CN117319135A

CN117319135A - Bridging method and device of TSN network, electronic equipment and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN117319135A
Application number: CN202210731010.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 房海保; 唐伟杰; 陈大伟
Original assignee: ZTE Corp
Current assignee: ZTE Corp
Priority date: 2022-06-24
Filing date: 2022-06-24
Publication date: 2023-12-29
Also published as: WO2023246368A1

Abstract

The invention discloses a bridging method and device of a TSN network, electronic equipment and a storage medium, and belongs to the technical field of communication. The method comprises the following steps that a TSN network is connected with a mobile core network, the mobile core network comprises a Session Management Function (SMF) unit and a plurality of User Plane Function (UPF) units managed by the SMF unit, and the method comprises the following steps: selecting a NW-TT capable target UPF unit; bridging the TSN network with the target UPF unit. The invention solves the problem that the SMF connection in the related technology cannot be ensured to be a UPF unit with NW-TT capability, and improves the bridging efficiency of the TSN network.

Description

Bridging method and device of TSN network, electronic equipment and storage medium

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method and apparatus for bridging a TSN network, an electronic device, and a storage medium.

Background

With the development of social informatization, the promotion effect of informatization on production benefits is becoming obvious, and the construction of an industrial Internet park network becomes a focus. In the related art, TSN (Time-Sensitive Networking, time sensitive network) technology and a mobile core network (such as a 5G network) are deployed in a converged manner, which is the basis for constructing a flexible, efficient, flexible, reliable and safe industrial internet network.

In the related art, a 5G Network is used as a logical bridge in a TSN and is disposed between a terminal-side TSN system and a Network-side TSN system, in the 5GC system, an SMF (Session Management Function ) unit may manage a plurality of UPF (User Port Function, user plane function) units, when a UE (User Equipment) registers and applies for session creation on the SMF, the SMF unit is directly connected with any one of the UPF units to provide a bridging function for the TSN Network, and the connected UPF unit does not necessarily have NW-TT (Network-side TSN translator, network-side TSN converter) capability, and if the UPF unit connected with the SMF unit does not have NW-TT capability, that is, the UPF unit connected with the SMF unit may not be used as a TSN Network converter, the 5GC system may not be used as a logical bridge of the TSN Network, so that a bridging function cannot be provided for the TSN Network, and thus the related art cannot ensure that the SMF unit is connected with the UPF unit having NW-TT capability, so that the TSN Network has low bridging efficiency.

In view of the above problems in the related art, no effective solution has been found yet.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a bridging method, a bridging device, electronic equipment and a storage medium of a TSN (transport stream network) network, which are used for solving the technical problem that the bridging efficiency of the TSN network is lower because a UPF unit with NW-TT capability cannot be connected with an SMF unit in the related technology.

According to an aspect of an embodiment of the present application, there is provided a bridging method of a TSN network, including: selecting a NW-TT capable target UPF unit; bridging the TSN network with the target UPF unit.

Further, the mobile core network further comprises a network storage function NRF unit, and selecting the NW-TT capable target UPF unit comprises: transmitting discovery information to the NRF unit, wherein the discovery information comprises a network element object to be discovered and a discovery condition, the network element object is a UPF unit, and the discovery condition is NW-TT capable; receiving a plurality of first UPF units with NW-TT capability returned by the NRF; one target UPF unit is selected from the number of first UPF units.

Further, selecting a target UPF unit with NW-TT capability includes: obtaining capability information of a UPF from a local place, wherein the capability information is used for indicating whether a corresponding UPF unit has NW-TT capability or not, and the capability information is reported to the SMF unit by the UPF unit through a coupling message; acquiring a plurality of second UPF units with NW-TT capability according to the capability information; one target UPF unit is selected from the number of second UPF units.

Further, selecting a target UPF unit with NW-TT capability includes: reading local user configuration information, wherein the user configuration information comprises UPF information with NW-TT capability; acquiring a plurality of third UPF units with NW-TT capability according to the user configuration information; one target UPF unit is selected from the number of third UPF units.

