQ message of the first message type is a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, the first parameter may include the priority of the object in the STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message and/or candidate values of the track field in the STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, and the candidate values of the track field refer to possible values of the track field, that is, various track IDs. For another example, when the MoQ message of the first message type is a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, the first parameter may include the priority of the object in the STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message and/or the candidate value of the group field in the STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, where the candidate value of the group field refers to the possible values of the group field, that is, various group IDs.

The first mapping rule is described below with reference to an example. Assume that the MoQ message of the first message type includes a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message and a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message. The priority value of the object in the first parameter can be priority #1, priority #2, or priority #3. Candidate values for the track field in the first parameter include track ID #1 and track ID #2. Candidate values for the group field in the first parameter include group ID #1 and group ID #2. QoS flows include QoS flow #1, QoS flow #2, and QoS flow #3. Exemplarily, the first mapping rule includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following mapping rules: 1 to 14.

Mapping rule 1: (STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, priority #1) -> QoS flow #1.

Mapping rule 2: (STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, priority #2) -> QoS flow #2.

Mapping rule 3: (STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, priority #3) -> QoS flow #3.

Mapping rule 4: (STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, priority #1) -> QoS flow #1.

Mapping rule 5: (STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, priority #2) -> QoS flow #2.

Mapping rule 6: (STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, priority #3) -> QoS flow #3.

Mapping rule 7: (STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, priority #1, track ID #1) -> QoS flow #1.

Mapping rule 8: (STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, priority #1, track ID #2) -> QoS flow #2.

Mapping rule 9: (STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, priority #1, group ID #1) -> QoS flow #1.

Mapping rule 10: (STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, priority #1, group ID #2) -> QoS flow #2.

Mapping rule 11: (STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, track ID#1)->QoS flow#1.

Mapping rule 12: (STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, track ID#2)->QoS flow#2.

Mapping rule 13: (STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, group ID#1)->QoS flow#1.

Mapping rule 14: (STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, group ID#2)->QoS flow#2.

Mapping rule 1 means that if the message type of a MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, and the priority of one or more objects in the MoQ message is priority #1, the object is mapped to QoS flow #1. The STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message can contain one or more objects with priority #1, as well as objects of other priorities.

The meaning of the above mapping rule 2 is: if the message type of a MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, and the priority of one or more objects in the MoQ message is priority #2, the object is mapped to QoS flow #2. The STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message can contain one or more objects with priority #2, as well as objects of other priorities.

The meaning of the above mapping rule 3 is: if the message type of a MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, and the priority of one or more objects in the MoQ message is priority #3, the object is mapped to QoS flow #3. The STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message can contain one or more objects with priority #3, as well as objects of other priorities.

Mapping rule 4 above means: If the message type of a MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, and the priority of one or more objects in the MoQ message is Priority #1, the object is mapped to QoS flow #1. The STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message can contain one or more objects with Priority #1, as well as objects of other priorities.

Mapping rule 5 above means: If the message type of a MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, and the priority of an object in the MoQ message is priority #2, the object is mapped to QoS flow #2. The STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message can contain one or more objects with priority #2, as well as objects of other priorities.

Mapping rule 6 means that if the message type of a MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, and the priority of one or more objects in the MoQ message is priority #3, the object is mapped to QoS flow #3. The STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message can contain one or more objects with priority #3, as well as objects of other priorities.

Mapping rule 7 above means: If the message type of a MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, the priority of one or more objects in the MoQ message is Priority #1, and the value of the track ID field in the MoQ message is track ID #1, the object is mapped to QoS flow #1. The STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message can contain one or more objects with priority #1, as well as objects of other priorities.

Mapping rule 8 above means that if the message type of a MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, the priority of one or more objects in the MoQ message is Priority #1, and the value of the track ID field in the MoQ message is track ID #2, the object is mapped to QoS flow #2. A STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message can contain one or more objects with Priority #1 priority, as well as objects of other priorities.

Mapping rule 9 above means: If the message type of a MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, the priority of one or more objects in the MoQ message is Priority #1, and the value of the group ID field in the MoQ message is group ID #1, the object is mapped to QoS flow #1. A STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message can contain one or more objects with Priority #1 priority, as well as objects of other priorities.

Mapping rule 10 above means: If the message type of a MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, the priority of one or more objects in the MoQ message is Priority #1, and the value of the group ID field in the MoQ message is group ID #2, the object is mapped to QoS flow #2. A STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message can contain one or more objects with Priority #1 priority, as well as objects of other priorities.

Mapping rule 11 above means: If the message type of a MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, and the track ID field in the MoQ message is set to track ID #1, then all objects in the MoQ message are mapped to QoS flow #1. A STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message can contain one or more objects, and these objects can have the same or different priorities.

Mapping rule 12 means that if the message type of a MoQ message is STREAM_HEADER_TRACK and the track ID field in the MoQ message is track ID #2, then all objects in the MoQ message are mapped to QoS flow #2. A STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message can contain one or more objects, and these objects can have the same or different priorities.

Mapping rule 13 above means that if the message type of a MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, and the track ID field in the MoQ message is group ID #1, then all objects in the MoQ message are mapped to QoS flow #1. A STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message can contain one or more objects, and these objects can have the same or different priorities.

Mapping rule 14 means that if the message type of a MoQ message is STREAM_HEADER_GROUP and the track ID field in the MoQ message is group ID #2, then all objects in the MoQ message are mapped to QoS flow #2. A STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message can contain one or more objects, and these objects can have the same or different priorities.

In one implementation method, the first network element determines the first mapping rule, which means that the first network element configures the first mapping rule, or the first mapping rule is pre-configured on the first network element. The first network element may be an SMF network element or a PCF network element.

In another implementation method, the first network element determining the first mapping rule refers to: the first network element generating the first mapping rule. For example, the first network element is a PCF network element, and the PCF network element receives the first message type and the first parameter from the AF network element, and then generates the first mapping rule based on the first message type and the first parameter. For another example, the first network element is an SMF network element, and the SMF network element receives the first message type and the first parameter from the AF network element or the PCF network element, and then generates the first mapping rule based on the first message type and the first parameter.

Step 202a: The first network element sends a first mapping rule to the UPF network element. Correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the first mapping rule.

The first mapping rule is used to map an object in a MoQ message of a first message type to a corresponding QoS flow.

When the first network element is a PCF network element, the PCF network element can send the first mapping rule to the SMF network element through the interface between the PCF network element and the SMF network element, and then the SMF network element sends the first mapping rule to the UPF network element through the interface between the SMF network element and the UPF network element.

When the first network element is an SMF network element, the SMF network element can send the first mapping rule to the UPF network element through the interface between the SMF network element and the UPF network element.

Step 203a: The first network element determines a second mapping rule.

