CN109842639B

CN109842639B - Method, equipment and system for realizing service continuity in switching process

Info

Publication number: CN109842639B
Application number: CN201711190172.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 孙德奎
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-11-24
Filing date: 2017-11-24
Publication date: 2020-09-08
Anticipated expiration: 2037-11-24
Also published as: CN109842639A

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a method, equipment and a system for realizing service continuity in a switching process, and service continuity in a server switching process can be realized. The method comprises the following steps: a user plane functional entity acquires a data processing instruction; the user plane functional entity sends the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server and the target server respectively according to the data processing instruction; and sending the received downlink data from the source server to the terminal; under the condition that the user plane functional entity obtains the data processing change instruction, the user plane functional entity sends the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server; and sending the received downlink data from the target server to the terminal.

Description

Method, equipment and system for realizing service continuity in switching process

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method, a device, and a system for implementing service continuity in a handover process.

Background

To address the challenges of wireless broadband technology, and to maintain the leading advantages of the third generation partnership project (3 GPP) networks, the 3GPP standards group has established a next generation mobile communication system (next generation system) network architecture, referred to as the fifth generation (5rd generation, 5G) network architecture, in the year 2016.

An ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) scenario is defined in the 5G network architecture, and mainly includes services requiring low-latency and high-reliability connection, such as unmanned driving, industrial automation, and the like. For example, in a remote driving scenario, the existing 5G Technical Standards (TS) 22186 requires that an end-to-end delay between a terminal and a server is required to be always kept within 5 ms. To meet the end-to-end latency requirements, servers need to be deployed locally. Meanwhile, if the terminal is in a high-speed moving state, a scene of server switching exists.

In the current internet of vehicles proprietary protocol standard, the switching of servers is implemented using anycast technology. The anycast technology refers to identifying a group of servers providing a specific service through an anycast address on an Internet Protocol (IP) network, and a service access party does not care which server provides the specific service. That is, in a scenario where the anycast technology is used to implement server switching, the terminal does not sense the switching of the server, and the gateway is responsible for routing the uplink data packet of the terminal to the server nearby. For example, as shown in fig. 1, a terminal communicates with a server 1 through a gateway 1, when the terminal is switched to a gateway 2 due to movement, an uplink packet of the terminal arrives at the gateway 2, and the gateway 2 is responsible for routing the uplink packet to the server 2. In the process, the destination addresses of the uplink data packets sent by the terminal are anycast addresses, that is, the terminal does not sense the switching of the server, and the destination addresses of the uplink data packets sent by the terminal are unchanged before and after the switching of the server.

However, in a scenario in which the anycast technology is used to implement server switching, the target server indicates that the terminal has disconnected from the source server when receiving the first packet of service data sent by the terminal. However, since the amount of uplink data currently stored in the target server from the terminal is small, for services related to life safety, such as remote driving services, service interruption may be caused, and end-to-end delay cannot be satisfied.

Therefore, how to provide a method for realizing service continuity in the server switching process is a technical scheme which needs to be solved urgently at present.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a method, equipment and a system for realizing service continuity in a switching process, and service continuity in a server switching process can be realized.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the embodiments of the present application provide the following technical solutions:

in a first aspect, a method for implementing service continuity in a handover process is provided, and is applied to a process in which a terminal is handed over from a source server to a target server, where the source server and the target server both provide the service, and the method includes: a user plane functional entity acquires a data processing instruction; the user plane functional entity sends the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server and the target server respectively according to the data processing instruction; and sending the received downlink data from the source server to the terminal; under the condition that the user plane functional entity obtains the data processing change instruction, the user plane functional entity sends the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server; and sending the received downlink data from the target server to the terminal. That is, in a scenario of implementing server switching, the user plane functional entity may send the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server while the source server controls the terminal according to the data processing instruction. In this way, if the target server needs to integrate the current data and part of the historical data of the terminal to control the terminal, the source server controls the terminal and the target server can store part of the data, so the target server gradually has the capability of controlling the terminal. Further, the target server may control the terminal in a case where the user plane functional entity acquires the data processing change instruction. Because one server can control the terminal all the time in the whole process, which is equivalent to seamless server switching, the continuity of the service in the server switching process can be realized.

In one possible design, the method further includes: and the user plane functional entity discards the received downlink data from the source server according to the data processing change instruction. Thus, the switching from the source server to the target server can be realized, so that the target server controls the terminal.

In one possible design, the method further includes: and the user plane functional entity stops sending the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server according to the data processing change instruction. Since the target server can control the terminal at this time, the user plane functional entity stops sending the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server, thereby avoiding waste of resources.

In one possible design, the obtaining, by the user plane functional entity, a data processing change indication includes: the user plane functional entity determines that a timer expires, wherein the timer is started if the user plane functional entity obtains the data processing indication. That is, after the timer expires, it may be considered that the target server already stores certain uplink data from the terminal, or the target server already has the capability of controlling the terminal.

In one possible design, before the user plane function entity determines that the timing duration expires, the method further includes: the user plane function entity receives the timing duration of the timer from the session management entity. That is, the session management entity may determine when certain upstream data from the terminal may be stored on the target server, or when the target server has the capability to control the terminal.

Optionally, the timing duration is determined according to a service quality requirement of the service; alternatively, the timing duration is determined according to local policy or configuration information of the session management entity.

In one possible design, the timing duration of the timer is determined according to the service quality requirement of the service; or, the timing duration is determined according to the local policy or configuration information of the user plane functional entity. That is, the user plane function entity may determine when certain uplink data from the terminal may be stored on the target server, or when the target server has the capability to control the terminal.

In one possible design, the obtaining, by the user plane functional entity, a data processing change indication includes: the user plane function entity receives the data processing change indication from the session management entity. That is, the session management entity may determine when certain upstream data from the terminal may be stored on the target server, or when the target server has the capability to control the terminal.

In one possible design, the obtaining, by the user plane functional entity, a data processing instruction includes: the user plane function entity receives a data processing indication from the session management entity. That is, it is possible for the session management entity to determine whether service continuity during handover needs to be achieved.

In one possible design, the obtaining, by the user plane functional entity, a data processing instruction includes: the user plane functional entity obtains a data processing instruction according to at least one of the local policy or the configuration information and the service quality of the service. That is, it is possible to determine whether the user plane functional entity needs to implement service continuity in the handover process.

In one possible design, the sending, by the user plane function entity, the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server includes: the user plane functional entity obtains the address information of the target server; and the user plane functional entity sends the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server according to the address information of the target server. That is, after receiving the uplink data from the terminal, the user plane functional entity may modify the destination address of the uplink data into the address of the target server, and then send the address to the target server.

In one possible design, the obtaining, by the user plane functional entity, address information of the target server includes: the user plane functional entity sends an address conversion request to an address conversion server, wherein the address conversion request carries at least one of the position information of the terminal and the position information of the user plane functional entity, and the identification of the service; the user plane functional entity receives the address information of the target server from the address translation server.

In one possible design, the obtaining, by the user plane functional entity, address information of the target server includes: the user plane function entity receives address information of the target server from the session management entity.

In one possible design, the method further includes: the user plane functional entity receives the address information of the source server from the session management entity; the user plane functional entity sends the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server, and the method comprises the following steps: and the user plane functional entity sends the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server according to the address information of the source server. That is, after receiving the uplink data from the terminal, the user plane functional entity may modify a destination address of the uplink data into an address of the source server, and then send the address to the source server.

In a second aspect, a method for implementing service continuity in a handover process is provided, and is applied to a process in which a terminal is handed over from a source server to a target server, where the source server and the target server both provide the service, and the method includes: the session management entity determines a user plane functional entity serving as a terminal and sends a data processing instruction to the user plane functional entity; the user plane functional entity receives the data processing instruction from the session management entity and respectively sends the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server and the target server according to the data processing instruction; and sending the received downlink data from the source server to the terminal; under the condition that the user plane functional entity obtains the data processing change instruction, the user plane functional entity sends the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server; and sending the received downlink data from the target server to the terminal. The technical effect of the second aspect can be referred to the technical effect of the first aspect, and is not described herein again.

In a third aspect, a user plane functional entity is provided, where the user plane functional entity has a function of implementing the method of the first aspect. The function can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In a fourth aspect, a user plane functional entity is provided, which includes: a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store computer executable instructions, and when the user plane functional entity runs, the processor executes the computer executable instructions stored in the memory, so that the user plane functional entity executes the method for implementing service continuity in a handover process according to any one of the above first aspects.

In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, where instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is enabled to execute the method for implementing service continuity in a handover process according to any one of the first aspect.

A sixth aspect provides a computer program product containing instructions which, when run on a computer, enable the computer to perform the method for implementing service continuity in a handover procedure according to any one of the first aspect.

