Target face capability reporting, obtaining method and device of network function instance or network element

Abstract

The application discloses a network function instance or network element target surface capability reporting, obtaining method and equipment, belongs to wireless communication technical field, network function instance or network element target surface capability reporting method of embodiment of the application includes: first network function instance or network element reports target surface capability information of the first network function instance or network element, the target surface is the protocol function surface for supporting at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis and data preprocessing.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of wireless communication, and particularly relates to a target surface capability reporting and obtaining method and device of a network function instance or a network element. BACKGROUND

[0002] The existing network does not support the data collection control of end-to-end network functions, such as the data collection control of user equipment (UE) to a core network (CN) and the data collection control of user equipment to a radio access network (RAN), and there is no definition of the capability of a network function instance or a network element in terms of data collection, transmission and analysis in the existing standards, so it is difficult to implement some high-service-quality-guaranteed application services, such as sensing and computing in a 6G network.

[0003] Therefore, the problem of how to support the data collection and use of end-to-end network functions needs to be solved. SUMMARY

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a target surface capability reporting and obtaining method and device of a network function instance or a network element, which can solve the problem of data collection and use of end-to-end network functions.

[0005] In a first aspect, a target surface capability reporting method of a network function instance or a network element is provided, comprising:

[0006] The first network function instance or network element reports target surface capability information of the first network function instance or network element, and the target surface is a protocol function surface for supporting at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis and data preprocessing.

[0007] In a second aspect, a target surface capability obtaining method of a network function instance or a network element is provided, comprising:

[0008] The target surface network function instance receives target surface capability information of a first network function instance or network element, and the target surface is a protocol function surface for supporting at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis and data preprocessing.

[0009] In a third aspect, a target surface capability reporting method of a network function instance or a network element is provided, comprising:

[0010] The second network function instance receives target surface capability information of a first network function instance or network element reported by the first network function instance or network element, and the target surface is a protocol function surface for supporting at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis and data preprocessing.

[0011] The second network function instance receives target plane capability query information sent by the target plane network function instance, wherein the query information indicates the target plane capability information to be queried;

[0012] The second network function instance reports the target surface capability information to the target surface network function instance based on the target surface capability information to be queried.

[0013] Fourthly, a target plane capability reporting device for network function instances or network elements is provided, comprising:

[0014] The first reporting module is used to report the target surface capability information of the first network function instance or network element. The target surface is a protocol function surface used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis, and data preprocessing.

[0015] Fifthly, a device for acquiring the target plane capabilities of a network function instance or network element is provided, comprising:

[0016] The first receiving module is used to receive target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element, wherein the target plane is a protocol function plane used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis and data preprocessing.

[0017] Sixthly, a target plane capability reporting device for network function instances or network elements is provided, comprising:

[0018] The first receiving module is used to receive the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element reported by the first network function instance or network element. The target plane is a protocol function plane used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis and data preprocessing.

[0019] The second receiving module is used to receive target plane capability query information sent by the target plane network function instance, wherein the query information indicates the target plane capability information to be queried.

[0020] The reporting module is used to report the target surface capability information to the target surface network function instance based on the target surface capability information that needs to be queried.

[0021] A seventh aspect provides a network device, the terminal including a processor and a memory, the memory storing a program or instructions executable on the processor, the program or instructions, when executed by the processor, implementing the steps of the method as described in the first, second, or third aspect.

[0022] Eighthly, a network device is provided, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is used to report target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element, and the target plane is a protocol function plane for supporting at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis and data preprocessing.

[0023] In a ninth aspect, a network device is provided, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is used to receive target plane capability information of a first network function instance or network element, the target plane being a protocol function plane for supporting at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis, and data preprocessing.

[0024] In a tenth aspect, a network device is provided, including a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is configured to receive target plane capability information of a first network function instance or network element reported by the first network function instance or network element, the target plane being a protocol function plane for supporting at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis, and data preprocessing; receive target plane capability query information sent by a target plane network function instance, the query information indicating the target plane capability information to be queried; and report the target plane capability information to the target plane network function instance based on the target plane capability information to be queried.

[0025] Eleventhly, a communication system is provided, comprising: a plurality of network devices, wherein one of the network devices is configured to perform the steps of the method as described in the first aspect, one of the network devices is configured to perform the steps of the method as described in the second aspect, and one of the network devices is configured to perform the steps of the method as described in the third aspect.

[0026] In a twelfth aspect, a readable storage medium is provided, on which a program or instructions are stored, which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method as described in the first, second, or third aspect.

[0027] In a thirteenth aspect, a chip is provided, the chip including a processor and a communication interface coupled to the processor, the processor being used to run programs or instructions to implement the methods described in the first, second, or third aspects.

[0028] In a fourteenth aspect, a computer program / program product is provided, the computer program / program product being stored in a storage medium, the computer program / program product being executed by at least one processor to perform the steps of the method as described in the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect.

[0029] In this embodiment of the application, network function instances or network elements report target plane capability information. The target plane is a protocol function plane used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis, and data preprocessing, thereby realizing end-to-end network function data collection and use. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to embodiments of this application;

[0031] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the data collection architecture for using data collection coordination;

[0032] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an open architecture for network data analytics that coordinates data collection;

[0033] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the O-RAN architecture;

[0034] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of UE capability transmission;

[0035] Figure 6 This is one of the flowcharts illustrating a network function instance or a target plane function reporting method for a network element in an embodiment of this application.

[0036] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for obtaining target surface functions of a network function instance or network element according to an embodiment of this application.

[0037] Figure 8 This is a second flowchart illustrating a network function instance or target plane function reporting method for a network element in an embodiment of this application.

[0038] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating the target plane function reporting method for a network function example or network element in Embodiment 1 of this application.

[0039] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating the target plane function reporting method for a network function example or network element in Embodiment 3 of this application.

[0040] Figure 11 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of a target plane function reporting device for a network function example or network element in an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the target plane function acquisition device for a network function example or network element in an embodiment of this application.

[0042] Figure 13 This is a second schematic diagram of the target plane function reporting device for a network function example or network element in this application embodiment;

[0043] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the network device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 15 This is one of the hardware structure diagrams of the network device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 16 This is a second schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the network device according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0046] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0047] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such terms can be used interchangeably where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first" and "second" are generally of the same class, not limited in number; for example, a first object can be one or more. Furthermore, in the specification and claims, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0048] It is worth noting that the technologies described in this application are not limited to Long Term Evolution (LTE) / LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, but can also be used in other wireless communication systems, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single-carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA), and other systems. The terms "system" and "network" in this application are often used interchangeably, and the described technologies can be used with the systems and radio technologies mentioned above, as well as with other systems and radio technologies. The following description describes New Radio (NR) systems for illustrative purposes, and NR terminology is used in most of the following description; however, these technologies can also be applied to applications beyond NR systems, such as 6th generation (6G) radio systems. th Generation 6G communication system.

[0049] Figure 1This diagram illustrates a block diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to embodiments of this application. The wireless communication system includes a terminal 11 and a network-side device 12. Terminal 11 can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld computer, netbook, ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), mobile internet device (MID), augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) device, robot, wearable device, vehicle-mounted device (VUE), pedestrian terminal (PUE), smart home (home devices with wireless communication capabilities, such as refrigerators, televisions, washing machines, or furniture), game console, personal computer (PC), ATM, or self-service machine, etc. Wearable devices include: smartwatches, smart bracelets, smart headphones, smart glasses, smart jewelry (smart bracelets, smart chains, smart rings, smart necklaces, smart anklets, smart anklets, etc.), smart wristbands, smart clothing, etc. It should be noted that the specific type of terminal 11 is not limited in this embodiment. Network-side equipment 12 may include access network equipment or core network equipment. Access network equipment 12 may also be referred to as radio access network equipment, radio access network (RAN), radio access network function, or radio access network unit. Access network equipment 12 may include base stations, WLAN access points, or WiFi nodes, etc. Base stations may be referred to as Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), access point, base transceiver station (BTS), radio base station, radio transceiver, Basic Service Set (BSS), Extended Service Set (ESS), home B node, home evolved B node, Transmitting Receiving Point (TRP), or any other suitable term in the field, as long as the same technical effect is achieved. The base station is not limited to specific technical terms. It should be noted that in this application embodiment, only a base station in an NR system is used as an example for description, and the specific type of base station is not limited.Core network equipment may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: core network node, core network function, Mobility Management Entity (MME), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), User Plane Function (UPF), Policy Control Function (PCF), Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), Edge Application Server Discovery Function (EASDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Unified Data Repository (UDR), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Centralized network configuration (CNC), Network Repository Function (NRF), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Local NEF (or L-NEF), and Binding Support Function. Support Function (BSF), Application Function (AF), etc. It should be noted that this application embodiment only uses the core network equipment in the NR system as an example for description, and does not limit the specific type of core network equipment.

