WO2019196680A1

WO2019196680A1 - Communication method and communication apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2019196680A1
Application number: PCT/CN2019/080408
Authority: WO
Inventors: 韦安妮; 吴义壮; 熊春山
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2018-04-10
Filing date: 2019-03-29
Publication date: 2019-10-17
Also published as: CN110366204B; CN110366204A

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus. The communication method comprises: a first session management network element sends a first request message to a mobility management network element for requesting to newly add a session management network element; the mobility management network element determines a second session management network element and sends a second request message to same for requesting same to create a session context for a first session of a terminal device; the second session management network element sends a third request message to the first session management network element for requesting to establish or update a session; the first session management network element sends control information to the second session management network element, or the second session management network element obtains the control information locally, the control information being used for indicating the signaling processing mode of the first session at the second session management network element. The communication method and the communication apparatus in embodiments of the present application can reduce a signaling load of a session management network element.

Description

Communication method and communication device

The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application Serial No. 2011-0131, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

Technical field

The present application relates to the field of communications and, more particularly, to communication methods and communication devices in the field of communications.

Background technique

With the rapid development of wireless communication technology, fifth generation (5G) mobile communication technology emerged. A packet data unit (PDU) session is a connection between a terminal device defined in 5G and a data network (DN), and provides a PDU connectivity service. The type of connection can be internet (IP), Ethernet or unstructured data. The PDU connection service supported by the 5G core network refers to a service that provides PDU exchange between the terminal device and the DN. The terminal device can establish multiple PDU sessions for connecting to the same DN or different DNs. A PDU session is managed by a session management function (SMF) network element. The SMF network element can be responsible for session management, including establishment, modification, and release of a PDU session.

Since the 5G uses high frequency, the area covered by each base station will be small, so that there are many base stations in a certain geographical area, and the mobility of the terminal equipment may cause the connection of the terminal equipment to frequently switch between the base stations, thus managing the terminal. The SMF network element of the session of the device needs to process more signaling and has a larger load.

Summary of the invention

The present application provides a communication method and communication apparatus capable of reducing signaling load of a session management network element.

The first aspect provides a communication method, including: a first session management network element sends a first request message to a mobility management network element, where the first request message is used to request a new session management network element; a session management network element receives a third request message from the second session management network element, where the third request message is used to request to establish a first session or update the first session; the first session management network element The second session management network element sends control information, where the control information is used to indicate a signaling processing manner of the first session at the second session management network element.

In the communication method of the embodiment of the present application, the first session management network element sends a request message for requesting a new session management network element, and configures a related signaling processing manner for the newly added second session management network element, so that the The second session management network element shares part of the signaling at the first session management network element, which is beneficial to reducing the signaling load of the first session management network element, thereby improving system performance.

Optionally, the foregoing control information is specifically used to indicate that the second session management network element performs signaling processing on the N1 signaling and/or the N2 signaling of the first session, where the N1 signaling is a non-access layer (non- Access stratum (NAS) signaling, N2 signaling is a radio access network (RAN) related signaling.

Optionally, the first session management network element may send the second request message to the second session management network element without sending the first request message to the mobility management network element, where the second request message is used to request the location The second session management network element creates a session context for the first session of the terminal device.

In this scenario, the first session management network element may not add a session management network element by using the mobility management network element (ie, the first session management network element sends a first request message to the mobility management network element, by the mobile The second management network element is determined by the second management network element, and the second session management network element is sent to the second session management network element, that is, the second session management network element is triggered to be inserted. Then, the first session management network element or the second session management network element notifies the mobility management network element that the session management network element has been added, and the new session management network element is the second session management network element.

In this way, the signaling load of the mobility management network element can be reduced, and the management and control capability of the first session management network element can be enhanced. The process can also be applied to a network architecture in which the mobility management network element and the second session management network element have no interface. However, the embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

Optionally, the first session management network element may further send the session context information of the first session to the second session management network element, where the session context information may include the foregoing that the first session management network element obtains from the UDM network element. The subscription information of the terminal device may also include information about the first session obtained by the first session management network element from the PCF network element, and may further include information about the first session configured on the first session management network element.

In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before the first session management network element sends the first request message to the mobility management network element, the method further includes: the first session management The network element determines whether the signaling at the first session management network element is overloaded; the first session management network element sends a first request message to the mobility management network element, including: at the first session management network element In the case that the signaling is overloaded, the first session management network element sends the first request message to the mobility management network element.

Since the 5G uses high frequency, the area covered by each base station will be small, so that there are many base stations in a certain geographical area, and the mobility of the terminal equipment may cause the connection of the terminal equipment to frequently switch between the base stations, thus managing the terminal. The first session management network element of the session of the device needs to process more signaling and has a larger load. In the embodiment of the present application, the first session management network element requests the new session management network element to share the signaling at the first session management network element, once the signaling overload is found or the signaling overload occurs. The signaling load of the first session management network element can be reduced, thereby improving system performance.

With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first session management network element determines whether the signaling at the first session management network element is overloaded, including: the first session management network element Determining whether the signaling at the first session management network element is overloaded according to at least one of the following information: the number of signaling processed by the first session management network element in a unit time, the first session management network The mobile information of the terminal device managed on the meta and the number of terminal devices managed on the first session management network element.

It should be understood that the first session management network element may determine the signaling overload at the first session management network element if any one of the foregoing three conditions is met, or may determine that the foregoing three conditions are met. The signaling overload at the first session management network element is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

With reference to the first aspect, in some implementation manners of the first aspect, the signaling processing manner includes at least one of the following: a first signaling processing manner, where the first signaling processing manner is performed by the second session The management network element processes the handover signaling of the first session; the second signaling processing mode, where the second signaling processing mode is that the second session management network element processes the radio resource release letter of the first session And the third signaling processing manner, wherein the third signaling processing mode is that the second session management network element processes the signaling of the terminal device to which the first session belongs from the idle state to the connected state or The radio resource control inactivates the RRC Inactive state to the signaling of the non-RRC Inactive connection state.

It should be understood that the processing of the related signaling by the second session management network element means that the second session management network element triggers a related process of handover, paging, etc., that is, directly sends a request to the mobility management network element, triggering the mobility management network. The element performs switching and paging, and does not manage the network element through the first session. In other words, the second session management network element shares the processing of the signaling by the first session management network element, thereby reducing the number of A session manages the load at the network element.

With reference to the first aspect, in some implementation manners of the first aspect, before the first session management network element sends the control information to the second session management network element, the method further includes: the first session The management network element receives the control information from the network element of the policy control function.

