CN115988473A

CN115988473A - Communication method, communication device and communication system

Info

Publication number: CN115988473A
Application number: CN202111204019.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 于游洋; 何青春
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-10-15
Filing date: 2021-10-15
Publication date: 2023-04-18
Also published as: WO2023061207A1

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a communication method, a communication device and a communication system. The method comprises the following steps: a control plane network element in a core network acquires subscription data of terminal equipment from a data management network element in the core network, wherein the subscription data comprises identification information of a configuration network element; the control plane network element receives first configuration information of the terminal equipment from the configuration network element; and the control plane network element sends the first configuration information to the terminal equipment. According to the scheme, the first configuration information can be sent to the terminal equipment by the configuration network element through the control plane network element of the core network. On one hand, the terminal equipment can be rapidly configured through the control plane, and on the other hand, the configuration information sent through the user plane can be reduced, so that the expense brought by establishing the user plane connection is reduced.

Description

Communication method, communication device and communication system

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a communication method, a communication apparatus, and a communication system.

Background

At present, with the development of communication technology and internet, the number and the variety of terminal devices are increasing, the application range is wider, and the application software or firmware in the terminal device is also more complicated.

It is therefore necessary to devise a method for fast configuration of a terminal device.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a communication method, a communication device and a communication system, which are used for realizing rapid configuration of terminal equipment.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which may be performed by a control plane network element of a core network or a module (e.g., a chip) applied in the control plane network element. The control plane network element may be a session management network element or a mobility management network element. Taking the control plane network element in the core network to execute the method as an example, the method includes: a control plane network element in a core network acquires subscription data of terminal equipment from a data management network element in the core network, wherein the subscription data comprises identification information of a configuration network element; the control plane network element receives first configuration information of the terminal equipment from the configuration network element; the control plane network element sends the first configuration information to the terminal device.

Through the scheme, the first configuration information can be sent to the terminal equipment by the configuration network element through the control plane network element of the core network. On one hand, the terminal equipment can be rapidly configured through the control plane, and on the other hand, the configuration information sent through the user plane can be reduced, so that the overhead brought by the establishment of the user plane connection is reduced.

As an implementation method, the control plane network element sends, to the configuring network element, the identifier information of the terminal device and the identifier information of the control plane network element according to the identifier information of the configuring network element.

According to the above scheme, the control plane network element and the terminal device identification information can be used to quickly obtain the control plane network element for forwarding the first configuration information when the configuration network element needs to send the first configuration information to the terminal device, thereby realizing quick configuration of the terminal device.

As an implementation method, before the control plane network element sends the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the control plane network element to the configuring network element according to the identification information of the configuring network element, the control plane network element determines that the type of the terminal device is a target type and/or that a service provider of the terminal device is a target service provider.

According to the scheme, the control plane network element decision only configures the specific terminal equipment by the configuration network element, so that the configuration load can be reduced, and the reasonable use of the configuration network element is facilitated.

As an implementation method, the control plane network element receives type information of the terminal device and/or service provider information of the terminal device from the terminal device.

According to the scheme, the type information of the terminal equipment and/or the service provider information of the terminal equipment can be accurately acquired.

As an implementation method, the subscription data of the terminal device further includes type information of the terminal device and/or service provider information of the terminal device.

As an implementation method, the control plane network element sends the first configuration information to the terminal device in the terminal registration procedure, the session establishment procedure, or the session modification procedure.

As an implementation method, the first configuration information is an internet of things user data container.

As an implementation method, the control plane network element receives the internet of things user data container and a parameter type of the internet of things user data container from the configuring network element; and the control plane network element sends the user data container of the Internet of things to the terminal equipment according to the parameter type of the user data container of the Internet of things.

According to the scheme, the control surface network element can accurately acquire the parameter type of the user data container of the Internet of things, so that the fact that the user data container of the Internet of things needs to be sent to the terminal equipment can be accurately judged, and the terminal equipment can be rapidly and accurately configured.

As an implementation method, the first configuration information includes one or more of internet of things user data, indication information or an information reporting policy; wherein the indication information indicates that the second configuration information is transmitted by using a user plane; the information reporting strategy comprises state parameters or comprises the state parameters and reporting conditions.

As an implementation method, the first configuration information includes an information reporting policy, and the information reporting policy includes a state parameter; the control plane network element receives the reported information from the terminal equipment, and the reported information corresponds to the state parameter; and the control plane network element sends the reporting information to the configuration network element.

By the scheme, the configuration network element can receive the report information reported by the terminal equipment from the control plane network element, so that the configuration network element can acquire the state of the terminal equipment according to the report information, more accurate configuration information can be generated by decision, and accurate configuration of the terminal equipment is realized.

As an implementation method, the reporting information is an internet of things information reporting container.

As an implementation method, the control plane network element receives an internet of things information reporting container from the terminal device and a parameter type of the internet of things information reporting container; and the control plane network element sends the Internet of things information reporting container to the configuration network element according to the parameter type of the Internet of things information reporting container.

According to the scheme, the control plane network element can accurately acquire the parameter type of the Internet of things information reporting container, so that the condition that the Internet of things information reporting container needs to be sent to the configuration network element can be accurately judged.

As an implementation method, the information reporting strategy further comprises a reporting condition; and the control plane network element receives the reporting information sent by the terminal equipment according to the reporting condition.

As an implementation method, the first configuration information includes internet of things user data; the control plane network element receives a configuration success indication or a failure reason value from the terminal equipment, wherein the configuration success indication is used for indicating that the configuration is successful according to the user data of the Internet of things, and the failure reason value is used for indicating the reason of failure in configuration according to the user data of the Internet of things; and the control plane network element sends the configuration success indication or the failure reason value to the configuration network element.

According to the scheme, the configuration network element can know whether the configuration result is successful or failed so as to conveniently decide whether to reconfigure, and the configuration success rate is improved.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which may be performed by a module (e.g., a chip) in a configuring network element or a configuring network element. Taking the configuration network element of the core network to execute the method as an example, the method includes: the configuration network element determines that first configuration information of the terminal equipment is sent through a control plane network element of the core network; and the configuration network element sends the first configuration information to the terminal equipment through the control plane network element.

As an implementation method, the configuring network element receives the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the control plane network element from the control plane network element or the data management network element.

According to the above scheme, the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the control plane network element are obtained by the control plane network element, so that when the configuration network element needs to send the first configuration information to the terminal device, the control plane network element for forwarding the first configuration information can be quickly obtained, and the terminal device can be quickly configured.

As an implementation method, the first configuration information includes one or more of internet of things user data, indication information or an information reporting policy; wherein the indication information indicates that the second configuration information is transmitted by using a user plane; the information reporting strategy comprises state parameters or state parameters and reporting conditions.

As an implementation method, the first configuration information includes internet of things user data; the configuration network element receives a configuration success indication or a failure reason value from the terminal equipment through the control plane network element, the configuration success indication is used for indicating that configuration is successful according to the user data of the internet of things, and the failure reason value is used for indicating the reason of configuration failure according to the user data of the internet of things.

As an implementation method, the first configuration information includes an information reporting policy, and the information reporting policy includes a state parameter; the configuration network element receives the report information from the terminal equipment through the control plane network element, wherein the report information corresponds to the state parameter.

By the scheme, the configuration network element can receive the reported information from the terminal equipment from the control plane network element, so that the configuration network element can acquire the state of the terminal equipment according to the reported information, a decision can be conveniently made to generate more accurate configuration information, and accurate configuration of the terminal equipment is realized.

As an implementation method, the information reporting strategy further comprises a reporting condition; and the configuration network element receives the reporting information sent by the terminal equipment according to the reporting condition through the control plane network element.

As an implementation method, the first configuration information includes indication information indicating that the second configuration information is transmitted by using a user plane; the configuration network element obtains second configuration information; and the configuring network element determines that the second configuration information is sent to the terminal equipment through a user plane.

