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

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an indirect path switching method and device, electronic equipment and storage medium, and relates to the technical field of mobile communication. The method comprises: collecting proximity service information when receiving an analysis request, the proximity service information comprising user behavior habit data, user experience data and network state data; determining an analysis result according to the proximity service information, the analysis result describing the result of statistics and / or prediction on the data in the proximity service information; and sending the analysis result to a PCF network element, the PCF network element being configured to determine path switching parameters based on the analysis result to assist a remote terminal and / or a relay terminal in indirect path switching. The present disclosure can predict the proximity service information comprising user behavior habit data, user experience data and network state data, and make an indication of indirect path switching to the remote terminal and / or the relay terminal in advance, thereby improving the flexibility of indirect path switching and ensuring the continuity and reliability of services.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of mobile communication technology, and in particular to an indirect path switching method, apparatus, electronic device and storage medium. Background Technology

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

[0003] In related technologies, the remote terminal can monitor the signal strength of the PC5 (short-range direct communication interface). When the signal strength of the PC5 interface fails to meet preset standards and thresholds, the remote terminal will perform indirect path switching to reselect a relay terminal.

[0004] However, relying solely on monitoring the signal strength of the PC5 interface to switch indirect paths results in poor flexibility and still cannot effectively guarantee the continuity and reliability of services.

[0005] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background section above is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of this disclosure, and therefore may include information that does not constitute prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This disclosure provides an indirect path switching method, apparatus, electronic device, and storage medium, which at least to some extent overcomes the problem that indirect path switching in related technologies has poor flexibility and cannot effectively guarantee the continuity and reliability of services.

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

[0008] According to one aspect 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 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 the results of statistical analysis and / or prediction of the data in the proximity service information; and sending the analysis result to the policy control function network element, the policy control function network element being used to determine path switching parameters based on the analysis result, and assisting remote terminals and / or relay terminals in performing indirect path switching using the path switching parameters.

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

[0010] In some embodiments of this disclosure, user behavior data includes at least one of user identifier, application identifier, Internet Protocol address triplet, single network slice selection assistance information, data network name, relay service code, time of use of nearby services, location of use of nearby services, traffic characteristic information, and traffic throughput information; network status data includes at least one of quality of service parameters, short-range direct communication interface quality of service parameters, and short-range direct communication interface signal strength.

[0011] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the path switching parameters include at least one of user information identifier, default target layer 2 identifier, and relay unloading indication information.

[0012] In some embodiments of this disclosure, when the analysis results are used to describe the results of predicting data in the neighboring service information, the analysis results include the prediction confidence level of the neighboring service information.

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

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

[0015] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the policy control function network element is also used to determine the reselection terminal rules and / or terminal priority. Both the reselection terminal rules and terminal priority are used to assist the remote terminal in selecting the relay terminal. When the remote terminal does not meet the valid conditions, the remote terminal is used to reselect the relay terminal according to the reselection terminal rules and / or terminal priority, and to perform indirect path switching.

[0016] In some embodiments of this disclosure, when the policy control function network element subscribes to the analysis results, the method further includes: collecting neighboring service information once every preset time interval; determining the analysis results based on the neighboring service information; and sending the analysis results to the policy control function network element once when the analysis results meet the analysis conditions.

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

[0018] The neighborhood service information collection module is used to collect neighborhood service information when it receives an analysis request from a policy control function network element. The neighborhood service information includes user behavior data, user experience data, and network status data.

[0019] The analysis result determination module is used to determine the analysis results based on the proximity service information. The analysis results are used to describe the results of statistical and / or predictive analysis of the data in the proximity service information.

[0020] The analysis result sending module is used to send the analysis results to the policy control function network element. The policy control function network element is used to determine the path switching parameters based on the analysis results, and to assist remote terminals and / or relay terminals in performing indirect path switching based on the path switching parameters.

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

[0022] In some embodiments of this disclosure, user behavior data includes at least one of user identifier, application identifier, Internet Protocol address triplet, single network slice selection assistance information, data network name, relay service code, time of use of nearby services, location of use of nearby services, traffic characteristic information, and traffic throughput information; network status data includes at least one of quality of service parameters, short-range direct communication interface quality of service parameters, and short-range direct communication interface signal strength.

[0023] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the path switching parameters include at least one of user information identifier, default target layer 2 identifier, and relay unloading indication information.

[0024] In some embodiments of this disclosure, when the analysis results are used to describe the results of predicting data in the neighboring service information, the analysis results include the prediction confidence level of the neighboring service information.

