CN112217615A

CN112217615A - Method and device for supporting time-sensitive network

Info

Publication number: CN112217615A
Application number: CN201910615479.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 罗海燕; 黄曲芳; 戴明增
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-07-09
Filing date: 2019-07-09
Publication date: 2021-01-12
Anticipated expiration: 2039-07-09
Also published as: WO2021004191A1; CN112217615B

Abstract

A method and a device for supporting a time sensitive network are used for solving the problem that terminal equipment cannot distinguish a time sensitive network TSN packet and a service data packet. The method comprises the following steps: the communication equipment receives a first message sent by the wireless access network equipment, wherein the first message carries first information, and the first information is used for representing that a data packet transmitted by a first Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session is a TSN packet; the communication device processes data packets of the first PDU session transmission based on the first information.

Description

Method and device for supporting time-sensitive network

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method and an apparatus for supporting a time-sensitive network.

Background

3GPP R16 is discussing that the 5G RAN supports industrial Time Sensitive Network (TSN). TSN networks require clock synchronization errors within 1 us. The TSN system sends time service information to the TSN end node through the 5G network so as to achieve the purpose of clock synchronization of the TSN end nodes in the same time domain, and in popular terms, the clock time of each TSN is consistent.

At present, the 5G RAN may support the TSN through a transparent clock manner, that is, the wireless access network device of the 5G system may receive the time service information (such as Precision Time Protocol (PTP) message) sent by the TSN system, and the wireless access network device of the 5G system may transmit the time service information to a terminal Node of the TSN through an intermediate Node (Node-X). The Node-X may facilitate TSN end nodes and base stations to communicate by way of L2relay (relay). When the base station forwards a TSN packet (such as TSN time service information) to a TSN end Node through a Node-X, the Node-X needs to send the TSN packet to an Ethernet module (Ethernet module) for processing and then send the TSN packet to the TSN end Node through wireless. When the base station sends the service data, the Node-X only needs to adapt the protocol layer and then forwards the service data to the TSN terminal Node through the side link, and the service data does not need to be sent to the Ethernet module for processing. For Node-X, how to identify TSN packets and traffic packets is a continuing problem.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a method and a device for supporting a time-sensitive network, which are used for solving the problem that a terminal device cannot distinguish a TSN packet and a service data packet.

In a first aspect, a method for supporting a time-sensitive network provided in an embodiment of the present application includes: the communication equipment receives a first message sent by the wireless access network equipment, wherein the first message carries first information, and the first information is used for representing that a data packet transmitted by a first Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session is a TSN packet; the communication device processes data packets of the first PDU session transmission based on the first information. In the embodiment of the application, the communication device is indicated by the wireless access network device, and the communication device is made to know whether the data packet transmitted by the PDU is the TSN packet, so that the communication device can distinguish the TSN packet from other service data packets.

In one possible design, the first information may be indicated by a type of the first PDU session. In the above design, whether a data packet transmitted by the PDU session is a TSN packet is indicated by the type of the first PDU session, so that signaling overhead can be saved.

In one possible design, the first information is indicated by INDICATION information carried by the first message, for example, the first message carries a TSN-INDICATION, which may indicate that the first information, that is, the TSN-INDICATION indicates that the data packet transmitted by the first PDU session is a TSN packet. In the above design, the flexibility of indication can be improved by indicating whether the data packet transmitted by the PDU session is the TSN packet through one indication message.

In one possible design, the first message may include Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer configuration information, and the first information may be included in the SDAP layer configuration information. By the above design, the communication device may determine whether the PDU session transmits a TSN packet according to the SDAP layer configuration information.

In a possible design, when the communication device processes the packet transmitted by the first PDU session based on the first information, the packet transmitted by the first PDU session may be specifically transmitted to an Ethernet (Ethernet) module for processing. Through the design, the communication device determines that the received data packet is the TSN packet and then can transmit the TSN packet to the Ethernet module for processing, so that the processed TSN packet can be wirelessly transmitted to the TSN end node.

In one possible design, before the communication device receives the first message sent by the radio access network device, a second message may be sent by the radio access network device to the core network device, the second message requesting establishment or modification of the first PDU session. In the above design, the communication device requests the core network device to modify or establish the first PDU session by sending the second message to the core network device.

In one possible design, the first message may be a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

In a second aspect, a method for supporting a time-sensitive network provided in an embodiment of the present application includes: the method comprises the steps that a wireless access network device receives a first message sent by a core network device, wherein the first message carries first information, and the first information is used for indicating that a data packet transmitted by a first PDU session is a TSN packet; and the wireless access network equipment sends a second message to the communication equipment, wherein the first message carries second information, and the second information is used for representing that the data packet transmitted by the first PDU session is a TSN packet. In the embodiment of the application, the core network device indicates the radio access network device, so that the radio access network device can indicate the communication device, and the communication device can know whether the data packet transmitted by the first PDU session is the TSN packet, and thus the communication device can treat the TSN packet and other service data packets differently.

In one possible design, the second information may be indicated by a type of the first PDU session. In the above design, whether a data packet transmitted by the PDU session is a TSN packet is indicated by the type of the first PDU session, so that signaling overhead can be saved.

In one possible design, the second information is indicated by INDICATION information carried by a second message, for example, the second message carries a TSN-INDICATION, which may indicate that the second information, that is, the TSN-INDICATION indicates that the data packet transmitted by the first PDU session is a TSN packet. In the above design, the flexibility of indication can be improved by indicating whether the data packet transmitted by the PDU session is the TSN packet through one indication message.

In one possible design, the second message may include the SDAP layer configuration information, the second information being included in the SDAP layer configuration information. By the above design, the communication device may determine whether the PDU session transmits a TSN packet according to the SDAP layer configuration information.

In one possible design, the first information may be indicated by a type of the first PDU session. In the above design, the core network device indicates, through the type of the first PDU session, whether a data packet transmitted by the PDU session is a TSN packet, so that signaling overhead can be saved.

In one possible design, before the radio access network device receives the first message sent by the core network device, a third message sent by the communication device may be received, where the third message is used to request establishment or modification of the first PDU session, and the third message is forwarded to the core network device. In the above design, the radio access network device may request the core network device to establish or modify the first PDU session by forwarding the third message of the communication device.

In one possible design, the second message may be an RRC reconfiguration message.

In one possible design, the first message may be a PDU session resource setup request or a PDU session resource modification request.

In a third aspect, a method for supporting a time-sensitive network provided in an embodiment of the present application includes: the core network equipment determines that a data packet transmitted by the first PDU session is a TSN packet; the core network equipment sends a first message to the radio access network equipment, wherein the first message carries first information, and the first information is used for indicating that a data packet transmitted by the first PDU session is a TSN packet. In the embodiment of the application, the core network device indicates the radio access network device, so that the radio access network device can know whether a data packet transmitted by a PDU session is a TSN packet, and the TSN packet and other service data packets can be treated differently.

In one possible design, before the core network device determines that the data packet transmitted by the first PDU session is a TSN packet, a second message sent by the communication device through the radio access network device may be received, where the second message is used to request establishment or modification of the first PDU session. In the above design, the core network device establishes or modifies the first PDU session for the communication device after receiving the second message from the communication device.

In a fourth aspect, a method for supporting a time-sensitive network provided in an embodiment of the present application includes: the communication equipment receives a first message sent by the wireless access network equipment, wherein the first message carries first information, and the first information is used for representing that a data packet transmitted by a first data wireless bearer is a TSN packet; the communication device processes data packets transmitted by the first data radio bearer based on the first information. In the embodiment of the application, the communication device is indicated by the radio access network device, and the communication device is made to know whether the data packet transmitted by the first data radio bearer is the TSN packet, so that the communication device can treat the TSN packet and other service data packets differently.

