Method and apparatus for acquiring data

Abstract

The application provides a method and device for acquiring data, the method comprising: a data analysis network element in a first network determining that data to be acquired comprises data to be analyzed in a second network, the data analysis network element sending a first request message for requesting the data to be analyzed to a first network element in the first network, the first request message comprising first indication information, the first indication information being used for indicating that the data to be analyzed needs to be acquired from the second network, i.e. the data analysis network element in the first network can acquire the data to be analyzed in the second network through the network element in the first network.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for acquiring data. Background Technology

[0002] To acquire relevant data from user equipment (UE), network, and application function (AF) network elements in 5G networks, fifth-generation (5G) communication networks have introduced network data analytics function (NWDAF) network elements. Specifically, NWDAF network elements can perform training and analysis based on the acquired large amounts of data to generate analysis results. These results can be used to assist in the formulation and execution of 5G network policies. For example, NWDAF network elements can generate service experience analysis results based on network data and AF data. These results can help policy control network elements formulate 5G UE service-related policies and charging control (PCC) and quality of service (QoS) policies.

[0003] In some scenarios (e.g., where 5G and 4th generation (4G) access coexist), NWDAF network elements may need to acquire data from the 4G communication network. Therefore, how the NWDAF network elements introduced in 5G can acquire data from the 4G communication network has become an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a method and apparatus for acquiring data. When a data analysis network element in a first network determines that it needs to acquire data to be analyzed in a second network, the data to be analyzed in the second network can be acquired through a network element in the first network.

[0005] In a first aspect, a method for acquiring data is provided. This method can be executed by a data analysis network element, or by a chip or circuit disposed in the data analysis network element, and this application does not limit it in this regard.

[0006] The methods used to acquire data include:

[0007] The data analysis network element in the first network determines the data to be analyzed in the second network; the data analysis network element sends a first request message to the first network element in the first network, the first request message is used to request to obtain the data to be analyzed, the first request message includes first indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate that the data to be analyzed belongs to the second network.

[0008] The method for acquiring data provided in this application embodiment involves a data analysis network element in a first network determining that the data to be acquired includes data to be analyzed in a second network. The data analysis network element can request a first network element in the first network to acquire the data to be analyzed through a first request message. By carrying first indication information in the first request message to notify the first network element that the data to be analyzed needs to be acquired from the second network, the data analysis network element can acquire the data to be analyzed corresponding to a network different from the network to which the data analysis network element belongs.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first indication information includes at least one of the following: data type information of the data to be analyzed in the second network, network type information of the second network, network identification information of the second network, area information corresponding to the second network, or information of the second network element in the second network, wherein the second network element is used to provide the data to be analyzed.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, when the first indication information indicates the information of the second network element, the method further includes: the data analysis network element determines the second network element that can provide the data to be analyzed based on the historical data of the second network that has been acquired and the correspondence between network elements in the second network.

[0011] In the embodiments of this application, the first indication information mentioned above can take multiple forms, increasing the flexibility of the solution.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first network element includes an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, and the second network element includes a mobility management entity (MME) with an interactive interface to the AMF network element; or, the first network element includes a session management function (SMF) network element, and the second network element includes a packet data network gateway network element co-located with the SMF network element.

[0013] In this embodiment, the first network element can be an AMF network element, and the second network element can be an MME network element with an interaction interface to the AMF network element; alternatively, the first network element can be an SMF network element, and the second network element can be a packet data network gateway network element co-located with the SMF network element. It is noted that the specific network element types of the first and second network elements can be various, increasing the flexibility of the solution.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method includes: the data analysis network element determining the first network element, the first network element being used to obtain the data to be analyzed from the second network.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the data analysis network element determining the first network element includes: the data analysis network element determining the data type information corresponding to the data to be analyzed; and the data analysis network element determining the first network element based on the data type information.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the data analysis network element determines the data type information corresponding to the data to be analyzed, including: the data analysis network element determines the data type information corresponding to the data to be analyzed based on the identification information, wherein the identification information is used to indicate the task type of the data analysis network element performing data analysis.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: the data analysis network element receiving a second request message from a consumer network element, the second request message being used to request the data analysis network element to perform data analysis, wherein the second request message includes the identification information; or, the data analysis network element determining the identification information according to a pre-configured task, the pre-configured task indicating the data analysis type corresponding to the identification information.

[0018] The method for acquiring data provided in this application embodiment allows the data analysis network element to determine identification information through pre-configured tasks or based on a received second request message, thereby increasing the flexibility of the solution.

[0019] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second request message further includes second indication information, which is used to indicate at least one of the following: area information corresponding to the second network, network type information of the second network, or network identification information of the second network.

[0020] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the data analysis network element determines the data to be analyzed in the second network, including: the data analysis network element determines, based on the second instruction information, that the data to be acquired includes the data to be analyzed in the second network.

[0021] The method for acquiring data provided in this application embodiment allows a data analysis network element to determine, through a second indication information, that the data to be acquired includes data to be analyzed in a second network. The second indication information can take various forms, thereby increasing the flexibility of the solution.

[0022] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the data analysis network element determines the first network element by: the data analysis network element determining the network element type information to which the first network element belongs; and the data analysis network element determining the first network element based on the network element type information to which the first network element belongs.

[0023] The method for acquiring data provided in this application embodiment allows the data analysis network element to determine the first network element by the data type information corresponding to the data to be analyzed or the network element type information to which the first network element belongs, thereby increasing the flexibility of the solution.

[0024] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the data analysis network element determines the first network element by: the data analysis network element determining that the first network element meets preset conditions, the preset conditions including at least one of the following: having an interaction interface with a network element in the second network, being co-located with a network element in the second network, or being associated with corresponding area information of the second network.

[0025] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the preset condition also includes: the corresponding region information of the first network.

[0026] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, when the preset condition is the corresponding area information of the first network, the method further includes: the data analysis network element determines the corresponding area information of the first network based on the corresponding area information of the second network and a preset area mapping relationship, wherein the preset area mapping relationship indicates the corresponding area information of the second network associated with the corresponding area information of the first network.

[0027] The method for acquiring data provided in this application embodiment allows the data analysis network element to select a network element that meets preset conditions from multiple network elements included in the network element type as the first network element, thereby filtering out network elements that meet the conditions to increase the accuracy of the scheme.

[0028] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the data analysis network element determining the first network element based on the network element type further includes: the data analysis network element determining the first network element includes all network elements in the network element type corresponding to the network element type information.

[0029] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the data analysis network element determines the first network element by: the data analysis network element sending a third request message to a network storage function network element in the first network, the third request message being used to request the network storage function network element to provide information about the first network element, the third request message including the preset condition; and the data analysis network element receiving a third response message from the network storage function network element, the third response message including information about the first network element.

[0030] The method for acquiring data provided in this application embodiment allows the data analysis network element to acquire information about the first network element from the network storage function network element, or the data analysis network element can determine the first network element itself, increasing the flexibility of the solution.

[0031] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first network includes a fifth-generation 5G network, and the second network includes a fourth-generation 4G network.

[0032] The method for acquiring data provided in this application embodiment can be 5G for the first network and 4G for the second network. In other words, the method for acquiring data provided in this application embodiment can enable the data analysis network element introduced in 5G to accurately acquire data from the 4G communication network.

[0033] Secondly, a method for acquiring data is provided. This method can be executed by a first network element, or by a chip or circuit disposed in the first network element. This application does not limit the scope of the method.

[0034] The methods used to acquire data include:

[0035] A first network element in a first network receives a first request message from a data analysis network element. The first request message is used to request the acquisition of data to be analyzed. The first request message includes first indication information, which indicates that the data to be analyzed belongs to a second network. The first network element acquires the data to be analyzed from a second network element in the second network according to the first indication information. The second network element includes network elements that have an interaction interface with the first network element and / or network elements co-located with the first network element.

[0036] The method for acquiring data provided in this application embodiment involves a first network element in a first network acquiring data to be analyzed from a second network element in a second network based on a first instruction information in a first request message sent by a data analysis network element in the first network. This enables the data analysis network element to acquire data to be analyzed from a network that is different from the network to which the data analysis network element belongs.

[0037] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first indication information includes at least one of the following: data type information of the data to be analyzed in the second network, network type information of the second network, network identification information of the second network, area information corresponding to the second network, or information of the second network element in the second network, wherein the second network element is used to provide the data to be analyzed.

[0038] In the embodiments of this application, the first indication information mentioned above can take multiple forms, increasing the flexibility of the solution.

[0039] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: the first network element sending a registration request message to a network storage function network element in the first network, the registration request message including at least one of the following: area information corresponding to the second network, area information corresponding to the first network, information of a second network element that has an interaction interface with the first network element or is co-located with the first network element.

[0040] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: the first network element determining the second network element as a network element in the second network that meets preset conditions, wherein the preset conditions include at least one of the following: having an interaction interface with a network element in the second network, being co-located with a network element in the second network, or being associated with a corresponding area of ​​the second network.

[0041] The method for acquiring data provided in this application embodiment allows a first network element to select network elements that meet preset conditions as a second network element, thereby filtering out network elements that meet the conditions to increase the accuracy of the scheme.

[0042] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: the first network element receiving the data to be analyzed from the second network element; and the first network element sending the data to be analyzed to the data analysis network element.

[0043] Thirdly, a method for acquiring data is provided, which can be executed by a second network element, or by a chip or circuit disposed in the second network element, and this application does not limit the scope of the method.

[0044] The methods used to acquire data include:

[0045] A second network element in the second network receives a fourth request message from a first network element in the first network. The fourth request message is used to obtain data to be analyzed. The fourth request message includes the data type information of the data to be analyzed in the second network. The second network element sends the data to be analyzed to the first network element. The second network element includes network elements that have an interaction interface with the first network element and / or network elements co-located with the first network element.

[0046] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the fourth request message further includes at least one of the following: network type information of the second network, network identification information of the second network, and area information corresponding to the second network.

[0047] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the first network element includes an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, and the second network element includes a mobility management entity (MME) with an interactive interface to the AMF network element; or, the first network element includes a session management function (SMF) network element, and the second network element includes a packet data network gateway network element co-located with the SMF network element.

[0048] Fourthly, a method for acquiring data is provided. This method can be executed by a network storage function element, or by a chip or circuit disposed in the network storage function element. This application does not limit the scope of the method.

[0049] The methods used to acquire data include:

[0050] A network storage function element in a first network receives a registration request message from another network element in the first network, the registration request message including at least one of the following:

[0051] Information about the area corresponding to the second network, information about the area corresponding to the first network, and information about the second network element that has an interaction interface with the first network element or is co-located with the first network element.

[0052] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the method further includes: the storage function network element receiving a third request message from a data analysis network element in the first network, the third request message being used to request the network storage function network element to provide information about the first network element, the third request message including preset conditions; the network storage function network element sending a third response message to the data analysis network element, the third response message including information about the first network element, the preset conditions including at least one of the following: having an interaction interface with a network element in the second network, co-located with a network element in the second network, or associated with corresponding area information of the second network.

[0053] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the third request message also includes information about the network element type to which the first network element belongs.

[0054] Fifthly, an apparatus for acquiring data is provided, the apparatus including a processor for implementing the functions of the data analysis network element in the method described in the first aspect above.

[0055] In one possible implementation, the device for acquiring data may further include a memory coupled to the processor, which is used to implement the functions of the data analysis network element in the method described in the first aspect above.

[0056] In one possible implementation, the memory is used to store program instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, which can call and execute the program instructions stored in the memory to implement the functions of the data analysis network element in the method described in the first aspect above.

[0057] In one possible implementation, the device for acquiring data may further include a communication interface for communicating with other devices. This communication interface may be a transceiver, an input / output interface, or a circuit, etc.

[0058] In one possible design, the device for acquiring data includes: a processor and a communication interface.

[0059] The processor is used to run computer programs so that the means for acquiring data implements any of the methods described in the first aspect above;

[0060] The processor uses this communication interface to communicate with the outside world.

[0061] It is understood that the external entity can be an object outside the processor or an object outside the device.

[0062] In another possible design, the device for acquiring data is a chip or chip system. The communication interface can be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pins, or related circuits on the chip or chip system. The processor can also be manifested as a processing circuit or logic circuit.

[0063] In a sixth aspect, an apparatus for acquiring data is provided, the apparatus including a processor for implementing the function of the first network element in the method described in the second aspect above.

[0064] In one possible implementation, the device for acquiring data may further include a memory coupled to the processor, which is used to implement the function of the first network element in the method described in the second aspect above.

[0065] In one possible implementation, the memory is used to store program instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, which can call and execute the program instructions stored in the memory to implement the function of the first network element in the method described in the second aspect above.

