CN115515157A

CN115515157A - Communication method and device

Info

Publication number: CN115515157A
Application number: CN202110697764.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 杨文进
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-06-23
Filing date: 2021-06-23
Publication date: 2022-12-23
Also published as: WO2022267583A1

Abstract

The application provides a communication method and a communication device, which can optimize the interaction of the flows in a network architecture, reduce the transmission of intermediate network elements and improve the network performance. The method comprises the following steps: a first policy control function network element determines a first policy, wherein the first policy is used for a first session management function network element to manage a session established by first terminal equipment (UE), or the first policy is used for a first access and mobility management function network element to manage the mobility of the first UE; the first policy control function network element sends first information to a first network element, where the first information is used to subscribe to a first event, and the first event is used for the first policy control function network element to determine whether to send the first policy.

Description

Communication method and device

Technical Field

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

Background

In some existing technical solutions of network architectures, some network elements (functional network elements) perform information interaction with a complicated flow to perform some policy services, such as event detection, event reporting, and other policy services. For example, in a network architecture of a fifth generation (5 th generation,5 g) communication system, when a Session Management Function (SMF) invokes a session policy service of a Policy Control Function (PCF), the PCF subscribes to the SMF to specify a change in location of a UE presence in presence reporting area (PRA _ CH) event; the SMF subscribes to Access and Mobility Function (AMF) for PRA _ CH events; after detecting the triggering of the PRA _ CH event, the AMF reports the PRA _ CH event to the SMF; after receiving the event report of the AMF, the SMF reports a PRA _ CH event to the PCF; and after receiving the PRA _ CH event, the PCF makes a policy decision and sends a session policy to the SMF. It can be seen that, in the technical solution, the SMF needs to call two sets of interfaces, namely AMF and PCF, respectively, and when the two sets of interfaces are not consistent in definition, event related information needs to be stored, for example, the SMF needs to keep a PRA structure, but the SMF does not need the event related information, so that memory waste is severe; in addition, the middle flow interaction link is too long, which affects the network performance; for a user-level event (for example, reporting of a user position in a designated area), each session of the same user needs to be reported according to the above process, and the number of messages is multiplied according to the number of sessions, thereby further affecting the network performance. Therefore, how to optimize the interaction of the flows in the network architecture, reduce the transmission of the intermediate network elements, and improve the network performance becomes an urgent problem to be solved.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a communication method and a communication device, which can optimize the interaction of the flows in a network architecture, reduce the transmission of intermediate network elements and improve the network performance.

In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, including: a first policy control function network element determines a first policy, wherein the first policy is used for a first session management function network element to manage a session established by first terminal equipment (UE), or the first policy is used for a first access and mobility management function network element to manage the mobility of the first UE; the first policy control function network element sends first information to a first network element, where the first information is used to subscribe to a first event, and the first event is used for the first policy control function network element to determine whether to send the first policy.

In the foregoing manner, the first policy control function network element may be a PCF network element in the 5G system, the first session management function network element may be an SMF network element in the 5G system, and the first access and mobility management function network element may be an AMF network element, which is not limited in this application.

Illustratively, the first policy control function network element sends the first information directly to the first network element through a service interface.

Exemplarily, when the first policy is used for a first session management function network element to manage a session established by a first terminal device UE, the first network element may be an access and mobility management function network element.

Illustratively, when the first policy is for a first access and mobility management function network element to manage mobility of the first UE, the first network element may be a session management function network element.

By adopting the above manner, the first policy control function network element can determine the first policy and can also directly subscribe the first event to the first network element, interaction of a flow in a network architecture is optimized, transmission of an intermediate network element is reduced, taking the first policy control function network element decision session management policy of the 5G system as an example, at present, after the first policy control function network element determines the first policy, if the event needs to be subscribed to the first network element, the event subscription must be performed by using the first session management function network element as the intermediate network element, that is, the first policy control function network element firstly subscribes the event to the first session management function network element, and then the first session management function network element subscribes to the first network element.

In a possible implementation, the first information includes an address of the first policy control function network element and request information of the first event.

Illustratively, the request information of the first event includes information such as an identifier of the first event, a reporting condition of the first event, and the like.

In a possible embodiment, the address of the first policy control function network element is included in an event notification uniform resource identifier.

In one possible embodiment, the method comprises: the first policy control function network element receives second information from the first network element, where the second information is used for the first network element to report the occurrence of the first event; and the first policy control function network element sends the first policy according to the second information.

Illustratively, the first policy control function network element receives the second information directly from the first network element through a service interface.

By adopting the above manner, the first network element is enabled to directly report to the first policy control function network element after detecting that an event occurs, interaction of a flow in a network architecture is optimized, transmission of an intermediate network element is reduced, taking the first policy control function network element of the 5G system as an example for deciding the session management policy, at present, the first network element needs to report the event through the first session management function network element as the intermediate network element after detecting that the event occurs, namely, the first network element reports the event to the first session management function network element first, and then reports the event to the first policy control function network element.

In one possible implementation, before the first policy control function network element determines the first policy, the method includes: the first policy control function network element determines a second policy, where the second policy is used for the first network element to manage mobility of a first terminal equipment (UE) when the first policy is used for the first session management function network element to manage a session established by the first UE, or the second policy is used for the first network element to manage the session established by the first UE when the first policy is used for the first access and the mobility management function network element to manage mobility of the first UE; the first policy control function network element determines a first parameter, wherein the first parameter corresponds to the first policy; the first policy control function network element determines third information according to the first parameter, where the third information is used to indicate that the first policy and the second policy are obtained from the first policy control function network element; and the first policy control function network element sends the third information to the first network element.

It should be understood that, when the third information is used to indicate that the first policy and the second policy are not obtained from the first policy control function network element, the first policy control function network element can only determine the first policy or the second policy, which means that the first policy control function network element cannot directly subscribe to an event from the first network element or receive information reported by the first network element.

By adopting the above mode, the first policy control function network element can flexibly determine whether the first policy can be determined, the second policy can be determined, and whether the event can be directly subscribed to the first network element or the information reported by the first network element can be received according to the first parameter.

In a possible implementation manner, the determining, by the first policy control function network element, the third information according to the first parameter includes: and the first policy control function network element determines the third information according to the first parameter and the first condition.

In one possible embodiment, the first condition includes one or more of the following information: the local configuration information of the first policy control function network element, the functional characteristic information of the first policy control function network element, and the first policy.

By adopting the above manner, the first policy control function network element can flexibly determine whether the first policy and the second policy can be determined, and whether the event can be directly subscribed to the first network element or the information reported by the first network element can be received according to the first condition and the first parameter.

In a possible embodiment, the first parameter comprises network slice selection assistance information NSSAI and/or a data network name DNN.

In one possible embodiment, the method comprises: the first policy control function network element makes decisions of the first policy and the second policy at the same time, and determines first update information of the first policy and second update information of the second policy; the first policy control function network element sends the first update information; and the first policy control function network element sends the second updating information.

By adopting the above manner, the first policy control function network element can decide the first policy and the second policy and update the first policy and the second policy only by subscribing and reporting the event once with the first network element, and the times of subscribing the event and reporting the information are reduced.

In one possible embodiment, the first event is an event related to the first UE.

Illustratively, the first event includes a location change reporting event of a user in a designated area or a UE time domain change event.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a method of communication, the method comprising: a first network element receives first information from a first policy control function network element, where the first information is used to indicate that a first policy and a second policy are obtained from the first policy control function network element, where the first information is determined according to a first parameter, and the first parameter corresponds to the first policy, and when the first policy is used by the first session management function network element to manage a session established by a first terminal device UE, the second policy is used by the first network element to manage mobility of the first terminal device UE, or when the first policy is used by the first access and mobility management function network element to manage mobility of the first UE, the second policy is used by the first network element to manage the session established by the first terminal device UE; and the first network element sends second information according to the first information, wherein the second information is used for indicating that the first policy is requested to the first policy control function network element.

