Communication method and device and readable storage medium

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of communication, in particular to a communication method and device and a readable storage medium, and the method comprises the steps that under the condition that UE does not need to establish an IPsec tunnel, connection with a UPF is established for multi-path transmission, and a network can instruct the UE and / or the UPF to use double IP layers for data transmission in a non-3GPP path; or, the network can update the rule, the rule carries the IP address allocated to the UE by the access node of the non-3GPP path, and the rule is issued to the UE and / or the UPF. Therefore, after the UE directly establishes the connection with the UPF, the multi-path transmission of the service data can be normally carried out through the multi-path session under the guidance of the rule.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, device, and readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Access traffic steering, switching, splitting (ATSSS) is an optional feature supported by user equipment (UE) and the core network. ATSSS supports the establishment of multi-access sessions (MA sessions) (for example, MA PDUSessions). This allows traffic to be transmitted simultaneously over both a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access network (also known as a 3GPP access path) and a non-3GPP access network (also known as a non-3GPP access path) to improve transmission efficiency.

[0003] Currently, the main difference between a multi-access session and a single access PDU Session is that the user plane channel of a single access session only passes through one access network device. For example, the UE can send uplink data to the user plane function (UPF) entity through the radio access network (RAN) device; alternatively, the UPF can send downlink data to the UE through the RAN. However, the user plane channel of a multi-access session can include two access network devices (such as a 3GPP access network device and a non-3GPP access network device). The two access network devices can be connected to the same UPF (or connected to the same UPF through another UPF). For example, the UE can send uplink data to the UPF through the RAN and / or the non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF); alternatively, the UPF can send downlink data to the UE through the RAN and / or the N3IWF.

[0004] However, since the non-3GPP access network device (such as N3IWF or TNGF) has not been commercially used, in order to enable the commercial use of the ATSSS feature, it is necessary to consider proposing a new multi-access session type that can not require the UE to establish a non-3GPP path with the UPF through the non-3GPP access network device (such as N3IWF or TNGF), for example, removing the non-3GPP access network device (such as N3IWF or TNGF) and establishing a non-3GPP path in the architecture directly connected by the UE and the UPF.

[0005] At present, the implementation scheme of the new multi-access session type is still under exploration. SUMMARY

[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, device and readable storage medium, which can enable the UE to establish a connection with the UPF for multi-path transmission without establishing an IPsec tunnel.

[0007] The present application will be described from different aspects below. It should be understood that the implementation and advantages of the different aspects below can be mutually referred to.

[0008] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method applied to a terminal device, the method comprising:

[0009] sending a first request message to a first network device; the first request message is used to request to establish a multi-path session, the multi-path session includes a non-3GPP path, and the terminal device does not support non-access layer (NAS) transmission under the non-3GPP path;

[0010] receiving first information from the first network device; the first information indicates that the terminal device uses a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path.

[0011] In the embodiments of the present application, the UE establishes a connection with the UPF for multi-path transmission without establishing an IPsec tunnel, the network can instruct the UE to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path, so that after the UE establishes a connection directly connected with the UPF, the UE can normally perform multi-path transmission of service data through the multi-path session under the guidance of the rules.

[0012] In a possible implementation, in combination with the first aspect, the method further comprises:

[0013] receiving third information from the first network device; the third information indicates that the terminal device sends or updates an IP address allocated by an access node of the non-3GPP path for the terminal device after establishing a connection with the second network device through the non-3GPP path;

[0014] Send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the first network device.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present application, the network can instruct the UE to report the IP address allocated to the UE by the access node of the non-3GPP path, so that the network can subsequently instruct the UPF to transmit data packets based on the IP address.

[0016] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, applied to a first network device, the method comprising:

[0017] receiving a first request message from a terminal device, where the first request message is used to request establishment of a multipath session, where the multipath session includes a non-3GPP path, and where the terminal device does not support NAS transmission over the non-3GPP path;

[0018] Sending second information to the second network device; the second information instructs the second network device to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path.

[0019] In an embodiment of the present application, the UE establishes a connection with the UPF for multi-path transmission without establishing an IPsec tunnel. The network can instruct the UPF to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under a non-3GPP path, so that after the UE establishes a direct connection with the UPF, it can normally perform multi-path transmission of service data through the multi-path session under the guidance of rules.

[0020] In a possible implementation, in combination with the second aspect, the method further includes:

[0021] Sending first information to the terminal device; the first information instructs the terminal device to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path.

[0022] In an embodiment of the present application, the UE establishes a connection with the UPF for multi-path transmission without establishing an IPsec tunnel. The network can instruct the UE to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under a non-3GPP path, so that after the UE establishes a direct connection with the UPF, it can normally perform multi-path transmission of service data through the multi-path session under the guidance of rules.

[0023] In a possible implementation, in combination with the second aspect, the method further includes:

[0024] Sending a second request message to a third network device; wherein the second request message is used to request establishment of a policy association for the multipath session;

[0025] receiving a policy association establishment response message sent by the third network device; the policy association establishment response message including control information of the multipath session;

[0026] The first information and / or the second information is determined based on the control information.

[0027] In a possible implementation, in combination with the second aspect, the method further includes:

[0028] Sending third information to the terminal device; after the third information instructs the terminal device to establish a connection with the second network device through the non-3GPP path, sending or updating the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path; and / or,

[0029] Send fourth information to the second network device; the fourth information indicates that after the second network device establishes a connection with the terminal device through the non-3GPP path, the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path is sent or updated.

[0030] In an embodiment of the present application, the network can instruct the UE and / or UPF to report the IP address allocated to the UE by the access node of the non-3GPP path, so that the network can subsequently instruct the UPF to transmit data packets based on the IP address.

[0031] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method, applied to a second network device, the method comprising:

[0032] Receive second information sent by the first network device; the second information instructs the second network device to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under a non-3GPP path.

[0033] In an embodiment of the present application, the UE establishes a connection with the UPF for multi-path transmission without establishing an IPsec tunnel. The network can instruct the UPF to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under a non-3GPP path, so that after the UE establishes a direct connection with the UPF, it can normally perform multi-path transmission of service data through the multi-path session under the guidance of rules.

[0034] In one possible implementation, in combination with the third aspect, the method further includes:

[0035] receiving fourth information from the first network device; wherein the fourth information instructs the second network device to send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the terminal device through the non-3GPP path;

[0036] Send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the first network device.

[0037] In an embodiment of the present application, the network can instruct the UPF to report the IP address allocated to the UE by the access node of the non-3GPP path, so that the network can subsequently instruct the UPF to transmit data packets based on the IP address.

[0038] In a possible implementation, in combination with the second aspect or the third aspect, instructing the second network device to use a double IP layer for data transmission under a non-3GPP path includes:

[0039] Instructing the second network device in the packet detection rule to use any one of the packet header combinations of IP+UDP+IP, IP+IP+UDP, or UDP+IP+IP to remove the packet header under the non-3GPP path; and / or,

[0040] Instruct the second network device in the forwarding action rule to create a message header using any one message header combination of IP+UDP+IP, IP+IP+UDP or UDP+IP+IP under the non-3GPP path.

[0041] In a possible implementation manner, in combination with the second aspect or the third aspect, the IP address in the double-layer IP layer includes an IP address allocated by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the terminal device.

[0042] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, applied to a terminal device, the method comprising:

[0043] Sending a first request message to a first network device; the first request message is used to request establishment of a multipath session, the multipath session including a non-3GPP path, and the terminal device does not support non-access stratum (NAS) transmission under the non-3GPP path;

[0044] A first rule is received from the first network device, where the source IP address in the first rule includes a first IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path.

[0045] In an embodiment of the present application, when the UE does not need to establish an IPsec tunnel, it establishes a connection with the UPF for multi-path transmission. The network can update the rules, carry the IP address assigned to the UE by the access node of the non-3GPP path in the rules, and send the rules to the UE, so that the UE can perform data packet transmission according to the updated rules, ensuring that after the UE establishes a direct connection with the UPF, it can normally perform multi-path transmission of business data through the multi-path session under the guidance of the rules.

[0046] In one possible implementation, in combination with the fourth aspect, the method further includes:

[0047] receiving third information from the first network device; wherein the third information instructs the terminal device to send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the second network device through the non-3GPP path;

[0048] Send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the first network device.

[0049] In an embodiment of the present application, the network may instruct the UE to report the IP address allocated to the UE by the access node of the non-3GPP path, so that the network may subsequently perform rule updates based on the IP address.

[0050] In one possible implementation, in combination with the fourth aspect, the method further includes:

[0051] A second rule is received from the first network device, where the source IP address in the second rule includes a second IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path, and the first IP address is different from the second IP address.

[0052] In an embodiment of the present application, when the IP address allocated to the UE by the access node of the non-3GPP path changes, the network can update the rules based on the updated IP address and send the updated rules to the UE.

[0053] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, applied to a first network device, the method comprising:

[0054] receiving a first request message from a terminal device, where the first request message is used to request establishment of a multipath session, where the multipath session includes a non-3GPP path, and where the terminal device does not support NAS transmission over the non-3GPP path;

[0055] A third rule is sent to the second network device, where the terminal device IP address in the third rule includes the first IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path.

[0056] In an embodiment of the present application, when the UE does not need to establish an IPsec tunnel, it establishes a connection with the UPF for multi-path transmission. The network can update the rules, carry the IP address assigned to the UE by the access node of the non-3GPP path in the rules, and send the rules to the UPF, so that the UPF can perform data packet detection according to the updated rules, ensuring that after the UE establishes a direct connection with the UPF, it can normally perform multi-path transmission of business data through the multi-path session under the guidance of the rules.

[0057] In one possible implementation, in combination with the fifth aspect, the method further includes:

[0058] A first rule is sent to the terminal device, where the source IP address in the first rule includes a first IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path.

[0059] In an embodiment of the present application, when the UE does not need to establish an IPsec tunnel, it establishes a connection with the UPF for multi-path transmission. The network can update the rules, carry the IP address assigned to the UE by the access node of the non-3GPP path in the rules, and send the rules to the UE, so that the UE can perform data packet transmission according to the updated rules, ensuring that after the UE establishes a direct connection with the UPF, it can normally perform multi-path transmission of business data through the multi-path session under the guidance of the rules.

[0060] In one possible implementation, in combination with the fifth aspect, the method further includes:

[0061] Sending third information to the terminal device; after the third information instructs the terminal device to establish a connection with the second network device through the non-3GPP path, sending or updating the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path; and / or,

[0062] Send fourth information to the second network device; the fourth information indicates that after the second network device establishes a connection with the terminal device through the non-3GPP path, the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path is sent or updated.

[0063] In an embodiment of the present application, the network may instruct the UE / UPF to report the IP address allocated to the UE by the access node of the non-3GPP path, so that the network may subsequently perform rule updates based on the IP address.

[0064] In one possible implementation, in combination with the fifth aspect, the method further includes:

[0065] receiving the first IP address sent by the terminal device; and / or,

[0066] Receive the first IP address sent by the second network device.

[0067] In one possible implementation, in combination with the fifth aspect, the method further includes:

[0068] Sending a second rule to the terminal device, where the source IP address in the second rule includes a second IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path, and the first IP address is different from the second IP address; and / or,

[0069] A fourth rule is sent to the second network device, where the terminal device IP address in the fourth rule includes a second IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path, and the first IP address is different from the second IP address.

[0070] In an embodiment of the present application, when the IP address allocated to the UE by the access node of the non-3GPP path changes, the network can update the rules based on the updated IP address and send the updated rules to the UE and / or UPF.

[0071] In one possible implementation, in combination with the fifth aspect, the method further includes:

[0072] Sending a second request message to a third network device; wherein the second request message is used to request establishment of a policy association for the multipath session;

[0073] receiving a policy association establishment response message sent by the third network device; the policy association establishment response message including control information of the multipath session;

[0074] The third rule and / or the first rule is determined based on the control information and the first IP address.

[0075] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, applied to a second network device, the method comprising:

[0076] Receive a third rule sent by the first network device; the terminal device IP address in the third rule includes the first IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path.

[0077] In a possible implementation, in combination with the sixth aspect, the method further includes:

[0078] receiving fourth information from the first network device; wherein the fourth information instructs the second network device to send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the terminal device through the non-3GPP path;

[0079] Send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the first network device.

[0080] In a possible implementation, in combination with the sixth aspect, the method further includes:

[0081] A fourth rule is received from the first network device, where the terminal device IP address in the fourth rule includes a second IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path, and the first IP address is different from the second IP address.

[0082] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising:

[0083] A sending unit, configured to send a first request message to a first network device; the first request message is used to request establishment of a multipath session, the multipath session including a non-3GPP path, and the terminal device does not support non-access stratum (NAS) transmission under the non-3GPP path;

[0084] A receiving unit is used to receive first information from the first network device; the first information indicates that the terminal device uses a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path.

[0085] In a possible implementation, in combination with the seventh aspect, the receiving unit is further configured to:

[0086] receiving third information from the first network device; wherein the third information instructs the terminal device to send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the second network device through the non-3GPP path;

[0087] The sending unit is further configured to:

[0088] Send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the first network device.

[0089] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising:

[0090] A receiving unit, configured to receive a first request message from a terminal device, where the first request message is used to request establishment of a multipath session, where the multipath session includes a non-3GPP path, and where the terminal device does not support NAS transmission under the non-3GPP path;

[0091] A sending unit is configured to send second information to a second network device; the second information instructs the second network device to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path.

[0092] In a possible implementation, in combination with the eighth aspect, the sending unit is further configured to:

[0093] Sending first information to the terminal device; the first information instructs the terminal device to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path.