In a seventh aspect, a chip system is provided, where the chip system includes a processor for enabling a user plane functional entity to implement the functions referred to in the above aspects, such as obtaining a data processing instruction. In one possible design, the system-on-chip further includes a memory for storing program instructions and data necessary for the user plane functional entity. The chip system may be constituted by a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

The technical effects brought by any one of the design manners in the third aspect to the seventh aspect may be referred to the technical effects brought by different design manners in the first aspect, and are not described herein again.

In an eighth aspect, a system for implementing service continuity in a handover process is provided, where the system is applied to a process in which a terminal is handed over from a source server to a target server, and both the source server and the target server provide the service, and the system includes: a session management entity and a user plane function entity; the session management entity is used for determining the user plane functional entity serving for the terminal and sending a data processing instruction to the user plane functional entity; the user plane functional entity is used for receiving the data processing instruction from the session management entity and respectively sending the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server and the target server according to the data processing instruction; and sending the received downlink data from the source server to the terminal; the user plane functional entity is also used for sending the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server under the condition of acquiring the data processing change instruction; and sending the received downlink data from the target server to the terminal.

In a possible design, the session management entity is further configured to send a timing duration of a timer to the user plane function entity; the user plane functional entity is also used for receiving the timing duration from the session management entity; the user plane functional entity is used for acquiring data processing change instructions and comprises the following steps: for determining that the timer expires, wherein the timer is started if the user plane function entity obtains the data processing indication.

In a possible design, the session management entity is further configured to send the data processing change instruction to the user plane functional entity; the user plane functional entity is used for obtaining the data processing change instruction and comprises the following steps: for receiving the data handling change indication from the session management entity.

In one possible design, the session management entity is configured to send the data processing change indication to the user plane functional entity, and includes: and the data processing change instruction is used for sending the data processing change instruction to the user plane functional entity according to the service quality requirement of the service and the local policy or configuration information of the session management entity.

In a possible design, the session management entity is further configured to obtain address information of the target server, and send the address information of the target server to the user plane functional entity; the user plane functional entity is configured to send the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server, and includes: the address information used for obtaining the target server; and sending the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server according to the address information of the target server.

In one possible design, the session management entity is configured to obtain address information of the target server, and includes: the system comprises a server and a server, wherein the server is used for sending an address conversion request to an address conversion server, and the address conversion request carries at least one of the position information of the terminal and the position information of the user plane functional entity, and at least one of the identifier of the service and the identifier of the terminal; address information of the target server is received from the address translation server.

In a possible design, the session management entity is further configured to obtain address information of the source server; the session management entity is also used for sending the address information of the source server to the user plane functional entity; the user plane functional entity is configured to send the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server, and includes: for receiving address information of the origin server from the session management entity; and sending the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server according to the address information of the source server.

In a possible design, the session management entity is further configured to determine that the data processing indication needs to be sent to the user plane functional entity.

The technical effects brought by any one of the design manners in the eighth aspect can be referred to the technical effects brought by different design manners in the first aspect, and are not described herein again.

These and other aspects of the present application will be more readily apparent from the following description of the embodiments.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional server switching scenario;

fig. 2 is a schematic architecture diagram of a system for implementing service continuity in a handover process according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic hardware structure diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a first flowchart of a method for implementing service continuity in a handover process according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a second flowchart of a method for implementing service continuity in a handover process according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a third flowchart of a method for implementing service continuity in a handover process according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a fourth flowchart of a method for implementing service continuity in a handover process according to the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a fifth flowchart of a method for implementing service continuity in a handover process according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a sixth flowchart of a method for implementing service continuity in a handover process according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a user plane functional entity according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief description of the related art of the present application is first given as follows.

First, a tunnel:

the tunnels in the embodiment of the present application include a next generation network (N) interface 3 (abbreviated as N3) tunnel and an N interface 9 (abbreviated as N9) tunnel. Wherein, the N3 tunnel is a tunnel between an access device (such as a base station) and a User Plane Function (UPF) entity; the N9 tunnel is a tunnel between the UPF entity and the UPF entity. Generally, the N3 tunnel is a session-granular tunnel, and the N9 tunnel may be a session-granular tunnel or a device-granular tunnel.

The tunnel of session granularity refers to a tunnel resource established for one session, and the tunnel is only used for one session. The tunnel with one session granularity only comprises one routing rule, and only the routing rule can correspond to the tunnel to forward data. In addition, the lifetime of a session-granular tunnel is the lifetime of a session, i.e. when a session disappears or is released, the session-granular tunnel also needs to be released.

A device-granular tunnel refers to a tunnel resource established for one or more sessions that may be used by the one or more sessions. Wherein, a tunnel of one device granularity may include one or more routing rules, and each of the one or more routing rules may correspond to forwarding data for the tunnel. In addition, the lifetime of the tunnel with the device granularity is the lifetime of the multiple sessions corresponding to the tunnel, that is, assuming that the tunnel with the device granularity corresponds to M sessions, where M is a positive integer not less than 2, when the first M-1 sessions in the multiple sessions corresponding to the tunnel disappear or are released, only the routing rule corresponding to the corresponding session is released; the tunnel at the device granularity may only be released when the mth session of the plurality of sessions corresponding to the tunnel disappears or is released. Of course, when the mth session of the multiple sessions corresponding to the tunnel disappears or is released, the tunnel with the device granularity may also be reserved, so that the tunnel does not need to be reestablished in the following process.

Optionally, the session in this embodiment of the present application may be, for example, a Packet Data Unit (PDU) session, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application. In the following embodiments of the present application, a session is taken as a PDU session as an example for description, and the description is not repeated herein.

Second, path information:

the path information in the embodiment of the application is used for establishing a user plane path of the terminal. The path may be, for example, the tunnel described above, and this is not particularly limited in this embodiment of the application.

Optionally, the path information in this embodiment may include at least one of path uplink information and path downlink information, which is used to establish a path between a and B. The path uplink information may include an endpoint address or an endpoint identifier of the path at the side a, an address of the side a, and the like, and the path downlink information includes an endpoint address or an endpoint identifier of the path at the side B, an address of the side B, and the like, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the application.

Optionally, the path information in this embodiment of the present application may further include a routing rule or other rules, where the routing rule specifically refers to a rule for routing the service data to the next hop device, and reference may be specifically made to the existing description, which is not described herein again.

Third, the MEC platform:

the MEC platform is a platform formed by deploying functions of service processing and resource scheduling of an application and a mobile broadband (MBB) core network part to a network edge close to an access side together. Generally, a UPF entity, various servers and Domain Name System (DNS) Proxy (DNS Proxy, DNSP) entities, etc. may be deployed on the MEC platform, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

For the UPF entity and the server deployed on the same MEC platform, the UPF entity has the capability of sending the uplink data with the target address of the terminal being the ayncast address to the server deployed on the MEC platform. For example, the UPF entity is configured with a forwarding rule, where the forwarding rule may be to send a stream of an anycast address + port to a corresponding server deployed on the MEC platform in a local offload manner. In addition, in any case, the UPF entity has the ability to recognize whether the received downstream data is sent by a server deployed on the MEC platform or a server deployed outside the MEC platform, because the server deployed outside the MEC platform sends the downstream data to the UPF entity through the N9 tunnel between UPFs; and the server deployed on the MEC platform sends downlink data to the UPF entity through the interfaces of the server and the UPF entity, which is described in a unified manner herein and will not be described in detail below.

Optionally, the MEC platform in the embodiment of the present application may also be referred to as an MEC system or another, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, in the following embodiments of the present application, the case that the UPF entity has the capability of sending the uplink data with the target address of the terminal being the ayncast address to the server is described by taking as an example a scenario that the UPF entity and the server are deployed on the same MEC platform, and of course, in other scenarios, the UPF entity may also have the capability of sending the uplink data with the target address of the terminal being the ayncast address to the server, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Where in the description of the present application, "/" indicates an OR meaning, for example, A/B may indicate A or B; "and/or" herein is merely an association describing an associated object, and means that there may be three relationships, e.g., a and/or B, which may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Also, in the description of the present application, "a plurality" means two or more than two unless otherwise specified. In addition, in order to facilitate clear description of technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish the same items or similar items having substantially the same functions and actions. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the words "first", "second", etc. do not limit the number and execution order, and the words "first", "second", etc. do not necessarily limit the difference, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited in this respect.

The network architecture and the service scenario described in the embodiment of the present application are for more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, and do not form a limitation on the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, and as a person of ordinary skill in the art knows that along with the evolution of the network architecture and the appearance of a new service scenario, the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to similar technical problems.

