A communication method, communication device and storage medium based on local diversion

Abstract

A communication method, communication device and storage medium based on local diversion are used to select a bearer that can support local diversion of data streams for a terminal device when the data stream of the terminal device supports local diversion. In the embodiment of the present application, the mobility management network element receives a service request sent by the terminal device, determines that the data stream of the terminal device supports local diversion based on the current location of the terminal device, selects a destination control plane service gateway network element that supports local diversion of the data stream, and sends a first bearer modification request to the destination control plane service gateway network element. The first bearer modification request is used to modify the bearer of the terminal device from the source control plane service gateway network element to the destination control plane service gateway network element. In this way, the destination control plane service gateway network element can reselect the destination user plane service gateway network element that supports local diversion for the terminal device to achieve local diversion of the data stream of the terminal device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a communication method, communication equipment, and storage medium based on local offloading. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of wireless communication technology, new application scenarios and business demands continue to emerge, and existing communication networks are gradually facing challenges.

[0003] With the growth of Internet business traffic, the core network gateways and backhaul links characterized by centralization have gradually become bottlenecks for data routing and forwarding. The core network and transmission network are facing increasing pressure from the data torrent. The emergence of services such as virtual reality, augmented display, and Internet of Vehicles requires strict requirements on end-to-end latency. Therefore, local diversion is an important technical means to reduce latency and alleviate the pressure on the core network. In the existing technology, local diversion of data streams is mainly achieved by setting up a mobile edge computing (MEC) platform between the base station and the core network. Local diversion means that when data is transmitted, it is no longer transmitted through the core network, but is transmitted to the local network and the Internet through a local gateway (L-GW).

[0004] When a terminal device establishes an initial protocol data unit (PDU) session, local data flow splitting is not performed based on the number of terminal devices, and the bearer configured for the terminal device by the network device does not support local data flow splitting. However, the location of the terminal device is not fixed. When the terminal device moves to an area that supports local data flow splitting, the configured bearer does not support local data flow splitting technology, resulting in the inability to perform local data flow splitting for the terminal device. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, communication device and storage medium based on local diversion, which are used to select a bearer that can support local diversion of data streams for the terminal device when the data stream of the terminal device supports local diversion.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method based on local diversion, the method comprising: a mobility management network element receives a service request sent by a terminal device, the service request carrying indication information for indicating the current location of the terminal device. The mobility management network element determines, based on the current location of the terminal device, that the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion. The mobility management network element selects a destination control plane service gateway network element that supports local diversion of the data flow. The mobility management network element sends a first bearer modification request to the destination control plane service gateway network element, the first bearer modification request being used to modify the bearer of the terminal device from the source control plane service gateway network element to the destination control plane service gateway network element. If the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion, the destination control plane service gateway network element that supports local diversion can be re-supported for the terminal device. This enables the destination control plane service gateway network element to reselect the destination user plane service gateway network element that supports local diversion for the terminal device, so as to achieve local diversion of the data flow of the terminal device.

[0007] In one possible implementation, after the mobility management network element determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading, and before selecting the destination control plane serving gateway network element, the method further includes: the mobility management network element determining that the source control plane serving gateway network element does not support local offloading of the data flow. This can reduce the number of bearer switching operations, thereby saving signaling consumption.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the first bearer modification request further includes: first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading; the first indication information being used to cause the destination control plane serving gateway network element to select a destination user plane serving gateway network element that supports local offloading of the data flow for the terminal device. In this way, it can be determined that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading based solely on the first indication information, thereby simplifying the solution executed by the destination control plane serving gateway network element.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the mobility management network element determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion based on the current location of the terminal device, including: the mobility management network element obtains the area information of the terminal device, the area information includes one or more area identification information; for an area identified by an area identification information in the area information, the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion of the data flow in the area; if the mobility management network element determines that the current location of the terminal device belongs to the area, it determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion. In this way, personalized services can be provided for terminal devices, that is, local diversion of data flow can be supported in some areas, but not in other areas.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the mobility management network element obtains the region information of the terminal device, including: the mobility management network element obtaining the region information of the terminal device based on the terminal device's subscription information; or the mobility management network element obtaining the region information of the terminal device based on policy control and charging rules. This can improve the flexibility of the solution.

[0011] In the second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method based on local diversion, including: a control plane service gateway network element receives a second bearer modification request sent by a mobility management network element, the second bearer modification request is sent by the mobility management network element after receiving a service request sent by a terminal device; the control plane service gateway network element determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion; the control plane service gateway network element selects a destination user plane service gateway network element that supports local diversion of the data flow; the control plane service gateway network element sends a create bearer request to the destination user plane service gateway network element, the create bearer request is used to modify the bearer of the terminal device from the source user plane service gateway network element to the destination user plane service gateway network element. If the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion, the destination user plane service gateway network element that supports local diversion can be re-selected for the terminal device to achieve local diversion of the data flow of the terminal device.

[0012] In one possible implementation, after the control plane serving gateway element determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading, and before selecting a destination user plane serving gateway element, the method further includes: the control plane serving gateway element determining that the source user plane serving gateway element does not support local offloading of the data flow. This can reduce the number of bearer handovers, thereby saving signaling consumption.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the second bearer modification request further includes: first indication information; the first indication information is used to indicate that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading; and the control plane serving gateway network element determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading, including: the control plane serving gateway network element determines, based on the first indication information, that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading. In this way, it is possible to determine that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading based solely on the first indication information, thereby simplifying the solution executed by the destination control plane serving gateway network element.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the second modification bearer request carries indication information for indicating the current location of the terminal device; the control plane service gateway network element determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion, including: the control plane service gateway network element obtains the area information of the terminal device, and the area information includes one or more area identification information; for the area identified by one area identification information in the area information, the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion of the data flow in the area; if the control plane service gateway network element determines that the current location of the terminal device belongs to the area, it determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion. In this way, personalized services can be provided for terminal devices, that is, local diversion of data flows can be supported in some areas, but not in other areas.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the control plane service gateway network element obtains the area information of the terminal device, including: the control plane service gateway network element receives a create session request sent by the mobility management network element, the create session request includes the area information of the terminal device; the area information is obtained by the mobility management network element from the subscription information of the terminal device. In another possible implementation, the control plane service gateway network element obtains the area information of the terminal device, including: the control plane service gateway network element receives a create session response sent by the packet data network gateway network element, the create session response includes the area information of the terminal device; the area information is obtained by the packet data network gateway network element from the policy control and charging rules of the terminal device. In this way, the flexibility of the solution can be improved.

[0016] Corresponding to any of the methods of the first aspect to the second aspect, the present application also provides a communication device. The communication device can be any transmitting end device or receiving end device that transmits data wirelessly. For example, a communication chip, or a network device (such as a base station, etc.). During the communication process, the transmitting end device and the receiving end device are relative. In certain communication processes, the communication device can serve as the above-mentioned network device or a communication chip that can be used for a network device. The network device can be a network device that can execute the solution corresponding to the above-mentioned mobility management network element, or the network device can be a network device that can execute the solution corresponding to the above-mentioned control plane service gateway network element.

[0017] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a transceiver unit and a processing unit, configured to perform any embodiment of the communication method described in any of the first and second aspects. The transceiver unit is configured to perform functions related to sending and receiving. Optionally, the transceiver unit includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. In one design, the communication device is a communication chip, and the transceiver unit may be an input / output circuit or port of the communication chip.

[0018] In another design, the transceiver unit may be a transmitter and a receiver, or the transceiver unit may be a transmitter and a receiver.

[0019] Optionally, the communication device further includes modules that can be used to execute any implementation of any communication method of the first aspect to the second aspect.