It should be understood that the first network element does not send the second information to said first session management function network element if said first information is used to indicate that the first policy and the second policy are not obtained from the same first policy control function network element.

Illustratively, the first network element receives the first information from the first policy control function network element through a service interface.

Illustratively, when the first policy is for a first session management function network element to manage a session established by a first terminal equipment UE, the first network element may be an access and mobility management function network element.

Exemplarily, when the first policy is used for a first access and mobility management function network element to manage mobility of the first UE, the first network element may be a session management function network element.

By adopting the above manner, the first network element is enabled to determine whether the first session management function network element or the first access and mobility management function network element requests the first policy to the first policy control function network element according to the first information, and if the first information indicates that the first policy and the second policy are obtained from the first policy control function network element, the first policy control function network element can make a decision of the first policy as well as a decision of the second policy, thereby enriching the performance of the first policy control function network element.

In one possible embodiment, the determining the first information according to the first parameter includes: the first information is determined based on a first parameter and a first condition.

By adopting the above mode, the determination mode of the first information is more flexible.

In one possible embodiment, the method comprises: the first network element receives third information from the first policy control function network element, where the third information is used to subscribe to a first event from the first network element, and the first event is used for the first policy control function network element to determine whether to send the first policy; and the first network element detects the first event according to the third information.

Exemplarily, the first network element receives the third information directly from the first policy control function network element through a service interface.

By adopting the above manner, the first policy control function network element can determine both the first policy and the second policy, and can also directly subscribe the first event to the first network element, thereby optimizing the interaction of the flow in the network architecture, and reducing the transmission of the intermediate network element.

In a possible implementation, the third information includes an address of the first policy control function network element and request information of the first event.

In one possible embodiment, the method comprises: after the first network element detects the first event, the first network element reports fourth information to the first policy control function network element, where the fourth information is used to indicate occurrence of the first event.

Illustratively, the first network element directly reports the fourth information to the first policy control function network element through a service interface.

By adopting the above manner, the first network element is enabled to directly report to the first policy control function network element after detecting that an event occurs, interaction of a flow in a network architecture is optimized, transmission of an intermediate network element is reduced, taking the first policy control function network element of the 5G system as an example for deciding a session management policy, at present, the first network element needs to report the event through the first session management function network element as the intermediate network element after detecting that the event occurs, namely, the first network element reports the event to the first session management function network element first, and then reports the event to the first policy control function network element.

In a possible embodiment, the first information comprises an identification of the first policy control function network element.

In a possible embodiment, the first event is an event related to a terminal device.

Exemplarily, the first event includes a location change reporting event for a specified area user or a UE time domain change event.

In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, comprising: a processing module, configured to determine a first policy by a first policy control function network element, where the first policy is used by a first session management function network element to manage a session established by a first terminal device UE, or the first policy is used by a first access and mobility management function network element to manage mobility of the first UE; a transceiver module, configured to send, by the first policy control function network element, first information to a first network element, where the first information is used to subscribe to a first event, and the first event is used for the first policy control function network element to determine whether to send the first policy.

In a possible embodiment, the first information includes an address of the first policy control function network element and request information of the first event.

In one possible embodiment, the apparatus comprises: the transceiver module is further configured to receive, by the first policy control function network element, second information from the first network element, where the second information is used for the first network element to report occurrence of the first event; the transceiver module is further configured to send the first policy by the first policy control function network element according to the second information.

By adopting the above manner, the first network element is enabled to directly report to the first policy control function network element after detecting that an event occurs, interaction of a flow in a network architecture is optimized, and transfer of an intermediate network element is reduced.

In one possible implementation, before the first policy control function network element determines the first policy, the apparatus includes: the processing module is further configured to determine, by the first policy control function network element, a second policy, where the second policy is used for the first network element to manage mobility of a first terminal equipment UE when the first policy is used for the first session management function network element to manage a session established by the first UE, or the second policy is used for the first network element to manage a session established by the first UE when the first policy is used for the first access and the mobility management function network element to manage mobility of the first UE; the processing module is further configured to determine a first parameter by the first policy control function network element, where the first parameter corresponds to the first policy; the processing module is further configured to determine, by the first policy control function network element, third information according to the first parameter, where the third information is used to indicate that the first policy and the second policy are obtained from the first policy control function network element; the transceiver module is further configured to send the third information to the first network element by the first policy control function network element.

In a possible implementation manner, the determining, by the first policy control function network element, third information according to the first parameter includes: the processing module is further configured to determine, by the first policy control function network element, third information according to the first parameter and the first condition.

In one possible embodiment, the apparatus comprises: the processing module is further configured to make a decision of the first policy and the decision of the second policy at the same time by the first policy control function network element, and determine first update information of the first policy and second update information of the second policy; the transceiver module is further configured to send the first update information to the first policy control function network element; the transceiver module is further configured to send the second update information to the first policy control function network element.

The communication device in the third aspect and the embodiments of the third aspect may be referred to as a first communication device.

In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, comprising: a transceiver module, configured to receive, by a first network element, first information from a first policy control function network element, where the first information is used to indicate that a first policy and a second policy are obtained from the first policy control function network element, where the first information is determined according to a first parameter, and the first parameter corresponds to the first policy, and when the first policy is used for a first session management function network element to manage a session established by a first terminal device UE, the second policy is used for the first network element to manage mobility of the first terminal device UE, or when the first policy is used for the first access and a mobility management function network element to manage mobility of the first UE, the second policy is used for the first network element to manage the session established by the first terminal device UE; the transceiver module is further configured to send, by the first network element, second information to the first session management function network element according to the first information, where the second information is used to indicate to request the first policy from the first policy control function network element.

It is to be understood that the first network element does not send the second information to said first session management function network element if said first information is used to indicate that the first policy and the second policy are not obtained from the same first policy control function network element

By adopting the above manner, the first network element is enabled to determine whether the first session management function network element or the first access and mobility management function network element requests the first policy control function network element for the first policy according to the first information, and if the first information indicates that the first policy and the second policy are obtained from the first policy control function network element, the first policy control function network element can make a decision of the first policy as well as a decision of the second policy, thereby enriching the performance of the first policy control function network element.

In one possible embodiment, the determining the first information according to the first parameter includes:

the first information is determined based on a first parameter and a first condition.

In one possible embodiment, the first condition includes one or more of the following information:

the local configuration information of the first policy control function network element, the functional characteristic information of the first policy control function network element, and the first policy.

By adopting the mode, the determination mode of the first information is more flexible.

In one possible embodiment, the apparatus comprises: the transceiver module is further configured to receive, by the first network element, third information from the first policy control function network element, where the third information is used to subscribe to a first event to the first network element, and the first event is used for the first policy control function network element to determine whether to send the first policy to the first session management function network element; a processing module, configured to detect, by the first network element, the first event according to the third information.

Illustratively, the first network element receives the third information directly from the first policy control function network element through a service interface.

In one possible embodiment, the apparatus comprises: after the first network element detects the first event, the transceiver module is further configured to report fourth information to the first policy control function network element by the first network element, where the fourth information is used to indicate occurrence of the first event.

Exemplarily, the first network element directly reports the fourth information to the first policy control function network element through a service interface.

The communication device in the fourth aspect and the embodiments of the fourth aspect may be referred to as a second communication device.

In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be the first communication device in the above method embodiments, or a chip provided in the first communication device. The communication device comprises a communication interface, a processor and optionally a memory. Wherein the memory is adapted to store a computer program or instructions, and the processor is coupled to the memory and the communication interface, and when the processor executes the computer program or instructions, the communication device is adapted to perform the method performed by the first communication device in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

The memory and processor may be integrated together or may be separate devices, for example.