[0094] In a possible implementation, in combination with the eighth aspect, the sending unit is further configured to:

[0095] Sending a second request message to a third network device; wherein the second request message is used to request establishment of a policy association for the multipath session;

[0096] The receiving unit is further configured to:

[0097] receiving a policy association establishment response message sent by the third network device; the policy association establishment response message including control information of the multipath session;

[0098] The first information and / or the second information is determined based on the control information.

[0099] In a possible implementation, in combination with the eighth aspect, the sending unit is further configured to:

[0100] Sending third information to the terminal device; after the third information instructs the terminal device to establish a connection with the second network device through the non-3GPP path, sending or updating the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path; and / or,

[0101] Send fourth information to the second network device; the fourth information indicates that after the second network device establishes a connection with the terminal device through the non-3GPP path, the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path is sent or updated.

[0102] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising:

[0103] A receiving unit is configured to receive second information sent by a first network device; the second information instructs the second network device to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under a non-3GPP path.

[0104] In a possible implementation, in combination with the ninth aspect, the receiving unit is further configured to:

[0105] receiving fourth information from the first network device; wherein the fourth information instructs the second network device to send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the terminal device through the non-3GPP path;

[0106] The apparatus further includes a sending unit configured to send or update the IP address allocated by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the terminal device to the first network device.

[0107] In a possible implementation, in combination with the eighth aspect or the ninth aspect, instructing the second network device to use a double IP layer for data transmission under a non-3GPP path includes:

[0108] Instructing the second network device in the packet detection rule to use any one of the packet header combinations of IP+UDP+IP, IP+IP+UDP, or UDP+IP+IP to remove the packet header under the non-3GPP path; and / or,

[0109] Instruct the second network device in the forwarding action rule to create a message header using any one message header combination of IP+UDP+IP, IP+IP+UDP or UDP+IP+IP under the non-3GPP path.

[0110] In a possible implementation manner, in combination with the eighth aspect or the ninth aspect, the IP address in the double-layer IP layer includes an IP address allocated by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the terminal device.

[0111] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising:

[0112] A sending unit, configured to send a first request message to a first network device; the first request message is used to request establishment of a multipath session, the multipath session including a non-3GPP path, and the terminal device does not support non-access stratum (NAS) transmission under the non-3GPP path;

[0113] A receiving unit is configured to receive a first rule from the first network device, wherein the source IP address in the first rule includes a first IP address allocated by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the terminal device.

[0114] In a possible implementation, in combination with the tenth aspect, the receiving unit is further configured to:

[0115] receiving third information from the first network device; wherein the third information instructs the terminal device to send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the second network device through the non-3GPP path;

[0116] The sending unit is further configured to:

[0117] Send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the first network device.

[0118] In a possible implementation, in combination with the tenth aspect, the receiving unit is further used to: receive a second rule from the first network device, the source IP address in the second rule includes a second IP address allocated by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the terminal device, and the first IP address is different from the second IP address.

[0119] In an eleventh aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising:

[0120] A receiving unit, configured to receive a first request message from a terminal device, where the first request message is used to request establishment of a multipath session, where the multipath session includes a non-3GPP path, and where the terminal device does not support NAS transmission under the non-3GPP path;

[0121] A sending unit is configured to send a third rule to the second network device, wherein the terminal device IP address in the third rule includes the first IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path.

[0122] In a possible implementation, in combination with the eleventh aspect, the sending unit is further configured to:

[0123] A first rule is sent to the terminal device, where the source IP address in the first rule includes a first IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path.

[0124] In a possible implementation, in combination with the eleventh aspect, the sending unit is further configured to:

[0125] Sending third information to the terminal device; after the third information instructs the terminal device to establish a connection with the second network device through the non-3GPP path, sending or updating the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path; and / or,

[0126] Send fourth information to the second network device; the fourth information indicates that after the second network device establishes a connection with the terminal device through the non-3GPP path, the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path is sent or updated.

[0127] In a possible implementation, in combination with the eleventh aspect, the receiving unit is further configured to:

[0128] receiving the first IP address sent by the terminal device; and / or,

[0129] Receive the first IP address sent by the second network device.

[0130] In a possible implementation, in combination with the eleventh aspect, the sending unit is further configured to:

[0131] Sending a second rule to the terminal device, where the source IP address in the second rule includes a second IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path, and the first IP address is different from the second IP address; and / or,

[0132] A fourth rule is sent to the second network device, where the terminal device IP address in the fourth rule includes a second IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path, and the first IP address is different from the second IP address.

[0133] In a possible implementation, in combination with the eleventh aspect, the sending unit is further configured to:

[0134] Sending a second request message to a third network device; wherein the second request message is used to request establishment of a policy association for the multipath session;

[0135] The receiving unit is further configured to:

[0136] receiving a policy association establishment response message sent by the third network device; the policy association establishment response message including control information of the multipath session;

[0137] The third rule and / or the first rule is determined based on the control information and the first IP address.

[0138] In a twelfth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, the device comprising:

[0139] A receiving unit is configured to receive a third rule sent by a first network device; the terminal device IP address in the third rule includes a first IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path.

[0140] In a possible implementation, in combination with the twelfth aspect, the receiving unit is further configured to:

[0141] receiving fourth information from the first network device; wherein the fourth information instructs the second network device to send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the terminal device through the non-3GPP path;

[0142] The sending unit is further configured to:

[0143] Send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the first network device.

[0144] In a possible implementation, in combination with the twelfth aspect, the receiving unit is further configured to:

[0145] A fourth rule is received from the first network device, where the terminal device IP address in the fourth rule includes a second IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path, and the first IP address is different from the second IP address.

[0146] In a thirteenth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may include a processor, a transceiver, and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, the transceiver is used to send and receive various messages, and the computer program includes program instructions. When the processor executes the program instructions, the communication device executes the method described in any possible implementation of the first to sixth aspects above. The transceiver may be a radio frequency module in the communication device, or a combination of a radio frequency module and an antenna, or an input / output interface of a chip or circuit.

[0147] In the fourteenth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium having program instructions stored thereon, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in any possible implementation of the first to sixth aspects above.

[0148] In a fifteenth aspect, the present application provides a program product comprising program instructions, which, when executed, enables the method described in any possible implementation of the first to sixth aspects above to be executed.

[0149] In the sixteenth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which can be implemented in the form of a chip, or in the form of a device or a component in the device, and the device includes a processor. The processor is used to read and execute the program stored in the memory to execute the communication method provided by any possible implementation method in the first to sixth aspects above. Optionally, the communication device also includes a memory, which is connected to the processor through a circuit. Further optionally, the communication device also includes a communication interface, and the processor is connected to the communication interface. The communication interface is used to receive data packets and / or information to be processed, and the processor obtains the data packets and / or information from the communication interface, processes the data packets and / or information, and outputs the processing results through the communication interface. The communication interface can be an input and output interface.

[0150] In a seventeenth aspect, the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting a device to implement the functions involved in any possible implementation of the first to sixth aspects above, for example, generating or processing the information involved in the above communication method. In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory, which is used to store program instructions and data necessary for the device. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0151] Optionally, the processor and memory may be physically independent units, or the memory may be integrated with the processor.

[0152] In aspect 18, the present application provides a communication system, characterized in that the communication system includes a terminal device, a first network device and a second network device, the terminal device is used to execute the method described in any possible implementation of the first aspect and the fourth aspect above, the first network device is used to execute the method described in any possible implementation of the second aspect and the fifth aspect above, and the second network device is used to execute the method described in any possible implementation of the third aspect and the sixth aspect above.

[0153] The technical effects achieved in the above-mentioned aspects can be referred to each other or to the beneficial effects in the method embodiments shown below, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0154] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the background technology, the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present application or the background technology will be described below.

[0155] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0156] Figure 2This is a diagram of a network architecture that supports the ATSSS feature;

[0157] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a network architecture based on untrusted non-3GPP access;

[0158] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a network architecture based on trusted non-3GPP access;

[0159] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of a user plane protocol stack based on MPQUIC function;

[0160] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the user plane protocol stack on the untrusted non-3GPP side;

[0161] Figure 7 This is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0162] Figure 8 This is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0163] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0164] Figure 10 is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0165] Figure 11 This is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0166] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0167] In the description of this application, words such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish different objects and do not limit the quantity and execution order, and words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit them to be different. For example, the first request message and the second request message, the first information and the second information, etc. are only used to distinguish different information and do not limit their order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally also includes steps or units that are not listed, or optionally also includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0168] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means "or", for example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this article is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, "at least one (item)", "the following one (item) or more (items)" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items (items). For example, at least one item (item) of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a, b, and c. Among them, a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0169] In the description of this application, words such as "exemplary," "exemplarily," or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described in this application as "exemplary," "for example," or "for example" should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary," "for example," or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0170] It can be understood that in the description of this application, "when", "if" and "if" all mean that the device will perform corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances, and do not limit the time. It does not require that the device must perform a judgment action when it is implemented, nor does it mean that there are other limitations.

[0171] The term "simultaneously" in this application may be understood as at the same time point, within a period of time, or within the same cycle, and may be understood in conjunction with the context.

[0172] Elements used in the singular herein are intended to mean "one or more" rather than "one and only one" unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0173] It is understood that in each embodiment of the present application, "A and B correspond" means that B is associated with A, and B can be determined based on A. However, it should also be understood that determining B based on A does not mean determining B based solely on A, and B can also be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0174] It can be understood that, in the embodiments of the present application, "for indicating" and "indicating" can include direct indication and indirect indication, and can also include explicit indication and implicit indication. When "certain indication information is used for indicating A" or "indication information of A" is described, the indication information can directly indicate A or indirectly indicate A, and it does not mean that A must be carried in the indication information. The information indicated by certain information is referred to as to-be-indicated information, and there are many ways to indicate the to-be-indicated information in the specific implementation process, for example but not limited to, the to-be-indicated information can be directly indicated, such as the to-be-indicated information itself or an index of the to-be-indicated information. The to-be-indicated information can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where the other information and the to-be-indicated information have an association relationship. The to-be-indicated information can also be only indicated in part, and the other part of the to-be-indicated information is known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of specific information can also be achieved by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, a protocol). Thus, the indication overhead is reduced to a certain extent. At the same time, the common part of each information can be identified and uniformly indicated, so as to reduce the indication overhead caused by separately indicating the same information. In addition, the specific indication manner can also be various existing indication manners, for example but not limited to, the above indication manners and various combinations thereof. The specific details of various indication manners can refer to the prior art, and will not be described herein. As described above, for example, when multiple information of the same type needs to be indicated, the indication manner of different information can not be the same. In the specific implementation process, the required indication manner can be selected according to the specific needs, and the selected indication manner is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In this way, the indication manner involved in the embodiments of the present application should be understood as covering various methods that can enable the to-be-indicated party to know the to-be-indicated information. The to-be-indicated information can be sent as a whole, or can be divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately, and the sending period and / or sending time of the sub-information can be the same or different. The specific sending method is not limited in the present application.

[0175] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) or third generation (3G) system, long term evolution (LTE) system or fourth generation (4G) system, world wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, fifth generation (5G) system, such as new generation wireless access technology (NR), network integrating multiple systems, Internet of Things system, Internet of Vehicles system, and future communication systems, such as sixth generation (6G) system or even seventh generation (7G) system. The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), cloud radio access network (CRAN), or communication network including two or more of the above networks. The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to sidelink communication system, or can be applied to other communication systems operating in unlicensed spectrum (unlicensed band), such as wireless local area network (WLAN) system. It is understandable that the "communication system operating in an unlicensed spectrum" mentioned in this application means that the communication system operates in an unlicensed spectrum in some cases, and of course the communication system may also operate in an authorized spectrum in other cases.

[0176] It should be understood that the network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of communication network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0177] In order to better understand the communication method, device and readable storage medium disclosed in the embodiments of the present application, the following first describes the scenario architecture to which the embodiments of the present application can be applied. Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1As shown, the architecture may include user equipment (UE), 3GPP side access network equipment, non-3GPP side access node (AP), core network equipment and data network (DN).

[0178] A DN can be the internet, an IP Multimedia Service (IMS) network, or a regional network, i.e., a local network, such as a multi-access edge computing (MEC) network. A DN is the destination for a UE's packet data network (PDN) session or protocol data unit (PDU) session. A DN can include or deploy an application server, which can communicate with the UE and provide services to the UE.

[0179] The core network equipment can be the core network equipment of a 4G system (such as an LTE system), the core network equipment of a 5G system (such as an NR system), or the core network equipment in future communication systems, such as a 6G system, a 7G system, etc. Taking the 5G system as an example, the core network equipment may include network elements such as user plane function (UPF), access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF) and other network elements. It may also include other network elements used for slicing, authentication, billing or policy management, such as policy control function (PCF), application function (AF), unified data management (UDM), authentication server function (AUSF) and network slice selection (NSSF). Among them,

[0180] The UPF network element is primarily responsible for user message processing, such as forwarding and billing. It can receive user messages from the DN and transmit them to the UE via 3GPP and / or non-3GPP paths. It can also receive user messages from the UE via 3GPP and / or non-3GPP paths and forward them to the DN. The transmission resources and scheduling functions provided by the UPF network element to the UE are managed and controlled by the SMF network element.

[0181] The AMF network element can access the UE's non-access stratum (NAS) signaling (including session management (SM) signaling) through the N1 interface and the RAN signaling through the N2 interface to complete the UE registration process and forwarding of SM signaling and mobility management.

