Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of this application provide a communication method and apparatus. When the terminal device is registered for both the first access and the second access, the probability of communication failure can be reduced. The method includes: a first device sends a first non-access stratum (NAS) message to a second device through a first access. If the first NAS message fails to be sent on the first access, the first device sends a second NAS message associated with the first NAS message to the second device through a second access. The second NAS message includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate processing the second NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access. The first access is a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access, and the second access is a non-3GPP access; or, the first access is a non-3GPP access, and the second access is a 3GPP access.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to communication methods and devices. Background Art

[0002] With the development of mobile communication technologies, after going through the first generation (1G) mobile communication system, the second generation (2G) mobile communication system, the third generation (3G) mobile communication system, and the evolved packet system (EPS), the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) proposed a new generation of mobile communication system, the 5th generation system (5GS), in the 15th release (Release 15, Rel-15).

[0003] In 5GS, the core network device and the terminal interact some information to implement some functions. Such information can be, for example, slice-related information, public land mobile network (PLMN) selection-related information, and terminal policy-related information.

[0004] However, in some scenarios, due to some reasons, the information interaction between the core network device and the terminal may fail. For example, when the signal quality of the terminal's cellular link is poor, the cellular link may be abnormally released. Therefore, the information transmitted through the cellular link cannot reach the recipient, and the communication fails. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides communication methods and devices, which can reduce the probability of communication failure.

[0006] To achieve the above object, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a first device or a component that supports the functions of the first device (such as a chip system of the first device). The method includes: The first device sends a first non-access stratum (NAS) message to a second device through a first access. If the first NAS message fails to be sent on the first access, the first device sends a second NAS message associated with the first NAS message to the second device through a second access. The second NAS message includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate processing the second NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access. The first access is a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access, and the second access is a non-3GPP access; or, the first access is a non-3GPP access, and the second access is a 3GPP access.

[0008] Based on this communication method, the first device can still interact with the second device through the second access to send a message associated with the first NAS message, so that the second device can learn about the first NAS message through the message associated with the first NAS message. In this way, the probability of communication failure is reduced.

[0009] In addition, the second NAS message includes first indication information. In this way, it can indicate the second device to process the second NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access, so that the second device can learn about the first NAS message associated with the second NAS message.

[0010] In a possible design, the second NAS message includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate processing the second NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access, including:

[0011] The second NAS message includes a first information unit, and the first information unit includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate processing the first information unit according to the manner corresponding to the first access.

[0012] In a possible design, before the first device sends a first non-access stratum (NAS) message to the second device through the first access, it further includes:

[0013] The first device sends capability information to the second device; the capability information is used to indicate that the first device can transmit a NAS message corresponding to the first access through the second access.

[0014] In a possible design, the first device sending capability information to the second device includes:

[0015] The first device sends a registration message to the second device, and the registration message includes the capability information.

[0016] In a possible design, the method further includes:

[0017] The first device receives a first response message from the second device through the second access, where the first response message includes second indication information for indicating that the first response message corresponds to the first access.

[0018] In a possible design, the method further includes:

[0019] The first device receives a first response message from the second device through the first access.

[0020] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a first device or a component supporting the functions of the first device (such as a chip system of the first device). The method includes: The first device selects a second access according to the connection management status of the first access and the connection management status of the second access; The first device sends a third NAS message corresponding to the first access to the second device through the second access, where the third NAS message includes third indication information for indicating to process the third NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access, the first access is a 3GPP access, and the second access is a non-3GPP access; or, the first access is a non-3GPP access, and the second access is a 3GPP access.

[0021] Based on this communication method, when the first device selects an access for sending a NAS message, it also considers the connection management status of each of the multiple available accesses. This can reduce the probability of selecting an idle-state access, thereby reducing the service delay. In addition, the third NAS message includes third indication information, which can indicate to the second device to process the third NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access, so that the second device can correctly process the third NAS message.

[0022] In a possible design, the connection management status of the first access is the idle state, and the connection management status of the second access is the connected state.

[0023] In a possible design, the third NAS message includes third indication information for indicating to process the third NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access, including:

[0024] The third NAS message includes a second information unit, and the second information unit includes third indication information for indicating to process the second information unit according to the manner corresponding to the first access.

[0025] In a possible design, before the first device sends a third NAS message corresponding to the first access to the second device through the second access, it further includes:

[0026] The first device sends capability information to the second device; the capability information is used to indicate that the first device is capable of transmitting a NAS message corresponding to the first access through the second access.

[0027] In a possible design, the first device sends capability information to the second device, including:

[0028] The first device sends a registration message to the second device, and the registration message includes the capability information.

[0029] In a possible design, the method further includes:

[0030] The first device receives a second response message from the second device through the second access, and the second response message includes fourth indication information for indicating that the second response message corresponds to the first access.

[0031] In a possible design, the method further includes:

[0032] The first device receives a second response message from the second device through the first access.

[0033] In a possible design of the first aspect and the second aspect, the first device is an access and mobility management network element, and the second device is a terminal device.

[0034] In a possible design of the first aspect and the second aspect, the first device is a terminal device, and the second device is an access and mobility management network element.

[0035] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be the first device or a component supporting the functions of the first device (such as a chip system of the first device). The device includes:

[0036] A transceiver module, configured to send a first non-access stratum (NAS) message to a second device through a first access; if the first NAS message fails to be sent on the first access, then send a second NAS message associated with the first NAS message to the second device through a second access, where the second NAS message includes first indication information for indicating to process the second NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access, the first access is a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access, and the second access is a non-3GPP access; or, the first access is a non-3GPP access, and the second access is a 3GPP access.

[0037] In a possible design, the second NAS message includes first indication information for indicating to process the second NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access, including:

[0038] The second NAS message includes a first information element, and the first information element includes first indication information for indicating to process the first information element according to the manner corresponding to the first access.

[0039] In a possible design, the transceiver module is further configured to send capability information to a second device; the capability information is used to indicate that the communication device can transmit NAS messages corresponding to a first access through a second access.

[0040] In a possible design, the transceiver module is configured to send capability information to a second device, including:

[0041] It is configured to send a registration message to the second device, and the registration message includes the capability information.

[0042] In a possible design, the transceiver module is further configured to receive a first response message from the second device through the second access, where the first response message includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the first response message corresponds to the first access.

[0043] In a possible design, the transceiver module is further configured to receive a first response message from the second device through the first access.

[0044] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a first device or a component supporting the functions of the first device (such as a chip system of the first device). The communication device includes:

[0045] A processing module, configured to select a second access according to the connection management status of a first access and the connection management status of a second access;

[0046] A transceiver module, configured to send a third NAS message corresponding to the first access to a second device through the second access, where the third NAS message includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate processing the third NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access. The first access is a 3GPP access of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, and the second access is a non-3GPP access; or, the first access is a non-3GPP access, and the second access is a 3GPP access.

[0047] In a possible design, the connection management status of the first access is an idle state, and the connection management status of the second access is a connected state.

[0048] In a possible design, the third NAS message includes third indication information, and the third indication information for indicating processing the third NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access includes:

[0049] The third NAS message includes a second information unit, and the second information unit includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate processing the second information unit according to the manner corresponding to the first access.

[0050] In a possible design, the transceiver module is further configured to send capability information to a second device; the capability information is used to indicate that the communication device is capable of transmitting NAS messages corresponding to a first access through a second access.

