A communication method and device

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus are used to solve the problem of wasted signaling overhead caused by the removal and establishment of exclusive tunnels for terminal devices in the prior art. The access network device notifies at least one terminal device in a network slice that it needs to enter the first state from the connected state, and migrates at least one terminal device from the connected state to the first state; the first state is a state in which the inactive state is modified, and the modification is to replace the user-plane exclusive tunnel for the PDU session between the core network and the access network of the terminal device with a public tunnel for the network slice between the core network and the access network; the network slice is the network slice corresponding to the PDU session of the terminal device. By migrating the terminal device to the first state with a public tunnel for the network slice between the core network and the access network, the terminal device does not need to remove and establish an exclusive tunnel when moving, thereby reducing the signaling overhead caused by the removal and establishment of the tunnel caused by the movement of the terminal device in the first state.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In existing protocols, when a terminal device establishes a protocol data unit (PDU) session, a specific tunnel for the terminal device is established between the access network device and the core network user plane function (CN-UPF) to transmit data packets for the terminal device.

[0003] With the development of the fifth generation (5G) mobile communication technology, the data transmission rate will be greatly improved, and the number of connected terminal devices will also explode. Then, the access of a large number of terminal devices will correspond to a large number of exclusive tunnel connections. When the terminal device moves and causes the access network device to change, the original exclusive tunnel needs to be dismantled and a new exclusive tunnel needs to be established to serve the terminal device, which will result in a waste of signaling overhead. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus to solve the problem of waste of signaling overhead caused by the removal and establishment of an exclusive tunnel for a terminal device in the prior art.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which may include: an access network device notifies at least one terminal device in a network slice that it needs to enter a first state from a connected state, and migrates the at least one terminal device from the connected state to the first state; wherein the first state is a state in which the inactive state is modified, and the modification is to replace the user-plane exclusive tunnel for the PDU session between the core network and the access network of the terminal device with a public tunnel for the network slice between the core network and the access network; the network slice is the network slice corresponding to the PDU session of the terminal device. By migrating the terminal device to the first state with a public tunnel for the network slice between the core network and the access network, the terminal device does not need to dismantle and establish an exclusive tunnel when moving as in the prior art, thereby reducing the signaling overhead caused by the dismantling and establishment of the tunnel caused by the movement of the terminal device in the first state.

[0006] In one possible design, the access network device receives first information from an access and mobility management function (AMF), and the first information is used to instruct the access network device to migrate the at least one terminal device to the first state. In this way, when the AMF decides to migrate at least one terminal device to the first state, the access network device can be informed that at least one terminal device needs to be migrated to the first state, and then perform subsequent state migration.

[0007] In one possible design, when the at least one terminal device is all the terminal devices in the network slice that access the access network device, the first information includes an identifier of the network slice. In this way, the access network device can find the corresponding network slice according to the identifier of the network slice, and then identify all the terminal devices in the network slice to achieve state migration.

[0008] In one possible design, the access network device sends a second message to the AMF, where the second message is used to confirm the request of the AMF to migrate the at least one terminal device to the first state. In this way, the AMF can learn that the access network device is aware of the need to migrate the at least one terminal device to the first state.

[0009] In one possible design, the need for at least one terminal device to enter the first state from the connected state may be determined by the access network device through the AMF. In this way, the AMF can decide which terminal devices to migrate their states so as to subsequently instruct the access network device.

[0010] In one possible design, the access network device receives overload indication information from the AMF, where the overload indication information is used to indicate that the core network resources of the network slice are overloaded; the access network device determines to migrate the at least one terminal device from the connected state to the first state. In this way, the access network device can decide which terminal devices to migrate to the first state according to the resource overload situation, thereby alleviating the core network resource overload situation.

[0011] In one possible design, the access network device sends a third message to the AMF, and the third message is used to indicate that the at least one terminal device will enter the first state from the connected state. This allows the core network side to subsequently incorporate the at least one terminal device into the public tunnel of the corresponding network slice.

[0012] In one possible design, when the at least one terminal device is one terminal device, the third information is also used to indicate to suspend the dedicated tunnel of the one terminal device. In this way, when the public tunnel corresponding to the network slice cannot be used, the data transmission of the terminal device can be carried out according to the original dedicated tunnel, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the terminal device's business.

[0013] In one possible design, when the at least one terminal device is all terminal devices accessing the network device in the network slice, the third information includes an identifier of the network slice. This enables the AMF to find the corresponding network slice according to the identifier of the network slice, and then identify all terminal devices in the network slice, so that the core network can merge all terminal devices into the public tunnel of the corresponding network slice.

[0014] In one possible design, the access network device receives confirmation information from the AMF for confirming the third information. In this way, the access network device can know that the core network side has completed the integration of the terminal device into the public tunnel of the corresponding network slice, and then perform the state migration operation.

[0015] In a second aspect, the present application further provides a communication device, which may be an access network device, and the communication device has the function of implementing the access network device in the first aspect or each possible design example of the first aspect. The function may be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0016] In one possible design, the structure of the communication device includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit, which can perform the corresponding functions of the access network device in the above-mentioned first aspect or each possible design example of the first aspect. Please refer to the detailed description in the method example for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0017] In one possible design, the structure of the communication device includes a transceiver and a processor, and optionally a memory, the transceiver is used to send and receive data, and to communicate and interact with other devices in the communication system, and the processor is configured to support the communication device to perform the corresponding functions of the access network device in the first aspect or each possible design example of the first aspect. The memory is coupled to the processor and stores the necessary program instructions and data for the communication device.

[0018] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which may include the terminal device, access network device, AMF, etc. mentioned above.

[0019] In a fourth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium provided by an embodiment of the present application stores program instructions, and when the program instructions are run on a computer, the computer executes the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application and any possible design thereof. Exemplarily, the computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. Taking this as an example but not limited to: a computer-readable medium may include a non-transient computer-readable medium, a random access memory (random-access memory, RAM), a read-only memory (read-only memory, ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (electrically EPROM, EEPROM), a CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, a disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store a desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer.

[0020] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product including computer program code or instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to implement the method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0021] In a sixth aspect, the present application also provides a chip, which is coupled to a memory and is used to read and execute program instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods.

