Method and apparatus for connecting to UPF, electronic device, and storage medium

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for connecting to a UPF, an electronic device, and a storage medium. The method includes: determining the TAI correspondence between the UPF and the base station according to the tracking area identifier (TAI) range of the user plane function (UPF) and the TAI to which the base station belongs; determining the latency information of each base station to the corresponding UPF according to the TAI correspondence; determining a target UPF according to the latency information and the base station information to which the terminal belongs, and connecting the terminal to the target UPF. The method and apparatus for connecting to a UPF provided by the present invention can optimize the connection between the terminal and the UPF, thereby reducing service latency and improving network efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of wireless communication technologies, and in particular, to a method and apparatus for connecting to a UPF, an electronic device, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Generally, a terminal needs to access the UPF (User Plane Function) of the core network to access a data network.

[0003] The SMF (Session Management Function) of the core network selects a UPF according to certain policies, so as to establish a PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session bearer for the terminal for data transmission.

[0004] In the existing technical solutions, the SMF selects a UPF according to factors such as the DNN (Data Network Name), slice, TAI (Tracking Area Identity), capacity, dynamic load, PDU session type, and slice requested by the UE, and TAI where the UE is located, etc.

[0005] Since within the same UPF pool, the attributes of each UPF (including the responsible DNN, slice, TAI, capacity, PDU session type) are the same, and the UPFs within the same pool cannot determine the distance from the terminal location based on the TAI. Therefore, within the same pool, the UPFs are selected in a load-sharing manner. That is to say, when the SMF selects a UPF, only the factors of the core network are considered, and whether the current transmission path from the UPF to the terminal is optimal is not considered, which may lead to a long transmission path from the UPF to the terminal and a long service delay.

[0006] Therefore, how to propose a method that can optimize the connection between the terminal and the UPF and reduce the service delay is of great significance. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In view of the above-mentioned defects existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a method for connecting to a UPF, including:

[0008] Determining the TAI correspondence between the UPF and the base station according to the TAI range of the user plane function UPF and the TAI to which the base station belongs;

[0009] Determining the delay information from each of the base stations to the corresponding UPF according to the TAI correspondence;

[0010] Determine a target UPF according to the delay information and the base station information to which the terminal belongs, and connect the terminal to the target UPF.

[0011] In one embodiment, before determining the TAI correspondence between the UPF and the base station according to the TAI range of the UPF and the TAI to which the base station belongs, it further includes:

[0012] Obtain UPF information and base station information;

[0013] Wherein, the UPF information includes the UPF ID and the TAI range;

[0014] The base station information includes the base station ID, the base station IP address, and the TAI.

[0015] In one embodiment, the determining the delay information from each base station to each corresponding UPF includes:

[0016] Determine the delay information from each base station to each corresponding UPF according to the base station IP address.

[0017] In one embodiment, before determining the target UPF according to the delay information and the base station information to which the terminal belongs, it further includes:

[0018] Determine candidate UPFs from the UPF pool according to a preset rule;

[0019] Wherein, the target UPF is included in the candidate UPFs.

[0020] In one embodiment, the delay information includes:

[0021] The transmission time delay and the number of transmission path hops from each base station to each corresponding UPF.

[0022] In one embodiment, the determining the target UPF according to the delay information and the base station information to which the terminal belongs includes:

[0023] Determine the transmission time delay from the base station to which the terminal belongs to each corresponding UPF according to the base station ID in the base station information to which the terminal belongs;

[0024] Take the UPF corresponding to the minimum transmission time delay as the target UPF.

[0025] In one embodiment, if there are multiple UPFs corresponding to the minimum transmission time delay, then

[0026] Determine the number of transmission path hops from the base station to which the terminal belongs to each of the multiple UPFs;

[0027] Select the UPF corresponding to the maximum number of transmission path hops as the target UPF.

[0028] The present invention also provides a device for connecting to a UPF, including:

[0029] A matching module, configured to determine the corresponding relationship between the UPF and the base station according to the tracking area identification code (TAI) range of the user plane function (UPF) and the TAI to which the base station belongs;

[0030] A determination module, configured to determine the delay information from each of the base stations to the corresponding UPF according to the TAI corresponding relationship;

[0031] A connection module, configured to determine a target UPF according to the delay information and the information of the base station to which the terminal belongs, and connect the terminal to the target UPF.

