CN115766343A

CN115766343A - Communication method and device

Info

Publication number: CN115766343A
Application number: CN202111028316.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 汪洋; 于游洋; 吴问付
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-09-02
Filing date: 2021-09-02
Publication date: 2023-03-07

Abstract

The embodiment of the application discloses a communication method and a device, wherein the method comprises the following steps: the convergence gateway sends an access request message to a data management network element, wherein the access request message comprises identification information of a home gateway, and the convergence gateway comprises a broadband network gateway function and a fixed mobile conversion function; receiving an access response message from a data management network element, wherein the access response message comprises indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating an access mode of a home gateway to a data network; and determining the charging mode of the home gateway according to the access mode. The embodiment of the application can realize the unified management of the charging of the local access of the home gateway and the access of the mobile core network.

Description

Communication method and device

Technical Field

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

Background

The fixed network home gateway (FN-RG) supports multiple access modes, for example, the FN-RG can perform local access through a Broadband Network Gateway (BNG) or access to a mobile core network through a Fixed Mobile Interworking Function (FMIF). When the FN-RG is accessed to the local, the authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) server corresponding to the BNG carries out accounting on the local service flow of the FN-RG. When the FN-RG is accessed to the mobile core network, the charging function (CHF) network element charges the access service flow of the mobile core network of the FN-RG. The charging modes of the two access modes are independent from each other. How to uniformly manage the charging of the local access of the FN-RG and the access of the mobile core network is a problem to be solved.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a communication method and a communication device, which are used for realizing unified management on the charging of local access of an FN-RG and mobile core network access.

In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which may include: the method comprises the steps that a convergence gateway sends an access request message to a data management network element, wherein the access request message comprises identification information of a home gateway, and the convergence gateway comprises a broadband network gateway function and a fixed mobile conversion function; the convergence gateway receives an access response message from the data management network element, wherein the access response message comprises indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating an access mode of the home gateway to a data network; and the fusion gateway determines the charging mode of the home gateway according to the access mode.

Optionally, the home gateway may be an FN-RG, or a component of an FN-RG (e.g., a system on chip, etc.). The data management network element may be a Unified Data Management (UDM) network element, or a component of a UDM network element (e.g., a system on a chip).

In the above embodiment, the convergence gateway includes a broadband network gateway function that enables the home gateway to access the local area and a fixed mobile conversion function that enables the home gateway to access the mobile core network, which means that the convergence gateway enables the home gateway to access the local area or the mobile core network. The convergence gateway may send the access request message to the data management network element, so that the data management gateway sends the indication information to the convergence gateway to indicate an access manner in which the home gateway accesses the data network. The access mode comprises local access or mobile core network access. Further, the convergence gateway can determine the charging mode of the home gateway according to the access mode, so that the charging of the local access of the home gateway and the mobile core network access can be uniformly managed.

In a possible design, the indication information is used to indicate that the access mode is local access; the method for determining the charging mode of the home gateway by the convergence gateway according to the access mode can be as follows: and the convergence gateway sends charging information to the data management network element.

Through the design, when the access mode of the home gateway is local access, the convergence gateway can send the charging information to the data management network element, and the data management network element sends the charging information to the CHF network element, so that the charging management of the local service flow of the home gateway by the CHF can be realized.

In one possible design, before the convergence gateway sends the charging information to the data management network element, the method may further include: the convergence gateway sends a charging request message to the data management network element, wherein the charging request message is used for requesting to create a charging session; and the convergence gateway receives a charging response message from the data management gateway.

Through the design, the convergence gateway can establish a charging session for the home gateway between the data management network element and the CHF network element by sending the charging request message to the data management network element, so that the data management network element can send the charging information of the home gateway to the CHF network element.

In one possible design, the charging response message includes a charging policy, or the access response message includes the charging policy; the step of sending, by the convergence gateway, charging information to the data management network element may be: and the fusion gateway sends the charging information to the data management network element according to the charging strategy.

Through the above design, the charging policy may be carried in the charging response message, or carried in the access response message, or directly issued by the data management network element to the convergence gateway, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. Further, the convergence gateway may report charging information of the local service flow of the home gateway according to a charging policy issued by the data management network element.

In a possible design, the indication information is used to indicate that the access mode is a mobile core network access, and the method may further include: the convergence gateway receives strategy information from an access and mobility management function network element; the fusion gateway determines to transmit the data of the home gateway through a mobile network and/or a fixed network according to the strategy information; and the convergence gateway determines the charging mode of the home gateway according to the access mode and the strategy information.

Through the design, when the access mode of the home gateway is the access of a mobile core network, the convergence gateway can also receive the policy information from the access and mobility management function network element, and determine the routing mode of the data of the home gateway according to the policy information, for example, the service flow of the home gateway is transmitted to the data network through a fixed network, or the service flow of the home gateway is transmitted to the data network through a mobile network, or a part of the service flow of the home gateway is transmitted to the data network through the fixed network, and the rest of the service flow is transmitted to the data network through the mobile network, so that the management of the routing mode of the data of the home gateway can be realized.

In a possible design, when the convergence gateway determines, according to the policy information, to transmit the data of the home gateway through the fixed network, the convergence gateway determines, according to the access method and the policy information, a charging method of the home gateway, which may be: and the convergence gateway sends charging information to a session management function network element or a user plane function network element.

Through the design, when the policy information determines that the service flow of the home gateway is transmitted to the data network through the fixed network, the convergence gateway sends the charging information of the service flow of the home gateway to the CHF network element through the session management function network element or the user plane function network element, so that the charging management of the service flow of the home gateway accessed to the mobile core network by the CHF network element is realized.

In a possible design, the access mode is an access mode subscribed by the home gateway.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a method of communication, which may include: the method comprises the steps that a data management network element receives an access request message from a convergence gateway, wherein the access request message comprises identification information of a home gateway, and the convergence gateway comprises a bandwidth network gateway function and a fixed mobile conversion function; and the data management network element sends an access response message to the convergence gateway, wherein the access response message comprises indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating an access mode of the home gateway to a data network, wherein the access mode is local access or mobile core network access.

Alternatively, the home gateway may be an FN-RG, or a component of an FN-RG (e.g., a system-on-chip, etc.). The data management network element may be a Unified Data Management (UDM) network element, or a component of a UDM network element (e.g., a system on a chip).

In one possible design, before the data management network element sends the access response message to the convergence gateway, the method may further include: and the data management network element determines the access mode according to the subscription information of the home gateway.

In one possible design, the access mode is local access, and the method may further include: the data management network element receives charging information from the convergence gateway; and the data management network element sends the charging information to a charging function network element.

In one possible design, before the data management network element receives the charging information from the convergence gateway, the method may further include: the data management network element receives a charging request message from the convergence gateway, wherein the charging request message is used for requesting to create a charging session; and the data management network element sends a charging response message to the convergence gateway.

In one possible design, before the data management network element sends the charging response message to the convergence gateway, the method may further include: and the data management network element sends a charging session establishment request message to the charging function network element.

In one possible design, the charging response message includes a charging policy.

In a third aspect, the present application provides a communications apparatus comprising a memory, and one or more processors, the memory coupled with the one or more processors; the memory is for storing a computer program or instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the communication apparatus to perform the method as set forth in any of the above first aspect or the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communications apparatus comprising a memory, and one or more processors, the memory coupled with the one or more processors; the memory is for storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the communication device to perform the method as set forth in any of the second aspects or designs thereof described above.

In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, which includes a communication unit and a processing unit, where these units or modules may perform corresponding functions performed by the convergence gateway in any design example of the first aspect or the first aspect.

In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, which includes a communication unit and a processing unit, where these units or modules may perform corresponding functions performed by the data management network element in any design example of the second aspect or the second aspect.