[0050] The following is a description of the communication terms used in this application.

[0051] (1) 5G network data analysis service

[0052] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) is one of the network functions of the 5G core network control plane (5GC), which interacts with different entities for different purposes.

[0053] Data is collected based on event subscriptions provided by the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Policy Control Function (PCF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Application Function (AF) (directly or through Network Exposure Function (NEF)) or Operation Administration Maintenance (OAM);

[0054] Use the Data Collection Coordination Function (DCCF) for analysis and data collection;

[0055] Retrieve information from a data repository (e.g., retrieve user-desired requests (UDRs) via a UDM to retrieve user-related information);

[0056] Information is stored and retrieved from the Analytics Data Repository Function (ADRF);

[0057] Analysis and data collection from the Messaging Framework Adaptor Function (MFAF);

[0058] Retrieve information about Network Functions (NFs) (e.g., retrieve information related to NFs from NF Repository Functions (NRFs));

[0059] Provide analysis to consumers based on their needs;

[0060] Provide consumers with a large amount of data.

[0061] Although the 5G core network control plane NWDAF supports data analysis based on core network control plane (CP) data, and optionally analysis and data collection via DCCF, its functionality is limited to subscription events provided by the 5G core network control plane network functions. It does not support data collection from the core network user plane, radio access network, and UE. Furthermore, existing networks do not yet support real-time data subscription and services. This is partly due to interface performance and functional design limitations, and partly because the lack of standardization of data service-related functions means that network elements have not considered this overhead. Therefore, reporting large amounts of real-time data can negatively impact network performance.

[0062] (2) 5G O-RAN network architecture

[0063] like Figure 4 As shown, compared to existing 5G radio access network architectures and functions, the Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) introduces a Radio Intelligence Controller (RIC), including a non-real-time (NREM) RIC and a near-real-time (NRRM) RIC. From a management perspective, a NREM RIC is added to the service management and orchestration system, interacting with the NRRM via the A1 interface to send policies and auxiliary information. From a network function perspective, a NRRM is introduced, connecting to base stations (such as gNBs or eNBs) or base station subsystems (with some baseband functions, such as CU-CP (Centralized Unit-Control Plane), CU-UP (Centralized Unit-User Plane), or DU (Distributed Unit)) via the E2 interface. It can collect data and send policies and control information.

[0064] The O-RAN Radio Intelligent Controller is an intelligent function added to the 3GPP 5G protocol standard. Although the near-real-time radio intelligent controller is defined as a network function in the O-RAN standard, it can connect to multiple gNBs / gNB-CUs / gNB-CU-CPs / eNBs, and is transparent to the CN and UE. Therefore, its logical connection relationship is more similar to a network management function. Furthermore, the near-real-time radio intelligent controller currently focuses on network-side data analysis applications and cannot support data collection and analysis services for external network functions. Because it belongs to the radio side, it cannot support the UE ID association problem for persistent data at the UE level. In addition, radio-side network equipment resources are scarcer, so existing base station equipment cannot yet support reporting large amounts of near-real-time or real-time data under high traffic loads.

[0065] (3) 5G UE capability definition and reporting scheme

[0066] According to the definition of UE features in section 38.822, some mandatory features do not require UE capability signaling interaction. If the network needs to know other UE capability information based on these mandatory features, according to the definition in section 38.331, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the network can send a UE Capability Enquiry to the UE, and the UE reports the corresponding UE Capability Information based on the request message. UE capabilities are defined in 38.306, and currently, UE capabilities are mainly based on various radio access protocol layers (Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), Radio Link Control (RLC), Media Access Control (MAC), and Physical Layer (PHY)).

[0067] The existing protocol's definition of UE features and UE capabilities, as well as the UE capability reporting scheme, do not consider target plane-related content, which needs to be considered after the target plane is introduced.

[0068] The following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, details the target plane capability reporting and acquisition methods and devices for network function instances or network elements provided in this application, through some embodiments and application scenarios.

[0069] Please refer to Figure 6 This application provides a method for reporting the target plane capabilities of a network function instance or network element, including:

[0070] Step 61: The first network function instance or network element reports the target surface capability information of the first network function instance or network element, wherein the target surface is a protocol function surface used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis and data preprocessing.

[0071] A network function instance refers to a 3GPP-defined processing module used in a network, possessing defined functional behaviors and 3GPP-defined interfaces. A network function can be implemented as a network element on dedicated hardware, a software instance running on dedicated hardware, or a virtualized function instantiated on an appropriate platform (such as cloud infrastructure). A network function instance is implemented by software and / or hardware capable of running that network function.

[0072] A network element is a discrete telecommunications entity in a network that can be managed through a specific interface.

[0073] In this embodiment, the target plane's capabilities include the ability of network function instances or network elements to interact with control information and / or data information. The target plane's control information includes configuration information for one or more of the following functions: connection establishment, data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis, and data preprocessing. The target plane's data information includes the data required for the execution of the aforementioned functions.

[0074] In this application, the target plane is defined as a new protocol functional plane added on top of the control plane (CP) and user plane (UP) to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis, and data preprocessing. The target plane may also be referred to as the data plane.

[0075] In this embodiment, the target plane can be used for network optimization to improve network efficiency and user experience; it can also be used to implement new 6G application services (such as sensing and computing) with high Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees; and it can provide data anchors for users to meet their data monetization and data security requirements. For each network function instance or network element, based on its software and hardware design functions and the operator's wishes, the target plane characteristics and capability definitions should meet the operator's needs for the data plane while reducing the software and hardware design costs for equipment vendors. Therefore, it needs to support multiple software and hardware design scenarios and different combinations of scenarios.

[0076] In this embodiment of the application, network function instances or network elements report target plane capability information. The target plane is a protocol function plane used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis, and data preprocessing, thereby realizing end-to-end network function data collection and use.

[0077] In this embodiment of the application, optionally, the target surface capability information includes at least one of the following:

[0078] 1) Indicate whether the first network function instance or network element supports the target plane information;

[0079] 2) Information indicating that the first network function instance or network element supports providing data to internal network functions and / or providing data to external network functions;

[0080] The data mentioned includes: data generated by the first network function instance or the network element itself, and / or data received from other functions; the internal network functions and / or external network functions can also be further refined based on security level or security domain. For example, it supports network functions with an external network security level of A.

[0081] 3) Information indicating whether the target surface capability is a static capability or a dynamic capability;

[0082] In this embodiment of the application, static capability means that the target plane capability is static and not dynamically adjusted. For example, static capability can be the maximum or minimum target plane capability that the first network function instance or network element can support. This capability can be set by the first network function instance or network element according to its own hardware design and / or resource allocation. A definition of minimum capability is the target plane capability supported when peak performance (peak throughput and / or peak number of users, etc.) of communication services or high load is met. A definition of maximum capability is the target plane capability that can be supported when target plane priority is given or low load is given.

[0083] Dynamic capability indicates that the capability of the target plane is dynamic and can be adjusted dynamically. For example, dynamic capability is dynamically adjusted and updated according to the communication load of the first network function instance or network element. One way to define dynamic capability is to select one or more key target plane capability parameters (such as storage size, rate, subscribed data items) as the capability information of interest to the target plane based on its needs. If these parameters change or the change meets a certain condition, the target plane capability is considered to have changed dynamically. Another way to define dynamic capability is to define one or more combinations of communication capabilities and / or target plane capabilities based on the communication load (relevant parameters of the user plane and / or control plane) and / or target plane load. Furthermore, these combinations can be divided into one or more levels based on the target plane capability situation.

[0084] When the target surface capability is static, the target surface capability information remains unchanged after the first network function instance or network element reports or the network queries the corresponding target surface capability information. When the target surface capability includes both static and dynamic capabilities, the maximum or minimum target surface capability is usually used as the upper or lower limit of the target surface capability, and its current capability status is dynamically decided based on influencing factors.