In one possible design, when the communication device processes the data packet transmitted by the first data radio bearer based on the first information, the data packet transmitted by the first data radio bearer may be transmitted to the Ethernet module for processing. Through the design, the communication device determines that the received data packet is the TSN packet and then can transmit the TSN packet to the Ethernet module for processing, so that the processed TSN packet can be wirelessly transmitted to the TSN end node.

In one possible design, before the communication device receives the first message sent by the radio access network device, a second message may also be sent to the core network device by the radio access network device, where the second message is used to request establishment or modification of the first PDU session. In the above design, the communication device requests the core network device to modify or establish the first PDU session by sending the second message to the core network device.

In one possible design, the first message may be an RRC reconfiguration message.

In a fifth aspect, a method for supporting a time-sensitive network provided in an embodiment of the present application includes: the method comprises the steps that a wireless access network device receives a first message sent by a core network device, wherein the first message carries first information, and the first information is used for indicating a service quality (QoS) flow of a transmission TSN packet in a first PDU session; and the wireless access network equipment sends a second message to the communication equipment, wherein the second message carries second information, the second information is used for representing that the data packet transmitted by the first data radio bearer is a TSN packet, and QoS (quality of service) flows of one or more TSN packets transmitted in the first PDU session are mapped to the first data radio bearer. In the embodiment of the application, the core network device indicates the radio access network device to transmit the QoS stream of the TSN packet in the first PDU session, so that the radio access network device can indicate which data packets transmitted by the data radio bearer are the TSN packet after mapping the QoS stream of the first PDU session to the data radio bearer, and thus the communication device can treat the TSN packet differently from other service data packets.

In a possible design, the radio access network device may further receive a second message sent by the communication device before receiving the first information sent by the core network device, where the second message is used to request to establish or modify the first PDU session; and forwarding the second message to the core network device. In the above design, the radio access network device may request the core network device to establish or modify the first PDU session by forwarding the third message of the communication device.

In a sixth aspect, a method for supporting a time-sensitive network provided in an embodiment of the present application includes: the core network equipment determines a QoS flow for transmitting a TSN packet in a first PDU session; the core network equipment sends a first message to the wireless access network equipment, wherein the first message carries first information, and the first information is used for indicating a QoS flow for transmitting a TSN packet in a first PDU session. In the embodiment of the application, the core network device indicates the radio access network device to transmit the QoS stream of the TSN packet in the first PDU session, so that the radio access network device can know which data packets transmitted by the QoS stream are TSN packets, and can distinguish the QoS stream which only transmits the TSN packet from the QoS stream which transmits other service data packets.

In one possible design, the core network device may receive a second message sent by the communication device through the radio access network device before determining the QoS flow for transmitting the TSN packet in the first PDU session, the second message requesting establishment or modification of the first PDU session. In the above design, the core network device establishes or modifies the first PDU session for the communication device after receiving the second message from the communication device.

In a seventh aspect, a method for supporting a time-sensitive network provided in an embodiment of the present application includes: the communication device receives a data packet sent by a radio access network device, wherein the data packet carries a TSN indication, and the TSN indication is used for indicating that the data packet is a TSN data packet. The communication device transmits the data packet to the Ethernet module for processing.

In one possible design, the TSN indication may be carried in an adaptation layer header of the packet or a MAC header of the packet.

In an eighth aspect, a method for supporting a time-sensitive network provided in an embodiment of the present application includes: a wireless access network receives a data packet sent by core network equipment, wherein the data packet carries a TSN (transport stream network) indication, and the TSN indication is used for indicating that the data packet is a TSN data packet; the radio access network device forwards the data packet to the communication device.

In a ninth aspect, a method for supporting a time-sensitive network provided in an embodiment of the present application includes: the core network equipment receives a data packet sent by a server; the core network device determines the data packet as a TSN data packet; the core network device carries the TSN indication in the data packet, and sends the data packet carrying the TSN indication to the radio access network device.

In a tenth aspect, a method for supporting a time-sensitive network provided in an embodiment of the present application includes: the communication device receives first information and a QFi list respectively corresponding to at least one DRB, wherein the QFi list corresponding to the DRB comprises identifiers of QoS flows mapped to the DRB, and the first information is used for indicating the QoS flows for transmitting TSN data packets in a first PDU session. The communication equipment receives a data packet sent by the wireless access network equipment, wherein the data packet carries the QFI parameter. The communication device determines whether the packet is a TSN packet based on the QFI parameter carried by the packet.

In one possible design, the communication device may transmit the data packet to the Ethernet module for processing when the data packet is determined to be a TSN packet.

In one possible design, the first information may include indication information corresponding to each QoS flow of the first PDU session, where the indication information corresponding to the QoS flow is used to indicate whether the QoS flow transmits a TSN packet.

In one possible design, the first information may include indication information corresponding to QoS streams for transmitting TSN packets in the first PDU session, respectively, where the indication information corresponding to the QoS streams is used to indicate the QoS streams transmit the TSN packets.

In one possible design, the first information may include indication information corresponding to QoS flows in the first PDU session, where the QoS flows do not transmit TSN packets, respectively, and the indication information corresponding to the QoS flows is used to indicate that the QoS flows do not transmit TSN packets.

In an eleventh aspect, a method for supporting a time-sensitive network provided in an embodiment of the present application includes: the radio access network equipment receives first information sent by the core network equipment, wherein the first information is used for indicating a QoS flow for transmitting a TSN packet in a first PDU session. The wireless access network equipment maps each QoS flow of the first PDU session to a DRB, and sends first information and a QFI list corresponding to at least one DRB to the communication equipment, wherein the QFI list corresponding to the DRB comprises an identifier of each QoS flow mapped to the DRB. And the wireless access network equipment sends a data packet to the communication equipment, wherein the data packet carries the QFI parameter.

In a twelfth aspect, a method for supporting a time-sensitive network provided in an embodiment of the present application includes: the core network device determines whether each QoS flow of the first PDU session transmits a TSN packet. The core network equipment sends first information to the wireless access network equipment, wherein the first information is used for indicating the QoS flow for transmitting the TSN packet in the first PDU session.

In a thirteenth aspect, the present application provides an apparatus for supporting a time-sensitive network, where the apparatus may be a device for communication, and may also be a chip or a chip set in the device for communication, where the device for communication may be a communication device, a radio access network device, or a core network device. The apparatus may include a processing unit and a transceiver unit. When the apparatus is a device for communication, the processing unit may be a processor, and the transceiving unit may be a communication interface; the apparatus may further include a storage unit, which may be a memory; the storage unit is configured to store instructions, and the processing unit executes the instructions stored in the storage unit to cause the communication device to perform the functions of the first aspect, the fourth aspect, the seventh aspect, and the tenth aspect, or to cause the radio access network device to perform the functions of the second aspect, the fifth aspect, the eighth aspect, and the eleventh aspect, or to cause the core network device to perform the functions of the third aspect, the sixth aspect, the ninth aspect, and the twelfth aspect. When the apparatus is a chip or chipset within a device for communication, the processing unit may be a processor, and the transceiving unit may be an input/output interface, a pin, a circuit, or the like; the processing unit executes the instructions stored in the storage unit to cause the communication device to perform the functions of the first aspect, the fourth aspect, the seventh aspect, and the tenth aspect, or to cause the radio access network device to perform the functions of the second aspect, the fifth aspect, the eighth aspect, and the eleventh aspect, or to cause the core network device to perform the functions of the third aspect, the sixth aspect, the ninth aspect, and the twelfth aspect. The memory unit may be a memory unit (e.g., register, cache, etc.) within the chip or chipset, or a memory unit (e.g., read only memory, random access memory, etc.) external to the chip or chipset within the communication device.

In a fourteenth aspect, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium including instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the above aspects.

In a fifteenth aspect, the present application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed, cause the method of the above aspects to be performed.

In a sixteenth aspect, the present application provides a chip comprising a processor and a communication interface for receiving code instructions and transmitting them to the processor. The processor is used for calling the code instructions transmitted by the communication interface to execute the method of the aspects.

