Control method, control system and edge network system of distributed edge network

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a control method, a control system and an edge network system for a distributed edge network, and relates to the field of communications. The control method includes: receiving a request for establishing a bearer sent by an AP, wherein the AP sends a request for establishing a bearer when the user equipment moves out of the coverage of the first edge network and there is a matching second edge network, but the user plane bearer is not established; querying the UDI corresponding to the user equipment in an ICN addressing manner; and establishing a user plane bearer according to the user data corresponding to the UDI, so that the user equipment can use the user plane bearer to access the service. The present disclosure separates data and processing logic, improves the availability of the network, and when the UE moves, the LHF addresses the UDI through the ICN network. Since the UDI can be addressed and reused in time, it can achieve effective access and cross-edge network service continuity while the network follows the person.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a control method, a control system, and an edge network system for a distributed edge network. Background Art

[0002] In order to meet the needs of extreme performance and flexible customization, 6G networks are recognized as distributed programmable networks. Considering the increasing differentiation of networks and network functions, and the order of magnitude expansion of the number of edge networks, the previous network architecture and implementation mechanism are no longer suitable for 6G, and new management and control solutions need to be considered to adapt to the distributed characteristics of 6G networks.

[0003] For example, in the 5G network architecture in the related technology, the autonomous network has a large coverage area, and the control plane network elements of the core network that perform key control functions are usually centrally set. Centralized control facilitates mobility management, and there is no need to change the session context within a large range, thereby better ensuring business continuity, but the business response is slow and the customization capability is poor, which does not match the functional and performance requirements of many 6G scenarios. In addition, users have a clear home network, and when roaming across networks, identity authentication and contract data need to be returned to the home network for execution or acquisition. Summary of the invention

[0004] A technical problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide a control method, a control system and an edge network system for a distributed edge network, which can ensure effective access and business continuity across edge networks while the network follows people.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a control method for a distributed edge network is proposed, which is executed by a logic processing function LHF, including: receiving a bearer establishment request sent by an access point AP, wherein the AP sends a bearer establishment request when a user equipment moves out of the coverage of a first edge network and there is a matching second edge network, but a user plane bearer is not established; querying a user data instance UDI corresponding to the user equipment in an information center network ICN addressing manner; and establishing a user plane bearer according to the user data corresponding to the UDI, so that the user equipment uses the user plane bearer to access the service.

[0006] In some embodiments, querying the UDI corresponding to the user device by ICN addressing includes: if the UDI is not queried in the user data function UDF of the second edge network, then searching for the UDI by ICN addressing in an edge network of the same type as the second edge network.

[0007] In some embodiments, the UDI is cached at the UDF of the second edge network, or the UDI is not cached.

[0008] In some embodiments, querying the UDI corresponding to the user equipment by means of ICN addressing includes: querying the UDI corresponding to the user equipment by means of ICN addressing according to the user identifier.

[0009] In some embodiments, one user device corresponds to one or more UDIs.

[0010] In some embodiments, the UDI corresponding to the user device is encoded according to the content granularity, wherein UDIs with the same encoding store the same data.

[0011] In some embodiments, an initial registration request forwarded by an AP is received; and user data is acquired through an ICN, and a user plane bearer is established according to the user data.

[0012] In some embodiments, obtaining user data through ICN includes: querying the corresponding user data in the user data function UDF of the first edge network according to the user identifier; and if the user data is not queried, obtaining the user data from the user center, generating one or more UDIs in the first edge network and saving the user data.

[0013] In some embodiments, the service ranges of the AP and LHF belonging to the same edge network system are the same, or have overlapping parts.

[0014] In some embodiments, when the user data of the UDI changes, the ICN updates other UDIs with the same code other than the UDI.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a control method for a distributed edge network is also proposed, which is executed by an access point AP, including: when a user device moves out of the coverage of a first edge network, determining whether the user device already has a matching second edge network; when it is determined that a matching second edge network already exists but a matching user plane bearer has not been established, sending a bearer establishment request to a logical processing function LHF of the second edge network, wherein the bearer establishment request is used to instruct the LHF to query the user data instance UDI corresponding to the user device in an information center network ICN addressing manner, and establish a user plane bearer based on the user data corresponding to the UDI, so that the user device can use the user plane bearer to access the service.

[0016] In some embodiments, if it is determined that a matching user plane bearer is not established, the routing is directed to the first edge network; and after it is determined that the user plane bearer is established, the routing is switched from the first edge network to the second edge network.

[0017] In some embodiments, determining whether the user equipment has a matching second edge network includes: determining, based on the network type requested by the user, whether there is an LHF matching the network type within the service range of the user location.

[0018] In some embodiments, an initial registration request sent by a user device is received, wherein the initial registration request includes a user identifier and a network type; when no matching edge network is found, the AP queries a network registration center for a matching edge network; and the LHF of the first edge network fed back by the network registration center is received, and the initial registration request is forwarded to the LHF to instruct the LHF to obtain user data through the ICN and establish a user plane bearer based on the user data.