[0051] In a possible design, the transceiver module is configured to send capability information to a second device, including:

[0052] It is configured to send a registration message to the second device, and the registration message includes the capability information.

[0053] In a possible design, the transceiver module is further configured to receive a second response message from the second device through the second access, where the second response message includes fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the second response message corresponds to the first access.

[0054] In a possible design, the transceiver module is further configured to receive a second response message from the second device through the first access.

[0055] In a possible design of the third aspect and the fourth aspect, the communication device is an access and mobility management network element, and the second device is a terminal device.

[0056] In a possible design of the third aspect and the fourth aspect, the communication device is a terminal device, and the second device is an access and mobility management network element.

[0057] In a possible design of any of the above aspects, the terminal device is registered on both the first access and the second access.

[0058] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, and the device has the function of implementing the method in any item of any of the above aspects. This function can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0059] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, including: a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store computer execution instructions, and when the communication device runs, the processor executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory so that the communication device executes the communication method in any item of any of the above aspects.

[0060] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, including: a processor; the processor is used to be coupled with the memory, and after reading the instructions in the memory, execute the communication method in any item of any of the above aspects according to the instructions.

[0061] In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when run on a computer, enable the computer to execute the communication method according to any one of the above aspects.

[0062] In a ninth aspect, there is provided a computer program product containing instructions which, when run on a computer, enable the computer to execute the communication method according to any one of the above aspects.

[0063] In a tenth aspect, there is provided a chip system which includes a processor for supporting a communication device to implement the functions involved in any one of the above aspects. In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data of the communication device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0064] In an eleventh aspect, there is provided a communication system which includes the first device of the above aspect and the second device of the above aspect.

[0065] These aspects or other aspects of the present application will become more clearly understandable in the following description of the embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0066] Figures 1 - 5 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of the communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0068] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the communication method flow provided by an embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0069] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the process of processing NAS messages provided by an embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0070] Figure 9 It is a schematic diagram of the process of processing NAS messages provided by an embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0071] Figure 10 It is a schematic diagram of the communication method flow provided by an embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0072] Figure 11 It is a schematic diagram of the communication method flow provided by an embodiment of the present application Figure 3 ;

[0073] Figure 12 It is a schematic structural diagram of the communication device provided by an embodiment of the present applicationFigure 2 ;

[0074] Figure 13 The structural schematic diagram of the communication device provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 3 . Specific embodiments

[0075] First, the network architecture involved in the embodiment of the present application is given as follows:

[0076] As Figure 1 shown, the network architecture involved in the embodiment of the present application includes the existing 5GS. The 5GS includes an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, a session management function (SMF) network element, a user plane function (UPF) network element, a unified data management (UDM) network element, a policy control function (PCF) network element, an authentication server function (AUSF) network element, a network exposure function (NEF) network element, and some network elements not shown, such as a network function repository function (NRF) network element, etc. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0077] Among them, as Figure 1 shown, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal accesses the 5GS through an access device. The terminal communicates with the AMF network element through the Next generation (N) 1 interface (abbreviated as N1), the access device communicates with the AMF network element through the N2 interface (abbreviated as N2), the access device communicates with the UPF network element through the N3 interface (abbreviated as N3), the AMF network element communicates with the SMF network element through the N11 interface (abbreviated as N11), the AMF network element communicates with the UDM network element through the N8 interface (abbreviated as N8), the AMF network element communicates with the AUSF network element through the N12 interface (abbreviated as N12), the AMF network element communicates with the PCF network element through the N15 interface (abbreviated as N15), the SMF network element communicates with the PCF network element through the N7 interface (abbreviated as N7), the SMF network element communicates with the UPF network element through the N4 interface (abbreviated as N4), the NEF network element communicates with the SMF network element through the N29 interface (abbreviated as N29), and the UPF network element accesses the data network through the N6 interface (abbreviated as N6).

[0078] Optionally, the terminal devices involved in the embodiments of the present application may include various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem; they may also include subscriber units, cellular phones, smart phones, wireless data cards, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet computers, wireless modems, handheld devices, laptop computers, cordless phones, or wireless local loop (WLL) stations, machine type communication (MTC) terminal devices, user equipment (UE), mobile stations (MS), terminal devices, or relay user equipment, etc. Among them, the relay user equipment may be, for example, a 5G residential gateway (RG). For ease of description, in the present application, the above-mentioned devices are collectively referred to as terminal devices.

[0079] Optionally, the access device involved in the embodiments of the present application refers to the medium for a terminal to access the core network. The access device may be, for example, a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) access device, such as an NG-RAN device, a base station, etc. When a terminal accesses the core network through a 3GPP access device, it can be called a 3GPP access method. In this way, the terminal can communicate with the core network device.

[0080] The access device may also be a non-3GPP access device, such as a non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF) entity, etc. The base station may include various forms of base stations, for example: macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small stations), relay stations, etc. When a terminal accesses the core network through a non-3GPP device, it can be called a non-3GPP access method.

[0081] See Figure 2, which is a non-3GPP access architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application. The terminal is connected to a non-3GPP access device through a non-3GPP access network. The non-3GPP network includes but is not limited to a wireless local area network (WLAN), such as Wi-Fi. The non-3GPP network may include a non-3GPP access point (AP). The access point includes but is not limited to a router, an optical modem, etc. The non-3GPP access device may be but is not limited to an N3IWF entity.

[0082] See Figure 3 , which is a 3GPP access architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application. The terminal is connected to a 3GPP access device through a 3GPP access network. The 3GPP network may include but is not limited to a cellular network. The 3GPP access device may be, for example, a base station. Specific examples of 3GPP have been given above and will not be elaborated here.

[0083] For example, in some other scenarios, Figure 2 and Figure 3 can be fused. Specifically, see Figure 4 , and the terminal can also access the core network through 3GPP access and non-3GPP access simultaneously.

[0084] It should be noted that Figures 1 - 4 is only a schematic diagram of the communication system architecture of an embodiment of the present application. Of course, the system architecture may also be other, such as the future 6G network architecture. The present embodiment does not make specific limitations on this.

[0085] It should be noted that Figure 1 or Figure 2 or Figure 3 or Figure 4 The names of each network element and the interfaces between each network element in

[0086] The following will describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Among them, in the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means "or". For example, A / B may mean A or B. The "and / or" herein is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B may mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Also, in the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "a plurality of" means two or more than two. In addition, in order to clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish the same items or similar items with basically the same functions and roles. Those skilled in the art can understand that terms such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and terms such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit to be different.

[0087] In addition, the network architecture and service scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Those of ordinary skill in the art know that with the evolution of the network architecture and the emergence of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are equally applicable to similar technical problems.

[0088] As Figure 5 shown, a communication system 30 provided by an embodiment of the present application includes a first device 301 and a second device 302.

[0089] Among them, the first device 301 is used to send a first non-access stratum (NAS) message to the second device through a first access; if the first NAS message fails to be sent on the first access, then send a second NAS message associated with the first NAS message to the second device through a second access. The second NAS message includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate processing the second NAS message according to the method corresponding to the first access. The first access is a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access, and the second access is a non-3GPP access; or, the first access is a non-3GPP access, and the second access is a 3GPP access.

[0090] The second device 302 is used to receive the first NAS message from the first device 301 through the second access.

