Method and apparatus for discovery of on-board upf

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a method and device for discovering an on-satellite UPF, wherein the method is applied to a session management function entity (SMF), and the method comprises the following steps: receiving a session establishment request, wherein the session establishment request comprises a gNB identifier of a gNB of a base station on a satellite serving a current terminal device; and acquiring an on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier. The method for discovering the on-satellite UPF provided by the embodiment of the application determines the on-satellite UPF corresponding to the terminal device through the gNB identifier of the base station on the satellite serving the current terminal device and the gNB identifier or satellite identifier included in the UPF profile of the UPF. It is ensured that the selected UPF is the on-satellite UPF in the scenario of needing to select the on-satellite UPF.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a method and device for discovering an on-board UPF. Background Art

[0002] B5G (Beyond 5th Generation) or 6G is a converged network that supports full coverage across space, air, ground, and space. Compared to terrestrial mobile communication networks, satellite communications utilize high-, medium-, and low-orbit satellites to achieve wide-area and even global coverage, providing universal communication services to users around the world.

[0003] In existing 5G core networks, the discovery of UPF (User Plane Function) is based on parameters such as DNN (Data Network Name), S-NSSAI (Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information), and SMF (Session Management Function) regional identifiers. For scenarios that support on-board UPF, the on-board UPF is deployed on a satellite and has a fluid location. Therefore, if the existing UPF discovery mechanism is used, the selected UPF may be a ground-based UPF rather than an on-board UPF. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In response to the problems existing in the prior art, the embodiments of the present application provide a method and device for discovering UPF on a satellite.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for discovering an on-board UPF, which is applied to a session management function entity SMF, including:

[0006] Receive a session establishment request, where the session establishment request includes a gNB identifier of a gNB located on a satellite and serving the current terminal device;

[0007] Based on the gNB identifier, obtain the onboard UPF;

[0008] Among them, the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included is the same as the satellite represented by the corresponding gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

[0009] Optionally, the method for obtaining the onboard UPF based on the gNB identifier includes:

[0010] Based on the gNB identifier, obtain the on-board UPF from the on-board UPF stored locally in the SMF; or

[0011] After receiving the session establishment request, a network function discovery request is sent to the network function database function entity NRF, and a response message is received from the NRF, where the response message includes the on-board UPF; wherein the network function discovery request includes the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier.

[0012] Optionally, before sending a network function discovery request to a network function database function entity NRF after receiving the session establishment request, the method further includes:

[0013] Receive an N4 association establishment request sent by an on-board UPF; wherein the N4 association establishment request carries a UPF profile of the on-board UPF;

[0014] or

[0015] Send an N4 association establishment request to the on-board UPF and receive a response message from the on-board UPF, the response message including the UPF profile of the on-board UPF;

[0016] or

[0017] Receive the UPF profile of the on-board UPF configured by the operation, maintenance and management entity OAM;

[0018] Among them, the UPF profile of the on-board UPF includes a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier, the gNB identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the same satellite as the on-board UPF, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the satellite identifier of the satellite where the on-board UPF is located.

[0019] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0020] After receiving the UPF profile sent by the on-board UPF or receiving the UPF profile of the on-board UPF configured by OAM, the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is sent to the network function database function entity NRF for storage, or the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is stored locally in the SMF.

[0021] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0022] Send an N4 association update request to the on-board UPF to obtain information about changes in the on-board UPF status or load;

[0023] Update the status or load of the onboard UPF to the NRF.

[0024] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a method for discovering an on-board UPF, which is applied to an access and mobility management function (AMF), including:

[0025] Send a session establishment request to the SMF, where the session establishment request includes the gNB identifier of the gNB on the satellite that serves the current terminal device. The gNB identifier is used to determine the UPF on the satellite;

[0026] Among them, the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

[0027] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a method for discovering an on-board UPF, which is applied to a network function database functional entity NRF (Network Repository function), including:

[0028] Receive a network function discovery request sent by the SMF, where the network function discovery request carries the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device or the satellite identifier; wherein the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device;

[0029] Determine an on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier, where the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite and serving the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite and serving the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier;

[0030] Send a response message to the SMF, where the response message includes the UPF profile of the on-board UPF.

[0031] Optionally, before receiving the network function discovery request sent by the SMF, the method further includes:

[0032] Receive the UPF profile of the on-board UPF sent by the SMF and store it locally; or

[0033] Receive the UPF profile sent by the onboard UPF and store it locally; or

[0034] Receive the UPF profile of the onboard UPF sent by the Operation and Maintenance Management entity (OAM) and store it locally;

[0035] Among them, the UPF profile of the on-board UPF includes a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier, the gNB identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the same satellite as the on-board UPF, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the satellite identifier of the satellite where the on-board UPF is located.

[0036] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0037] Receive the status or load change information of the on-board UPF sent by the SMF.

[0038] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a session management function entity SMF device, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor, wherein:

[0039] A memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for sending and receiving data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and implementing the steps of the on-board UPF discovery method as described in the first aspect above.

[0040] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides an access and mobility management function entity AMF device, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor, wherein:

[0041] A memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for sending and receiving data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and implementing the steps of the on-board UPF discovery method as described in the second aspect above.

[0042] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a network function database function entity NRF device, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor, wherein:

[0043] A memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for sending and receiving data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and implementing the steps of the on-board UPF discovery method as described in the third aspect above.

[0044] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a device for discovering UPF on a satellite, the device comprising:

[0045] A first receiving module is configured to receive a session establishment request, where the session establishment request includes a gNB identifier of a gNB located on a satellite and serving a current terminal device;

[0046] A first selection module is configured to obtain an onboard UPF based on the gNB identifier;

[0047] Among them, the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

[0048] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a device for discovering UPF on a satellite, the device comprising:

[0049] The second sending module is used to send a session establishment request to the SMF, where the session establishment request includes a gNB identifier of a base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the gNB identifier is used to determine the UPF on the satellite;

[0050] Among them, the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

[0051] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a device for discovering UPF on a satellite, the device comprising:

[0052] A third receiving module is configured to receive a network function discovery request sent by the SMF, where the network function discovery request carries a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier of a base station gNB located on a satellite serving the current terminal device; wherein the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the base station located on a satellite serving the current terminal device;

[0053] a third determining module, configured to determine an on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier, where the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite and serving the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite and serving the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier;

[0054] The third sending module is used to send a response message to the SMF, where the response message includes the UPF profile of the on-board UPF.

[0055] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a processor-readable storage medium, wherein the processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is used to enable the processor to execute the steps of the on-satellite UPF discovery method described in the first aspect, or execute the steps of the on-satellite UPF discovery method described in the second aspect, or execute the steps of the on-satellite UPF discovery method described in the third aspect.