Optionally, the control information may be local configuration information of the second session management network element, where the control information may be information that is used by the second session management network element according to the user plane function network element when the local policy is used. The information that is determined may also be information from the first session management network element, and may also be information from the network element of the policy control function, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the third request message carries at least one of the following information: identification information of the terminal device to which the first session belongs, and the first session The identification information, the identification information of the second session management network element, and the identification information of the user plane function network element controlled by the second session management network element.

In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: the first session management network element transmitting the first message to the second session management network element according to the third request message The response message, the first response message carries at least one of the following information: identification information of the terminal device to which the first session belongs, identification information of the first session, tunnel information, and the first session management network The identification information of the user plane function network element controlled by the element.

In a second aspect, another communication method is provided, including: the second session management network element receives a second request message from a mobility management network element or a first session management network element, where the second request message is used to request a location The second session management network element creates a session context for the first session of the terminal device; the second session management network element sends a third request message to the first session management network element, where the third request message is used for the request Establishing the first session or updating the first session; the second session management network element acquiring control information, where the control information is used to indicate that the first session is in the N1/1 of the second session management network element. Signaling processing mode of N2 signaling.

With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the control information is local configuration information of the second session management network element; or the control information is managed by a second session when using a local policy. The network element determines information according to information from the user plane function network element; or the control information is from the first session management network element; or the control information is from a policy control function network element.

With reference to the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the signaling processing manner includes at least one of the following: a first signaling processing manner, where the first signaling processing manner is performed by the second session The management network element processes the handover signaling of the first session; the second signaling processing mode, where the second signaling processing mode is that the second session management network element processes the radio resource release letter of the first session The third signaling processing mode is that the second session management network element processes the signaling of the terminal device from the idle state to the connected state by the second session management network element or controls the inactive RRC from the radio resource. The inactive state is transferred to the signaling of the non-RRC Inactive connection state.

With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the third request message carries at least one of the following information: identification information of the terminal device, identification information of the first session, The identifier information of the second session management network element and the identifier information of the user plane function network element controlled by the second session management network element.

With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, after the second session management network element sends the third request message to the first session management network element, the method further includes: The second session management network element receives the first response message from the first session management network element, where the first response message carries at least one of the following information: the identification information of the terminal device, the first session Identification information, tunnel information, and identification information of the user plane function network element controlled by the first session management network element.

The third aspect provides another communication method, including: the mobility management network element receives a first request message from the first session management network element, where the first request message is used to request a new session management network element; The mobility management network element receives a session establishment request message from the terminal device, the session establishment request message is used to request to establish a connection with the first session management network element; and the mobility management network element is configured according to the session And establishing a request message, and sending a second request message to the second session management network element, where the second request message is used to request the second session management network element to create a session context for the first session of the terminal device.

In a fourth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided for performing the method of any of the first aspect or the first aspect of the first aspect. In particular, the apparatus comprises means for performing the method of any of the first aspect or the first aspect of the first aspect described above.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided another communication apparatus for performing the method of any of the possible implementations of the second aspect or the second aspect above. In particular, the apparatus comprises means for performing the method of any of the possible implementations of the second aspect or the second aspect described above.

In a sixth aspect, there is provided another communication apparatus for performing the method of any of the above-described third or third possible implementations. In particular, the apparatus comprises means for performing the method of any of the possible implementations of the third aspect or the third aspect described above.

In a seventh aspect, another communication device is provided, the device comprising: a transceiver, a memory, and a processor. Wherein the transceiver, the memory and the processor are in communication with each other via an internal connection path for storing instructions for executing instructions stored in the memory to control the receiver to receive signals and to control the transmitter to transmit signals The apparatus is caused to perform the method of the first aspect or any of the possible implementations of the first aspect.

In an eighth aspect, another communication device is provided, the device comprising: a transceiver, a memory, and a processor. Wherein the transceiver, the memory and the processor are in communication with each other via an internal connection path for storing instructions for executing instructions stored in the memory to control the receiver to receive signals and to control the transmitter to transmit signals The apparatus is caused to perform the method of any of the possible implementations of the second aspect or the second aspect.

In a ninth aspect, another communication device is provided, the device comprising: a transceiver, a memory, and a processor. Wherein the transceiver, the memory and the processor are in communication with each other via an internal connection path for storing instructions for executing instructions stored in the memory to control the receiver to receive signals and to control the transmitter to transmit signals The apparatus is caused to perform the method of any of the possible implementations of the third aspect or the third aspect.

In a tenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising: computer program code, when executed by a computer, causing the computer to perform the method of any of the possible implementations of any of the above aspects.

In an eleventh aspect, a computer readable medium is provided for storing a computer program, the computer program comprising instructions for performing the method of any of the possible implementations of any of the above aspects.

According to a twelfth aspect, there is provided a chip system comprising a memory and a processor for storing a computer program for calling and running the computer program from the memory such that the communication device on which the chip system is installed performs A method in any of the possible implementations of any of the above aspects.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of another communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of another communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram of another communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

detailed description

The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a system architecture 100 to which an embodiment of the present application is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the system architecture 100 includes a mobility management network element 110, a first session management network element 120, and a second session management network element 130. Optionally, the system architecture 100 may further include a terminal device 140.

The system architecture 100 described above may be used to implement the communication method in the embodiments of the present application.

In a possible implementation manner, the mobility management network element 110 in the system architecture 100 is specifically configured to: receive a first request message from a first session management network element, where the first request message is used to request to add a session management network element; receiving a session establishment request message from the terminal device, the session establishment request message being used to request to establish a connection with the first session management network element; according to the session establishment request message, to the The second session management network element sends a second request message, where the second request message is used to request the second session management network element to create a session context for the first session of the terminal device.

In another possible implementation manner, the first session management network element 120 in the system architecture 100 is specifically configured to: send a first request message to the mobility management network element, where the first request message is used to request to add a session management network element; receiving a third request message from the second session management network element, where the third request message is used to request to establish a first session or update the first session; and send the second session management network element And control information, where the control information is used to indicate a signaling processing manner of the N1 or N2 signaling of the first session in the second session management network element.

In another possible implementation manner, the second session management network element 130 in the system architecture 100 is specifically configured to: receive a second request message from the mobility management network element or the first session management network element, where the The second request message is used to request the second session management network element to create a session context for the first session of the terminal device; and send a third request message to the first session management network element, where the third request message is used to request to establish Receiving, by the first session, the first session; receiving control information from the first session management network element or a policy control function network element, where the control information is used to indicate that the first session is in the second session The signaling processing mode of N1/N2 signaling of the session management network element.

Optionally, the mobility management network element 110, the first session management network element 120, and the second session management network element 130 in the system architecture 100 may be implemented by one device, or may be implemented by multiple devices, or may be A functional module in a device is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application. It can be understood that the above functions can be either a network component in a hardware device, a software function running on dedicated hardware, or a virtualization function instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform).