The second mapping rule is used to indicate that PDU set QoS handle is to be performed on the object in the MoQ message of the second message type. The PDU set QoS handle here means that when the object represents a frame, the 5G system can perform PDU set QoS handle based on frame characteristics such as frame end marker, frame importance parameters, etc. For example, according to the frame importance parameters (such as the I\P\B frame identifier), important frames (I\P\B frames) are mapped to QoS flows of different high and low priorities according to their importance levels; for another example, according to the frame end marker bit, the received frame is considered to be a complete frame, and the 5G system performs frame integrity scheduling based on the end marker bit. One possible form is that the frame end marker bit can be obtained by identifying the payload length field (Payload Length) in the object, and the frame importance can be obtained by identifying the priority field (Send Order) in the object.

The second message type is used to indicate a MoQ message containing an object, for example, it may be the aforementioned OBJECT_STREAM message or OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message.

In one implementation method, the first network element determines the second mapping rule, which means that the first network element configures the second mapping rule, or it can be understood that the second mapping rule is pre-configured on the first network element. The first network element can be an SMF network element or a PCF network element.

In another implementation method, the first network element determining the second mapping rule refers to: the first network element generating the second mapping rule. For example, the first network element is a PCF network element, the PCF network element receives the second message type from the AF network element, and then generates the second mapping rule based on the second message type. For another example, the first network element is an SMF network element, the SMF network element receives the second message type from the AF network element or the PCF network element, and then generates the second mapping rule based on the second message type.

Step 204a: The first network element sends the second mapping rule to the UPF network element. Correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the second mapping rule.

When the first network element is a PCF network element, the PCF network element can send the second mapping rule to the SMF network element through the interface between the PCF network element and the SMF network element, and then the SMF network element sends the second mapping rule to the UPF network element through the interface between the SMF network element and the UPF network element.

When the first network element is an SMF network element, the SMF network element can send the second mapping rule to the UPF network element through the interface between the SMF network element and the UPF network element.

The above steps 203a and 204a are optional steps.

As an implementation method, the above steps 201a and 203a may be completed in one step, and the above steps 202a and 204a may be completed in one step.

Step 205a: The UPF network element receives the first MoQ message.

The first MoQ message is sent to the UPF network element through the user plane. For example, the UPF network element receives the first MoQ message from the AF network element.

Step 206a: If it is identified that the first MoQ message is a MoQ message of the first message type, the UPF network element maps the object in the first MoQ message to the corresponding QoS flow according to the first mapping rule.

After receiving the first MoQ message, the UPF network element identifies the type of the first MoQ message. If the first MoQ message is identified as a MoQ message of the first message type, the UPF network element maps the object in the first MoQ message to the corresponding QoS flow according to the first mapping rule.

For example, the first mapping rule includes mapping rules 1 to 6. For example, the first MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, and the STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message includes object #1, object #2, and object #3, as well as priority #1 of object #1, priority #3 of object #2, and priority #3 of object #3. The UPF network element can map object #1 to QoS flow #1 according to mapping rule 1, and map object #2 and object #3 to QoS flow #3 according to mapping rule 3.

For example, the first mapping rule includes mapping rules 7 through 8. For example, the first MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, and the STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message includes object #1 and object #2, as well as priority #1 for object #1 and priority #1 for object #2, and track ID #1. The UPF network element can map both object #1 and object #2 to QoS flow #1 according to mapping rule 7.

For example, the first mapping rule includes mapping rules 11 and 12. For example, the first MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, and the STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message includes object #1 and object #2, as well as priority #1 for object #1 and priority #2 for object #2, and track ID #1. The UPF network element can map both object #1 and object #2 to QoS flow #1 based on mapping rule 11. At this point, although object #1 and object #2 have different priorities, they are still mapped to the same QoS flow.

For example, the first mapping rule includes mapping rules 13 through 14. For example, the first MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, and the STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message includes object #1 and object #2, as well as priority #1 for object #1 and priority #1 for object #2, and group ID #1. The UPF network element can map both object #1 and object #2 to QoS flow #1 based on mapping rule 13. In this case, object #1 and object #2 have the same priority and are mapped to the same QoS flow.

It should be noted that the priorities of multiple objects in the first MoQ message may also be the same. In this case, the first MoQ message may only include one priority, which represents the priorities of all objects in the first MoQ message.

Step 207a: If it is identified that the first MoQ message is a MoQ message of the second message type, the UPF network element performs PDU aggregate QoS processing on the first MoQ message according to the second mapping rule.

Step 207a is an optional step. When the above steps 203a and 204a are executed, step 207a may also be executed.

As an implementation method, the UPF network element may also receive indication information indicating the identification of the type of the MoQ message. The UPF network element then identifies the type of the first MoQ message based on the indication information. Step 206a or step 207a is then performed based on the type of the first MoQ message. For example, if the first network element is a PCF network element, the PCF network element may receive the indication information from the AF network element, then send the indication information to the SMF network element, which then sends the indication information to the UPF network element. If the first network element is an SMF network element, the SMF network element may receive the indication information from the AF network element or the PCF network element, then send the indication information to the UPF network element.

Based on the above solution, for the first MoQ message, if the first MoQ message includes multiple objects, the multiple objects can be mapped to corresponding QoS flows for transmission based on the first mapping rule, thereby realizing the mapping of objects in the MoQ message to QoS flows, which can meet the QoS transmission requirements of different objects, thereby improving the user experience.

Figure 2(b) is a flow chart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. This method is executed by a first network element (or a module within the first network element, such as a chip), a UPF network element (or a module within the UPF network element, such as a chip), and an AF network element (or a module within the AF network element, such as a chip). The following description uses the first network element, the UPF network element, and the AF network element as an example to illustrate this method.

The method comprises the following steps:

Step 201b: The first network element determines a mapping rule.

The first network element is an MME, an SMF network element, a PCF network element or another type of network element. This application will be described later using the example where the first network element is an SMF network element or a PCF network element.

The mapping rule is used to indicate the first message type or the second message type of each MoQ message in at least two MoQ messages, and to indicate the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the first message type and the first parameter of each MoQ message, and/or to indicate the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the second message type and the second parameter of each MoQ message. The objects in the at least two MoQ messages are transmitted through the same connection (based on QUIC), so the objects in the at least two MoQ messages correspond to the same IP five-tuple information.

The first message type is used to indicate a stream-by-stream MoQ message. The stream-by-stream MoQ message refers to the reliable transmission of the object in the MoQ message, or it can be understood that the object is transmitted in a reliable stream. Reliable transmission is similar to TCP transmission. Since reliable transmission has high requirements on transmission reliability, the objects in the stream-by-stream MoQ message need to be mapped to a QoS stream with a higher guarantee level for transmission to ensure the success rate, delay and/or quality of the object transmission. For example, the MoQ message of the first message type can be the aforementioned OBJECT_STREAM message, STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message or STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, etc.

