CN115589624A

CN115589624A - Communication method and device

Info

Publication number: CN115589624A
Application number: CN202110697362.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈晓光
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-06-23
Filing date: 2021-06-23
Publication date: 2023-01-10
Also published as: WO2022267950A1

Abstract

The application provides a communication method and a device, wherein the method is executed by a first core network element, and the method comprises the following steps: acquiring configuration information, wherein the configuration information comprises control relation information among a plurality of industrial terminal devices; generating a group identifier according to the configuration information, wherein the group identifier is used for identifying a control relationship between a first industrial terminal device and at least one second industrial terminal device, and the plurality of industrial terminal devices comprise the first industrial terminal device and the at least one second industrial terminal device; and sending indication information to a user plane function network element UPF, wherein the indication information is used for indicating the corresponding relation among the group identifier, the first industrial terminal equipment and the at least one second industrial terminal equipment. The method can realize the domain-based isolation of the industrial terminal equipment accessed into the 5G system.

Description

Communication method and device

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of industrial technology, and more particularly, to a communication method and apparatus.

Background

Network connectivity within a plant may provide data transfer for the plant enterprise/inter-vehicle layer, monitoring control layer, field control layer, and device layer. A single production line/workshop in a factory forms a configuration, the production line/workshop adopts relatively independent subnets, different workshops/production line networks are isolated in two layers, and the two layers are mutually accessed through Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

In a traditional industrial system, an industrial network connection is mainly wired, different industrial domains are naturally isolated in a wired mode, and introduction of a fifth generation (5G) system enables all industrial devices (such as Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), input/output (I/O) devices and the like) to be connected and converged to a User Plane Function (UPF), wherein some devices are wirelessly accessed to a UPF in a 5G mode, and some devices can be directly connected to the UPF in a wired mode. At this time, devices in different domains can be converged on the UPF, and the isolation scene of the original wired mode cannot be realized. Therefore, a technology is needed to solve the domain isolation problem caused by accessing the 5G system by the industrial devices in different domains.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a communication method which can realize the isolation of industrial terminal equipment accessed into a 5G system according to the domain.

In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, where the method is performed by a first core network element, and the method includes: configuration information is obtained, and the configuration information comprises control relation information among a plurality of industrial terminal devices. And generating a group identifier according to the configuration information, wherein the group identifier is used for identifying a control relationship between the first industrial terminal device and at least one second industrial terminal device, and the plurality of industrial terminal devices comprise the first industrial terminal device and the at least one second industrial terminal device. And sending indication information to a user plane function network element UPF, wherein the indication information is used for indicating the corresponding relation among the group identifier, the first industrial terminal equipment and the at least one second industrial terminal equipment.

In the technical scheme of the application, a group identifier is generated through configuration information, the group identifier is used for identifying a group of control relationships, and further the corresponding relationship between the group identifier and the industrial terminal equipment included in the control relationships is sent to the UPF, so that when the UPF receives a broadcast or multicast message, the broadcast or multicast message can be forwarded to the corresponding industrial terminal equipment in the local area network according to the corresponding relationship in the indication information. Therefore, the method can realize the isolation of the industrial terminal equipment accessed into the 5G system according to the domain.

With reference to the first aspect, in certain embodiments of the first aspect, the method further comprises: and acquiring a general public user identity (GPSI) of a wireless terminal connected with a third industrial terminal device, wherein the third industrial terminal device is an industrial terminal device which communicates in a wireless mode in a plurality of industrial terminal devices.

With reference to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the configuration information includes MAC addresses or IP addresses of the plurality of industrial end devices and a third industrial end device.

With reference to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the sending the indication information to the UPF includes: and sending the indication information to an application function network element (AF), so that the AF forwards the indication information to the UPF.

With reference to the first aspect, in some embodiments of the first aspect, the obtaining configuration information includes: sending a request message to an enterprise network management system, wherein the request message is used for requesting configuration information; and receiving configuration information sent by the enterprise network management system.

With reference to the first aspect, in certain embodiments of the first aspect, the first core network element is a topology function network element TF, an application function network element AF, a network open function network element NEF, or a user plane function network element UPF.

With reference to the first aspect, in certain embodiments of the first aspect, the first industrial terminal device is a programmable logic controller, PLC, and the second industrial terminal device is an industrial input/output, I/O, device.

In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, where the method is performed by a user plane function network element UPF, and the method includes: receiving indication information, wherein the indication information is used for indicating a corresponding relation among a group identifier, a first industrial terminal device and at least one second industrial terminal device, and the group identifier is used for identifying a control relation between the first industrial terminal device and the at least one second industrial terminal device; and forwarding the multicast or broadcast message according to the indication information.

In the technical scheme of the application, a group identifier is generated through configuration information, and the group identifier is used for identifying a group of control relationships, and further sending a corresponding relationship between the group identifier and industrial terminal equipment included in the control relationships to the UPF, so that when the UPF receives a broadcast or multicast message, the broadcast or multicast message can be forwarded to the corresponding industrial terminal equipment in the local area network according to the corresponding relationship in the indication information. Therefore, the method can realize the isolation of the industrial terminal equipment accessed into the 5G system according to the domain.

With reference to the second aspect, in some embodiments of the second aspect, forwarding a multicast or broadcast packet according to the indication information includes: determining that the multicast or broadcast message comprises an identifier of the first industrial terminal equipment; and forwarding the multicast or broadcast message to at least one second industrial terminal device according to the indication information.