[0066] In one possible implementation, the device for acquiring data may further include a communication interface for communicating with other devices. This communication interface may be a transceiver, an input / output interface, or a circuit, etc.

[0067] In one possible design, the device for acquiring data includes: a processor and a communication interface.

[0068] The processor uses this communication interface to communicate with external devices;

[0069] The processor is used to run computer programs so that the device for acquiring data implements any of the methods described in the second aspect above.

[0070] It is understood that the external entity can be an object outside the processor or an object outside the device.

[0071] In another possible design, the device for acquiring data is a chip or chip system. The communication interface can be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip system. The processor can also be manifested as a processing circuit or logic circuit.

[0072] In a seventh aspect, an apparatus for acquiring data is provided, the apparatus including a processor for implementing the function of the second network element in the method described in the third aspect above.

[0073] In one possible implementation, the device for acquiring data may further include a memory coupled to the processor, which is used to implement the function of the second network element in the method described in the third aspect above.

[0074] In one possible implementation, the memory is used to store program instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, which can call and execute the program instructions stored in the memory to implement the function of the second network element in the method described in the third aspect above.

[0075] In one possible implementation, the device for acquiring data may further include a communication interface for communicating with other devices. This communication interface may be a transceiver, an input / output interface, or a circuit, etc.

[0076] In one possible design, the device for acquiring data includes: a processor and a communication interface.

[0077] The processor uses this communication interface to communicate with external devices;

[0078] The processor is used to run computer programs so that the device for acquiring data implements any of the methods described in the third aspect above.

[0079] It is understood that the external entity can be an object outside the processor or an object outside the device.

[0080] In another possible design, the device for acquiring data is a chip or chip system. The communication interface can be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip system. The processor can also be manifested as a processing circuit or logic circuit.

[0081] Eighthly, an apparatus for acquiring data is provided, the apparatus including a processor for implementing the functions of the network storage function element in the method described in the fourth aspect above.

[0082] In one possible implementation, the device for acquiring data may further include a memory coupled to the processor, which is used to implement the function of the network storage function element in the method described in the fourth aspect above.

[0083] In one possible implementation, the memory is used to store program instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, which can call and execute the program instructions stored in the memory to implement the function of the network storage element in the method described in the fourth aspect above.

[0084] In one possible implementation, the device for acquiring data may further include a communication interface for communicating with other devices. This communication interface may be a transceiver, an input / output interface, or a circuit, etc.

[0085] In one possible design, the device for acquiring data includes: a processor and a communication interface.

[0086] The processor uses this communication interface to communicate with external devices;

[0087] The processor is used to run computer programs so that the device for acquiring data implements any of the methods described in the fourth aspect above.

[0088] It is understood that the external entity can be an object outside the processor or an object outside the device.

[0089] In another possible design, the device for acquiring data is a chip or chip system. The communication interface can be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip system. The processor can also be manifested as a processing circuit or logic circuit.

[0090] Ninthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods described above.

[0091] In a tenth aspect, this application provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods described above.

[0092] In the eleventh aspect, a communication system is provided, including the means for acquiring data shown in the fifth aspect and the means for acquiring data shown in the sixth aspect.

[0093] In a twelfth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising the means for acquiring data shown in the fifth aspect to the means for acquiring data shown in the eighth aspect.

[0094] In a thirteenth aspect, a chip or chip system is provided, comprising at least one processor and a communication interface, the communication interface and the at least one processor being interconnected via a circuit, the at least one processor being configured to execute computer programs or instructions to perform the methods in any of the possible implementations of the first to fourth aspects. The communication interface in the chip may be an input / output interface, a pin, or a circuit, etc.

[0095] In one possible implementation, the chip or chip system described above in this application further includes at least one memory storing instructions. The memory can be an internal storage unit of the chip, such as a register or cache, or it can be a storage unit of the chip itself (e.g., read-only memory, random access memory, etc.). Attached Figure Description

[0096] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a network architecture based on a service-oriented interface provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0097] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the network architecture for 5G and 4G interaction provided in this application.

[0098] Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart of a method for acquiring data provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0099] Figure 4 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating another method for acquiring data provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0100] Figure 5 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating another method for acquiring data provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0101] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a data acquisition device 600 provided in this application.

[0102] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the data analysis network element 700 applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0103] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of another data acquisition device 800 provided in this application.

[0104] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first network element 900 applicable to the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0105] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0106] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a service-oriented interface-based network architecture provided in an embodiment of this application. The following is a description of the... Figure 1 Each component involved in the network architecture shown will be explained separately.

[0107] 1. User equipment (UE) 110: This may include various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem with wireless communication capabilities, as well as various forms of terminals, mobile stations (MS), terminals, or soft terminals, etc. For example, water meters, electricity meters, sensors, etc.

[0108] For example, the user equipment in the embodiments of this application may refer to an access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, relay station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal equipment, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device. The user equipment may also be a cellular phone, cordless phone, session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld device with wireless communication function, computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, vehicle-mounted device, wearable device, user equipment in a 5G network, or user equipment in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN) or user equipment in a future vehicle network, etc., and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto.

[0109] As an example and not a limitation, in this application embodiment, wearable devices can also be called wearable smart devices. This is a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices that are worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not merely hardware devices; they achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly defined, wearable smart devices include those that are feature-rich, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functionality without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses, as well as those that focus on a specific application function and require use with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0110] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the user equipment can also be a user equipment within an Internet of Things (IoT) system. IoT is a crucial component of future information technology development, its main technical characteristic being the connection of objects to networks via communication technology, thereby achieving intelligent networks that enable human-machine and machine-to-machine interconnection. In this embodiment, IoT technology can achieve massive connectivity, deep coverage, and power saving for terminals through technologies such as narrowband (NB). Additionally, in this embodiment, the user equipment can also include sensors such as smart printers, train detectors, and gas station sensors, whose main functions include collecting data (in some user equipment), receiving control information and downlink data from access network devices, and transmitting uplink data to access network devices by sending electromagnetic waves.

[0111] 2. Radio access network (RAN) 120: Used to provide network access functionality for authorized user equipment in a specific area, and can use transmission tunnels of different quality according to the user equipment level, service requirements, etc.

[0112] (R)AN can manage radio resources, provide access services for user equipment, and then complete the forwarding of control signals and user equipment data between user equipment and the core network. (R)AN can also be understood as a base station in a traditional network.

[0113] For example, the access network device in this application embodiment can be any kind of communication device with wireless transceiver function for communicating with user equipment. This access network device includes, but is not limited to: evolved NodeB (eNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP), wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP), or transmission and reception point (TRP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, and can also be a gNB in ​​a 5G, such as NR, or a transmission point (TRP or TP), one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system, or a network node constituting a gNB or transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU) or a distributed unit (DU).

[0114] In some deployments, a gNB may include a centralized unit (CU) and a distribution unit (DU). The gNB may also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU implements some of the gNB's functions, and the DU implements others. For example, the CU handles non-real-time protocols and services, implementing radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer functions. The DU handles physical layer protocols and real-time services, implementing radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layer functions. The AAU implements some physical layer processing functions, radio frequency processing, and active antenna-related functions. Since RRC layer information ultimately becomes PHY layer information, or is derived from PHY layer information, in this architecture, higher-layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling, can be considered to be sent by the DU, or by the DU+AAU. It is understood that access network equipment can be devices including one or more of the following: CU nodes, DU nodes, and AAU nodes. In addition, the CU can be classified as an access network device in the radio access network (RAN) or as an access network device in the core network (CN), and this application does not limit this.

[0115] 3. User plane network element 130: Used for packet routing and forwarding, as well as quality of service (QoS) processing of user plane data.

[0116] In 5G communication systems, this user plane network element can be a user plane function (UPF) network element. In future communication systems, the user plane network element can still be a UPF network element, or it can have other names; this application does not limit this.

[0117] 4. Data Network 140: A network used to provide data transmission.

[0118] In 5G communication systems, the data network can be a data network (DN). In future communication systems, the data network can still be a DN, or it can have other names; this application does not limit this.

[0119] 5. Access Management Network Element 150: Mainly used for mobility management and access management, it can be used to implement other functions of the mobility management entity (MME) besides session management, such as access authorization / authentication.

[0120] In 5G communication systems, the access management network element can be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element. In future communication systems, the access management network element can still be an AMF network element, or it can have other names; this application does not limit this.

[0121] 6. Session Management Network Element 160: Primarily used for session management, allocation and management of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for terminal devices, selection of endpoints for manageable user plane functions, policy control and charging function interfaces, and downlink data notification, etc.

[0122] In 5G communication systems, this session management network element can be a session management function (SMF) network element. In future communication systems, the session management network element can still be an SMF network element, or it can have other names; this application does not limit this.

[0123] 7. Policy Control Element 170: A unified policy framework used to guide network behavior, providing policy rule information to network elements (such as AMF, SMF, etc.) or terminal devices.

[0124] In 4G communication systems, this policy control network element can be a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) network element. In 5G communication systems, this policy control network element can be a policy control function (PCF) network element. In future communication systems, the policy control network element can still be a PCF network element, or it can have other names; this application does not limit this.

[0125] 8. Open Network Element 180: Primarily used to support the opening of capabilities and events.

[0126] In 5G communication systems, this network exposure can be a network exposure function (NEF) element. In future communication systems, the network exposure element can still be a NEF element, or it can have other names; this application does not limit this.

[0127] 9. Network storage element 190: Used to maintain information for all network function services in the network.

[0128] In 5G communication systems, this network storage element can be a network repository function (NRF) element. In future communication systems, the network storage element can still be an NRF element, or it can have other names; this application does not limit its scope.

[0129] 10. Data Management Network Element 1100: Used for processing terminal device identification, access authentication, registration, and mobility management, etc.

[0130] In 5G communication systems, this data management network element can be a unified data management (UDM) network element. In future communication systems, the unified data management network element can still be a UDM network element, or it can have other names; this application does not limit this.

[0131] 11. Application Network Element 1110: Used for data routing affected by applications, accessing network open function network elements, and interacting with the policy framework for policy control, etc.

[0132] In 5G communication systems, this application network element can be an application function (AF) network element. In future communication systems, the application network element can still be an AF network element, or it can have other names; this application does not limit this.

[0133] 12. Data Analysis Network Element 1120: Used to implement network data analysis functions.

[0134] A data analysis network element can be a single network element, a combination of multiple network elements, or co-located with other network elements.

[0135] In 5G communication systems, this data analysis network element can be a network data analytics function (NWDAF) network element. In future communication systems, the data analysis network element may still be an NWDAF network element, or it may have other names; this application does not limit its scope.

[0136] 13. Network Slice Selection Element 1130: Used to select the network slice instance that serves the user equipment.

[0137] In 5G communication systems, the network slice selection element can be a network slice selection function (NSSF) element. In future communication systems, the network slice selection function element can still be an NSSF element, or it can have other names; this application does not limit this.

[0138] It is understood that the aforementioned network elements or functions can be network components in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0139] For ease of explanation, this application will subsequently use the access management function network element as the AMF network element, the data analysis network element as the NWDAF network element, and the network storage network element as the NRF network element as examples for illustration.

[0140] Furthermore, the AMF network element will be abbreviated as AMF, the NWDAF network element as NWDAF, and the NRF network element as NRF. That is, the AMF described in this application can be replaced by the access management function network element, the NWDAF can be replaced by the data analysis function network element, and the NRF can be replaced by the network storage network element.

[0141] For ease of explanation, this application uses the device as an AMF entity, an NWDAF entity, or an NRF entity as examples to describe the method for acquiring data. For the implementation method of the device being a chip within an AMF entity, a chip within an NWDAF entity, or a chip within an NRF entity, please refer to the specific descriptions of the devices as AMF entities, NWDAF entities, and NRF entities, respectively, and will not be repeated here.

[0142] exist Figure 1 In the network architecture shown, the terminal device is connected to the AMF through the N1 interface, the RAN is connected to the AMF through the N2 interface, and the RAN is connected to the UPF through the N3 interface.

[0143] UPFs connect to each other via the N9 interface, and UPFs interconnect with the data network (DN) via the N6 interface.

[0144] SMF controls UPF via the N4 interface.

[0145] NSSF connects to the service architecture through the Nnssf interface to provide corresponding services; similarly, NRF, PCF, UDM, NWDAF, and AF connect to the service architecture through their respective interfaces to provide corresponding services.

[0146] Figure 1Nnef, Nnrf, Npcf, Nudm, Nnwdaf, Naf, Namf, Nsmf, Nnssf, N1, N2, N3, N4, and N6 are interface sequence numbers. The meanings of these interface sequence numbers can be found in the definitions of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard protocol, and are not limited here.