In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be the second communication device in the above method embodiments, or a chip disposed in the second communication device. The communication device comprises a communication interface, a processor and optionally a memory. Wherein the memory is adapted to store a computer program or instructions, and the processor is coupled to the memory and the communication interface, and when the processor executes the computer program or instructions, the communication device is adapted to perform the method performed by the second communication device in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising: computer program code which, when executed, causes the method performed by the first communication device in the above aspects to be performed.

In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising: computer program code which, when executed, causes the method performed by the second communication device in the above aspects to be performed.

In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor for implementing the functions of the first communication device in the methods of the above aspects. In one possible design, the system-on-chip further includes a memory for storing program instructions and/or data. The chip system may be formed by a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor and is configured to implement the functions of the second communication apparatus in the method of the foregoing aspects. In one possible design, the system-on-chip further includes a memory for storing program instructions and/or data. The chip system may be formed by a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

In an eleventh aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed, implements the method performed by the first communication apparatus in the above-described aspects.

In a twelfth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed, implements the method in the above aspects performed by the second communication apparatus.

In a thirteenth aspect, the present application provides a method of communication, the method comprising: a first policy control function network element determines a first policy, wherein the first policy is used for a first session management function network element to manage a session established by a first terminal equipment UE; the first policy control function network element sends first information to the first session management function network element, where the first information is used to indicate an address of the first policy control function network element and a first event, the first event is used for the first policy control function network element to determine whether to send the first policy to the first session management function network element, and the first event is an event detected by the first network element.

In the foregoing manner, the first policy control function network element may be a PCF network element in the 5G system, the first session management function network element may be an SMF network element in the 5G system, and the first network element may be an access and mobility management function network element, for example, an AMF network element, which is not limited in this application.

Compared with the prior art that the first policy control function network element only sends the first event to the first session management function network element, the first session management function network element subscribes the first event to other network elements, and other network elements report information to the address after detecting the first event, namely report the information to the first policy control function network element. And because the first session management function network element is more accessed into the service flow of the 5G core network and basically interacts with the peripheral network elements, other network elements for providing services for the UE can be easily found.

Illustratively, the first policy control function network element receives the second information directly from the first network element through a servitization interface.

In a fourteenth aspect, the present application provides a method of communication, the method comprising: a first session management function network element receives first information, wherein the first information is used for indicating an address of a first policy control function network element and a first event subscribed to the first network element, the first event is used for the first policy control function network element to determine whether to send a first policy to the first session management function network element, and the first policy is used for the first session management function network element to manage a session established by first terminal equipment (UE); and the first session management function network element sends second information to the first network element, where the second information is used to indicate that the first event is subscribed and an address of the first policy control function network element.

In this way, the first policy control function network element informs the first session management function network element that the first event is subscribed to other network elements by sending the address indicating the first policy control function network element and the first information of the first event to the first session management function network element, and reports information to the address after the other network elements detect the first event, that is, reports the information to the first policy control function network element. And because the first session management function network element is more accessed into the service flow of the 5G core network and basically interacts with the peripheral network elements, other network elements for providing services for the UE can be easily found.

In a fifteenth aspect, the present application provides a communications apparatus, comprising: the processing module is used for the first policy control function network element to determine a first policy, wherein the first policy is used for the first session management function network element to manage a session established by first terminal equipment (UE); a transceiver module, configured to send, by the first policy control function network element, first information to the first session management function network element, where the first information is used to indicate an address of the first policy control function network element and a first event, and the first event is used for the first policy control function network element to determine whether to send the first policy to the first session management function network element, where the first event is an event detected by the first network element.

In one possible embodiment, the apparatus comprises: the transceiver module is further configured to receive, by the first policy control function network element, second information from the first network element, where the second information is used for the first network element to report occurrence of the first event; the transceiver module is further configured to send, by the first policy control function network element, the first policy to the first session management function network element according to the second information.

Illustratively, the first event includes a location change reporting event of a user in a designated area or a UE time domain change event. .

The communication device in each of the embodiments of the fifteenth aspect and the fifteenth aspect described above may be referred to as a third communication device.

In a sixteenth aspect, the present application provides a communications apparatus, comprising: a transceiver module, configured to receive, by a first session management function network element, first information, where the first information is used to indicate an address of a first policy control function network element and a first event subscribed to the first network element, where the first event is used for the first policy control function network element to determine whether to send a first policy to the first session management function network element, and the first policy is used for the first session management function network element to manage a session established by a first terminal device UE; the transceiver module is further configured to send, by the first session management function network element, second information to the first network element, where the second information is used to indicate that the first event is subscribed and an address of the first policy control function network element.

The communication device in each of the above sixteenth and sixteenth embodiments may be referred to as a fourth communication device.

In a seventeenth aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be the third communication device in the above method embodiments, or a chip provided in the third communication device. The communication device comprises a communication interface, a processor and optionally a memory. Wherein the memory is adapted to store a computer program or instructions, and the processor is coupled to the memory and the communication interface, and when the processor executes said computer program or instructions, causes the communication device to perform the method performed by the third communication device in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

In an eighteenth aspect, a communication device is provided, and the communication device may be the fourth communication device in the above method embodiments, or a chip provided in the fourth communication device. The communication device comprises a communication interface, a processor and optionally a memory. Wherein the memory is configured to store a computer program or instructions, and the processor is coupled to the memory and the communication interface, and when the processor executes the computer program or instructions, the communication apparatus is configured to perform the method performed by the fourth communication apparatus in the above method embodiments.

In a nineteenth aspect, there is provided a computer program product, the computer program product comprising: computer program code which, when executed, causes the method performed by the third communication device in the above aspects to be performed.

In a twentieth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising: computer program code which, when executed, causes the method performed by the fourth communication device in the above aspects to be performed.

In a twenty-first aspect, the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor for implementing the functions of the third communication apparatus in the methods of the above aspects. In one possible design, the system-on-chip further includes a memory for storing program instructions and/or data. The chip system may be formed by a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

In a twenty-second aspect, the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor, and is configured to implement the function of the fourth communication apparatus in the method of the above-mentioned aspects. In one possible design, the system-on-chip further includes a memory for storing program instructions and/or data. The chip system may be formed by a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

In a twenty-third aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program which, when executed, implements the method in the above-described aspects performed by the third communication apparatus.

In a twenty-fourth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program which, when executed, implements the method performed by the fourth communication apparatus in the above aspects.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary application scenario applicable to the embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 is a schematic flowchart of an example of the embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 3 is a schematic flow chart of another example of the embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 is a schematic flow chart of another example of the embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 5 is a schematic flow chart of another example of the embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 6 is a schematic flow chart of another example of the embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solution in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the embodiments described are only a few embodiments of the present application and not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

The technical scheme of the embodiment of the application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT), global system for mobile communication (GSM) system, code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, general Packet Radio Service (GPRS), long term evolution (long term evolution, LTE) system, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), universal mobile communication system (universal mobile communication system, UMTS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (worldwide interoperability for microwave access, wiMAX), sixth generation (NR, 6) system, future generation (g) communication system, etc.

The terminal device in this embodiment may also be referred to as a User Equipment (UE), an access terminal, a terminal equipment unit (subscriber unit), a terminal equipment station, a Mobile Station (MS), a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal (terminal), a wireless communication device, a terminal equipment agent, or a terminal equipment device. The terminal devices may include various handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, in-vehicle devices, internet of things (IoT) devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to wireless modems. But may also include subscriber units, cellular phones (cellular phones), smart phones (smart phones), wireless data cards, personal Digital Assistants (PDA) computers, tablet computers, wireless modems (modem), handheld devices (handset), laptop computers (laptop computers), machine Type Communication (MTC) terminals, stations (ST) in Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN). Which may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, and a next generation communication system, e.g., a terminal device in a 5G network or a terminal device in a future evolved PLMN network, etc.