[0182] The SMF network element is primarily responsible for session management in the mobile network, such as session establishment, modification, release, and update, as well as the issuance of related rules. In this embodiment of the present application, the SMF can generate ASS rules based on policy control and charging (PCC) rules and send the ASS rules to the UE through the AMF. In addition, the SMF can send N4 rules to the UPF for controlling UPF functions and for the UPF to report some event information to the SMF.

[0183] It should be noted that the solution in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to other wireless communication networks, such as a 4G system network, and the core network equipment of the above-mentioned 5G system can correspondingly become the core network equipment of the 4G system. Exemplarily, the core network equipment of the 4G system may include network elements such as a mobile management entity (MME), a service gateway (SGW), and a public data network gateway (PDN gateway, PGW), and may also include other network elements for authentication and billing, such as a home subscriber server (HSS), a policy and charging rules function (PCRF), an online charging system (OCS), and an offline charging system (OFCS).

[0184] in,

[0185] The MME is mainly responsible for mobility management, session management, user authentication and key management, encryption and integrity protection of non-access stratum (NAS) layer signaling, tracking area list (TA LIST) management, and PGW / SGW selection.

[0186] The SGW is mainly responsible for packet routing and forwarding functions, Internet protocol (IP) header compression, idle state termination point, downlink data buffering, anchor point for handover between eNodeBs, route optimization, and transmission of data services during handover.

[0187] The PGW is mainly responsible for allocating IP addresses to UEs, while also providing IP routing and forwarding functions; implementing different billing and policies based on users and services; and providing gateway functions for accessing external PDNs.

[0188] It should also be noted that the various network elements in the above 4G system network and 5G system network can also be called functional entities. They can be network elements implemented on dedicated hardware, software instances running on dedicated hardware, or instances of virtualized functions on an appropriate platform. For example, the above virtualization platform can be a cloud platform. In addition, different network elements or devices can communicate with each other through interfaces. Figure 1 The interface name shown is only an example, and is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 This is just a schematic diagram. The communication system may also include other devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices. Figure 1 Not drawn in the figure. For ease of understanding, this application will take the core network device as the core network device of the 5G system network as an example to illustrate the technical solution provided in the embodiment of this application. It should be understood that the core network device in this application can also be the core network device of other system networks (such as 4G, 6G, etc.), and no specific limitation is made here.

[0189] 3GPP-side access network equipment is the access device that terminal devices use to wirelessly access the communication system. 3GPP-side access network equipment can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication system, a next-generation base station in a sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. It can also be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station, such as a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). The CU implements the base station's radio resource control protocol and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), as well as the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP). The DU implements the base station's radio link control layer and medium access control (MAC) layer, as well as some or all of the physical layer. For detailed descriptions of each of these protocol layers, refer to the relevant technical specifications of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). 3GPP-side access network equipment can be macro base stations, micro base stations, indoor stations, relay nodes, donor nodes, and so on.

[0190] The non-3GPP side access node includes a non-trusted non-3GPP access node and a trusted non-3GPP access node. The non-trusted non-3GPP access node can be an access node deployed by a non-operator, for example, an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system deployed at a user's home or a merchant; the trusted non-3GPP access node can be an access node deployed by an operator, for example, a WiFi AP deployed by an operator in a public place. In addition to the above-mentioned WiFi access type access nodes, the non-3GPP side access node can also be a Bluetooth access type access node, or a ZigBee access type access node, or an access node based on other wireless communication technologies, such as StarFlash technology, ultra wideband (UWB) technology, etc., which are not limited here. In the communication system architecture to which the communication method embodiments of the present application can be applied, no non-3GPP access network device (such as a non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF), a trusted non-3GPP gateway function (TNGF), etc.) can be deployed, and the UE can directly connect to the UPF through the non-3GPP side access node to establish a non-3GPP path of a multi-path session, and can perform data transmission of the multi-path session with the UPF through the non-3GPP path.

[0191] The terminal device is a device with wireless transceiving function, which can send signals to a base station or receive signals from the base station. The terminal device can also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal device can be widely applied to various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, automatic driving, remote medical treatment, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiving function, wearable device, vehicle, airplane, ship, robot, mechanical arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form of the terminal.

[0192] In the embodiment of the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal may be a terminal; or it may be a device that can support the terminal to realize the function, such as a chip system, or a communication module, or a modem, etc., which may be installed in the terminal. In the embodiment of the present application, the chip system may be composed of chips, or may include chips and other discrete devices. In the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal is a terminal, and the terminal is a UE as an example to describe the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal device.

[0193] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "wireless communication" may also be referred to as "communication", and the term "communication" may also be described as "data transmission", "information transmission" or "transmission".

[0194] For ease of understanding, several terms or nouns related to the present application are briefly introduced below so that those skilled in the art can better understand the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0195] First, the network architecture that supports the ATSSS feature in the current R16 and R17 versions is described. Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a diagram of a network architecture that supports the ATSSS feature. Figure 2 Both the UE and UPF support ATSSS features. For example, both the UE and UPF have multipath transmission control protocol functionality (MPTCP functionality), multipath fast UDP Internet connection functionality (MPQUIC functionality), ATSSS lower layer functionality (ATSSS-lowerlayer functionality, ATSSS-LL functionality) or performance measurement functionality (PMF), so that after establishing a multi-access session between the UE and UPF, data can be transmitted simultaneously through the 3GPP access network (also known as the 3GPP access path) and the non-3GPP access network (also known as the non-3GPP access path).

[0196] The term "3GPP access network" refers to an access network whose access type is a 3GPP access type. 3GPP access types can include the following access technologies: LTE (corresponding to 4G cellular networks), NR (corresponding to 5G cellular networks), or satellite access methods defined by 3GPP (including low-orbit satellites, medium-orbit satellites, and geostationary satellites).

[0197] A non-3GPP access network refers to an access network with a non-3GPP access type. Non-3GPP access types include untrusted non-3GPP access technologies (for example, accessing the core network through a wireless access node purchased by an individual), trusted non-3GPP access technologies (for example, accessing the core network through a wireless access node deployed by an operator), and wired access technologies. Non-3GPP access types can include WiFi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and other methods.

[0198] Access network equipment is the access equipment that terminal equipment uses to access the communication system wirelessly, and can include 3GPP access network equipment and non-3GPP access network equipment.

[0199] 3GPP access network equipment can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication system, a next-generation base station in a sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, etc., which are not listed here one by one.

[0200] Non-3GPP access network equipment can be a non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF), a trusted non-3GPP gateway function (TNGF), a trusted WLAN interworking function (TWIF), or a wireline access gateway function (W-AGF). W-AGF can also be called AGF. If the access technology is a non-trusted non-3GPP access technology, the corresponding non-3GPP access network equipment can be N3IWF; if the access technology is a trusted non-3GPP access technology, the corresponding non-3GPP access network equipment can be TNGF. In the current network architecture that supports multiple access sessions, on the non-3GPP path, the UE is generally connected to the non-3GPP access network equipment through a non-3GPP access node, and then accesses the core network through the non-3GPP access network equipment. The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to a network architecture that does not require the deployment of non-3GPP access network equipment (such as N3IWF or TNGF). The UE and UPF can directly connect to establish a non-3GPP path for a multi-path session, and can enable the UE and UPF to transmit data for the multi-path session through the non-3GPP path.

[0201] See Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a diagram of a network architecture based on untrusted non-3GPP access. The untrusted non-3GPP access network can be an access node deployed by a non-operator, such as an access point (AP) (i.e., a WiFi AP) in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system deployed at a user's home or at a business. The UE can first establish a connection with the untrusted non-3GPP access node, obtain an IP address, and then, based on the N3IWF discovery and selection criteria, obtain the N3IWF's IP identification information (such as address information) from a domain name server (DNS). The UE then establishes an Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) tunnel with the N3IWF, ultimately accessing the 5GC through the N3IWF.

[0202] See Figure 4 , Figure 4It is a network architecture diagram based on trusted non-3GPP access, where the trusted non-3GPP access network can be an access node deployed by the operator (i.e., a trusted non-3GPP access point on the way, Trusted N3GPP Access Point, TNAP), such as a WiFi AP deployed by the operator in a public place. The UE can first select a public land mobile network (PLMN), and then select a non-3GPP access network within the PLMN that provides a trusted connection, and then select the connection type (such as 5G connectivity or 4G S2a connectivity), and finally access the core network through the TNGF.

[0203] The following is a brief introduction to the UE protocol stack. For example, a UE establishes a multi-access session (or multi-path session, such as a Multi-Access PDU session or MA PDU session) using both 3GPP and non-3GPP access technologies, and uses the MPQUIC offload function to enable multi-path transmission.

[0204] See Figure 5 , Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the user plane protocol stack based on the MPQUIC function. During the MA PDU session establishment process, the UE can obtain the following address information from the core network (such as SMF or UPF): 1) the IP address of the MA PDU session; 2) two specific connection (link-specific) IP addresses; 3) the IP address of the MPQUIC agent on the UPF side. In one way, the UE can use the IP address of the MA PDU session as the source IP address of the IP layer, and the IP address of the MPQUIC agent on the UPF side as the destination IP address of the IP layer; the UPF can distinguish between 3GPP paths and non-3GPP paths through the N3 tunnel port information; in another way, the UE can use two link-specific IP addresses as the source IP address of the IP layer on the 3GPP access path and the non-3GPP access path side, and use the IP address of the UPF's MPQUIC agent as the destination IP address of the IP layer.

[0205] See also Figure 6 , Figure 6This is a diagram of the user plane protocol stack on the non-trusted non-3GPP side. Since the UE needs to establish an IPsec tunnel with the N3IWF, the UE side needs to have two IP layers, namely the Inner IP layer and the IP layer. For the Inner IP layer, its source IP address is the UE's session IP address, and its target IP address is assigned to the UE by the N3IWF and is used to identify the IP address of the user plane, which can generally be called UP_IP_ADDRESS. For the IP layer below, its source IP address is the access point (AP) of the wireless local area network (WLAN) (such as Figure 5 The source IP address of the inner IP layer is assigned by the untrusted non-3GPP access network, and the destination IP address is the N3IWF address. Therefore, the intermediate untrusted non-3GPP access network can route the data packet to the N3IWF through the IP address of the lower layer. Based on the destination IP address of the inner IP layer, the N3IWF can route the data packet to the UPF. It can be understood that when the UE establishes an MA PDU session, the source IP address of the inner IP layer can be the IP address of the MA PDU session or a link-specific IP address.

[0206] The following is a brief introduction to ATSSS rules. The SMF can generate ATSSS rules based on PCC rules and send the ATSSS rules to the UE through the AMF. ATSSS rules may include but are not limited to the following:

[0207] 1. Rule identifier, used to uniquely identify the ASSSS rule;

[0208] 2. Rule Precedence, used to determine the order of ASSSS rules;

[0209] 3. Traffic descriptor, used to define a traffic flow. It can include one or more of the following information: Application descriptor, including one or more application identifiers, used to identify the application that generates the traffic flow; IP descriptor, including one or more quintuples, used to identify the destination of the IP traffic flow; non-IP descriptor, including one or more descriptors, used to identify the destination of non-IP traffic flows (such as Ethernet packets).

[0210] 4. Access Selection Descriptor, used to define part of the access selection. It can include the following information: steering mode, steering mode indication, threshold, steering function.

[0211] Wherein, the ATSSS rule does not contain IP descriptor and non-IP descriptor at the same time.

[0212] The following, the N4 rule is briefly introduced. The N4 rule is sent by the SMF to the UPF, which is used to control the function of the UPF and make the UPF report some event information to the SMF. The N4 rule can include but not limited to the following rules:

[0213] 1. Packet Detection Rule (PDR): contains information for classifying data packets arriving at the UPF.

[0214] 2. Forwarding Action Rule (FAR): contains information on whether to forward, drop or buffer traffic identified by the PDR.

[0215] 3. Multi-Access Rule (MAR): contains information on how to handle steering, switching or splitting in a multi-access session (MA session). Generally, this MAR rule is used in the MA session.

[0216] 4. Usage Reporting Rule (URR): contains information for defining how to measure the traffic identified by the PDR and how to report the measurement.

[0217] 5. QoS Enforcement Rule (QER): contains information related to the enforcement of QoS for traffic identified by the PDR.

[0218] 6. Session Reporting Rule (SRR): contains information requesting the user plane function to detect and report events that are not related to a specific PDR in a PDU session, nor related to usage measurement.

[0219] Wherein,

[0220] A packet detection rule (PDR rule) can include one or more of the following parameters: UE IP address, packet filter set, or outer header removal. An IP packet filter set can support any combination of the following packet filters:

[0221] -Source / destination IP address or IPv6 prefix.

[0222] -Source / destination port number.

[0223] -Protocol ID of the protocol aboveIP / Next header type.

[0224] -Type of Service (TOS) (IPv4) / Traffic class (IPv6) and Mask.

[0225] -Flow Label (IPv6)

[0226] -Security parameter index.

[0227] -Packet Filter direction.

[0228] Forwarding Action Rules (FARs) can be used to define how to buffer, drop, or forward packets, including packet encapsulation / decapsulation and forwarding destination. FARs can include outer header creation parameters and other parameters required for packet transmission (such as transport level marking and forwarding policy).