By the scheme, the configuration network element can send the indication information to the terminal equipment through the control plane network element of the core network so as to indicate the terminal equipment to establish the user plane connection with the configuration network element, and then accurately configure the terminal equipment through the user plane.

In a third aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, which may be performed by a terminal device or a module (e.g., a chip) applied in the terminal device. Taking the terminal device executing the method as an example, the method comprises the following steps: the terminal equipment sends a registration request message to a mobility management network element, wherein the registration request message is used for requesting registration to a network; the terminal device receives first configuration information from a configuration network element of the core network through a control plane network element, where the control plane network element is the mobility management network element or the session management network element.

As an implementation method, the first configuration information includes internet of things user data; and the terminal equipment configures the terminal equipment according to the user data of the Internet of things.

As an implementation method, the terminal device sends, to the configuration network element, a configuration success indication or a failure cause value through the control plane network element, where the configuration success indication is used to indicate that configuration is successful according to the internet of things user data, and the failure cause value is used to indicate a reason why configuration is failed according to the internet of things user data.

As an implementation method, the first configuration information includes an information reporting policy, and the information reporting policy includes a state parameter; the terminal equipment acquires the reported information of the terminal equipment according to the state parameters; and the terminal equipment sends the reporting information to the configuration network element through the control plane network element.

By the scheme, the configuration network element can receive the reported information reported by the terminal equipment, so that the configuration network element can acquire the state of the terminal equipment according to the reported information, a decision can be conveniently made to generate more accurate configuration information, and accurate configuration of the terminal equipment is realized.

As an implementation method, the terminal device sends the internet of things information reporting container and a parameter type of the internet of things information reporting container to the control plane network element, where the parameter type of the internet of things information reporting container is used for the control plane network element to send the internet of things information reporting container to the configuration network element.

As an implementation method, the information reporting strategy further includes a reporting condition; and the terminal equipment sends the reporting information to the configuration network element through the control plane network element according to the reporting condition.

As an implementation method, the first configuration information includes indication information indicating that the second configuration information is transmitted using a user plane; and the terminal equipment establishes a user plane connection for transmitting second configuration information between the terminal equipment and the configuration network element according to the indication information.

By the scheme, the configuration network element can send the indication information to the terminal equipment through the control plane network element of the core network so as to indicate the terminal equipment to establish the user plane connection with the configuration network element, and the terminal equipment is accurately configured through the user plane subsequently.

As an implementation method, the terminal device receives the first configuration information from the configuration network element through the control plane network element in a registration procedure or a session establishment procedure or a session modification procedure.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which may be a control plane network element or a module (e.g., a chip) applied in the control plane network element. The control plane network element may be a session management network element or a mobility management network element. The apparatus has a function of implementing any of the implementation methods of the first aspect 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 embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which may be a configuring network element or a module (e.g., a chip) applied in the configuring network element. The apparatus has a function of implementing any of the implementation methods of the second aspect described above. The function can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which may be a terminal device or a module (e.g., a chip) applied in the terminal device. The apparatus has a function of implementing any of the implementation methods of the third aspect described above. The function can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, including a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store computer instructions, and when the apparatus is running, the processor executes the computer instructions stored in the memory to cause the apparatus to perform any of the implementation methods of the first aspect to the third aspect.

In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which includes means or means (means) for performing each step of any implementation method in the first to third aspects.

In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor and an interface circuit, where the processor is configured to communicate with other devices through the interface circuit, and perform any implementation method in the first to third aspects. The processor includes one or more.

In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, including a processor coupled to a memory, where the processor is configured to call a program stored in the memory to execute any implementation method in the first to third aspects. The memory may be located within the device or external to the device. And the processor may be one or more.

In an eleventh aspect, this embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, where instructions are stored, and when the computer-readable storage medium is run on a communication device, the computer-readable storage medium causes the method in any implementation of the first aspect to the third aspect to be performed.

In a twelfth aspect, the present application further provides a computer program product, where the computer program product includes a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by a communication device, the method in any of the first to third aspects is executed.

In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip system, including: a processor configured to perform any of the implementation methods of the first to third aspects.

In a fourteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes a control plane network element in a core network and a configuration network element of the core network. The control plane network element is configured to perform any implementation method of the first aspect. The configuration network element is configured to send first configuration information to the control plane network element.

In a fifteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes a control plane network element in a core network and a configuration network element of the core network. The configuring network element is configured to perform any implementation method of the second aspect. The control plane network element is configured to receive the first configuration information from the configuration network element, and send the first configuration information to the terminal device.

Drawings

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

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a point-to-point interface;

fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method 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.

Detailed Description

To address the challenges of wireless broadband technology, and to maintain the leading advantages of third Generation partnership project (3 GPP) networks, the 3GPP standards group has established a Next Generation mobile communication network System (Next Generation System) architecture, referred to as the fifth Generation (5 g) network architecture. The architecture not only supports a wireless access technology (such as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) access technology, a 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) access technology, and the like) defined by a 3GPP standard group to access to a 5G Core Network (CN), but also supports a non-3GPP (non-3 GPP) access technology to access to the core network through a non-3GPP conversion function (non-3 GPP interworking function, n3 iwf) or a next generation access gateway (ngPDG).

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a service-oriented architecture. The 5G network architecture shown in fig. 1 may include a terminal device, an access network device, and a core network device. The terminal device accesses a Data Network (DN) through the access network device and the core network device. The core network device includes, but is not limited to, part or all of the following network elements: an Application Function (AF) network element, a Unified Data Management (UDM) network element, a Unified Database (UDR) network element, a Policy Control Function (PCF) network element, a Session Management Function (SMF) network element, an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, a network storage function (NRF) network element, an authentication server function (AUSF) network element, a network open function (NEF) network element, a Configuration Network Function (CNF) network element, a User Plane Function (UPF) network element, and a network management function (udf) network element.

The terminal device may be a User Equipment (UE), a mobile station, a mobile terminal, or the like. The terminal device can be widely applied to various scenes, for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-electrical (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, automatic driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearing, smart transportation, smart city, and the like. The terminal equipment can be a mobile phone, a tablet personal computer, a computer with a wireless transceiving function, wearable equipment, a vehicle, an urban air vehicle (such as an unmanned aerial vehicle, a helicopter and the like), a ship, a robot, a mechanical arm, intelligent household equipment and the like.

The access network device may be a Radio Access Network (RAN) device or a wired access network (FAN) device. The wireless access network equipment comprises 3GPP access network equipment, non-trusted non-3GPP access network equipment and trusted non-3GPP access network equipment. 3GPP access network devices include, but are not limited to: an evolved NodeB (eNodeB) in LTE, a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or a module or unit that performs part of functions of the base station, such as a Centralized Unit (CU), a Distributed Unit (DU), and the like. Untrusted non-3GPP access network devices include, but are not limited to: an untrusted non-3GPP access gateway, an untrusted flash short range access gateway, an N3IWF device, an untrusted local area network (WLAN) Access Point (AP), a switch, or a router. Trusted non-3GPP access network devices include, but are not limited to: a trusted non-3GPP access gateway, a trusted satellite flash short-range access gateway, a trusted WLAN AP, a switch or a router. Wired access network devices include, but are not limited to: a wired access gateway (wired access gateway), a fixed telephone network device, a switch or a router. The wired access gateway comprises a fixed home network access gateway, an industrial park wired access gateway and the like.

The access network equipment and the terminal equipment may be fixed or mobile. The access network equipment and the terminal equipment can be deployed on the land, including indoor or outdoor, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface; it may also be deployed on airborne airplanes, balloons and satellite vehicles. The embodiment of the application does not limit the application scenes of the access network equipment and the terminal equipment.

The AMF network element comprises functions of executing mobility management, access authentication/authorization and the like. In addition, it is also responsible for transferring user policy between the terminal equipment and the PCF.