[0019] In some embodiments, the service ranges of the AP and LHF belonging to the same edge network system are the same, or have overlapping parts.

[0020] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a logical processing function is also proposed, including: a first transceiver module, configured to receive a bearer establishment request sent by an access point AP, wherein the AP sends a bearer establishment request when the user equipment moves out of the coverage of the first edge network and there is a matching second edge network, but the user plane bearer is not established; a query module, configured to query the user data instance UDI corresponding to the user equipment in an information center network ICN addressing manner; and a bearer establishment module, configured to establish a user plane bearer according to the user data corresponding to the UDI, so that the user equipment uses the user plane bearer to access the service.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a logic processing function is also proposed, including: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to execute the control method of the distributed edge network as described above based on instructions stored in the memory.

[0022] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an access point is also proposed, including: a judgment module, configured to determine whether the user equipment has a matching second edge network when the user equipment moves out of the coverage of the first edge network; a second transceiver module, configured to send a bearer establishment request to the logic processing function LHF of the second edge network when it is determined that there is a matching second edge network but a matching user plane bearer has not been established, wherein the bearer establishment request is used to instruct the LHF to query the user data instance UDI corresponding to the user equipment in an information center network ICN addressing manner, and establish a user plane bearer according to the user data corresponding to the UDI, so that the user equipment can use the user plane bearer to access the service.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an access point is further provided, comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the above-mentioned distributed edge network control method based on instructions stored in the memory.

[0024] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an edge network system is also proposed, including: the above-mentioned logic processing function; the above-mentioned access point; and a user data function UDF configured to store user data instances.

[0025] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a control system for a distributed edge network is also proposed, comprising: a plurality of edge network systems as described above; a network registration center configured to provide registration and discovery of edge networks; and a user center configured to store user data.

[0026] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is further provided, on which computer program instructions are stored, and when the instructions are executed by a processor, the control method of the distributed edge network as described above is implemented.

[0027] In the disclosed embodiments, the network functions and user data used by users are decoupled, thereby improving the availability of the network. When the user device moves, the LHF addresses the UDI through the ICN network. Since the UDI can be addressed and reused in a timely manner, it is possible to achieve effective access and business continuity across edge networks while the network follows the user.

[0028] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The accompanying drawings, which constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0030] The present disclosure may be more clearly understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0031] Figure 1A A schematic diagram of some embodiments of the control method of the distributed edge network disclosed in the present invention;

[0032] Figure 1B A schematic diagram of some embodiments of the control method of the distributed edge network disclosed in the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the flow chart of other embodiments of the distributed edge network control method disclosed in the present invention;

[0034] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the flow chart of other embodiments of the distributed edge network control method disclosed in the present invention;

[0035] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the flow chart of other embodiments of the distributed edge network control method disclosed in the present invention;

[0036] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the logic processing function of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of some other embodiments of the logic processing function of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the access point disclosed in the present invention;

[0039] Figure 8 Schematic diagrams of structures of other embodiments of access points disclosed herein;

[0040] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the edge network system disclosed in the present invention; and

[0041] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the control system of the distributed edge network disclosed in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the relative arrangement of components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0043] At the same time, it should be understood that for the convenience of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship.

[0044] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure, its application, or uses.

[0045] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0046] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limiting. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0047] It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters refer to similar items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0048] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure more clearly understood, the present disclosure is further described in detail below in combination with specific embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] The new mechanism needs to consider edge network selection, dynamic configuration of the network (data loading), business continuity, mobility management, etc. This will be explained in the following specific embodiments.

[0050] Figure 1A The flowchart of some embodiments of the control method of the distributed edge network disclosed in the present invention is shown in FIG.

[0051] In step 110, a bearer establishment request sent by an access point AP (Access point) is received, wherein the AP sends the bearer establishment request when the user equipment moves out of the coverage of the first edge network and there is a matching second edge network, but the user plane bearer is not established.

[0052] In some embodiments, when the user equipment moves out of the coverage of the first edge network, the newly accessed AP determines whether the user equipment already has a matching second edge network. If it is determined that there is a matching second edge network but a matching user plane bearer has not been established, a request to establish a bearer is sent to the LHF of the second edge network.

[0053] In some embodiments, UE (User Equipment) is an access terminal of a mobile network and an object for which the mobile network implements access authentication, mobility management and session management.

[0054] In some embodiments, the AP corresponds to a service area with a certain continuous coverage range, connects all edge networks of different types and capabilities in the area, has a fixed routing relationship with the wireless access network equipment or fixed network access gateway in the area, and is reachable by routing with other APs. The AP provides a logical device for 6G distributed network access functions, performs network query, selection and access credential verification functions, which are independent of the access mode. For example, the UE can access the AP wirelessly via 3GPP's NR (New Radio) or non-3GPP access.

