CN114095986A

CN114095986A - Communication method, device, equipment and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN114095986A
Application number: CN202111296355.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 吴琼; 任驰; 马泽芳; 马瑞涛
Original assignee: China United Network Communications Group Co Ltd
Current assignee: China United Network Communications Group Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-11-03
Filing date: 2021-11-03
Publication date: 2022-02-25
Anticipated expiration: 2041-11-03
Also published as: CN114095986B

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication method, a communication device, communication equipment and a storage medium, relates to the technical field of communication, and is used for avoiding session termination and ensuring session continuity when UE (user equipment) performs network switching. The method comprises the following steps: the AMF equipment responds to a switching request message of User Equipment (UE) requesting to access a target cell, and sends a network slicing request message to NSSF equipment under the condition that a user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber of the target cell. The network slice request message is used for requesting to acquire the network slice identifier of the target cell. The AMF equipment receives a network slice identifier of a target cell sent by the NSSF equipment; and determining the intersection of the network slice identifier of the target cell and the network slice identifier signed by the UE, and taking the intersection as the target network slice identifier. Further, the AMF equipment sends a target network slice identifier to the UE; the target network slice identifier is used for instructing the UE to access the target cell based on the target network slice identifier.

Description

Communication method, device, equipment and storage medium

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a communication method, apparatus, device, and storage medium.

Background

In a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), for different Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions, a User Equipment (UE) signs up different single Network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI). In a Non-independent Non-Public Network (PNI-NPN), also called a Public Network Integrated Non-Public Network (NPN), a special Network slice is configured for the UE to use, that is, to sign a special S-NSSAI, so as to implement logical isolation of the NPN Network.

However, since the logics of the PLMN network and the NPN network are relatively independent, in the process of switching the UE back and forth between the PLMN network and the NPN network, the UE initiates a switching process by using the S-NSSAI of the source network, and the target network to be accessed may indicate that the S-NSSAI currently used by the UE is a network slice managed by the source network, thereby rejecting the UE access, which causes the session interruption of the UE and affects the user service experience.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a communication method, a communication device, communication equipment and a storage medium, which are used for avoiding session termination and ensuring the continuity of a session when UE (user equipment) performs network switching.

In order to achieve the purpose, the invention adopts the following technical scheme:

in a first aspect, a communication method is provided, and the communication method is applied to an AMF device. The AMF equipment responds to a switching request message of a User Equipment (UE) requesting to access a target cell, and sends a network slice request message to NSSF equipment under the condition that a user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber of the target cell, wherein the network slice request message is used for requesting to acquire a network slice identifier of the target cell. The method comprises the steps that an AMF device receives a network slice identifier of a target cell sent by an NSSF device, wherein the network slice identifier of the target cell is an identifier determined by the NSSF device according to the identifier of the target cell and a mapping relation comprising the cell identifier and the network slice identifier; and determining the intersection of the network slice identifier of the target cell and the network slice identifier signed by the UE, and taking the intersection as the target network slice identifier. Further, the AMF equipment sends a target network slice identifier to the UE; the target network slice identifier is used for instructing the UE to access the target cell based on the target network slice identifier.

The invention provides a communication method, a device, equipment and a storage medium.A network slicing request message is sent to NSSF equipment with a network slicing selection function by AMF equipment in response to a switching request message of a UE request for accessing a target cell to determine whether a user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber of the target cell. After receiving the network slice request message, the NSSF device sends the network slice identifier of the target cell to the AMF device. And the AMF equipment determines the intersection of the network slice identifier of the target cell and the network slice identifier signed by the UE as the target network slice identifier, sends the target network slice identifier to the UE, and the UE is accessed into the target cell based on the target network slice identifier.

The target cell can be a cell in a PLMN (public land Mobile network) network or a cell in an NPN (negative-positive-negative) network, and the method enables the UE to move from the coverage range of the PLMN network to the coverage range of the NPN network or from the coverage range of the NPN network to the coverage range of the PLMN network, so that the network slice used by the PDU session can be modified before the UE switches the network, the disconnection of the ongoing PDU session of the UE due to network switching is avoided, and the session continuity is ensured. In a possible design, the receiving the network slice identifier of the target cell sent by the NSSF device includes: and the AMF equipment receives the network slice response message sent by the NSSF equipment and acquires the network slice identifier of the target cell from the network slice response message.

In one possible design, the communication method further includes: the AMF equipment sends a signing data request message to the unified data management UDM equipment; the signing data request message comprises an identifier of the UE, and is used for requesting to acquire signing information of the UE and a signed network slice identifier of the UE; the subscription information of the UE is used to indicate whether the user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber of the target cell. Further, the AMF device receives subscription information of the UE and a network slice identifier that the UE has subscribed, which are sent by the UDM.