[0229] Below, we analyze and propose the technical problems that this application aims to solve. Since non-3GPP access network equipment (such as N3IWF or TNGF) has not been commercialized, in order to make the characteristics of ASSSS commercially available, we consider proposing a new multi-access session type, which does not require the UE to establish a non-3GPP path with the N3IWF or TNGF. For example, the N3IWF or TNGF is removed, and the UE directly connects to the UPF (such as Figure 1 In this architecture, the UE does not need to establish an IPsec tunnel with the UPF. Compared to architectures with N3IWF or TNGF, the UE's protocol stack on the non-3GPP side lacks the Inner IP and IPSec layers. Therefore, for the UE, the source IP address of the remaining IP layer is the IP address assigned by the WLAN AP, and the destination IP address is the IP address on the UPF side.

[0230] In existing architectures with N3IWF or TNGF, the source IP address used on the UE side is the IP address assigned by the network side, such as the MA PDU session IP address or the link-specific IP address. Therefore, the SMF can include this IP address information in the rules sent to the UPF and UE, so that the UE and UPF can perform data packet detection based on the service flow and the rules sent by the SMF, and use the corresponding policy rules to perform data transmission, such as determining the transmission path (UPF's MAR rule) and determining the forwarding action (UPF's FAR rule).

[0231] Therefore, a communication method is urgently needed to solve how to issue correct rules to ensure normal transmission of service flows in this type of multi-access session.

[0232] Currently, the implementation of this multi-access session type is still under exploration.

[0233] To this end, the present application proposes a communication method, device, and readable storage medium that can enable the UE to establish a connection with the UPF for multi-path transmission without establishing an IPsec tunnel. Specifically,

[0234] Method 1: The network side (such as PCF or SMF) can instruct the UE and UPF to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under a non-3GPP path. For example, on the non-3GPP side, the protocol stack of the UE and UPF can add an IP layer (similar to the Inner IP layer). In the added IP layer, the source IP address can be a session IP address or a link-specific IP address, and the destination IP address is the IP address of the UPF. The advantage of this method is that for the upper IP layer, the UE and UPF can perform data packet detection or encapsulation according to existing rules. Optionally, a new header combination can be added to the outer header removal parameter in the PDR rule used by the UPF, such as any one of UDP+IP+IP, IP+UDP+IP, or IP+IP+UDP. In addition, a new header combination can be added to the outer header creation parameter in the FAR rule used by the UPF, such as any one of UDP+IP+IP, IP+UDP+IP, or IP+IP+UDP. This allows the UPF to learn that an additional IP layer needs to be added on the non-3GPP path. In one possible implementation, the network (such as PCF or SMF) can instruct the UPF that for the service flow of the non-3GPP path, it is necessary to record the source IP address of the lower IP layer of the UE's uplink data packet, and when sending a downlink data packet to the UE through the non-3GPP path, use the source IP address as the destination IP address of the lower IP layer of the downlink data packet. In another possible implementation, the network side (such as PCF or SMF) can instruct the UPF to report the source IP address of the lower IP layer of the UE's uplink data packet in the non-3GPP path, and update the rules. The rule includes the source IP address, indicating that the UPF needs to use the IP address as the destination IP address of the lower IP layer when sending a downlink data packet to the UE.

[0235] Method 2: When the UE and UPF transmit data through only one IP layer on the non-3GPP side (i.e., the UE's source IP address is the IP address assigned by the WLAN AP), the network side (e.g., PCF or SMF) can send rules to enable data packet detection to include data flows on the non-3GPP side. For example, the UE IP address in the packet detection rule (e.g., Packet Detection Rule) is included or replaced with the IP address assigned by the WLAN AP (i.e., the address of the non-3GPP path); optionally, the UPF can be instructed to report the changed source IP address to the SMF when the source IP address from the non-3GPP path changes. The SMF then sends updated rules to the UE and / or UPF based on the changed IP address. Alternatively, the SMF can also instruct the UE to report the updated address of the non-3GPP path. The SMF then sends updated rules to the UE and / or UPF based on the updated IP address. Alternatively, the SMF can instruct the UPF to associate all uplink data packets from the non-3GPP path with the IP address of the multi-path session. The UPF can record the source IP address of the non-3GPP path and use the IP address as the destination IP address of the downlink data packet when forwarding the downlink data packet through the non-3GPP path based on the association.

[0236] In order to better understand the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the technical solution of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application will be described below with reference to more drawings.

[0237] In order to facilitate the clear description of the technical solution of the present application, the present application will illustrate the technical solution of the present application through multiple embodiments, see below for details. In the present application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments or implementation methods can refer to each other. In the various embodiments of the present application, and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment, if there is no special explanation and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment can be combined to form new embodiments, implementation methods, implementation methods, or implementation methods according to their inherent logical relationships. The implementation methods of the present application described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of the present application.

[0238] See Figure 7 , Figure 7 This is a flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application, which can be applied to a terminal device, a first network device, and a second network device. Figure 1The terminal or the module applied to the terminal; the first network device and the second network device may be the aforementioned Figure 1 The core network device in the first network device may be a device with a session management function (such as SMF), and the second network device may be a device with a user message processing function (such as UPF). For ease of understanding, the following takes the first network device as SMF and the second network device as UPF as an example to illustrate the communication method of the embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the communication method may also involve Figure 1 Other devices in the network, such as devices with access and mobility management functions (such as AMF), devices with billing and policy management functions (such as PCF), etc. In other words, the above Figure 1 The terminal equipment, SMF and UPF in the system can be used to support and execute Figure 7 The method flow shown in . This application does not limit the offloading function or multi-path transmission protocol adopted by the UE and UPF. For example, the offloading function can be an MPQUIC offloading function, an MPTCP offloading function, or an MPQUIC lower layer (MPQUIC-lowerlayer, MPQUICLL) offloading function. For another example, the multi-path transmission protocol can be MPQUIC or MPTCP. This application takes MPQUIC as an example for explanation. Among them, Figure 7 The method flow shown may include but is not limited to the following steps:

[0239] S701: The UE sends a session establishment request message to the AMF.

[0240] For example, a PDU session establishment request message (PDU Session Establishment Request).

[0241] Accordingly, the AMF receives the session establishment request message sent by the UE.

[0242] Among them, the session establishment request message can be a NAS message, which can carry one or more of the following parameters: session identifier (e.g., PDU Session ID), request type (e.g., Request Type), UE requested data network name (e.g., UE RequestedDNN), slice information (e.g., S-NSSAI) and other parameters. Among them, the request type (RequestType) is a new multi-path session request type, for example, it can be called ASSS-Lite or ASSS-Lite MA PDU, which is used to request the establishment of a multi-path session, and the multi-path session includes a non-3GPP path, and the terminal device does not support non-access layer NAS transmission under the non-3GPP path. In other words, the Request Type can indicate that the UE is not registered on the non-3GPP side in the multi-path session, and / or indicate that the UE only needs to establish a transmission path with the UPF on the non-3GPP side.

[0243] S702: AMF sends a create session context request message to SMF.

[0244] For example, a create session context request message of a PDU session (such as Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext Request).

[0245] Correspondingly, SMF receives the create session context request message sent by AMF.

[0246] The create session context request message may carry one or more of the following parameters: UE identifier (eg, SUPI), UE requested DNN, PDU Session ID, Request Type, and other parameters.

[0247] The above steps S701-S702 can be understood as the UE sending a PDU session establishment request message (corresponding to the first request message) to the SMF; the first request message is used to request the establishment of a multipath session, the multipath session includes a non-3GPP path, and the terminal device does not support non-access layer NAS transmission under the non-3GPP path. Accordingly, the SMF receives the first request message from the terminal device. During this process, the AMF can simply process and forward the request message sent by the UE, such as the AMF sending a create session context request message to the SMF.

[0248] Optionally, the above communication method may further include step S703.

[0249] S703: SMF obtains session management contract data from UDM (unified data management).

[0250] The subscription data may include information on whether to allow establishment of a multiple access session (MA PDU session).

[0251] S704: SMF feeds back a create session context response message to AMF.

[0252] For example, the create session context response message (Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContextResponse) of the PDU session.

[0253] Correspondingly, AMF receives the create session context response message sent by SMF.

[0254] S705: Execute session authentication or authorization process. (Optional)

[0255] S706: The SMF selects a PCF and establishes a session policy association with the PCF.

[0256] Specifically, if dynamic policy control and charging rules (such as PCC rules) are required, the SMF sends a policy association establishment request message (such as SM Policy Association Establishment Request) to the PCF. In one possible way, the SMF sends a second request message to the PCF to request the establishment of a policy association for the multipath session, and indicates that the multipath session is a new multipath session request type, such as ATSSS-Lite or ATSSS-Lite MA PDU. For this multipath session, the terminal device does not support non-access layer NAS transmission under the non-3GPP path. In other words, for this multipath session, the UE is not registered on the non-3GPP side, and / or the UE only needs to establish a transmission path with the UPF on the non-3GPP side.

[0257] S707: PCF sends a policy association establishment response message to SMF.

[0258] The policy association establishment response message (e.g., SM Policy Association EstablishmentResponse) may include multi-access session control information (MA PDU session control information) or control information for a new multipath session type session, such as ATSSS-Lite Session control information or ATSSS-Lite MA PDU Session control information. This control information may include information such as the steering mode and steering functionality.

[0259] S708: The SMF selects a suitable UPF.

[0260] S709: SMF establishes an N4 connection with UPF.

[0261] Specifically, the SMF sends rules to the UPF. The rules may include one or more of the following rules: rules for performing packet detection (referred to as packet detection rules), rules for performing packet forwarding actions (referred to as forwarding action rules), rules for indicating multipath transmission (referred to as multi-access rules), etc. For example, the rule may be an N4 rule, which may include a packet detection rule (PDR), a forwarding action rule (FAR), a multi-access rule (MAR), and other rules. Among them, the MAR rule may include information such as the diversion mode, diversion function, and forwarding action rules.

[0262] In a possible implementation, the SMF may send second information to the UPF, for example, after the N4 connection is established, the SMF sends the second information to the UPF. The second information may instruct the UPF to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path of the multipath session. Optionally, the SMF instructs the UPF to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path of the multipath session, which may be to instruct the UPF in a packet detection rule (for example, PDR) to use any one of the header combinations of IP+UDP+IP, IP+IP+UDP, or UDP+IP+IP to remove the header under the non-3GPP path, for example, instructing it in the outer header removal parameter; and / or, instructing the UPF in a forwarding action rule (for example, FAR) to use any one of the header combinations of IP+UDP+IP, IP+IP+UDP, or UDP+IP+IP to create the header under the non-3GPP path, for example, instructing it in the outer header creation parameter. Exemplarily, based on the second information, when receiving an uplink data packet from the UE via a non-3GPP path (or when receiving an uplink data packet sent by the UE via a non-3GPP path), the UPF may remove the two-layer IP layer header. And / or, based on the second information, when sending a downlink data packet to the UE via a non-3GPP path, the UPF may encapsulate it using a two-layer IP layer header. Exemplarily, the SMF may include the second information in the N4 rule sent to the UPF.

[0263] In another possible implementation, the SMF may instruct the UPF to report the IP address used by the UE in the non-3GPP path. This IP address may be the IP address assigned to the UE by the WLAN AP to which the UE connects in the non-3GPP path. For example, this IP address may be the IP address after the WLAN AP performs network address translation (NAT).

[0264] It should be noted that the SMF instructs the UPF to use a double IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path of the multipath session. The instruction can be made before the Multipath Fast UDP Internet Connection (MPQUIC) is established between the UE and the UPF, such as the instruction in the above step S709; or, the instruction can be made after the Multipath Fast UDP Internet Connection (MPQUIC) is established between the UE and the UPF, such as the instruction in the following step S719. Among them, the instruction before the establishment of the MPQUIC can save signaling, that is, the subsequent step S719 can be not executed; and the instruction after the establishment of the MPQUIC can avoid logical disorder and reduce the waste of resources caused by not establishing the MPQUIC between the UE and the UPF after the instruction in the above step S709.

[0265] Accordingly, after the SMF sends the N4 rule to the UPF, the UPF may send the CN tunnel information and the address information of the UPF to the SMF. The address information of the UPF may be subsequently used by the UE to establish a QUIC connection (including 3GPP and non-3GPP paths) with the UPF.

[0266] S710: SMF sends first information to AMF.

[0267] In one possible implementation, the SMF may instruct the UE that when transmitting under a non-3GPP path, the data needs to be transmitted through a double-layer IP address. For example, the SMF may instruct the UE that after the UE establishes a transmission path with the UPF through a non-3GPP path, the service flow needs to be transmitted through a double-layer IP address when transmitting under the non-3GPP path. The SMF may send a first message to the UE, and the first message instructs the terminal device to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path. In one possible implementation, the SMF may first send the first information to the AMF through an N1N2 message transmission message, and then the AMF may send the first information to the UE.

[0268] Optionally, the above-mentioned N1N2 message transfer message (such as Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer) may include information such as session identifier, N2 SM information (N2 interface session management information) and N1 SM Container (N1 interface session management container). Among them, N2 SM information can be sent by SMF to RAN through AMF, and the information in N1 SM Container can be sent by SMF to UE through AMF (for example, AMF can subsequently send it to UE through NAS message). Exemplarily, N2 SM information may include information such as the tunnel endpoint identifier of UPF, which will be sent to RAN to tell RAN where the uplink data should be sent (which can be understood as the destination address of the uplink data); N1 SMContainer may include PDU session establishment accept message (PDU SessionEstablishment Accept) and ATSSS rule and other parameter information related to multipath sessions. Among them, ATSSS rule may include information such as diversion mode, diversion function, threshold value, etc. Optionally, in the N1N2 message sent by the SMF to the AMF, the SMF may also indicate to the AMF which access type path the message is transmitted through (for example, through 3GPP access), so that the AMF can send the N1N2 message to the access network device corresponding to the access type path. Exemplarily, the SMF may instruct the AMF to send the message through 3GPP access, so in the following step S711, the AMF will send the content included in the message to the RAN. Exemplarily, the SMF may first send the first information to the UE through the N1 SM container in the N1N2 message transmission message.