[0022] For each of the above-mentioned aspects from the second to the sixth aspects and the technical effects that may be achieved by each of the aspects, please refer to the above-mentioned description of the technical effects that can be achieved by the various possible schemes in the first aspect, and no further details will be given here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a network slicing service architecture provided for this application;

[0024] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the difference between a first state provided by the present application and an existing RRC_INACTIVE state;

[0025] Figure 3 A flow chart of a communication method provided for this application;

[0026] Figure 4 A flowchart of an example of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0027] Figure 5 A flowchart of another example of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0028] Figure 6 A flowchart of another example of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0029] Figure 7 A flowchart of another example of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0030] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided by the present application;

[0031] Fig. 9 A structural diagram of a communication device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and device to solve the problem of large signaling overhead caused by the removal and establishment of a dedicated tunnel of a terminal device in the prior art. The method and device described in the present application are based on the same technical concept. Since the principles of solving the problem by the method and device are similar, the implementation of the device and the method can refer to each other, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0034] In the description of this application, words such as "first" and "second" are only used for the purpose of distinguishing the description and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or order.

[0035] In the description of the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and more means two or more.

[0036] In order to more clearly describe the technical solution of the embodiments of the present application, the communication method and device provided in the embodiments of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0037] Figure 1 A possible network slicing service architecture applicable to the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown. The network slicing service architecture is a network slicing service architecture in a network slicing service scenario under a communication system. The network service slicing service architecture includes terminal equipment, access network equipment, core network elements and data networks.

[0038] The network slicing service architecture includes multiple network slices, such as Figure 1The network slices shown are network slice 1, network slice 2 and network slice 3. Specifically, a network slice consists of a set of logical network functions that support specific communication services. End-to-end network slicing can provide customized network services for terminal devices. Specifically, through flexible allocation of network resources and on-demand networking, multiple logical subnets with different characteristics and isolated from each other are virtualized on the same set of physical facilities to provide targeted services for terminal devices, that is, different network slices are provided for different types of communication services. For example, eMBB network slices are virtualized for eMBB communication services, mMTC network slices are virtualized for mMTC services, and URLLC network slices are virtualized for URLLC services such as autonomous driving and industrial control. Of course, there are many other network slices, which are not listed here one by one.

[0039] Specifically, the terminal devices subscribing to the same network slice service have certain similarities in terms of quality of service (QoS) requirements. A public tunnel based on network slices can be established to provide unified data transmission services for terminal devices within the same network slice, thereby reducing the frequent establishment and removal of tunnels after the terminal devices move. It should be noted that one terminal device can correspond to the public tunnels of multiple network slices.

[0040] Among them, the PDU session of the terminal device can correspond to the network slice, for example, Figure 1 In the example, PDU session 1 corresponds to network slice 1, PDU session 2 corresponds to network slice 2, and PDU session 3 corresponds to network slice 3.

[0041] Specifically, the terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device. The terminal device in the embodiment of the present application may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, etc. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the application scenario. In the present application, the terminal device with wireless transceiver function and the chip that can be set in the aforementioned terminal device are collectively referred to as terminal device.

[0042] The access network (RAN) device may also be referred to as a base station. The access network device may include but is not limited to: gNB, radio network controller (RNC), node B (NodeB, NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (for example, home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (transmission and reception point, TRP or transmission point, TP), etc. It may also be a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU), or a distributed unit (DU), etc.

[0043] The data network (DN) may be the Internet, an IP Multimedia Service (IMS) network, a regional network (i.e., a local network, such as a mobile edge computing (MEC) network), etc. The data network includes an application server, and the application server provides business services to the terminal device by performing data transmission with the terminal device.

[0044] The core network is used to connect the terminal device to a DN that can implement the service of the terminal device. The core network network elements may include: access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, session management function (SMF) network element, policy control function (PCF) network element, user plane function (UPF) network element, network storage function (NRF) network element and network slice selection (NSSF) network element, etc. Among them:

[0045] The AMF network element can be used to be responsible for terminal device registration, mobility management, tracking area update process, etc.

[0046] The SMF network element can be used to be responsible for the session management of the terminal device (including session establishment, modification and release), the selection and reselection of the UPF network element, the IP address allocation of the terminal device, quality of service (QoS) control, etc.

[0047] The PCF network element may be used to be responsible for policy control decision-making, and provide functions such as service data flow and application detection, gating, QoS, and flow-based charging control.

[0048] The NRF network element can be used to provide network element discovery function, and provide network element information corresponding to the network element type based on the request of other network elements. The NRF network element also provides network element management services, such as network element registration, update, deregistration, network element status subscription and push, etc.

[0049] The NSSF network element may be used to select a network slice that provides services for a terminal device.

[0050] It should be noted that the names of the above network elements or devices are merely examples, and there may be other names in future communication systems, which are not limited in this application.

[0051] It should be noted that Figure 1 The network slicing service architecture shown can be but is not limited to the fifth generation (5th Generation, 5G) system, such as the new generation of wireless access technology (new radio access technology, NR). Optionally, the method of the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to various future communication systems, such as 6G systems or other communication networks.

[0052] Currently, there are three states of radio resource control (RRC) in 5G NR: IDLE, INACTIVE, and CONNECTED. The characteristics of each state are as follows:

[0053] RRC_IDLE has the following characteristics: public land mobile network (PLMN) selection, system information broadcast, cell reselection, called party paging initiated by the 5G core (C) network, and discontinuous reception (DRX) configured by the non-access stratum (NAS) for core network (CN) paging.

[0054] RRC_INACTIVE has the following characteristics: PLMN selection, system information broadcast, cell reselection, called party paging is initiated by NG-RAN (access network paging (RAN paging)), RAN-based notification area is managed by NG-RAN (among which, paging area under IDLE is managed by 5GC), NG-RAN configures DRX for RAN paging, maintains 5GC-NG-RAN connection (user plane and control plane), UE's AS context is stored in NG-RAN and UE, and NG-RAN knows the RAN notification area (RAN-based notification area, RNA) where the UE is located.

[0055] RRC_CONNECTED has the following characteristics: establishing the UE's 5GC-NG-RAN connection (user plane and control plane), the UE's AS context is saved in the NG-RAN and the UE, the NG-RAN knows the cell where the UE is located, unicast data can be transmitted to / from the UE, and the network controls the UE's mobility including measurement (among which, mobility in IDLE and INACTIVE is controlled by the UE (through cell reselection)).