[0147] It should be noted that, Figure 1 The names of the various network elements and communication interfaces involved are given as examples based on current protocols, but this does not limit the embodiments of this application to only known communication systems. Therefore, the standard names that appear when describing the current protocols are functional descriptions. This application does not limit the specific names of network elements, interfaces, or signaling, but only indicates the function of the network element, interface, or signaling, which can be extended to other systems, such as 2G, 3G, 4G, or future communication systems.

[0148] Additionally, it should be noted that in some network architectures, network function elements such as AMF, SMF, PCF, BSF, and UDM are all referred to as network function (NF) elements; or, in other network architectures, a collection of AMF, SMF, PCF, BSF, and UDM elements can be referred to as control plane function elements.

[0149] Figure 1 The diagram shown is a schematic of a 5G network architecture based on service-oriented interfaces. This embodiment of the application... Figure 1 The NWDAF network element shown can acquire data from the 4G communication network.

[0150] For example, in the early stages of 5G commercialization, with relatively few 5G network users and a large number of 4G network users, NWDAF needs to acquire relevant data about users on the 4G network. For instance, to obtain personnel trajectory information, in addition to analyzing the trajectory information of 5G users, NWDAF needs to analyze the trajectory information of 4G users, which requires NWDAF to be able to obtain relevant data such as the location of users on the 4G network.

[0151] For example, in the case of coexistence of 5G and 4G access, in order to balance the user capacity of the two networks and ensure the user service experience in both networks, NWDAF needs to know the UE's 5G access data and service data, and also needs to obtain the UE's 4G access data and service data. The following section will combine... Figure 2 A brief introduction to the interaction between 5G and 4G. Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the network architecture for 5G and 4G interaction provided in this application.

[0152] from Figure 2 This shows that 5G networks share network elements with 4G networks (such as...). Figure 2 The SMF and PGW-C are co-located, the UDM and the Home Subscriber Server (HSS) are co-located, etc., as shown in the diagram, and / or interactive interfaces are enabled (such as...). Figure 2 The N26 interface is opened between the AMF and MME as shown in the figure to realize the interaction between the two networks.

[0153] Specifically, Figure 2 The evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) shown in the diagram is the access network equipment in the 4G network; NG-RAN is the access network equipment in the 5G network; HSS is the server in the 4G network used to store user subscription information; Serving Gateway (SGW) is the user plane access service gateway in the 4G network; Packet Data Network Gateway-Control (PGW-C) and Packet Data Network Gateway-User (PGW-U) are network elements in the 4G network responsible for connecting user equipment to external networks, and also undertake functions such as mobile phone session management and bearer control, as well as IP address allocation and billing support.

[0154] It should be noted that, Figure 2 The various interface names shown (e.g., Figure 2 The S1-MME, S1-U, S11, N26, N3, N1, N2, N11, S11, S5-U, S5-C, N15, N8, N10, and S6a) shown are merely examples and do not constitute any limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0155] For example, NWDAF can utilize the data open services provided by NF (e.g., AMF, SMF, or AF) to obtain data corresponding to specific data types from the NF. Currently available technical solutions enable NWDAF to obtain data from NFs in 5G networks, but there is no relevant technical support for obtaining data from 4G communication networks. Furthermore, for NWDAF, as a 5G network element, there is no direct interface between it and 4G network elements (e.g., MME, PGW, or SGW). Moreover, 5G networks adopt a service-oriented architecture, while 4G networks adopt a point-to-point interface architecture; these are fundamentally different. Therefore, how the NWDAF network element can obtain data from 4G communication networks is a problem that urgently needs to be solved.

[0156] This application proposes a method for acquiring data, which enables a data analysis network element in a first network to acquire data from a second network element in a second network through interaction between two different networks. For example, through interaction between a 5G network and a 4G network, an NWDAF network element can acquire data from the 4G communication network.

[0157] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication systems, 5G systems, New Radio (NR) systems, or future networks. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as sixth-generation mobile communication systems. Communication systems can also be public land mobile networks (PLMNs), device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems, or other communication systems.

[0158] In this embodiment, the user equipment or access network device includes a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on top of the hardware layer, and an application layer running on top of the operating system layer. The hardware layer includes hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and memory (also called main memory). The operating system can be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as Linux, Unix, Android, iOS, or Windows. The application layer includes applications such as browsers, address books, word processing software, and instant messaging software. Furthermore, this embodiment does not specifically limit the specific structure of the execution entity of the method provided in this embodiment, as long as it can communicate according to the method provided in this embodiment by running a program that records the code of the method provided in this embodiment. For example, the execution entity of the method provided in this embodiment can be a user equipment or access network device, or a functional module in the user equipment or access network device that can call and execute a program.

[0159] Furthermore, various aspects or features of this application can be implemented as methods, apparatus, or articles of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "article of manufacture" as used herein encompasses a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or medium. For example, computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, or magnetic tapes), optical discs (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMs), cards, sticks, or key drives, etc.). Additionally, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable storage medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0160] The embodiments shown below do not specifically limit the structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of this application. As long as it is possible to communicate according to the method provided in the embodiments of this application by running a program that records the code of the method provided in the embodiments of this application, for example, the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of this application can be a terminal device or a core network device, or a functional module in the terminal device or core network device that can call and execute the program.

[0161] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the following points are provided.

[0162] First, in this application, "for instruction" can be understood as "enabling," and "enabling" can include direct enabling and indirect enabling. When describing information for enabling A, it can include whether the information directly enables A or indirectly enables A, but does not necessarily mean that the information carries A.

[0163] The information that enables the information is called the information to be enabled. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to enable the information to be enabled, such as, but not limited to, directly enabling the information to be enabled, such as the information to be enabled itself or its index. It can also be indirectly enabled by enabling other information, where there is a relationship between the other information and the information to be enabled. It can also enable only a part of the information to be enabled, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, enabling specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing enabling overhead to some extent. Simultaneously, common parts of various pieces of information can be identified and enabled uniformly to reduce the enabling overhead caused by individually enabling the same information.

[0164] Second, the first, second, and various numerical designations (e.g., "#1", "#2", etc.) shown in this application are merely for descriptive convenience and to distinguish objects, and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. For example, to distinguish different messages, etc., rather than to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such described objects can be interchanged where appropriate to describe solutions other than those in the embodiments of this application.

[0165] Third, in this application, "preset" may include predefined terms, such as protocol definitions. These "predefined terms" can be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other means of indicating relevant information in the device (e.g., including user equipment or core network equipment), and this application does not limit the specific implementation method.

[0166] Fourth, the term "storage" in the embodiments of this application can refer to storage in one or more memories. These memories can be separate installations or integrated into an encoder, decoder, processor, or communication device. Alternatively, some memories can be separately installed, while others can be integrated into the decoder, processor, or communication device. The type of memory can be any form of storage medium, and this application does not limit this.

[0167] Fifth, the “protocol” involved in the embodiments of this application may refer to standard protocols in the field of communication, such as 5G protocols, new radio (NR) protocols, and related protocols applied in future communication systems. This application does not limit this.

[0168] Without loss of generality, the method for acquiring data provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below using the interaction between network elements as an example.

[0169] Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart of a method for acquiring data provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0170] The method for acquiring data includes at least the following steps.

[0171] S310, the data analysis network element determines the data to be analyzed in the second network.

[0172] In this embodiment of the application, the data analysis network element in the first network needs to perform data analysis on the data to be analyzed in the second network. That is, the data analysis network element determines that the data to be acquired includes the data to be analyzed in the second network.

[0173] For example, the first network and the second network are different types of networks. For instance, the first network is a 5G network and the second network is a 4G network; or, for example, the first network is a future communication network and the second network is a 5G network. For ease of understanding, the embodiments of this application are usually described with the first network being a 5G network and the second network being a 4G network, but this does not limit the technical solutions provided in this application to scenarios where the first network is a 5G network and the second network is a 4G network.

[0174] Data analysis network elements can be used to implement network data analysis functions. Specifically, data analysis network elements have data collection, training, and inference functions. The data collection function can collect relevant data from network elements, third-party service servers, user equipment, or network management systems; the data training function is used to perform analysis and training based on relevant training data; the data inference function is used to perform analysis and inference based on relevant inference data and provide data analysis results to network elements, third-party service servers, user equipment, or network management systems. These analysis results can assist the network in selecting service quality parameters, executing traffic routing, or selecting background traffic transmission strategies, etc.

[0175] The embodiments of this application mainly involve the data collection function of the data analysis network element. The data analysis network element can perform related training and inference based on the collected data. This application will not elaborate on the subsequent data inference and training, but can refer to the description in the current related technology.

[0176] For example, the data analysis network element involved in the embodiments of this application may be an NWDAF network element, or other network elements in the first network architecture that can realize network data analysis functions. The names of the network elements are not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0177] For ease of description, the following text will use NWDAF as an example for the data analysis network element.

[0178] Furthermore, after NWDAF determines that the data to be acquired includes the data to be analyzed in the second network mentioned above, NWDAF can acquire the data to be analyzed in the second network through the first network element in the first network. Figure 3 The process shown also includes:

[0179] S320, NWDAF sends the first request message to the first network element.

[0180] The first request message is used to request the aforementioned data to be analyzed. The first request message includes first indication information, which indicates that the data to be analyzed belongs to the aforementioned second network.

[0181] In one possible implementation, the first request message can be called a data request message, which can be an NWDAF calling the Namf_EventExposure_subscription service of the first network element.

[0182] For example, the first indication information includes at least one of the following:

[0183] The data type information of the data to be analyzed in the second network, the network type information of the second network, the network identifier information of the second network, the area information corresponding to the second network, the area information corresponding to the first network, or the information of the second network element in the second network, wherein the second network element is used to provide the data to be analyzed.

[0184] When the first indication information is the area information corresponding to the first network, that is, the NWDAF does not directly specify the area information corresponding to the second network, the first network element can subsequently map the corresponding area information corresponding to the second network based on the received area information corresponding to the first network.

[0185] For example, the first network element is pre-configured with a mapping relationship between the area information corresponding to the second network and the area information corresponding to the first network; or, the first network element can query the mapping relationship between the area information corresponding to the second network and the area information corresponding to the first network by querying the network storage function network element or the network management system.

[0186] When the first instruction information indicates the information of the second network element, the data analysis network element determines the second network element that can provide the data to be analyzed based on the historical data of the second network that has been acquired and the correspondence between the network elements in the second network.

[0187] For example, NWDAF can determine which second network elements (network elements within a second network) report which types of second network data and which corresponding regions of the second network based on historical data reporting information from the second network. In other words, NWDAF can determine the data type of the data to be analyzed, the network elements within the second network corresponding to the region of the second network, and so on, based on historical records. In this approach, NWDAF still initiates a data acquisition request to the first network element, but the first request message already includes the network elements within the second network (such as 4G MME instance, SGW instance, or PGW instance) that provide the data to be analyzed. Subsequently, the first network element does not need to decide which network elements in the second network to obtain the data from.

[0188] In one possible implementation, the network type information of the second network is used to indicate the type of the second network, which may be the type of the second network or related information used to indicate the type of the second network.

[0189] For example, the network type information of the second network can be 4G, LTE, or evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN), etc. The network type information of the second network is used to instruct the first network element to acquire and provide the data to be analyzed corresponding to the network type information of the second network.

[0190] In one possible implementation, the network identification information of the second network is used to indicate the network identifier of the second network. It may be the network identifier of the second network or related information used to indicate the network identifier of the second network.

[0191] For example, the network identification information of the second network can be the 4G public landmobile network identifier (PLMN ID).

[0192] In one possible implementation, the area information corresponding to the second network involved in this application embodiment may be related information about the area of ​​interest (AOI) of the second network (e.g., 4G AOI), or it may be related information about the tracking area (TA) of the second network, or related information about the cells of the second network. This application does not limit the specific form of the area information corresponding to the second network; it may be information used to identify a certain area in the second network.

[0193] Similarly, the area information corresponding to the first network involved in the embodiments of this application can be related information of the region of interest of the first network (e.g., 5G AOI), or it can be related information of the tracking area of ​​the first network. This application does not limit the specific form of the area information corresponding to the first network; it can be information used to identify a certain area in the first network.

[0194] It should be noted that the first indication information, which indicates that the data to be analyzed belongs to the second network, can be a direct indication. For example, the first indication information may include the network type information, network identification information, or area information of the second network; or...

[0195] The first indication information indicates that the data to be analyzed belongs to the second network. This can be an indirect indication, for example, the first indication information includes the data type information of the data to be analyzed in the second network.