[0091] In some other embodiments, the first device 301 is configured to select a second access according to the connection management status of the first access and the connection management status of the second access; and send a third NAS message corresponding to the first access to the second device through the second access. The third NAS message includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the third NAS message is processed according to the manner corresponding to the first access.

[0092] The second device 302 is configured to receive the third NAS message from the first device 301 through the second access.

[0093] Optionally, the first device 301 and the second device 302 in the embodiments of the present application may communicate directly or through the forwarding of other devices. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations in this regard.

[0094] Optionally, the communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application may be applied to a network architecture as Figures 1 - 4 shown, or may be applied to a network architecture in which the terminal device is registered for both non-3GPP access and 3GPP access. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations in this regard.

[0095] Exemplarily, if the communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application is applied to a network architecture as Figures 1 - 4 shown, the network element or entity corresponding to the above-mentioned first device may be the above-mentioned AMF, and the second device is a terminal device. Or, the network element or entity corresponding to the above-mentioned second device may be the above-mentioned AMF network element, and the first device is a terminal device.

[0096] Optionally, the first device or the second device in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented by one device (for example, integrated in one device, or different functional modules in one device), or may be jointly implemented by multiple devices respectively. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations in this regard. It can be understood that the above functions may be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform).

[0097] For example, the first device or the second device in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented through the Figure 6 communication device therein. Figure 4 The hardware structure diagram of the communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown. The communication device 400 includes at least one processor 401, a communication line 402, a memory 403, and at least one communication interface 404.

[0098] The processor 401 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the solution of the present application.

[0099] The communication line 402 may include a path for transmitting information between the above components.

[0100] The communication interface 404 uses any device such as a transceiver to communicate with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, radio access network (RAN), wireless local area networks (WLAN), etc.

[0101] The memory 403 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, or may also be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory may exist independently and be connected to the processor through the communication line 402. The memory may also be integrated with the processor.

[0102] Among them, the memory 403 is used to store the computer execution instructions for executing the solution of the present application, and is controlled by the processor 401 to execute. The processor 401 is used to execute the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 403, so as to implement the communication method provided in the following embodiments of the present application.

[0103] Optionally, the computer execution instructions in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as application program codes, and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations thereto.

[0104] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 401 may include one or more CPUs, for example Figure 6CPU0 and CPU1 therein.

[0105] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 400 may include multiple processors, such as Figure 6 processor 401 and processor 408 therein. Each of these processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. The processor here may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (such as computer program instructions).

[0106] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 400 may further include an output device 405 and an input device 406. The output device 405 communicates with the processor 401 and can display information in various ways. For example, the output device 405 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector, etc. The input device 406 communicates with the processor 401 and can receive user input in various ways. For example, the input device 406 may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensing device, etc.

[0107] The above-mentioned communication device 400 may be a general-purpose device or a special-purpose device. In a specific implementation, the communication device 400 may be a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a network server, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal device, an embedded device, or a device with a Figure 6 similar structure therein. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of the communication device 400.

[0108] Next, the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application will be specifically described in conjunction with Figures 1 to 6 for a specific elaboration.

[0109] It should be noted that the message names between each network element or the names of each parameter in the message in the following embodiments of the present application are only examples, and in a specific implementation, they may also be other names. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0110] In an embodiment of the present application, when a lower-layer link failure is detected only in 3GPP access or non-3GPP access, but not in both 3GPP access and non-3GPP access, the first device can resend the NAS message through the available access. The available access is the access in which no lower-layer link failure is detected. In this way, the probability of successful NAS message transmission can be increased, and communication failure can be avoided.

[0111] Taking the case where a lower-layer link failure is detected only in 3GPP access as an example, if no lower-layer link failure is detected in non-3GPP access, it indicates that non-3GPP access may be able to communicate normally or is in the process of normal communication.

[0112] First, taking the Figure 5 shown communication system applied to the network architecture as shown in Figures 1 - 4 as an example, as shown in Figure 7 the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application includes the following steps:

[0113] S101. The first device sends a first NAS message to the second device through a first access.

[0114] As a possible implementation, the first device sends the first NAS message through a protocol entity (or instance) of the first access. Among them, the first device may include multiple protocol entities (or instances), and each protocol entity corresponds to an access type.

[0115] Among them, the first access is 3GPP access or non-3GPP access.

[0116] When the first access is 3GPP access, the first device can interact with the second device through a 3GPP access device (such as a base station). When the first access is non-3GPP access, the first device can interact with the second device through a non-3GPP access device (such as an N3IWF).

[0117] The first NAS message may include an information element (IE) related to the access type, and / or an IE unrelated to the access type. The access type is 3GPP access or non-3GPP access. That is, the first NAS message may include an IE related to the access type, may include an IE unrelated to the access type, or may include both an IE related to the access type and an IE unrelated to the access type.

[0118] Whether it is related to the access type is mainly distinguished according to the processing method of the recipient of the IE. IEs that are not related to the access type usually do not require the recipient to process them in the way corresponding to a specific access type. Specifically, it can be processed by the protocol entity (or instance) corresponding to any access type. For the recipient, when receiving an IE that is not related to the access type, it can process the IE through the protocol entity (or instance) corresponding to the access type of the received NAS message (such as 3GPP access). For example, the recipient (such as a terminal device) receives an IE that is not related to the access type through 3GPP access and processes the IE that is not related to the access type through the protocol entity or instance corresponding to 3GPP access; and when the recipient receives the IE that is not related to the access type through non-3GPP access, it processes the IE that is not related to the access type through the protocol entity or instance corresponding to non-3GPP access. Exemplarily, IEs that are not related to the access type include, but are not limited to, steering of roaming (SOR), UE parameter update, and UE policy container.

[0119] IEs that are related to the access type usually refer to those that need to be processed by the protocol entity (or instance) of the target access type. After the recipient receives an IE that is related to the access type, the protocol entity of the access type that receives the IE may not be able to process the IE. Then, the recipient usually needs to pass the IE to the protocol entity (or instance) of the target access type for processing. For example, the recipient receives an IE that is related to the access type through 3GPP access, and the IE carries indication information for indicating the target access type (such as non-3GPP access). Then, the recipient needs to process the IE through the protocol entity or instance corresponding to non-3GPP access. IEs related to the access type include, for example, but are not limited to, Allowed / Rejected NSSAI, tracking area identity list (TAI list), and UE Radio CapabilityID.

[0120] Exemplarily, network slice-specific authentication and authorization (NSSAA) includes one or more IEs that are related to the access type, and configuration update command (CUC) includes one or more IEs that are related to the access type. For example, TAI list.

[0121] It should be noted that for the same type of IE, when it is included in different messages, the processing methods may be different. For example, for a certain type of IE1 corresponding to 3GPP access, when IE1 is included in NAS message 1, in some other usage scenarios, IE1 is included in NAS message 2. The first device sends message 1 to the second device, and the second device can hand over IE1 in NAS message 1 to the protocol entity corresponding to 3GPP access for processing. In some other usage scenarios, the first device sends NAS message 2 to the second device, and the second device can also hand over IE1 in NAS message 2 to the protocol entity corresponding to 3GPP access of IE1 for processing. Among them, the processing methods of IE1 in NAS message 1 and IE1 in NAS message 2 by the protocol entity corresponding to 3GPP access can be the same or different, and the specific processing method is related to the types of NAS message 1 and NAS message 2.