[0056] Among them, RRC_INACTIVE is a new state introduced by 5G. In this state, the RRC and NAS contexts are still partially retained in the terminal device, access network device and core network, that is, the terminal device still remains in the CM-CONNECTED state and can move within the RNA without notifying the NG-RAN. When the terminal device is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the access network device that retains the context of the terminal device is called the anchor access network device, and the anchor access network device still retains the NG connection of the AMF and UPF associated with the terminal device. From the core network's point of view, the terminal device is the same as the terminal device in the RRC_CONNECTED state; from the terminal device's point of view, the terminal device state is almost the same as RRC_IDLE. The RRC_INACTIVE state in NR can be converted between the CONNECTED state and the IDLE state.

[0057] In the existing protocol, for RRC_INACTIVE state terminal devices, an exclusive tunnel for the terminal device is still reserved between the access network device and the core network. When the terminal device is ready to migrate to the connected state or perform RNA update, if the access network device accessed by the terminal device changes, the exclusive tunnel for the terminal device between the anchor access network device and the core network is removed, and an exclusive tunnel for the terminal device between the new access access network device and the core network is established. In view of the problem of frequent tunnel removal and establishment overhead caused by retaining an exclusive tunnel between the access network device and the core network for RRC_INACTIVE state terminal devices in the existing protocol, this application reduces the tunnel overhead by defining a new RRC state for terminal devices.

[0058] In the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, a new RRC state of a terminal device is defined, which is described in the present application as the first state. It should be understood that the first state is only an example of a name, and it can also be named otherwise, which is not limited in the present application. Specifically, the first state is a state in which the existing inactive state (RRC_INACTIVE) is modified, and the modification is to replace the user-plane dedicated tunnel for the PDU session between the core network and the access network of the terminal device with a public tunnel for the network slice between the core network and the access network. It can also be said that the first state is defined on the basis of the existing RRC_INACTIVE state. Based on this, exemplarily, the first state can be embodied as RRC_INACTIVE + , of course, this is just an example.

[0059] Specifically, the first state may include the following features: PLMN selection, system information broadcast, cell reselection, called party paging initiated by NG-RAN (RAN paging), RAN-based notification area managed by NG-RAN, NG-RAN configured DRX for RAN paging, maintaining the slice-level public connection (user plane and control plane) of 5GC-NG-RAN, the AS context of UE is stored in NG-RAN and UE, and NG-RAN knows the RNA where the UE is located. Specifically, the main difference between the first state and the existing RRC_INACTIVE state is that a public tunnel is established between NG-RAN and CN for each network slice, and services are uniformly provided to terminal devices that subscribe to the same network slice service (that is, the network slice-level public tunnel replaces the original terminal device's exclusive tunnel). In addition, similar to the RRC_INACTIVE state, for the first state (RRC_INACTIVE+ state), the terminal device, access network device and core network will retain the terminal device context, and the original terminal device exclusive tunnel information is replaced by the public tunnel information of the network slice to which the terminal device belongs. Exemplary, Figure 2 The main differences between the first state and the existing RRC_INACTIVE state (inactive state) are shown.

[0060] Exemplarily, the relevant details of the first state may be introduced as follows:

[0061] (1) Tunnel removal and establishment: When the UE migrates from RRC_CONNECTED to the first state (RRC_INACTIVE+ state), the UE-specific tunnel (UE_specific tunnel) is removed, and the existing slice-level tunnel (slice_specific tunnel), that is, the public tunnel of the network slice, is called according to the network slice service identifier subscribed by the UE (single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI)); when the UE migrates from RRC_INACTIVE+ to RRC_CONNECTED state, it leaves the slice_specific tunnel and creates a new UE_specifictunnel.

[0062] (2) Impact of UE mobility (cell reselection, RNA update): After the UE changes the access network device, the new access device obtains the UE context from the anchor access network device and notifies the AMF of the UE location change.

[0063] (3) Uplink data transmission: After the UE uplink data reaches the access network device, the access network device puts the uplink data into the corresponding slice public tunnel for transmission according to the UE identifier.

[0064] (4) Downlink data transmission: The core network downlink data carries the UE identity. After receiving the downlink data, the access network device initiates RAN paging based on the UE identity.

[0065] In the present application, for the first state, a public tunnel based on network slicing is introduced between the access network and the core network to replace the original UE-specific tunnel. In this state, the signaling overhead caused by the demolition and new construction of the dedicated tunnel caused by UE movement can be reduced.

[0066] Based on the above description, the present application embodiment provides a communication method suitable for Figure 1 The network slicing service architecture shown in Figure 3 As shown, the specific process of the method may include:

[0067] Step 301: The access network device notifies at least one terminal device in a network slice that it needs to enter the first state from the connected state.

[0068] Among them, the first state is a state in which the inactive state is modified, and the modification is to replace the user plane exclusive tunnel for the PDU session between the core network and the access network of the terminal device with a public tunnel for the network slice between the core network and the access network; the network slice is the network slice corresponding to the PDU session of the terminal device. Specifically, the relevant description of the first state can refer to the aforementioned description of the first state, which will not be described in detail here.

[0069] Step 302: The access network device migrates the at least one terminal device from the connected state to the first state.

[0070] In an optional implementation manner, determining that at least one terminal device needs to enter the first state from the connected state may include the following two situations:

[0071] The first case: AMF determines that at least one terminal device in the network slice is migrated from a connected state to a first state. Specifically, the AMF may determine that the at least one terminal device needs to be migrated from a connected state to the first state based on the core network resource occupancy status of the network slice or the terminal device resource load (such as data interaction frequency, etc.). In an exemplary embodiment, the AMF may decide to migrate one or all terminal devices in the network slice from a connected state to a first state.

[0072] The second situation: the access network device determines that at least one terminal device in the network slice is migrated from a connected state to a first state. Specifically, the access network device receives overload indication information from the AMF, and the overload indication information is used to indicate that the core network resources of the network slice are overloaded; then the access network device determines to migrate the at least one terminal device from a connected state to the first state. Exemplarily, the overload indication information can be an indication of starting an overload (overloadstart), or other indications, which are not limited in this application.

[0073] Furthermore, in the first case mentioned above, after the AMF makes a decision, the AMF sends first information to the access network device, and the first information is used to instruct the access network device to migrate the at least one terminal device to the first state.

[0074] After the access network device migrates the at least one terminal device from the connected state to the first state, the access network device sends second information to the AMF, where the second information is used to confirm the AMF's request to migrate the at least one terminal device to the first state.

[0075] In an optional implementation, when the AMF decides to migrate a terminal device in the network slice from a connected state to a first state, the AMF may send the first information to the access network device via a terminal device context modification request (UE CONTEXTMODIFICATION REQUEST).