With reference to the second aspect, in some embodiments of the second aspect, receiving the indication information includes: and receiving the indication information from a topology function network element TF, an application function network element AF, a network open function network element NEF, a policy control function network element PCF or a session management function network element SMF.

With reference to the second aspect, in certain embodiments of the second aspect, the first industrial terminal device is a programmable logic controller, PLC, and the second industrial terminal device is an industrial input/output, I/O, device.

In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, the method being performed by an enterprise network management system, the method comprising: generating configuration information, wherein the configuration information comprises control relation information among a plurality of industrial terminal devices; and sending the configuration information to a first core network element.

With reference to the third aspect, in some embodiments of the third aspect, the configuration information includes MAC addresses or IP addresses of multiple industrial terminals.

With reference to the third aspect, in certain embodiments of the third aspect, the method further comprises: receiving a request message from a first core network element, wherein the request message is used for requesting configuration information; and sending the configuration information according to the request message.

In a fourth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which may be a first core network element, and includes a processing unit and a transceiving unit.

The processing unit is used for acquiring configuration information, and the configuration information comprises control relation information among a plurality of industrial terminal devices.

The processing unit is further configured to: and generating a group identifier according to the configuration information, wherein the group identifier is used for identifying the control relationship between the first industrial terminal device and the at least one second industrial terminal device, and the plurality of industrial terminal devices comprise the first industrial terminal device and the at least one second industrial terminal device.

And the receiving and sending unit is used for sending indication information to the user plane function network element UPF, wherein the indication information is used for indicating the corresponding relation among the group identifier, the first industrial terminal equipment and the at least one second industrial terminal equipment.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the transceiving unit is further configured to: and acquiring a general public user identity GPSI of a wireless terminal connected with a third industrial terminal device, wherein the third industrial terminal device is an industrial terminal device which communicates in a wireless mode in a plurality of industrial terminal devices.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the configuration information includes MAC addresses or IP addresses of the industrial terminals and the third industrial terminal.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the transceiver unit is specifically configured to: and sending the indication information to an application function network element (AF) so that the AF forwards the indication information to the UPF.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the transceiver unit is specifically configured to: sending a request message to an enterprise network management system, wherein the request message is used for requesting configuration information; and receiving configuration information sent by the enterprise network management system.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the apparatus may be a topology function network element TF, an application function network element AF, a network open function network element NEF, or a user plane function network element UPF.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in certain embodiments of the fourth aspect, the first industrial terminal device is a programmable logic controller, PLC, and the second industrial terminal device is an industrial input/output, I/O, device.

In a fifth aspect, a communication apparatus, which may be a user plane function network element, is provided and includes a processing unit and a transceiving unit.

And the receiving and sending unit is used for receiving indication information, the indication information is used for indicating the corresponding relation among the group identifier, the first industrial terminal equipment and the at least one second industrial terminal equipment, and the group identifier is used for identifying the control relation between the first industrial terminal equipment and the at least one second industrial terminal equipment.

And the processing unit is used for forwarding the multicast or broadcast message according to the indication information.

With reference to the fifth aspect, in certain embodiments of the fifth aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to: determining that the multicast or broadcast message comprises an identifier of the first industrial terminal equipment; and forwarding the multicast or broadcast message to at least one second industrial terminal device according to the indication information.

With reference to the fifth aspect, in some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the transceiver unit is specifically configured to: and receiving the indication information from a topology function network element TF, an application function network element AF, a network open function network element NEF, a policy control function network element PCF or a session management function network element SMF.

With reference to the fifth aspect, in certain embodiments of the fifth aspect, the first industrial terminal device is a programmable logic controller, PLC, and the second industrial terminal device is an industrial input/output, I/O, device.

In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which may be an enterprise network management system, and includes: a processing unit and a transceiving unit.

The processing unit is used for generating configuration information, and the configuration information comprises control relation information among a plurality of industrial terminal devices. And the transceiver unit is used for sending the configuration information to the first core network element.

With reference to the sixth aspect, in some embodiments of the sixth aspect, the configuration information includes MAC addresses or IP addresses of multiple industrial terminals.

With reference to the sixth aspect, in some embodiments of the sixth aspect, the transceiving unit is further configured to: receiving a request message from a first core network element, wherein the request message is used for requesting configuration information; and sending the configuration information according to the request message.

In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes a processor and an interface circuit, where the interface circuit is configured to receive a signal from a communication device other than the communication device and transmit the signal to the processor or send the signal from the processor to the communication device other than the communication device, and the processor is configured to implement the method in the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect and any possible implementation manner thereof through a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer readable storage medium having stored therein a computer program or instructions which, when executed, implement the method of the aforementioned first, second or third aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

A ninth aspect provides a computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed, implement the method of the preceding first, second or third aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

A tenth aspect provides a computer program comprising code or instructions which, when executed, implement the method of the preceding first, second or third aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

In an eleventh aspect, a chip system is provided, where the chip system includes a processor and may further include a memory, and is configured to implement the method in the foregoing first aspect, second aspect, or third aspect and any possible implementation manner thereof. The chip system may be formed by a chip, and may also include a chip and other discrete devices.

In a twelfth aspect, there is provided a communication system comprising the apparatus of the fourth, fifth and/or sixth aspect and any possible implementation manner thereof.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture suitable for use in embodiments of the present application.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the composition and engineering information flow of an industrial system.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a network topology in a conventional industrial system.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a network topology in a 5G industrial system.

Fig. 5 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method of the present application.