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario 200 of an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2, the application scenario 200 may specifically include the following network elements:

The access and mobility management function (AMF) network element is responsible for access and mobility management, and has functions such as authentication, switching, and location update for users.

A session management function (SMF) network element is responsible for session management, including establishment, modification, and release of a packet data unit (PDU) session. The SMF network element can be divided into two types: intermediate SMF (intermediate-SMF, I-SMF) network element and anchor SMF (anchor-SMF, A-SMF) network element, where I-SMF network element control and access A user plane function (UPF) network element (ie, I-UPF) of the network interface, and the A-SMF network element controls the session anchor UPF network element (ie, A-UPF).

It should be understood that, in the foregoing system architecture 100, the mobility management network element 110 may specifically correspond to the AMF network element in FIG. 2, and the first session management network element 120 may specifically correspond to the A-SMF network element in FIG. 2, and the second session. The management network element 130 may specifically correspond to the I-SMF network element in FIG. 2, and the terminal device 130 may specifically correspond to the UE in FIG. 2.

It should be understood that the present application divides the SMF into I-SMF and A-SMF only because the role played by the SMF in the system architecture 100 and the application scenario 200 is different. The above-mentioned I-SMF network element and the A-SMF network element may also adopt other names, which are not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, the application scenario 200 may further include: an authentication service function (AUSF) network element, having an authentication and authorization service function, configured to be responsible for generating a key and two-way authentication with the UE.

Optionally, the application scenario 200 may further include: a unified data management (UDM) network element, where the subscription data of the user is saved.

Optionally, the application scenario 200 may further include: a policy control function (PCF) network element: responsible for user policy management, including mobility related policies, and PDU session related policies, for example, quality of service (quality) Of service, QoS) policies, billing policies, etc.

Optionally, the application scenario 200 may further include: a user plane function (UPF) network element: the UPF is a user plane function, and is responsible for forwarding user data. The UPF network element is specifically divided into an intermediate-UPF (intermediate-UPF, I-UPF) and an anchor-UPF (A-UPF), where the I-UPF is connected to the access network, and the A-UPF is a session anchor. The UFP, the A-UPF may be referred to as a PDU Session Anchor UPF (PSA), which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, the application scenario 200 may further include: a data network (DN): a destination of the user's PDU session access.

It should be understood that the foregoing application scenario 200 may further include a radio access network (RAN) device and a user equipment (UE). The UE communicates with the AMF through the N1 interface, the UE can access the 5G network through the RAN, the RAN communicates with the AMF through the N2 interface, the RAN communicates with the I-UPF through the N3 interface, and the I-UPF communicates with the I-SMF through the N4 interface, -UPF communicates with A-UPF (PSA) through N9 interface, A-UPF (PSA) communicates with A-SMF through N4 interface, A-UPF (PSA) communicates with DN through N6 interface, AMF through N11 interface and I-SMF Communication, AMF communicates with AUSF through N12 interface, AMF communicates with UDN through N8 interface, AMF communicates with PCF through N15 interface, I-SMF communicates with A-SMF through N16* interface, A-SMF communicates with UDM through N10 interface, A - SMF communicates with the PCF via the N7 interface.

It should be noted that, in FIG. 2, only the terminal device is used as an example for the UE, and the interface name between the network elements in FIG. 2 is only an example. In a specific implementation, the interface name of the application scenario 200 is also It may be other names, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this. In addition, the RAN device may also be referred to as an access device, and the access device refers to a device that accesses the core network.

A radio access network device is an access device in which a terminal device accesses the mobile communication system by using a wireless device, and may be a base station (NodeB), an evolved base station (eNodeB), a base station (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, and a future. The base station in the mobile communication system or the access node in the WiFi system, etc., may also be a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, or the access network device may be a relay station, The specific technology and specific device form adopted by the embodiment of the present application for the radio access network device are not in the in point, the in-vehicle device, the wearable device, the network device in the future 5G network, or the network device in the future evolved PLMN network. Make a limit.

Certainly, other network elements, such as a network slice selection function (NSSF) network element, may be deployed in the foregoing application scenario 200, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, the application scenario 200 shown in FIG. 2 can be applied to the 5G network and other possible networks in the future, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

The terminal device involved in the embodiment of the present application may include various handheld devices having wireless communication functions, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a computing device, or other processing device connected to the wireless modem; and may further include a subscriber unit. Subscriber unit, cellular phone, smart phone, wireless data card, personal digital assistant (PDA) computer, tablet computer, wireless modem (modem), handheld device (handheld) , laptop computer, cordless phone or wireless local loop (WLL) station, machine type communication (MTC) terminal, user equipment (UE) , mobile station (MS), terminal device or relay user equipment. The relay user equipment may be, for example, a 5G residential gateway (RG). For convenience of description, in the present application, the above-mentioned devices are collectively referred to as terminal devices.

It should be understood that the terminal device may provide single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) and data network name (DNN) to the AMF network element when initiating the PDU session establishment. The AMF network element determines the address of the session management network element based on the S-NSSAI, DNN, and other information (eg, the subscription information of the terminal device and the local carrier policy, etc.). The determined session management network element can establish a PDU session for the terminal device based on the S-NSSAI and the DNN.

FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 300 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method 300 can be applied to the system architecture 100 shown in FIG. 1 and can also be applied to the application scenario 200 shown in FIG. 2, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto.

S310, the first session management network element sends a first request message to the mobility management network element, and correspondingly, the mobility management network element receives the first request message sent by the first session management network element, where The first request message is used to request a new session management network element;

S320, the mobility management network element sends a second request message to the second session management network element, and correspondingly, the second session management network element receives the second sent by the mobility management network element. a request message, the second request message is used to request the second session management network element to create a session context for the first session of the terminal device;

S330, the second session management network element sends a third request message to the first session management network element, and correspondingly, the first session management network element receives the a third request message, the third request message is used to request to establish the first session or update the first session;

S340, the first session management network element sends control information to the second session management network element, and correspondingly, the second session management network element receives control information sent by the first session management network element, where The control information is used to indicate a signaling processing manner of the first session at the second session management network element.

Specifically, the first session management network element is responsible for session management of the terminal device, and the first session management network element may send a first request message for requesting the newly added session management network element to the mobility management network element, and the mobility management network The element receives the first request message and selects a new session management network element (referred to herein as a second session management network element) according to the first request message. The mobility management network element may send, to the second session management network element, a second request message requesting to create a session context for the first session of the terminal device, where the second session management network element receives the second request message, which is the first The session creates a session context and sends a third request message to the first session management network element for requesting to establish a session or update the session. The first session management network element receives the third request message, and sends control information to the second session management network element to indicate a signaling processing manner of the first session at the second session management network element. The second session management network element receives the control information, so as to subsequently process the signaling of the first session according to the signaling processing manner indicated by the control information.

