CN115843073A

CN115843073A - Network slice selection method, mobile management function entity and terminal

Info

Publication number: CN115843073A
Application number: CN202111068104.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 盖剑; 刘蕾; 张巍山; 崔萌; 车忻蔚
Original assignee: China Mobile Communications Group Co Ltd; China Mobile Group Design Institute Co Ltd
Current assignee: China Mobile Communications Group Co Ltd; China Mobile Group Design Institute Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-09-13
Filing date: 2021-09-13
Publication date: 2023-03-24

Abstract

The invention discloses a network slice selection method, a mobile management functional entity and a terminal, wherein the network slice selection method on the side of the mobile management functional entity comprises the following steps: acquiring routing strategy URSP information of a terminal; receiving description information of a first application sent by a terminal; and selecting a first target network slice for the first application according to the routing strategy URSP strategy information of the terminal and the description information of the first application. Through the mode, the difficulty and the cost of terminal reconstruction are reduced, the end-to-end maturation and large-scale commercial use of the network slices are accelerated, and the deployment difficulty of the slices on the terminal is reduced.

Description

Network slice selection method, mobile management function entity and terminal

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of communication, in particular to a network slice selection method, a mobile management function entity and a terminal.

Background

Network slices are introduced in the 5G (fifth generation mobile communication technology) era, namely, an operator network is logically divided, resources and services are logically isolated, and service data of different levels can be transmitted on the network slices of different logic levels, so that the requirements of different service scenes on the differentiation in various aspects such as data transmission rate, safety, reliability and the like of the network are met.

In the existing terminal operating system and terminal equipment, network slices are selected for apps (applications) through a terminal routing strategy URSP, and support is incomplete. Some terminals and chips do not support URSP at present, cannot support a multi-slice function and only can support a single slice; in order to support multi-slice, some terminals are manually set to bind apps and DNNs (data network names), and different slices are selected through different DNNs, but the configuration is complex and the customer perception is poor; and in addition, different apps and different slice identifications are bound by part of terminals in a field prefabrication mode and are written and killed on the terminals, so that the terminals are inflexible and do not support modification.

The current problem that the support capability of the terminal on the URSP is poor, the terminal does not support multiple slices or the support capability of the terminal is insufficient is one of the obstacles for the scale and commercial use of the network slices. Especially, 5G faces to the vertical industry, single-terminal multi-slice is the basic requirement, under the existing technical scheme, the service development and the network slice popularization are influenced by the terminal capability, and if the existing terminal is modified to support multi-slice, the modification difficulty and the cost are huge.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, embodiments of the present invention are proposed to provide a method for selecting a network slice, a mobility management function entity and a terminal that overcome or at least partially solve the above problems.

According to an aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a method for selecting a network slice, which is applied to an access and mobility management function entity AMF, and includes:

acquiring routing strategy URSP information of a terminal;

receiving description information of a first application sent by a terminal;

and selecting a first target network slice for the first application according to the routing strategy URSP strategy information of the terminal and the description information of the first application.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a method for selecting a network slice, which is applied to a terminal, and includes:

sending description information of a first application to an access and mobility management function (AMF);

and receiving a first target network slice selected for the first application by the AMF according to the routing strategy URSP strategy information of the terminal and the description information of the first application.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an access and mobility management function entity AMF, including:

the receiving module is used for acquiring routing strategy URSP information of the terminal; receiving description information of a first application sent by a terminal;

and the processing module is used for selecting a first target network slice for the first application according to the routing strategy URSP strategy information of the terminal and the description information of the first application.

According to still another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a terminal including:

the sending module is used for sending the description information of the first application to an access and mobile management function entity AMF;

a receiving module, configured to receive a first target network slice selected by the AMF for the first application according to the routing policy URSP policy information of the terminal and the description information of the first application.

According to still another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a computing device including: the system comprises a processor, a memory, a communication interface and a communication bus, wherein the processor, the memory and the communication interface complete mutual communication through the communication bus;

the memory is used for storing at least one executable instruction, and the executable instruction enables the processor to execute the operation corresponding to the network slice selection method.

According to a further aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a computer storage medium having at least one executable instruction stored therein, where the executable instruction causes a processor to perform an operation corresponding to the method for selecting a network slice as described above.

