CN110784432B

CN110784432B - Session creation method and device

Info

Publication number: CN110784432B
Application number: CN201810856120.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 吴问付; 周汉; 李汉成
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-07-31
Filing date: 2018-07-31
Publication date: 2021-11-19
Anticipated expiration: 2038-07-31
Also published as: CN110784432A; WO2020024959A1

Abstract

The application provides a session creation method and device. The method comprises the following steps: the terminal receives the indication information, and after receiving the indication information, the terminal creates a session according to the indication information, wherein the indication information is used for indicating the creation of the redundant session, namely indicating the terminal to create one or more redundant sessions. Therefore, the terminal can send the same data through the created multiple sessions at the same time, which is helpful for ensuring the reliability of data transmission and further can improve the continuity of the service.

Description

Session creation method and device

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of mobile communications technologies, and in particular, to a session creation method and apparatus.

Background

The 5th generation (5G) Communication defines Ultra-Low-delay high-reliability Communication (URLLC), and is mainly used for services requiring Low-delay and high-reliability Communication, such as unmanned driving and industrial automation.

Taking the unmanned service AS an example, the vehicle reports the acquired images and the sensing information to an Application Server (AS), the AS makes driving decisions (such AS acceleration, deceleration, braking, lane change, normal running according to the current speed and track, and the like) according to the received information, and issues the driving decisions to the vehicle to realize remote control of the vehicle. In the unmanned service, the end-to-end time delay between the terminal of the vehicle and the AS is required to be always kept within 5 milliseconds. In order to meet the requirement of ultra-low time delay, the end-to-end time delay is always kept within 5 milliseconds, the continuity of the service needs to be ensured, and once the service is interrupted, the vehicle is out of control.

Based on the above applications, how to guarantee the continuity of the service is an urgent problem to be solved.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a session creation method and device, which are used for improving the continuity of a service.

In a first aspect, the present application provides a session creation method. The method comprises the following steps: the terminal receives indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating the creation of the redundant session. And the terminal initiates a session establishment according to the indication information. Based on the scheme, after receiving the indication information, the terminal may create the session according to the indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate that the redundant session is created, that is, the terminal is instructed to create one or more redundant sessions. Therefore, the terminal can send the same data through the created multiple sessions at the same time, which is helpful for ensuring the reliability of data transmission and further can improve the continuity of the service.

The above-described session creation method can be applied to different scenarios, which are described below.

In a first scenario, a terminal receives indication information in a creation process of a first session, and then creates a second session according to the indication information.

Specifically, the terminal may send a first request message to the session management network element, where the first request message includes an identifier of the first session, and the first request message is used to request to create the first session. This first request message may also be referred to as a session creation request message. The terminal receives a session creation response message from the session management network element, wherein the session creation response message comprises indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating that a redundant session is created for the first session.

Further, the terminal sends a second request message to the mobility management network element according to the indication information, wherein the second request message includes an identifier of the first session and an identifier of the second session, and the second request message is used for requesting to create the second session as a redundant session of the first session.

According to the above scheme, the terminal receives the indication information in the creation process of the first session, and further creates a second session according to the indication information, where the second session is a redundant session created by the terminal, and for example, the second session may be created after the creation of the first session is completed.

And a second scenario, receiving the indication information in the modification process of the first session of the terminal, and then creating a second session according to the indication information.

Specifically, the terminal first creates a first session. Next, the terminal receives a session modification request message from the session management network element, the session modification request message including indication information indicating that a redundant session is created for the first session.

According to the scheme, the terminal receives the indication information in the modification process of the first session, and further creates a second session according to the indication information, wherein the second session is a redundant session created by the terminal. For example, the second session may be created after the modified flow of the first session is completed.

And a third scenario, after the terminal completes registration, creating a first session and a second session according to the indication information.

Specifically, the terminal may send a registration request message to the mobility management network element, where the registration request message is used to request that the terminal be registered to the network. The terminal receives user policy information from a mobility management network element, wherein the user policy information comprises indication information and an identifier of a first application, and the indication information is used for indicating that a redundant session is created for the first application. And the terminal creates a first session and a second session for the first application according to the indication information and the identifier of the first application. The user Policy information received by the terminal may be, for example, a user routing Policy (URSP).

Further, the terminal may create a first session for the first application according to the indication information, and create a second session for the first application after the creation of the first session is completed. Or, in yet another implementation manner, the terminal may further send a session creation request message to the mobility management network element, where the session creation request message includes an identifier of the first session and an identifier of the second session, and the session creation request message is used to request creation of the first session and the second session.

According to the scheme, the terminal further creates a first session and a second session according to the indication information and the identifier of the first application in the registration process of the terminal, wherein the second session is a redundant session created by the terminal.

In the foregoing scenario one, or scenario two, or scenario three, as an implementation manner, the indication information includes a redundant session creation indication, where the redundant session creation indication is used to indicate creation of a redundant session. As yet another implementation, the indication information includes a number of redundant sessions. As yet another implementation, the indication information includes a redundant session creation indication and a number of redundant sessions. As yet another implementation, the indication information includes an identification of a slice of the redundant session, and the identification of the slice is used to indicate a slice corresponding to the redundant session created for the first session. As yet another implementation, the indication information includes an identification of a slice of the redundant session and a number of the redundant sessions, and the identification of the slice is used to indicate a slice corresponding to the redundant session created for the first session.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a session creation method. The method comprises the following steps: the core network equipment determines that the first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session. And the core network equipment sends indication information to the terminal, wherein the indication information is used for indicating that the redundant session is established for the first session. Based on the scheme, after determining that the first session of the terminal needs to create the redundant session, the core network device sends indication information to the terminal, which is used for indicating the terminal to create the redundant session, that is, indicating the terminal to create one or more redundant sessions. Therefore, the terminal can send the same data through the created multiple sessions at the same time, which is helpful for ensuring the reliability of data transmission and further can improve the continuity of the service.

In a first scenario, in a process of creating a first session, a session management network element sends indication information to a terminal.

Specifically, the core network device is a session management network element, and the session management network element receives a first request message from a terminal, where the first request message includes an identifier of a first session, and the first request message is used to request to create the first session, and may also be referred to as a session creation request message. And the session management network element determines that the first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session, and sends a session creation response message to the terminal, wherein the session creation response message comprises indication information.

In a second scenario, in the modification process of the first session, the session management network element indicates information to the terminal.

Specifically, the session management network element sends a session modification request message to the terminal, the session modification request message including the indication information.

In an implementation manner, when the core network device is a session management network element, the core network device may determine that a redundant session needs to be created for a first session of a terminal according to any one of the following methods.

In the first method, a session management network element determines that a first session of a terminal needs to establish a redundant session according to subscription information of the terminal.

The subscription information of the terminal may be obtained by the session management network element in advance, or obtained by the session management network element from the data management network element.

And secondly, the session management network element determines that the information of the first application corresponding to the first session meets the condition of creating the redundant session, and determines that the first session of the terminal needs to create the redundant session.

The information of the first application here may be, for example, reliability information of the first application. For example, the subscription information in the data management network element includes subscription session information, and the subscription session information includes reliability information of the first application. For another example, the session policy information sent by the policy control network element to the session management network element includes reliability information of the first application. For another example, the application server sends reliability information of the first application to the session management network element.

And thirdly, the session management network element receives the indication information from the policy control network element, and determines that the first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session according to the indication information.

For example, as one implementation, the session management network element may receive user policy information from the policy control network element, where the user policy information includes indication information. As yet another implementation, the session management network element receives a session policy modification message from the policy control network element, the session policy modification message including the indication information.

In another implementation manner, when the core network device is a policy control network element, the core network device may determine that the first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session according to any one of the following methods.

In the first method, a policy control network element determines that a first session of a terminal needs to establish a redundant session according to subscription information of the terminal.

The subscription information of the terminal may be obtained by the policy control network element in advance, or obtained by the policy control network element from the data management network element.

And secondly, the strategy control network element determines that the information of the first application corresponding to the first session meets the condition of creating the redundant session, and determines that the first session of the terminal needs to create the redundant session.

The information of the first application here may be, for example, reliability information of the first application. For example, the subscription information in the data management network element includes subscription session information, and the subscription session information includes reliability information of the first application. For another example, the application server sends reliability information of the first application to the policy control network element.