As shown in fig. 2, a system 20 for implementing service continuity in a handover process provided in this embodiment of the present application includes a user plane function entity 201 and a session management entity 202, which are applied in a process of switching a terminal from a source server to a target server, where the source server and the target server both provide the above services to avoid service interruption and implement service continuity in the handover process. The service here may be, for example, a remote driving service in an internet of vehicles, for example, a terminal (the terminal here specifically refers to a vehicle) sends sensor data acquired by the terminal itself and picture data acquired by a camera to a server, and the server may issue a driving instruction, such as acceleration, deceleration, turning, lane change, etc., to the terminal (the vehicle) according to the data, so as to implement remote driving control of the terminal by the server, etc. The service interruption herein does not mean the interruption of the communication between the terminal and the target server, but means that the target server needs to grasp the current data of the terminal plus some historical data to make a correct decision for the terminal. Since the target server does not have enough data of the terminal just before switching to the target server, a correct decision on the behavior of the terminal cannot be made. For example, for the remote driving service, when the terminal has just switched to a target server, the target server does not have the history data of the terminal, and at this time, even if the target server receives the uplink data of the terminal, the target server cannot make a correct driving decision for the terminal, such as acceleration, deceleration, turning, lane change, and the like, which is described in a unified manner and will not be described again below.

The session management entity 202 is configured to determine a user plane functional entity serving as a terminal, and send a data processing instruction to the user plane functional entity.

A user plane functional entity 201, configured to receive a data processing instruction from a session management entity, and send received uplink data from a terminal to a source server and a target server according to the data processing instruction; and sending the received downlink data from the source server to the terminal.

When the user plane functional entity 201 obtains the data processing change instruction, the user plane functional entity 201 is further configured to send the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server; and sending the received downlink data from the target server to the terminal.

Optionally, the user plane functional entity 201 in this embodiment may be a target user plane functional entity reselected to serve a terminal in a scenario where server switching occurs and user plane functional entity switching occurs; alternatively, the user plane functional entity 201 in this embodiment may be a user plane functional entity that serves a terminal in a scenario where server switching occurs but user plane functional entity switching does not occur, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, the session management entity and the user plane function entity in this embodiment of the application may communicate directly or may communicate through forwarding of other devices, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the application.

Optionally, the server in this embodiment of the present application may be an Application Server (AS) or other servers, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the obtaining of the data processing change instruction by the user plane functional entity may represent that a certain amount of uplink data from the terminal has been stored on the target server, or that the target server already has the capability of controlling the terminal, which is described in a unified manner herein and is not described in detail below.

Based on the system for realizing service continuity in the switching process provided by the embodiment of the application, in a scene of realizing server switching, the user plane functional entity receives a data processing instruction from the session management entity and respectively sends the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server and the target server according to the data processing instruction; and sending the received downlink data from the source server to the terminal. And, under the situation that the functional entity of user plane obtains the change instruction of data handling, the functional entity of user plane sends the uplink data from terminal station received to the target server; and sending the received downlink data from the target server to the terminal. That is, in a scenario of implementing server switching, the user plane functional entity may send the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server while the source server controls the terminal according to the data processing instruction. In this way, if the target server needs to integrate the current data and part of the historical data of the terminal to control the terminal, the source server controls the terminal and the target server can store part of the data, so the target server gradually has the capability of controlling the terminal. Further, the target server may control the terminal in a case where the user plane functional entity acquires the data processing change instruction. Because one server can control the terminal all the time in the whole process, which is equivalent to seamless server switching, the continuity of the service in the server switching process can be realized.

Alternatively, the system 20 for implementing service continuity in the handover process shown in fig. 2 may be applied to a 5G network and other networks in the future, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

If the system 20 for implementing service continuity in the handover process shown in fig. 2 is applied to a 5G network, as shown in fig. 3, the session management entity may be a Session Management Function (SMF) entity in the 5G network; the user plane functional entity may be a UPF entity in the 5G network.

In addition, as shown in fig. 2, the 5G network may further include an access device, an access and mobility management function (AMF) entity, a source server, a target server, and the like, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

Optionally, the 5G network may further include a control device or an address translation server, and the specific functions may refer to the description of the subsequent method embodiment and are not described herein again.

Although not shown, the 5G network may further include an authentication server function (AUSF) entity or a Policy Control Function (PCF) entity, and the like, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

The terminal communicates with the AMF entity through an N interface 1 (N1 for short), the access device communicates with the AMF entity through an N interface 2 (N2 for short), the access device communicates with the UPF entity through an N interface 3 (N3 for short), and the AMF entity communicates with the SMF entity through an N interface 11 (N11 for short).

It should be noted that the interface name between each network element in fig. 3 is only an example, and the interface name may be other names in a specific implementation, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

It should be noted that the access device, the AMF entity, the SMF entity, the UPF entity, the control device, the address translation server, the source server, the destination server, and the like in fig. 3 are only names, and the names do not limit the devices themselves. In the 5G network and other networks in the future, network elements or entities corresponding to the access device, the AMF entity, the SMF entity, the UPF entity, the control device, the address translation server, the source server, and the target server may also be other names, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application. For example, the UPF entity may be replaced by a UPF or user plane entity, etc., which are described herein in a unified manner and will not be described further.

Optionally, the control device in fig. 3 may be a Control Function (CF) entity or an application server, etc. referred to as a vehicle to electronic communication technology (V2X), which is described herein in a unified manner and will not be described again.

Optionally, the terminal (terminal) referred to in the embodiments of the present application may include various handheld devices with wireless communication functions, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem; subscriber units (subscriber units), cellular phones (cellular phones), smart phones (smart phones), wireless data cards, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), tablet computers, wireless modems (modems), handheld devices (dhhandles), laptop computers (laptops), cordless phones (cordsets) or Wireless Local Loop (WLL) stations, Machine Type Communication (MTC) terminals, User Equipment (UE), Mobile Stations (MSs), vehicle or terminal devices (terminal devices), and the like may also be included. For convenience of description, the above-mentioned devices are collectively referred to as a terminal in this application.

Optionally, the access device referred to in this embodiment refers to a device accessing a core network, and may be, for example, a base station, a broadband network service gateway (BNG), an aggregation switch, a non-third generation partnership project (3rd generation partnership project, 3GPP) access device, and the like. The base stations may include various forms of base stations, such as: macro base stations, micro base stations (also referred to as small stations), relay stations, access points, etc.

Optionally, the session management entity 201 or the user plane function entity 202 in fig. 2 may be implemented by one entity device, may also be implemented by multiple entity devices together, and may also be a logic function module in one entity device, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

For example, the session management entity 201 or the user plane function entity 202 in fig. 2 may be implemented by the communication device in fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a hardware structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 400 includes at least one processor 401, communication lines 402, memory 403 and at least one communication interface 404.

The processor 401 may be a general processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (server IC), or one or more ICs for controlling the execution of programs in accordance with the present invention.

The communication link 402 may include a path for communicating information between the aforementioned components.

The communication interface 404 may be any device, such as a transceiver, for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as an ethernet, a Radio Access Network (RAN), a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), etc.

The memory 403 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact-disc-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, optical disk storage (including compact disk, laser disk, optical disk, digital versatile disk, blu-ray disk, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or 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 these. The memory may be separate and coupled to the processor via a communication line 402. The memory may also be integral to the processor.

The memory 403 is used for storing computer-executable instructions for executing the present invention, and is controlled by the processor 401. The processor 401 is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 403, so as to implement the method for implementing service continuity during handover provided by the following embodiments of the present application.

Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as application program codes, which are not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

In particular implementations, processor 401 may include one or more CPUs such as CPU0 and CPU1 in fig. 4 as an example.

In particular implementations, communication device 400 may include multiple processors, such as processor 401 and processor 408 in fig. 4, for example, as an embodiment. Each of these processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. A processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and/or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

In particular implementations, communication device 400 may also include an output device 405 and an input device 406, as one embodiment. An output device 405 is in communication with the processor 401 and may display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 405 may be a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Light Emitting Diode (LED) display device, a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) display device, a projector (projector), or the like. The input device 406 is in communication with the processor 401 and may receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device 406 may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensing device, among others.

The communication device 400 described above may be a general purpose device or a special purpose device. In a specific implementation, the communication device 400 may be a desktop, a laptop, a web server, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a tablet, a wireless terminal device, an embedded device, or a device with a similar structure as in fig. 4. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of the communication apparatus 400.

The method for implementing service continuity in the handover process provided by the embodiment of the present application will be specifically described below with reference to fig. 1 to 4, taking a server AS an AS example.

It should be noted that, in the following embodiments of the present application, a name of a message or a name of an individual parameter in the message between network elements is only an example, and other names may also be used in a specific implementation, for example, a notification message may also be referred to as an indication message, which is described herein in a unified manner, and this is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Taking the system for realizing service continuity in the handover process shown in fig. 2 applied to the 5G network shown in fig. 3 AS an example, AS shown in fig. 5, a method for realizing service continuity in the handover process provided by the embodiment of the present application is described by taking AS an example that both an AS and a UPF entity are handed over and both a target AS and a target UPF entity are deployed on the same MEC platform, where an initial state before the AS and the UPF entity are handed over is that a terminal performs service communication with a source AS through a source UPF entity, the method includes the following steps:

s501, air interface switching is caused by terminal movement.

For the specific implementation of step S501, reference may be made to an existing implementation manner, which is not described herein again.