In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication system comprising the communication apparatus of the third aspect and/or the communication apparatus of the fourth aspect; or comprises the communication device of the fifth aspect and/or the communication device of the sixth aspect.

In an eighth aspect, the present application further provides a communication system, including a convergence gateway, and an access network device connected to the convergence gateway. Wherein the convergence gateway is operable to perform the method as set forth in the first aspect or any design of the first aspect, and the access network device is operable to perform communication between the convergence gateway and the home gateway.

In a ninth aspect, the present application further provides a communication system, which includes a data management network element and a charging function network element, where the data management network element is configured to execute the method in any design of the second aspect or the second aspect. The charging function network element may be configured to receive charging information from the data management network element.

In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program or instructions which, when executed, implement the method as set forth in any of the above first aspect or the first aspect.

In an eleventh aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program or instructions which, when executed, implement the method as set forth in any of the second aspects or the second aspects above.

In a twelfth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising: a computer program (which may also be referred to as code, or instructions), which when executed, causes a computer to perform the method of any of the designs of the first aspect or the first aspect described above.

In a thirteenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which when executed, causes a computer to perform the method of any of the second aspects or designs thereof.

In a fourteenth aspect, the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor and an interface, and is configured to support a communication apparatus to implement the method described in the first aspect or any design of the first aspect.

In one possible design, the chip system further comprises a memory for storing necessary information and data of the aforementioned communication means. The chip system may be formed by a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

In a fifteenth aspect, the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor and an interface, and is configured to enable a communication apparatus to implement the method described in the second aspect or any design of the second aspect.

For the advantageous effects of the second to fifteenth aspects and the various possible designs, please refer to the first aspect and the various possible designs, which will not be described herein again.

Drawings

FIG. 1a is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a service architecture in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 1b is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a point-to-point interface in the embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 1c is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a point-to-point interface according to an embodiment of the present invention;

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

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

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

fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

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

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more clear, the present application will be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The particular methods of operation in the method embodiments may also be applied to apparatus embodiments or system embodiments.

The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of the present application may be used interchangeably. The "plurality" means two or more, and in view of this, the "plurality" may also be understood as "at least two" in the embodiments of the present application. "at least one", is to be understood as meaning one or more, for example one, two or more. For example, the inclusion of at least one means that one, two or more are included, and does not limit which is included. For example, including at least one of A, B, and C, then what is included may be A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C. Similarly, the understanding of the description of "at least one" and the like is similar. "at least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single item(s) or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B, and C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC. "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. In addition, the character "/" generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship, unless otherwise specified.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, the present embodiments refer to the ordinal numbers "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc., for distinguishing between a plurality of objects, and do not limit the order, timing, priority, or importance of the plurality of objects, and the descriptions of "first", "second", "third", and "fourth" do not limit the objects to be necessarily different.

To address the challenges of wireless broadband technology, and to maintain the leading advantages of third generation partnership project (3 GPP) networks, the 3GPP standards group has established a next generation mobile communication network architecture (next generation system), referred to as the fifth generation (5g) network architecture. The architecture not only supports the wireless technology defined by the 3GPP standard group to access the core network side, but also supports the non-3GPP (non-3 GPP) access technology to access the core network side through a non-3GPP conversion function (N3 IWF) or a next generation access gateway (NG-PDG).

Fig. 1a is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a service-oriented architecture. The 5G network architecture shown in fig. 1a may include three parts, namely a terminal part, a Data Network (DN) and a carrier network part. The functions of some of the network elements will be briefly described below.

The operator network may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following network elements: a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) network element, AN authentication server function (AUSF) network element, a network open function (NEF) network element, a network storage function (NRF) network element, AN access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, a Policy Control Function (PCF) network element, a UDM network element, a charging function (charging function, CHF) network element, a session management function (session management function, SMF) network element, AN Access Network (AN) device or a Radio Access Network (RAN) device, and a user plane function (user plane function, UPF) network element, etc. In the operator network described above, the parts other than the radio access network part may be referred to as core network parts. In a possible implementation method, the operator network further includes an Application Function (AF) network element.

A terminal device (terminal device), which may be referred to as a terminal for short, is a device with a wireless transceiving function, and may be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, in a handheld manner, or in a vehicle; can also be deployed on the water surface (such as a ship and the like); and may also be deployed in the air (e.g., airplanes, balloons, satellites, etc.). The terminal device may be a tablet computer (pad), a computer with a wireless transceiving function, a Virtual Reality (VR) terminal, an Augmented Reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control (industrial control), a wireless terminal in self driving (self driving), a wireless terminal in remote medical (remote medical), a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation security (transportation security), a wireless terminal in smart city (smart city), a wireless terminal in smart home (smart home), a user equipment (user equipment, UE), a terminal device adapted to the Internet of Things (Internet of Things, ioT) (e.g., a terminal device of a smart factory, a terminal device of a smart manufacturing industry, etc.), a terminal device supporting a flash (spark) short-distance communication technology, etc.

The terminal may establish a connection with the carrier network through an interface (e.g., N1) provided by the carrier network, and use services such as data and/or voice provided by the carrier network. The terminal may also access the DN via an operator network, use operator services deployed on the DN, and/or services provided by a third party. The third party may be a service party other than the operator network and the terminal device, and may provide services such as data and/or voice for the terminal device. The specific expression form of the third party may be determined according to an actual application scenario, and is not limited herein.

AN apparatus or RAN apparatus is a sub-network of AN operator network, and is AN implementation system between a service node and a terminal apparatus in the operator network. The terminal device is to access the operator network, first via AN device (or RAN device), and then may be connected to a service node of the operator network through the AN device (or RAN device). AN apparatus is AN apparatus for providing a wired communication function for a terminal apparatus, and is also called a wired access network apparatus. AN devices include, but are not limited to: a router, switch, or modem, etc. A RAN device is a device that provides a terminal device with a wireless communication function, and is also called a radio access network device. RAN equipment includes, but is not limited to: next generation base stations (gnbs ), evolved node bs (enbs), home base stations (e.g., home evolved node bs, or home node bs, HNBs), baseBand units (BBUs), transmission points (TRPs), transmission Points (TPs), mobile switching centers (mscs), and the like in 5G.

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

The SMF network element mainly performs functions such as session management, control policy execution by PCF delivery, selection of UPF, and UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation.

The UPF network element is used as an interface with a data network to complete functions of user plane data forwarding, session/stream level-based charging statistics, bandwidth limitation and the like.

And the UDM network element is mainly responsible for functions of managing subscription data, user access authorization and the like.

And the NSSF network element is mainly responsible for managing the information related to the network slice.

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

And the CHF network element is mainly used for issuing the charging parameters to the SMF network element and collecting the user charging information provided by the SMF network element.

The AF network element mainly transfers requirements of an application side on a network side, for example, quality of service (QoS) requirements or user status event subscriptions, and the like. The AF may be a third party functional entity or an operator deployed application service, such as an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) voice call service.

The PCF network element is mainly responsible for performing policy control functions such as charging, qoS bandwidth guarantee, mobility management, UE policy decision and the like aiming at the levels of sessions and service data streams. In this architecture, PCFs connected to the AMF and SMF correspond to an AM PCF (PCF for Access and Mobility Control) and an SM PCF (PCF for Session Management), respectively, and may not be the same PCF entity in an actual deployment scenario.

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

AUSF network element: it is primarily responsible for authenticating a user to determine whether the user or device is allowed to access the network.

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

In fig. 1a, nssf, nausf, nnef, nrf, namf, npcf, nsmf, nudm, ncdf, naf, N1, N2, N3, N4, and N6 are interface serial numbers. The meaning of these interface sequence numbers can be referred to as that defined in the 3GPP standard protocol, and is not limited herein.