Fig. 6 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method of the present application.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solution in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It should be understood that the names of all nodes and messages in the present application are only names set for convenience of description in the present application, and the names in the actual network may be different, and it should not be understood that the present application defines the names of various nodes and messages, on the contrary, any name having the same or similar function as the node or message used in the present application is considered as a method or equivalent replacement in the present application, and is within the protection scope of the present application, and will not be described in detail below.

The technical scheme of the embodiment of the application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, an LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, an LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a fifth generation (5 g) system, a New Radio (NR) system, or other evolved communication systems.

The technical scheme provided by the application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as a sixth generation mobile communication system and the like. This is not a limitation of the present application.

The technical solution provided by the present application may also be applied to Machine Type Communication (MTC), long term evolution-machine (LTE-M) for inter-machine communication, device-to-device (D2D) network, machine-to-machine (M2M) network, internet of things (IoT) network, or other networks. The IoT network may comprise, for example, a car networking network. The communication modes in the car networking system are generally referred to as car to other devices (vehicle to X, V2X, X may represent anything), for example, the V2X may include: vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle to pedestrian (V2P) communication, or vehicle to network (V2N) communication, and the like.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture suitable for use in embodiments of the present application. The following describes each part involved in the network architecture shown in fig. 1.

1. User Equipment (UE): a user device may be referred to as a terminal device, a wireless terminal, an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user equipment. In this embodiment, the terminal device may be a wireless terminal in an industrial control (industrial control) system, and may also be a terminal device in an internet of things (IoT) system. The user equipment in this application may also be understood as Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), which is a user equipment defined in the third Generation Partnership project (3 rd Generation Partnership project,3 gpp), and may provide wireless communication services for the industrial terminal equipment, that is, the current industrial terminal equipment is accessed to a 5G Local Area Network (LAN) through the CPE. By way of example and not limitation, the terminal device in the present application may be a 5G module or a 5G chip.

2. (radio access network, RAN) node (node): the method provides a network access function for the user equipment, and can use transmission tunnels with different qualities according to the level of the user, the requirement of service and the like. The access network may be an access network employing different access technologies. There are two types of current radio access technologies: 3GPP access technologies (e.g., radio access technologies employed in 3G, 4G, or 5G systems) and non-3GPP (non-3 GPP) access technologies. The 3GPP access technology refers to an access technology conforming to 3GPP standard specifications, for example, an access network device in a 5G system is called a next generation Base station (gNB). The non-3GPP access technology refers to an access technology that does not conform to the 3GPP standard specification, for example, an air interface technology represented by an Access Point (AP) in wireless fidelity (WiFi).

An access network that implements an access network function based on a wireless communication technology may be referred to as a Radio Access Network (RAN). The wireless access network can manage wireless resources, provide access service for the terminal equipment and further complete the forwarding of control signals and user data between the terminal and the core network.

The radio access networks may include, but are not limited to: a Radio Network Controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a Base Station Controller (BSC), a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), a home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), an AP in a WiFi system, a wireless relay Node, a wireless backhaul Node, a Transmission Point (TP), or a Transmission and Reception Point (TRP), etc., and may also be a gNB or a transmission point (TRP or TP) in a 5G (e.g., NR) system, an antenna panel of one or a group (including multiple antenna panels) of base stations in the 5G system, or a network Node constituting the gNB or the transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU), or a distributed unit (distributed unit, 6), or a next generation base station, etc. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific technology and the specific device form adopted by the radio access network device.

In some deployments, the gNB may include Centralized Units (CUs) and DUs. The gNB may further include an Active Antenna Unit (AAU). The CU implements part of the function of the gNB, and the DU implements part of the function of the gNB, for example, the CU is responsible for processing non-real-time protocols and services, and implementing functions of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer and a packet data convergence layer (PDCP) layer. The DU is responsible for processing a physical layer protocol and a real-time service, and implements functions of a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and a Physical (PHY) layer. The AAU implements part of the physical layer processing functions, radio frequency processing, and active antenna related functions. Since the information of the RRC layer eventually becomes or is converted from the information of the PHY layer, the higher layer signaling, such as the RRC layer signaling, may also be considered to be transmitted by the DU or by the DU + AAU under this architecture. It is to be understood that the access network device may be a device comprising one or more of a CU node, a DU node, an AAU node. In addition, the CU may also be divided into network devices in a Core Network (CN), which is not limited in this application.

3. A user plane network element: for packet routing and forwarding, quality of service (QoS) handling of user plane data, etc.

In the 5G communication system, the user plane network element may be a User Plane Function (UPF) network element. In a future communication system, the user plane network element may still be a UPF network element, or may also have another name, which is not limited in this application.

4. Data network: for providing a network for transmitting data.

In a 5G communication system, the data network may be a Data Network (DN). In future communication systems, the data network may still be the DN, or may have another name, and this application is not limited thereto.

5. Accessing a management network element: for routing and forwarding user plane data, or quality of service (QoS) handling of user plane data, etc.

In the 5G communication system, the access management network element may be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element. In a future communication system, the access management network element may still be an AMF network element, or may also have another name, which is not limited in this application.

6. A session management network element: the method can be used for session management, internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management of terminal equipment, selection of a termination point capable of managing a user plane function, a policy control and charging function interface, downlink data notification and the like.

In the 5G communication system, the session management network element may be a Session Management Function (SMF) network element. In a future communication system, the session management network element may still be an SMF network element, or may also have another name, which is not limited in this application.

7. The strategy control network element: the unified policy framework is used for guiding network behavior, and providing policy rule information for network elements (such as AMF, SMF network elements and the like) or terminal equipment.