[0196] Furthermore, when the first indication information is the data type information of the data to be analyzed in the second network, it can be understood that the data type information of a certain data type in the first network is different from the data type information in the second network. For example, the data type is location information, which is identified by location information #1 in the first network and by location information #2 in the second network. Then, when the data type of the data to be analyzed is location information, the first indication information can be location information #2. The first indication information can indicate that the data to be analyzed belongs to the second network and that the data type of the data to be analyzed is location information.

[0197] It should also be noted that when the aforementioned first indication information is the area information of the second network, the first indication information not only indicates that the data to be analyzed belongs to the second network, but also indicates that the data to be analyzed belongs to the network element in the area indicated by the area information in the second network. That is to say, in some cases, the first indication information can also be understood as filtering information. In the embodiments of this application, "the data to be analyzed belongs to the second network" means that the data to be analyzed is obtained from the second network.

[0198] In one possible implementation, the first request message also includes information about a time period (e.g., indicating a certain time period) to instruct the first network element to acquire and provide data to be analyzed corresponding to the time period.

[0199] Before NWDAF sends the first request message to the first network element Figure 3 The method flow shown also includes:

[0200] S321, NWDAF determines the first network element.

[0201] The first network element is used to obtain the data to be analyzed from the second network described above.

[0202] Specifically, NWDAF determines the first network element in the following ways:

[0203] Method 1:

[0204] NWDAF pre-configures which network elements in the first network can obtain the data to be analyzed from the aforementioned second network.

[0205] For example, NWDAF pre-configured 5G network element instances (AMF instance or SMF instance, etc.) can provide 4G network data.

[0206] Method 2:

[0207] NWDAF determines the data type information corresponding to the data to be analyzed; the data analysis network element determines the first network element based on the data type information. The data type information corresponding to the data to be analyzed can indicate the data type of the data to be analyzed, or it can be other information used to indicate the data type of the data to be analyzed.

[0208] In this second method, NWDAF needs to determine the data type corresponding to the data to be analyzed. Figure 3 The method flow shown also includes:

[0209] S322, NWDAF determines the data type information corresponding to the data to be analyzed.

[0210] This data type information is used to indicate the category or identifier to which the data to be analyzed belongs. For example, the data type information indicates that the data to be analyzed may be mobility-related data, session-related data, policy and billing-related data, or service quality-related data, etc.

[0211] In one possible implementation, the data to be analyzed can also be called the first data, and the data type information can also be called the first type information. In this embodiment of the application, the specific name of the term is not limited.

[0212] It should be noted that this application does not limit the data type indicated by the data type information. You can refer to the data type included in the data analysis tasks that NWDAF can currently perform. This application will not elaborate on the specific data analysis tasks that NWDAF can perform, but you can refer to the description of the relevant technologies.

[0213] For example, NWDAF is currently capable of performing mobility-related data analysis, meaning that the data type includes mobility-related categories, such as user location information.

[0214] Furthermore, the data to be analyzed in this application embodiment includes relevant data of the user equipment in the second network (i.e., the second network data includes data at the user equipment granularity) or relevant data of the second network itself (i.e., data at the network device granularity). The user equipment granularity data can be data related to the user equipment's motion trajectory in the second network or other data of the user equipment in the second network; this application does not limit this. The network device granularity data can be data such as network quality data, which will not be explained in detail here.

[0215] Specifically, NWDAF determines the data type information corresponding to the data to be analyzed, including:

[0216] NWDAF determines the data type information corresponding to the data to be analyzed based on the identification information, where the identification information is used to indicate the task type of the data analysis network element performing data analysis.

[0217] In one possible implementation, the identification information can be called an analytics ID. The analytics ID indicates the type of data analysis performed by the NWDAF, or specifies the analysis task to be performed. It can be understood that different data analysis tasks are distinguished by different analytics IDs. The NWDAF can determine the data type of the data to be analyzed based on the analysis task specified by the analytics ID.

[0218] The data type can be represented by a data type or an event ID.

[0219] For example, the event ID can be the user equipment location, UE access information, application ID, quality of service flow (QoS) flow related information, or service experience, etc.

[0220] The UE access information may include access type (e.g., 5G radio access technology (RAT), 4G RAT, wireless fidelity (WiFi) etc.) and / or access frequency (e.g., 800MHz, 1800MHz, 2.6GHz, 3.5GHz etc.), traffic information corresponding to RAT or access frequency, congestion information corresponding to RAT or access frequency, and QoS retention information corresponding to RAT or access frequency; QoS flow related information may include flow bit rate, packet loss rate, or delay, etc.; service experience may include management operating system (service MoS), etc.

[0221] In this application embodiment, the NWDAF determination of the identification information includes the following two possibilities:

[0222] Possibility 1:

[0223] The NWDAF receives a second request message from the consumer network element. This second request message requests the NWDAF to perform data analysis, and includes identification information. (In possibility one...) Figure 3 The method flow shown also includes:

[0224] S323, NWDAF receives a second request message from the consumer network element, or in other words, the consumer network element sends a second request message to NWDAF.

[0225] For example, this second request message can be called a data analysis result request message. This second request message is used to request NWDAF to perform a data analysis task corresponding to the identification information. NWDAF can determine the data type of the data to be analyzed based on the identification information included in the second request message.

[0226] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the consumer network element can be any network element that can request data analysis from the NWDAF, and can be understood as a network element using the NWDAF service. For example, the consumer network element can be an AMF, UPF, or SMF, etc. In the embodiments of this application, the consumer network element can be referred to as a 5G consumer network function (5G consumer NF).

[0227] As another possible implementation, the identification information may not be included in the second request message sent to the NWDAF; instead, it can be sent to the NWDAF through other messages. For example, the consumer network element may send the identification information to the NWDAF before, after, or simultaneously with sending the second request message via interactive signaling between the consumer network element and the NWDAF.

[0228] For ease of description, this application embodiment uses the example of carrying identification information in the second request message.

[0229] As one possible implementation, the second request message described above also includes second indication information, which is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0230] The aforementioned area information corresponding to the second network, the aforementioned network type information of the second network, or the aforementioned network identifier information of the second network.

[0231] For example, the area information corresponding to the second network can be used to indicate the AOI of the second network, indicating that the consumer network element needs NWDAF to obtain the analysis results of a certain area in the second network based on the identification information. In this implementation, the second indication information can be called area filtering information, which is used to indicate which area to perform the data analysis task corresponding to the identification information.

[0232] In one possible implementation, the AOI of the second network can be the tracking area (TA) of the second network or the cell list of the second network.

[0233] Specifically, NWDAF can determine the data to be acquired, including the data to be analyzed in the second network, based on the second indication information in the second request message indicating the AOI of the second network.

[0234] For example, the network type information of the second network indicates which network type the second network belongs to, such as a 4G network type. This indicates that the user equipment needs NWDAF to obtain the data to be analyzed in the second network based on the identification information.

[0235] For example, the network identification information of the second network is used to indicate the network identification of the second network, which may be the network identification of the second network or related information used to indicate the network identification of the second network.

[0236] For example, the network identification information of the second network can be a 4G PLMN ID.

[0237] Specifically, NWDAF can determine the data to be analyzed, including the data to be analyzed in the second network, based on the second network type indicated by the second indication information in the second request message.

[0238] It should be noted that the second indication information can be understood as filtering information, and can also be used to indicate the first time period, indicating that the data to be analyzed should be acquired within a specific time period. In other words, the second indication information can be called time filtering information, used to indicate which time period corresponds to the data analysis task.

[0239] Additionally, it should be noted that, in the case where the second instruction information in the embodiments of this application is understood as analytical filter information, it can instruct the acquisition of the data to be analyzed from the AOI of the first network and / or the AOI of the second network, or it can instruct the acquisition of the data to be analyzed from the first network and / or the second network. The above-mentioned determination that the acquired data to be analyzed is data from the second network based on the second instruction information is only a derivative function of the second instruction information.

[0240] or,

[0241] NWDAF can also determine automatically whether to perform analysis of second network data based on local pre-configuration. For example, if the second request message received by NWDAF includes identification information, and NWDAF is locally configured to perform data analysis on the data type indicated by the identification information, it may need to obtain data from the second network.

[0242] In one possible implementation, NWDAF locally stores the correspondence between identification information and 4G network data.

[0243] Possibility 2:

[0244] NWDAF did not receive the second request message from the consumer network element. NWDAF determined the identification information based on the pre-configured task, which indicated the data analysis type corresponding to the identification information.

[0245] Data analysis types can also be understood as data analysis tasks, which correspond to a certain identifier.

[0246] For example, the pre-configured task in the second case may be a data analysis task predefined by the protocol NWDAF for the identification information.

[0247] In possibility two, NWDAF determines identification information based on a pre-configured task that instructs NWDAF to acquire data from the second network when performing data analysis based on the identification information.

[0248] For example, NWDAF locally stores the correspondence between different analysis types and the data to be acquired. When NWDAF needs to perform analysis on the data type indicated by the identification information, NWDAF can determine the data to be acquired from the second network based on the correspondence.

[0249] Method 3:

[0250] NWDAF determines the network element type information to which the first network element belongs; NWDAF determines the first network element based on the network element type information to which the first network element belongs.

[0251] In one possible implementation, in this embodiment, NWDAF determines the network element type of the first network element based on the data type of the data to be analyzed. The method for NWDAF to determine the data type information corresponding to the data to be analyzed based on identification information has already been described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0252] Specifically, NWDAF has an internal configuration of the correspondence between data types and network element types. NWDAF can determine the network element type based on this correspondence and the determined data type.

[0253] The NWDAF determines the first network element based on the network element type information, including: the NWDAF determines that the first network element belongs to the network element type corresponding to the network element type information and that the first network element meets the preset conditions, wherein the network element type is determined based on the network element type information.

[0254] Method 4: NWDAF determines the first network element based on preset conditions, and the first network element satisfies the preset conditions.

[0255] The preset conditions involved in this application embodiment include at least one of the following: having an interaction interface with a network element in the second network, being co-located with a network element in the second network, and having corresponding area information with the second network.

[0256] The preset conditions also include: the corresponding region information of the first network.

[0257] Specifically, when the preset condition is the corresponding region information of the first network, NWDAF determines the corresponding region information of the first network based on the corresponding region information of the second network and the preset region mapping relationship, wherein the preset region mapping relationship indicates the corresponding region information of the second network associated with the corresponding region information of the first network.

[0258] For example, when the preset condition is 5G TA, NWDAF determines the preset condition (5G TA) based on 4G TA and the preset mapping relationship between 5G TA and 4G TA; for example, when the preset condition is 5G AOI, NWDAF determines the preset condition (5G AOI) based on 4G AOI and the preset mapping relationship between 5G AOI and 4G AOI.

[0259] The following example illustrates how NWDAF determines the first network element based on the network element type information and preset conditions:

[0260] For example, when the network element type includes mobility management network element type, and AMF#1, AMF#2 and AMF#3 among all mobility management network elements in the first network have interaction interfaces with network elements in the second network, then the aforementioned first network element includes AMF#1, AMF#2 and AMF#3;

[0261] For example, when the network element type includes the session management network element type, and among all the session management network elements in the first network, SMF#1, SMF#2 and SMF#3 are co-located with PGW-C#1, PGW-C#2 and PGW-C#3 in the second network respectively, then the aforementioned first network element includes SMF#1, SMF#2 and SMF#3;

[0262] For example, when the network element type includes mobility management network element type, and AMF#1, AMF#2 and AMF#3 of all mobility management network elements in the first network are located in the corresponding area of ​​the second network, then the aforementioned first network element includes AMF#1, AMF#2 and AMF#3;

[0263] For example, when the network element type includes the session management network element type, and among all the session management network elements in the first network, SMF#1, SMF#2, and SMF#3 are located in the corresponding area of ​​the second network, then the aforementioned first network element includes SMF#1, SMF#2, and SMF#3.

[0264] For example, when the network element type includes mobility management network element type, and AMF#1, AMF#2 and AMF#3 among all mobility management network elements in the first network are working within a preset time period, then the aforementioned first network element includes AMF#1, AMF#2 and AMF#3.

[0265] For example, when the network element type includes the session management network element type, and among all the session management network elements in the first network, SMF#1, SMF#2, and SMF#3 are working within a preset time period, then the aforementioned first network element includes SMF#1, SMF#2, and SMF#3.

[0266] When NWDAF determines the first network element based on preset conditions, it does not need to consider the network element type.