Further, prior to selecting the NW-TT capable target UPF unit, the method further comprises: receiving a session creation request initiated by user equipment; judging whether the session creation request carries a specified identifier or not, wherein the specified identifier is used for indicating whether the user equipment has DS-TT capability or not; and if the session creation request carries the specified identifier, acquiring a session policy and selecting a target UPF unit with NW-TT capability.

Further, the mobile core network further includes a unified data management UDM unit and a policy control function PCF unit, and the obtaining the session policy includes: acquiring subscription information corresponding to the user equipment from the UDM unit, and registering the user equipment in the UDM unit; and receiving the session policy corresponding to the user equipment sent by the PCF unit.

Further, bridging the TSN network with the target UPF unit comprises: and acquiring the updated session policy from the PCF unit. And based on the updated session policy, performing session creation with the target UPF unit, and bridging the TSN network.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is also provided a bridging device of a TSN network, including: a selection module for selecting a target UPF unit having NW-TT capability; and the bridging module is used for bridging the TSN network by adopting the target UPF unit.

Further, the selection module includes: a first sending unit, configured to send discovery information to the NRF unit, where the discovery information includes a network element object to be discovered and a discovery condition, where the network element object is a UPF unit, and the discovery condition is NW-TT capable; the first receiving unit is used for receiving a plurality of first UPF units with NW-TT capability returned by the NRF; a first selection unit for selecting a target UPF unit from the plurality of first UPF units.

Further, the selection module includes: the first acquisition unit is used for locally acquiring the capability information of the UPF, wherein the capability information is used for indicating whether a corresponding UPF unit has NW-TT capability or not, and the capability information is reported to the SMF unit by the UPF unit through a coupling message; the first obtaining unit is further used for obtaining a plurality of second UPF units with NW-TT capability according to the capability information; a second selection unit for selecting a target UPF unit from the plurality of second UPF units.

Further, the selection module includes: the first reading unit is used for reading local user configuration information, wherein the user configuration information comprises UPF information with NW-TT capability; the second acquisition unit is used for acquiring a plurality of third UPF units with NW-TT capability according to the user configuration information; and a third selection unit for selecting a target UPF unit from the plurality of third UPF units.

Further, the apparatus further comprises: the receiving module is used for receiving a session creation request initiated by user equipment; the judging module is used for judging whether the session creation request carries a specified identifier or not, wherein the specified identifier is used for indicating whether the user equipment has DS-TT capability or not; and the acquisition module is used for acquiring the session policy and selecting a target UPF unit with NW-TT capability if the session creation request carries the specified identifier.

Further, the acquisition module includes: a third obtaining unit, configured to obtain subscription information corresponding to the user equipment from the UDM unit, and register the user equipment in the UDM unit; and the second receiving unit is used for receiving the session policy corresponding to the user equipment sent by the PCF unit.

Further, the bridge module further includes: a fourth obtaining unit, configured to obtain the updated session policy from the PCF unit; and the first bridging unit is used for establishing a session with the target UPF unit based on the updated session policy and bridging the TSN network.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is also provided a storage medium including a stored program that performs the steps described above when running.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is also provided an electronic device, including a processor, a communication interface, a memory, and a communication bus, where the processor, the communication interface, and the memory complete communication with each other through the communication bus; wherein: a memory for storing a computer program; and a processor for executing the steps of the method by running a program stored on the memory.

Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the steps of the above method.

Through the invention, the TSN network is connected with the mobile core network, the mobile core network comprises a session management function SMF unit and a plurality of user plane function UPF units managed by the SMF unit, and a target UPF unit with NW-TT capability is selected; the target UPF unit is adopted to bridge the TSN network, and the UPF network element with NW-TT capability is selected through the SMF unit, so that the UPF network element can be used as a TSN network converter to be connected with the TSN network, further, the mobile core network can be used as a logical network bridge of the TSN network, a bridging function is provided for the TSN network, the UPF network element connected with the SMF network element is ensured to have NW-TT capability, and the bridging efficiency of the TSN network is improved.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the invention and do not constitute a limitation on the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the hardware architecture of a computer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method for bridging a TSN network according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a TSN network connected to a mobile core network according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a first application scenario schematic of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a second application scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a third application scenario according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a block diagram of a bridge device of a TSN network according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to make the present application solution better understood by those skilled in the art, the following description will be made in detail and with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application, it is apparent that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application, not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be made by one of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments herein without making any inventive effort, shall fall within the scope of the present application. It should be noted that, in the case of no conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments may be combined with each other.