[0076] Correspondingly, the access network device can send the second information to the AMF via a terminal device context modification response (UE CONTEXTMODIFICATION RESPONSE).

[0077] In another optional implementation, when the AMF decides to migrate all terminal devices in the network slice that are connected to the access network device from a connected state to a first state, the AMF may send the first information to the access network device via an AMF configuration update message (AMF CONFIGURATION UPDATE), wherein the first information includes an identifier of the network slice.

[0078] Correspondingly, the access network device can send the second information to the AMF via an AMF configuration update response (AMF CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE).

[0079] In a possible implementation, when the AMF decides to migrate all terminal devices in the network slice from a connected state to a first state, the first information sent by the AMF instructs the access network device to migrate a terminal device (e.g., a first terminal device) to the first state; the first information may also include an identifier of the network slice, indicating that all terminal devices of the network slice will enter the first state, and at this time, all terminal devices of the network slice include the first terminal device.

[0080] In a specific implementation, in the second case above, after the access network device makes a decision, the access network device sends third information to the AMF, and the third information is used to indicate that the at least one terminal device will enter the first state from the connected state.

[0081] Afterwards, the AMF sends fourth information to the SMF, and the fourth information is used to notify the at least one terminal device that it will enter the first state from the connected state; the SMF sends fifth information to the UPF, and the fifth information is used to notify the at least one terminal device that it will enter the first state from the connected state; the UPF sends sixth information to the SMF, and the sixth information is used to confirm the fifth information sent by the SMF. Then, the SMF sends seventh information to the AMF, and the seventh information is used to indicate that the at least one terminal device has been incorporated into the public tunnel of the network slice. Finally, the AMF sends confirmation information to the access network device to confirm the third information. It should be noted that when the at least one terminal device is one terminal device, the fourth information and the fifth information contain the identifier of the one terminal device; when the at least one terminal device is all terminal devices in the network slice that access the access network device, the fourth information and the fifth information contain the identifier of the network slice.

[0082] In one example, when the access network device decides to migrate a terminal device in the network slice from a connected state to a first state, the access network device may send the third information to the AMF via a PDU session resource modification indication (PDU SESSIONRESOURCE MODIFY INDICATION).

[0083] Afterwards, the AMF may send the fourth information to the SMF by calling the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Request service, wherein the fourth information includes the identifier of the terminal device; the SMF may send the fifth information to the UPF through the N4 Session Modification Request or the newly added N4 message, wherein the fifth information includes the identifier of the terminal device, and here, the fifth information also indicates that the UPF needs to release the exclusive tunnel information of the original terminal device of N3 and merge the terminal device into the public tunnel of the corresponding network slice; the UPF sends the sixth information to the SMF through the N4 Session Modification Response or the newly added N4 message; the SMF may call the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Response service to send the seventh information to the AMF. Finally, the AMF may send the confirmation information to the access network device through the PDU SESSION RESOURCE MODIFY CONFIRM.

[0084] In another example, when the access network device decides to migrate a terminal device in the network slice from the connected state to the first state, the access network device may send the third information to the AMF through an N2 suspend request (N2 Suspend Request), and at this time, the third information also indicates to suspend the dedicated tunnel of the terminal device. In this way, when the public tunnel of the network slice corresponding to the terminal device is unavailable, the dedicated tunnel can still be used for data transmission.

[0085] Afterwards, the AMF can also send the fourth information to the SMF by calling the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Request service, wherein the fourth information includes the identifier of the terminal device; the SMF can send the fifth information to the UPF through the N4Session Modification Request or the newly added N4 message, wherein the fifth information includes the identifier of the terminal device, and here, the fifth information also indicates that the UPF needs to suspend the exclusive tunnel of the original terminal device of N3 and merge the terminal device into the public tunnel of the corresponding network slice; the UPF sends the sixth information to the SMF through the N4Session Modification Response or the newly added N4 message; the SMF can call the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Response service to send the seventh information to the AMF. Finally, the AMF can send the confirmation information to the access network device through the N2 Suspend Response.

[0086] In another example, when the access network device decides to migrate all terminal devices connected to the network device in the network slice from the connected state to the first state, the access network device may send the third information to the AMF through the newly added information slice-level PDU session resource release indication (SLICE BASED PDU SESSION RESOURCE RELEASE INDICATION) or the existing access network configuration update message (RAN CONFIGURATION UPDATE), and the third information includes the identifier of the network slice.

[0087] Afterwards, the AMF may send the fourth information to the SMF by calling the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Request service, wherein the fourth information includes the identifier of the network slice; the SMF may send the fifth information to the UPF through the newly added N4 message, wherein the fifth information includes the identifier of the network slice, and here, the fifth information also instructs the UPF to release the exclusive tunnels of all N3 terminal devices in the network slice and merge all terminal devices into the public tunnel of the corresponding network slice. The UPF sends the sixth information to the SMF through the newly added N4 message; the SMF may call the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContextResponse service to send the seventh information to the AMF. Finally, the AMF may send the confirmation information to the access network device through the newly added information Slice-level PDU Session Resource Release Confirmation (SLICE BASED PDU SESSION RESOURCE RELEASE CONFIRM) or the existing access network configuration update response (RAN CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE).

[0088] In a specific implementation, in the first case above, after the AMF makes a decision, before the AMF sends the first information to the access network device, the AMF sends the eighth information to the SMF, and the eighth information is used to notify the at least one terminal device to enter the first state from the connected state; the SMF sends the ninth information to the UPF, and the ninth information is used to notify the at least one terminal device to enter the first state from the connected state, and instruct the UPF to release the exclusive tunnel information of at least one terminal device originally in N3, and merge the at least one terminal device into the public tunnel of the corresponding network slice; the UPF sends the tenth information to the SMF, and the tenth information is used to confirm the ninth information sent by the SMF; the SMF sends the eleventh information to the AMF, and the eleventh information is used to indicate that the at least one terminal device has been merged into the public tunnel of the network slice. It should be noted that when the at least one terminal device is one terminal device, the eighth information and the ninth information contain the identifier of the one terminal device; when the at least one terminal device is all terminal devices connected to the access network device in the network slice, the eighth information and the ninth information contain the identifier of the network slice.