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

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

[0027] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the policy control function network element is also used to determine the reselection terminal rules and / or terminal priority. Both the reselection terminal rules and terminal priority are used to assist the remote terminal in selecting the relay terminal. When the remote terminal does not meet the valid conditions, the remote terminal is used to reselect the relay terminal according to the reselection terminal rules and / or terminal priority, and to perform indirect path switching.

[0028] In some embodiments of this disclosure, when the policy control function network element subscribes to the analysis results, the apparatus further includes:

[0029] The subscription analysis module is used to collect neighborhood service information once at a preset time interval; determine the analysis result based on the neighborhood service information; and send the analysis result to the policy control function network element when the analysis result meets the analysis conditions.

[0030] According to another aspect of this 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 perform the aforementioned indirect path switching method by executing the executable instructions.

[0031] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided having a computer program stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, implements the indirect path switching method described above.

[0032] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a computer program product or computer program is provided, comprising computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor of a computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium and executes the computer instructions, causing the computer device to perform the indirect path switching method provided in various alternative embodiments of this disclosure.

[0033] The technical solution provided in this disclosure can determine indirect path switching parameters by predicting neighboring service information, including user behavior data, user experience data, and network status data. Therefore, this disclosure can pre-instruct remote terminals and / or relay terminals to perform indirect path switching, enabling them to autonomously perform indirect path switching in advance, improving the flexibility of indirect path switching and ensuring service continuity and reliability. Furthermore, this disclosure can consider real-time changes in user behavior and network status when determining path switching parameters, further improving resource utilization and thus enhancing the user experience.

[0034] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0035] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort.

[0036] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a system architecture according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown;

[0037] Figure 2 This diagram illustrates a flowchart of an indirect path switching method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 3 This diagram illustrates a method for returning proximity service information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 4 This diagram illustrates an NWDAF network element collecting proximity service information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 5 This diagram illustrates another indirect path switching method in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 6 This diagram illustrates an indirect path switching device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] Figure 7 A structural block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0043] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure will be more comprehensive and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the exemplary 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] Furthermore, the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative of this disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar parts, and therefore repeated descriptions of them will be omitted. Some block diagrams shown in the drawings are functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically or logically independent entities. These functional entities may be implemented in software, in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different network and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

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

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

[0047] For example, the PCF network element 101 can communicate with the NWDAF network element 102. Furthermore, the NWDAF network element 102 can communicate with both the remote terminal 103 and the relay terminal 104. Additionally, the remote terminal 103 and the relay terminal 104 can be connected via an indirect path.

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

[0049] Then, NWDAF network element 102 can determine the analysis results based on the proximity service information. These analysis results describe the results of statistical analysis and / or prediction of the data in the proximity service information. The analysis results are then sent to PCF network element 101.

[0050] Finally, the PCF network element 101 can be used to determine path switching parameters based on the analysis results, and use these path switching parameters to assist the remote terminal 103 and / or relay terminal 104 in performing indirect path switching.

[0051] This disclosure does not limit the types of remote terminal 103 and relay terminal 104. For example, both remote terminal 103 and relay terminal 104 can be various electronic devices, including but not limited to smartphones, tablets, laptops, 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 in the above description is merely illustrative. Depending on actual needs, any number of PCF network elements 101, NWDAF network elements 102, remote terminals 103, and relay terminals 104 can be included. This disclosure does not limit the scope of the embodiments described.

[0053] The following detailed description of this exemplary implementation method is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0054] First, this disclosure provides an indirect path switching method, which can be executed by any NWDAF network element.

[0055] Figure 2 This diagram illustrates a flowchart of an indirect path switching method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as follows: Figure 2 As shown, the indirect path switching method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps S202 to S206.

[0056] S202, when receiving an analysis request sent by a PCF network element, collect neighborhood service information, which includes user behavior data, user experience data, and network status data.

[0057] In some embodiments, the analysis request can be used to instruct NWDAF network elements to perform statistics and predictions on proximity service information. This disclosure does 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 identifier may include "Load level information," "Network Performance," etc. Additionally, the analysis identifier may also include user experience, etc.

[0059] Additionally, the filtering information may include, for example, DNN (Data Network Name) information, S-NSSAI (Single-Network Slice Selection Assistance Information), and zero or more of the Relay Service information.

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

[0061] In an exemplary embodiment, the PCF network element can subscribe to the analysis identifier by adding subscription conditions to the analysis request, so that the PCF network element can be notified in a timely manner when the information corresponding to the analysis identifier changes.