[0085] The target plane capability definition method associated with user plane and / or control plane parameters (number of active users, uplink throughput, downlink throughput, uplink utilization (e.g., PUSCH RB utilization), downlink utilization (e.g., PDSCH / PDCCH RB utilization), RRC connection count, average traffic of PDU session or average flow of radio bearer (e.g., DRB), number of sensed services / tasks, number of compute services / tasks) in the above implementation column has the potential advantage that the relevant parameters of the user plane and / or control plane of the first network function instance or network element in the existing communication process can be collected by communication measurement or network management. Therefore, the target plane can query the relevant parameters of the user plane and / or control plane from the corresponding network function and / or network management function, and the target plane capability of the first network function instance or network element can be known based on the relevant parameters of the user plane and / or control plane.

[0086] In this embodiment, if the definition of the target plane dynamic capability of the first network function instance or network element is jointly defined by the values ​​or ranges of its user plane and / or control plane key parameters and the target plane dynamic capability, the target plane network function (such as the first target plane network function instance or the second target plane network function instance) can query the user plane and / or control plane key parameter values ​​jointly defined with the target plane dynamic capability from the network management function or other network functions, and obtain the target plane capability information based on the jointly defined information. The joint definition can be achieved by defining different values ​​or ranges of user plane and / or control plane key parameters as different communication capability levels, and then mapping the target plane capability level to the communication capability level. For example, based on information such as uplink / downlink PRB utilization, RRC connected user count, and uplink / downlink speed, the communication capability status of the first network function instance or network element can be defined as high, medium, and low, corresponding to the three target plane capabilities of the first network function instance or network element, as shown in the table below. The target surface network function instance queries the parameter values ​​or level information of the current communication capability status of the first network function instance or network element, thereby obtaining the current capability level of the terminal target surface.

[0087] Communication capability level Target surface capability level High Low Medium Medium Low High

[0088] 4) Supported target capability reporting methods;

[0089] In this embodiment of the application, the target plane capability reporting method may optionally include at least one of the following: proactive reporting of capability updates, reporting based on the target plane network function instance configuration change conditions meeting the change conditions, and reporting based on the target plane network function instance query.

[0090] 5) Information indicating whether the target plane capability reporting method configured for the target plane network function instance is supported;

[0091] In this embodiment of the application, optionally, if the target plane capability reporting method configured for the target plane network function instance is not supported, then the update is performed according to the supported default target plane capability reporting method; if the target plane capability reporting method configured for the target plane network function instance is supported, then the update is performed according to the target plane capability reporting method configured for the target plane network function instance.

[0092] 6) Supported target surface data reporting modes;

[0093] In this embodiment of the application, the target plane data reporting mode may optionally include: subscription reporting and / or default data collection reporting. Subscription reporting refers to the interaction between the first network function instance or network element and the target plane network function instance to determine the data and / or measurement or reporting conditions to be reported, and then reporting the data accordingly. Default data collection reporting refers to the first network function instance or network element reporting the agreed-upon data by default based on pre-agreed data collection items between the first network function instance or network element and the target plane network function instance.

[0094] 7) The state of the supported target surface, including the open state and the closed state;

[0095] In this embodiment of the application, optionally, the definition of the open state can be further refined based on multiple capability levels.

[0096] 8) Information indicating whether the storage of the target surface data is supported, or information indicating whether the persistence of the target surface data is supported;

[0097] 9) The data types supported by the target surface;

[0098] In this embodiment of the application, the target surface may optionally support data types including at least one of the following: communication data, perception data, computing power data, artificial intelligence (AI) data, user contract data, network operation data, and digital twin data.

[0099] 10) Supported transmission directions of the target surface;

[0100] In this embodiment of the application, optionally, the supported transmission directions of the target plane include uplink and / or downlink. Typically, the target plane's control information exchange capability includes both uplink and downlink. Regarding the target plane's data exchange capability, if uplink is supported, it means that the first network function instance or network element supports data reporting from the target plane; if downlink is supported, it means that the first network function instance or network element supports data reception from the target plane.

[0101] For example, communication data reporting can be communication measurement data required for optimizing communication service quality; perception data reporting can be perception measurement quantities required for perception; computing or AI data reporting can be computing input and / or output data required for computing; communication data receiving can be data information required for local communication decisions of the first network function instance or network element; perception data receiving can be receiving perception measurement quantities or perception results required for local perception or decision-making; and computing data receiving can be receiving computing input and / or output data.

[0102] 11) Supported maximum data uplink rate for the target surface;

[0103] The maximum supported uplink data rate can also be expressed as the maximum supported data collection rate or the maximum reporting rate. To avoid the difficulty in representing this item due to its large continuous data range, different rate ranges can be defined as different rate levels. In this case, only the level information needs to be given, improving the representation efficiency.

[0104] 12) Supported maximum downlink data rate for the target surface;

[0105] This item can also be expressed as the maximum supported data usage rate, maximum data distribution rate, or maximum receiving rate. Similarly, different rate ranges can be defined as different rate levels, in which case this item only needs to provide level information, improving representation efficiency.

[0106] 13) The total buffer size of the target surface;

[0107] This item can be the total buffer size of all protocol layers, or the total buffer size of each layer, such as the total buffer size of Layer-2 and / or the total buffer size of Layer-3.

[0108] 14) Supported target plane network functions;

[0109] The target surface functionality may include at least one of the following: data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis, and data preprocessing.

[0110] 15) The maximum number of data collection items supported;

[0111] Because data collection requires corresponding hardware resources and software processing support, this item indicates the maximum number of data collection items that can be supported simultaneously. For example, it can simultaneously support the collection of two data items: Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) and Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ). This item can represent the maximum number of data collection items that can be supported for all data. When data is classified or categorized, this item can also represent the maximum number of data collection items supported for a specific category or level of data.

[0112] 16) Supported ID sequence number size;

[0113] For example, during data collection configuration, a data collection subscription ID is usually sent to the first network function instance or network element. The length of this ID can be represented by how many bits. When the first network function instance or network element needs to use the data provided by the target plane, there is also a corresponding data receiving subscription ID.

[0114] 17) The minimum time granularity of supported data collection;

[0115] Indicates the minimum time granularity of data that the first network function instance or network element can collect. For example, for RSRP, the minimum time granularity is each transmission time interval (TTI).

[0116] 18) The minimum time granularity for supported data reporting;

[0117] Once the required data for the target plane has been collected, the first network function instance or network element can support reporting at the fastest interval. Based on this capability information, the base station can configure and schedule target plane resources for UE data collection.

[0118] 19) Maximum length of a single target plane message supported.

[0119] This message can be used for data reporting and / or data reception.

[0120] In this embodiment of the application, optionally, the first network function instance or network element is a core network function instance or network element, or a wireless access network function instance or network element.

[0121] In some embodiments, optionally, the first network function instance or network element reporting the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element includes:

[0122] When the first network function instance or network element establishes an interface, it sends an interface establishment request to the second network function instance. The interface establishment request carries the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element.

[0123] and / or

[0124] When the first network function instance or network element updates its configuration, it sends a configuration update message to the second network function instance. The configuration update message carries the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element.

[0125] The second network function instance is a core network function instance. Optionally, the second network function instance can be an AMF (Advanced Management Function).

[0126] In a service-oriented architecture, to facilitate the discovery of network function instances or network elements and the maintenance of their profiles, a specific network function instance is typically designated to handle these functions. In some embodiments, optionally, the first network function instance or network element reporting its target plane capability information includes:

[0127] The first network function instance or network element sends the description information of the first network function instance or network element to the second network function instance, and the description information includes the target surface capability information of the first network function instance or network element.

[0128] The second network function instance is used to maintain the target surface capability information of the first network function instance or network element;

[0129] The second network function instance is either a core network function instance or a radio access network function instance. Optionally, the second network function instance may be an NRF.

[0130] In some embodiments, optionally, the first network function instance or network element reporting the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element includes:

[0131] If the target plane capability update conditions are met, the first network function instance or network element reports the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element, wherein the target plane capability update conditions include at least one of the following:

[0132] The level of the target surface capability of the first network function instance or network element changes;

[0133] The parameters and / or numerical ranges of the target plane capabilities of the first network function instance or network element configured in the target plane network function instance meet preset conditions.