[0267] For example, if the preset condition is that there is an interaction interface with the network elements in the second network, and the first network has AMF#1, AMF#2 and AMF#3 that have interaction interfaces with the network elements in the second network, then the aforementioned first network elements include AMF#1, AMF#2 and AMF#3.

[0268] It should be noted that the aforementioned preset conditions can also take other forms, used to select at least one network element that meets the preset conditions from at least one network element belonging to the network element type. For example, the preset conditions could also be network elements outside a certain area, or network elements that do not work during a certain time period, etc., which will not be listed here.

[0269] The NWDAF determines that the first network element, based on the network element type, also includes: The NWDAF determines that the first network element includes all network elements belonging to the network element type.

[0270] Network element type information can indicate the network element type, or it can be other information used to indicate the network element type.

[0271] It should be noted that the network element type to which the first network element belongs in this embodiment may include multiple network elements. For distinction, a specific network element may be called a network element instance, and the network element type to which multiple network elements belong may be called a network element type.

[0272] For example, if the data type includes UE mobility-related information in the second network (such as UE location information, access type information, or access frequency information), then the NWDAF determines the network element type corresponding to the data type based on the configuration, including the mobility management network element type. The mobility management network element type includes at least one mobility management network element instance. Alternatively, the NWDAF can initiate a request to the 5G AMF to obtain the UE's mobility-related information in the 4G network.

[0273] For example, if the data type includes UE session information related to the packet data network (PDN) in the 4G network, then the NWDAF determines the network element type corresponding to the data type based on the configuration, including the session management network element type. The session management network element type includes at least one session management network element instance. Alternatively, the NWDAF can initiate a request to the 5G SMF to obtain the UE's session information related to the 4G network.

[0274] Specifically, NWDAF determines the first network element based on its network element type in the following ways:

[0275] One possible implementation is that the NWDAF locally stores the information of the first network element, and the NWDAF can determine the first network element from at least one network element belonging to the network element type.

[0276] Another possible implementation is that the NWDAF does not store 5G network element information locally. In this implementation, the NWDAF needs to obtain the first network element's information from the network storage function network element. Figure 3 The method flow shown also includes:

[0277] S330, NWDAF sends a third request message to the network storage function element.

[0278] The third request message is used to request the network storage function element to provide the information of the first network element mentioned above.

[0279] One possible implementation is that the third request message includes the aforementioned preset conditions, indicating that the first network element meets the preset conditions;

[0280] Another possible implementation is that the third request message includes the aforementioned network type information, indicating that the first network element belongs to the network element type corresponding to the network element type information;

[0281] Another possible implementation is that the third request message includes the aforementioned network type information and the aforementioned preset conditions, indicating that the first network element belongs to the network element type corresponding to the network element type information and that the first network element meets the preset conditions.

[0282] S340, the network storage function element sends a third response message to the NWDAF.

[0283] The third response message includes information about the first network element.

[0284] For example, when the focus is on a specific area corresponding to the second network, i.e., the NWDAF needs to obtain data from the second network within that area, the NWDAF can also determine the first network element based on the area corresponding to the second network. Specifically, this includes:

[0285] The third request message sent by NWDAF to the network storage function network element includes the aforementioned network element type (e.g., AMF type or SMF type, etc.) and the area information corresponding to the second network.

[0286] For example, NWDAF requests a certain AMF or SMF corresponding to the area corresponding to the second network. The second request message is used to request the network storage function element to discover the AMF corresponding to the area corresponding to the second network, or the second request message is used to request NRF to discover the SMF corresponding to the area corresponding to the second network.

[0287] The network storage function network element can discover the network element corresponding to the area of ​​the second network based on the area information and network element type carried in the third request message. It should be noted that the first network element (e.g., AMF or SMF) initiates a network element registration process with the network storage function network element. Figure 3 The method flow shown also includes:

[0288] S341, the first network element sends a registration request message to the network storage function network element.

[0289] The registration request message is used to register the attribute information of the first network element into the NRF. The attribute information of the first network element can be a network function profile (NF profile), which contains the first network service area (severing area) served by the first network element.

[0290] In addition, during the network element registration process, the first network element needs to register the second network service area corresponding to the first network service area of ​​the first network element into the NRF.

[0291] The area divisions in the first network and the area divisions in the second network are mapped. For example, the first tracking area list #1 (TA list #1) corresponds to the second tracking area list #2 (TA list #2). This mapping relationship can exist on the AMF or SMF. The AMF or SMF can use the mapping relationship to find out the second service area (e.g., 4G TA) corresponding to the first network service area (e.g., 5G TA).

[0292] After receiving the aforementioned third request message, the network storage function element identifies the first network element and sends a third response message to the NWDAF. This third response message contains information about the first network element corresponding to the area of ​​the identified second network.

[0293] In one possible implementation, this third response message can be called a network element discovery response message.

[0294] When the aforementioned third request message is a network element discovery request message and the third response message is a network element discovery response message, the current network element discovery process can be reused. The difference is that the third request message sent by NWDAF to the network storage function network element carries the area corresponding to the second network, rather than the area corresponding to the first network. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the network element in the first network registers with the network storage function network element, it registers the attribute information of the network element and the second network service area corresponding to the first network service area of ​​the network element to the network storage function network element.

[0295] or,

[0296] NWDAF can also determine the correspondence between the regions corresponding to the second network and the regions corresponding to the first network through its statistical or configuration information, and then map the regions corresponding to the second network to the regions corresponding to the first network. The current network element discovery process can be reused; based on the regions corresponding to the first network, a query can be made with the NRF to obtain the network elements in the first network corresponding to the regions corresponding to the second network. In other words, the second request message only needs to carry the region corresponding to the first network.

[0297] It should be noted that, without considering the area corresponding to the second network or without the restriction of the area corresponding to the second network, NWDAF can also request the data to be analyzed from all first network elements corresponding to the network element type.

[0298] Furthermore, the requirement for an interface with the second network can also be taken into account. For example, the NWDAF can identify the AMF (Active Network Element) in the network element type that has an interface with the second network, or identify the SMF (Small and Medium Element Element) that is co-located with the packet data network gateway.

[0299] For example, the first network element includes an Access Management Function (AMF) network element, and the second network element includes a Mobility Management Entity (MME) network element that has an interaction interface with the AMF network element; or,

[0300] The first network element includes a Session Management Function (SMF) network element, and the second network element includes a Packet Data Network Gateway (PDG) network element co-located with the SMF network element.

[0301] For example, the interaction interface between the AMF and the MME includes the N26 interface; the packet data network gateway element co-located with the SMF includes the packet data network gateway control (PGW-C) element.

[0302] Specifically, the preset conditions that the NWDAF can send to the NRF include an AMF that has an interface with the 4G network; or the preset conditions that the NWDAF can send to the NRF include an SMF co-located with the packet data network gateway. That is, the first network element includes at least one of the following information in the registration request message sent to the NRF:

[0303] Information about the area corresponding to the second network, information about the area corresponding to the first network, information about the second network element that has an interactive interface with the second network element, or information about the second network element that is co-located with the first network element.

[0304] Specifically, after receiving the first request message, the first network element sends a fourth request message to the second network element, requesting the second network element to provide the data to be analyzed. Figure 3 The method flow shown also includes:

[0305] S350, the first network element sends a fourth request message to the second network element.

[0306] The second network element includes network elements that have an interaction interface with the first network element and / or are co-located in the second network with the first network element.

[0307] The fourth request message is used to obtain the data to be analyzed, and the fourth request message includes the data type to which the data to be analyzed belongs.

[0308] In one possible implementation, the fourth request message can be called a data retrieval request message.

[0309] In one possible implementation, the fourth request message further includes at least one of the following: network type information of the second network, region information corresponding to the second network, or time filtering information. The network type information of the second network is used to indicate that the data to be analyzed meets the network type of the second network, the region information corresponding to the second network is used to indicate that the data to be analyzed is associated with a region, and the time filtering information is used to indicate that the data to be analyzed is for a certain time period.

[0310] Specifically, before the first network element sends the fourth request message to the second network element, it needs to determine which network element(s) in the second network it is, including the following two possibilities:

[0311] Possibility 1:

[0312] The first request message received by the first network element carries information about the second network element, meaning that the first network element can learn about the second network element based on the first request message.

[0313] In Possibility 1, the aforementioned NWDAF needs to determine the information of the second network element before sending the first request message to the first network element.

[0314] Possibility 2:

[0315] The first network element determines the second network element as a network element in the second network that meets preset conditions.

[0316] The preset conditions include at least one of the following:

[0317] The network element has an interaction interface with the first network element, the network element co-located with the first network element, and the network element associated with the area corresponding to the second network or working within a preset time period. The area corresponding to the second network includes the second network AOI.

[0318] When the preset condition is the region corresponding to the second network, and the first request message includes the region corresponding to the first network, the first network element determines the region corresponding to the second network corresponding to the region corresponding to the first network according to the preset region mapping relationship, and determines that the second network element includes the network element associated with the region corresponding to the second network.

[0319] Let's take the example of the first network element belonging to the AMF type to illustrate:

[0320] If the first request message does not contain area filtering information (area information corresponding to the second network or the first network), the AMF can determine all MME instances with N26 interfaces as objects to obtain the data to be analyzed; or,

[0321] If the first request message contains the region information corresponding to the second network, the AMF further determines the MME instance corresponding to the region of the second network; or,

[0322] If the first request message contains the area information corresponding to the first network, the AMF first maps the area corresponding to the second network based on the area corresponding to the first network, and then determines the corresponding MMEinstance based on the area corresponding to the second network.

[0323] Furthermore, Figure 3 The method flow shown also includes:

[0324] In S360, the first network element receives the fourth response message from the second network element, or in other words, the second network element sends the fourth response message to the first network element.

[0325] The fourth response message includes the data to be analyzed.

[0326] How a second network element acquires 4G network data can be referenced in the relevant provisions of the current protocol. The data acquired for analysis is not limited to data generated by the second network element. The second network element can acquire data from other network elements (such as 4G access network equipment, SGW, PGW, PCF, UDM, etc.) or user equipment through corresponding interfaces. The data acquired for analysis by the second network element is not limited to mobility-related data; it can also acquire session-related data (such as PDN session information obtained from the PGW) or policy-related data (such as PCC rules obtained from the PCRF).

[0327] Furthermore, Figure 3 The method flow shown also includes:

[0328] S370, NWDAF receives the first response message from the first network element, or in other words, the first network element sends the first response message to NWDAF.

[0329] The first response message includes the data to be analyzed.

[0330] Specifically, the first network element can call the Namf_EventExposure_Notify service to feed back the data to be analyzed to NWDAF.

[0331] Specifically, NWDAF performs corresponding data analysis tasks based on the acquired 4G network data and obtains the data analysis results. In one possible implementation, NWDAF feeds back the data analysis results to the consumer network element. Figure 3 The method flow shown also includes:

[0332] S380, NWDAF performs data analysis.

[0333] S390, NWDAF sends a second response message to the consumer network element, which includes the data analysis results.

[0334] This application does not limit how NWDAF data analysis is performed; please refer to the description of current related technologies.

[0335] In this embodiment, by using the interaction interface between the first network element in the first network and the second network element in the second network, or by using the first network element in the first network and the second network element in the second network to be combined, the NWDAF, as a network element in the first network, can successfully collect relevant data from the second network. This helps the NWDAF to perform data analysis on relevant business behaviors in the second network and obtain corresponding data analysis results.

[0336] To facilitate understanding, the following will be combined with... Figure 4 Taking the first network element as an AMF network element (or 5G AMFinstance) in a 5G network and the second network element as an MME network element (or 4G MME instance) in a 4G network as an example, this application illustrates the method for acquiring data.

[0337] Figure 4 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating another method for acquiring data provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0338] The method for acquiring data includes at least the following steps.

[0339] S401, NWDAF receives a data analysis result request message from the consumer network element, or in other words, the consumer network element sends a data analysis result request message to NWDAF.

[0340] For example, a data analysis result request message may be a consumer network element calling the NWDAF's Nnwdaf_analysticsSubscription or Nnwdaf_AnalyticsInfo_Request service.

[0341] This data analysis result request message is used to request NWDAF to perform the data analysis task corresponding to the analytics ID.

[0342] The analytics ID included in the data analysis results request message indicates the type of data analysis, or it indicates what analysis task NWDAF should perform. NWDAF can determine which data types (data type or event ID) need to be retrieved based on the analysis task specified by the analytics ID.

[0343] In one possible implementation, the data analysis result request message includes analytical filter information.

[0344] For example, the analysis filtering information includes regional filtering information, time filtering information, etc. The regional filtering information indicates which region is targeted for the data analysis task corresponding to the analytics ID; the time filtering information indicates which time period is targeted for the data analysis task corresponding to the analytics ID.