[0056] The on-satellite UPF discovery method and apparatus provided in the embodiments of the present application determine the on-satellite UPF corresponding to the terminal device using the gNB identifier or satellite identifier corresponding to the on-satellite base station serving the current terminal device, as well as the gNB identifier or satellite identifier included in the UPF profile of the UPF. This ensures that in scenarios where an on-satellite UPF is required, the selected UPF is always an on-satellite UPF. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0057] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, a brief introduction will be given below to the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0058] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of satellite access user services in the prior art;

[0059] Figure 2 is a flow chart of an SMF for providing a UPF instance using an NRF process in the prior art;

[0060] Figure 3 This is one of the flow charts of the method for discovering on-board UPF provided in the embodiments of the present application;

[0061] Figure 4 This is the second flow chart of the method for discovering on-board UPF provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Figure 5 This is the third flow chart of the method for discovering on-board UPF provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of implementing on-board UPF discovery based on NRF provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Figure 7This is a flowchart of an embodiment of the present application for realizing on-board UPF discovery based on the UPF profile saved in SMF;

[0065] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of an embodiment of the present application providing a UPF profile saved in SMF and an NRF for realizing on-board UPF discovery;

[0066] Figure 9 This is a flowchart of the first case of generating and storing a UPF profile of the UPF provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Figure 10 This is a flowchart of the second case of generating and storing a UPF profile of the UPF provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] Figure 11 This is a flowchart of the third case of generating and storing a UPF profile of the UPF provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] Figure 12 This is a flowchart of the fourth case of generating and storing a UPF profile of the UPF provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] Figure 13 This is a flowchart of updating the status or load information of the UPF provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] Figure 14 This is a structural diagram of a session management function entity SMF device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] Figure 15 This is a structural diagram of the access and mobility management function entity AMF device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the network function database function entity NRF device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] Figure 17 This is one of the structural diagrams of the on-board UPF discovery device provided in the embodiments of the present application;

[0075] Figure 18 This is the second structural diagram of the on-board UPF discovery device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] Figure 19 This is the third structural diagram of the on-board UPF discovery device provided in the embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0077] In the embodiments of this application, the term "and / or" describes the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0078] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "plurality" refers to two or more than two, and other quantifiers are similar.

[0079] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0080] The current 5G core network system, including UPF, is deployed on the ground. When a satellite terminal accesses the 5G core network through the onboard AN (access node), the user service data flow needs to be routed from the satellite back to the ground UPF, such as Figure 1 The solid line path in the figure is the data transmission path, and the dotted line path is the signaling transmission path.

[0081] According to 3GPP 23.501 and 23.502, the SMF can locally configure information about available UPFs. For example, when a UPF is instantiated or removed, the OAM system can perform relevant configurations.

[0082] The UPF selection function in the SMF can use the NRF to discover the UPF instance. In this case, the SMF sends a request to the NRF, which may include the following parameters: DNN, S-NSSAI, SMF region identifier, etc. The NRF selects the on-board UPF based on these parameters and provides the UPF profile to the SMF in a response message, which includes the IP address or FQDN of the N4 interface of the UPF instance corresponding to the SMF.

[0083] In NRF, UPF can be associated with SMF area identifier. At this time, NRF only provides those UPFs associated with specific SMF area identifiers, that is, SMF is only allowed to control UPFs configured in NRF as belonging to a specific SMF area identifier. The specific process is as follows Figure 2 shown.

[0084] 1. The SMF triggers the Nnrf_NFManagement_NFStatusSubscribe service operation to provide the provisioning information of the target UPFs of its interest.

[0085] 2. NRF triggers Nnrf_NFManagement_NFStatusNotify and lists all UPFs that currently satisfy the SMF subscription. This notification indicates the subset of target UPF settings information supported by each UPF.

[0086] When you deploy a new UPF instance, the following happens:

[0087] 3. Deploy new UPF instances at any time.

[0088] 4. The UPF instance is configured with the NRF identity to register with the NRF and carry the UPF provisioning information. The UPF does not need to know the UPF provisioning information except for using this information to register in step 5.

[0089] 5. The UPF instance issues the nrf_NFManagement_NFRegister Request service operation, providing information such as its NF type, the FQDN or IP address of the N4 interface, the SMF area identifier, and the UPF provisioning information configured in step 4.

[0090] 6. Alternatively (to steps 4 and 5) OAM registers the UPF on the NRF, indicating the same UPF setup information provided in step 5.

[0091] 7. Based on the subscription in step 1, the NRF triggers the Nnrf_NFManagement_NFStatusNotify notification to all SMFs and provides the UPF provisioning information of the new UPF matching the subscription.

[0092] For UPF selection and reselection, SMF may consider the following parameters and information:

[0093] -Dynamic load of UPF.

[0094] -Relative static capacity of UPFs among UPFs supporting the same DNN.

[0095] -SMF provides UPF location.

[0096] -UE location information.

[0097] - UPF capabilities and the functionalities required for a specific UE session: The appropriate UPF can be selected by matching the functionalities and features required by the UE.

[0098] -Data Network Name (DNN).

[0099] -PDU session type (i.e., IPv4, IPv6, IPv4v6, Ethernet, or Unstructured) and static IP address / prefix (if applicable).

[0100] -S-NSSAI, etc.

[0101] In existing 5G core networks, UPF discovery is based on information parameters such as DNN, S-NSSAI, and SMF region identifiers. For scenarios supporting onboard UPF, which is deployed on satellites and has a fluid location, the existing UPF discovery mechanism may select a ground-based UPF instead of an onboard UPF.

[0102] Figure 3 This is one of the flow charts of the method for discovering on-board UPF provided in the embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 3 As shown, the embodiment of the present application provides a method for discovering an on-board UPF, which is applied to a session management function entity SMF. The method includes:

[0103] Step 301: Receive a session establishment request, where the session establishment request includes a gNB identifier of a gNB located on a satellite and serving a current terminal device.

[0104] Step 302: Based on the gNB identifier, obtain the onboard UPF.

[0105] Among them, the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

[0106] Specifically, the session management function entity SMF receives a session establishment request sent by the access and mobility management function entity AMF. The session establishment request includes the gNB identifier corresponding to the base station located on the satellite serving the current terminal device. In addition, the UPF profile of each UPF includes a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier.

[0107] The SMF performs UPF selection based on the request message and selects the on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier or satellite identifier serving the current UE, where each on-satellite UPF corresponds to a UPF profile. According to the gNB identifier of the base station located on the satellite serving the current terminal device, the SMF selects in each on-satellite UPF, and satisfies that the satellite identifier included in the UPF profile of each on-satellite UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite serving the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite serving the current terminal device, wherein the satellite represented by the gNB identifier corresponding to the base station located on the satellite serving the current terminal device refers to the satellite where the base station located on the satellite serving the current terminal device is located.

[0108] And the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

[0109] The on-satellite UPF discovery method provided in the embodiments of the present application determines the on-satellite UPF corresponding to the terminal device using the gNB identifier or satellite identifier corresponding to the on-satellite base station serving the current terminal device, as well as the gNB identifier or satellite identifier included in the UPF profile of the UPF. This ensures that in scenarios where an on-satellite UPF is required, the selected UPF is always an on-satellite UPF.

[0110] Optionally, the method for obtaining the onboard UPF based on the gNB identifier includes:

[0111] Based on the gNB identifier, obtain the on-board UPF from the on-board UPF stored locally in the SMF; or

[0112] After receiving the session establishment request, a network function discovery request is sent to the network function database function entity NRF, and a response message is received from the NRF, where the response message includes the on-board UPF; wherein the network function discovery request includes the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier.

[0113] Specifically, based on the gNB identifier, the method for obtaining the onboard UPF mainly includes:

[0114] Method 1: The UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF may be obtained locally by the SMF, that is, the SMF has the ability to store the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF, and can save the obtained UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF locally. The SMF matches the gNB identifier corresponding to the base station located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device carried in the session establishment request with the gNB identifier or satellite identifier in the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF stored locally by the SMF, and finds that the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included in the UPF profile is the same as the satellite represented by the base station located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device.