It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," and the like in the description and claims of the present application and the above figures are used for distinguishing between similar objects and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the data so used may be interchanged where appropriate such that embodiments of the present application described herein may be implemented in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprises," "comprising," and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or elements is not necessarily limited to those steps or elements expressly listed but may include other steps or elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

Example 1

The method embodiment provided in the first embodiment of the present application may be executed in a mobile phone, a computer, a tablet or a similar computing device. Taking a computer as an example, fig. 1 is a block diagram of a hardware structure of a computer according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, the computer may include one or more processors 102 (only one is shown in fig. 1) (the processor 102 may include, but is not limited to, a microprocessor MCU or a processing device such as a programmable logic device FPGA) and a memory 104 for storing data, and optionally, a transmission device 106 for communication functions and an input-output device 108. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the configuration of the computer described above. For example, the computer may also include more or fewer components than shown in FIG. 1, or have a different configuration than shown in FIG. 1.

The memory 104 may be used to store a computer program, for example, a software program of application software and a module, such as a computer program corresponding to a video dynamic and static rate identifying method in an embodiment of the present invention, and the processor 102 executes the computer program stored in the memory 104 to perform various functional applications and data processing, that is, implement the method described above. Memory 104 may include high-speed random access memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic storage devices, flash memory, or other non-volatile solid-state memory. In some examples, memory 104 may further include memory located remotely from processor 102, which may be connected to the computer via a network. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, the internet, intranets, local area networks, mobile communication networks, and combinations thereof.

The transmission device 106 is used to receive or transmit data via a network. Specific examples of the network described above may include a wireless network provided by a communications provider of a computer. In one example, the transmission device 106 includes a network adapter (Network Interface Controller, simply referred to as NIC) that can connect to other network devices through a base station to communicate with the internet. In one example, the transmission device 106 may be a Radio Frequency (RF) module, which is configured to communicate with the internet wirelessly.

In this embodiment, a method for bridging a TSN network is provided, and fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method for bridging a TSN network according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 2, where the flowchart includes the following steps:

step S10, selecting a target UPF unit with NW-TT capability;

the target UPF unit of this embodiment is a UPF Network element with a Network side TSN converter NW-TT (Network-side TSN Translator) capability, which has NW-TT capability, i.e. the UPF unit may be a TSN Network converter, with the capability to connect to a TSN Network, including support for QoS (Quality of Service ) mapping, time synchronization and TSN related scheduling.

Step S20, bridging the TSN network with the target UPF unit.

The TSN (Time-Sensitive Networking, time-sensitive network) of this embodiment is connected to a mobile core network, where the mobile core network includes an SMF (Session Management Function ) unit and several UPF (User Port Function, user plane function) units managed by the SMF unit, and the mobile core network includes a core network such as 2G, 3G, or 5G, and in this embodiment is a 5G network, and the mobile core network may be referred to as a Logical Bridge in the TSN network in fig. 3,5G, and is disposed between a terminal-side TSN system and a network-side TSN system, in fig. 3, N1-N8, N10, N11, N30, N33, N52 are communication interfaces, and in the 5GC system, one SMF unit may manage multiple UPF units, and in the session creation process, the SMF unit needs to select a target UPF unit with NW-TT capability to provide a bridging function for the TSN network.

Through the steps, the target UPF unit with NW-TT capability is selected, the target UPF unit is adopted to bridge the TSN network, and the UPF network element with NW-TT capability is selected through the SMF unit, so that the UPF network element can be used as a TSN network converter to be connected with the TSN network, further, a mobile core network can be used as a logical network bridge of the TSN network, a bridging function is provided for the TSN network, the UPF network element connected with the SMF network element is ensured to have NW-TT capability, and the bridging efficiency of the TSN network is improved.

