CN111918302B

CN111918302B - Method and apparatus for network slice update

Info

Publication number: CN111918302B
Application number: CN201910375489.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈靖; 董剑
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-05-07
Filing date: 2019-05-07
Publication date: 2022-05-13
Anticipated expiration: 2039-05-07
Also published as: WO2020224582A1; CN111918302A

Abstract

The application provides a method and a device for updating a network slice. The AMF receives indication information of the terminal for indicating the change of the network slice selection result, so that the AMF can send network slice updating information to the terminal, the terminal can update the network slice, and the terminal can adopt a proper network slice to communicate, thereby improving the communication efficiency.

Description

Method and apparatus for network slice update

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a method and apparatus for network slice update.

Background

In the 5th generation (5G) wireless communication system, a network slice (network slice) is introduced, and different services, such as an internet access service, a voice service, an ultra-low delay service, an internet of things service, and the like, are provided through different network slices. A network slice may be identified using single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI).

In a conventional scheme, a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) network element may select a network slice selection result for a terminal, and send the selected network slice selection result to the terminal through an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element. However, when the network slice selection result of the terminal changes, the AMF or the terminal cannot know the change of the network slice selection result, so that the communication efficiency is reduced.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a method and a device for updating a network slice, which can improve the communication efficiency.

In a first aspect, a method for updating a network slice is provided, and the method includes that an access and mobility management function (AMF) receives indication information, wherein the indication information is used for indicating a terminal with a changed network slice selection result; and the AMF sends network slice updating information to the terminal, and the network slice updating information is used for updating the network slice of the terminal.

The AMF receives indication information of the terminal for indicating the change of the network slice selection result, so that the AMF can send network slice updating information to the terminal, the terminal can update the network slice, and the terminal can adopt a proper network slice to communicate, thereby improving the communication efficiency.

In some possible implementations, the receiving, by the AMF, the indication information includes: the AMF receives the indication information from the operation maintenance OM system; alternatively, the AMF receives the indication information from a network slice selection function NSSF.

The AMF may receive the indication information from the OM system or the NSSF, thereby implementing various implementations of improving communication efficiency.

In some possible implementations, before the AMF receives the indication information from the NSSF, the method further includes: the AMF sends the identifier of the terminal to the NSSF, where the identifier of the terminal is used by the NSSF to determine whether a network slice selection result of the terminal changes.

The AMF can send the identifier of the terminal to the NSSF to trigger the NSSF to detect whether the network slice selection result of the terminal corresponding to the identifier of the terminal changes or not, so that the NSSF is helped to inform the terminal of selecting a more appropriate network slice in time, and the communication efficiency is improved.

In some possible implementations, the AMF sending the identity of the terminal to the NSSF includes: the AMF sends a subscription message to the NSSF, where the subscription message is used to request the NSSF to send the indication information when a network slice selection result of the terminal changes, and the subscription message includes an identifier of the terminal; the receiving, by the AMF, the indication information from the NSSF includes: the AMF receives a response message of the subscription message from the NSSF, where the response message of the subscription message carries the indication information.

The terminal identifier sent by the AMF to the NSSF and used for determining whether the network slice selection result of the terminal changes according to the identifier and the mapping relation of the terminal can be carried in the subscription message, so that the terminal identifier is prevented from being sent independently, and the resource expense is saved.

In some possible implementations, the indication information includes an identity of the terminal.

The indication information may indicate the terminal with the changed network slice selection result through the identifier of the terminal, that is, the embodiment of the present application provides an implementation manner of indicating the terminal with the changed network slice selection result.

In a second aspect, a method for updating a network slice is provided, the method including a first network element determining that a network slice selection result of a terminal changes; the first network element sends indication information to an access and mobility management function AMF, where the indication information is used to indicate the terminal.

The first network element sends the indication information of the terminal for indicating the change of the network slice selection result to the AMF, so that the AMF can send the network slice updating information to the terminal, and further the terminal can update the network slice, namely the terminal can adopt a proper network slice for communication, thereby improving the communication efficiency.

In some possible implementations, the first network element is a network slice selection function NSSF, and the method further includes: the first network element receives the identification of the terminal; the first network element determining that a network slice selection result of the terminal changes includes: and the first network element determines that the network slice selection result of the terminal changes according to the identifier of the terminal and a mapping relation, wherein the mapping relation is the mapping relation between the identifier of the terminal and the network slice selection result.

The NSSF can detect whether the network slice selection result of the terminal corresponding to the identifier of the terminal changes or not according to the identifier of the terminal, thereby being beneficial to informing the terminal to select a more appropriate network slice in time and improving the communication efficiency.

In some possible implementations, the receiving, by the first network element, the identity of the terminal includes: the first network element receives a subscription message from the AMF, where the subscription message is used to request the NSSF to send the indication information when the network slice selection result of the terminal changes, and the subscription message carries an identifier of the terminal; the sending, by the first network element, the indication information to the AMF includes: and the first network element sends a subscription response message to the AMF, wherein the subscription response message carries the indication information.

In some possible implementations, the determining, by the first network element, that the network slice selection result of the terminal changes includes: when the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal changes and the changed network slice allowed to be used by the terminal does not include the network slice selected by the terminal, the first network element determines that the network slice selection result of the terminal changes.

And when the OM system learns that the network slice which can be used by the terminal currently changes, judging whether the change affects the network slice which is selected by the terminal. If the OM system determines that the network slice currently allowed to be used by the terminal does not include the network slice selected by the terminal, the OM system may determine that the network slice selection result of the terminal changes. Therefore, the situation that the network slice selection result of the terminal is still considered to be changed when the network slice selection result is changed and the network slice used by the terminal is influenced can be avoided, whether the network slice selection result of the terminal is changed or not can be judged more accurately, whether network slice updating is needed or not can be judged more accurately, and the communication efficiency is further improved.

In some possible implementations, the method further includes: the first network element sends a configuration policy modification request to the NSSF, wherein the configuration policy modification request is used for requesting a configuration policy, and the configuration policy is used for indicating a network slice allowed to be used by the terminal; the first network element receives a response message to the configuration policy modification request from the NSSF, the response message to the configuration policy modification request including the configuration policy.

The OM system may send a configuration policy modification request to the NSSF, where the configuration policy modification request is used to request a configuration policy, and after receiving the configuration policy modification request, the NSSF updates the current configuration policy and sends the updated configuration policy to the OM system through a response message of the configuration policy modification request. And the OM system determines whether the updated configuration strategy has influence on the current network slice serving the terminal according to the updated configuration strategy. And if the limited network slice indicated by the updated configuration strategy comprises the network slice currently serving the terminal, determining that the network slice selection result of the terminal changes by the OM system. Namely, the OM system in the embodiment of the application can trigger and judge whether the network slice changes, so that the judgment of whether the network slice selection result changes is facilitated under the condition that the network slice selection result needs to be changed, and then whether the network slice needs to be updated can be judged more accurately, and the communication efficiency is further improved.

In a third aspect, a method for network slice update is provided, the method comprising: receiving the area information of which the network slice selection result changes by an access and mobile management function (AMF); and the AMF sends network slice updating information to the terminal according to the area information, wherein the network slice updating information is used for updating the network slice by the terminal.

The AMF receives the area information of the changed network slice selection result and sends the network slice updating information to the terminal in the area indicated by the area information, and the terminal can update the network slice according to the network slice updating information, for example, register again to obtain a new network slice selection result, so that the appropriate network slice can be adopted for communication, and the communication efficiency is improved.

In some possible implementations, the area information includes at least one of public land mobile network identification, tracking area range, and identification of the AMF.

The AMF can accurately determine the corresponding area according to the public land mobile network identification in the area information, and sends the network slice updating information to the terminal in the area, so that the sending of the network slice updating information to the terminal in the area which does not need to carry out network slice updating detection can be reduced, and the signaling overhead is saved.

In some possible implementations, the receiving, by the AMF, the area information of the change in the network slice selection result includes: the AMF receives the region information from an operation maintenance OM system; alternatively, the AMF receives the area information from a network slice selection function NSSF.

The AMF may receive the region information from the OM system or the NSSF, thereby implementing various implementations of improving communication efficiency.

In some possible implementations, the method further includes: the AMF sends a subscription message to the NSSF, wherein the subscription message is used for requesting the NSSF to send the area information under the condition that the network slice selection result is changed; the AMF receiving the region information from the NSSF includes: the AMF receives a response message of the subscription message from the NSSF, wherein the response message of the subscription message carries the area information.

The area information sent by the AMF to the NSSF can be carried in the subscription message, so that the area information is prevented from being sent independently, and the resource overhead is saved.

In a fourth aspect, a method for network slice update is provided, the method comprising: the first network element determines the area information of the change of the network slice selection result; the first network element sends the area information to an access and mobility management function, AMF.

The first network element determines the area information of the changed network slice selection result and sends the area information to the AMF, so that the AMF sends network slice update information to the terminal in the area indicated by the area information, and the terminal can update the network slice according to the network slice update information, for example, register again to obtain a new network slice selection result, so that proper network slices can be adopted for communication, and the communication efficiency is improved.

The first network element sends the area information to the AMF, so that the AFM can accurately determine the corresponding area according to the public land mobile network identifier in the area information, and sends the network slice updating information to the terminal in the area, thereby reducing the sending of the network slice updating information to the terminal in the area which does not need to carry out network slice updating detection, and saving signaling overhead.

In some possible implementations, the determining, by the first network element, the area information where the network slice selection result changes includes: when the network slice group allowed to be used by the terminal is changed, the first network element determines the area information of the changed network slice selection result according to the changed network slice group; or when the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal in the network slice group changes, the first network element determines the area information of the change of the network slice selection result according to the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal in the changed network slice group; or when the network slice which is forbidden to be used by the terminal in the network slice group changes, the first network element determines the area information of the change of the network slice selection result according to the network slice which is forbidden to be used by the terminal in the changed network slice group; or when the AMF which prohibits the terminal from accessing changes, the first network element determines the area information of the change of the network slice selection result according to the changed AMF which prohibits the terminal from accessing; or when the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal changes, the first network element determines the area information of which the network slice selection result changes according to the changed network slice allowed to be used by the terminal.

