CN115706600A

CN115706600A - Method and device for discovering on-satellite UPF

Info

Publication number: CN115706600A
Application number: CN202110925016.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 程志密; 王胡成
Original assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Current assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-08-12
Filing date: 2021-08-12
Publication date: 2023-02-17

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a method and a device for discovering a UPF on a satellite, wherein the method is applied to a Session Management Function (SMF) entity and comprises the following steps: receiving a session establishment request, wherein the session establishment request comprises a gNB (global evolved node B) identifier of a base station gNB on a satellite serving a current terminal device; and acquiring the UPF on the satellite based on the gNB identification. According to the method for discovering the on-satellite UPF, the on-satellite UPF corresponding to the terminal equipment is determined through the gNB identifier of the base station serving the current terminal equipment and the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier included in the UPF profile of the UPF. And ensuring that the selected UPFs are all on-satellite UPFs in the scene needing to select the on-satellite UPFs.

Description

Method and device for discovering on-satellite UPF

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of wireless communications technologies, and in particular, to a method and an apparatus for discovering a satellite UPF.

Background

B5G (Beyond 5th Generation, later 5G) or 6G is a fusion network supporting all-dimensional coverage of the sky and the ground. Compared with a ground mobile communication network, the satellite communication can realize wide area coverage even global coverage by utilizing high, medium and low orbit satellites, and can provide indiscriminate communication service for global users.

In the 5G core Network in the prior art, discovery of the UPF (User Plane Function entity) is based on Information parameters such as DNN (Data Network name), S-NSSAI (Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information), SMF (Session Management Function) area identifier, and the like. For a scenario supporting on-satellite UPFs, the on-satellite UPFs are deployed on satellites, the geographic locations are not fixed, and if the existing UPF discovery mechanism is used, the UPF may be selected to be a ground UPF instead of an on-satellite UPF.

Disclosure of Invention

Aiming at the problems in the prior art, the embodiment of the application provides a method and a device for discovering an on-satellite UPF.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for discovering a UPF on a satellite, which is applied to a session management function entity SMF, and includes:

receiving a session establishment request, wherein the session establishment request comprises a gNB identifier of a base station gNB located on a satellite and serving current terminal equipment;

acquiring a UPF on the satellite based on the gNB identification;

the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the on-satellite base station gNB serving the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier corresponding to the on-satellite base station gNB serving the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined according to the gNB identifier.

Optionally, the obtaining manner for obtaining the on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier includes:

based on the gNB identifier, acquiring the on-satellite UPF from the on-satellite UPF locally stored in the SMF; or

After receiving the session establishment request, sending a network function discovery request to a network function database function (NRF) and receiving a response message returned by the NRF, wherein the response message comprises the on-board UPF; wherein the network function discovery request includes the gNB identity or the satellite identity.

Optionally, before sending the network function discovery request to the network function database function entity NRF after receiving the session establishment request, the method further includes:

receiving an N4 association establishment request sent by an on-satellite UPF; wherein the N4 association establishment request carries a UPF profile including the on-satellite UPF;

or

Sending an N4 association establishment request to a satellite UPF, and receiving a response message of the satellite UPF, wherein the response message comprises a UPF profile of the satellite UPF;

or

Receiving UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF configured by an operation, maintenance and management entity (OAM);

the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF comprises a gNB (global evolution network) identifier or a satellite identifier, wherein the gNB identifier is determined according to the gNB identifier of the gNB which is located in the same satellite as the on-satellite UPF, and the satellite identifier is determined according to the satellite identifier of the satellite in which the on-satellite UPF is located.

Optionally, the method further includes:

and after receiving the UPF profile sent by the on-satellite UPF or the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF configured by OAM, sending the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF to a network function database function entity (NRF) for storage, or storing the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF locally in the SMF.

Optionally, the method further includes:

sending an N4 correlation updating request to an on-satellite UPF to acquire the state of the on-satellite UPF or the condition that the load changes;

updating the state or load of the onboard UPF to the NRF.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a method for discovering an on-satellite UPF, which is applied to an Access and Mobility Management Function entity AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), and includes:

sending a session establishment request to the SMF, wherein the session establishment request comprises a gNB (global evolution network) identifier of a base station gNB on a satellite serving a current terminal device, and the gNB identifier is used for determining an UPF (uplink performance parameter) on the satellite;

the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the on-satellite base station gNB serving the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the on-satellite base station gNB serving the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined according to the gNB identifier.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a method for discovering a satellite UPF, where the method is applied to a Network function database function entity NRF (Network reliability function), and the method includes:

receiving a network function discovery request sent by an SMF, wherein the network function discovery request carries a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier of a base station gNB on a satellite serving a current terminal device; the satellite identification is determined according to a gNB identification of a base station located on the satellite serving the current terminal equipment;

determining an on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier, wherein the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the satellite-located base station gNB serving the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the satellite-located base station gNB serving the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined according to the gNB identifier;

and sending a response message to the SMF, wherein the response message comprises the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF.

Optionally, before receiving the network function discovery request sent by the SMF, the method further includes:

receiving UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF sent by the SMF, and storing the UPF profile in the local; or

Receiving UPF profile sent by the on-board UPF and storing the UPF profile in the local; or

Receiving UPF profile of the on-board UPF sent by an operation, maintenance and management entity (OAM) and storing the UPF profile in local;

Optionally, the method further includes:

and receiving the state or load change information of the UPF on the satellite, which is sent by the SMF.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a session management function entity, SMF, device, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor, where:

a memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for transceiving data under control of the processor; a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and implementing the steps of the method for discovering an on-board UPF as described above in the first aspect.

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides an access and mobility management function entity AMF device, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor, where:

a memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for transceiving data under control of the processor; a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and implementing the steps of the method for discovering an on-board UPF as described above in the second aspect.

In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a network function database function NRF device, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor, where:

a memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for transceiving data under control of the processor; a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and implementing the steps of the method for on-satellite UPF discovery according to the third aspect.