In one implementation of this embodiment, the mobile core network further includes an NRF (Network Repository Function, network storage function) unit, and selecting the NW-TT capable target UPF unit includes: transmitting discovery information to an NRF unit, wherein the discovery information comprises a network element object to be discovered and a discovery condition, the network element object is a UPF unit, and the discovery condition is NW-TT capability; receiving a plurality of first UPF units with NW-TT capability returned by an NRF unit; one target UPF unit is selected from a number of first UPF units. Wherein selecting a target UPF unit from a number of first UPF units includes: and determining the priority and/or weight corresponding to each first UPF unit according to the local strategy of the SMF unit, and selecting a target UPF unit from all the first UPF units according to the priority and/or weight corresponding to each first UPF unit.

In this embodiment, before the discovery information is sent to the NRF unit, or after the UPF unit is powered on, the UPF unit registers NW-TT capability information corresponding to the UPF unit to the NRF unit, so that the SMF unit can conveniently obtain a plurality of first UPF units with NW-TT capability from the NRF unit by interacting with the NRF unit in the subsequent session creation process, and one first UPF unit is selected as a target UPF unit. In some examples, after powering up, the UPF unit adds an identification parameter to the registration message, and further sends the registration message carrying the identification parameter to the NRF unit to register NW-TT capability information of the corresponding UPF unit with the NRF unit; the identification parameter is used to indicate whether the corresponding UPF unit has NW-TT capability, and the identification parameter may be a boolean type parameter, for example, when the UPF unit is registered with the NRF unit after power-up, a parameter a carried in an upfnfo field of NFProfile is sent to the NRF unit, where the parameter a is a boolean type parameter, and the registration with the NRF unit indicates whether the UPF unit has NW-TT capability.

In the first application scenario, the flow of the SMF unit selecting a target UPF unit with NW-TT capability is shown in fig. 4, 1, when the UPF network element is registered with the NRF unit after being powered on, a parameter a is carried in the upfnfo of NFProfile to the NRF, where the parameter a indicates whether the UPF network element has NW-TT capability; 2, the UE (User Equipment) initiates a session creation request to the AMF unit, wherein the session creation request carries DS-TT capability of the UE; 3, the AMF unit sends a session creation request message to the SMF unit, and the SMF unit acquires the information of the DS-TT capability of the UE from the creation request message; 4, the SMF unit acquires subscription information from the UDM unit and registers the subscription information; 5, the SMF unit sends a session creation response message to the AMF unit; 6, the SMF unit interacts with the PCF unit to acquire a session policy; the SMF unit discovers the UPF unit to the NRF unit, and the carried discovery condition comprises a UPF unit or a UPF unit list with NW-TT capability, wherein the NRF unit returns the UPF unit or the UPF unit list with NW-TT capability to the SMF unit; 8, the SMF unit selects a UPF unit from the UPF unit or UPF unit list returned by the NRF unit; 9, the SMF unit interacts with the PCF unit to update the session policy; 10, the SMF unit interacts with the selected target UPF unit with NW-TT capability to create a request for session; 11, the remaining steps of the remaining session creation flow, which are not related to the present invention, are omitted. After the UPF unit is powered on, corresponding UPF unit NW-TT capability is automatically registered with the NRF unit, so that a subsequent SMF unit can directly acquire the target UPF unit with the NW-TT capability from the NRF unit in a discovery mode, and the SMF unit is ensured to be connected with the target UPF unit with the NW-TT capability.

In another implementation of the present embodiment, selecting a target UPF unit with NW-TT capability includes: capability information of the UPF unit is obtained from the local, wherein the capability information is used for indicating whether the corresponding UPF unit has NW-TT capability or not, and the capability information is reported to the SMF unit through a coupling message by the UPF unit; acquiring a plurality of second UPF units with NW-TT capability according to the capability information; one target UPF unit is selected from a number of second UPF units.