In a seventeenth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which includes a communication device, a radio access network device and a core network device, wherein the communication device is configured to perform the respective functions in the first aspect, the fourth aspect, the seventh aspect and the tenth aspect, the radio access network device is configured to perform the respective functions in the second aspect, the fifth aspect, the eighth aspect and the eleventh aspect, and the core network device is configured to perform the respective functions in the third aspect, the sixth aspect, the ninth aspect and the twelfth aspect.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic architecture diagram of a communication system provided in the present application;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for supporting TSN by a 5G RAN according to the present application;

fig. 3A is a schematic diagram of a protocol layer for processing a TSN packet according to the present application;

fig. 3B is a schematic diagram of a protocol layer for processing a service data packet according to the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a Node-X processing packet according to the present application;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method for supporting a time sensitive network according to the present application;

FIG. 6 is a diagram of QoS flow mapping to DRBs according to the present application;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus supporting a time-sensitive network according to the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of another apparatus supporting a time-sensitive network according to the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of another apparatus supporting a time-sensitive network according to the present application;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of another apparatus supporting a time-sensitive network according to the present application.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

The method for supporting the TSN can be applied to a communication system supporting the TSN. The architecture of the communication system may be as shown in fig. 1, and includes a radio access network device 101, a communication device 102, and may further include a core network device 103, where the communication device 102 may be connected to a TSN end node, and the core network device 103 may be connected to the TSN system. The communication system according to the embodiment of the present application may be various communication systems, for example, Long Term Evolution (LTE), fifth generation (5G) communication systems, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), evolved UTRA (E-UTRAN), new radio technology (NR), GSM/EDGE radio access network-circuit switched domain (GSM EDGE radio access network-circuit switched domain, GERAN-CS), GSM/EDGE radio access network-data switched domain (GSM EDGE radio access network-packet switched, PS), code division multiple access (code division multiple access, CDMA)2000-1XRTT, and Multi-RAT Dual-Connectivity (MR-DC), and may also be a hybrid communication system of multiple communication architectures, such as LTE and 5G hybrid architectures.

The radio access network device 101 may be a common base station (e.g., a Node B or an eNB), may be a new radio controller (NR controller), may be a enode B (gNB) or an en-gNB in a 5G system, may be a centralized network element (centralized unit), may be a new radio base station, may be a radio remote module, may be a micro base station, may be a relay (relay), may be a distributed network element (distributed unit), may be a reception point (TRP), a Transmission Point (TP), or any other radio access device, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto.

The communication device 102 may be a terminal device, a relay station such as a Customer Premise Equipment (CPE), or the communication device 102 may be a function of a base station. A terminal device, also called a User Equipment (UE), is a device providing voice and/or data connectivity to a user, such as a handheld device with a wireless connection function, a vehicle-mounted device, and so on. Common terminals include, for example: the mobile phone includes a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a palm computer, a Mobile Internet Device (MID), and a wearable device such as a smart watch, a smart bracelet, a pedometer, and the like. For convenience of description, the communication device 102 is referred to collectively as Node-X in the embodiments of the present application.

The core network device 103 may be a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Serving Gateway (SGW), an Access and Management Function (AMF) in the 5G system, a User Plane Function (UPF), and the like, and may provide further network connection, such as a telephone network and/or a data communication network (e.g., Internet). The base station may be connected to the core network device via a link (e.g., S1 or NG interface).

If the communication system supports the TSN, the TSN system may send time service information to a TSN end node (TSN end) through a communication network, so as to achieve the purpose of achieving clock synchronization at TSN end nodes in the same time domain, which is colloquially speaking, that is, the clock time of each node in the TSN system is consistent.

The 5G RAN may support the TSN in a transparent clock manner, as shown in fig. 2, the TSN system sends a TSN packet, such as a PTP message, to a 5G network device (such as UPF), where the PTP message is used to provide common accurate time service information, so as to implement deterministic service transmission. The following describes how the 5G RAN supports TSN by taking PTP messages as an example. The TSN system sends a PTP message to a 5G network device (e.g., a UPF), and the UPF records a time of receiving the PTP message, i.e., an entry time (ingress time) t0, and adds a correction term, CorrectionField ═ x, to the PTP message, where the correction term is used by the TSN end node to correct timing information. The UPF sends the modified PTP message to the 5G UE via the 5G system, and also sends an ingress time t0 to the 5G UE. The ingress time t0 may be sent together with the PTP message or separately. After receiving the PTP message and ingress time t0, the 5G UE transmits the two messages to an Ethernet Module (Ethernet Module), which may be a functional unit in the 5G UE, for processing. The Ethernet Module adjusts the correction field x in the PTP message to x + t1-t0 and then sends the result to the TSN endpoint, wherein t1 is the time when the Ethernet Module sends the PTP message, and t1-t0 is the transmission delay between the 5G system (i.e. the time when the 5G network system receives the PTP message) and the 5G system (i.e. the time when the Ethernet Module sends the PTP message to the TSN endpoint node). The Ethernet Module finally sends the PTP message to the TSN end node at the exit time (aggregation time) t 1. And the 5G UE and the TSN terminal node adopt a wired connection mode.

Currently, it may be considered to introduce an intermediate Node-X (i.e. the communication device 102) between the radio access network device and the TSN end Node, where the Node-X may be a terminal device, a relay station, a function of the radio access network device, or the like. Node-X is 5G UE for wireless access network equipment, and Node-X and TSN end Node are connected in a wireless mode. The Node-X may facilitate the TSN end Node and the radio access network device to communicate by way of an L2 relay. Illustratively, fig. 3A and fig. 3B respectively show a possible UE-to-Network Relay function (UE-to-Network Relay) user plane protocol stack, where L2Relay UEs (e.g., Node-X) and UEs can communicate via sidelink (sidelink), where a UE may include a function of a 5G UE and a function of a TSN UE (also referred to as TSN end Node), and when a Node-X transmits a traffic packet (e.g., a mobile Network traffic packet), the UE has a function of the 5G UE, and when a Node-X transmits a TSN packet, the UE has a function of the TSN end Node.

According to the protocol Layer shown in fig. 3A, when the radio access network device forwards the TSN packet to the UE through the Node-X (at this time, the UE is equivalent to a TSN end Node), the Node-X needs to sequentially process the TSN packet through each protocol Layer, such as a Physical (PHY) Layer, > Media Access Control (MAC) Layer, > radio link Layer control protocol (RLC) Layer, > Adaptation Layer, and the like, transmit the processed PTP message to the Ethernet module for processing after processing through each protocol Layer, and then transmit the PTP message processed by the Ethernet module to the TSN end Node through a wireless manner. The wireless access network equipment sends a TSN packet or a service data packet to the Node-X through unicast, wherein the TSN packet is not encrypted, and the service data packet is encrypted. If the TSN packet has a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, the radio access network device needs to inform how many bits (bits) there are in a PDCP Sequence Number (SN) corresponding to a Node-X TSN end Node Data Radio Bearer (DRB)/Logical Channel Identifier (LCID), so that the Node-X obtains an Ethernet packet after removing the PDCP header.

According to the protocol layer shown in fig. 3B, when the radio access network device sends a service data packet (e.g., a mobile network service data packet) to the UE (at this time, the UE is equivalent to a 5G UE), the Node-X does not need to send the service data packet to the Ethernet module and then forward the service data packet to the 5G UE, and only needs to transmit the service data packet to the adaptation layer and then forward the service data packet through a side link (e.g., L2relay, the Node-X may forward the service data packet after processing of the PHY layer/MAC layer/RLC layer/adaptation layer, and when forwarding, a header of the protocol layer between the Node-X and the terminal device, for example, a header of the RLC layer, a header of the MAC layer, and a header of the PHY layer, needs to be encapsulated outside the service data, as shown in fig. 4. Therefore, how to identify the TSN packet and the traffic data packet is a problem to be solved continuously for the Node-X.