[0115] Method 2: After receiving the session establishment request, the SMF sends a network function discovery request to the network function database functional entity NRF. The NRF determines the on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier or satellite identifier carried in the request, including the gNB identifier serving the current UE, and sends the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF to the SMF through a response message. The gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of each on-satellite UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier is the same as the satellite represented by the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device. The satellite represented by the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device refers to the satellite where the base station serving the current terminal device is located. In this way, the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF obtained by the SMF is the most recent and latest on-satellite UPF information.

[0116] In addition, it can also include method three: SMF locally stores the on-board UPF, including the UPF profile of the UPF, which may not be the latest state. It is necessary to send a network function discovery request to the NRF to obtain the latest state of the UPF, and combine it with the locally stored UPF. The method of determining the on-board UPF in the above UPF is the same as method one or method two, and will not be repeated here.

[0117] The on-board UPF discovery method provided in the embodiments of the present application determines the on-board UPF corresponding to the terminal device by using the on-board UPF stored locally in the SMF or by determining the on-board UPF through the NRF, or a combination of the two. This ensures that in scenarios where on-board UPF is supported, the selected UPF is always an on-board UPF.

[0118] Optionally, before sending a network function discovery request to a network function database function entity NRF after receiving the session establishment request, the method further includes:

[0119] Receive an N4 association establishment request sent by an on-board UPF; wherein the N4 association establishment request carries a UPF profile of the on-board UPF;

[0120] or

[0121] Send an N4 association establishment request to the on-board UPF and receive a response message from the on-board UPF, the response message including the UPF profile of the on-board UPF;

[0122] or

[0123] Receive the UPF profile of the on-board UPF configured by the operation, maintenance and management entity OAM;

[0124] Among them, the UPF profile of the on-board UPF includes a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier, the gNB identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the same satellite as the on-board UPF, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the satellite identifier of the satellite where the on-board UPF is located.

[0125] Specifically, after receiving the session establishment request, the UPF can actively send an N4 association establishment request, and carry the UPF profile corresponding to the on-board UPF in the association establishment request; or send an N4 association establishment request to the UPF to obtain the UPF profile of the UPF; or the UPF profile pre-configured by OAM in the SMF.

[0126] The UPF profile of the on-board UPF includes a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier. The gNB identifier is the gNB identifier corresponding to the gNB located on the same satellite as the on-board UPF, that is, the on-board UPF and the gNB are located on the same satellite. The satellite identifier is the satellite identifier of the satellite where the on-board UPF is located.

[0127] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0128] After receiving the UPF profile sent by the on-board UPF or receiving the UPF profile of the on-board UPF configured by OAM, the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is sent to the network function database function entity NRF for storage, or the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is stored locally in the SMF.

[0129] Specifically, the SMF receives the UPF profile actively sent by the on-board UPF, or obtains the UPF profile from the on-board UPF by sending an N4 association establishment request, or the UPF profile of the on-board UPF pre-configured by OAM in the SMF. There are two ways to process the UPF profile. One way is that the SMF registers the received UPF profile of the on-board UPF with the NRF, and the NRF saves it. The other way is that the SMF saves the received UPF profile of the on-board UPF for selecting the target UPF.

[0130] The on-satellite UPF discovery method provided in this embodiment triggers the selection of an on-satellite UPF by including the gNB identifier of the on-satellite base station gNB serving the current terminal device in the session establishment request. The on-satellite UPF can be determined by actively obtaining a UPF profile or having the on-satellite UPF send its UPF profile, which can be stored locally in the NRF or SMF. This provides assurance for determining the on-satellite UPF corresponding to the terminal device and ensures that, in scenarios where on-satellite UPFs are supported, the selected UPF is always an on-satellite UPF.

[0131] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0132] Send an N4 association update request to the on-board UPF to obtain information about changes in the on-board UPF status or load;

[0133] Update the status or load of the onboard UPF to the NRF.

[0134] Specifically, SMF sends an N4 association update request to UPF, actively obtains changes in the status or load of the on-board UPF, and updates the status or load of the on-board UPF to NRF.

[0135] Or when the state or load of the on-board UPF changes, it actively reports the change to the SMF, which helps the SMF obtain the latest state and load of the on-board UPF and select the appropriate on-board UPF for the current terminal device.

[0136] The on-satellite UPF discovery method provided in this embodiment of the application determines the on-satellite UPF corresponding to the terminal device by including the gNB identifier of the on-satellite base station gNB serving the current terminal device in the session establishment request. This ensures that in scenarios where on-satellite UPF is supported, the selected UPF is always an on-satellite UPF.

[0137] Optionally, the method further includes: selecting a target on-board UPF for the current terminal device based on the following information, among the on-board UPFs, with a goal of minimizing UPF load;

[0138] The information includes at least one of the following: the load of the UPF on the candidate satellite, the data network name DNN and the network slice selection auxiliary information NSSAI.

[0139] Specifically, in each of the on-board UPFs, the target on-board UPF for the current terminal device is determined based on at least one of the following information: the load of the on-board UPF, the data network name DNN, and the network slice selection auxiliary information NSSAI. In addition, the SMF may also consider other information, such as: the relative static capacity of the UPF between UPFs supporting the same DNN, the UPF location provided by the SMF, the UE location information, the capabilities of the UPF and the functions required for a specific UE session (the appropriate UPF can be selected by matching the functions and features required by the UE), the PDU session type (i.e., IPv4, IPv6, IPv4v6, Ethernet type, or unstructured type), and the static IP address / prefix (if applicable), etc.

[0140] SMF comprehensively considers various information and determines the on-board UPF that serves the current terminal device with the minimum UPF load.

[0141] The on-satellite UPF discovery method provided in this embodiment includes the gNB identifier corresponding to the base station serving the current terminal device in the session establishment request, triggering the selection of a UPF. The SMF comprehensively considers the on-satellite UPF load, the data network name, and the network slice selection load information to determine the target on-satellite UPF serving the current terminal device. This ensures that in scenarios where an on-satellite UPF needs to be selected, the selected UPF is always an on-satellite UPF. Figure 4 This is the second flow chart of the method for discovering on-board UPF provided in the embodiment of the present application; Figure 4 As shown, the embodiment of the present application provides a method for discovering an on-board UPF, which is applied to an access and mobility management function entity AMF, including:

[0142] Step 401: Send a session establishment request to the SMF. The session establishment request includes the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device. The gNB identifier is used to determine the UPF on the satellite.

[0143] Among them, the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included is the same as the satellite represented by the corresponding gNB identifier of the base station located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

[0144] Specifically, the access and mobility management function entity AMF sends a session establishment request to the SMF, and the session establishment request includes the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, triggering the SMF to perform on-satellite UPF selection based on the session establishment request and the gNB identifier or satellite identifier. The gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier corresponding to the base station located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device. The satellite represented by the gNB identifier corresponding to the base station located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device is the satellite on which the base station located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device is located; the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier serving the current UE.

[0145] The on-satellite UPF discovery method provided in the embodiment of the present application triggers the SMF to determine the on-satellite UPF by sending a session establishment request by the AMF. The session establishment request includes the gNB identifier corresponding to the base station located on the satellite serving the current terminal device. Ensure that in scenarios where on-satellite UPF is supported, all selected UPFs are on-satellite UPFs.