[0345] The area filtering information can include 5G network areas (5G AOI) and / or 4G network areas (4G AOI). If the data analysis result request message contains a 4G network area, it indicates that the consumer needs NWDAF to obtain data analysis results for a specific area of ​​the 4G network for the analytics ID.

[0346] In one possible implementation, the data analysis result request message includes network type information (RAT) (e.g., RAT for 5G and / or 4G networks). If the data analysis result request message includes 4G network type information, it indicates that the consumer needs NWDAF to obtain data analysis results for a specific area of ​​the 4G network for the analytics ID. This network type information can also be interpreted as analysis filtering information, or it may not be part of the analysis filtering information.

[0347] S402, NWDAF determines the data type of the 4G network data that needs to be acquired.

[0348] In one possible implementation, NWDAF can determine the data type of the 4G network data to be acquired based on the data analysis result request message in S401. Specifically, there are several methods:

[0349] Method 1: NWDAF determines the 4G network data to be acquired based on the 4G AOI in the data analysis request message's analysis and filtering information. NWDAF then determines the data type of the 4G network data to be acquired based on the analytics ID (NWDAF internally stores the correspondence between analytics ID and the data type to be acquired).

[0350] Method 2: NWDAF determines the required 4G network data based on the 4G network type information in the analysis filtering information of the data analysis request message. NWDAF then determines the data type of the required 4G network data based on the analytics ID.

[0351] Method 3: If the data analysis result request message has neither 4G AOI nor 4G network type information, NWDAF may also decide based on the pre-configured task that 4G network data analysis is required for the analytics ID, and then determine the data type of the 4G network data to be obtained based on the analytics ID.

[0352] In another possible implementation, NWDAF may perform data analysis in advance without receiving a consumer data analysis request message. If S401 is not executed, for a given analytics ID, NWDAF may determine the data type of the 4G network to be acquired based on a pre-configured task, and use 4G network data as input data for analysis to obtain the data analysis results corresponding to that analytics ID.

[0353] S403, NWDAF determines AMF.

[0354] NWDAF determines the network element instance for acquiring the 4G network data based on the data type of the 4G network data to be acquired.

[0355] In one possible implementation, the object network element instance may be a 5G network element instance (such as a 5G AMFinstance, a 5G SMF instance, etc.).

[0356] Specifically, NWDAF can determine the 5G network element type corresponding to the data type of 4G network data based on its internal configuration.

[0357] For example, if NWDAF needs to obtain information related to the UE's mobility in the 4G network (such as the UE's location, access type, or access frequency), NWDAF determines the corresponding 5G network element type to be AMF based on the configuration. That is, NWDAF will then send a request to 5GAMF to obtain information related to the UE's mobility in the 4G network.

[0358] For example, if NWDAF needs to obtain information related to the UE's PDN session in the 4G network, then NWDAF determines the corresponding 5G network element type as SMF type based on the configuration.

[0359] Furthermore, if the NWDAF is limited to a specific 4G AOI, that is, if the NWDAF needs to obtain the corresponding 4G network data within the 4G AOI, then the NWDAF can also determine the network element instance corresponding to the 5G network element type based on the 4G AOI.

[0360] For example, NWDAF can obtain the network element instance corresponding to the 5G network element type from NRF. Figure 4 The method flow shown also includes:

[0361] S404, NWDAF sends a network element discovery request message to NRF.

[0362] For example, a network element discovery request message can be an NWDAF calling the NRF's Nnrf_NFDiscovery_request service.

[0363] The network element discovery request message contains the 5G network element type (such as NF type being AMF type or SMF type, etc.) and 4G AOI determined in S403.

[0364] A 4G AOI could be a 4G TA(s) or a 4G cell list. It's important to note that the network element discovery request message carries a 4G AOI (not a 5G AOI) and is used to request the NRF to discover a 5G network element instance corresponding to that 4G AOI.

[0365] For example, a network element discovery request message requests the NRF to discover the AMF instance or SMF instance corresponding to the 4G AOI. The AMF instance or SMF instance requires a network element that has an interaction interface with the 4G network or is co-located with it in order to obtain 4G network data. This can also be understood as the network element discovery request message specifically requesting the NRF to discover the AMF instance corresponding to the 4G AOI and having an N26 interface with the 4G network MME, or requesting the NRF to discover the SMF instance corresponding to the 4G AOI and co-located with the 4G network PGW-C.

[0366] It should be noted that, in this implementation, the 5G network element instance (5G AMF instance or SMF instance) initiates a network element registration process with the NRF. Figure 4 The method shown also includes, according to the process:

[0367] S4041, AMF sends a registration request message to NRF.

[0368] For example, the registration request message could be an AMF call to the Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister service.

[0369] The registration request message is used to register the AMF's attribute information (NF profile, which includes the 5G severing area served by the AMF) with the NRF. In this registration process, the AMF registers the 4G severing area corresponding to its 5G severing area with the NRF.

[0370] S405, NRF sends a network element discovery response message to NWDAF.

[0371] For example, the network element discovery response message may be an NRF call to the Nnrf_NFDiscovery_response service of NWDAF.

[0372] The network element discovery response message contains the 5G network element instance corresponding to the 4G AOI determined by the NRF.

[0373] For example, the network element discovery response message contains the AMF instance ID and / or AMFinstance address corresponding to the 4G AOI.

[0374] For example, the network element discovery response message contains the SMF instance ID and / or SMFinstance address corresponding to the 4G AOI.

[0375] In addition to obtaining the 5G network element instance corresponding to the 4G AOI through NRF via the above-mentioned S404 and S405 methods, NWDAF can also obtain the correspondence between 4G AOI and 5G AOI through NWDAF's statistical information or configuration information. NWDAF first maps the 5G AOI based on the 4G AOI, and then reuses the current network element discovery process to query NRF based on the 5G AOI to obtain the 5G network element instance corresponding to the 5G AOI.

[0376] It should be noted that the above-mentioned method of determining the 5G network element type based on 4G AOI is an optional approach. Without considering 4G AOI or without its limitations, NWDAF can also request the 4G network data from all network element instances corresponding to the 5G network element type. Alternatively, the requirements for the interaction interface with the 4G network can be taken into account, that is, NWDAF can determine the AMF instance in the 5G network element type that has an N26 interface with the 4G network, or determine the SMF instance co-located with PGW-C. In other words, NWDAF can query NRF to determine the AMF instance with an N26 interface with the 4G network; or NWDAF can query NRF to determine the SMF instance co-located with PGW-C.

[0377] In another possible implementation, NWDAF can also identify 4G network element instances (such as 4G MME instances, SGW instances, PGW instances, etc.). In this implementation, NWDAF may determine which 4G network element instances report which types of 4G network data and which corresponding 4G AOIs based on historical 4G network data reporting information. Based on historical records, NWDAF can also determine the 4G data types and the corresponding 4G network element instances for each 4G AOI. In this implementation, NWDAF still initiates a 4G data acquisition request message to the AMF or SMF, but the data acquisition request message already includes information about the 4G network element instances (such as 4G MME instances, SGW instances, or PGW instances) from which data is to be acquired. The AMF or SMF then subsequently decides which 4G network element instances to acquire data from.

[0378] S406, NWDAF sends a data request message to AMF.

[0379] This data request message is used to request 4G network data.

[0380] For example, a data request message could be an NWDAF invoking the AMF's Namf_EventExposure_subscription service.

[0381] Specifically, the data request message includes the data type of the 4G network data to be acquired, such as eventID = UE location in 4G, or UE AN type, etc.

[0382] In one possible implementation, the data request message includes 4G network access type information (such as EUTRAN, LTE, 4G, etc.), which is used to instruct the AMF to obtain and provide the 4G data corresponding to the event ID.

[0383] In another possible implementation, the data request message also includes data acquisition filtering information to limit the area or time of data acquisition.

[0384] For example, the filtering information may include a 4G AOI, which is used to instruct the AMF to obtain the data corresponding to the 4G AOI and the event ID;

[0385] For example, the filtering information may also include 5G AOI and 4G network access type information (such as EUTRAN, LTE, 4G, etc.). That is, NWDAF does not directly specify 4G AOI, but specifies AMF to provide 4G data corresponding to event ID through 4G access type information. AMF then maps the corresponding 4G AOI according to 5G AOI.

[0386] In another possible implementation, the data request message also includes information about 4G network element instances (such as 4G MMEinstance, SGW instance, or PGW instance).

[0387] For example, the data request message may include an MME ID or an MME address.

[0388] S407, AMF confirms MME.

[0389] AMF identifies the MME network element instance from which 4G data is to be acquired.

[0390] In one possible implementation, if the data request message does not contain area filtering information (4G AOI or 5G AOI), the AMF can identify all MMEs with N26 interfaces as objects to obtain 4G data.

[0391] In another possible implementation, if the data request message contains 4G AOI filtering information, the AMF further determines the MME corresponding to the 4G AOI;

[0392] In another possible implementation, if there is a 5G AOI in the data request message, the AMF first maps the 4G AOI based on the 5G AOI, and then determines the corresponding MME based on the 4G AOI.

[0393] In another possible implementation, where the data request message includes 4G network element instance information of the data to be acquired, the AMF can determine the MME based on the data request message.

[0394] S408, AMF sends a data retrieval request message to MME.

[0395] This data retrieval request message is used to request specific 4G network data.

[0396] For example, a data request message can be an N26 interface message.

[0397] The data retrieval request message can be sent to the MME instance via the N26 interface;

[0398] The data request message contains the data type of the 4G network data to be acquired, such as event ID = UElocation in 4G, or UE access network type (AN type), etc.

[0399] In one possible implementation, the data request message also includes data acquisition filtering information to limit the area or time of data acquisition. For example, the filtering information may include a 4G AOI to instruct the MME to acquire the data corresponding to the 4G AOI and event ID.

[0400] S409, MME sends a data acquisition response message to AMF.

[0401] The MME retrieves the corresponding data from the 4G network based on the data retrieval request message and feeds it back to the AMF through the data retrieval response message.

[0402] For example, a data request message can be an N26 interface response message.

[0403] How the MME obtains 4G network data can be found in the descriptions in relevant current technologies, and this application does not limit it.

[0404] The 4G network data acquired by the MME is not limited to data generated by the MME itself. The MME can also acquire data from other network elements (such as base stations, SGW, PGW, PCF, UDM, etc.) or UEs through corresponding interfaces. Furthermore, the 4G network data acquired by the MME is not limited to mobility-related data; the MME can also acquire session-related data (such as PDN session information obtained from the PGW) or policy-related data (such as PCC rules obtained from the PCRF).

[0405] S410, AMF sends a data response message to NWDAF.

[0406] The AMF will send the acquired 4G network data back to the NWDAF via a data response message.

[0407] For example, the AMF can send the acquired 4G network data back to the NWDAF by calling the Namf_EventExposure_Notify service.

[0408] S411, NWDAF performs data analysis.

[0409] For example, NWDAF performs corresponding data analysis tasks based on the acquired 4G network data and obtains data analysis results.

[0410] S412, NWDAF sends data analysis results to consumer network elements.

[0411] For example, NWDAF can feed back the data analysis results to the consumer by calling the Nnwdaf_analysticsSubscription_Notify service.

[0412] Figure 4 Taking an example where the first network element is an AMF network element (or 5G AMF instance) in a 5G network and the second network element is an MME network element (or 4G MME instance) in a 4G network, this application's method for acquiring data is explained below. Figure 5 The method for acquiring data provided in this application is illustrated by taking the first network element as an SMF network element (or 5G SMF instance) in a 5G network and the second network element as a PGW-C network element (or 4G PGW-C instance) in a 4G network as an example.

[0413] Figure 5 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating another method for acquiring data provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0414] The method for acquiring data includes at least the following steps.

[0415] S501, NWDAF receives a data analysis result request message from the consumer network element, or in other words, the consumer network element sends a data analysis result request message to NWDAF.

[0416] and Figure 4 The same as S401 in the above, so it will not be elaborated here.

[0417] S502, NWDAF determines the type of data that needs to be obtained from the 4G network.

[0418] and Figure 4 The same applies to S402, so it will not be elaborated here.

[0419] S503, NWDAF determines SMF.

[0420] and Figure 4 Similar to the S403 in China, but with the following differences: Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, NWDAF determines the SMF, while Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, NWDAF determines AMF.

[0421] For the specific determination method, please refer to the description in S403, which will not be repeated here.

[0422] During the process of determining the SMF, NWDAF can obtain the network element instance corresponding to the 5G network element type from the NRF. Figure 5The method flow shown also includes:

[0423] S504, NWDAF sends a network element discovery request message to NRF.