[0269] It should be noted that the SMF instructs the UE to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path of the above-mentioned multipath session. The instruction may be made before the multipath fast UDP Internet connection (MPQUIC) is established between the UE and the UPF, as indicated in the above-mentioned step S711; or, the instruction may be made after the multipath fast UDP Internet connection (MPQUIC) is established between the UE and the UPF, as indicated in the following steps S720 and S721.

[0270] S711: AMF sends first information to RAN.

[0271] In one possible implementation, the SMF may instruct the UE that the transmission needs to be carried out through a double-layer IP address when transmitting under a non-3GPP path. Optionally, the AMF may forward the first information from the SMF to the RAN, and the RAN may subsequently forward the first information to the UE, so that the SMF may instruct the UE through the first information that the transmission needs to be carried out through a double-layer IP address when transmitting under a non-3GPP path. Exemplarily, the AMF may carry the above-mentioned first information through an N2 PDU session request message, for example, the N2 PDU session request message may carry an N2 SMinformation, as well as a NAS message that needs to be sent to the UE, etc., wherein the NAS message may include a session identifier and an N1 SM Container. The AMF may carry the above-mentioned first information through the N1 SM Container parameter.

[0272] S712: The RAN establishes air interface resources with the UE, and the RAN sends the first information to the UE.

[0273] In one possible implementation, the SMF may instruct the UE that it needs to use a double-layer IP address for transmission under a non-3GPP path. Optionally, the RAN may forward a NAS message to the UE. The NAS message may include first information from the SMF, so that the SMF may instruct the UE through the first information that it needs to use a double-layer IP address for transmission under a non-3GPP path. Exemplarily, the RAN may carry the above-mentioned first information through a NAS message. Optionally, the NAS message may also carry a PDU session establishment acceptance message and parameter information related to the multipath session, such as an ATSSS rule. Among them, the ATSSS rule may include information such as diversion mode, diversion function, and threshold value.

[0274] S713: RAN sends a response message to AMF.

[0275] Among them, the response message can be an N2 PDU session response message, which can carry the tunnel endpoint identifier on the RAN side (which will be subsequently sent to the UPF through the AMF and SMF). This information is used to tell the UPF where the downlink data should be sent (which can be understood as the destination address of the downlink data through the 3GPP path).

[0276] S714: AMF sends the message sent by RAN to SMF via an update session context request.

[0277] S715: SMF sends the AN tunnel endpoint identification information on the RAN side to UPF through the N4 session modification process.

[0278] In a possible implementation, the SMF can instruct the UPF to report the IP address used by the UE in the non-3GPP path in step S715. The IP address can be an IP address allocated to the UE by a WLAN AP to which the UE is connected in the non-3GPP path. For example, the IP address can be an IP address after network address translation (NAT) performed by the WLAN AP.

[0279] S716: The SMF sends an update session context response message to the AMF.

[0280] S717: The UE establishes an MPQUIC connection with the UPF through the 3GPP path and the non-3GPP path respectively.

[0281] S718: The UPF reports the completion of the connection establishment to the SMF.

[0282] In a possible implementation, the UPF can send the IP address of the UE in the non-3GPP path to the SMF. The IP address can be an IP address allocated to the UE by a WLAN AP to which the UE is connected in the non-3GPP path. For example, the IP address can be an IP address after network address translation (NAT) performed by the WLAN AP. In another possible implementation, the UPF can send the IP address of the UE in the non-3GPP path to the SMF according to a configuration or an instruction from the SMF in step S709 or step S715.

[0283] Optionally, the communication method can further include steps S719-S721.

[0284] S719: The SMF sends second information to the UPF.

[0285] Specifically, the SMF may send second information to the UPF, and the second information may instruct the UPF to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path of the above-mentioned multipath session. Optionally, the way in which the SMF instructs the UPF to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path of the above-mentioned multipath session may be to instruct the UPF in a packet detection rule (e.g., PDR) to use any one of the packet header combinations of IP+UDP+IP, IP+IP+UDP, or UDP+IP+IP to remove the packet header under the non-3GPP path, for example, by indicating in a packet header removal (outer hearder removal) parameter; and / or, instructing the UPF in a forwarding action rule (e.g., FAR) to use any one of the packet header combinations of IP+UDP+IP, IP+IP+UDP, or UDP+IP+IP to create the packet header under the non-3GPP path, for example, by indicating in a packet header creation (outer hearder creation) parameter. Exemplarily, based on the second information, when receiving an uplink data packet from the UE via a non-3GPP path (or when receiving an uplink data packet sent by the UE via a non-3GPP path), the UPF may remove the two-layer IP layer header. And / or, based on the second information, when sending a downlink data packet to the UE via a non-3GPP path, the UPF may encapsulate it using a two-layer IP layer header. Exemplarily, the SMF may include the second information in the N4 rule sent to the UPF.

[0286] S720: SMF sends the first information to AMF.

[0287] In one possible implementation, the SMF may instruct the UE that it needs to use a double-layer IP address for transmission under a non-3GPP path. Optionally, the SMF may instruct the UE through a first message that, after the UE establishes a transmission path with the UPF through a non-3GPP path, the service flow needs to be transmitted through a double-layer IP address when transmitted under the non-3GPP path. That is, the SMF may send a first message to the UE through the AMF, and the first message instructs the terminal device to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path. Exemplarily, the SMF sends the first message to the UE through the N1 SM container. Optionally, for the case where the UE uses a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path, in addition to the above-mentioned indication by the SMF, pre-configuration may also be performed by the network side, and the pre-configuration may be sent to the UE when the UE accesses the network, so that the UE can be informed that a double-layer IP layer is used for data transmission under the non-3GPP path.

[0288] S721: The AMF sends the first information in step S720 to the UE through the RAN.

[0289] In one possible implementation, the SMF may instruct the UE that transmission over a non-3GPP path requires transmission through a double-layer IP address. Optionally, the AMF and the RAN may forward the first information sent by the SMF to the UE, so that the SMF may instruct the UE, through the first information, that transmission over a non-3GPP path requires transmission through a double-layer IP address.

[0290] It is understandable that in the above steps S709-S712, if the SMF does not instruct the UE and UPF to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission over the non-3GPP path of the above multipath session, then an additional instruction may be given in steps S719-S721, that is, steps S719-S721 may be executed. If, in the above steps S709-S712, the SMF has already instructed the UE and UPF to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission over the non-3GPP path of the above multipath session, then an additional instruction may not be given through steps S719-S721, that is, steps S719-S721 may not be executed.

[0291] It should be noted that the IP address of the UE in the non-3GPP path is the non-3GPP access node (such as Figure 7The IP address assigned to the UE by the WLAN AP in the SMF or the IP address after the WLAN AP performs NAT on the UE's uplink data packets. Optionally, when the SMF instructs the use of a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under a non-3GPP path, the UE's protocol stack may add an IP layer (similar to the Inner IP layer). In this case, the UE's protocol stack includes the original IP layer (which may be at a lower layer) and the added IP layer (which may be at a higher layer). When the UE sends an uplink data packet, in the added IP layer, the source IP address may be the session IP address or the link-specific IP address, and the destination IP address may be the IP address of the UPF (or the IP address of the MPQUIC proxy in the UPF); when the UE sends an uplink data packet, in the original IP layer, the source IP address may be the IP address assigned by the WLAN AP (or the IP address after NAT is performed), and the destination IP address may be the IP address of the UPF. Correspondingly, the UPF's protocol stack also adds an IP layer (similar to the Inner IP layer). In this case, the UPF's protocol stack includes the original IP layer (which may be at a lower layer) and the added IP layer (which may be at a higher layer). When the UPF sends a downlink data packet, in the added IP layer, the source IP address can be the UPF's IP address (or the IP address of the MPQUIC proxy in the UPF), and the destination IP address can be the session IP address or the link-specific IP address. When the UPF sends a downlink data packet, in the original IP layer, the source IP address can be the UPF's IP address, and the destination IP address can be the IP address assigned by the WLAN AP. The IP address assigned by the WLAN AP to the UE can be the address obtained after the WLAN AP performs network address translation (NAT).

[0292] Exemplarily, when the UPF receives an uplink data packet from the UE via a non-3GPP path (or receives an uplink data packet sent by the UE via a non-3GPP path), the UPF removes the two-layer IP layer header. And / or, when the UPF sends a downlink data packet to the UE via a non-3GPP path, the UPF uses a two-layer IP layer header for encapsulation. Accordingly, when the UE receives a downlink data packet from the UPF via a non-3GPP path (or receives a downlink data packet sent by the UPF via a non-3GPP path), the UE removes the two-layer IP layer header. And / or, when the UE sends an uplink data packet to the UPF via a non-3GPP path, the UE uses a two-layer IP layer header for encapsulation.

[0293] Since the IP address of the UE in the non-3GPP path is the non-3GPP access node (such as Figure 7The core network does not know the IP address information, and the address information may change dynamically (because the WLAN AP performs address translation (network address translation, NAT)). The UPF may need the SMF to instruct the lower IP layer to include the IP address assigned to the UE by the WLAN AP so that the UPF knows how to transmit it.

[0294] Optionally, when instructing the UPF to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under a non-3GPP path, the SMF may carry the IP address assigned to the UE by the upper WLAN AP and instruct the UPF to include the IP address in the lower IP layer. For example, before the SMF instructs the UPF to include the IP address assigned to the UE by the WLAN AP in the lower IP layer, the SMF may instruct the UE and / or UPF to send or update the access node (such as the IP address) of the non-3GPP path after the UPF establishes a connection with the UE through the non-3GPP path. Figure 7 The WLAN AP in the UE is the IP address allocated to the UE.

[0295] Optionally, when instructing the UPF to use a dual IP layer for data transmission over a non-3GPP path, the SMF may instruct the UPF to record the source IP address of the non-3GPP path when receiving uplink data packets over the non-3GPP path, and to use the source IP address as the destination IP address of downlink data packets when forwarding downlink data packets over the non-3GPP path. This can reduce the resource waste caused by the UE and / or UPF reporting additional IP addresses.

[0296] In summary, the above Figure 7 The corresponding embodiment scheme can enable the UE to establish an IPsec tunnel without having to establish an IPsec tunnel with a non-3GPP access network device (such as N3IWF or TNGF), and without having to deploy a non-3GPP access network device (such as N3IWF or TNGF). By instructing the UE and / or UPF to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under a non-3GPP path, after the UE establishes a direct connection with the UPF, it can normally perform multi-path transmission of service data through the multi-path session under the guidance of rules.

[0297] In addition to the above-mentioned communication method in which the UE and UPF use a double IP layer for data transmission under a non-3GPP path, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication method in which the UE and UPF use a single IP layer for data transmission under a non-3GPP path.

[0298] See Figure 8 , Figure 8This is a flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application, which can be applied to a terminal device, a first network device, and a second network device. Figure 1 The terminal or the module applied to the terminal; the first network device and the second network device may be the aforementioned Figure 1 The core network device in the first network device may be a device with a session management function (such as SMF), and the second network device may be a device with a user message processing function (such as UPF). For ease of understanding, the following takes the first network device as SMF and the second network device as UPF as an example to illustrate the communication method of the embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the communication method may also involve Figure 1 Other devices in the network, such as devices with access and mobility management functions (such as AMF), devices with billing and policy management functions (such as PCF), etc. In other words, the above Figure 1 The terminal equipment, SMF and UPF in the system can be used to support and execute Figure 8 The method flow shown in . Figure 8 The method flow shown may include but is not limited to the following steps:

[0299] S801: The UE sends a session establishment request message to the AMF.

[0300] For example, a PDU session establishment request message (PDU Session Establishment Request).

[0301] Accordingly, the AMF receives the session establishment request message sent by the UE.

[0302] The session establishment request message may be a NAS message, which may carry one or more of the following parameters: session identifier (e.g., PDU Session ID), request type (e.g., Request Type), UE requested data network name (e.g., UE RequestedDNN), slice information (e.g., S-NSSAI), and other parameters. The request type (e.g., Request Type) is a new multi-path session request type, which may be called ATSSS-Lite or ATSSS-LiteMA PDU, for example, and is used to request the establishment of a multi-path session, wherein the multi-path session includes a non-3GPP path, and the terminal device does not support non-access layer NAS transmission under the non-3GPP path. In other words, the Request Type may indicate that the UE is not registered on the non-3GPP side in the multi-path session, and / or indicate that the UE only needs to establish a transmission path with the UPF on the non-3GPP side.

[0303] S802: AMF sends a create session context request message to SMF.

[0304] For example, a create session context request message of a PDU session (such as Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext Request).

[0305] The create session context request message may carry one or more of the following parameters: UE identifier (eg, SUPI), UE requested DNN, PDU Session ID, Request Type, and other parameters.

[0306] The above steps S801-S802 can be understood as the UE sending a PDU session establishment request message (corresponding to the first request message) to the SMF; the first request message is used to request the establishment of a multipath session, the multipath session includes a non-3GPP path, and the terminal device does not support non-access layer NAS transmission under the non-3GPP path. Accordingly, the SMF receives the first request message from the terminal device. During this process, the AMF can simply process and forward the request message sent by the UE, such as the AMF sending a create session context request message to the SMF.