[0134] In some embodiments, optionally, if the target plane capability update conditions are met, the first network function instance or network element reports the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element, including at least one of the following:

[0135] If the target plane capability update conditions are met, the first network function instance or network element updates the description information of the first network function instance or network element to the second network function instance. The description information includes the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element. The second network function instance is used to maintain the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element. Optionally, the second network function instance may be an NRF.

[0136] If the target plane capability update conditions are met, and the change in the target plane capability affects the target plane-related functional process in which the first network function instance or network element is participating, the first network function instance or network element shall report the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element to the target plane network function instance.

[0137] If the target plane capability update conditions are met, and the target plane capability query information is received from the target plane network function instance, the first network function instance or network element shall report the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element.

[0138] In some embodiments, optionally, the first network function instance or network element reporting the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element includes:

[0139] The first network function instance or network element reports the target surface static capabilities of the first network function instance or network element.

[0140] The first network function instance or network element receives the target plane capability reporting method configuration and / or target plane capability update conditions;

[0141] The first network function instance or network element reports the target plane dynamic capabilities of the first network function instance or network element according to the target plane capability reporting method configuration and / or target plane capability update conditions.

[0142] Please refer to Figure 7 This application provides a method for obtaining the target plane capabilities of a network function instance or network element, including:

[0143] Step 71: The target plane network function instance receives the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element, wherein the target plane is a protocol function plane used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis and data preprocessing.

[0144] In this embodiment of the application, optionally, the target surface capability information includes at least one of the following:

[0145] Indicates whether the first network function instance or network element supports the target plane information;

[0146] Information indicating that the first network function instance or network element supports providing data to internal network functions and / or providing data to external network functions;

[0147] Information indicating whether the target surface capability is a static capability or a dynamic capability;

[0148] Supported target capability reporting methods;

[0149] Information indicating whether the target plane capability reporting method configured in the target plane network function instance is supported;

[0150] Supported target surface data reporting modes;

[0151] The supported target surface states, including open and disabled states;

[0152] Information indicating whether the storage of the target surface data is supported, or information indicating whether the persistence of the target surface data is supported;

[0153] The target surface supports the following data types;

[0154] Supported transmission directions for the target surface;

[0155] Supported maximum data uplink rate for target surfaces;

[0156] Supported maximum downlink data rate for the target surface;

[0157] The total buffer size of the target surface;

[0158] Supported target plane network functions;

[0159] Maximum number of data collection items supported;

[0160] Supported ID sequence number size;

[0161] The smallest time granularity of data collection supported;

[0162] The smallest time granularity supported for data reporting;

[0163] Maximum length of a single target plane message supported.

[0164] In this embodiment of the application, optionally, the target plane network function instance is a core network target plane network function instance, a radio access network target plane network function instance, or a terminal target plane network function instance.

[0165] The core network target plane network function example is a network function in the core network used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis, and data preprocessing;

[0166] Examples of target plane network functions in a radio access network are network functions in a radio access network used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis, and data preprocessing.

[0167] The terminal target plane network function example is a network function in the terminal used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis and data preprocessing.

[0168] In this embodiment of the application, optionally, after the target plane network function instance receives the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element, it further includes:

[0169] The target plane network function instance sends target plane capability query information to the second network function instance, the first network function instance, or a network element, wherein the query information indicates the target plane capability information to be queried.

[0170] The target plane network function instance receives target plane capability information reported by the second network function instance, the first network function instance, or a network element based on the target plane capability information to be queried.

[0171] In this embodiment of the application, optionally, the target plane network function instance receives target plane capability information from the first network function instance or network element, including:

[0172] The target plane network function instance receives the target plane static capabilities of the first network function instance or network element.

[0173] The target plane network function instance sends the target plane capability reporting method configuration and / or target plane capability update conditions based on the target plane static capabilities of the first network function instance or network element.

[0174] The target plane network function instance receives target plane dynamic capabilities reported based on the target plane capability reporting method configuration and / or target plane capability update conditions.

[0175] In this embodiment of the application, optionally, the method for obtaining the target plane capability of the network function instance or network element further includes:

[0176] The target plane network function instance sends relevant parameter query information for the user plane and / or control plane, and the relevant parameters of the user plane and / or control plane are associated with the target plane dynamic capabilities of the first network function instance or network element.

[0177] The target plane network function instance receives the values ​​of relevant parameters of the user plane and / or control plane;

[0178] The target plane network function instance determines the target plane dynamic capability of the first network function instance or network element based on the values ​​and / or ranges of the relevant parameters of the user plane and / or control plane.

[0179] Please refer to Figure 8 This application provides a method for reporting the target plane capabilities of a network function instance or network element, including:

[0180] Step 81: The second network function instance receives the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element reported by the first network function instance or network element. The target plane is a protocol function plane used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis and data preprocessing.

[0181] Step 82: The second network function instance receives target plane capability query information sent by the target plane network function instance, wherein the query information indicates the target plane capability information to be queried;

[0182] Step 83: The second network function instance reports the target surface capability information to the target surface network function instance based on the target surface capability information to be queried.

[0183] In this embodiment of the application, optionally, the target surface capability information includes at least one of the following:

[0184] Indicates whether the first network function instance or network element supports the target plane information;

[0185] Information indicating that the first network function instance or network element supports providing data to internal network functions and / or providing data to external network functions;

[0186] Information indicating whether the target surface capability is a static capability or a dynamic capability;

[0187] Supported target capability reporting methods;

[0188] Information indicating whether the target plane capability reporting method configured in the target plane network function instance is supported;

[0189] Supported target surface data reporting modes;

[0190] The supported target surface states, including open and disabled states;

[0191] Information indicating whether the storage of the target surface data is supported, or information indicating whether the persistence of the target surface data is supported;

[0192] The target surface supports the following data types;

[0193] Supported transmission directions for the target surface;

[0194] Supported maximum data uplink rate for target surfaces;

[0195] Supported maximum downlink data rate for the target surface;

[0196] The total buffer size of the target surface;

[0197] Supported target plane network functions;

[0198] Maximum number of data collection items supported;

[0199] Supported ID sequence number size;

[0200] The smallest time granularity of data collection supported;

[0201] The smallest time granularity supported for data reporting;

[0202] Maximum length of a single target plane message supported.

[0203] In some embodiments, optionally, the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element is carried through an interface establishment request or configuration update message. Optionally, the second network function instance may be an AMF (Advanced Feature Function).

[0204] In some embodiments, optionally, the second network function instance is used to maintain the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element; the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element is carried through the description information of the first network function instance or network element. Optionally, the second network function instance may be an NRF in this case.

[0205] The above-mentioned method of this application will be illustrated with examples in specific application scenarios below.

[0206] Embodiment 1 of this application: A target plane capability reporting scheme based on the interface between network function instances

[0207] This application provides a network function instance or network element target plane capability reporting scheme based on the wireless access network node and core network interface establishment process, such as... Figure 9 As shown, the first target plane network function example is a core network used to support one or more of the following network functions: data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis, and data preprocessing. The relevant steps are briefly described below:

[0208] Step 1: When a Radio Access Network Node (RAN-node) (i.e., the first network function instance or network element in the radio access network) establishes a backhaul interface with the AMF, the registration request message carries the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element.

[0209] Step 2: The first target plane network function instance is the first network function instance or network element (i.e., the aforementioned wireless access network node) selected based on external data requests and / or internal function decisions;

[0210] Step 3: The first target plane network function instance requests the target plane capability of the first network function instance or network element from the AMF (i.e., the second network function instance).

[0211] Step 4: The AMF sends the target plane capability information of the first target plane network function instance or network element to the first target plane network function instance.

[0212] If the aforementioned first target plane network function instance is replaced by the second target plane network function instance of the radio access network, then the corresponding interface establishment is the interface establishment for inter-base station interaction (such as X2, Xn interfaces, etc.).

[0213] Embodiment 2 of this application: A solution for reporting network function instances or network element target plane capabilities based on a service-oriented architecture, plus on-demand querying.

[0214] Service-based core network functions, or even 6G radio access networks, may evolve towards service-oriented architecture. In a service-oriented architecture, to facilitate the discovery of network function instances or network elements and the maintenance of their profiles, a specific network function instance is typically assigned to handle these functions. In the implementation section below, this network function instance is referred to as the Network Repository Function (NRF). Correspondingly, a simplified scheme for reporting the target plane capabilities of a network function instance or network element is described below:

[0215] Step 1: The first network function instance or network element sends its description information to the NRF (i.e., the second network function instance), including the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element.