[0424] and Figure 4 The same applies to S404, so it will not be elaborated here.

[0425] S5041, SMF sends a registration request message to NRF.

[0426] For example, the registration request message could be an SMF call to the Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister service.

[0427] The registration request message is used to register the SMF's attribute information (NF profile, which includes the 5G severing area of ​​the SMF service) with the NRF. In this registration process, the SMF registers the 4G severing area corresponding to its 5G severing area with the NRF.

[0428] S505, NRF sends a network element discovery response message to NWDAF.

[0429] and Figure 4 The same as S405 in the above, so it will not be described in detail here.

[0430] S506, NWDAF sends a data request message to SMF.

[0431] This data request message is used to request 4G network data.

[0432] Specifically, the data request message can be an NWDAF call to the SMF's Nsmf_EventExposure_subscription service.

[0433] For example, the data request message includes the MME ID or MME address and the SGW ID or SGW address.

[0434] The information included in the data request message is... Figure 4 The information included in the data request message sent by NWDAF to AMF as shown is similar, and will not be repeated here.

[0435] S507, SMF+PGW-C determines the 4G network element.

[0436] If the data request message sent by NWDAF to SMF+PGW-C does not indicate the 4G NF, then SMF+PGW-C needs to determine the 4G NF of the 4G network data to be acquired, similar to... Figure 4 S407 in the middle.

[0437] The difference is, Figure 4 The AMF has identified an MME with an N26 interface with the AMF. Figure 5 The SMF in this context is a shared SMF with the PGW-C. After the SMF+PGW-C is determined, this SMF+PGW-C can obtain data from other network elements in the 4G network through data request messages, without needing to... Figure 4 The process shown first identifies the MME that interfaces with the AMF, and then obtains data from other network elements in the 4G network through the MME.

[0438] For ease of understanding, this application uses 4G NF including MME as an example for illustration.

[0439] For example, when the data request message sent by NWDAF to SMF+PGW-C does not indicate the SGW ID or SGW address, SMF+PGW-C determines the SGW based on the data request message, including:

[0440] In one possible implementation, where there is no area filtering information (4G AOI or 5G AOI) in the data request message, SMF+PGW-C can identify all SGWs as objects for obtaining 4G data.

[0441] In another possible implementation, if the data request message contains 4G AOI filtering information, the AMF further determines the SGW corresponding to the 4G AOI;

[0442] In another possible implementation, if there is a 5G AOI in the data request message, SMF+PGW-C first maps the 4G AOI based on the 5G AOI, and then determines the corresponding SGW based on the 4G AOI.

[0443] S508, SMF+PGW-C sends S5 interface messages to SGW.

[0444] This S5 interface message is used to request specific 4G network data.

[0445] The information included in this S5 interface message is similar to... Figure 4 The information included in the S408 data request message is different from that in the S5 interface message, which may also include the MME ID or MME address to indicate that the SGW can obtain 4G network data from the MME.

[0446] S509, SGW sends S11 interface messages to MME.

[0447] For example, when the data request message sent by NWDAF to SMF+PGW-C does not indicate the MME ID or MME address, SGW determines the MME based on the S5 interface message, including:

[0448] In one possible implementation, if there is no area filtering information (4G AOI or 5G AOI) in the S5 interface message, SMF+PGW-C can identify all MMEs as objects for obtaining 4G data.

[0449] In another possible implementation, if there is 4G AOI filtering information in the S5 interface message, the AMF further determines the MME corresponding to the 4G AOI;

[0450] In another possible implementation, if there is a 5G AOI in the S5 interface message, SMF+PGW-C first maps the 4G AOI based on the 5G AOI, and then determines the corresponding MME based on the 4G AOI.

[0451] This S11 interface message is used to request specific 4G network data. Similar to... Figure 4 The S408 in this context will not be discussed further here.

[0452] S510, MME sends S11 interface response message to SGW.

[0453] The MME obtains the corresponding data in the 4G network based on the S11 interface message and sends the response message back to the SGW through the S11 interface.

[0454] S511, SGW sends an S5 interface response message to SMF+PGW-C.

[0455] The SGW responds to the S5 interface message by sending the corresponding data from the 4G network back to the SMF+PGW-C.

[0456] S512, SMF+PGW-C sends a data response message to NWDAF.

[0457] SMF+PGW-C will send the acquired 4G network data back to NWDAF via a data response message.

[0458] For example, SMF+PGW-C can feed back the acquired 4G network data to NWDAF by calling the Nsmf_EventExposure_Notify service.

[0459] S513, NWDAF performs data analysis.

[0460] and Figure 4 The same as S411 in the above, so it will not be elaborated here.

[0461] S514, NWDAF sends data analysis results to consumer network elements.

[0462] and Figure 4 The steps S412 are the same as those described above, and will not be repeated here. In the above method embodiments, the sequence numbers of the processes do not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of this application embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible that not all operations in the above method embodiments need to be performed.

[0463] It should be understood that in the above method embodiments, the terminal device and / or network device may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also include variations of performing other operations or various operations.

[0464] It is understood that, in the above method embodiments, the method implemented by NWDAF can also be implemented by a component that can be used with NWDAF (such as a chip or circuit), and the method implemented by the first network element can also be implemented by a component that can be used with the first network element.

[0465] It should also be understood that, in the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments may be consistent and may be referenced by each other, and the technical features in different embodiments may be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0466] The above combination Figures 3 to 5 The methods for acquiring data in the embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Figure 6-Figure 1 1. Detailed Description of the Embodiments of this Application: An apparatus for acquiring data is provided.

[0467] See Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the device 600 for acquiring data provided in this application. Figure 6 As shown, device 600 is located in the first network, and device 600 includes processing unit 610, receiving unit 620 and transmitting unit 630.

[0468] The processing unit 610 is used to determine the data to be analyzed in the second network.

[0469] The sending unit 630 is used to send a first request message to a first network element in the first network. The first request message is used to request the data to be analyzed. The first request message includes first indication information, which is used to indicate that the data to be analyzed belongs to the second network.

[0470] For example, the processing unit is further configured to determine the first network element, which is used to obtain the data to be analyzed from the second network.

[0471] For example, the data type information corresponding to the data to be analyzed determined by the processing unit includes:

[0472] The processing unit determines the data type information corresponding to the data to be analyzed based on the identification information, wherein the identification information is used to indicate the task type of the data analysis performed by the processing unit.

[0473] For example, the receiving unit 620 is configured to receive a second request message from the consumer network element, the second request message being used to request the processing unit to perform data analysis.

[0474] The second request message includes the identification information;

[0475] or,

[0476] The processing unit determines the identification information based on a pre-configured task, which indicates the data analysis type corresponding to the identification information.

[0477] For example, the processing unit determines that the data to be analyzed in the second network includes:

[0478] The processing unit determines, based on the second instruction information, that the data to be acquired includes the data to be analyzed in the second network.

[0479] For example, the processing unit determines that the first network element includes:

[0480] The processing unit determines the network element type information to which the first network element belongs;

[0481] The processing unit determines the first network element based on the network element type information to which the first network element belongs.

[0482] For example, the processing unit determines that the first network element includes:

[0483] The processing unit determines that the first network element meets preset conditions, which include at least one of the following:

[0484] It has an interaction interface with network elements in the second network, is co-located with network elements in the second network, and has corresponding area information with the second network.

[0485] For example, the processing unit determines that the first network element includes:

[0486] The sending unit sends a third request message to the network storage function network element in the first network. The third request message is used to request the network storage function network element to provide information about the first network element. The third request message includes the preset condition.

[0487] The receiving unit receives a third response message from the network storage function network element, the third response message including information about the first network element.

[0488] The device 600 corresponds to the data analysis network element in the first network of the method embodiment. The device 600 can be the data analysis network element in the method embodiment, or a chip or functional module within the data analysis network element in the method embodiment. The corresponding unit of the device 600 is used to perform... Figure 3 The corresponding steps performed by the data analysis network element in the method embodiment shown.

[0489] In this device 600, the processing unit 610 is used to execute the steps related to processing corresponding to the data analysis network element in the method embodiment. The receiving unit 620 in the device 600 executes the steps of receiving data from the data analysis network element in the method embodiment. The sending unit 630 in the device 600 is used to execute the steps of sending data from the data analysis network element.

[0490] The receiving unit 620 and the transmitting unit can form a transceiver unit, which has both receiving and transmitting functions. The processing unit 610 can be at least one processor. The transmitting unit can be a transmitter or an interface circuit, and the receiving unit 620 can be a receiver or an interface circuit. The receiver and transmitter can be integrated together to form a transceiver or interface circuit.

[0491] Optionally, the apparatus 600 may further include a storage unit for storing data and / or signaling, and the processing unit 610, the sending unit, and the receiving unit 620 may interact with or be coupled to the storage unit, for example, reading or calling the data and / or signaling in the storage unit so that the method of the above embodiments is executed.

[0492] Each of the above units can exist independently, or they can be fully or partially integrated.

[0493] See Figure 7 , Figure 7 This is a structural schematic diagram of the data analysis network element 700 applicable to the embodiments of this application, which can be used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned data analysis network element.

[0494] The data analysis network element 700 includes a processor 701, a memory 702, and a transceiver 703. The memory 702 stores instructions or programs. The processor 702 and the transceiver 703 execute or call the instructions or programs stored in the memory 702, enabling the data analysis network element 700 to perform the functions of the data analysis network element in the aforementioned data acquisition method. When the instructions or programs stored in the memory 702 are executed, the transceiver 703 executes... Figure 6The operations performed by the transmitting unit 630 and the receiving unit 620 in the illustrated embodiment are executed by the processor 702. Figure 6 The operations performed by the processing unit 610 in the illustrated embodiment.

[0495] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for ease of explanation, Figure 7 Only one memory and processor are shown. In actual user equipment, multiple processors and memories may exist. Memory may also be referred to as storage medium or storage device, etc., and this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0496] See Figure 8 , Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of another data acquisition device 800 provided in this application. Figure 8 As shown, device 800 is located in the first network, and device 800 includes receiving unit 810, transmitting unit 820 and processing unit 830.

[0497] The receiving unit 810 is configured to receive a first request message from a data analysis network element. The first request message is used to request the acquisition of data to be analyzed. The first request message includes first indication information, which is used to indicate that the data to be analyzed belongs to a second network.

[0498] Processing unit 830 is used to obtain the data to be analyzed from a second network element in the second network according to the first instruction information.

[0499] The second network element includes network elements that have an interaction interface with the first network element and / or are co-located in the second network with the first network element.

[0500] Exemplarily, the device further includes:

[0501] Sending unit 820 is configured to send a registration request message to a network storage function element in the first network, the registration request message including at least one of the following information:

[0502] Information about the area corresponding to the second network, information about the area corresponding to the first network, and information about the second network element that has an interaction interface with the first network element or that shares a second network element with the first network element.

[0503] For example, the processing unit is further configured to determine that the second network element is a network element in the second network that meets preset conditions.

[0504] The preset conditions include at least one of the following:

[0505] It has an interactive interface with the first network element, is co-located with the first network element, and is associated with the corresponding area of ​​the second network.

[0506] For example, the receiving unit is also configured to receive the data to be analyzed from the second network element;

[0507] The sending unit is used to send the data to be analyzed to the data analysis network element.

[0508] The device 800 corresponds to the first network element (e.g., AMF or SMF) in the method embodiment. The device 800 can be the first network element in the method embodiment, or a chip or functional module inside the first network element in the method embodiment. The corresponding unit of the device 800 is used to perform... Figure 3 The corresponding steps performed by the first network element in the method embodiment shown.

[0509] The transmitting unit 820 in the device 800 executes the step of transmitting the first network element in the method embodiment. The receiving unit 810 in the device 800 is used to execute the step of receiving the first network element. The device 800 may also include a processing unit 830, which is used to execute the corresponding and processing-related steps inside the first network element.

[0510] Optionally, the apparatus 800 may further include a storage unit for storing data and / or signaling. The processing unit 830, the acquisition unit 820, and the receiving unit 810 may interact with or be coupled to the storage unit, for example, reading or calling the data and / or signaling in the storage unit so that the method of the above embodiments can be executed.

[0511] Each of the above units can exist independently, or they can be fully or partially integrated.

[0512] See Figure 9 , Figure 9 This is a structural schematic diagram of the first network element 900 applicable to the embodiments of this application, which can be used to implement the functions of the first network element described above.