The first parameter includes information about the object in the MoQ message of the first message type. The information about the object may include at least one of the priority of the object, candidate values of the track field in the MoQ message, or candidate values of the group field in the MoQ message. The track field in the MoQ message is used to indicate the track to which the object in the MoQ message belongs. The group field in the MoQ message is used to indicate the group to which the object in the MoQ message belongs. For example, when the MoQ message of the first message type is a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, the first parameter may include the priority of the object in the STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message and/or candidate values of the track field in the STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, and the candidate values of the track field refer to possible values of the track field, that is, various track IDs. For another example, when the MoQ message of the first message type is a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, the first parameter may include the priority of the object in the STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message and/or candidate values of the group field in the STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, where the candidate values of the group field refer to possible values of the group field, i.e., various group IDs. For another example, when the MoQ message of the first message type is an OBJECT_STREAM message, the first parameter may include the priority of the object in the OBJECT_STREAM message and/or candidate values of the track field or candidate values of the group field in the OBJECT_STREAM message, where the track field is used to indicate the track to which the object in the OBJECT_STREAM message belongs, and the group field is used to indicate the group to which the object in the OBJECT_STREAM message belongs.

The second message type is used to indicate a packet-by-packet MoQ message. A packet-by-packet MoQ message refers to unreliable transmission of the object in the MoQ message, or to the transmission of the object as unreliable data. Unreliable transmission is similar to UDP transmission. Because unreliable transmission does not require high reliability, the object in a packet-by-packet MoQ message can be mapped to a QoS flow with a relatively low guarantee level for transmission, thereby saving resource overhead. For example, the second message type MoQ message can be the aforementioned OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message.

The second parameter includes information about the object in the MoQ message of the second message type. The object information may include at least one of the object's priority, candidate values for the track field in the MoQ message, or candidate values for the group field in the MoQ message. For example, when the MoQ message of the second message type is an OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message, the second parameter may include the object's priority, and candidate values for the track field in the MoQ message or candidate values for the group field in the MoQ message, wherein the track field is used to indicate the track to which the object in the OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message belongs, and the group field is used to indicate the group to which the object in the OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message belongs.

The mapping rule is explained below with reference to an example. Assume that the MoQ message of the first message type includes an OBJECT_STREAM message, a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, and a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, and the priority value of the object in the first parameter can be priority #1, priority #2, or priority #3; the MoQ message of the second message type includes an OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message, and the priority value of the object in the second parameter can be priority #3 or priority #4; and the QoS streams include QoS stream #1, QoS stream #2, and QoS stream #3. Exemplarily, the mapping rules include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following mapping rules 1 to mapping rule 18.

Mapping rule 1: (STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, priority #1) -> QoS flow #1.

Mapping rule 2: (STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, priority #2) -> QoS flow #2.

Mapping rule 3: (STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, priority #3) -> QoS flow #3.

Mapping rule 4: (STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, priority #1) -> QoS flow #1.

Mapping rule 5: (STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, priority #2) -> QoS flow #2.

Mapping rule 6: (STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, priority #3) -> QoS flow #3.

Mapping rule 7: (OBJECT_STREAM message, priority #1) -> QoS flow #1.

Mapping rule 8: (OBJECT_STREAM message, priority #2) -> QoS flow #2.

Mapping rule 9: (OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message, priority #3) -> QoS flow #2.

Mapping rule 10: (OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message, priority #4) -> QoS flow #3.

Mapping rule 11: (STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, track ID#1)->QoS flow#1.

Mapping rule 12: (STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, track ID#2)->QoS flow#2.

Mapping rule 13: (STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, group ID#1)->QoS flow#1.

Mapping rule 14: (STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, group ID#2)->QoS flow#2.

Mapping rule 15: (OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message, track ID #1) -> QoS flow #2.

Mapping rule 16: (OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message, track ID #2) -> QoS flow #3.

Mapping rule 17: (OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message, group ID #1) -> QoS flow #2.

Mapping rule 18: (OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message, group ID #2) -> QoS flow #3.

Mapping rule 1 means that if the message type of a MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, and the priority of one or more objects in the MoQ message is priority #1, the object is mapped to QoS flow #1. The STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message can contain one or more objects with priority #1, as well as objects of other priorities.

The meaning of the above mapping rule 2 is: if the message type of a MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, and the priority of one or more objects in the MoQ message is priority #2, the object is mapped to QoS flow #2. The STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message can contain one or more objects with priority #2, as well as objects of other priorities.

The meaning of the above mapping rule 3 is: if the message type of a MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, and the priority of one or more objects in the MoQ message is priority #3, the object is mapped to QoS flow #3. The STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message can contain one or more objects with priority #3, as well as objects of other priorities.

Mapping rule 4 above means: If the message type of a MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, and the priority of one or more objects in the MoQ message is Priority #1, the object is mapped to QoS flow #1. The STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message can contain one or more objects with Priority #1, as well as objects of other priorities.

Mapping rule 5 above means: If the message type of a MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, and the priority of one or more objects in the MoQ message is priority #2, the object is mapped to QoS flow #2. The STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message can contain one or more objects with priority #2, as well as objects of other priorities.

Mapping rule 6 means that if the message type of a MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, and the priority of one or more objects in the MoQ message is priority #3, the object is mapped to QoS flow #3. The STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message can contain one or more objects with priority #3, as well as objects of other priorities.

The meaning of the above mapping rule 7 is: if the message type of a MoQ message is an OBJECT_STREAM message, and the priority of an object in the MoQ message is priority #1, the object is mapped to QoS flow #1.

The meaning of the above mapping rule 8 is: if the message type of a MoQ message is an OBJECT_STREAM message, and the priority of an object in the MoQ message is priority #2, the object is mapped to QoS flow #2.

The meaning of the above mapping rule 9 is: if the message type of a MoQ message is an OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message, and the priority of an object in the MoQ message is priority #3, the object is mapped to QoS flow #2.

The meaning of the above mapping rule 10 is: if the message type of a MoQ message is an OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message, and the priority of an object in the MoQ message is priority #4, the object is mapped to QoS flow #3.

Mapping rule 11 above means: If the message type of a MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, and the track ID field in the MoQ message is set to track ID #1, then all objects in the MoQ message are mapped to QoS flow #1. A STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message can contain one or more objects, and these objects can have the same or different priorities.

Mapping rule 12 means that if the message type of a MoQ message is STREAM_HEADER_TRACK and the track ID field in the MoQ message is track ID #2, then all objects in the MoQ message are mapped to QoS flow #2. A STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message can contain one or more objects, and these objects can have the same or different priorities.

Mapping rule 13 above means that if the message type of a MoQ message is a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, and the track ID field in the MoQ message is group ID #1, then all objects in the MoQ message are mapped to QoS flow #1. A STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message can contain one or more objects, and these objects can have the same or different priorities.

Mapping rule 14 means that if the message type of a MoQ message is STREAM_HEADER_GROUP and the track ID field in the MoQ message is group ID #2, then all objects in the MoQ message are mapped to QoS flow #2. A STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message can contain one or more objects, and these objects can have the same or different priorities.

The meaning of the above mapping rule 15 is: if the message type of a MoQ message is OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message, and the value of the track ID field in the MoQ message is track ID#1, then the object in the MoQ message is mapped to QoS flow #2.