In a third aspect, the present application provides a session creation method. The method comprises the following steps: and the policy control network element determines that the first application of the terminal needs to create the redundant session, and generates indication information, wherein the indication information is used for indicating the creation of the redundant session for the first application. And the strategy control network element sends user strategy information to the terminal, wherein the user strategy information comprises indication information and the identifier of the first application. Based on the scheme, after determining that the first application of the terminal needs to create the redundant session, the policy control network element sends user policy information to the terminal, where the user policy information includes an identifier and indication information of the first application, and is used to indicate the terminal to create the redundant session, that is, to indicate the terminal to create one or more redundant sessions. Therefore, the terminal can send the same data through the created multiple sessions at the same time, which is helpful for ensuring the reliability of data transmission and further can improve the continuity of the service. It should be noted that, as a specific implementation manner, the policy control network element may send the user policy information to the mobility management network element, and then the mobility management network element sends the user policy information to the terminal. Namely, the policy control network element sends the user policy information to the terminal through the mobility management network element.

In one implementation, the policy control network element may determine that the first application of the terminal needs to create a redundant session according to any one of the following methods.

In the first method, the policy control network element determines that a first application of the terminal needs to create a redundant session according to subscription information of the terminal.

And secondly, determining that the first application of the terminal needs to create the redundant session if the policy control network element determines that the information of the first application meets the condition for creating the redundant session.

The information of the first application here may be, for example, reliability information of the first application. For another example, the application server sends reliability information of the first application to the policy control network element.

In a fourth aspect, the present application provides an apparatus, which may be a session management network element, a policy control network element, a terminal, or a chip. The apparatus has the functionality to implement the embodiments of any of the first, second or third aspects described above. 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 fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store computer executable instructions, and when the apparatus is running, the processor executes the computer executable instructions stored by the memory to cause the apparatus to perform the session creation method according to any one of the first aspect or the first aspect, or to cause the apparatus to perform the session creation method according to any one of the second aspect or the second aspect, or to cause the apparatus to perform the session creation method according to any one of the third aspect or the third aspect.

In a sixth aspect, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions, which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the above aspects.

In a seventh aspect, the present application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the above aspects.

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 schematic diagram of a possible network architecture provided herein;

fig. 2 is a schematic flow chart of a session creation method provided in the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a redundant path provided herein;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of yet another redundant path provided herein;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of yet another redundant path provided herein;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another session creation process provided in the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of another session creation process provided in the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of another session creation process provided in the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of another session creation process provided in the present application;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of an apparatus provided herein;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of yet another apparatus provided herein;

fig. 12 is a schematic diagram of a terminal provided in the present application.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more clear, the present application will be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The particular methods of operation in the method embodiments may also be applied to apparatus embodiments or system embodiments. In the description of the present application, the term "plurality" means two or more unless otherwise specified.

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.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible network architecture to which the present application is applicable. The network architecture includes a mobility management network element and a session management network element. Further, the network architecture may further include a policy control network element and a data management network element.

The mobile management network element is mainly used for the registration of the terminal in the mobile network, the mobile management and the updating process of the tracking area. The mobility management network element terminates a Non Access Stratum (NAS) message, completes registration management, connection management and reachability management, allocates a tracking area list (TA list), mobility management, and the like, and transparently routes a Session Management (SM) message to the session management network element. In 5G communication, the mobility management network element may be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, and in future communication such as 6th generation (6G) communication, the mobility management network element may still be an AMF network element or have another name, which is not limited in this application.

The session management network element is mainly used for session management in a mobile network, such as session creation, modification and release. The specific functions include, for example, allocating an Internet Protocol (IP) address to a user, selecting a user plane network element providing a message forwarding function, and the like. In 5G, the session management network element may be a Session Management Function (SMF) network element, and in future communications such as 6G, the session management network element may still be an SMF network element or have another name, which is not limited in this application.

And the policy control network element comprises a user subscription data management function, a policy control function, a charging policy control function, quality of service (QoS) control and the like. In 5G, the policy control network element may be a Policy Control Function (PCF) network element, and in future communications such as 6G, the policy control network element may still be a PCF network element, or have another name, which is not limited in this application.

And the data management network element is mainly used for storing user data, such as subscription information and authentication/authorization information. In 5G, the data management network element may be a Unified Data Management (UDM) network element, and in future communications such as 6G, the data management network element may still be a UDM network element or have another name, which is not limited in this application.

The terminal is a device with a wireless transceiving function, can be deployed on land, and comprises an indoor or outdoor terminal, a handheld terminal or a vehicle-mounted terminal; can also be deployed on the water surface (such as a ship and the like); and may also be deployed in the air (e.g., airplanes, balloons, satellites, etc.). The terminal device may be a mobile phone (mobile phone), a tablet computer (pad), a computer with a wireless transceiving function, a Virtual Reality (VR) terminal, an Augmented Reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control (industrial control), a wireless terminal in self driving (self driving), a wireless terminal in remote medical (remote medical), a wireless terminal in smart grid (smart grid), a wireless terminal in transportation safety (transportation safety), a wireless terminal in smart city (smart city), a wireless terminal in smart home (smart home), and the like.

An access network device, which may also be referred to as a Radio Access Network (RAN) device, is a device that provides a terminal with a wireless communication function. Access network equipment includes, for example but not limited to: next generation base station (G node B, gNB), evolved node B (eNB), Radio Network Controller (RNC), Node B (NB), Base Station Controller (BSC), Base Transceiver Station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved node B, or home node B, HNB), Base Band Unit (BBU), transmission point (TRP), Transmission Point (TP), mobile switching center, etc. in 5G.

It is understood that the above functions may be either network elements in a hardware device, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

For convenience of description, in the following description, a mobility management network element is referred to as an AMF network element, a session management network element is referred to as an SMF network element, a data management network element is referred to as an UDM network element, and a policy control network element is referred to as a PCF network element. Further, the AMF network element is abbreviated as AMF, the SMF network element is abbreviated as SMF, the UDM network element is abbreviated as UDM, and the PCF network element is abbreviated as PCF. That is, AMFs described later in this application may be replaced with a mobility management network element, SMFs may be replaced with a session management network element, UDMs may be replaced with a data management network element, and PCFs may be replaced with a policy control network element.

The session creation method provided by the present application is specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in fig. 2, a flowchart of a session creation method provided by the present application is shown. The method comprises the following steps:

step 201, the core network device sends indication information to the terminal. Accordingly, the terminal may receive the indication information.

The indication information is used to indicate that a redundant session is created. Or it may be understood that the indication information is used to indicate that redundant paths are created.

And step 202, the terminal initiates a session establishment according to the indication information.

Based on the above embodiment, after receiving the indication information, the terminal may create the session according to the indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate that the redundant session is created. Therefore, the terminal can send the same data through the created multiple sessions at the same time, which is helpful for ensuring the reliability of data transmission and further can improve the continuity of the service.

Wherein the terminal may create one redundant session, i.e. two sessions together for transmitting the same data. Alternatively, the terminal may create two redundant sessions, i.e. three sessions in total for transmitting the same data. Of course, the terminal may also create more than two redundant sessions. The number of redundant sessions created by the terminal is not limited in the present application.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a redundant path provided in the present application. A terminal may be simultaneously connected to a primary RAN (M-RAN) device and a secondary RAN (S-RAN) device in a Dual Connection (DC) mode. Two session paths are established between the terminal and the opposite terminal device, which are respectively:

session path 1: terminal-M-RAN equipment-UPF 1-peer equipment.

Session path 2: terminal-S-RAN equipment-UPF 2-correspondent equipment.

For example, the session 2 described above may be referred to as a redundant session of the session 1, or a redundant path of the session 1.

In another embodiment, the UPFs on the two session paths may also be the same UPF.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of another redundant path provided in the present application. The terminal is connected to the RAN device, and two session paths are created between the terminal and the opposite terminal device, which are respectively:

session path 1: terminal-RAN equipment-UPF 1-correspondent equipment.

Session path 2: terminal-RAN equipment-UPF 2-correspondent equipment.