It should be noted that the Ethernet module and the Node-X can be in the same physical entity, for example, the Node-X has an Ethernet protocol layer. Or, the Ethernet module and the Node-X may be in different physical entities, and the Node-X and the Ethernet module may be connected through a wired interface, for example, the Ethernet module is a storage controller in a factory, and a card supporting the Node-X function is inserted into the controller, so as to realize the integration of the Node-X and the Ethernet module.

Based on this, the present application provides a method and an apparatus for supporting a time-sensitive network, so as to solve the problem in the prior art that Node-X cannot identify a TSN packet and a service data packet. The method and the device are based on the same inventive concept, and because the principles of solving the problems of the method and the device are similar, the implementation of the device and the method can be mutually referred, and repeated parts are not repeated.

The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The first embodiment is as follows: the data packets transmitted by the first PDU session mentioned in the first embodiment are all TSN packets.

A method for supporting a time-sensitive network according to an embodiment may be as shown in fig. 5, and the method may be applied to the communication system shown in fig. 1. The method specifically comprises the following steps:

s501, the core network device determines that a data packet transmitted by a first Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session is a TSN packet.

In a specific implementation, before step S501, the Node-X may send a second message to the core network device through the radio access network device, where the second message is used to request to establish or modify the first PDU session. And after receiving the second message sent by the Node-X, the wireless access network equipment forwards the second message to the core network equipment.

In some implementations, the second message may be sent by the Node-X for itself to establish or modify the PDU session.

In other embodiments, the message requesting to establish or modify the PDU session may also be sent by the Node-X when establishing or modifying the PDU session for the TSN end Node, that is, the second message may be sent by the TSN end Node to the core network device through the Node-X.

S502, the core network device sends first information to the wireless access network device, wherein the first information is used for indicating that a data packet transmitted by the first PDU session is a TSN packet. Correspondingly, the radio access network equipment receives the first information.

In a specific implementation, the core network device may send the first information to the radio access network device through a third message, where the third message may be a PDU Session Resource Setup Request (PDU Session Resource Setup Request) message or a PDU Session Resource modification Request (PDU Session Resource modification Request) message, that is, the first information may be carried in a PDU Session Resource Setup Request/PDU Session Resource modification Request message. Therefore, the radio access network device performs the signaling interaction with the core network device AMF, and establishes a user plane tunnel corresponding to the PDU session, i.e., a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) tunnel protocol user plane (GTP-U), between the radio access network device and the core network device UPF. The interface between the radio access network device and the UPF may be referred to as the NG3 interface, among others. It should be understood that, in this embodiment of the application, the third message is only an exemplary illustration and is not specifically limited to a message carrying the first information, and in a specific implementation, the core network device may also send the first information through other messages, which is not specifically limited herein.

S503, the wireless access network equipment sends a first message to the Node-X, wherein the first message carries second information, and the second information is used for representing that a data packet transmitted by the first PDU session is a TSN packet. Correspondingly, the Node-X may receive a first message sent by the radio access network device.

Here, the first message is only an exemplary illustration, and the first message may be named differently in different systems, for example, in an NR system, the first message may be a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Reconfiguration (RRC Reconfiguration) message, in an LTE system, the first message may be referred to as an RRC Connection Reconfiguration (RRC Reconfiguration) message, in a future communication system, the first message may also be named as another message, such as an a message, and if the a message can implement the function of the first message, the a message may also be understood as the first message in the first embodiment of the present application, and the first message is not specifically limited herein.

S504, the Node-X processes the data packet transmitted by the first PDU conversation based on the second information.

For example, the Node-X may transmit the packet transmitted by the first PDU session to an Ethernet (Ethernet) module for processing.

Specifically, if it is a TSN packet, the Node-X may send the TSN packet to the Ethernet module for processing by the Ethernet module (e.g., amending CorrectionDomain to X + t1-t 0). And then, according to the identifier of the TSN end node given by the radio access network device in the adaptation layer and the corresponding sidelink radio bearer (SL-RB) identifier or the SL Logical Channel Identifier (LCID), sending the TSN packet to the corresponding TSN end node through a channel corresponding to the sidelink.

In the embodiment of the application, the Node-X is instructed by the core network device, the radio access network device, to know whether a data packet transmitted by a PDU session is a TSN packet, so that the TSN packet and other service data packets can be treated differently.

In a specific implementation, a user plane tunnel corresponding to a PDU session may be established between a radio access network device and a core network device (e.g., UPF), and specifically, the user plane tunnel between the radio access network device and the UPF may be established through information interaction between the core network device (e.g., AMF) and the radio access network device. The user plane corresponding to the PDU session tunnels QoS flows (flows) of different QoS attributes, and one or more QoS flows with the same or similar QoS attributes may be mapped to one DRB by the radio access network device. For example, as shown in fig. 6, QoS flow1 and QoS flow2 for a PDU session are mapped to DRB1, QoS flow3 and QoS flow4 are mapped to DRB2, and QoS flow5, QoS flow6 and QoS flow7 are mapped to DRB 3. The PDU session may share one SDAP entity, and the SDAP entity may be responsible for mapping different QoS flows to different DRBs.

The core network device may indicate, by using a PDU Session Type information element, that the Type of the PDU Session is Ipv4, Ipv6, or ethernet, and the description of the PDU Session Type information element in TS 23.501 is shown in table 1.

TABLE 1

In an implementation manner, a TSN indication may be introduced into a PDU Session Type, that is, a TSN Type is added to an enumerated Type of a PDU Session Type cell, where when the PDU Session Type cell indicates the TSN Type, a PDU Session includes a TSN packet. In the first embodiment, whether a PDU session transmits a TSN packet is indicated by a PDU session type, and when the PDU session type indicates the PDU session transmits a TSN packet, all data packets transmitted by the PDU session are TSN packets.

That is, the first information may be indicated by the type of the first PDU session.

In an exemplary illustration, the TSN Type may be represented by a value of TSN, i.e. PDU Session Type may be represented as:

PDU Session Type ENUMERATED{Ipv4，Ipv6，Ipv4v6，Ethernet，TSN,…}。

in another exemplary illustration, the existing value of Ethernet can be replaced by Ethernet-TSN and Ethernet-other, where Ethernet-TSN means TSN Type, i.e. PDU Session Type can be expressed as:

PDU Session Type ENUMERATED{Ipv4，Ipv6，Ipv4v 6，Etherne-other，Etherne-TSN,…}。

of course, in a specific implementation, the TSN type may be indicated in other ways, and is not limited in detail here.

In some embodiments, the second information may also be indicated by a type of the first PDU session. For example, a PDU-Session-Type cell may be added to an SDAP configuration cell, i.e., an SDAP-Config, in an RRC reconfiguration message, and a TSN indication is introduced into the PDU-Session-Type, i.e., a TSN Type is added to an enumerated Type of the PDU-Session-Type cell, where when the PDU-Session-Type cell indicates a TSN Type, all QoS flows indicating the PDU Session transmit a TSN packet.

Illustratively, the TSN Type may be represented by a value of TSN, i.e. PDU-Session-Type may be represented as:

PDU-Session-Type ENUMERATED{Ipv4，Ipv6，Ipv4v6，Ethernet，TSN,…}。

alternatively, the existing value of Ethernet can be replaced by Ethernet-TSN and Ethernet-other, wherein the Ethernet-TSN represents the Type of TSN, i.e. PDU-Session-Type can be expressed as:

PDU-Session-Type ENUMERATED{Ipv4，Ipv6，Ipv4v6，Etherne-other，Etherne-TSN,…}。

in other embodiments, the second information may also be indication information (TSN-indication) corresponding to the PDU session, where the TSN-indication corresponding to the PDU session is used to indicate whether a data packet transmitted by the PDU session is a TSN packet. That is, the TSN-indication of the PDU session is added to the first message to indicate whether the PDU session transmits TSN packets. For example, the TSN-indication cell is added to the SDAP configuration cell, i.e., the SDAP-Config, in the RRC reconfiguration message.