The meaning of the above mapping rule 16 is: if the message type of a MoQ message is OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message, and the value of the track ID field in the MoQ message is track ID#2, then the object in the MoQ message is mapped to QoS flow #3.

The meaning of the above mapping rule 17 is: if the message type of a MoQ message is OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message, and the value of the track ID field in the MoQ message is group ID#1, then the object in the MoQ message is mapped to QoS flow#2.

The meaning of the above mapping rule 18 is: if the message type of a MoQ message is OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message, and the value of the track ID field in the MoQ message is group ID#2, then the object in the MoQ message is mapped to QoS flow #3.

In one implementation method, the first network element determines the mapping rule, which means that the first network element configures the mapping rule, or it can be understood that the mapping rule is pre-configured on the first network element. The first network element can be an SMF network element or a PCF network element.

In another implementation method, the first network element determining the mapping rule refers to: the first network element generating the mapping rule. For example, the first network element is a PCF network element, and the PCF network element receives the first message type, the first parameter, the second message type, and the second parameter from the AF network element, and then generates the mapping rule based on the first message type, the first parameter, the second message type, and the second parameter. For another example, the first network element is an SMF network element, and the SMF network element receives the first message type, the first parameter, the second message type, and the second parameter from the AF network element or the PCF network element, and then generates the mapping rule based on the first message type, the first parameter, the second message type, and the second parameter.

It should be noted that, in another implementation method, the above mapping rule can also be split into two mapping rules, for example, the two mapping rules include a first mapping rule and a second mapping rule. The first mapping rule is used to indicate the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the first message type and the first parameter, and the second mapping rule is used to indicate the mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the second message type and the second parameter.

Step 202b: The first network element sends the mapping rule to the UPF network element. Correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the mapping rule.

The mapping rule is used to map an object in a MoQ message of a first message type to a corresponding QoS flow, and to map an object in a MoQ message of a second message type to a corresponding QoS flow.

When the first network element is a PCF network element, the PCF network element can send the mapping rules to the SMF network element through the interface between the PCF network element and the SMF network element, and then the SMF network element sends the mapping rules to the UPF network element through the interface between the SMF network element and the UPF network element.

When the first network element is an SMF network element, the SMF network element can send the mapping rules to the UPF network element through the interface between the SMF network element and the UPF network element.

Step 203b: The UPF network element receives the first MoQ message.

The first MoQ message is sent to the UPF network element through the user plane. For example, the UPF network element receives the first MoQ message from the AF network element.

Step 204b: If it is identified that the first MoQ message is a MoQ message of the first message type, the UPF network element maps the object in the first MoQ message to the corresponding QoS flow according to the mapping rule.

Step 205b: If it is identified that the first MoQ message is a MoQ message of the second message type, the UPF network element maps the object in the first MoQ message to the corresponding QoS flow according to the mapping rule.

After receiving the first MoQ message, the UPF network element identifies the type of the first MoQ message. If the first MoQ message is identified as a MoQ message of the first message type, the UPF network element maps the objects in the first MoQ message to the corresponding QoS flow according to the mapping rules. If the first MoQ message is identified as a MoQ message of the second message type, the UPF network element maps the objects in the first MoQ message to the corresponding QoS flow according to the mapping rules.

Take the mapping rules including the aforementioned mapping rules 1 to 10 as an example. For example, the first MoQ message is specifically a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, and the STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message includes object #1, object #2, and object #3, as well as priority #1 of object #1, priority #3 of object #2, and priority #3 of object #3. The UPF network element can map object #1 to QoS flow #1 according to mapping rule 1, and map object #2 and object #3 to QoS flow #3 according to mapping rule 3. For another example, the first MoQ message is specifically an OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message, and the OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message includes object #1 and priority #3 of object #1. The UPF network element can map object #1 to QoS flow #2 according to mapping rule 9.

For example, if the mapping rules include mapping rules 15 to 18, the first MoQ message is specifically an OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message, and the OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message includes object #1 and track ID #1. The UPF network element can map object #1 to QoS flow #2 according to mapping rule 15. For another example, if the first MoQ message is specifically an OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message, and the OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message includes object #1 and group ID #2, the UPF network element can map object #1 to QoS flow #3 according to mapping rule 18.

It should be noted that when the first MoQ message includes multiple objects, the priorities of the multiple objects may also be the same. In this case, the first MoQ message may only include one priority, which represents the priority of all objects in the first MoQ message.

As an implementation method, the UPF network element may also receive indication information indicating the identification of the type of the MoQ message. The UPF network element then identifies the type of the first MoQ message based on the indication information. Step 204b or step 205b is then performed based on the type of the first MoQ message. For example, if the first network element is a PCF network element, the PCF network element may receive the indication information from the AF network element, then send the indication information to the SMF network element, which then sends the indication information to the UPF network element. If the first network element is an SMF network element, the SMF network element may receive the indication information from the AF network element or the PCF network element, then send the indication information to the UPF network element.

Based on the above solution, for the first MoQ message, if the first MoQ message includes multiple objects, the multiple objects can be mapped to corresponding QoS flows for transmission based on the mapping rules. If the first MoQ message includes one object, the one object can also be mapped to the corresponding QoS flow for transmission based on the mapping rules. This implements the mapping of objects in the MoQ message to QoS flows, can meet the QoS transmission requirements of different objects, and thus can improve user experience.

The embodiments of Figures 2(a) and 2(b) are described below with reference to specific examples. The embodiments of Figures 3 and 5 are specific examples of the embodiment of Figure 2(a), and the embodiments of Figures 4 and 6 are specific examples of the embodiment of Figure 2(b).

FIG3 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

In step 300a, the UE has established a session and sends a subscription request to the UPF network element. In response, the UPF network element receives the subscription request.

This subscription request is used to subscribe to the media content of a track, group, or object.

In step 300b, the UPF network element sends a subscription request to the AF network element. Correspondingly, the AF network element receives the subscription request.

For example, if the UPF network element does not have the media content of the track, group or object to which the UE subscribes, a subscription request is sent to the AF network element.

This subscription request is used to subscribe to the media content of a track, group, or object.

Step 301: The AF network element sends a first request to the PCF network element. Correspondingly, the PCF network element receives the first request.

Exemplarily, the first request may be a session establishment request with specific QoS requirements (sessionwith QoS create request).

The first request includes indication information, a first message type, and a first parameter corresponding to the first message type.

The indication information is used to indicate the identification of the type of the MoQ message.

The first message type is used to indicate a MoQ message containing multiple objects, for example, it may be a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message or a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message.

The first parameter includes information about an object in a MoQ message of the first message type, where the object information includes at least one of candidate values for a priority field (send order), candidate values for a track field in the MoQ message, or candidate values for a group field in the MoQ message. The priority field is used to indicate the priority of the object in the MoQ message of the first message type. For example, the first parameter includes priority #1, priority #2, and priority #3. The track field is used to indicate the identifier (track ID) of the track. The group field is used to indicate the identifier (group ID) of the group. For example, the priority of the object in the first parameter includes priority #1, priority #2, and priority #3, as well as track ID #1, track ID #2, group ID #1, and group ID #2.