In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides an apparatus for on-satellite UPF discovery, where the apparatus includes:

a first receiving module, configured to receive a session establishment request, where the session establishment request includes a gbb identifier of a satellite-located base station gbb serving a current terminal device;

the first selection module is used for acquiring the UPF on the satellite based on the gNB identifier;

In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides an apparatus for on-satellite UPF discovery, where the apparatus includes:

a second sending module, configured to send a session establishment request to the SMF, where the session establishment request includes a gNB identifier of a gsb of a base station located on a satellite and serving a current terminal device, and the gNB identifier is used to determine an on-satellite UPF;

In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides an apparatus for on-satellite UPF discovery, where the apparatus includes:

a third receiving module, configured to receive a network function discovery request sent by an SMF, where the network function discovery request carries a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier of a base station gNB located on a satellite serving a current terminal device; the satellite identification is determined according to a gNB identification of a base station located on the satellite serving the current terminal equipment;

a third determining module, configured to determine an on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier, where a gNB identifier included in an UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as a gNB identifier of a base station gNB located on a satellite serving the current terminal device, or a satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as a satellite represented by a gNB identifier of a base station gNB located on a satellite serving the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined according to the gNB identifier;

and the third sending module is used for sending a response message to the SMF, wherein the response message comprises the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF.

In a tenth aspect, embodiments of the present application further provide a processor-readable storage medium, where the processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program, where the computer program is configured to enable the processor to execute the steps of the method for discovering an on-satellite UPF according to the first aspect, or execute the steps of the method for discovering an on-satellite UPF according to the second aspect, or execute the steps of the method for discovering an on-satellite UPF according to the third aspect.

According to the method and the device for discovering the on-satellite UPF, the on-satellite UPF corresponding to the terminal device is determined through the gNB identification or the satellite identification corresponding to the base station located on the satellite serving the current terminal device and the gNB identification or the satellite identification included in the UPF profile of the UPF. And ensuring that the selected UPFs are all on-satellite UPFs in the scene needing to select the on-satellite UPFs.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a satellite access subscriber service in the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a prior art SMF that provides UPF instances using NRF procedures;

fig. 3 is one of the flow diagrams of a method for discovering an on-satellite UPF according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a second flowchart of a method for discovering an on-satellite UPF according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a third schematic flowchart of a method for discovering an on-satellite UPF according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a flowchart of implementing on-satellite UPF discovery based on NRF according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a flowchart of implementing on-satellite UPF discovery based on SMF stored UPF profile provided in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a flowchart for implementing on-satellite UPF discovery based on SMF stored UPF profile and NRF provided in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a flowchart of a first case of UPF profile generation and storage of a UPF according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a flowchart of a second case of UPF profile generation and storage of a UPF according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11 is a flowchart of a third case of UPF profile generation and storage of a UPF according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 12 is a flowchart of a fourth case of UPF profile generation and storage of a UPF according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 13 is a flowchart for updating status or load information of a UPF according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a session management function entity SMF device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of an access and mobility management function entity AMF device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of an NRF device as a network function database function entity according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of a device for discovering an on-satellite UPF according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 18 is a second schematic structural diagram of a device for discovering an on-satellite UPF according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 19 is a third schematic structural diagram of a device for finding a UPF on a satellite according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In the embodiment of the present application, the term "and/or" describes an association relationship of associated objects, and indicates that three relationships may exist, for example, a and/or B, and may indicate: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. The character "/" generally indicates that the former and latter associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

In the embodiments of the present application, the term "plurality" means two or more, and other terms are similar thereto.

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present application without making any creative effort belong to the protection scope of the present application.

The current 5G core network system, including UPF, is deployed on the ground. When a satellite terminal accesses a 5G core network through AN on-satellite AN (access node), user traffic data streams need to be routed from the satellite back to the terrestrial UPF, as shown in fig. 1. In the figure, the solid line path is a data transmission path, and the dotted line path is a signaling transmission path.

According to the 3gpp 23.501 and 23.502 description, SMFs may locally configure information about available UPFs, e.g., OAM systems may do the relevant configuration when a UPF is instantiated or removed.

The UPF selection function in SMF may utilize NRF to discover UPF instances. In this case, the SMF issues a request to the NRF, possibly including the following parameters: DNN, S-NSSAI, SMF region identification, and the like. The NRF selects UPF on the satellite based on the parameters and provides UPF profile to the SMF through a response message, wherein the UPF profile comprises the IP address or FQDN of the N4 interface of the UPF instance corresponding to the SMF.

In NRF, the UPF may be associated with an SMF zone identity. At this point, the NRF provides only those UPFs associated with a particular SMF zone identity, i.e., the SMF allows only those UPFs in the NRF that are configured to belong to a particular SMF zone identity to be controlled. The specific flow is shown in fig. 2.

SMF triggers Nnrf _ NFManagementNFStatusSubscripte service operation, providing information of target UPF interested by SMF.

NRF triggers Nnrf _ NFmanagement _ NFStatusNotify and lists all UPF lists that currently satisfy SMF subscription. This notification indicates a subset of the target UPF setting information that each UPF supports.

When deploying a new UPF instance, the following will occur:

3. new UPF instances are deployed at any time.

The UPF instance is configured with NRF identity to register with NRF and carry UPF provisioning information. The UPF does not need to know the UPF provisioning information, except that this information to be registered is used in step 5.

And 5, sending out nrf _ NFManagementNFRegistereRequest service operation by the UPF instance, and providing information such as NF type, FQDN or IP address of an N4 interface, SMF area identification, UPF providing information configured in the step 4 and the like.

6. Or (to steps 4 and 5) the OAM registers UPF on the NRF indicating the same UPF setting information provided in step 5.

7. According to the subscription in step 1, the NRF triggers nrrf _ NFManagement _ nfstatustonotify notification to all SMFs and provides UPF provisioning information of a new UPF matching the subscription.

For UPF selection and reselection, SMF may consider the following parameters and information:

-dynamic load of the UPF.

Relative static capacity of the UPFs between UPFs supporting the same DNN.

SMF provides UPF location.

-UE location information.

Capabilities of the UPF and functions required for a specific UE session: the appropriate UPF may be selected by matching the functions and features required by the UE.

-a Data Network Name (DNN).

PDU session type (i.e. IPv4, IPv6, IPv4v6, ethernet type or unstructured type) and static IP address/prefix (if applicable).

-S-NSSAI and the like.

In the 5G core network in the prior art, UPF is found based on information parameters such as DNN, S-NSSAI, SMF area identification and the like. For a scenario supporting on-satellite UPFs, which are deployed on a satellite, the geographic location is not fixed, and based on the existing UPF discovery mechanism, the UPF may be selected to be a ground UPF instead of an on-satellite UPF.