[0020] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, which is the aforementioned network device. The communication device includes a processor and a memory. Optionally, the device further includes a transceiver. The memory is configured to store computer programs or instructions, and the processor is configured to retrieve and execute the computer programs or instructions from the memory. When the processor executes the computer programs or instructions in the memory, the communication device executes any implementation of any of the communication methods described in any of the first and second aspects.

[0021] Optionally, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0022] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0023] Optionally, the transceiver may include a transmitter (transmitter) and a receiver (receiver).

[0024] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and is configured to execute the method of any one of the first and second aspects, and any possible implementation of the first and second aspects. Optionally, the communication device further comprises a memory. Optionally, the communication device further comprises a communication interface, the processor being coupled to the communication interface.

[0025] In another implementation, the communication device is a network device. When the communication device is a network device, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0026] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip or a chip system, the communication interface may be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or related circuits on the chip or chip system. The processor may also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0027] In a sixth aspect, a system is provided, which includes the network device that can execute the solution corresponding to the above-mentioned mobility management network element, and the network device used to execute the solution executed by the above-mentioned control plane service gateway network element.

[0028] In the seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which, when run, enables the computer to execute the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect above, or enables the computer to execute the method in any implementation of the first to second aspects above.

[0029] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions). When the computer-readable storage medium is run on a computer, the computer executes the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the computer executes the method in any implementation of the first to second aspects.

[0030] In a ninth aspect, a processing device is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive a signal via the input circuit and transmit a signal via the output circuit, so that the method of any one of the first and second aspects, and any possible implementation of the first and second aspects, is implemented.

[0031] In a specific implementation, the processing device may be a chip, the input circuit may be an input pin, the output circuit may be an output pin, and the processing circuit may be a transistor, a gate circuit, a trigger, or various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, received and input by a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. The input circuit and the output circuit may be the same circuit, which functions as an input circuit and an output circuit at different times. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system architecture applicable to embodiments of the present application;

[0033] Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of an MEC architecture based on an LTE network applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of another MEC network architecture based on an LTE network applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another MEC architecture based on an LTE network applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 5 A flow chart of a communication method based on local offloading provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 6 A flow chart of a communication method based on local offloading provided in an embodiment of the present application is described;

[0038] Figure 7 A flowchart of a method for determining that a data stream of a terminal device supports local offloading based on the current location of the terminal device is provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 8 A flow chart of another communication method based on local offloading provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 9 A schematic flow chart of a method using solution a1 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 10 A schematic flow chart of a method using solution a2 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 12 A schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 13 A schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system architecture applicable to an embodiment of the present application is exemplarily shown. Figure 1 3GPP TS 23.214 describes a network architecture with a separation of the gateway control plane and the user plane. Figure 1 Introduce each network element in the communication system.

[0046] 1. Terminal device 101.

[0047] The terminal device 101 may include various handheld devices with communication functions, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, as well as various forms of terminals, such as mobile stations (MS), terminals, user equipment (UE), soft terminals, etc., for example, water meters, electricity meters, sensors, mobile phones and iPads.

[0048] 2. Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) 102.

[0049] The E-UTRAN 102 may be a network composed of multiple base stations (eNodeBs), implementing wireless physical layer functions, resource scheduling and wireless resource management, wireless access control, and mobility management functions.

[0050] E-UTRAN 102 connects to a user-plane Serving Gateway-user (SGW-U) network element 105 via a user-plane interface S1-U for transmitting user data. E-UTRAN 102 connects to a Mobility Management Entity (MME) network element 103 via a control-plane interface S1-MME, implementing functions such as radio access bearer control using the S1-AP protocol.

[0051] 3. Mobility management network element.

[0052] The mobility management network element is a network element with mobility management functions, and may be responsible for control plane functions of user session management, such as non-access stratum (NAS) signaling and security, tracking area list (TAL) management, and selection of packet data network gateway (PGW) and serving gateway (SGW) network elements. For example, the mobility management network element may be the mobility management entity (MME) network element 103.

[0053] 4. Service gateway network element.

[0054] The serving gateway network element can be responsible for data transmission and forwarding for terminal devices. It can also serve as the local mobility anchor point for terminal devices when switching between networks, cache downlink data when in idle state, initiate network-initiated service request processes, perform paging differentiation, generate billing data based on UE and bearer granularity, etc. For example, the serving gateway network element can be a serving gateway (SGW) network element.

[0055] The SGW network element can be divided into a control plane serving gateway (Serving Gateway-control, SGW-C) network element 104 and a user plane serving gateway (Serving Gateway-user, SGW-U) network element 105 according to the separation of control and forwarding.

[0056] The SGW-C network element 104 can be responsible for the anchor device during eNodeB switching, as well as caching data packets and triggering service request procedures when the UE is in idle state. It can also perform paging differentiation and serve as the anchor point when switching occurs during internal 3GPP mobility.

[0057] The SGW-U network element 105 may be responsible for routing and forwarding data packets.

[0058] 5. Packet data network gateway network element.

[0059] A packet data network gateway (PDNG) network element (NE) can serve as the entry point for data sent from an external network to a terminal device. It can also be responsible for allocating Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to the terminal device, filtering data packets for the terminal device, controlling the rate, and generating billing information. For example, a PDNG network element can be a Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW) network element.

[0060] The PGW network element can be divided into a control plane packet data network gateway (Packet Data Network Gateway-control, PGW-C) network element 106 and a user plane packet data network gateway (Packet Data Network Gateway-user, PGW-U) network element 107 according to the separation of control and forwarding.

[0061] The PGW-C network element 106 may include terminal device IP address management, partial session management functions, and partial terminal device mobility functions. For example, it may include: General Packet Radio Service Tunneling Protocol User Plane (GTP-U) endpoint changes within 3GPP access technology, and changes in GTP-U endpoints between 3GPP and N3GPP.

[0062] The PGW-U network element 107 may be responsible for routing and forwarding data packets.

[0063] 6. Policy and charging rules functional unit network element.

[0064] The policy and charging rules function unit network element may be a server in the evolved system responsible for providing rules for charging control, online credit control, threshold control, quality of service policy, etc. For example, the policy and charging rules function unit network element may be the Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) network element 108.

[0065] 7. Belong to the contract user server.

[0066] The home subscriber server may serve as a database for storing user subscription information and may also be responsible for managing user subscription data, user location information, mobility management, access restriction, etc. For example, the home subscriber server may be a home subscriber server (HSS) network element 100 .

[0067] 8. Service General Packet Radio Service Support Node Network Element.

[0068] The serving general packet radio service support node network element may be a service support point in the user access core network of the Global System for Mobile Communication Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution Radio Access Network (GERAN) 112 and the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) 113. Its functions are similar to those of the mobility management network element, and it may be responsible for user location updates, cycle management, bearer management, and other functions. For example, the serving general packet radio service support node network element may be the serving general packet radio service support node (SGSN) network element 111.

[0069] 9. Operator's IP services 109.

[0070] Operator's IP services 109 may be responsible for IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Policy Control and Charging (PCC), and the like.

[0071] above Figure 1 The various components shown can communicate via various interfaces under the next-generation network architecture. For example, the terminal device 101 and the E-UTRAN 102 can communicate via the Long Term Evolution (LTE)-Uu interface. For another example, the MME network element 103 and the SGW-C network element 104 can communicate via the S11 interface. For another example, the SGW-C network element 104 and the SGW-U network element 105 can communicate via the Sxa interface.

[0072] The solution provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the 4G communication system. The network element in the embodiment of the present application (such as any one of the network elements including MME103, SGW-C network element, SGW-U network element, etc.) can be a functional module on a physical device or a separate physical device.

[0073] It should be pointed out that the "network" mentioned in this application may refer to an operator network or a wireless communication network, which may specifically include a wireless access network and a core network. The core network may be the equipment deployed by the operator excluding the wireless access network, without restriction.