The SMF network element includes functions of performing session management, performing a control policy issued by the PCF, selecting the UPF, allocating an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the terminal device, and the like.

The UPF network element comprises functions of completing user plane data forwarding, session/stream level-based charging statistics, bandwidth limitation and the like.

And the UDM network element comprises functions of executing and managing subscription data, user access authorization and the like.

UDRs include access functions for executing types of data such as subscription data, policy data, application data, and the like.

And the NEF network element is used for supporting the opening of the capability and the event.

And the AF network element is used for transmitting the requirements of the application side on the network side, such as QoS requirements or user state event subscription and the like. The AF may be a third party functional entity or an application service deployed by an operator, such as an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) voice call service.

The PCF network element comprises the policy control functions of charging, qoS bandwidth guarantee, mobility management, terminal policy decision and the like aiming at the session and the service flow level. The PCF network element includes an access and mobility management policy control network element (AM PCF) and a session management policy control function (SM PCF) network element, the AM PCF network element may provide a mobility management policy, and the SM PCF network element may provide a session management policy.

The NRF network element can be used for providing a network element discovery function and providing network element information corresponding to the network element type based on the request of other network elements. NRF also provides network element management services such as network element registration, update, de-registration, and network element status subscription and push.

And the AUSF network element is responsible for authenticating the terminal equipment and verifying the legality of the terminal equipment.

The CNF network element may configure at least one of a parameter of the terminal device, a state of the monitoring terminal device, an empty state of the detection terminal device, and a link state between the detection terminal device and the UPF network element. It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the name of the CNF network element is not limited, and may also have other names.

The DN can be used for deploying various services and can provide services such as data and/or voice and the like for the terminal equipment. For example, the DN is a private network of a certain intelligent factory, a sensor installed in a workshop of the intelligent factory can be a terminal device, a control server of the sensor is deployed in the DN, and the control server can provide services for the sensor. The sensor can communicate with the control server, obtain the instruction of the control server, transmit the sensor data gathered to the control server, etc. according to the instruction. For another example, the DN is an internal office network of a company, the mobile phone or computer of the employee of the company may be a terminal device, and the mobile phone or computer of the employee may access information, data resources, and the like on the internal office network of the company.

In fig. 1, nausf, nnef, nfr, namf, npcf, nsmf, nudm, nudr, and Naf are the service interfaces provided by the AUSF, NEF, NRF, AMF, PCF, SMF, UDM, UDR, and AF, respectively, and are used to invoke corresponding service operations. N1, N2, N3, N4 and N6 are interface serial numbers, and the meaning of these interface serial numbers is as follows:

1) N1: the interface between the AMF and the terminal device may be used to deliver Non Access Stratum (NAS) signaling (e.g., including QoS rules from the AMF) to the terminal device, and the like.

2) N2: the interface between the AMF and the access network device may be used to transfer radio bearer control information from the core network side to the access network device.

3) And N3: the interface between the access network equipment and the UPF is mainly used for transmitting uplink and downlink user plane data between the access network equipment and the UPF.

4) And N4: the interface between the SMF and the UPF may be used for transmitting information between the control plane and the user plane, including controlling the issuing of forwarding rules, qoS rules, traffic statistics rules, etc. for the user plane and the reporting of information for the user plane.

5) N6: and the UPF and DN interface is used for transmitting the uplink and downlink user data stream between the UPF and the DN.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a point-to-point interface, where introduction of functions of network elements may refer to introduction of functions of corresponding network elements in fig. 1, and details are not repeated. The main differences between fig. 2 and fig. 1 are: the interfaces between the control plane network elements in the core network in fig. 1 are served interfaces, and the interfaces between the control plane network elements in the core network in fig. 2 are point-to-point interfaces.

Also, fig. 2 shows an application scenario for access to a core network via a 3GPP access technology and/or an untrusted non-3GPP access technology. For trusted 3GPP access scenarios, the "untrusted non-3GPP access" in fig. 2 may be replaced with a "trusted non-3GPP access", and the "N3IWF" in fig. 2 may be replaced with a "trusted non-3GPP access gateway". For the wired access scenario, the "untrusted non-3GPP access" in fig. 2 may be replaced with "wired access", and the "N3IWF" in fig. 2 may be replaced with "wired access gateway".

It is to be understood that the network element or the function may be a network element in a hardware device, or may be a software function running on dedicated hardware, or a virtualization function instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). As a possible implementation method, the network element or the function may be implemented by one device, may also be implemented by multiple devices together, and may also be one functional module in one device, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

As an implementation method, the user plane network elements in the embodiment of the present application may be the above-mentioned UPF network elements, or may be network elements having the functions of the above-mentioned UPF network elements in future communications, such as a sixth generation (6 generation,6 g) network. For convenience of description, the user plane network element is referred to as a UPF network element, and the UPF network element is referred to as a UPF for short.

As an implementation method, the session management network elements in this embodiment may be the above SMF network elements, or may be network elements having the functions of the above SMF network elements in future communications such as a 6G network. For convenience of description, the session management network element is an SMF network element as an example, and the SMF network element is simply referred to as SMF.

As an implementation method, the mobility management network elements in this embodiment may be the AMF network elements described above, or may be network elements having the functions of the AMF network elements in future communications such as a 6G network. For convenience of description, the following description will be given taking the case where the mobility management network element is an AMF network element, and the AMF network element is simply referred to as AMF.

As an implementation method, the policy control network elements in the embodiments of the present application may be the PCF network elements described above, or may be network elements having the functions of the PCF network elements in future communications, such as a 6G network. For convenience of description, the policy control network element is a PCF network element, and the PCF network element is abbreviated as PCF in the following.

As an implementation method, the data management network elements in this embodiment may be the above-mentioned UDM network elements, or may be network elements having the functions of the above-mentioned UDM network elements in future communications such as a 6G network. For convenience of description, the data management network element is an UDM network element as an example, and the UDM network element is simply referred to as UDM.

As an implementation method, the configuration network elements in this embodiment may be the CNF network elements, or management monitoring function (MDF) network elements, or network elements having the functions of the CNF network elements in future communications such as a 6G network.

Referring to fig. 3, a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application is schematically shown. The method comprises the following steps:

step 301, the terminal device registers to the network.

For example, the terminal device sends a registration request message to a mobility management network element (e.g., AMF). Accordingly, the mobility management network element receives the registration request message. The registration request message is for requesting registration to a network. And subsequently registering the terminal equipment to the network through a registration process.

Step 302, the configuration network element of the core network determines that the first configuration information of the terminal device is sent through a control plane network element of the core network.

The control plane network element may be an SMF or an AMF.

For example, if the configuration network element determines that the size of the first configuration information of the terminal device is smaller than a preset first threshold, it is determined that the first configuration information of the terminal device is sent through the control plane network element. For another example, the configuring network element determines, according to the local policy, that the first configuration information of the terminal device is sent through the control plane network element.

Step 303, the configuring network element sends the first configuration information of the terminal device to the control plane network element. Correspondingly, the control plane network element receives the first configuration information of the terminal device.

As an implementation method, the first configuration information includes one or more of internet of things user data (IoT user data), indication information, or an information reporting policy.

The internet of things user data may also be referred to as a small data packet or may also have other names, which is not limited in the present application. The size of the internet of things user data is smaller than a second threshold value. In one implementation, the internet of things user data includes one or more of version data, software data, firmware data, or business parameters. The version data comprises version information of software and/or version information of firmware, the software data is data required by software upgrading, the firmware data is data required by firmware upgrading, and the service parameters are configuration parameters related to terminal equipment hardware or service.

The indication information indicates that the second configuration information is transmitted by using a user plane, or the indication information indicates that the user plane connection used for transmitting the second configuration information between the terminal device and the configuration network element is initiated to be established, where the second configuration information may also be referred to as a big data packet, and the size of the second configuration information is greater than a third threshold. After the configuration network element acquires the second configuration information, if it is determined that the second configuration information is sent to the terminal device through the user plane, the first configuration information includes the indication information. For example, when the configuring network element has second configuration information, such as a firmware update big data packet and/or a software update big data packet, which needs to be sent to the terminal device, and the configuring network element determines to send the second configuration information to the terminal device through the user plane, the configuring network element carries the indication information in the configuration information.