Whether to allow a network slice used by a terminal may be divided in a network slice group, a slice within a network slice group, or an individual network slice. When a network slice group allowed to be used by the terminal, a network slice allowed to be used by the terminal in the network slice group, a network slice prohibited from being used by the terminal in the network slice group, a network slice allowed to be used by the terminal, and an AMF prohibited from being accessed by the terminal are changed, a slice selection result of the terminal may be affected. Therefore, the first network element determines the area information of the change of the network slice selection result and informs the AMF of the area information, so that the terminal is facilitated to detect whether the current network slice selection result needs to be updated, the terminal is enabled to adopt the appropriate network slice selection result for communication, and the communication efficiency is improved.

In some possible implementations, the first network element is an operation maintenance OM system, and before the first network element determines, according to the changed network slice allowed to be used by the terminal, the area information where the network slice selection result changes, the method further includes: the first network element sends a configuration policy modification request to the NSSF, wherein the configuration policy modification request is used for requesting a configuration policy, and the configuration policy is used for indicating a network slice allowed to be used by a terminal; the first network element receives a response message to the configuration policy modification request from the NSSF, the response message to the configuration policy modification request including the configuration policy.

The OM system may detect whether the network slice selection result of the current terminal may be affected by an active triggering manner. Therefore, the OM system can flexibly detect whether the network slice selection result changes, and the flexibility of detecting the network slice selection result is improved.

In some possible implementations, the method further includes: the first network element receives a subscription message from the AMF, where the subscription message is used to request the NSSF to send the area information when the network slice selection result changes; the sending, by the first network element, the area information includes: and the first network element sends a response message of the subscription message to the AMF, wherein the response message of the subscription message carries the area information.

The AMF can send a response message of the subscription information to the NSSF, and the response message of the subscription information carries the area information, so that the AMF can avoid independently sending the area information, and the resource overhead is saved.

In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided, which may be an AMF or a chip within an AMF. The apparatus has the functionality to implement the first aspect described above, as well as various possible implementations. 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 one possible design, the apparatus includes: the device further comprises a processing module, the transceiver module may be at least one of a transceiver, a receiver, and a transmitter, and the receiving module and the transmitting module may include a radio frequency circuit or an antenna. The processing module may be a processor. Optionally, the apparatus further comprises a storage module, which may be a memory, for example. When included, the memory module is used to store instructions. The processing module is connected with the storage module, and the processing module can execute the instructions stored in the storage module or other instructions from other sources, so as to enable the apparatus to execute the communication method of the first aspect and various possible implementations. In this design, the apparatus may be an access network device.

In another possible design, when the device is a chip, the chip includes: a receiving module and a sending module, optionally, the apparatus further includes a processing module, and the receiving module and the sending module may be, for example, an input/output interface, a pin, a circuit, or the like on the chip. The processing module may be, for example, a processor. The processing module may execute instructions to cause a chip within the terminal to perform the first aspect described above, and any possible implemented communication method. Alternatively, the processing module may execute instructions in a memory module, which may be an on-chip memory module, such as a register, a cache, and the like. The memory module may also be located within the communication device, but outside the chip, such as a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static memory devices that may store static information and instructions, a Random Access Memory (RAM), and so on.

The processor mentioned in any of the above may be a general-purpose Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of programs of the communication methods in the above aspects.

In a sixth aspect, an apparatus for updating a network slice is provided, where the apparatus may be a first network element or a chip in the first network element. The first network element may be an NSSF or an OM system. The apparatus has the functionality to implement the second aspect described above, as well as various possible implementations. 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 one possible design, the apparatus includes: the device comprises a processing module and a sending module. Optionally, the apparatus further comprises a receiving module. The receiving module and the transmitting module may be at least one of a transceiver, a receiver, and a transmitter, for example, and the receiving and transmitting module may include a radio frequency circuit or an antenna. The processing module may be a processor.

Optionally, the apparatus further comprises a storage module, which may be a memory, for example. When included, the memory module is used to store instructions. The processing module is connected to the storage module, and the processing module can execute the instructions stored in the storage module or the instructions from other sources, so as to cause the apparatus to perform the method of the second aspect or any one of the above aspects.

In another possible design, when the device is a chip, the chip includes: the chip comprises a receiving module and a sending module, and optionally, the chip further comprises a processing module. The receiving module and the transmitting module may be, for example, input/output interfaces, pins or circuits, etc. on the chip. The processing module may be, for example, a processor. The processing module may execute instructions to cause a chip within the terminal to perform the second aspect described above, as well as any possible implemented communication method.

Alternatively, the processing module may execute instructions in a memory module, which may be an on-chip memory module, such as a register, a cache, and the like. The memory module may also be located within the communication device but outside the chip, such as a ROM or other type of static memory device that can store static information and instructions, a RAM, etc.

The processor mentioned in any of the above may be a CPU, a microprocessor, an ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of programs of the communication methods of the above aspects.

In a seventh aspect, a device is provided, which may be an AMF or a chip within an AMF. The device has the functions of realizing the three aspects and various possible implementation modes. 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 one possible design, the apparatus includes: the device comprises a receiving module, a sending module and a processing module. The receiving module and the transmitting module may be at least one of a transceiver, a receiver, and a transmitter, for example, and the receiving module and the transmitting module may include a radio frequency circuit or an antenna. The processing module may be a processor. Optionally, the apparatus further comprises a storage module, which may be a memory, for example. When included, the memory module is used to store instructions. The processing module is connected with the storage module, and the processing module can execute the instructions stored by the storage module or other instructions to enable the device to execute the three aspects and the communication method of various possible implementation modes. In this design, the apparatus may be an access network device.

In another possible design, when the device is a chip, the chip includes: the device comprises a receiving module, a sending module and a processing module, and optionally the device further comprises a processing module, and the receiving module and the sending module can be, for example, an input/output interface, a pin, a circuit, or the like on the chip. The processing module may be, for example, a processor. The processing module can execute instructions to cause a chip in the terminal to perform the above three aspects and any possible implemented communication method. Alternatively, the processing module may execute instructions in a memory module, which may be an on-chip memory module, such as a register, a cache, and the like. The memory module may also be located within the communication device but external to the chip, such as a ROM or other type of static storage device that may store static information and instructions, a RAM, etc.

In an eighth aspect, an apparatus for updating a network slice is provided, where the apparatus may be a first network element or a chip in the first network element. The apparatus has the function of implementing the fourth aspect described above, as well as various possible implementations. 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.

Optionally, the apparatus further comprises a storage module, which may be a memory, for example. When included, the memory module is configured to store instructions. The processing module is connected to the storage module, and the processing module can execute the instructions stored in the storage module or the instructions from other sources, so as to cause the apparatus to perform the method of the fourth aspect or any one of the above aspects.

In another possible design, when the device is a chip, the chip includes: the chip comprises a receiving module and a sending module, and optionally, the chip further comprises a processing module. The receiving module and the transmitting module may be, for example, input/output interfaces, pins or circuits, etc. on the chip. The processing module may be, for example, a processor. The processing module can execute instructions to cause a chip within the terminal to perform the fourth aspect described above, as well as any possible implemented communication method.

Alternatively, the processing module may execute instructions in a memory module, which may be an on-chip memory module, such as a register, a cache, and the like. The memory module may also be located within the communication device but external to the chip, such as a ROM or other type of static storage device that may store static information and instructions, a RAM, etc.

In a ninth aspect, there is provided a computer storage medium having program code stored therein for instructing execution of instructions for performing the method of the first aspect, and any possible implementation thereof.

A tenth aspect provides a computer storage medium having stored therein program code for instructing execution of the instructions of the method of the second aspect, and any possible implementation thereof.

In an eleventh aspect, there is provided a computer storage medium having stored therein program code for instructing execution of instructions for performing the method of the third aspect, and any possible implementation thereof.

In a twelfth aspect, there is provided a computer storage medium having stored therein program code for instructing execution of instructions of the method of the fourth aspect, and any possible implementation thereof.

In a thirteenth aspect, there is provided a computer program product containing instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the first aspect described above, or any possible implementation thereof.

In a fourteenth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the second aspect described above, or any possible implementation thereof.

In a fifteenth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the third aspect described above, or any possible implementation thereof.

In a sixteenth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the fourth aspect, or any possible implementation thereof.

A seventeenth aspect provides a communication system comprising the apparatus of the fifth aspect and the apparatus of the sixth aspect.

In an eighteenth aspect, there is provided a communication system comprising the apparatus of the seventh aspect and the apparatus of the eighth aspect.

Based on the technical scheme, the AMF receives indication information of the terminal for indicating that the network slice selection result changes, so that the AMF can send network slice updating information to the terminal, the terminal can update the network slice, and the terminal can adopt a proper network slice to communicate, thereby improving the communication efficiency.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a network slice of an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic flow diagram of a network slicing request in a conventional scheme;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a selection network slice selection in a conventional scheme;

FIG. 5 is a schematic flow chart diagram of a method for network slice update of one embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic flow chart diagram of a method for network slice update of another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for network slice update of one embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for network slice update according to one embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for network slice update of another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for network slice update according to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for network slice update of yet another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus for network slice update of yet another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for network slice update of yet another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus for network slice update of yet another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for network slice update according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 16 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating a method for network slice update in accordance with one embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 17 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating a method for network slice update in accordance with another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 18 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating a method for network slice update in accordance with another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 19 is a schematic flow chart diagram of a method for network slice update according to another embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

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

The technical scheme of the embodiment of the application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: global system for mobile communications (GSM) systems, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) systems, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), universal mobile telecommunications system (universal mobile telecommunications system, UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication systems, future fifth generation (5G) or new radio NR systems, etc.

A terminal in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a User Equipment (UE), an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user equipment. The terminal may also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal in a future 5G network or a terminal in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), and the like, which is not limited in this embodiment.