[0074] In the embodiments of this application, operators or third-party applications can deploy servers at the edge of the network to implement cloud computing capabilities. This approach can provide applications with lower latency and greater bandwidth. Upstream data flows from terminal devices can be routed through local gateway devices to application servers deployed at the edge of the network. Application servers deployed at the edge of the network are also referred to as local servers. Figure 2 The following is an illustrative diagram of an MEC architecture based on an LTE network applicable to the embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 As shown, terminal device 201, access network 202, gateway function device 203, gateway function device 204 and data network (DN) 205 are connected in sequence. DN 206 is also provided at gateway function device 203, and gateway function device 203 can be connected to DN 206.

[0075] It should be pointed out that Figure 2 It is just a logical indication and does not completely correspond to Figure 1 The functional devices shown in Figure 2 The diagram of the data flow transmission path of the terminal device is also shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, if the gateway function device 203 corresponds to Figure 1 The SGW, gateway function device 204 corresponds to Figure 1 PGW, then, when local data flow diversion is not performed, the data flow transmission path 207 of the terminal device can be: "The data flow of the terminal device 201 is sent to the application server in DN205 through the access network 202, the gateway function device 203 and the gateway function device 204." On the other hand, when local data flow diversion is performed, the data flow transmission path 208 of the terminal device can be: "The data flow of the terminal device 201 is sent to the application server in DN206 through the access network 202 and the gateway function device 203." It can be seen that when the local diversion technology is performed on the data flow of the terminal device, the uplink data flow of the terminal device can bypass the gateway function device 204, and can only be routed locally to DN206 through the gateway function device 203.

[0076] Figure 3 The following is an exemplary diagram of another MEC network architecture based on LTE network applicable to the embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 As shown in , there are two data flow transmission paths. Figure 3As shown, the data flow transmission path 410 of the terminal device without performing local data flow diversion can be: "The data flow of the terminal device 401 is sent to the application server of the edge computing 407 through the SGW-U network element 402 and the PGW-U network element 403." The data flow transmission path 409 of the terminal device when performing local data flow diversion can be: "The data flow of the terminal device 401 is sent to the application server of the packet data network (PDN) 408 through the SGW-U network element 402 and the PGW-U network element 406." In the figure, the SGW-U 402 is also connected to the SGW-C network element 404 through the Sxa interface, the SGW-C network element 404 is connected to the PGW-C network element 405, and the PGW-C network element 405 can also be connected to the PGW-U network element through the Sxb interface, for example Figure 3 As shown, they are connected to PGW-U network element 403 and PGW-U network element 406 respectively. Figure 3 As shown, SGW-U can be used as a splitter to perform local splitting of data flows of terminal devices.

[0077] Figure 4 The following is an exemplary diagram of another MEC architecture based on LTE network applicable to the embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 As shown, the terminal device 301, the base station (Evolved NodeB, eNB) 302, the SGW-U network element 303, the PGW-U network element 304, and the DN 305 are connected in sequence, and the eNB 302 is connected to the MME network element 306, the SGW-U network element 303 is connected to the SGW-C network element 307, the PGW-U 304 is connected to the PGW-C network element 308, and the MME network element 306, the SGW-C network element 307 and the PGW-C network element 308 are connected in sequence. The SGW-U network element 303 supports local break out (LBO). The SGW-U network element 303 is also connected to the edge computing platform (MEC Platform, MEP) function 309. The edge computing platform function 309 can connect to one or more applications (Application, APP) through the application programming interface (Application Programming Interface, API), such as Figure 4 App310, App311 and App312 shown in .

[0078] In the embodiment of the present application, the control plane service gateway network element can be divided into a control plane service gateway network element that supports local data flow splitting and a control plane service gateway network element that does not support local data flow splitting. In the case where the control plane service gateway network element supports local data flow splitting, the control plane service gateway network element can sense whether the user plane service gateway network element supports local data flow splitting, and then, the control plane service gateway network element can select a user plane service gateway network element that supports local data flow splitting for the terminal device.

[0079] When the control plane service gateway network element does not support local diversion of data streams, the control plane service gateway network element cannot perceive whether the user plane service gateway network element supports local diversion of data streams. In other words, the control plane service gateway network element cannot know whether a user plane service gateway network element supports local diversion of data streams. As a result, the control plane service gateway network element service cannot select a user plane service gateway network element that supports local diversion of data streams for the terminal device.

[0080] In the embodiment of the present application, the user plane service gateway network element can be divided into a user plane service gateway network element that supports local diversion of data streams and a user plane service gateway network element that does not support local diversion of data streams. In the case where the user plane service gateway network element supports local diversion of data streams, the user plane service gateway network element receives the data stream corresponding to the service initiated by the terminal device, and needs to transmit the data stream in a local diversion manner, then the user plane service gateway network element can transmit the received data stream to the edge computing platform function, such as Figure 4 The edge computing platform function 309 in the terminal device is configured so that the application connected to the edge computing platform function can process the data flow corresponding to the service initiated by the terminal device accordingly.

[0081] In the case where the user plane service gateway network element does not support local data flow diversion, the user plane service gateway network element receives the data flow corresponding to the service initiated by the terminal device, then the user plane service gateway network element transmits the received data flow to the user plane packet data network gateway network element, such as Figure 4 The PGW-U network element 304 in the user plane packet data network gateway network element transmits the data stream to the data network so that the data network can process the data stream corresponding to the service initiated by the terminal device accordingly.

[0082] In an optional implementation manner of an embodiment of the present application, whether the data stream of the terminal device supports local diversion may correspond to the region. For example, when the terminal device is in one region, the data stream of the terminal device supports local diversion, while when the terminal device is in another region, the data stream of the terminal device may not support local diversion.

[0083] When the data stream of the terminal device supports local diversion at the current location, the data stream corresponding to the service initiated by the terminal device can be transmitted in the form of local diversion, such as Figure 4 As shown, the data flow corresponding to the service initiated by the terminal device 301 can be transmitted to the SGW-U network element 303 through the base station 302. When the SGW-U network element 303 supports local diversion of data flow, it can be transmitted by the SGW-U303 to the edge computing platform function 309, so that the application connected to the edge computing platform function 309 can perform corresponding processing on the data flow corresponding to the service initiated by the terminal device.

[0084] When the data stream of the terminal device does not support local diversion at the current location, such as Figure 4 As shown, the data flow corresponding to the service initiated by the terminal device 301 can be transmitted to the SGW-U network element 303 through the base station 302. Regardless of whether the SGW-U network element 303 supports local diversion of the data flow, the SGW-U303 transmits the data flow to the PGW-U304, and then the PGW-U304 transmits it to the data network DN305, so that the data network DN305 can perform corresponding processing on the data flow corresponding to the service initiated by the terminal device.

[0085] Based on the above, Figure 5 The embodiment of the present application provides a flow chart of a communication method based on local offloading, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 Shown, including:

[0086] Step 501: A mobility management network element receives a service request sent by a terminal device. The service request carries indication information for indicating the current location of the terminal device.

[0087] Among them, the indication information used to indicate the current location of the terminal device can be the location identifier of the current location of the terminal device, or the cell identity (CELL identity) of the cell where the terminal device is currently located, the tracking area identity (TAI), etc.

[0088] Step 502: The mobility management network element determines, based on the current location of the terminal device, that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading.

[0089] In an optional implementation of the embodiments of the present application, whether the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading can correspond to a region. For example, when the terminal device is in one region, the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading, but when the terminal device is in another region, the data flow of the terminal device may not support local offloading. In step 502, the mobility management network element determines, based on the current location of the terminal device, that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading. This can be understood as: the data flow corresponding to the service initiated by the terminal device at the current location can be transmitted using local offloading.