S502, the access device sends a handover notification to the SMF entity, so that the SMF entity receives the handover notification from the access device, where the handover notification carries location information of the terminal, and the location information of the terminal may be, for example, an IP address or a Media Access Control (MAC) address of the terminal, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

S503, after the SMF entity determines that the terminal moves out of the service range of the source UPF entity according to the position information of the terminal, the UPF entity is decided to be needed, and then the target UPF entity serving the terminal is determined.

The SMF entity may determine the target UPF entity serving the terminal according to the location information of the terminal, the service range of the UPF entity, or the load of the UPF entity, which may specifically refer to the existing implementation manner and is not described herein again.

S504, the SMF entity sends the first notification message to the target UPF entity, so that the target UPF entity receives the first notification message from the SMF entity.

Wherein the first notification message is used to instruct the target UPF entity to: respectively sending the received uplink data from the terminal to a source AS and a target AS; and sending the received downlink data from the source AS to the terminal.

It should be noted that, in this embodiment of the present application, sending the received uplink data from the terminal to the source AS and the target AS respectively means that after copying the received uplink data from the terminal, one of the copies is sent to the source AS, and the other copy is sent to the target AS. Of course, the uplink data from the terminal may also be sent to the target UPF entity after being copied by a device between the terminal and the target UPF entity, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the application. The following embodiments are all described by taking an example that a target UPF entity copies received uplink data from a terminal, and are not described herein in detail.

And the first notification message is further used for indicating the target UPF entity to: establishing an N9 tunnel between a source UPF entity and a target UPF entity; and establishing an N3 tunnel between the target UPF entity and the target access equipment.

Optionally, the first notification message is further used to instruct the target UPF entity to: the received downstream data from the target AS is discarded, that is, the terminal is controlled by the source AS.

Exemplarily, the first notification message may carry an uplink bi-cast indication, where the uplink bi-cast indication is used to indicate that the target UPF entity sends the received uplink data from the terminal to the source AS and the target AS, respectively; and sending the received downlink data from the source AS to the terminal.

For example, a first downlink discard indication may be carried in the first notification message, where the first downlink discard indication is used to indicate that the target UPF entity discards the received downlink data from the target AS.

Of course, the first notification message may also carry a data processing instruction, where the data processing instruction is used to instruct the target UPF entity to send the received uplink data from the terminal to the source AS and the target AS, respectively; and sending the received downlink data from the source AS to the terminal. Optionally, the data processing instruction is further used to instruct the target UPF entity to discard the received downlink data from the target AS. That is, the content indicated by the uplink bi-cast indication and the content indicated by the first downlink discard indication may be indicated by an uplink bi-cast indication and a first downlink discard indication, respectively, or the content indicated by the uplink bi-cast indication and the content indicated by the first downlink discard indication may be indicated by a data processing indication, which is not particularly limited in the embodiment of the present application. The following embodiments take the data processing instruction carried in the first notification message as an example, and are described herein in a unified manner, which is not described in detail below.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the SMF entity may send the data processing instruction to the target UPF entity only when determining that the data processing instruction needs to be sent to the target UPF entity according to a quality of service (QoS) requirement of a service, a local policy, or a notification of another network element, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application. For example, if the QoS requirement of the service is high, the SMF entity may determine that a data processing instruction needs to be sent to the target UPF entity; or, if the local policy indicates that uplink bicast is required under the condition of AS handover, the SMF entity may determine that a data processing indication needs to be sent to the target UPF entity.

Illustratively, path information may be carried in the first notification message, where the path information is used to instruct the target UPF entity to establish an N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity; and establishing an N3 tunnel between the target UPF entity and the target access equipment.

For example, the path information may include first path uplink information and second path uplink information, where the first path uplink information is used to instruct the target UPF entity to establish an N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity; the second path uplink information is used for instructing the target UPF entity to establish an N3 tunnel between the target UPF entity and the target access device.

The first path uplink information may include an end point address or an end point identifier of an N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity on the source UPF entity side, an address of the source UPF entity, and the like; the second path uplink information may include an endpoint address or an endpoint identifier of an N3 tunnel between the target UPF entity and the target access device at the target access device side, an address of the source UPF entity, and the like, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, the path information may further include first path downlink information and second path downlink information, where the first path downlink information is used to instruct the target UPF entity to establish an N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity; the second path downlink information is used for instructing the target UPF entity to establish an N3 tunnel between the target UPF entity and the target access device.

The first path downlink information may include an end point address or an end point identifier of an N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity on the side of the target UPF entity, an address of the target UPF entity, and the like; the second path downlink information may include an end point address or an end point identifier of the N3 tunnel between the target UPF entity and the target access device on the target UPF entity side, an address of the target UPF entity, and the like, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

It should be noted that, if the path information includes first path downlink information and second path downlink information, the first path downlink information and the second path downlink information are generally allocated by an SMF, and of course, the first path downlink information and the second path downlink information may also be allocated by a target UPF entity, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Of course, the path information may also include other information, such as routing rules, and the like, which may specifically refer to the existing implementation manner and are not described herein again.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the first notification message may also carry a timing duration of the timer, so that the target UPF entity may start the timer when acquiring the data processing instruction, and send the received uplink data from the terminal to the target AS after determining that the timer expires; and sending the received downlink data from the target AS to the terminal; and, optionally, discarding the received downstream data from the source AS. That is, after the timer expires, it may be considered that the target AS has already stored certain uplink data from the terminal, or the target AS has already the capability of controlling the terminal.

In the embodiment of the present application, the timing duration of the timer may be determined according to a QoS requirement of a service. The QoS requirement may include, for example, a requirement such as a delay or reliability, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the application. For example, if the reliability requirement of the service is high, a long timing duration may be set; or, if the reliability requirement of the service is low, a short timing duration may be set.

Alternatively, in this embodiment of the present application, the timing duration of the timer may be determined according to a local policy or configuration information of the SMF entity. For example, the local policy or configuration information may indicate that the target UPF entity performs data processing change after a predetermined time (for example, 5s) elapses after acquiring the data processing indication, and the time duration of the predetermined time is the predetermined time.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, a data processing instruction, path information, and a timing duration are described as being carried by a first notification message, but of course, the data processing instruction, the path information, and the timing duration may also be carried by different messages, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

S505, the SMF entity sends an N4 session establishment request to the source UPF entity, so that the source UPF entity receives an N4 session establishment request from the SMF entity.

The N4 session establishment request carries the first path downlink information.

Optionally, the N4 session establishment request may also carry the first path uplink information, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, the N4 session establishment request may also carry other information, which may specifically refer to an existing implementation manner, and details of the embodiment of the present application are not described herein.

S506, the SMF entity sends a handover response to the target access device, so that the target access device receives the handover response from the SMF entity.

Wherein, the switching response carries the downlink information of the second path.

Optionally, the handover response may also carry the second path uplink information, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the application.

Optionally, the handover response may also carry other information, which may specifically refer to the existing implementation manner, and this embodiment of the present application is not described herein again.

Up to this point, the terminal may communicate with both the source AS and the target AS, AS shown in fig. 5, the target UPF entity may send the received uplink data from the terminal to the source AS and the target AS, respectively; and the target UPF entity can send the received downlink data from the source AS to the terminal.

Optionally, if the data processing in step S505 indicates that the target UPF entity is not instructed to discard the received downlink data from the target AS, the target UPF entity may further send the received downlink data from the target AS to the terminal. Furthermore, after the terminal receives the downlink data from the source AS and the downlink data from the target AS, the terminal may discard the received downlink data from the target AS by using a certain processing mechanism, so that the source AS controls the terminal, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

S507, the SMF entity sends the second notification message to the target UPF entity, so that the target UPF entity receives the second notification message from the SMF entity.

Wherein the second notification message is used to indicate the target UPF entity: sending the received uplink data from the terminal to a target AS; and sending the received downlink data from the target AS to the terminal.

Optionally, the second notification message is further used to instruct the target UPF entity to: and releasing the N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity.

Optionally, the second notification message is further used to instruct the target UPF entity to: the received downstream data from the source AS is discarded, that is to say the terminal is controlled by the target AS.

Exemplarily, the second notification message may carry an uplink bicast stop instruction, where the uplink bicast stop instruction is used to instruct the target UPF entity to send the received uplink data from the terminal to the target AS; and sending the received downlink data from the target AS to the terminal.

For example, a second downlink discard indication may be carried in the second notification message, where the second downlink discard indication is used to indicate that the target UPF entity discards the received downlink data from the source AS.