Specifically, the TSN-indication corresponding to the PDU session may be indicated by taking different values, for example, a value of the TSN-indication is 1/0 to indicate whether a data packet transmitted by the PDU session is a TSN packet, and for example, a value of the TSN-indication is 1 to indicate that the data packet transmitted by the PDU session is a TSN packet, and a value of the TSN-indication is 0 to indicate that the data packet transmitted by the PDU session is not a TSN packet. Of course, when the TSN-indication value is 0, it may also indicate that the data packet transmitted by the PDU session is a TSN packet, and when the TSN-indication value is 1, it indicates that the data packet transmitted by the PDU session is not a TSN packet. Or, whether the data packet transmitted by the PDU session is the TSN packet may be represented by the TSN-indication being true/false, and for example, when the TSN-indication takes the value of true, the data packet transmitted by the PDU session may be represented by the TSN packet, and when the TSN-indication takes the value of false, the data packet transmitted by the PDU session may be represented by the TSN packet.

The TSN-indication corresponding to the PDU session may also be a conditional cell, for example, the TSN-indication is configured only when the PDU session transmits a TSN packet, and the TSN-indication is not configured when the PDU session does not transmit a TSN packet. Or, the PDU session corresponds to the TSN-indication when the ts n packet is not transmitted, and the PDU session does not have the TSN-indication when the ts n packet is transmitted, so that when the TSN-indication of the PDU session is included in the first message, it may indicate that the data packet transmitted by the PDU session is not the TSN packet. Illustratively, the conditional cell TSN-indication only contains a value "true" or only contains a value "false".

As a possible implementation, the first message may include the SDAP layer configuration information (SDAP-Config), and the second message may be included in the SDAP-Config.

Illustratively, the PDU-Session-Type is included in the SDAP-Config, and an enumerated Type of the PDU-Session-Type may include Ipv4, Ipv6, Ipv4v6, Ethernet, and TSN, where when the PDU-Session-Type is TSN, it may indicate that a PDU Session transmits TSN packets, and the contents of the SDAP-Config may specifically include:

for example, the SDAP-Config may include a TSN indicator of the PDU, and the TSN indicator of the PDU session indicates whether the PDU session transmits a TSN packet by taking a value of 0/1, where the contents of the SDAP-Config may specifically include:

therefore, the communication equipment can know whether the PDU Session transmits the TSN packet or not according to the PDU-Session-Type or TSN-indication contained in the SDAP-Config.

Further, the first message may further include a mapping relationship between the DRB identifier and the PDU session, for example, the DRB-Identity in radio bearer configuration (radio bearer configuration) has a corresponding SDAP-configuration, so that the Node-X may obtain the mapping relationship between the DRB and the PDU session or the SDAP-configuration. So the final Node-X can know which DRB comes from which TSN packet.

Example two: in the second embodiment, the data packets transmitted by the first PDU session are not necessarily all TSN packets, and the data packets transmitted by at least one QoS flow of the first PDU session are all TSNs. In the second embodiment, the QoS stream for transmitting only the TSN packet and the QoS stream for transmitting the service packet are respectively mapped to different DRBs, the first DRB maps the QoS stream for transmitting only the TSN packet in the first PDU session, and the data packets transmitted by the first DRB are all TSN packets. The method for supporting a time-sensitive network provided by the second embodiment may include:

s1, the core network device determines a QoS flow for transmitting the TSN packet in the first PDU session.

In a specific implementation, before step S1, the Node-X may send a second message to the core network device through the radio access network device, where the second message is used to request to establish or modify the first PDU session. And after receiving the second message sent by the Node-X, the wireless access network equipment forwards the second message to the core network equipment.

S2, the core network device sends first information to the radio access network device, where the first information is used to indicate a QoS flow for transmitting a TSN packet in the first PDU session. Correspondingly, the wireless access network equipment receives the first information.

In a specific implementation, the core network device may send the first information to the radio access network device through a third message, where the third message may be a PDU Session Resource Setup Request message or a PDU Session Resource modification Request message, that is, the first information may be carried in the PDU Session Resource Setup/PDU Session Resource modification Request message. Therefore, the wireless access network equipment carries out the signaling interaction with the core network equipment AMF and establishes a GTP-U corresponding to the PDU session with the core network equipment UPF. The interface between the radio access network device and the UPF may be referred to as the NG3 interface, among others. It should be understood that, in this embodiment of the application, the third message is only an exemplary illustration and is not specifically limited to a message carrying the first information, and in a specific implementation, the core network device may also send the first information through other messages, which is not specifically limited herein.

S3, the radio access network device sends a first message to the communication device, where the first message carries second information, and the second information is used to characterize a data packet transmitted by the first data radio bearer as a TSN packet, where a QoS stream of one or more TSN packets transmitted in the first PDU session is mapped to the first data radio bearer. Correspondingly, Node-X receives the first message.

Here, the first message is only an exemplary illustration, and the first message may be named differently in different systems, for example, in an NR system, the first message may be an RRC Reconfiguration (RRC Reconfiguration) message, in an LTE system, the first message may be referred to as an RRC Connection Reconfiguration (RRC Reconfiguration) message, in a future communication system, the first message may also be named as another message, such as an a message, and if the a message can implement the function of the first message, the a message may also be understood as the first message in the first embodiment of the present application, and the first message is not specifically limited herein.

S4, the Node-X processes the data packet transmitted by the first DRB based on the first information.

For example, the Node-X may transmit the data packet transmitted by the first DRB to the Ethernet module for processing.

Specifically, if it is a TSN packet, the Node-X may send the TSN packet to the Ethernet module for processing by the Ethernet module (e.g., amending CorrectionDomain to X + t1-t 0). And then, according to the identification of the TSN end node given by the wireless access network equipment in the adaptation layer and the corresponding SL-RB identification or LCID, sending the TSN packet to the corresponding TSN end node through a channel corresponding to a side link.

In this embodiment of the present application, a Node-X is instructed by a core network device or a radio access network device or a Node-X to know which DRB transmitted data packets are TSN packets, so that the TSN packets and other service data packets can be treated differently. In one implementation, the first information may be specifically used to indicate QoS flows for transmitting TSN packets in the first PDU session, that is, the core network device may indicate which QoS flows of the radio access network device may transmit TSN packets.

Specifically, the first information may include indication information corresponding to each QoS flow of the first PDU session, where the indication information corresponding to the QoS flow is used to indicate whether a data packet transmitted by the QoS flow is a TSN packet. The indication information corresponding to the QoS flow may be indicated by taking different values, for example, whether a data packet transmitted by the QoS flow is a TSN packet may be indicated by taking the value of the indication information as 1/0, and for example, when the value of the indication information is 1, the data packet transmitted by the QoS flow may be indicated as a TSN packet, and when the value of the indication information is 0, the data packet transmitted by the QoS flow may be indicated as not a TSN packet. Of course, when the indication information value is 0, it may also indicate that the data packet transmitted by the QoS stream is a TSN packet, and when the indication information value is 1, it indicates that the data packet transmitted by the QoS stream is not a TSN packet. Or, whether the data packet transmitted by the QoS stream is a TSN packet may be represented by indicating information true/false, for example, when the value of the indicating information is true, the data packet transmitted by the QoS stream may be represented as a TSN packet, and when the value of the indicating information is false, the data packet transmitted by the QoS stream may be represented as not a TSN packet.