[0090] Step 503: The mobility management network element selects a destination control plane serving gateway network element that supports local offloading of data flows.

[0091] In the above step 503, the mobility management network element selects the destination control plane service gateway network element that supports local diversion of data flows. Specifically, there are multiple implementation methods. For example, when a control plane service gateway network element supports local diversion of data flows, an indication information will be configured in the attribute information of the control plane service gateway network element, and the control plane service gateway network element that supports local diversion of data flows can be selected based on the indication information.

[0092] Optionally, a region may be configured with user plane service gateway elements that support local breakout and user plane service gateway elements that do not support local breakout. After the mobility management element selects a destination control plane service gateway element that supports local breakout of data flows in step 503, the destination control plane service gateway element may further select a user plane service gateway element that supports local breakout as the destination user plane service gateway element. The user plane service gateway element that supports local breakout of data flows may be a user plane service gateway element that has a pre-set local breakout (LBO).

[0093] Step 504: The mobility management network element sends a first bearer modification request to the destination control plane serving gateway network element. The first bearer modification request is used to modify the bearer of the terminal device from the source control plane serving gateway network element to the destination control plane serving gateway network element.

[0094] It can be seen from the solution provided in steps 501 to 504 above that if the data flow of the terminal device supports local offload, the destination control plane serving gateway network element that supports local offload can be reselected for the terminal device. This allows the destination control plane serving gateway network element to reselect a destination user plane serving gateway network element that supports local offload for the terminal device, thereby achieving local offload of the data flow of the terminal device.

[0095] In the above step 504, the source control plane service gateway network element is the control plane service gateway network element on which the terminal device currently establishes the bearer. In step 504, the bearer of the terminal device can be switched from the source control plane service gateway network element to the destination control plane service gateway network element. In an optional implementation, the source control plane service gateway network element can be the mobility management network element selected for the terminal device during the initial establishment of the packet data network (PDN) by the terminal device. Figure 6 A flow chart of a communication method based on local diversion is provided for illustration, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 As shown, before the above step 501, the method further includes:

[0096] Step 601: The terminal device sends an attach request to the mobility management network element.

[0097] Optionally, the attachment request may include the terminal's location information and the terminal device's identifier. The terminal's location information included in the attachment request refers to the terminal device's location when the attachment request is initiated, while the location indicated by the indication information for indicating the terminal device's current location carried in the service request mentioned in step 501 above refers to the terminal device's location when the service request is initiated. In this embodiment of the present application, the location of the terminal device when the attachment request is initiated is different from the location of the terminal device when the service request is initiated.

[0098] The location information of the terminal in the attachment request may be the location identifier of the terminal device when the attachment request is initiated, or the cell identifier (CELL identity) of the cell where the terminal device is located when the attachment request is initiated, the tracking area identity (TAI), etc.

[0099] The identifier of the terminal device can be the International Mobile Subscriber Identification Number (IMSI), the Mobile Subscriber International ISDN / PSTN number (MSISDN), the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), or the User Location Information (ULI).

[0100] Step 602: The mobility management network element selects a source control plane serving gateway network element.

[0101] In step 602, the mobility management network element may select a suitable control plane serving gateway network element according to tracking area (TA) information or cell information.

[0102] Furthermore, the source control plane serving gateway element may select a user plane serving gateway element for the terminal device. For example, the user plane serving gateway element may be selected based on the location of the terminal device when initiating the attach request and the session establishment process may be performed.

[0103] When the data flow of the terminal device does not support local offloading at the location where the attachment request is initiated, the source control plane serving gateway network element selected in step 602 may or may not support local offloading of the data flow. When the source control plane serving gateway network element supports local offloading of the data flow, optionally, the user plane serving gateway network element selected by the source control plane serving gateway network element for the terminal device may or may not support local offloading of the data flow.

[0104] Step 603: The mobility management network element initiates a first session creation request to the source control plane serving gateway network element.

[0105] Step 604: The source control plane serving gateway network element sends a second create session request to the PGW.

[0106] Step 605: PCRF installs a policy control and charging rule (PCC rule) to the PGW.

[0107] Step 606: The PGW returns a second create session response to the source control plane serving gateway network element.

[0108] The second create session response is only an example and may have other names in specific implementations.

[0109] Step 607: The source control plane serving gateway network element returns a first create session response to the mobility management network element.

[0110] After step 607, the mobility management network element may generate an attach response corresponding to the attach request, and send it to the terminal device through the base station, so that the terminal device establishes an air interface side connection.

[0111] It can be seen that in the above step 602, when the terminal device initially establishes the PDN connection, the data flow of the terminal device does not support local diversion, and the source control plane service gateway network element selected by the mobility management network element may not support local diversion. After the terminal device establishes the PDN connection, it may move, such as moving to the current location mentioned in the above step 501. The data flow that the terminal device needs to transmit at the current location supports local diversion. When the terminal device needs to perform uplink and downlink services at the current location, the terminal device can execute the above step 501, that is, the terminal device initiates a service request (Service Request) to the mobility management network element. Since the source control plane service gateway network element selected in the above step 602 may not support local diversion, even if the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion in this case, local diversion service cannot be provided to the terminal device. In the prior art, it is impossible to re-support the control plane service gateway network element for local diversion of data flows for terminal devices. In an embodiment of the present application, optionally, in the above step 503, the mobility management network element can select a destination control plane service gateway network element that supports local diversion when determining that the source control plane service gateway network element does not support local diversion of data flows. In this way, the bearer of the terminal device can be switched from the source control plane service gateway network element that does not support local diversion to the destination control plane service gateway network element that supports local diversion. In this way, when the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion, the local diversion technology can be used for the data flow of the terminal device. On the other hand, since the mobility management network element can select the destination control plane service gateway network element when the source control plane service gateway network element does not support local diversion of data flows, the number of times the control plane service gateway network element is selected for the terminal device can be reduced.

[0112] There are many ways to implement the above-mentioned step 502 of determining that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading based on the current location of the terminal device. Figure 7 exemplarily shows a flow chart of a method for determining that a data stream of a terminal device supports local offloading according to the current location of the terminal device. Figure 7 As shown, the method includes step 701 and step 702.

[0113] Step 701: The mobility management network element obtains the area information of the terminal device, where the area information includes one or more area identification information; for an area identified by one area identification information in the area information, the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion of the data flow in the area.

[0114] Step 702: If the mobility management network element determines that the current location of the terminal device is within the area, it determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading.

[0115] There are many specific forms of regional information in the above step 701. In one example, the regional information may include one or more regional identification information, and for each regional identification information, it also includes local diversion indication information corresponding to the regional identification information, and the local diversion indication information is used to indicate whether the data stream transmitted by the terminal device in the area identified by the regional identification information supports local diversion. Optionally, the regional identification information may be a cell identifier or TAI, etc. Optionally, the specific form of the local diversion indication information is not limited, for example, it can be represented by "0" and "1", "0" indicates that the data stream transmitted by the terminal device in the area indicated by the regional identification information supports local diversion, and "1" indicates that the data stream transmitted by the terminal device in the area indicated by the regional identification information does not support local diversion.

[0116] In another example, the regional information may include one or more identification information of regions that support local offloading of data streams. That is, in this example, the regions identified by the regional identification information included in the regional information are all regions that support local offloading of data streams. Alternatively, in this example, the regional information does not need to explicitly include the local offload indication information; the local offload indication information is implicitly indicated by the regional information.