According to the scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention, the network slice selection method can be realized by acquiring the routing strategy URSP information of the terminal; receiving description information of a first application sent by a terminal; according to the routing strategy URSP strategy information of the terminal and the description information of the first application, a first target network slice is selected for the first application, so that the problem that the terminal does not support multiple slices or support the capacity of multiple slices is insufficient in the prior art is solved, the difficulty and the cost of terminal transformation are reduced, the end-to-end maturity and large-scale commercial use of the network slices are accelerated, and the deployment difficulty of the slices on the terminal is reduced.

The foregoing description is only an overview of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented according to the content of the description in order to make the technical means of the embodiments of the present invention more clearly understood, and the detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention is provided below in order to make the foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more clearly understandable.

Drawings

Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating the preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the embodiments of the invention. Also, like reference numerals are used to refer to like parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:

fig. 1 shows a flowchart of a method for selecting a network slice applied to an access and mobility management function, AMF, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for selecting a network slice applied to a terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 shows a schematic structural diagram of an access and mobility management function entity AMF provided by another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a computing device provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the invention can be embodied in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

Fig. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for selecting a network slice according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, the method is applied to an access and mobility management function entity AMF, and includes the following steps:

step 11, obtaining routing strategy URSP information of the terminal;

step 12, receiving description information of a first application sent by a terminal;

and step 13, selecting a first target network slice for the first application according to the routing policy URSP policy information of the terminal and the description information of the first application.

According to the embodiment, the URSP information of the AMF receiving terminal and the description information of the first application sent by the receiving terminal are received, the AMF selects the first target network slice for the first application, the network slice is selected on the network side instead of the terminal, the difficulty and the cost of terminal transformation are reduced, the end-to-end maturity and the large-scale commercial use of the network slice are accelerated, and the deployment difficulty of the slice on the terminal is reduced.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, step 11 includes:

step 111, interacting with a terminal which does not support URSP slice selection capability to complete registration of the terminal;

step 112, the URSP information of the terminal is obtained from the policy control function PCF.

In this embodiment, the interaction process between the AMF and the terminal that does not support the URSP slicing selection capability preferably includes:

step 1111, the terminal initiates a registration procedure request message in the 5G (fifth generation mobile communication technology) network, where the registration procedure request message carries a first parameter, and the first parameter is used to indicate that the terminal does not support the URSP slice selection capability; the 5G (fifth generation mobile communication technology) network includes at least one of AMF, old AMF (original access and mobility management function), NSSF (network slice selection function), AUSF (authentication service function)/UDM (unified data management entity)/UDR (unified data repository), and PCF (policy control function entity)/UDR;

step 1112, receiving and storing a registration process request message sent by the terminal by the AMF;

step 1113, performing signaling interaction between old AMF, NSSF, AUSF/UDM/UDR and PCF/UDR in AMF and 5G (fifth generation mobile communication technology) network to complete the registration process of the terminal;

step 1114, the amf sends a registration flow acceptance message to the terminal, where the registration flow acceptance message includes information of Allowed slices (Allowed nsais), and the information of the Allowed slices sets a default network slice for an application of the terminal to be sliced.

After the interaction between the AMF and the terminal and the registration are completed, the AMF sends a request for establishing terminal strategy association to the PCF, the PCF sends URSP information of the terminal to the AMF, and the AMF determines that the AMF does not send the URSP information to the terminal but stores the URSP information of the terminal in the AMF according to a registration flow request message which is stored in a terminal registration flow and carries a first parameter.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, step 12 includes:

step 121, receiving a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session establishment request initiated by a first application of a terminal by using a default network slice; the PDU session establishment request carries description information of the first application, and the default network slice is obtained by the terminal in the registration process.

In the embodiment, because the terminal does not support URSP selection slice, the terminal selects default network slice for the first application in the registration process, and further initiates a PDU session establishment request; the terminal sends a PDU session establishment request to the AMF, wherein the PDU session establishment request carries description information of the first application, and the description information comprises at least one of the following information:

the name of the application, the identification number (appid) of the application, the Internet Protocol (IP) address to which the application accesses, the port number to which the application accesses, the protocol number of the upper layer protocol to which the application accesses, the destination domain name (FQDN) to which the application accesses, and the Data Network Name (DNN) provided by the application.