[0122] S102. If the first NAS message fails to be sent on the first access, the first device sends a second NAS message to the second device through the second access. Among them, the second NAS message is associated with the first NAS message.

[0123] Correspondingly, the second device receives the second NAS message from the first device through the second access.

[0124] The second NAS message includes first indication information. The first indication information can specifically be included in the IE of the second NAS message, or a new IE can be added based on the first NAS message, and the new IE includes the first indication information.

[0125] Taking the second NAS message including the first IE and the first IE including the first indication information as an example, the first indication information is used to indicate the target access type of the first IE, and the target access type includes 3GPP access or non-3GPP access. Table 1 below shows a possible structure of the first IE in the second NAS message.

[0126] Table 1 The first IE of the second NAS message

[0127]

[0128] As shown in Table 1 above, Access type IEI, that is, the identifier (information-element identifier, IEI) of the above-mentioned first IE, 0spare is the reserved field (or called the idle field, etc.), and Access type is the first indication information.

[0129] Among them, the identifier of the first IE is used to uniquely identify the first IE. Exemplarily, the identifier of the first IE occupies 4 bits.

[0130] The first indication information is used to indicate the target access type of the first IE. In this way, when the receiver receives the second NAS message and parses the second indication information, it can handle the first IE in the same way as the IE received from the target access type. In other words, after the receiver receives the first IE, when processing the first IE, it is regarded as if the first IE was received from the target access type indicated by the first indication information (the UE shall to handle the IE as if the IE was received from the access type same as the ″Destination access type″ indicated). That is to say, the receiver processes the first IE through the protocol entity (or instance) corresponding to the target access type. For example, when the receiver receives the second NAS message, the second NAS message includes the first IE, and the first indication information of the first IE indicates that the target access type is 3GPP access, then the receiver processes the first IE through the protocol entity (or instance) corresponding to 3GPP access.

[0131] It should be noted that the number of bits occupied by the identifier of the first IE, the reserved field, and the target access type in the first IE can be as shown in Table 1 according to their respective positions in the byte, or can be set otherwise. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0132] Taking the first indication information occupying 2 bits as an example, Table 2-1 below shows an example of the first indication information.

[0133] Table 2-1 First indication information

[0134] 01 Indicates 3GPP access 10 Indicates non - 3GPP access

[0135] Of course, specifically, what values are used to represent 3GPP access and what values are used to represent non-3GPP access can be flexibly set. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this. For example, Table 2-2 is another possible first indication information. For another example, 000 can also represent non-3GPP access, and 001 represents 3GPP access. Or, other values are used to represent non-3GPP access and non-3GPP access.

[0136] Table 2-2 First indication information

[0137] 000 Indicates 3GPP access 001 Indicates non - 3GPP access

[0138] It should be noted that the second NAS message may include one or more IEs. The target access types corresponding to different IEs may be different or the same. The following Table 3 shows the case where the second NAS message includes multiple IEs.

[0139] Table 3 Second NAS message

[0140] IEI Information Element First indication information 31 Configured NSSAI (Configured Network Slice Selection Assistance Information) Default 11 Rejected NSSAI (Not - Allowed Network Slice Selection Assistance Information) 01 67 UE radio capability ID (Radio Capability Identification) Default 44 5GS registration result (Registration Result) Default

[0141] Among them, the Rejected NSSAI in Table 3, that is, the IE including the first indication information (such as the first IE shown in Table 1 above).

[0142] Among them, different IEs in Table 3 can correspond to different or the same target access types. In this way, the recipient of the second NAS message can have different processing methods for different IEs. Specifically, for the IE with the target access type being 3GPP access, the recipient processes this type of IE through the protocol entity (or instance) corresponding to 3GPP access. For the IE with the target access type being non-3GPP access, the recipient processes this type of IE through the protocol entity corresponding to non-3GPP access.

[0143] For another example, if the NAS message is a TRANSPORT message, the first indication information can be carried in the IE of the payload container of this message, and the indication of the payload container type is added.

[0144] The above introduction shows that the first indication information can be included in the IE of the second NAS message. In some other embodiments, an additional IE can also be added based on the first NAS message, and this additional IE includes the first indication information to obtain the second NAS message. In this case, the first indication information is used to indicate the target access type of the second NAS message. Thus, after the second device receives this second NAS message, it processes the second NAS message in the same way as the NAS message received from the target access type. When the recipient receives the second NAS message including the first indication information, it processes this second NAS message through the protocol entity (or instance) corresponding to the target access type (such as 3GPP access) indicated by the first indication information.

[0145] Table 4 Second NAS Message

[0146] IEI Information Element 31 Configured NSSAI (Configured Network Slice Selection Assistance Information) 11 Rejected NSSAI (Not - Allowed Network Slice Selection Assistance Information) 67 UE radio capability ID (Radio Capability Identification) 44 5GS registration result (Registration Result) X First indication information

[0147] Exemplarily, the first indication information in Table 4 above is used to indicate the target access type of the entire second NAS message.

[0148] The first indication information in the above embodiments can be understood as being used to indirectly indicate that the second device processes the second NAS message according to the method corresponding to the first access. That is, the first indication information is used to indicate the type of the first access (such as the first indication information shown in Table 4). In this way, after the second device receives the first indication information, it can learn the type of the first access and process the second NAS message according to the method corresponding to the first access.

[0149] In some other embodiments, the first indication information is used to indicate not to handle the second NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the current access. After receiving the second NAS message (including the first indication information) through the second access, the second device does not handle the second NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the current access (i.e., the second access), but adopts the manner corresponding to another access (i.e., the first access) to handle the second NAS message. Herein, the current access refers to the access through which the second device receives the second NAS message.

[0150] For example, the second access is 3GPP, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the second device does not handle the second NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the 3GPP access. Thus, after receiving the first indication information through the second access, the second device does not handle the second NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the 3GPP access, but according to the manner corresponding to the non-3GPP access.

[0151] In some other embodiments, the first indication information is used to indicate the type of the second access. After receiving the first indication information through the second access, the second device does not handle the second NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the second access indicated by the first indication information, but adopts the manner corresponding to the first access to handle the second NAS message.

[0152] In some other embodiments, the first indication information is used to directly indicate to handle the second NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access, that is, after receiving the first indication information through the second access, the second device learns to handle the second NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access.

[0153] In some other embodiments, the first indication information may specifically be a NAS connection identifier. This identifier is used to identify whether the NAS connection is a 3GPP connection or a non-3GPP connection. Or, the NAS connection identifier is included in the first indication information.

[0154] As a possible implementation manner, the first device sends the second NAS message to the second device through the protocol entity (or instance) corresponding to the second access. The second device receives the second NAS message from the first device through the protocol entity (or instance) corresponding to the second access.

[0155] It can be understood that in some scenarios, the first NAS message may fail to be sent on the first access. For example, taking the first access as a 3GPP access, in some cases, the 3GPP network (such as a cellular network) may be abnormal. The network abnormality can be a network disconnection, or the signal quality of the network is not good, or other situations. In the case of network abnormality, the link between the AMF and the terminal device may be released, resulting in the inability to transmit the first NAS message between the AMF and the terminal device through the 3GPP access.