The access network device in the embodiment of the present application may be a device for communicating with a terminal, the access network device may be a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) in a global system for mobile communications (GSM) system or a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, may be a base station (NodeB) in a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, may be an evolved NodeB (NB, NodeB) in an LTE system, may be a wireless controller in a Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN) scenario, or may be a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and an access network device in a future 5G network or an access network device in a future evolved PLMN network, one or a set of antennas (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system, alternatively, the network node may also be a network node that forms a gNB or a transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU), a Distributed Unit (DU), or the like, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited.

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

In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal or the access network device includes a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. The hardware layer includes hardware such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Memory Management Unit (MMU), and a memory (also referred to as a main memory). The operating system may be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes (processes), such as a Linux operating system, a Unix operating system, an Android operating system, an iOS operating system, or a windows operating system. The application layer comprises applications such as a browser, an address list, word processing software, instant messaging software and the like. The embodiment of the present application does not particularly limit a specific structure of the execution main body of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, as long as the execution main body can communicate with the method provided in the embodiment of the present application by running the program recorded with the code of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, for example, the execution main body of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application may be a terminal or an access network device, or a functional module capable of calling the program and executing the program in the terminal or the access network device.

In addition, various aspects or features of the present application may be implemented as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programming and/or engineering techniques. For example, computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, or magnetic tape), optical disks (e.g., Compact Disk (CD), Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), card, stick, or key drive, etc.). In addition, various storage media described herein can represent one or more devices and/or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" can include, without being limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and/or carrying instruction(s) and/or data.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application. Taking 5G network architecture as an example, the network architecture includes: a terminal 101, a (radio) access network equipment (R) AN102, a User Plane Function (UPF) network element 103, a Data Network (DN) network element 104, AN authentication server function (AUSF) network element 105, AN AMF network element 106, a Session Management Function (SMF) network element 107, a network open function (NEF) network element 108, a network function library function (network relocation function, NRF) network element 109, a policy control function module (policy control function, PCF) network element 110, a unified data management (udified data management, UDM) network element 111, and AN NSSF network element 112. UPF network element 103, DN network element 104, AUSF network element 105, AMF network element 106, SMF network element 107, NEF network element 108, NRF network element 109, Policy Control Function (PCF) network element 110, UDM network element 111, NSSF network element 112 are referred to below simply as UPF103, DN104, AUSF105, AMF106, SMF107, NEF108, NRF109, PCF110, UDM111, NSSF 112.

The terminal 101 is mainly accessed to the 5G network through a wireless air interface and obtains services, and interacts with the RAN through the air interface and interacts with the AMF of the core network through non-access stratum signaling (NAS). RAN102 is responsible for air interface resource scheduling and air interface connection management for terminal access networks. The UPF103 is responsible for forwarding and receiving user data in the terminal. For example, the UPF may receive user data from the data network and transmit the user data to the terminal through the access network device, and may also receive user data from the terminal through the access network device and forward the user data to the data network. The transmission resources and scheduling functions in the UPF103 for serving the terminal are managed and controlled by the SMF network element. The AUSF105 belongs to a core network control plane network element, and is mainly responsible for authentication and authorization of a user to ensure that the user is a legal user. The AMF106 belongs to a core network element and is mainly responsible for a signaling processing part, such as: the AMF106 may also provide a storage resource of a control plane for a session in the terminal when providing a service for the session, so as to store a session identifier, an SMF network element identifier associated with the session identifier, and the like. The SMF107 is responsible for user plane network element selection, user plane network element redirection, Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation, bearer establishment, modification, and release, and quality of service (QoS) control. NEF108 belongs to a core network control plane network element, and is responsible for opening mobile network capabilities to the outside. NRF109 belongs to a core network control plane network element, and is responsible for dynamic registration of service capabilities of network functions and network function discovery. PCF110 is primarily responsible for providing a unified policy framework to control network behavior, providing policy rules to control layer network functions, and acquiring user subscription information related to policy decisions. The UDM111 belongs to a core network control plane network element and a home subscriber server, and may be used for unified data management, and support functions such as 3GPP authentication, user identity operation, permission grant, registration, and mobility management. The NSSF112 is used to complete the network slice selection function for the terminal. The NSSF112 belongs to the core network control plane entity and is responsible for the selection of the target NSI.

In the network architecture, Nausf is a service-based interface presented by AUSF105, Namf is a service-based interface presented by AMF106, Nsmf is a service-based interface presented by SMF107, Nnef is a service-based interface presented by NEF108, nrrf is a service-based interface presented by NRF109, Npcf is a service-based interface presented by PCF110, numm is a service-based interface presented by UDM111, and NSSF is a service-based interface presented by NSSF 112. N1 is a reference point between the UE101 and the AMF106, N2 is a reference point of the (R) AN102 and the AMF106, for non-access stratum (NAS) message transmission, etc.; n3 is a reference point between (R) AN102 and UPF103 for transmitting user plane data and the like; n4 is a reference point between SMF107 and UPF103, and is used to transmit information such as tunnel identification information, data cache indication information, and downlink data notification message of N3 connection; the N6 interface is a reference point between the UPF103 and DN104 for transmitting user plane data and the like.

The following is a description of terms involved in the present application.

Network slice group identification (configured NSSAI):

the terminal stores a network slice group identifier for each operator network, and when the terminal is in the operator network, the terminal can request the access network device to use the network slice corresponding to the network slice identifier in the network slice group identifier. The network slice group identity may comprise a network slice identity that is configurable by the access network device. The network slice identity may be an S-NSSAI.

Allowed/forbidden (rejected) NSSAI:

the access network device may send an allowed/rejected NSSAI in the network slice group identifier to the terminal, and the terminal may know whether the corresponding network slice is available according to the allowed/rejected NSSAI.

Network Slice Instance (NSI):

consisting of a set of Network Function (NF) instances, each representing a set of compute/storage/network resources, provides a deployable network slicing function.

Network slice selection result:

each terminal may correspond to one or more network slice selection results, which may include at least one of a configured NSSAI, an allowed/rejected NSSAI in a network slice group, and an AMF identity.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a network slice. For example, network slice a includes NSI1, network slice B includes NSI1 and NSI 2, and network slice C includes NSI 3. Different network slices provide different services, such as internet access service, voice service, ultra-low latency service, or internet of things service.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic flow diagram of a network slicing request in a conventional scheme.

301, the AMF sends a first request message to the NSSF.

Wherein the first request message includes a Tracking Area Identity (TAI) of an area served by the AMF and a list of S-NSSAIs supported by a tracking area of the area served by the AMF. The first request message may be nssf _ NSSelection _ get _ request.

It should be understood that the tracking area supported S-NSSAI list may also be referred to as "TAI NSSAI".

The NSSF sends a response message to the AMF for the first request message 302.

Wherein the response message of the first request message is used for indicating that the NSSF receives the first request message.

303, the terminal sends a second request message to the AMF.

Wherein the second request message is used for requesting the terminal for the network slice which can be used.

In addition, the second request message may also carry a network slice identifier (e.g., requested NSSAI) of a network slice requested to be used by the terminal, a network slice identifier of a subscription network slice, a terminal identifier (e.g., Home-PLMN-ID of UE), a TAI, and the like.

It should be understood that the second request message may be a "registration request message".

The AMF sends 304 a third request message to the UDM.

The third request message is used to request to acquire a network slice (e.g., a subscribed network slice identifier (subscribed NSSAI)) subscribed to by the terminal.

305, the UDM sends a response message to the AMF for the third request message.

Wherein, the response message of the third request message carries a group of network slices signed by the terminal.

The AMF sends a fourth request message to the NSSF 306.

Wherein the fourth request message is used for requesting an appropriate network slice for the terminal.

Specifically, the fourth request message may carry information in the second request message. The fourth request message may also carry the TAI NSSAI in the first request message.

It should be understood that the information in the second request message and the TAI NSSAI in the first request message may be used as input information (AMF input information) of the AMF. The AMF input information may indicate which TAIs the AMF supports, and which TAIs NSSAIs each TAI supports.

307, the NSSF selects a suitable network slice selection result for the terminal according to the fourth request message and by combining a local configuration policy (local configuration) and network slice load level information (load level information).

Illustratively, the local configuration policy is used to indicate which TAI NSSAIs are supported by the TAI to which the terminal belongs, and the network slice load level information may indicate the load condition of each network slice. Thus, the NSSF may match the TAI NSSAI carried in the fourth request message with the TAI NSSAI indicated by the local configuration policy, for example, the NSSF may find the intersecting TAI NSSAI. In addition, the NSSF can finally select the TAI NSSAI with less load according to the load condition of the TAI NSSAI at the intersection.

Wherein the network slice selection result may include at least one of configured NSSAI, allowed/rejected NSSAI in the network slice group, and AMF identification.

Specifically, the local configuration policy may be obtained from an Operation Maintenance (OM) system, and the load level information may be obtained from a network data analysis function (NWDAF) network element. For example, as shown in fig. 4. For convenience of description, the OM system may be simply referred to as "OM" in the following embodiments.

It should be understood that the AMF identifications in the network slice selection result may exist in the form of an AMF identification list.

The NSSF sends a response message to the AMF for the fourth request message 308.

Wherein, the response message of the fourth request message carries the network slice selection result.

309, the AMF determines whether the identifier of the AMF exists in an AMF identifier list in the response message of the fourth request message, if so, step 310 is executed, and if not, the AMF sends the network slice selection result to an AMF corresponding to the AMF identifier included in the AMF identifier list.

The AMF transmits a response message of the second request message to the terminal 310.

Wherein the response message of the second request message carries the network slice selection result.

That is to say, in the conventional scheme, the NSSF may determine a network slice selection result for the terminal, and send the network slice selection result to the terminal through the AMF, however, the network slice selection result also changes (for example, in a case where a decision algorithm changes or an input of the decision algorithm changes), and the AMF or the terminal cannot know the change of the network slice selection result, so that the communication efficiency is reduced.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic flow chart of a method for network slice update of an embodiment of the present application.

501, a first network element determines that a network slice selection result of a terminal changes.