Alternatively, the first information may include indication information corresponding to a QoS flow transmitting a TSN packet, or include indication information corresponding to a QoS flow not transmitting a TSN packet, that is, the indication information corresponding to a QoS flow may be a conditional cell, for example, only the QoS flow transmitting a TSN packet corresponds to the indication information, but the QoS flow not transmitting a TSN packet does not have the indication information, and therefore, when the first information includes the indication information of a certain QoS flow, it may indicate that the data packet transmitted by the QoS flow is a TSN packet. Or, only the QoS flow not transmitting the TSN packet corresponds to the indication information, and the QoS flow transmitting the TSN packet does not have the indication information, so that when the indication information of a certain QoS flow is not included in the first information, it may be indicated that the data packet transmitted by the QoS flow is the TSN packet. Illustratively, when the indication information is true/false to indicate whether the data packet transmitted by the QoS stream is a TSN packet, the indication information may appear only when the value is true, or the indication information may appear only when the value is false.

Taking the PDU Resource Setup Request message as an example, it may be indicated whether the data packet transmitted by the QoS stream is a TSN packet by adding a TSN indicator corresponding to the QoS to the PDU Resource Setup Request message. Further, a TSN indicator corresponding to QoS may be added to a PDU Session Resource Setup Transfer cell of the PDU Session Resource Setup Request message. Illustratively, the PDU Session Resource Setup Transfer cell may include contents as shown in table 2.

TABLE 2

Further, after receiving the first information sent by the core network device, the radio access network device may map the QoS flow of the TSN packet and the QoS flow of other TSN packets not transmitted to different DRBs. Therefore, the radio access network equipment can add the TSN indication to the DRB in the first message (such as RRC reconfiguration message) for the Node-X, so as to facilitate the subsequent distinguishing and distinguishing processing of the Node-X.

In some embodiments, the second information may also be indication information corresponding to the first DRB, where the indication information corresponding to the first DRB is used to indicate that the data packet transmitted by the first DRB is a TSN packet. That is, the second information may be indication information of DRB granularity. Specifically, the indication information corresponding to the DRB may be indicated by taking different values, or the indication information corresponding to the DRB stream may also be a conditional cell, for example, a TSN-indicator occurs when the value is true.

In a specific implementation, a TSN-indicator corresponding to the DRB may be added to DRB-related configuration information (e.g., DRB-ToAddMod) of the first message. Taking DRB-ToAddMod as an example, a TSN-indicator may be added to the DRB-ToAddMod, where the TSN-indicator may be a conditional cell, for example, the TSN-indicator appears when a value is true, or the TSN-indicator indicates by taking different values, and the DRB-ToAddMod cell may include:

example three: in the third embodiment, the data packets transmitted by the first PDU session are not necessarily all TSN packets, and the data packets transmitted by at least one QoS flow of the first PDU session are all TSNs. In the third embodiment, the QoS stream for transmitting only the TSN packet and the QoS stream for transmitting the service packet may be mapped to the same DRB, that is, the data packet transmitted by the DRB may include both the TSN packet and the service packet. The method for supporting a time-sensitive network provided by the third embodiment may include:

a1, the Node-X sends a message requesting to establish or modify the PDU session to the core network device through the wireless access network device. And the wireless access network equipment receives the message sent by the Node-X and forwards the message to the core network equipment. The wireless access network equipment carries out signaling interaction with core network equipment AMF, and establishes a user plane tunnel corresponding to PDU session with the core network equipment UPF.

In some implementations, the message requesting establishment or modification of the PDU session may be sent by the Node-X when establishing or modifying the PDU session for itself.

In other embodiments, the message requesting to establish or modify the PDU session may also be sent by the Node-X when the Node-X establishes or modifies the PDU session for the TSN end Node, that is, the message requesting to establish or modify the PDU session may be sent by the TSN end Node to the core network device through the Node-X.

A2, the core network device indicates whether the data packet transmitted by each QoS flow of the wireless access network device PDU conversation is TSN packet.

A3, the wireless access network device maps the QoS flow to the DRB.

Here, when mapping the QoS flow to the DRB, the radio access network device may not separately map the QoS flow only transmitting the TSN packet and the QoS flow transmitting the traffic packet, that is, the QoS flow only transmitting the TSN packet and the QoS flow transmitting the traffic packet may be mapped to the same DRB or to different DRBs, which is not specifically limited herein.

For example, the radio access network device may determine which DRB to map to according to the attributes, parameters, requirements, etc. of the QoS flow.

A4, the radio access network device sends a QoS Flow Identifier (QFI) list corresponding to each DRB to the Node-X, and indicates whether each QoS flow transmits a TSN packet.

Specifically, the radio access network device may indicate whether each QoS flow of the PDU session transmits a TSN packet or not by sending a TSN-indication of each QoS flow to the Node-X, where the TSN-indication of the QoS flow may respectively indicate whether the QoS flow transmits a TSN packet or not by taking different values. For example, whether a QoS flow-transmitted packet is a TSN packet may be indicated by a TSN-indication value of 1/0, and for example, a TSN-indication value of 1 may indicate that a QoS flow-transmitted packet is a TSN packet, and a TSN-indication value of 0 may indicate that a QoS flow-transmitted packet is not a TSN packet. Of course, when the TSN-indication value is 0, it may also indicate that the QoS flow transmitted data packet is a TSN packet, and when the TSN-indication value is 1, it indicates that the QoS flow transmitted data packet is not a TSN packet. Or, whether the QoS flow-transmitted data packet is the TSN packet may be represented by the TSN-indication being true/false, and for example, when the TSN-indication takes the value "true", it may represent that the QoS flow-transmitted data packet is the TSN packet, and when the TSN-indication takes the value "false", it may represent that the QoS flow-transmitted data packet is not the TSN packet.

Alternatively, the radio access network device may indicate whether each QoS flow of the PDU session transmits a TSN packet by transmitting a TSN-indication of the QoS flow transmitting the TSN packet to the Node-X. That is, the TSN-indication of QoS flow is a conditional cell, for example, the TSN-indication corresponds to the QoS flow only when the QoS flow transmits a TSN packet, and the TSN-indication does not exist when the QoS flow does not transmit a TSN packet. Or, the QoS flow corresponds to the TSN-indication only when it does not transmit the TSN packet, and the QoS flow does not have the TSN-indication when it transmits the TSN packet, so that when the radio access network device sends the TSN-indication of a certain QoS flow to the Node-X, it may indicate that the data packet transmitted by the QoS flow is not the TSN packet. Illustratively, whether a data packet transmitted by the QoS flow is a TSN packet or not is represented by the TSN-indication being true/false, the TSN-indication may only appear when the value is true.

A5, after receiving the data packet from the wireless access network device, the Node-X reads the QFI parameter carried by the SDAP layer to judge whether the data packet is TSN packet, thus deciding whether it needs to be sent to the Ethernet layer for processing.

The first to third embodiments described above all describe that the radio access network device notifies the Node-X data radio bearer whether to transmit the TSN packet or whether to include the QoS flow for transmitting the TSN packet in a control plane signaling manner. A fourth embodiment below provides a method for a UPF and a radio access network device to distinguish a service packet from a data packet by a Node-X in a manner that a user plane data packet carries indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate whether a load carried by the user plane data packet is a TSN packet. The method can be applied as well to the communication system shown in fig. 1. The method for supporting a time-sensitive network provided by the fourth embodiment specifically includes:

the Node-X may send a message to the core network device requesting establishment or modification of a PDU session through the radio access network device. And the wireless access network equipment receives the message sent by the Node-X and forwards the message to the core network equipment. Therefore, the wireless access network equipment carries out signaling interaction with the core network equipment AMF and establishes a GTP-U tunnel corresponding to the PDU session with the core network equipment UPF. The interface between the radio access network device and the UPF may be referred to as the NG3 interface, among others.

If the TSN packet and the service are from the same upper layer device (e.g., a TSN server or a Data Network (DN)), after receiving the data packet sent by the upper layer device, the UPF may determine whether the data packet is the TSN packet by reading an Ethernet header of the data packet. If the data packet is the TSN packet, the UPF can add a TSN indication in a GTP-U header of an NG3 interface of the data packet, so that the radio access network equipment can carry the TSN indication when receiving the data packet sent to the Node-X, and the Node-X can perform subsequent distinguishing and distinguishing processing conveniently. When the radio access network equipment sends the TSN packet to the Node-X, the TSN packet may be used as a load, and an adaptation layer header, an RLC header, an MAC header (subheader), and a PHY header are encapsulated outside, where the encapsulated TSN packet may be referred to as a data packet.