[0146] Figure 5 This is the third flow chart of the method for discovering on-board UPF provided in the embodiment of the present application; Figure 5 As shown, the embodiment of the present application provides a method for discovering an on-board UPF, which is applied to a network function database functional entity NRF, including:

[0147] Step 501: Receive a network function discovery request sent by the SMF, where the network function discovery request carries the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device or the satellite identifier; wherein the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device;

[0148] Step 502: Determine an on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier, where the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier;

[0149] Step 503: Send a response message to the SMF, where the response message includes the UPF profile of the on-board UPF.

[0150] Specifically, the network function database function entity NRF receives a network function discovery request sent by the SMF, where the request carries the gNB identifier or satellite identifier corresponding to the gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, wherein the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the base station located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device;

[0151] The NRF selects the corresponding UPF based on the gNB identifier of the base station on the satellite serving the current terminal device or the satellite identifier carried in the received network function discovery request, according to the gNB identifier or satellite identifier, wherein the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the selected UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB on the satellite serving the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included and the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB on the satellite serving the current terminal device are the same satellite. The satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB on the satellite serving the current terminal device refers to the satellite where the base station on the satellite serving the current terminal device is located. The UPF profile of the selected on-satellite UPF is sent to the SMF through a response message.

[0152] The method for discovering an on-satellite UPF provided in an embodiment of the present application includes the gNB identifier of the on-satellite base station serving the current terminal device in a session establishment request. The SMF selects an on-satellite UPF through the NRF based on the session establishment request, wherein the session establishment request includes the gNB identifier corresponding to the on-satellite base station serving the current terminal device. This ensures that in scenarios where on-satellite UPF is supported, all selected UPFs are on-satellite UPFs.

[0153] Optionally, before receiving the network function discovery request sent by the SMF, the method further includes:

[0154] Receive the UPF profile of the on-board UPF sent by the SMF and store it locally; or

[0155] Receive the UPF profile sent by the onboard UPF and store it locally; or

[0156] Receive the UPF profile of the on-board UPF sent by the operation, maintenance and management entity OAM and store it locally.

[0157] Specifically, the network function database function entity NRF receives the UPF profile of the on-board UPF sent by the SMF. After the on-board UPF and SMF complete the N4 association establishment request, the on-board UPF sends its corresponding UPF profile to the SMF. After receiving the UPF profile of the on-board UPF, the SMF registers the UPF with the NRF and saves it by the NRF.

[0158] Alternatively, the operation and maintenance management entity OAM configures NRF information on the onboard UPF, such as the NRF IP address or NRF FQDN. The UPF triggers a new network function registration request and provides the UPF profile of the onboard UPF to the NRF for storage. The NRF gives a corresponding response message.

[0159] Alternatively, the operation and maintenance management entity OAM registers the UPF profile of the on-board UPF with the NRF, and the NRF saves the UPF profile of the on-board UPF.

[0160] The on-satellite UPF discovery method provided in this embodiment obtains an on-satellite UPF profile through various means and stores it locally in the NRF for use in selecting an on-satellite UPF during a session establishment request. The session establishment request includes the gNB identifier corresponding to the on-satellite base station serving the current terminal device. This ensures that, in scenarios where on-satellite UPF is supported, the selected UPF is always an on-satellite UPF.

[0161] Optionally, the method further includes:

[0162] Receive the status or load change information of the on-board UPF sent by the SMF.

[0163] Specifically, the on-board UPF updates the status or load of the on-board UPF through the N4 association update request sent by the SMF, which is sent by the SMF to the NRF, and the NRF updates the UPF profile of the local on-board UPF.

[0164] The on-satellite UPF discovery method provided in the embodiment of the present application sends an N4 association update request through the SMF to obtain the status or load change information of the on-satellite UPF and send it to the NRF so that the NRF can update the UPF profile of the local on-satellite UPF. The on-satellite UPF is selected during the session establishment request process. The session establishment request includes the gNB identifier corresponding to the on-satellite base station serving the current terminal device. Ensure that in scenarios where on-satellite UPF is supported, the selected UPF is all on-satellite UPF.

[0165] Figure 6This is a flowchart of realizing on-board UPF discovery based on NRF provided by an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 6 The specific steps are as follows:

[0166] 1. The AMF triggers the Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext Request (i.e., session establishment request) to the SMF, which carries the information including the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the satellite that serves the current UE.

[0167] 2. The SMF performs UPF selection based on the session establishment request: The SMF triggers Nnrf_NFDiscovery_Request to the NRF to perform a UPF discovery request. The carried information includes the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the satellite serving the current UE or the satellite identifier, where the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier serving the UE.

[0168] 3. The NRF selects the on-board UPF based on the gNB identifier of the on-board base station gNB serving the current UE or the satellite identifier, and sends the UPF profile of the on-board UPF to the SMF through a response message, that is, through Nnrf_NFDiscovery_Response.

[0169] 4.SMF selects a suitable UPF based on the UPF profile of the response message, and selects the on-board UPF with the smallest load as the on-board UPF serving the terminal device.

[0170] 5.SMF sends a session acceptance response message to AMF.

[0171] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of an embodiment of the present application for realizing on-board UPF discovery based on the UPF profile saved in SMF, as shown in FIG. Figure 7 The specific steps are as follows:

[0172] 1. The AMF triggers the Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext Request (i.e., session establishment request) to the SMF, which carries the information including the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the satellite that serves the current UE.

[0173] 2. SMF performs UPF selection based on the session establishment request: SMF selects the on-board UPF with the smallest load from the saved UPFs as the on-board UPF serving the terminal device based on the gNB identifier of the current UE's on-board base station gNB or the satellite identifier.

[0174] 3.SMF sends a session acceptance response message to AMF.

[0175] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of the UPF profile saved in SMF and NRF to realize on-board UPF discovery provided by the embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 8 The specific steps are as follows:

[0176] 1. The AMF triggers the Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext Request (i.e., session establishment request) to the SMF, which carries the information including the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the satellite that serves the current UE.

[0177] 2. The SMF triggers Nnrf_NFDiscovery_Request to the NRF to perform a UPF discovery request. The information carried includes the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the satellite serving the current UE or the satellite identifier, where the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier serving the UE.

[0178] 3. The NRF selects the on-board UPF based on the gNB identifier of the on-board base station gNB serving the current UE or the satellite identifier, and sends the UPF profile of the on-board UPF to the SMF through a response message, that is, through Nnrf_NFDiscovery_Response.

[0179] 4. The SMF selects the UPF with the smallest load as the on-board UPF serving the terminal device based on the on-board UPF corresponding to the UPF profile included in the response message and the on-board UPF corresponding to the locally saved UPF profile.

[0180] 5.SMF sends a session acceptance response message to AMF.

[0181] Regarding the UPF profile generation and storage of UPF, there are four cases.

[0182] In the first case, the UPF profile generation and storage of the on-board UPF is realized based on the UPF configuration. The flow chart is as follows Figure 9 As shown:

[0183] 0. OAM configures SMF information on the onboard UPF, such as the SMF IP address or SMF FQDN.

[0184] 1. The onboard UPF initiates an N4 association establishment request to the SMF based on the configured SMF information. The request message carries the UPF profile with the gNB identifier of the gNB on the same satellite as the UPF, or the UPF profile with the satellite identifier of the satellite where the UPF is located.

[0185] 2-4. After SMF receives the UPF profile of the above-mentioned UPF, there are two ways to process the UPF profile of the UPF. One way is that SMF registers the received UPF profile with NRF, and NRF saves it; the other way is that SMF saves the received UPF profile for selection of UPF.