Specifically, each terminal corresponds to one or more network slice selection results, for example, the network slice selection result of the first terminal is the network slice selected for the first terminal.

Optionally, the first network element may be an NSSF or an OM system.

In one embodiment, the first network element is an NSSF, and the NSSF may receive an identifier of a terminal from an AMF, and determine whether a network slice selection result of the terminal changes according to the identifier of the terminal and a mapping relationship, where the mapping relationship is a mapping relationship between the identifier of the terminal and the network slice selection result.

Specifically, the identifier of at least one terminal and the at least one network slice selection result have a mapping relationship, and since the mapping relationship may change in real time, the AMF may send the identifier of the terminal to the NSSF, so as to trigger the NSSF to detect whether the network slice selection result of the terminal corresponding to the identifier of the terminal changes. The NSSF may determine a current network slice selection result of the terminal according to the detected identifier of the terminal and the mapping relationship. And then determining whether the current network slice selection result of the terminal is consistent with the previous network slice selection result of the terminal. If the network slice selection result is consistent with the network slice selection result, the network slice selection result of the terminal is not changed; and if the network slice selection results are not consistent, the network slice selection result of the terminal is changed. Therefore, the NSSF can detect whether the network slice selection result of the corresponding terminal changes according to the request of the AMF, thereby being beneficial to informing the terminal of selecting a more appropriate network slice in time and improving the communication efficiency.

It should be noted that the change of the mapping relationship may be caused by a change of the output result of the decision algorithm. The change of the output result of the decision algorithm may be caused by a change of the input of the decision algorithm or a change of the decision algorithm itself, or may also be caused by other reasons, which is not limited in the present application.

It should be understood that the identity of the terminal may be carried in the "nssf _ NSSelection _ Get _ Request" message.

Alternatively, the identity of the terminal may be an Identity (ID) of the terminal.

Alternatively, the identifier of the terminal may be a user permanent identifier (SUPI), an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), a mobile station international Integrated Services Digital Network (MSISDN), or the like.

It should be noted that the identification information of the terminal may be sent alone, or may be sent by being carried in another message (for example, an nssf _ NSSelection _ Get _ Request message), which is not limited in this application.

In another embodiment, the first network element is an OM system, and when the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal changes and the changed network slice allowed to be used by the terminal does not include the network slice selected by the terminal, the OM system may determine that the network slice selection result of the terminal changes.

Specifically, when knowing that the network slice currently allowed to be used by the terminal changes, the OM system determines whether the change affects the network slice that the terminal has selected. If the OM system determines that the network slice currently allowed to be used by the terminal does not include the network slice selected by the terminal, the OM system may determine that the network slice selection result of the terminal changes. Therefore, the situation that the network slice selection result of the terminal is still considered to be changed when the network slice selection result is changed and the network slice used by the terminal is influenced can be avoided, whether the network slice selection result of the terminal is changed or not can be judged more accurately, whether network slice updating is needed or not can be judged more accurately, and the communication efficiency is further improved.

Optionally, the OM system may send a configuration policy modification request to the NSSF, where the configuration policy modification request is used to request a configuration policy, and after receiving the configuration policy modification request, the NSSF updates the current configuration policy and sends the updated configuration policy to the OM system through a response message of the configuration policy modification request. And the OM system determines whether the updated configuration strategy has influence on the current network slice serving the terminal according to the updated configuration strategy. And if the limited network slice indicated by the updated configuration strategy comprises the network slice currently serving the terminal, determining that the network slice selection result of the terminal changes by the OM system.

It should be noted that the configuration policy may specifically be a network slice directly indicating that the terminal is capable of using the network slice. Or the configuration policy may indicate that the terminal cannot use the network slice, and the OM system may indirectly know the network slice that the terminal can use. The configuration policy may be a limitation on network slices of all terminals, or may be a limitation on network slices of only some terminals, which is not limited in the present application. For example, the configuration policy indicates a network slice that a certain class of terminals can use or a network slice that cannot be used.

It should be further noted that the configuration policy may also indicate the AMFs that can be used by the user, and specifically, may be the AMFs that can be used by only a limited portion of the user.

It should be understood that the user restricted by the configuration policy of the NSSF may be a home network user, a roaming user, a local province user, a main participant (VIP) user, or an emergency call user, and the like, which is not limited in this application.

It should also be understood that after the NSSF updates the configuration policy, the NSSF may reassign a network slice to the terminal if the restricted network slice indicated by the updated configuration policy includes the network slice currently serving the terminal.

502, the first network element sends indication information to the AMF.

The indication information is used for indicating the terminal with the changed network slice selection result.

Accordingly, the AMF receives the indication information from the first network element.

Specifically, if the NSSF determines whether the network slice selection result of the terminal changes, the NSSF sends the indication information to the AMF. And if the OM system determines whether the network slice selection result of the terminal changes, the OM system sends the indication information to the AMF.

Optionally, the indication information includes an identifier of a terminal whose network slice selection result changes.

It should be understood that the indication information may be information in the "nssf _ NSSelection _ Notify _ Request message".

Optionally, in a case that the first network element is an NSSF, the NSSF may receive a subscription message from the AMF, where the subscription message is used to request the NSSF to notify the AMF when a network slice selection result of the terminal changes. Accordingly, after receiving the subscription message from the NSSF, the AMF carries the indication information through a response message of the subscription message when detecting that a network slice selection result of the terminal is affected.

It should be noted that the subscription message may also carry AMF identification information and an address (e.g., Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) address) required for sending a response message of the subscription message. Wherein the AMF identification information is used for identifying the AMF.

It should be understood that the subscription message may be "nssf _ NSSelection _ Subscribe _ Request" and the Response message of the subscription message may be "nssf _ NSSelection _ Subscribe _ Response".

Optionally, the NSSF receives, from the AMF, a terminal identifier for determining whether a network slice selection result of the terminal changes according to the identifier of the terminal and the mapping relationship, which may be carried in the subscription message, so as to avoid sending the terminal identifier separately, thereby saving resource overhead.

Optionally, the NSSF may further transmit at least one of a network slice group identity (configured NSSAI), an identity of an allowed or forbidden network slice in the network slice group (allowed/rejected NSSAI), and an AMF identity to the AMF.

Specifically, the AMF identifier may exist in the form of an AMF identifier list, and the AMF (e.g., referred to as a "first AMF") may determine whether its own identifier exists in the AMF identifier list. If so, then step 503 is performed by the first AMF; if not, the indication information is sent to an AMF (for example, referred to as "second AMF") corresponding to the AMF identifier included in the AMF identifier list, and the second AMF performs step 503. The AMF performing step 503 may further send the network slice group identifier and the identifier of the allowed or prohibited network slice in the network slice group to the terminal, and the terminal may determine which network slices can be used or which network slices cannot be used according to the network slice group identifier and the identifier of the allowed or prohibited network slice in the network slice group, so that the terminal may further select an appropriate network slice, that is, further improve communication efficiency.

It should be understood that the network slice group identifier, and the identifier of the network slice allowed or prohibited in the network slice group may be carried in the indication information when being sent to the AMF by the first network element, or may be sent separately, which is not limited in this application.

Optionally, after receiving the indication information, the AMF further feeds back response information of the indication information to the NSSF or OM system, where the response information is used to indicate that the identifier of the terminal is received.

It should be understood that the Response information indicating information may be a message, for example, "nssf _ NSSelection _ Notify _ Response" or "OM _ AMF _ NSSelection _ Notify _ Response".

The AMF sends 503 network slice update information to the terminal.

The network slice update information may be used to instruct the terminal to perform a network slice update, or to instruct the terminal to perform a network slice update.

Illustratively, after receiving indication information indicating a terminal with a changed network slice selection result, the AMF may send network slice update information to the terminal, so that the terminal performs network slice update, and then the terminal can perform communication by using an appropriate network slice, thereby improving communication efficiency.

Optionally, the NSSF selects a new network slice for the terminal and sends a network slice selection result to the terminal through the AMF, where the network slice selection result may be information of the new network slice, for example, an identifier of the new network slice.

Specifically, the NSSF selects a new network slice for the terminal and sends information of the new network slice to the AMF, and the AMF sends network slice update information to the terminal, where the network slice update information includes information of the new network slice. Therefore, the terminal can adopt the new network slice for communication, so that the time delay for determining the new network slice is saved, and the communication efficiency is further improved.

It should be understood that, when the NSSF sends the network slice selection result to the AMF, the network slice selection result may be carried in an "NSSF _ NSSelection _ Notify _ Request message". When the AMF sends the network slice selection result to the terminal, the network slice selection result may be carried in a "configuration update command message".

Fig. 6 shows a schematic flow chart of a method for network slice update of another embodiment of the present application.

It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the same terms in the embodiments of the present application as those in the embodiments shown in fig. 5 have the same meanings, and are not repeated herein to avoid repetition.

The first network element determines area information where the network slice selection result changes 601.

Optionally, the area information includes at least one of a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) identity, a Tracking Area Identity (TAI) range, and an identity of the AMF.

Specifically, the PLMN identity may indicate an area range corresponding to the PLMN identity, the TAI range may indicate a range of a tracking area corresponding to the TAI identity, and the AMF identity may indicate a range of an AMF service corresponding to the AMF identity.

Optionally, the first network element may be an NSSF or an OM system.

In one example, step 601 may replace or include: when the network slice group allowed to be used by the terminal changes, the first network element may determine, according to the changed network slice group, area information in which a network slice selection result changes.

Specifically, whether to allow the network slice used by the terminal may be divided in a network slice group manner. If the network slice group allowed to be used by the terminal is changed, the changed network slice group may affect the network slice selection result currently used by the terminal, that is, the first network element may determine the area information of the changed network slice selection result according to the changed network slice group and inform the area information to the AMF, which is helpful for the terminal to detect whether the current network slice selection result needs to be updated, so that the terminal adopts a proper network slice selection result for communication, and communication efficiency is improved.

In another example, step 601 may replace or include: when a network slice allowed to be used by the terminal in the network slice group changes, the first network element may determine, according to the changed network slice allowed to be used by the terminal in the network slice group, area information in which a network slice selection result changes.