Optionally, the first request also includes a second message type.

The second message type is used to indicate a MoQ message containing an object, for example, it may be an OBJECT_STREAM message or an OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message.

Step 302: The PCF network element determines a PCC rule.

The PCC rule includes a first mapping rule corresponding to the first message type, wherein the first mapping rule is used to indicate the first message type of each of the at least two MoQ messages and to indicate a mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the first message type and first parameter of each MoQ message.

Optionally, the PCC rule further includes a second mapping rule corresponding to the second message type. The second mapping rule is used to instruct to perform PDU aggregate QoS processing on the MoQ message of the second message type.

In step 303, the PCF network element sends a session management policy establishment request (SM Policy Establish Request) message to the SMF network element. In response, the SMF network element receives the session management policy establishment request message.

The session management policy establishment request message includes PCC rules and indication information.

The PCC rule includes a first mapping rule. Optionally, the PCC rule also includes a second mapping rule.

The indication information is used to indicate the identification of the type of the MoQ message.

Step 304: The SMF network element sends an N4 message to the UPF network element. Correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the N4 message.

The N4 message includes indication information and a first mapping rule. Optionally, the N4 message also includes a second mapping rule.

The indication information is used to indicate the identification of the type of the MoQ message.

Step 305: The AF network element sends a subscription success message to the UPF network element. Correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the subscription success message.

Step 306: The AF network element sends a first MoQ message to the UPF network element. Correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the first MoQ message.

The first MoQ message may be a MoQ message of a first message type (eg, a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message or a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message), or may be a MoQ message of a second message type (eg, an OBJECT_STREAM message or an OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message).

Step 307: The UPF network element identifies the type of the first MoQ message according to the indication information.

Step 308: If the type of the first MoQ message is the first message type, the UPF network element maps the object in the first MoQ message to the corresponding QoS flow according to the first mapping rule.

Step 309: If the type of the first MoQ message is the second message type, the UPF network element performs PDU aggregate QoS processing on the first MoQ message according to the second mapping rule.

The above steps 308 and 309 are performed alternatively.

Based on the above solution, for the first MoQ message, if the first MoQ message includes multiple objects, the multiple objects can be mapped to corresponding QoS flows for transmission based on the first mapping rule, thereby realizing the mapping of objects in the MoQ message to QoS flows, which can meet the QoS transmission requirements of different objects, thereby improving the user experience.

FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

In step 400a, the UE has established a session and sends a subscription request to the UPF network element. In response, the UPF network element receives the subscription request.

This subscription request is used to subscribe to the media content of a track, group, or object.

In step 400b, the UPF network element sends a subscription request to the AF network element. Correspondingly, the AF network element receives the subscription request.

For example, if the UPF network element does not have the media content of the track, group or object to which the UE subscribes, a subscription request is sent to the AF network element.

This subscription request is used to subscribe to the media content of a track, group, or object.

Step 401: The AF network element sends a first request to the PCF network element. Correspondingly, the PCF network element receives the first request.

Exemplarily, the first request is a session establishment request with specific QoS requirements.

The first request includes indication information, a first message type, a first parameter corresponding to the first message type, a second message type, and a second parameter corresponding to the second message type.

The indication information is used to indicate the identification of the type of the MoQ message.

The first message type is used to indicate a stream-by-stream MoQ message, for example, it may be a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, or an OBJECT_STREAM message.

The first parameter includes information about an object in a MoQ message of the first message type. The object information includes at least one of candidate values for a priority field (send order), candidate values for a track field in the MoQ message, or candidate values for a group field in the MoQ message. The priority field indicates the priority of the object in the MoQ message of the first message type. For example, the object priorities in the first parameter include priority #1, priority #2, and priority #3.

The second message type is used to indicate a packet-by-packet MoQ message, for example, it may be an OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message.

The second parameter includes information about an object in a MoQ message of the second message type. The object information includes at least one of candidate values for a priority field, candidate values for a track field in the MoQ message, or candidate values for a group field in the MoQ message. The priority field indicates the priority of the object in the MoQ message of the second message type. For example, the object priorities in the second parameter include priority #3 and priority #4.

Step 402: The PCF network element determines the PCC rule.

The PCC rule includes a mapping rule. The mapping rule is used to indicate a first message type or a second message type of each MoQ message in at least two MoQ messages, and to indicate a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and the first message type and a first parameter of each MoQ message, and/or to indicate a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and a second message type and a second parameter of each MoQ message.

Step 403: The PCF network element sends a session management policy establishment request message to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the session management policy establishment request message.

The session management policy establishment request message includes PCC rules and indication information.

The PCC rule includes a mapping rule.

The indication information is used to indicate the identification of the type of the MoQ message.

Step 404: The SMF network element sends an N4 message to the UPF network element. Correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the N4 message.

The N4 message includes indication information and mapping rules.

The indication information is used to indicate the identification of the type of the MoQ message.

Step 405: The AF network element sends a subscription success message to the UPF network element. Correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the subscription success message.

Step 406: The AF network element sends a first MoQ message to the UPF network element. Correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the first MoQ message.

The first MoQ message may be a MoQ message of a first message type (eg, a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, or an OBJECT_STREAM message), or may be a MoQ message of a second message type (eg, an OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message).

Step 407: The UPF network element identifies the type of the first MoQ message according to the indication information.

Step 408: The UPF network element maps the object in the first MoQ message to the corresponding QoS flow according to the type and mapping rule of the first MoQ message.

Based on the above solution, for the first MoQ message, if the first MoQ message includes multiple objects, the multiple objects can be mapped to corresponding QoS flows for transmission based on the mapping rules. If the first MoQ message includes one object, the one object can also be mapped to the corresponding QoS flow for transmission based on the mapping rules. This implements the mapping of objects in the MoQ message to QoS flows, can meet the QoS transmission requirements of different objects, and thus can improve user experience.

FIG5 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

Steps 500a to 500b are the same as steps 301 to 302 in the embodiment of FIG. 3 .

In step 501, the UE sends a DNS request to the PSA UPF network element. In response, the PSA UPF network element receives the DNS request.

The DNS request includes the uniform resource locator (URL) corresponding to the MoQ domain name. For example, the URL is MoQ.xx.com/video, where MoQ.xx.com is the MoQ domain name.

Step 502a: The PSAUPF network element sends a request message to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the request message.

The request message includes the MoQ domain name, and the request message requests to select a relay UPF network element based on the MoQ domain name.

The SMF network element selects the relay UPF network element based on the MoQ domain name.

After the SMF network element selects the relay UPF network element, it can send the address of the relay UPF to the UE.

In step 502b, the SMF network element sends a session management policy association modify (SM Policy Association modify) request to the PCF network element. In response, the PCF network element receives the session management policy association modify request.

The session management policy association modification request is used to request obtaining PCC rules.

In step 503, the PCF network element sends a Session Management Policy Association Notification (SM Policy Association Notify) message to the SMF network element. In response, the SMF network element receives the Session Management Policy Association Notification message.

The session management policy association notification message includes PCC rules and indication information.