[0032] The present invention also provides an electronic device, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, the steps of any one of the above methods for connecting to a UPF are implemented.

[0033] The present invention also provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of any one of the above methods for connecting to a UPF are implemented.

[0034] The method and device for connecting to a UPF provided by the present invention can optimize the connection between the terminal and the UPF by determining the delay information from each base station to the corresponding UPF, and then select the target UPF for the terminal according to the delay information, thereby reducing the service delay and improving the network efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present invention or the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0036] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an existing terminal connecting to a UPF;

[0037] Figure 2 is a flowchart of the method for connecting to a UPF provided by the present invention;

[0038] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the device for connecting to a UPF provided by the present invention;

[0039] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of the electronic device provided by the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0040] To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the present invention. Apparently, the described embodiments are some but not all of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present invention without any creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0041] To better describe the embodiments of the present invention, the following content is introduced first:

[0042] The 5G wireless communication core network includes the following functions: The user plane function UPF is the session point for the protocol data unit (PDU) data network interconnection, and has the functions of packet routing, forwarding, and policy execution for packet data. The access and mobility management function (Access and Mobility Management Function, abbreviated as AMF) provides registration management, connection management, reachability management, and mobility management functions, and collects user information and verifies user identity when the user equipment (UE) registers. The session management function (Session Management Function, abbreviated as SMF) provides session management functions, policy control functions, UPF selection and control functions, and can download the required user information from the AMF.

[0043] The UE needs to access the UPF of the 5G core network through the wireless access network (WAN) so as to access the data network (Data Network). The most important thing in the data connection is the selection of the UPF and the access to the 5G core network. There are many ways for the UE to select the UPF after accessing the 5G core network. Currently, in the 3GPP specification, during the PDU session bearer establishment process, the SMF selects the SSC mode, selects the UPF, and allocates the user IP address for this PDU session; among them: the principles for the SMF to select the SSC mode and allocate the user IP address should be based on the user migration data and the request of the UE. The SMF selects the UPF according to certain policies, so as to establish a PDU session bearer for the user for data transmission.

[0044] When operators currently deploy 5G networks, in order to save backbone network transmission bandwidth and reduce service latency, UPF is usually deployed in the core computer rooms of each city. In order to meet services with ultra-low latency, in some cases, it may be further deployed in the computer rooms of districts and counties or even lower levels to minimize the transmission distance, reduce service latency as much as possible, and improve service perception.

[0045] Generally, multiple sets of UPF will be deployed in each city, and multiple sets of UPF form a UPF POOL to achieve network element-level disaster tolerance. To achieve geographical disaster tolerance, the UPF network elements in the pool are generally distributed in two or more site locations.

[0046] In the actual network, when a UE conducts a service, it first accesses the base station, and then the base station connects to the UPF through the transport network, thereby establishing a session bearer to transmit service data. In large and extra-large local networks, there are many intermediate nodes in the transport network. From the base station to the UPF, it needs to pass through many transmission devices such as access rings, ordinary aggregation rings, important aggregation rings, and core rings, as Figure 1 shown.

[0047] Since the UPFs in the POOL are located in two different site locations, for the same base station to the UPFs in two different site locations, the transmission paths in the middle are different. If there are more transmission devices on the transmission path and the transmission path is longer, the service latency will increase accordingly, and the overall traffic load of the transport network will increase accordingly.

[0048] As Figure 1 shown, UE1 is within the range of TA1 and is geographically closer to UPF1 with a shorter transmission path and farther from UPF2 with a longer transmission path; UE2 is within the range of TA2 and is geographically closer to UPF2 with a shorter transmission path and farther from UPF1 with a longer transmission path. According to the existing UPF selection mechanism, the SMF selects the UPF based on factors such as the DNN, slice, TAI, capacity, dynamic load, PDU session type, and slice requested by the UE, and the TAI where the UE is located.