Of course, the second notification message may also carry a data processing change instruction, where the data processing change instruction is used to instruct the target UPF entity to send the received uplink data from the terminal to the target AS; and sending the received downlink data from the target AS to the terminal. Optionally, the data processing change instruction is further used to instruct the target UPF entity to discard the received downstream data from the source AS. That is, the content indicated by the upstream bi-cast stop instruction and the content indicated by the second downstream discard instruction may be indicated by an upstream bi-cast stop instruction and a second downstream discard instruction, respectively, or the content indicated by the upstream bi-cast stop instruction and the content indicated by the second downstream discard instruction may be indicated by a data processing change instruction, which is not particularly limited in the embodiment of the present application. The following embodiments take the example that the second notification message carries the data processing change instruction as an example, and are described herein in a unified manner, which is not described again below.

For example, the path release indication may be carried in the second notification message, where the path release indication is used to indicate that the target UPF entity releases the N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity, which may specifically refer to the existing implementation manner and is not described herein again.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the SMF entity may determine, according to the QoS requirement of the service and the local policy or configuration information of the SMF entity, an opportunity to send the second notification message to the target UPF entity. The QoS requirement may include, for example, a requirement such as a delay or reliability, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the application. For example, if the reliability requirement of the service is high, the SMF entity may send a second notification message to the target UPF entity 20S after step S504; or, for example, the local policy or configuration information of the SMF entity may instruct the SMF entity to send a second notification message to the target UPF entity after a certain time (e.g., 5S) elapses after step S504. That is, after a certain time elapses after step S504, it may be considered that a certain amount of uplink data from the terminal has been stored in the target AS, or the target AS has the capability of controlling the terminal, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the application.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, an example is described in which the data processing change instruction and the path release instruction are both carried by the second notification message, and of course, the data processing change instruction and the path release instruction may also be carried by different messages, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, if the data processing change indication in step S507 does not indicate that the target UPF entity discards the received downlink data from the source AS, the target UPF entity may further send the received downlink data from the source AS to the terminal. Furthermore, after the terminal receives the downlink data from the source AS and the downlink data from the target AS, the terminal may discard the received downlink data from the source AS by using a certain processing mechanism, so that the target AS controls the terminal, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the application.

Optionally, if the first notification message in step S504 further carries the timing duration of the timer, the first notification message in step S507 may not carry the data processing change instruction, but as described above, the target UPF entity starts the timer when acquiring the data processing instruction, and executes the action indicated by the data processing change instruction after determining that the timer expires, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

It should be noted that, if the first notification message in step S504 further carries the timing duration of the timer, and the second notification message carries the path release indication, after the target UPF entity receives the second notification message, it is necessary to simultaneously meet the expiration of the timer, so that the N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity can be really released, which is described in a unified manner and will not be described again below.

S508, the SMF entity sends an N4 session release request to the source UPF entity, so that the source UPF entity receives an N4 session release request from the SMF entity.

The N4 session release request is used to request to delete the user plane information and the routing information corresponding to the terminal in the source UPF entity, which may specifically refer to the existing implementation manner and is not described herein again.

S509, the source UPF entity sends an N4 session release response to the SMF entity, so that the SMF entity receives an N4 session release response from the source UPF entity.

To this end, the communication between the terminal and the source AS is disconnected, and the target AS has taken over the terminal smoothly, AS shown in fig. 5, the target UPF entity may send the received uplink data from the terminal to the target AS; and the target UPF entity can send the received downlink data from the target AS to the terminal.

Based on the method for realizing service continuity in the switching process provided by the embodiment of the application, in a scene of realizing AS switching, the target UPF entity can send the received uplink data from the terminal to the target AS while the source AS controls the terminal according to the data processing instruction, so that the target AS can store a part of data and gradually has the capability of controlling the terminal. Further, when the target UPF entity acquires the data processing change instruction, the target AS controls the terminal. Because one AS can control the terminal all the time in the whole process, which is equivalent to seamless AS switching, the continuity of service in the AS switching process can be realized.

The actions of the target UPF entity and the SMF entity in steps S501 to S509 may be executed by the processor 401 in the communication device 400 shown in fig. 4 calling the application program code stored in the memory 403, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

Optionally, taking the system for implementing service continuity during handover process shown in fig. 2 AS an example when applied to a 5G network shown in fig. 3, AS shown in fig. 6, for a method for implementing service continuity during handover process provided in an embodiment of the present application, the method takes AS an example that both an AS and a UPF entity are handed over, and the UPF entity has no capability to send uplink data with an ayncast address AS a destination address from a terminal to a nearby AS (for example, the target AS and the target UPF entity are not deployed on the same MEC platform), where an initial state before the AS and the UPF entity are handed over is that the terminal performs service communication with a source AS through the source UPF entity, the method includes the following steps:

S601-S603 and the synchronization steps S501-S503 may refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 5, and are not described herein again.

S604, the SMF entity sends an address translation request to the address translation server, so that the address translation server receives the address translation request from the SMF entity. Wherein, the address conversion request carries at least one of the position information of the terminal and the position information of the target UPF entity, and at least one of the service identification and the terminal identification.

On one hand, considering that not all AS provide the same service, and possibly some AS do not provide the service required by the terminal, the address translation server can select the AS which can meet the service requirement of the terminal according to at least one of the identifier of the terminal and the identifier of the service; on the other hand, the address conversion server may select a nearby AS based on at least one of the location information of the terminal and the location information of the target UPF entity, for example, the address conversion server grasps topology information of the AS, and thus may select a nearby AS based on at least one of the location information of the terminal and the location information of the target UPF entity. That is, the address translation request carries at least one of the location information of the terminal and the location information of the target UPF entity, and at least one of the service identifier and the terminal identifier, so that the address translation server can select a nearby AS that can meet the service requirement of the terminal.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the identifier of the terminal may be, for example, an IP address of the terminal or an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), and this is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the identifier of the service may be, for example, anycast address information of service data of the terminal, where the anycast address information may be used to identify the service, that is, different services may be distinguished by the anycast address information. The anycast address information may only include an anycast address, or may include an anycast address + port information, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the location information of the target UPF entity may be, for example, a network access point identifier (DNAI), that is, an identifier of a terminal accessing a data network, and may reflect the location of the UPF in a coarse granularity.

It should be noted that, in this embodiment of the present application, since the terminal is located in the coverage area of the target UPF entity, the location of the target UPF entity may also reflect the location of the terminal, and further, the location information of the target UPF entity may also be referred to as location information of the terminal, or the location information of the terminal may also be referred to as location information of the target UPF entity, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

S605, the address translation server sends an address translation response to the SMF entity, so that the SMF entity receives the address translation response from the address translation server SMF entity. The address translation reply carries address information of the target AS.

S606, similar to step S504, except that: in the embodiment of the present application, the address information of the source AS and the address information of the target AS need to be carried in the first notification message. Wherein, the address information of the target AS is obtained by the steps S604 and S605; the address information of the source AS may be stored in the local context of the SMF entity, or, if the address information of the source AS is not stored in the local context of the SMF, the SMF entity may request the address information of the source AS from the source UPF entity, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Therefore, on one hand, after the uplink data from the terminal is received by the target UPF entity, the received uplink data from the terminal can be copied, the destination address is modified into the address of the target AS according to the address information of the target AS, and the address is sent to the target AS; and the destination address is modified into the address of the source AS according to the address information of the source AS, and the address is sent to the source AS. On the other hand, since the target UPF entity can directly acquire the address information of the source AS, and further directly send the uplink data from the terminal to the source AS according to the address information of the source AS, in the embodiment of the present application, it is not necessary to establish an N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity. On the other hand, in the embodiment of the application, the target UPF entity discards the received downlink data from the target AS according to the source address, and if the source address of the received downlink data is the address of the target AS, the downlink data is discarded; in the implementation shown in fig. 5, when the target UPF entity discards the received downlink data from the target AS, the downlink data is discarded according to the receiving interface of the downlink data, for example, if the received downlink data is received through the interface of the MEC platform, the downlink data is discarded.

S607 is similar to step S506, except that in this embodiment of the present application, it is not necessary to establish an N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity, which is not described herein again.

Up to this point, the terminal may communicate with both the source AS and the target AS, AS shown in fig. 6, the target UPF entity may send the received uplink data from the terminal to the source AS and the target AS, respectively; and the target UPF entity can send the received downlink data from the source AS to the terminal.

S608, similar to step S507, differs only in that: first, since it is not necessary to establish an N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity in the embodiment of the present application, it is not necessary to release an N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity in the embodiment of the present application. Secondly, since the address information of the target AS is carried in the first notification message in the embodiment of the present application, on one hand, after the uplink data from the terminal is received by the target UPF entity, the destination address of the received uplink data from the terminal may be modified into the address of the target AS according to the address information of the target AS, and the destination address is sent to the target AS. On the other hand, in the embodiment of the application, the target UPF entity discards the received downlink data from the source AS according to the source address, and if the source address of the received downlink data is the address of the source AS, discards the downlink data; in the implementation shown in fig. 5, when the target UPF entity discards the received downlink data from the source AS, the downlink data is discarded according to the receiving interface of the downlink data, for example, if the received downlink data is received through an N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity, the downlink data is discarded.