The PCC rule includes a first mapping rule. Optionally, the PCC rule also includes a second mapping rule.

The indication information is used to indicate the identification of the type of the MoQ message.

Step 504: The SMF network element sends an N4 message to the relay UPF network element. Correspondingly, the relay UPF network element receives the N4 message.

The N4 message includes indication information and a first mapping rule. Optionally, the N4 message also includes a second mapping rule.

The indication information is used to indicate the identification of the type of the MoQ message.

Step 505: The AF network element sends a first MoQ message to the relay UPF network element. Correspondingly, the relay UPF network element receives the first MoQ message.

The first MoQ message may be a MoQ message of a first message type (eg, a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message or a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message), or may be a MoQ message of a second message type (eg, an OBJECT_STREAM message or an OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message).

Step 506: The relay UPF network element identifies the type of the first MoQ message according to the indication information.

Step 507: If the type of the first MoQ message is the first message type, the relay UPF network element maps the object in the first MoQ message to the corresponding QoS flow according to the first mapping rule.

Step 508: If the type of the first MoQ message is the second message type, the relay UPF network element performs PDU aggregate QoS processing on the first MoQ message according to the second mapping rule.

The above steps 507 and 508 are performed alternatively.

Based on the above solution, for the first MoQ message, if the first MoQ message includes multiple objects, the multiple objects can be mapped to corresponding QoS flows for transmission based on the first mapping rule, thereby realizing the mapping of objects in the MoQ message to QoS flows, which can meet the QoS transmission requirements of different objects, thereby improving the user experience.

FIG6 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

Steps 600a to 600b are the same as steps 401 to 402 in the embodiment of FIG. 4 .

Step 601 , step 602 a and step 602 b are the same as step 501 , step 502 a and step 502 b in the embodiment of FIG. 5 .

Step 603: The PCF network element sends a session management policy association notification message to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the session management policy association notification message.

The session management policy association notification message includes PCC rules and indication information.

The PCC rule includes a mapping rule.

The indication information is used to indicate the identification of the type of the MoQ message.

Step 604: The SMF network element sends an N4 message to the relay UPF network element. Correspondingly, the relay UPF network element receives the N4 message.

The N4 message includes indication information and mapping rules.

The indication information is used to indicate the identification of the type of the MoQ message.

Step 605: The AF network element sends a first MoQ message to the relay UPF network element. Correspondingly, the relay UPF network element receives the first MoQ message.

The first MoQ message may be a MoQ message of a first message type (eg, a STREAM_HEADER_GROUP message, a STREAM_HEADER_TRACK message, or an OBJECT_STREAM message), or may be a MoQ message of a second message type (eg, an OBJECT_PREFER_DATAGRAM message).

Step 606: The relay UPF network element identifies the type of the first MoQ message according to the indication information.

Step 607: The relay UPF network element maps the object in the first MoQ message to the corresponding QoS flow according to the type and mapping rule of the first MoQ message.

Based on the above solution, for the first MoQ message, if the first MoQ message includes multiple objects, the multiple objects can be mapped to corresponding QoS flows for transmission based on the mapping rules. If the first MoQ message includes one object, the one object can also be mapped to the corresponding QoS flow for transmission based on the mapping rules. This implements the mapping of objects in the MoQ message to QoS flows, can meet the QoS transmission requirements of different objects, and thus can improve user experience.

It is understandable that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the first network element (such as a policy control network element or a session management network element), the user plane network element or the application function network element includes hardware structures and/or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and method steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in a hardware or computer software-driven hardware manner depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

Figures 7 and 8 are schematic diagrams of the structures of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the first network element, user plane network element, or application function network element in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be a first network element, a user plane network element, or an application function network element, and can also be a module (such as a chip) applied to the first network element, the user plane network element, or the application function network element.

The communication device 700 shown in Figure 7 includes a processing unit 710 and a transceiver unit 720. The communication device 700 is used to implement the functions of the first network element, the user plane network element or the application function network element in the above method embodiment.

When the communication device 700 is used to implement the function of the first network element in the above method embodiment, the processing unit 710 is configured to determine a first mapping rule, where the first mapping rule is used to indicate a first message type of each MoQ message in at least two MoQ messages, and to indicate a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and the first message type and a first parameter of each of the MoQ messages, where the first parameter includes information about an object in the MoQ message, and the first message type of the MoQ message indicates that the MoQ message contains multiple objects; and the objects in each of the MoQ messages are transmitted via the same connection; and the transceiver unit 720 is configured to send the first mapping rule, where the first mapping rule is used to map the objects in the at least two MoQ messages to corresponding QoS flows.

In a possible implementation method, the first network element is a policy control network element; the transceiver unit 720 is further configured to receive the first message type and the first parameter from an application function network element.

In one possible implementation method, the first network element is a policy control network element; the transceiver unit 720 is further configured to receive indication information from an application function network element, the indication information being used to indicate identification of the type of the MoQ message, and to send the indication information to a session management network element.

In a possible implementation method, the first network element is a session management network element; the transceiver unit 720 is further configured to receive the first message type and the first parameter from a policy control network element.

In one possible implementation method, the first network element is a session management network element; the transceiver unit 720 is further configured to receive indication information from the policy control network element, the indication information being used to indicate identification of the type of the MoQ message, and send the indication information to the user plane network element.

In a possible implementation method, the information of the object in the MoQ message includes at least one of a priority of the object, a candidate value of a track field in the MoQ message, or a candidate value of a group field in the MoQ message.

In one possible implementation method, the processing unit 710 is also used to determine a second mapping rule, where the second mapping rule is used to indicate PDU set QoS processing for the object in the MoQ message of the second message type, where the second message type is used to indicate a MoQ message containing an object; and send the second mapping rule.

When the communication device 700 is used to implement the functions of the user plane network element in the above method embodiment, the transceiver unit 720 is configured to receive a first MoQ message; if the first MoQ message is identified as a MoQ message of the first message type, the processing unit 710 is configured to map the object in the first MoQ message to a corresponding QoS flow according to a first mapping rule; wherein the first mapping rule is configured to indicate the first message type of each MoQ message in at least two MoQ messages, and to indicate a mapping relationship between the QoS flow and the first message type and first parameter of each of the MoQ messages, wherein the first parameter includes information about the object in the MoQ message, and the first message type of the MoQ message indicates that the MoQ message contains multiple objects; and the objects in each of the MoQ messages are transmitted via the same connection.

In a possible implementation method, the information of the object in the MoQ message includes at least one of a priority of the object, a candidate value of a track field in the MoQ message, or a candidate value of a group field in the MoQ message.

In one possible implementation method, the processing unit 710 is further configured to, if identifying that the first MoQ message is a MoQ message of the second message type, perform PDU aggregate QoS processing on the first MoQ message according to a second mapping rule; wherein the second mapping rule is used to indicate that PDU aggregate QoS processing is performed on an object in the MoQ message of the second message type, and the second message type is used to indicate a MoQ message containing one object.

In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 720 is further configured to receive indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate identification of the type of the MoQ message; and the processing unit 710 is further configured to identify the type of the first MoQ message according to the indication information.