In the 4G communication system, the policy control network element may be a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) network element. In a 5G communication system, the policy control network element may be a Policy Control Function (PCF) network element. In future communication systems, the policy control network element may still be a PCF network element, or may also have another name, which is not limited in this application.

8. The application network element: the method is used for carrying out data routing of application influence, accessing to a network open function network element, carrying out strategy control by interacting with a strategy framework and the like.

In the 5G communication system, the application network element may be an Application Function (AF) network element. In a future communication system, the application network element may still be an AF network element, or may also have another name, which is not limited in this application.

9. Network open network element: mainly for supporting the opening of capabilities and events.

In the 5G communication system, the network open network element may be a network open function (NEF) network element. In future communication systems, the network element with the network open function may still be an NEF network element, or may also have another name, which is not limited in this application.

10. A data management network element: the method is used for processing terminal equipment identification, access authentication, registration, mobility management and the like.

In the 5G communication system, the data management network element may be a Unified Data Management (UDM) network element. In a future communication system, the unified data management may still be a UDM network element, or may also have another name, which is not limited in this application.

It is to be understood that the above network elements or functions may be network elements in a hardware device, or may be 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, an access management function network element is an AMF network element, a session management network element is an SMF network element, and a policy control network element is a PCF network element.

Further, the AMF network element is abbreviated as AMF, the SMF network element is abbreviated as SMF, and the PCF network element is abbreviated as PCF. That is, AMFs described later in this application may be replaced with access management function network elements, SMFs may be replaced with session management function network elements, and PCFs may be replaced with policy control function network elements.

For convenience of description, in the present application, the device is an AMF entity, an SMF entity, and a PCF entity as an example, and a method for transmitting information is described, and for an implementation method in which the device is a chip in the AMF entity, a chip in the SMF entity, or a chip in the PCF entity, reference may be made to specific descriptions of the device in the AMF entity, the SMF entity, and the PCF entity, and no repeated description is provided.

In the network architecture shown in fig. 1, N2, N3, N4, etc. are interface serial numbers. The meaning of these interface serial numbers can be found in the third generation partnership project (3) ^rd generation partnership project,3 GPP) standard protocol, and is not limited thereto.

It should be noted that the names of the network elements and the communication interfaces between the network elements referred to in fig. 1 are simply described by taking the example specified in the current protocol as an example, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited to be applicable only to currently known communication systems. Therefore, the standard names appearing when the current protocol is described as an example are all functional descriptions, and the specific names of the network elements, interfaces, signaling and the like in the present application are not limited, and only indicate the functions of the network elements, interfaces or signaling, and can be correspondingly extended to other systems, such as 2G, 3G, 4G or future communication systems.

Fig. 1 is merely an example of a network architecture to which the embodiment of the present invention can be applied, and a network architecture to which the embodiment of the present invention is applied is not limited to this, and any network architecture that can implement the functions of the above network elements is applicable to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the composition and engineering information flow of an industrial system. As shown in fig. 2, the plant equipment mainly includes an enterprise IT system 210, monitoring control software 220, a controller 230 (e.g., a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)), and field devices 240 (e.g., input/output (I/O) devices, sensors, etc.). The field devices 240 and the controller 230 may be collectively referred to as industrial end devices. In fig. 2, arrows indicate the flow of information flow. Among other things, the controller 230 can control the field device 240 such that the field device 240 executes instructions of the controller 230 to complete the performance of the industrial task. The field devices may also send the information they collect to the controller 230, with the controller 230 generating corresponding control instructions.

In a traditional industrial system, industrial network connection is mainly wired, and different industrial local area networks are formed in a wired mode, so that isolation by domains is realized. The isolation can make the control logics in each local area network mutually independent, the messages such as multicast, broadcast and the like in the local area network can not be sent to other areas, and meanwhile, the conflict of the device address names and the like can also be avoided. A local area network can be understood as a group of control relationships, devices having a control relationship belong to the same local area network, and control information such as multicast and broadcast is only used for controlling the devices in the local area network. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a network topology in a conventional industrial system. In order to ensure that the control of each industrial area is not disturbed, each area is usually set to be different isolation domains through a Local Area Network (LAN). As shown in fig. 3 (a) and (b), the controller 1, the field device 1, and the field device 2 belong to the LAN1, the controller 2, the field device 3, and the field device 4 belong to the LAN2, and control logics in the LAN1 and the LAN2 are made independent of each other by an isolated domain. In which the setting of the isolation domains may be physically implemented, as shown in fig. 3 (a), the

field devices

1 and 2 are connected to the controller 1 by wires, and the field devices 3 and 4 are connected to the controller 2 by wires, thereby physically forming 2 isolation domains LAN1 and LAN2. The setting of the isolation domain can also be realized by an industrial switch, and because the ports of each device accessing the switch are different, the same virtual local area network identification (VLAN ID) can be configured on the industrial switch for the devices belonging to the same isolation domain according to the port numbers. As shown in fig. 3 (b), the

field devices

1, 2, 3, 4, 1, and 2 are all wired into the industrial switch, the port numbers of the

field devices

1, 2, 3, 4, 1, and 2 connected to the industrial switch are denoted as P1, P2, P3, P4, M1, and M2, respectively, and the VLAN IDs of the ports P1, P2, and M1 may be the same, for example, VLAN ID =1, the VLAN IDs of the ports P3, P4, and M2 may be the same, for example, VLAN ID =2, and the VLAN IDs of the LAN1 and LAN2 may be different. It should be noted that the field device does not support modifying VLAN ID (default VLAN ID = 0), and can only be configured on the switch according to the port number, and the VLAN ID on the switch is configured to be manually configured.