In another embodiment, the UPFs of the two session paths may be the same UPF.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of another redundant path provided in the present application. The terminal may be simultaneously connected to the M-RAN device and the S-RAN device in the DC mode. Three session paths are established between the terminal and the opposite terminal equipment, which are respectively:

session path 1: terminal-M-RAN equipment-UPF 1-peer equipment.

Session path 2: terminal-M-RAN equipment-UPF 2-peer equipment.

Session path 3: terminal-S-RAN equipment-UPF 2-correspondent equipment.

For example, the session 2 and the session 3 may be referred to as a redundant session of the session 1 or a redundant path of the session 1.

In another embodiment, the UPFs of the three session paths may also be the same UPF.

With respect to fig. 3 to 5, during data communication, in an uplink direction, a terminal duplicates data and then carries the duplicated data in a multipath Transmission Protocol, such as a multipath Transmission Control Protocol (MPTCP) or a frame duplication and deduplication Protocol defined by 802.1CB-IEEE, and sends the duplicated data to an opposite device through a plurality of sessions (e.g., session 1 and session 2 shown in fig. 3 and fig. 4, or session 1, session 2 and session 3 shown in fig. 5), and after receiving a packet carrying data, the opposite device performs processing after sorting and removing the duplicated packet through the multipath Transmission Protocol. In the downlink direction, the peer device copies data and then loads the data on a multipath transmission protocol, and sends the data to the terminal through a plurality of sessions (such as session 1 and session 2 shown in fig. 3 and fig. 4, or session 1, session 2 and session 3 shown in fig. 5), and after receiving a message carrying data, the terminal performs sequencing through the multipath transmission protocol and processes after removing repeated messages. By adopting a multi-path mode, when transmission errors are generated on a certain session path, data can still be correctly transmitted by other normal paths, and the reliability of data transmission is effectively improved.

Three implementation manners for creating the redundant path are exemplarily shown in fig. 3 to fig. 5, and in a specific implementation manner, other implementation manners are also possible, and the present application is not limited.

The session creation method shown in fig. 2 is specifically described below with reference to different application scenarios, taking the creation of a redundant session (the redundant session is referred to as a second session) as an example. And the terminal also creates a first session, and the created second session is used as a redundant session of the first session.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a process of creating a session according to another embodiment of the present invention. The method comprises the following steps:

step 601, the terminal sends a first request message to the SMF. Accordingly, the SMF may receive the first request message.

The first request message includes an identification of a first session, the first request message requesting creation of the first session. This first request message may also be referred to as a session creation request message.

In a specific implementation, the terminal may send the first request message to the AMF, and then the AMF sends the first request message to the SMF.

At step 602, the SMF determines that a first session of the terminal requires the creation of a redundant session.

As an example, four different implementations of the SMF determining that the first session of the terminal requires the creation of a redundant session are given below.

According to the first method, the SMF determines that a first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session according to the indication information in the locally stored subscription information.

For example, the SMF locally stores subscription information of the terminal, the subscription includes session management subscription information, and the session management subscription information includes indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate that a redundant session needs to be created for the first session. Accordingly, the SMF may determine that the first session of the terminal requires the creation of a redundant session based on the indication information.

According to the second method, the SMF determines that the first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session according to a local policy.

For example, the local policy of the SMF includes information of a first application corresponding to the first session, and then determines that the first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session according to the information of the first application, that is, when the information of the first application meets a condition for creating a redundant session, it is determined that the first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session. The first session here refers to the session created for the first application. It may also be understood that the first application uses the first session to transfer data. The information of the first application may include, for example, reliability requirement information of the first application, the reliability requirement information indicating a requirement of data of the first application for a transmission success rate. For example, the reliability requirement information of the first application is 99.999%, which indicates that the transmission success rate of the data of the first application needs to be maintained above 99.999%. Assuming that the preset reliability requirement threshold is 90%, that is, if the reliability requirement information of any application is greater than 90%, it is determined that a redundant session needs to be created for the application. Since the reliability requirement information of the first application is 99.999%, a redundant session needs to be created for the first application, and specifically, a redundant session needs to be created for the first session corresponding to the first application.

It should be noted that, the above is described by taking the information of the first application as the reliability requirement information of the first application as an example, and other information of the first application may also be used in the actual application, which is not limited in the present application.

The SMF may acquire the information of the first application in a plurality of ways. As one implementation manner, the subscription information in the UDM includes subscription session information, and the subscription session information includes the information of the first application, so that the SMF can acquire the information of the first application from the UDM. In yet another implementation, the session policy information sent by the PCF to the SMF may include information of the first application. As yet another implementation, the application server may send information of the first application to the SMF.

In the third method, the SMF acquires the indication information from the PCF, so that the fact that the first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session is determined.

Specifically, the method can be implemented by steps 6011 and 6014 shown in fig. 6, or by steps 6011-6014.

Step 6011, the SMF sends a session policy request message to the PCF. Accordingly, the PCF may receive the session policy request message.

The session policy request message is used to request the PCF to obtain session policy information.

Step 6012, the PCF requests subscription information from the UDM.

Specifically, the PCF requests the UDM to acquire subscription information of the terminal, where the subscription information includes subscription session information.

Step 6013, the UDM sends the subscription information to the PCF.

The subscription information includes subscription session information, and the subscription session information includes the above-mentioned indication information.

If the PCF locally stores the session information for subscription, the step 6012 and the step 6013 need not be executed. I.e., step 6012 and step 6013 above are optional steps.

Step 6014, the PCF sends a session policy response message to the SMF. Accordingly, the SMF may receive the session policy response message.

The session policy response message includes session policy information, which includes the indication information.

By the method, the SMF can acquire the indication information from the PCF and determine that the first session of the terminal needs to create the redundant session according to the indication information.

And fourthly, the SMF acquires the subscription information from the UDM and determines that the first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session according to the indication information in the subscription information.

Specifically, the method can be implemented by steps 6021-6022 shown in fig. 6.

Step 6021, the SMF requests subscription information from the UDM.

Specifically, the SMF requests the UDM to acquire subscription information of the terminal, where the subscription information includes subscription session information.

Step 6022, the UDM sends subscription information to the SMF.

By the method, the SMF can acquire the indication information from the UDM and determine that the first session of the terminal needs to create the redundant session according to the indication information.

In step 603, the SMF sends a session creation response message to the terminal. Accordingly, the terminal may receive the session creation response message.

The session creation response message includes the above-mentioned indication information.

In step 604, the terminal sends a second request message to the AMF. Accordingly, the AMF may receive the second request message.

The second request message includes an identification of the first session, an identification of the second session, and the second request message is used for requesting to create the second session as a redundant session of the first session.

The AMF determines that the second session is a redundant session of the first session according to the second request message, and thus binds the first session and the second session to each other as a redundant session.

In particular implementations, the second request message includes an identification of the first session, an identification of the second session, and may also include other information. For example, the second request message includes { an identification of the first session, an identification of the second session, an identification of slice 2}, i.e., implicitly indicating that the second session is a redundant session of the first session, and the slice corresponding to the second session is slice 2. For another example, the second request message includes { an identifier of the second session, an identifier of slice 2, redundancy for: an identifier of the first session }, that is, the second session is a redundant session indicating that the second session is the first session, and the slice corresponding to the second session is slice 2.

Through the embodiment, the terminal can receive the indication information in the process of creating the first session, and then create the second session as the redundant session of the first session according to the indication information, for example, the second session can be created after the first session is created, which is helpful for ensuring the reliability of data transmission, and further can improve the continuity of the service.

Further, the following step 605 may be further included after the step 604.

At step 605, the AMF selects an SMF for the second session.

After receiving the second request message, the AMF determines an SMF corresponding to the first session according to the identifier of the first session in the second request message. When selecting an SMF for the second session, one implementation manner is that the SMF selected by the AMF is the same as the SMF corresponding to the first session, and this manner has the following advantages: and selecting the same SMF to manage the user planes of the first session and the second session, so that a plurality of user plane network elements on the path can be managed conveniently. Another implementation manner is that the SMF selected by the AMF for the second session is different from the SMF corresponding to the first session, which has the following advantages: the purpose of control plane redundancy is achieved by adopting different SMFs, and the control plane reliability is improved. How to select the SMF for the second session may depend on actual needs.

Further, the following step 606 is included.

Step 606, create other steps in the flow of the second session.