In an optional embodiment of the present invention, step 13 includes:

step 131, selecting a first network slice for the first application of the terminal according to the description information of the first application and the URSP policy information; if the default network slice is the same as the first network slice, determining the default network slice as the first target network slice;

step 132, if the default network slice is different from the first network slice, determining the first network slice as the first target network slice.

In this embodiment, after receiving a PDU session establishment request sent by a terminal, an AMF first performs matching according to a first description information of a first application carried in the PDU session establishment request and according to the URSP policy information and a priority of a policy from the URSP policy, and selects a first network slice for the first application; judging the first network slice and the default network slice of the first application:

if the first network slice is the same as the default network slice, determining the default network slice as a first target network slice, and the AMF continuing to execute the PDU session establishment flow according to the first target network slice;

and if the first network slice is different from the default network slice, determining the first network slice as a first target network slice, and continuing executing the PDU session establishment process by the AMF according to the first target network slice. In an optional embodiment of the present invention, after step 132, the method further includes:

step 133, according to the first target network slice, performing protocol data unit PDU session establishment of the first application.

In this embodiment, the optionally executing the PDU session establishment of the first application includes:

step 1331, the amf sends a PDU session management context creation request to the SMF, where the PDU session management context creation request carries the first target network slice;

step 1332, the smf sends an N1N2 information transfer message to the AMF, where the N1N2 information transfer message carries the first target network slice;

step 1333, the amf sends a PDU session response message of N2 to the base station, where the PDU session response message of N2 carries the first target network slice;

step 1334, the base station selects a network slice for the first application according to the first target network slice, performs resource allocation, and forwards a PDU session establishment acceptance message of the NAS layer to the terminal, where the PDU session establishment acceptance message carries the first target network slice;

step 1335, after receiving the PDU session establishment accept message, the terminal uses the first target network slice carried in the PDU session establishment accept message as the network slice of the first PDU session, and the first application can send and accept data through the first PDU session.

In an optional embodiment of the present invention, in a process of the first application receiving and sending data according to the PDU session, the method further includes:

step 14, receiving description information of a second application sent by the terminal;

and step 15, selecting a second target network slice for the second application according to the routing strategy URSP strategy information of the terminal and the description information of the second application.

The terminal in this embodiment may be installed with a plurality of applications, and the second application is an application that initiates a service after the first application selects the first target network slice; and the AMF receives the description information of the second application sent by the terminal, and selects a second target network slice for the second application according to the routing strategy URSP strategy information of the terminal and the description information of the second application.

In an optional embodiment of the present invention, step 14 includes: step 141, receiving a protocol data unit PDU session establishment request initiated by a second application of the terminal by using a default network slice; the PDU session establishment request carries description information of the second application, and the default network slice is obtained by the terminal in the registration process.

In this embodiment, since the terminal does not support the URSP selection slice, the terminal selects a default network slice for the second application in the registration process, and further initiates a PDU session establishment request; the terminal sends a PDU session establishment request to the AMF, wherein the PDU session establishment request carries description information of the second application, and the description information comprises at least one of the following information:

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, step 15 includes:

step 151, selecting a second network slice for the second application of the terminal according to the description information of the second application and the URSP policy information, and checking the network slice used by the existing PDU session of the terminal;

step 152, if the second network slice is the same as the first target network slice, sending a message rejecting establishment of the second PDU session to the terminal, and indicating the terminal to use the PDU session of the first target network slice;

step 153, if the second network slice is different from the first target network slice, and the default network slice is the same as the second network slice, determining the default network slice as the second target network slice;

step 154, if the second network slice is different from the first target network slice and the second network slice is different from the default network slice, determining the second network slice as a second target network slice.