When the communication device 700 is used to implement the function of the application function network element in the above method embodiment, the processing unit 710 is used to control the transceiver unit 720 to send the first message type and the first parameter to the first network element; wherein the first message type is used to indicate an MoQ message containing multiple objects, and the first parameter includes the priority of the object in the MoQ message of the first message type.

In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 720 is further configured to send a second message type to the first network element, where the second message type is used to indicate a MoQ message containing an object.

In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 720 is further configured to send indication information to the first network element, where the indication information is used to indicate identification of the type of the MoQ message.

In a possible implementation method, the first network element is a policy control network element or a session management network element.

When the communication device 700 is used to implement the function of the first network element in the above method embodiment, the processing unit 710 is configured to determine a mapping rule, where the mapping rule is used to indicate the first message type or the second message type of each MoQ message in at least two MoQ messages, and to indicate a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and the first message type and first parameter of each MoQ message, and/or a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and the second message type and second parameter of each MoQ message, wherein the first message type is used to indicate a flow-by-flow MoQ message, and the first parameter includes information about an object in the MoQ message of the first message type; the second message type is used to indicate a packet-by-packet MoQ message, and the second parameter includes information about an object in the MoQ message of the second message type; and the objects in each MoQ message are transmitted via the same connection; and the transceiver unit 720 is configured to send the mapping rule, where the mapping rule is used to map the objects in the at least two MoQ messages to corresponding QoS flows.

In a possible implementation method, the first network element is a policy control network element; the transceiver unit 720 is further used to receive the first message type, the first parameter, the second message type and the second parameter from the application function network element.

In one possible implementation method, the first network element is a policy control network element; the transceiver unit 720 is further used to receive indication information from the application function network element, the indication information is used to indicate the type of MoQ message to be identified; and send the indication information to the session management network element.

In a possible implementation method, the first network element is a session management network element; the transceiver unit 720 is further configured to receive the first message type, the first parameter, the second message type, and the second parameter from a policy control network element.

In one possible implementation method, the first network element is a session management network element; the transceiver unit 720 is further used to receive indication information from the policy control network element, the indication information is used to indicate the type of MoQ message to be identified; and send the indication information to the user plane network element.

In a possible implementation method, the information of the object in the MoQ message of the first message type includes at least one of the priority of the object in the MoQ message of the first message type, the candidate value of the track field in the MoQ message of the first message type, or the candidate value of the group field in the MoQ message of the first message type; the information of the object in the MoQ message of the second message type includes at least one of the priority of the object in the MoQ message of the second message type, the candidate value of the track field in the MoQ message of the second message type, or the candidate value of the group field in the MoQ message of the second message type.

When the communication device 700 is used to implement the function of the user plane network element in the above method embodiment, the transceiver unit 720 is configured to receive a first MoQ message; if the first MoQ message is identified as a MoQ message of a first message type, the processing unit 710 is configured to map the object in the first MoQ message to a corresponding QoS flow according to a mapping rule; or if the first MoQ message is a MoQ message of a second message type, the processing unit 710 is configured to map the object in the first MoQ message to a corresponding QoS flow according to the mapping rule; wherein the mapping rule is configured to indicate the first message type or the second message type of each MoQ message in at least two MoQ messages, and to indicate a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and the first message type and first parameter of each MoQ message, and/or a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and the second message type and second parameter of each MoQ message; the first message type is configured to indicate a flow-by-flow MoQ message, and the first parameter includes information about the object in the MoQ message of the first message type; the second message type is configured to indicate a packet-by-packet MoQ message, and the second parameter includes information about the object in the MoQ message of the second message type; and the objects in each MoQ message are transmitted via the same connection.

In a possible implementation method, the information of the object in the MoQ message of the first message type includes at least one of the priority of the object in the MoQ message of the first message type, the candidate value of the track field in the MoQ message of the first message type, or the candidate value of the group field in the MoQ message of the first message type; the information of the object in the MoQ message of the second message type includes at least one of the priority of the object in the MoQ message of the second message type, the candidate value of the track field in the MoQ message of the second message type, or the candidate value of the group field in the MoQ message of the second message type.

In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 720 is further configured to receive indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate identification of the type of the MoQ message; and the processing unit 710 is further configured to identify the type of the first MoQ message according to the indication information.

In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 720 is further configured to receive the mapping rule from a policy control network element or a session management network element.

When the communication device 700 is used to implement the function of the application function network element in the above method embodiment, the processing unit 710 is used to control the transceiver unit 720 to send the first message type, the first parameter, the second message type and the second parameter to the first network element; wherein the first message type is used to indicate a flow-by-flow MoQ message, and the first parameter includes the priority of the object in the MoQ message of the first message type; the second message type is used to indicate a packet-by-packet MoQ message, and the second parameter includes the priority of the object in the MoQ message of the second message type.

In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 720 is further configured to send indication information to the first network element, where the indication information is used to indicate identification of the type of the MoQ message.

In a possible implementation method, the first network element is a policy control network element or a session management network element.

For a more detailed description of the processing unit 710 and the transceiver unit 720, reference can be made to the relevant description in the above method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

The communication device 800 shown in FIG8 includes a processor 810 and an interface circuit 820. The processor 810 and the interface circuit 820 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 820 may be a transceiver or an input/output interface. Optionally, the communication device 800 may further include a memory 830 for storing instructions executed by the processor 810, input data required by the processor 810 to execute instructions, or data generated after the processor 810 executes instructions.

When the communication device 800 is used to implement the above method embodiment, the processor 810 is used to implement the functions of the above processing unit 710 , and the interface circuit 820 is used to implement the functions of the above transceiver unit 720 .

It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, mobile hard disks, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a first network element, a user plane network element or an application function network element. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in an access network device or a terminal device.

In the above embodiments, they can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, they can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. A computer program refers to a set of instructions that instructs an electronic computer or other device with message processing capabilities to perform each step of the action, usually written in a certain programming language and running on a certain target architecture. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are executed in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magnetic tape; an optical medium, such as a digital video disk; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and non-volatile types of storage media.

In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and/or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And/or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and/or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of this application, the character "/" generally indicates that the previous and next related objects are in an "or" relationship; in the formulas of this application, the character "/" indicates that the previous and next related objects are in a "division" relationship.

It is understood that the various numbers used in the embodiments of this application are merely for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not necessarily imply a specific order of execution; the order of execution of the processes should be determined by their functions and inherent logic.