The conventional home gateway is accessed to the DN through a Broadband Network Gateway (BNG). The 5G network architecture allows the home gateway to access to a 5G core network, so as to reduce the facility construction, operation management cost and the like of the fixed network access network. When the 5G core network supports the next generation home gateway access, the network architecture is as shown in fig. 1b, wherein the home gateway may be a 5G home gateway (5G residential gateway, 5G-RG), for example: customer Premise Equipment (CPE) that supports the 5G control plane and is capable of communicating directly with the 5G core network; alternatively, the home gateway may also be an FN-RG, for example: CPEs that are deployed but do not support 3GPP flows.

As shown in fig. 1b, the 5G-RG can access to the 5G core network through the 5G RAN; and the 5G core network can also be accessed through a wire access gateway function (W-AGF). The FN-RG can be accessed to a 5G core network through a W-AGF; the existing BNG may also be used to access the 5G core network through a Fixed Mobile Interworking Function (FMIF). In addition, the FN-RG can also be accessed directly to the DN through the BNG, i.e., locally through the BNG.

In FIG. 1b, N1, N2, N3, N6, N11 and A10 are interface serial numbers. The meaning of these interface sequence numbers can be referred to as that defined in the 3GPP standard protocol, and is not limited herein.

In addition, whether the home gateway is a 5G-RG or FN-RG, the core network side can be described using a point-to-point interface protocol (as shown in fig. 1 b), or a serving interface architecture (as shown in fig. 1 a) consistent with a 3GPP access core network architecture.

The FN-RG can support multiple access modes as shown in fig. 1 c. The FN-RG can carry on the local access through AN apparatus and BNG; after the FN-RG is accessed to the local, the local service flow of the FN-RG can be transmitted to the DN through the fixed network. Or the FN-RG can be accessed to the 5G core network through the AN equipment and FMIF; after the FN-RG is accessed to the 5G core network, the 5G core network access service flow of the FN-RG can be transmitted to the DN through the mobile network. The BNG and the FMIF can be merged into a new network element, for example, called a convergence gateway. The convergence gateway comprises BNG functionality and FMIF functionality, in other words, the convergence gateway can implement the functionality implemented by BNG and the functionality implemented by FMIF. For example, the convergence gateway may initiate local access of the FN-RG or 5G core network access. The convergence gateway may also be referred to as a Co-located network gateway (CNG), as shown in fig. 1c, but the name of the convergence gateway in this embodiment is not limited thereto.

When the FN-RG is accessed to the local, the local service flow of the FN-RG is charged by the AAA server corresponding to the BNG. And when the FN-RG is accessed to the mobile core network, the 5G core network access service flow of the FN-RG is charged by the CHF network element. Obviously, the charging of the two access modes is managed by different network elements respectively, and the two access modes are independent of each other. How to uniformly manage the local access of the FN-RG and the charging of the 5G core network access of the FN-RG so as to enjoy the charging capability of the 5G core network is a problem to be solved.

Next, a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application will be described with reference to the drawings.

The data management network element and the policy control function network element in the embodiment of the present application may be the UDM network element and the PCF network element in fig. 1a. The access and mobility management network element, the session management function network element, and the user plane function network element in the embodiment of the present application may be the AMF network element, the SMF network element, and the UPF network element in fig. 1a, fig. 1b, or fig. 1c, respectively. The charging function network element in the embodiment of the present application may be a CHF network element in fig. 1a or fig. 1 c. The home gateway in the embodiment of the present application may be the FN-RG in fig. 1b or fig. 1 c. And, the convergence gateway in the embodiment of the present application may be CNG in fig. 1 c. It is to be understood that each network element in the embodiment of the present application may also be a network element in a future communication network, such as a sixth generation (6 g) network, which has the functions of the UDM network element, PCF network element, AMF network element, SMF network element, UPF network element, CHF network element, FN-RG, and CNG described above, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto.

For convenience of description, in the embodiments of the present application, a data management network element, a policy control function network element, an access and mobility management network element, a session management function network element, a user plane function network element, a charging function network element, a home gateway, and a convergence gateway are respectively the above UDM network element, PCF network element, AMF network element, SMF network element, UPF network element, CHF network element, FN-RG, and CNG, which are taken as examples for description.

In addition, the mobile core network in the embodiment of the present application may be a 5G core network, or may be a future communication network such as a 6G core network. For convenience of description, the embodiment of the present application takes an example that the mobile core network is a 5G core network as an example.

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

The first embodiment is as follows:

fig. 2 shows a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment, the UDM network element determines that the access mode of the FN-RG to the DN is local access.

S201: and the CNG sends an access request message to the UDM network element. Accordingly, the UDM network element receives the access request message.

The access request message includes identification information of the FN-RG. The access request message may be used to request authentication and authorization for the FN-RG. The identification information of the FN-RG may be, for example, a hidden user identifier (sui) of the FN-RG, or may be other information for uniquely identifying the FN-RG, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For convenience of explanation, the identification information of the FN-RG is hereinafter explained as SUCI.

For example, the CNG may generate a sui for the FN-RG based on a line identity (line ID) between the FN-RG and the CNG, and send the sui to the UDM network element in an access request message to request FN-RG authentication and authorization identified for the sui. For example, the FN-RG may establish L2 connection with the CNG based on point-to-point protocol over ethernet (PPPoE) or internet protocol over ethernet (IPoE). Among them, the AN device between the FN-RG and the CNG may encapsulate the line ID between the FN-RG and the CNG in a tag (tag) field of a PPPoE packet or in AN option (option) field of a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) packet, such as in option 82 of DHCP v4, or in option 18 or option 37 of DHCP v 6. Accordingly, the CNG may parse the line ID from the PPPoE packet or the DHCP packet, and generate the SUCI of the FN-RG based on the line ID.

The CNG includes a bandwidth network gateway function and a fixed mobile switching function, and for concrete implementation, reference is made to the foregoing description related to CNG, which is not described herein again.

S202: and the UDM network element sends an access response message to the CNG. Accordingly, the CNG receives the access response message.

The access response message includes indication information (also referred to as authorization indicator) for indicating an access method of the FN-RG to the DN. The access mode of FN-RG accessing to DN is an access mode of FN-RG signing. The access mode is local access or mobile core network access, such as a 5G core network or a future communication network, such as a 6G core network. That is, the indication information is used to indicate that the FN-RG is accessed to the DN through a local access or to indicate that the FN-RG is accessed to the DN through a 5G core network. For example, the UDM network element may determine an access manner in which the FN-RG is accessed to the DN according to the subscription information of the FN-RG, generate indication information according to the determined access manner in which the FN-RG is accessed to the DN, and send the indication information to the CNG. The subscription information includes an access mode, for example, if the access mode of the FN-RG subscription is local access, the indication information is used to indicate that the FN-RG is accessed to the local; if the access mode of the FN-RG subscription is 5G core network access, the indication information is used for indicating that the FN-RG is accessed to the 5G core network. In this embodiment, the indication information is used to indicate that the access mode of the FN-RG to the DN is local access.

As an example, the UDM network element may authenticate and authorize the FN-RG. Optionally, the indication information may further indicate success or failure of FN-RG authentication and authorization by the UDM network element. For convenience of description, the embodiment of the present application takes the successful FN-RG authentication and authorization performed by the UDM network element as an example. Optionally, the access response message may further include a SUCI that the authentication and authorization is successful.