[0513] The first network element 900 includes a processor 901, a memory 902, and a transceiver 903. The memory 902 stores instructions or programs. The processor 902 and the transceiver 903 execute or call the instructions or programs stored in the memory 902, so that the first network element 900 performs the functions of the first network element in the aforementioned method for acquiring data. When the instructions or programs stored in the memory 902 are executed, the transceiver 903 executes... Figure 8 The operations performed by the transmitting unit 820 and the receiving unit 810 in the illustrated embodiment are executed by the processor 902. Figure 8 The operations performed by the processing unit 830 in the illustrated embodiment.

[0514] This application also provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned data analysis network element and first network element.

[0515] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the aforementioned actions. Figure 3 The method shown illustrates the various steps performed by the data analysis network element.

[0516] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the aforementioned actions. Figure 3 The steps performed by the first network element in the method shown.

[0517] This application also provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform actions such as... Figure 3 The method shown illustrates the various steps performed by the data analysis network element.

[0518] This application also provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform actions such as... Figure 3 The steps performed by the first network element in the method shown.

[0519] This application also provides a chip, including a processor. The processor is used to read and run a computer program stored in a memory to execute corresponding operations and / or processes performed by a data analysis network element in the data acquisition method provided in this application. In one possible implementation, the chip further includes a memory connected to the processor via a circuit or wire, the processor being used to read and execute the computer program in the memory. Further, in one possible implementation, the chip also includes a communication interface to which the processor is connected. The communication interface is used to receive processed data and / or information, the processor obtaining the data and / or information from the communication interface and processing the data and / or information. The communication interface may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip. The processor may also be a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0520] This application also provides a chip including a processor. The processor is used to read and run a computer program stored in a memory to execute corresponding operations and / or processes performed by a first network element in the data acquisition method provided in this application. In one possible implementation, the chip further includes a memory connected to the processor via a circuit or wire, the processor being used to read and execute the computer program in the memory. Further, in one possible implementation, the chip also includes a communication interface to which the processor is connected. The communication interface is used to receive processed data and / or information, the processor obtaining the data and / or information from the communication interface and processing the data and / or information. The communication interface may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip. The processor may also be a processing circuit or logic circuit.

[0521] The aforementioned chip can also be replaced with a chip system, which will not be elaborated here.

[0522] The terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, in this application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are expressly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not expressly listed or that are inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0523] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0524] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0525] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0526] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. The purpose of this embodiment can be achieved by selecting some or all of the units as needed.

[0527] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0528] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0529] Furthermore, the term "and / or" in this application is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship. The term "at least one" in this application can represent "one" and "two or more." For example, at least one of A, B, and C can represent: A existing alone, B existing alone, C existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, A and C existing simultaneously, C and B existing simultaneously, and A, B, and C existing simultaneously.

[0530] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for acquiring data, characterized in that, include: The data analysis network element in the first network determines the data to be analyzed in the second network. The first network and the second network are different types of networks. The data analysis network element sends a first request message to a first network element in the first network. The first network element is used to obtain the data to be analyzed from a second network element in the second network. The first request message is used to request the data to be analyzed. The first request message includes first indication information, which is used to indicate that the data to be analyzed belongs to the second network. The first indication information includes at least one of the following: data type information of the data to be analyzed in the second network, network type information of the second network, network identifier information of the second network, area information corresponding to the second network, or information of the second network element. The second network element is used to provide the data to be analyzed.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first network element includes an Access Management Function (AMF) network element, and the second network element includes a Mobility Management Entity (MME) network element that has an interaction interface with the AMF network element; or, The first network element includes a Session Management Function (SMF) network element, and the second network element includes a Packet Data Network Gateway (PDG) network element co-located with the SMF network element.

3. The method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method includes: The data analysis network element determines the first network element.

4. The method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The data analysis network element determines that the first network element includes: The data analysis network element determines the data type information corresponding to the data to be analyzed; The data analysis network element determines the first network element based on the data type information.

5. The method as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The data analysis network element determines the data type information corresponding to the data to be analyzed, including: The data analysis network element determines the data type information corresponding to the data to be analyzed based on the identification information, wherein the identification information is used to indicate the task type of the data analysis network element performing data analysis.

6. The method as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: The data analysis network element receives a second request message from the consumer network element, the second request message being used to request the data analysis network element to perform data analysis. The second request message includes the identification information; or, The data analysis network element determines the identification information according to a pre-configured task, and the pre-configured task indicates the data analysis type corresponding to the identification information.

7. The method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The second request message also includes second indication information, which indicates at least one of the following: The area information corresponding to the second network, the network type information of the second network, or the network identification information of the second network.

8. The method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The data analysis network element determines the data to be analyzed in the second network, including: The data analysis network element determines, based on the second instruction information, that the data to be acquired includes the data to be analyzed in the second network.

9. The method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The data analysis network element determines that the first network element includes: The data analysis network element determines the network element type information to which the first network element belongs; The data analysis network element determines the first network element based on the network element type information to which the first network element belongs.

10. The method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The data analysis network element determines the first network element, including: The data analysis network element determines the first network element based on preset conditions, and the first network element satisfies the preset conditions. The preset conditions include at least one of the following: It has an interaction interface with network elements in the second network, is co-located with network elements in the second network, or is associated with the corresponding area information of the second network.

11. The method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The data analysis network element determines the first network element according to preset conditions, including: The data analysis network element sends a third request message to the network storage function network element in the first network. The third request message is used to request the network storage function network element to provide information about the first network element. The third request message includes the preset conditions. The data analysis network element receives a third response message from the network storage function network element, the third response message including information from the first network element.

12. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 11, characterized in that, The first network includes a fifth-generation 5G network, and the second network includes a fourth-generation 4G network.

13. A method for acquiring data, characterized in that, include: A first network element in a first network receives a first request message from a data analysis network element. The first request message is used to request data to be analyzed. The first network element is used to obtain the data to be analyzed from a second network element in a second network. The first request message includes first indication information, which is used to indicate that the data to be analyzed belongs to the second network. The first indication information includes at least one of the following: data type information of the data to be analyzed in the second network, network type information of the second network, network identifier information of the second network, area information corresponding to the second network, or information of the second network element. The first network and the second network are different types of networks. The first network element obtains the data to be analyzed from the second network element according to the first instruction information. The second network element includes a network element that has an interaction interface with the first network element and / or a network element co-located with the first network element.

14. The method as described in claim 13, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first network element sends a registration request message to the network storage function network element in the first network, and the registration request message includes at least one of the following information: The information includes the area information corresponding to the second network, the area information corresponding to the first network, the information on the interaction interface between the second network element and the first network element, or the information of the second network element co-located with the first network element.

15. The method as described in claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first network element determines that the second network element is a network element in the second network that meets preset conditions. The preset conditions include at least one of the following: It has an interaction interface with the first network element, is co-located with the first network element, and is associated with the area corresponding to the second network.

16. The method as described in claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first network element receives the data to be analyzed from the second network element; The first network element sends the data to be analyzed to the data analysis network element.

17. An apparatus for acquiring data, characterized in that, The device is located in a first network, and the device includes: A processing unit is used to determine the data to be analyzed in a second network, wherein the first network and the second network are different types of networks; A sending unit is configured to send a first request message to a first network element in the first network. The first network element is configured to obtain the data to be analyzed from a second network element in the second network. The first request message is configured to request the data to be analyzed. The first request message includes first indication information, which is configured to indicate that the data to be analyzed belongs to the second network. The first indication information includes at least one of the following: data type information of the data to be analyzed in the second network, network type information of the second network, network identifier information of the second network, area information corresponding to the second network, or information of the second network element. The second network element is configured to provide the data to be analyzed.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, characterized in that, The first network element includes an Access Management Function (AMF) network element, and the second network element includes a Mobility Management Entity (MME) network element that has an interaction interface with the AMF network element; or, The first network element includes a Session Management Function (SMF) network element, and the second network element includes a Packet Data Network Gateway (PDG) network element co-located with the SMF network element.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, The processing unit is also used to determine the first network element.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, characterized in that, The processing unit determines that the first network element includes: The processing unit determines the data type information corresponding to the data to be analyzed; The processing unit determines the first network element based on the data type information.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, characterized in that, The processing unit determines the data type information corresponding to the data to be analyzed, including: The processing unit determines the data type information corresponding to the data to be analyzed based on the identification information, wherein the identification information is used to indicate the task type of the data analysis performed by the processing unit.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, characterized in that, The device further includes: The receiving unit is configured to receive a second request message from the consumer network element, the second request message being used to request the processing unit to perform data analysis. The second request message includes the identification information; or, The processing unit determines the identification information based on a pre-configured task, wherein the pre-configured task indicates the data analysis type corresponding to the identification information.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, characterized in that, The second request message also includes second indication information, which indicates at least one of the following: The area information corresponding to the second network, the network type information of the second network, or the network identification information of the second network.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 23, characterized in that, The processing unit determines the data to be analyzed in the second network, including: The processing unit determines, based on the second instruction information, that the data to be acquired includes the data to be analyzed in the second network.

25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, characterized in that, The processing unit determines that the first network element includes: The processing unit determines the network element type information to which the first network element belongs; The processing unit determines the first network element based on the network element type information to which the first network element belongs.

26. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, characterized in that, The processing unit determines the first network element, including: The processing unit determines that the first network element meets preset conditions. The preset conditions include at least one of the following: It has an interaction interface with network elements in the second network, is co-located with network elements in the second network, and has corresponding area information with the second network.

27. The apparatus as claimed in claim 26, characterized in that, The processing unit determines the first network element, including: The sending unit sends a third request message to the network storage function network element in the first network. The third request message is used to request the network storage function network element to provide information about the first network element. The third request message includes the preset conditions. The receiving unit receives a third response message from the network storage function network element, the third response message including information from the first network element.

28. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 27, characterized in that, The first network includes a fifth-generation 5G network, and the second network includes a fourth-generation 4G network.

29. An apparatus for acquiring data, characterized in that, The device is located in a first network, and the device includes: The receiving unit is configured to receive a first request message from a data analysis network element. The first request message is used to request the acquisition of data to be analyzed. The device is configured to acquire the data to be analyzed from a second network element of a second network. The first request message includes first indication information, which is used to indicate that the data to be analyzed belongs to the second network. The first indication information includes at least one of the following: data type information of the data to be analyzed in the second network, network type information of the second network, network identifier information of the second network, area information corresponding to the second network, or information of the second network element. The first network and the second network are different types of networks. The processing unit is configured to obtain the data to be analyzed from the second network element according to the first indication information. The second network element includes network elements that have an interaction interface with the device and / or network elements co-located with the device.

30. The apparatus as claimed in claim 29, characterized in that, The device further includes: The sending unit is configured to send a registration request message to a network storage function element in the first network, wherein the registration request message includes at least one of the following information: Information on the area corresponding to the second network, information on the area corresponding to the first network, information on the second network element that has an interaction interface with the device, or information on the second network element that is co-located with the device.

31. The apparatus as claimed in claim 29 or 30, characterized in that, The processing unit is further configured to determine that the second network element is a network element in the second network that meets preset conditions. The preset conditions include at least one of the following: It has an interface with the device, is co-located with the device, and is associated with a corresponding area of ​​the second network.

32. The apparatus as claimed in claim 29 or 30, characterized in that, The receiving unit is also configured to receive the data to be analyzed from the second network element; The device further includes: The sending unit is used to send the data to be analyzed to the data analysis network element.

33. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed, causes the device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, or causes the device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 16.

34. A chip system, characterized in that, Includes: a processor for retrieving and running a computer program from memory, causing a communication device with the chip system mounted to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12; or causing the communication device with the chip system mounted to perform the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 16.

35. A communication device, characterized in that, include: Memory, used to store computer programs; A processor is configured to execute a computer program stored in the memory to cause the communication device to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 12, or to cause the communication device to perform the method of any one of claims 13 to 16.

36. A method for acquiring data, characterized in that, include: The data analysis network element in the first network determines the data to be analyzed in the second network. The first network and the second network are different types of networks. The data analysis network element sends a first request message to a first network element in the first network. The first request message is used to request the data to be analyzed. The first network element is used to obtain the data to be analyzed from a second network element in the second network. The first request message includes first indication information, which is used to indicate that the data to be analyzed belongs to the second network. The first indication information includes at least one of the following: data type information of the data to be analyzed in the second network, network type information of the second network, network identifier information of the second network, area information corresponding to the second network, or information of the second network element. The second network element is used to provide the data to be analyzed. The first network element obtains the data to be analyzed from the second network element according to the first instruction information. The second network element includes a network element that has an interaction interface with the first network element and / or a network element co-located with the first network element.

37. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes at least one means for acquiring data as described in any one of claims 17 to 28 and at least one means for acquiring data as described in any one of claims 29 to 32.

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