[0216] Step 2: The first target plane network function instance is the first network function instance or network element selected based on external data requests and / or internal function decisions.

[0217] Step 3: The first target plane network function instance requests the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element from the NRF.

[0218] Step 4: The NRF sends the target plane capability information of the first target plane network function instance or network element to the first target plane network function instance.

[0219] Embodiment 3 of this application: A reporting scheme for static and dynamic capabilities.

[0220] As described in the preceding technical solutions, this application embodiment considers the reporting scheme for static and dynamic capabilities when the first network function instance or network element supports static and / or dynamic capabilities. For example, static capabilities can be defined as maximum and / or minimum capabilities. One definition of minimum capability refers to the target plane capability supported under conditions of peak performance (peak throughput and / or peak number of users, etc.) or high load, such as communication services. Another definition of maximum capability refers to the target plane capability supported under conditions of target plane priority or low load. One way to define dynamic capabilities is to select one or more key target plane capability parameters (such as storage size, rate, subscription data items) as the capability information of interest to the target plane based on the needs of the target plane. If a change occurs or the change meets a certain condition, it is considered that the target plane capability has changed dynamically. Another way to define dynamic capabilities is to define a combination of one or more communication capabilities and / or target plane capabilities based on communication load (relevant parameters of user plane and / or control plane) and / or target plane load. Furthermore, the above combination can be divided into one or more levels according to the target plane capability.

[0221] The target plane capability definition method associated with user plane and / or control plane parameters (number of active users, uplink throughput, downlink throughput, uplink utilization (e.g., PUSCH RB utilization), downlink utilization (e.g., PDSCH / PDCCH RB utilization), RRC connection count, average traffic of PDU session or average flow of radio bearer (e.g., DRB), number of sensed services / tasks, number of compute services / tasks) in the above implementation column has the potential advantage that the relevant parameters of the user plane and / or control plane of the first network function instance or network element in the existing communication process can be collected by communication measurement or network management. Therefore, the target plane can query the relevant parameters of the user plane and / or control plane from the corresponding network function and / or network management function, and the target plane capability of the first network function instance or network element can be known based on the relevant parameters of the user plane and / or control plane.

[0222] In this embodiment, if the definition of the target plane dynamic capability of the first network function instance or network element is jointly defined by the values ​​or ranges of its user plane and / or control plane key parameters and the target plane dynamic capability, the target plane network function (such as the first target plane network function instance or the second target plane network function instance) can query the user plane and / or control plane key parameter values ​​jointly defined with the target plane dynamic capability from the network management function or other network functions, and obtain the target plane capability information based on the jointly defined information. The joint definition can be achieved by defining different values ​​or ranges of user plane and / or control plane key parameters as different communication capability levels, and then mapping the target plane capability level to the communication capability level. For example, based on information such as uplink / downlink PRB utilization, RRC connected user count, and uplink / downlink speed, the communication capability status of the first network function instance or network element can be defined as high, medium, and low, corresponding to the three target plane capabilities of the first network function instance or network element, as shown in the table below. The target surface network function instance queries the parameter values ​​or level information of the current communication capability status of the first network function instance or network element, thereby obtaining the current capability level of the terminal target surface.

[0223] Communication capability level Target surface capability level High Low Medium Medium Low High

[0224] In this embodiment of the application, the target surface capability update condition can be one or more of the following:

[0225] 1) The level of the target surface capability of the first network function instance or network element changes;

[0226] In this embodiment of the application, the target surface capability can be defined into multiple levels according to the parameters and / or numerical range of the target surface capability. When the capability changes from one level to another, it needs to be updated.

[0227] 2) The parameters and / or numerical ranges of the target plane capabilities of the first network function instance or network element configured in the target plane network function instance meet the preset conditions.

[0228] For example, the target plane network function instance is configured to update the capability when the total buffer size of the target plane is less than A.

[0229] If the capabilities of the first network function instance or network element target plane change, the update method can adopt the following potential update methods:

[0230] 1) The first network function instance or network element updates the description information of the first network function instance or network element to the NRF, wherein the description information includes the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element; wherein, the NRF is used to maintain the target plane capability information of the network function instance or network element; the target plane network function instance subscribes to the target plane capability information of one or more network function instances or network elements from the NRF, and when the NRF receives the above capability update information, it sends it to the target plane network function instance.

[0231] 2) When the change in the target plane capability affects the target plane-related functional process in which the first network function instance or network element is participating, the first network function instance or network element reports the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element to the target plane network function instance without going through NRF or other network functions. This method helps the target plane to make adjustments more quickly according to the update.

[0232] 3) If the target plane function requests the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element, or NRF or other network function (such as AMF), the corresponding function sends the corresponding target plane capability information.

[0233] Please refer to Figure 10 When the first network function instance or network element supports both dynamic and static capabilities, and supports multiple update methods with configurable update methods, the relevant steps of a target plane capability reporting scheme are briefly described as follows:

[0234] Step 1: When the first network function instance or network element establishes an interface connection, it reports static capabilities to the NRF. These static capabilities can be the maximum and / or minimum capabilities. The target plane network function instance can be the first target plane network function instance and / or the second target plane network function instance and / or the third target plane network function instance. The first target plane network function instance is the core network target plane network function instance; the second target plane network function instance is the radio access network target plane network function instance; and the third target plane network function instance is the UE target plane network function instance.

[0235] Step 2: The target plane network function instance decides on the method of reporting / updating the target plane capabilities of the first network function instance or network element based on static capabilities and / or other information.

[0236] Step 3: The target plane network function instance sends mode configuration and / or conditions, wherein the mode configuration can be configured as one or more of the following: proactive change reporting, configuration condition reporting, and query reporting. The conditions are the conditions for changes in target plane capabilities, such as capability changes based on level, key capability parameters, and / or thresholds.

[0237] Step 4: The first network function instance or network element and the target plane function report / update their capabilities dynamically based on the information from Step 3 and / or other information.

[0238] In this embodiment, the first network function instance or network element design can support target plane functions on demand based on the target operator's needs and / or hardware costs. Furthermore, when a network function supports the target plane, it can share hardware resources with other processing methods such as communication through dynamic capabilities. When using dynamic capabilities related to parameters of the user plane and / or control plane, mapping based on these parameters saves the overhead of dynamic capability updates.

[0239] The target plane capability reporting method for network function instances or network elements provided in this application can be executed by a target plane capability reporting device for network function instances or network elements. This application uses the execution of the target plane capability reporting method for network function instances or network elements by a target plane capability reporting device as an example to illustrate the target plane capability reporting device for network function instances or network elements provided in this application.

[0240] Please refer to Figure 11 This application embodiment also provides a target plane capability reporting device 110 for network function instances or network elements, including:

[0241] The first reporting module 111 is used to report the target surface capability information of the first network function instance or network element, wherein the target surface is a protocol function surface used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis and data preprocessing.

[0242] Optionally, the target surface capability information includes at least one of the following:

[0243] Indicates whether the first network function instance or network element supports the target plane information;

[0244] Information indicating that the first network function instance or network element supports providing data to internal network functions and / or providing data to external network functions;

[0245] Information indicating whether the target surface capability is a static capability or a dynamic capability;

[0246] Supported target capability reporting methods;

[0247] Information indicating whether the target plane capability reporting method configured in the target plane network function instance is supported;

[0248] Supported target surface data reporting modes;

[0249] The supported target surface states, including open and disabled states;

[0250] Information indicating whether the storage of the target surface data is supported, or information indicating whether the persistence of the target surface data is supported;

[0251] The target surface supports the following data types;

[0252] Supported transmission directions for the target surface;

[0253] Supported maximum data uplink rate for target surfaces;

[0254] Supported maximum downlink data rate for the target surface;

[0255] The total buffer size of the target surface;

[0256] Supported target plane network functions;

[0257] Maximum number of data collection items supported;

[0258] Supported ID sequence number size;

[0259] The smallest time granularity of data collection supported;

[0260] The smallest time granularity supported for data reporting;

[0261] Maximum length of a single target plane message supported.

[0262] Optionally, the target plane capability reporting device 110 of the network function instance or network element is a core network function instance or network element, or a radio access network function instance or network element.