In one possible design, the sending the target network slice identifier to the UE includes: based on the target network slice identifier, the AMF equipment generates a switching response message and sends the switching response message to the UE; the handover response message includes the target network slice identification.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a communication method, which is applied to NSSF devices. The NSSF equipment receives a network slice request message sent by the AMF equipment, wherein the network slice request message is a switching request message sent by an access management unit AMF equipment responding to a user equipment UE request to access a target cell and is sent under the condition that a user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber of the target cell, and the network slice request message comprises an identifier of the target cell. According to the identifier of the target cell, the NSSF device determines the network slice identifier of the target cell from the mapping relationship including the cell identifier and the network slice identifier. Further, the NSSF device sends a network slice identifier of the target cell to the AMF device, so that the AMF device determines an intersection of the network slice identifier of the target cell and a network slice identifier signed by the UE as the target network slice identifier based on the network slice identifier of the target cell, and sends the target network slice identifier to the UE, wherein the target network slice identifier is used for indicating the UE to access the target cell based on the target network slice identifier.

In one possible design, the sending the network slice identifier of the target cell to the AMF device includes: based on the network slice identifier of the target cell, the NSSF equipment generates a network slice response message and sends the network slice response message to the AMF equipment; the network slice response message includes the network slice identification of the target cell.

In one possible design, the communication method further includes: the NSSF equipment responds to the received network slice updating information, acquires the network slice identification of the cell to be updated from the network slice updating information, and updates the mapping relation based on the acquired network slice identification of the cell to be updated and the identification of the cell to be updated.

In a third aspect, an AMF device is provided that includes a transmitting unit, a receiving unit, and a determining unit. The sending unit is used for responding to a switching request message of a User Equipment (UE) requesting to access a target cell, and sending a network slice request message to a network slice selection function NSSF device under the condition that a user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber of the target cell; the network slice request message is used for requesting to acquire a network slice identifier of a target cell; the receiving unit is used for receiving a network slice identifier of a target cell sent by the NSSF device, wherein the network slice identifier of the target cell is an identifier determined by the NSSF device according to the identifier of the target cell and a mapping relation comprising the cell identifier and the network slice identifier; the determining unit is used for determining the intersection of the network slice identifier of the target cell and the network slice identifier signed by the UE, and the intersection is the target network slice identifier; the sending unit is further configured to send the target network slice identifier to the UE; the target network slice identifier is used for instructing the UE to access the target cell based on the target network slice identifier.

In a possible design, the receiving unit is specifically configured to receive a network slice response message sent by the NSSF device, and acquire a network slice identifier of the target cell from the network slice response message.

In one possible design, the sending unit is further configured to send a subscription data request message to the UDM device; the signing data request message comprises an identifier of the UE, and is used for requesting to acquire signing information of the UE and a signed network slice identifier of the UE; the subscription information of the UE is used for indicating whether a user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber of the target cell; the receiving unit is further configured to receive subscription information of the UE and a network slice identifier that the UE has subscribed to, which are sent by the UDM.

In one possible design, the sending unit generates a handover response message specifically based on the target network slice identifier, and sends the handover response message to the UE; the handover response message includes the target network slice identification.

In a fourth aspect, an NSSF device is provided, which includes a receiving unit, a determining unit, and a transmitting unit. The receiving unit is used for receiving a network slice request message sent by the AMF device, wherein the network slice request message is a switching request message sent by the AMF device of the access management unit in response to a request of User Equipment (UE) for accessing a target cell and is sent under the condition that a user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber of the target cell, and the network slice request message comprises an identifier of the target cell; the determining unit is used for determining the network slice identifier of the target cell from the mapping relation comprising the cell identifier and the network slice identifier according to the identifier of the target cell; the sending unit is used for sending the network slice identifier of the target cell to the AMF device, so that the AMF device determines the intersection of the network slice identifier of the target cell and the network slice identifier signed by the UE as the target network slice identifier based on the network slice identifier of the target cell, and sends the target network slice identifier to the UE, wherein the target network slice identifier is used for indicating the UE to access the target cell based on the target network slice identifier.

In one possible design, the sending unit is specifically configured to generate a network slice response message based on a network slice identifier of a target cell, and send the network slice response message to the AMF device; the network slice response message includes the network slice identification of the target cell.

In one possible design, the NSSF device further includes an obtaining unit and an updating unit; the acquisition unit is used for responding to the received network slice updating message and acquiring the network slice identifier of the cell to be updated from the network slice updating message; the updating unit is used for updating the mapping relation based on the acquired network slice identifier of the cell to be updated and the identifier of the cell to be updated.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided an AMF device comprising a memory and a processor; a memory for storing computer program code comprising computer instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the AMF device to perform the communication method as in the first aspect is coupled to the processor.

In a sixth aspect, an NSSF device is provided that includes a memory and a processor; a memory for storing computer program code comprising computer instructions which, when executed by the processor, the NSSF device performs the communication method as in the second aspect is coupled to the processor.