The network device in this embodiment may be a device for communicating with a terminal device, and the 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 also be a base station (nodeB, NB) in a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, may also be an evolved node b (eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE system, may also be a wireless controller in a Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN) scenario, may also be a satellite base station in a satellite communication system, or may be a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a network device in a 5G network, or a network device in a PLMN for future evolution, and the like, and the present embodiment is not limited.

It should be noted that the technical solution in the embodiment of the present application may be applicable to a Central Unit (CU) and a Distributed Unit (DU) architecture, and may also be applicable to a Control Plane (CP) and User Plane (UP) separated architecture, which is not limited in this application.

A system architecture or scenario to which the embodiment of the present application can be applied is described below, as shown in fig. 1, where fig. 1 is an exemplary application scenario diagram applied to the embodiment of the present application. The following describes each network element that may be involved in the network architecture 100 shown in fig. 1.

1. The terminal device 110: reference is made to the above description and will not be described in detail herein.

2. A (radio access network (R) AN) network element 120: reference is made to the above description and will not be described in detail herein.

It should be noted that the "network element" may also be referred to as an entity, a device, an apparatus, a module, or the like, and the present application is not particularly limited. Also, in the present application, for convenience of understanding and explanation, a description of "network element" is omitted in partial description, for example, a (R) AN network element is abbreviated as (R) AN, in which case the "(R) AN network element" is understood as AN (R) AN network element or AN (R) AN entity, and hereinafter, explanation of the same or similar case is omitted.

3. The user plane network element 130: for packet routing and forwarding, quality of service (QoS) handling of user plane data, etc.

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

4. Data network 140: for providing a network for transmitting data.

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

5. Access management network element 150: the method is mainly used for mobility management, access management and the like, and can be used for realizing other functions except session management in Mobility Management Entity (MME) functions, such as functions of lawful interception, access authorization/authentication and the like.

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

6. Session management network element 160: the method is mainly used for session management, internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management of terminal equipment, selection of a termination point capable of managing a user plane function, a policy control and charging function interface, downlink data notification and the like.

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

7. Policy control network element 170: the unified policy framework is used for guiding network behavior, providing policy rule information for control plane function network elements (such as AMF, SMF network elements and the like), and the like.

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

8. Storage function network element 180: for maintaining real-time information of all network function services in the network.

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

9. The authentication service network element 190: the method is used for authentication service and key generation to realize bidirectional authentication of the terminal equipment, and supports a uniform authentication framework.

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

10. Data management network element 1100: the method is used for processing terminal equipment identification, access authentication, registration, mobility management and the like.

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

11. Charging network element 1200: the method is used for issuing pricing, deducting fees, quotas and charging parameters, processing quota usage reported by the SMF and the like.

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

12. Network open function network element 1300: the method is mainly used for safely opening services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions, and has internal opening or opening to third parties and the like.

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

13. Slice selection function network element 1400: for selecting a set of network slice instances for a user equipment, determining allowed Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (NSSAI), and determining a set of AMFs that may serve the user equipment.

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

14. Application function network element (AF) 1500: the method is used for realizing information interaction between the external server and the 3GPP network.

15. Communication service proxy (SCP) network element 1600: for indirect communication between a Network Function (NF) network element as a consumer and a NF network element as a producer.

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

In the network architecture, an N2 interface is a reference point of a RAN120 network element and an AMF160 network element, and is used for sending a non-access stratum (NAS) message and the like; the N3 interface is a reference point between the RAN120 network element and the UPF130 network element, and is used for transmitting user plane data and the like; the N4 interface is a reference point between the SMF170 network element and the UPF130 network element, and is used for transmitting information such as tunnel identification information, data cache indication information, and downlink data notification message of the N3 connection; the N6 interface is a reference point between the UPF network element 130 and the DN network element 140, and is used for transmitting data of a user plane and the like.

It should be understood that the above listed network elements included in the communication system are only exemplary, and the application is not limited thereto, and for example, the network elements may also include but are not limited to:

binding Support Function (BSF) network elements: for finding the PCF with which the session is associated.

Network data analysis function (NWDAF) network element: for collecting and storing information from terminal equipment, RAN network elements, and other network entities (e.g., AMF network elements), analyzing the information, and generating and distributing context information (which may be considered as application-layer information) about the user.

Unified Data Repository (UDR) network element: the system is used for providing subscription data to the UDM network element or acquiring the subscription data from the UDM network element; and providing the policy data to the PCF network element, or acquiring the policy data from the PCF network element, and the like.

It should be understood that the network architecture applied to the embodiment of the present application is only an exemplary network architecture described in the service architecture, and the network architecture to which the embodiment of the present application is applied is not limited thereto, and any network architecture capable of implementing the functions of the network elements described above is applicable to the embodiment of the present application.

For example, in some Network architectures, network Function entities such as AMF, SMF, PCF, GMF, and UDM are all referred to as Network Function (NF) Network elements; alternatively, in other network architectures, a set of network elements such as AMF, SMF, PC, GMF, and UDM may be referred to as a Control Plane Function (CPF) network element.

The embodiments of the present application have been described with reference to a core network device, where the core network mainly provides user connection, manages users, and carries services as a bearer network to provide an interface to an external network. The establishment of the user connection includes functions of Mobility Management (MM), call Management (CM), switching/routing, voice announcement, and the like. The user management includes description of the user, quality of Service (QoS), user communication record (accounting), virtual Home Environment (VHE), and security (the provision of corresponding security measures by the authentication center includes security management for mobile services and security processing for external network access). The bearer connection (access) includes a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to the outside, an external circuit data network and a packet data network, an internet network (internet) and an intranet (intranets), and a Short Message Service (SMS) server of the mobile network itself, and the like.

Basic services that can be provided by a core network include mobile office, electronic commerce, communications, entertainment services, travel and location based services, telesensing services (telemetering), simple messaging services (supervisory control), and the like.

In the above network architecture, the information interaction flow between some network elements has the problems of long transmission loop and excessive message number. To solve the above problem, the present application provides a method 200, as shown in fig. 2, and fig. 2 is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of the present application.

S210, the first policy control function network element determines a first policy.

The first policy is used for the first session management function network element to manage the session established by the first terminal equipment UE, or the first policy is used for the first access and mobility management function network element to manage the mobility of the first UE.

Illustratively, the first policy control function network element sends the first information directly to the first network element through the servitization interface.

Illustratively, the first network element may be an access and mobility management function network element when the first policy is for the first session management function network element to manage a session established by the first terminal device UE.

Illustratively, the first network element may be a session management function network element when the first policy is for the first access and mobility management function network element to manage mobility of the first UE.

S220, the first policy control function network element sends the first information to the first network element, and the first network element receives the first information.

Wherein the first information is used to subscribe to a first event, and the first event is used for the first policy control function network element to determine whether to send the first policy to the first session management function network element.

By adopting the above manner, the first policy control function network element can determine the first policy and can also directly subscribe the first event to the first network element, interaction of a flow in a network architecture is optimized, and transmission of an intermediate network element is reduced.

In a possible embodiment, the first information comprises an address of the first policy control function network element and request information of the first event.

Illustratively, the request information of the first event includes an identifier of the first event, reporting conditions of the first event, and the like.

In a possible embodiment, the address of the first policy control function network element is included in the event notification uniform resource identifier.

In a possible implementation manner, the first policy control function network element receives second information from the first network element, where the second information is used for the first network element to report occurrence of the first event; and the first policy control function network element sends the first policy according to the second information.

Illustratively, the first policy control function network element receives the second information directly from the first network element through the servitization interface.

In a possible embodiment, before the first policy control function network element determines the first policy, the first policy control function network element determines a second policy, where the second policy is used for the first network element to manage the mobility of the first UE when the first policy is used for the first session management function network element to manage the session established by the first terminal equipment UE, or the second policy is used for the first network element to manage the session established by the first UE when the first policy is used for the first access and the mobility management function network element to manage the mobility of the first UE; the first policy control function network element determines third information according to the first parameter, wherein the third information is used for indicating that the first policy and the second policy are acquired from the first policy control function network element; and the first policy control function network element sends the third information to the first network element.

