Indirect path switching method and device, electronic equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides an indirect path switching method and device, electronic equipment and a storage medium, and relates to the technical field of mobile communication. The method comprises the steps that when an analysis request is received, proximity service information is collected, and the proximity service information comprises behavior habit data of a user, user experience data and network state data; determining an analysis result according to the proximity service information, wherein the analysis result describes a result of counting and / or predicting data in the proximity service information; the analysis result is sent to the PCF network element, and the PCF network element is used for determining path switching parameters through the analysis result so as to assist the remote terminal and / or the relay terminal in indirect path switching. According to the method and the device, the proximity service information including the behavior habit data, the user experience data and the network state data of the user can be predicted, so that the indirect path switching indication can be made to the far-end terminal and / or the relay terminal in advance, the flexibility of indirect path switching is improved, and the continuity and the reliability of services are ensured.

Description

Background Art

[0002] The U2N (UE-to-Network) scenario corresponding to ProSe (Proximity Services) can be used to assist remote terminals that are not within the network coverage or have poor network coverage to connect to the relay terminal through an indirect path, thereby connecting to the 5G network through the relay terminal. According to relevant agreements, the indirect path connection of the remote terminal needs to be able to support various types of traffic.

[0003] In the related art, the remote terminal can monitor the signal strength of the PC5 (short distance direct communication interface) interface. When the signal strength of the PC5 interface fails to meet the preset standard and threshold, the remote terminal will perform indirect path switching to reselect the relay terminal.

[0004] However, the indirect path switching is performed only according to the signal strength of the PC5 interface, and the flexibility of the indirect path switching is poor, and the continuity and reliability of the service cannot be effectively guaranteed.

[0005] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the above background technology section is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and therefore may include information that does not constitute the prior art known to ordinary technicians in the field. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present disclosure provides an indirect path switching method, device, electronic device and storage medium, which at least to a certain extent overcome the problem that the indirect path switching in the related art has poor flexibility and cannot effectively guarantee the continuity and reliability of the service.

[0007] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, or may be learned in part by the practice of the present disclosure.

[0008] According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, an indirect path switching method is provided, comprising: upon receiving an analysis request sent by a policy control function network element, collecting proximity service information, the proximity service information including user behavior habit data, user experience data, and network status data; determining an analysis result based on the proximity service information, the analysis result being used to describe a result of statistically analyzing and / or predicting the data in the proximity service information; and sending the analysis result to a policy control function network element, the policy control function network element being used to determine a path switching parameter through the analysis result, and assisting a remote terminal and / or a relay terminal in performing an indirect path switching through the path switching parameter.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, collecting proximity service information includes: collecting proximity service information for at least one of a direct discovery naming management function network element, an access and mobility management function network element, a user terminal with proximity service function, an application function entity, and an operation and maintenance management entity.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the user's behavioral habit data includes at least one of user identification, application identification, Internet Protocol address triplet, single network slice selection auxiliary information, data network name, relay service code, time of proximity service use, location of proximity service use, traffic characteristic information, and traffic throughput information; the network status data includes at least one of service quality parameters, short-range direct communication interface service quality parameters, and short-range direct communication interface signal strength.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the path switching parameter includes at least one of a user information identifier, a default target layer 2 identifier, and relay offloading indication information.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the analysis result is used to describe the result of predicting the data in the proximity service information, the analysis result includes the prediction confidence of the prediction of the proximity service information.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the policy control function network element is also used to set a validity condition, which is used to indicate the valid time and / or valid area of ​​the path switching parameters; when the relay terminal does not meet the validity condition, the relay terminal is used to send an indirect path switching request to the remote terminal, and the indirect path switching request is used to instruct the remote terminal to reselect the relay terminal.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the policy control function network element is also used to set a validity condition, which is used to indicate the valid time and / or valid area of ​​the path switching parameters; when the relay terminal does not meet the validity condition, the relay terminal is used to send a proximity service termination indication to the remote terminal, and the proximity service termination indication is used to instruct the remote terminal to reselect the relay terminal.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the policy control function network element is also used to determine terminal reselection rules and / or terminal priorities, and both the terminal reselection rules and terminal priorities are used to assist the remote terminal in selecting a relay terminal; when the remote terminal does not meet the validity conditions, the remote terminal is used to reselect the relay terminal according to the terminal reselection rules and / or terminal priorities, and perform indirect path switching.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the policy control function network element subscribes to the analysis result, the method also includes: collecting proximity service information once every preset time period; determining the analysis result based on the proximity service information; and sending the analysis result to the policy control function network element when the analysis result meets the analysis condition.

[0017] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an indirect path switching device, comprising:

[0018] A proximity service information collection module, configured to collect proximity service information when receiving an analysis request sent by a policy control function network element, wherein the proximity service information includes user behavior habit data, user experience data, and network status data;

[0019] An analysis result determination module, used to determine an analysis result based on the proximity service information, where the analysis result is used to describe the result of statistics and / or prediction of the data in the proximity service information;

[0020] The analysis result sending module is used to send the analysis result to the policy control function network element, and the policy control function network element is used to determine the path switching parameters according to the analysis result, and assist the remote terminal and / or the relay terminal to perform indirect path switching according to the path switching parameters.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the proximity service information collection module is used to collect proximity service information for at least one of a direct discovery naming management function network element, an access and mobility management function network element, a user terminal with proximity service function, an application function entity, and an operation and maintenance management entity.