[0156] In the embodiment of the present application, when the first NAS message fails to be sent on the first access, it is considered that the first device sends a second NAS message associated with the first NAS message to the second device on the second access. Wherein, the access type of the second access is different from that of the first access. Specifically, when the first access is a 3GPP access, the second access is a non-3GPP access. Or, when the first access is a non-3GPP access, the second access is a 3GPP access. This means that the first device and the second device can transmit the second NAS message corresponding to the first access (which is a different access type from the second access) on the second access.

[0157] As a possible design, the first NAS message may be a NAS message in the prior art, and the second NAS message is a NAS message obtained by encapsulating the first indication information based on the first NAS message. Specifically, the second NAS message includes the first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate processing the second NAS message according to the method corresponding to the first access. For example, Table 5 and Table 6 below show a possible example of the first NAS message and the second NAS message.

[0158] Table 5 First NAS Message

[0159] IEI Information Element 31 Configured NSSAI (Configured Network Slice Selection Assistance Information) 11 Rejected NSSAI (Not - Allowed Network Slice Selection Assistance Information) 67 UE radio capability ID (Radio Capability Identification) 44 5GS registration result (Registration Result)

[0160] Table 6 Second NAS Message

[0161]

[0162] It can be seen that the first NAS message shown in Table 5 does not include the first indication information, and the second NAS message shown in Table 6 encapsulates the first indication information based on the first NAS message, and the first indication information can be encapsulated in the information element of the first NAS message (such as the information element Configured NSSAI). That is, by encapsulating the first indication information 000 in the information element Configured NSSAI of the first NAS message shown in Table 5, the second NAS message shown in Table 6 is obtained.

[0163] For the IE with the first indication information missing received through the second access, such as the information element 5GS registration result shown in Table 6, the second device processes this information element according to the process of the prior art, that is, processes this information element according to the method corresponding to the access (i.e., the second access) where this information element is received.

[0164] In some other embodiments, an IE may also be newly added based on the first NAS message, and the first indication information is encapsulated in the newly added IE to obtain the second NAS message. For example, based on the first NAS message shown in Table 5, IE X is newly added, and the first indication information is encapsulated in the newly added IE X to obtain the second NAS message shown in Table 7.

[0165] Table 7 Second NAS message

[0166]

[0167] As another possible implementation, the first NAS message may include fifth indication information. The fifth indication information is used to indicate processing the first NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access. The specific manner in which the first NAS message carries the first indication information may refer to the manner in which the second NAS message carries the first indication information as described above. In this case, the second NAS message may be the same NAS message as the first NAS message, that is, the first device may directly send the first NAS message to the second device through the second access. That is, since the first NAS message already carries the indication information for indicating the target access type, there is no need to encapsulate the indication information for indicating the target access type on the basis of the first NAS message.

[0168] S103. The second device processes the second NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access.

[0169] As a possible implementation, after the second device receives the second NAS message including the first indication information through the protocol entity (or instance) of the second access, the second NAS message is transferred to the protocol entity (or instance) corresponding to the first access, and the protocol entity (or instance) corresponding to the first access processes the second NAS message.

[0170] For example, after the second device receives the second NAS message shown in Table 6 through the protocol entity of the second access, the protocol entity (or instance) corresponding to the second access transfers the information element Configured NSSAI to the protocol entity (or instance) corresponding to the first access, and the protocol entity (or instance) corresponding to the first access processes the information element Configured NSSAI.

[0171] For another example, after the second device receives the second NAS message shown in Table 7 through the instance corresponding to the second access, the second NAS message is transferred to the protocol entity (or instance) corresponding to the first access, and the protocol entity (or instance) corresponding to the first access processes the second NAS message.

[0172] Exemplarily, refer to Figure 8 to give a specific interaction example between the AMF and the terminal device. The Figure 8Introduce the internal implementation of the AMF and the terminal device. Taking the example of the AMF sending a NAS message to the terminal device, if the AMF detects a lower layer failure corresponding to the 3GPP access mode, it sends the NAS message to the terminal device through non-3GPP access. The NAS message includes IE1 and IE2, both of which are related to the access type. Among them, IE1 needs to be processed in the way corresponding to 3GPP access, and IE2 needs to be processed in the way corresponding to non-3GPP access. The AMF encapsulates the first indication information 000 in IE1 to indicate that the terminal device processes IE1 according to the way corresponding to 3GPP access, and encapsulates the first indication information 001 in IE2 to indicate that the terminal device processes IE2 according to the way corresponding to non-3GPP access. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the NAS message through the protocol entity (or instance) corresponding to non-3GPP access. Optionally, the terminal device can parse the NAS message through the protocol entity corresponding to non-3GPP access, read the first indication information 000 of IE1 and the first indication information 001 of IE2. In this way, the protocol entity corresponding to non-3GPP access knows that IE2 needs to be processed through this protocol entity, and passes IE1 to the protocol entity corresponding to 3GPP access for processing.

[0173] For another example, refer to Figure 9 , if the AMF fails to send a NAS message (the NAS message includes IE1) on 3GPP access, it sends the NAS message to the terminal device through non-3GPP access. An additional IE is added to the basis of this NAS message, and the first indication information 001 is encapsulated in the additional IE to indicate that the terminal device processes the NAS message according to the way corresponding to 3GPP access. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the NAS message through the protocol entity (or instance) corresponding to non-3GPP access, and passes the NAS message to the protocol entity corresponding to 3GPP access for processing according to the first indication information.

[0174] It can be understood that in some scenarios, the first indication information may be misoperated. For example, the first device may misplace the value of the first indication information or miss filling in the value of the first indication information. In such a case, a processing scheme for misoperation needs to be designed. For example, in the case where 000 represents 3GPP access and 001 represents non-3GPP access, the first device may misfill the first indication information of the second NAS message as 011. In this case, in the embodiment of the present application, the second device processes it in the way corresponding to the current access. The current access is the access through which the second NAS message is received. For example, the second device receives the second NAS message including the first indication information (value is 011) through the second access, and processes the second NAS message in the way corresponding to the second access.

[0175] It should be noted that the misfilling or omission of the first indication information includes two cases. In one case, the first NAS message includes the first indication information, and the first device makes a misfilling or omission when filling the first indication information of the first NAS message. In another case, the first NAS message does not include the first indication information, and when the first device encapsulates the first indication information on the basis of the first NAS message to obtain the second NAS message, the first indication information is misfilled or omitted.

[0176] In some other embodiments, when all the IEs included in the first NAS message are IEs irrelevant to the access type, the second NAS message may also not carry the first indication information.

[0177] S104. The second device sends a first response message to the first device.

[0178] Correspondingly, the first device receives the first response message from the second device.

[0179] The first response message is used to indicate that the second NAS message has been received.

[0180] As a possible implementation, the second device sends the first response message to the first device through the second access. That is, after the protocol entity (or instance) corresponding to the first access of the second device processes the second NAS message, the processing result is passed to the protocol entity corresponding to the second access, and the protocol entity corresponding to the second access sends the first response message to the first device according to the processing result. The first response message includes a second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the first response message corresponds to the first access. In this way, after receiving the first response message through the protocol entity of the second access, the first device passes the first response message to the protocol entity of the first access for processing.

[0181] Or, the second device sends the first response message to the first device through the protocol entity of the first access.

[0182] Step S104 is an optional step.