[0117] In the above step 701, the mobility management network element can obtain the area information of the terminal device in a variety of ways, such as in the location area update process, or in the above step 702. Figure 6 Specifically, when the terminal device initiates the attachment process shown above Figure 6 When the terminal device initiates the attachment process as shown, the regional information can be optionally saved in the policy control and charging rules of the terminal device, and the mobility management network element obtains the regional information of the terminal device through the policy control and charging rules. The policy control and charging rules usually include data flow characteristic information. The data flow characteristic information can be, for example, the five-tuple information of the data flow, or identification information, or application-related information. In an embodiment of the present application, in an optional implementation method, the policy control and charging rules can also include regional information, and the PCRF installs the policy control and charging rules to the PGW in the above step 605, and the PGW can obtain the regional information.

[0118] Furthermore, the PGW may carry the area information in the second create session response and send it to the source control plane serving gateway network element. The source control plane serving gateway network element may carry the area information in the first create session response and send it to the mobility management network element.

[0119] The regional information stored in the PCCrule may be in a different format than the regional information carried in the second create session response. For example, the regional information stored in the PCCrule includes one or more regional identification information, and for each regional identification information, also includes local offload indication information corresponding to the regional identification information, while the regional information carried in the second create session response may include one or more regional identification information supporting local offload of data flows.

[0120] In another optional implementation, the region information may be stored in the subscription information of the terminal device, and the mobility management network element may obtain the region information of the terminal device through the subscription information of the terminal device. For example, the mobility management network element may obtain the subscription information of the terminal device from a subscription database.

[0121] Figure 8 The flowchart of another communication method based on local offloading provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown as follows. Figure 8 As shown, the method includes:

[0122] Step 801: The control plane serving gateway network element receives a second bearer modification request sent by a mobility management network element. The second bearer modification request is sent by the mobility management network element after receiving a service request sent by a terminal device.

[0123] Among them, the control plane service gateway supports local diversion of data streams.

[0124] Step 802: The control plane serving gateway network element determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading.

[0125] Step 803: The control plane serving gateway network element selects a destination user plane serving gateway network element that supports local offloading of data flows.

[0126] Step 804: The control plane serving gateway network element sends a create bearer request to the destination user plane serving gateway network element. The create bearer request is used to modify the bearer of the terminal device from the source user plane serving gateway network element to the destination user plane serving gateway network element.

[0127] Optionally, a region may be configured with a user plane service gateway element that supports local offload and a user plane service gateway element that does not support local offload. The control plane service gateway element involved in step 804 may select a user plane service gateway element that supports local offload as the target user plane service gateway element. The user plane service gateway element that supports local offload of data flows may be a user plane service gateway element that is pre-configured with local offload.

[0128] In step 804, the control plane serving gateway element selects a destination user plane serving gateway element for the terminal device. A user plane serving gateway element with offload functionality can be selected based on the terminal device's current location and a session establishment process can be performed. The control plane serving gateway element can assign a tunnel ID to the user plane serving gateway element, and the user plane serving gateway element can independently allocate tunnel information and feedback it to the control plane serving gateway element.

[0129] In specific implementations, the destination user plane service gateway network element can, for uplink traffic, strip local service traffic that matches its own local offload rules and can be processed locally, remove the General Packet Radio Service Tunneling Protocol (GTPU) tunnel encapsulation, and send it to the local server for processing. For downlink traffic, it can combine local traffic sent from the local server with traffic sent from the public network side and send it to the access network side.

[0130] It can be seen from the solutions provided by the above steps 801 to 804 that if the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion, the destination user plane service gateway network element that supports local diversion can be re-enabled for the terminal device to achieve local diversion of the data flow of the terminal device.

[0131] Combine Figure 5 The solutions provided, Figure 8 The control plane service gateway network element mentioned in the above may refer to the source control plane service gateway network element or the destination control plane service gateway network element. In an optional implementation, the mobility management network element selects the source control plane service gateway network element for the terminal device during the initial establishment of the PDN connection of the terminal device. If the source control plane service gateway network element supports local diversion of data flow, then Figure 8 The control plane service gateway network element mentioned in is the source control plane service gateway network element. If the source control plane service gateway network element does not support local splitting of data flows, then Figure 8 The control plane service gateway network element mentioned in the above is the target control plane service gateway network element selected by the mobility management network element. Figure 8 If the control plane serving gateway network element in step 800 is the destination control plane serving gateway network element, the second bearer modification request mentioned in step 801 may be the first bearer modification request in step 504 above.

[0132] The following schemes a1 and a2 are used to Figure 8 The case where the control plane service gateway network element belongs to the source control plane service gateway network element or the destination control plane service gateway network element is explained.

[0133] Plan a1

[0134] In solution a1, the mobility management network element selects the source control plane serving gateway network element for the terminal device during the initial establishment of the PDN connection of the terminal device, but the source control plane serving gateway network element does not support local diversion of data flows. Figure 8 The control plane serving gateway network element mentioned in step 800 is the destination control plane serving gateway network element selected by the mobility management network element. In this case, the second bearer modification request mentioned in step 801 may be the first bearer modification request in step 504 above.

[0135] Figure 9 A schematic flow chart of the method using scheme a1 is provided, as shown in Figure 9 As shown, the method includes:

[0136] Step 901: The destination control plane serving gateway network element receives a first bearer modification request sent by a mobility management network element. The first bearer modification request is sent by the mobility management network element after receiving a service request sent by a terminal device.

[0137] Step 902: The destination control plane serving gateway network element determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading.

[0138] Step 903: The destination control plane serving gateway network element selects a destination user plane serving gateway network element that supports local offloading of data flows.

[0139] Step 904: The destination control plane serving gateway network element sends a create bearer request (create bearer request) to the destination user plane serving gateway network element. The create bearer request is used to modify the bearer of the terminal device from the source user plane serving gateway network element to the destination user plane serving gateway network element.

[0140] Optionally, the data flow feature information may be carried in the create bearer request mentioned in step 904. Step 905 may be included after step 904. In step 905, the destination control plane serving gateway network element sends a create bearer request to the PGW.

[0141] In step 904, if the source control plane service gateway network element is the control plane service gateway network element selected by the mobility management network element for the terminal device during the initial establishment of the PDN connection by the terminal device, then the source user plane service gateway network element is also selected by the mobility management network element for the terminal device during the initial establishment of the PDN connection by the terminal device. In this case, since the control plane service gateway network element of the terminal device has been reselected, the user plane service gateway network element also needs to be reselected. And since the destination control plane service gateway network element supports local offloading of data streams, the destination control plane service gateway network element can select a destination user plane service gateway network element that supports local offloading of data streams for the terminal device. After the above step 901, the user plane data transmission channel of the terminal device can be updated from the source user plane data channel to the destination user plane data channel. Among them, the source user plane data transmission channel is "terminal device-access network-source user plane service gateway network element-PGW-U", and the destination user plane data transmission channel is "terminal device-access network-destination user plane service gateway network element-PGW-U".

[0142] In an optional implementation, the first bearer modification request further includes: first indication information. The first indication information is used to indicate that the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion. The first indication information is used to enable the destination control plane serving gateway network element to select a destination user plane serving gateway network element that supports local diversion of the data flow for the terminal device. Further, in step 902 above, the destination control plane serving gateway network element may determine that the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion based on the first indication information.

[0143] In another optional implementation, the first modification bearer request may include indication information for indicating the current location of the terminal device, and the area information of the terminal device, wherein the area information includes one or more area identification information; for an area identified by an area identification information in the area information, the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion of the data flow in the area. Further, in the above step 902, the destination control plane service gateway network element may determine that the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion based on the current location of the terminal device and the area information. Specifically, when the destination control plane service gateway network element determines that the current location of the terminal device belongs to the area, it determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion.

[0144] After the above steps 904 and 905, optionally, the original bearer needs to be deleted. Figure 9 The method steps for deleting the original bearer are also shown, including:

[0145] Step 906: The destination control plane serving gateway network element sends an update data transmission channel (updata uplink tunnel) to the access network (AN).