In another possible implementation manner, the method 300 may not exist in the method 300, and the first session management network element directly sends a second request message to the second session management network element, where the second request message is used for the request. The second session management network element creates a session context for the first session of the terminal device.

If S310 exists in the foregoing method 300, the implementation complexity of the first session management network element is small; if the S310 does not exist, the signaling load of the mobility management network element can be reduced, and the management and control capability of the first session management network element is strengthened. The process may also be applied to a network architecture in which the mobility management network element and the second session management network element have no interface, but the embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

It should be understood that the first session management network element may send the session context information of the first session to the second session management network element, where the session context information may include the foregoing terminal device acquired by the first session management network element from the UDM network element. The subscription information may also include information about the first session that is obtained by the first session management network element from the PCF network element, and may also include information about the first session or the local policy configured on the first session management network element. The information determined by the first session management network element according to the information from the UPF when used, for example, the UE global unique identifier (SUPI), PDU session ID, N2SM information (QoS flow identifier, QFI (s) )), QoS profile(s), CN N3 Tunnel Information, S-NSSAI, paging policy indication Etc.), N2 information area (area of validity for N2information), allocation and retention priority (allocation and The retention priority (ARP), the paging policy indication, the 5G QoS identifier (5QI), and the like are not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

It should be further understood that the foregoing control information is specifically used to indicate a signaling processing manner of the N1 signaling of the first session by the second session management network element and/or a signaling processing manner of the N2 signaling, where the N1 signaling is not connected. Non-access stratum (NAS) signaling, N2 signaling is related signaling of a radio access network (RAN).

In an optional embodiment, the control information is local configuration information of the second session management network element; or the control information is used by the second session management network element according to the user plane function network when the local policy is used. Information determined by the information of the element; or the control information is from the first session management network element; or the control information is from a policy control function network element.

In other words, in another possible implementation manner, the method 300 may not exist in the method 300, and the second session management network element acquires the local configuration information, or the second session management network is used when the local policy is used. The control information is determined according to the information from the user plane function network element (for example, the UPF), or the control information is obtained from the network element of the policy control function, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

It should be understood that, for processing a paging scenario, the foregoing local policy may be paging policy differentiation (PPD), and the information of the user plane function network element may be differentiated service code point (DSCP) information, or The information of the user plane function network element may be the DSCP information of the data packet header sent by the user plane management network element to the second session management network element, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

As an optional embodiment, before the first session management network element sends the control information to the second session management network element, the method further includes:

The first session management network element receives the control information from a policy control function network element.

It should be understood that the foregoing control information may be sent by the policy control function network element to the first session management network element, and then sent by the first session management network element to the second session management network element, or may be directly controlled by the policy control function network element. The embodiment of the present application does not limit this to the second session management network element.

As an optional embodiment, before the first session management network element sends the first request message to the mobility management network element, the method further includes:

Determining, by the first session management network element, whether the signaling at the first session management network element is overloaded;

The first session management network element sends a first request message to the mobility management network element, including:

And in a case that the signaling at the first session management network element is overloaded, the first session management network element sends the first request message to the mobility management network element.

Specifically, the first session management network element may first determine whether the signaling at the first session management network element is overloaded, and if the signaling at the first session management network element is overloaded, the first session management network element may The mobility management network element sends the first request message.

As an optional embodiment, the first session management network element determines whether the signaling at the first session management network element is overloaded, including:

The first session management network element determines whether the signaling at the first session management network element is overloaded according to at least one of the following information:

The number of signaling processed by the first session management network element in a unit time, the mobile information of the terminal device, and the number of terminal devices managed on the first session management network element.

Specifically, the first session management network element can determine whether the signaling at the first session management network element is overloaded in multiple manners, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. A possible implementation may be configured to configure a first threshold for the first session management network element, where the first session management network element determines that the number of signaling processed by the first session management network element in a unit time exceeds the first threshold. The first session management network element may determine the signaling overload at the first session management network element; another possible implementation manner may be: determining, according to the mobile information of the terminal device to which the first session belongs, if the terminal device If the base station frequently switches between the base stations, the signaling of the first session management network element may be overloaded. Another possible implementation manner may be configured by configuring a second threshold for the first session management network element, when the first session management network is configured. When the number of terminal devices managed on the element exceeds the second threshold, the first session management network element determines that the signaling at the first session management network element is overloaded.

As an optional embodiment, when the first session management network element sends the first request message to the mobility management network element, the first session is a session in a session establishment process; or the first session is The session is in the process of session; or the first session is a session to be accessed to the first session management network element.

Specifically, the foregoing first session may be a session in the process of the session establishment process or the session, or may be any session to be accessed to the first session management network element, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. That is, the first session management network element may request the mobility management network element to add a session management network element to the current specific session, or may request the mobility management network element to subsequently access the session of the first session management network element. Add a session management NE.

It should be understood that, if the first session is a session in a session establishment process or a session, the first request message may carry the identifier information of the terminal device to which the first session belongs and the identifier information of the first session; The first session is any session that is to be accessed by the first session management network element, and the first request message may carry the identifier information of the first session management network element.

As an optional embodiment, the signaling processing manner includes at least one of the following:

a first signaling processing manner, where the first signaling processing manner is that the second session management network element processes the handover signaling of the first session;

a second signaling processing manner, where the second signaling processing manner is that the second session management network element processes the radio resource release signaling of the first session;

The third signaling processing mode is that the second session management mode is used by the second session management network element to process the signaling of the terminal device to which the first session belongs from the idle state to the connected state or from the radio resource control. The inactive RRC Inactive state is transferred to the signaling of the non-RRC Inactive connection state.

Specifically, the foregoing signaling processing manner may include a handover signaling of the first session, a radio resource release signaling, and a processing manner of the signaling of the terminal device to which the first session belongs from the idle state to the connected state. The transition from the idle state to the connected state of the terminal device may include two scenarios in which the terminal device actively connects and the network performs paging.

It should be understood that the connection management-connected (CM-CONNECTED) also has a sub-state called radio resource control (RRC) inactive Inactive state. Specifically, the connection state is that the terminal device is connected to the access network RAN and the user plane function network element UPF. In the RRC Inactive state, the terminal device and the RAN are not connected, but the RAN and the UPF are connected; the idle state is the terminal device and the RAN. There is no connection between UPF and UPF. In the RRC Inactive state, if there is a downlink packet to be sent on the network side, a paging process needs to be initiated through the RAN to page the terminal device; in the idle state (connection management-idle, CM-IDLE), if the network On the side, there is a downlink data packet to be sent, and a mobility management network element is required to initiate a paging process to page the terminal device.