[0055] In some embodiments, the AP is logically located behind various heterogeneous access points and serves as a routing entry for the core network user network path.

[0056] In some embodiments, the AP may be co-located with access points of various heterogeneous accesses.

[0057] In some embodiments, the LHF implements the logical functions of the edge network core network, directly reflecting the type and capability differences of the edge network. The LHF can customize various specific function points, such as access management, session management, user plane functions, etc., by instantiation.

[0058] In some embodiments, the UE moves out of the original network coverage and arrives at the service area of ​​a new AP. The UE finds a specific access AP and then anchors the AP. The AP finds that there is a network that matches the network type required by the user, that is, the LHF of the second edge network. The network does not have the user plane bearer information of the user, so the AP initiates a user plane bearer establishment request for the user to the LHF.

[0059] In some embodiments, each AP and LHF has a set service range, and the service ranges of the AP and LHF belonging to the same edge network system may be inconsistent, but there must be an overlap. One AP can correspond to multiple edge networks.

[0060] In step 120, the UDI (User Data Instance) corresponding to the user equipment is queried in an ICN (Information Centric Networking) addressing manner.

[0061] In some embodiments, one user device corresponds to one UDI or multiple UDIs, and the content encoding granularity of the UDI is not limited to all content, that is, the content encoding of UDIs with different granularities can be implemented according to specific circumstances. For example, the UDI corresponding to the user device is encoded according to the content granularity, wherein the UDIs with the same encoding store the same data.

[0062] The collection of UDIs constitutes a UDF (User Data Function). The UDI corresponds to the user dimension, and the UDF corresponds to the edge network dimension. It is a local UDI set of all users of the edge network, that is, the UDF is a data collection of the user dimension. The UDF aggregates user-related contract data, network configuration data, and context data, such as access context, session context, and policy context.

[0063] In some embodiments, by searching through ICN, it is possible to search for UDI in edge networks of the same type. The addressing granularity of UDI is not limited to all content. For example, if a user device corresponds to a UDI, the UDI of the user device can be found in a UDF. If a user device corresponds to multiple UDIs, and the multiple UDIs are stored in different UDFs, the UDI of the user device can be found in multiple UDFs.

[0064] In some embodiments, if the UDI is not found in the user data function UDF of the second edge network, the UDI is searched in an edge network of the same type as the second edge network in an ICN addressing manner.

[0065] For example, LHF queries in UDF. If the UDF does not contain the user's UDI, it uses user data as the content of interest and queries the UDI in each edge network of the same type using ICN addressing. Since the user device moves from the first edge network to the second edge network, the user's UDI can be found in the first edge network.

[0066] In step 130, a user plane bearer is established according to the user data corresponding to the UDI, so that the user equipment can access the service by using the user plane bearer.

[0067] In this step, the UE continues to use the service on the new bearer. Since the session context is unchanged, service continuity is guaranteed when accessing DN (Data Network) applications via the AP and the new user plane bearer.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the data and processing logic are separated. When the user device moves, the LHF addresses the UDI through the ICN network. Since the UDI can be addressed and reused in time, it is possible to achieve effective access and business continuity across edge networks while the network follows the person.

[0069] Figure 1B The present invention is a flowchart of some embodiments of the control method of the distributed edge network disclosed in the present invention, which is executed by an AP.

[0070] In step 101, when a user equipment moves out of the coverage of a first edge network, it is determined whether the user equipment has a matching second edge network.

[0071] In some embodiments, when the user equipment moves out of the coverage of the first edge network, the newly connected AP determines whether there is an LHF matching the network type within the service range of the user location according to the network type requested by the user.

[0072] In step 102, when it is determined that there is a matching second edge network but a matching user plane bearer has not been established, a bearer establishment request is sent to the LHF of the second edge network, wherein the bearer establishment request is used to instruct the LHF to query the UDI corresponding to the user equipment in an ICN addressing manner, and establish a user plane bearer according to the user data corresponding to the UDI, so that the user equipment can use the user plane bearer to access the service.

[0073] In this embodiment, when the user equipment moves, the new AP sends a request to establish a bearer to the LHF, so that the LHF queries the UDI corresponding to the user equipment in an ICN addressing manner, and establishes a user plane bearer based on the user data corresponding to the UDI, which can effectively improve user access and service continuity across edge networks.

[0074] In some embodiments, the AP receives an initial registration request sent by a user device, wherein the initial registration request includes a user identifier and a network type; if no matching edge network is found, queries a network registration center for a matching edge network; and receives the LHF of the first edge network fed back by the network registration center, and forwards the initial registration request to the LHF to instruct the LHF to obtain user data through the ICN and establish a user plane bearer based on the user data.

[0075] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the flow chart of other embodiments of the distributed edge network control method disclosed in the present invention.