[0146] Step 907: The mobility management network element sends a delete bearer request (delete bearer request) to the source control plane serving gateway network element. The mobility management network element sends a delete bearer request to the source user plane serving gateway network element.

[0147] The above steps 904 to 906 illustrate a method flow for creating a bearer, and step 907 illustrates an example of deleting a bearer.

[0148] Plan a2

[0149] In solution a2, the mobility management network element selects the source control plane serving gateway network element for the terminal device during the initial establishment of the PDN connection of the terminal device, but the source control plane serving gateway network element supports local diversion of data flows. Figure 8 The control plane serving gateway network element mentioned in is the source control plane serving gateway network element selected by the mobility management network element.

[0150] Figure 10 A schematic flow chart of a method using scheme a2 is provided, such as Figure 10 As shown, the method includes:

[0151] Step 1001: A source control plane serving gateway network element receives a second bearer modification request sent by a mobility management network element.

[0152] Step 1002: The source control plane serving gateway network element determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading.

[0153] Step 1003: The source control plane serving gateway network element selects a destination user plane serving gateway network element that supports local offloading of data flows.

[0154] Step 1004: The source control plane serving gateway network element sends a create bearer request to the destination user plane serving gateway network element. The create bearer request is used to modify the bearer of the terminal device from the source user plane serving gateway network element to the destination user plane serving gateway network element.

[0155] In an optional implementation, step 905, step 906, and step 907 may be further performed after step 1004. For related introductions, please refer to the above content and will not be repeated here.

[0156] In an optional implementation, before step 1003, it also includes: the control plane service gateway network element determines that the source user plane service gateway network element does not support local diversion of data streams. That is to say, in an optional implementation, when the source user plane service gateway network element does not support local diversion of data streams, the destination user plane service gateway network element is selected, and the bearer of the terminal device is modified to the destination user plane service gateway network element. When the source user plane service gateway network element supports local diversion of data streams, the destination user plane service gateway network element can be selected or not, that is, the bearer of the terminal device can be maintained on the source user plane service gateway network element or modified to the destination user plane service gateway network element. If the destination user plane service gateway network element that supports local diversion of data streams is reselected only when the source user plane service gateway network element does not support local diversion of data streams, the number of times the user plane service gateway network element is reselected can be reduced, saving signaling consumption.

[0157] In a first optional implementation, the second bearer modification request further includes: first indication information. The first indication information is used to indicate that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading. Further, in step 1002, the source control plane serving gateway network element may determine that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading based on the first indication information.

[0158] In a second optional implementation, before the above step 1002, the source control plane service gateway network element may obtain the current location and area information of the terminal device, wherein the area information includes one or more area identification information; for an area identified by one area identification information in the area information, the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion of the data flow in the area. Further, in the above step 1002, the source control plane service gateway network element may determine that the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion based on the current location and area information of the terminal device. Specifically, when the source control plane service gateway network element determines that the current location of the terminal device belongs to the area, it determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion.

[0159] In this second optional implementation, there are multiple ways for the source control plane serving gateway network element to obtain the current location of the terminal device. For example, the second bearer modification request may carry indication information for indicating the current location of the terminal device.

[0160] For another example, the source control plane serving gateway network element can subscribe to the location update of the terminal device from the mobility management network element. In this way, when the mobility management network element determines that the location of the terminal device has been updated, it will push the current location of the terminal device to the source control plane serving gateway network element. For example, it can notify the source control plane serving gateway network element through a new signaling message carrying indication information for indicating the current location of the terminal device. The subscription of the source control plane serving gateway network element to the mobility management network element for the location update of the terminal device can occur during the attachment process initiated by the terminal device or in other signaling processes.

[0161] In the second optional implementation manner, there are multiple ways for the terminal device to obtain the area information. For example, the area information can be carried in the second bearer modification request.

[0162] For example, when the regional information is stored in the policy control and charging rules of the terminal device, the above Figure 6 The second create session response in step 606 carries the region information, so that the source control plane serving gateway network element obtains the region information. Specifically, the source control plane serving gateway network element receives the create session response sent by the packet data network gateway network element, where the create session response includes the region information of the terminal device. The region information is obtained by the packet data network gateway network element from the policy control and charging rules of the terminal device.

[0163] For another example, when the region information is stored in the terminal device's subscription information, the source control plane serving gateway network element receives a create session request from the mobility management network element, which includes the terminal device's region information. The region information is obtained by the mobility management network element from the terminal device's subscription information.

[0164] According to the above method, Figure 11 A schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 11 As shown, the communication device may be a network device, or a chip or circuit, such as a chip or circuit that can be provided in a network device. The communication device may be a control plane serving gateway network element or a mobility management network element.

[0165] Furthermore, the communication device 1301 may further include a bus system, wherein the processor 1302 , the memory 1304 , and the transceiver 1303 may be connected via the bus system.

[0166] It should be understood that the processor 1302 may be a chip. For example, the processor 1302 may be a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a central processor unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips.

[0167] During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor 1302 or by instructions in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor 1302. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory 1304, and the processor 1302 reads the information in the memory 1304 and completes the steps of the above method in conjunction with its hardware.

[0168] It should be noted that the processor 1302 in the embodiment of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or software instructions. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiment of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, or electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0169] It is understood that the transceiver 1303 in the embodiment of the present application may include a radio frequency circuit. The memory 1304 may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0170] When the communication device 1301 is used to execute the solution executed by the mobility management network element in the above method, the communication device may include a processor 1302 and a transceiver 1303. Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory 1304. The transceiver 1303 is used to input and / or output information, the memory 1304 is used to store instructions, and the processor 1302 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 1304 to implement the above method. Figures 1 to 10 Related solutions of the mobility management network element in any one or more corresponding methods shown in .

[0171] When the communication device 1301 is used to execute the scheme executed by the mobility management network element in the above method, the transceiver 1303 is used to receive a service request sent by the terminal device, and send a first bearer modification request to the destination control plane service gateway network element, wherein the service request carries indication information for indicating the current location of the terminal device; the first bearer modification request is used to modify the bearer of the terminal device from the source control plane service gateway network element to the destination control plane service gateway network element; the processor 1302 is used to determine, based on the current location of the terminal device, that the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion; and select the destination control plane service gateway network element that supports local diversion of the data flow.

[0172] When the communication device 1301 is configured to execute the solution executed by the mobility management network element in the above method, the processor 1302 is configured to determine that the source control plane serving gateway network element does not support local splitting of data flows.

[0173] When the communication device 1301 is used to execute the scheme executed by the mobility management network element in the above method, the processor 1302 is specifically used to: obtain the area information of the terminal device, the area information including one or more area identification information; for the area identified by one area identification information in the area information, the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion of the data flow in the area; if the mobility management network element determines that the current location of the terminal device belongs to the area, determine that the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion.

[0174] When the communication device 1301 is used to execute the scheme executed by the mobility management network element in the above method, the processor 1302 is specifically used to: obtain the area information of the terminal device through the contract information of the terminal device; or; obtain the area information of the terminal device through policy control and charging rules.

[0175] When the communication device 1301 is used to execute the solution executed by the control plane serving gateway network element in the above method, the communication device may include a processor 1302, a transceiver 1303 and a memory 1304. The memory 1304 is used to store instructions, and the processor 1302 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 1304 to implement the above method. Figures 1 to 10 A related solution of the control plane serving gateway network element in any one or more corresponding methods shown in .

[0176] When the communication device 1301 is used to execute the scheme executed by the control plane service gateway network element in the above method, the transceiver 1303 is used to receive the second bearer modification request sent by the mobility management network element, and send a bearer creation request to the destination user plane service gateway network element; the second bearer modification request is sent by the mobility management network element after receiving the service request sent by the terminal device; the bearer creation request is used to modify the bearer of the terminal device from the source user plane service gateway network element to the destination user plane service gateway network element; the processor 1302 is used to determine that the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion; and select the destination user plane service gateway network element that supports local diversion of the data flow.