[0186] 5. After SMF accepts the N4 association establishment request, it sends a response to UPF.

[0187] In the second case, the UPF profile generation of the on-board UPF is realized based on the SMF configuration. The flow chart is as follows Figure 10 As shown:

[0188] 0. OAM configures the on-board UPF information on the SMF, such as the on-board UPF IP address or on-board UPF FQDN.

[0189] OAM configures SMF information on the onboard UPF, such as the SMF IP address or SMF FQDN.

[0190] 1. The SMF initiates an N4 association establishment request to the UPF based on the configured on-board UPF information.

[0191] 2. After accepting the N4 association establishment request, the UPF sends a response to the SMF. The response message carries the UPF profile with the gNB identifier of the gNB on the same satellite as the UPF, or the UPF profile with the satellite identifier of the satellite where the UPF is located.

[0192] 3-5. After SMF receives the UPF profile of the above-mentioned UPF, there are two ways to process the UPF profile of the UPF. One way is that SMF registers the received UPF profile with NRF, and NRF saves it; the other way is that SMF saves the received UPF profile for selection of UPF.

[0193] In the third case, UPF registers the UPF profile with NRF. The flow chart is as follows Figure 11 As shown:

[0194] 0. OAM configures NRF information on the onboard UPF, such as the NRF IP address or NRF FQDN.

[0195] 1. The UPF instance triggers the Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister Request service operation, providing a UPF profile containing the identifier of the gNB corresponding to the gNB located on the same satellite as the UPF on the satellite, or a UPF profile containing the satellite identifier of the satellite where the UPF on the satellite is located.

[0196] 2. NRF saves the UPF profile of the above UPF and triggers Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister_Response to respond to UPF.

[0197] In the fourth case, OAM registers the UPF profile with NRF. The flow chart is as follows: Figure 12 As shown:

[0198] 1. The OAM registers the UPF profile of the UPF with the NRF. The UPF profile contains the gNB identifier corresponding to the gNB on the same satellite as the UPF or the satellite identifier of the satellite where the UPF is located. The NRF saves the UPF profile.

[0199] The process of OAM configuring the UPF profile in SMF is the same as the above process and will not be repeated here.

[0200] In addition, when the status or load of the UPF profile of the UPF changes, the updated UPF status or load is obtained by sending an N4 association update request. Figure 13 As shown:

[0201] 1-2. UPF sends its updated status / load via the N4 association update request sent by SMF.

[0202] 3-4.SMF updates the UPF status / load to NRF.

[0203] Figure 14 This is a structural diagram of the session management function entity SMF device provided in the embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 14 As shown, the session management function entity SMF device includes a memory 1420, a transceiver 1410 and a processor 1400; wherein, the processor 1400 and the memory 1420 can also be physically arranged separately.

[0204] The memory 1420 is used to store computer programs; the transceiver 1410 is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor 1400.

[0205] Specifically, the transceiver 1410 is used to receive and send data under the control of the processor 1400 .

[0206] Among them, Figure 14 In the embodiment of the present invention, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically linking together various circuits of one or more processors represented by processor 1400 and memory represented by memory 1420. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be further described in this application. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1410 may be a plurality of components, i.e., a transmitter and a receiver, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices over a transmission medium, such as a wireless channel, a wired channel, an optical cable, or the like.

[0207] The processor 1400 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1420 can store data used by the processor 1400 when performing operations.

[0208] The processor 1400 may be a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD). The processor may also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0209] The processor 1400 calls the computer program stored in the memory 1420 to execute any of the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application according to the obtained executable instructions, for example:

[0210] Receive a session establishment request, where the session establishment request includes a gNB identifier of a gNB located on a satellite and serving the current terminal device;

[0211] Based on the gNB identifier, obtain the onboard UPF;

[0212] Among them, the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

[0213] Optionally, the method for obtaining the onboard UPF based on the gNB identifier includes:

[0214] Based on the gNB identifier, obtain the on-board UPF from the on-board UPF stored locally in the SMF; or

[0215] After receiving the session establishment request, sending a network function discovery request to a network function database function entity NRF, and receiving a response message returned by the NRF, wherein the response message includes the on-board UPF; wherein the network function discovery request includes the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier; or

[0216] Obtain the UPF profile of the first on-satellite UPF in the on-satellite UPF locally stored in the SMF and receive the UPF profile of the second on-satellite UPF returned by the NRF; wherein, the UPF profile of the second on-satellite UPF is obtained by sending a network function discovery request to the NRF after receiving the session establishment request, and receiving a response message returned by the NRF, wherein the response message includes the UPF profile of the second on-satellite UPF, wherein the network function discovery request includes the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier.

[0217] Optionally, before sending the network function discovery request to the network function database function entity NRF after receiving the session establishment request, the step further includes:

[0218] Receive an N4 association establishment request sent by an on-board UPF; wherein the N4 association establishment request carries a UPF profile of the on-board UPF;

[0219] or

[0220] Send an N4 association establishment request to the on-board UPF and receive a response message from the on-board UPF, the response message including the UPF profile of the on-board UPF;

[0221] or

[0222] Receive the UPF profile of the on-board UPF configured by the operation, maintenance and management entity OAM;

[0223] The UPF profile includes the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the same satellite as the on-board UPF or the satellite identifier of the satellite where the on-board UPF is located, and the UPF profile is pre-configured to include the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier.

[0224] Optionally, the steps further include:

[0225] After receiving the UPF profile sent by the on-board UPF or receiving the UPF profile of the on-board UPF configured by OAM, the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is sent to the network function database function entity NRF for storage, or the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is stored locally in the SMF.

[0226] Optionally, the steps further include:

[0227] Send an N4 association update request to the on-board UPF to obtain information about changes in the on-board UPF status or load;

[0228] Update the status or load of the onboard UPF to the NRF.

[0229] Optionally, the steps further include:

[0230] Based on the following information, among the on-board UPFs, a target on-board UPF is selected for the current terminal device with the goal of minimizing the UPF load;

[0231] The information includes at least one of the following: the load of the UPF on the candidate satellite, the data network name DNN, and the network slice selection auxiliary information NSSAI. It should be noted that the above-mentioned SMF device provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented in the above-mentioned method embodiment and can achieve the same technical effects. The parts and beneficial effects of this embodiment that are the same as those in the method embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0232] Figure 15 This is a structural diagram of the access and mobility management function entity AMF device provided in the embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 15 As shown, the access and mobility management function entity AMF device includes a memory 1520, a transceiver 1510 and a processor 1500; wherein, the processor 1500 and the memory 1520 can also be physically arranged separately.

[0233] The memory 1520 is used to store computer programs; the transceiver 1510 is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor 1500.

[0234] Specifically, the transceiver 1510 is used to receive and send data under the control of the processor 1500 .

[0235] Among them, Figure 15In the embodiment, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically linking together various circuits of one or more processors represented by processor 1500 and memory represented by memory 1520. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be further described in this application. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1510 may be a plurality of components, i.e., a transmitter and a receiver, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices over a transmission medium, such as a wireless channel, a wired channel, an optical cable, or the like.

[0236] The processor 1500 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1520 can store data used by the processor 1500 when performing operations.