This step 606 includes other steps in the process of creating the second session, and may refer to the description of the process of creating the session in the prior art, which is not described herein again.

For the indication information in the above embodiments, practical applications include, but are not limited to, the following implementation manners:

in implementation 1, the indication information includes a redundant session creation indication.

Implementation 2, the indication information includes a number of redundant sessions.

In implementation 3, the indication information includes a redundant session creation indication and a number of redundant sessions.

Implementation 4, the indication information includes an identification of a slice of the redundant session.

Implementation 5, the indication information includes an identification of a slice of the redundant session and a number of the redundant sessions.

The redundant session creation indication is used for indicating the creation of a redundant session, and the identification of the slice is used for indicating the slice corresponding to the redundant session created for the first session. The following examples are given.

For example, the instruction information included in step 6013, step 6014, step 6022, and step 603 may be, for example:

1) and { redundancy Path: TRUE }, indicating that a redundant session is created. Here, { redundancy path: TRUE } is an indication of redundant session creation. I.e. one redundant session is created for the first session.

2) { redundancy Path:3}, indicating that 3 redundant sessions are created. Here { redundant Path:3} is the number of redundant sessions. I.e. 3 redundant sessions are created for the first session.

3) Slice 1 identification, redundancy path: slice 2, slice 2 identification, and slice 2 identification. Assuming that the first session is located in slice 1, it is indicated that a redundant session is created for the first session in slice 2.

4) And { { identification of slice 1, redundancy path: slice 2}, { identification of slice 2, redundancy path: slice 1} }, indicating that the session of slice 1 and the session of slice 2 are redundant sessions. Assuming that the first session is located in slice 1, it is indicated that a redundant session is created for the first session in slice 2.

5) And { slice 1 id, redundancy path: slice 2}, indicating that the slice in which the redundant session corresponding to the session of slice 1 is located is slice 2. In this case, part of the contract information of slice 2 may be common to slice 1. Assuming that the first session is located in slice 1, it is indicated that a redundant session is created for the first session in slice 2.

It should be noted that, in practical applications, as an implementation manner, the indication information obtained by the PCF from the UDM in step 6013 may be slightly different from the indication information sent by the PCF to the SMF in step 6014. For example, if the indication information received by the PCF from the UDM is { slice 1 id, redundancy path: slice 2}, the PCF may not send the slice 1 id when sending the indication information to the SMF, i.e., the indication information sent by the PCF to the SMF may also be { redundancy path: slice 2 }. Similarly, the instruction information obtained by the SMF from the UDM in step 6022 may be slightly different from the instruction information sent by the SMF to the terminal in step 603.

Fig. 7 is a schematic flow chart of another session creation method provided by the present application. The main differences between this method and the method shown in fig. 6 are: the method is that PCF determines that the first session of the terminal needs to create redundant session.

The method comprises the following steps:

step 701 is the same as step 601 of the embodiment shown in fig. 6.

Step 702-step 704, which is the same as step 6011-step 6013 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6.

It should be noted that, step 703-step 704 are synchronous with step 6012-step 6013, which are optional steps.

In step 705, the PCF determines that the first session for the terminal requires the creation of a redundant session.

As an example, four different implementations are given below in which the PCF determines that the first session of the terminal requires the creation of a redundant session.

In the first method, the PCF determines that the first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session according to the indication information in the subscription information stored locally.

And secondly, the PCF determines that the first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session according to the local strategy.

The implementation of the above-mentioned method one and method two is similar to the method one and method two in step 602 of the embodiment shown in fig. 6, and reference is made to the foregoing description.

And the PCF acquires the subscription information from the UDM and determines that the first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session according to the indication information in the subscription information.

Specifically, the method can be implemented by steps 703 to 704 shown in fig. 7.

At step 706, the PCF sends a session policy response message to the SMF. Accordingly, the SMF may receive the session policy response message.

Through the embodiment, after determining that the first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session, the PCF sends the indication information carried in the session policy response message to the SMF.

Step 707-step 710, like step 603-step 606 of the embodiment shown in fig. 6, can refer to the foregoing description.

Through the embodiments shown in fig. 6 or fig. 7, the terminal receives the indication information in the process of creating the first session, and then creates the second session as the redundant session of the first session according to the received indication information, for example, the second session may be created after the creation of the first session is completed, which is helpful to ensure the reliability of data transmission, and further may improve the continuity of the service.

And in a second scenario, the terminal receives the indication information in the modification process of the first session, and then creates a second session according to the indication information.

In this scenario, after the terminal creates the first session, the indication information is received in the modification flow of the first session, and the second session is created as the redundant session of the first session according to the indication information. For example, the second session may be created after the modified flow of the first session is completed.

Fig. 8 is a schematic flow chart of another session creation method provided by the present application. The method comprises the following steps:

in step 801, a terminal creates a first session.

The complete process of the terminal initiating the creation of the first session is the prior art, and reference may be made to the related description of the prior art, which is not described herein again.

In step 802, the UDM sends a subscription information modification notification to the PCF. Accordingly, the PCF may receive the subscription information modification notification.

For example, when subscription information or application information is changed, the UDM may send the changed information to the PCF through a subscription information modification notification. Optionally, the subscription information modification notification includes indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate that a redundant session is created for the first session.

In step 803, the PCF determines that the first session for the terminal requires the creation of a redundant session.

In this step, the PCF determines that the first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session, similar to the specific implementation method that the PCF determines that the first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session in step 705 of the embodiment shown in fig. 7, and reference may be made to the foregoing description.

At step 804, the PCF sends a session policy modification message to the SMF. Accordingly, the SMF may receive the session policy modification message.

The session policy modification message includes indication information indicating that a redundant session is created for the first session. In this step, a specific implementation manner of the PCF sending the indication information to the SMF is similar to the implementation manner of the PCF sending the indication information to the SMF in the embodiment shown in fig. 7, and reference may be made to the foregoing description.

The SMF may receive the indication information through steps 802-804 described above.

As an alternative implementation, the above steps 802 to 804 can also be replaced by the following steps 8011 to 8012.

In step 8011, the UDM sends a subscription information modification notification to the SMF. Accordingly, the SMF may receive the subscription information modification notification.

For example, when subscription information or information of an application is changed, the UDM may transmit the changed information to the SMF through a subscription information modification notification. Optionally, the subscription information modification notification includes indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate that a redundant session is created for the first session.

In step 8012, the SMF determines that the first session of the terminal requires the creation of a redundant session.

In this step, the SMF determines that the first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session, which is similar to the specific implementation method of the SMF determining that the first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session in step 602 in the embodiment shown in fig. 6, and reference may be made to the foregoing description.

In step 805, the SMF sends a session modification request message to the terminal. Accordingly, the terminal may receive the session modification request message.

The session modification request message includes the above-mentioned indication information. After receiving the indication information, the terminal may initiate to create a second session as a redundant session of the first session according to the indication information.

Steps 806-808, like steps 604-606 of the embodiment shown in fig. 6, can be referred to the previous description.

Through the embodiment shown in fig. 8, the terminal receives the indication information in the modification process of the first session, and creates the second session as the redundant session of the first session according to the received indication information, for example, the second session may be created after the modification process of the first session is completed, which is helpful to ensure the reliability of data transmission, and further, the continuity of the service may be improved.

Therefore, the invention discloses a session creating method, which comprises the following steps:

the core network device determines that the first session of the terminal requires the creation of a redundant session (refer to the description of steps 602, 705, 803, 8012 above). The core network device sends indication information (refer to the description of steps 603 and 805 above) to the terminal, where the indication information is used to indicate that a redundant session is created for the first session.

In a possible implementation manner, the core network device is a session management network element, and the method further includes: the session management network element receives a first request message from the terminal, wherein the first request message comprises an identifier of the first session, and the first request message is used for requesting to create the first session; the session management network element sends indication information to the terminal, including: and the session management network element sends a session creation response message to the terminal, wherein the session creation response message comprises the indication information.

In a possible implementation manner, the core network device is a session management network element, and the sending, by the session management network element, the indication information to the terminal includes: and the session management network element sends a session modification request message to the terminal, wherein the session modification request message comprises the indication information.