[0263] Optionally, the first reporting module 111 is used to send an interface establishment request to the second network function instance when establishing an interface, wherein the interface establishment request carries the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element.

[0264] and / or

[0265] The first reporting module 111 is used to send a configuration update message to the second network function instance when the configuration is updated. The configuration update message carries the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element.

[0266] The second network function instance is a core network function instance.

[0267] Optionally, the first reporting module 111 is used to send the description information of the first network function instance or network element to the second network function instance, wherein the description information includes the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element.

[0268] The second network function instance is used to maintain the target surface capability information of the first network function instance or network element;

[0269] The second network function instance is a core network function instance or a wireless access network function instance.

[0270] Optionally, the first reporting module 111 is used to report the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element if the target plane capability update conditions are met, wherein the target plane capability update conditions include at least one of the following:

[0271] The level of the target surface capability of the first network function instance or network element changes;

[0272] The parameters and / or numerical ranges of the target plane capabilities of the first network function instance or network element configured in the target plane network function instance meet preset conditions.

[0273] Optionally, the first reporting module 111 is used to report the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element if the target plane capability update conditions are met, including at least one of the following:

[0274] If the target plane capability update conditions are met, the description information of the first network function instance or network element is updated to the first network function, and the description information includes the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element; wherein, the second network function instance is used to maintain the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element.

[0275] If the target plane capability update conditions are met, and the change in the target plane capability affects the target plane-related functional process that the first network function instance or network element is participating in, the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element is reported to the target plane network function instance.

[0276] If the target plane capability update conditions are met, and the target plane capability query information sent by the target plane network function instance is received, the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element is reported.

[0277] Optionally, the first reporting module 111 is used to report the target plane static capabilities of the first network function instance or network element.

[0278] The target plane capability reporting device 110 for network function instances or network elements further includes:

[0279] The receiving module is used to receive the target surface capability reporting method configuration and / or target surface capability update conditions;

[0280] The first reporting module 111 is further configured to report the target plane dynamic capabilities of the first network function instance or network element according to the target plane capability reporting method configuration and / or target plane capability update conditions.

[0281] The target plane capability reporting device for network function instances or network elements in this application embodiment can be an electronic device, such as an electronic device with an operating system, or a component in an electronic device, such as an integrated circuit or a chip. The electronic device can be a terminal, or other devices besides a terminal. For example, the terminal can include, but is not limited to, the type of terminal 11 listed above; other devices can be servers, network attached storage (NAS), etc., and this application embodiment does not specifically limit the scope.

[0282] The target plane capability reporting device for network function instances or network elements provided in this application embodiment can achieve... Figure 6 The various processes implemented in the method embodiment achieve the same technical effect, and will not be described again here to avoid repetition.

[0283] The target plane capability acquisition method for network function instances or network elements provided in this application can be executed by a target plane capability acquisition device for network function instances or network elements. This application uses the example of a target plane capability acquisition device for network function instances or network elements executing the target plane capability acquisition method for network function instances or network elements to illustrate the target plane capability acquisition device for network function instances or network elements provided in this application.

[0284] Please refer to Figure 12 This application embodiment also provides a target plane capability acquisition device 120 for network function instances or network elements, including:

[0285] The first receiving module 121 is used to receive target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element, wherein the target plane is a protocol function plane used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis and data preprocessing.

[0286] Optionally, the target surface capability information includes at least one of the following:

[0287] Indicates whether the first network function instance or network element supports the target plane information;

[0288] Information indicating that the first network function instance or network element supports providing data to internal network functions and / or providing data to external network functions;

[0289] Information indicating whether the target surface capability is a static capability or a dynamic capability;

[0290] Supported target capability reporting methods;

[0291] Information indicating whether the target plane capability reporting method configured in the target plane network function instance is supported;

[0292] Supported target surface data reporting modes;

[0293] The supported target surface states, including open and disabled states;

[0294] Information indicating whether the storage of the target surface data is supported, or information indicating whether the persistence of the target surface data is supported;

[0295] The target surface supports the following data types;

[0296] Supported transmission directions for the target surface;

[0297] Supported maximum data uplink rate for target surfaces;

[0298] Supported maximum downlink data rate for the target surface;

[0299] The total buffer size of the target surface;

[0300] Supported target plane network functions;

[0301] Maximum number of data collection items supported;

[0302] Supported ID sequence number size;

[0303] The smallest time granularity of data collection supported;

[0304] The smallest time granularity supported for data reporting;

[0305] Maximum length of a single target plane message supported.

[0306] Optionally, the target plane capability acquisition device 120 for the network function instance or network element can be a core network target plane network function instance, a wireless access network target plane network function instance, or a terminal target plane network function instance.

[0307] Optionally, the target plane capability acquisition device 120 for network function instances or network elements further includes:

[0308] The first sending module is used to send target plane capability query information to the second network function instance or the first network function instance or network element, wherein the query information indicates the target plane capability information to be queried.

[0309] The second receiving module is used to receive target surface capability information reported by the second network function instance or the first network function instance or network element based on the target surface capability information to be queried.

[0310] Optionally, the first receiving module 121 is used to receive the target surface static capability of the first network function instance or network element;

[0311] The target plane capability acquisition device 120 for network function instances or network elements further includes:

[0312] The second sending module is used to send the target plane capability reporting method configuration and / or target plane capability update conditions based on the target plane static capabilities of the first network function instance or network element.

[0313] The first receiving module 121 is further configured to receive target surface dynamic capabilities reported based on the target surface capability reporting method configuration and / or target surface capability update conditions.

[0314] Optionally, the target plane capability acquisition device 120 for network function instances or network elements further includes:

[0315] The third sending module is used to send relevant parameter query information of the user plane and / or control plane, wherein the relevant parameters of the user plane and / or control plane are associated with the target plane dynamic capabilities of the first network function instance or network element.

[0316] The third receiving module is used to receive the values ​​of relevant parameters of the user plane and / or control plane;

[0317] The determination module is used to determine the target plane dynamic capability of the first network function instance or network element based on the values ​​and / or ranges of the relevant parameters of the user plane and / or control plane.

[0318] The target plane capability acquisition device for network function instances or network elements provided in this application embodiment can achieve... Figure 7 The various processes implemented in the method embodiment achieve the same technical effect, and will not be described again here to avoid repetition.

[0319] Please refer to Figure 13 This application embodiment also provides a target plane capability reporting device 130 for network function instances or network elements, including:

[0320] The first receiving module 131 is used to receive the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element reported by the first network function instance or network element, wherein the target plane is a protocol function plane used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis and data preprocessing.

[0321] The second receiving module 132 is used to receive target plane capability query information sent by the target plane network function instance, wherein the query information indicates the target plane capability information to be queried.

[0322] The reporting module 133 is used to report the target surface capability information to the target surface network function instance based on the target surface capability information to be queried.

[0323] Optionally, the target surface capability information includes at least one of the following:

[0324] Indicates whether the first network function instance or network element supports the target plane information;

[0325] Information indicating that the first network function instance or network element supports providing data to internal network functions and / or providing data to external network functions;

[0326] Information indicating whether the target surface capability is a static capability or a dynamic capability;

[0327] Supported target capability reporting methods;

[0328] Information indicating whether the target plane capability reporting method configured in the target plane network function instance is supported;

[0329] Supported target surface data reporting modes;

[0330] The supported target surface states, including open and disabled states;

[0331] Information indicating whether the storage of the target surface data is supported, or information indicating whether the persistence of the target surface data is supported;

[0332] The target surface supports the following data types;

[0333] Supported transmission directions for the target surface;

[0334] Supported maximum data uplink rate for target surfaces;

[0335] Supported maximum downlink data rate for the target surface;

[0336] The total buffer size of the target surface;

[0337] Supported target plane network functions;

[0338] Maximum number of data collection items supported;

[0339] Supported ID sequence number size;

[0340] The smallest time granularity of data collection supported;

[0341] The smallest time granularity supported for data reporting;

[0342] Maximum length of a single target plane message supported.

[0343] Optionally, the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element is carried through an interface establishment request or configuration update message.

[0344] Optionally, the target plane capability reporting device 130 of the network function instance or network element is used to maintain the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element; the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element is carried through the description information of the first network function instance or network element.

[0345] The target plane capability reporting device for network function instances or network elements provided in this application embodiment can achieve... Figure 8 The various processes implemented in the method embodiment achieve the same technical effect, and will not be described again here to avoid repetition.