Specifically, whether to allow the network slice used by the terminal may be division of the network slices in one network slice group. If the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal in the network slice group changes, the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal in the changed network slice group may affect the current network slice selection result used by the terminal, that is, the first network element may determine the area information of the changed network slice selection result according to the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal in the network slice group and inform the area information to the AMF, which is helpful for the terminal to detect whether the current network slice selection result needs to be updated, so that the terminal adopts a proper network slice selection result for communication, and the communication efficiency is improved.

In another example, step 601 may replace or include: when the network slice forbidden to be used by the terminal in the network slice group changes, the first network element determines the area information of the change of the network slice selection result according to the network slice forbidden to be used by the terminal in the changed network slice group.

Specifically, whether to allow the network slice used by the terminal may be division of the network slices in one network slice group. If the network slice prohibited from being used by the terminal in the network slice group changes, the network slice prohibited from being used by the terminal in the changed network slice group may affect the current network slice selection result used by the terminal, that is, the first network element may determine the area information of the change of the network slice selection result according to the network slice prohibited from being used by the terminal in the network slice group and inform the area information to the AMF, which is helpful for the terminal to detect whether the current network slice selection result needs to be updated, so that the terminal adopts a proper network slice selection result for communication, and the communication efficiency is improved.

In another example, step 601 may replace or include: and when the AMF which prohibits the terminal from accessing changes, the first network element determines the area information of which the network slice selection result changes according to the changed AMF which prohibits the terminal from accessing.

Specifically, when the AMF prohibiting the terminal from accessing changes, the slice selection result of the terminal may be affected, and then the affected area information is determined, and the area information is notified to the AMF, which is helpful for the terminal to detect whether the current network slice selection result needs to be updated, so that the terminal adopts a proper network slice selection result for communication, and the communication efficiency is improved.

In another example, step 601 may replace or include: when the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal changes, the first network element determines the area information of which the network slice selection result changes according to the changed network slice allowed to be used by the terminal.

In particular, the network slice allowed for use by the terminal may be independent of the network slice group, e.g., the network slice allowed for use by the terminal may be a network slice in a different network slice group. If the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal is changed, the changed network slice may affect the network slice selection result currently used by the terminal, that is, the first network element may determine the area information of the changed network slice selection result according to the changed network slice and inform the area information to the AMF, which is helpful for the terminal to detect whether the current network slice selection result needs to be updated, so that the terminal adopts a proper network slice selection result for communication, and the communication efficiency is improved.

Optionally, the first network element may be NSSF, and when the AMF input information, the local configuration policy, or the network slice load level information changes, any one of a network slice group allowed to be used by the terminal, a network slice allowed to be used by the terminal in the network slice group, a network slice prohibited from being used by the terminal in the network slice group, an AMF prohibited from being accessed by the terminal, or a network slice allowed to be used by the terminal may change. Thus, after at least one of the foregoing changes, step 601 may specifically include: the OM system determines the area information of the change of the network slice selection result according to the changed network slice group which allows the terminal to use, the network slice which allows the terminal to use in the changed network slice group, the network slice which forbids the terminal to use in the changed network slice group, the AMF which forbids the terminal to access after being changed, or the network slice which allows the terminal to use after being changed.

It should be understood that the AMF input information, the local configuration policy and the network slice load level information have the same meaning as that expressed by the same terms in fig. 3, and are not described herein again to avoid redundancy.

Optionally, the first network element is an OM system, and when the configuration policy changes, any one of a network slice group allowed to be used by the terminal, a network slice allowed to be used by the terminal in the network slice group, a network slice prohibited from being used by the terminal in the network slice group, an AMF prohibited from being accessed by the terminal, or a network slice allowed to be used by the terminal may change. Thus, after at least one of the foregoing changes, step 601 may specifically include: the OM system determines the area information of the change of the network slice selection result according to the changed network slice group which allows the terminal to use, the network slice which allows the terminal to use in the changed network slice group, the network slice which forbids the terminal to use in the changed network slice group, the AMF which forbids the terminal to access after being changed, or the network slice which allows the terminal to use after being changed.

In particular, the configuration policy may include information indicating a network slice allowed to be used by the terminal, and when the configuration policy is changed, the network slice selection result of some terminals may be affected, i.e., the network slice selection result is changed.

Further optionally, the OM system sends a configuration policy modification request for requesting a configuration policy to the NSSF, and receives a response message to the configuration policy modification request fed back by the NSSF, where the response message to the configuration policy modification request includes the configuration policy. That is to say, the OM system may detect whether the network slice selection result of the current terminal may be affected by an active triggering manner. Therefore, the OM system can flexibly detect whether the network slice selection result changes, and the flexibility of detecting the network slice selection result is improved.

It should be understood that the Configuration policy modification Request may be "OM _ NSSF _ Configuration _ modification _ Request" and the Response message of the Configuration policy may be "OM _ NSSF _ Configuration _ modification _ Response".

The first network element sends the area information to the AMF 602.

Accordingly, the AMF receives the area information from the first network element.

Specifically, the AMF may determine the terminal in the area according to the area information. For example, the AMF may match a terminal in an area indicated by the area information, in combination with context information of the registered terminal.

It should be noted that the area information may be sent separately, or may be carried in other messages (for example, nssf _ NSSelection _ Notify _ Request message or OM _ AMF _ NSSelection _ Notify _ Request message), which is not limited in this application.

Optionally, in a case that the first network element is an NSSF, the NSSF may receive a subscription message from the AMF, where the subscription message is used to request the NSSF to send the area information when a network slice selection result of the terminal changes. Accordingly, after receiving the subscription message from the NSSF, the AMF carries the area information through a response message of the subscription message when detecting that a network slice selection result of the terminal is affected.

Optionally, after receiving the area information, the AMF may further feed back response information of the area information to the NSSF or OM system, where the response information is used to indicate that the area information is received.

It should be understood that the Response information of the area information may be a message, for example, "nssf _ NSSelection _ Notify _ Response" or "OM _ AMF _ NSSelection _ Notify _ Response".

603, the AMF sends network slice update information to the terminal.

Wherein, the network slice updating information is used for the terminal to update the network slice.

Accordingly, the terminal receives the network slice update information. For example, the terminal may be the terminal 1 in fig. 6.

Specifically, the AMF sends network slice update information to the terminal in the area indicated by the area information, and the terminal may update the network slice according to the network slice update information, for example, re-register to obtain a new network slice selection result, so that communication can be performed by using an appropriate network slice, and the communication efficiency is improved.

It should be noted that the AMF may send network slice update information to one or more terminals, and the network slice update information sent to each terminal is used for the corresponding terminal to perform network slice update. For example, the AMF may transmit the network slice update information to at least one of the terminal 1, the terminal 2, and the terminal 3. For convenience of description, the following embodiments are described with reference to a terminal as an example, but the present application is not limited thereto.

It should be understood that the network slice update information may be a message, for example, may be "configuration update command".

Optionally, the AMF may select a new network slice selection result for the terminal, and send the new network slice selection result to the corresponding terminal through the AMF. Wherein, the AMF may carry the new network slice selection result in the network slice update information. Therefore, the terminal can adopt the new network slice selection result for communication, so that the time delay for determining the new network slice selection result is saved, and the communication efficiency is further improved.

The various embodiments described herein may be implemented as stand-alone solutions or combined in accordance with inherent logic and are intended to fall within the scope of the present application.

It is to be understood that, in the above embodiments of the method, the method and the operation implemented by the terminal device may also be implemented by a component (e.g., a chip or a circuit) available for the terminal device, and the method and the operation implemented by the access network device may also be implemented by a component (e.g., a chip or a circuit) available for the access network device.

The above description mainly introduces the scheme provided by the embodiments of the present application from various interaction perspectives. It is understood that each network element, for example, the transmitting end device or the receiving end device, includes a corresponding hardware structure and/or software module for performing each function in order to implement the above functions. Those of skill in the art would appreciate that the various illustrative components and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as hardware or combinations of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed as hardware or computer software drives hardware depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

In the embodiment of the present application, the functional modules may be divided according to the above method example for the transmitting end device or the receiving end device, for example, each functional module may be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in a form of hardware or a form of a software functional module. It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the division of the module is schematic, and is only one logic function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation. The following description will be given by taking an example in which each functional module is divided by using a corresponding function.

It should be understood that the specific examples in the embodiments of the present application are for the purpose of promoting a better understanding of the embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

It should be understood that, in the various embodiments of the present application, the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes do not mean the execution sequence, and the execution sequence of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation to the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

The method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above with reference to fig. 5 to 6 and fig. 15 to 19. Hereinafter, the apparatus provided in the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail with reference to fig. 7 to 18. It should be understood that the description of the apparatus embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment, and therefore, for the sake of brevity, details which are not described in detail above may be referred to the method embodiment.

Fig. 7 shows a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 700 for network slice update of an embodiment of the present application.

It is to be understood that the apparatus 700 may correspond to the AMF in the embodiments shown in fig. 5, 16 or 17, and may have any of the functions of the AMF in the method. The apparatus 700 includes a receiving module 710 and a transmitting module 720.

The receiving module 710 is configured to receive indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate a terminal with a changed network slice selection result;

the sending module 720 is configured to send network slice update information to the terminal, where the network slice update information is used for the terminal to perform network slice update.

Optionally, the receiving module 710 is specifically configured to: receiving the indication information from the operation maintenance OM system; alternatively, the indication information is received from a network slice selection function NSSF.

Optionally, the receiving module 710 is further configured to send, to the NSSF, an identifier of the terminal before the access and mobility management function AMF receives the indication information from the NSSF, where the identifier of the terminal is used by the NSSF to determine whether a network slice selection result of the terminal changes.

Optionally, the sending module 720 is further configured to send a subscription message to the NSSF, where the subscription message is used to request the NSSF to send the indication information when a network slice selection result of the terminal changes, and the subscription message includes an identifier of the terminal; the receiving module 710 is specifically configured to: and receiving a response message of the subscription message from the NSSF, wherein the response message of the subscription message carries the indication information.