In a possible implementation manner, a first policy control function network element makes decisions of a first policy and a second policy at the same time, and determines first update information of the first policy and second update information of the second policy; a first policy control function network element sends first updating information; and the first policy control function network element sends the second updating information.

Illustratively, the first event includes a designated area user location change reporting event or a UE time domain change event.

The embodiment can optimize the process of event subscription and reporting, reduce the transmission of intermediate network elements and improve the network performance.

The present application further provides a method 300, as shown in fig. 3, fig. 3 is a schematic flow chart of another example of the present application.

S310, the first policy control function network element determines a first policy.

The first policy is used for the first session management function network element to manage the session established by the first terminal equipment UE.

S320, the first policy control function network element sends the first information, and the first session management function network element receives the first information.

The first information is used for indicating an address of a first policy control function network element and a first event, the first event is used for the first policy control function network element to determine whether to send a first policy, and the first event is an event detected by the first network element.

In this way, the first policy control function network element informs the first policy control function network element that the first event is subscribed to other network elements by sending the address indicating the first policy control function network element and the first information of the first event to the first session management function network element, and reports information to the address after the other network elements detect the first event, that is, reports to the first policy control function. And because the first session management function network element is more accessed into the service flow of the 5G core network and basically interacts with the peripheral network elements, other network elements for providing services for the UE can be easily found.

In a possible implementation manner, the first policy control function network element receives second information from the first network element, where the second information is used for the first network element to report the occurrence of the first event; and the first policy control function network element sends the first policy according to the second information.

Illustratively, the first policy control function network element receives the second information directly from the first network element over the servitization interface.

The following describes a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application in detail with reference to the drawings.

The present application provides a method 400, as shown in fig. 4, fig. 4 is a schematic flow chart diagram of another example of an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 4, in S410, UE #1 initiates a registration request to AMF #1.

Specifically, UE #1 initiates a registration request through a registration request message (register request), which AMF #1 receives.

S420, AMF #1 requests PCF #1 to obtain a first access and mobility management (AM) policy.

Specifically, AMF #1 requests PCF #1 to acquire the first AM policy through an access and mobility policy control service (Npcf _ ampolicocontrol _ Create) message.

S430, PCF #1 queries UDR #1 and subscribes to notifications.

Specifically, PCF #1 sends a Nudr _ DM _ Query message and a Nudr _ DM _ Subscribe message to UDR #1, and UDR #1 replies the relevant policy data to PCF #1, and PCF #1 determines the first AM policy.

S440, PCF #1 determines information # a.

Specifically, the information # a is used to indicate that a Session Management (SM) policy and a first AM policy of a partial session or all sessions of the UE #1 select the same PCF, e.g., both select PCF #1.

In one possible implementation, PCF #1 determines whether to generate information # a based on a first condition that includes one or more of the following information:

local configuration information: that is, in the local configuration information of PCF #1, whether PCF #1 is configured may be decided for both SM policy and AM policy, that is, whether information # a can be generated.

Functional characteristic information: that is, whether PCF #1 has a PCF selection control (PCF selection for SM policy control) function of SM policy means that PCF #1 can make a decision on both SM policy and AM policy, and PCF #1 can generate information # a, and if not, PCF #1 cannot generate information # a.

Policy data information: that is, PCF #1 determines whether to subscribe to an event detected by AMF according to the SM policy data, and if so, PCF #1 may make a decision on both SM policy and AM policy, and PCF #1 may generate information # a, and if not, it means PCF #1 may not generate information # a.

Information # a may include PCF selection data (PCF selection data), which may be determined, for example, from table one.

Watch 1

The condition field in the first table may be other parameters besides a single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) parameter and/or a Data Network Name (DNN) parameter, which is not limited in this application.

The following illustrates how PCF selection data is determined from table one:

PCF #1 determines a first AM strategy and field information of the session of UE #1, and if the S-NSSAI field and the DNN field are both invalid (or no related information of the S-NSSAI field and the DNN field exists), according to the table one, PCF selection data is determined to select PCF corresponding to the first AM strategy for all the sessions of UE #1, such as PCF #1; if the S-NSSAI field is equal to S-NSSAI #1, then according to table one, no matter what the information of the DNN field is at this time, it is determined that the PCF selection data is that when the S-NSSAI field in the session of UE #1 is equal to S-NSSAI #1, the session selects the PCF corresponding to the first AM policy, e.g., PCF #1; if the S-NSSAI field is equal to S-NSSAI #2 and the DNN field is equal to DNN #2, then, according to table one, the PCF selection data is determined to be the PCF corresponding to the first AM policy, e.g., PCF #1, selected by the session of UE #1 when the S-NSSAI field is equal to S-NSSAI #2 and the DNN field is equal to DNN # 2.

The PCF selection data may be determined according to the table one, or may be determined in such a way that, for example, the core network may specify that the AM policy and the SM policy for the UE #1 use one PCF together, for example, the PCF #1, that is, the SM policies of all sessions of the default UE #1 use the same PCF as the first AM policy.

In a possible implementation, the information # a may further include information related to the first AM policy, an event (request triggerers) subscribed by the PCF #1 to the AMF #1, and the like.

S450, PCF #1 transmits information # a and AMF #1 receives information # a.

Illustratively, the information # a may be included in an access and mobile Policy Control service Response (Npcf _ AM Policy Control _ Create Response) message.

S460, AMF #1 stores information # a.

S470, the UE #1 initiates a session establishment request (PDU session establishment request) procedure of a first Protocol Data Unit (PDU).

S480, AMF #1 specifies information # B.

Specifically, AMF #1 determines, according to information # a, whether the first SM policy and the first AM policy of the first PDU session initiated by UE #1 select the same PCF, and if the same PCF is selected, AMF #1 determines information # B, where information # B includes an identifier of the PCF corresponding to the first AM policy, for example, an identifier of PCF #1.

For example, PCF selection data contained in information # a selects a PCF corresponding to the first AM policy for all sessions of UE #1, and AMF #1 determines information # B, which includes an identification of the PCF corresponding to the AM policy executed by AMF #1.

For another example, PCF selection data included in information # a is PCF selection data corresponding to the AM policy executed by the session selection AMF #1 when the S-NSSAI field in the session of UE #1 is equal to S-NSSAI #2 and the DNN field is equal to DNN #2, and at this time, AMF #1 determines whether the identification of the PCF corresponding to the SM policy is the same as the identification of the PCF corresponding to the AM policy executed by AMF #1 according to whether the S-NSSAI field and the DNN field in the PDU session initiated by UE #1 satisfy the PCF selection data included in information # a.

If the same PCF is not selected, the PCF corresponding to the first AM strategy and the PCF corresponding to the first SM strategy are different and the same, at the moment, the PCF corresponding to the first SM strategy needs to subscribe an event to AMF #1 through SMF #1, and when the event is reported by AMF #1, the event not only needs to be reported to the PCF corresponding to the first AM strategy, but also needs to be reported to the PCF corresponding to the first SM strategy.

In a possible implementation, if UE #1 initiates a second PDU session, AMF #1 determines whether the same PCF is selected by the second SM policy and the first AM policy of the second PDU session initiated by UE #1 according to information # a.

The following description is continued by taking an example in which the first SM policy and the first AM policy of the first PDU session initiated by the UE #1 select the same PCF (e.g., PCF # 1).

S490, AMF #1 transmits message # B, and SMF #1 receives message # B.

Illustratively, the information # B may be included in a Request to Create a PDU Session context (Nsmf _ PDU Session _ Create SMContext Request) message.

S4100, SMF #1 initiates an association establishment procedure of the first SM policy.