[0183] Compared with the prior art where when an abnormality occurs in the first access or the like, the first NAS message on the first access fails to be sent, resulting in communication failure, in the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application, when the first NAS message fails to be sent on the first access, the first device can send a second NAS message associated with the first NAS message through the second access. That is, the first device can still interact with the second device through the second access to send a message associated with the first NAS message, so that the second device can learn the first NAS message through the message associated with the first NAS message. In this way, the probability of communication failure is reduced. In addition, the second NAS message includes first indication information, so that the second device can be instructed to process the second NAS message according to the method corresponding to the first access, so that the second device can learn the first NAS message associated with the second NAS message.

[0184] It should be noted that the premise of the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is that the terminal device is registered on both the first access and the second access. And the terminal device needs to register the first access and the second access on the same AMF. In the registration process provided by the embodiments of the present application, the first device sends a registration message to the second device, and the registration message may carry the capability information of the first device, and the capability information is used to indicate that the first device can transmit the NAS message corresponding to the first access through the second access. When the first device is a terminal device, the registration message is a registration request message. If the first device is an AMF, the registration message is a registration response message. The registration response message includes a registration accept message or a registration reject message. The following specifically introduces the registration process.

[0185] See Figure 10 , which is the registration process provided by the embodiments of the present application. The registration process includes:

[0186] S201. The terminal device sends a registration request message to the AMF. The registration request message carries the capability information of the terminal device.

[0187] Correspondingly, the AMF receives the registration request message from the terminal device.

[0188] The capability information of the terminal device is used to indicate that the terminal device can transmit the NAS message corresponding to the first access through the second access.

[0189] As a possible design, the registration request message is used for the terminal device to request registration on the first access. And, through the capability information carried in the registration request message, the AMF can be informed that the terminal device can transmit the NAS message corresponding to the first access on the second access.

[0190] As another possible design, the registration request message is used for the terminal device to request registration on the second access. Moreover, the capability information carried by the registration request message can inform the AMF that the terminal device is capable of transmitting NAS messages corresponding to the first access on the second access.

[0191] S202. The AMF sends a registration response message to the terminal device, and the registration response message includes capability information.

[0192] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the registration response message from the AMF.

[0193] It can be understood that if the AMF determines to accept the registration of the terminal device, it sends a registration acceptance message to the terminal. If the AMF determines not to accept the registration of the terminal device, it sends a registration rejection message to the terminal.

[0194] S203. The terminal device sends a registration confirmation message to the AMF.

[0195] Correspondingly, the AMF receives the registration confirmation message from the terminal device.

[0196] The registration confirmation message is used to indicate the completion of registration.

[0197] It should be noted that if the registration process is the registration process of the terminal device on 3GPP access, the terminal device and the AMF interact through the 3GPP access method. If the registration process is the registration process of the terminal device on non-3GPP access, the terminal device and the AMF interact through the non-3GPP access method.

[0198] Step S203 is an optional step.

[0199] The embodiment of the present application further provides a communication method. Refer to Figure 11 , and this method includes:

[0200] S301. The first device selects the second access according to the connection management state (CM state) of the first access and the connection management state of the second access.

[0201] Wherein, the first access is 3GPP access and the second access is non-3GPP access; or, the first access is non-3GPP access and the second access is 3GPP access.

[0202] As a possible implementation, the first device maintains the connection management state of the first access and the connection management state of the second access. Specifically, after the first device enters the connected state or the idle state through 3GPP access, it can maintain the connection management state of 3GPP access, that is, maintain the connected state (or idle state) of 3GPP access. After the first device enters the connected state (or idle state) through non-3GPP access, it can maintain the connected state (or idle state) of 3GPP access.

[0203] Subsequently, the first device can query the maintained connection management state of the first access and the connection management state of the second access, and select the access for sending the third NAS message according to the two connection management states.

[0204] As a possible implementation, the first device selects the access with the connection management state being the connected state to send the third NAS message. Taking the connection management state of the first access being the idle state and the connection management state of the second access being the connected state as an example, that is, the first device selects the second access to send the third NAS message.

[0205] S302. The first device sends the third NAS message corresponding to the first access to the second device through the second access, and the third NAS message includes third indication information.

[0206] Among them, the third indication information is used to indicate processing the third NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access.

[0207] In the prior art, when the first access is in the idle state, in order to send a NAS message on the first access (such as 3GPP access), it is also necessary to re-establish the link between the terminal device and the AMF, and there is a certain delay in message sending.

[0208] In the embodiment of the present application, when the first access of the first device is in the idle state and the first access cannot be directly used to send the third NAS message, the first device can send the third NAS message to the second device through the second access in the connected state to shorten the message sending delay.

[0209] In addition, Figure 7 For the corresponding embodiment based on the same principle, the third NAS message sent by the first device includes third indication information, so as to instruct the second device to process the third NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access, that is, after receiving the third NAS message through the protocol entity (or instance) corresponding to the second access, the second device can pass the third NAS message to the protocol entity corresponding to the first access for processing.

[0210] As a possible implementation, the third NAS message includes a second information unit, the second information unit includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate processing the second information unit according to the manner corresponding to the first access. That is, the third indication information is included in the IE of the third NAS message.

[0211] For the specific implementation of the third NAS message, refer to the above-mentioned second NAS message.

[0212] S303. The second device processes the third NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access.

[0213] Optionally, if the third indication information is included in the second IE of the third NAS message, the second device processes the second IE according to the manner corresponding to the first access. That is, the protocol entity of the second access of the second device forwards the second IE to the protocol entity of the first access for processing.

[0214] Or, if the third indication information is included outside the second IE of the third NAS message, the protocol entity of the second access of the second device forwards the third NAS message to the protocol entity of the first access for processing.

[0215] The second IE refers to the IE of the prior art included in the third NAS message. The third indication information is included outside the second IE of the third NAS message, which means that on the basis of the existing third NAS message, a new IE is added, and the third indication information is included in the new IE, which is used to indicate which access type the entire third NAS message corresponds to.

[0216] S304. The second device sends a second response message to the first device.

[0217] Correspondingly, the first device receives the second response message from the second device.

[0218] The second response message is used to indicate that the third NAS message has been received.

[0219] As a possible implementation, the second device sends the second response message to the first device through the second access. That is, after the protocol entity (or instance) corresponding to the first access of the second device processes the third NAS message, the processing result is passed to the protocol entity corresponding to the second access, and the protocol entity corresponding to the second access sends the second response message to the first device according to the processing result. The second response message includes fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the second response message corresponds to the first access.

[0220] Or, the second device sends the second response message to the first device through the protocol entity of the first access.

[0221] Step S304 is an optional step.

[0222] In some embodiments, before the first device sends a third NAS message corresponding to the first access to the second device through the second access, it further includes:

[0223] The first device sends capability information to the second device; the capability information is used to indicate that the first device can transmit the NAS message corresponding to the first access through the second access.

[0224] In some embodiments, the first device sending the capability information to the second device includes:

[0225] The first device sends a registration message to the second device, and the registration message includes the capability information.

[0226] For the relevant content of the capability information, reference can be made to Figure 10 the corresponding embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0227] It should be noted that Figure 10 the prerequisite for the corresponding embodiments is that the terminal device is registered on both the first access and the second access, and the first access and the second access are registered on the same AMF.