[0076] In step 210, when the user equipment moves out of the coverage of the first edge network, the AP determines whether there is an LHF matching the network type within the service range of the user location according to the network type requested by the user.

[0077] In some embodiments, when a user switches access in a heterogeneous access network, the new AP may obtain information such as the user identification, the user access network type and access credentials, and the original access AP.

[0078] In step 220, when it is determined that there is a matching second edge network but a matching user plane bearer has not been established, the AP sends a bearer establishment request to the LHF of the second edge network and directs the route to the first edge network.

[0079] In some embodiments, since the second edge network temporarily does not have the user plane bearer of the user equipment, the newly connected AP temporarily directs the route to the original AP, and the new AP forwards the user traffic to the original AP to ensure service continuity.

[0080] In some embodiments, the new AP may also temporarily store service data, that is, not direct the route to the first edge network. If the user plane bearer can be established quickly, it will not have a significant impact on the service, and the implementation is more convenient.

[0081] In step 230, if the LHF does not find the UDI in the UDF of the second edge network, it searches for the UDI in an edge network of the same type as the second edge network by using ICN addressing.

[0082] In some embodiments, the LHF searches for the UDI in an ICN addressing manner according to the user identifier.

[0083] In some embodiments, UDI contains static data and dynamic data. All UDIs are globally encoded by user dimension, organized as specific content in the ICN mode between edge networks, and follow certain lifecycle management rules. For example, when user information changes, it supports synchronous update of information saved at other points or triggers deletion of old data.

[0084] For example, if the data in the user center changes, one way is that the user center notifies one or more UDIs in the form of a notification, and the ICN further performs full network synchronization; another way is that the user center acts as an ICN node and uniformly executes ICN data updates.

[0085] In this embodiment, when the user data of the UDI is changed, the ICN updates other UDIs with the same code other than the UDI, thereby achieving network-wide synchronization of the UDI through the ICN.

[0086] In some embodiments, UDI addressing is performed at different granularities. For example, user subscription data corresponds to one UDI, user network feature configuration data corresponds to one UDI, access context, session context, and policy context correspond to one UDI, and when performing ICN addressing, the entire UDI can be obtained from different networks.

[0087] In step 240, the LHF caches the UDI of the user equipment according to the cache strategy and establishes a new user plane bearer.

[0088] In some embodiments, the LHF caches the UDI in the second edge network UDF, or does not cache the UDI. For example, whether to store it locally is determined based on user business needs, performance requirements, resource conditions, etc. When the UDI of the neighboring network can meet the performance requirements of the interaction, the user's UDI may not be saved in the local network.

[0089] In this embodiment, user data is regarded as a specific content, which is routed by ICN and decides whether to cache locally, thereby ensuring the reliability of multiple copies of data storage and the performance of local access.

[0090] In some embodiments, when setting the ICN cache strategy, it can also be set according to different content granularities. For example, some UDIs of the user device are cached locally, that is, local UDIs are established, and some UDIs are not cached, thereby achieving flexible caching of user data.

[0091] At step 250 , routing is switched from the first edge network to the second edge network.

[0092] In this step, the switched route does not need to be transferred by the original AP.

[0093] In step 260, the user equipment uses the user plane bearer to access the service.

[0094] When the UE performs mobility switching, it can quickly access the network because the user credential carries the user's authorized access information on all edge networks with the same capabilities.

[0095] In the above embodiment, there is no clear ownership relationship between the user and the edge network. As long as the data is available at any time and efficiently, the network can be realized. In this embodiment, since the user data is a specific content in the user's online cycle, it is routed by the ICN and the ICN cache strategy can be determined according to the user's business needs, so the reliable availability of data acquisition can be guaranteed. In addition, the user plane in this embodiment can be directly built in the edge network relying on the specified route of the bearer network without the need for overlay (covering) on ​​the bearer network, thereby realizing the characteristic of the network following the person.

[0096] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the flow chart of other embodiments of the distributed edge network control method disclosed in the present invention.

[0097] In step 310, the AP receives an initial registration request sent by a user equipment, wherein the initial registration request includes a user identifier and a network type.

[0098] In some embodiments, after the UE is powered on and finds a nearby AP, it initiates an initial registration request to the AP, in which the user ID and the type of network that the UE wishes to access are protected.

[0099] In step 320, if no matching edge network is found, the AP queries the network registration center for a matching edge network, receives the LHF of the first edge network fed back by the network registration center, and forwards the initial registration request to the LHF.

[0100] In some embodiments, if the AP does not match a suitable edge network with the required functions from the saved information, it queries the network registration center for a local matching network. The network registration center receives and stores the registration information of all edge networks, that is, the registration information of LHFs, for querying and selecting suitable LHFs. The registration information includes capability information of the edge network in various dimensions, such as service area, supported network types and network capabilities, service performance, serviceable object groups, etc. The network registration center can trigger the instantiation of the edge network / function when there is no required function instance in the selected edge network.