In this embodiment, the AMF receives a PDU session establishment request of a second PDU session sent by the terminal, where the PDU session establishment request carries description information of a second application, matches the PDU session establishment request according to a priority of a policy from a URSP policy, and selects a second network slice for the second application; and respectively judging the second network slice, a default network slice of the second application and a first target network slice of the first application:

if the second network slice is the same as the first target network slice, the AMF sends a PDU session establishment rejection message to the terminal, and rejects establishment of a second PDU session of the terminal, wherein the PDU session establishment rejection message is used for indicating the terminal to use the existing PDU session to transmit data, namely indicating the terminal to send and receive data for a second application on the existing first PDU session;

if the second network slice is different from the first target network slice and the default network slice is the same as the second network slice, determining the default network slice in the second PDU session as the second target network slice, and the AMF continuing executing the PDU session establishment process according to the second target network slice;

and if the second network slice is different from the first target network slice and the default network slice is different from the second network slice, determining the second network slice as the second target network slice in the second PDU session, and the AMF continuously executing the PDU session establishment process according to the second target network slice.

In an optional embodiment of the present invention, after selecting the second target network slice for the second application, the method further includes:

and step 16, according to the second target network slice, executing Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session establishment of a second application.

In this embodiment, the optionally executing the PDU session establishment of the second application includes:

step 1331, the AMF sends a PDU session management context creation request to the SMF, wherein the PDU session management context creation request carries a second target network slice;

step 1332, the smf sends an N1N2 information transfer message to the AMF, where the N1N2 information transfer message carries the second target network slice;

step 1333, the amf sends a PDU session response message of N2 to the base station, where the PDU session response message of N2 carries the second target network slice;

step 1334, the base station selects a network slice for the second application according to the second target network slice, performs resource allocation, and forwards a PDU session establishment acceptance message of the NAS layer to the terminal, where the PDU session establishment acceptance message carries the second target network slice;

step 1335, after receiving the PDU session establishment accept message, the terminal takes the second target network slice carried in the PDU session establishment accept message as the network slice of the second PDU session, and the second application can send and accept data through the second PDU session.

It should be noted that, if the terminal further includes an nth application, and the nth application selects the second target network slice for the second application and then launches the application of the service, the method, which is the same as the method for selecting the second target network slice by the second application, includes:

step 1, the terminal establishes an nth PDU session for a default network slice selected by an nth application;

step 2, the terminal sends a PDU session establishment request to the AMF, wherein the PDU session establishment request carries description information of the nth application;

step 3, the AMF selects an nth network slice for the nth application according to the description information of the nth application and the URSP information;

step 4, if the selected nth network slice is the same as at least one network slice selected by the existing application, the AMF refuses the establishment of the nth PDU session and instructs the terminal to send and receive data on the PDU session bearer of the existing application;

if the selected nth network slice is different from the default network slice, and the nth network slice selected by the AMF for the nth application is different from all network slices selected by the existing applications, the AMF replaces the original default network slice with the selected nth network slice, executes the subsequent PDU session establishment flow, and establishes a PDU session bearer;

otherwise, establishing PDU session bearer for the nth application through default network slice.

The embodiment of the invention obtains the URSP information of the routing strategy of the terminal; receiving description information of a first application sent by a terminal; selecting a first target network slice for the first application according to the routing strategy URSP strategy information of the terminal and the description information of the first application; the difficulty and the cost of terminal transformation are reduced, the end-to-end maturity and large-scale commercial use of the network slices are accelerated, and the deployment difficulty of the slices on the terminal is reduced.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for selecting a network slice applied to a terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 2, the method is applied to a terminal and includes the following steps:

step 21, sending description information of the first application to an access and mobility management function (AMF);

step 22, receiving the first target network slice selected by the AMF for the first application according to the routing policy URSP policy information of the terminal and the description information of the first application.

Optionally, the obtaining the routing policy URSP information of the terminal includes:

interacting with a terminal which does not support URSP slice selection capability to complete the registration of the terminal;

and acquiring URSP information of the terminal from a policy control function PCF.

Optionally, the receiving the description information of the first application sent by the terminal includes:

receiving a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session establishment request initiated by a first application of a terminal by using a default network slice; the PDU session establishment request carries description information of the first application, and the default network slice is obtained by the terminal in the registration process.