In this embodiment, before the capability information of the UPF unit is locally acquired, or after the UPF unit is powered on, the SMF unit establishes a coupling with the UPF unit, specifically, the SMF unit initiates a coupling establishment request to the UPF unit, the UPF unit returns a coupling message carrying capability information of itself to the SMF unit, the capability information is used to indicate whether the corresponding UPF unit has NW-TT capability, the SMF unit stores the capability information of the UPF unit to the SMF unit, so that in a subsequent session creation process, the SMF unit directly acquires the capability information of the UPF unit from the SMF unit locally, further acquires a plurality of second UPF units with NW-TT capability according to the capability information, and selects one second UPF unit from the plurality of second UPF units as a target UPF unit. In the embodiment, after the UPF unit is powered on, the capability information of the UPF unit is automatically reported to the SMF unit through the coupling message, so that the subsequent SMF unit can directly obtain the target UPF unit with NW-TT capability from the SMF unit locally, and the 5G network node serving as the TSN bridge is managed through the capability report, thereby ensuring that the SMF unit is connected with the target UPF unit with NW-TT capability.

In the second application scenario, the flow of the SMF unit selecting a target UPF unit with NW-TT capability is shown in fig. 5, 1, when the SMF actively initiates a coupling establishment request to the UPF, the UPF carries a parameter a in a response message, where the parameter a represents whether the UPF has NW-TT capability, and the SMF locally stores the information; 2, the UE initiates a session creation request, wherein the session creation request carries DS-TT capability of the UE; 3, the AMF sends a session creation request message to the SMF, and the SMF acquires the information of the DS-TT capability of the UE from the creation request; 4, SMF obtains the subscription information of UE from UDM and registers UE;5, the SMF sends a session creation response message to the AMF; 6, the SMF interacts with the PCF to acquire a session policy; 7, the SMF selects one UPF from UPF or UPF list with NW-TT capability stored locally by the SMF; 8, the SMF interacts with the PCF to update the session policy; 9, the SMF interacts with the selected UPF with NW-TT capability to perform session creation request; 10, the remaining steps of the remaining session creation flow, which are not related to the present invention, are omitted.

In yet another implementation of the present embodiment, selecting a target UPF unit having NW-TT capability includes: reading local user configuration information, wherein the user configuration information comprises UPF information with NW-TT capability; acquiring a plurality of third UPF units with NW-TT capability according to user configuration information; one target UPF unit is selected from a number of third UPF units.

In this embodiment, user configuration information may be configured on the SMF unit in advance through the network management system, that is, UPF information having NW-TT capability is configured on the SMF unit in advance, and when a target UPF unit needs to be selected in the session creation process, the SMF unit directly reads local user configuration information, obtains a plurality of third UPF units having NW-TT capability according to the user configuration information, and selects one third target UPF unit from the plurality of third UPF units. According to the method and the device, through autonomous configuration of UPF information with NW-TT capability, a subsequent SMF unit can directly obtain a target UPF unit with NW-TT capability from the local, and the fact that the SMF unit is connected with the target UPF unit with NW-TT capability is guaranteed, and UPF with NW-TT capability can achieve intercommunication between 5G and a wired TSN network.

In a third application scenario, the flow of the SMF unit selecting a target UPF unit with NW-TT capability is shown in fig. 6, 1, a user configures UPF information on the SMF through a network management system, where the information includes whether the target UPF unit has NW-TT capability; 2, the UE initiates a session creation request, carrying DS-TT capability of the UE; 3, the AMF sends a session creation request message to the SMF, and the SMF acquires the information of the DS-TT capability of the UE from the creation request; 4, SMF obtains subscription information and registration from UDM; 5, the SMF sends a session creation response message to the AMF; 6, the SMF interacts with the PCF to acquire a session policy; 7, the SMF obtains UPF or UPF list with NW-TT capability through local configuration, and selects one UPF;8, the SMF interacts with the PCF to update the session policy; 9, the SMF interacts with the selected UPF with NW-TT capability to perform session creation request; 10, the remaining steps of the remaining session creation flow, which are not related to the present invention, are omitted.