[0346] Optional, such as Figure 14 This application also provides a network device 140, including a processor 141 and a memory 142. The memory 142 stores a program or instructions that can run on the processor 141. When the program or instructions are executed by the processor 141, they implement the various steps of the above-mentioned network function instance or network element target plane capability reporting method embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0347] This application also provides a network device, including a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface is used to report target plane capability information of a first network function instance or network element. The target plane is a protocol function plane used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis, and data preprocessing. This network device embodiment corresponds to the above-described method embodiment applied to a first network function instance or network element. All implementation processes and methods of the above-described method embodiment applied to a first network function instance or network element can be applied to this network device embodiment and achieve the same technical effects.

[0348] This application also provides a network device, including a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface is used to receive target plane capability information of a first network function instance or network element. The target plane is a protocol function plane used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis, and data preprocessing. This network device embodiment corresponds to the above-described method embodiment applied to a target plane network function instance. All implementation processes and methods of the above-described method embodiment applied to a target plane network function instance can be applied to this network device embodiment and achieve the same technical effects.

[0349] This application also provides a network device, including a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface is used to receive target plane capability information of a first network function instance or network element reported by the first network function instance or network element. The target plane is a protocol function plane used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis, and data preprocessing. The interface also receives target plane capability query information sent by the target plane network function instance, the query information indicating the target plane capability information to be queried. Based on the target plane capability information to be queried, the interface reports the target plane capability information to the target plane network function instance. This network device embodiment corresponds to the method embodiment applied to the second network function instance described above. All implementation processes and methods of the method embodiment applied to the second network function instance described above can be applied to this network device embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect.

[0350] Specifically, embodiments of this application also provide a network device. For example... Figure 15 As shown, the network device 150 includes: an antenna 151, a radio frequency (RF) device 152, a baseband device 153, a processor 154, and a memory 155. The antenna 151 is connected to the RF device 152. In the uplink direction, the RF device 152 receives information through the antenna 151 and transmits the received information to the baseband device 153 for processing. In the downlink direction, the baseband device 153 processes the information to be transmitted and sends it to the RF device 152. The RF device 152 processes the received information and transmits it through the antenna 151.

[0351] The method executed by the network device in the above embodiments can be implemented in the baseband device 153, which includes a baseband processor.

[0352] Baseband device 153 may include, for example, at least one baseband board on which multiple chips are disposed, such as Figure 15 As shown, one of the chips is, for example, a baseband processor, which is connected to the memory 155 via a bus interface to call the program in the memory 155 and execute the network device operation shown in the above method embodiment.

[0353] The network device may also include a network interface 156, such as a common public radio interface (CPRI).

[0354] Specifically, the network device 150 in this embodiment further includes: instructions or programs stored in memory 155 and executable on processor 154, wherein processor 154 calls the instructions or programs in memory 155 to execute. Figure 11 , Figure 12 or Figure 13The methods executed by each module shown achieve the same technical effect, and to avoid repetition, they will not be described in detail here.

[0355] Specifically, embodiments of this application also provide a network device. For example... Figure 16 As shown, the network device 160 includes a processor 161, a network interface 162, and a memory 163. The network interface 162 is, for example, a common public radio interface (CPRI).

[0356] Specifically, the network device 160 in this embodiment further includes: instructions or programs stored in memory 163 and executable on processor 161, wherein processor 161 calls the instructions or programs in memory 163 to execute. Figure 11 , Figure 12 or Figure 13 The methods executed by each module shown achieve the same technical effect, and to avoid repetition, they will not be described in detail here.

[0357] This application also provides a readable storage medium storing a program or instructions. When the program or instructions are executed by a processor, they implement the various processes of the above-described network function instance or network element target plane capability reporting method or network function instance or network element target plane capability acquisition method embodiments, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0358] The processor is the processor in the terminal described in the above embodiments. The readable storage medium includes computer-readable storage media, such as computer read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0359] This application embodiment also provides a chip, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface is coupled to the processor. The processor is used to run programs or instructions to implement the various processes of the above-described network function instance or network element target plane capability reporting method or network function instance or network element target plane capability acquisition method embodiments, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0360] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of this application may also be referred to as a system-on-a-chip, system chip, chip system, or system-on-a-chip, etc.

[0361] This application also provides a computer program / program product, which is stored in a storage medium and executed by at least one processor to implement the various processes of the above-described network function instance or network element target plane capability reporting method or network function instance or network element target plane capability acquisition method embodiments, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0362] This application also provides a communication system, including: a plurality of network devices, one of which can be used to perform the steps of the method applied to a network function instance or network element as described above, one of which can be used to perform the steps of the method applied to a target network function instance as described above, and one of which can be used to perform the steps of the method applied to a first network function as described above.

[0363] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatuses in the embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0364] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a computer software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) and includes several instructions to cause a terminal (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, air conditioner, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of this application.

[0365] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A method for reporting the target plane capabilities of a network function instance or network element, characterized in that, include: The first network function instance or network element reports the target surface capability information of the first network function instance or network element, wherein the target surface is a protocol function surface used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis and data preprocessing; The target surface capability information includes at least one of the following: Information indicating whether the first network function instance or network element supports the target plane; Information indicating that the first network function instance or network element supports providing data to internal network functions and / or providing data to external network functions; Information indicating whether the target surface capability is a static capability or a dynamic capability; Supported target capability reporting methods; Information indicating whether the target plane capability reporting method is supported in the target plane network function instance configuration; Supported target surface data reporting modes; The supported target surface states, including open and disabled states; Information indicating whether the storage of the target surface data is supported, or information indicating whether the persistence of the target surface data is supported; The target surface supports the following data types; Supported transmission directions for the target surface; Supported maximum data uplink rate for target surfaces; Supported maximum downlink data rate for the target surface; The total buffer size of the target surface; Supported target plane network functions; Maximum number of data collection items supported; Supported ID sequence number size; The smallest time granularity of data collection supported; The smallest time granularity supported for data reporting; Maximum length of a single target plane message supported.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first network function instance or network element is a core network function instance or network element, or a wireless access network function instance or network element.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The target plane capability information reported by the first network function instance or network element includes: When the first network function instance or network element establishes an interface, it sends an interface establishment request to the second network function instance. The interface establishment request carries the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element. and / or When the first network function instance or network element updates its configuration, it sends a configuration update message to the second network function instance. The configuration update message carries the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element. The second network function instance is a core network function instance.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The target plane capability information reported by the first network function instance or network element includes: The first network function instance or network element sends the description information of the first network function instance or network element to the second network function instance, and the description information includes the target surface capability information of the first network function instance or network element. The second network function instance is used to maintain the target surface capability information of the first network function instance or network element; The second network function instance is a core network function instance or a wireless access network function instance.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The target plane capability information reported by the first network function instance or network element includes: If the target plane capability update conditions are met, the first network function instance or network element reports the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element, wherein the target plane capability update conditions include at least one of the following: The level of the target surface capability of the first network function instance or network element changes; The parameters and / or numerical ranges of the target plane capabilities of the first network function instance or network element configured in the target plane network function instance meet preset conditions.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, If the target plane capability update conditions are met, the first network function instance or network element reports the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element, including at least one of the following: If the target plane capability update conditions are met, the first network function instance or network element updates the description information of the first network function instance or network element to the second network function instance. The description information includes the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element. The second network function instance is used to maintain the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element. If the target plane capability update conditions are met, and the change in the target plane capability affects the target plane-related functional process in which the first network function instance or network element is participating, the first network function instance or network element shall report the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element to the target plane network function instance. If the target plane capability update conditions are met, and the target plane capability query information is received from the target plane network function instance, the first network function instance or network element shall report the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The target plane capability information reported by the first network function instance or network element includes: The first network function instance or network element reports the target surface static capabilities of the first network function instance or network element. The first network function instance or network element receives the target plane capability reporting method configuration and / or target plane capability update conditions; The first network function instance or network element reports the target plane dynamic capabilities of the first network function instance or network element according to the target plane capability reporting method configuration and / or target plane capability update conditions.