Optionally, the access response message may further include a charging policy, which is not shown in fig. 2. The charging policy may include a duration policy of the local traffic flow of the FN-RG, or include a traffic policy of the local traffic flow of the FN-RG, or include a duration policy and a traffic policy of the local traffic flow of the FN-RG. The charging strategy is used for CNG to determine and report charging information to a UDM network element. For example, if the duration policy of the local service flow of the FN-RG is 1 hour, when the CNG monitors that the flow usage duration of the local service flow of the FN-RG reaches 1 hour according to the charging policy, the CNG reports charging information to the UDM network element. For another example, the flow policy of the local service flow of the FN-RG is 10 gigabytes (G), and when the CNG monitors that the flow rate used by the local service flow of the FN-RG reaches 10G according to the charging policy, the CNG reports the charging information to the UDM network element.

S203: the CNG sends an acknowledgement message to the FN-RG. Accordingly, the FN-RG receives the confirmation message.

Wherein, the confirmation message is used for indicating that the FN-RG authentication and authorization of the UDM network element is successful. The confirmation message may be a Password Authentication Protocol (PAP) message or a Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP) message. For example, the CNG may return an authentication and authorization result to the FN-RG through the PAP, such as a PAP Acknowledgement (ACK) message for indicating that the authentication and authorization of the FN-RG by the UDM network element is successful, and a PAP Negative Acknowledgement (NACK) message for indicating that the authentication and authorization of the FN-RG by the UDM network element is failed. For another example, the CNG may return an authentication and authorization result to the FN-RG through CHAP, such as a CHAP success (success) message for indicating that the authentication and authorization of the FN-RG by the UDM network element are successful, and a CHAP failure (failure) message for indicating that the authentication and authorization of the FN-RG by the UDM network element are failed.

S204: the FN-RG acquires the IP address 1 for fixed network transmission.

The CNG may assign an IP address to the FN-RG, denoted IP address 1, which IP address 1 is used for transmitting data of the FN-RG over the fixed network. Specifically, the CNG may allocate an IP address 1 to the FN-RG based on Internet Protocol Control Protocol (IPCP) or DHCP. For example, the FN-RG may send an IPCP configure request message to the CNG; after receiving the IPCP configuration request message, the CNG distributes IP address 1 of local access to the FN-RG, and carries the IP address 1 in an IPCP configuration response message and sends the IPCP configuration response message to the FN-RG. As another example, the FN-RG may send a DHCP request message to the CNG; after receiving the DHCP request message, the CNG distributes IP address 1 of local access to the FN-RG, and carries the IP address 1 in a DHCP response message and sends the DHCP response message to the FN-RG. It should be noted that the DHCP server corresponding to the CNG may be disposed in the CNG, or may be located in an external network, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

It is noted that a fixed network is understood to be an existing network for providing IP access to a home optical modem (optical modem). Accordingly, a mobile network in the following may be understood as a network providing services to mobile users, e.g. a 4G network, a 5G network, etc.

S205: CNG sends charging request (accounting request) message to UDM network element. Correspondingly, the UDM network element receives the charging request message.

The charging request message may include the sui of the FN-RG. The charging request message may be used to request that a charging session be created for the local traffic flow of the FN-RG. For example, after receiving the access response message, the CNG analyzes the message, determines the access mode of the FN-RG accessing to the DN, and determines the charging mode of the FN-RG according to the access mode. In this embodiment, the access mode is local access, and the CNG determines that the charging mode of the FN-RG is based on the access mode, so that the CNG can send charging information to the UDM network element, that is, step S210 is performed. Before performing step S210, the CNG may initiate a charging request to the UDM network element, for example, the CNG may send a charging request message to the UDM network element, or may also send a charging start (accounting start) message to the UDM network element to request to create a charging session for the local service flow of the FN-RG.

S206: and the UDM network element sends a charging session establishment request message to the CHF network element. Accordingly, the CHF network element receives the charging session creation request message.

The charging session creation request message may include the SUCI of the FN-RG. The charging session creation request message is for requesting the creation of a charging session for the local traffic flow of the FN-RG. The charging session creation request message may be a converged charging creation request (converged charging create request) message. For example, after receiving the charging request message, the UDM network element may select a CHF network element, and send a converted charging create request message to the selected CHF network element to request to create a charging session for the local service flow of the FN-RG. For example, the UDM network element may select a CHF network element for the local service flow of the FN-RG based on the subscription information of the FN-RG, etc.

S207: and the CHF network element sends a charging session establishment response message to the UDM network element. Accordingly, the UDM network element receives the charging session creation response message.

The charging session creation response message may be used to indicate that charging session creation for the local traffic flow of the FN-RG was successful. The charging session creation response message may be a converged charging creation response (converged charging creation response) message.

S208: the UDM network element sends a charging response (accounting response) message to the CNG. Accordingly, the CNG receives the charging response message.

The charging response message may be used to indicate that the charging session creation for the local traffic flow of the FN-RG was successful. For example, after receiving the charging session creation response message, the UDM network element determines that the CHF network element successfully creates a charging session for the local service flow of the FN-RG, and sends a charging response message or a charging start message to the FN-RG to indicate that the charging session creation for the local service flow of the FN-RG is successful.

In one possible implementation, the charging response message may include a charging policy. For example, in step S202, if the UDM network element does not carry the charging policy in the access response message and sends the charging policy to the CNG, the UDM network element may carry the charging policy in the charging response message and send the charging policy to the CNG. For an introduction of the charging policy, refer to the related introduction in step S202, and will not be described herein again.

In another possible implementation, the UDM network element may send a charging policy to the CNG. For example, the UDM network element does not carry the charging policy in the access response message, nor in the charging response message, but directly sends the charging policy to the CNG, e.g. before step S209, the charging policy is sent to the CNG.

S209: and data transmission is carried out between the FN-RG and the CNG.

The FN-RG is locally accessed to the DN, and data of the FN-RG can be transmitted through a fixed network. For example, the FN-RG can transmit upstream data to the DN through CNG according to the IP address 1. Alternatively, the FN-RG may receive the downstream data from the DN through the CNG according to the IP address 1.

S210: and the CNG sends the charging information to the UDM network element. Accordingly, the UDM network element receives the charging information.

The charging information may include a traffic usage duration of the service of the FN-RG, or a traffic usage amount of the service of the FN-RG, or a traffic usage duration and a traffic usage amount of the service of the FN-RG. For example, the CNG may send charging information to the UDM network element according to the charging policy. Specifically, the CNG may record the flow usage duration and/or the flow usage amount of the FN-RG service in the FN-RG data transmission process to obtain the charging information, and carry the charging information in a charging request message or a temporary update (interim update) message according to the charging policy, and send the charging information to the UDM network element. The charging information may further include the SUCI of the FN-RG.

S211: and the UDM network element sends the charging information to the CHF network element. Accordingly, the CHF network element receives the charging information.

For example, the UDM network element may carry the charging information in a converged charging update request (converged charging update request) message and send the converged charging update request message to the CHF network element. Correspondingly, after receiving the fused charging update request message, the CHF network element analyzes the message to obtain charging information, and performs a charging process on the FN-RG service according to the charging information. Optionally, the CHF network element may further send a converged charging update response (converged charging update response) message (not shown in fig. 2) to the UDM network element to indicate that the CHF network element successfully receives the charging information. Further, after receiving the fused charging update response message, the UDM network element may also send a charging response message or a temporary update message (not shown in fig. 2) to the CNG to indicate that the CHF network element successfully receives the charging information.