[0022] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the user's behavioral habit data includes at least one of user identification, application identification, Internet Protocol address triplet, single network slice selection auxiliary information, data network name, relay service code, time of proximity service use, location of proximity service use, traffic characteristic information, and traffic throughput information; the network status data includes at least one of service quality parameters, short-range direct communication interface service quality parameters, and short-range direct communication interface signal strength.

[0023] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the path switching parameter includes at least one of a user information identifier, a default target layer 2 identifier, and relay offloading indication information.

[0024] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the analysis result is used to describe the result of predicting the data in the proximity service information, the analysis result includes the prediction confidence of the prediction of the proximity service information.

[0025] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the policy control function network element is also used to set a validity condition, which is used to indicate the valid time and / or valid area of ​​the path switching parameters; when the relay terminal does not meet the validity condition, the relay terminal is used to send an indirect path switching request to the remote terminal, and the indirect path switching request is used to instruct the remote terminal to reselect the relay terminal.

[0026] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the policy control function network element is also used to set a validity condition, which is used to indicate the valid time and / or valid area of ​​the path switching parameters; when the relay terminal does not meet the validity condition, the relay terminal is used to send a proximity service termination indication to the remote terminal, and the proximity service termination indication is used to instruct the remote terminal to reselect the relay terminal.

[0027] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the policy control function network element is also used to determine terminal reselection rules and / or terminal priorities, and both the terminal reselection rules and terminal priorities are used to assist the remote terminal in selecting a relay terminal; when the remote terminal does not meet the validity conditions, the remote terminal is used to reselect the relay terminal according to the terminal reselection rules and / or terminal priorities, and perform indirect path switching.

[0028] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the policy control function network element subscribes to the analysis result, the device further includes:

[0029] The subscription analysis module is used to collect proximity service information once every preset time period; determine the analysis result according to the proximity service information; and send the analysis result to the policy control function network element when the analysis result meets the analysis condition.

[0030] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, comprising: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to execute the above-mentioned indirect path switching method by executing the executable instructions.

[0031] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the above-mentioned indirect path switching method is implemented.

[0032] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product or a computer program is provided, the computer program product or the computer program including computer instructions, the computer instructions being stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor of a computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor executes the computer instructions, so that the computer device executes the indirect path switching method provided in various optional ways in any embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] The technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can determine the indirect path switching parameters by predicting the neighboring service information including the user's behavior habit data, user experience data and network status data. Therefore, the present disclosure can make an indirect path switching instruction to the remote terminal and / or relay terminal in advance, so that it can autonomously perform the indirect path switching in advance, thereby improving the flexibility of the indirect path switching and ensuring the continuity and reliability of the service. In addition, the present disclosure can take into account the user's behavior habits and real-time changing factors such as the network status when determining the path switching parameters, which can further improve resource utilization and thus enhance the user experience.

[0034] It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] The accompanying drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, and together with the specification are used to explain the principles of the present disclosure. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and for ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without creative work.

[0036] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a system architecture in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 2 A flow chart of an indirect path switching method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0038] Figure 3 A flow chart of a method for returning proximity service information in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0039] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing a NWDAF network element collecting proximity service information in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 5 Another indirect path switching method flow chart in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0041] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of an indirect path switching device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0042] Figure 7 A structural block diagram of an electronic device in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, example embodiments can be implemented in a variety of forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure will be more comprehensive and complete and to fully convey the concepts of the example embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0044] In addition, the accompanying drawings are only schematic illustrations of the present disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in the figures represent the same or similar parts, and their repeated description will be omitted. Some of the block diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings are functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically or logically independent entities. These functional entities can be implemented in software form, or implemented in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or implemented in different networks and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0045] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing an exemplary system architecture that can be applied to an indirect path switching method or an indirect path switching device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0046] like Figure 1 As shown, the system architecture 100 may include a PCF network element 101 , an NWDAF (Network Data Analytics Function) network element 102 , a remote terminal 103 and a relay terminal 104 .

[0047] Exemplarily, the PCF network element 101 can communicate with the NWDAF network element 102. Furthermore, the NWDAF network element 102 can communicate with the remote terminal 103 and the relay terminal 104 respectively. In addition, the remote terminal 103 and the relay terminal 104 can be connected via an indirect path.

[0048] The PCF network element 101 may send an analysis request to the NWDAF network element 102. When the NWDAF network element 102 receives the analysis request, it may collect proximity service information, which includes user behavior habit data, user experience data, and network status data.

[0049] Then, the NWDAF network element 102 may determine an analysis result according to the proximity service information, where the analysis result is used to describe a result of statistics and / or prediction of the data in the proximity service information, and send the analysis result to the PCF network element 101 .