It should be understood that the processing of the related signaling by the second session management network element means that the second session management network element triggers a related process of handover, paging, etc., that is, directly sends a request to the mobility management network element to trigger mobility management. The network element performs handover and paging, and does not manage the network element through the first session. In other words, the second session management network element shares the processing of the signaling by the first session management network element, and thus can be reduced. The first session manages the load at the network element.

In a possible implementation, in a case that the signaling processing manner includes the first signaling processing manner, the method further includes:

The second session management network element receives a first update context request message from the mobility management network element, the first update context request message being used to request to switch the connection of the terminal device from a source network device to a target Internet equipment;

The second session management network element updates context information of the first session of the terminal device;

The second session management network element sends a first update context response message to the mobility management network element.

Specifically, after the second session management network element receives the first update context request message, the second session management network element may update the context information of the first session of the terminal device, and according to the existing control information. Sending a first update context response message to the mobility management network element, thereby completing the handover process of the terminal device.

In a possible implementation, where the signaling processing manner includes the second signaling processing mode, the method further includes:

The second session management network element receives a second update context request message from the mobility management network element, where the second update context request message is used to request to release a connection of the terminal device;

The second session management network element updates session context information of the terminal device;

The second session management network element sends a second update context response message to the mobility management network element.

Specifically, after the second session management network element receives the second update context request message, the second session management network element may update the session context information of the terminal device, and use the existing control information to the mobility management network. The element sends a second update context response message, thereby completing the radio resource release procedure of the terminal device.

In a possible implementation, where the signaling processing manner includes the third signaling processing manner, the method further includes:

The second session management network element sends a fourth request message to the mobility management network element, where the fourth request message is used to request paging of the terminal device.

Specifically, after the second session management network element receives the control information, once the UPF network element corresponding to the second session management network element (ie, the I-UPF of FIG. 2) receives the downlink data, and finds that there is no N3 connection, Sending a notification message or downlink data to the second session management network element, after receiving the notification message or the downlink data, the second session management network element may send the fourth to the mobility management network element according to the existing control information. Requesting a message, thereby triggering the mobility management network element to perform a paging procedure.

It should be understood that the second session management network element only requests the mobility management network element to perform paging to the terminal device, and the mobility management network element can accept the request, that is, perform a paging process for the terminal device, or The request is not accepted, that is, the rejection message is sent to the second session management network element or the processing is not performed.

As an optional embodiment, the third request message carries at least one of the following information:

The identifier information of the terminal device to which the first session belongs, the identifier information of the first session, the identifier information of the second session management network element, and the user plane function network element controlled by the second session management network element Identification information.

As an optional embodiment, the method further includes:

The first session management network element sends a first response message to the second session management network element according to the third request message, where the first response message carries at least one of the following information:

The identification information of the terminal device to which the first session belongs, the identification information of the first session, the tunnel information, and the identification information of the user plane function network element controlled by the first session management network element;

Correspondingly, the second session management network element receives the first response message sent by the first session management network element.

For ease of understanding, the mobility management network element is the AMF, the first session management network element is the A-SMF, the second session management network element is the I-SMF, and the terminal device is the UE. For example, the present invention is combined with FIG. 4 to FIG. The application examples will be described in detail.

FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 400 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method 400 can be applied to the system architecture 100 shown in FIG. 1 and can also be applied to the application scenario 200 shown in FIG. 2, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto. The embodiment of the present application is a scenario in which a current session (for example, a first session is taken as an example) is performed in a session establishment process or during a session.

S401. The A-SMF detects a signaling overload at the A-SMF.

The method for detecting may specifically be based on the number of signalings processed in the unit time on the A-SMF (if a certain threshold is exceeded, the signaling overload is determined), and may be based on the mobility information of the UE managed on the A-SMF (for example, moving in) If the frequency of a certain area of the A-SMF subscription exceeds a certain threshold, the signaling overload is determined, and the number of UEs managed on the A-SMF may be determined (if a certain threshold is exceeded, the signaling overload is determined), etc. The embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

S402. The A-SMF sends a first request message to the AMF, requesting to add an I-SMF for the first session.

The first request message may carry information such as SUPI, PDU session ID, S-NSSAI, reason for adding SMF.

S403. The AMF receives the first request message, and performs I-SMF selection according to information such as SUPI, PDU session ID, and S-NSSAI carried therein.

Specifically, the AMF may select an I-SMF capable of providing a service according to the location of the UE, the service domain of the A-SMF, the load information of the candidate I-SMF, and the like. It should be understood that the selection of the foregoing I-SMF may be selected by the AMF according to the information maintained by the AMF, or may be selected by the interaction with the NRF, or may be selected from the list of the candidate I-SMFs. limited.

S404, the AMF sends a second request message to the selected I-SMF, requesting to establish an N11 connection with the I-SMF, and the second request message may specifically be a create session context request message.

S405. The I-SMF sends a second response message to the AMF.

S406. The I-SMF selects an I-UPF according to the second request message sent by the AMF.

Specifically, the factors considered in selecting the I-UPF may include: UPF's dynamic load, UPF's relative static capacity among UPFs supporting the same DNN, location of the UE UE location information, DNN, PDU session type (eg, IPv4, IPv6, Ethernet Type or Unstructured Type), SSC mode selected by the PDU session, S-NSSAI, and the like. The I-SMF may select the I-UPF by using the above-mentioned information that is maintained by itself, or may request the network storage function (NRF) from the network storage function (NRF), and the NRF selects an I-UPF for it. Not limited.

S407. The I-SMF establishes an N4 connection with the selected I-UPF.

S408, the I-SMF sends a third request message to the A-SMF, where the third request message may be a session establishment or a session update request, where the third request message may carry a SUPI, a PDU session ID, an S-NSSAI, Information such as DNN, I-SMF ID, I-UPF information (eg ID, tunnel information).

S409, the A-SMF sends a first response message to the I-SMF, where the first response message may be a session establishment or a session update request response, where the first response message message may carry a SUPI, a PDU session ID, and an S- Information such as NSSAI and A-UPF information (such as ID and tunnel information).

S410. The A-SMF sends control information to the I-SMF to configure signaling processing mode of the N1/N2 signaling.