The introduction of the fifth generation (5G) system enables information interaction of all industrial terminal devices (such as PLC, I/O devices, etc.) to be converged to a User Plane Function (UPF), wherein some devices are wirelessly connected to the UPF in a 5G manner, and some devices may be directly connected to the UPF in a wired manner. When the industrial terminal device is in a wireless mode, the industrial terminal device is firstly accessed to a wireless terminal (for example, a UE or a CPE) in a wired mode, and the wireless terminal provides a wireless communication service for the industrial terminal device. For example, fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a network topology in a 5G industrial system. As shown in fig. 4, the controller 1 may be wired to access the UPF, and the controller 2, the field device 1, the field device 2, the field device 3, and the field device 4 may be wireless to access the UPF by 5G. The field device 1, the field device 2, the field device 3, the field device 4 and the controller 2 are respectively connected to the wireless terminal 1, the wireless terminal 2, the wireless terminal 3, the wireless terminal 4 and the wireless terminal 5 in a wired mode, and the wireless terminal 1, the wireless terminal 2, the wireless terminal 3 and the wireless terminal 4 are connected to the UPF in a wireless mode.

It should be understood that, when wirelessly, an address (for example, a MAC address or an IP address) of an industrial terminal device and a generic public user identifier (GPSI) of a wireless terminal can be regarded as a binding, and the bound address serves as an addressing address for wireless communication of the industrial terminal device, and the wireless communication is further converted into an address inside a wireless communication system according to the GPSI. Alternatively, one wireless terminal may provide wireless communication services for a plurality of industrial terminal devices, that is, there may be a case where the addresses of wireless terminals bound to two industrial terminal devices are the same. In the data transmission process, the wireless terminal can be regarded as relay equipment, and during wireless communication, according to the bound address, the access network equipment firstly transmits a data message to the wireless terminal corresponding to the GPSI in the address, then the data message is addressed by the wireless terminal and sent to the industrial terminal equipment corresponding to the bound address.

It should also be understood that, in practical applications, the wireless terminal in the present application may be a stand-alone device, or may be a wireless module, integrated or embedded in an industrial terminal device, and the present application is not limited thereto.

In fig. 4, a controller 1, a field device 2, a wireless terminal 1, and a wireless terminal 2 belong to a LAN1, and a controller 2, a field device 3, a field device 4, a wireless terminal 3, a wireless terminal 4, and a wireless terminal 5 belong to a LAN2. In the 5G system, industrial terminal devices in both LAN1 and LAN2 are aggregated on the UPF, and the isolation scenario of the original wired system cannot be realized. Therefore, a technology is needed to solve the domain isolation problem caused by accessing the 5G system by the industrial devices in different domains.

The application provides a communication method, which can realize the field isolation of industrial terminal equipment accessed into a 5G system.

The following describes a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 5 is a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, which includes at least the following steps.

S510, the enterprise network management system generates configuration information, and the configuration information comprises control relation information among the industrial terminal devices.

It should be noted that configuration (configuration) is a common term in the industry, and determines the control relationship between each industrial terminal device. Before configuration, an automation engineer scans the whole network equipment through software of an engineer station, and discovers the equipment in the network by sending a special broadcast packet and a received response through the software. And the configuration engineer configures the discovered equipment according to the service flow, configures the control relationship among the equipment, and after the configuration is finished, the control relationship and the communication relationship among the equipment can be determined. The PLC programming engineer knows the requirements of the production process and equipment on the control system in detail, and designs a ladder diagram or writes a program list according to the requirements of a PLC programming language. And after the PLC programming is finished, the industrial process execution stage can be entered.

In this application, the configuration information includes information such as a binding relationship between the wireless terminal and the industrial terminal device, a Communication Relationship (CR) or a control relationship between the plurality of industrial terminal devices, and optionally, a legal role of the industrial terminal device itself (for example, whether the device is a controller or an execution device).

Taking fig. 4 as an example, the configuration information may include: the communication relationship among the controller 1, the field device 1, and the field device 2, the communication relationship among the controller 2, the field device 3, and the field device 4, and the binding relationship between the field device 1 and the wireless terminal 1, the binding relationship between the field device 2 and the wireless terminal 2, the binding relationship between the field device 3 and the wireless terminal 3, the binding relationship between the field device 4 and the wireless terminal 4, and the binding relationship between the controller 2 and the wireless terminal 5.

Optionally, the configuration information may further include Media Access Control (MAC) addresses or Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of the plurality of industrial terminal devices.

It should be understood that in the present application, the enterprise network management system can be understood as configuration software for industrial use.

Optionally, the configuration information may further include a MAC address or an IP address of a wireless terminal connected to a third industrial terminal device, where the third industrial terminal device is an industrial terminal device in the plurality of industrial terminal devices that communicates in a wireless manner.

In other words, in the present application, the configuration information may include address information of a plurality of industrial terminal devices and a wireless terminal connected to the industrial terminal devices communicating wirelessly therein.

S520, the enterprise network management system sends configuration information to the first core network element.

In this application, the configuration information may be sent to the first core network element by the enterprise network management system after generating the configuration information, or may be sent by the enterprise network management system receiving the request message from the first core network element and sending the request message according to the request message, which is not limited in this application.