The information reporting policy may also be referred to as a state reporting policy, a state parameter reporting policy, or the like, or may also be referred to by other names, which is not limited in this application. The information reporting strategy comprises state parameters or comprises the state parameters and reporting conditions. As an implementation method, the state parameter includes one or more of power information, version information, air interface state information, or link state information. The power information includes remaining power and/or used power of the terminal device, and the version information includes software version information and/or firmware version information. The air interface status information includes one or more of a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), a Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), a Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI), or a Rank Indicator (RI). The link state information includes one or more of packet loss rate, jitter, or delay. As an implementation method, the reporting condition includes one or more of a reporting period, a reporting threshold, or a reporting event. The reporting period is used to indicate a reporting period of the status parameter, such as reporting once per minute or reporting once per hour. The reporting threshold is used to represent a threshold for reporting the status parameter, for example, reporting the power information when the power is less than 10%. The reporting event is used to represent an event for reporting the state parameter, for example, reporting the latest version information after a version update event occurs.

Step 304, the control plane network element sends the first configuration information of the terminal device to the terminal device. Accordingly, the method can be used for solving the problems that, the terminal device receives first configuration information of the terminal device.

As an implementation method, the control plane network element sends the first configuration information to the terminal device in a terminal registration flow, a session establishment flow, a session modification flow, an NAS transmission flow, or an NAS notification flow.

The above step 303 and step 304 may also be understood as that the configuring network element sends the first configuration information of the terminal device to the terminal device through the control plane network element.

As an implementation method, the steps 302 to 304 may be performed in a terminal registration procedure, a session establishment procedure, a session modification procedure, a NAS transmission procedure, or a NAS notification procedure.

Through the scheme, the first configuration information can be sent to the terminal equipment by the configuration network element through the control plane network element of the core network. On one hand, the terminal equipment can be rapidly configured through the control plane, and on the other hand, the configuration information sent through the user plane can be reduced, so that the overhead brought by the establishment of the user plane connection is reduced. In addition, the scheme designs a configuration network element which is used for performing configuration management on the terminal equipment independently, and the configuration efficiency of the terminal equipment is improved.

As an implementation method, the first configuration information is an internet of things (IoT) user data container (user data container). In step 303, the configuring network element sends the internet of things user data container to the control plane network element, and also sends the parameter type of the internet of things user data container, where the parameter type of the internet of things user data container is used to indicate that the internet of things user data container includes the configuration information sent by the configuring network element to the terminal device. After the control surface network element receives the user data container of the internet of things and the parameter type of the user data container of the internet of things, the control surface network element determines that the user data container of the internet of things contains configuration information sent to the terminal equipment by the configuration network element according to the parameter type of the user data container of the internet of things, and then sends the user data container of the internet of things to the terminal equipment, namely the control surface network element sends the user data container of the internet of things to the terminal equipment according to the parameter type of the user data container of the internet of things.

As an implementation method, before step 302, a connection between the control plane network element and the configuring network element needs to be established, specifically, the control plane network element needs to acquire identification information of the configuring network element, where the identification information may be identification or address information, and the configuring network element also needs to acquire identification information of the control plane network element, where the identification information may be identification or address information.

As an implementation method, the control plane network element may obtain, from the UDM in the core network, subscription data of the terminal device, where the subscription data includes identification information of the configuration network element.

As an implementation method, after acquiring the identification information of the configuring network element, the control plane network element may send a request message to the configuring network element according to the identification information of the configuring network element, where the request message includes identification information of a terminal device and identification information of the control plane network element, and the request message is used to notify the configuring network element to send configuration information to the terminal device through the control plane network element, so that the configuring network element may acquire the identification information of the control plane network element and the identification information of the terminal device. Subsequently, when the configuring network element determines that the configuring information of the terminal device is sent to the terminal device through the control plane, the configuring network element may send the configuring information of the terminal device to the control plane network element, and the control plane network element sends the configuring information of the terminal device to the terminal device, which refers to the above steps 302 to 304. In an implementation method, before the control plane network element sends the request message to the configuration network element, it is further determined that the type of the terminal device is the target type and/or the service provider of the terminal device is the target service provider, that is, when the control plane network element determines that the type of the terminal device is the target type and/or the service provider of the terminal device is the target service provider, the control plane network element sends the request message to the configuration network element to establish a connection between the control plane network element and the configuration network element. The type information of the terminal device is from the terminal device or subscription data from the terminal device, and the type information of the terminal device indicates the type of the terminal device. The service provider information of the terminal device is from the terminal device or from subscription data of the terminal device, and the service provider information of the terminal device indicates a service provider of the terminal device.

As another implementation method, in the process of acquiring the subscription data of the terminal device from the UDM, the UDM may acquire the identification information of the control plane network element and the identification information of the terminal device, and then the UDM actively sends a request message to the configuration network element or sends a request message to the configuration network element based on the request of the configuration network element. The request message includes the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the control plane network element, and the request message is used for notifying the configuration network element to send the configuration information to the terminal device through the control plane network element, so that the configuration network element can obtain the identification information of the control plane network element and the identification information of the terminal device. Subsequently, when the configuring network element determines that the configuring information of the terminal device is sent to the terminal device through the control plane, the configuring network element may send the configuring information of the terminal device to the control plane network element, and the control plane network element sends the configuring information of the terminal device to the terminal device, which refers to the above steps 302 to 304. In this method, if the configuring network element actively acquires the identification information of the AMF from the UDM when necessary, the method has the following advantages: when the identification information of the AMF stored in the UDM changes, the UDM does not need to notify the configuration network element in real time, but when the configuration is required, for example, the first configuration information needs to be sent to the terminal device, the configuration network element actively acquires the latest identification information of the AMF providing service for the terminal device from the UDM, so that the signaling overhead can be reduced.

Taking the example that the control plane network element is the AMF, a process of establishing a connection between the AMF and the configuration network element in a registration procedure of the terminal device is described below.

Fig. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method comprises the following steps:

step 401, the terminal device sends a registration request message to the AMF. Accordingly, the AMF receives the registration request message.

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

The registration request message includes identification information of the terminal device.

Optionally, the registration request message further includes information of the type of the terminal device and/or a service provider of the terminal device. The type of the terminal device may be, for example, a satellite flash terminal, an industrial terminal, or the like. The information of the service provider of the terminal device is used for indicating the information of the service provider providing the service for the terminal device.

As an implementation method, the terminal device may carry, by carrying a Network Access Identifier (NAI) in the registration request message, the identifier information of the terminal device and the information of the service provider of the terminal device, that is, the NAI includes the identifier information of the terminal device and the information of the service provider of the terminal device.

Step 402, the AMF sends a request message to the UDM. Accordingly, the UDM receives the request message.

The request message includes identification information of the terminal device, and the request message is used for requesting to acquire subscription data of the terminal device.

In step 403, the udm sends the subscription data of the terminal device to the AMF. Accordingly, the AMF receives the subscription data of the terminal device.

And the UDM searches the signing data of the terminal equipment according to the identification information of the terminal equipment and sends the signing data of the terminal equipment to the AMF, wherein the signing data comprises the identification information of the configuration network element, and the configuration network element stores the configuration information of the terminal equipment.

When the configuration information of a terminal device is stored in the configuration network element, the terminal device includes, in the subscription data in the UDM, identification information of the configuration network element, where the identification information may be identification or address information.

In an implementation method, the subscription data further includes information of a type of the terminal device and/or a service provider of the terminal device.