Optionally, the A-SMF may further send session context information to the I-SMF, where the session context information includes subscription information acquired by the A-SMF from the UDM, information obtained from the PCF, or information configured on the A-SMF. For example, UE global unique identifier (SUPI), PDU session ID, N2SM information (QoS flow identifier (QFI(s)), QoS profile(s), core network N3 interface Tunnel information (CN N3Tunnel Info), single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI), paging policy indication, etc., area of validity for N2information, allocation And the allocation and retention priority (ARP), the paging policy indication, the 5G QoS Identifier (5QI), and the like.

FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 500 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method 500 can be applied to the system architecture 100 shown in FIG. 1 and can also be applied to the application scenario 200 shown in FIG. 2, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto. The embodiment of the present application is not for the current session, and is a scenario for performing signaling offloading for a session to be accessed by the A-SMF (using the first session as an example).

S501. The A-SMF detects a signaling overload at the A-SMF.

S502. The A-SMF sends a first request message to the AMF, requesting the AMF to insert an I-SMF for a session that needs to be connected to the A-SMF.

The first request message may carry information such as an identifier of the A-SMF (for example, an SMF ID, an SMF address (IP addrsss, FQDN, etc.)), a reason for the I-SMF insertion, and the like.

S503. The AMF receives the NAS message sent by the UE, where the NAS message carries a new session establishment request, and the session establishment request is used to request to connect to the A-SMF.

S504. The AMF determines, according to the received NAS message, that the UE needs to connect to the A-SMF, and the AMF selects the I-SMF according to the first request message sent by the A-SMF in S502.

S505: The AMF sends a second request message to the selected I-SMF, requesting to establish an N11 connection with the I-SMF, where the second request message may specifically be a create session context request message.

S506. The I-SMF sends a second response message to the AMF.

S507. The I-SMF selects an I-UPF according to the second request message sent by the AMF.

S508. The I-SMF establishes an N4 connection with the selected I-UPF.

S509, the I-SMF sends a third request message to the A-SMF, where the third request message may be a session establishment or a session update request, where the third request message may carry a SUPI, a PDU session ID, an S-NSSAI, Information such as DNN, I-SMF ID, I-UPF information (eg ID, tunnel information).

S510, the A-SMF sends a first response message to the I-SMF, where the first response message may be a session establishment or a session update request response, where the first response message message may carry a SUPI, a PDU session ID, and an S- Information such as NSSAI and A-UPF information (such as ID and tunnel information).

S511. The A-SMF sends control information to the I-SMF, where the signaling processing mode of the N1/N2 signaling is configured.

It should be understood that the size of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not imply a sequence of executions, and the order of execution of the processes should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not be construed as limiting the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

The communication method according to the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, and the communication device according to the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 6 to FIG.

FIG. 6 shows a communication device 600 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The device 600 may be the foregoing first session management network element, and the device 600 includes:

The sending unit 610 is configured to send a first request message to the mobility management network element, where the first request message is used to request a new session management network element;

The receiving unit 620 is configured to receive a third request message from the second session management network element, where the third request message is used to request to establish a first session or update the first session;

The sending unit 610 is further configured to:

Sending control information to the second session management network element, where the control information is used to indicate a signaling processing manner of the first session at the second session management network element.

The communication device of the embodiment of the present application sends a request message for requesting a new session management network element by using the first session management network element, and configures a related signaling processing manner for the newly added second session management network element, so that the communication device The second session management network element shares part of the signaling at the first session management network element, which is beneficial to reducing the signaling load of the first session management network element, thereby improving system performance.

Optionally, the communication device further includes: a processing unit, configured to determine whether the signaling at the communication device is overloaded before sending the first request message to the mobility management network element; the sending unit 610 is specifically configured to: In the event that the signaling at the communication device is overloaded, the first request message is sent to the mobility management network element.

Optionally, the signaling processing manner includes at least one of the following: a first signaling processing manner, where the first signaling processing manner is that the second session management network element processes the switching information of the first session And a second signaling processing manner, where the second signaling processing manner is that the second session management network element processes the radio resource release signaling of the first session; and the third signaling processing manner, The third signaling processing manner is that the second session management network element processes, by the second session management network element, the signaling of the terminal device to which the first session belongs from the idle state to the connected state or from the radio resource control inactive RRC Inactive state to the non-RRC state. Inactive connection state signaling.

Optionally, the receiving unit 620 is further configured to: receive the control information from the policy control function network element before sending the control information to the second session management network element.

Optionally, the third request message carries at least one of the following information: the identifier information of the terminal device to which the first session belongs, the identifier information of the first session, and the second session management network element. Identification information and identification information of the user plane function network element controlled by the second session management network element.

Optionally, the sending unit 610 is further configured to: send, according to the third request message, a first response message to the second session management network element, where the first response message carries at least one of the following information: And the identifier information of the terminal device to which the first session belongs, the identifier information of the first session, the tunnel information, and the identifier information of the user plane function network element controlled by the first session management network element.

It should be understood that the apparatus 600 herein is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" as used herein may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (eg, a shared processor, a proprietary processor, or a group) for executing one or more software or firmware programs. Processors, etc.) and memory, merge logic, and/or other suitable components that support the described functionality. In an optional example, those skilled in the art may understand that the device 600 may be specifically the first session management network element in the foregoing method embodiment, and the device 600 may be configured to execute the first session management network element in the foregoing method embodiment. Corresponding processes and/or steps are not repeated here to avoid repetition.

FIG. 7 shows a communication device 700 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The device 700 may be the foregoing second session management network element, and the device 700 includes:

The receiving unit 710 is configured to receive a second request message from the mobility management network element or the first session management network element, where the second request message is used to request the communication device to create a session context for the first session of the terminal device;

The sending unit 720 is configured to send, to the first session management network element, a third request message, where the third request message is used to request to establish the first session or update the first session;

The obtaining unit 730 is configured to acquire control information, where the control information is used to indicate a signaling processing manner of the first session at the communication device.

Optionally, the control information is local configuration information of the communication device; or the control information is information determined by the second session management network element according to information from the user plane function network element when using the local policy; or The control information is from the first session management network element; or the control information is from a policy control function network element.

Optionally, the signaling processing manner includes at least one of the following: a first signaling processing manner, where the first signaling processing manner is that the communication device processes handover signaling of the first session; a signaling processing manner, where the second signaling processing manner is that the communication device processes the radio resource release signaling of the first session; and the third signaling processing manner, where the third signaling processing manner is The communication device processes the signaling of the terminal device from the idle state to the connected state or the signaling from the radio resource control inactive RRC Inactive state to the non-RRC Inactive connection state.

Optionally, the third request message carries at least one of the following information: identifier information of the terminal device, identifier information of the first session, identifier information of the communication device, and control by the communication device. The user plane functions the identification information of the network element.