8. A method for acquiring the target surface capabilities of a network function instance or network element, characterized in that, include: The target plane network function instance receives target plane capability information from the first network function instance or network element, wherein the target plane is a protocol function plane used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis, and data preprocessing; The target surface capability information includes at least one of the following: Information indicating whether the first network function instance or network element supports the target plane; Information indicating that the first network function instance or network element supports providing data to internal network functions and / or providing data to external network functions; Information indicating whether the target surface capability is a static capability or a dynamic capability; Supported target capability reporting methods; Information indicating whether the target plane capability reporting method is supported in the target plane network function instance configuration; Supported target surface data reporting modes; The supported target surface states, including open and disabled states; Information indicating whether the storage of the target surface data is supported, or information indicating whether the persistence of the target surface data is supported; The target surface supports the following data types; Supported transmission directions for the target surface; Supported maximum data uplink rate for target surfaces; Supported maximum downlink data rate for the target surface; The total buffer size of the target surface; Supported target plane network functions; Maximum number of data collection items supported; Supported ID sequence number size; The smallest time granularity of data collection supported; The smallest time granularity supported for data reporting; Maximum length of a single target plane message supported.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The target plane network function instance is a core network target plane network function instance, a radio access network target plane network function instance, or a terminal target plane network function instance.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The target plane network function instance receives target plane capability information from the first network function instance or network element, including: The target plane network function instance sends target plane capability query information to the second network function instance, the first network function instance, or a network element, wherein the query information indicates the target plane capability information to be queried. The target plane network function instance receives target plane capability information reported by the second network function instance, the first network function instance, or a network element based on the target plane capability information to be queried.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The target plane network function instance receives target plane capability information from the first network function instance or network element, including: The target plane network function instance receives the target plane static capabilities of the first network function instance or network element. The target plane network function instance sends the target plane capability reporting method configuration and / or target plane capability update conditions based on the target plane static capabilities of the first network function instance or network element. The target plane network function instance receives target plane dynamic capabilities reported based on the target plane capability reporting method configuration and / or target plane capability update conditions.

12. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, Also includes: The target plane network function instance sends relevant parameter query information for the user plane and / or control plane, and the relevant parameters of the user plane and / or control plane are associated with the target plane dynamic capabilities of the first network function instance or network element. The target plane network function instance receives the values ​​of relevant parameters of the user plane and / or control plane; The target plane network function instance determines the target plane dynamic capability of the first network function instance or network element based on the values ​​and / or ranges of the relevant parameters of the user plane and / or control plane.

13. A method for reporting the target plane capabilities of a network function instance or network element, characterized in that, include: The second network function instance receives the target surface capability information of the first network function instance or network element reported by the first network function instance or network element. The target surface is a protocol function surface used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis and data preprocessing. The second network function instance receives target plane capability query information sent by the target plane network function instance, wherein the query information indicates the target plane capability information to be queried; The second network function instance reports the target surface capability information to the target surface network function instance based on the target surface capability information to be queried; The target surface capability information includes at least one of the following: Information indicating whether the first network function instance or network element supports the target plane; Information indicating that the first network function instance or network element supports providing data to internal network functions and / or providing data to external network functions; Information indicating whether the target surface capability is a static capability or a dynamic capability; Supported target capability reporting methods; Information indicating whether the target plane capability reporting method is supported in the target plane network function instance configuration; Supported target surface data reporting modes; The supported target surface states, including open and disabled states; Information indicating whether the storage of the target surface data is supported, or information indicating whether the persistence of the target surface data is supported; The target surface supports the following data types; Supported transmission directions for the target surface; Supported maximum data uplink rate for target surfaces; Supported maximum downlink data rate for the target surface; The total buffer size of the target surface; Supported target plane network functions; Maximum number of data collection items supported; Supported ID sequence number size; The smallest time granularity of data collection supported; The smallest time granularity supported for data reporting; Maximum length of a single target plane message supported.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element is carried through an interface establishment request or configuration update message.

15. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The second network function instance is used to maintain the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element; the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element is carried through the description information of the first network function instance or network element.

16. A target plane capability reporting device for a network function instance or network element, characterized in that, include: The first reporting module is used to report the target surface capability information of the first network function instance or network element. The target surface is a protocol function surface used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis and data preprocessing. The target surface capability information includes at least one of the following: Information indicating whether the first network function instance or network element supports the target plane; Information indicating that the first network function instance or network element supports providing data to internal network functions and / or providing data to external network functions; Information indicating whether the target surface capability is a static capability or a dynamic capability; Supported target capability reporting methods; Information indicating whether the target plane capability reporting method is supported in the target plane network function instance configuration; Supported target surface data reporting modes; The supported target surface states, including open and disabled states; Information indicating whether the storage of the target surface data is supported, or information indicating whether the persistence of the target surface data is supported; The target surface supports the following data types; Supported transmission directions for the target surface; Supported maximum data uplink rate for target surfaces; Supported maximum downlink data rate for the target surface; The total buffer size of the target surface; Supported target plane network functions; Maximum number of data collection items supported; Supported ID sequence number size; The smallest time granularity of data collection supported; The smallest time granularity supported for data reporting; Maximum length of a single target plane message supported.

17. A device for acquiring the target plane capabilities of a network function instance or network element, characterized in that, include: The first receiving module is used to receive target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element, wherein the target plane is a protocol function plane used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis and data preprocessing; The target surface capability information includes at least one of the following: Information indicating whether the first network function instance or network element supports the target plane; Information indicating that the first network function instance or network element supports providing data to internal network functions and / or providing data to external network functions; Information indicating whether the target surface capability is a static capability or a dynamic capability; Supported target capability reporting methods; Information indicating whether the target plane capability reporting method is supported in the target plane network function instance configuration; Supported target surface data reporting modes; The supported target surface states, including open and disabled states; Information indicating whether the storage of the target surface data is supported, or information indicating whether the persistence of the target surface data is supported; The target surface supports the following data types; Supported transmission directions for the target surface; Supported maximum data uplink rate for target surfaces; Supported maximum downlink data rate for the target surface; The total buffer size of the target surface; Supported target plane network functions; Maximum number of data collection items supported; Supported ID sequence number size; The smallest time granularity of data collection supported; The smallest time granularity supported for data reporting; Maximum length of a single target plane message supported.

18. A target plane capability reporting device for a network function instance or network element, characterized in that, include: The first receiving module is used to receive the target plane capability information of the first network function instance or network element reported by the first network function instance or network element. The target plane is a protocol function plane used to support at least one of data collection, data distribution, data security, data privacy, data analysis and data preprocessing. The second receiving module is used to receive target plane capability query information sent by the target plane network function instance, wherein the query information indicates the target plane capability information to be queried. The reporting module is used to report the target surface capability information to the target surface network function instance based on the target surface capability information that needs to be queried; The target surface capability information includes at least one of the following: Information indicating whether the first network function instance or network element supports the target plane; Information indicating that the first network function instance or network element supports providing data to internal network functions and / or providing data to external network functions; Information indicating whether the target surface capability is a static capability or a dynamic capability; Supported target capability reporting methods; Information indicating whether the target plane capability reporting method is supported in the target plane network function instance configuration; Supported target surface data reporting modes; The supported target surface states, including open and disabled states; Information indicating whether the storage of the target surface data is supported, or information indicating whether the persistence of the target surface data is supported; The target surface supports the following data types; Supported transmission directions for the target surface; Supported maximum data uplink rate for target surfaces; Supported maximum downlink data rate for the target surface; The total buffer size of the target surface; Supported target plane network functions; Maximum number of data collection items supported; Supported ID sequence number size; The smallest time granularity of data collection supported; The smallest time granularity supported for data reporting; Maximum length of a single target plane message supported.

19. A network device, characterized in that, The device includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing programs or instructions executable on the processor. When executed by the processor, the programs or instructions implement the steps of the target plane capability reporting method for a network function instance or network element as described in any one of claims 1 to 7; or, when executed by the processor, the programs or instructions implement the steps of the target plane capability acquisition method for a network function instance or network element as described in any one of claims 8 to 12; or, when executed by the processor, the programs or instructions implement the steps of the target plane capability reporting method for a network function instance or network element as described in any one of claims 13 to 15.

20. A readable storage medium, characterized in that, The readable storage medium stores a program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the target plane capability reporting method for a network function instance or network element as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, or implement the steps of the target plane capability acquisition method for a network function instance or network element as described in any one of claims 8 to 12, or implement the steps of the target plane capability reporting method for a network function instance or network element as described in any one of claims 13 to 15.

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