In one implementation method, the subscription data further includes identification information of the terminal device, where the identification information may be a user permanent identifier (SUPI), a general external user identifier (GPSI), or a device identifier of the terminal device. When the device identifier is the configuration information of the terminal device stored by the configuration network element, the device identifier is used to identify the terminal device corresponding to the configuration information, that is, the configuration network element stores the device identifier of the terminal device and the configuration information of the terminal device, and the device identifier is used to identify the terminal device.

In step 404, the amf stores identification information of the configured network element.

For example, the AMF stores the subscription data of the terminal device, which is obtained from the UDM, and the subscription data includes the identification information of the configured network element.

In step 405, the amf determines whether the terminal device is configured by the configuring network element.

For example, when the AMF determines that the type of the terminal device is the target type, it determines that the terminal device is configured by the configuring network element, otherwise it determines that the terminal device is not configured by the configuring network element.

For another example, when the AMF determines that the service provider of the terminal device is the target service provider, it determines that the terminal device is configured by the configuring network element, otherwise it determines that the terminal device is not configured by the configuring network element.

For another example, when the AMF determines that the type of the terminal device is the target type and the service provider of the terminal device is the target service provider, it determines that the terminal device is configured by the configuring network element, otherwise it determines that the terminal device is not configured by the configuring network element.

The type of the terminal device may be subscription data from the terminal device, or the registration request message from step 401. The information of the service provider of the terminal device may be subscription data from the terminal device or the registration request message from step 401 described above.

This step is an optional step. When this step is performed, if the AMF determines that the terminal device is configured by the configuring network element, the following steps 406 to 407 are performed, or steps 406 to 408 are performed, or steps 409 to 410 are performed. If the AMF determines that the terminal device is not configured by the configuring network element, none of the following steps 406 to 410 are performed.

If step 405 is not performed, the terminal device is configured by default by the configuring network element.

After the above step 404, or after the step 405 (if the step 405 is executed), the following steps 406 to 407 and 411 are executed, or the following steps 406 to 408 and 411 are executed, or the following steps 409 to 411 are executed.

Step 406, the amf sends a request message to the configuring network element. Accordingly, the configuring network element receives the request message.

The request message includes identification information of the terminal device and identification information of the AMF, and the identification information of the terminal device may be a registration request message from the terminal device or subscription data from the terminal device. The request message is used to notify the configuration network element to send configuration information to the terminal device through the AMF, so that the configuration network element may obtain the identification information of the AMF and the identification information of the terminal device, and subsequently, when the configuration network element determines that the configuration information of the terminal device is sent to the terminal device through the control plane, the configuration network element may send the configuration information of the terminal device to the AMF, and the AMF sends the configuration information to the terminal device, which specifically refers to the above steps 302 to 304.

In an implementation method, the configuring network element may search the context of the terminal device in the configuring network element according to the received identification information of the terminal device, and then store the identification information of the AMF in the context of the terminal device.

Step 407, the configuring network element sends a response message to the AMF. Accordingly, the AMF receives the response message.

The response message is used to notify the receipt of the identification information of the AMF.

Step 408, the configuring network element sends an online subscription message to the AMF. Accordingly, the AMF receives the online subscription message.

The online subscription message includes identification information of the terminal device, and is used for subscribing state change information of the terminal device. For example, when the terminal device is successfully registered, the AMF notifies the configuring network element. For another example, when the terminal device enters the connected state, the AMF also notifies the configuration network element. For another example, when the terminal device is unregistered, the AMF also notifies the configuring network element.

Note that this step 408 may be performed after the following step 411.

In step 409 the udm sends a request message to the configuring network element. Accordingly, the configuring network element receives the request message.

As an implementation method, if the step 409 is executed, the request message of the step 402 further includes identification information of the AMF in addition to identification information of the terminal device. Thus, the request message in step 409 carries the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the AMF, and the identification information of the terminal device may be a registration request message from the terminal device or subscription data from the terminal device. The request message is used to notify the configuration network element to send configuration information to the terminal device through the AMF, so that the configuration network element may obtain the identification information of the AMF and the identification information of the terminal device, and subsequently, when the configuration network element determines that the configuration information of the terminal device is sent to the terminal device through the control plane, the configuration network element may send the configuration information of the terminal device to the AMF, and the AMF sends the configuration information to the terminal device, which specifically refers to the above steps 302 to 304.

As another implementation method, if step 409 is executed, the request message in step 409 may carry the identification information of the terminal device, but does not carry the identification information of the AMF. Subsequently, when the configuring network element needs to send the first configuration information to the terminal device, the configuring network element may send the identifier information of the terminal device to the UDM, so as to request to acquire the identifier information of the AMF providing the service for the terminal device.

As an implementation method, the request message of step 409 may further include a registration status of the terminal device, where the registration status is used to indicate that the terminal device is currently in a registration status.

Therefore, the request message in step 409 may carry the identification information of the terminal device, or carry the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the AMF, or carry the identification information of the terminal device and the registration status of the terminal device, or carry the identification information of the terminal device, the identification information of the AMF, and the registration status of the terminal device.

Step 410, the configuration network element sends a response message to the UDM. Accordingly, the UDM receives the response message.

In step 411, the amf sends a registration accept message to the terminal device. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the registration acceptance message.

The registration accept message is used to indicate that the registration was successful.

According to the scheme, in the registration process of the terminal equipment, the connection establishment between the AMF and the configuration network element is completed, so that the AMF and the configuration network element can mutually obtain the identification information of the other party. The configuration network element can send the configuration information of the terminal equipment to the terminal equipment through the control plane network element according to the identification information of the control plane network element, and the control plane network element can send the reporting information to the configuration network element according to the identification information of the configuration network element after receiving the reporting information from the terminal equipment. The scheme can realize the configuration and information report of the terminal equipment through the control plane.

After the connection is established between the AMF and the configuring network element, the schemes of steps 302 to 304 may be performed. In an implementation method, the above steps 302 to 304 may be performed in a registration process of the terminal device. For example, step 302 is executed after step 406 and before step 407, and the response message of step 407 carries the first configuration information of step 303, and the registration accept message of step 411 or a NAS transport message that is sent in addition carries the first configuration information of step 304. In another implementation method, the above steps 302 to 304 may also be performed in a session establishment procedure or a session modification procedure after the registration procedure of the terminal device.

In the above, a method for establishing a connection between an AMF and a configuration network element when a control plane network element is an AMF is introduced. If the control plane network element is an SMF, the method for establishing the connection between the SMF and the configuring network element may be, for example: in the terminal registration flow, the session establishment flow or the session modification flow, the AMF acquires the identification information of the configured network element according to the method described in the above steps 402 to 403, then sends the identification information of the configured network element to the SMF, and then the SMF sends the identification information of the SMF to the configured network element according to the identification information of the configured network element, so that the SMF and the configured network element can mutually acquire the identification information of the other party, and the connection establishment between the SMF and the configured network element is completed. Or, the SMF may also obtain the subscription data of the terminal device from the UDM, obtain the identification information of the configured network element from the subscription data, and then send the identification information of the SMF to the configured network element by the SMF according to the identification information of the configured network element, so that the SMF and the configured network element can mutually obtain the identification information of the other party, and complete the connection establishment between the SMF and the configured network element.

The operations following the above-described step 304 are described below.

In case one, the first configuration information includes internet of things user data

Fig. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method comprises the following steps:

step 501, the terminal device configures the terminal device according to the user data of the internet of things.

The user data of the internet of things comprises one or more of version data, software data, firmware data or service parameters.

For example, the terminal device updates the local software according to the software data.

For another example, the terminal device updates the local firmware according to the firmware data.

For another example, the terminal device configures hardware or services of the terminal device according to the service parameters.

Step 502, the terminal device sends a configuration success indication or a failure reason value to the control plane network element. Correspondingly, the control plane network element receives the configuration success indication or the failure reason value.

For example, the terminal device may send a NAS message to the control plane network element, where the NAS message includes a configuration success indication or a failure cause value.