Therefore, as an example, the radio access network device may add a TSN indicator in an adaptation layer header of a packet or a TSN indicator in a MAC header (subheader). The subsequent Node-X can judge whether the load of the data packet is a TSN packet or not by reading the adaptation layer header or the MAC header. The foregoing embodiment assumes that the radio access network device sends the TSN packet to the terminal device in a unicast manner.

In another case, the radio access network device sends the TSN packet to the Node-X in a multicast manner. The radio access network device contains the following information in the multicast channel: the mapping relationship between the TSN identifier and the multicast data channel or group identifier. Taking the existing single cell point-to-multipoint (SC-PTM) mechanism as an example, the SIB20 is used to broadcast configuration information of a single cell multicast control channel (SC-MCCH), and mainly includes a Repetition Period (RP), an offset (offset), a first subframe (first-subframe), a subframe interval (subframe duration), a Modification Period (Modification Period, MP), and the like. The SC-MCCH is used for configuring information (SCPTM Configuration) of a broadcast single cell multicast channel (SC-MTCH), and mainly includes at least one of a Temporary Mobile Group Identity (TMGI) or a session identity, a group radio network temporary identity (G-RNTI), a Discontinuous Reception (DRX) parameter of each multicast data channel (MTCH), and the like. Here, the SCPTM Configuration may include a correspondence between the TSN identifier and the G-RNTI. And subsequently, when the multicast data corresponding to the G-RNTI of the Node-X or the terminal equipment is the multicast data, determining that the multicast data is a TSN packet. The Node-X sends the TSN packet to the Ethernet module for processing and then further forwards the TSN packet in a multicast mode, for example, when the Node-X multicasts the TSN packet, the destination address contained in the MAC header encapsulating the TSN packet can be set as G-RNTI. And when the terminal equipment receives the data packet with the destination address of G-RNTI, determining the data packet as a TSN packet. One case is that the terminal device can receive the G-RNTI and the corresponding TSN identity transmitted by the base station.

In another case, the Node-X may broadcast the mapping relationship between the G-RNTI and the TSN ID of the terminal equipment in advance.

Based on the same inventive concept as that of the method embodiment, the embodiment of the present application provides an apparatus for supporting a time-sensitive network, and the apparatus may have a structure as shown in fig. 7, and includes a processing unit 701 and a transceiver unit 702.

In one implementation, the apparatus is specifically configured to implement the function of the Node-X in the embodiments of fig. 2 to fig. 6, and the apparatus may be the Node-X itself, or a chip set in the Node-X or a part of a chip for executing the function of the related method. Specifically, the transceiver 702 is configured to receive a first message sent by the radio access network device, where the first message carries first information, and the first information is used to characterize that a data packet transmitted by a first PDU session is a TSN packet; a processing unit 701, configured to process a data packet transmitted by the first PDU session based on the first information.

Illustratively, the first information may be indicated by a type of the first PDU session. Alternatively, the first information may also be indicated by indication information carried in the first message.

Further, the first message may include the SDAP layer configuration information, the first information being included in the SDAP layer configuration information.

The processing unit 701, when processing the data packet transmitted by the first PDU session based on the first information, may specifically be configured to: and transmitting the data packet transmitted by the first PDU session to the Ethernet module for processing.

Furthermore, the transceiver 702 may further be configured to: and before receiving the first message sent by the wireless access network equipment, sending a second message to the core network equipment through the wireless access network equipment, wherein the second message is used for requesting to establish or modify the first PDU session.

Illustratively, the first message is an RRC reconfiguration message.

In another implementation manner, the apparatus is specifically configured to implement the functions of the core network device in the embodiments of fig. 2 to fig. 6, and the apparatus may be the core network device itself, or may also be a chip or a chip set in the core network device or a part of the chip for executing the functions of the related method. Specifically, the processing unit 701 is configured to determine that a data packet transmitted by a first PDU session is a TSN packet; a transceiving unit 702, configured to send a first message to a radio access network device, where the first message carries first information, and the first information is used to indicate that a data packet transmitted by a first PDU session is a TSN packet.

The transceiving unit 702 may further be configured to: before the processing unit 701 determines that the data packet transmitted by the first PDU session is a TSN packet, a second message sent by the communication device through the radio access network device is received, where the second message is used to request to establish or modify the first PDU session.

The first message may be a PDU session resource establishment request or a PDU session resource modification request.

The division of the modules in the embodiments of the present application is schematic, and only one logical function division is provided, and in actual implementation, there may be another division manner, and in addition, each functional module in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated in one processor, may also exist alone physically, or may also be integrated in one module by two or more modules. The integrated module can be realized in a hardware mode, and can also be realized in a software functional module mode.

When the integrated module may be implemented in a hardware form, the apparatus supporting the time-sensitive network may be as shown in fig. 8, and the processing unit 701 may be a processor 802. The processor 802 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a digital processing module, or the like. The transceiver unit 702 may be the communication interface 801, and the communication interface 801 may be a transceiver, an interface circuit such as a transceiver circuit, a transceiver chip, or the like. The resource allocation apparatus further includes: a memory 803 for storing programs executed by the processor 801. The memory 803 may be a nonvolatile memory such as a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), and may also be a volatile memory (RAM), for example, a random-access memory (RAM). The memory 803 is any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to such.

The processor 802 is configured to execute the program codes stored in the memory 803, and is specifically configured to execute the actions of the processing unit 701, which are not described herein again.

The specific connection medium among the communication interface 801, the processor 802, and the memory 803 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. In the embodiment of the present application, the memory 803, the processor 802, and the communication interface 801 are connected by the bus 804 in fig. 8, the bus is represented by a thick line in fig. 8, and the connection manner between other components is merely illustrative and not limited. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 8, but this is not intended to represent only one bus or type of bus.

Based on the same inventive concept as that of the method embodiment, the embodiment of the present application provides an apparatus for supporting a time-sensitive network, and the structure of the apparatus may be as shown in fig. 9, and the apparatus includes a processing unit 901, a first transceiver unit 902, and a second transceiver unit 903. The apparatus is specifically configured to implement the functions of the radio access network device in the embodiments of fig. 2 to fig. 6, and the apparatus may be the radio access network device itself, or may be a chip or a chip set in the radio access network device, or a part of the chip for executing the functions of the related method. Specifically, the first transceiver unit 902 is configured to receive and transmit data between the radio access network device and the core network device; a second transceiving unit 903, configured to transceive data between the radio access network device and the communication device; a processing unit 901 configured to perform: receiving, by the first transceiver unit 902, a first message sent by the core network device, where the first message carries first information, and the first information is used to indicate that a data packet transmitted by a first PDU session is a TSN packet; and sending a second message to the communication device through the second transceiver unit 903, where the second message carries second information, and the second information is used to represent that a data packet transmitted by the first PDU session is a TSN packet.

Illustratively, the second information may be indicated by a type of the first PDU session. Alternatively, the second information may also be indicated by indication information carried in the second message.

Further, the second message may include the SDAP layer configuration information, the second information being included in the SDAP layer configuration information.

Illustratively, the first information may be indicated by a type of the first PDU session.

The processing unit 901 may further be configured to: before receiving a first message sent by a core network device through a first transceiver unit 902, receiving a third message sent by a communication device through a second transceiver unit 903, where the third message is used to request to establish or modify a first PDU session; the third message is forwarded to the core network device through the first transceiving unit 902.

The second message may be an RRC reconfiguration message.