[0049] Since within the same UPF POOL, the attributes of each UPF (including the responsible DNN, slice, TAI, capacity, PDU session type) are the same, and the UPFs in the same POOL cannot determine the distance to the UE location based on the TAI. Therefore, within the same POOL, the UPFs will be selected in a load-sharing manner. The SMF may select UPF2 for UE1 and UPF1 for UE2.

[0050] Figure 2 is a schematic flowchart of the method for connecting to the UPF provided by the present invention. Referring to Figure 2 , the method includes:

[0051] S210. Determine the TAI correspondence between the UPF and the base station according to the TAI range of the UPF and the TAI to which the base station belongs;

[0052] S220. Determine the delay information from each base station to each corresponding UPF according to the TAI correspondence;

[0053] S230. Determine the target UPF according to the delay information and the information of the base station to which the terminal belongs, and connect the terminal to the target UPF.

[0054] The execution entity of the method for connecting the UPF provided by the present invention may be the core network.

[0055] Specifically, the OMC (Operation and Maintenance Center) in the core network can determine the TAI correspondence between the UPF and the base station according to the TAI range (including multiple TAIs) responsible for by the UPF and the TAI to which the base station gNB belongs.

[0056] This TAI correspondence can be reflected as all gNBs corresponding to the TAI range responsible for by each UPF.

[0057] The OMC can specifically reflect this TAI correspondence as a <UPF - gNB> information record table as follows:

[0058] Table 1 <UPF - gNB> Information Record Table

[0059]

[0060]

[0061] After the OMC determines the <UPF - gNB> information record table, it will send the gNB information corresponding to each UPF to each UPF so that the UPF can measure the delay information from it to each gNB. Then, the OMC will receive the delay information reported by each UPF and perform summary statistics to determine the delay information from each gNB to each corresponding UPF, and send this information to the SMF of the core network.

[0062] After receiving the delay information, the SMF of the core network will determine the target UPF according to the delay information and the information of the base station to which the terminal belongs, and connect the terminal to the target UPF.

[0063] The method for connecting the UPF provided by the present invention can realize the connection optimization between the terminal and the UPF by determining the delay information from each base station to each corresponding UPF and selecting the target UPF for the terminal according to the delay information, thereby reducing the service delay and improving the network efficiency.

[0064] Further, in one embodiment, before step S210, the method for connecting to a UPF provided by the present invention may further include:

[0065] S200. Obtain UPF information and base station information;

[0066] Among them, the UPF information includes the UPF ID and the TAI range; the base station information includes the base station ID, the base station IP address, and the TAI.

[0067] Specifically, the base station may create N2 interface associated interaction configuration data with its affiliated AMF. At this time, the AMF may obtain the base station information and save it. Among them, the base station information may include the base station ID, the base station IP address, the TAI to which the base station belongs, etc.

[0068] The AMF will check the base station ID. If it determines that there is a new base station, the AMF will report the base station information of this base station to the OMC. The OMC may also command the AMF to report all the saved base station information. After obtaining the base station information, the OMC will save the base station information.

[0069] Specifically, the SMF may create N4 interface associated interaction configuration data with the UPFs under its jurisdiction. At this time, the SMF may obtain the UPF information and save it. Among them, the UPF information may include the UPF ID and the responsible TAI range, etc.

[0070] The SMF will check the UPF ID. If it determines that there is a new UPF, the SMF will report the UPF information of this UPF to the OMC. The OMC may also command the SMF to report the information of all the UPFs under its jurisdiction. After obtaining the UPF information, the OMC will save the UPF information.

[0071] After obtaining the UPF information and the base station information, the OMC will determine the TAI correspondence between the UPF and the base station according to the obtained UPF information and base station information, and generate the <UPF - gNB> information record table shown in Table 1.

[0072] It can be understood that when the OMC receives new base station information or new UPF information, it will update the TAI correspondence between the UPF and the base station, that is, update the new base station information or new UPF information to the <UPF - gNB> information record table.