S609-S610 and synchronization steps S508-S509 refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 5, and are not described herein again.

To this end, the communication between the terminal and the source AS is disconnected, and the target AS has taken over the terminal smoothly, AS shown in fig. 6, the target UPF entity may send the received uplink data from the terminal to the target AS; and the target UPF entity can send the received downlink data from the target AS to the terminal.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment shown in fig. 6, the target UPF entity sends the copied upstream data to the source AS by directly modifying the destination address of the upstream data to the address of the source AS, and then sending the destination address to the source AS. Of course, the manner in which the target UPF entity sends the copied uplink data to the source AS may be shown in fig. 5, that is, forwarding the copied uplink data through an N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity, and specific implementation may refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 5, and is not described herein again. In addition, if the forwarding is performed through an N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity, the first notification message in step S606 in this embodiment does not need to carry address information of the source AS, but the target UPF entity directly sends the copied uplink data to the source UPF entity through the N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity, and the source UPF entity sends the uplink data to the source AS.

Based on the method for realizing service continuity in the switching process provided by the embodiment of the application, the service continuity in the AS switching process can be realized.

The actions of the target UPF entity and the SMF entity in steps S601 to S610 may be executed by the processor 401 in the communication device 400 shown in fig. 4 calling the application program code stored in the memory 403, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, taking the system for implementing service continuity during handover process shown in fig. 2 AS an example when applied to a 5G network shown in fig. 3, AS shown in fig. 7, for a method for implementing service continuity during handover process provided in this embodiment of the present application, the method takes AS an example that both an AS and a UPF entity are handed over, and the UPF entity has no capability to send uplink data with an ayncast address AS a destination address from a terminal to a nearby AS (for example, the target AS and the target UPF entity are not deployed on the same MEC platform), where an initial state before the AS and the UPF entity are handed over is that the terminal performs service communication with a source AS through the source UPF entity, the method includes the following steps:

s701 to S706 and the synchronization steps S501 to S506 may refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 5, and are not described herein again.

To this end, the terminal and the source AS may communicate with each other, and AS shown in fig. 7, the target UPF entity may send the received uplink data from the terminal to the source AS; and the target UPF entity can send the received downlink data from the source AS to the terminal. Since the first notification message indicates that the received uplink data from the terminal is sent to the source AS and the target AS respectively, and the target UPF entity finds that there is no corresponding address of the nearby AS locally matching with the source AS and the target AS, it is necessary to acquire the address of the target AS, AS shown in steps S707 and S708 described below.

S707-S708, similar to steps S604-S605, except that: first, the SMF entity is replaced with the target UPF entity. Second, since the target UPF entity cannot know the location information of the terminal, the address translation request in the embodiment shown in fig. 7 carries at least one of the service identifier and the terminal identifier, and the location information of the target UPF entity. Thirdly, in the embodiment shown in fig. 6, after the SMF entity determines the target UPF entity serving the terminal, it sends an address translation request to the address translation server; in the embodiment shown in fig. 7, after the target UPF entity finds that the address of the local, no corresponding nearby AS matches it, it sends an address translation request to the address translation server.

Up to this point, the terminal may communicate with both the source AS and the target AS, AS shown in fig. 7, the target UPF entity may send the received uplink data from the terminal to the source AS and the target AS, respectively; and the target UPF entity can send the received downlink data from the source AS to the terminal.

S709 to S711 and the synchronization steps S507 to S509 refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 5, which is not described herein again.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment shown in fig. 7, the target UPF entity transmits the copied upstream data to the source AS by forwarding through an N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity. Of course, a manner of sending the copied uplink data to the source AS by the target UPF entity may also be AS shown in fig. 6, that is, address information of the source AS is carried in the first notification message, and then a destination address of one of the copied uplink data may be modified to be an address of the source AS and then sent to the source AS.

The actions of the target UPF entity and the SMF entity in steps S701 to S711 may be executed by the processor 401 in the communication device 400 shown in fig. 4 calling the application program code stored in the memory 403, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, taking the system for implementing service continuity during handover process shown in fig. 2 AS an example when applied to a 5G network shown in fig. 3, AS shown in fig. 8, for a method for implementing service continuity during handover process provided in this embodiment of the present application, the method takes AS an example that both an AS and a UPF entity are handed over, and the UPF entity has no capability to send uplink data with an ayncast address AS a destination address from a terminal to a nearby AS (for example, the target AS and the target UPF entity are not deployed on the same MEC platform), where an initial state before the AS and the UPF entity are handed over is that the terminal performs service communication with a source AS through the source UPF entity, the method includes the following steps:

s801 to S803 and synchronization steps S501 to S503 may refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 5, and are not described herein again.

S804, the SMF entity sends the third notification message to the target UPF entity, so that the target UPF entity receives the third notification message from the SMF entity.

Wherein the third notification message is used to instruct the target UPF entity to: and establishing an N3 tunnel between the target UPF entity and the target access equipment. The related implementation can refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 5, and is not described herein again.

Optionally, the third notification message is further used to instruct the target UPF entity to: establishing an N9 tunnel between a source UPF entity and a target UPF entity, and further, the target UPF entity can send the received uplink data from the terminal to a source AS through the N9 tunnel; or, the third notification message carries address information of the source AS, and further, the target UPF entity may modify the destination address of the received uplink data from the terminal into the address of the source AS and send the address to the source AS, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application. In the embodiment of the present application, the address information of the source AS is carried in the third notification message is taken AS an example for description.

S805 and the synchronization step S506 may refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 5, which is not described herein again.

S806, the SMF entity sends a fourth notification message to the control device, so that the control device receives the fourth notification message from the SMF entity. The fourth notification message carries at least one of the location information of the terminal and the location information of the target UPF entity, and at least one of the service identifier and the terminal identifier.

And S807, the control equipment selects a target AS according to the fourth notification message.

The embodiment shown in fig. 6 can be referred to for the related description of steps S806 and S807, and will not be described again here.

S808, the control device sends the address information of the target AS to the SMF entity, so that the SMF entity receives the address information of the target AS from the control device.

S809, similar to step S606, except that the first notification message in this embodiment does not need to carry address information of the source AS, which specifically refers to the embodiment shown in fig. 6 and is not described herein again.

Up to this point, the terminal may communicate with both the source AS and the target AS, AS shown in fig. 8, the target UPF entity may send the received uplink data from the terminal to the source AS and the target AS, respectively; and the target UPF entity can send the received downlink data from the source AS to the terminal.

And S810, the target AS sends a fifth notification message to the control device, so that the control device receives the fifth notification message from the target AS. The fifth notification message is used for indicating that the target AS has the capability of controlling the terminal.

For example, after the target AS stores enough uplink data from the terminal, the target AS may send a fifth notification message to the control device.

S811, the control device sends the fifth notification message to the SMF entity, so that the SMF entity receives the fifth notification message from the control device.

S812-S814 and the synchronization steps S608-S610 refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 6, and are not described herein again.

It should be noted that, in this embodiment of the application, if the third notification message in step S804 is further used to instruct the target UPF entity to establish an N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity, the second notification message in step S812 is further used to instruct the target UPF entity to release an N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity. In addition, the SMF entity needs to instruct the source UPF entity to release the N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

To this end, the communication between the terminal and the source AS is disconnected, and the target AS has taken over the terminal smoothly, AS shown in fig. 8, the target UPF entity may send the received uplink data from the terminal to the target AS; and the target UPF entity can send the received downlink data from the target AS to the terminal.

Optionally, in a possible implementation manner, the embodiment of the present application may not include step S810. For example, the control device may send the fifth notification message to the SMF entity at a specific time according to a local policy or configuration information, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Alternatively, optionally, in a possible implementation manner, the embodiments of the present application may not include steps S810 and S811. For example, the SMF entity may determine, according to the QoS requirement of the service and the local policy or configuration information of the SMF entity, a time to send the second notification message to the target UPF entity, which may specifically refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 5, and this embodiment of the present application is not described herein again.

The actions of the target UPF entity and the SMF entity in steps S801 to S814 may be executed by the processor 401 in the communication device 400 shown in fig. 4 calling the application program code stored in the memory 403, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, taking the system for implementing service continuity during handover process shown in fig. 2 AS an example when applied to a 5G network shown in fig. 3, AS shown in fig. 9, for a method for implementing service continuity during handover process provided in this embodiment of the present application, the method takes AS an example that both an AS and a UPF entity are handed over, and the UPF entity has no capability to send uplink data with an ayncast address AS a destination address from a terminal to a nearby AS (for example, the target AS and the target UPF entity are not deployed on the same MEC platform), where an initial state before the AS and the UPF entity are handed over is that the terminal performs service communication with a source AS through the source UPF entity, the method includes the following steps:

s901 to S905 and the synchronization steps S801 to S805 may refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 8, and are not described herein again.

S906 to S907 and synchronization steps S707 to S708 may refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 7, and are not described herein again.