[0101] In some embodiments, the LHF performs functions supported by the edge network in which it is located, corresponding to a specific type of network. The LHF of an edge network can support networks of multiple types or capabilities, and the corresponding functions are instantiated or activated by the registration center when it is first selected.

[0102] In step 330, the LHF obtains user data through the ICN and establishes a user plane bearer according to the user data.

[0103] In some embodiments, the LHF queries the corresponding user data in the UDF of the first edge network according to the user identifier; if the user data is not found, the user data is obtained from the user center, and one or more UDIs are generated and saved in the first edge network. For example, the LHF queries the UDI of the user device in an ICN addressing manner, and now queries the user data in the local UDF. If there is no user data locally, the query is performed in the user center. The LHF generates one or more UDIs in response to the user data fed back by the user center.

[0104] In some embodiments, the establishment of bearer routing may be based on the mechanism of SDN (Software Defined Network), and the LHF assumes the role of SDN controller.

[0105] In some embodiments, the user center stores all user initial and static data, such as user identity, security, group attributes, various contract data, etc. LHF reads user data from the user center and grants the user a credential to access the same type of network.

[0106] In step 340, the user equipment accesses the service using the user plane bearer.

[0107] In the above embodiment, the network registration center provides registration and discovery of the edge network, and the user center stores the user's initial data. For example, user data is centrally stored in the form of UDI. By separating data from processing logic, there is no clear ownership relationship between the user and the edge network. The edge network is queried from the registration center in terms of network and user dimensions, and UDI is organized and addressed by ICN, which can adapt to the distributed situation of the network and realize the management and control of the distributed network.

[0108] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the flow chart of other embodiments of the distributed edge network control method disclosed in the present invention.

[0109] In step 410, the UE sends an initial registration request to AP1. The initial registration request carries a user ID and a network type to be accessed.

[0110] In step 420, AP1 does not match a network with a suitable function from the stored information.

[0111] In step 430, AP1 queries the network registration center for a locally matched network and obtains LHF1 information.

[0112] In step 440, AP1 forwards the registration request of the UE to LHF1.

[0113] In step 450, LHF1 carries the user ID and queries UDF1 for corresponding user data.

[0114] In step 460, if the corresponding user data is not found in UDF1, a request is sent to the user center to obtain the user's initial data such as user contract and authentication. UDF1 generates UDI1 and saves the data.

[0115] In step 470, LHF1 completes authentication and authorization of the user according to the data of UDI1, allocates access credentials to the user, establishes contexts such as security, access management, and session, and completes establishment and configuration of user plane bearers.

[0116] In step 480, the registration success message is forwarded to the UE via AP1, wherein the message carries the user access credentials.

[0117] In step 490, the UE accesses the application of the DN via the AP1 point and the configured user plane bearer.

[0118] In step 4100, the UE moves out of the original network coverage and arrives at the new service area of ​​AP3. The UE finds the specific access point and then anchors AP3. At this time, AP3 can obtain the UE's user identity, user access network type and access credentials, AP1 and other information.

[0119] In step 4110, AP3 finds that there is already LHF3 matching the network type required by the user, but the network does not have the user plane bearer information of the user, so the route is temporarily directed to the original access point AP1.

[0120] The UE continues to access services through the edge network where LHF1 is located through AP1.

[0121] In step 4120, AP3 initiates a user plane bearer request for the user to LHF3.

[0122] In step 4130, LHF3 sends a query to UDF3 (ie, ICN) with the user data as the content of interest.

[0123] In step 4140, UDF3 does not have the UDI of the user, and searches for the UDI in each edge network of the same type using ICN addressing.

[0124] In step 4150, UDF3 receives the response from UDF1 and caches the UDI according to the cache policy.

[0125] In step 4160, after LHF3 obtains the UDI returned by UDF3, it establishes a new user plane bearer according to the session context information in the UDI. After receiving the information that the bearer is successfully established, AP3 performs route switching, and the route after switching does not need to be transferred through AP1.

[0126] In step 4170, the UE continues to use the service on the new bearer. Since the session context is not changed, service continuity is guaranteed when accessing the application of the DN via AP3 and the new user plane bearer.

[0127] In the above embodiment, the edge network is constructed based on the design idea of ​​data and processing separation, which makes the network function highly reusable, not only solving the network discovery and access, but also solving the problems of cross-network collaboration between edge networks, so as to achieve the network following people. In addition, since user data is a specific content, it is routed by ICN and decides whether to cache it locally, which not only ensures the reliability of data storage with multiple copies, but also ensures the performance of nearby access, thereby ensuring effective access and business continuity across edge networks.

[0128] Figure 5 It is a structural diagram of some embodiments of the logic processing function of the present disclosure, where the logic processing function includes a first transceiver module 510 , a first processing module 520 and a bearer establishment module 530 .