Specifically, the SMF #1 determines the PCF corresponding to the first SM policy according to the PCF identifier in the information # B, that is, PCF #1, SMF #1, initiates an SM policy association establishment (SM policy association establishment) procedure by sending an SM policy control establishment (Npcf _ SMPolicyControl _ Create) message to PCF #1.

S4110, PCF #1 determines information # C and information # D.

PCF #1 determines information # D. The information # D may include policy related information corresponding to the first SM policy, an event requiring detection of SMF #1 subscribed to SMF #1, and the like.

In one possible implementation, when PCF #1 needs to subscribe to AMF #1 for an event requiring detection by AMF #1, information # C may be further determined, where information # C includes event information requiring detection by AMF #1 and an address of PCF #1, where the address of PCF #1 may be included in an event notification uniform resource identifier (event notification URI), and the event requiring detection by AMF #1 may be a PRA event information, a UE time domain change event information, or other UE or RAN related events.

S4120, PCF #1 transmits information # C, and AMF #1 receives information # C.

Illustratively, the information # C may be included in an AM Policy Control Update notification (Npcf _ AM Policy Control _ Update notification) message.

In one possible implementation, after receiving the message # C, the AMF #1 replies to the PCF #1 with a message # CA indicating successful reception of the message # C.

S4130, PCF #1 transmits information # D, and SMF #1 receives information # D.

Illustratively, the information # D may be included in an SM policy control creation Response (Npcf _ SMPolicyControl _ Create Response) message.

The following exemplifies a processing flow for reporting an event to the PCF after the AMF detects the event.

S4140, AMF #1 detects the occurrence of an event in the information # C.

S4150, AMF #1 transmits information # E, and PCF #1 receives information # E.

Specifically, the information # E includes information related to an event detected by the AMF #1.

Illustratively, AMF #1 invokes an AM Policy Control Update (Npcf _ ampolicocontrol _ Update) service to report info # E to PCF #1 (which may also be referred to as info # E included in an AM Policy Control Update (Npcf _ AM Policy Control _ Update) message).

S4160, PCF #1 determines information # F and information # G.

Specifically, PCF #1 determines information # F, where information # F may include update information of the first AM policy, information # F may be included in an AM policy control update response (Npcf _ ampolicocontrol _ UpdateResponse) message, PCF #1 determines information # G, where information # G may include update information of the first SM policy, and information # G may be included in an SM policy control update notification (Npcf _ SMPolicyControl _ UpdateNotify) message. It should be noted that the update information of the first AM policy may include the updated first AM policy, or may only include information of an update part of the first AM policy.

In one possible implementation, PCF #1 determines information # F and information # G simultaneously, i.e. decides both AM and SM policies.

It should be understood that, after the PCF #1 receives the message # E, the decision AM policy and the SM policy may reduce the number of events reported by the AMF, for example, if the AM policy is decided only according to the message # E, the decision SM policy needs to request the AMF to subscribe to the event again, and the AMF reports again.

In a possible implementation, if UE #1 further initiates a second PDU session corresponding to SMF #2 (not shown in fig. 4), and AMF #1 determines that the same PCF is selected by the UE #1 according to the second SM Policy and the first AM Policy of the second PDU session initiated by UE #1, PCF #1 determines information # G1, where information # G1 may include update information of the first AM Policy, and information # G1 may be included in an SM Policy Control update notification (Npcf _ SM Policy Control _ UpdateNotify) message.

S4170, PCF #1 transmits information # F, and AMF #1 receives information # F.

S4180, PCF #1 transmits information # G, and SMF #1 receives information # G.

Specifically, PCF #1 receives information # E and then sends information # G (i.e. the occurrence of an event contained in information # E triggers PCF #1 to send information # G), e.g. PCF #1 determines that the first SM policy needs to be updated, and then sends information # G to SMF #1 after receiving information # E reported by AMF #1.

In one possible implementation, after receiving the message # G, the SMF #1 replies with a message # GA to the PCF #1, indicating successful reception of the message # G.

In a possible implementation, if UE #1 further initiates a second PDU session corresponding to SMF #2 (not shown in fig. 4), and AMF #1 determines that the same PCF is selected by the second SM policy and the first AM policy of the second PDU session initiated by UE #1 according to information # a, PCF #1 determines information # G1, when an event requiring detection by AMF #1 occurs, AMF #1 reports the event to PCF #1, and PCF #1, after receiving the report of the event, sends information # G1 to SMF # 2.

It should be understood that when the PCF makes an AM policy decision for the AMF, if it needs to subscribe to the SMF, the method 400 may also be applied to subscribe to the SMF, and the SMF application method 400 reports the event to the PCF, for details, refer to the method 400, which is not described herein again.

Through the method 400, the PCF can provide PCF selection control function of the SM strategy, and when the SM strategy needs to subscribe to events (such as PRA, UE time domain change and the like and UE/RAN related events) detected by the AMF, the AMF and the SMF can be controlled to select the same PCF, so that the PCF can directly subscribe to the events from the AMF, the transmission through the SMF is not needed, and the flow of signaling interaction is saved. On the other hand, the AMF only needs to report the detection result of the same event to one PCF, thereby reducing the burden of the AMF.

The present application also provides another embodiment of an event subscription interface in which a PCF directly invokes an AMF/other network element function (NF), which is described below with an example of the PCF directly invoking the AMF, and the PCF directly invoking the other NF is also applicable to this embodiment, as shown in fig. 5, fig. 5 is another exemplary flowchart of the present application embodiment.

S510, UE #1 initiates a registration request and requests a third PDU session setup.

For details, reference may be made to the method 400, which is not described herein.

S520, SMF #1 initiates a third SM policy association establishment procedure to PCF #1.

Specifically, the method can be divided into the following steps:

step a: SMF #1 sends an SM strategy control creation (Npcf _ SMPolicyControl _ Create) message to PCF #1 to request to acquire a third SM strategy;

step b: PCF #1 sends a nurr _ DM _ Query message and a nurr _ DM _ Subscribe message to UDR #1, UDR #1 replies the relevant policy data to PCF #1, PCF #1 determines the third SM policy.

In a possible implementation manner, the UE #1 may further initiate a session establishment procedure of a fourth PDU, and the specific steps refer to the above description, which is not described herein again, and correspond to the SMF # 2.

S530, PCF #1 determines information # C1 and information # D1.

Specifically, PCF #1 determines information # D1, where information # D1 includes information related to the third SM policy decision and, optionally, may also include subscribed events that require SMF #1 detection.

If subscription to an event detected by AMF #1 is required (e.g., PRA, UE time domain change, etc. UE/RAN related event), PCF #1 determines information # C1, where information # C1 includes the address of PCF #1 and the event detected by AMF #1, where the address of PCF #1 may be included in the event notification URI. The PCF that determines the AM policy corresponding to AMF #1 may be PCF #1, or may be another PCF.

S540, PCF #1 transmits information # C1, and AMF #1 receives information # C1.

Specifically, PCF #1 invokes the event subscription interface of the AMF by sending information # C1 to AMF #1.

Illustratively, PCF #1 obtains the identity of AMF #1 through UDR #1, and transmits information # C1 to AMF #1.

In one possible implementation, after receiving the message # C1, the AMF #1 replies a message # CA1 to the PCF #1 to indicate successful reception of the message # C1.

S550, PCF #1 transmits information # D1, and SMF #1 receives information # D1.

Illustratively, the information # D1 may be included in an SM policy control creation Response (Npcf _ SMPolicyControl _ Create Response) message.

At S560, AMF #1 detects the occurrence of the event.

Specifically, AMF #1 detects the occurrence of an event from information # C1. If the occurrence of the event is detected, information # E1 is determined, and the information # E1 includes information related to the detected event.

S570, AMF #1 transmits information # E1, and PCF #1 receives information # E1.

In one possible implementation, after receiving the message # E1, the PCF #1 replies with a message # EA to the AMF #1, indicating a successful reception of the message # E1.