The configuration success indication is used for indicating that configuration is successful according to the user data of the Internet of things.

The failure reason value is used for indicating the reason of failure in configuration according to the user data of the Internet of things.

Optionally, this step 502 may be the response of step 304 described above.

In step 503, the control plane network element sends the configuration success indication or the failure cause value to the configuration network element. Correspondingly, the configuring network element receives the configuration success indication or the failure cause value.

Optionally, this step 503 may be the response of the above step 303.

By the scheme, the configuration network element can send the user data of the Internet of things to the terminal equipment through the control plane network element of the core network. On one hand, the terminal equipment can be rapidly configured through the control plane, and on the other hand, the configuration information sent through the user plane can be reduced, so that the overhead brought by the establishment of the user plane connection is reduced. And the configuration network element can also know whether the configuration result is successful or failed so as to conveniently decide whether to reconfigure, which is beneficial to improving the success rate of configuration.

In case two, the first configuration information includes an information reporting policy

The information reporting strategy comprises state parameters or state parameters and reporting conditions. Reference may be made to the preceding description regarding the meaning of the status parameters and reporting conditions.

Fig. 6 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method comprises the following steps:

step 601, the terminal device obtains the report information of the terminal device according to the state parameter.

The reported information has a corresponding relation with the state parameter.

For example, if the status parameter includes power information, the reported information includes the current remaining power and/or the current used power acquired by the terminal device.

For another example, if the status parameter includes version information, the report information includes version information of software and/or firmware acquired by the terminal device.

For another example, if the status parameter includes air interface status information, the report information includes air interface status information measured by the terminal device.

For another example, if the status parameter includes link status information, the report information includes link status information measured by the terminal device.

Step 602, the terminal device sends report information to the control plane network element. Correspondingly, the control plane network element receives the report information.

As an implementation method, the reporting information may be an internet of things information reporting container.

When the report information is an internet of things information report container, in this step 602, the terminal device further sends a parameter type of the internet of things information report container to the control plane network element, where the parameter type of the internet of things information report container is used for the control plane network element to send the internet of things information report container to the configuration network element.

As an implementation method, the terminal device may carry the reporting information in a PDU session setup request message, a PDU session update request message, or a PDU session update request message.

Step 603, the control plane network element sends the reporting information to the configuration network element. Correspondingly, the configuration network element receives the report information.

As an implementation method, the control plane network element may send a request message to the configuration network element, where the request message includes the identification information of the terminal device and the reporting information.

If the report information is an internet of things information report container, the step 603 specifically includes: and the control plane network element determines to send the Internet of things information reporting container to the configuration network element according to the parameter type of the Internet of things information reporting container, so that the control plane network element sends the Internet of things information reporting container to the configuration network element. That is, the control plane network element sends the internet of things information reporting container to the configuration network element according to the parameter type of the internet of things information reporting container.

After receiving the report information, the configuration network element can acquire the state of the terminal device according to the report information, so as to make a decision to generate more accurate configuration information. For example, whether the terminal device is faulty or not is determined according to whether the power information is abnormal or not. For example, whether the QoS parameter of the service flow needs to be modified is determined according to the link status information, and so on.

By the scheme, the configuration network element can send the information reporting strategy to the terminal equipment through the control plane network element of the core network. On one hand, the terminal equipment can be rapidly configured through the control plane, and on the other hand, the configuration information sent through the user plane can be reduced, so that the overhead brought by the establishment of the user plane connection is reduced. And the configuration network element can also receive the reported information from the terminal equipment from the control plane network element, so that the configuration network element can acquire the state of the terminal equipment according to the reported information, thereby facilitating the decision-making to generate more accurate configuration information and realizing the accurate configuration of the terminal equipment.

As an implementation method, the information reporting policy further includes a reporting condition. Optionally, each state parameter corresponds to one reporting condition, or multiple state parameters correspond to one reporting condition, or all state parameters correspond to the same reporting condition. For example, the reporting condition includes a reporting threshold corresponding to the power information in the state parameter, for example, reporting the power information when the power is lower than 10%. For another example, the reporting condition includes a reporting event corresponding to the version information in the status parameter, for example, the latest version information is reported after a version update event occurs. For another example, the reporting condition includes the air interface state information in the state parameter and the reporting period corresponding to the link state information, for example, reporting once per minute, or reporting the air interface state information and/or the link state information once per hour.

When the information reporting policy further includes a reporting condition, the step 602 may be: and the terminal equipment sends the reporting information to the control plane network element according to the reporting condition. Correspondingly, the control plane network element receives the report information sent by the terminal equipment according to the report condition.

Case three, the first configuration information includes indication information

Fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method comprises the following steps:

step 701, the terminal device establishes a user plane connection for transmitting the second configuration information between the terminal device and the configuration network element according to the indication information.

Specifically, the terminal device sends a request message to the control plane network element, where the request message is used to request establishment of a user plane connection between the terminal device and the configuration network element, and the request message may be a PDU session establishment request message, a PDU session update request message, or a PDU session update request message.

Step 702, the configuration network element sends the second configuration information to the terminal device through the user plane connection. Correspondingly, the terminal equipment receives the second configuration information.

Specifically, the configuring network element sends the second configuration information to a user plane network element (e.g., UPF), and then the user plane network element sends the second configuration information to the terminal device.

And 703, the terminal device configures the terminal device according to the second configuration information.

The second configuration information includes, for example, a firmware update big data packet and/or a software update big data packet.

Optionally, after step 703, the terminal device may send a configuration success indication or a failure cause value to the configuration network element through the control plane network element. The specific implementation is similar to the above steps 502 to 503, and reference may be made to the foregoing description.

It should be noted that, in the above-described various solutions, the first configuration information sent by the configuration network element to the terminal device through the control plane network element may include an information reporting policy, that is, the information reporting policy acquired by the terminal device is from the configuration information. As another implementation method, in the embodiment of the present application, a new technical scheme may be added as follows: the first configuration information includes the indication information and/or the internet of things user data, that is, the configuration network element still sends the indication information and/or the internet of things user data to the device through the control plane network element, and for the information reporting policy, the control plane network element obtains the information from the policy control network element (such as PCF), and then sends the information to the terminal device. That is, the control plane network element obtains the indication information and/or the internet of things user data from the configuration network element and obtains the information reporting policy from the policy control network element, and then the control plane network element sends the indication information and/or the internet of things user data to the terminal device and sends the information reporting policy in one or more steps. For example, with reference to the embodiment corresponding to fig. 3, the first configuration information in step 303 and step 304 includes indication information and/or internet of things user data, and meanwhile, the control plane network element may further receive an information reporting policy from the policy control network element, and send the information reporting policy to the terminal device before, after, or in step 304.

It is to be understood that, in order to implement the functions in the foregoing embodiments, the terminal device, the control plane network element or the configuration network element includes a corresponding hardware structure and/or software module for performing each function. Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the various illustrative elements and method steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as hardware or combinations of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed as hardware or computer software driven hardware depends on the particular application scenario and design constraints imposed on the solution.

Fig. 8 and 9 are schematic structural diagrams of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. These communication apparatuses may be configured to implement the functions of the terminal device, the control plane network element, or the configuration network element in the foregoing method embodiments, so that the beneficial effects of the foregoing method embodiments may also be achieved. In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device may be a terminal device, a control plane network element, or a configuration network element, or may be a module (e.g., a chip) applied to the terminal device, the control plane network element, or the configuration network element.

As shown in fig. 8, the communication device 800 includes a processing unit 810 and a transceiving unit 820. The communication apparatus 800 is configured to implement the functions of the terminal device, the control plane network element, or the configuration network element in the foregoing method embodiments.

In a first embodiment, the communication apparatus is configured to perform the operations performed by the control plane network element in the foregoing method embodiments, and includes: a processing unit 810, configured to obtain, by using the transceiving unit 820, subscription data of the terminal device from a data management network element in the core network, where the subscription data includes identification information of a configured network element; receiving, by the transceiving unit 820, first configuration information of the terminal device from the configuring network element; the first configuration information is transmitted to the terminal device through the transceiving unit 820.