Optionally, selecting a first target network slice for the first application according to the routing policy URSP policy information of the terminal and the description information of the first application, where the selecting includes:

selecting a first network slice for the first application of the terminal according to the description information of the first application and the URSP strategy information; if the default network slice is the same as the first network slice, determining the default network slice as the first target network slice;

determining the first network slice as the first target network slice if the default network slice is different from the first network slice.

Optionally, after selecting the first target network slice for the first application, the method further includes:

and executing Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session establishment of the first application according to the first target network slice.

Optionally, in the process of sending and receiving data by the first application according to the PDU session, the method further includes:

receiving description information of a second application sent by a terminal;

and selecting a second target network slice for the second application according to the routing strategy URSP strategy information of the terminal and the description information of the second application.

Optionally, the receiving the description information of the second application sent by the terminal includes:

receiving a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session establishment request initiated by a second application of the terminal by using a default network slice; the PDU session establishment request carries description information of the second application, and the default network slice is obtained by the terminal in the registration process.

Optionally, selecting a second target network slice for the second application according to the routing policy URSP policy information of the terminal and the description information of the second application, where the selecting includes:

selecting a second network slice for the second application of the terminal according to the description information of the second application and the URSP strategy information;

if the second network slice is the same as the first target network slice, sending a message for rejecting the establishment of the second PDU session to the terminal, and indicating the terminal to use the existing PDU session of the first target network slice;

if the second network slice is different from the first target network slice and the second network slice is the same as the default network slice, determining the default network slice as a second target network slice;

determining the second network slice as a second target network slice if the second network slice is different from the first target network slice and the second network slice is different from the default network slice.

Optionally, after selecting the second target network slice for the second application, the method further includes:

and executing Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session establishment of a second application according to the second target network slice.

It should be noted that the method for selecting a network slice on the terminal side corresponds to the embodiment of the method for selecting a network slice on the access and mobility management function entity AMF, and all implementation manners in the embodiment of the method are applicable to the embodiment of the method for selecting a network slice on the terminal side, and the same technical effects can be achieved.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic structural diagram of an access and mobility management function entity AMF according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 3, the present invention further provides an access and mobility management function entity 30, including:

a receiving module 31, configured to obtain routing policy URSP information of a terminal; receiving description information of a first application sent by a terminal;

a processing module 32, configured to select a first target network slice for the first application according to the routing policy URSP policy information of the terminal and the description information of the first application.

receiving description information of a second application sent by a terminal;

if the second network slice is the same as the first target network slice, sending a message for rejecting establishment of a second PDU session to the terminal, and indicating the terminal to use the PDU session of the first target network slice;

and if the second network slice is different from the first target network slice and the second network slice is different from the default network slice, determining the second network slice as a second target network slice.

It should be noted that the access and mobility management function entity AMF is an access and mobility management function entity AMF corresponding to the above-mentioned embodiment of the method for selecting a network slice, and all implementation manners in the above-mentioned embodiment of the method are applicable to the embodiment of the access and mobility management function entity AMF, and the same technical effect can be achieved.

Fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal according to still another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 4, the present invention also provides a terminal 40, including:

a sending module 41, configured to send description information of the first application to an access and mobility management function entity AMF;

a receiving module 42, configured to receive a first target network slice selected by the AMF for the first application according to the routing policy URSP policy information of the terminal and the description information of the first application.

Optionally, in the process that the first application receives and sends data according to the PDU session, the method further includes:

receiving description information of a second application sent by a terminal;

It should be noted that the terminal is the terminal 40 corresponding to the above-described embodiment of the method for selecting a network slice on the terminal side, and all implementation manners in the above-described embodiment of the method are applicable to the embodiment of the terminal, and the same technical effect can be achieved.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a non-volatile computer storage medium, where at least one executable instruction is stored in the computer storage medium, and the computer executable instruction may execute the method for selecting a network slice in any of the above method embodiments.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a computing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the specific embodiment of the present invention does not limit the specific implementation of the computing device.

As shown in fig. 5, the computing device may include: a processor (processor), a Communications Interface (Communications Interface), a memory (memory), and a Communications bus.

Wherein: the processor, the communication interface, and the memory communicate with each other via a communication bus. A communication interface for communicating with network elements of other devices, such as clients or other servers. And a processor for executing the program, and in particular, may perform the relevant steps in the above-described method for selecting a network slice for a computing device.