[0050] Finally, the PCF network element 101 may be used to determine a path switching parameter according to the analysis result, and assist the remote terminal 103 and / or the relay terminal 104 in performing an indirect path switching according to the path switching parameter.

[0051] The disclosed embodiment does not limit the types of the remote terminal 103 and the relay terminal 104. For example, the remote terminal 103 and the relay terminal 104 can be various electronic devices, including but not limited to smart phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, desktop computers, wearable devices, augmented reality devices, virtual reality devices, etc.

[0052] Those skilled in the art will know that Figure 1 The number of PCF network elements 101, NWDAF network elements 102, remote terminals 103 and relay terminals 104 is only illustrative, and any number of PCF network elements 101, NWDAF network elements 102, remote terminals 103 and relay terminals 104 may be provided according to actual needs. This is not limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0053] The present exemplary implementation is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0054] First, an indirect path switching method is provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, and the method can be executed by any NWDAF network element.

[0055] Figure 2 A flow chart of an indirect path switching method in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown as follows: Figure 2 As shown, the indirect path switching method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure includes the following steps S202 to S206.

[0056] S202, when receiving the analysis request sent by the PCF network element, collecting proximity service information, where the proximity service information includes user behavior habit data, user experience data, and network status data.

[0057] In some embodiments, the analysis request may be used to instruct the NWDAF network element to collect statistics and predict proximity service information. The disclosed embodiments do not limit the information included in the analysis request. For example, the analysis request may include Analytics ID (Analytics Identity) and filtering information.

[0058] In an exemplary embodiment, the analysis identification may include "Load level information", "Network Performance", etc. In addition, the analysis identification may also include user experience, etc.

[0059] In addition, the filtering information may include, for example, zero to multiple DNN (Date Network Name) information, S-NSSAI (Single-Network Slice Selection Assistance Information), and relay services (Relay Service).

[0060] It should be noted that the analysis request may not include filtering information.

[0061] In an exemplary embodiment, the PCF network element may add a subscription condition to the analysis request to subscribe to the analysis identifier, so that when the information corresponding to the corresponding analysis identifier changes, the PCF network element can be notified in time.

[0062] In some embodiments, collecting proximity service information may include: collecting proximity service information for at least one of a DDNMF (Direct Discovery Name Management Function) network element, an AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) network element, a user terminal with proximity service function, an AF (Application Function) entity, and an OAM (Operation Administration and Maintenance) entity.

[0063] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present disclosure collect ProSe (proximity service) information from network elements such as DDNMF network elements, AMF network elements, and network entities such as user terminals, AF entities, and OAM entities with proximity service functions. Therefore, when performing indirect path switching, the present disclosure can consider the corresponding proximity service information in each network element that can provide proximity service and the network entity. Therefore, the present disclosure can improve the flexibility and reliability of indirect path switching and further ensure the continuity and reliability of services.

[0064] In some embodiments, the user's behavioral habit data may include at least one of user identification, application identification, IP (Internet Protocol) address triplet, single network slice selection auxiliary information, data network name, relay service code, time of proximity service use, location of proximity service use, traffic characteristic information, and traffic throughput information.

[0065] In an exemplary embodiment, the user identifier in the user's behavior habit data may be a user ID or a user group ID, wherein any user ID corresponds to a remote terminal or a relay terminal, and any user group ID may correspond to multiple remote terminals and / or relay terminals. The application identifier may be an application ID, and any application identifier corresponds to an application.

[0066] In an exemplary embodiment, the IP address triplet may include a source IP address, a source port, a destination IP address, a destination port, and a transport layer protocol. Single network slice selection auxiliary information, a data network name may be used to represent a slice S-NSSAI. The data network name may be used to represent the DNN information provided by the corresponding application.

[0067] In an exemplary embodiment, the relay service code is used to describe the service provided by the relay terminal. The time of proximity service use may include at least one of the start time of the proximity service, the end time of the proximity service, and the duration of the proximity service. The traffic characteristic information is used to describe the traffic characteristics of the remote terminal and / or the relay terminal corresponding to the above user identifier. The traffic throughput information is used to describe the traffic throughput of the remote terminal and / or the relay terminal corresponding to the above user identifier.

[0068] Exemplarily, the embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the content of the user experience data. Exemplarily, the user experience data may be used to describe the experience of a corresponding remote terminal in performing a corresponding service through a certain relay terminal.

[0069] In some embodiments, the network status data may include at least one of a quality of service parameter, a short-range direct communication interface quality of service parameter, and a short-range direct communication interface signal strength.

[0070] In an exemplary embodiment, the service quality parameter may be a QoS (Quality of Service) parameter. The short-distance direct communication interface service quality parameter may be a PC5 QoS parameter. The short-distance direct communication interface signal strength may be a PC5 signal strength.

[0071] The embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the specific contents of the service quality parameter, the short-distance direct communication interface service quality parameter, and the short-distance direct communication interface signal strength.

[0072] S204: Determine an analysis result according to the proximity service information, where the analysis result is used to describe a result of statistics and / or prediction of data in the proximity service information.