Fig. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a method for discovering an on-satellite UPF according to an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 3, the embodiment of the present application provides a method for discovering an on-satellite UPF, which is applied to a session management function entity SMF. The method comprises the following steps:

step 301, receiving a session establishment request, where the session establishment request includes a gbb identifier of a satellite-located base station gbb serving a current terminal device;

step 302, acquiring a satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier;

the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the satellite-located base station gNB serving the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the satellite-located base station gNB serving the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined according to the gNB identifier.

Specifically, the session management function entity SMF receives a session establishment request sent by the access and mobility management function entity AMF, where the session establishment request includes a gbb identifier corresponding to a satellite-located base station serving the current terminal device. And the UPF profile of each UPF includes the gNB identity or the satellite identity.

And the SMF executes UPF selection according to the request message, and selects the on-satellite UPF according to the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier serving the current UE, wherein each on-satellite UPF corresponds to one UPF profile. According to the gNB identification of the satellite-located base station serving the current terminal equipment, selecting from the UPFs on the satellites, and meeting the requirement that the satellite identification included in the UPF profile of the UPF on the satellites is the same as the gNB identification of the satellite-located base station serving the current terminal equipment, or the satellite represented by the included satellite identification is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identification of the satellite-located base station serving the current terminal equipment, wherein the satellite represented by the gNB identification corresponding to the satellite-located base station serving the current terminal equipment refers to the satellite located by the satellite-located base station serving the current terminal equipment.

And the satellite identification is determined according to the gNB identification.

According to the method for discovering the on-satellite UPF, the on-satellite UPF corresponding to the terminal device is determined through the gNB identification or the satellite identification corresponding to the base station located on the satellite serving the current terminal device and the gNB identification or the satellite identification included in the UPF profile of the UPF. And ensuring that the selected UPFs are all on-satellite UPFs in the scene needing to select the on-satellite UPFs.

Specifically, based on the gNB identifier, the obtaining method for obtaining the on-satellite UPF mainly includes:

the first method is as follows: the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF may be locally obtained by the SMF, that is, the SMF has the capability of storing the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF, and may locally store the obtained UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF, and the SMF finds that the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile is the same as the gNB identifier of the on-satellite base station serving the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included in the UPF profile is the same as the satellite represented by the on-satellite base station serving the current terminal device, according to the gNB identifier corresponding to the on-satellite base station serving the current terminal device and carried in the session establishment request, and is matched with the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier in the UPF profile locally stored by the SMF.

The second method comprises the following steps: after receiving the session establishment request, the SMF sends a network function discovery request to a network function database function entity NRF, the NRF determines an onboard UPF according to a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier carried in the request and including the service current UE, and sends an UPF profile of the onboard UPF to the SMF through a response message, wherein the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of each onboard UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of a base station gNB located on the satellite and serving the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as the satellite represented by the base station gNB located on the satellite and serving the current terminal device. The satellite represented by the base station gNB located on the satellite serving the current terminal device refers to the satellite where the base station serving the current terminal device is located. In this way, the UPF profiles of the on-satellite UPFs obtained by the SMF are all the latest on-satellite UPF information.

In addition, the method can also comprise a third mode: the SMF locally stores the on-satellite UPFs, which may not be the UPF profile of the UPF in the latest state, and needs to obtain the UPF in the latest state by sending a network function discovery request to the NRF, and determine the on-satellite UPF in the UPF in combination with the locally stored UPF in the same manner as the first method or the second method, which is not described herein again.

According to the method for discovering the UPF on the satellite, the UPF on the satellite corresponding to the terminal equipment is determined through the UPF on the satellite locally stored in the SMF, or through the NRF, or through the combination of the UPF on the satellite and the NRF. And ensuring that the selected UPFs are all on-satellite UPFs in the scene supporting the on-satellite UPFs.

Optionally, before sending the network function discovery request to the NRF after receiving the session establishment request, the method further includes:

receiving an N4 association establishment request sent by an on-satellite UPF; wherein the N4 association establishment request carries UPF profile including the on-satellite UPF;

or

Sending an N4 association establishment request to an on-satellite UPF, and receiving a response message of the on-satellite UPF, wherein the response message comprises an UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF;

or

Specifically, after receiving the session establishment request, the SMF may actively send an N4 association establishment request by the UPF, and the association establishment request carries an UPF profile corresponding to the on-satellite UPF; or sending an N4 association establishment request to the UPF to acquire the UPF profile of the UPF; or UPF profile pre-configured by OAM in SMF.

And the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF comprises a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier, wherein the gNB identifier is a gNB identifier corresponding to a gNB located in the same satellite as the on-satellite UPF, namely the on-satellite UPF and the gNB are located in the same satellite. The satellite identification is the satellite identification of the satellite where the UPF is located on the satellite.

Optionally, the method further includes:

Specifically, the SMF receives the UPF profile actively sent by the on-satellite UPF, or sends an N4 association establishment request, obtains the UPF profile from the on-satellite UPF, or pre-configures the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF in the SMF by OAM, and then performs two processing modes for the UPF profile, one mode is that the SMF registers the received UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF to the NRF, and the NRF stores the UPF profile. The other mode is that the SMF stores the received UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF for selecting the target UPF.

According to the method for discovering the on-satellite UPF, the session establishment request comprises the gNB identifier of the on-satellite base station gNB serving the current terminal equipment, the selection of the on-satellite UPF is triggered, and the on-satellite UPF can be sent by actively acquiring the UPF profile or the on-satellite UPF when the on-satellite UPF is determined and can be stored in the NRF or the SMF locally. And providing guarantee for determining the on-satellite UPF corresponding to the terminal equipment. And ensuring that the selected UPFs are all on-satellite UPFs in the scene supporting the on-satellite UPFs.

Optionally, the method further includes:

sending an N4 correlation updating request to a UPF on the satellite to acquire the state of the UPF on the satellite or the condition that the load changes;

and updating the state or the load of the UPF on the satellite to the NRF.

Specifically, the SMF sends an N4 association update request to the UPF, actively acquires a change in the on-satellite UPF state or load, and updates the on-satellite UPF state or load to the NRF.

Or the change condition of the on-satellite UPF is actively reported to the SMF under the condition that the state or the load of the on-satellite UPF is changed, so that the SMF is favorable for obtaining the latest state and the latest load condition of the on-satellite UPF, and a proper on-satellite UPF is selected for the current terminal equipment.