[0073] For the method for connecting to a UPF provided by the present invention, by obtaining the base station information through the AMF of the core network and obtaining the UPF information through the SMF of the core network, it is possible to quickly and / or timely obtain the base station information and the UPF information, thereby improving the efficiency and timeliness of connecting to the UPF.

[0074] Further, in one embodiment, determining the delay information of each base station to its corresponding UPF may include:

[0075] Determine the delay information of each base station to its corresponding UPF according to the base station IP address.

[0076] Specifically, the OMC will send the IP addresses of all base stations corresponding to a UPF to the UPF in the <UPF - gNB> information record table, and command each UPF to measure the delay information between the UPF and all base stations within the TAI range it is responsible for, so as to obtain the delay measurement record between the UPF and the base station, as exemplified in Table 2. Among them, the delay measurement record may include the transmission time delay and the number of hops in the transmission path from the UPF to the base station.

[0077] Table 2 Delay Measurement Record Table

[0078] UPF ID gNB ID Transmission time delay Transmission path hop count UPF01 gNB01 10 6 UPF01 gNB02 14 10 UPF01 …… …… ……

[0079] It should be noted that the OMC can command the UPF to perform the above delay measurement during network idle time, such as between 2 am and 4 am, in order to reduce the impact on the network.

[0080] After obtaining the delay measurement record between the UPF and the base station, the UPF will report the delay measurement record to the OMC, and the OMC will summarize all the delay measurement record reports sent by the UPF and statistically summarize them to determine the delay information of each base station to its corresponding UPF.

[0081] Among them, the delay information may include the transmission time delay and the number of hops in the transmission path from each base station to its corresponding UPF.

[0082] This delay information can be reflected as a <gNB - UPF> delay information record table, as shown in Table 3.

[0083] Table 3 <gNB - UPF> Delay Information Record Table

[0084] gNB ID UPF ID Transmission time delay Transmission path hop count gNB01 UPF01 10 6 gNB01 UPF02 14 10 gNB02 UPF01 11 6 gNB02 UPF02 12 8 …… …… …… ……

[0085] The method for connecting the UPF provided by the present invention can quickly and accurately determine the detailed delay information between the base station and the UPF by determining the delay measurement record of each corresponding UPF to each base station according to the base station IP address and summarizing all the delay measurement records reported by the UPF, thereby providing a basis for determining the target UPF to which the terminal is to be connected.

[0086] After generating the <gNB - UPF> delay information record table, the OMC will send this table to each SMF and save it in the SMF as an operator's local configuration policy for use in selecting the UPF.

[0087] Further, in one embodiment, before determining the target UPF based on the delay information and the base station information to which the terminal belongs, the method for connecting to a UPF provided by the present invention may further include:

[0088] Determining candidate UPFs from the UPF pool according to a preset rule; wherein, the candidate UPFs include the target UPF.

[0089] Specifically, when the terminal initiates a PDU session bearer establishment request, the SMF first selects a group of UPFs from the UPF pool as candidate UPFs according to a preset rule.

[0090] Among them, the preset rule may include:

[0091] Determining candidate UPFs according to one or more of the following parameters:

[0092] DNN, slice, TAI, service functions supported by the UPF (user address type, SSC mode, etc.), geographical location of the UPF, responsible TAI range, geographical location of the UE at present, capacity / load of the UPF, subscribed data of the UE, policy data, etc.

[0093] If the number of candidate UPFs selected by the SMF from the UPF pool according to the preset rule is 1, then this candidate UPF will be selected as the target UPF to execute the subsequent PDU session bearer establishment process.

[0094] If the number of candidate UPFs selected by the SMF from the UPF pool according to the preset rule is multiple, then the SMF will determine the candidate UPF with the shortest transmission time delay from the multiple candidate UPFs according to the <gNB-UPF> time delay record table sent by the OMC that it stores, and use it as the target UPF to execute the subsequent PDU session establishment bearer process.

[0095] If the transmission time delays of multiple candidate UPFs are the same, the SMF selects the candidate UPF with the most hops as the target UPF to execute the subsequent PDU session establishment bearer process.