[0073] In some embodiments, when the proximity service information includes at least one of user identification, application identification, IP (Internet Protocol) address triplet, single network slice selection auxiliary information, data network name, relay service code, time of proximity service use, location of proximity service use, traffic characteristic information, and traffic throughput information, the analysis result may include corresponding statistical and / or predictive results of the above data.

[0074] In some embodiments, when the proximity service information includes at least one of a service quality parameter, a short-range direct communication interface service quality parameter, and a short-range direct communication interface signal strength, the analysis result may include corresponding statistical and / or prediction results for each of the above data.

[0075] In some embodiments, when the analysis result is used to describe the result of predicting the data in the proximity service information, the analysis result includes the prediction confidence of the prediction of the proximity service information.

[0076] The disclosed embodiment does not limit the value of the prediction confidence. Exemplarily, the prediction confidence can be determined based on experience or application scenarios.

[0077] In some embodiments, input data and output data of a NWDAF network element may be as shown in Table 1.

[0078] Table 1

[0079]

[0080]

[0081] In Table 1, the input data of the NWDAF network element may be the proximity service information collected above. Among them, the user ID or user group ID is the user identifier. The application ID is the application identifier. The IP triplet is the IP address triplet. The slice S-NSSAI is the single network slice selection auxiliary information. The DNN is the data network name. The Relay Service Code is the relay service code. The location used by the ProSe is the location used by the proximity service.

[0082] The ProSe usage time is the usage time of the proximity service. The user experience is the user experience data. The QoS parameter is the service quality parameter. The PC5 QoS parameter is the short-distance direct communication interface service quality parameter. The PC5 signal strength is the short-distance direct communication interface signal strength. The traffic characteristics are the traffic characteristics information. The traffic throughput is the traffic throughput information.

[0083] In addition, in Table 1, the output data of the NWDAF network element is the result of statistics and / or prediction of the above input data. In addition, when the output information includes the result of predictive analysis of the input information, the output information may also include prediction confidence.

[0084] The disclosed embodiment can determine the analysis result by counting and predicting the neighboring service information. Therefore, the disclosed embodiment can initiate the switching of the indirect path in advance according to the prediction of the neighboring service information before the current indirect path communication effect is poor, thereby improving the flexibility of the indirect path switching and effectively ensuring the continuity and reliability of the service.

[0085] Furthermore, the disclosed embodiments can analyze the proximity service information in real time to determine the analysis results, thereby preventing the PCF network element from determining the path switching parameters based only on relatively fixed information. In addition, the proximity service information including user behavior habit data, user experience data, and network status data can be fully collected. Therefore, when determining the path switching parameters, the PCF network element can take into account the user's behavior habits and network status and other real-time changing factors, thereby ensuring the reasonable arrangement of network resources.

[0086] S206: Send the analysis result to the PCF network element. The PCF network element is used to determine a path switching parameter according to the analysis result, and assist the remote terminal and / or the relay terminal to perform indirect path switching according to the path switching parameter.

[0087] In some embodiments, the path switching parameter includes at least one of a user information identifier, a default target layer 2 identifier, and relay offloading indication information.

[0088] In an exemplary embodiment, the user information identifier may be a User Information ID, the default target layer 2 identifier may be a Default Destination Layer-2 ID, and the relay offload indication information may be a ProSe Layer-3 UE-to-Network Relay Offload indication.

[0089] It should be noted that the number of the default target layer 2 identifier can be one or more.

[0090] The disclosed embodiments do not limit the method used by the PCF network element to determine the above-mentioned user information identifier, default target layer 2 identifier, and relay unloading indication information through the analysis result.

[0091] In a possible implementation, after the PCF network element determines the user information identifier, default target layer 2 identifier and relay unloading indication information, the user information identifier, default target layer 2 identifier and relay unloading indication information can be separately sent to the corresponding remote terminal and / or relay terminal.

[0092] Alternatively, the user information identifier, default target layer 2 identifier and relay unloading indication information can be included in the proximity service rule (ProSe Policy). In this case, the PCF network element can send the user information identifier, default target layer 2 identifier and relay unloading indication information to the corresponding remote terminal and / or relay terminal by issuing the proximity service rule.

[0093] In an exemplary embodiment, the PCF network element may send the path switching parameter to the remote terminal and / or the relay terminal. The remote terminal may determine the indirect path to be switched based on the path switching parameter, thereby realizing the reselection of the relay terminal. In addition, the relay terminal may determine the indirect path to be switched based on the path switching parameter, thereby enabling the remote terminal to connect to the relay terminal that can ensure service continuity.

[0094] In some embodiments, the PCF network element is further used to set a validity condition, where the validity condition is used to indicate a valid time and / or valid area of ​​the path switching parameter.

[0095] In this case, when the relay terminal does not meet the validity condition, the relay terminal is used to send an indirect path switching request to the remote terminal, and the indirect path switching request is used to instruct the remote terminal to reselect the relay terminal.

[0096] In a possible implementation, the PCF network element may send indirect path switching parameters such as User Information ID, Default Destination Layer-2 ID(s), ProSe Layer-3 UE-to-Network Relay Offload indication to the relay terminal, and may set validity conditions for the above-mentioned indirect path switching parameters. The validity conditions include validity time and validity location. The indirect path switching parameters are valid only when the validity conditions are met.