S530, the first core network element generates a group identifier according to the configuration information, where the group identifier is used to identify a control relationship between the first industrial terminal device and at least one second industrial terminal device, where the plurality of industrial terminal devices include the first industrial terminal device and the at least one second industrial terminal device.

The first core network element may determine one or more group IDs according to the configuration information, where each group ID is used to identify a group of control relationships, or it may also be understood that each group ID identifies a local area network. Taking fig. 4 as an example, the first core network element may generate 2 group identifiers according to the configuration information, where the group identifier 1 is used to identify the control relationship between the controller 1 and the

field devices

1 and 2, and the group identifier 2 is used to identify the control relationship between the controller 2 and the field devices 3 and 4, in other words, the group identifier 1 and the group identifier 2 identify the LAN1 and the LAN2, respectively, the controller 1, the

field devices

1 and 2 belong to the LAN1, and the controller 2, the field devices 3 and 4 belong to the LAN2.

S540, the first core network element sends indication information to the user plane function network element UPF, where the indication information is used to indicate a corresponding relationship between the group identifier, the first industrial terminal device, and the at least one second industrial terminal device.

That is, the first core network element sends the correspondence between the group identifier and the device of the group to the UPF.

In the architecture in fig. 4, the correspondence sent by the first core network element may be a correspondence between addresses of the group identifier 1, the controller 1, the field device 1, and the field device 2, and/or a correspondence between addresses of the group identifier 2, the controller 2, the field device 3, and the field device 4.

And S550, the UPF forwards the multicast or broadcast message according to the indication information.

Specifically, when the UPF receives a multicast or broadcast packet, the UPF may determine a group identifier according to the correspondence in the indication information and the address information in the multicast or broadcast packet, and then forward the multicast or broadcast packet to the industrial terminal device corresponding to the group identifier.

In the technical scheme of the application, a group identifier is generated through configuration information, the group identifier is used for identifying a group of control relations, and then the corresponding relations between the group identifier and the industrial terminal devices included in the control relations are sent to the UPF, so that when the UPF receives a broadcast or multicast message, the broadcast or multicast message can be forwarded to the corresponding industrial terminal devices in the local area network according to the corresponding relations. Therefore, the method can realize the isolation of the industrial terminal equipment accessed into the 5G system according to the domain.

In a possible implementation manner, S550, the forwarding, by the UPF, the multicast or broadcast packet according to the indication information includes: and the UPF determines that the multicast or broadcast message comprises the identifier of the first industrial terminal equipment, and forwards the multicast or broadcast message to at least one second industrial terminal equipment according to the indication information.

For example, when the UPF receives a broadcast packet from the controller 1, the UPF determines that the broadcast packet belongs to the group identifier 1 according to the correspondence and the source address of the broadcast packet, and then forwards the broadcast packet to other industrial terminal devices corresponding to the group identifier 1, that is, the field device 1 and the field device 2.

Optionally, the broadcast packet may be forwarded to the wireless terminal devices corresponding to the group identifier 1, that is, the wireless terminal 1 and the wireless terminal 2, and the wireless terminal devices send the broadcast packet to other industrial terminal devices, that is, the field device 1 and the field device 2.

Optionally, in this application, the method further includes: and acquiring a general public user identity (GPSI) of a wireless terminal connected with a third industrial terminal device, wherein the third industrial terminal device is an industrial terminal device which communicates in a wireless mode in a plurality of industrial terminal devices.

That is to say, the first core network element may obtain, according to the MAC address or the IP address of the wireless terminal in the configuration information, the GPSI of the wireless terminal from the 3GPP network management system, and bind the address of the industrial terminal device and the GPSI of the wireless terminal connected thereto, so that when the industrial terminal device performs wireless communication, the bound address is used as an addressing address.

In a possible implementation manner, as shown in fig. 6, the sending, by the first core network element, the indication information to the user plane function network element UPF may be implemented by the following several manners:

in the mode 1, the first core network element directly sends the indication information to the UPF.

In the mode 2, the first core network element sends the indication information to the application function network element AF, and the AF sends the indication information to the UPF through the network open function network element NEF.

In the mode 3, the first core network element sends the indication information to the application function network element AF, the AF sends the indication information to the PCF through the network open function network element NEF, and the UPF sends the indication information to the UPF.

In the mode 4, the first core network element sends the indication information to the application function network element AF, the AF sends the indication information to the SMF through the network open function network element NEF, and the SMF sends the indication information to the UPF.

It should be understood that the above is only for illustration, and in practical applications, any communication path to the UPF may be used to transmit the indication information.

In a possible implementation manner, the first core network element in the present application may be a Topology Function (TF) network element, which may be an independent network element, or may be located on a certain network element, for example, an application function network element AF, a network open function network element NEF, or a user plane function network element UPF. It should be understood that when located in AF, NEF, or UPF, the first core network element may also be AF, NEF, or UPF, i.e., the AF, NEF, or UPF implements the functions in this application. It should be further understood that, when the first core network element is a UPF, that is, the UPF receives the configuration information, generates a group identifier, and forwards data according to a corresponding relationship between the group identifier, the first industrial terminal device, and the at least one second industrial terminal device. Optionally, the first core network element may also be located in an integrated function on a certain platform, for example, a Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) platform, which is not limited in this application.

In a possible implementation manner, the first industrial terminal device is a programmable logic controller PLC, and the second industrial terminal device is an industrial input/output I/O device, that is, control information sent by the PLC to the I/O device may be implemented by the present application.

The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above with reference to fig. 1 to 6, and the communication apparatus provided by the embodiment of the present application is described below with reference to fig. 7 to 7. It should be understood that the apparatuses shown in fig. 7 to fig. 9 can implement the steps of the above method, and for brevity, the description is omitted here.