[0096] The method for connecting to a UPF provided by the present invention first screens out candidate UPFs according to a preset rule, and then selects the target UPF from the candidate UPFs according to the delay information. On the one hand, it ensures that the selected UPF can meet the performance requirements, and on the other hand, it can also ensure that the selected UPF has a short time delay, significantly improving the network quality.

[0097] Of course, the SMF can also directly determine the target UPF according to the delay information. For example, in one embodiment, determining the target UPF according to the delay information and the base station information to which the terminal belongs includes:

[0098] Determine the transmission time delay from the base station to which the terminal belongs to each corresponding UPF according to the base station ID in the base station information to which the terminal belongs;

[0099] Take the UPF corresponding to the minimum transmission time delay as the target UPF.

[0100] Specifically, the SMF can obtain the base station information to which the terminal belongs, determine the base station ID from the base station information to which the terminal belongs, and according to the base station ID, determine the transmission time delay from the base station to each corresponding UPF from the <gNB-UPF> time delay record table, and take the UPF corresponding to the minimum transmission time delay as the target UPF, and execute the subsequent PDU session establishment and bearer process based on the target UPF.

[0101] Optionally, in this embodiment, if there are multiple UPFs corresponding to the minimum transmission time delay, then

[0102] Determine the number of transmission path hops from the base station to which the terminal belongs to each of the multiple UPFs;

[0103] Take the UPF corresponding to the maximum number of transmission path hops as the target UPF.

[0104] Specifically, if after the SMF determines the transmission time delay from the base station to which the terminal belongs to each corresponding UPF from the <gNB-UPF> time delay record table and finds that there are multiple UPFs corresponding to the minimum transmission time delay, it will further determine the number of transmission path hops from the base station to which the terminal belongs to each of the multiple UPFs, and take the UPF corresponding to the maximum number of transmission path hops as the target UPF, and execute the subsequent PDU session establishment and bearer process based on the target UPF.

[0105] The method for connecting a UPF provided by the present invention can further improve the speed of the terminal connecting to the UPF by directly determining the target UPF according to the information of the base station to which the terminal belongs, thereby further improving the network speed.

[0106] It can be understood that the terminal moves at any time in the network. When the terminal's position changes, especially after a large-scale change in position, the transmission path and transmission delay between the terminal and the UPF will change, which may cause the transmission path after the terminal moves not to be the optimal path.

[0107] Therefore, when the terminal performs a mobility update registration (due to a change in the TA to which the terminal belongs resulting in a registration update), the SMF will, according to the base station information of the new base station to which the terminal belongs, select a new target UPF for the terminal according to the method for connecting a UPF provided in the above embodiment for the subsequent PDU session bearer update process, so as to ensure that the UPF with the shortest transmission time delay can always be selected for the terminal.

[0108] In summary, the method for connecting to the UPF provided by the present invention can reduce service latency, improve service perception, reduce detour traffic, and alleviate the overall transmission load by selecting the UPF with the shortest transmission time delay between the base station and the UPF.

[0109] Based on the above embodiments, the present invention further provides an AMF device, including: a first unit and a second unit;

[0110] The first unit is used to obtain and save the base station information reported by the gNB; and receive the reporting command issued by the OMC;

[0111] The second unit is used to report the base station information to the OMC according to the reporting command.

[0112] Based on the above embodiments, the present invention further provides an SMF device, including: a first unit, a second unit, and a third unit;

[0113] The first unit is used to obtain and save the UPF information; and receive the reporting command issued by the OMC;

[0114] The second unit is used to report the UPF information to the OMC according to the reporting command;

[0115] The third unit is used to receive the delay information issued by the OMC and save the delay information as an operator local configuration policy for the SMF to select the UPF.

[0116] Based on the above embodiments, the present invention further provides a UPF device, including: a first unit and a second unit;

[0117] The first unit is used to receive the measurement request issued by the OMC;

[0118] Measure the transmission time delay from the UPF to the gNB according to the measurement request and report the measurement result to the second unit.

[0119] The second unit generates a transmission time delay measurement record according to the measurement result and reports it to the OMC.