In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, having stored therein instructions that, when run on an AMF device, cause the AMF device to perform the communication method as in the first aspect.

In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, having stored therein instructions, which, when run on an NSSF device, cause the NSSF device to perform the communication method as in the second aspect.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a first flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

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

fig. 4 is a third schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a first schematic structural diagram of an AMF device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of an NSSF device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of an AMF device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of an AMF device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

In the embodiments of the present invention, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to mean serving as examples, illustrations or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "e.g.," an embodiment of the present invention is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, use of the word "exemplary" or "such as" is intended to present concepts related in a concrete fashion.

In the description of the present invention, "/" means "or" unless otherwise specified, for example, a/B may mean a or B. "and/or" herein is merely an association describing an associated object, and means that there may be three relationships, e.g., a and/or B, which may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Further, "at least one" or "a plurality" means two or more. The terms "first", "second", and the like do not necessarily limit the number and execution order, and the terms "first", "second", and the like do not necessarily limit the difference.

In the prior art, because there is a logical isolation between the PLMN network and the NPN network, for example, when the UE enters the coverage of the NPN network from the coverage of the PLMN network, the NPN network may indicate to the terminal that the currently used S-NSSAI is a slice managed by the PLMN, which results in rejection of terminal access by the NPN network, and further results in session termination and impact on user service experience.

In order to solve the above technical problem, an Access Management Function (AMF) device determines whether a user corresponding to a UE is a subscriber of a target cell in response to a handover request message for requesting Access to the target cell by the UE, and sends a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) request message to a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) device when the user corresponding to the UE is the subscriber of the target cell, where the Network Slice request message is used to request to acquire a Network Slice identifier of the target cell. After receiving the network slice request message, the NSSF device sends the network slice identifier of the target cell to the AMF device. And the AMF equipment determines the intersection of the network slice identifier of the target cell and the network slice identifier signed by the UE as the target network slice identifier, sends the target network slice identifier to the UE, and the UE is accessed into the target cell based on the target network slice identifier.

The target cell can be a cell in a PLMN (public land Mobile network) network or a cell in an NPN (negative-positive-negative) network, and the method enables the UE to move from the coverage range of the PLMN network to the coverage range of the NPN network or from the coverage range of the NPN network to the coverage range of the PLMN network, so that the network slice used by the PDU session can be modified before the UE switches the network, the disconnection of the ongoing PDU session of the UE due to network switching is avoided, and the session continuity is ensured.

Referring to fig. 1, the communication method may be applied to the communication system 10 shown in fig. 1. The communication system 10 includes a base station device 11 of a radio access network (NG-RAN), a UE12, an AMF device 13, a Unified Data Management (UDM) device 14, and an NSSF device 15.

The AMF device 13 is connected to the base station device 11, the UDM device 14, and the NSSF device 15, respectively, and the base station device 11 is connected to the UE12, where in the above connection relationship, the connection may be in a wired manner or in a wireless manner, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this.

The base station device 11 may be configured to determine a change in a network environment where the UE12 is located, for example, the base station device 11 may be specifically configured to determine that the UE12 sends a handover message to the UE when moving from a source cell to a target cell, so as to indicate that the UE12 has entered a coverage area of the target cell, and perform network handover.

The UE12 may be configured to send a handover request message to the AMF device 13 after receiving the handover message sent by the base station device 11, where the handover request message includes an identifier of the target cell and a unique identifier of the UE12 on the AMF device 13 and the access network side.

The AMF device 13 may be configured to send a network slice request message to the NSSF to obtain a network slice identity of the target cell. The AMF device 13 may also be configured to send a subscription data request message to the UDM device 14 to obtain subscription information of the UE12 and a network slice identity that the UE12 has subscribed to. The AMF device 13 determines whether the user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber of the target cell according to the subscription information of the UE12, determines that an intersection of the network slice identifier of the target cell and the network slice identifier signed by the UE12 is a target network slice identifier, and sends the target network slice identifier to the UE 12.

The UDM device 14 may be used to store and manage subscription data for the user.

The NSSF device 15 may be configured to manage a mapping relationship between a cell and a network slice identifier, and after receiving a network slice request message sent by the AMF device 13, query the network slice identifier of the target cell according to the mapping relationship between the cell and the network slice identifier, and send the network slice identifier to the AMF device 13.

The following describes a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

As shown in fig. 2, the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present invention is applied to the communication system, which includes S201 to S207.

S201, the AMF equipment receives a switching request message which is sent by the UE and requests to access a target cell.

The handover request message includes an identifier of the UE, a handover type, and an identifier of the target cell. The handover type is used to indicate the identity of the source cell as well as the identity of the target cell.

As a possible implementation, the UE generates a handover request message and sends the handover request message to the AMF device through the NG-RAN.