[0307] Optionally, the above communication method may further include step S803.

[0308] S803: SMF obtains session management subscription data from UDM.

[0309] The subscription data may include information on whether to allow establishment of a multi-access session (such as an MA PDU session).

[0310] S804: SMF feeds back a create session context response message to AMF.

[0311] For example, the create session context response message (Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContextResponse) of the PDU session.

[0312] S805: Execute session authentication or authorization process. (Optional)

[0313] S806: The SMF selects a PCF and establishes a session policy association with the PCF.

[0314] Specifically, if dynamic PCC rules are required, the SMF sends a policy association establishment request message (e.g., SMPolicyAssociation Establishment Request) to the PCF. In one possible manner, the SMF sends a second request message to the PCF, requesting the establishment of a policy association for the multipath session, and indicating that the multipath session is a new multipath session request type, such as ATSSS-Lite or ATSSS-Lite MA PDU. For this multipath session, the terminal device does not support non-access layer NAS transmission under the non-3GPP path. In other words, for this multipath session, the UE is not registered on the non-3GPP side, and / or the UE only needs to establish a transmission path with the UPF on the non-3GPP side.

[0315] S807: PCF sends a policy association establishment response message to SMF.

[0316] The policy association establishment response message (e.g., SM Policy Association EstablishmentResponse) may include multi-access session control information (MA PDU session control information) or control information for a new type of session, such as ATSSS-Lite Session control information or ATSSS-Lite MA PDU Session control information. This control information may include information such as the steering mode and steering functionality.

[0317] S808: SMF selects a suitable UPF.

[0318] S809: SMF establishes an N4 connection with UPF.

[0319] Specifically, the SMF sends rules to the UPF. The rules may include one or more of the following rules: rules for performing packet detection (referred to as packet detection rules), rules for performing packet forwarding actions (referred to as forwarding action rules), rules for indicating multipath transmission (referred to as multi-access rules), etc. For example, the rule may be an N4 rule, which includes a packet detection rule (Packet Detection Rule, PDR), a forwarding action rule (Forwarding Action Rule, FAR), a multi-access rule (Multi Access Rule, MAR), and other rules. Among them, the MAR rule includes information such as the diversion mode, diversion function, and forwarding action rules.

[0320] In one possible implementation, the SMF may instruct the UPF to send or update the IP address of the UE on the non-3GPP path. Optionally, after the N4 connection is established, the SMF may send a fourth message to the UPF, which may instruct the UPF to send or update the IP address of the UE on the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the terminal device through the non-3GPP path. Alternatively, the fourth message instructs the UPF to send or update the access node (such as the access node) of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the UE through the non-3GPP path. Figure 8 In other words, the SMF may instruct the UPF to report the source IP address and / or port information of the UE on the non-3GPP side, or instruct the UPF to report the source IP address and / or port information of the MPQUIC connection (or QUIC connection) established through the address port corresponding to the non-3GPP path.

[0321] Optionally, after the SMF sends the N4 rule to the UPF, the UPF may send the CN tunnel information and the address information of the UPF to the SMF. The address information of the UPF may be subsequently used by the UE to establish a QUIC connection (including 3GPP path and non-3GPP path) with the UPF.

[0322] S810: SMF sends third information to AMF.

[0323] In one possible implementation, the SMF may instruct the UE to send or update the IP address of the UE on the non-3GPP path. Optionally, the SMF may send a third message to the AMF, which then forwards the third message to the UE, so that the SMF may instruct the UE to send or update the IP address of the UE on the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the UPF through the non-3GPP path through the third message; or, through the third message, instruct the UE to send or update the access node (such as the IP address of the access node) of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the UPF through the non-3GPP path. Figure 8 The WLAN AP in the WLAN AP is the IP address assigned to the terminal device (or the IP address after NAT is performed). In one possible implementation, the SMF may first send the first information to the AMF through an N1N2 message transmission message, and then the AMF sends the first information to the UE.

[0324] Optionally, the above-mentioned N1N2 message transfer message (such as Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer) may include information such as session identifier, N2 SM information (N2 interface session management information) and N1 SM Container (N1 interface session management container). Among them, N2 SM information can be sent by SMF to RAN through AMF, and the information in N1 SM Container can be sent by SMF to UE through AMF (for example, AMF can subsequently send it to UE through NAS message). Optionally, N2 SM information may include information such as the tunnel endpoint identifier of UPF, which will be sent to RAN to tell RAN where the uplink data should be sent (which can be understood as the destination address of the uplink data); N1 SMContainer may include PDU Session Establishment Accept message (PDU SessionEstablishment Accept) and ATSSS rule and other parameter information related to multipath sessions. Among them, ATSSS rule may include information such as diversion mode, diversion function, threshold value, etc. Optionally, in the N1N2 message sent by the SMF to the AMF, the SMF may further indicate to the AMF the access type path through which the message is transmitted (for example, through 3GPP access), so that the AMF can send the N1N2 message to the access network device corresponding to the access type path. Exemplarily, the SMF may instruct the AMF to send the message through 3GPP access, so in the following step S811, the AMF will send the content included in the message to the RAN.

[0325] Exemplarily, the SMF may send the third information to the UE through the N1 SM container in the N1N2 message transmission message, and the third information may instruct the UE to send or update the access node (such as the access node of the non-3GPP path) of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the UPF through the non-3GPP path. Figure 8 The SMF may instruct the UPF to report the IP address assigned to the UE by the WLAN AP (or the IP address after NAT is performed) in step S809. Alternatively, the SMF may instruct the UPF to report the IP address assigned to the UE by the WLAN AP in step S810. In other words, the SMF may instruct the UE and / or the UPF to report the IP address assigned to the UE by the WLAN AP, which is not specifically limited here.

[0326] S811: AMF sends third information to RAN.

[0327] In a possible implementation, the SMF may instruct the UE to send or update the IP address of the UE in the non-3GPP path. Optionally, the AMF may forward the third information from the SMF to the RAN, and the RAN may subsequently forward the third information to the UE, so that the SMF may instruct the UE to send or update the IP address of the UE in the non-3GPP path, or send or update the access node of the non-3GPP path (such as Figure 8 The WLAN AP in (a) is the IP address assigned to the terminal device (or the IP address after NAT is performed).

[0328] Exemplarily, the AMF may carry the above-mentioned third information through an N2 PDU session request message. For example, the N2 PDU session request message may carry N2 SM information, as well as a NAS message that needs to be sent to the UE, wherein the NAS message may include a session identifier and an N1 SM Container. Optionally, the SMF may carry the third information through an N1 SM container parameter. That is, the AMF may forward the third information sent by the SMF to the UE to the RAN, and the third information may instruct the UE to send or update the access node (such as the access node) of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the UPF through the non-3GPP path. Figure 8 The WLAN AP in the UE is the IP address allocated to the UE.

[0329] S812: The RAN establishes air interface resources with the UE, and the RAN sends the third information to the UE.

[0330] In a possible implementation, the SMF may instruct the UE to send or update the IP address of the UE in the non-3GPP path. Optionally, the RAN may forward the third information from the SMF to the UE, so that the SMF may instruct the UE to send or update the IP address of the UE in the non-3GPP path, or send or update the access node of the non-3GPP path (such as Figure 8 The WLAN AP in (a) is the IP address assigned to the terminal device (or the IP address after NAT is performed).

[0331] Exemplarily, the RAN may carry the third information by forwarding a NAS message. Optionally, the NAS message may also carry a PDU session establishment acceptance message and parameter information related to the session, such as an ATSSS rule. The ATSSS rule may include information such as a diversion mode, a diversion function, and a threshold value. In other words, the NAS message may carry the third information, and the third information may instruct the UE to send or update the access node (such as the access node) of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the UPF through the non-3GPP path. Figure 8The WLAN AP in the RAN is the IP address allocated to the UE, that is, the RAN can forward the third information sent by the SMF to the UE.

[0332] S813: RAN sends a response message to AMF.

[0333] The response message may be an N2 PDU session response message, which may carry the tunnel endpoint identifier on the RAN side (which will be subsequently sent to the UPF via the AMF and SMF). This information is used to tell the UPF where the downlink data should be sent (which can be understood as the destination address of the downlink data through the 3GPP path).

[0334] S814: AMF sends the message sent by RAN to SMF via an update session context request.

[0335] S815: SMF sends the AN tunnel endpoint identification information on the RAN side to UPF through the N4 session modification process.

[0336] In a possible implementation, the SMF may instruct the UPF to report the IP address used by the UE in the non-3GPP path in the above step S815. The IP address may be the IP address assigned to the UE by the WLAN AP to which the UE is connected under the non-3GPP path. Exemplarily, the IP address may be the IP address after the WLAN AP performs network address translation (NAT). That is to say, the SMF may send the above fourth information to the UPF in the session modification process, and the fourth information may instruct the UPF to send or update the IP address of the UE in the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the terminal device through the non-3GPP path. Alternatively, the fourth information instructs the UPF to send or update the access node (such as the access node) of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the UE through the non-3GPP path. Figure 8 The WLANAP in (a) is the IP address assigned to the terminal device (or the IP address after NAT is performed).

[0337] S816: SMF sends an update session context response message to AMF.

[0338] S817: The UE establishes an MPQUIC connection with the UPF via a 3GPP path and a non-3GPP path respectively.

[0339] S818: UPF reports to SMF that the connection establishment is complete.

[0340] Optionally, the UPF may report the IP address of the UE on the non-3GPP side (i.e., the IP address assigned to the UE by the WLAN AP) to the SMF according to the fourth information or configuration in step S810 or S815. For example, the IP address may be the IP address after NAT is performed by the WLAN AP.

[0341] S819: SMF sends the third rule to UPF.

[0342] Among them, the third rule sent by the SMF may include the IP address of the UE in the non-3GPP path; or the terminal device IP address in the third rule includes the access node of the non-3GPP path (such as Figure 8 The first IP address assigned to the terminal device by the WLAN AP in the MPQUIC connection is the first IP address assigned to the terminal device. The third rule may instruct the UPF that when the source IP address of the uplink data packet contains the IP address, the uplink data packet comes from the UE; or the third rule may instruct the UPF that when the destination IP address of the downlink data packet contains the IP address, the downlink data packet is sent to the UE. Or the third rule may instruct the UPF that when the downlink data packet needs to be sent to the UE, the destination IP address needs to include the IP address. Exemplarily, the third rule may include a packet detection rule, and the packet detection rule may include the IP address. In another possible implementation, the third rule may instruct the UPF to associate the data packet from the non-3GPP path in the MPQUIC connection (or the data packet from the QUIC connection corresponding to the non-3GPP path) with the IP address of the multipath session, so that the UPF can record the source IP address of the non-3GPP path when receiving the uplink data packet on the non-3GPP path, and use the IP address as the destination IP address of the downlink data packet when forwarding the downlink data packet on the non-3GPP path.

[0343] In one possible implementation, the third rule may be the N4 rule, and the UE IP address parameter of the packet detection rule (such as PDR) in the N4 rule may include the IP address of the UE on the non-3GPP side, that is, the terminal device IP address in the third rule includes the access node of the non-3GPP path (such as Figure 8 Alternatively, the SMF may instruct the UPF in the N4 rule to associate data packets from the non-3GPP path in the MPQUIC connection with the IP address of the multipath session, so that when the UPF subsequently receives uplink data packets on the non-3GPP path, it can record the source IP address of the non-3GPP path and use the IP address as the destination IP address of the downlink data packets when forwarding the downlink data packets on the non-3GPP path.

[0344] Optionally, the third rule may include information such as a steering mode and a steering function. For example, this information may be included in a MAR rule. The steering mode and the steering function in the third rule may be determined based on the control information of the new multipath session included in the policy association establishment response message in step S807, wherein the control information of the new multipath session includes information such as a steering mode and a steering function. In other words, the third rule may be determined based on the control information sent by the PCF and the IP address of the UE on the non-3GPP side (i.e., the first IP address).

[0345] S820: SMF sends the first rule to AMF.

[0346] Among them, the first rule sent by the SMF may include the IP address of the UE in the non-3GPP path; or the terminal device IP address in the first rule includes the access node of the non-3GPP path (such as Figure 8 The first rule may indicate that when the UE sends an uplink data packet to the UPF over a non-3GPP path, the source IP address of the uplink data packet includes the IP address of the UE over the non-3GPP path, so that the UPF can know that the uplink data packet comes from the UE.

[0347] In one possible manner, the SMF may send a first rule to the AMF through the N1 SM container, and then the AMF sends the first rule to the UE. The source IP address in the first rule may include the IP address of the UE on the non-3GPP side, that is, the source IP address in the first rule may include the access node of the non-3GPP path (such as Figure 8 Alternatively, the first rule may be an ATSSS rule, and illustratively, the source IP address of a traffic descriptor parameter in the ASSSS rule may be the first IP address assigned to the terminal device by the WLAN AP; or the first rule may be a QoS rule, and illustratively, the source IP address of a packet filter parameter in the QoS rule may be the first IP address assigned to the terminal device by the WLAN AP.

[0348] Optionally, the first rule may be an ATSSS rule, which may include information such as a steering mode, a steering function, and a threshold value. The steering mode, the steering function, and other information in the first rule may be determined based on the control information of the new multipath session contained in the policy association establishment response message in step S807, wherein the control information of the new multipath session includes information such as a steering mode and a steering function. In other words, the first rule may be determined based on the control information sent by the PCF and the IP address of the UE on the non-3GPP side (i.e., the first IP address).