In the above embodiment, the FN-RG is accessed to the DN in a local access manner, the CNG sends an access request message to the UDM network element, and the UDM network element in the 5G core network can authenticate and authorize the local service flow of the FN-RG. The CNG requests the CHF network element to establish a charging session for the local service flow of the FN-RG through the UDM network element, and sends the charging information of the local service flow of the FN-RG to the CHF network element, so that the CHF network element in the 5G core network can charge the local service flow of the FN-RG. That is to say, with the above embodiments, the UDM network element and the CHF network element in the 5G core network may replace the AAA server to implement authentication, authorization, and accounting for the local service flow of the FN-RG, thereby enabling unified management of authentication, authorization, and accounting for the local access of the FN-RG and the access of the 5G core network, so that the local service flow of the FN-RG can enjoy the authentication, authorization, and accounting capabilities of the 5G core network.

The second embodiment:

fig. 3 shows another flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment, the UDM network element determines that the access mode of the FN-RG to the DN is 5G core network access, and the PCF network element determines that the FN-RG data is transmitted through the fixed network.

S301: and the CNG sends an access request message to the UDM network element. Accordingly, the UDM network element receives the access request message.

The access request message includes identification information of the FN-RG. The access request message may be used to request authentication and authorization for the FN-RG. The identification information of the FN-RG may be, for example, sui of the FN-RG, or may be other information for uniquely identifying the FN-RG, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention. For a specific implementation process of step S301, please refer to the description of step S201, which is not described again. The CNG includes a bandwidth network gateway function and a fixed mobile switching function, and for concrete implementation, reference is made to the foregoing description related to CNG, which is not described herein again.

S302: and the UDM network element sends an access response message to the CNG. Accordingly, the CNG receives the access response message.

The access response message includes indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating the access mode of the FN-RG to the DN. In this embodiment, the indication information is used to indicate that the access mode of the FN-RG to the DN is a mobile core network access, such as a 5G core network or a future communication network, such as a 6G core network. Optionally, the access response message may further include a charging policy.

As an example, the UDM network element may authenticate and authorize the FN-RG. Optionally, the indication information may further indicate success or failure of FN-RG authentication and authorization by the UDM network element. For convenience of description, the embodiment of the present application takes the successful FN-RG authentication and authorization performed by the UDM network element as an example. Optionally, the access response message may further include SUCI for which authentication and authorization are successful.

For a specific implementation process of step S302, please refer to the description of step S202, which is not described again.

S303: the CNG sends an acknowledgement message to the FN-RG. Accordingly, the FN-RG receives the confirmation message.

Wherein the confirmation message is used for indicating that the FN-RG authentication and authorization of the UDM network element is successful. For the specific implementation process of step S303, please refer to the description of step S203, which is not repeated herein.

S304: the FN-RG acquires the IP address 1 for fixed network transmission.

After the FN-RG registration is completed, the CNG may assign an IP address 1 to the FN-RG, the IP address 1 being used for transmitting data of the FN-RG through the fixed network. For a specific implementation process of step S304, please refer to the description of step S204, which is not described again. In this embodiment, the IP address 1 is a source IP address in an uplink IP packet sent by the FN-RG, and is a destination IP address in a downlink IP packet received by the FN-RG.

S305: and the CNG initiates a registration process.

The CNG determines that the access mode of the FN-RG to the DN is 5G core network access according to the indication information, and may initiate a registration procedure to the 5G core network, for example, initiate a registration procedure using sui of the FN-RG, to complete registration of the FN-RG in the 5G core network.

S306: and the PCF network element sends the strategy information to the AMF network element. Accordingly, the AMF network element receives the policy information.

The policy information may be used to determine the transmission of data of the FN-RG over the fixed network and/or the mobile network. The policy information may be terminal routing policy (URSP) information. The policy information includes flow description information (i.e., five-tuple information for the flow including source IP address, destination IP address, source port number, destination port number, and protocol type).

Illustratively, the PCF network element may determine to transmit FN-RG data over the fixed network and/or the mobile network according to the traffic demand of the FN-RG traffic stream, etc., and generate policy information. For example, for a service flow with low service demand (e.g., a web browsing service, etc.), the PCF network element may determine that the service flow is transmitted to the DN through the fixed network, and does not need to be transmitted to the DN through the mobile network. For another example, for a traffic flow with high traffic demand (such as video service, etc.), the PCF network element may determine that the traffic flow is transmitted to the DN through the mobile network.

Further, the PCF network element may use a non-seamless fixed access offloading (NSFO) to instruct the transmission of the FN-RG data over the fixed network. For example, if the PCF network element determines to transmit FN-RG data via the fixed network according to the service requirements of the FN-RG service flows, etc., the PCF network element generates policy information including flow description information and NSFO, and sends the policy information to the AMF network element. For another example, if the PCF network element determines to transmit FN-RG data through the mobile network according to the service requirements of the FN-RG service flows, etc., the PCF network element generates policy information including flow description information, and sends the policy information to the AMF network element. In other words, if the policy information includes flow description information and NSFO, the service flow corresponding to the flow description information is transmitted to the DN through the fixed network; and if the policy information comprises the flow description information and does not comprise the NSFO, transmitting the service flow corresponding to the flow description information to the DN through the mobile network. Among them, the NSFO may be included in a route selection description (route selection descriptor) field in the URSP information.

In this embodiment, the PCF network element determines to transmit FN-RG data over the fixed network. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the policy information includes flow description information and NSFO.

As an example, in this embodiment, the access mode is 5G core network access, and the determination by the CNG of the charging mode of the FN-RG according to the access mode may be that the CNG determines the charging mode of the FN-RG according to the access mode and the policy information. Wherein, the policy information includes flow expression information and NSFO, then CNG determines charging mode of FN-RG according to access mode and policy information as follows: the CNG sends the charging information to the SMF network element, i.e. performs step S310a, or sends the charging information to the UPF network element, i.e. performs step S311a.

S307: and the AMF network element sends the strategy information to the CNG. Accordingly, the CNG receives the policy information.

After receiving the policy information, the AMF network element may carry the policy information in a non-access stratum (NAS) message and send the message to the CNG. The NAS message may be, for example, a configuration message or an update message, which is not limited in this embodiment.

S308: the CNG initiates a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session establishment procedure.

The CNG may initiate a PDU session establishment procedure to establish a PDU session for the FN-RG.

S309: and data transmission is carried out between the FN-RG and the CNG.

The data of the FN-RG can be transmitted through a fixed network. For example, the FN-RG may transmit upstream data to the DN through CNG according to the IP address 1. Alternatively, the FN-RG may receive downstream data from the DN through the CNG according to the IP address 1.

S310a: and the CNG sends the charging information to the SMF network element. Accordingly, the SMF network element receives the charging information.

The charging information may include a traffic usage duration of the service of the FN-RG, or a traffic usage amount of the service of the FN-RG, or a traffic usage duration and a traffic usage amount of the service of the FN-RG. For example, the CNG may send charging information to the UDM network element according to the charging policy. Specifically, the CNG may record the flow usage duration and/or the flow usage amount of the FN-RG service in the FN-RG data transmission process to obtain the charging information, and send the charging information carried in the NAS message to the SMF network element according to the charging policy. The charging information may further include the SUCI of the FN-RG.

S310b: and the SMF network element sends the charging information to the CHF network element. Accordingly, the CHF network element receives the charging information.

After receiving the charging information, the SMF network element may carry the charging information in a converged charging update message and send the message to the CHF network element. Correspondingly, after receiving the fused charging update request message, the CHF network element analyzes the message to obtain charging information, and performs a charging process on the FN-RG service according to the charging information.

Optionally, the CHF network element may also send a converged charging update response message (not shown in fig. 3) to the SMF network element to indicate that the CHF network element successfully received the charging information. Further, after receiving the converged charging update response message, the SMF network element may also send a response message (not shown in fig. 3) to the CNG to indicate that the CHF network element successfully receives the charging information.