Optionally, the indication information includes an identity of the terminal.

Fig. 8 illustrates an apparatus 800 for updating a network slice provided by an embodiment of the present application, where the apparatus 800 may be the AMF described in fig. 5. The apparatus may employ a hardware architecture as shown in fig. 8. The apparatus may include a processor 810 and a transceiver 820, and optionally, the apparatus may further include a memory 830, the processor 810, the transceiver 820, and the memory 830 being in communication with each other via an internal connection path. The related functions performed by the transmitting module 720 and the receiving module 710 in fig. 7 may be performed by the processor 810 controlling the transceiver 820.

Alternatively, the processor 810 may be a general processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a special-purpose processor, or one or more ics for performing the embodiments of the present application. Alternatively, a processor may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and/or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions). For example, a baseband processor, or a central processor. The baseband processor may be configured to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processor may be configured to control a device (e.g., a base station, a terminal, or a chip) for network slice update, execute a software program, and process data of the software program.

Optionally, the processor 810 may include one or more processors, for example, one or more Central Processing Units (CPUs), and in the case of one CPU, the CPU may be a single-core CPU or a multi-core CPU.

The transceiver 820 is used for transmitting and receiving data and/or signals, and receiving data and/or signals. The transceiver may include a transmitter for transmitting data and/or signals and a receiver for receiving data and/or signals.

The memory 830 includes, but is not limited to, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), and a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), and the memory 830 is used for storing related instructions and data.

The memory 830 is used to store program codes and data of the AMF, and may be a separate device or integrated in the processor 810.

Specifically, the processor 810 is configured to control the transceiver to perform information transmission with the AMF. Specifically, reference may be made to the description of the method embodiment, which is not repeated herein.

In particular implementations, apparatus 800 may also include an output device and an input device, as one embodiment. An output device, which is in communication with the processor 810, may display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device may be a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Light Emitting Diode (LED) display device, a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) display device, a projector (projector), or the like. An input device is in communication with the processor 601 and may receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensing device, among others.

It will be appreciated that fig. 8 only shows a simplified design of the means for network slice updating. In practical applications, the apparatuses may also respectively include necessary other elements, including but not limited to any number of transceivers, processors, controllers, memories, etc., and all AMFs that can implement the present application are within the protection scope of the present application.

In one possible design, the apparatus 800 may be a chip, such as a communication chip that may be used in an AMF, for implementing the relevant functions of the processor 810 in the AMF. The chip can be a field programmable gate array, a special integrated chip, a system chip, a central processing unit, a network processor, a digital signal processing circuit and a microcontroller which realize related functions, and can also adopt a programmable controller or other integrated chips. The chip may optionally include one or more memories for storing program code that, when executed, causes the processor to implement corresponding functions.

The embodiment of the application also provides a device which can be an AMF or a circuit. The apparatus may be used to perform the actions performed by the AMF in the above-described method embodiments.

Fig. 9 shows a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 900 for network slice update according to an embodiment of the present application.

It is to be understood that the apparatus 900 may correspond to the first network element in the embodiment shown in fig. 5, which may have any of the functions of the first network element in the method. The first network element may be NSSF or OM. Specifically, when the first network element is an NSSF, the apparatus 900 may correspond to the NSSF in fig. 16. When the first network element is OM, the apparatus 900 may correspond to OM in fig. 17. The apparatus 900 includes a processing module 910 and a sending module 920.

A processing module 910, configured to determine that a network slice selection result of the terminal changes;

a sending module 920, configured to send indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate the terminal.

Optionally, the apparatus 900 further comprises: a receiving module 930, configured to receive an identifier of the terminal; the processing module is specifically configured to: and determining that the network slice selection result of the terminal changes according to the identifier of the terminal and a mapping relation, wherein the mapping relation is the mapping relation between the identifier of the terminal and the network slice selection result.

Optionally, the receiving module 930 is specifically configured to: receiving a subscription message from an access and mobility management function (AMF), wherein the subscription message is used for requesting a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) to send the indication information under the condition that a network slice selection result of the terminal is changed, and the subscription message carries an identifier of the terminal; the sending module 920 is specifically configured to: and sending a subscription response message to the AMF, wherein the subscription response message carries the indication information.

Optionally, the processing module 910 is specifically configured to: and when the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal is changed and the changed network slice allowed to be used by the terminal does not comprise the network slice selected by the terminal, determining that the network slice selection result of the terminal is changed.

Optionally, the sending module 920 is further configured to send a configuration policy modification request to the NSSF, where the configuration policy modification request is used to request a configuration policy, and the configuration policy is used to indicate a network slice allowed to be used by the terminal; a receiving module 930 configured to receive a response message of the configuration policy modification request from the NSSF, where the response message of the configuration policy modification request includes the configuration policy.

Optionally, the indication information includes an identity of the terminal.

Fig. 10 shows an apparatus 1000 for updating a network slice provided in an embodiment of the present application, where the apparatus 1000 may be the first network element described in fig. 5. The apparatus may employ a hardware architecture as shown in fig. 10. The apparatus may include a processor 1010 and a transceiver 1020, and optionally, the apparatus may further include a memory 1030, the processor 1010, the transceiver 1020, and the memory 1030 communicating with each other through an internal connection path. The related functions implemented by the processing module 910 in fig. 9 may be implemented by the processor 1010, and the related functions implemented by the transmitting module 920 and the receiving module 930 may be implemented by the processor 1010 controlling the transceiver 1020.

Alternatively, the processor 1010 may be a CPU, microprocessor, ASIC, dedicated processor, or one or more integrated circuits configured to perform the embodiments of the present application. Alternatively, a processor may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and/or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions). For example, a baseband processor, or a central processor. The baseband processor may be configured to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processor may be configured to control a device (e.g., a base station, a terminal, or a chip) for network slice update, execute a software program, and process data of the software program.

Optionally, the processor 1010 may include one or more processors, for example, one or more CPUs, and in the case that the processor is one CPU, the CPU may be a single-core CPU or a multi-core CPU.

The transceiver 1020 is used for transmitting and receiving data and/or signals, as well as receiving data and/or signals. The transceiver may include a transmitter for transmitting data and/or signals and a receiver for receiving data and/or signals.

The memory 1030 includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, CD-ROM, and the memory 1030 is used for storing relevant instructions and data.

The memory 1030 is used for storing program codes and data of the first network element, and may be a separate device or integrated in the processor 1010.

Specifically, the processor 1010 is configured to control the transceiver to perform information transmission with a first network element. Specifically, reference may be made to the description of the method embodiment, which is not repeated herein.

In particular implementations, apparatus 1000 may also include an output device and an input device, as one embodiment. An output device, which is in communication with the processor 1010, may display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device may be an LCD, LED display device, CRT display device, projector, or the like. An input device is in communication with the processor 1001 and may receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensing device, among others.

It will be appreciated that fig. 10 shows only a simplified design of the means for network slice updating. In practical applications, the apparatus may further include necessary other components, including but not limited to any number of transceivers, processors, controllers, memories, etc., respectively, and all first network elements that can implement the present application are within the protection scope of the present application.

In one possible design, the apparatus 1000 may be a chip, for example, a communication chip that may be used in a first network element, and is used to implement the relevant functions of the processor 1010 in the first network element. The chip can be a field programmable gate array, a special integrated chip, a system chip, a central processing unit, a network processor, a digital signal processing circuit and a microcontroller which realize related functions, and can also adopt a programmable controller or other integrated chips. The chip may optionally include one or more memories for storing program code that, when executed, causes the processor to implement corresponding functions.

The embodiment of the present application further provides an apparatus, where the apparatus may be the first network element or the circuit. The apparatus may be configured to perform the actions performed by the first network element in the above-described method embodiments.

Fig. 11 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 1100 for network slice update according to an embodiment of the present application.

It is understood that the apparatus 1100 may correspond to the AMF in the embodiments shown in fig. 6, 18 or 19, and may have any of the functions of the AMF in the method. The apparatus 1100 includes a receiving module 1110 and a processing module 1120.

The receiving module 1110 is configured to receive area information in which a network slice selection result changes;

the processing module 1120 is configured to send, according to the area information, network slice update information to the terminal through the sending module, where the network slice update information is used for the terminal to perform network slice update.

Optionally, the area information comprises at least one of a public land mobile network identity, a tracking area range and an identity of an access and mobility management function, AMF.

Optionally, the receiving module 1110 is specifically configured to: receiving the area information from the operation maintenance OM system; alternatively, the area information is received from a network slice selection function NSSF.

Optionally, the apparatus 1100 further includes a sending module 1130, where the sending module 1130 is configured to send a subscription message to the NSSF, where the subscription message is used to request that the NSSF send the area information when the network slice selection result changes; the receiving module 1110 is specifically configured to: and receiving a response message of the subscription message from the NSSF, wherein the response message of the subscription message carries the area information.

Fig. 12 illustrates an apparatus 1200 for updating a network slice provided in an embodiment of the present application, where the apparatus 1200 may be the AMF described in fig. 6. The apparatus may employ a hardware architecture as shown in fig. 12. The apparatus may include a processor 1210 and a transceiver 1230, and optionally, the apparatus may further include a memory 1240, the processor 1210, the transceiver 1220 and the memory 1230 communicating with each other through the internal connection path. The related functions implemented by the processing module 1120 in fig. 11 may be implemented by the processor 1210, and the related functions implemented by the receiving module 1110 and the transmitting module 1130 may be implemented by the processor 1210 controlling the transceiver 1220.

Alternatively, the processor 1210 may be a CPU, microprocessor, ASIC, dedicated processor, or one or more integrated circuits configured to perform the embodiments of the present application. Alternatively, a processor may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and/or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions). For example, a baseband processor, or a central processor. The baseband processor may be configured to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processor may be configured to control a device (e.g., a base station, a terminal, or a chip) for network slice update, execute a software program, and process data of the software program.

Optionally, the processor 1210 may include one or more processors, for example, one or more CPUs, and in the case that the processor is one CPU, the CPU may be a single-core CPU or a multi-core CPU.