Accordingly, the AMF device receives the UE-generated handover request message through the NG-RAN

It should be noted that the handover request message is generated by the UE after receiving a handover instruction sent thereto by the NG-RAN.

Specifically, after determining that the UE moves from the coverage of the source cell to the coverage of the target cell, the base station device in the NG-RAN determines that the radio environment of the UE changes. Further, the base station apparatus generates a handover indication and transmits the handover indication to the UE.

Wherein the handover indication is used for indicating the UE to be handed over from the source cell to the target cell. The handover indication comprises an identity of the source cell and an identity of the target cell.

Correspondingly, after receiving the handover instruction, the UE obtains the identifier of the source cell and the identifier of the target cell from the handover instruction, generates a handover request message according to the identifier of the source cell, the identifier of the target cell, the identifier of the UE in the base station device, and the identifier of the UE in the AMF device, and sends the handover request message to the AMF device through the base station device. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, in the following embodiments of the present invention, an identity of a UE in an AMF device may be referred to as a UE identity, and the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present invention is described by taking this as an example.

S202, responding to the received switching request message, and under the condition that the user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber of the target cell, the AMF equipment generates a network slicing request message.

The network slice request message includes an identifier of the target cell, and the network slice request message is used for requesting to acquire the network slice identifier of the target cell.

As a possible implementation manner, the AMF device determines whether a user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber of the target cell, and generates a network slicing request message according to the identifier of the source cell, the identifier of the target cell, and the identifier of the UE after determining that the user corresponding to the UE is the subscriber of the target cell.

It should be noted that the network slice request message further includes an identifier of the source cell and an identifier of the UE.

The specific implementation manner in which the AMF device determines whether the user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber to the target cell in this step may refer to the subsequent description of the embodiment of the present invention, and is not described herein again.

And S203, the AMF device sends a network slice request message to the NSSF device.

For example, the network slice request message may be an NSSF _ nssaibindget message, where the message includes an identifier of the target cell, and the message is used to instruct the NSSF device to send the network slice identifier of the target cell to the AMF device.

Correspondingly, the NSSF device receives the target network slice request message sent by the AMF device.

And S204, the NSSF equipment determines the network slice identifier of the target cell from the mapping relation comprising the cell identifier and the network slice identifier according to the identifier of the target cell.

Wherein, the network slice identifier of the target cell is the identifier of all network slices managed by the target cell.

As a possible implementation manner, the NSSF device obtains the identifier of the target cell from the received target network slice request message, and queries and determines the network slice identifier of the target cell from the mapping relationship between the cell identifier and the network slice identifier according to the identifier of the target cell.

It should be noted that the NSSF device is preset with a mapping relationship between a cell identifier and a network slice identifier. In the operation process, the NSSF device may also update and maintain the mapping relationship between the cell identifier and the network slice identifier.

For a specific implementation manner of the step of updating and maintaining the mapping relationship, reference may be made to the subsequent description of the embodiment of the present invention, and details are not described here again.

And S205, the NSSF equipment sends the network slice identification of the target cell to the AMF equipment.

As a possible implementation manner, the NSSF device may generate a network slice response message based on the network slice identifier of the target cell, and send the network slice response message to the AMF device;

wherein the network slice response message includes the network slice identity of the target cell.

Correspondingly, the AMF device receives the network slice identifier of the target cell sent by the NSSF device.

As a possible implementation manner, the AMF device receives a network slice response message sent by the NSSF device, and obtains a network slice identifier of the target cell from the network slice response message.

S206, the AMF equipment determines the intersection of the network slice identifier of the target cell and the network slice identifier signed by the UE, and the intersection is the target network slice identifier.

The signed network slice identifier of the UE is an identifier of a signed and available network slice of the UE in UDM equipment of an operator; the target network slice identifier is used for instructing the UE to access the target cell based on the target network slice identifier.

As a possible implementation manner, the AMF device obtains a network slice identifier signed by the UE, and determines an intersection of the obtained network slice identifier signed by the UE and a network slice identifier of the target cell, which is the target network slice identifier.

In some embodiments, the number of target network slice identifiers may be one or more, which is not limited in the present invention.

In this step, the AMF device may refer to the subsequent description of the embodiment of the present invention for a specific implementation manner of obtaining the network slice identifier subscribed by the UE, which is not described herein again.

S207, the AMF equipment sends the target network slice identification to the UE.

As a possible implementation manner, the AMF device may generate a handover response message based on the target network slice identifier, and send the handover response message to the UE through the base station device of the NG-RAN.

Wherein the handover response message includes the target network slice identity.

Correspondingly, after receiving the handover response message sent by the AMF device, the UE obtains the target network slice identifier from the handover response message.

Further, the UE initiates a PDU session modification process according to the target network slice identifier, and accesses the target cell based on the modified PDU session.

In one design, in order to determine whether a user corresponding to a UE is a subscriber of a target cell and acquire a network slice identifier subscribed to by the UE, as shown in fig. 3, the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present invention further includes following steps S301 to S303.