It is worth noting that. The CNG can send the charging information to the CHF network element through the above steps S310a and S310b, that is, the CNG sends the charging information to the CHF network element through the SMF network element, so that signaling interaction between the CNG and the CHF network element can be reduced, and the utilization rate of network resources can be improved. In another possible implementation manner, the CNG may also send the charging information to the CHF network element (indicated by a dotted line in fig. 3) through step S311a, step S311b, and step S311c, that is, the CNG sends the charging information to the CHF network element through the UPF network element and the SMF network element.

S311a: and the CNG sends the charging information to the UPF network element. Correspondingly, the UPF network element receives the charging information.

The charging information may include a traffic usage duration of the service of the FN-RG, or a traffic usage amount of the service of the FN-RG, or a traffic usage duration and a traffic usage amount of the service of the FN-RG. For example, the CNG may send charging information to the UDM network element according to the charging policy. Specifically, the CNG may record the flow usage duration and/or the flow usage amount of the FN-RG service in the FN-RG data transmission process to obtain the charging information, and send the charging information to the UPF network element according to the charging policy. The charging information may further include a SUCI of the FN-RG, among others.

S311b: and the UPF network element sends the charging information to the SMF network element. Accordingly, the SMF network element receives the charging information.

After receiving the charging information, the UPF network element may send the charging information to the AMF network element.

S311c: and the SMF network element sends the charging information to the CHF network element. Accordingly, the CHF network element receives the charging information.

For the specific implementation process of step S311c, please refer to the description of step S310b, which is not described herein again.

Optionally, the CHF network element may also send a response message (not shown in fig. 3) to the SMF network element to indicate that the CHF network element successfully received the charging information. After receiving the response message, the SMF network element may also send a response message (not shown in fig. 3) to the UPF network element to indicate that the CHF network element successfully received the charging information. Further, after receiving the response message, the UPF network element may also send a response message (not shown in fig. 3) to the CNG to indicate that the CHF network element successfully receives the charging information.

In the above embodiment, the FN-RG is accessed to the DN in a 5G core network access manner, the CNG sends an access request message to the UDM network element, and the UDM network element in the 5G core network can authenticate and authorize the FN-RG service flow. The CNG sends the charging information of the FN-RG service flow to the CHF network element through the SMF network element or the UPF network element, so that the CHF network element in the 5G core network can charge the FN-RG service flow. That is to say, by the above embodiment, unified management of authentication, authorization and charging of local access of the FN-RG and 5G core network access can be realized, so that the local service flow of the FN-RG can enjoy the authentication, authorization and charging capabilities of the 5G core network.

Further, the PCF network element may send policy information to the AMF network element to indicate a routing manner of the FN-RG data, for example, a route is performed through a fixed network, or a route is performed through a mobile network, or a part of data is transmitted through the fixed network, and the remaining part of data is transmitted through the mobile network, so that management of the routing manner of the FN-RG data by the 5G core network can be implemented. In the above embodiment, the PCF network element determines to locally distribute the traffic flow with low demand in the FN-RG traffic flows, which can improve the utilization of network resources.

Example three:

fig. 4 shows a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment, the UDM network element determines that the access mode of the FN-RG to the DN is 5G core network access, and the PCF network element determines that the FN-RG data is transmitted through the mobile network.

S401: and the CNG sends an access request message to the UDM network element. Accordingly, the UDM network element receives the access request message.

The access request message includes identification information of the FN-RG. The access request message may be used to request authentication and authorization for the FN-RG. The identification information of the FN-RG may be, for example, sui of the FN-RG, or may be other information for uniquely identifying the FN-RG, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention. For a specific implementation process of step S401, please refer to the description of step S301, which is not described again. The CNG includes a bandwidth network gateway function and a fixed mobile switching function, and for concrete implementation, reference is made to the foregoing description related to CNG, which is not described herein again.

S402: and the UDM network element sends an access response message to the CNG. Accordingly, the CNG receives the access response message.

The access response message comprises indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating the access mode of the FN-RG to the DN. In this embodiment, the indication information is used to indicate that the access mode of the FN-RG to the DN is a mobile core network access, such as a 5G core network or a future communication network, such as a 6G core network. Optionally, the access response message may further include a charging policy.

For a specific implementation process of step S402, please refer to the description of step S402, which is not described again.

S403: the CNG sends an acknowledgement message to the FN-RG. Accordingly, the FN-RG receives the confirmation message.

Wherein the confirmation message is used for indicating that the FN-RG authentication and authorization of the UDM network element is successful. For a specific implementation process of step S403, please refer to the description of step S303, which is not described again.

S404: the FN-RG acquires the IP address 1 for fixed network transmission.

After the FN-RG registration is completed, the CNG may assign an IP address 1 to the FN-RG, the IP address 1 being used for transmitting data of the FN-RG through the fixed network. For a specific implementation process of step S404, please refer to the description of step S204, which is not described again.

S405: and the CNG initiates a registration process.

S406: and the PCF network element sends the strategy information to the AMF network element. Accordingly, the AMF network element receives the policy information.

In this embodiment, the PCF network element determines to transmit FN-RG data over the mobile network. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the policy information includes flow description information, and does not include the NSFO. For a specific implementation process of step S406, please refer to the description of step S305, which is not described again.

S407: and the AMF network element sends the strategy information to the CNG. Accordingly, the CNG receives the strategy information.

After receiving the policy information, the AMF network element may carry the policy information in an NAS message and send the NAS message to the CNG. The NAS message may be, for example, a configuration message or an update message, which is not limited in this embodiment.

As an example, in this embodiment, the access mode is 5G core network access, and the determination by the CNG of the charging mode of the FN-RG according to the access mode may be that the CNG determines the charging mode of the FN-RG according to the access mode and the policy information. Wherein, the policy information includes flow expression information, and does not include NSFO, then the CNG determines the charging mode of the FN-RG according to the access mode and the policy information may be: the UPF network element sends the charging information to the SMF network element, i.e. step S411 is performed.

S408: the CNG initiates a PDU session establishment procedure.

S409: the CNG obtains the IP address 2 that the FN-RG uses for mobile network transmission.

The CNG may acquire an IP address 2, which IP address 2 is used for transmitting the data of the FN-RG through the mobile network.

S410: and data transmission is carried out between the FN-RG and the UPF network element.

The data of the FN-RG can be transmitted through a mobile network. For example, the CNG receives the upstream data from the FN-RG, changes the source address of the upstream data from IP address 1 to IP address 2, and sends the upstream data to the UPF network element. Or the CNG receives the downlink data from the UPF network element and changes the destination address of the downlink data from the IP address 2 to the IP address 1 and sends the downlink data to the FN-RG.

S411: and the UPF network element sends the charging information to the SMF network element. Accordingly, the SMF network element receives the charging information.

The charging information may include a traffic usage duration of the service of the FN-RG, or a traffic usage amount of the service of the FN-RG, or a traffic usage duration and a traffic usage amount of the service of the FN-RG. For example, the UPF network element may record the flow usage duration and/or the flow usage amount of the FN-RG service in the data transmission process of the FN-RG, obtain the charging information, and send the charging information to the SMF network element according to the charging policy. The charging information may further include a SUCI of the FN-RG, among others.

S412: and the SMF network element sends the charging information to the CHF network element. Accordingly, the CHF network element receives the charging information.

After receiving the charging information, the SMF network element may send the charging information to the CHF network element. Correspondingly, the CHF network element receives the charging information and can perform a charging process on the FN-RG service according to the charging information. Optionally, the CHF network element may send a response message (not shown in fig. 4) to the SMF network element to indicate that the CHF network element successfully received the charging information. Further, the SMF network element may also send a response message (not shown in fig. 4) to the UPF network element to indicate that the CHF network element successfully received the charging information.