[0129] The first transceiver module 510 is configured to receive a bearer establishment request sent by an access point AP, wherein the AP sends the bearer establishment request when the user equipment moves out of the coverage of the first edge network and there is a matching second edge network, but the user plane bearer is not established.

[0130] In some embodiments, the first transceiver module 510 is further configured to receive an initial registration request forwarded by the AP, wherein the initial registration request includes a user identifier and a network type. When no matching edge network is found, the AP queries the network registration center for a matching edge network, receives the LHF of the first edge network fed back by the network registration center, and forwards the initial registration request to the LHF.

[0131] The first processing module 520 is configured to query the UDI corresponding to the user equipment in an ICN addressing manner.

[0132] In some embodiments, if the first processing module 520 fails to find the UDI in the UDF of the second edge network, it searches for the UDI in an edge network of the same type as the second edge network by using ICN addressing.

[0133] In some embodiments, the UDI corresponding to the user equipment is queried in an ICN addressing manner according to the user identifier.

[0134] The first processing module 520 caches the UDI in the UDF of the second edge network, or does not cache the UDI.

[0135] In some embodiments, one user device corresponds to one or more UDIs.

[0136] The UDI corresponding to the user device is encoded according to the content granularity, wherein UDIs with the same encoding store the same data.

[0137] In some embodiments, the first processing module 520 is also configured to query the corresponding user data in the UDF of the first edge network according to the user identifier; and if no user data is found, obtain the user data from the user center, generate one or more UDIs in the first edge network and save the user data.

[0138] The bearer establishment module 530 is configured to establish a user plane bearer according to the user data corresponding to the UDI, so that the user equipment can access the service by using the user plane bearer.

[0139] In the above embodiment, the data and processing logic are separated. When the user device moves, the LHF addresses the UDI through the ICN network. Since the UDI can be addressed and reused in time, it is possible to achieve effective access and business continuity across edge networks while the network follows the person.

[0140] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the structure of some other embodiments of the logic processing function of the present disclosure, the logic processing function 600 includes a memory 610 and a processor 620. Wherein: the memory 610 can be a disk, a flash memory or any other non-volatile storage medium. The memory is used to store the instructions in the above embodiments. The processor 620 is coupled to the memory 610 and can be implemented as one or more integrated circuits, such as a microprocessor or a microcontroller. The processor 620 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory.

[0141] In some embodiments, the processor 620 is coupled to the memory 610 via a BUS 630. The electronic device 600 can also be connected to an external storage device 650 via a storage interface 640 to call external data, and can also be connected to a network or another computer system (not shown) via a network interface 660. No further detailed description will be given here.

[0142] In this embodiment, data instructions are stored in a memory and then processed by a processor, thereby ensuring effective access and business continuity across edge networks.

[0143] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the access point of the present disclosure. The access point includes a second processing module 710 and a second transceiver module 720 .

[0144] The second processing module 710 is configured to determine whether the user equipment has a matching second edge network when the user equipment moves out of the coverage of the first edge network.

[0145] In some embodiments, the second processing module 710 is further configured to direct the route to the first edge network if it is determined that no matching user plane bearer is established; and after determining that the user plane bearer is established, switch the route from the first edge network to the second edge network.

[0146] In some embodiments, according to the network type requested by the user, it is determined whether there is an LHF matching the network type within the service range of the user's location.

[0147] The second transceiver module 720 is configured to send a bearer establishment request to the LHF of the second edge network when it is determined that a matching second edge network exists but a matching user plane bearer has not been established, wherein the bearer establishment request is used to instruct the LHF to query the UDI corresponding to the user equipment in an ICN addressing manner, and establish a user plane bearer based on the user data corresponding to the UDI, so that the user equipment can use the user plane bearer to access the service.

[0148] In some embodiments, the second transceiver module 720 is also configured to receive an initial registration request sent by a user device, wherein the initial registration request includes a user identifier and a network type; when no matching edge network is found, query the network registration center for a matching edge network; and receive the LHF of the first edge network fed back by the network registration center, and forward the initial registration request to the LHF to instruct the LHF to obtain user data through the ICN and establish a user plane bearer based on the user data.

[0149] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure of some other embodiments of the access point of the present disclosure, the access point 800 includes a memory 810 and a processor 820. The memory 810 may be a disk, a flash memory or any other non-volatile storage medium. The memory is used to store the instructions in the above embodiments. The processor 820 is coupled to the memory 810 and may be implemented as one or more integrated circuits, such as a microprocessor or a microcontroller. The processor 820 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory.

[0150] In some embodiments, the processor 820 is coupled to the memory 810 via a BUS bus 830. The access point 800 can also be connected to an external storage device 850 via a storage interface 840 to call external data, and can also be connected to a network or another computer system (not shown) via a network interface 860. No further detailed description will be given here.