S301, the AMF device sends a subscription data request message to the UDM device.

Wherein, the subscription data request message comprises the identity of the UE; the subscription data request message is used for indicating a request to acquire subscription data of the UE. The subscription data request message is used for requesting to acquire subscription information of the UE and a network slice identifier signed by the UE; the subscription information of the UE is used for indicating whether a user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber of the target cell;

as a possible implementation manner, the AMF device generates a subscription data request message based on the identifier of the UE, and sends the subscription data request message to the UDM device.

It should be noted that, the UDM stores subscription data of the UE in advance, and the subscription data of the UE includes subscription information of the UE and a network slice identifier to which the UE has subscribed.

Correspondingly, the UDM device receives the subscription data request message sent by the AMF device.

S302, the UDM equipment determines subscription information of the UE and a network slice identifier subscribed by the UE based on the identifier of the UE.

As a possible implementation manner, the UDM device obtains the identity of the UE from the received subscription data request message. Further, the UDM device queries subscription data of the UE in a mapping relationship between the UE identifier and the subscription data according to the UE identifier.

It should be noted that the UDM device is preset with a mapping relationship between the UE identifier and the subscription data. During the operation, the UDM device may further update and maintain the mapping relationship between the UE identifier and the subscription data, and the implementation process of the specific update and maintenance may refer to the prior art, which is not described herein again.

And S303, the UDM equipment sends subscription information of the UE and the network slice identifier subscribed by the UE to the AMF equipment.

Correspondingly, the AMF device receives subscription information of the UE and a network slice identifier signed by the UE, which are sent by the UDM device.

Further, the AMF device determines subscription information of the UE and a network slice identifier subscribed by the UE from subscription data of the UE.

In one design, to ensure accuracy of a mapping relationship between a cell identifier and a network slice identifier included in an NSSF device, as shown in fig. 4, a method provided in an embodiment of the present invention further includes S401 to S402.

S401, the NSSF equipment receives a network slice updating message sent by the network equipment.

The network slice update message includes a cell identifier, a network slice identifier and an update identifier, and the network slice update message is used to indicate that the NSSF device update includes a mapping relationship between the cell identifier and the network slice identifier. The Update identifier comprises an Update and a Delete, wherein the Update is used for indicating the NSSF equipment to execute an adding operation on the mapping relation between the corresponding cell identifier and the network slice identifier; the Delete is used for instructing the NSSF device to execute a deletion operation on the mapping relationship between the corresponding cell identifier and the network slice identifier.

As a possible implementation manner, the NSSF device receives a network slice update message sent by the network device, and acquires a cell identifier and a network slice identifier carried in the network slice update message and a current use state of a network slice corresponding to the network slice identifier from the network slice update message.

It should be noted that the network device may be any Network Function (NF) network element in a 5GC core network.

S402, the NSSF equipment updates the mapping relation between the cell and the network slice identifier.

As a possible implementation manner, the NSSF device updates the mapping relationship stored in the NSSF device based on the acquired cell identifier, network slice identifier, and update identifier.

For example, if the Update identifier in the network slice Update message is Update, which indicates that the cell a adds the network slice a, the NSSF device adds the mapping relationship between the cell a identifier and the network slice a identifier in the mapping relationship.

And if the update identifier in the network slice update message is Delete and indicates the cell B to Delete the network slice B, the NSSF device deletes the mapping relationship between the cell B identifier and the network slice B identifier in the stored mapping relationship.

The scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention is mainly introduced from the perspective of a method. To implement the above functions, it includes hardware structures and/or software modules for performing the respective functions. Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as hardware or combinations of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed as hardware or computer software drives hardware depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

The embodiment of the present invention may perform the division of the functional modules on the user equipment according to the method example, for example, each functional module may be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in a hardware mode, and can also be realized in a software functional module mode. Optionally, the division of the modules in the embodiment of the present invention is schematic, and is only a logic function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an AMF device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The AMF device is used for executing the communication method. As shown in fig. 5, the AMF device 50 includes a transmitting unit 501, a receiving unit 502, and a determining unit 503.

A sending unit 501, configured to send a network slicing request message to an NSSF device when a user corresponding to a UE is a subscriber of a target cell in response to a handover request message that the UE requests to access the target cell. The network slice request message is used for requesting to acquire the network slice identifier of the target cell. For example, as shown in fig. 2, the sending unit 501 may be configured to execute S203.

A receiving unit 502, configured to receive the network slice identifier of the target cell sent by the NSSF device. The network slice identifier of the target cell is determined by the NSSF device according to the identifier of the target cell from a mapping relation including the cell identifier and the network slice identifier. For example, as shown in fig. 2, the receiving unit 502 may be configured to perform S205.