S908, the target UPF entity obtains the data processing indication according to at least one of the local policy or configuration information and the QoS of the service. The embodiment shown in fig. 5 can be referred to for the description of the data processing instruction, which is not repeated herein.

For example, if the QoS requirement of the service is high, the UPF entity may determine that the data processing instruction needs to be acquired; or, if the local policy or configuration information indicates that uplink bicast is required under the condition of occurrence of AS handover, the target UPF entity may determine that a data processing indication needs to be acquired.

Up to this point, the terminal may communicate with both the source AS and the target AS, AS shown in fig. 9, the target UPF entity may send the received uplink data from the terminal to the source AS and the target AS, respectively; and the target UPF entity can send the received downlink data from the source AS to the terminal.

S909, the target UPF entity obtains the data processing change indication, wherein the description of the data processing change indication may refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 5, and is not repeated here.

The target UPF entity can acquire the data processing change indication by the following method:

for example, after the target UPF entity obtains the data processing instruction, a timer may be started, and when the target UPF entity determines that the timer expires, it may be considered that a certain amount of uplink data from the terminal has been stored in the target AS, or the target AS has the capability of controlling the terminal, and at this time, data processing may be changed.

Wherein, the timing duration of the timer is determined according to the QoS requirement of the service; alternatively, the timing duration is determined according to local policy or configuration information of the target UPF entity. For example, if the reliability requirement of the service is high, a long timing duration may be set; or, if the reliability requirement of the service is low, a short timing duration may be set. Alternatively, the local policy or configuration information may indicate that the target UPF entity performs data processing change after a predetermined time (for example, 5s) elapses after acquiring the data processing indication, and the time duration of the timing is the predetermined time.

S910 to S911, similar to S508 to S509, refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 5, and are not described herein again.

It should be noted that, in this embodiment of the application, if the third notification message in step S904 is further used to instruct the target UPF entity to establish an N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity, in this embodiment of the application, the SMF entity further needs to instruct the target UPF entity to release an N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity; and the SMF entity further needs to instruct the source UPF entity to release the N9 tunnel between the source UPF entity and the target UPF entity, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

To this end, the communication between the terminal and the source AS is disconnected, and the target AS has taken over the terminal smoothly, AS shown in fig. 9, the target UPF entity may send the received uplink data from the terminal to the target AS; and the target UPF entity can send the received downlink data from the target AS to the terminal.

The actions of the target UPF entity and the SMF entity in steps S901 to S911 may be executed by the processor 401 in the communication device 400 shown in fig. 4 calling the application program code stored in the memory 403, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, taking the system for implementing service continuity during handover process shown in fig. 2 AS an example, where the system is applied to a 5G network shown in fig. 3, AS shown in fig. 10, for a method for implementing service continuity during handover process provided in an embodiment of the present application, the method takes AS an example that an AS is handed over, but a UPF entity is not handed over, and the UPF entity has no capability to send uplink data with an ayncast address AS a destination address from a terminal to a nearby AS (for example, a target AS and a UPF entity are not deployed on the same MEC platform), where an initial state before the AS is handed over is that the terminal performs service communication with a source AS through the UPF entity, and the method includes the following steps:

s1001, the control device selects a target AS.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the reason for the occurrence of the AS reselection may be that the control device obtains load information of each AS, determines that the load of the source AS is too heavy, and then controls the device to select the target AS; or, the reason for the occurrence of the AS reselection may be that the source AS has an excessive load, and actively notifies the control device, so that the control device selects the target AS.

S1002, the control device sends a switching notification to the SMF entity, so that the SMF entity receives the switching notification from the control device. Wherein, the switching notice carries the address information of the target AS and the identification of the terminal.

Optionally, the handover notification may also carry address information of the source AS, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the application.

Optionally, the switching notification may also carry the data processing instruction, or the switching notification itself has a function of the data processing instruction, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the application.

S1003, similar to step S606, except that: first, the target UPF entity in fig. 6 is replaced with the UPF entity in fig. 10. Secondly, because the switching of the UPF entity does not occur, the address information of the source AS is stored in the UPF entity, and therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the address information of the source AS does not need to be carried in the first notification message. Third, since no handover of the UPF entity occurs, in the embodiment of the present application, there is no need to establish an N3 tunnel between the target UPF entity and the target access device.

Up to this point, the terminal may communicate with both the source AS and the target AS, AS shown in fig. 5, the UPF entity may send the received uplink data from the terminal to the source AS and the target AS, respectively; and the UPF entity may send the received downlink data from the source AS to the terminal.

S1004-S1006, similar to steps S810-S812, differ only in that: the target UPF entity in fig. 6 is replaced with the UPF entity in fig. 10.

To this end, the communication between the terminal and the source AS is disconnected, and the target AS has taken over the terminal smoothly, AS shown in fig. 10, the UPF entity may send the received uplink data from the terminal to the target AS; and the UPF entity can send the received downlink data from the target AS to the terminal.

The actions of the UPF entity in steps S1001 to S1006 may be executed by the processor 401 in the communication device 400 shown in fig. 4 calling the application code stored in the memory 403, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

The above-mentioned scheme provided by the embodiment of the present application is introduced mainly from the perspective of interaction between network elements. It is to be understood that the above-mentioned user plane functional entity includes a hardware structure and/or a software module for performing the respective functions in order to realize the above-mentioned functions. Those of skill in the art would readily appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as hardware or combinations of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed as hardware or computer software drives hardware depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

In the embodiment of the present application, the functional modules may be divided according to the above method example, for example, each functional module may be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in a hardware mode, and can also be realized in a software functional module mode. It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the division of the module is schematic, and is only one logic function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation.

For example, in the case of dividing each functional module in an integrated manner, fig. 11 shows a structural diagram of the user plane functional entity 110. The user plane function entity 110 includes: a processing module 1101 and a transceiver module 1102. A processing module 1101 for obtaining a data processing instruction; a transceiver module 1102, configured to send received uplink data from a terminal to a source server and a target server, respectively, according to a data processing instruction; and sending the received downlink data from the source server to the terminal; the transceiver module 1102 is further configured to send the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server when the processing module 1101 obtains the data processing change instruction; and sending the received downlink data from the target server to the terminal.

Optionally, the transceiver module 1102 is further configured to discard the received downlink data from the source server according to the data processing change instruction.

Optionally, the processing module 1101 is further configured to stop sending the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server according to the data processing change instruction.

Optionally, the processing module 1101 is configured to obtain a data processing change instruction, and includes: for determining that a timer has expired, wherein the timer is started in case the processing module 1101 obtains the data processing indication.

Optionally, the transceiver module 1102 is further configured to receive a timing duration of a timer from the session management entity.

Optionally, the processing module 1101 is configured to obtain a data processing change instruction, and includes: for receiving a data handling change indication from the session management entity.

Optionally, the processing module 1101 is configured to obtain a data processing instruction, and includes: for receiving data handling indications from the session management entity.

Optionally, the processing module 1101 is configured to obtain a data processing instruction, and includes: the data processing instruction is obtained according to at least one of the local policy or configuration information and the service quality of the service.

Optionally, the transceiver module 1102 is configured to send the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server, and includes: the address information of the target server is acquired; and sending the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server according to the address information of the target server.

Optionally, the transceiver module 1102 is configured to acquire address information of the target server, and includes: the system comprises a server and a server, wherein the server is used for sending an address conversion request to an address conversion server, and the address conversion request carries at least one of the position information of a terminal and the position information of a user plane functional entity 110, and a service identifier; address information of a target server is received from an address translation server.

Alternatively, the optional transceiver module 1102 is configured to acquire address information of the target server, and includes: for receiving address information of a target server from the session management entity.

Optionally, the transceiver module 1102 is further configured to receive address information of a source server from the session management entity; the transceiver module 1102 is configured to send the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server, and includes: and the terminal is used for sending the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server according to the address information of the source server.

All relevant contents of each step related to the above method embodiment may be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and are not described herein again.

In the present embodiment, the user plane functional entity 110 is presented in a form of dividing each functional module in an integrated manner. A "module" as used herein may refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and/or other devices that provide the described functionality. In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the user plane functional entity 110 may take the form shown in FIG. 4.

For example, the processor 401 in fig. 4 may cause the user plane functional entity 110 to execute the method for implementing service continuity in the handover process in the above method embodiment by calling a computer stored in the memory 403 to execute the instructions.

In particular, the functions/implementation procedures of the processing module 1101 and the transceiver module 1102 in fig. 11 may be implemented by the processor 401 in fig. 4 calling a computer executing instruction stored in the memory 403. Alternatively, the function/implementation procedure of the processing module 1101 in fig. 11 may be implemented by the processor 401 in fig. 4 calling a computer executing instruction stored in the memory 403, and the function/implementation procedure of the transceiver module 1102 in fig. 11 may be implemented by the communication interface 404 in fig. 4.