[0120] Based on the above embodiments, the present invention further provides an OMC device, including: a first unit, a second unit, and a third unit;

[0121] The first unit is used to command the AMF to report the base station information and command the SMF to report the UPF information;

[0122] Generate a <UPF - gNB> information record table according to the base station information and the UPF information;

[0123] The second unit is used to command the UPF in the command table to measure the transmission time delay between the UPF and the gNB within the TA range responsible for the UPF according to the <UPF - gNB> information record table;

[0124] The third unit is used to receive the transmission time delay measurement records reported by the UPF and generate a <gNB - UPF> delay information record table according to the transmission time delay measurement records;

[0125] Send the <gNB - UPF> delay information record table to the SMF.

[0126] The present invention also provides a device connected to the UPF, as Figure 3 shown, the device includes:

[0127] A matching module 310, configured to determine the TAI correspondence between the UPF and the base station according to the tracking area identification code TAI range of the user plane function UPF and the TAI to which the base station belongs;

[0128] A determination module 320, configured to determine the delay information of each base station to each corresponding UPF according to the TAI correspondence;

[0129] A connection module 330, configured to determine the target UPF according to the delay information and the base station information to which the terminal belongs, and connect the terminal to the target UPF.

[0130] The device for connecting the UPF provided by the present invention can realize the connection optimization between the terminal and the UPF by determining the delay information of each base station to each corresponding UPF and selecting the target UPF for the terminal according to the delay information, thereby reducing the service delay and improving the network efficiency.

[0131] In one embodiment, the device for connecting the UPF provided by the present invention may further include:

[0132] An acquisition module (not shown), configured to acquire UPF information and base station information;

[0133] Wherein, the UPF information includes the UPF ID and the TAI range;

[0134] The base station information includes the base station ID, the base station IP address, and the TAI.

[0135] In one embodiment, the determination module 320 is specifically configured to:

[0136] Determine the delay information of each base station to each corresponding UPF according to the base station IP address

[0137] Wherein, the delay information includes: the transmission time delay and the number of hops of the transmission path from each base station to each corresponding UPF.

[0138] In one embodiment, the connection module 330 is specifically configured to:

[0139] Determine candidate UPFs from the UPF pool according to a preset rule;

[0140] Among them, the candidate UPFs include the target UPF.

[0141] In one embodiment, the connection module 330 is specifically configured to:

[0142] Determine the transmission time delay from the base station to which the terminal belongs to each corresponding UPF according to the base station ID in the base station information of the terminal;

[0143] Use the UPF corresponding to the minimum transmission time delay as the target UPF.

[0144] In one embodiment, the connection module 330 is further specifically configured to:

[0145] If there are multiple UPFs corresponding to the minimum transmission time delay, then

[0146] Determine the number of transmission path hops from the base station to which the terminal belongs to multiple UPFs respectively;

[0147] Use the UPF corresponding to the maximum number of transmission path hops as the target UPF.

[0148] Figure 4 Illustrates a schematic diagram of the physical structure of an electronic device, as Figure 4 shown, the electronic device may include: a processor 410, a communication interface 420, a memory 430, and a communication bus 440. Among them, the processor 410, the communication interface 420, and the memory 430 communicate with each other through the communication bus 440. The processor 410 can call the logical instructions in the memory 430 to execute the steps of the method for connecting to the UPF, for example, including:

[0149] Determine the TAI correspondence between the UPF and the base station according to the TAI range of the UPF and the TAI to which the base station belongs;

[0150] Determine the delay information from each base station to each corresponding UPF according to the TAI correspondence;

[0151] Determine the target UPF according to the delay information and the base station information to which the terminal belongs, and connect the terminal to the target UPF.

[0152] In addition, when the logical instructions in the above-mentioned memory 830 are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a part of this technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in various embodiments of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), magnetic disks, or optical discs that can store program codes.

[0153] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program includes program instructions. When the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer can execute the steps of the method for connecting to a UPF provided in the above-mentioned method embodiments, for example, including:

[0154] Determine the TAI correspondence relationship between the UPF and the base station according to the TAI range of the UPF and the TAI to which the base station belongs;

[0155] Determine the delay information from each base station to each corresponding UPF according to the TAI correspondence relationship;

[0156] Determine the target UPF according to the delay information and the base station information to which the terminal belongs, and connect the terminal to the target UPF.