In one implementation of the present embodiment, prior to selecting the NW-TT capable target UPF unit, further comprising: receiving a session creation request initiated by user equipment; judging whether the session creation request carries a designated identifier or not, wherein the designated identifier is used for indicating whether the user equipment has DS-TT capability or not; if the session creation request carries the specified identifier, a session policy is acquired and a target UPF unit with NW-TT capability is selected.

In this embodiment, the user equipment UE initiates a session creation request, and the SMF unit obtains a session policy based on the session creation request initiated by the user equipment, and selects a target UPF unit with NW-TT capability, and further bridges the TSN network based on the target UPF unit. The SMF unit does not need to select a UPF unit with NW-TT capability for bridging, or the user equipment may be a user equipment accessed through a TSN network, such as a certain device of a certain factory, the user equipment accessed through the TSN network has DS-TT capability, the SMF unit needs to select a UPF unit with NW-TT capability for bridging, that is, in a scenario that the user equipment with DS-TT capability accesses a 5G network and creates a session, needs to select a target UPF unit with NW-TT capability as bridging of the TSN network, so in this embodiment, before selecting the target UPF unit with NW-TT capability, the method further includes receiving a session creation request initiated by the user equipment, and determining whether the session creation request carries a designation identifier, where the designation identifier is used to indicate whether the user equipment has DS-TT capability; if the session creation request carries the designated identifier, which means that the user equipment is the user equipment accessed through the TSN network and needs to be bridged, the session policy is obtained, the target UPF unit with NW-TT capability is selected, and the target UPF unit is used for bridging the TSN network.

Based on the above embodiment, the mobile core network further includes a UDM (Unified Data Management ) unit and a PCF (Point Coordination Function, policy control function) unit, and acquiring the session policy includes: acquiring subscription information corresponding to the user equipment from the UDM unit, and registering the user equipment in the UDM unit; and receiving the session policy corresponding to the user equipment sent by the PCF unit.

In this embodiment, bridging the TSN network with the target UPF unit includes: and acquiring the updated session policy from the PCF unit. Based on the updated session policy, session creation is performed with the target UPF unit bridging the TSN network.

In one implementation scenario, a user equipment UE initiates a session creation request to an AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function ) unit, the session creation request carries a designated identifier indicating that the user equipment has DS-TT capability, the AMF unit forwards the session creation request to an SMF unit, the SMF unit obtains information that the UE user equipment has DS-TT capability from the session creation request, the SMF unit obtains subscription information corresponding to the user equipment from the UDM unit, registers the user equipment in the UDM unit, so that the UDM unit determines whether the user equipment is powered on, when the user equipment is registered and applies for session creation on the SMF, the SMF unit selects a target UPF unit to connect, provides a bridging function for a TSN network, the SMF unit sends a session creation response message to the AMF unit, the SMF unit interacts with a PCF unit, receives a session policy corresponding to the user equipment sent by the PCF unit, selects a target UPF unit having DS-TT capability, the PCF unit needs to update the session policy after the target UPF unit is selected, the SMF unit interacts with the PCF unit, obtains the updated session policy after the updating from the unit, and establishes a bridge policy with the target UPF unit based on the target UPF unit. According to the embodiment, the SMF selects the target UPF with NW-TT capability in the TSN network, so that the accuracy of the bridging function provided by the 5GC system for the TSN network is improved.

From the description of the above embodiments, it will be clear to a person skilled in the art that the method according to the above embodiments may be implemented by means of software plus the necessary general hardware platform, but of course also by means of hardware, but in many cases the former is a preferred embodiment. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present invention may be embodied essentially or in a part contributing to the prior art in the form of a software product stored in a storage medium (e.g. ROM/RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) comprising instructions for causing a terminal device (which may be a mobile phone, a computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform the method according to the embodiments of the present invention.