[0177] When the communication device 1301 is used to execute the solution executed by the control plane serving gateway network element in the above method, the processor 1302 is further used to: determine that the source user plane serving gateway network element does not support local splitting of data flows.

[0178] When the communication device 1301 is used to execute the scheme executed by the control plane service gateway network element in the above method, the second modification bearer request also includes: first indication information; the first indication information is used to indicate that the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion; the processor 1302 is specifically used to: determine, based on the first indication information, that the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion.

[0179] When the communication device 1301 is used to execute the scheme executed by the control plane service gateway network element in the above method, the second modification bearer request carries indication information for indicating the current location of the terminal device; the processor 1302 is specifically used to: obtain the area information of the terminal device, the area information including one or more area identification information; for the area identified by an area identification information in the area information, the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion of the data flow in the area; if the control plane service gateway network element determines that the current location of the terminal device belongs to the area, it is determined that the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion.

[0180] When the communication device 1301 is used to execute the scheme executed by the control plane service gateway network element in the above method, the transceiver 1303 is specifically used to: receive a session creation request sent by the mobility management network element, the session creation request includes the area information of the terminal device, and the area information includes one or more area identification information; for the area identified by one area identification information in the area information, the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion of the data flow in the area; the area information is obtained by the mobility management network element from the contract information of the terminal device.

[0181] When the communication device 1301 is used to execute the scheme executed by the control plane service gateway network element in the above method, the transceiver 1303 is specifically used to: receive a create session response sent by a packet data network gateway network element, the create session response includes the area information of the terminal device, and the area information includes one or more area identification information; for an area identified by one area identification information in the area information, the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion of the data flow in the area; the area information is obtained by the packet data network gateway network element from the policy control and charging rules of the terminal device.

[0182] For the concepts, explanations, detailed descriptions and other steps involved in the communication device and related to the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application, please refer to the descriptions of these contents in the aforementioned methods or other embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0183] According to the above method, Figure 12 A schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 12 As shown, the communication device 1401 may include a communication interface 1403 and a processor 1402, and optionally, a memory 1404. The communication interface 1403 may use any transceiver-like device for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, radio access network (RAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), wired access network, etc. The communication interface 1403 is used to input and / or output information; the processor 1402 is used to execute computer programs or instructions to enable the communication device 1401 to implement the above Figures 1 to 10 The method of the control plane service gateway network element side in the related solution, or the communication device 1401 implements the above Figures 1 to 10 In the embodiment of the present application, the communication interface 1403 can implement the above Figure 11 The solution implemented by the transceiver 1303, the processor 1402 can implement the above Figure 11 The solution implemented by the processor 1302 will not be described in detail here.

[0184] Based on the above embodiments and the same concept, Figure 131501 is a possible exemplary block diagram of a communication device involved in this application. The communication device 1501 may exist in the form of software or hardware. The communication device 1501 may include: a processing unit 1502 and a communication unit 1503. As an implementation, the communication unit 1503 may include a receiving unit and a sending unit. The processing unit 1502 is used to control and manage the operations of the communication device 1501. The communication unit 1503 is used to support communication between the communication device 1501 and other network entities. The communication device 1501 may also include a storage unit 1504 for storing program code and data of the communication device 1501.

[0185] Among them, the processing unit 1502 can be a processor or controller, for example, it can be a CPU, a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules and circuits described in conjunction with the contents disclosed in this application. The processor can also be a combination that implements computing functions, for example, including a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and so on. The storage unit 1504 can be a memory. The communication unit 1503 is an interface circuit of the device, which is used to receive signals from other devices. For example, when the device is implemented in the form of a chip, the communication unit 1503 is an interface circuit of the chip for receiving signals from other chips or devices, or, it is an interface circuit of the chip for sending signals to other chips or devices.

[0186] The communication device 1501 may be the mobility management network element in any of the above-mentioned embodiments, or may be a chip for a mobility management network element. For example, when the communication device 1501 is a mobility management network element, the processing unit 1502 may be, for example, a processor, and the communication unit 1503 may be, for example, a transceiver. Optionally, the transceiver may include a radio frequency circuit, and the storage unit may be, for example, a memory. For example, when the communication device 1501 is a chip for a mobility management network element, the processing unit 1502 may be, for example, a processor, and the communication unit 1503 may be, for example, an input / output interface, a pin, or a circuit. The processing unit 1502 may execute computer-executable instructions stored in a storage unit. Optionally, the storage unit may be a storage unit within the chip, such as a register or cache. The storage unit may also be a storage unit within the mobility management network element located outside the chip, such as a ROM or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, or a RAM.

[0187] In one embodiment, the communication device 1501 is a mobility management network element, and the communication interface 1503 includes a transceiver unit. The transceiver unit is configured to receive a service request sent by a terminal device and send a first bearer modification request to the destination control plane service gateway network element, wherein the service request carries indication information indicating the current location of the terminal device; the first bearer modification request is used to modify the bearer of the terminal device from the source control plane service gateway network element to the destination control plane service gateway network element; the processing unit 1502 is configured to determine, based on the current location of the terminal device, whether the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading; and select a destination control plane service gateway network element that supports local offloading of the data flow.

[0188] The communication device 1501 may be the control plane serving gateway network element in any of the above-described embodiments, or may be a chip for a control plane serving gateway network element. For example, when the communication device 1501 is a control plane serving gateway network element, the processing unit 1502 may be, for example, a processor, and the communication unit 1503 may be, for example, a transceiver. Optionally, the transceiver may include a radio frequency circuit, and the storage unit may be, for example, a memory. For example, when the communication device 1501 is a chip for a control plane serving gateway network element, the processing unit 1502 may be, for example, a processor, and the communication unit 1503 may be, for example, an input / output interface, a pin, or a circuit. The processing unit 1502 may execute computer-executable instructions stored in a storage unit. Optionally, the storage unit may be a storage unit within the chip, such as a register or cache. The storage unit may also be a storage unit located outside the chip within the mobility management network element, such as a ROM or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, or a RAM.

[0189] In one embodiment, the communication device 1501 is a control plane service gateway network element, and the communication interface 1503 includes a transceiver unit. The transceiver unit is configured to receive a second modify bearer request sent by a mobility management network element and send a create bearer request to a destination user plane service gateway network element; the second modify bearer request is sent by the mobility management network element after receiving a service request sent by a terminal device; the create bearer request is used to modify the bearer of the terminal device from the source user plane service gateway network element to the destination user plane service gateway network element; the processing unit 1502 is configured to determine whether the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading; and select the destination user plane service gateway network element that supports local offloading of the data flow.

[0190] For the concepts, explanations, detailed descriptions and other steps involved in the communication device and related to the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application, please refer to the descriptions of these contents in the aforementioned methods or other embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0191] It can be understood that the functions of the various units in the above-mentioned communication device 1501 can be implemented with reference to the corresponding method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0192] It should be understood that the division of the units of the above communication equipment is only a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into one physical entity, or they can be physically separated. In the embodiment of the present application, the transceiver unit 1503 can be composed of the above Figure 11 The transceiver 1303 is implemented, and the processing unit 1502 can be implemented by the above Figure 11 The processor 1302 is implemented.

[0193] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the present application also provides a computer program product, which includes: a computer program code, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute Figures 1 to 10 A method according to any one of the embodiments shown.

[0194] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a program code, and when the program code is run on a computer, the computer executes Figures 1 to 10 A method according to any one of the embodiments shown.

[0195] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the present application also provides a system, which includes the aforementioned one or more control plane service gateway network elements and one or more mobility management network elements.