According to the method for discovering the on-satellite UPF, the on-satellite UPF corresponding to the terminal equipment is determined by including the gNB identifier of the base station gNB serving the current terminal equipment and located on the satellite in the session establishment request. And ensuring that the selected UPFs are all on-satellite UPFs in the scene supporting the on-satellite UPFs.

Optionally, the method further includes: selecting a target on-satellite UPF for the current terminal equipment by using a target with the minimum UPF load in the on-satellite UPFs based on the following information;

the information includes at least one of: the load of the candidate on-satellite UPF, the data network name DNN, and the network slice selection assistance information NSSAI.

Specifically, in each on-satellite UPF, a target on-satellite UPF of the current terminal device is determined based on at least one of the following information: the load of the on-board UPF, the data network name DNN and the network slice selection assistance information NSSAI. In addition, SMF may also consider other information, such as: the relative static capacity of the UPFs between UPFs supporting the same DNN, the SMF providing the UPF location, UE location information, the capabilities of the UPF and the functionality required for a particular UE session (the appropriate UPF can be selected by matching the functionality and features required by the UE), the PDU session type (i.e. IPv4, IPv6, IPv4v6, ethernet type or unstructured type) and the static IP address/prefix (if applicable).

The SMF comprehensively considers information in various aspects, and determines the on-satellite UPF serving the current terminal equipment with the minimum UPF load.

According to the method for discovering the on-satellite UPF, the session establishment request comprises the gNB identifier corresponding to the base station serving the current terminal device, UPF selection is triggered, and the SMF comprehensively considers the on-satellite UPF load, the data network name, the network slice selection load information and the like, so that the target on-satellite UPF serving the current terminal device is determined. And ensuring that the selected UPFs are all on-satellite UPFs under the scene that the on-satellite UPFs need to be selected. Fig. 4 is a second flowchart of a method for discovering an on-satellite UPF according to an embodiment of the present application; as shown in fig. 4, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for discovering a satellite UPF, which is applied to an access and mobility management function entity AMF, and includes:

step 401, sending a session establishment request to the SMF, where the session establishment request includes a gNB identifier of a base station gNB located on a satellite serving a current terminal device, and the gNB identifier is used for determining an on-satellite UPF;

the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the satellite-located base station gNB serving the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier corresponding to the satellite-located base station serving the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined according to the gNB identifier.

Specifically, the AMF sends a session establishment request to the SMF, the session establishment request comprises a gNB (global evolution network b) identifier of a satellite-located base station gNB serving the current terminal device, the SMF is triggered to execute on-satellite UPF (uplink packet data transfer) selection according to the session establishment request and the gNB identifier or a satellite identifier, the gNB identifier included in an UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the satellite-located base station gNB serving the current terminal device, or a satellite represented by the satellite identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as a satellite represented by the gNB identifier corresponding to the satellite-located base station serving the current terminal device. The satellite represented by the gNB identifier corresponding to the satellite-located base station serving the current terminal equipment is the satellite where the satellite-located base station serving the current terminal equipment is located; the identity of the satellite is determined from the identity of the gNB serving the current UE.

According to the method for discovering the on-satellite UPF, the AMF sends a session establishment request to trigger the SMF to determine the on-satellite UPF, and the session establishment request comprises a gNB (generic neighbor B) identifier corresponding to a base station on the satellite serving the current terminal equipment. And ensuring that the selected UPFs are all on-satellite UPFs in the scene supporting the on-satellite UPFs.

Fig. 5 is a third flowchart of a method for discovering an on-satellite UPF according to an embodiment of the present application; as shown in fig. 5, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for discovering a UPF on a satellite, which is applied to a network function database function entity NRF, and includes:

step 501, receiving a network function discovery request sent by an SMF, where the network function discovery request carries a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier of a base station gNB located on a satellite serving a current terminal device; the satellite identification is determined according to a gNB identification of a base station serving the current terminal equipment and located on the satellite;

step 502, determining an on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier, where the gNB identifier included in an UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB serving the current terminal device, which is located on the satellite, or the satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB serving the current terminal device, which is located on the satellite, and the satellite identifier is determined according to the gNB identifier;

step 503, sending a response message to the SMF, where the response message includes the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF.

Specifically, a network function database functional entity NRF receives a network function discovery request sent by an SMF, where the request carries a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier corresponding to a gsb of a satellite-located base station serving a current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined according to the gNB identifier of the satellite-located base station serving the current terminal device;

the NRF selects a corresponding UPF according to a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier of a satellite-located base station serving the current terminal equipment carried in the received network function discovery request, wherein the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the selected UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the satellite-located base station gNB serving the current terminal equipment, or the satellite represented by the included satellite identifier and the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the satellite-located base station gNB serving the current terminal equipment are the same satellite. The satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the satellite-located base station gNB serving the current terminal device refers to the satellite located at the satellite-located base station serving the current terminal device. And sending the selected UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF to the SMF through a response message.

According to the method for discovering the UPF on the satellite, the session establishment request comprises the gNB mark of the base station which is located on the satellite and serves the current terminal equipment, the SMF selects the UPF on the satellite through the NRF according to the session establishment request, and the session establishment request comprises the gNB mark corresponding to the base station which is located on the satellite and serves the current terminal equipment. And ensuring that the selected UPFs are all on-satellite UPFs in the scene supporting the on-satellite UPFs.

And receiving the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF sent by the operation maintenance management entity OAM, and storing the UPF profile in the local.

Specifically, a network function database functional entity NRF receives UPF profile of on-satellite UPF sent by SMF, the UPF profile is that after the on-satellite UPF and the SMF complete an N4 association establishment request, the on-satellite UPF sends the corresponding UPF profile to the SMF, and after receiving the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF, the SMF registers the UPF with the NRF and stores the UPF by the NRF;

or, the OAM configures NRF information, such as NRF IP address or NRF FQDN, on the onboard UPF, the UPF triggers a new network function registration request, provides the UPF profile of the onboard UPF to the NRF for storage, and the NRF provides a corresponding response message.

Or the operation, maintenance and management entity OAM registers the UPF profile of the on-board UPF to the NRF, and the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is stored by the NRF.

The method for discovering the on-satellite UPF, provided by the embodiment of the application, acquires the on-satellite UPF profile through various modes, and stores the on-satellite UPF profile in the NRF local for the NRF to select the on-satellite UPF in the session establishment request process, wherein the session establishment request includes a gNB identifier corresponding to a base station on the satellite serving the current terminal equipment. And ensuring that the selected UPFs are all on-satellite UPFs in the scene supporting the on-satellite UPFs.