A determining unit 503, configured to determine an intersection of the network slice identifier of the target cell and the network slice identifier that the UE has signed up, as the target network slice identifier. For example, as shown in fig. 2, the determining unit 503 may be configured to execute S206.

The sending unit 501 is further configured to send the target network slice identifier to the UE. The target network slice identifier is used for instructing the UE to access the target cell based on the target network slice identifier. For example, as shown in fig. 2, the sending unit 501 may be configured to execute S207.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 5, an embodiment of the present invention provides that the receiving unit is specifically configured to: and receiving a network slice response message sent by the NSSF equipment, and acquiring the network slice identifier of the target cell from the network slice response message. For example, as shown in fig. 2, the receiving unit 502 may be configured to perform S205.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 5, the sending unit 501 provided in the embodiment of the present invention is further configured to: and sending a subscription data request message to the UDM equipment. The signing data request message comprises an identifier of the UE, and is used for requesting to acquire signing information of the UE and a signed network slice identifier of the UE; the subscription information of the UE is used to indicate whether the user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber of the target cell. For example, as shown in fig. 3, the sending unit 501 may be configured to execute S301.

The receiving unit 502 is further configured to receive subscription information of the UE and a network slice identifier that the UE has subscribed to, which are sent by the UDM. For example, as shown in fig. 3, the receiving unit 502 may be configured to perform S303.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 5, the sending unit 501 provided in the embodiment of the present invention is specifically configured to: generating a switching response message based on the target network slice identifier, and sending the switching response message to the UE; the handover response message includes the target network slice identification. For example, as shown in fig. 2, the sending unit 501 may be configured to execute S207.

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of an NSSF device 60 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The NSSF device is configured to perform the above communication method. As shown in fig. 6, the NSSF device 60 includes a receiving unit 601, a determining unit 602, and a transmitting unit 603.

The receiving unit 601 is configured to receive a network slice request message sent by an AMF device. The network slice request message is a handover request message sent by an access management unit (AMF) device in response to a request of a User Equipment (UE) to access a target cell, and is sent when a user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber of the target cell, wherein the network slice request message includes an identifier of the target cell. For example, as shown in fig. 2, the receiving unit 601 may be configured to perform S203.

A determining unit 602, configured to determine, according to the identifier of the target cell, a network slice identifier of the target cell from a mapping relationship that includes the cell identifier and the network slice identifier. For example, as shown in fig. 2, the determining unit 602 may be configured to execute S204.

A sending unit 603, configured to send the network slice identifier of the target cell to the AMF device. And the AMF equipment determines the intersection of the network slice identifier of the target cell and the network slice identifier signed by the UE as the target network slice identifier based on the network slice identifier of the target cell, and sends the target network slice identifier to the UE, wherein the target network slice identifier is used for indicating the UE to access the target cell based on the target network slice identifier. For example, as shown in fig. 2, the sending unit 603 may be configured to execute S205.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 6, the sending unit 603 provided in the embodiment of the present invention is specifically configured to: generating a network slice response message based on the network slice identifier of the target cell, and sending the network slice response message to the AMF equipment; the network slice response message includes the network slice identification of the target cell. For example, as shown in fig. 2, the sending unit 603 may be configured to execute S205.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 6, the NSSF device 60 according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes an obtaining unit 604 and an updating unit 605.

An obtaining unit 604, configured to obtain, in response to the received network slice update message, a network slice identifier of the cell to be updated from the network slice update message. For example, as shown in fig. 4, the obtaining unit 604 may be configured to execute S401.

An updating unit 605, configured to update the mapping relationship based on the obtained network slice identifier of the cell to be updated and the identifier of the cell to be updated. For example, as shown in fig. 4, the updating unit 605 may be configured to execute S402.

In the case of implementing the functions of the integrated module in the form of hardware, the embodiment of the present invention provides a possible structural diagram of an AMF device. The AMF device is configured to perform the communication method performed by the AMF device in the above embodiment. As shown in fig. 7, the AMF device 70 includes a processor 701, a memory 702, and a bus 703. The processor 701 and the memory 702 may be connected by a bus 703.

The processor 701 is a control center of the AMF device, and may be a single processor or a collective name of a plurality of processing elements. For example, the processor 701 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), other general-purpose processors, or the like. Wherein a general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor or the like.

For one embodiment, processor 701 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU 0 and CPU 1 shown in FIG. 7.

The memory 702 may be, but is not limited to, a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that may store static information and instructions, a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that may store information and instructions, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

As a possible implementation, the memory 702 may be present separately from the processor 701, and the memory 702 may be connected to the processor 701 via the bus 703 for storing instructions or program code. The processor 701 can implement the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present invention when calling and executing the instructions or program codes stored in the memory 702.

In another possible implementation, the memory 702 may also be integrated with the processor 701.

The bus 703 may be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended ISA (EISA) bus, or the like. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 7, but this is not intended to represent only one bus or type of bus.