When the integrated module may be implemented in a hardware form, the apparatus supporting the time-sensitive network may be as shown in fig. 10, and the processing unit 901 may be the processor 1002. The processor 1002 may be a CPU, a digital processing module, or the like. The first transceiver unit 902 may be a communication interface 1001a, the second transceiver unit 903 may be a communication interface 1001b, and the communication interface 1001a and the communication interface 1001b may be transceivers, interface circuits such as transceiver circuits, etc., or transceiver chips, etc. The resource allocation apparatus further includes: the memory 1003 is used for storing programs executed by the processor 1001. The memory 1003 may be a nonvolatile memory such as an HDD or SSD, and may also be a volatile memory, for example, a RAM. The memory 1003 is any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to such.

The processor 1002 is configured to execute the program codes stored in the memory 1003, and is specifically configured to execute the actions of the processing unit 901, which are not described herein again.

In the embodiment of the present application, a specific connection medium between the communication interface 1001a, the communication interface 1001b, the processor 1002, and the memory 1003 is not limited. In the embodiment of the present application, the memory 1003, the processor 1002, the communication interface 1001a, and the communication interface 1001b are connected by the bus 1004 in fig. 10, the bus is shown by a thick line in fig. 10, and the connection manner between the other components is merely illustrative and not limited. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 10, but this is not intended to represent only one bus or type of bus.

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

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

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

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

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

Claims

1. A method of supporting a time sensitive network, the method comprising:

the communication equipment receives a first message sent by the wireless access network equipment, wherein the first message carries first information, and the first information is used for representing that a data packet transmitted by a first Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session is a Time Sensitive Network (TSN) packet;

the communication device processes data packets of the first PDU session transmission based on the first information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information is indicated by a type of the first PDU session; or, the first information indicates through the indication information carried by the first message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first message comprises service data adaptation protocol layer (SDAP) layer configuration information, the first information being included in the SDAP layer configuration information.

4. The method of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein processing, by the communication device, packets of the first PDU session transmission based on the first information comprises:

and the communication equipment transmits the data packet transmitted by the first PDU session to an Ethernet module for processing.

5. The method of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein prior to the communication device receiving the first message sent by the radio access network device, further comprising:

and the communication equipment sends a second message to the core network equipment through the wireless access network equipment, wherein the second message is used for requesting to establish or modify the first PDU session.

6. The method according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first message is a radio resource control, RRC, reconfiguration message.

7. A method of supporting a time sensitive network, the method comprising:

the method comprises the steps that a wireless access network device receives a first message sent by a core network device, wherein the first message carries first information, and the first information is used for indicating a data packet transmitted by a first Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session to be a Time Sensitive Network (TSN) packet;

and the wireless access network equipment sends a second message to communication equipment, wherein the second message carries second information, and the second information is used for representing that a data packet transmitted by the first PDU session is a TSN packet.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second information is indicated by a type of the first PDU session; or, the second information indicates through the indication information carried by the second message.

9. The method of claim 7 or 8, wherein the second message comprises service data adaptation protocol layer, SDAP, layer configuration information, the second information being included in the SDAP layer configuration information.

10. The method of any of claims 7 to 9, wherein before the radio access network device receives the first message sent by the core network device, further comprising:

the wireless access network equipment receives a third message sent by the communication equipment, wherein the third message is used for requesting to establish or modify the first PDU session;

and the radio access network equipment forwards the third message to the core network equipment.

11. The method according to any of claims 7 to 10, wherein the second message is a radio resource control, RRC, reconfiguration message.

12. The method according to any of claims 7 to 11, wherein said first message is a PDU session resource establishment request or a PDU session resource modification request.

13. A method of supporting a time sensitive network, the method comprising:

the core network equipment determines that a data packet transmitted by a first Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session is a Time Sensitive Network (TSN) packet;

and the core network equipment sends a first message to the wireless access network equipment, wherein the first message carries first information, and the first information is used for indicating that a data packet transmitted by the first PDU session is a TSN packet.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first information is indicated by a type of the first PDU session; or, the first information indicates through the indication information carried by the first message.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein before the core network device determines that the data packet transmitted by the first protocol data unit PDU session is a time sensitive network TSN packet, the method further comprises:

and the core network equipment receives a second message sent by the communication equipment through the wireless access network equipment, wherein the second message is used for requesting to establish or modify the first PDU session.

16. The method according to any of claims 13 to 15, wherein said first message is a PDU session resource establishment request or a PDU session resource modification request.

17. An apparatus that supports a time sensitive network, the apparatus comprising:

a receiving and sending unit, configured to receive a first message sent by a radio access network device, where the first message carries first information, and the first information is used to characterize a data packet transmitted by a first protocol data unit PDU session as a time sensitive network TSN packet;

and the processing unit is used for processing the data packet transmitted by the first PDU session based on the first information.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first information is indicated by a type of the first PDU session; or, the first information indicates through the indication information carried by the first message.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first message comprises service data adaptation protocol layer (SDAP) layer configuration information, the first information included in the SDAP layer configuration information.

20. The apparatus according to any of the claims 17 to 19, wherein the processing unit, when processing the data packet of the first PDU session transmission based on the first information, is specifically configured to:

and transmitting the data packet transmitted by the first PDU session to an Ethernet module for processing.

21. The apparatus according to any of claims 17 to 20, wherein the transceiver unit is further configured to:

before receiving a first message sent by a radio access network device, sending a second message to a core network device through the radio access network device, wherein the second message is used for requesting to establish or modify the first PDU session.

22. The apparatus of any one of claims 17 to 21, wherein the first message is a radio resource control, RRC, reconfiguration message.

23. An apparatus that supports a time sensitive network, the apparatus comprising:

the first transceiving unit is used for transmitting data between the wireless access network equipment and the core network equipment;

a second transceiver unit, configured to transmit data between the radio access network device and a communication device;

a processing unit to perform:

receiving a first message sent by the core network device through the first transceiver unit, where the first message carries first information, and the first information is used to indicate that a data packet transmitted by a first Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session is a Time Sensitive Network (TSN) packet;

and sending a second message to the communication device through the second transceiver unit, where the second message carries second information, and the second information is used to represent that a data packet transmitted by the first PDU session is a TSN packet.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the second information is indicated by a type of the first PDU session; or, the second information indicates through the indication information carried by the second message.

25. The apparatus of claim 23 or 24, wherein the second message comprises service data adaptation protocol layer, SDAP, layer configuration information, the second information being included in the SDAP layer configuration information.

26. The apparatus of any of claims 23 to 25, wherein the processing unit is further operable to:

before the first transceiver unit receives the first message sent by the core network device, receiving, by the second transceiver unit, a third message sent by the communication device, where the third message is used to request establishment or modification of the first PDU session;

and forwarding the third message to the core network device through the first transceiver unit.

27. The apparatus according to any of claims 23 to 26, wherein the second message is a radio resource control, RRC, reconfiguration message.

28. The apparatus according to any of claims 23 to 27, wherein the first message is a PDU session resource establishment request or a PDU session resource modification request.

29. An apparatus that supports a time sensitive network, the apparatus comprising:

the processing unit is used for determining that a data packet transmitted by a first Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session is a Time Sensitive Network (TSN) packet;

a receiving and sending unit, configured to send a first message to a radio access network device, where the first message carries first information, and the first information is used to indicate that a data packet transmitted by the first PDU session is a TSN packet.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the first information is indicated by a type of the first PDU session; or, the first information indicates through the indication information carried by the first message.

31. The apparatus as claimed in claim 29 or 30, wherein said transceiver unit is further configured to:

and before the processing unit determines that the data packet transmitted by the first PDU session is a TSN packet, receiving a second message sent by the communication equipment through the wireless access network equipment, wherein the second message is used for requesting to establish or modify the first PDU session.

32. The apparatus according to any of claims 29 to 31, wherein the first message is a PDU session resource establishment request or a PDU session resource modification request.

33. A computer readable storage medium, in which a program or instructions are stored, which when read and executed by one or more processors, implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 16.