As a possible implementation method, the processing unit 810 is further configured to send, according to the identification information of the configured network element, the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the control plane network element to the configured network element through the transceiving unit 820.

As a possible implementation method, the processing unit 810 is further configured to determine that the type of the terminal device is a target type and/or the service provider of the terminal device is a target service provider before sending, through the transceiving unit 820, the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the control plane network element to the configuring network element according to the identification information of the configuring network element.

As a possible implementation method, the processing unit 810 is further configured to receive, through the transceiving unit 820, the type information of the terminal device and/or the service provider information of the terminal device from the terminal device.

As a possible implementation method, the subscription data of the terminal device further includes type information of the terminal device and/or service provider information of the terminal device.

As a possible implementation method, the processing unit 810 is specifically configured to send the first configuration information to the terminal device through the transceiving unit 820 in the terminal registration procedure, the session establishment procedure, or the session modification procedure.

As a possible implementation method, the first configuration information is an internet of things user data container.

As a possible implementation method, the processing unit 810 is specifically configured to receive, through the transceiver unit 820, the internet of things user data container and the parameter type of the internet of things user data container from the configuration network element; and sending the internet of things user data container to the terminal device through the transceiving unit 820 according to the parameter type of the internet of things user data container.

As a possible implementation method, the first configuration information includes one or more of internet of things user data, indication information, or an information reporting policy; wherein the indication information indicates that the second configuration information is transmitted by using a user plane; the information reporting strategy comprises state parameters or state parameters and reporting conditions.

As a possible implementation method, the first configuration information includes an information reporting policy, and the information reporting policy includes a state parameter; the processing unit 810 is further configured to receive, through the transceiving unit 820, reporting information from the terminal device, where the reporting information corresponds to the status parameter; the reporting information is sent to the configured network element through the transceiving unit 820.

As a possible implementation method, the reporting information is an internet of things information reporting container.

As a possible implementation method, the processing unit 810 is specifically configured to receive, through the transceiving unit 820, an internet of things information reporting container from the terminal device and a parameter type of the internet of things information reporting container; and sending the internet of things information reporting container to the configuration network element through the transceiving unit 820 according to the parameter type of the internet of things information reporting container.

As a possible implementation method, the information reporting policy further includes a reporting condition; the processing unit 810 is configured to receive, through the transceiving unit 820, the reporting information sent by the terminal device according to the reporting condition.

As a possible implementation method, the first configuration information includes internet of things user data; the processing unit 810 is further configured to receive, through the transceiving unit 820, a configuration success indication or a failure cause value from the terminal device, where the configuration success indication is used to indicate that configuration is successful according to the internet of things user data, and the failure cause value is used to indicate a reason why configuration is failed according to the internet of things user data; the configuring success indication or the failure cause value is sent to the configuring network element through the transceiving unit 820.

In a second embodiment, the communication device is configured to perform the operations performed by the configuring network element in the above method embodiments, including: a processing unit 810, configured to determine that first configuration information of a terminal device is sent through a control plane network element of a core network; a transceiving unit 820, configured to send the first configuration information to the terminal device through the control plane network element.

As a possible implementation method, the transceiving unit 820 is further configured to receive the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the control plane network element from the control plane network element or the data management network element.

As a possible implementation method, the first configuration information includes internet of things user data; the transceiving unit 820 is further configured to receive, through the control plane network element, a configuration success indication or a failure cause value from the terminal device, where the configuration success indication is used to indicate that configuration is successful according to the internet of things user data, and the failure cause value is used to indicate a reason for failure in configuration according to the internet of things user data.

As a possible implementation method, the first configuration information includes an information reporting policy, and the information reporting policy includes a state parameter; the transceiving unit 820 is further configured to receive reporting information from the terminal device through the control plane network element, where the reporting information corresponds to the status parameter.

As a possible implementation method, the information reporting policy further includes a reporting condition; the transceiving unit 820 is specifically configured to receive, through the control plane network element, the reporting information sent by the terminal device according to the reporting condition.

As a possible implementation method, the first configuration information includes indication information indicating that the second configuration information is transmitted using a user plane; the processing unit 810 is further configured to obtain second configuration information; and determining that the second configuration information is sent to the terminal equipment through a user plane.

In a third embodiment, the communication apparatus is configured to perform the operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments, and includes: a processing unit 810, configured to send a registration request message to a mobility management network element of a core network through the transceiving unit 820, where the registration request message is used to request registration to a network; the first configuration information from the configuration network element of the core network is received through the transceiving unit 820 through a control plane network element of the core network, where the control plane network element is the mobility management network element or the session management network element.

As a possible implementation method, the first configuration information includes internet of things user data; the processing unit 810 is further configured to configure the terminal device according to the internet of things user data.

As a possible implementation method, the processing unit 810 is configured to send, through the transceiving unit 820, a configuration success indication or a failure cause value to the configuring network element through the control plane network element, where the configuration success indication is used to indicate that the configuration according to the internet of things user data is successful, and the failure cause value is used to indicate a reason for the failure in the configuration according to the internet of things user data.

As a possible implementation method, the first configuration information includes an information reporting policy, and the information reporting policy includes a state parameter; the processing unit 810 is further configured to obtain reporting information of the terminal device according to the state parameter; and sending the reporting information to the configuring network element through the control plane network element by the transceiving unit 820.

As a possible implementation method, the processing unit 810 is specifically configured to send the internet of things information reporting container and the parameter type of the internet of things information reporting container to the control plane network element through the transceiver unit 820, where the parameter type of the internet of things information reporting container is used for the control plane network element to send the internet of things information reporting container to the configuration network element.

As a possible implementation method, the information reporting policy further includes a reporting condition; the processing unit 810, specifically according to the reporting condition, sends the reporting information to the configured network element through the control plane network element through the transceiving unit 820.

As a possible implementation method, the first configuration information includes indication information indicating that the second configuration information is transmitted using a user plane; the processing unit 810 is further configured to establish, according to the indication information, a user plane connection between the terminal device and the configuring network element for transmitting the second configuration information.

As a possible implementation method, the processing unit 810 is configured to receive the first configuration information from the configuring network element through the transceiving unit 820 in a registration procedure or a session establishment procedure or a session modification procedure.

The more detailed description about the processing unit 810 and the transceiver 820 can be directly obtained by referring to the related description in the above method embodiment, which is not repeated herein.

As shown in fig. 9, the communication device 900 includes a processor 910. As one implementation method, the communication device 900 further includes an interface circuit 920, and the processor 910 and the interface circuit 920 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 920 may be a transceiver or an input-output interface. Where the communications apparatus 900 is a terminal device, the interface circuit 920 may be a transceiver, and the transceiver may receive an air interface message from an access network device or other devices, or send an air interface message to the access network device or other devices. As an implementation method, the communication device 900 may further include a memory 930 for storing instructions executed by the processor 910 or storing input data required by the processor 910 to execute the instructions or storing data generated by the processor 910 after executing the instructions.

When the communication device 900 is configured to implement the above method embodiments, the processor 910 is configured to implement the functions of the processing unit 810, and the interface circuit 920 is configured to implement the functions of the transceiving unit 820.

As an implementation method, the processor 910 executes instructions in the memory 930, so that the communication apparatus 900 performs the operations of the configuring network element in the above method embodiment, or performs the operations of the control plane network element in the above method embodiment, or performs the operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), other general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (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. The general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but may be any conventional processor.

The method steps in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by software instructions executed by a processor. The software instructions may be comprised of corresponding software modules that may be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read only memory, programmable read only memory, erasable programmable read only memory, electrically erasable programmable read only memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable hard disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium may also be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC may reside in a base station or a terminal. Of course, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a base station or terminal.