Optionally, the receiving unit 710 is further configured to: after sending the third request message to the first session management network element, receive a first response message from the first session management network element, where the first The response message carries at least one of the following information: the identification information of the terminal device, the identifier information of the first session, the tunnel information, and the identifier information of the user plane function network element controlled by the first session management network element. .

It should be understood that the apparatus 700 herein is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" as used herein may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (eg, a shared processor, a proprietary processor, or a group) for executing one or more software or firmware programs. Processors, etc.) and memory, merge logic, and/or other suitable components that support the described functionality. In an optional example, the device 700 can be specifically configured as the second session management network element in the foregoing method embodiment, and the device 700 can be used to execute the foregoing method and the second session management network element. Corresponding processes and/or steps are not repeated here to avoid repetition.

FIG. 8 shows a communication device 800 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The device 800 may be the foregoing mobility management network element, and the device 800 includes:

The receiving unit 810 is configured to receive a first request message from the first session management network element, where the first request message is used to request a new session management network element;

The receiving unit 810 is further configured to:

Receiving a session establishment request message from the terminal device, where the session establishment request message is used to request to establish a connection with the first session management network element;

The sending unit 820 is configured to send, according to the session establishment request message, a second request message to the second session management network element, where the second request message is used to request the second session management network element to be a terminal device The first session creates a session context.

It should be understood that the apparatus 800 herein is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" as used herein may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (eg, a shared processor, a proprietary processor, or a group) for executing one or more software or firmware programs. Processors, etc.) and memory, merge logic, and/or other suitable components that support the described functionality. In an optional example, those skilled in the art may understand that the device 800 may be specifically the mobility management network element in the foregoing method embodiment, and the device 800 may be configured to perform the mobility management network element corresponding to the foregoing method embodiment. The various processes and/or steps are not repeated here to avoid repetition.

The apparatus 600, the apparatus 700, and the apparatus 800 of the foregoing various solutions have the functions of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the first session management network element, the second session management network element, and the mobility management network element in the foregoing method; the functions may be implemented by hardware. The corresponding software implementation can also be performed by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions; for example, the transmitting unit may be replaced by a transmitter, the receiving unit may be replaced by a receiver, and other units such as a determining unit may be replaced by a processor and executed separately Transceiver operations and associated processing operations in various method embodiments.

In the embodiment of the present application, the device in FIG. 6 to FIG. 8 may also be a chip or a chip system, for example, a system on chip (SoC). Correspondingly, the receiving unit and the sending unit may be transceiver circuits of the chip, which are not limited herein.

FIG. 9 shows still another communication device 900 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The apparatus 900 includes a processor 910, a transceiver 920, and a memory 930. The processor 910, the transceiver 920, and the memory 930 communicate with each other through an internal connection path. The memory 930 is configured to store instructions, and the processor 910 is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 930 to control the transceiver 920 to send signals and / or receive signals.

If the communication device 900 is the first session management network element, the processor 910 is configured to send, by using the transceiver 920, a first request message to the mobility management network element, where the first request message is used to request new session management. a network element; receiving, by the transceiver 920, a third request message from a second session management network element, the third request message being used to request to establish a first session or update the first session; The second session management network element sends control information, where the control information is used to indicate a signaling processing manner of the first session at the second session management network element.

If the communication device 900 is a second session management network element, the processor 910 is configured to receive, by the transceiver 920, a second request message from the mobility management network element or the first session management network element, where the second request message is used by the second request message. Creating a session context for requesting the second session management network element as a first session of the terminal device; sending, by the transceiver 920, a third request message to the first session management network element, where the third request message is used for requesting Establishing the first session or updating the first session; acquiring control information, where the control information is used to indicate a signaling processing manner of the first session at the second session management network element.

Alternatively, the memory 930 can include read only memory and random access memory and provide instructions and data to the processor. A portion of the memory may also include a non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory can also store information of the device type. The processor 910 can be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory, and when the processor 910 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 910 is configured to execute the foregoing first session management network element and the second session management network element. Or the various steps and/or processes of the method embodiment corresponding to the mobility management network element.

It should be understood that the transceiver described above can include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more. The memory can be a separate device or integrated into the processor. The above various devices or parts of the device can be integrated into the chip for implementation, such as integration into a baseband chip.

In the embodiment of the present application, the transceiver in FIG. 9 may also be a communication interface, which is not limited herein.

In the various embodiments of the present application, various examples are set forth for the purposes of understanding. However, these examples are merely examples and are not meant to be the best implementation of the present application.

In the various embodiments of the present application, the names of request messages, response messages, and other various messages are employed for convenience of description. However, these messages are merely illustrative of the content to be carried or the functions to be carried. The specific name of the message is not limited to the present application, for example, it may be a first message, a second message, a third message, or the like. These messages can be specific messages and can be some of the fields in the message. These messages can also represent various service operations.

It should also be understood that, in the embodiment of the present application, the processor of the foregoing device may be a central processing unit (CPU), and the processor may also be another general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP). ), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, and the like. The general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor or any conventional processor or the like.

In the implementation process, each step of the above method may be completed by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in a processor or an instruction in a form of software. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application may be directly implemented as a hardware processor, or may be performed by a combination of hardware and software units in the processor. The software unit can be located in a conventional storage medium such as random access memory, flash memory, read only memory, programmable read only memory or electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, and the like. The storage medium is located in a memory, and the processor executes instructions in the memory, in combination with hardware to perform the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

In the above embodiments, it may be implemented in whole or in part 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 the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in accordance with embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be from a website site, computer, server or data center Transmission to another website site, computer, server, or data center by wire (eg, coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless (eg, infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The readable storage medium can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, or the like that includes one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, Magnetic tape), optical medium (for example, DVD), or semiconductor medium (such as solid state disk (SSD)).

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the elements and algorithm steps of the various examples described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the solution. A person skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each particular application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of the present application.

A person skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working process of the system, the device and the unit described above can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiment, and details are not described herein again.

In the several embodiments provided by the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods may be implemented in other manners. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the unit is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be another division manner, for example, multiple units or components may be combined or Can be integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and may be in an electrical, mechanical or other form.

The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, may be located in one place, or may be distributed to multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the embodiment.

In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

The functions may be stored in a computer readable storage medium if implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as a standalone product. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application, which is essential or contributes to the prior art, or a part of the technical solution, may be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium, including The instructions are used to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in various embodiments of the present application. The foregoing storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, and the like, which can store program code. .