In one possible implementation, if the PCF that determines the AM policy corresponding to AMF #1 is PCF #2 (not shown in fig. 5), and PCF #2 also subscribes to the above event to AMF #1, AMF #1 further needs to report information # E1 to PCF # 2.

S580, PCF #1 determines and transmits information # G2.

Specifically, PCF #1 determines information # G2, information # G2 includes update information of the third SM policy, and information # G2 may be included in an SM policy control update notification (Npcf _ SMPolicyControl _ UpdateNotify) message, and after PCF #1 receives information # E1, if PCF #1 determines that the third SM policy needs to be updated, information # G2 is transmitted to SMF #1.

In one possible implementation, after receiving the message # G2, the SMF #1 replies to the PCF #1 with a message # GA2 indicating successful receipt of the message # G2.

In one possible implementation, if PCF #1 supports multiple SM policy simultaneous decisions, for example, UE #1 further initiates a fourth PDU session corresponding to a fourth SM policy, which is executed by SMF #2 (not shown in fig. 5), PCF #1 may further determine information # G3 at the same time, where information # G3 includes update information of the fourth SM policy, information # G3 may be included in an SM policy control update notification (Npcf _ SMPolicyControl _ UpdateNotify) message, and after PCF #1 receives information # E1, if PCF #1 determines that the fourth SM policy needs to be updated, information # G3 is sent to SMF #1.

It should be understood that when the PCF makes an AM policy decision for the AMF, if it needs to subscribe to the SMF, the method 500 may also be applied to subscribe to the SMF, and the SMF application method 500 reports the event to the PCF, for details, see the method 500, which is not described herein again.

By the method 500, the PCF is enabled to directly call the event subscription interface of the AMF/other NF, the AMF/other NF directly reports the event to the PCF, the intermediate transmission link of the event subscription and the event reporting is eliminated, and the number of messages is reduced, thereby realizing the memory saving and the network performance improvement.

The present application provides another example of an embodiment in which the AMF/other NFs directly report an event to the PCF, and the following description takes an example in which the AMF directly reports an event to the PCF, and other NFs are also applicable to this embodiment, as shown in fig. 6, where fig. 6 is another example of a schematic flowchart of the embodiment of the present application.

S610, UE #1 initiates a registration request and requests session establishment of a fifth PDU.

S620, SMF #1 initiates a fifth SM policy association establishment procedure to PCF #1.

For the specific steps, refer to method S520, which is not described herein again.

In a possible implementation manner, other SMFs may also initiate an SM policy association establishment procedure to PCF #1, that is, an SM policy association procedure is established between multiple SMFs and PCF #1.

S630, PCF #1 determines information # H.

Specifically, when the PCF #1 performs the fifth SM policy decision, when it is necessary to subscribe to an event (e.g., PRA, UE time domain change, etc. and UE/RAN related event) detected by the AMF #1, information # H is determined, which includes the subscribed event detected by the AMF #1 and the address of the PCF #1.

In one possible implementation, the address of PCF #1 may be included in an event notification URI (EventNotifyUri).

S640, PCF #1 transmits information # H, and SMF #1 receives information # H.

In one possible embodiment, the information # H is included in an SM policy control creation Response (Npcf _ SMPolicyControl _ Create Response) message.

S650, SMF #1 determines and transmits information # J, and AMF #1 receives information # J.

Specifically, the SMF #1 determines information # J from the information # H, wherein the information # J includes the event detected by the subscribed AMF #1, and the address of the PCF #1.

In one possible implementation, after receiving the message # J, the AMF #1 replies a message # JA to the SMF #1, indicating that the message # J was successfully received.

S660, AMF #1 determines and transmits information # K, and PCF #1 receives information # K.

Specifically, the AMF #1 detects the occurrence of an event from the information # J, and determines information # K including information about the detected occurrence of the event if the occurrence of the event is detected.

In one possible implementation, after PCF #1 receives information # K, PCF #1 replies with information # KA to indicate successful reception of information # K.

The PCF that determines the AM policy corresponding to the AMF #1 may be the PCF #1, or may be another PCF. If the PCF that determines the AM policy corresponding to AMF #1 is PCF #2 (not shown in fig. 6), and PCF #2 also subscribes to the above event to AMF #1, AMF #1 also needs to send information # K to PCF # 2.

S670, PCF #1 determines and transmits information # G4.

Specifically, the PCF #1 determines the information # G4, the information # G4 includes update information of the fifth SM policy, and after the PCF #1 receives the information # K, if the PCF #1 determines that the fifth SM policy needs to be updated, the information # G4 is sent to the SMF #1, and the information G4 may be included in an SM policy control update notification (Npcf _ SMPolicyControl _ UpdateNotify) message.

In one possible embodiment, after receiving the message # G4, the SMF #1 replies to the PCF #1 with a message # GA4 indicating successful reception of the message # G4.

In one possible implementation, if PCF #1 supports multiple SM policies for simultaneous decision-making, PCF #1 may send an SM policy control update notification (Npcf _ SMPolicyControl _ UpdateNotify) message to other SMFs when other SM policies require policy update.

By the method 600, the SMF is enabled to call an event subscription interface of the AMF/other NFs instead of the PCF, the AMF/other NFs directly report events to the PCF, intermediate transmission links of event subscription and reporting are eliminated, and the number of messages is reduced, so that memory is saved and network performance is improved.

Fig. 7 and 8 are schematic structural diagrams of possible communication devices provided by embodiments of the present application. The communication devices can realize the functions of the terminal device or the network device in the above method embodiments, and therefore, the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments can also be realized. In the embodiment of the present application, the communication apparatus may be the communication apparatus in the method 200, or the communication apparatus in the method 300, or a module (e.g., a chip) applied to the communication apparatus in the method 200 or the communication apparatus in the method 300.

As shown in fig. 7, the communication apparatus 700 includes a transceiver module 701 and a processing module 702. The communication device 700 may be used to implement the functionality of the communication device in the method embodiments described above with reference to fig. 2 or fig. 3.

When the communication device 700 is used to implement the functionality of the communication device in the method embodiment described in fig. 2: a processing module 702, configured to determine a first policy by a first policy control function network element, where the first policy is used for a first session management function network element to manage a session established by a first terminal device UE, or the first policy is used for a first access and mobility management function network element to manage mobility of the first UE; a transceiver module 701, configured to send, by the first policy control function network element, first information to a first network element, where the first information is used to subscribe to a first event, and the first event is used for the first policy control function network element to determine whether to send the first policy.

When the communication apparatus 700 is used to implement the functions of the communication apparatus in the method embodiment described in fig. 3: a processing module 702, configured to determine a first policy by a first policy control function network element, where the first policy is used for the first session management function network element to manage a session established by a first terminal device UE; a transceiver module 701, where the transceiver module is configured to send, by the first policy control function network element, first information to the first session management function network element, where the first information is used to indicate an address of the first policy control function network element and a first event, the first event is used for the first policy control function network element to determine whether to send the first policy to the first session management function network element, and the first event is an event detected by the first network element.

For more detailed description of the transceiver module 701 and the processing module 702, reference may be made to the related description in the above method embodiment, and no further description is made here.

As shown in fig. 8, communications device 800 includes a processor 810 and an interface circuit 820. Processor 810 and interface circuit 820 are coupled to each other. It is understood that interface circuit 820 may be a transceiver or an input-output interface. Optionally, the communication device 800 may further include a memory 830 for storing instructions to be executed by the processor 810 or for storing input data required by the processor 810 to execute the instructions or for storing data generated by the processor 810 after executing the instructions.

Illustratively, the memory 830 and the processor 810 may be integrated together or may be separate devices.

When the communication device 800 is configured to implement the method in the above method embodiments, the processor 810 is configured to perform the functions of the processing module 702, and the interface circuit 820 is configured to perform the functions of the transceiver module 701.