Claims (27)

A communication method, characterized in that it is applied to a first network element or a module of the first network element, and the method includes: Determine a first mapping rule, where the first mapping rule is used to indicate a first message type of each MoQ message in at least two MoQ messages, and to indicate a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and the first message type and a first parameter of each of the MoQ messages, where the first parameter includes information about an object in the MoQ message, and the first message type of the MoQ message indicates that the MoQ message contains multiple objects; the objects in each MoQ message are transmitted via the same Fast User Datagram Protocol network connection (QUIC) connection; and send the first mapping rule, where the first mapping rule is used to map the objects in the at least two MoQ messages to corresponding QoS flows. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first network element is a policy control network element; The method further comprises: Receive the first message type and the first parameter from an application function network element. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first network element is a policy control network element; The method further comprises: receiving indication information from an application function network element, where the indication information is used to indicate identification of a type of the MoQ message; The instruction information is sent to the session management network element. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first network element is a session management network element; The method further comprises: Receive the first message type and the first parameter from a policy control network element. The method according to claim 1 or 4, wherein the first network element is a session management network element; The method further comprises: receiving indication information from a policy control network element, the indication information being used to indicate identification of a type of the MoQ message; Send the indication information to the user plane network element. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the information of the object in the MoQ message includes at least one of a priority of the object, a candidate value of a track field in the MoQ message, or a candidate value of a group field in the MoQ message. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: Determining a second mapping rule, where the second mapping rule is used to indicate that PDU aggregate QoS processing is performed on an object in a MoQ message of a second message type, where the second message type is used to indicate a MoQ message containing one object; The second mapping rule is sent. A communication method, characterized in that the method comprises: Receive a first MoQ message; If it is identified that the first MoQ message is a MoQ message of the first message type, mapping the object in the first MoQ message to a corresponding QoS flow according to a first mapping rule; The first mapping rule is used to indicate a first message type of each MoQ message in at least two MoQ messages, and to indicate a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and the first message type and a first parameter of each of the MoQ messages, wherein the first parameter includes information about an object in the MoQ message, and the first message type of the MoQ message indicates that the MoQ message contains multiple objects; and the objects in each MoQ message are transmitted through the same connection. The method of claim 8, wherein the information of the object in the MoQ message includes at least one of a priority of the object, a candidate value of a track field in the MoQ message, or a candidate value of a group field in the MoQ message. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the method further comprises: If it is identified that the first MoQ message is a MoQ message of the second message type, performing PDU aggregate QoS processing on the first MoQ message according to the second mapping rule; The second mapping rule is used to indicate that PDU set QoS processing is performed on the object in the MoQ message of the second message type, and the second message type is used to indicate a MoQ message containing one object. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, further comprising: receiving indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate identification of a type of the MoQ message; Identify the type of the first MoQ message according to the indication information. A communication method, characterized in that it is applied to a first network element or a module of the first network element, and the method includes: Determining a mapping rule, where the mapping rule is used to indicate a first message type or a second message type of each MoQ message in at least two MoQ messages, and to indicate a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and the first message type and a first parameter of each MoQ message, and/or a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and the second message type and a second parameter of each MoQ message, wherein the first message type is used to indicate a flow-by-flow MoQ message, and the first parameter includes information about an object in the MoQ message of the first message type; the second message type is used to indicate a packet-by-packet MoQ message, and the second parameter includes information about an object in the MoQ message of the second message type; and the objects in each MoQ message are transmitted over the same connection; The mapping rule is sent, where the mapping rule is used to map the objects in the at least two MoQ messages to corresponding QoS flows. The method according to claim 12, wherein the first network element is a policy control network element; The method further comprises: The first message type, the first parameter, the second message type, and the second parameter are received from an application function network element. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the first network element is a policy control network element; The method further comprises: receiving indication information from an application function network element, where the indication information is used to indicate identification of a type of the MoQ message; The instruction information is sent to the session management network element. The method according to claim 12, wherein the first network element is a session management network element; The method further comprises: The first message type, the first parameter, the second message type, and the second parameter are received from a policy control network element. The method according to claim 12 or 15, wherein the first network element is a session management network element; The method further comprises: receiving indication information from a policy control network element, the indication information being used to indicate identification of a type of the MoQ message; Send the indication information to the user plane network element. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein the information of the object in the MoQ message of the first message type includes at least one of a priority of the object in the MoQ message of the first message type, a candidate value of a track field in the MoQ message of the first message type, or a candidate value of a group field in the MoQ message of the first message type; The information of the object in the MoQ message of the second message type includes at least one of the priority of the object in the MoQ message of the second message type, the candidate value of the track field in the MoQ message of the second message type, or the candidate value of the group field in the MoQ message of the second message type. A communication method, characterized in that the method comprises: Receive a first MoQ message; If it is identified that the first MoQ message is a MoQ message of the first message type, mapping the object in the first MoQ message to a corresponding QoS flow according to a mapping rule; or, If the first MoQ message is a MoQ message of the second message type, mapping the object in the first MoQ message to a corresponding QoS flow according to the mapping rule; The mapping rule is used to indicate the first message type or the second message type of each MoQ message in at least two MoQ messages, and to indicate a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and the first message type and first parameter of each MoQ message, and/or a mapping relationship between a QoS flow and the second message type and second parameter of each MoQ message. The first message type is used to indicate a flow-by-flow MoQ message, and the first parameter includes information about an object in a MoQ message of the first message type. The second message type is used to indicate a packet-by-packet MoQ message, and the second parameter includes information about an object in a MoQ message of the second message type. The objects in each MoQ message are transmitted through the same connection. The method of claim 18, wherein the information of the object in the MoQ message of the first message type comprises at least one of a priority of the object in the MoQ message of the first message type, a candidate value of a track field in the MoQ message of the first message type, or a candidate value of a group field in the MoQ message of the first message type; The information of the object in the MoQ message of the second message type includes at least one of the priority of the object in the MoQ message of the second message type, the candidate value of the track field in the MoQ message of the second message type, or the candidate value of the group field in the MoQ message of the second message type. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that the method further comprises: receiving indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate identification of a type of the MoQ message; Identify the type of the first MoQ message according to the indication information. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 20, further comprising: The mapping rule is received from a policy control network element or a session management network element. A communication device, characterized in that it includes a unit for executing the method described in any one of claims 1 to 7, or executing the method described in any one of claims 8 to 11, or executing the method described in any one of claims 12 to 17, or executing the method described in any one of claims 18 to 21. A communication device, characterized in that it includes a processor and an interface circuit, the processor is used to communicate with other devices through the interface circuit and execute the method described in any one of claims 1 to 7, or execute the method described in any one of claims 8 to 11, or execute the method described in any one of claims 12 to 17, or execute the method described in any one of claims 18 to 21. A computer program product, characterized in that the computer program product includes instructions, which, when the instructions are executed on a processor, cause the processor to execute the method described in any one of claims 1 to 7, or the method described in any one of claims 8 to 11, or the method described in any one of claims 12 to 17, or the method described in any one of claims 18 to 21. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that a computer program or instruction is stored in the storage medium, and when the computer program or instruction is executed by a communication device, the method described in any one of claims 1 to 7, or the method described in any one of claims 8 to 11, or the method described in any one of claims 12 to 17, or the method described in any one of claims 18 to 21 is implemented. A communication system, characterized by comprising a first network element for executing the method described in any one of claims 1 to 7, and a user plane network element for executing the method described in any one of claims 8 to 11. A communication system, characterized by comprising a first network element for executing the method described in any one of claims 12 to 17, and a user plane network element for executing the method described in any one of claims 18 to 21.