[0349] S821: The AMF sends the first rule in step S820 to the UE via the RAN.

[0350] Specifically, the AMF and RAN may forward the first rule sent by the SMF to the UE. The first rule may include the IP address of the UE in the non-3GPP path; or the terminal device IP address in the first rule includes the access node of the non-3GPP path (such as Figure 8 The first rule may indicate that when a UE sends an uplink data packet to the UPF over a non-3GPP path, the source IP address of the uplink data packet includes the IP address of the UE over the non-3GPP path, so that the UPF can know that the uplink data packet comes from the UE. Exemplarily, the AMF and the RAN may carry the first rule via a NAS message and send the first rule to the UE.

[0351] It should be noted that, since the IP address of the UE in the non-3GPP path is a non-3GPP access node (such as Figure 8 The IP address assigned to the UE by the WLANAP in the network may change dynamically (because the WLAN AP performs address conversion). Optionally, when the IP address assigned to the UE by the WLANAP changes, for example, from the first IP address to the second IP address, the UE and / or UPF may report the changed IP address (i.e., the second IP address) to the SMF, so that the SMF may update the above-mentioned third rule and first rule according to the new IP address (i.e., the second IP address) (corresponding to the fourth rule and the second rule, respectively), and then send the updated fourth rule and the second rule to the UPF and the UE, respectively, to ensure that when the IP address of the UE in the non-3GPP path changes, data can still be transmitted between the UE and the UPF through the non-3GPP path. Exemplarily, the terminal device IP address in the fourth rule may include the changed second IP address, and the source IP address in the second rule may include the changed second IP address.

[0352] In summary, the aboveFigure 8 The corresponding embodiment scheme can enable the UE to establish an IPsec tunnel without having to establish a non-3GPP access network device (such as N3IWF or TNGF), and without having to deploy non-3GPP access network equipment (such as N3IWF or TNGF). By updating the rules (such as N4 rules, ATSSS rules or QoS rules), they are made to include the IP address of the UE in the non-3GPP path, and the updated rules are respectively sent to the UPF (such as N4 rules) and the UE (such as ATSSS rules or QoS rules), so that the UE and UPF can perform data packet detection according to the updated rules, ensuring that after the UE establishes a direct connection with the UPF, it can normally perform multi-path transmission of service data through the multi-path session under the guidance of the rules.

[0353] The above content describes the method provided by the present application. In order to facilitate the implementation of the above scheme of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application also provides corresponding devices or equipment.

[0354] The present application divides the functional modules of the device according to the above-mentioned method embodiment. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above-mentioned integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in this application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. The device of the embodiment of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0355] See Figure 9 , Figure 9 It is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 10 can be used to implement the functions of the first communication device involved in any of the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0356] like Figure 9 As shown, the communication device 10 may include a sending unit 100 and a receiving unit 101. Optionally, the communication device may further include a processing unit 102 (not shown in the figure), which may be configured to generate various types of information sent by the sending unit 100 or process various types of information received by the receiving unit 101.

[0357] In one possible design, when the communication device 10 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned terminal device, the functions of each unit are as follows:

[0358] A sending unit 100 is configured to send a first request message to a first network device; the first request message is used to request establishment of a multipath session, the multipath session including a non-3GPP path, and the terminal device does not support non-access stratum (NAS) transmission under the non-3GPP path;

[0359] The receiving unit 101 is configured to receive first information from the first network device; the first information instructs the terminal device to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path.

[0360] In a possible implementation, the receiving unit 101 is further configured to:

[0361] receiving third information from the first network device; wherein the third information instructs the terminal device to send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the second network device through the non-3GPP path;

[0362] The sending unit 100 is further configured to:

[0363] Send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the first network device.

[0364] In one possible design, when the communication apparatus 10 is used to implement the functions of the first network device, the functions of the various units are as follows:

[0365] A receiving unit 101 is configured to receive a first request message from a terminal device, where the first request message is used to request establishment of a multipath session, where the multipath session includes a non-3GPP path, and the terminal device does not support NAS transmission under the non-3GPP path;

[0366] The sending unit 100 is configured to send second information to a second network device; the second information instructs the second network device to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path.

[0367] In a possible implementation, the sending unit 100 is further configured to:

[0368] Sending first information to the terminal device; the first information instructs the terminal device to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path.

[0369] In a possible implementation, the sending unit 100 is further configured to:

[0370] Sending a second request message to a third network device; wherein the second request message is used to request establishment of a policy association for the multipath session;

[0371] The receiving unit 101 is further configured to:

[0372] receiving a policy association establishment response message sent by the third network device; the policy association establishment response message including control information of the multipath session;

[0373] The first information and / or the second information is determined based on the control information.

[0374] In a possible implementation, the sending unit 100 is further configured to:

[0375] Sending third information to the terminal device; after the third information instructs the terminal device to establish a connection with the second network device through the non-3GPP path, sending or updating the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path; and / or,

[0376] Send fourth information to the second network device; the fourth information indicates that after the second network device establishes a connection with the terminal device through the non-3GPP path, the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path is sent or updated.

[0377] In one possible design, when the communication device 10 is used to implement the functions of the second network device, the functions of the various units are as follows:

[0378] The receiving unit 101 is configured to receive second information sent by a first network device; the second information instructs the second network device to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under a non-3GPP path.

[0379] In a possible implementation, the receiving unit 101 is further configured to:

[0380] receiving fourth information from the first network device; wherein the fourth information instructs the second network device to send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the terminal device through the non-3GPP path;

[0381] The apparatus further includes a sending unit 100, configured to send or update the IP address allocated by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the terminal device to the first network device.

[0382] In a possible implementation, the instructing the second network device to use a double IP layer for data transmission under a non-3GPP path includes:

[0383] Instructing the second network device in a packet detection rule PDR to use any one of the packet header combinations of IP+UDP+IP, IP+IP+UDP, or UDP+IP+IP to remove the packet header under the non-3GPP path; and / or,

[0384] In the forwarding action rule FAR, the second network device is instructed to use any one of the packet header combinations of IP+UDP+IP, IP+IP+UDP or UDP+IP+IP to create the packet header under the non-3GPP path.

[0385] In a possible implementation, the IP address in the double-layer IP layer includes an IP address allocated by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the terminal device.

[0386] In one possible design, when the communication device 10 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned terminal device, the functions of each unit are as follows:

[0387] A sending unit 100 is configured to send a first request message to a first network device; the first request message is used to request establishment of a multipath session, the multipath session including a non-3GPP path, and the terminal device does not support non-access stratum (NAS) transmission under the non-3GPP path;

[0388] The receiving unit 101 is configured to receive a first rule from the first network device, where the source IP address in the first rule includes a first IP address allocated by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the terminal device.

[0389] In a possible implementation, the receiving unit 101 is further configured to:

[0390] receiving third information from the first network device; wherein the third information instructs the terminal device to send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the second network device through the non-3GPP path;

[0391] The sending unit 100 is further configured to:

[0392] Send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the first network device.

[0393] In one possible implementation, the receiving unit 101 is further used to: receive a second rule from the first network device, the source IP address in the second rule includes a second IP address allocated by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the terminal device, and the first IP address is different from the second IP address.

[0394] In one possible design, when the communication apparatus 10 is used to implement the functions of the first network device, the functions of the various units are as follows:

[0395] A receiving unit 101 is configured to receive a first request message from a terminal device, where the first request message is used to request establishment of a multipath session, where the multipath session includes a non-3GPP path, and the terminal device does not support NAS transmission under the non-3GPP path;

[0396] The sending unit 100 is configured to send a third rule to the second network device, where the terminal device IP address in the third rule includes the first IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path.

[0397] In a possible implementation, the sending unit 100 is further configured to:

[0398] A first rule is sent to the terminal device, where the source IP address in the first rule includes a first IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path.

[0399] In a possible implementation, the sending unit 100 is further configured to:

[0400] Sending third information to the terminal device; after the third information instructs the terminal device to establish a connection with the second network device through the non-3GPP path, sending or updating the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path; and / or,

[0401] Send fourth information to the second network device; the fourth information indicates that after the second network device establishes a connection with the terminal device through the non-3GPP path, the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path is sent or updated.

[0402] In a possible implementation, the receiving unit 101 is further configured to:

[0403] receiving the first IP address sent by the terminal device; and / or,

[0404] Receive the first IP address sent by the second network device.

[0405] In a possible implementation, the sending unit 100 is further configured to:

[0406] Sending a second rule to the terminal device, where the source IP address in the second rule includes a second IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path, and the first IP address is different from the second IP address; and / or,

[0407] A fourth rule is sent to the second network device, where the terminal device IP address in the fourth rule includes a second IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path, and the first IP address is different from the second IP address.

[0408] In a possible implementation, the sending unit 100 is further configured to:

[0409] Sending a second request message to a third network device; wherein the second request message is used to request establishment of a policy association for the multipath session;

[0410] The receiving unit 101 is further configured to:

[0411] receiving a policy association establishment response message sent by the third network device; the policy association establishment response message including control information of the multipath session;

[0412] The third rule and / or the first rule is determined based on the control information and the first IP address.

[0413] In one possible design, when the communication device 10 is used to implement the functions of the second network device, the functions of the various units are as follows:

[0414] The receiving unit 101 is configured to receive a third rule sent by a first network device; the terminal device IP address in the third rule includes a first IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path.

[0415] In a possible implementation, the receiving unit 101 is further configured to:

[0416] receiving fourth information from the first network device; wherein the fourth information instructs the second network device to send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the terminal device through the non-3GPP path;

[0417] The sending unit 100 is further configured to:

[0418] Send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the first network device.

[0419] In a possible implementation, the receiving unit 101 is further configured to:

[0420] A fourth rule is received from the first network device, where the terminal device IP address in the fourth rule includes a second IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path, and the first IP address is different from the second IP address.

[0421] It should be noted that the functions of each functional unit / module in the communication device described in the embodiments of the present application can be found in the relevant description in the above method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0422] It is understandable that the specific descriptions of the sending unit and the receiving unit shown in the above device embodiment are only examples. For the specific functions or execution steps of the sending unit and the receiving unit, please refer to the description of any of the above method embodiments and will not be described in detail here.

[0423] The above describes the communication device of the embodiment of the present application. The following describes the possible product forms of the communication device. It should be understood that any device having the above Figure 9 Any form of product that has the functions of the communication device described above falls within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application. It should also be understood that the following description is only an example and does not limit the product form of the communication device of the embodiments of the present application to this.

[0424] In one possible implementation, the above Figure 9 In the communication device shown, the processing unit 102 may be one or more processors; the transmitting unit 100 and the receiving unit 101 may be transceivers; alternatively, the transmitting unit 100 may be a transmitter and the receiving unit 101 may be a receiver. In the embodiments of the present application, the processor and the transceiver may be coupled, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the connection method between the processor and the transceiver. During the execution of the above-described method, the process of sending information in the above-described method can be understood as the process of the processor outputting the above-described information. When outputting the above-described information, the processor outputs the above-described information to the transceiver for transmission by the transceiver. After being output by the processor, the above-described information may require further processing before reaching the transceiver. Similarly, the process of receiving information in the above-described method can be understood as the process of the processor receiving the above-described information. When the processor receives the input information, the transceiver receives the above-described information and inputs it into the processor. Furthermore, after the transceiver receives the above-described information, the above-described information may require further processing before being input into the processor.

[0425] See also Figure 10 , Figure 10 FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 20 may be the communication device 10 or a chip therein. Figure 10Only the main components of the communication device 20 are shown. In addition to the processor 1001, the communication device 20 may optionally further include a transceiver 1002, a memory 1003, or an input / output device (not shown).

[0426] Processor 1001 is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process software program data. Memory 1003 is primarily used to store software programs and data. Transceiver 1002 may include control circuitry and an antenna. The control circuitry is primarily used to convert baseband signals into radio frequency signals and process radio frequency signals. The antenna is primarily used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as a touch screen, display, and keyboard, are primarily used to receive user input and output data to the user.

[0427] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 1001 can read the software program in the memory 1003, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be sent wirelessly, the processor 1001 performs baseband processing on the data to be sent and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and then transmits the radio frequency signal to the outside in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1001. The processor 1001 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0428] In another implementation, the RF circuit and antenna may be provided independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the RF circuit and antenna may be remotely arranged independent of the communication device.

[0429] The transceiver 1002 may include a receiver and a transmitter, wherein the receiver is configured to perform a receiving function (or operation) and the transmitter is configured to perform a transmitting function (or operation), and the transceiver is configured to communicate with other devices / apparatuses via a transmission medium.

[0430] The processor 1001 , the transceiver 1002 , and the memory 1003 may be connected via a communication bus.

[0431] Exemplarily, when the communication device 20 is used to execute the steps, methods or functions involved in the above-mentioned terminal device, the transceiver 1002 can be used to send a first request message to the first network device; the first request message is used to request the establishment of a multi-path session, the multi-path session includes a non-3GPP path, and the terminal device does not support non-access layer NAS transmission under the non-3GPP path; receive first information from the first network device; the first information indicates that the terminal device uses a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path. Optionally, the processor 1001 can be used to process data received or sent by the transceiver 1002. Or,

[0432] The transceiver 1002 may be configured to send a first request message to a first network device; the first request message is used to request establishment of a multipath session, the multipath session including a non-3GPP path, and the terminal device does not support non-access stratum (NAS) transmission under the non-3GPP path; and receive a first rule from the first network device, wherein the source IP address in the first rule includes a first IP address allocated to the terminal device by an access node of the non-3GPP path. Optionally, the processor 1001 may be configured to process data received or sent by the transceiver 1002.