In a possible implementation manner, the determining, by the core network device, that a first session of a terminal needs to create a redundant session includes: the core network equipment determines that the first session of the terminal needs to establish a redundant session according to the subscription information of the terminal; or, the core network device determines that the information of the first application corresponding to the first session meets a condition for creating a redundant session, and determines that the first session of the terminal needs to create the redundant session.

In a possible implementation manner, the determining, by the core network device, that a first session of a terminal needs to create a redundant session includes: and the session management network element receives the indication information from the policy control network element.

In a possible implementation manner, the receiving, by the session management network element, the indication information from a policy control network element includes: the session management network element receives user policy information from the policy control network element, wherein the user policy information comprises the indication information; or, the session management network element receives a session policy modification message from the policy control network element, where the session policy modification message includes the indication information.

Based on the above embodiment, after determining that the first session of the terminal needs to create the redundant session, the core network device sends indication information to the terminal, where the indication information is used to indicate the terminal to create the redundant session, that is, indicate the terminal to create one or more redundant sessions. Therefore, the terminal can send the same data through the created multiple sessions at the same time, which is helpful for ensuring the reliability of data transmission and further can improve the continuity of the service.

Fig. 9 is a schematic flow chart of another session creation method provided by the present application. The method comprises the following steps:

in step 901, the terminal sends a registration request message to the AMF. Accordingly, the AMF may receive the registration request message.

The registration request message is for requesting registration of the terminal to the network.

At step 902, the AMF sends a policy request message to the PCF. Accordingly, the PCF may receive the policy request message.

The policy request message is used for requesting the PCF to acquire policy information of the user.

In step 903, the PCF requests subscription information from the UDM.

Specifically, the PCF requests the UDM to acquire subscription information of the terminal.

In step 904, the UDM sends subscription information to the PCF.

Optionally, the subscription information includes subscription information of the session, and the subscription information of the session includes indication information indicating that the redundant session is created. The indication information herein includes but is not limited to the following implementation in practical applications:

For example, the indication information in the subscription information in step 904 may specifically be:

1) and { redundancy Path: TRUE }, indicating that a redundant session is created. Here, { redundancy path: TRUE } is an indication of redundant session creation.

2) { redundancy Path:3}, indicating that 3 redundant sessions are created. Here { redundant Path:3} is the number of redundant sessions.

3) Slice 1 identification, redundancy path: slice 2, slice 2 identification, and slice 2 identification.

4) And { { identification of slice 1, redundancy path: slice 2}, { identification of slice 2, redundancy path: slice 1} }, indicating that the session of slice 1 and the session of slice 2 are redundant sessions.

5) And { slice 1 id, redundancy path: slice 2}, indicating that the slice in which the redundant session corresponding to the session of slice 1 is located is slice 2. In this case, part of the contract information of slice 2 may be common to slice 1.

If the PCF locally stores the subscription information, the above steps 903 to 904 need not be executed. The PCF may thus create user policy information for the matched application, e.g., the first application, based on the indication of the subscription information.

In step 905, the PCF determines that a first application of the terminal needs to create a redundant session.

As an example, four different implementations are given below in which the PCF determines that the first application of the terminal needs to create a redundant session.

In the first method, the PCF determines that the first application of the terminal needs to create a redundant session according to the indication information in the subscription information stored locally.

For example, the PCF locally stores subscription information of the terminal, the subscription includes session management subscription information and the session management subscription information includes indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating that a redundant session is created. The PCF thus determines, based on the indication, that the first application of the terminal needs to create a redundant session.

And the PCF determines that the first application of the terminal needs to create a redundant session according to the local strategy.

For example, the local policy of the PCF includes information of the first application, and then it is determined that the first application needs to create the redundant session according to the information of the first application, that is, when the information of the first application satisfies a condition for creating the redundant session, it is determined that the first application of the terminal needs to create the redundant session. The information of the first application may include, for example, reliability requirement information of the first application, where the reliability requirement information is used to indicate a requirement of data of the first application on a transmission success rate, for example, the reliability requirement information of the first application is 99.999%, indicating that the transmission success rate of the data of the first application needs to be maintained above 99.999%. Assuming that the preset reliability requirement threshold is 90%, that is, if the reliability requirement information of any application is greater than 90%, it is determined that a redundant session needs to be created for the application. Since the reliability requirement information of the first application is 99.999%, a redundant session needs to be created for the first application.

The PCF may acquire the information of the first application in a variety of ways. As one implementation manner, the subscription information in the UDM includes subscription session information, and the subscription session information includes the information of the first application, so that the PCF may acquire the information of the first application from the UDM. As yet another implementation, the application server may send information of the first application to the PCF.

And the PCF acquires the subscription information from the UDM and determines that the first application of the terminal needs to create a redundant session according to the indication information in the subscription information.

Specifically, the method can be implemented through steps 903 to 904 shown in fig. 9.

At step 906, the PCF sends the user policy information to the AMF. Accordingly, the AMF may receive the user policy information.

The user policy information includes indication information indicating that a redundant session is created for the first application.

As a specific implementation manner, the PCF may send a URSP to the AMF, where the URSP is the user policy information. The URSP includes session policy information including indication information and an identity of the first application.

Here, the user policy information sent by the PCF to the AMF includes, but is not limited to, the following implementation manners.

Implementation 1, the user policy information comprises a redundant session creation indication and an identification of the first application.

Implementation 2, the user policy information includes a number of redundant sessions and an identification of the first application.

Implementation 3, the user policy information includes an indication of redundant session creation, a number of redundant sessions, and an identification of the first application.

Implementation 4, the user policy information includes an identification of a slice of the redundant session and an identification of the first application.

Implementation 5, the user policy information includes an identification of a slice of the redundant sessions, a number of the redundant sessions, and an identification of the first application.

The redundant session creation indication is used for indicating the creation of the redundant session, and the slice identifier is used for indicating the slice corresponding to the redundant session created for the first application. The following examples are given.

For example, the indication information in the user policy information of step 906 and the identifier of the first application may specifically be:

1) { APP id1, redundancy Path: TRUE }, indicating the creation of a redundant session for the first application. Here, { redundancy path: TRUE } is an indication of redundant session creation, and APP id1 is an identity of the first application.

2) { APP id1, redundancy Path:3}, indicating the creation of 3 redundant sessions for the first application. Here { redundant Path:3} is the number of redundant sessions.

3) { APP id1, { identification of slice 1, redundancy Path: slice 2}, { identification of slice 2} }, indicating that the session corresponding to the first application is in slice 1, and the redundant session of the first application is in slice 2.

In step 907, the AMF sends the user policy information to the terminal. Accordingly, the terminal may receive the user policy information.

The user policy information includes the indication information in step 906 and an identification of the first application.

And after receiving the user policy information, the terminal creates a first session and a second session for the first application according to the indication information in the user policy information and the identifier of the first application.

As one implementation, a first session and a second session may be created for a first application through steps 908-911 as follows.

In step 908, the terminal initiates the creation of a first session.

The specific process of the terminal initiating the creation of the first session is the prior art, and the related processes of the prior art can be referred to.

In step 909, the terminal transmits a session creation request message to the AMF. Accordingly, the AMF may receive the session creation request message.

The session creation request message includes an identification of the first session and an identification of the second session, and the session creation request message is used for requesting creation of the second session as a redundant session of the first session.

The AMF determines that the second session is a redundant session of the first session according to the session creation request message, and thus binds the first session and the second session to each other as a redundant session.

In particular implementations, the session creation request message includes an identification of the first session, an identification of the second session, and may also include other information. For example, the session creation request message includes { an identification of the first session, an identification of the second session, and an identification of slice 2}, i.e., implicitly indicates that the second session is a redundant session of the first session, and the slice corresponding to the second session is slice 2. For another example, the session creation request message includes { an identifier of the second session, an identifier of slice 2, a redundancy for: an identifier of the first session }, that is, the display indicates that the second session is a redundant session of the first session, and the slice corresponding to the second session is slice 2.

At step 910, the AMF selects an SMF for the second session.

Step 911, the terminal initiates the other steps in the flow of creating the second session.

This step 911 includes other steps in the process of creating the second session, and reference may be made to the description of the process of creating the session in the prior art, which is not described herein again.

According to the method, the terminal establishes the first session for the first application according to the indication information in the user policy information and the identifier of the first application, and after the establishment of the first session is completed, the terminal establishes the second session for the first application.