[0097] Exemplarily, when the relay terminal is not in the time period and area specified by the validity condition, the relay terminal may initiate an indirect path switching request to enable the remote terminal to reselect the relay terminal and perform indirect path switching.

[0098] In a possible implementation manner, when the relay terminal does not meet the validity condition, the relay terminal is used to send a proximity service termination indication to the remote terminal, where the proximity service termination indication is used to instruct the remote terminal to reselect the relay terminal.

[0099] Exemplarily, when the relay terminal is not in the time period and area specified by the validity condition, the relay terminal may initiate a proximity service termination indication. After the remote terminal receives the proximity service termination indication, the remote terminal may autonomously reselect the relay terminal according to the current situation.

[0100] In some embodiments, the PCF network element is further used to determine a terminal reselection rule and / or a terminal priority, and both the terminal reselection rule and the terminal priority are used to assist the remote terminal in selecting a relay terminal.

[0101] In an exemplary embodiment, the terminal reselection rule and / or terminal priority may be sent to the corresponding remote terminal and / or relay terminal separately. Alternatively, the terminal reselection rule and / or terminal priority may be included in URSP (UERoute Selection Policy, user route selection policy) information. At this time, the PCF network element may send the terminal reselection rule and / or terminal priority to the corresponding remote terminal and / or relay terminal through URSP information.

[0102] In this case, when the remote terminal does not meet the validity condition, the remote terminal is used to reselect a relay terminal according to the terminal reselection rule and / or terminal priority, and perform indirect path switching.

[0103] Exemplarily, the terminal reselection rule is used to describe rule information for a remote terminal to reselect a relay terminal. The terminal priority is used to describe priority information of relay terminals to which each remote terminal can connect.

[0104] In a possible implementation manner, the PCF network element may send indirect path switching parameters, validity conditions, and terminal reselection rules and / or terminal priorities to the remote terminal.

[0105] Exemplarily, when the remote terminal is not in the time period and area specified by the validity condition, the remote terminal reselects the relay terminal with reference to the terminal reselection rule and / or terminal priority, and performs indirect path switching. Alternatively, the remote terminal may also reselect the relay terminal through a discovery process.

[0106] It should be noted that the PCF network element can make advance adjustments to the indirect path switching between the remote terminal and the relay terminal in the ProSe service based on the analysis of the user's behavior habits, user experience and network status, and reasonably utilize the resources provided by the relay terminal by pre-selecting a suitable relay terminal, thereby improving the user experience and improving the resource utilization of the network. In addition, the PCF network element can make indirect path switching instructions to the remote terminal and / or relay terminal in advance based on the analysis of the user's behavior habits, user experience and network status, so that it can autonomously perform indirect path switching in advance, thereby ensuring business continuity and improving user experience and resource utilization.

[0107] In some embodiments, when the PCF network element subscribes to the analysis result, the method also includes: collecting proximity service information once every preset time period; determining the analysis result based on the proximity service information; and sending the analysis result to the PCF network element once when the analysis result meets the analysis condition.

[0108] In an exemplary embodiment, when the PCF network element subscribes to the analysis result, the analysis request includes a subscription condition. The subscription condition may include the above analysis condition. The embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit the analysis condition. Exemplarily, the analysis condition is limited based on experience or application scenario.

[0109] The embodiment of the disclosure has low modification cost for PCF network elements, NWDAF network elements, relay terminals, and remote terminals, is easy to implement, and reduces the steps of initial deployment of ProSe-related policies in PCF network elements, reducing the overhead incurred by operators during deployment. In addition, the disclosure controls users who can provide ProSe services in the network through NWDAF network elements, helping operators to reasonably use network resources and improve network resource utilization.

[0110] Furthermore, the disclosed embodiment is the application of network intelligence in ProSe-related strategies, providing exclusive data analysis for remote terminals and relay terminals, ensuring business continuity, and effectively improving user experience.

[0111] In some embodiments, the PCF network element can subscribe to a new Analytics ID from the NWDAF network element. And based on the prediction information contained in the analysis results returned by the NWDAF network element, it can be learned that the current relay terminal is about to generate a huge amount of data or will enter an area with excessive network load or poor coverage. At this time, the PCF network element can send an indirect path switching instruction to the current remote terminal or relay terminal, so that the remote terminal can switch the indirect path before the relay terminal is unable to provide services for it, thereby improving the flexibility of indirect path switching and effectively ensuring business continuity and reliability.

[0112] In some embodiments, the PCF network element can subscribe to a new Analytics ID from the NWDAF network element. And based on the prediction results contained in the analysis results returned by the NWDAF network element, it can be known that there are users with less communication data volume, good network status, and strong PC5 signals in a specified area and within a specified time. These users are sent to the remote terminal and / or relay terminal as target users through proximity service rules, URSP information, etc., to facilitate the discovery of ProSe services by both the remote terminal and the relay terminal. Exemplarily, when an indirect path switching is required, the relay terminal can be reselected from the above-mentioned target users.