[0151] In this embodiment, the memory stores data instructions, and the processor processes the instructions, thereby realizing mobility management of "network follows people".

[0152] Fig. 9 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of some embodiments of the edge network system of the present disclosure, where the edge network system includes an AP 910 , an LHF 920 , and a UDF 930 .

[0153] The AP 910 can perform network query, selection and access credential verification functions, and at the same time serve as a routing entry for the core network user plane path. The AP 910 can connect to multiple edge networks. The AP 910 has been described in detail in the above embodiments and will not be further described here.

[0154] The LHF 920 is data-independent and performs various functions of the edge network. The LHF of an edge network can support networks of multiple types or capabilities, and the corresponding functions are instantiated or activated by the registration center when it is first selected. For initial access, LHF 920 reads user data from the user center and grants the user credentials to access the same type of network; for switching due to mobility, LHF 920 addresses the UDI through the ICN network and decides whether to store it locally based on performance requirements, resource conditions, etc. For switching due to mobility, since the user credentials carry the user's authorized access information on all edge networks with the same capabilities, quick access is possible.

[0155] UDF 930 is configured to store UDI as an ICN node. The UDF 930 can store user-related contract data, network configuration data, access context, session context, and policy context. All UDIs are globally encoded by user dimension, organized as specific content in an ICN manner between edge networks, and follow certain lifecycle management rules.

[0156] In the above embodiment, the processing logic data of the edge network is separated, and the user plane can be directly built in the edge network relying on the specified route of the bearer network, realizing the network following people. Since the UDI can be addressed and reused in time, effective access and business continuity across edge networks can be guaranteed.

[0157] Fig.10It is a schematic diagram of the structure of some other embodiments of the control system of the distributed edge network disclosed in the present invention. The control system includes multiple edge network systems 1010, a network registration center 1020 and a user center 1030.

[0158] The edge network system 1010 has been described in detail in the above embodiments. The network registration center 1020 is configured to provide registration and discovery of edge networks. For example, all edge networks are registered in the network registration center, and the network registration center provides network query, selection and instantiation. The registration information includes capability information of various dimensions of the edge network, such as service area, supported network types and network capabilities, service performance, serviceable object groups, etc. The network registration center can trigger the instantiation of the edge network / function when there is no required function instance in the selected edge network. When a user initially or mobile accesses the edge network, if the access point AP does not have the selection information of the corresponding network type, the network registration center is queried to select the edge network and LHF.

[0159] The user center 1030 is configured to store user data. For example, the user center stores all users' initial and static data, such as identity, security, and various user contract data.

[0160] In the above embodiment, the network registration center provides registration and discovery of edge networks; the user center stores the user's initial data (except dynamic context); there is no clear ownership relationship between the user and the edge network. As long as the data is available at any time and efficiently, the network can be realized. The control system of the distributed edge network changes the traditional centralized network architecture to a distributed one, and provides a new network management and control mechanism, so that the edge networks in the distributed network can better cooperate with each other, greatly improving the network capacity and flexibility, making the network highly inclusive of new services, and realizing the management and control of 6G distributed networks.

[0161] In other embodiments, a computer-readable storage medium stores computer program instructions, which implement the steps of the methods in the above-mentioned embodiments when executed by a processor. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided as methods, devices, or computer program products. Therefore, the present disclosure may take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Moreover, the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable non-transient storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program codes.

[0162] The present disclosure is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems) and computer program products according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that each process and / or box in the flowchart and / or block diagram and the combination of the processes and / or boxes in the flowchart and / or block diagram can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing the functions specified in one process or multiple processes in the flowchart and / or one box or multiple boxes in the block diagram.

[0163] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to work in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a manufactured product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0164] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operational steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, whereby the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0165] So far, the present disclosure has been described in detail. In order to avoid obscuring the concept of the present disclosure, some details known in the art are not described. Based on the above description, those skilled in the art can fully understand how to implement the technical solution disclosed here.

[0166] The method and apparatus of the present disclosure may be implemented in many ways. For example, the method and apparatus of the present disclosure may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination of software, hardware, and firmware. The above order of steps for the method is for illustration only, and the steps of the method of the present disclosure are not limited to the order specifically described above, unless otherwise specifically stated. In addition, in some embodiments, the present disclosure may also be implemented as a program recorded in a recording medium, which includes machine-readable instructions for implementing the method according to the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure also covers a recording medium storing a program for executing the method according to the present disclosure.