[0157] On another aspect, the present invention also provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of the method for connecting to a UPF provided in the above-mentioned embodiments, for example, including:

[0158] Determine the TAI correspondence relationship between the UPF and the base station according to the TAI range of the UPF and the TAI to which the base station belongs;

[0159] Determine the delay information from each base station to each corresponding UPF according to the TAI correspondence relationship;

[0160] Determine the target UPF according to the delay information and the base station information to which the terminal belongs, and connect the terminal to the target UPF.

[0161] The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed to multiple network units. Some or all of the modules can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment. Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand and implement it without creative efforts.

[0162] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that each embodiment can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general hardware platform, and of course, it can also be implemented by hardware. Based on this understanding, the essence of the above technical solution, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc., and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in each embodiment or some parts of the embodiments.

[0163] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for connecting to a UPF, characterized in that, it includes: Determine the TAI correspondence between the UPF and the base station according to the Tracking Area Identity (TAI) range of the User Plane Function (UPF) and the TAI to which the base station belongs; Determine the delay information from each of the base stations to each corresponding UPF according to the TAI correspondence; Determine a target UPF according to the delay information and the information of the base station to which the terminal belongs, and connect the terminal to the target UPF; The delay information includes: The transmission time delay and the number of hops of the transmission path from each of the base stations to each corresponding UPF; The determining the target UPF according to the delay information and the information of the base station to which the terminal belongs includes: Determine the transmission time delay from the base station to which the terminal belongs to each corresponding UPF according to the base station ID in the information of the base station to which the terminal belongs; Take the UPF corresponding to the minimum transmission time delay as the target UPF; If there are multiple UPFs corresponding to the minimum transmission time delay, then Determine the number of hops of the transmission path from the base station to which the terminal belongs to each of the multiple UPFs; Take the UPF corresponding to the maximum number of hops of the transmission path as the target UPF.

2. The method for connecting to a UPF according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before determining the TAI correspondence between the UPF and the base station according to the TAI range of the UPF and the TAI to which the base station belongs, it further includes: Obtain UPF information and base station information; wherein, the UPF information includes the UPF ID and the TAI range; The base station information includes the base station ID, the base station IP address, and the TAI.

3. The method for connecting to a UPF according to claim 2, characterized in that, The determining the delay information from each of the base stations to each corresponding UPF includes: Determine the delay information from each of the base stations to each corresponding UPF according to the base station IP address.

4. The method for connecting to a UPF according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before determining the target UPF according to the delay information and the information of the base station to which the terminal belongs, it further includes: Determine candidate UPFs from the UPF pool according to a preset rule; wherein, the candidate UPFs include the target UPF.

5. A device for connecting to a UPF, characterized in that, it includes: A matching module, configured to determine the TAI correspondence between the UPF and the base station according to the Tracking Area Identity (TAI) range of the User Plane Function (UPF) and the TAI to which the base station belongs; A determining module, configured to determine the delay information from each of the base stations to each corresponding UPF according to the TAI correspondence; A connecting module, configured to determine a target UPF according to the delay information and the information of the base station to which the terminal belongs, and connect the terminal to the target UPF; The determining module is specifically configured to: Determine the transmission time delay and the number of hops of the transmission path from each of the base stations to each corresponding UPF; The connecting module is specifically configured to: Determine the transmission time delay from the base station to which the terminal belongs to each corresponding UPF according to the base station ID in the information of the base station to which the terminal belongs; Use the UPF corresponding to the minimum transmission time delay as the target UPF; The connection module is specifically configured to: If there are multiple UPFs corresponding to the minimum transmission time delay, then Determine the number of transmission path hops from the base station to which the terminal belongs to each of the multiple UPFs; Use the UPF corresponding to the largest number of transmission path hops as the target UPF.

6. An electronic device, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, wherein, When the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the method for connecting a UPF according to any one of claims 1 to 4 are implemented.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, wherein, When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method for connecting a UPF according to any one of claims 1 to 4 are implemented.

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