[0113] The method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure can determine the indirect path switching parameters by predicting the neighboring service information including the user's behavior habit data, user experience data and network status data. Therefore, the present disclosure can make an indirect path switching instruction to the remote terminal and / or relay terminal in advance, so that it can autonomously perform the indirect path switching in advance, thereby improving the flexibility of the indirect path switching and ensuring the continuity and reliability of the service. In addition, the present disclosure can take into account the user's behavior habits and real-time changing factors such as the network status when determining the path switching parameters, which can further improve resource utilization and thus enhance the user experience.

[0114] In an exemplary embodiment, a flowchart of a method for an NWDAF network element to return proximity service information to a PCF network element may be as follows: Figure 3 The method for returning proximity service information may include the following steps S302 to S310.

[0115] S302: Receive an analysis request sent by a PCF network element.

[0116] S304: Collect proximity service information according to the analysis request.

[0117] S306: Determine an analysis result according to the proximity service information.

[0118] S308, determining whether the analysis result meets the analysis condition. If yes, executing S310. If no, executing S304 to S308 repeatedly after each preset time period.

[0119] S310: Send the analysis result to the PCF network element.

[0120] In some embodiments, a schematic diagram of a NWDAF network element collecting proximity service information may be as follows: Figure 4 shown.

[0121] exist Figure 4In the process, after receiving the analysis request, the NWDAF network element can collect neighboring service information from DDNMF network elements, AMF network elements and other network elements.

[0122] The user terminal may be a user terminal with a proximity service function. Exemplarily, the number of the user terminal is greater than or equal to 1, and the user terminal may be a remote terminal and a relay terminal.

[0123] In addition, the NWDAF network element may also collect proximity service information from network entities such as user terminals, AF entities, and OAM entities.

[0124] In an exemplary embodiment, a flow chart of an indirect path switching method may be as follows: Figure 5 The method may include the following steps S502 to S516.

[0125] S502: Send an analysis request to the NWDAF network element.

[0126] Exemplarily, the analysis request is used to request an analysis identifier related to ProSe.

[0127] S504, collect proximity service information from NF network elements, OAM entities, AF entities, and terminals.

[0128] Exemplarily, the NF network element is a DDNMF network element, an AMF network element, etc. The terminal may be a user terminal with a proximity service function.

[0129] S506: Analyze the proximity service information to obtain an analysis result.

[0130] S508: Return the analysis result to the PCF network element.

[0131] S510, determining path switching parameters according to the analysis result.

[0132] S512, the PCF network element instructs the relay terminal to perform indirect path switching with the remote terminal, and updates path switching parameters.

[0133] S514, the relay terminal or the remote terminal performs indirect path switching.

[0134] S516, the remote terminal re-performs the discovery process or selects a new relay terminal according to the terminal reselection rule and / or terminal priority issued by the PCF network element.

[0135] It should be noted that the implementation method of each step in S502 to S516 can refer to the relevant description in the above S202 to S206, which will not be repeated here.

[0136] Based on the same inventive concept, the present disclosure also provides an indirect path switching device, as described in the following embodiments. Since the principle of solving the problem in the device embodiment is similar to that in the above method embodiment, the implementation of the device embodiment can refer to the implementation of the above method embodiment, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0137] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of an indirect path switching device in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 6 As shown, the device comprises:

[0138] The proximity service information collection module 601 is used to collect proximity service information when receiving an analysis request sent by the policy control function network element. The proximity service information includes user behavior habit data, user experience data and network status data;

[0139] An analysis result determination module 602 is used to determine an analysis result based on the proximity service information, where the analysis result is used to describe the result of statistics and / or prediction of the data in the proximity service information;

[0140] The analysis result sending module 603 is used to send the analysis result to the policy control function network element, which is used to determine the path switching parameters based on the analysis result and assist the remote terminal and / or relay terminal to perform indirect path switching based on the path switching parameters.

[0141] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the proximity service information collection module 601 is used to collect proximity service information for at least one of a direct discovery naming management function network element, an access and mobility management function network element, a user terminal with proximity service function, an application function entity, and an operation and maintenance management entity.

[0142] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the user's behavioral habit data includes at least one of user identification, application identification, Internet Protocol address triplet, single network slice selection auxiliary information, data network name, relay service code, time of proximity service use, location of proximity service use, traffic characteristic information, and traffic throughput information; the network status data includes at least one of service quality parameters, short-range direct communication interface service quality parameters, and short-range direct communication interface signal strength.

[0143] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the path switching parameter includes at least one of a user information identifier, a default target layer 2 identifier, and relay offloading indication information.

[0144] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the analysis result is used to describe the result of predicting the data in the proximity service information, the analysis result includes the prediction confidence of the prediction of the proximity service information.

[0145] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the policy control function network element is also used to set a validity condition, which is used to indicate the valid time and / or valid area of ​​the path switching parameters; when the relay terminal does not meet the validity condition, the relay terminal is used to send an indirect path switching request to the remote terminal, and the indirect path switching request is used to instruct the remote terminal to reselect the relay terminal.