[0089] For example, when the at least one terminal device is a terminal device, the AMF can send the eighth information to the SMF by calling the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Request service; the SMF can send the ninth information to the UPF through the N4 session modification request (N4 Session Modification Request) or the newly added N4 message; the UPF can send the tenth information to the SMF through the N4 session modification response (N4 Session Modification Response) or the newly added N4 message; the SMF can call the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Response service to send the eleventh information to the AMF.

[0090] Exemplarily, when the at least one terminal device is all terminal devices accessing the access network device in the network slice, the AMF may send the eighth information to the SMF by calling the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Request service; the SMF may send the ninth information to the UPF through a newly added N4 message. The UPF may send the tenth information to the SMF through a newly added N4 message; the SMF may call the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Response service to send the eleventh information to the AMF.

[0091] It should be noted that in the above description, the message of the carrier that carries the information is only an example. It should be understood that any one of the first to eleventh information can also be sent through one or more other messages, and this application does not limit this.

[0092] By adopting the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, by migrating the terminal device to the first state with a public tunnel for the network slice between the core network and the access network, the terminal device does not need to dismantle and establish a dedicated tunnel when moving as in the prior art, thereby reducing the signaling overhead caused by dismantling and establishing the tunnel due to the movement of the terminal device in the first state.

[0093] Based on the above embodiments, the following is a specific example. Figure 4-Figure 7 The embodiment shown in the figure describes in detail the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application. In the following example, the terminal device is UE, the access network device is gNB, and the first state is RRC_INACTIVE + state as an example to illustrate.

[0094] like Figure 4 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides an example of a communication method, in which the AMF decides that one or all UEs in a network slice will enter the first state from the connected state. Specifically, the process of the example may include:

[0095] Step 401: AMF determines that at least one UE in the network slice is migrated from the connected state to the first state (RRC_INACTIVE + state).

[0096] For example, the AMF decides to migrate a UE or all UEs in the network slice from the connected state to the RRC_INACTIVE state. + state.

[0097] Specifically, the AMF can determine the need to migrate the at least one terminal device from the connected state to the first state based on the core network resource occupancy status of the network slice or the UE resource load (such as data interaction frequency, etc.).

[0098] Step 402: AMF sends eighth information to SMF, where the eighth information is used to notify SMF that at least one UE will enter RRC_INACTIVE from connected state + state.

[0099] Exemplarily, the AMF may send the eighth information to the SMF by calling the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Request service.

[0100] It should be noted that, when the at least one terminal device is one terminal device, the eight information include the identifier of the one terminal device; when the at least one terminal device is all terminal devices connected to the access network device in the network slice, the eight information include the identifier of the network slice.

[0101] Step 403: The SMF sends the ninth information to the UPF, where the ninth information is used to notify the UPF that the at least one UE will enter RRC_INACTIVE from the connected state + state, and instructs UPF to release the exclusive tunnel information of at least one UE originally in N3, and merge the at least one UE into the public tunnel of the corresponding network slice.

[0102] Exemplarily, when the at least one terminal device is a terminal device, the SMF may initiate the N4 session modification process and send the ninth information to the UPF via an N4 Session Modification Request or a newly added N4 message.

[0103] Exemplarily, when the at least one terminal device is all terminal devices that access the access network device in the network slice, the SMF may send the ninth information to the UPF via a newly added N4 message.

[0104] It should be noted that, when the at least one terminal device is one terminal device, the ninth information includes the identifier of the one terminal device; when the at least one terminal device is all terminal devices connected to the access network device in the network slice, the ninth information includes the identifier of the network slice.

[0105] Step 404: The UPF sends the tenth information to the SMF, and the tenth information is used to confirm the ninth information sent by the SMF.

[0106] Exemplarily, when the at least one terminal device is a terminal device, the UPF may send the tenth information to the SMF via an N4Session Modification Response or a newly added N4 message to confirm the request indicated by the ninth information sent by the SMF.

[0107] Exemplarily, when the at least one terminal device is all terminal devices that access the access network device in the network slice, the UPF may send the tenth information to the SMF via a newly added N4 message.

[0108] Step 405: The SMF sends an eleventh message to the AMF, where the eleventh message is used to indicate that the at least one UE has been incorporated into the public tunnel of the network slice.

[0109] Exemplarily, the SMF may call the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Response service to send the eleventh information to the AMF.

[0110] Step 406: The AMF sends first information to the gNB, where the first information is used to instruct the gNB to migrate the at least one UE to the RRC_INACTIVE + state.

[0111] In one example, when the at least one UE is one UE, the AMF may send the first information to the gNB via UE CONTEXTMODIFICATION REQUEST.

[0112] In another example, when the at least one UE is all UEs accessing the gNB within the network slice, the AMF may send the first information to the gNB via AMF CONFIGURATION UPDATE, wherein the first information includes an identifier of the network slice.

[0113] Step 407: The gNB releases the RRC connection of at least one UE and notifies at least one UE to enter RRC_INACTIVE + state.

[0114] Step 408: The gNB migrates the at least one UE from the connected state to the RRC_INACTIVE state + state.

[0115] Step 409: The gNB sends a second message to the AMF, where the second message is used to confirm that the AMF instructs the at least one UE to migrate to the RRC_INACTIVE + state request.

[0116] In one example, when the at least one UE is one UE, the gNB sends a second message to the AMF through UE CONTEXTMODIFICATION RESPONSE to confirm the AMF request.

[0117] As another example, when the at least one UE is all UEs accessing the gNB within the network slice, the gNB may send a second message to the AMF via AMF CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE to confirm the AMF request.

[0118] In the above example, the AMF decides to migrate at least one UE from the connected state to the RRC_INACTIVE state. + In this way, the UE can directly use the public tunnel of the existing network slice without dismantling and establishing a dedicated tunnel when moving, thereby reducing the RRC_INACTIVE + The signaling overhead caused by the removal and establishment of tunnels due to UE mobility in the state.

[0119] like Figure 5 As shown, the embodiment of the present application provides an example of a communication method, in which the AMF provides network slice load reference information, and the gNB decides that a UE will enter the first state from the connected state and remove the dedicated tunnel of the UE. Specifically, the process of this example may include:

[0120] Step 501: The gNB receives overload indication information from the AMF, where the overload indication information is used to indicate that the core network resources of the network slice are overloaded.

[0121] Exemplarily, the overload indication information may be OVERLOAD START.

[0122] Step 502: The gNB determines to migrate a UE in the network slice from the connected state to the RRC_INACTIVE state + state.

[0123] Step 503: The gNB sends a third message to the AMF, where the third message is used to indicate that the UE will enter RRC_INACTIVE from the connected state + state.