Example 2

The embodiment also provides a bridging device of the TSN network, which is used to implement the foregoing embodiments and preferred embodiments, and is not described in detail. As used below, the term "module" may be a combination of software and/or hardware that implements a predetermined function. While the means described in the following embodiments are preferably implemented in software, implementation in hardware, or a combination of software and hardware, is also possible and contemplated.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram of a bridging device of a TSN network according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 7, the device includes: a selection module 40, a bridging module 41, wherein,

a selection module 40 for selecting a target UPF unit having NW-TT capability;

a bridging module 41, configured to bridge the TSN network with the target UPF unit.

Optionally, the selecting module includes: a first sending unit, configured to send discovery information to the NRF unit, where the discovery information includes a network element object to be discovered and a discovery condition, where the network element object is a UPF unit, and the discovery condition is NW-TT capable; the first receiving unit is used for receiving a plurality of first UPF units with NW-TT capability returned by the NRF; a first selection unit for selecting a target UPF unit from the plurality of first UPF units.

Optionally, the selecting module includes: the first acquisition unit is used for locally acquiring the capability information of the UPF, wherein the capability information is used for indicating whether a corresponding UPF unit has NW-TT capability or not, and the capability information is reported to the SMF unit by the UPF unit through a coupling message; the first obtaining unit is further used for obtaining a plurality of second UPF units with NW-TT capability according to the capability information; a second selection unit for selecting a target UPF unit from the plurality of second UPF units.

Optionally, the selecting module includes: the first reading unit is used for reading local user configuration information, wherein the user configuration information comprises UPF information with NW-TT capability; the second acquisition unit is used for acquiring a plurality of third UPF units with NW-TT capability according to the user configuration information; and a third selection unit for selecting a target UPF unit from the plurality of third UPF units.

Optionally, the apparatus further includes: the receiving module is used for receiving a session creation request initiated by user equipment; the judging module is used for judging whether the session creation request carries a specified identifier or not, wherein the specified identifier is used for indicating whether the user equipment has DS-TT capability or not; and the acquisition module is used for acquiring the session policy and selecting a target UPF unit with NW-TT capability if the session creation request carries the specified identifier.

Optionally, the acquiring module includes: a third obtaining unit, configured to obtain subscription information corresponding to the user equipment from the UDM unit, and register the user equipment in the UDM unit; and the second receiving unit is used for receiving the session policy corresponding to the user equipment sent by the PCF unit.

Optionally, the bridge module further includes: a fourth obtaining unit, configured to obtain the updated session policy from the PCF unit; and the first bridging unit is used for establishing a session with the target UPF unit based on the updated session policy and bridging the TSN network.

It should be noted that each of the above modules may be implemented by software or hardware, and for the latter, it may be implemented by, but not limited to: the modules are all located in the same processor; alternatively, the above modules may be located in different processors in any combination.

Example 3

An embodiment of the invention also provides a storage medium having a computer program stored therein, wherein the computer program is arranged to perform the steps of any of the method embodiments described above when run.

Alternatively, in the present embodiment, the above-described storage medium may be configured to store a computer program for performing the steps of:

s1, selecting a target UPF unit with NW-TT capability;

s2, bridging the TSN network by adopting the target UPF unit.

Alternatively, in the present embodiment, the storage medium may include, but is not limited to: a usb disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a random access Memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), a removable hard disk, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, or other various media capable of storing a computer program.

An embodiment of the invention also provides an electronic device comprising a memory having stored therein a computer program and a processor arranged to run the computer program to perform the steps of any of the method embodiments described above.

Optionally, the electronic device may further include a transmission device and an input/output device, where the transmission device is connected to the processor, and the input/output device is connected to the processor.

Alternatively, in the present embodiment, the above-described processor may be configured to execute the following steps by a computer program:

s1, selecting a target UPF unit with NW-TT capability;

s2, bridging the TSN network by adopting the target UPF unit.

Alternatively, specific examples in this embodiment may refer to examples described in the foregoing embodiments and optional implementations, and this embodiment is not described herein.

The foregoing embodiment numbers of the present application are merely for describing, and do not represent advantages or disadvantages of the embodiments.