[0228] Compared with the prior art where, when sending a message on an access in the idle state of the connection management state, it is necessary to first establish a relevant communication link. For example, first establish an RRC connection and then communicate through the RRC connection, resulting in a relatively large service delay. The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application selects the second access according to the connection management state of the first access and the connection management state of the second access, and sends the third NAS message on the second access. That is to say, when selecting the access for sending the NAS message, the connection management states of multiple available accesses are also considered. This can reduce the probability of selecting an idle-state access, thereby reducing the service delay. In addition, the third NAS message includes third indication information, which can indicate the second device to process the third NAS message according to the method corresponding to the first access, so as to facilitate the second device to correctly process the third NAS message.

[0229] The above mainly introduces the solution provided by the embodiments of the present application from the perspective of the interaction between various devices. It can be understood that, in order to implement the above functions, the above terminal device, AMF or other devices include the corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, combining the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this article, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving the hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of the present application.

[0230] Embodiments of the present application can divide functional modules for the first device, the second device, or other devices according to the above method examples. For example, each functional module can be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional module. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, only a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation.

[0231] For example, in the case of dividing each functional module in an integrated manner, Figure 12 FIG. shows a schematic structural diagram of a device 90. The device 90 can be the first device in the above embodiments, or a chip or circuit in the first device in the above embodiments. Embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations in this regard. Among them, the device 90 includes: a transceiver module 901.

[0232] The transceiver module 901 is configured to send a first non-access stratum (NAS) message to the second device through a first access; if the first NAS message fails to be sent on the first access, then send a second NAS message associated with the first NAS message to the second device through a second access. The second NAS message includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate processing the second NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access. The first access is a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access, and the second access is a non-3GPP access; or, the first access is a non-3GPP access, and the second access is a 3GPP access.

[0233] In a possible design, the second NAS message includes first indication information, and the first indication information for indicating processing the second NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access includes:

[0234] The second NAS message includes a first information element, and the first information element includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate processing the first information element according to the manner corresponding to the first access.

[0235] In a possible design, the transceiver module 901 is further configured to send capability information to the second device; the capability information is used to indicate that the communication device can transmit NAS messages corresponding to the first access through the second access.

[0236] In a possible design, the transceiver module 901 is configured to send capability information to the second device, including:

[0237] It is configured to send a registration message to the second device, and the registration message includes the capability information.

[0238] In a possible design, the transceiver module is further configured to receive, via the second access, a first response message from the second device, where the first response message includes second indication information for indicating that the first response message corresponds to the first access.

[0239] In a possible design, the transceiver module is further configured to receive, via the first access, a first response message from the second device.

[0240] In a possible design, the communication device is an access and mobility management network element (or a component such as a chip system), and the second device is a terminal device (or a component such as a chip system).

[0241] In a possible design, the communication device is a terminal device (or a component such as a chip system), and the second device is an access and mobility management network element (or a component such as a chip system).

[0242] In a possible design, the terminal device is registered for both the first access and the second access.

[0243] Optionally, the apparatus 90 further includes a processing module 902 configured to control the operations of the apparatus 90. For example, controlling the apparatus 90 to send and receive information.

[0244] Optionally, the apparatus 90 further includes a storage module 903 for storing data, programs, etc. For example, storing the connection management state and the registration management state.

[0245] For another example, in the case where each functional module is divided in an integrated manner, Figure 13 FIG. shows a schematic structural diagram of another apparatus 100. The apparatus 100 may be the first device in the foregoing embodiments, or a chip or circuit in the first device in the foregoing embodiments. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations thereto. The apparatus 100 includes: a processing module 1002 and a transceiver module 1001.

[0246] The processing module 1002 is configured to select the second access according to the connection management state of the first access and the connection management state of the second access;

[0247] The transceiver module 1001 is configured to send, via the second access, a third NAS message corresponding to the first access to the second device, where the third NAS message includes third indication information for indicating that the third NAS message is processed according to the manner corresponding to the first access, the first access is a 3GPP access of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, and the second access is a non-3GPP access; or, the first access is a non-3GPP access, and the second access is a 3GPP access.

[0248] In a possible design, the connection management state of the first access is the idle state, and the connection management state of the second access is the connected state.

[0249] In a possible design, the third NAS message includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that processing the third NAS message according to the method corresponding to the first access includes:

[0250] The third NAS message includes a second information unit, and the second information unit includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that processing the second information unit according to the method corresponding to the first access.

[0251] In a possible design, the transceiver module 1001 is further configured to send capability information to a second device; the capability information is used to indicate that the communication device can transmit the NAS message corresponding to the first access through the second access.

[0252] In a possible design, the transceiver module 1001 is configured to send capability information to a second device, including:

[0253] It is used to send a registration message to the second device, and the registration message includes the capability information.

[0254] In a possible design, the transceiver module is further configured to receive a second response message from the second device through the second access, and the second response message includes fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the second response message corresponds to the first access.

[0255] In a possible design, the transceiver module is further configured to receive a second response message from the second device through the first access.

[0256] In a possible design, the communication device is an access and mobility management network element, and the second device is a terminal device.

[0257] In a possible design, the communication device is a terminal device, and the second device is an access and mobility management network element.

[0258] In a possible design, the terminal device is registered on both the first access and the second access.

[0259] Optionally, the apparatus 100 further includes a storage module 1003. It is used to store data or programs, etc. For example, it stores the connection management state and the registration management state.

[0260] Wherein, all the relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be cited in the function descriptions of the corresponding functional modules, and will not be elaborated here.

[0261] In this embodiment, the device 90 and the device 100 are presented in the form of integrating and dividing each functional module. Here, the "module" may refer to a specific ASIC, circuit, processor and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0262] In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art can conceive that the device 90 or the device 100 can adopt Figure 6 the form shown.

[0263] For example, Figure 6 the processor 401 in can cause the device 90 to execute the communication method in the above method embodiment by calling the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 403.

[0264] Specifically, Figure 12 the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 901, the processing module 902, and the storage module 903 in can be realized by Figure 6 the processor 401 and / or the processor 408 in calling the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 403.

[0265] Or, Figure 12 the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 901 and the processing module 902 in can be realized by Figure 6 the processor 401 and / or the processor 408 in calling the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 403. Figure 12 the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 903 in can be realized by Figure 6 the communication interface 404 in. Figure 12 the function / implementation process of the storage module 903 in can be realized by Figure 6 the memory 403 in.

[0266] Figure 13 the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1001, the processing module 1002, and the storage module 1003 in can be realized by Figure 6 the processor 401 and / or the processor 408 in calling the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 403.

[0267] Or, Figure 13 the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1001 and the processing module 1002 in can be realized by Figure 6 the processor 401 and / or the processor 408 in calling the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 403. Figure 13 the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 903 in can be realized by Figure 6 the communication interface 404 in. Figure 13The function / implementation process of the storage module 1003 in Figure 6 can be implemented by the memory 403 in

[0268] Optionally, when the device 90 or the device 100 is a chip or a circuit, the memory 403 can be a storage unit within the chip or the circuit, such as a register, a cache, etc. Of course, when the device 90 or the device 100 is a device, the memory 403 can be a storage unit outside the chip within the device. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations in this regard.

[0269] Since the device provided by the embodiments of the present application can be used to execute the above communication method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above method embodiments and will not be elaborated here.

[0270] Optionally, the embodiments of the present application further provide a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting the first device to implement the above communication method. In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory. The memory is used to store the necessary program instructions and data of the first device. Of course, the memory may not be in the chip system. The chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete devices. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations in this regard.