It is noted that the configuration shown in fig. 7 does not constitute a limitation of the AMF device 70. In addition to the components shown in fig. 7, the AMF device 70 may include more or fewer components than shown in fig. 7, or some components may be combined, or a different arrangement of components.

As an example, in connection with fig. 7, the functions implemented by the transmitting unit 501, the receiving unit 502, and the determining unit 503 in the AMF device 50 are the same as those of the processor 701 in fig. 7.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 7, the AMF device provided in the embodiment of the present invention may further include a communication interface 704.

A communication interface 704 for connecting with other devices through a communication network. The communication network may be an ethernet network, a radio access network, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), etc. The communication interface 704 may include a receiving unit for receiving data, and a transmitting unit for transmitting data.

In one design, in the AMF device provided in this embodiment of the present invention, the communication interface may be further integrated in the processor.

Fig. 8 shows another hardware configuration of the AMF device in the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 8, the AMF device 80 may include a processor 801 and a communication interface 802. The processor 801 is coupled to a communication interface 802.

The functions of the processor 801 may refer to the description of the processor 701 above. The processor 801 also has a memory function, and the function of the memory 702 can be referred to.

The communication interface 802 is used to provide data to the processor 801. The communication interface 802 may be an internal interface of the AMF device, or may be an external interface (corresponding to the communication interface 704) of the AMF device.

It should be noted that the configuration shown in fig. 8 does not constitute a limitation of the AMF device, and that the AMF device 80 may include more or less components than those shown, or some components may be combined, or a different arrangement of components than those shown in fig. 8.

Meanwhile, the structural schematic diagram of a hardware of another NSSF device provided in the embodiment of the present invention may also refer to the description of the AMF device in fig. 7 or fig. 8, which is not described herein again. Except that the NSSF device includes a processor for performing the steps performed by the NSSF device in the above-described embodiments.

Through the above description of the embodiments, it is clear for a person skilled in the art that, for convenience and simplicity of description, only the division of the above functional units is illustrated. In practical applications, the above function allocation can be performed by different functional units according to needs, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional units to perform all or part of the above described functions. For the specific working processes of the system, the apparatus and the unit described above, reference may be made to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and details are not described here again.

The embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable storage medium, where instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the instructions are executed by a computer, the computer executes each step in the method flow shown in the above method embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the communication method of the above-described method embodiments.

The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, and a hard disk. Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), registers, a hard disk, an optical fiber, a portable Compact disk Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any other form of computer-readable storage medium, in any suitable combination, or as appropriate in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium may also be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). In embodiments of the invention, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Since the apparatus, the device readable storage medium, and the computer program product in the embodiments of the present invention may be applied to the method described above, for technical effects that can be obtained by the apparatus, the apparatus readable storage medium, and the computer program product, reference may also be made to the method embodiments described above, and details of the embodiments of the present invention are not repeated herein.

The above description is only an embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and any changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present invention are intended to be covered by the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, applied to an access management unit, AMF, device, the method comprising:

responding to a switching request message of a User Equipment (UE) requesting to access a target cell, and sending a network slice request message to a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) device under the condition that a user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber of the target cell, wherein the network slice request message comprises an identifier of the target cell;

receiving a network slice identifier of the target cell sent by the NSSF device, wherein the network slice identifier of the target cell is an identifier determined by the NSSF device according to the identifier of the target cell and a mapping relation comprising a cell identifier and a network slice identifier;

determining the intersection of the network slice identifier of the target cell and the network slice identifier signed by the UE as a target network slice identifier;

sending the target network slice identifier to the UE; the target network slice identifier is used for instructing the UE to access the target cell based on the target network slice identifier.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving the network slice identifier of the target cell sent by the NSSF device comprises:

and receiving a network slice response message sent by the NSSF device, and acquiring the network slice identifier of the target cell from the network slice response message.

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

sending a signing data request message to a Unified Data Management (UDM) device; the subscription data request message comprises an identifier of the UE, and is used for requesting to acquire subscription information of the UE and a network slice identifier signed by the UE; the subscription information of the UE is used for indicating whether a user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber of the target cell;

and receiving subscription information of the UE and a network slice identifier signed by the UE, which are sent by the UDM.

4. The communication method according to any of claims 1-3, wherein said sending the target network slice identity to the UE comprises:

generating a switching response message based on the target network slice identifier, and sending the switching response message to the UE; the handover response message includes the target network slice identification.

5. A communication method, applied to an NSSF device, the method comprising:

receiving a network slice request message sent by AMF equipment, wherein the network slice request message is a switching request message sent by an access management unit AMF equipment responding to a request of User Equipment (UE) for accessing a target cell and is sent under the condition that a user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber of the target cell, and the network slice request message comprises an identifier of the target cell;

determining the network slice identifier of the target cell from a mapping relation comprising the cell identifier and the network slice identifier according to the identifier of the target cell;

and sending the network slice identifier of the target cell to the AMF equipment, so that the AMF equipment determines the intersection of the network slice identifier of the target cell and the network slice identifier signed by the UE as the target network slice identifier based on the network slice identifier of the target cell, and sends the target network slice identifier to the UE, wherein the target network slice identifier is used for indicating the UE to access the target cell based on the target network slice identifier.