In the above embodiments, the implementation may be wholly or partially realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it 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 programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, a base station, user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer program or instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center by wire or wirelessly. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that integrates one or more available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape; optical media such as digital video disks; but also semiconductor media such as solid state disks. The computer readable storage medium may be volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

In the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or conflicting with respect to logic, the terms and/or descriptions in different embodiments have consistency and may be mutually cited, and technical features in different embodiments may be combined to form a new embodiment according to their inherent logic relationship.

In this application, "at least one" means one or more, "a plurality" means two or more. "and/or" describes the association relationship of the associated object, indicating that there may be three relationships, for example, a and/or B, which may indicate: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, wherein A and B can be singular or plural. In the description of the text of the present application, the character "/" generally indicates that the former and latter associated objects are in an "or" relationship; in the formula of the present application, the character "/" indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in a relationship of "division".

It is to be understood that the various numerical references referred to in the embodiments of the present application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes do not mean the execution sequence, and the execution sequence of the processes should be determined by their functions and inherent logic.

Claims

1. A method of communication, comprising:

a control plane network element in a core network acquires subscription data of terminal equipment from a data management network element in the core network, wherein the subscription data comprises identification information of a configuration network element;

the control plane network element receives first configuration information of the terminal equipment from the configuration network element;

and the control plane network element sends the first configuration information to the terminal equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

and the control plane network element sends the identification information of the terminal equipment and the identification information of the control plane network element to the configuration network element according to the identification information of the configuration network element.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein before the controlling plane network element sends the identification information of the terminal device and the identification information of the controlling plane network element to the configuring network element according to the identification information of the configuring network element, the method further comprises:

the control plane network element determines that the type of the terminal device is a target type and/or that a service provider of the terminal device is a target service provider.

4. The method of any of claims 1-3, wherein the first configuration information is an Internet of things user data container.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the receiving, by the control plane network element, the first configuration information from the terminal device of the configuring network element comprises:

the control plane network element receives the internet of things user data container from the configuration network element and the parameter type of the internet of things user data container;

the sending, by the control plane network element, the first configuration information to the terminal device includes:

and the control plane network element sends the user data container of the internet of things to the terminal equipment according to the parameter type of the user data container of the internet of things.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first configuration information comprises an information reporting policy, the information reporting policy comprising a status parameter; the method further comprises the following steps:

the control plane network element receives reported information from the terminal equipment, wherein the reported information corresponds to the state parameter;

and the control plane network element sends the reporting information to the configuration network element.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the reporting information is an Internet of things information reporting container.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the receiving, by the control plane network element, the reported information from the terminal device comprises:

the control plane network element receives an Internet of things information reporting container from the terminal equipment and the parameter type of the Internet of things information reporting container;

the sending, by the control plane network element, the reporting information to the configuration network element includes:

and the control plane network element sends the Internet of things information reporting container to the configuration network element according to the parameter type of the Internet of things information reporting container.

9. The method according to any of claims 6 to 8, wherein the information reporting policy further comprises a reporting condition; the receiving, by the control plane network element, the reported information from the terminal device includes:

and the control plane network element receives the reporting information sent by the terminal equipment according to the reporting condition.

10. The method of any of claims 1-5, wherein the first configuration information comprises Internet of things user data; the method further comprises the following steps:

the control plane network element receives a configuration success indication or a failure reason value from the terminal equipment, wherein the configuration success indication is used for indicating that the configuration is successful according to the user data of the Internet of things, and the failure reason value is used for indicating the reason of the configuration failure according to the user data of the Internet of things;

and the control plane network element sends the configuration success indication or the failure reason value to the configuration network element.

11. A method of communication, comprising:

a configuration network element of a core network determines that first configuration information of terminal equipment is sent through a control plane network element of the core network;

and the configuration network element sends the first configuration information to the terminal equipment through the control plane network element.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

and the configuration network element receives the identification information of the terminal equipment and the identification information of the control plane network element from the control plane network element or the data management network element.

13. The method of claim 11 or 12, wherein the first configuration information is an internet of things user data container.

14. The method of any of claims 11 to 13, wherein the first configuration information comprises internet of things user data; the method further comprises the following steps:

and the configuration network element receives a configuration success indication or a failure reason value from the terminal equipment through the control plane network element, wherein the configuration success indication is used for indicating that the configuration is successful according to the user data of the internet of things, and the failure reason value is used for indicating the reason of the configuration failure according to the user data of the internet of things.

15. The method according to any of claims 11 to 13, wherein the first configuration information comprises an information reporting policy, the information reporting policy comprising a status parameter; the method further comprises the following steps:

and the configuration network element receives the reporting information from the terminal equipment through the control plane network element, wherein the reporting information corresponds to the state parameter.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the information reporting policy further comprises a reporting condition; the step of the configuration network element receiving the reported information from the terminal equipment through the control plane network element includes:

and the configuration network element receives the reporting information sent by the terminal equipment according to the reporting condition through the control plane network element.

17. The method according to any of claims 11 to 13, wherein the first configuration information comprises indication information indicating that second configuration information is transmitted using a user plane; the method further comprises the following steps:

the configuration network element acquires second configuration information;

and the configuration network element determines that the second configuration information is sent to the terminal equipment through a user plane.

18. A method of communication, comprising:

the terminal equipment sends a registration request message to a mobile management network element of a core network, wherein the registration request message is used for requesting registration to the network;

the terminal device receives first configuration information from a configuration network element of a core network through a control plane network element of the core network, wherein the control plane network element is the mobility management network element or the session management network element.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first configuration information is an internet of things user data container.

20. The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein the first configuration information comprises internet of things user data; the method further comprises the following steps:

and the terminal equipment configures the terminal equipment according to the user data of the Internet of things.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:

and the terminal equipment sends a configuration success indication or a failure reason value to the configuration network element through the control surface network element, wherein the configuration success indication is used for indicating that the configuration is successful according to the user data of the Internet of things, and the failure reason value is used for indicating the reason of the failure in the configuration according to the user data of the Internet of things.

22. The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein the first configuration information comprises an information reporting policy, the information reporting policy comprising a status parameter; the method further comprises the following steps:

the terminal equipment acquires the reported information of the terminal equipment according to the state parameters;

and the terminal equipment sends the reporting information to the configuration network element through the control plane network element.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the reporting information is an internet of things information reporting container.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the sending, by the terminal device, the reporting information to the configuring network element through the control plane network element includes:

the terminal equipment sends the Internet of things information reporting container and the parameter type of the Internet of things information reporting container to the control surface network element, and the parameter type of the Internet of things information reporting container is used for the control surface network element to send the Internet of things information reporting container to the configuration network element.

25. The method according to claim 22 or 23, wherein the information reporting policy further comprises a reporting condition;

the sending, by the terminal device, the report information to the configuration network element through the control plane network element includes:

and the terminal equipment sends the reporting information to the configuration network element through the control plane network element according to the reporting condition.

26. The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein the first configuration information comprises indication information indicating that second configuration information is transmitted using a user plane; the method further comprises the following steps:

and the terminal equipment establishes a user plane connection for transmitting second configuration information between the terminal equipment and the configuration network element according to the indication information.

27. A communication device comprising a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store computer readable instructions, and the processor is configured to execute the computer readable instructions stored by the memory to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 10, or to perform the method of any of claims 11 to 17, or to perform the method of any of claims 18 to 26.

28. A computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer-readable program or instructions is stored, which, when executed by a communication device, implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 10, or performs the method of any one of claims 11 to 17, or performs the method of any one of claims 18 to 26.

29. A communication system, comprising:

a control plane network element in a core network for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 10; and

and the configuration network element of the core network is used for sending first configuration information to the control plane network element.

30. A communication system, comprising:

a configuring network element in a core network for performing the method of any one of claims 11 to 17; and

and the control plane network element of the core network is configured to receive the first configuration information from the configuration network element and send the first configuration information to the terminal device.