[0167] Although some specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail by way of example, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above examples are for illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above embodiments may be modified without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A control method for a distributed edge network, performed by a logic processing function LHF, comprising: Receiving a bearer establishment request sent by an access point AP, wherein the AP sends the bearer establishment request when the user equipment moves out of the coverage of the first edge network and there is a matching second edge network, but the user plane bearer is not established; Querying the user data instance UDI corresponding to the user equipment in an information center network ICN addressing manner; and The user plane bearer is established according to the user data corresponding to the UDI, so that the user equipment uses the user plane bearer to access the service.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: Querying the UDI corresponding to the user equipment in an ICN addressing manner includes: If the UDI is not found in the user data function UDF of the second edge network, the UDI is searched in an edge network of the same type as the second edge network by using ICN addressing.

3. The control method according to claim 2, further comprising: The UDI is cached in the UDF of the second edge network, or the UDI is not cached.

4. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: Querying the UDI corresponding to the user equipment in an ICN addressing manner includes: According to the user identifier, the UDI corresponding to the user equipment is queried in an ICN addressing manner.

5. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: One user equipment corresponds to one or more UDIs.

6. The control method according to claim 5, wherein: The UDI corresponding to the user equipment is encoded according to the content granularity, wherein UDIs with the same encoding store the same data.

7. The control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: Receiving an initial registration request forwarded by the AP; as well as The user data is obtained through the ICN, and a user plane bearer is established according to the user data.

8. The control method according to claim 7, wherein: Acquiring user data through the ICN includes: querying corresponding user data in a user data function (UDF) in the first edge network according to the user identifier; and In the case where the user data is not found, the user data is obtained from a user center, and the one or more UDIs are generated in the first edge network and the user data is saved.

9. The control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The service ranges of the AP and LHF belonging to the same edge network system are the same, or have overlapping parts.

10. The control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: When the user data of the UDI is changed, the ICN updates other UDIs with the same code other than the UDI.

11. A control method for a distributed edge network, executed by an access point AP, comprising: When the user equipment moves out of the coverage of the first edge network, determining whether the user equipment has a matching second edge network; When it is determined that a matching second edge network exists but a matching user plane bearer has not been established, a bearer establishment request is sent to the logical processing function LHF of the second edge network, wherein the bearer establishment request is used to instruct the LHF to query the user data instance UDI corresponding to the user equipment in an information center network ICN addressing manner, and establish the user plane bearer according to the user data corresponding to the UDI, so that the user equipment can use the user plane bearer to access the service.

12. The control method according to claim 11, further comprising: When it is determined that no matching user plane bearer is established, directing the route to the first edge network; as well as After determining that the user plane bearer has been established, switching routing from the first edge network to the second edge network.

13. The control method according to claim 11, wherein: Determining whether the user equipment has a matching second edge network includes: According to the network type requested by the user, it is determined whether there is an LHF matching the network type within the service range to which the user location belongs.

14. The control method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, further comprising: Receiving an initial registration request sent by the user equipment, wherein the initial registration request includes a user identifier and a network type; The AP queries a network registration center for a matching edge network when no matching edge network is found; and The LHF of the first edge network fed back by the network registration center is received, and the initial registration request is forwarded to the LHF to instruct the LHF to obtain user data through the ICN and establish a user plane bearer according to the user data.

15. The control method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein: The service ranges of the AP and LHF belonging to the same edge network system are the same, or have overlapping parts.

16. A logic processing function comprising: A first transceiver module is configured to receive a bearer establishment request sent by an access point AP, wherein the AP sends a bearer establishment request when the user equipment moves out of the coverage of the first edge network and there is a matching second edge network, but the user plane bearer is not established; A first processing module is configured to query the user data instance UDI corresponding to the user equipment in an information center network ICN addressing manner; and The bearer establishment module is configured to establish the user plane bearer according to the user data corresponding to the UDI, so that the user equipment uses the user plane bearer to access the service.

17. A logic processing function comprising: Memory; as well as A processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the distributed edge network control method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 based on instructions stored in the memory.

18. An access point, comprising: A second processing module is configured to determine whether the user equipment has a matching second edge network when the user equipment moves out of the coverage of the first edge network; The second transceiver module is configured to send a bearer establishment request to the logical processing function LHF of the second edge network when it is determined that a matching second edge network exists but a matching user plane bearer has not been established, wherein the bearer establishment request is used to instruct the LHF to query the user data instance UDI corresponding to the user equipment in an information center network ICN addressing manner, and establish the user plane bearer according to the user data corresponding to the UDI, so that the user equipment can use the user plane bearer to access the service.

19. An access point, comprising: Memory; as well as A processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the distributed edge network control method according to any one of claims 11 to 15 based on instructions stored in the memory.

20. An edge network system, comprising: The logical processing function according to claim 16 or 17; The access point according to claim 18 or 19; as well as The user data function UDF is configured to store user data instances.

21. A control system for a distributed edge network, comprising: A plurality of edge network systems as claimed in claim 20; A network registration center, configured to provide registration and discovery of edge networks; as well as The user center is configured to store user data.

22. A computer-readable storage medium having computer program instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implement the distributed edge network control method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15.

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