[0271] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center in a wired manner (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or a wireless manner (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that the computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or a data center that includes one or more integrated media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (such as a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (such as a solid state disk (SSD)), etc.

[0272] Although the present application has been described in connection with various embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize other variations of the disclosed embodiments upon viewing the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may implement several functions recited in the claims. Certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims, but this does not indicate that these measures cannot be combined to produce a favorable effect.

[0273] Although the present application has been described in connection with specific features and their embodiments, it will be apparent that various modifications and combinations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the present application as defined by the appended claims, and are considered to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of the present application. Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalent technologies, the present application is also intended to include these changes and modifications.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: The first device sends a first non-access stratum (NAS) message to the second device through a first access. If the transmission of the first NAS message fails on the first access, the first device sends a second NAS message associated with the first NAS message to the second device through a second access. The second NAS message includes first indication information for indicating to process the second NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access. The first access is a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access, and the second access is a non-3GPP access; or, the first access is a non-3GPP access, and the second access is a 3GPP access.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second NAS message includes first indication information for indicating to process the second NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access, and includes: The second NAS message includes a first information element, and the first information element includes the first indication information for indicating to process the first information element according to the manner corresponding to the first access.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Before the first device sends a first non-access stratum (NAS) message to the second device through a first access, it further includes: The first device sends capability information to the second device. The capability information is used to indicate that the first device is capable of transmitting NAS messages corresponding to the first access through the second access.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The first device sending the capability information to the second device includes: The first device sends a registration message to the second device, and the registration message includes the capability information.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first device receives a first response message from the second device through the second access. The first response message includes second indication information for indicating that the first response message corresponds to the first access.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The method further includes: The first device receives a first response message from the second device through the first access.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first device is an access and mobility management network element, and the second device is a terminal device.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first device is a terminal device, and the second device is an access and mobility management network element.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The terminal device is registered on both the first access and the second access.

10. A communication method, characterized in that, It includes: The first device selects the second access according to the connection management state of the first access and the connection management state of the second access. The first device sends a third NAS message corresponding to the first access to the second device through the second access. The third NAS message includes third indication information for indicating to process the third NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access. The first access is a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access, and the second access is a non-3GPP access; or, the first access is a non-3GPP access, and the second access is a 3GPP access.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The connection management state of the first access is an idle state, and the connection management state of the second access is a connected state.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The third NAS message includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that processing the third NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access includes: The third NAS message includes a second information unit, the second information unit includes the third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the second information unit is processed according to the manner corresponding to the first access.

13. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, Before the first device sends a third NAS message corresponding to the first access to the second device through the second access, it further includes: The first device sends capability information to the second device; the capability information is used to indicate that the first device is capable of transmitting a NAS message corresponding to the first access through the second access.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein The first device sending the capability information to the second device includes: The first device sends a registration message to the second device, and the registration message includes the capability information.

15. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that The method further includes: The first device receives a second response message from the second device through the second access, and the second response message includes fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the second response message corresponds to the first access.

16. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first device receives a second response message from the second device through the first access.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein The first device is an access and mobility management network element, and the second device is a terminal device.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein The first device is a terminal device, and the second device is an access and mobility management network element.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The terminal device is registered for both the first access and the second access.

20. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes: A transceiver module, configured to send a first non-access stratum (NAS) message to a second device through a first access; If the first NAS message fails to be sent on the first access, then a second NAS message associated with the first NAS message is sent to the second device through a second access, the second NAS message includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the second NAS message is processed according to the manner corresponding to the first access, the first access is a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access, and the second access is a non-3GPP access; or, the first access is a non-3GPP access, and the second access is a 3GPP access.

21. The communication device according to claim 20, wherein The second NAS message includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that processing the second NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access includes: The second NAS message includes a first information unit, the first information unit includes the first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the first information unit is processed according to the manner corresponding to the first access.

22. The communication device according to claim 20 or 21, wherein The transceiver module is further configured to send capability information to the second device; the capability information is used to indicate that the communication device is capable of transmitting a NAS message corresponding to the first access through the second access.

23. The communication device according to claim 22, wherein The transceiver module is configured to send the capability information to the second device, including: It is configured to send a registration message to the second device, and the registration message includes the capability information.

24. The communication device according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that: The transceiver module is further configured to receive, via the second access, a first response message from the second device, where the first response message includes second indication information for indicating that the first response message corresponds to the first access.

25. The communication device according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that: The transceiver module is further configured to receive, via the first access, a first response message from the second device.

26. The communication device according to claim 20, wherein The communication device is an access and mobility management network element, and the second device is a terminal device.

27. The communication device according to claim 20, wherein The communication device is a terminal device, and the second device is an access and mobility management network element.

28. The communication device according to claim 26 or 27, characterized in that, The terminal device is registered on both the first access and the second access.

29. A communication device, characterized in that, Comprising: A processing module, configured to select the second access according to the connection management status of the first access and the connection management status of the second access; A transceiver module, configured to send, via the second access, a third NAS message corresponding to the first access to the second device, where the third NAS message includes third indication information for indicating that the third NAS message is to be processed according to the manner corresponding to the first access, the first access is a 3GPP access of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, and the second access is a non-3GPP access; or, the first access is a non-3GPP access, and the second access is a 3GPP access.

30. The communication device according to claim 29, characterized in that, The connection management status of the first access is an idle state, and the connection management status of the second access is a connected state.

31. The communication device according to claim 29 or 30, characterized in that, The third NAS message includes third indication information for indicating that processing the third NAS message according to the manner corresponding to the first access includes: The third NAS message includes a second information unit, and the second information unit includes the third indication information for indicating that the second information unit is to be processed according to the manner corresponding to the first access.

32. The communication device according to claim 29 or 30, characterized in that: The transceiver module is further configured to send capability information to the second device; the capability information is used to indicate that the communication device is capable of transmitting a NAS message corresponding to the first access via the second access.

33. The communication device according to claim 32, characterized in that, The transceiver module is configured to send capability information to the second device, including: It is configured to send a registration message to the second device, and the registration message includes the capability information.

34. The communication device according to claim 29 or 30, characterized in that: The transceiver module is further configured to receive, via the second access, a second response message from the second device, where the second response message includes fourth indication information for indicating that the second response message corresponds to the first access.

35. The communication device according to claim 29 or 30, characterized in that: The transceiver module is further configured to receive, via the first access, a second response message from the second device.

36. The communication device according to claim 29, wherein The communication device is an access and mobility management network element, and the second device is a terminal device.

37. The communication device according to claim 29, wherein The communication device is a terminal device, and the second device is an access and mobility management network element.

38. The communication device according to claim 36 or 37, characterized in that, The terminal device is registered on both the first access and the second access.

39. A communication device, characterized in that, Comprising: a processor and a memory; The memory is used to store computer-executable instructions. When the communication device runs, the processor executes the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory, so that the communication device is used to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1-9, or is used to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 10-19.

40. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a program or instructions. When the program or instructions are executed, the communication method according to any one of claims 1-9 is implemented, or the communication method according to any one of claims 10-19 is implemented.

41. A computer program product, characterized in that, Comprising a program or instructions. When the program or instructions are executed, the communication method according to any one of claims 1-9 is implemented, or the communication method according to any one of claims 10-19 is implemented.

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