The transceiver 1220 is used for transmitting and receiving data and/or signals, and receiving data and/or signals. The transceiver may include a transmitter for transmitting data and/or signals and a receiver for receiving data and/or signals.

The memory 1230 includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, CD-ROM, and the memory 1230 is used to store the relevant instructions and data.

Memory 1230, which is used to store program codes and data for the AMF, may be a separate device or integrated into processor 1210.

Specifically, the processor 1210 is configured to control the transceiver to perform information transmission with the AMF. Specifically, reference may be made to the description of the method embodiment, which is not repeated herein.

In particular implementations, apparatus 1200 may also include an output device and an input device, as one embodiment. An output device, which is in communication with the processor 1210, may display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device may be an LCD, LED display device, CRT display device, projector, or the like. An input device is in communication with the processor 601 and may receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensing device, among others.

It will be appreciated that fig. 12 shows only a simplified design of the means for network slice updating. In practical applications, the apparatus may also include necessary other elements respectively, including but not limited to any number of transceivers, processors, controllers, memories, etc., and all AMFs that can implement the present application are within the scope of the present application.

In one possible design, the apparatus 1200 may be a chip, such as a communication chip that may be used in an AMF, for implementing the relevant functions of the processor 1210 in the AMF. The chip can be a field programmable gate array, a special integrated chip, a system chip, a central processing unit, a network processor, a digital signal processing circuit and a microcontroller which realize related functions, and can also adopt a programmable controller or other integrated chips. The chip may optionally include one or more memories for storing program code that, when executed, causes the processor to implement corresponding functions.

Fig. 13 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 1300 for network slice update according to an embodiment of the present application.

It is to be understood that the apparatus 1300 may correspond to the first network element in the embodiment shown in fig. 6, and may have any function of the first network element in the method. The first network element may be NSSF or OM. Specifically, when the first network element is an NSSF, the apparatus 1300 may correspond to the NSSF in fig. 18. When the first network element is OM, the apparatus 1300 may correspond to OM in fig. 19. The apparatus 1300 includes a processing module 1310 and a sending module 1320.

A processing module 1310 configured to determine area information where a network slice selection result changes;

a sending module 1320, configured to send the area information to the access and mobility management function AMF.

Optionally, the area information comprises at least one of public land mobile network identification, tracking area range and identification of AMF.

Optionally, the processing module 1310 is specifically configured to: when the network slice group allowed to be used by the terminal is changed, determining the area information of the changed network slice selection result according to the changed network slice group; or when the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal in the network slice group changes, determining the area information of the change of the network slice selection result according to the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal in the changed network slice group; or when the network slice which is forbidden to be used by the terminal in the network slice group changes, determining the area information of the change of the network slice selection result according to the network slice which is forbidden to be used by the terminal in the changed network slice group; or when the AMF which prohibits the terminal from accessing changes, the first network element determines the area information of the change of the network slice selection result according to the changed AMF which prohibits the terminal from accessing; or when the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal is changed, determining the area information of the changed network slice selection result according to the changed network slice allowed to be used by the terminal.

Optionally, the sending module 1320 is further configured to send a configuration policy modification request to the network slice selection function NSSF before determining, according to the changed network slice allowed to be used by the terminal, the area information of which the network slice selection result changes, where the configuration policy modification request is used to request a configuration policy, and the configuration policy includes information indicating a network slice allowed to be used by the terminal; the apparatus further includes a receiving module 1330, the receiving module 1330 configured to receive a response message to the configuration policy modification request from the NSSF, the response message to the configuration policy modification request including the configuration policy.

Optionally, the receiving module 1330 is further configured to receive a subscription message from the AMF, where the subscription message is used to request the NSSF to send the area information when the network slice selection result changes; the sending module 1320 is specifically configured to: and sending a response message of the subscription message to the AMF, wherein the response message of the subscription message carries the area information.

Fig. 14 shows an apparatus 1400 for network slice update provided in an embodiment of the present application, where the apparatus 1400 may be the first network element described in fig. 6. The apparatus may employ a hardware architecture as shown in fig. 14. The apparatus may include a processor 1410 and a transceiver 1420, and optionally, the apparatus may further include a memory 1430, the processor 1410, the transceiver 1420 and the memory 1430 being in communication with each other via an internal connection path. The related functions implemented by the processing module 1310 in fig. 13 may be implemented by the processor 1410, and the related functions implemented by the transmitting module 1320 and the receiving module 1330 may be implemented by the transceiver 1420 controlled by the processor 1410.

Alternatively, the processor 1410 may be a CPU, a microprocessor, an ASIC, a special purpose processor, or one or more integrated circuits for executing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application. Alternatively, a processor may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and/or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions). For example, a baseband processor, or a central processor. The baseband processor may be configured to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processor may be configured to control a device (e.g., a base station, a terminal, or a chip) for network slice update, execute a software program, and process data of the software program.

Optionally, the processor 1410 may include one or more processors, for example, one or more CPUs, and in the case that the processor is one CPU, the CPU may be a single-core CPU or a multi-core CPU.

The transceiver 1420 is used to transmit and receive data and/or signals, as well as receive data and/or signals. The transceiver may include a transmitter for transmitting data and/or signals and a receiver for receiving data and/or signals.

The memory 1430 includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, CD-ROM, and the memory 1430 is used for storing relevant instructions and data.

The memory 1430 is used for storing program codes and data of the first network element, and may be a separate device or integrated in the processor 1410.

Specifically, the processor 1410 is configured to control the transceiver to perform information transmission with a first network element. Specifically, reference may be made to the description of the method embodiment, which is not repeated herein.

In particular implementations, apparatus 1400 may also include an output device and an input device, as an example. An output device is in communication with the processor 1410 that may display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device may be an LCD, LED display device, CRT display device, projector, or the like. An input device is in communication with the processor 601 and may receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensing device, among others.

It will be appreciated that fig. 14 only shows a simplified design of the means for network slice updating. In practical applications, the apparatus may further include necessary other components, including but not limited to any number of transceivers, processors, controllers, memories, etc., respectively, and all first network elements that can implement the present application are within the protection scope of the present application.

In one possible design, the apparatus 1400 may be a chip, for example, a communication chip that may be used in a first network element, and is used to implement the relevant functions of the processor 1410 in the first network element. The chip can be a field programmable gate array, a special integrated chip, a system chip, a central processing unit, a network processor, a digital signal processing circuit and a microcontroller which realize related functions, and can also adopt a programmable controller or other integrated chips. The chip may optionally include one or more memories for storing program code that, when executed, causes the processor to implement corresponding functions.

Optionally, when the apparatus is an AMF or a first network element, refer to the apparatus shown in fig. 15. As an example, the device may perform a function similar to the processor in the previous embodiments. In fig. 15, the apparatus includes a processor 1501, a transmit data processor 1503, and a receive data processor 1505. The processing module in the above embodiment may be the processor 1501 in fig. 15, and performs the corresponding functions. The receiving module and the transmitting module in the above embodiments may be the transmitting data processor 1503 and the receiving data processor 1505 in fig. 15. Although fig. 15 shows a channel encoder and a channel decoder, it is understood that these blocks are not limitative and only illustrative to the present embodiment.

As another form of the present embodiment, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed, perform the method of the above-described method embodiments.

As another form of the present embodiment, there is provided a computer program product containing instructions that, when executed, perform the method of the above-described method embodiments.

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

It should be understood that the processor may be an integrated circuit chip having signal processing capabilities. In implementation, the steps of the above method embodiments may be performed by integrated logic circuits of hardware in a processor or instructions in the form of software. The processor may be a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an off-the-shelf programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, or discrete hardware components. The various methods, steps, and logic blocks disclosed in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented or performed. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like. The steps of the method disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present application may be directly implemented by a hardware decoding processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module may be located in ram, flash memory, rom, prom, or eprom, registers, etc. storage media as is well known in the art. The storage medium is located in a memory, and a processor reads information in the memory and completes the steps of the method in combination with hardware of the processor.

It will be appreciated that the memory in the embodiments of the subject application can be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), Enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Syncronous Link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct bus RAM (DR RAM).

Fig. 16 shows a schematic flow chart of a method for network slice update of a specific embodiment of the present application.

1601, the AMF sends a subscription message to the NSSF.

Wherein the subscription message comprises an identification of the terminal.

The NSSF determines whether the network slice selection result of the terminal changes according to the identifier and the mapping relationship of the terminal 1602.

1603, the NSSF sends a response message of the subscription message to the AMF when determining that the network slice selection result of the terminal changes.

Wherein, the response message of the subscription message includes indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating the terminal with the changed network slice selection result.

1604, the AMF sends network slice update information to the terminal.

That is, the AMF may send the identifier of the terminal to the NSSF, so as to trigger the NSSF to detect whether the network slice selection result of the terminal corresponding to the identifier of the terminal changes. Under the condition that the network slice selection result of the terminal corresponding to the identifier of the terminal is detected to be changed, the NSSF sends indication information to the AMF to indicate the terminal with the changed network slice selection result, so that the terminal can update the network slice, and the terminal can adopt a proper network slice to communicate, thereby improving the communication efficiency. In addition, the terminal identification can be carried in the subscription message, and the indication information is carried in the response message of the subscription message, so that separate sending is avoided, and resource overhead is saved.

Fig. 17 shows a schematic flow chart of a method for network slice update of another specific embodiment of the present application.

1701, OM sends a configuration policy modification request to NSSF.

Wherein the configuration policy modification request is used for requesting a configuration policy indicating a network slice allowed to be used by the terminal.

1702, the NSSF sends a response message to the OM for the configuration policy modification request.

Wherein the response message of the configuration policy modification request includes the configuration policy.

1703, when the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal changes and the changed network slice allowed to be used by the terminal does not include the network slice selected by the terminal, determining that the network slice selection result of the terminal changes.

And the NSSF sends a response message of the subscription message to the AMF under the condition that the network slice selection result of the terminal is determined to be changed.