It should be noted that the policy information may include a set of flow description information. For example, the policy information includes a set of flow description information and the NSFO corresponding to the flow description information, and then the service flow corresponding to the set of flow description information may be all service flows of the FN-RG; in this case, the CNG may transmit the entire traffic stream of the FN-RG to the DN through the fixed network according to the policy information, as shown in fig. 3. For another example, if the policy information only includes a set of flow description information, and does not include the NSFO, the service flow corresponding to the set of flow description information may be all service flows of the FN-RG; in this case, the CNG may transmit the entire traffic stream of the FN-RG to the DN through the mobile network according to the policy information, as shown in fig. 4.

In another possible implementation manner, the policy information may further include multiple sets of flow description information, where the traffic flows corresponding to the multiple sets of flow description information constitute all the traffic flows of the FN-RG. Wherein, the service flow corresponding to each group of flow description information in the multiple groups of flow description information is transmitted to DN through the fixed network; or the service flow corresponding to each group of flow description information in the plurality of groups of flow description information is transmitted to DN through the mobile network; or the service flow corresponding to part of the flow expression information in the plurality of sets of flow expression information is transmitted to the DN through the fixed network, and the service flow corresponding to the rest of the flow expression information is transmitted to the DN through the mobile network. Table 1 exemplifies that the policy information includes three sets of flow description information, and as shown in table 1, the policy information includes flow description information 1 and NSFO corresponding to the flow description information 1, flow description information 2, and flow description information 3 and NSFO corresponding to the flow description information 3. Wherein, the flow description information 1 and the flow description information 3 are respectively corresponding to NSFO, the service flow corresponding to the flow description information 1 is transmitted to DN through the fixed network, and the service flow corresponding to the flow description information 3 is transmitted to DN through the fixed network; if the flow description information 2 does not have a corresponding NSFO, the service flow corresponding to the flow description information 2 is transmitted to the DN through the mobile network.

TABLE 1

Stream representation information 1	NSFO
		Flow description information 2
Stream representation information 3	NSFO

Fig. 5 illustrates a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 5, the communication system may include FN-RG, CNG, UDM network elements, AMF network elements, PCF network elements, SMF network elements, CHF network elements, UPF network elements, and DNs. The communication system may implement the communication methods described in fig. 2-4.

For example, the FN-RG may perform steps S203-S204, S209, etc. shown in FIG. 2; or executing steps S303, S307, S309, and the like described in fig. 3; or performs step S403 shown in fig. 4, and the like.

The CNG may perform steps S201-S205, S208-S210, etc. shown in fig. 2; or performing steps S301-S305, S307-S309, S310a, S311a, etc. shown in FIG. 3; or perform steps S401-S405, S407-S409, etc. shown in fig. 4.

The UDM network element may perform steps S201-S202, S205-S208, S210-S211, etc. shown in fig. 2; or executing steps S301, S302, etc. shown in fig. 3; or steps S401, S402, etc. shown in fig. 4 are performed.

The AMF network element may perform steps S306, S307, etc. shown in fig. 3, or perform steps S406, S407, etc. shown in fig. 4.

The PCF network element may perform step S306, etc. shown in fig. 3, or perform step S406, etc. shown in fig. 4.

The SMF network element may perform steps S310a, S310b, S311c, etc. shown in fig. 3; or steps S411, S412, etc. shown in fig. 4 are performed.

The CHF network element may perform steps S206, S207, S211, etc. shown in fig. 3; or steps S310b, S311c, etc. shown in fig. 3, or step S412, etc. shown in fig. 4.

The UPF network element may perform steps S311a, S311b, etc. shown in fig. 3; or performs S411 and the like shown in fig. 4.

For the specific implementation process of each step, reference is made to the foregoing corresponding description, which is not repeated herein.

The method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above with reference to fig. 1a, 1b, 1c, and 2 to 5. The following describes the apparatus provided in the embodiment of the present application in detail with reference to fig. 6 and 7. It should be understood that the description of the apparatus embodiments and the description of the method embodiments may correspond to each other. Therefore, reference may be made to the description in the above method examples for what is not described in detail.

Fig. 6 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application, and includes a communication unit 601 and a processing unit 602. The communication unit 601 is used for communication with the outside, and may also be referred to as a communication interface, a transmitting/receiving unit, an input or output interface, or the like. The processing unit 602 may read data or instructions in the storage unit, so that the communication device 600 implements the method in the above embodiments.

In one example, communications apparatus 600 may be a converged gateway or a chip in a converged gateway. The communication unit 601 is configured to send an access request message to a data management network element, where the access request message includes identification information of a home gateway, and the convergence gateway includes a broadband network gateway function and a fixed mobile switching function; and receiving an access response message from the data management network element, wherein the access response message comprises indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating an access mode of the home gateway to the data network. A processing unit 602, configured to determine a charging mode of the home gateway according to the access mode.

In a possible implementation manner, the indication information is used to indicate that the access manner is a local access; the processing unit 602 is specifically configured to: charging information is sent to the data management network element via a communication unit 601.

In a possible implementation manner, the communication unit 601 is further configured to send a charging request message to the data management network element, where the charging request message is used to request to create a charging session; and receiving a charging response message from the data management gateway.

In one possible implementation, the charging response message includes a charging policy; the communication unit 601 is specifically configured to send the charging information to the data management network element according to the charging policy.

In a possible implementation manner, the indication information is used to indicate that the access manner is a mobile core network access, and the communication unit 601 is further configured to receive policy information from an access and mobility management function network element; the processing unit 602 is further configured to determine, according to the policy information, to transmit data of the home gateway through a mobile network and/or a fixed network; and determining the charging mode of the home gateway according to the access mode and the strategy information.

In a possible implementation manner, when the convergence gateway determines, according to the policy information, to transmit the data of the home gateway through the fixed network, the processing unit 602 is specifically configured to: charging information is sent to a session management function network element or a user plane function network element through the communication unit 601.

In a possible implementation manner, the access manner is an access manner subscribed by the home gateway.

In another example, the communication apparatus 600 may be a data management network element or a chip in a data management network element. The communication unit 601 is configured to receive an access request message from a convergence gateway, where the access request message includes identification information of a home gateway, and the convergence gateway includes a bandwidth network gateway function and a fixed mobile switching function; and sending an access response message to the convergence gateway, wherein the access response message comprises indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating an access mode of the home gateway to a data network, wherein the access mode is local access or mobile core network access.

In a possible implementation manner, before sending the access response message to the convergence gateway, the processing unit 602 is configured to determine the access manner according to the subscription information of the home gateway.

In a possible implementation manner, the access manner is local access, and the communication unit 601 is further configured to receive charging information from the convergence gateway; and sending the charging information to a charging function network element.

In a possible implementation manner, before receiving the charging information from the converged gateway, the communication unit 601 is further configured to receive a charging request message from the converged gateway, where the charging request message is used to request to create a charging session; and sending a charging response message to the convergence gateway.

In a possible implementation manner, before sending the charging response message to the convergence gateway, the communication unit 601 is further configured to send a charging session creation request message to the charging function network element.

In one possible implementation, the charging response message includes a charging policy.

It should be understood that the division of the units in the above devices is only a division of logical functions, and the actual implementation may be wholly or partially integrated into one physical entity or may be physically separated. And the units in the device can be realized in the form of software called by the processing element; or can be implemented in the form of hardware; part of the units can also be realized in the form of software called by a processing element, and part of the units can be realized in the form of hardware. For example, each unit may be a processing element separately set up, or may be implemented by being integrated into a chip of the apparatus, or may be stored in a memory in the form of a program, and a function of the unit may be called and executed by a processing element of the apparatus. In addition, all or part of the units can be integrated together or can be independently realized. The processing element described herein may in turn be a processor, which may be an integrated circuit having signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, the steps of the method or the units above may be implemented by integrated logic circuits of hardware in a processor element or in a form called by software through the processor element.