Optionally, the method further includes:

Specifically, the on-satellite UPF updates the state or load of the on-satellite UPF by associating an update request with N4 sent by the SMF, and the SMF sends the update request to the NRF, and the NRF updates the UPF profile of the local on-satellite UPF.

According to the method for discovering the on-satellite UPF, the SMF sends the N4 correlation updating request to acquire the state or load change information of the on-satellite UPF, and the state or load change information is sent to the NRF so that the NRF can update the UPF profile of the local on-satellite UPF, the on-satellite UPF is selected in the session establishing request process, and the session establishing request comprises the gNB identification corresponding to the base station located on the satellite and serving the current terminal equipment. And ensuring that the selected UPFs are all on-satellite UPFs in the scene supporting the on-satellite UPFs.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart for implementing on-satellite UPF discovery based on NRF according to an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 6, the specific steps are as follows:

AMF triggers Nsmf _ PDSSESSION _ CreateSSMContext Request (namely session establishment Request) to SMF, and the carried information comprises the identification of gNB of a base station gNB on the satellite serving the current UE.

SMF executes UPF selection according to the session establishment request: the SMF triggers an Nnrf _ NFDiscovery _ Request to an NRF to execute a UPF discovery Request, wherein carried information comprises an identifier of a gNB of a base station gNB serving current UE and located on a satellite or an identifier of the satellite, and the identifier of the satellite is determined according to the identifier of the gNB serving the UE;

and 3, the NRF selects the UPF on the satellite according to the identification of the gNB serving the base station gNB on the satellite of the current UE or the identification of the satellite, and sends the UPF profile of the UPF on the satellite to the SMF through a Response message, namely sends the UPF profile to the SMF through the Nnrf _ NFdiscovery _ Response.

And 4, the SMF selects a proper UPF according to the UPF profile of the response message, and selects the on-satellite UPF with the minimum load as the on-satellite UPF of the service terminal equipment.

And 5, the SMF sends a session acceptance response message to the AMF.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart of implementing on-satellite UPF discovery based on SMF stored UPF profile according to the embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 7, the specific steps are as follows:

SMF performs UPF selection according to session establishment request: and the SMF selects the on-satellite UPF with the minimum load from the stored UPFs as the on-satellite UPF of the service terminal equipment according to the identification of the gNB of the on-satellite base station gNB of the current UE or the identification of the satellite.

SMF sends session acceptance response message to AMF.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart for implementing on-satellite UPF discovery based on SMF stored UPF profile and NRF provided in the embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 8, the specific steps are as follows:

And triggering the Nnrf _ NFdiscovery _ Request to the NRF by the SMF to execute the UPF discovery Request, wherein the carried information comprises the identification of the gNB of the base station gNB located on the satellite serving the current UE or the identification of the satellite, and the identification of the satellite is determined according to the identification of the gNB serving the UE.

And 3, the NRF selects the UPF on the satellite according to the identification of the gNB of the base station gNB on the satellite serving the current UE or the identification of the satellite, and sends the UPF profile of the UPF on the satellite to the SMF through a Response message, namely sends the UPF profile to the SMF through the Nnrf _ NFdiscover _ Response.

And 4, the SMF selects the UPF with the minimum load as the on-satellite UPF of the service terminal equipment according to the on-satellite UPF corresponding to the UPF profile contained in the response message and the on-satellite UPF corresponding to the locally stored UPF profile.

SMF sends session acceptance response message to AMF.

The UPF profile generation and storage for the UPF is divided into four cases.

In the first case, the UPF profile generation and storage of the UPF on the satellite is realized based on the UPF configuration, and the flowchart is shown in fig. 9:

0.OAM configures SMF information, such as SMF IP address or SMF FQDN, on the on-board UPF.

1. And the UPF on the satellite initiates an N4 association establishment request to the SMF based on the configured SMF information, and the request message carries the UPF profile of the gNB identifier of the gNB on the same satellite with the UPF or the UPF profile of the satellite identifier of the satellite where the UPF is located.

2-4. After receiving the UPF profile of the UPF, the SMF processes the UPF profile of the UPF in two modes, wherein one mode is that the SMF registers the received UPF profile to the NRF, and the NRF stores the UPF profile; another way is that the SMF saves the received UPF profile for selection of UPF.

And 5, after receiving the N4 association establishment request, the SMF sends a response to the UPF.

In the second case, the UPF profile generation of the UPF on the satellite is realized based on SMF configuration, and the flowchart is shown in fig. 10:

and 0.OAM configures information of the UPF on the satellite on the SMF, such as the UPF IP address on the satellite or the UPF FQDN on the satellite.

The OAM configures the SMF information, such as SMF IP address or SMF FQDN, on the on-board UPF.

And 1, the SMF initiates an N4 association establishment request to the UPF based on the configured on-satellite UPF information.

And 2. After receiving the N4 association establishment request, the UPF sends a response to the SMF. The response message carries the UPF profile of the gNB identifier of the gNB on the same satellite as the UPF, or the UPF profile of the satellite identifier of the satellite where the UPF is located.

3-5. After receiving the UPF profile of the UPF, the SMF processes the UPF profile of the UPF in two modes, wherein one mode is that the SMF registers the received UPF profile to the NRF, and the NRF stores the UPF profile; another way is that the SMF saves the received UPF profile for selection of UPF.

In the third case, the UPF registers the UPF profile with the NRF, and the flowchart is shown in fig. 11:

and 0.OAM configures NRF information, such as NRF IP address or NRF FQDN, on the onboard UPF.

And triggering the Nnrf _ NFmanagement _ NFregister Request service operation by the UPF instance, and providing the UPF profile containing the identifier of the gNB corresponding to the gNB located on the same satellite as the onboard UPF or the UPF profile of the satellite identifier of the satellite where the onboard UPF is located.

NRF saves UPF profile of the above UPF and triggers Nnrf _ NFmanagement _ NFRegister _ Response in Response to UPF.

In the fourth case, OAM registers UPF profile with NRF, and the flowchart is shown in fig. 12:

and 1, registering UPF Profile of the UPF to the NRF by the OAM, wherein the UPF Profile comprises the identifier of the gNB corresponding to the gNB of the UPF on the satellite on the same satellite or the satellite identifier of the satellite of the UPF on the satellite. NRF stores the UPF Profile described above.

The OAM configures UPF profile in SMF, which is the same as the above-mentioned flow and is not described here again.