[0124] Exemplarily, the gNB sends the third information to the AMF via PDU SESSION RESOURCE MODIFY INDICATION.

[0125] Step 504: The AMF sends a fourth message to the SMF, where the fourth message is used to notify the SMF that the UE will enter RRC_INACTIVE from the connected state + state, and the fourth information includes the identifier of the UE.

[0126] Exemplarily, the AMF may send the fourth information to the SMF by calling the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Request service.

[0127] Step 505: The SMF sends the fifth information to the UPF, where the fifth information is used to notify the UE to enter RRC_INACTIVE from the connected state + The fifth information also indicates that the UPF needs to release the original UE dedicated tunnel information of N3 and merge the UE into the public tunnel of the corresponding network slice. The fifth information includes the identifier of the UE.

[0128] Exemplarily, the SMF may initiate the N4 session modification process, and send the fifth information to the UPF via an N4 Session ModificationRequest or a newly added N4 message.

[0129] Step 506: The UPF sends sixth information to the SMF, where the sixth information is used to confirm the fifth information sent by the SMF.

[0130] Exemplarily, the UPF may send the sixth information to the SMF via an N4 Session Modification Response or a newly added N4 message to confirm the request indicated by the fifth information sent by the SMF.

[0131] Step 507: The SMF sends the seventh information to the AMF, and the seventh information is used to indicate that the UE has been incorporated into the public tunnel of the network slice.

[0132] Exemplarily, the SMF may call the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Response service to send the seventh information to the AMF.

[0133] Step 508: The AMF sends confirmation information to the gNB to confirm the third information.

[0134] Exemplarily, the AMF sends the confirmation information to the gNB through PDU SESSION RESOURCE MODIFY CONFIRM to confirm the request indicated by the third information sent by the gNB.

[0135] Step 509: The gNB releases the RRC connection of the UE and notifies the UE to enter RRC_INACTIVE + state.

[0136] Step 510: The gNB migrates the UE from the connected state to the RRC_INACTIVE state + state.

[0137] In the above example, the gNB decides to migrate a UE in the resource overloaded network slice from connected state to RRC_INACTIVE + state, and dismantle the original exclusive tunnel of the UE, so that the UE does not need to dismantle and establish an exclusive tunnel when moving, and can directly use the public tunnel of the existing network slice, thereby reducing the RRC_INACTIVE + The signaling overhead caused by the removal and establishment of tunnels due to UE mobility in the state.

[0138] like Figure 6 As shown, the embodiment of the present application provides an example of a communication method, in which the AMF provides network slice load reference information, and the gNB decides that a UE will enter the first state from the connected state and suspend the dedicated tunnel of the UE. Specifically, the process of the example may include:

[0139] Step 601: The gNB receives overload indication information from the AMF, where the overload indication information is used to indicate that the core network resources of the network slice are overloaded.

[0140] Exemplarily, the overload indication information may be OVERLOAD START.

[0141] Step 602: The gNB determines to migrate a UE in the network slice from the connected state to the RRC_INACTIVE state + state.

[0142] Step 603: The gNB sends a third message to the AMF, where the third message is used to indicate that the UE will enter RRC_INACTIVE from the connected state + state, and suspend the dedicated tunnel of the UE.

[0143] Exemplarily, the gNB sends third information to the AMF through N2 Suspend Request.

[0144] Step 604: The AMF sends a fourth message to the SMF, where the fourth message is used to notify the SMF that the UE will enter RRC_INACTIVE from the connected state + state, and the fourth information includes the identifier of the UE.

[0145] Exemplarily, the AMF may send the fourth information to the SMF by calling the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Request service.

[0146] Step 605: The SMF sends the fifth information to the UPF, where the fifth information is used to notify the UE to enter RRC_INACTIVE from the connected state + The fifth information includes the identifier of the UE.

[0147] Exemplarily, the SMF may initiate an N4 session modification process, and send the fifth information to the UPF via a newly added N4 message or an N4 SessionModification Request.

[0148] Step 606: The UPF sends sixth information to the SMF, where the sixth information is used to confirm the fifth information sent by the SMF.

[0149] Exemplarily, the UPF may send the sixth information to the SMF via a newly added N4 message or N4 Session ModificationResponse to confirm the request indicated by the fifth information sent by the SMF.

[0150] Step 607: The SMF sends the seventh information to the AMF, and the seventh information is used to indicate that the UE has been incorporated into the public tunnel of the network slice.

[0151] Exemplarily, the SMF may call the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Response service to send the seventh information to the AMF.

[0152] Step 608: The AMF sends confirmation information to the gNB to confirm the third information.

[0153] Exemplarily, the AMF sends the confirmation information to the gNB through N2 Suspend Response to confirm the request indicated by the third information sent by the gNB.

[0154] Step 609: The gNB releases the RRC connection of the UE and notifies the UE to enter RRC_INACTIVE + state.

[0155] Step 610: The gNB migrates the UE from the connected state to the RRC_INACTIVE state + state.

[0156] In the above example, the gNB decides to migrate a UE in the resource overloaded network slice from connected state to RRC_INACTIVE + state, and suspend the UE-specific tunnel, so that the UE does not need to dismantle and establish a dedicated tunnel when moving, and can directly use the public tunnel of the existing network slice, thereby reducing the RRC_INACTIVE + It can reduce the signaling overhead caused by the removal and establishment of tunnels due to UE mobility in the state, and can realize the use of dedicated tunnels for data transmission when the public tunnel is unavailable, thereby ensuring UE services.

[0157] like Figure 7 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides an example of a communication method, in which the AMF provides network slice load reference information, and the gNB decides that all UEs in the network slice will enter the first state from the connected state. Specifically, the process of this example may include:

[0158] Step 701: The gNB receives overload indication information from the AMF, where the overload indication information is used to indicate that the core network resources of a network slice are overloaded.

[0159] Exemplarily, the overload indication information may be OVERLOAD START.

[0160] Step 702: The gNB determines to migrate all UEs in the network slice from the connected state to the RRC_INACTIVE state + state.

[0161] Step 703: The gNB sends a third message to the AMF, where the third message is used to indicate that all UEs will enter RRC_INACTIVE from the connected state + state, and the third information includes an identifier of the network slice.

[0162] Exemplarily, the gNB sends the third information to the AMF through the newly added information SLICE BASED PDU SESSION RESOURCERELEASE INDICATION, or the existing message RAN CONFIGURATION UPDATE.