When the communication device is a chip applied to a communication device, the communication device chip implements the functions of the communication device in the method embodiment. The communication device chip receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the communication device; alternatively, the communication device chip sends information to other modules (e.g., radio frequency modules or antennas) in the communication device.

It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), other general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. The general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but may be any conventional processor.

It should be noted that, in the present specification, all the embodiments are described in a progressive manner, and the same and similar parts among the embodiments may be referred to each other, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from the other embodiments. In particular, the system or system embodiments are substantially similar to the method embodiments and therefore are described in a relatively simple manner, and reference may be made to some of the descriptions of the method embodiments for related points. The above-described system and system embodiments are only illustrative, wherein the units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and the 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 modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the present embodiment. One of ordinary skill in the art can understand and implement it without inventive effort.

It is further noted that, herein, relational terms such as first, second, "#1", "#2" are used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Also, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a … …" does not exclude the presence of another identical element in a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

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

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 programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a network of computers, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in or transmitted over a computer-readable storage medium. 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 that integrates one or more available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape; or an optical medium, such as a DVD; it may also be a semiconductor medium, such as a Solid State Disk (SSD).

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. In the description of the text of the present application, the character "/" generally indicates that the former and latter associated objects are in an "or" relationship; in the formula of the present application, the character "/" indicates that the preceding and following associated objects are in a "division" relationship.

It is to be understood that the various numerical references referred to in the embodiments of the present application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes do not mean the execution sequence, and the execution sequence of the processes should be determined by their functions and inherent logic. It should be noted that, all the steps in the embodiments of the present application are not necessarily required to be performed, some of the steps may be omitted, and similar effects may be achieved.

Claims

1. A method of communication, the method comprising:

a first policy control function network element determines a first policy, where the first policy is used for a first session management function network element to manage a session established by a first terminal equipment UE, or the first policy is used for a first access and mobility management function network element to manage mobility of the first UE;

the first policy control function network element sends first information to a first network element, where the first information is used to subscribe to a first event, and the first event is used for the first policy control function network element to determine whether to send the first policy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information comprises an address of the first policy control function network element and request information of the first event.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the address of the first policy control function network element is included in an event notification uniform resource identifier.

4. A method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the method comprises:

the first policy control function network element receives second information from the first network element, where the second information is used for the first network element to report the occurrence of the first event;

and the first policy control function network element sends the first policy according to the second information.

5. The method according to any of claims 1-4, wherein before the first policy control function network element determines the first policy, the method comprises:

the first policy control function network element determines a second policy, and when the first policy is used for the first session management function network element to manage the session established by the first terminal equipment UE, the second policy is used for the first network element to manage the mobility of the first UE, or,

when the first policy is used for the first access and mobility management function network element to manage mobility of the first UE, the second policy is used for the first network element to manage a session established by the first UE;

the first policy control function network element determines a first parameter, wherein the first parameter corresponds to the first policy;

the first policy control function network element determines third information according to the first parameter, where the third information is used to indicate that the first policy and the second policy are obtained from the first policy control function network element;

and the first policy control function network element sends the third information to the first network element.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining, by the first policy control function network element, the third information according to the first parameter comprises:

and the first policy control function network element determines the third information according to the first parameter and the first condition.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first condition comprises one or more of the following information:

8. The method according to any of claims 5-7, wherein the first parameters comprise network slice selection assistance information NSSAI and/or a data network name DNN.

9. The method according to any one of claims 5-8, characterized in that the method comprises:

the first policy control function network element makes decisions of the first policy and the second policy at the same time, and determines first update information of the first policy and second update information of the second policy;

the first policy control function network element sends the first update information;

and the first policy control function network element sends the second updating information.

10. The method of any of claims 1-9, wherein the first event is an event related to the first UE.

11. A method of communication, the method comprising:

a first network element receives first information from a first policy control function network element, where the first information is used to indicate that a first policy and a second policy are obtained from the first policy control function network element, where the first information is determined according to a first parameter, the first parameter corresponds to the first policy, and when the first policy is used for a first session management function network element to manage a session established by a first terminal equipment UE, the second policy is used for the first network element to manage mobility of the first terminal equipment UE, or,

when the first policy is used for the first access and mobility management function network element to manage the mobility of the first UE, the second policy is used for the first network element to manage the session established by the first terminal equipment UE;

and the first network element sends second information according to the first information, wherein the second information is used for indicating that the first policy is requested to the first policy control function network element.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first information is determined according to a first parameter comprising:

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first condition comprises one or more of the following information:

14. The method according to any one of claims 11-13, characterized in that the method comprises:

the first network element receives third information from the first policy control function network element, where the third information is used to subscribe to a first event from the first network element, and the first event is used for the first policy control function network element to determine whether to send the first policy;

and the first network element detects the first event according to the third information.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the third information comprises an address of the first policy control function network element and request information of the first event.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the address of the first policy control function network element is included in an event notification uniform resource identifier.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14-16, characterized in that the method comprises:

after the first network element detects the first event, the first network element reports fourth information to the first policy control function network element, where the fourth information is used to indicate occurrence of the first event.

18. A method according to claims 11-17, characterised in that said first information comprises an identification of said first policy control function network element.

19. The method according to any of claims 11-18, wherein the first parameters comprise network slice selection assistance information NSSAI and/or a data network name DNN.

20. The method according to any of claims 11-19, wherein the first event is an event related to a terminal device.

21. A communications apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a processing module, configured to determine a first policy by a first policy control function network element, where the first policy is used by a first session management function network element to manage a session established by a first terminal device UE, or the first policy is used by a first access and mobility management function network element to manage mobility of the first UE;

a transceiver module, configured to send, by the first policy control function network element, first information to a first network element, where the first information is used to subscribe to a first event, and the first event is used for the first policy control function network element to determine whether to send the first policy to the first session management function network element.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the apparatus comprises:

the transceiver module is further configured to receive, by the first policy control function network element, second information from the first network element, where the second information is used for the first network element to report occurrence of the first event;

the transceiver module is further configured to send the first policy by the first policy control function network element according to the second information.

23. The apparatus according to claim 21 or 22, characterised in that before the first policy control function network element determines the first policy, the apparatus comprises:

the processing module is further configured to determine, by the first policy control function network element, a second policy, where the second policy is used for the first network element to manage mobility of a first terminal equipment, UE, when the first policy is used for the first session management function network element to manage a session established by the first UE, or,

the processing module is further configured to determine a first parameter by the first policy control function network element, where the first parameter corresponds to the first policy;

the processing module is further configured to determine, by the first policy control function network element, third information according to the first parameter, where the third information is used to indicate that the first policy and the second policy are obtained from the first policy control function network element;

the transceiver module is further configured to send the third information to the first network element by the first policy control function network element.

24. A communications apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a transceiver module, configured to receive, by a first network element, first information from a first policy control function network element, where the first information is used to indicate that a first policy and a second policy are obtained from the first policy control function network element, where the first information is determined according to a first parameter, the first parameter corresponds to the first policy, and when the first policy is used for a first session management function network element to manage a session established by a first terminal device UE, the second policy is used for the first network element to manage mobility of the first terminal device UE, or alternatively,

the transceiver module is further configured to send, by the first network element, second information to the first session management function network element according to the first information, where the second information is used to indicate to request the first policy from the first policy control function network element.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the first information is determined according to a first parameter comprising:

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the first condition comprises one or more of the following information:

27. A communication device for communication, comprising a processor and a communication interface for receiving and transmitting signals from or from a communication device other than the communication device to or from the processor, the processor being configured to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 10 or 11 to 20.

28. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that it stores a computer program which, when executed, implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 10 or 11 to 20.

29. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising: computer program code which, when run by a first communication device, causes the first communication device to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 10.

30. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising: computer program code which, when run by a second communication device, causes the second communication device to perform the method of any of claims 11 to 20.