Further, when the state or load of the UPF profile of the UPF changes, the state or load of the updated UPF is acquired by transmitting an N4-associated update request. The flow chart is shown in FIG. 13:

1-2.Upf sends its updated status/load via an N4 association update request sent by SMF.

SMF updates the UPF status/load to NRF 3-4.

Fig. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a session management function entity SMF device provided in an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 14, the session management function entity SMF device includes a memory 1420, a transceiver 1410 and a processor 1400; the processor 1400 and the memory 1420 may also be physically separated.

A memory 1420 for storing computer programs; a transceiver 1410 for transceiving data under the control of the processor 1400.

In particular, the transceiver 1410 is used for receiving and transmitting data under the control of the processor 1400.

Where, in fig. 14, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, particularly one or more processors, represented by processor 1400, and various circuits, represented by memory 1420, linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1410 may be a number of elements including a transmitter and a receiver that provide a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium including wireless channels, wired channels, fiber optic cables, and the like.

The processor 1400 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1420 may store data used by the processor 1400 in performing operations.

The processor 1400 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), and may also have a multi-core architecture.

The processor 1400 is configured to invoke the computer program stored in the memory 1420, so as to execute any of the methods provided by the embodiments of the present application according to the obtained executable instructions, for example:

acquiring a UPF on the satellite based on the gNB identifier;

based on the gNB identification, acquiring the on-satellite UPF from the on-satellite UPF locally stored in the SMF; or

After receiving the session establishment request, sending a network function discovery request to a network function database function (NRF) and receiving a response message returned by the NRF, wherein the response message comprises the on-board UPF; wherein the network function discovery request includes the gNB identity or the satellite identity; or

Acquiring UPF profile of a first on-satellite UPF and UPF profile of a second on-satellite UPF returned by the NRF from on-satellite UPF stored locally in SMF; and the acquisition mode of the UPF profile of the UPF on the second satellite is that after the session establishment request is received, a network function discovery request is sent to the NRF, and a response message returned by the NRF is received, wherein the response message comprises the UPF profile of the UPF on the second satellite, and the network function discovery request comprises the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier.

or

the UPF profile comprises a gNB (global navigation B) identifier of a gNB (global navigation B) located in the same satellite as the on-satellite UPF or a satellite identifier of the satellite where the on-satellite UPF is located, and the UPF profile is pre-configured to comprise the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier.

Optionally, the steps further include:

updating the state or load of the onboard UPF to the NRF.

Optionally, the steps further include:

selecting a target on-satellite UPF for the current terminal equipment by using a target with the minimum UPF load in the on-satellite UPFs based on the following information;

the information includes at least one of: the load of the candidate on-satellite UPF, the data network name DNN, and the network slice selection assistance information NSSAI. It should be noted that, the SMF device provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the method embodiment and achieve the same technical effect, and detailed descriptions of the same parts and beneficial effects as those of the method embodiment in this embodiment are omitted here.

Fig. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of an access and mobility management function entity AMF device according to an embodiment of the present application, where, as shown in fig. 15, the access and mobility management function entity AMF device includes a memory 1520, a transceiver 1510, and a processor 1500; the processor 1500 and the memory 1520 may also be disposed physically separately.

A memory 1520 for storing a computer program; a transceiver 1510 for transceiving data under the control of the processor 1500.

In particular, the transceiver 1510 is used to receive and transmit data under the control of the processor 1500.

In fig. 15, among other things, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with one or more processors represented by processor 1500 and various circuits of memory represented by memory 1520 being linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1510 may be a number of elements including a transmitter and a receiver that provide a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium including wireless channels, wired channels, fiber optic cables, and the like.

The processor 1500 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1520 may store data used by the processor 1500 in performing operations.

The processor 1500 may be a CPU, ASIC, FPGA or CPLD, or the processor may employ a multi-core architecture.

The processor 1500 may be configured to execute any of the methods provided by the embodiments of the present application by calling the computer program stored in the memory 1520, according to the obtained executable instructions, for example:

It should be noted that, the access and mobility management function entity AMF device provided in this embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the foregoing method embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect, and detailed descriptions of the same parts and beneficial effects as those of the method embodiment in this embodiment are omitted here.

Fig. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of a network function database function NRF device according to an embodiment of the present application, where, as shown in fig. 16, the network function database function NRF device includes a memory 1620, a transceiver 1610 and a processor 1600; wherein, the processor 1600 and the memory 1620 may also be physically separated.

A memory 1620 for storing computer programs; a transceiver 1610 for transceiving data under the control of the processor 1600.

In particular, the transceiver 1610 is configured to receive and transmit data under the control of the processor 1600.

In fig. 16, among other things, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with one or more processors represented by the processor 1600 and various circuits of the memory represented by the memory 1620 linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1610 can be a plurality of elements including a transmitter and receiver that provide a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium including wireless channels, wired channels, fiber optic cables, and the like.

The processor 1600 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1620 may store data used by the processor 1600 in performing operations.

The processor 1600 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), and may also have a multi-core architecture.

The processor 1600 is used for executing any of the methods provided by the embodiments of the present application according to the obtained executable instructions by calling the computer program stored in the memory 1620, for example:

receiving a network function discovery request sent by an SMF, wherein the network function discovery request carries a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier corresponding to a base station which serves current terminal equipment and is located on a satellite; the satellite identification is determined according to a gNB identification of a base station serving the current terminal equipment and located on the satellite;

determining an on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identification or the satellite identification, wherein the gNB identification included in the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as the gNB identification of the base station gNB, located on the satellite, of the service current terminal device, or the satellite characterized by the included satellite identification is the same as the satellite characterized by the gNB identification of the base station gNB, located on the satellite, of the service current terminal device, and the satellite identification is determined according to the gNB identification;

Receiving UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF sent by an operation, maintenance and management entity (OAM), and storing the UPF profile in local;

the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF comprises a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier, the gNB identifier is determined according to the gNB identifier of the gNB, which is located in the same satellite with the on-satellite UPF, and the satellite identifier is determined according to the satellite identifier of the satellite in which the on-satellite UPF is located.

Optionally, the steps further include:

It should be noted that, the NRF device of the network function database function entity provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the method embodiment, and can achieve the same technical effect, and detailed descriptions of the same parts and beneficial effects as those of the method embodiment in this embodiment are omitted here.