Since the user plane functional entity provided in the embodiment of the present application may be used to execute the method for implementing service continuity in the handover process, the technical effect obtained by the user plane functional entity may refer to the method embodiment described above, and is not described herein again.

In the above embodiment, the user plane functional entity 110 is presented in a form of dividing each functional module in an integrated manner. Of course, in the embodiment of the present application, each function module of the user plane function entity may also be divided corresponding to each function, and this is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, where the chip system includes a processor, and is configured to support a user plane function entity to implement the method for implementing service continuity in a handover process, for example, to obtain a data processing instruction. In one possible design, the system-on-chip further includes a memory. The memory is used for storing program instructions and data necessary for the user plane functional entity. The chip system may be formed by a chip, and may also include a chip and other discrete devices, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

In the above embodiments, the implementation may be wholly or partially realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. The procedures or functions described in accordance with the embodiments of the present application are all or partially generated upon loading and execution of computer program instructions on a computer. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a network of computers, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored on a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wire (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or can comprise one or more data storage devices, such as a server, a data center, etc., that can be integrated with the medium. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., Solid State Disk (SSD)), among others.

While the present application has been described in connection with various embodiments, other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed application, from a review of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the word "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

Although the present application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments thereof, it will be evident that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. Accordingly, the specification and figures are merely exemplary of the present application as defined in the appended claims and are intended to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of the present application. 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 for realizing service continuity in a switching process is applied to a process that a terminal is switched from a source server to a target server, wherein the source server and the target server both provide the service, and the method is characterized by comprising the following steps:

a user plane functional entity acquires a data processing instruction;

the user plane functional entity sends the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server and the target server respectively according to the data processing instruction; and sending the received downlink data from the source server to the terminal;

under the condition that the user plane functional entity obtains a data processing change instruction, the user plane functional entity sends the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server; and sending the received downlink data from the target server to the terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and the user plane functional entity discards the received downlink data from the source server according to the data processing change instruction.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and the user plane functional entity stops sending the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server according to the data processing change instruction.

4. The method according to any of claims 1-3, wherein the obtaining of the indication of the change of data processing by the user plane functional entity comprises:

the user plane functional entity determines that a timer expires, wherein the timer is started when the user plane functional entity obtains the data processing indication.

5. The method of claim 4, before the user plane function entity determines that the timing duration expires, further comprising:

and the user plane functional entity receives the timing duration of the timer from the session management entity.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the timing duration is determined according to a quality of service requirement of the service; or, the timing duration is determined according to a local policy or configuration information of the session management entity.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the timing duration of the timer is determined according to the service quality requirement of the service; or, the timing duration is determined according to a local policy or configuration information of the user plane functional entity.

8. The method according to any of claims 1-3, wherein the obtaining of the indication of the change of data processing by the user plane functional entity comprises:

and the user plane functional entity receives the data processing change indication from the session management entity.

9. The method according to any of claims 1-3 and 5-7, wherein the user plane functional entity obtains the data processing indication, comprising:

and the user plane functional entity receives a data processing instruction from the session management entity.

10. The method according to any of claims 1-3 and 5-7, wherein the user plane functional entity obtains the data processing indication, comprising:

and the user plane functional entity acquires a data processing instruction according to at least one of a local strategy or configuration information and the service quality of the service.

11. The method according to any of claims 1-3 and 5-7, wherein the ue sends the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server, comprising:

the user plane functional entity acquires the address information of the target server;

and the user plane functional entity sends the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server according to the address information of the target server.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the obtaining, by the user plane functional entity, address information of the target server comprises:

the user plane functional entity sends an address translation request to an address translation server, wherein the address translation request carries at least one of the position information of the terminal and the position information of the user plane functional entity, and the service identifier;

the user plane functional entity receives address information of the target server from the address translation server;

or, the obtaining, by the user plane functional entity, address information of the target server includes:

and the user plane functional entity receives the address information of the target server from the session management entity.

13. The method of any one of claims 1-3, 5-7, and 12, further comprising:

the user plane functional entity receives address information of the source server from a session management entity;

the user plane functional entity sends the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server, and the method comprises the following steps:

and the user plane functional entity sends the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server according to the address information of the source server.

14. A method for realizing service continuity in a switching process is applied to a process that a terminal is switched from a source server to a target server, wherein the source server and the target server both provide the service, and the method is characterized by comprising the following steps:

a session management entity determines a user plane functional entity serving as a terminal and sends a data processing instruction to the user plane functional entity;

the user plane functional entity receives the data processing instruction from the session management entity and respectively sends the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server and the target server according to the data processing instruction; and sending the received downlink data from the source server to the terminal;

15. A user plane functional entity is applied to the process of switching a terminal from a source server to a target server, and is characterized in that the user plane functional entity comprises: the device comprises a processing module and a transmitting-receiving module;

the processing module is used for acquiring a data processing instruction;

the transceiver module is configured to send the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server and the target server, respectively, according to the data processing instruction; and sending the received downlink data from the source server to the terminal;

the transceiver module is further configured to send the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server when the processing module obtains a data processing change instruction; and sending the received downlink data from the target server to the terminal.

16. The user plane functional entity of claim 15, wherein the transceiver module is further configured to discard the received downlink data from the source server according to the data processing change indication.

17. The user plane functional entity of claim 15, wherein the processing module is further configured to stop sending the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server according to the data processing change indication.

18. The user plane functional entity of any of claims 15 to 17, wherein the processing module is configured to obtain an indication of a change in data processing, and comprises:

for determining that a timer has expired, wherein the timer is started if the processing module obtains the data processing indication.

19. The user plane functional entity of claim 18, wherein the transceiver module is further configured to receive a timing duration of the timer from a session management entity.

20. The user plane functional entity of any of claims 15 to 17 and 19, wherein the processing module is configured to obtain a data processing indication, and comprises:

the data processing instruction is obtained according to at least one of the local policy or configuration information and the service quality of the service.

21. The user plane functional entity of any of claims 15 to 17 and 19, wherein the transceiver module is configured to transmit the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server, and comprises:

the address information of the target server is acquired; and sending the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server according to the address information of the target server.

22. The user plane functional entity of claim 21, wherein the transceiver module is configured to obtain address information of the target server, and comprises:

the system comprises a terminal, a user plane functional entity and an address translation server, wherein the terminal is used for sending an address translation request to the address translation server, and the address translation request carries at least one of position information of the terminal and position information of the user plane functional entity and service identification; receiving address information of the target server from the address translation server;

or, the transceiver module is configured to acquire address information of the target server, and includes:

for receiving address information of the target server from a session management entity.

23. The user plane functional entity according to any of claims 15-17, 19, 22,

the transceiver module is further configured to receive address information of the source server from a session management entity;

the transceiver module is configured to send the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server, and includes:

and the source server is used for sending the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server according to the address information of the source server.

24. A system for realizing service continuity in a switching process is applied to a process that a terminal is switched from a source server to a target server, wherein the source server and the target server both provide the service, and the system is characterized by comprising: a session management entity and a user plane function entity;

the session management entity is used for determining the user plane functional entity serving for the terminal and sending a data processing instruction to the user plane functional entity;

the user plane functional entity is configured to receive the data processing instruction from the session management entity, and send the received uplink data from the terminal to the source server and the target server according to the data processing instruction; and sending the received downlink data from the source server to the terminal;

the user plane functional entity is further configured to send the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server under the condition of obtaining a data processing change instruction; and sending the received downlink data from the target server to the terminal.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein said session management entity is further configured to send a timing duration of a timer to said user plane function entity;

the user plane functional entity is further configured to receive the timing duration from the session management entity;

the user plane functional entity is used for acquiring a data processing change instruction, and comprises:

for determining that the timer expires, wherein the timer is started if the user plane function entity obtains the data processing indication.

26. The system according to claim 24, wherein said session management entity is further configured to send said data processing change indication to said user plane function entity;

for receiving the data handling change indication from the session management entity.

27. The system according to claim 26, wherein the session management entity is configured to send the data processing change indication to the user plane function entity, and includes:

and the data processing change instruction is sent to the user plane functional entity according to the service quality requirement of the service and the local policy or configuration information of the session management entity.

28. The system according to any of claims 24-27, wherein said session management entity is further configured to obtain address information of said target server, and send the address information of said target server to said user plane function entity;

the user plane functional entity is configured to send the received uplink data from the terminal to the target server, and includes:

29. The system according to any of claims 24-27, wherein said session management entity is further configured to determine that said data processing indication needs to be sent to said user plane function entity.

30. A user plane functional entity is applied to the process of switching a terminal from a source server to a target server, and is characterized in that the user plane functional entity comprises: a processor and a memory;

the memory is used for storing computer executable instructions, and when the user plane functional entity runs, the processor executes the computer executable instructions stored in the memory, so as to make the user plane functional entity execute the method for realizing service continuity in the switching process according to any one of claims 1 to 13.