In one example, the units in any of the above apparatuses may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as: one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), or one or more microprocessors (DSPs), or one or more Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit formats. As another example, when a unit in a device may be implemented in the form of a processing element scheduler, the processing element may be a general-purpose processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or other processor capable of invoking programs. As another example, these units may be integrated together and implemented in the form of a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

The above communication unit 601 is an interface circuit of the apparatus for receiving or transmitting a signal from or to another apparatus. For example, when the device is implemented in the form of a chip, the communication unit 601 is an interface circuit for the chip to receive signals from other chips or devices or to transmit signals to other chips or devices.

Referring to fig. 7, a schematic diagram of a communication device 700 according to an embodiment of the present application is provided, where the communication device 700 includes a processor 710. Optionally, the communication device 700 may also include a memory 720. Optionally, the communication apparatus 700 may further include an interface 730, where the interface 730 is used for enabling communication with other devices.

The method performed by the convergence gateway, or data management network element in the above embodiments, may be implemented by the processor 710 calling a program stored in the memory 720. I.e. the convergence gateway, or the data managing network element, may comprise a processor 710, which processor 710 performs the method performed by the convergence gateway, or the data managing network element in the above-described method embodiment by calling a program in a memory 720. The processor 710 may be an integrated circuit having signal processing capabilities, such as a CPU. The convergence gateway or data management network element may be implemented by one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods. For example one or more ASICs, or one or more microprocessors DSP, or one or more FPGAs, etc., or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms.

Specifically, the functions/implementation processes of the communication unit 601 and the processing unit 602 in fig. 6 can be implemented by the processor 710 in the communication device 700 shown in fig. 7 calling the computer executable instructions stored in the memory 720. Alternatively, the function/implementation procedure of the processing unit 602 in fig. 6 may be implemented by the processor 710 in the communication apparatus 700 shown in fig. 7 calling a computer executing instruction stored in the memory 720, and the function/implementation procedure of the communication unit 601 in fig. 6 may be implemented by the interface 730 in the communication apparatus 700 shown in fig. 7.

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

The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, where the computer program can implement the functions implemented by the convergence gateway or the data management network element of the above embodiments when executed by a computer.

The present application also provides a computer program product, which when executed by a computer can implement the functions implemented by the convergence gateway or the data management network element in the above embodiments.

The application further provides a chip system, which includes at least one processor and an interface circuit, where the processor is configured to execute interaction of instructions and/or data through the interface circuit, so that a device where the chip system is located implements functions implemented by the convergence gateway or the data management network element in the foregoing embodiments. The chip system may be formed by a chip, and may also include a chip and other discrete devices.

It is clear to those skilled in the art that, for convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, apparatuses and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and are not described herein again.

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

The various illustrative logical units and circuits described in this application may be implemented or operated upon by design of a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a digital signal processor core, or any other similar configuration.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in the embodiments herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software element executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software cells may be stored in Random Access Memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. For example, a storage medium may be coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC.

These computer program 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.

In one or more exemplary designs, the functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination of the three. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media that facilitate transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. For example, such computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carry or store program code in the form of instructions or data structures and which can be read by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Additionally, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium, and, thus, is included if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source over a coaxial cable, fiber optic computer, twisted pair, digital Subscriber Line (DSL), or wirelessly, e.g., infrared, radio, and microwave. Such discs (disks) and disks (discs) include compact disks, laser disks, optical disks, digital Versatile Disks (DVDs), floppy disks and blu-ray disks, where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while disks usually reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above may also be included in the computer-readable medium.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that in one or more of the examples described above, the functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer.

The above-mentioned embodiments, objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application are further described in detail, it should be understood that the above-mentioned embodiments are only examples of the present application, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application, and any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements and the like made on the basis of the technical solutions of the present application should be included in the scope of the present application. The above description of the specification of the application is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the teachings of the application, and any modifications based on the disclosure should be considered as obvious to those skilled in the art, and the basic principles described herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the inventive spirit and scope of the application. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments and designs described, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Although the present application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments thereof, it will be evident that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are merely illustrative of the present application as defined in the appended claims and are intended to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of the application. 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 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 also intended to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A method of communication, comprising:

the method comprises the steps that a convergence gateway sends an access request message to a data management network element, wherein the access request message comprises identification information of a home gateway, and the convergence gateway comprises a broadband network gateway function and a fixed mobile conversion function;

the convergence gateway receives an access response message from the data management network element, wherein the access response message comprises indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating an access mode of the home gateway to a data network;

and the fusion gateway determines the charging mode of the home gateway according to the access mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication information is used to indicate that the access mode is local access;

the fusion gateway determines the charging mode of the home gateway according to the access mode, and the method comprises the following steps:

and the convergence gateway sends charging information to the data management network element.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein before the convergence gateway sends the charging information to the data management network element, the method further comprises:

the convergence gateway sends a charging request message to the data management network element, wherein the charging request message is used for requesting to create a charging session;

and the convergence gateway receives a charging response message from the data management gateway.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the charging response message includes a charging policy;

the fusion gateway sends charging information to the data management network element, including:

and the fusion gateway sends the charging information to the data management network element according to the charging strategy.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication information is used to indicate that the access mode is a mobile core network access, and the method further comprises:

the convergence gateway receives strategy information from an access and mobility management function network element;

the fusion gateway determines to transmit the data of the home gateway through a mobile network and/or a fixed network according to the strategy information;

and the convergence gateway determines the charging mode of the home gateway according to the access mode and the strategy information.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein when the convergence gateway determines that the data of the home gateway is transmitted through the fixed network according to the policy information, the convergence gateway determines a charging mode of the home gateway according to the access mode and the policy information, and includes:

and the convergence gateway sends charging information to a session management function network element or a user plane function network element.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the access mode is a subscription access mode of the home gateway.

8. A method of communication, comprising:

the method comprises the steps that a data management network element receives an access request message from a convergence gateway, wherein the access request message comprises identification information of a home gateway, and the convergence gateway comprises a bandwidth network gateway function and a fixed mobile conversion function;

and the data management network element sends an access response message to the convergence gateway, wherein the access response message comprises indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating an access mode of the home gateway to a data network, wherein the access mode is local access or mobile core network access.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein before the data management network element sends an access response message to the convergence gateway, the method further comprises:

and the data management network element determines the access mode according to the subscription information of the home gateway.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the access mode is local access, the method further comprising:

the data management network element receives charging information from the convergence gateway;

and the data management network element sends the charging information to a charging function network element.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein before the data management network element receives the charging information from the converged gateway, the method further comprises:

the data management network element receives a charging request message from the convergence gateway, wherein the charging request message is used for requesting to establish a charging session;

and the data management network element sends a charging response message to the convergence gateway.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein before the data management network element sends a charging response message to the convergence gateway, the method further comprises:

and the data management network element sends a charging session establishment request message to the charging function network element.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the charging response message comprises a charging policy.

14. A communications apparatus comprising a memory, and one or more processors, the memory coupled with the one or more processors;

the memory for storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the communication device to perform the method of any of claims 1-7.

15. A communications apparatus comprising a memory, and one or more processors, the memory coupled with the one or more processors;

the memory for storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the communication device to perform the method of any of claims 8-13.

16. A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 7.

17. A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 8 to 13.

18. A communication system, comprising:

a convergence gateway for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 7; and

and the access network equipment is connected with the convergence gateway.

19. A communication system, comprising:

a data management network element for performing the method of any one of claims 8 to 13; and

and the charging function network element is used for receiving the charging information from the data management network element.