[0146] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the policy control function network element is also used to set a validity condition, which is used to indicate the valid time and / or valid area of ​​the path switching parameters; when the relay terminal does not meet the validity condition, the relay terminal is used to send a proximity service termination indication to the remote terminal, and the proximity service termination indication is used to instruct the remote terminal to reselect the relay terminal.

[0147] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the policy control function network element is also used to determine terminal reselection rules and / or terminal priorities, and both the terminal reselection rules and terminal priorities are used to assist the remote terminal in selecting a relay terminal; when the remote terminal does not meet the validity conditions, the remote terminal is used to reselect the relay terminal according to the terminal reselection rules and / or terminal priorities, and perform indirect path switching.

[0148] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the policy control function network element subscribes to the analysis result, the device further includes:

[0149] The subscription analysis module is used to collect proximity service information once every preset time period; determine the analysis result according to the proximity service information; and send the analysis result to the policy control function network element when the analysis result meets the analysis condition.

[0150] The device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure can determine the indirect path switching parameters by predicting the neighboring service information including the user's behavior habit data, user experience data and network status data. Therefore, the present disclosure can make an indirect path switching instruction to the remote terminal and / or relay terminal in advance, so that it can autonomously perform the indirect path switching in advance, thereby improving the flexibility of the indirect path switching and ensuring the continuity and reliability of the service. In addition, the present disclosure can take into account the user's behavior habits and real-time changing factors such as the network status when determining the path switching parameters, which can further improve resource utilization and thus enhance the user experience.

[0151] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented as systems, methods or program products. Therefore, various aspects of the present disclosure may be specifically implemented in the following forms, namely: complete hardware implementation, complete software implementation (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or a combination of hardware and software, which may be collectively referred to herein as "circuits", "modules" or "systems".

[0152] Refer to the following Figure 7 An electronic device 700 according to this embodiment of the present disclosure is described. Figure 7 The electronic device 700 shown is merely an example and should not bring any limitation to the functions and scope of use of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0153] like Figure 7 As shown, the electronic device 700 is in the form of a general computing device. The components of the electronic device 700 may include but are not limited to: at least one processing unit 710, at least one storage unit 720, and a bus 730 connecting different system components (including the storage unit 720 and the processing unit 710).

[0154] The storage unit stores program code, which can be executed by the processing unit 710, so that the processing unit 710 executes the steps according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure described in the above “Specific Implementation Methods” section of this specification.

[0155] The storage unit 720 may include a readable medium in the form of a volatile storage unit, such as a random access storage unit (RAM) 7201 and / or a cache storage unit 7202 , and may further include a read-only storage unit (ROM) 7203 .

[0156] The storage unit 720 may also include a program / utility 7204 having a set (at least one) of program modules 7205, such program modules 7205 including but not limited to: an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data, each of which or some combination may include an implementation of a network environment.

[0157] Bus 730 may represent one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory unit bus or memory unit controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, a processing unit, or a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures.

[0158] The electronic device 700 may also communicate with one or more external devices 740 (e.g., keyboards, pointing devices, Bluetooth devices, etc.), may also communicate with one or more devices that enable a user to interact with the electronic device 700, and / or communicate with any device that enables the electronic device 700 to communicate with one or more other computing devices (e.g., routers, modems, etc.). Such communication may be performed via an input / output (I / O) interface 750. Furthermore, the electronic device 700 may also communicate with one or more networks (e.g., local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and / or public networks, such as the Internet) via a network adapter 760. As shown, the network adapter 760 communicates with other modules of the electronic device 700 via a bus 730. It should be understood that, although not shown in the figure, other hardware and / or software modules may be used in conjunction with the electronic device 700, including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data backup storage systems, etc.

[0159] Through the description of the above implementation, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the example implementation described here can be implemented by software, or by software combined with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solution according to the implementation of the present disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (which can be a CD-ROM, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to enable a computing device (which can be a personal computer, a server, a terminal device, or a network device, etc.) to execute the method according to the implementation of the present disclosure.

[0160] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, which may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. A program product capable of implementing the above-mentioned method of the present disclosure is stored thereon. In some possible implementations, various aspects of the present disclosure may also be implemented in the form of a program product, which includes a program code, and when the program product is run on a terminal device, the program code is used to enable the terminal device to execute the steps according to various exemplary implementations of the present disclosure described in the above “Specific Implementation Methods” section of this specification.

[0161] In particular, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the process described above with reference to the flowchart may be implemented as a computer program product, which includes: a computer program, which implements the above indirect path switching method when executed by a processor.

[0162] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, which may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. Exemplarily, a program product capable of implementing the above-mentioned method of the present disclosure is stored on the computer-readable storage medium. In some possible implementations, various aspects of the present disclosure may also be implemented in the form of a program product, which includes a program code, and when the program product is run on a terminal device, the program code is used to enable the terminal device to execute the steps described in the above “Exemplary Method” section of this specification according to various exemplary implementations of the present disclosure.