[0196] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a high-density digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disc (SSD)).

[0197] The mobility management network element in each of the above-mentioned device embodiments corresponds to the mobility management network element or control plane serving gateway network element in the method embodiments, and the corresponding modules or units perform the corresponding steps. For example, the communication unit (transceiver) performs the receiving or sending steps in the method embodiments, and other steps except sending and receiving can be performed by the processing unit (processor). The functions of the specific units can be referred to in the corresponding method embodiments. Among them, there can be one or more processors.

[0198] As used in this specification, the terms "component," "module," "system," and the like are used to refer to computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable file, an execution thread, a program, and / or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a computing device and a computing device can be a component. One or more components can reside in a process and / or an execution thread, and a component can be located on one computer and / or distributed between two or more computers. In addition, these components can be executed from various computer-readable media having various data structures stored thereon. Components can communicate, for example, via local and / or remote processes based on signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from two components interacting with another component across a local system, a distributed system, and / or a network, such as the Internet interacting with other systems via signals).

[0199] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented using electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professionals and technicians may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0200] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0201] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0202] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0203] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0204] If the functions 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 application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0205] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method based on local offloading, characterized in that: include: The mobility management network element receives a service request sent by a terminal device, where the service request carries indication information for indicating a current location of the terminal device; The mobility management network element determines, according to the current location of the terminal device, that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading; The mobility management network element selects a destination control plane serving gateway network element that supports local offloading of data flows; The mobility management network element sends a first bearer modification request to the destination control plane serving gateway network element, where the first bearer modification request is used to modify the bearer of the terminal device from the source control plane serving gateway network element to the destination control plane serving gateway network element.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein After the mobility management network element determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading and before selecting the destination control plane serving gateway network element, the method further includes: The mobility management network element determines that the source control plane serving gateway network element does not support local splitting of data flows.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The first bearer modification request further includes: first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading; The first indication information is used to enable the destination control plane serving gateway network element to select a destination user plane serving gateway network element that supports local offloading of data flows for the terminal device.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The mobility management network element determines, according to the current location of the terminal device, that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading, including: The mobility management network element obtains area information of the terminal device, where the area information includes one or more area identification information; for an area identified by one area identification information in the area information, the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading of the data flow in the area; If the mobility management network element determines that the current location of the terminal device belongs to the area, it determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The mobility management network element obtains the area information of the terminal device, including: The mobility management network element obtains the area information of the terminal device through the subscription information of the terminal device; or; The mobility management network element obtains the area information of the terminal device through policy control and charging rules.

6. A communication method based on local offloading, characterized in that: include: The control plane serving gateway network element receives a second bearer modification request sent by the mobility management network element, where the second bearer modification request is sent by the mobility management network element after receiving the service request sent by the terminal device; The control plane serving gateway network element determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading; The control plane serving gateway network element selects a destination user plane serving gateway network element that supports local offloading of data flows; The control plane serving gateway network element sends a create bearer request to the destination user plane serving gateway network element, where the create bearer request is used to modify the bearer of the terminal device from the source user plane serving gateway network element to the destination user plane serving gateway network element.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein After the control plane serving gateway network element determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading, and before selecting the destination user plane serving gateway network element, the method further includes: The control plane serving gateway network element determines that the source user plane serving gateway network element does not support local splitting of data flows.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: The second bearer modification request further includes: first indication information; The first indication information is used to indicate that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading; The control plane serving gateway network element determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading, including: The control plane serving gateway network element determines, based on the first indication information, that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading.

9. The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: The second bearer modification request carries indication information for indicating the current location of the terminal device; The control plane serving gateway network element determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading, including: The control plane serving gateway network element obtains the area information of the terminal device, where the area information includes one or more area identification information; for an area identified by one area identification information in the area information, the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading of the data flow in the area; If the control plane service gateway network element determines that the current location of the terminal device belongs to the area, it determines that the data flow of the terminal device supports local diversion.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein The control plane serving gateway network element obtains the area information of the terminal device, including: The control plane serving gateway network element receives a create session request sent by the mobility management network element, where the create session request includes the area information of the terminal device; the area information is obtained by the mobility management network element from the subscription information of the terminal device.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein The control plane serving gateway network element obtains the area information of the terminal device, including: The control plane serving gateway network element receives a create session response sent by a packet data network gateway network element, where the create session response includes the area information of the terminal device; the area information is obtained by the packet data network gateway network element from the policy control and charging rules of the terminal device.

12. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A transceiver, configured to receive a service request sent by a terminal device, and send a first bearer modification request to a destination control plane serving gateway network element, wherein the service request carries indication information for indicating a current location of the terminal device; The first bearer modification request is used to modify the bearer of the terminal device from the source control plane serving gateway network element to the destination control plane serving gateway network element; a processor, configured to determine, based on a current location of the terminal device, that a data stream of the terminal device supports local offloading; Select the destination control plane service gateway network element that supports local data flow diversion.

13. The communication device according to claim 12, wherein: The processor is configured to determine that the source control plane serving gateway network element does not support local splitting of data flows.

14. The communication device according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The first bearer modification request further includes: first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading; The first indication information is used to enable the destination control plane serving gateway network element to select a destination user plane serving gateway network element that supports local offloading of data flows for the terminal device.

15. The communication device according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The processor is specifically configured to: Acquire regional information of the terminal device, the regional information including one or more regional identification information; for a region identified by one of the regional identification information in the regional information, the data stream of the terminal device supports local splitting of the data stream in the region; If the current location of the terminal device is within the area, it is determined that the data flow of the terminal device supports local splitting.

16. The communication device according to claim 15, wherein The processor is specifically configured to: Obtaining the region information of the terminal device through the contract information of the terminal device; or; The area information of the terminal device is obtained through policy control and charging rules.

17. A communication device, characterized in that: include: The transceiver is configured to receive a second bearer modification request sent by the mobility management network element, and send a bearer creation request to the destination user plane serving gateway network element; The second bearer modification request is sent by the mobility management network element after receiving the service request sent by the terminal device; The create bearer request is used to modify the bearer of the terminal device from the source user plane serving gateway network element to the destination user plane serving gateway network element; A processor, configured to determine that the data stream of the terminal device supports local offloading; The destination user plane serving gateway network element that supports local offloading of data flows is selected.

18. The communication device according to claim 17, wherein: The processor is further configured to: It is determined that the source user plane serving gateway network element does not support local splitting of the data flow.

19. The communication device according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The second bearer modification request further includes: first indication information; The first indication information is used to indicate that the data flow of the terminal device supports local offloading; The processor is specifically configured to: According to the first indication information, it is determined that the data stream of the terminal device supports local diversion.

20. The communication device according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The second bearer modification request carries indication information for indicating the current location of the terminal device; The processor is specifically configured to: Acquire regional information of the terminal device, the regional information including one or more regional identification information; for a region identified by one of the regional identification information in the regional information, the data stream of the terminal device supports local splitting of the data stream in the region; If it is determined that the current location of the terminal device belongs to the area, it is determined that the data flow of the terminal device supports local splitting.

21. The communication device according to claim 20, wherein: The transceiver is specifically used for: Receive a session creation request sent by the mobility management network element, where the session creation request includes area information of the terminal device; the area information is obtained by the mobility management network element from subscription information of the terminal device.

22. The communication device according to claim 21, wherein The transceiver is specifically used for: Receive a create session response sent by a packet data network gateway network element, where the create session response includes area information of the terminal device; the area information is obtained by the packet data network gateway network element from a policy control and charging rule of the terminal device.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor and a communication interface, The communication interface is used to input and / or output information; The processor is configured to execute a computer program or instruction so that the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 is performed.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, which, when called by a computer, enable the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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