The foregoing is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application. It should be covered by the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

A communication method, comprising:

The first session management network element sends a first request message to the mobility management network element, where the first request message is used to request a new session management network element;

The first session management network element receives a third request message from the second session management network element, where the third request message is used to request to establish a first session or update the first session;

The first session management network element sends control information to the second session management network element, where the control information is used to indicate a signaling processing manner of the first session at the second session management network element.
The method according to claim 1, wherein before the first session management network element sends the first request message to the mobility management network element, the method further includes:

Determining, by the first session management network element, whether the signaling at the first session management network element is overloaded;

The first session management network element sends a first request message to the mobility management network element, including:

And in a case that the signaling at the first session management network element is overloaded, the first session management network element sends the first request message to the mobility management network element.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the signaling processing manner comprises at least one of the following:

a first signaling processing manner, where the first signaling processing manner is that the second session management network element processes the handover signaling of the first session;

a second signaling processing manner, where the second signaling processing manner is that the second session management network element processes the radio resource release signaling of the first session;

The third signaling processing mode is that the second session management mode is used by the second session management network element to process the signaling of the terminal device to which the first session belongs from the idle state to the connected state or from the radio resource control. The inactive RRC Inactive state is transferred to the signaling of the non-RRC Inactive connection state.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein before the first session management network element sends control information to the second session management network element, the method further includes:

The first session management network element receives the control information from a policy control function network element.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:

The first session management network element sends a first response message to the second session management network element according to the third request message, where the first response message carries at least one of the following information:

The identifier information of the terminal device to which the first session belongs, the identifier information of the first session, the tunnel information, and the identifier information of the user plane function network element controlled by the first session management network element.
A communication method, comprising:

The second session management network element receives a second request message from the mobility management network element or the first session management network element, where the second request message is used to request the second session management network element to be the first session of the terminal device. Create a session context;

The second session management network element sends a third request message to the first session management network element, where the third request message is used to request to establish the first session or update the first session;

The second session management network element acquires control information, where the control information is used to indicate a signaling processing manner of the first session at the second session management network element.
The method according to claim 6, wherein the control information is local configuration information of the second session management network element; or

The control information is information determined by the second session management network element according to information from the user plane function network element when the local policy is used; or

The control information is from the first session management network element; or

The control information is from a policy control function network element.
The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the signaling processing manner comprises at least one of the following:

a first signaling processing manner, where the first signaling processing manner is that the second session management network element processes the handover signaling of the first session;

a second signaling processing manner, where the second signaling processing mode is that the second session management network element processes the radio resource release signaling of the first session;

a third signaling processing manner, wherein the third signaling processing mode is that the second session management network element processes the signaling of the terminal device from an idle state to a connected state or controls an inactive RRC Inactive state from a radio resource. Go to the signaling of the non-RRCInactive connection state.
The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein after the second session management network element sends a third request message to the first session management network element, the method further includes:

The second session management network element receives a first response message from the first session management network element, where the first response message carries at least one of the following information:

The identification information of the terminal device, the identifier information of the first session, the tunnel information, and the identifier information of the user plane function network element controlled by the first session management network element.
A communication method, comprising:

The mobility management network element receives a first request message from the first session management network element, where the first request message is used to request a new session management network element;

The mobility management network element receives a session establishment request message from the terminal device, where the session establishment request message is used to request to establish a connection with the first session management network element;

The mobility management network element sends a second request message to the second session management network element according to the session establishment request message, where the second request message is used to request the second session management network element to be a terminal device. The first session creates a session context.
A communication device, comprising:

a sending unit, configured to send a first request message to the mobility management network element, where the first request message is used to request a new session management network element;

a receiving unit, configured to receive a third request message from the second session management network element, where the third request message is used to request to establish a first session or update the first session;

The sending unit is further configured to:

Sending control information to the second session management network element, where the control information is used to indicate a signaling processing manner of the first session at the second session management network element.
The communication device of claim 11, wherein the communication device further comprises:

a processing unit, configured to determine whether the signaling at the communication device is overloaded before sending the first request message to the mobility management network element;

The sending unit is specifically configured to:

In the event that the signaling at the communication device is overloaded, the first request message is sent to the mobility management network element.
The communication device according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the signaling processing method comprises at least one of the following:

a first signaling processing manner, where the first signaling processing manner is that the second session management network element processes the handover signaling of the first session;

a second signaling processing manner, where the second signaling processing manner is that the second session management network element processes the radio resource release signaling of the first session;

The third signaling processing mode is that the second session management mode is used by the second session management network element to process the signaling of the terminal device to which the first session belongs from the idle state to the connected state or from the radio resource control. The inactive RRC Inactive state is transferred to the signaling of the non-RRC Inactive connection state.
The communication device according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the receiving unit is further configured to:

Receiving the control information from the policy control function network element before transmitting the control information to the second session management network element.
The communication device according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the transmitting unit is further configured to:

And sending, according to the third request message, a first response message to the second session management network element, where the first response message carries at least one of the following information:

The identifier information of the terminal device to which the first session belongs, the identifier information of the first session, the tunnel information, and the identifier information of the user plane function network element controlled by the first session management network element.
A communication device, comprising:

a receiving unit, configured to receive a second request message from the mobility management network element or the first session management network element, where the second request message is used to request the communication device to create a session context for the first session of the terminal device;

a sending unit, configured to send a third request message to the first session management network element, where the third request message is used to request to establish the first session or update the first session;

And an acquiring unit, configured to acquire control information, where the control information is used to indicate a signaling processing manner of the first session at the communication device.
The communication device according to claim 16, wherein said control information is local configuration information of said communication device; or

The control information is information determined by the second session management network element according to information from the user plane function network element when the local policy is used; or

The control information is from the first session management network element; or

The control information is from a policy control function network element.
The communication device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the signaling processing method comprises at least one of the following:

a first signaling processing manner, where the first signaling processing manner is that the communication device processes the handover signaling of the first session;

a second signaling processing manner, where the second signaling processing manner is that the communication device processes the radio resource release signaling of the first session;

a third signaling processing manner, wherein the third signaling processing mode is that the communication device processes the signaling of the terminal device from an idle state to a connected state or changes from a radio resource control inactive RRC Inactive state to a non-RRC state. Inactive connection state signaling.
The communication device according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the receiving unit is further configured to:

After transmitting the third request message to the first session management network element, receiving a first response message from the first session management network element, where the first response message carries at least one of the following information:

The identification information of the terminal device, the identifier information of the first session, the tunnel information, and the identifier information of the user plane function network element controlled by the first session management network element.
A communication device, comprising:

a receiving unit, configured to receive a first request message from the first session management network element, where the first request message is used to request a new session management network element;

The receiving unit is further configured to:

Receiving a session establishment request message from the terminal device, where the session establishment request message is used to request to establish a connection with the first session management network element;

a sending unit, configured to send, according to the session establishment request message, a second request message to the second session management network element, where the second request message is used to request the second session management network element to be a terminal device A session creates a session context.