In the foregoing embodiments of the present application, the descriptions of the embodiments are emphasized, and for a portion of this disclosure that is not described in detail in this embodiment, reference is made to the related descriptions of other embodiments.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed technology content may be implemented in other manners. The above-described embodiments of the apparatus are merely exemplary, and the division of the units, such as the division of the units, is merely a logical function division, and may be implemented in another manner, for example, multiple units or components may be combined or may be integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not performed. Alternatively, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed with each other may be through some interfaces, units or modules, or may be in electrical or other forms.

The units described as separate units may or may not be physically separate, and units shown as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units may be integrated in one unit. The integrated units may be implemented in hardware or in software functional units.

The integrated units, if implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as stand-alone products, may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application may be embodied in essence or a part contributing to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution in the form of a software product stored in a storage medium, including several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: a U-disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a random access Memory (RAM, random Access Memory), a removable hard disk, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, or other various media capable of storing program codes.

The foregoing is merely a preferred embodiment of the present application and it should be noted that modifications and adaptations to those skilled in the art may be made without departing from the principles of the present application and are intended to be comprehended within the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A bridging method of a TSN network, wherein the TSN network is connected to a mobile core network, the mobile core network comprising a session management function SMF unit and a plurality of user plane function UPF units managed by the SMF unit, the method comprising:

selecting a NW-TT capable target UPF unit;

bridging the TSN network with the target UPF unit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile core network further comprises a network storage function NRF unit, and wherein selecting the NW-TT-capable target UPF unit comprises:

transmitting discovery information to the NRF unit, wherein the discovery information comprises a network element object to be discovered and a discovery condition, the network element object is a UPF unit, and the discovery condition is NW-TT capable;

receiving a plurality of first UPF units with NW-TT capability returned by the NRF units;

one target UPF unit is selected from the number of first UPF units.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a target UPF unit having NW-TT capability comprises:

obtaining capability information of a UPF unit from a local place, wherein the capability information is used for indicating whether the corresponding UPF unit has NW-TT capability or not, and the capability information is reported to the SMF unit by the UPF unit through a coupling message;

acquiring a plurality of second UPF units with NW-TT capability according to the capability information;

one target UPF unit is selected from the number of second UPF units.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a target UPF unit having NW-TT capability comprises:

reading local user configuration information, wherein the user configuration information comprises UPF information with NW-TT capability;

acquiring a plurality of third UPF units with NW-TT capability according to the user configuration information;

one target UPF unit is selected from the number of third UPF units.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to selecting the NW-TT capable target UPF unit, the method further comprises:

receiving a session creation request initiated by user equipment;

judging whether the session creation request carries a specified identifier or not, wherein the specified identifier is used for indicating whether the user equipment has DS-TT capability or not;

and if the session creation request carries the specified identifier, acquiring a session policy and selecting a target UPF unit with NW-TT capability.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the mobile core network further comprises a unified data management, UDM, unit and a policy control function, PCF, unit, wherein obtaining the session policy comprises:

acquiring subscription information corresponding to the user equipment from the UDM unit, and registering the user equipment in the UDM unit;

and receiving the session policy corresponding to the user equipment sent by the PCF unit.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein bridging the TSN network with the target UPF unit comprises:

acquiring updated session policies from the PCF unit;

and based on the updated session policy, performing session creation with the target UPF unit, and bridging the TSN network.

8. A bridging device of a TSN network, comprising:

a selection module for selecting a target UPF unit having NW-TT capability;

and the bridging module is used for bridging the TSN network by adopting the target UPF unit.

9. The electronic equipment is characterized by comprising a processor, a communication interface, a memory and a communication bus, wherein the processor, the communication interface and the memory are communicated with each other through the communication bus; wherein:

a memory for storing a computer program;

a processor for executing the method steps of any one of claims 1 to 7 by running a program stored on a memory.

10. A storage medium comprising a stored program, wherein the program when run performs the method steps of any of the preceding claims 1 to 7.