6. The communication method according to claim 5, wherein the sending the network slice identifier of the target cell to the AMF device comprises:

generating a network slice response message based on the network slice identifier of the target cell, and sending the network slice response message to the AMF device; the network slice response message includes a network slice identification of the target cell.

7. The communication method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the method further comprises:

and responding to the received network slice updating message, acquiring the network slice identifier of the cell to be updated from the network slice updating message, and updating the mapping relation based on the acquired network slice identifier of the cell to be updated and the identifier of the cell to be updated.

8. An access management unit (AMF) device is characterized by comprising a sending unit, a receiving unit and a determining unit;

the sending unit is configured to send a network slice request message to a network slice selection function NSSF device in response to a handover request message for requesting access to a target cell by a user equipment UE, where the network slice request message is used to request to acquire a network slice identifier of the target cell, and when a user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber of the target cell;

the receiving unit is configured to receive a network slice identifier of the target cell sent by the NSSF device, where the network slice identifier of the target cell is an identifier determined by the NSSF device according to the identifier of the target cell and a mapping relationship between a cell identifier and a network slice identifier;

the determining unit is configured to determine an intersection of the network slice identifier of the target cell and the network slice identifier signed by the UE, and determine the intersection as a target network slice identifier;

the sending unit is further configured to send the target network slice identifier to the UE; the target network slice identifier is used for instructing the UE to access the target cell based on the target network slice identifier.

9. The AMF device of claim 8, wherein the receiving unit is specifically configured to: and receiving a network slice response message sent by the NSSF device, and acquiring the network slice identifier of the target cell from the network slice response message.

10. The AMF device of claim 8, wherein the sending unit is further configured to send a subscription data request message to a Unified Data Management (UDM) device; the subscription data request message comprises an identifier of the UE, and is used for requesting to acquire subscription information of the UE and a network slice identifier signed by the UE; the subscription information of the UE is used for indicating whether a user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber of the target cell;

the receiving unit is further configured to receive subscription information of the UE and a network slice identifier that the UE has subscribed to, which are sent by the UDM.

11. The AMF device of any of claims 8-10, wherein the sending unit is specifically configured to: generating a switching response message based on the target network slice identifier, and sending the switching response message to the UE; the handover response message includes the target network slice identification.

12. A network slice selection function NSSF device is characterized by comprising a receiving unit, a determining unit and a sending unit;

the receiving unit is configured to receive a network slice request message sent by an AMF device, where the network slice request message is a handover request message sent by an access management unit AMF device in response to a request of a user equipment UE to access a target cell and is sent when a user corresponding to the UE is a subscriber of the target cell, where the network slice request message includes an identifier of the target cell;

the determining unit is configured to determine, according to the identifier of the target cell, a network slice identifier of the target cell from a mapping relationship including a cell identifier and a network slice identifier;

the sending unit is configured to send the network slice identifier of the target cell to the AMF device, so that the AMF device determines, based on the network slice identifier of the target cell, an intersection of the network slice identifier of the target cell and the network slice identifier subscribed by the UE as a target network slice identifier, and sends the target network slice identifier to the UE, where the target network slice identifier is used to instruct the UE to access the target cell based on the target network slice identifier.

13. The NSSF device of claim 12, wherein the sending unit is specifically configured to: generating a network slice response message based on the network slice identifier of the target cell, and sending the network slice response message to the AMF device; the network slice response message includes a network slice identification of the target cell.

14. The NSSF device of claim 12 or 13, wherein the NSSF device further comprises an acquisition unit and an update unit;

the acquiring unit is used for responding to the received network slice updating message and acquiring the network slice identifier of the cell to be updated from the network slice updating message;

and the updating unit is used for updating the mapping relation based on the acquired network slice identifier of the cell to be updated and the identifier of the cell to be updated.

15. An access management unit, AMF, device, the AMF device comprising a memory and a processor;

the memory and the processor are coupled;

the memory for storing computer program code, the computer program code comprising computer instructions;

the AMF device, when executing the computer instructions by the processor, performs the communication method of any of claims 1-4.

16. A network slice selection function, NSSF, device comprising a memory and a processor;

the memory and the processor are coupled;

the NSSF device, when executing the computer instructions, performs the communication method according to any of claims 5-7.

17. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein, which when run on an access management unit, AMF, device cause the AMF device to perform the communication method according to any of claims 1-4.

18. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein, which when run on a network slice selection function, NSSF, device, cause the NSSF device to perform the communication method of any of claims 5-7.