As yet another implementation, a first session and a second session may also be created for a first application by the following steps a-B. I.e. the following steps a-B can be used as an alternative to the above-described steps 908-911.

And step A, the terminal sends a session creation request message to the AMF. Accordingly, the AMF may receive the session creation request message.

The session creation request message includes an identification of the first session, an identification of the second session, and the session creation request message is used to create the first session and the second session.

Namely, the session creation request message is used to request the network side to create the first session and the second session at the same time.

And step B, the terminal establishes other steps in the flows of the first session and the second session.

In the method, the terminal requests the network side to simultaneously create the first session and the second session. As an implementation manner, the core network element may respectively create the first session and the second session according to the existing flow. For example, the AMF selects the same or different SMFs for the first session and the second session, completes the session creation process, and then returns session creation completion messages to the terminal, respectively. And the terminal determines that the session is established after receiving the session establishment completion message corresponding to the first session and the session establishment completion message corresponding to the second session.

Through the embodiment shown in fig. 9, after the terminal registers in the network, the terminal creates the first session and the second session according to the indication information in the received user policy information and the identifier of the first application, where the second session is a redundant session of the first session, which is helpful to ensure reliability of data transmission, and thus, continuity of services can be improved.

Therefore, the invention discloses a method for determining a clock source, which comprises the following steps:

and if the policy control network element determines that the first application of the terminal needs to create the redundant session, generating indication information (refer to the description of step 905 above), where the indication information is used to indicate that the redundant session is created for the first application. The policy control network element sends user policy information (refer to the description of step 906 above) to the terminal, where the user policy information includes the indication information.

In a possible implementation manner, the determining, by the policy control network element, that a first application of the terminal needs to create a redundant session includes: the policy control network element determines that the first application needs to create a redundant session according to the subscription information of the terminal; or, if the policy control network element determines that the information of the first application satisfies a condition for creating a redundant session, it determines that the first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session.

In one possible implementation, the indication information includes a redundant session creation indication and an identification of the first application; or, the indication information includes the number of redundant sessions and an identification of the first application; or, the indication information includes a redundant session creation indication, a number of redundant sessions, and an identifier of the first application; or the indication information includes an identifier of a slice of a redundant session and an identifier of the first application, where the identifier of the slice is used to indicate a slice corresponding to the redundant session created for the first application; or the indication information includes an identifier of a slice of the redundant session, a number of redundant sessions, and an identifier of the first application, where the identifier of the slice is used to indicate a slice corresponding to the redundant session created for the first application.

Based on the embodiment, after the terminal registers to the network, the terminal creates a first session and a second session according to the indication information in the received user policy information and the identifier of the first application, wherein the second session is a redundant session of the first session, which is beneficial to ensuring the reliability of data transmission and further can improve the continuity of the service.

the terminal receives indication information indicating that a redundant session is created (refer to the description of step 201 above). The terminal initiates a creation session according to the indication information (refer to the description of step 202 above).

In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the terminal sends a first request message (refer to the description of steps 601 and 701 above) to a session management network element, where the first request message includes an identifier of a first session, and the first request message is used to request to create the first session. The terminal receives the indication information, including: the terminal receives a session creation response message from the session management network element (refer to the description of steps 603 and 707 above), where the session creation response message includes the indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate that a redundant session is created for the first session.

In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the terminal creates a first session (as described above with reference to step 801). The terminal receives the indication information, including: the terminal receives a session modification request message from the session management network element (refer to the description in step 805 above), where the session modification request message includes the indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate that a redundant session is created for the first session.

In a possible implementation manner, the initiating, by the terminal, a session creation according to the indication information includes: and the terminal sends a second request message to a mobility management network element according to the indication information, wherein the second request message comprises the identifier of the first session and the identifier of the second session, and the second request message is used for requesting to create the second session as a redundant session of the first session.

In one possible implementation, the indication information includes a redundant session creation indication and/or a number of redundant sessions; or the indication information includes an identifier of a slice of the redundant session, where the identifier of the slice is used to indicate a slice corresponding to the redundant session created for the first session; or the indication information includes an identifier of a slice of the redundant session and a number of the redundant sessions, and the identifier of the slice is used for indicating a slice corresponding to the redundant session created for the first session.

In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the terminal sends a registration request message to a mobility management network element, wherein the registration request message is used for requesting the terminal to register to a network. The terminal receives the indication information, including: and the terminal receives user policy information from the mobility management network element, wherein the user policy information comprises the indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating that a redundant session is created for the first application. The terminal initiates a session establishment according to the indication information, and the session establishment comprises the following steps: and the terminal creates a first session and a second session for the first application according to the indication information and the identifier of the first application.

In a possible implementation manner, the creating, by the terminal, a first session and a second session for the first application according to the indication information includes: the terminal creates the first session for the first application according to the indication information and the identifier of the first application; after the first session is established, the terminal establishes the second session for the first application; or, the terminal sends a session creation request message to a mobility management network element, where the session creation request message includes an identifier of the first session and an identifier of the second session, and the session creation request message is used to request for creating the first session and the second session.

Based on the above embodiments, after receiving the indication information, the terminal may create a session according to the indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate that a redundant session is created, that is, to indicate that the terminal creates one or more redundant sessions. Therefore, the terminal can send the same data through the created multiple sessions at the same time, which is helpful for ensuring the reliability of data transmission and further can improve the continuity of the service.

It should be noted that, since the methods shown in fig. 6 to 9 do not show the interaction flow between the RAN device and the UPF, all RAN devices and UPFs are not shown. That is, in the flows shown in fig. 6 to 9, the number of the RAN devices and the UPFs is not limited to one shown in the figures, and may be multiple, and the specific number is determined according to actual needs.

In addition, it should be noted that, as the communication system evolves, the message names in the present application may be replaced with other names. The message with the same functional meaning and only the replacement of the message name still belongs to the protection scope of the present application.

It is to be understood that, in order to implement the above functions, the above network elements include corresponding hardware structures and/or software modules for executing the functions. Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software, with the exemplary elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein. 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 invention.

In case of an integrated unit, fig. 10 shows a possible exemplary block diagram of the apparatus involved in an embodiment of the present invention, which apparatus 1000 may be present in the form of software. The apparatus 1000 may include: a processing unit 1002 and a communication unit 1003. As one implementation, the communication unit 1003 may include a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The processing unit 1002 is used for controlling and managing operations of the apparatus 1000. The communication unit 1003 is configured to support communication between the apparatus 1000 and other network entities. The device 1000 may further comprise a storage unit 1001 for storing program codes and data of the device 1000.

The processing unit 1002 may be a processor or a controller, such as a general Central Processing Unit (CPU), a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processing (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. Which may implement or perform the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, e.g., comprising one or more microprocessors, DSPs, and microprocessors, among others. The communication unit 1003 may be a communication interface, a transceiver circuit, or the like, wherein the communication interface is referred to as a generic term, and in a specific implementation, the communication interface may include a plurality of interfaces. The storage unit 1001 may be a memory.

In one embodiment, the apparatus 1000 may be a terminal and may also be a chip of the terminal. The communication unit 1003 is used to support communication between the apparatus 1000 and a mobility management network element.

Specifically, when the communication unit 1003 includes a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, the receiving unit is configured to receive indication information indicating that a redundant session is created; and the sending unit is used for initiating a session establishment according to the indication information.

As a possible implementation manner, the sending unit is further configured to send a first request message to a session management network element, where the first request message includes an identifier of a first session, and the first request message is used to request to create the first session; the receiving unit is further configured to receive a session creation response message from the session management network element, where the session creation response message includes the indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate that a redundant session is created for the first session.

As a possible implementation manner, the processing unit is configured to create a first session; the receiving unit is further configured to receive a session modification request message from the session management network element, where the session modification request message includes the indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate that a redundant session is created for the first session.

As a possible implementation manner, the sending unit is specifically configured to send, according to the indication information, a second request message to a mobility management network element, where the second request message includes an identifier of the first session and an identifier of a second session, and the second request message is used to request to create the second session as a redundant session of the first session.