Fig. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of a device for discovering a UPF on a satellite according to an embodiment of the present application, where as shown in fig. 17, the device includes:

a first receiving module 1701, configured to receive a session establishment request, where the session establishment request includes a gNB identifier of a base station gNB located on a satellite and serving a current terminal device;

a first selecting module 1702, configured to obtain an on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier;

Acquiring UPF profile of a first on-satellite UPF and UPF profile of a second on-satellite UPF returned by an NRF from on-satellite UPF stored in SMF local storage; and the acquisition mode of the UPF profile of the second on-satellite UPF is that after receiving the session establishment request, a network function discovery request is sent to an NRF, and a response message returned by the NRF is received, wherein the response message comprises the UPF profile of the second on-satellite UPF, and the network function discovery request comprises the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier.

Optionally, the first receiving module 1701 is further configured to:

receiving an N4 association establishment request sent by a UPF on the satellite; wherein the N4 association establishment request carries a UPF profile including the on-satellite UPF;

or

Optionally, the apparatus further includes a first sending device 1703, configured to send the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF to a network function database function entity NRF for storage after receiving the UPF profile sent by the on-satellite UPF or receiving the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF configured by OAM, or store the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF locally in the SMF.

Optionally, the first sending device 1703 is further configured to send an N4 association update request to an onboard UPF, and obtain a state of the onboard UPF or a situation that a load changes;

and updating the state or the load of the UPF on the satellite to the NRF.

Fig. 18 is a second schematic structural diagram of a device for discovering a UPF on a satellite according to an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 18, the device includes:

a second sending module 1801, configured to send a session establishment request to the SMF, where the session establishment request includes a gNB identifier of a base station gNB located on a satellite and serving a current terminal device, and the gNB identifier is used to determine an on-satellite UPF;

Fig. 19 is a third schematic structural diagram of a device for discovering a UPF on a satellite according to an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 19, the device includes:

a third receiving module 1901, configured to receive a network function discovery request sent by an SMF, where the network function discovery request carries a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier of a base station gNB located on a satellite and serving a current terminal device; the satellite identification is determined according to a gNB identification of a base station serving the current terminal equipment and located on the satellite;

a third determining module 1902, configured to determine an on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier, where a gNB identifier included in an UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as a gNB identifier of a base station gNB located on a satellite serving the current terminal device, or a satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as a satellite represented by a gNB identifier of a base station gNB located on a satellite serving the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined according to the gNB identifier;

a third sending module 1903, configured to send a response message to the SMF, where the response message includes the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF.

Optionally, the third determining module 1902 is further configured to:

Optionally, the third receiving module 1901 is further configured to:

It should be noted that the division of the unit in the embodiment of the present application is schematic, and is only a logic function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation. In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in a form of hardware, and can also be realized in a form of a software functional unit.

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

It should be noted that the apparatus provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the method embodiment and achieve the same technical effect, and detailed descriptions of the same parts and beneficial effects as the method embodiment in this embodiment are omitted here.

In another aspect, the present invention also provides a computer program product comprising a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer program comprising program instructions which, when executed by a computer, enable the computer to perform the steps of the method for discovering a UPF on a satellite provided by the above methods, applied to a session management function SMF, for example, including:

receiving a session establishment request, wherein the session establishment request comprises a gNB (global evolved node B) identifier of a base station gNB on a satellite serving a current terminal device;

acquiring a UPF on the satellite based on the gNB identification;

In another aspect, the present invention also provides a computer program product comprising a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer program comprising program instructions which, when executed by a computer, enable the computer to perform the steps of the method for discovering an on-satellite UPF provided by the above methods, applied to an access and mobility management functional entity AMF, for example, including:

In another aspect, the present invention also provides a computer program product comprising a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer program comprising program instructions which, when executed by a computer, enable the computer to perform the steps of the method for on-board UPF discovery provided by the above methods, applied to a network function database function NRF, for example comprising:

receiving a network function discovery request sent by an SMF, wherein the network function discovery request carries a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier corresponding to a base station which serves current terminal equipment and is located on a satellite; the satellite identification is determined according to a gNB identification of a base station located on the satellite serving the current terminal equipment;

On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application further provides a processor-readable storage medium, where the processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program, where the computer program is configured to enable the processor to execute the method for discovering an on-satellite UPF provided in the foregoing embodiments, and apply the method to a session management function entity SMF, where the method includes:

acquiring a UPF on the satellite based on the gNB identification;

On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application further provides a processor-readable storage medium, where the processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program, where the computer program is configured to enable the processor to execute the method for discovering a UPF on a satellite provided in the foregoing embodiments, where the method is applied to an access and mobility management function entity AMF, and the method includes:

sending a session establishment request to the SMF, wherein the session establishment request comprises a gNB (generic node B) identifier of a base station gNB (generic node B) on the satellite serving the current terminal equipment, and the gNB identifier is used for determining a UPF (uplink packet data) on the satellite;

On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application further provides a processor-readable storage medium, where the processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program, where the computer program is configured to enable the processor to execute the method for discovering an on-satellite UPF provided in the foregoing embodiments, and apply the method to a network function database function entity NRF, where the method includes:

receiving a network function discovery request sent by an SMF, wherein the network function discovery request carries a gNB (global navigation B) identifier or a satellite identifier corresponding to a base station on a satellite serving a current terminal device; the satellite identification is determined according to a gNB identification of a base station located on the satellite serving the current terminal equipment;

The processor-readable storage medium may be any available medium or data storage device that can be accessed by a processor, including, but not limited to, magnetic memory (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tape, magneto-optical disks (MOs), etc.), optical memory (e.g., CDs, DVDs, BDs, HVDs, etc.), and semiconductor memory (e.g., ROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, non-volatile memories (NAND FLASH), solid State Disks (SSDs)), etc.

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the application can be suitable for various systems, especially 5G systems. For example, the applicable system may be a global system for mobile communication (GSM) system, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) system, a long term evolution (long term evolution, LTE) system, an LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, an LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, an LTE-a (long term evolution) system, a universal mobile system (universal mobile telecommunications system, UMTS), a universal internet Access (WiMAX) system, a New Radio Network (NR) system, etc. These various systems include terminal devices and network devices. The System may further include a core network portion, such as an Evolved Packet System (EPS), a 5G System (5 GS), and the like.