[0163] Step 704: The AMF sends a fourth message to the SMF, where the fourth message is used to notify the SMF that all UEs will enter RRC_INACTIVE from the connected state + state, and the fourth information includes an identifier of the network slice.

[0164] Exemplarily, the AMF may send the fourth information to the SMF by calling the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Request service.

[0165] Step 705: The SMF sends the fifth information to the UPF, where the fifth information is used to notify all UEs to enter RRC_INACTIVE from the connected state. + The fifth information includes the identifier of the network slice.

[0166] Exemplarily, the SMF may initiate an N4 session modification process and send the fifth information to the UPF via a newly added N4 message.

[0167] Step 706: The UPF sends sixth information to the SMF, where the sixth information is used to confirm the fifth information sent by the SMF.

[0168] Exemplarily, the UPF may send the sixth information to the SMF via a newly added N4 message to confirm the request indicated by the fifth information sent by the SMF.

[0169] Step 707: The SMF sends the seventh information to the AMF, and the seventh information is used to indicate that all UEs in the network slice have been incorporated into the public tunnel of the network slice.

[0170] Exemplarily, the SMF may call the Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Response service to send the seventh information to the AMF.

[0171] Step 708: The AMF sends confirmation information to the gNB to confirm the third information.

[0172] Exemplarily, the AMF sends the confirmation information to the gNB through the newly added information SLICE BASED PDU SESSION RESOURCE RELEASECONFIRM, or the existing information RAN CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE, to confirm the request indicated by the third information sent by the gNB.

[0173] Step 709: The gNB releases the RRC connection of the UE and notifies all UEs to enter RRC_INACTIVE + state.

[0174] Step 710: The gNB migrates all UEs from the connected state to the RRC_INACTIVE state + state.

[0175] In the above example, the gNB decides to migrate all UEs in the network slice in the resource overloaded network slice from connected state to RRC_INACTIVE + In this way, the UE can directly use the public tunnel of the existing network slice without dismantling and establishing a dedicated tunnel when moving, thereby reducing the RRC_INACTIVE + The signaling overhead caused by the removal and establishment of tunnels due to UE mobility in the state.

[0176] It should be noted that the above embodiment describes the relevant process of the terminal device migrating from the connected state to the first state. It should be understood that in a possible situation, when the existing inactive state (RRC_INACTIVE) and the above first state coexist, the terminal device may also need to migrate from the existing inactive state to the first state, and this application does not limit this. Specifically, when the terminal device needs to migrate from the existing inactive state to the first state, one possible way is: the migration process can omit the step of the access network device notifying the terminal device that it needs to enter the first state in the above embodiment, and other processes are similar to the above process and can refer to each other; another possible way is: first execute the process of migrating the terminal device from the existing inactive state to the connected state, and then execute the process of migrating the terminal device from the connected state to the first state, wherein the process of migrating the terminal device from the connected state to the first state can refer to the relevant description in the above embodiment.

[0177] Based on the above embodiments, the present application also provides a communication device, referring to Figure 8 As shown, the communication device 800 may include a transceiver unit 801 and a processing unit 802. The transceiver unit 801 is used for the communication device 800 to receive information (message or data) or send information (message or data), and the processing unit 802 is used to control and manage the actions of the communication device 800. The processing unit 802 may also control the steps performed by the transceiver unit 801.

[0178] Exemplarily, the communication device 800 may be the access network device in the above embodiment, and specifically may be a processor in the access network device, or a chip or a chip system, or a functional module, etc. Specifically, the communication device 800 is used to implement the above Figure 3 The functions of the access network device in the embodiment shown may specifically include:

[0179] The transceiver unit 801 is used to notify at least one terminal device in a network slice that it needs to enter the first state from the connected state; wherein the first state is a state in which the inactive state is modified, and the modification is to replace the user-plane dedicated tunnel for the PDU session between the core network and the access network of the terminal device with a public tunnel for the network slice between the core network and the access network; the network slice is the network slice corresponding to the PDU session of the terminal device; the processing unit 802 is used to migrate the at least one terminal device from the connected state to the first state.

[0180] In an optional implementation, the transceiver unit 801 is further used to receive first information from the AMF, where the first information is used to instruct the access network device to migrate the at least one terminal device to the first state.

[0181] Specifically, when the at least one terminal device is all terminal devices in the network slice that access the access network device, the first information includes an identifier of the network slice.

[0182] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit 801 is further used to send second information to the AMF, where the second information is used to confirm the AMF's request to migrate the at least one terminal device to the first state.

[0183] Specifically, the need for at least one terminal device to enter the first state from the connected state is determined by AMF.

[0184] In another optional embodiment, the transceiver unit 801 is also used to receive overload indication information from the AMF, and the overload indication information is used to indicate that the core network resources of the network slice are overloaded; the processing unit 802 is also used to determine to migrate the at least one terminal device from the connected state to the first state.

[0185] Exemplarily, the transceiver unit 801 is also used to send third information to the AMF, and the third information is used to indicate that the at least one terminal device will enter the first state from the connected state.

[0186] Specifically, when the at least one terminal device is one terminal device, the third information further indicates to suspend the exclusive tunnel of the one terminal device.

[0187] Specifically, when the at least one terminal device is all terminal devices connected to the network device in the network slice, the third information includes an identifier of the network slice.

[0188] In one example, the transceiver unit 801 is also used to receive confirmation information from the AMF for confirming the third information.

[0189] It should be noted that the division of units in the embodiments of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. Each functional unit in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0190] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions to enable a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or a processor (processor) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), disk or optical disk and other media that can store program code.

[0191] Based on the above embodiments, the present application also provides a communication device, referring to Fig. 9 As shown, the communication device 900 may include a transceiver 901 and a processor 902. Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a memory 903. The memory 903 may be arranged inside the communication device 900 or outside the communication device 900. The processor 902 may control the transceiver 901 to receive and send data.

[0192] Specifically, the processor 902 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP) or a combination of a CPU and a NP. The processor 902 may further include a hardware chip. The hardware chip may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD) or a combination thereof. The PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL) or any combination thereof.

[0193] The transceiver 901, the processor 902 and the memory 903 are interconnected. Optionally, the transceiver 901, the processor 902 and the memory 903 are interconnected via a bus 904; the bus 904 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Fig. 9 Only one thick line is used in the diagram, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0194] In an optional implementation, the memory 903 is used to store programs, etc. Specifically, the program may include a program code, and the program code includes a computer operation instruction. The memory 903 may include a RAM, and may also include a non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory), such as one or more disk memories. The processor 902 executes the application stored in the memory 903 to implement the above functions, thereby realizing the functions of the communication device 900.