[0237] The processor 1500 may be a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a CPLD, and the processor may also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0238] The processor 1500 calls the computer program stored in the memory 1520 to execute any of the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application according to the obtained executable instructions, for example:

[0239] Send a session establishment request to the SMF, where the session establishment request includes the gNB identifier of the gNB on the satellite that serves the current terminal device. The gNB identifier is used to determine the UPF on the satellite;

[0240] Among them, the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

[0241] It should be noted here that the above-mentioned access and mobility management function entity AMF device provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented in the above-mentioned method embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect. The parts and beneficial effects that are the same as the method embodiment in this embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0242] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the network function database functional entity NRF device provided in the embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 16As shown, the network function database function entity NRF device includes a memory 1620, a transceiver 1610 and a processor 1600; wherein, the processor 1600 and the memory 1620 can also be physically arranged separately.

[0243] The memory 1620 is used to store computer programs; the transceiver 1610 is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor 1600.

[0244] Specifically, the transceiver 1610 is used to receive and send data under the control of the processor 1600 .

[0245] Among them, Figure 16 In the embodiment, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically linking together various circuits of one or more processors represented by processor 1600 and memory represented by memory 1620. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are all well known in the art and therefore will not be further described in this application. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1610 may be a plurality of components, i.e., a transmitter and a receiver, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices over a transmission medium, such as a wireless channel, a wired channel, an optical cable, or the like.

[0246] The processor 1600 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1620 can store data used by the processor 1600 when performing operations.

[0247] The processor 1600 may be a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD). The processor may also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0248] The processor 1600 calls the computer program stored in the memory 1620 to execute any of the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application according to the obtained executable instructions, for example:

[0249] Receive a network function discovery request sent by the SMF, where the network function discovery request carries the gNB identifier or satellite identifier corresponding to the base station located on the satellite serving the current terminal device; wherein the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the base station located on the satellite serving the current terminal device;

[0250] Determine an on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier, where the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite and serving the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite and serving the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier;

[0251] Send a response message to the SMF, where the response message includes the UPF profile of the on-board UPF.

[0252] Optionally, before receiving the network function discovery request sent by the SMF, the step further includes:

[0253] Receive the UPF profile of the on-board UPF sent by the SMF and store it locally; or

[0254] Receive the UPF profile sent by the onboard UPF and store it locally; or

[0255] Receive the UPF profile of the onboard UPF sent by the Operation and Maintenance Management entity (OAM) and store it locally;

[0256] Among them, the UPF profile of the on-board UPF includes a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier, the gNB identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the same satellite as the on-board UPF, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the satellite identifier of the satellite where the on-board UPF is located.

[0257] Optionally, the steps further include:

[0258] Receive the status or load change information of the on-board UPF sent by the SMF.

[0259] It should be noted here that the above-mentioned network function database functional entity NRF device provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented in the above-mentioned method embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect. The parts and beneficial effects that are the same as the method embodiment in this embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0260] Figure 17 This is one of the structural diagrams of the on-board UPF discovery device provided in the embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 17 As shown, the device includes:

[0261] The first receiving module 1701 is configured to receive a session establishment request, where the session establishment request includes a gNB identifier of a gNB located on a satellite and serving a current terminal device;

[0262] A first selection module 1702 is configured to obtain an onboard UPF based on the gNB identifier;

[0263] Among them, the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included is the same as the satellite represented by the corresponding gNB identifier of the base station located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

[0264] Optionally, the method for obtaining the onboard UPF based on the gNB identifier includes:

[0265] Based on the gNB identifier, obtain the on-board UPF from the on-board UPF stored locally in the SMF; or

[0266] After receiving the session establishment request, sending a network function discovery request to a network function database function entity NRF, and receiving a response message returned by the NRF, wherein the response message includes the on-board UPF; wherein the network function discovery request includes the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier; or

[0267] Obtain the UPF profile of the first on-satellite UPF in the on-satellite UPF locally stored in the SMF and receive the UPF profile of the second on-satellite UPF returned by the NRF; wherein, the UPF profile of the second on-satellite UPF is obtained by sending a network function discovery request to the NRF after receiving the session establishment request, and receiving a response message returned by the NRF, wherein the response message includes the UPF profile of the second on-satellite UPF, wherein the network function discovery request includes the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier.

[0268] Optionally, the first receiving module 1701 is further configured to:

[0269] Receive an N4 association establishment request sent by an on-board UPF; wherein the N4 association establishment request carries a UPF profile of the on-board UPF;

[0270] or

[0271] Send an N4 association establishment request to the on-board UPF and receive a response message from the on-board UPF, the response message including the UPF profile of the on-board UPF;

[0272] or

[0273] Receive the UPF profile of the on-board UPF configured by the operation, maintenance and management entity OAM;

[0274] Among them, the UPF profile of the on-board UPF includes a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier, the gNB identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the same satellite as the on-board UPF, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the satellite identifier of the satellite where the on-board UPF is located.

[0275] Optionally, the device also includes a first sending device 1703, which is used to send the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF to the network function database function entity NRF for storage after receiving the UPF profile sent by the on-satellite UPF or receiving the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF configured by OAM, or store the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF locally in the SMF.

[0276] Optionally, the first sending means 1703 is further configured to send an N4 association update request to the on-board UPF to obtain information on changes in the on-board UPF state or load;

[0277] Update the status or load of the onboard UPF to the NRF.

[0278] Figure 18 This is the second structural diagram of the on-board UPF discovery device provided in the embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG. Figure 18 As shown, the device includes:

[0279] The second sending module 1801 is configured to send a session establishment request to the SMF, where the session establishment request includes a gNB identifier of a base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, where the gNB identifier is used to determine the UPF on the satellite;

[0280] Among them, the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

[0281] Figure 19 This is the third structural diagram of the on-board UPF discovery device provided in the embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG. Figure 19 As shown, the device includes:

[0282] The third receiving module 1901 is configured to receive a network function discovery request sent by the SMF, where the network function discovery request carries a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier of a base station gNB located on a satellite serving the current terminal device; wherein the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the base station located on a satellite serving the current terminal device;

[0283] A third determining module 1902 is configured to determine an on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier, where the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite and serving the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite and serving the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier;

[0284] The third sending module 1903 is configured to send a response message to the SMF, where the response message includes the UPF profile of the on-board UPF.

[0285] Optionally, the third determining module 1902 is further configured to:

[0286] Receive the UPF profile of the on-board UPF sent by the SMF and store it locally; or

[0287] Receive the UPF profile sent by the onboard UPF and store it locally; or

[0288] Receive the UPF profile of the onboard UPF sent by the Operation and Maintenance Management entity (OAM) and store it locally;

[0289] Among them, the UPF profile of the on-board UPF includes a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier, the gNB identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the same satellite as the on-board UPF, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the satellite identifier of the satellite where the on-board UPF is located.

[0290] Optionally, the third receiving module 1901 is further configured to:

[0291] Receive the status or load change information of the on-board UPF sent by the SMF.

[0292] It should be noted that the division of units in the embodiments of the present application is schematic and is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional units.

[0293] 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 processor-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 for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or a processor 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.