The network side device according to the embodiment of the present application may be a base station, and the base station may include multiple cells that provide services for a terminal. A base station may also be called an access point, or may be a device in an access network that communicates over the air-interface, through one or more sectors, with wireless terminal devices, or by other names, depending on the particular application. The network device may be configured to exchange received air frames with Internet Protocol (IP) packets as a router between the wireless terminal device and the rest of the access network, which may include an Internet Protocol (IP) communication network. The network device may also coordinate attribute management for the air interface. For example, the network device according to the embodiment of the present application may be a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) in a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) or a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), may also be a network device (NodeB) in a Wide-band Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), may also be an evolved Node B (eNB or e-NodeB) in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) System, a 5G Base Station (gNB) in a 5G network architecture (next generation System), may also be a Home evolved Node B (HeNB), a relay Node (relay Node), a Home Base Station (femto), a pico Base Station (pico) and the like, and the present application is not limited in this embodiment. In some network architectures, a network device may include a Centralized Unit (CU) node and a Distributed Unit (DU) node, which may also be geographically separated.

The terminal referred to in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a device providing voice and/or data connectivity to a user, a handheld device having a wireless connection function, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem. In different systems, the names of terminals may be different, for example, in a 5G system, a terminal may be called a User terminal or User Equipment (UE). A wireless terminal device, which may be a mobile terminal device such as a mobile phone (or called a "cellular" phone) and a computer having a mobile terminal device, for example, a portable, pocket, hand-held, computer-included or vehicle-mounted mobile device, may communicate with one or more Core Networks (CNs) via a Radio Access Network (RAN), and may exchange languages and/or data with the RAN. Examples of such devices include Personal Communication Service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, wireless Local Loop (WLL) stations, personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and the like. The wireless terminal device may also be referred to as a system, a subscriber unit (subscriber unit), a subscriber station (subscriber station), a mobile station (mobile), a remote station (remote station), an access point (access point), a remote terminal device (remote terminal), an access terminal device (access terminal), a user terminal device (user terminal), a user agent (user agent), and a user device (user device), which are not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

The network device and the terminal may each use one or more antennas for Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) transmission, and the MIMO transmission may be Single User MIMO (SU-MIMO) or Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO). According to the form and the number of the root antenna combination, the MIMO transmission can be 2D-MIMO, 3D-MIMO, FD-MIMO or massive-MIMO, and can also be diversity transmission, precoding transmission, beamforming transmission, etc.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of the present application may be provided as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present application may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present application may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, optical storage, and the like) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the application. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-executable instructions. These computer-executable instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These processor-executable instructions may also be stored in a processor-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the processor-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These processor-executable instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is intended to include such modifications and variations as well.

Claims

1.A method for discovering a User Plane Function (UPF) on a satellite is applied to a Session Management Function (SMF) and comprises the following steps:

acquiring a UPF on the satellite based on the gNB identification;

2. The method for discovering the on-satellite UPF according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining the on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier includes:

3. A method of on-board UPF discovery according to claim 2, wherein said method further comprises, before sending a network function discovery request to a network function database function entity, NRF, after receiving said session establishment request:

or the like, or, alternatively,

4. The method of on-board UPF discovery according to claim 3, further comprising:

5. The method for discovering on-satellite UPF according to any of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:

updating the state or load of the onboard UPF to the NRF.

6. The method of discovering on-satellite UPF according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

7. A method for discovering a satellite UPF is characterized in that the method is applied to an access and mobility management function entity AMF, and comprises the following steps:

8. A method for discovering on-satellite UPF is characterized in that the method is applied to a network function database function entity NRF, and comprises the following steps:

receiving a network function discovery request sent by an SMF, wherein the network function discovery request carries a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier of a base station gNB located on a satellite serving a current terminal device; the satellite identification is determined according to a gNB identification of a base station located on the satellite serving the current terminal equipment;

9. The method for discovering UPF on a satellite according to claim 8, wherein before receiving the network function discovery request sent by the SMF, the method further comprises:

10. The method of discovering on-satellite UPF according to claim 8 or 9, further comprising:

11. A Session Management Function (SMF) device comprises a memory, a transceiver and a processor;

a memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for transceiving data under control of the processor; a processor for executing the computer program in the memory and implementing the steps of:

acquiring a UPF on the satellite based on the gNB identifier;

12. The SMF device of claim 11, wherein:

the acquiring method for acquiring the on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier comprises the following steps:

13. The SMF device of claim 12, wherein:

before sending a network function discovery request to a network function database function NRF after receiving the session establishment request, the steps further include:

or the like, or, alternatively,

14. The SMF device of claim 13, wherein said steps further comprise:

and after the UPF profile sent by the on-satellite UPF or the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF configured by OAM is received, the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is sent to a network function database function entity NRF for storage, or the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is stored locally in SMF.

15. An SMF device according to any of claims 11 to 14, wherein said steps further comprise:

updating the state or load of the onboard UPF to the NRF.

16. An SMF device according to claim 11 or 12, wherein said steps further comprise:

17. An access and mobility management function (AMF) device comprises a memory, a transceiver and a processor;

a memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for transceiving data under the control of the processor; a processor for executing the computer program in the memory and implementing the steps of:

and sending a session establishment request to the SMF, wherein the session establishment request comprises a gNB identifier of a base station gNB on the satellite serving the current terminal equipment, and the gNB identifier is used for determining UPF on the satellite.

18. A network function database function NRF device comprising a memory, a transceiver, a processor;

19. The NRF device of claim 18, wherein prior to receiving the network function discovery request sent by the SMF, said steps further comprise:

20. NRF device according to claim 18 or 19, characterised in that said steps further comprise:

21. An apparatus for on-board UPF discovery, the apparatus comprising:

22. An apparatus for on-board UPF discovery, the apparatus comprising:

and a second sending module, configured to send a session establishment request to the SMF, where the session establishment request includes a gNB identifier of a base station gNB located on a satellite and serving a current terminal device, and the gNB identifier is used for determining an on-satellite UPF.

23. An on-board UPF discovery apparatus, comprising:

a third receiving module, configured to receive a network function discovery request sent by the SMF, where the network function discovery request carries a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier of a base station gNB located on a satellite serving a current terminal device; the satellite identification is determined according to a gNB identification of a base station serving the current terminal equipment and located on the satellite;

24. A processor-readable storage medium, characterized in that the processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program for causing a processor to perform the method for discovering an on-board UPF according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or the method for discovering an on-board UPF according to claim 7, or the method for discovering an on-board UPF according to any one of claims 8 to 10.