[0195] Exemplarily, the communication device 900 may be an access network device. Figure 3 The functions of the access network device in the embodiment shown may specifically include:

[0196] The transceiver 901 is used to notify at least one terminal device in a network slice that it needs to enter the first state from the connected state; wherein the first state is a state in which the inactive state is modified, and the modification is to replace the user-plane dedicated tunnel for the PDU session between the core network and the access network of the terminal device with a public tunnel for the network slice between the core network and the access network; the network slice is the network slice corresponding to the PDU session of the terminal device; the processor 902 is used to migrate the at least one terminal device from the connected state to the first state.

[0197] In an optional implementation, the transceiver 901 is also used to receive first information from the AMF, where the first information is used to instruct the access network device to migrate the at least one terminal device to the first state.

[0198] Specifically, when the at least one terminal device is all terminal devices in the network slice that access the access network device, the first information includes an identifier of the network slice.

[0199] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 901 is further used to send second information to the AMF, where the second information is used to confirm the AMF's request to migrate the at least one terminal device to the first state.

[0200] Specifically, the need for at least one terminal device to enter the first state from the connected state is determined by AMF.

[0201] In another optional embodiment, the transceiver 901 is also used to receive overload indication information from the AMF, and the overload indication information is used to indicate that the core network resources of the network slice are overloaded; the processor 902 is also used to determine to migrate the at least one terminal device from the connected state to the first state.

[0202] Exemplarily, the transceiver 901 is also used to send third information to the AMF, where the third information is used to indicate that at least one terminal device will enter the first state from the connected state.

[0203] Specifically, when the at least one terminal device is one terminal device, the third information is also used to indicate to suspend the exclusive tunnel of the one terminal device.

[0204] Specifically, when the at least one terminal device is all terminal devices connected to the network device in the network slice, the third information includes an identifier of the network slice.

[0205] In one example, the transceiver 901 is also used to receive confirmation information from the AMF for confirming the third information.

[0206] Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which may include the terminal device, access network device, AMF, etc. involved in the above embodiments.

[0207] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the communication method provided by the above method embodiment.

[0208] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which is used to store a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the communication method provided by the above method embodiment.

[0209] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip, which is coupled to a memory and is used to implement the communication method provided in the above method embodiment.

[0210] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application may adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application may adopt the form of a computer program product implemented in one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) that include computer-usable program code.

[0211] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each process and / or box in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the processes and / or boxes in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowchart and / or block diagram. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0212] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A function specified in one or more boxes.

[0213] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for implementing the process. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps for the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0214] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the scope of protection of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The access network device notifies at least one terminal device in a network slice that it needs to enter the first state from the connected state; wherein the first state is a state in which the inactive state is modified, and the modification is to replace the user plane exclusive tunnel for the protocol data unit PDU session between the core network and the access network of the terminal device with a public tunnel for the network slice between the core network and the access network; the network slice is the network slice corresponding to the PDU session of the terminal device; The access network device migrates the at least one terminal device from a connected state to the first state.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: The access network device receives first information from an access and mobility management function network element AMF, where the first information is used to instruct the access network device to migrate the at least one terminal device to the first state.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that When the at least one terminal device is all terminal devices in the network slice that access the access network device, the first information includes an identifier of the network slice.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The access network device sends second information to the AMF, where the second information is used to confirm the AMF's request to migrate the at least one terminal device to the first state.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The need for at least one terminal device to enter the first state from the connected state is determined by the access network device through AMF.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: The access network device receives overload indication information from the AMF, where the overload indication information is used to indicate that the core network resources of the network slice are overloaded; The access network device determines to migrate the at least one terminal device from a connected state to a first state.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: The access network device sends third information to the AMF, where the third information is used to indicate that at least one terminal device will enter the first state from the connected state.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that When the at least one terminal device is one terminal device, the third information is also used to indicate to suspend the exclusive tunnel of the one terminal device.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that When the at least one terminal device is all terminal devices accessing the network device in the network slice, the third information includes an identifier of the network slice.

10. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: The access network device receives confirmation information from the AMF for confirming the third information.

11. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A transceiver unit, used to notify at least one terminal device in a network slice that it needs to enter a first state from a connected state; wherein the first state is a state in which the inactive state is modified, and the modification is to replace the user plane exclusive tunnel for the protocol data unit PDU session between the core network and the access network of the terminal device with a public tunnel for the network slice between the core network and the access network; the network slice is the network slice corresponding to the PDU session of the terminal device; A processing unit, configured to migrate the at least one terminal device from a connected state to the first state.

12. The communication device according to claim 11, wherein: The transceiver unit is further used for: First information is received from an access and mobility management function network element AMF, where the first information is used to instruct the access network device to migrate the at least one terminal device to the first state.

13. The communication device according to claim 12, characterized in that When the at least one terminal device is all terminal devices in the network slice that access the access network device, the first information includes an identifier of the network slice.

14. The communication device according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that: The transceiver unit is further used for: Sending second information to the AMF, where the second information is used to confirm the AMF's request to migrate the at least one terminal device to the first state.

15. The communication device according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that: The need for at least one terminal device to enter the first state from the connected state is determined by AMF.

16. The communication device according to claim 11, characterized in that The transceiver unit is further used to: receive overload indication information from the AMF, where the overload indication information is used to indicate that the core network resources of the network slice are overloaded; The processing unit is further used to: determine to migrate the at least one terminal device from the connected state to the first state.

17. The communication device according to claim 11 or 16, characterized in that: The transceiver unit is further used for: Send third information to AMF, where the third information is used to indicate that at least one terminal device will enter the first state from the connected state.

18. The communication device according to claim 17, characterized in that: When the at least one terminal device is one terminal device, the third information is also used to indicate to suspend the exclusive tunnel of the one terminal device.

19. The communication device according to claim 17, wherein: When the at least one terminal device is all terminal devices accessing the network device in the network slice, the third information includes an identifier of the network slice.

20. The communication device according to claim 17, wherein: The transceiver unit is further used for: Receive confirmation information for confirming the third information from the AMF.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores program instructions, and when the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

22. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises computer program instructions, and when the instructions are executed by a computer, the computer is caused to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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