As a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes a redundant session creation indication and/or a number of redundant sessions; or the indication information includes an identifier of a slice of the redundant session, where the identifier of the slice is used to indicate a slice corresponding to the redundant session created for the first session; or the indication information includes an identifier of a slice of the redundant session and a number of the redundant sessions, and the identifier of the slice is used for indicating a slice corresponding to the redundant session created for the first session.

As a possible implementation manner, the sending unit is further configured to send a registration request message to a mobility management network element, where the registration request message is used to request that the apparatus is registered to a network; the receiving unit is specifically configured to receive user policy information from the mobility management network element, where the user policy information includes the indication information and an identifier of the first application, and the indication information is used to indicate that a redundant session is created for the first application. The sending unit is specifically configured to create a first session and a second session for the first application according to the indication information and the identifier of the first application.

As a possible implementation manner, the indication information includes a redundant session creation indication and an identifier of the first application; or, the indication information includes the number of redundant sessions and an identification of the first application; or, the indication information includes a redundant session creation indication, a number of redundant sessions, and an identifier of the first application; or the indication information includes an identifier of a slice of a redundant session and an identifier of the first application, where the identifier of the slice is used to indicate a slice corresponding to the redundant session created for the first application; or the indication information includes an identifier of a slice of the redundant session, a number of redundant sessions, and an identifier of the first application, where the identifier of the slice is used to indicate a slice corresponding to the redundant session created for the first application.

In yet another embodiment, the apparatus 1000 shown in fig. 10 may be a session management network element according to the present application.

For example, the processing unit 1002 may enable the apparatus 1000 to perform the actions of the session management network element in the above method examples. The communication unit 1003 may support communication between the apparatus 1000 and a mobility management network element, a data management network element, a policy control network element.

When the communication unit 1003 includes a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, a processing unit for determining that a first session of the terminal requires creation of a redundant session; and the sending unit is used for sending indication information to the terminal, wherein the indication information is used for indicating that a redundant session is established for the first session.

As a possible implementation manner, the receiving unit is further configured to receive a first request message from the terminal, where the first request message includes an identifier of the first session, and the first request message is used to request to create the first session; the sending unit is specifically configured to send a session creation response message to the terminal, where the session creation response message includes the indication information.

As a possible implementation manner, the sending unit is specifically configured to send a session modification request message to the terminal, where the session modification request message includes the indication information.

As a possible implementation manner, the processing unit is specifically configured to: determining that the first session of the terminal needs to establish a redundant session according to the subscription information of the terminal; or determining that the information of the first application corresponding to the first session meets the condition of creating the redundant session, and determining that the first session of the terminal needs to create the redundant session.

As a possible implementation manner, the receiving unit is configured to receive the indication information from the policy control network element.

As a possible implementation manner, the receiving unit is specifically configured to: receiving user policy information from the policy control network element, wherein the user policy information comprises the indication information; or receiving a session policy modification message from the policy control network element, where the session policy modification message includes the indication information.

In yet another embodiment, the apparatus 1000 shown in fig. 10 may be a policy control network element according to the present application.

For example, the processing unit 1002 may enable the apparatus 1000 to perform the actions of the session management network element in the above method examples. The communication unit 1003 may support communication between the apparatus 1000 and a session management network element, a data management network element, a mobility management network element.

In a first implementation, when the communication unit 1003 includes a sending unit and a receiving unit, the processing unit is configured to determine that a first session of the terminal requires a redundant session to be created; and the sending unit is used for sending indication information to the terminal, wherein the indication information is used for indicating that a redundant session is established for the first session.

In a second implementation, when the communication unit 1003 includes a sending unit and a receiving unit, the processing unit is configured to determine that a first application of the terminal needs to create a redundant session, and generate indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate that a redundant session is created for the first application; a sending unit, configured to send user policy information to the terminal, where the user policy information includes the indication information.

As a possible implementation manner, the processing unit is specifically configured to: and determining that the first application needs to create a redundant session according to the subscription information of the terminal. Or, if it is determined that the information of the first application satisfies a condition for creating a redundant session, it is determined that the first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session.

Referring to fig. 11, a schematic diagram of an apparatus provided in the present application is shown, where the apparatus may be the session management network element or the policy control network element. The apparatus 1100 comprises: a processor 1102, a communication interface 1103, and a memory 1101. Optionally, the apparatus 1100 may also include a bus 1104. The communication interface 1103, the processor 1102, and the memory 1101 may be connected to each other via a communication line 1104; the communication line 1104 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. The communication lines 1104 may be divided into address buses, data buses, control buses, and the like. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 11, but this is not intended to represent only one bus or type of bus.

The processor 1102 may be a CPU, microprocessor, ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits configured to control the execution of programs in accordance with the teachings of the present application.

The communication interface 1103 may be any device, such as a transceiver, used for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as an ethernet, a Radio Access Network (RAN), a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a wired access network, etc.

The memory 1101 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 read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, blu-ray disc, 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 such. The memory may be separate and coupled to the processor via communication link 1104. The memory may also be integral to the processor.

The memory 1101 is used for storing computer-executable instructions for executing the present invention, and is controlled by the processor 1102. The processor 1102 is configured to execute computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 1101 to implement the session creation methods provided by the above-described 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.

Fig. 12 shows a simplified schematic diagram of a possible design structure of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The terminal device 1200 comprises a transmitter 1201, a receiver 1202 and a processor 1203. The processor 1203 may also be a controller, and is represented in fig. 12 as "controller/processor 1203". Optionally, the terminal 1200 may further include a modem processor 1205, where the modem processor 1205 may include an encoder 12012, a modulator 1207, a decoder 12012, and a demodulator 1209.

In one example, the transmitter 1201 conditions (e.g., converts to analog, filters, amplifies, and frequency upconverts, etc.) the output samples and generates an uplink signal, which is transmitted via an antenna to the access network equipment in the embodiments described above. On the downlink, the antenna receives the downlink signal transmitted by the access network device in the above embodiment. Receiver 1202 conditions (e.g., filters, amplifies, downconverts, and digitizes, etc.) the received signal from the antenna and provides input samples. In modem processor 1205, an encoder 12012 receives traffic data and signaling messages to be sent on the uplink and processes (e.g., formats, encodes, and interleaves) the traffic data and signaling messages. A modulator 1207 further processes (e.g., symbol maps and modulates) the coded traffic data and signaling messages and provides output samples. A demodulator 1209 processes (e.g., demodulates) the input samples and provides symbol estimates. A decoder 12012 processes (e.g., deinterleaves and decodes) the symbol estimates and provides decoded data and signaling messages for transmission to the terminal 1200. Encoder 12012, modulator 1207, demodulator 1209, and decoder 12012 may be implemented by a combined modem processor 1205. These elements are processed according to the radio access technology employed by the radio access network. It is noted that when terminal apparatus 1200 does not include modem processor 1205, the above-described functions of modem processor 1205 may also be performed by processor 1203.

The processor 1203 controls and manages the operation of the terminal device 1200, and is configured to execute the processing procedure performed by the terminal device 1200 in the embodiment of the present invention. For example, the processor 1203 is configured to execute the processing procedures related to the terminal in the methods shown in fig. 2, 6-9 and/or other procedures of the technical solutions described in this application.

Further, the terminal 1200 may also include a memory 1204, the memory 1204 being used for storing program codes and data for the terminal 1200.

In the above embodiments, the implementation may be wholly or partially realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, 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. When loaded and executed on a computer, cause the processes or functions described in accordance with the embodiments of the application to occur, in whole or in part. 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 in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, from one website site, computer, server, or data center to another website site, computer, server, or data center via wired (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 a data storage device including one or more available media integrated servers, data centers, and the like. 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.

The various illustrative logical units and circuits described in this application may be implemented or operated upon by design of a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a digital signal processor core, or any other similar configuration.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in the embodiments herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software element executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software cells may be stored in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. For example, a storage medium may be coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC, which may be disposed in a terminal device. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a terminal device.