[0163] More specific examples of computer-readable storage media in the present disclosure may include, but are not limited to, an electrical connection having one or more conductors, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0164] In the present disclosure, a computer readable storage medium may include a data signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, wherein a readable program code is carried. Such propagated data signals may take a variety of forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination of the above. A readable signal medium may also be any readable medium other than a readable storage medium, which may send, propagate, or transmit a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0165] Alternatively, the program code contained on the computer-readable storage medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wired, optical cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0166] In a specific implementation, the program code for performing the operation of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as "C" or similar programming languages. The program code may be executed entirely on the user computing device, partially on the user device, as a separate software package, partially on the user computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In the case of a remote computing device, the remote computing device may be connected to the user computing device through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or may be connected to an external computing device (e.g., using an Internet service provider to connect through the Internet).

[0167] It should be noted that, although several modules or units of the device for action execution are mentioned in the above detailed description, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be embodied in one module or unit. On the contrary, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided into multiple modules or units to be embodied.

[0168] In addition, although the steps of the method in the present disclosure are described in a specific order in the drawings, this does not require or imply that the steps must be performed in this specific order, or that all the steps shown must be performed to achieve the desired results. Additionally or alternatively, some steps may be omitted, multiple steps may be combined into one step, and / or one step may be decomposed into multiple steps, etc.

[0169] Through the description of the above implementation, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the example implementation described here can be implemented by software, or by software combined with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solution according to the implementation of the present disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (which can be a CD-ROM, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to enable a computing device (which can be a personal computer, a server, a mobile terminal, or a network device, etc.) to execute the method according to the implementation of the present disclosure.

[0170] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present disclosure after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. The present disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the present disclosure, which follow the general principles of the present disclosure and include common knowledge or customary technical means in the art that are not disclosed in the present disclosure. The description and examples are to be regarded as exemplary only, and the true scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An indirect path switching method, characterized in that: include: When receiving an analysis request sent by the policy control function network element, collecting proximity service information, the proximity service information including user behavior habit data, user experience data and network status data; Determine an analysis result according to the proximity service information, where the analysis result is used to describe a result of statistics and / or prediction of data in the proximity service information; The analysis result is sent to the policy control function network element, and the policy control function network element is used to determine the path switching parameter according to the analysis result, and assist the remote terminal and / or the relay terminal to perform indirect path switching according to the path switching parameter.

2. The indirect path switching method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The collecting of proximity service information includes: Proximity service information is collected for at least one of a direct discovery naming management function network element, an access and mobility management function network element, a user terminal with a proximity service function, an application function entity, and an operation and maintenance management entity.

3. The indirect path switching method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The user's behavior habit data includes at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier, an Internet Protocol address triplet, single network slice selection auxiliary information, a data network name, a relay service code, a time when proximity services are used, a location where proximity services are used, traffic feature information, and traffic throughput information; The network status data includes at least one of a service quality parameter, a short-distance direct communication interface service quality parameter, and a short-distance direct communication interface signal strength.

4. The indirect path switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The path switching parameter includes at least one of a user information identifier, a default target layer 2 identifier, and relay unloading indication information.

5. The indirect path switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: When the analysis result is used to describe a result of predicting data in the proximity service information, the analysis result includes a prediction confidence of the prediction of the proximity service information.

6. The indirect path switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The policy control function network element is further used to set a validity condition, where the validity condition is used to indicate a valid time or valid area of ​​the path switching parameter; When the relay terminal does not meet the validity condition, the relay terminal is used to send an indirect path switching request to the remote terminal, where the indirect path switching request is used to instruct the remote terminal to reselect the relay terminal.

7. The indirect path switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The policy control function network element is further used to set a validity condition, where the validity condition is used to indicate a valid time or valid area of ​​the path switching parameter; When the relay terminal does not meet the validity condition, the relay terminal is used to send a proximity service termination indication to the remote terminal, where the proximity service termination indication is used to instruct the remote terminal to reselect the relay terminal.

8. The indirect path switching method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The policy control function network element is further used to determine a terminal reselection rule and / or a terminal priority, wherein the terminal reselection rule and the terminal priority are both used to assist the remote terminal in selecting a relay terminal; When the remote terminal does not meet the validity condition, the remote terminal is used to reselect a relay terminal according to the terminal reselection rule and / or terminal priority, and perform indirect path switching.

9. The indirect path switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: When the policy control function network element subscribes to the analysis result, the method further includes: The proximity service information is collected once every preset time period; Determine an analysis result according to the proximity service information; When the analysis result meets the analysis condition, the analysis result is sent to the policy control function network element.

10. An indirect path switching device, characterized in that: include: A proximity service information collection module, configured to collect proximity service information when receiving an analysis request sent by a policy control function network element, wherein the proximity service information includes user behavior habit data, user experience data, and network status data; An analysis result determination module, used to determine an analysis result according to the proximity service information, wherein the analysis result is used to describe a result of statistics and / or prediction of data in the proximity service information; The analysis result sending module is used to send the analysis result to the policy control function network element, and the policy control function network element is used to determine the path switching parameter according to the analysis result, and assist the remote terminal and / or relay terminal to perform indirect path switching according to the path switching parameter.

11. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: processor; as well as A memory, configured to store executable instructions of the processor; The processor is configured to execute the indirect path switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 by executing the executable instructions.

12. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the indirect path switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is implemented.

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