The response message of the subscription message includes indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating a terminal with a changed network slice selection result.

Specifically, the NSSF may determine whether a network slice selection result of the terminal changes according to a network slice allowed to be used by the terminal according to the configuration policy indication.

1704, OM sends instruction information to AMF, where the instruction information is used to instruct the terminal where the network slice selection result changes.

1705, the AMF sends network slice update information to the terminal.

Fig. 18 shows a schematic flow chart of a method for network slice update of another specific embodiment of the present application.

It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the same terms in the embodiments of the present application as those in the embodiment shown in fig. 6 have the same meanings, and are not repeated herein to avoid repetition.

1801, OM sends a configuration policy modification request to NSSF.

The NSSF sends 1802 a response message to the OM for the configuration policy modification request.

1803, when the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal changes, the OM determines the area information of the changed network slice selection result according to the changed network slice allowed to be used by the terminal.

1804 OM sends the area information to AMF.

1805, the AMF sends network slice update information to the terminal

Therefore, in this embodiment of the application, the OM actively triggers the configuration policy modification request, receives a response message of the configuration policy modification request sent by the NSSF, and determines whether the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal is changed according to the configuration policy included in the response message of the configuration policy modification request. When the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal changes, the OM determines the area information of the changed network slice selection result according to the changed network slice allowed to be used by the terminal, and sends the area information to the AMF, the AMF sends network slice updating information to the terminal in the area indicated by the area information, and the terminal can update the network slice according to the network slice updating information, so that the appropriate network slice can be adopted for communication, and the communication efficiency is improved.

Fig. 19 shows a schematic flow chart of a method for network slice update of another specific embodiment of the present application.

1901, when the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal in the network slice group changes, the NSSF determines the area information of the changed network slice selection result according to the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal in the changed network slice group.

Optionally, in one embodiment, step 1901 may be replaced with: when the network slice group allowed to be used by the terminal changes, the NSSF may determine, according to the changed network slice group, the area information where the network slice selection result changes.

Alternatively, in another embodiment, step 1901 may be replaced with: when a network slice prohibited from being used by the terminal in the network slice group changes, the NSSF may determine, according to the network slice prohibited from being used by the terminal in the changed network slice group, the area information in which the network slice selection result changes.

Alternatively, in another embodiment, step 1901 may be replaced with: when the AMF prohibiting the terminal from accessing changes, the NSSF may determine, according to the changed AMF prohibiting the terminal from accessing, the area information where the network slice selection result changes.

Alternatively, in another embodiment, step 1901 may be replaced with: when the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal changes, the NSSF may determine, according to the changed network slice allowed to be used by the terminal, area information in which a result of selecting the network slice changes.

1902, the AMF sends a subscription message to the NSSF.

Wherein the subscription message is used to request the NSSF to send the area information when the network slice selection result changes.

It should be understood that the order of steps 1902 and 1901 is not limited.

1903, after determining the area information of the network slice selection result changes, the NSSF sends a response message of the subscription message to the AMF.

Wherein, the response message of the subscription message carries the area information.

1904, the AMF sends network slice update information to the terminal.

Therefore, the AMF may subscribe the NSSF to send the area information when the network slice selection result changes, so that the AMF may receive a response message of the subscription information, and the response message of the subscription information carries the area information, so that the AMF may avoid sending the area information alone, thereby saving resource overhead.

In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, "a plurality" means two or more. "and/or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, meaning that there may be three relationships, e.g., a and/or B, which may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, wherein A and B can be singular or plural. The character "/" generally indicates that the former and latter associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "at least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of the singular or plural items. For example, at least one (one) of a, b, or c, may represent: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, wherein a, b, c may be single or multiple.

It should be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Thus, the appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. It should be understood that, in the various embodiments of the present application, the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes do not mean the execution sequence, and the execution sequence of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation to the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

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

It should also be understood that the reference herein to first, second, and various numerical designations is merely a convenient division to describe and is not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

It should be understood that the term "and/or" herein is merely one type of association relationship that describes an associated object, meaning that three relationships may exist, e.g., a and/or B may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Wherein A or B is present alone, and the number of A or B is not limited. Taking the case of a being present alone, it is understood to have one or more a.

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

It can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that, for convenience and simplicity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, apparatuses and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and are not described herein again.

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

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

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

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

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

Claims

1. A method for network slice update, comprising:

receiving indication information by an access and mobility management function (AMF), wherein the indication information is used for indicating a terminal with a changed network slice selection result;

and the AMF sends network slice updating information to the terminal, and the network slice updating information is used for updating the network slice by the terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving, by the AMF, the indication information comprises:

the AMF receives the indication information from an operation maintenance OM system; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

the AMF receives the indication information from a network slice selection function NSSF.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein before the AMF receives the indication information from the NSSF, the method further comprises:

and the AMF sends the identifier of the terminal to the NSSF, and the identifier of the terminal is used for the NSSF to determine whether the network slice selection result of the terminal changes.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the AMF sending the identity of the terminal to the NSSF comprises:

the AMF sends a subscription message to the NSSF, wherein the subscription message is used for requesting the NSSF to send the indication information under the condition that the network slice selection result of the terminal is changed, and the subscription message comprises the identification of the terminal;

the receiving, by the AMF, the indication information from the NSSF includes:

and the AMF receives a response message of the subscription message from the NSSF, wherein the response message of the subscription message carries the indication information.

5. The method according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the indication information comprises an identity of the terminal.

6. A method for network slice update, comprising:

the first network element determines that the network slice selection result of the terminal changes;

and the first network element sends indication information to an access and mobility management function (AMF), wherein the indication information is used for indicating the terminal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first network element is a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), and wherein the method further comprises:

the first network element receives the identification of the terminal;

the determining, by the first network element, that a network slice selection result of the terminal changes includes:

and the first network element determines that the network slice selection result of the terminal changes according to the identifier of the terminal and a mapping relation, wherein the mapping relation is the mapping relation between the identifier of the terminal and the network slice selection result.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the receiving, by the first network element, the identity of the terminal comprises:

the first network element receives a subscription message from the AMF, where the subscription message is used to request the NSSF to send the indication information when a network slice selection result of the terminal changes, and the subscription message carries an identifier of the terminal;

the sending, by the first network element, the indication information to the AMF includes:

and the first network element sends a subscription response message to the AMF, wherein the subscription response message carries the indication information.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the first network element is an Operation and Maintenance (OM) system, and wherein the determining, by the first network element, that the network slice selection result of the terminal has changed comprises:

when the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal changes and the changed network slice allowed to be used by the terminal does not include the network slice selected by the terminal, the first network element determines that the network slice selection result of the terminal changes.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

the first network element sends a configuration policy modification request to an NSSF (network spanning gateway), wherein the configuration policy modification request is used for requesting a configuration policy, and the configuration policy is used for indicating a network slice allowed to be used by the terminal;

the first network element receives a response message of the configuration policy modification request from the NSSF, wherein the response message of the configuration policy modification request comprises the configuration policy.

11. The method according to any of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that the indication information comprises an identity of the terminal.

12. A method for network slice update, comprising:

receiving the area information of which the network slice selection result changes by an access and mobile management function (AMF);

and the AMF sends network slice updating information to the terminal according to the area information, wherein the network slice updating information is used for updating the network slice by the terminal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the area information comprises at least one of public land mobile network identification, tracking area range, and identification of an AMF.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the AMF receiving area information of network slice selection result change comprises:

the AMF receives the region information from an operation maintenance OM system; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

the AMF receives the area information from a network slice selection function NSSF.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

the AMF sends a subscription message to the NSSF, wherein the subscription message is used for requesting the NSSF to send the area information under the condition that the network slice selection result is changed;

the receiving, by the AMF, the region information from the NSSF includes:

and the AMF receives a response message of the subscription message from the NSSF, wherein the response message of the subscription message carries the area information.

16. A method for network slice update, comprising:

the first network element determines the area information of the change of the network slice selection result;

and the first network element sends the area information to an access and mobility management function (AMF).

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the area information comprises at least one of public land mobile network identification, tracking area range, and identification of an AMF.

18. The method of claim 16 or 17, wherein the determining, by the first network element, the area information of which the network slice selection result changes comprises:

when a network slice group allowed to be used by a terminal changes, the first network element determines the area information of which the network slice selection result changes according to the changed network slice group; or

When a network slice allowed to be used by a terminal in a network slice group changes, the first network element determines the area information of the change of the network slice selection result according to the changed network slice allowed to be used by the terminal in the network slice group; or

When a network slice forbidden to be used by a terminal in a network slice group changes, the first network element determines the area information of the change of the network slice selection result according to the network slice forbidden to be used by the terminal in the changed network slice group; or

When the AMF which prohibits the terminal from accessing changes, the first network element determines the area information of which the network slice selection result changes according to the changed AMF which prohibits the terminal from accessing; or

When the network slice allowed to be used by the terminal changes, the first network element determines the area information of the changed network slice selection result according to the changed network slice allowed to be used by the terminal.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the first network element is an operation maintenance OM system, and before the first network element determines the area information where the network slice selection result changes according to the changed network slice allowed to be used by the terminal, the method further comprises:

the first network element sends a configuration policy modification request to the NSSF, wherein the configuration policy modification request is used for requesting a configuration policy, and the configuration policy is used for indicating a network slice allowed to be used by the terminal;

20. The method according to claim 16 or 17, further comprising:

the first network element receives a subscription message from the AMF, wherein the subscription message is used for requesting NSSF to send the area information under the condition that the network slice selection result is changed;

the sending, by the first network element, the area information includes:

and the first network element sends a response message of the subscription message to the AMF, wherein the response message of the subscription message carries the area information.

21. An apparatus for network slice updating, comprising: a processor coupled with a memory for storing a program or instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 5 or the method of any of claims 12 to 15.

22. An apparatus for network slice updating, comprising: a processor coupled with a memory for storing a program or instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 6 to 11 or the method of any of claims 16 to 20.

23. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 5 or the method of any of claims 12 to 15.

24. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any of claims 6 to 11 or the method of any of claims 16 to 20.