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

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 also intended to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A session creation method, comprising:

the terminal receives indication information, wherein the indication information is used for indicating the creation of the redundant session and comprises a redundant session creation indication and/or the number of the redundant sessions; or the indication information comprises an identifier of a slice of the redundant session, and the identifier of the slice is used for indicating the slice corresponding to the redundant session created for the first session; or the indication information comprises the identification of the slice of the redundant session and the number of the redundant sessions, and the identification of the slice is used for indicating the slice corresponding to the redundant session established for the first session;

and the terminal initiates a redundant session for creating the first session according to the indication information, wherein the first session and the redundant session are used for simultaneously sending data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the terminal sends a first request message to a session management network element, wherein the first request message comprises an identifier of a first session, and the first request message is used for requesting to create the first session;

the terminal receives the indication information, including:

and the terminal receives a session creation response message from the session management network element, wherein the session creation response message comprises the indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating that a redundant session is created for the first session.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the terminal creates a first session;

the terminal receives the indication information, including:

and the terminal receives a session modification request message from a session management network element, wherein the session modification request message comprises the indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating that a redundant session is created for the first session.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the terminal initiates the redundant session for creating the first session according to the indication information, and comprises:

and the terminal sends a second request message to a mobility management network element according to the indication information, wherein the second request message comprises the identifier of the first session and the identifier of the second session, and the second request message is used for requesting to create the second session as a redundant session of the first session.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the terminal sends a registration request message to a mobility management network element, wherein the registration request message is used for requesting the terminal to register to a network;

the terminal receives the indication information, including:

the terminal receives user policy information from the mobility management network element, wherein the user policy information comprises the indication information and an identifier of a first application, and the indication information is used for indicating that a redundant session is created for the first application;

the terminal initiates the creation of the redundant session of the first session according to the indication information, and the method comprises the following steps:

and the terminal creates a first session and a second session for the first application according to the indication information and the identifier of the first application.

6. A session creation method, comprising:

the method comprises the steps that core network equipment determines that a first session of a terminal needs to establish a redundant session, and the first session and the redundant session are used for sending data simultaneously;

the core network equipment sends indication information to the terminal, wherein the indication information is used for indicating that redundant sessions are established for the first session, and the indication information comprises redundant session establishment indication and/or the number of the redundant sessions; or the indication information includes an identifier of a slice of the redundant session, where the identifier of the slice is used to indicate a slice corresponding to the redundant session created for the first session; or the indication information includes an identifier of a slice of the redundant session and a number of the redundant sessions, and the identifier of the slice is used for indicating a slice corresponding to the redundant session created for the first session.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the core network device is a session management network element, and the method further comprises:

the session management network element receives a first request message from the terminal, wherein the first request message comprises an identifier of the first session, and the first request message is used for requesting to create the first session;

the session management network element sends indication information to the terminal, including:

and the session management network element sends a session creation response message to the terminal, wherein the session creation response message comprises the indication information.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the core network device is a session management network element, and the sending of the indication information to the terminal by the session management network element includes:

and the session management network element sends a session modification request message to the terminal, wherein the session modification request message comprises the indication information.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the core network device is a session management network element or a policy control network element, and the determining, by the core network device, that the first session of the terminal needs to create a redundant session includes:

the core network equipment determines that the first session of the terminal needs to establish a redundant session according to the subscription information of the terminal; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

and the core network equipment determines that the information of the first application corresponding to the first session meets the condition of creating the redundant session, and then determines that the first session of the terminal needs to create the redundant session.

10. The method according to any of claims 6 to 8, wherein the core network device is a session management network element, and the determining, by the core network device, that the first session of the terminal requires creating a redundant session comprises:

and the session management network element receives the indication information from the policy control network element.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the session management network element receives the indication information from a policy control network element, and comprises:

the session management network element receives user policy information from the policy control network element, wherein the user policy information comprises the indication information; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

and the session management network element receives a session policy modification message from the policy control network element, wherein the session policy modification message comprises the indication information.

12. A session creation method, comprising:

the method comprises the steps that a policy control network element determines that a first application of a terminal needs to establish a redundant session according to subscription information of the terminal; or determining that the information of the first application meets the condition of creating the redundant session, and determining that the first application of the terminal needs to create the redundant session; wherein the redundant session is a redundant session of a first session, the first session is a session created for the first application, and the first session and the redundant session are used for sending data simultaneously;

the policy control network element generates indication information, wherein the indication information is used for indicating that a redundant session is established for the first application;

and the policy control network element sends user policy information to the terminal, wherein the user policy information comprises the indication information and the identifier of the first application.

13. A communications apparatus, comprising:

the device comprises a receiving unit, a sending unit and a receiving unit, wherein the receiving unit is used for receiving indication information, the indication information is used for indicating the creation of redundant sessions, and the indication information comprises redundant session creation indication and/or the number of redundant sessions; or the indication information comprises an identifier of a slice of the redundant session, and the identifier of the slice is used for indicating the slice corresponding to the redundant session created for the first session; or the indication information comprises the identification of the slice of the redundant session and the number of the redundant sessions, and the identification of the slice is used for indicating the slice corresponding to the redundant session established for the first session;

and the sending unit is used for initiating a redundant session for creating the first session according to the indication information, and the first session and the redundant session are used for sending data simultaneously.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the sending unit is further configured to send a first request message to a session management network element, where the first request message includes an identifier of a first session, and the first request message is used to request to create the first session;

the receiving unit is further configured to receive a session creation response message from the session management network element, where the session creation response message includes the indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate that a redundant session is created for the first session.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a processing unit configured to create a first session;

the receiving unit is further configured to receive a session modification request message from a session management network element, where the session modification request message includes the indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate that a redundant session is created for the first session.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the sending unit is specifically configured to send, according to the indication information, a second request message to a mobility management network element, where the second request message includes an identifier of the first session and an identifier of a second session, and the second request message is used to request to create the second session as a redundant session of the first session.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the sending unit is further configured to send a registration request message to a mobility management network element, where the registration request message is used to request that the apparatus be registered to a network;

the receiving unit is specifically configured to receive user policy information from the mobility management network element, where the user policy information includes the indication information and an identifier of a first application, and the indication information is used to indicate that a redundant session is created for the first application;

the sending unit is specifically configured to create a first session and a second session for the first application according to the indication information and the identifier of the first application.

18. A communications apparatus, comprising:

the processing unit is used for determining that a first session of a terminal needs to create a redundant session, and the first session and the redundant session are used for simultaneously sending data;

a sending unit, configured to send indication information to the terminal, where the indication information is used to indicate that a redundant session is created for the first session, and the indication information includes a redundant session creation indication and/or a number of redundant sessions; or the indication information includes an identifier of a slice of the redundant session, where the identifier of the slice is used to indicate a slice corresponding to the redundant session created for the first session; or the indication information includes an identifier of a slice of the redundant session and a number of the redundant sessions, and the identifier of the slice is used for indicating a slice corresponding to the redundant session created for the first session.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the apparatus is a session management network element, the apparatus further comprises a receiving unit configured to receive a first request message from the terminal, wherein the first request message includes an identifier of the first session, and the first request message is used to request to create the first session;

the sending unit is specifically configured to send a session creation response message to the terminal, where the session creation response message includes the indication information.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the apparatus is a session management network element, and the sending unit is specifically configured to send a session modification request message to the terminal, where the session modification request message includes the indication information.

21. The apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the apparatus is a session management network element or a policy control network element, and the processing unit is specifically configured to:

determining that the first session of the terminal needs to establish a redundant session according to the subscription information of the terminal; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

and if the information of the first application corresponding to the first session meets the condition of creating the redundant session, determining that the first session of the terminal needs to create the redundant session.

22. The apparatus according to any of claims 18-20, wherein the apparatus is a session management network element, and the apparatus further comprises a receiving unit configured to receive the indication information from a policy control network element.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the receiving unit is specifically configured to:

receiving user policy information from the policy control network element, wherein the user policy information comprises the indication information; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

receiving a session policy modification message from the policy control network element, where the session policy modification message includes the indication information.

24. A communications apparatus, comprising:

the processing unit is used for determining that a first application of the terminal needs to establish a redundant session according to the subscription information of the terminal; or determining that the information of the first application meets the condition of creating the redundant session, and determining that the first application of the terminal needs to create the redundant session; generating indication information, wherein the indication information is used for indicating that a redundant session is created for the first application; wherein the redundant session is a redundant session of a first session, the first session is a session created for the first application, and the first session and the redundant session are used for sending data simultaneously;

a sending unit, configured to send user policy information to the terminal, where the user policy information includes the indication information and an identifier of the first application.

25. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-12.