[0294] It should be noted here that the above-mentioned device provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented in the above-mentioned method embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect. The parts and beneficial effects of this embodiment that are the same as those in the method embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0295] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer program comprising program instructions. When the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer can perform the steps of the on-board UPF discovery method provided by the above methods, which are applied to the session management function entity SMF, for example, including:

[0296] Receive a session establishment request, where the session establishment request includes a gNB identifier of a gNB located on a satellite and serving the current terminal device;

[0297] Based on the gNB identifier, obtain the onboard UPF;

[0298] Among them, the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

[0299] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer program comprising program instructions. When the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer can perform the steps of the on-board UPF discovery method provided by the above methods, which are applied to the access and mobility management function entity AMF, for example, including:

[0300] Send a session establishment request to the SMF, where the session establishment request includes the gNB identifier of the gNB on the satellite that serves the current terminal device. The gNB identifier is used to determine the UPF on the satellite;

[0301] Among them, the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

[0302] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer program comprising program instructions. When the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer can perform the steps of the on-board UPF discovery method provided by the above methods, applied to the network function database function entity NRF, for example, including:

[0303] Receive a network function discovery request sent by the SMF, where the network function discovery request carries the gNB identifier or satellite identifier corresponding to the base station located on the satellite serving the current terminal device; wherein the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the base station located on the satellite serving the current terminal device;

[0304] Determine an on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier, where the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite and serving the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite and serving the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier;

[0305] Send a response message to the SMF, where the response message includes the UPF profile of the on-board UPF.

[0306] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application further provides a processor-readable storage medium, wherein the processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is used to cause the processor to execute the on-board UPF discovery method provided in the above embodiments, applied to the session management function entity SMF, for example, including:

[0307] Receive a session establishment request, where the session establishment request includes a gNB identifier of a gNB located on a satellite and serving the current terminal device;

[0308] Based on the gNB identifier, obtain the onboard UPF;

[0309] Among them, the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

[0310] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application further provides a processor-readable storage medium, wherein the processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is used to cause the processor to execute the on-board UPF discovery method provided in the above embodiments, applied to the access and mobility management function entity AMF, for example, including:

[0311] Send a session establishment request to the SMF, where the session establishment request includes the gNB identifier of the gNB on the satellite that serves the current terminal device. The gNB identifier is used to determine the UPF on the satellite;

[0312] Among them, the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

[0313] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application further provides a processor-readable storage medium, wherein the processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is used to enable the processor to execute the on-board UPF discovery method provided in the above embodiments, applied to the network function database function entity NRF, for example, including:

[0314] Receive a network function discovery request sent by the SMF, where the network function discovery request carries the gNB identifier or satellite identifier corresponding to the base station located on the satellite serving the current terminal device; wherein the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the base station located on the satellite serving the current terminal device;

[0315] Determine an on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier, where the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite and serving the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite and serving the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier;

[0316] Send a response message to the SMF, where the response message includes the UPF profile of the on-board UPF.

[0317] The processor-readable storage medium can be any available medium or data storage device that can be accessed by the processor, including but not limited to magnetic storage (such as floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes, magneto-optical disks (MO)), optical storage (such as CDs, DVDs, BDs, HVDs, etc.), and semiconductor storage (such as ROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, non-volatile memories (NANDFLASH), solid-state drives (SSDs)), etc.

[0318] The technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applicable to a variety of systems, especially 5G systems. For example, the applicable system can be a global system of mobile communication (GSM) system, a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) general packet radio service (GPRS) system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, a LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, a LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, an advanced long term evolution (LTE-A) system, a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), a world-wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) system, a 5G new air interface (NR) system, etc. These various systems include terminal equipment and network equipment. The system may also include a core network part, such as an evolved packet system (EPS), a 5G system (5GS), etc.

[0319] The network side device involved in the embodiments of the present application may be a base station, which may include multiple cells providing services to the terminal. Depending on the specific application scenario, the base station may also be called an access point, or may be a device in the access network that communicates with the wireless terminal device through one or more sectors on the air interface, or other names. The network device may be used to interchange received air frames with Internet Protocol (IP) packets, acting as a router between the wireless terminal device and the rest of the access network, wherein the rest of the access network may include an Internet Protocol (IP) communication network. The network device may also coordinate the attribute management of the air interface. For example, the network device involved in the embodiments of the present application may be a network device (Base Transceiver Station, BTS) in the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), or a network device (NodeB) in Wide-band Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), or an evolutionary network device (eNB or e-NodeB) in the Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, a 5G base station (gNB) in the 5G network architecture (next generation system), or a home evolved Node B (HeNB), a relay node, a home base station (femto), a pico base station (pico), etc., and is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In some network structures, the network device may include a centralized unit (CU) node and a distributed unit (DU) node, and the centralized unit and the distributed unit may also be geographically separated.

[0320] The terminal involved in the embodiments of the present application may be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, a handheld device with wireless connection function, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. In different systems, the name of the terminal may also be different. For example, in a 5G system, the terminal may be called a user terminal or user equipment (UE). A wireless terminal device can communicate with one or more core networks (CN) via a radio access network (RAN). The wireless terminal device can be a mobile terminal device, such as a mobile phone (or "cellular" phone) and a computer with a mobile terminal device. For example, it can be a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-built-in or vehicle-mounted mobile device that exchanges language and / or data with a radio access network. For example, personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other devices. The wireless terminal device may also be referred to as a system, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, an access point, a remote terminal device, an access terminal device, a user terminal device, a user agent, or a user device, but is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0321] Network devices and terminals can each use one or more antennas for Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) transmission. MIMO transmission can be either Single User MIMO (SU-MIMO) or Multi User MIMO (MU-MIMO). Depending on the configuration and number of antenna combinations, MIMO transmission can be 2D-MIMO, 3D-MIMO, FD-MIMO, or Massive-MIMO. It can also use diversity transmission, precoding, or beamforming.

[0322] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application can 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 can adopt the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage and optical storage, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0323] 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 embodiments of 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-executable instructions. These computer-executable 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 steps in the process. 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.

[0324] These processor-executable instructions may also be stored in a processor-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the processor-readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device that implements the process Figure 1 a process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0325] These processor-executable instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operational steps are performed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for executing on the computer or other programmable device to implement the process. Figure 1 a process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A step that specifies a function in one or more boxes.

[0326] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application is intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A method for discovering an on-board user plane function entity UPF, characterized in that: Applicable to the session management function entity SMF, including: Receive a session establishment request, where the session establishment request includes a gNB identifier of a gNB located on a satellite and serving the current terminal device; Based on the gNB identifier, obtain the onboard UPF; Among them, the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

2. The method for discovering UPF on a satellite according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method for obtaining the onboard UPF based on the gNB identifier includes: Based on the gNB identifier, obtain the on-board UPF from the on-board UPF stored locally in the SMF; or After receiving the session establishment request, a network function discovery request is sent to the network function database function entity NRF, and a response message is received from the NRF, where the response message includes the on-board UPF; wherein the network function discovery request includes the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier.

3. The method for discovering UPF on a satellite according to claim 2, characterized in that: Before sending a network function discovery request to a network function database function entity NRF after receiving the session establishment request, the method further includes: receiving an N4 association establishment request sent by an on-board UPF; wherein the N4 association establishment request carries a UPF profile including the on-board UPF; or, Send an N4 association establishment request to the on-board UPF and receive a response message from the on-board UPF, the response message including the UPF profile of the on-board UPF; or, Receive the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF configured by the operation and maintenance management entity OAM; wherein the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF includes a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier, the gNB identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the same satellite as the on-satellite UPF, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the satellite identifier of the satellite where the on-satellite UPF is located.

4. The method for discovering UPF on a satellite according to claim 3, characterized in that: The method further comprises: After receiving the UPF profile sent by the on-board UPF or receiving the UPF profile of the on-board UPF configured by OAM, the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is sent to the network function database function entity NRF for storage, or the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is stored locally in the SMF.