[0433] Exemplarily, when the communication device 20 is used to execute the steps, methods, or functions involved in the above-mentioned first network device, the transceiver 1002 can be used to receive a first request message from a terminal device, the first request message being used to request the establishment of a multi-path session, the multi-path session including a non-3GPP path, the terminal device not supporting NAS transmission under the non-3GPP path; and send second information to a second network device; the second information instructs the second network device to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path. Optionally, the processor 1001 can be used to process data received or sent by the transceiver 1002. Or,

[0434] The transceiver 1002 may be configured to receive a first request message from a terminal device, the first request message being used to request establishment of a multipath session, the multipath session including a non-3GPP path, and the terminal device not supporting NAS transmission over the non-3GPP path; and to send a third rule to a second network device, the terminal device IP address in the third rule including a first IP address allocated to the terminal device by an access node of the non-3GPP path. Optionally, the processor 1001 may be configured to process data received or sent by the transceiver 1002.

[0435] Exemplarily, when the communication device 20 is used to execute the steps, methods, or functions involved in the second network device, the transceiver 1002 may be used to receive second information sent by the first network device; the second information indicates that the second network device uses a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under a non-3GPP path. Optionally, the processor 1001 may be used to process data received or sent by the transceiver 1002. Or,

[0436] The transceiver 1002 may be configured to receive a third rule sent by the first network device; the terminal device IP address in the third rule includes the first IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path. Optionally, the processor 1001 may be configured to process data received or sent by the transceiver 1002.

[0437] It is understandable that for the specific description of the processor and the transceiver, reference can also be made to the above Figure 9 The introduction of the processing unit, sending unit and receiving unit in the device embodiment is not repeated here.

[0438] Optionally, processor 1001 may include a transceiver for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing the receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for reading and writing code / data, or may be used for transmitting or delivering signals.

[0439] Optionally, the processor 1001 may store instructions, which may be computer programs. The computer programs run on the processor 1001, which may enable the communication device 20 to perform the method described in the above method embodiment. The computer program may be fixed in the processor 1001. In this case, the processor 1001 may be implemented by hardware.

[0440] In one implementation, the communication device 20 may include a circuit that can implement the functions of sending, receiving, or communicating in the aforementioned method embodiment. The processor and transceiver described in this application can be implemented in an integrated circuit (IC), an analog IC, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), a mixed signal IC, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a printed circuit board (PCB), an electronic device, etc. The processor and transceiver can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), N-type metal oxide semiconductor (nMetal-oxide-semiconductor, NMOS), P-type metal oxide semiconductor (positive channel metal oxide semiconductor, PMOS), bipolar junction transistor (bipolar junction transistor, BJT), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0441] It is understandable that the communication device shown in the embodiment of the present application may also have Figure 10 The embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of components, etc. The methods executed by the processor and transceiver described above are only examples, and the specific steps executed by the processor and transceiver can be referred to the introduction of the method embodiments above.

[0442] In another possible implementation, Figure 9 In the communication device involved, the processing unit 102 may be one or more logic circuits; the sending unit 100 and the receiving unit 101 may be input / output interfaces, or may be called communication interfaces, or interface circuits, or interfaces, etc. Alternatively, the sending unit may be an output interface, and the receiving unit may be an input interface, or the sending unit and the receiving unit may be integrated into one unit, such as an input / output interface. Figure 11 , Figure 11 This is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 11As shown, the communication device 30 includes a logic circuit 901 and an interface 902. That is, the processing unit 102 can be implemented by the logic circuit 901, and the sending unit 100 and the receiving unit 101 can be implemented by the interface 902. The logic circuit 901 can be a chip, a processing circuit, an integrated circuit or a system on chip (SoC) chip, etc., and the interface 902 can be a communication interface, an input / output interface, a pin, etc. For example, Figure 11 The communication device 30 is taken as an example as a chip, and the chip includes a logic circuit 901 and an interface 902 .

[0443] In the embodiment of the present application, the logic circuit and the interface may also be coupled to each other. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific connection method between the logic circuit and the interface.

[0444] Exemplarily, when the communication device 30 is used to execute the steps, methods, or functions involved in the above-mentioned terminal device, the interface 902 can be used to send a first request message to the first network device; the first request message is used to request the establishment of a multi-path session, the multi-path session includes a non-3GPP path, and the terminal device does not support non-access layer NAS transmission under the non-3GPP path; receive first information from the first network device; the first information indicates that the terminal device uses a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path. Optionally, the logic circuit 901 can be used to process the data received or sent by the interface 902. Or,

[0445] Interface 902 can be configured to send a first request message to a first network device; the first request message is configured to request establishment of a multipath session, the multipath session including a non-3GPP path, and the terminal device does not support non-access stratum (NAS) transmission over the non-3GPP path; and receive a first rule from the first network device, wherein the source IP address in the first rule includes a first IP address allocated to the terminal device by an access node of the non-3GPP path. Optionally, logic circuit 901 can be configured to process data received or sent by interface 902.

[0446] Exemplarily, when the communication device 30 is used to execute the steps, methods, or functions involved in the above-mentioned first network device, the interface 902 can be used to receive a first request message from a terminal device, the first request message being used to request the establishment of a multi-path session, the multi-path session including a non-3GPP path, the terminal device not supporting NAS transmission under the non-3GPP path; and send second information to a second network device; the second information instructs the second network device to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path. Optionally, the logic circuit 901 can be used to process data received or sent by the interface 902. Alternatively,

[0447] Interface 902 may be configured to receive a first request message from a terminal device, the first request message being used to request establishment of a multipath session, the multipath session including a non-3GPP path, and the terminal device not supporting NAS transmission over the non-3GPP path; and to send a third rule to a second network device, the terminal device IP address in the third rule including a first IP address allocated to the terminal device by an access node of the non-3GPP path. Optionally, logic circuit 901 may be configured to process data received or sent by interface 902.

[0448] Exemplarily, when the communication device 30 is used to execute the steps, methods, or functions involved in the second network device, the interface 902 may be used to receive second information sent by the first network device; the second information indicates that the second network device uses a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under a non-3GPP path. Optionally, the logic circuit 901 may be used to process data received or sent by the interface 902. Alternatively,

[0449] Interface 902 may be configured to receive a third rule sent by the first network device; the terminal device IP address in the third rule includes the first IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path. Optionally, logic circuit 901 may be configured to process data received or sent by interface 902.

[0450] It is understood that the specific description of the logic circuit 901 and the interface 902 can also refer to the above Figure 9 The description of the processing unit, sending unit and receiving unit involved in the device embodiment will not be repeated here.

[0451] It can be understood that the communication device shown in the embodiment of the present application can implement the method provided in the embodiment of the present application in the form of hardware, or can implement the method provided in the embodiment of the present application in the form of software, etc., and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0452] for Figure 11 The specific implementation methods of the various embodiments shown can also refer to the above embodiments and will not be described in detail here.

[0453] In addition, the present application also provides a computer program, which is used to implement the operations and / or processing performed by the communication device 10, the communication device 20 or the communication device 30 in the method provided in the present application.

[0454] The application further provides a readable storage medium, which stores computer code. When the computer code is run on a computer, the computer code causes the computer to perform operations and / or processes performed by the communication device 10, the communication device 20 or the communication device 30 in the method provided by the application.

[0455] The application further provides a computer program product, which includes computer code or a computer program. When the computer code or the computer program is run on a computer, operations and / or processes performed by the communication device 10, the communication device 20 or the communication device 30 in the method provided by the application are performed.

[0456] The embodiments of the application further provide a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting a device to implement functions related to any of the above embodiments, for example, generating or processing information related to the above communication method. In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory, and the memory is configured to store necessary program instructions and data of the device. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0457] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment focuses on different aspects, and the parts not described in detail in an embodiment can be referred to the related description of other embodiments.

[0458] It should be noted that, for the above method embodiments, in order to simply describe, each is described as a combination of a series of actions, but those skilled in the art should know that the application is not limited to the order of the actions described, because according to the application, some steps can be performed in other order or at the same time. Secondly, those skilled in the art should know that the embodiments described in the specification are all preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily necessary for the application.

[0459] In several embodiments provided by the application, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the shown or discussed each other can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and can also be electrical, mechanical or other form of connection.

[0460] The above describes only specific implementation manners of the application, but the protection scope of the application is not limited to this. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed by the application, which should be covered by the protection scope of the application. Therefore, the protection scope of the application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal device, the method includes: Sending a first request message to a first network device; the first request message is used to request establishment of a multipath session, the multipath session including a non-3GPP path, and the terminal device does not support non-access stratum (NAS) transmission under the non-3GPP path; Receive first information from the first network device; the first information instructs the terminal device to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The method further comprises: receiving third information from the first network device; wherein the third information instructs the terminal device to send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the second network device through the non-3GPP path; Send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the first network device.

3. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a first network device, the method includes: receiving a first request message from a terminal device, where the first request message is used to request establishment of a multipath session, where the multipath session includes a non-3GPP path, and where the terminal device does not support NAS transmission over the non-3GPP path; Sending second information to the second network device; the second information instructs the second network device to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein The method further comprises: Sending first information to the terminal device; the first information instructs the terminal device to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under the non-3GPP path.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein: The method further comprises: Sending a second request message to a third network device; wherein the second request message is used to request establishment of a policy association for the multipath session; receiving a policy association establishment response message sent by the third network device; the policy association establishment response message including control information of the multipath session; The first information and / or the second information is determined based on the control information.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein: The method further comprises: Sending third information to the terminal device; after the third information instructs the terminal device to establish a connection with the second network device through the non-3GPP path, sending or updating the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path; and / or, Send fourth information to the second network device; the fourth information indicates that after the second network device establishes a connection with the terminal device through the non-3GPP path, the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path is sent or updated.

7. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to the second network device, the method includes: Receive second information sent by the first network device; the second information instructs the second network device to use a double-layer IP layer for data transmission under a non-3GPP path.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein The method further comprises: receiving fourth information from the first network device; wherein the fourth information instructs the second network device to send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the terminal device through the non-3GPP path; Send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the first network device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein The instructing the second network device to use a double IP layer for data transmission under a non-3GPP path includes: Instructing the second network device in the packet detection rule to use any one of the packet header combinations of IP+UDP+IP, IP+IP+UDP, or UDP+IP+IP to remove the packet header under the non-3GPP path; and / or, Instruct the second network device in the forwarding action rule to create a message header using any one message header combination of IP+UDP+IP, IP+IP+UDP or UDP+IP+IP under the non-3GPP path.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein The IP address in the double-layer IP layer includes the IP address allocated by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the terminal device.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal device, the method includes: Sending a first request message to a first network device; the first request message is used to request establishment of a multipath session, the multipath session including a non-3GPP path, and the terminal device does not support non-access stratum (NAS) transmission under the non-3GPP path; A first rule is received from the first network device, where the source IP address in the first rule includes a first IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The method further comprises: receiving third information from the first network device; wherein the third information instructs the terminal device to send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the second network device through the non-3GPP path; Send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the first network device.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein: The method further comprises: A second rule is received from the first network device, where the source IP address in the second rule includes a second IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path, and the first IP address is different from the second IP address.

14. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a first network device, the method includes: receiving a first request message from a terminal device, where the first request message is used to request establishment of a multipath session, where the multipath session includes a non-3GPP path, and where the terminal device does not support NAS transmission over the non-3GPP path; A third rule is sent to the second network device, where the terminal device IP address in the third rule includes the first IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The method further comprises: A first rule is sent to the terminal device, where the source IP address in the first rule includes a first IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending third information to the terminal device; after the third information instructs the terminal device to establish a connection with the second network device through the non-3GPP path, sending or updating the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path; and / or, Send fourth information to the second network device; the fourth information indicates that after the second network device establishes a connection with the terminal device through the non-3GPP path, the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path is sent or updated.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein: The method further comprises: receiving the first IP address sent by the terminal device; and / or, Receive the first IP address sent by the second network device.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein: The method further comprises: Sending a second rule to the terminal device, where the source IP address in the second rule includes a second IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path, and the first IP address is different from the second IP address; and / or, A fourth rule is sent to the second network device, where the terminal device IP address in the fourth rule includes a second IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path, and the first IP address is different from the second IP address.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein The method further comprises: Sending a second request message to a third network device; wherein the second request message is used to request establishment of a policy association for the multipath session; receiving a policy association establishment response message sent by the third network device; the policy association establishment response message including control information of the multipath session; The third rule and / or the first rule is determined based on the control information and the first IP address.

20. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to the second network device, the method includes: Receive a third rule sent by the first network device; the terminal device IP address in the third rule includes the first IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein The method further comprises: receiving fourth information from the first network device; wherein the fourth information instructs the second network device to send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path after establishing a connection with the terminal device through the non-3GPP path; Send or update the IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path to the first network device.

22. The method according to claim 20 or 21, wherein: The method further comprises: A fourth rule is received from the first network device, where the terminal device IP address in the fourth rule includes a second IP address allocated to the terminal device by the access node of the non-3GPP path, and the first IP address is different from the second IP address.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a module or a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 22.

24. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices, and the processor is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 22 through a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 22 is implemented.

26. A computer program, characterized in that The computer program comprises instructions, and when the computer program is executed by a communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 22 is implemented.

27. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system includes a terminal device, a first network device and a second network device, the terminal device is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 1, 2, 10 or 11-13, the first network device is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 3-6, 9-10 or 14-19, and the second network device is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 7-10, 20-22.

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