In particular, the program may include program code comprising computer operating instructions.

The processor may be a central processing unit CPU or an Application Specific Integrated Circuit ASIC or one or more Integrated circuits configured to implement embodiments of the present invention. The computing device includes one or more processors, which may be the same type of processor, such as one or more CPUs; or may be different types of processors such as one or more CPUs and one or more ASICs.

And the memory is used for storing programs. The memory may comprise high-speed RAM memory, and may also include non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory), such as at least one disk memory.

The program may in particular be adapted to cause a processor to perform the method of selecting a network slice in any of the method embodiments described above. For specific implementation of each step in the program, reference may be made to corresponding steps and corresponding descriptions in units in the embodiment of the network slice selection method, which are not described herein again. It can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that, for convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described devices and modules may refer to the corresponding process descriptions in the foregoing method embodiments, and are not described herein again.

The algorithms or displays presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer, virtual system, or other apparatus. Various general purpose systems may also be used with the teachings herein. The required structure for constructing such a system will be apparent from the description above. In addition, embodiments of the present invention are not directed to any particular programming language. It is appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of embodiments of the present invention as described herein, and any descriptions of specific languages are provided above to disclose the best modes of embodiments of the invention.

In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. It is understood, however, that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the foregoing description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, various features of the embodiments of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. However, the disclosed method should not be construed to reflect the intent: that is, the claimed embodiments of the invention require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the modules in the device in an embodiment may be adaptively changed and disposed in one or more devices different from the embodiment. The modules or units or components of the embodiments may be combined into one module or unit or component, and furthermore they may be divided into a plurality of sub-modules or sub-units or sub-components. All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and all of the processes or elements of any method or apparatus so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or processes or elements are mutually exclusive. Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise.

Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that while some embodiments herein include some features included in other embodiments, rather than other features, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention and form different embodiments. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments may be used in any combination.

The various component embodiments of the invention may be implemented in hardware, or in software modules running on one or more processors, or in a combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a microprocessor or Digital Signal Processor (DSP) may be used in practice to implement some or all of the functionality of some or all of the components according to embodiments of the present invention. Embodiments of the invention may also be implemented as apparatus or device programs (e.g., computer programs and computer program products) for performing a portion or all of the methods described herein. Such programs implementing embodiments of the present invention may be stored on computer-readable media or may be in the form of one or more signals. Such a signal may be downloaded from an internet website or provided on a carrier signal or in any other form.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be able to design alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps not listed in a claim. The word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. Embodiments of the invention may be implemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct elements, and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In the unit claims enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The usage of the words first, second and third, etcetera do not indicate any ordering. These words may be interpreted as names. The steps in the above embodiments should not be construed as limited to the order of execution unless otherwise specified.

Claims

1. A method for selecting network slices is applied to an access and mobility management function (AMF), and comprises the following steps:

acquiring routing strategy URSP information of a terminal;

receiving description information of a first application sent by a terminal;

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining routing policy URSP information of the terminal comprises:

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the description information of the first application sent by the terminal comprises:

4. The method of claim 3, wherein selecting the first target network slice for the first application according to the routing policy URSP policy information of the terminal and the description information of the first application comprises:

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the first target network slice for the first application further comprises:

6. The method for selecting a network slice according to claim 5, wherein during the process of the first application transceiving data according to the PDU session, the method further comprises:

receiving description information of a second application sent by a terminal;

selecting a second target network slice for the second application according to the routing strategy URSP strategy information of the terminal and the description information of the second application;

if the second network slice is the same as the first target network slice, sending a message for rejecting establishment of a second PDU session to the terminal, and indicating the terminal to use the existing PDU session of the first target network slice;

7. A method for selecting a network slice is applied to a terminal, and comprises the following steps:

8. An access and mobility management function, AMF, comprising:

and the processing module is used for selecting a first target network slice for the first application according to the routing policy URSP policy information of the terminal and the description information of the first application.

9. A terminal, comprising:

10. A computer storage medium having stored therein at least one executable instruction for causing a processor to perform operations corresponding to the method of selecting a network slice of any one of claims 1-7.