5. The method for discovering UPF on a satellite according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Send an N4 association update request to the on-board UPF to obtain information about changes in the on-board UPF status or load; Update the status or load of the onboard UPF to the NRF.

6. The method for discovering UPF on a satellite according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Based on the following information, among the on-board UPFs, a target on-board UPF is selected for the current terminal device with the goal of minimizing the UPF load; The information includes at least one of the following: the load of the UPF on the candidate satellite, the data network name DNN and the network slice selection auxiliary information NSSAI.

7. A method for discovering UPF on a satellite, characterized in that: Applicable to the access and mobility management function entity AMF, including: Send a session establishment request to the SMF, where the session establishment request includes the gNB identifier of the gNB on the satellite that serves the current terminal device. The gNB identifier is used to determine the UPF on the satellite; Among them, the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

8. A method for discovering UPF on a satellite, characterized in that: Applicable to the Network Function Database Functional Entity NRF, including: Receive a network function discovery request sent by the SMF, where the network function discovery request carries the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device or the satellite identifier; wherein the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device; Determine an on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier, where the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite and serving the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite and serving the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier; Send a response message to the SMF, where the response message includes the UPF profile of the on-board UPF.

9. The method for discovering UPF on a satellite according to claim 8, characterized in that: Before receiving the network function discovery request sent by the SMF, the method further includes: Receive the UPF profile of the on-board UPF sent by the SMF and store it locally; or Receive the UPF profile sent by the onboard UPF and store it locally; or Receive the UPF profile of the onboard UPF sent by the Operation and Maintenance Management entity (OAM) and store it locally; Among them, the UPF profile of the on-board UPF includes a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier, the gNB identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the same satellite as the on-board UPF, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the satellite identifier of the satellite where the on-board UPF is located.

10. The method for discovering UPF on a satellite according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Receive the status or load change information of the on-board UPF sent by the SMF.

11. A session management function entity SMF device, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor; a memory for storing computer programs; a transceiver for transmitting and receiving data under the control of the processor; processor, Used to execute the computer program in the memory and implement the following steps: Receive a session establishment request, the session establishment request includes a base station located on the satellite serving the current terminal device gNB identifier of the gNB; Based on the gNB identifier, obtain the onboard UPF; Among them, the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is located at the current terminal device of the service The gNB identifier of the base station gNB on the satellite is the same, or the satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite serving the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

12. The SMF device according to claim 11, characterized in that: The method for obtaining the onboard UPF based on the gNB identifier includes: Based on the gNB identifier, obtain the on-board UPF from the on-board UPF stored locally in the SMF; or After receiving the session establishment request, a network function discovery request is sent to the network function database function entity NRF, and a response message is received from the NRF, where the response message includes the on-board UPF; wherein the network function discovery request includes the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier.

13. The SMF device according to claim 12, characterized in that: Before sending a network function discovery request to the network function database function entity NRF after receiving the session establishment request, the step further includes: Receive an N4 association establishment request sent by an on-board UPF; wherein the N4 association establishment request carries a UPF profile of the on-board UPF; or, Send an N4 association establishment request to the on-board UPF and receive a response message from the on-board UPF, the response message including the UPF profile of the on-board UPF; or, Receive the UPF profile of the on-board UPF configured by the operation, maintenance and management entity OAM; Among them, the UPF profile of the on-board UPF includes a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier, the gNB identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the same satellite as the on-board UPF, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the satellite identifier of the satellite where the on-board UPF is located.

14. The SMF device according to claim 13, characterized in that The steps also include: After receiving the UPF profile sent by the on-board UPF or receiving the UPF profile of the on-board UPF configured by OAM, the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is sent to the network function database function entity NRF for storage, Or the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is stored locally in the SMF.

15. The SMF device according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that: The steps also include: Send an N4 association update request to the on-board UPF to obtain information about changes in the on-board UPF status or load; Update the status or load of the onboard UPF to the NRF.

16. The SMF device according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The steps also include: Based on the following information, among the on-board UPFs, a target on-board UPF is selected for the current terminal device with the goal of minimizing the UPF load; The information includes at least one of the following: the load of the UPF on the candidate satellite, the data network name DNN and the network slice selection auxiliary information NSSAI.

17. An access and mobility management function (AMF) device comprising a memory, a transceiver, and a processor; memory for storing computer programs; a transceiver configured to transmit and receive data under the control of the processor; and a processor configured to execute the computer program in the memory and implement the following steps: Send a session establishment request to the SMF, where the session establishment request includes the gNB identifier of the gNB on the satellite that serves the current terminal device. The gNB identifier is used to determine the UPF on the satellite; Among them, the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

18. A network function database function entity NRF device, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor; memory for storing computer programs; a transceiver, configured to transmit and receive data under the control of the processor; A processor, configured to execute the computer program in the memory and implement the following steps: Receive a network function discovery request sent by the SMF, where the network function discovery request carries the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device or the satellite identifier; wherein the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device; Determine an on-satellite UPF based on the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier, where the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-satellite UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite and serving the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite and serving the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier; Send a response message to the SMF, where the response message includes the UPF profile of the on-board UPF.

19. The NRF device according to claim 18, characterized in that Before receiving the network function discovery request sent by the SMF, the step further includes: Receive the UPF profile of the on-board UPF sent by the SMF and store it locally; or Receive the UPF profile sent by the onboard UPF and store it locally; or Receive the UPF profile of the onboard UPF sent by the Operation and Maintenance Management entity (OAM) and store it locally; Among them, the UPF profile of the on-board UPF includes a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier, the gNB identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the gNB located on the same satellite as the on-board UPF, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the satellite identifier of the satellite where the on-board UPF is located.

20. The NRF device according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that The steps also include: Receive the status or load change information of the on-board UPF sent by the SMF.

21. A device for detecting UPF on a satellite, characterized in that: The device comprises: A first receiving module is configured to receive a session establishment request, where the session establishment request includes a gNB identifier of a gNB located on a satellite and serving a current terminal device; A first selection module is configured to obtain an onboard UPF based on the gNB identifier; Among them, the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

22. A device for detecting UPF on a satellite, characterized in that: The device comprises: The second sending module is used to send a session establishment request to the SMF, where the session establishment request includes a gNB identifier of a base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the gNB identifier is used to determine the UPF on the satellite; Among them, the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, or the satellite represented by the satellite identifier included is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite that serves the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier.

23. A device for detecting UPF on a satellite, characterized in that: The device comprises: A third receiving module is configured to receive a network function discovery request sent by the SMF, where the network function discovery request carries a gNB identifier or a satellite identifier of a base station gNB located on a satellite serving the current terminal device; wherein the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier of the base station located on a satellite serving the current terminal device; The third determination module is configured to determine an on-board UPF based on the gNB identifier or the satellite identifier, where the gNB identifier included in the UPF profile of the on-board UPF is the same as the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite serving the current terminal device. Or the satellite represented by the included satellite identifier is the same as the satellite represented by the gNB identifier of the base station gNB located on the satellite serving the current terminal device, and the satellite identifier is determined based on the gNB identifier; The third sending module is used to send a response message to the SMF, where the response message includes the UPFprofile of the on-board UPF.

24. A processor-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program, which is used to enable the processor to execute the on-satellite UPF discovery method described in any one of claims 1 to 6, or execute the on-satellite UPF discovery method described in claim 7, or execute the on-satellite UPF discovery method described in any one of claims 8 to 10.

Images