Fig. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 700 according to an embodiment of the present application, where the apparatus 700 may be a first core network element, and the apparatus 700 includes a processing unit 710 and a transceiving unit 720.

The processing unit 710 is configured to obtain configuration information, where the configuration information includes control relationship information between a plurality of industrial terminal devices.

The processing unit 710 is further configured to: and generating a group identifier according to the configuration information, wherein the group identifier is used for identifying the control relationship between the first industrial terminal device and the at least one second industrial terminal device, and the plurality of industrial terminal devices comprise the first industrial terminal device and the at least one second industrial terminal device.

A transceiving unit 720, configured to send indication information to a user plane function network element UPF, where the indication information is used to indicate a correspondence between a group identifier, a first industrial terminal device, and at least one second industrial terminal device.

Optionally, the transceiving unit 720 is further configured to: and acquiring a general public user identity (GPSI) of a wireless terminal connected with a third industrial terminal device, wherein the third industrial terminal device is an industrial terminal device which communicates in a wireless mode in a plurality of industrial terminal devices.

Optionally, the configuration information includes MAC addresses or IP addresses of the industrial terminals and a third industrial terminal.

Optionally, the transceiver unit 720 specifically includes: and sending the indication information to an application function network element (AF), so that the AF forwards the indication information to the UPF.

Optionally, the transceiver unit 720 is specifically configured to: sending a request message to an enterprise network management system, wherein the request message is used for requesting configuration information; and receiving configuration information sent by the enterprise network management system.

Optionally, the device may be a topology function network element TF, an application function network element AF, a network open function network element NEF, or a user plane function network element UPF.

Optionally, the first industrial terminal device is a programmable logic controller PLC, and the second industrial terminal device is an industrial input/output I/O device.

Fig. 8 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 800 according to an embodiment of the present application, where the communication device 800 may be a user plane function network element UPF, and the communication device 800 includes a processing unit 810 and a transceiving unit 820.

A transceiving unit 820, configured to receive indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate a corresponding relationship between a group identifier and a first industrial terminal device, and the group identifier is used to identify a control relationship between the first industrial terminal device and at least one second industrial terminal device.

And a processing unit 810, configured to forward the multicast or broadcast packet according to the indication information.

Optionally, the processing unit 810 is specifically configured to: determining that the multicast or broadcast message comprises an identifier of the first industrial terminal equipment;

and forwarding the multicast or broadcast message to at least one second industrial terminal device according to the indication information.

Optionally, the transceiver 820 is specifically configured to: and receiving the indication information from a topology function network element TF, an application function network element AF, a network open function network element NEF, a policy control function network element PCF or a session management function network element SMF.

Fig. 9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 900 according to an embodiment of the present application, where the apparatus 900 may be an enterprise network management system, and the apparatus 900 includes: a processing unit 910 and a transceiving unit 920.

The processing unit 910 is configured to generate configuration information, where the configuration information includes control relationship information between a plurality of industrial terminal devices.

A transceiver 920, configured to send the configuration information to a first core network element.

Optionally, the configuration information includes MAC addresses or IP addresses of a plurality of industrial terminals.

Optionally, the transceiving unit 920 is further configured to: receiving a request message from a first core network element, wherein the request message is used for requesting configuration information; and sending the configuration information according to the request message.

Fig. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1000 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 10, the apparatus 1000 includes a processor 1010, a transceiver 1020, and a memory 1030. Wherein the processor 1010, the transceiver 1020 and the memory 1030 are in communication with each other via an internal connection path, the memory 1030 is configured to store instructions, and the processor 1010 is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory 1030 to control the transceiver 1020 to transmit and/or receive signals. Optionally, processor 1010 and memory 1030 may also be integrated.

It should be understood that the apparatus 1000 may correspond to the first core network element, the UPF, or the network management system in the foregoing method embodiments, and may be configured to perform each step and/or flow performed by the first core network element, the UPF, or the network management system in the foregoing method embodiments. Alternatively, the memory 1030 may include both read-only memory and random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor. A portion of the memory may also include non-volatile random access memory. Memory 1030 may be a separate device or integrated into processor 1010. The processor 1010 may be configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory 1030, and when the processor 1010 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1010 is configured to perform the steps and/or processes of the above-described method embodiments corresponding to the first core network element, the UPF, or the network management system.

Optionally, the apparatus 1000 is the first core network element device in the foregoing embodiment.

Optionally, the device 1000 is a UPF as in the previous embodiments.

Optionally, the apparatus 1000 is a network management system in the foregoing embodiment.

The transceiver 1020 may include a transmitter and a receiver, among other things. The transceiver 1020 may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more. The processor 1010 and the memory 1030 and the transceiver 1020 may be devices integrated on different chips. For example, processor 1010 and memory 1030 may be integrated in a baseband chip and transceiver 1020 may be integrated in a radio frequency chip. The processor 1010 and the memory 1030 and the transceiver 1020 may also be devices integrated on the same chip. This is not a limitation of the present application.

Optionally, the apparatus 1000 is a component, such as a circuit, a chip, a system of chips, and the like, configured in the network element device of the first core network.

Optionally, the device 1000 is a component configured in a UPF, such as a circuit, chip-system, or the like.

Optionally, the apparatus 1000 is a component configured in a network management system, such as a circuit, a chip, a system of chips, and the like.

According to the method provided by the embodiment of the present application, the present application further provides a computer program product, which includes: computer program code which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of the embodiments shown in figures 5 to 6.

According to the method provided by the embodiment of the present application, a computer-readable medium is further provided, and the computer-readable medium stores program codes, and when the program codes are executed on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method of any one of the embodiments shown in fig. 5 to 6.

The application also provides a chip comprising a processor. The processor is configured to read and execute the computer program stored in the memory to perform corresponding operations and/or processes performed by the first core network element UPF or the network management system in the method for information transmission provided by the present application. In a possible implementation, the chip further comprises a memory, the memory is connected with the processor through a circuit or a wire, and the processor is used for reading and executing the computer program in the memory. Further in a possible implementation, the chip further includes a communication interface, and the processor is connected to the communication interface. The communication interface is used for receiving processed data and/or information, and the processor acquires the data and/or information from the communication interface and processes the data and/or information. The communication interface may be an input/output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin or related circuit on the chip, etc. The processor may also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

According to the method provided by the embodiment of the application, the application also provides a system which comprises the device or the equipment.

As used in this specification, the terms "component," "module," "system," and the like are intended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, or software in execution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a computing device and the computing device can be a component. One or more components can reside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component can be localized on one computer and/or distributed between 2 or more computers. In addition, these components can execute from various computer readable media having various data structures stored thereon. The components may communicate by way of local and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., data from two components interacting with another component in a local system, distributed system, and/or across a network such as the internet with other systems by way of the signal).

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware or combinations of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the technical solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

It is clear to those skilled in the art that, for convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, apparatuses and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and are not described herein again.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, apparatus and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described apparatus embodiments are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the units is only one logical division, and other divisions may be realized in practice, for example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not executed. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and may be in an electrical, mechanical or other form.

The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the embodiment.

In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one unit.

The functions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium if they are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as separate products. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application or portions thereof that substantially contribute to the prior art may be embodied in the form of a software product stored in a storage medium and including instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to execute all or part of the steps of the method according to the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: various media capable of storing program codes, such as a usb disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think of the changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present application, and shall be covered by the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of communication, the method performed by a first core network element, comprising:

acquiring configuration information, wherein the configuration information comprises control relation information among a plurality of industrial terminal devices;

generating a group identifier according to the configuration information, wherein the group identifier is used for identifying a control relationship between a first industrial terminal device and at least one second industrial terminal device, and the plurality of industrial terminal devices comprise the first industrial terminal device and the at least one second industrial terminal device;

and sending indication information to a user plane function network element UPF, wherein the indication information is used for indicating the corresponding relation among the group identifier, the first industrial terminal equipment and the at least one second industrial terminal equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and acquiring a general public user identity (GPSI) of a wireless terminal connected with the third industrial terminal equipment, wherein the third industrial terminal equipment is the industrial terminal equipment which communicates in a wireless mode in the plurality of industrial terminal equipment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the configuration information comprises MAC addresses or IP addresses of the industrial end devices and the third industrial end device.

4. The method according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sending the indication information to the UPF comprises:

and sending the indication information to an application function network element (AF), so that the AF forwards the indication information to the UPF.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the obtaining configuration information comprises:

sending a request message to an enterprise network management system, wherein the request message is used for requesting the configuration information;

and receiving the configuration information sent by the enterprise network management system.

6. The method according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first core network element is a topology function network element TF, an application function network element AF, a network open function network element NEF, or a user plane function network element UPF.

7. The method of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first industrial terminal device is a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and the second industrial terminal device is an industrial input/output (I/O) device.

8. A communication method, performed by a user plane function network element UPF, comprising:

receiving indication information, wherein the indication information is used for indicating a corresponding relation among a group identifier, a first industrial terminal device and at least one second industrial terminal device, and the group identifier is used for identifying a control relation between the first industrial terminal device and the at least one second industrial terminal device;

and forwarding the multicast or broadcast message according to the indication information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein forwarding the multicast or broadcast packet according to the indication information comprises:

determining that the multicast or broadcast message includes an identifier of the first industrial terminal device;

and forwarding the multicast or broadcast message to the at least one second industrial terminal device according to the indication information.

10. The method of claim 8 or 9, wherein receiving indication information comprises:

and receiving the indication information from a topology function network element TF, an application function network element AF, a network open function network element NEF, a policy control function network element PCF or a session management function network element SMF.

11. The method of any of claims 8 to 10, wherein the first industrial terminal device is a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and the second industrial terminal device is an industrial input/output (I/O) device.

12. A method of communication, the method performed by an enterprise network management system, comprising:

generating configuration information, wherein the configuration information comprises control relation information among a plurality of industrial terminal devices;

and sending the configuration information to a first core network element.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the configuration information comprises Media Access Control (MAC) addresses or Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of the plurality of industrial end devices.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, further comprising:

receiving a request message from the first core network element, wherein the request message is used for requesting the configuration information;

and sending the configuration information according to the request message.

15. An apparatus for beam management, comprising: means for performing each step of the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, or of any one of claims 8 to 11, or of any one of claims 12 to 14.

16. A communications apparatus, comprising:

a memory for storing computer instructions;

a processor for executing computer instructions stored in the memory to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 7, or the method of any of claims 8 to 11, or the method of any of claims 12 to 14.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, or the method of any one of claims 8 to 11, or the method of any one of claims 12 to 14.

18. A chip system, comprising: a processor for executing a stored computer program for performing the method of any of claims 1 to 7, or the method of any of claims 8 to 11, or the method of any of claims 12 to 14.