[0062] In some embodiments, collecting proximity service information may include: collecting proximity service information from at least one of the following: DDNMF (Direct Discovery Name Management Function) network elements, AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) network elements, user terminals with proximity service functions, AF (Application Function) entities, and OAM (Operation Administration and Maintenance) entities.

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

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

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

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

[0067] In an exemplary embodiment, the Relay Service Code is used to describe the services provided by the relay terminal. The time used for the neighbor service may include at least one of the start time, end time, and duration of the neighbor service. Traffic characteristic information is used to describe the traffic characteristics of the remote terminal and / or relay terminal corresponding to the aforementioned user identifier. Traffic throughput information is used to describe the traffic throughput of the remote terminal and / or relay terminal corresponding to the aforementioned user identifier.

[0068] For example, this disclosure does not limit the content of the user experience data. For example, the user experience data can be used to describe the experience of the corresponding remote terminal performing corresponding services through a relay terminal.

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

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

[0071] This disclosure does not limit the specific content of the service quality parameters, short-range direct communication interface service quality parameters, and short-range direct communication interface signal strength.

[0072] S204, Determine the analysis results based on the proximity service information, which are used to describe the results of statistical and / or predictive analysis of the data in the proximity service information.

[0073] In some embodiments, when the proximity service information includes at least one of the following: user identifier, application identifier, 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 the statistical and / or predictive results of the above data.

[0074] In some embodiments, when the proximity service information includes at least one of the following: service quality parameters, short-range direct communication interface service quality parameters, and short-range direct communication interface signal strength, the analysis results may include statistical and / or predictive results of the above-mentioned data.

[0075] In some embodiments, when the analysis results are used to describe the results of predicting data in the neighborhood service information, the analysis results include the prediction confidence level of the neighborhood service information.

[0076] The embodiments disclosed herein do not limit the value of the prediction confidence level. For example, the prediction confidence level can be determined based on experience or application scenarios.

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

[0078] Table 1

[0079]

[0080]

[0081] In Table 1, the input data for the NWDAF network element can be the aforementioned collected proximity service information. Here, 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 assistance information. The DNN is the data network name. The Relay Service Code is the relay service code. The location used by ProSe is the location used by the proximity service.

[0082] The ProSe usage time refers to the usage time of the aforementioned neighboring services. User experience refers to the aforementioned user experience data. QoS parameter refers to the aforementioned quality of service parameter. PC5 QoS parameter refers to the aforementioned quality of service parameter for the short-range direct communication interface. PC5 signal strength refers to the aforementioned signal strength for the short-range direct communication interface. Traffic characteristic refers to the aforementioned traffic characteristic information. Traffic throughput refers to the aforementioned traffic throughput information.

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

[0084] This embodiment of the disclosure can determine the analysis results by statistically analyzing and predicting neighboring service information. Therefore, this embodiment of the disclosure can initiate the switching of indirect paths in advance based on the prediction of neighboring service information before the current indirect path communication effect becomes poor, thereby improving the flexibility of indirect path switching and effectively ensuring the continuity and reliability of services.

[0085] Furthermore, embodiments of this disclosure can perform real-time analysis of proximity service information to determine the analysis results, thereby avoiding PCF network elements from determining path switching parameters based solely on relatively fixed information. Moreover, proximity service information, including user behavior data, user experience data, and network status data, can be comprehensively collected. Therefore, when determining path switching parameters, PCF network elements can consider real-time changing factors such as user behavior and network status, ensuring the rational allocation of network resources.

[0086] S206, the analysis result is sent to the PCF network element, which uses the analysis result to determine the path switching parameters and uses the path switching parameters to assist the remote terminal and / or relay terminal in performing indirect path switching.

[0087] In some embodiments, the path switching parameters include at least one of user information identifier, default target layer 2 identifier, and relay unloading indication information.

[0088] In an exemplary embodiment, the user information identifier can be a User Information ID. The default Destination Layer-2 identifier can be a Default Destination Layer-2 ID. Furthermore, the relay offload indication information can be a ProSeLayer-3 UE-to-Network Relay Offload indication.

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

[0090] This disclosure does not limit the method by which the PCF network element uses the analysis results to determine the aforementioned user information identifier, default target layer 2 identifier, and relay offloading instruction information.

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

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

[0093] In an exemplary embodiment, the PCF network element can send the path switching parameters to a remote terminal and / or a relay terminal. The remote terminal can determine the indirect path to be switched based on the path switching parameters, thereby enabling the relay terminal to be reselected. Additionally, the relay terminal can determine the indirect path to be switched based on the path switching parameters, allowing the remote terminal to connect to a relay terminal that ensures service continuity.

[0094] In some embodiments, the PCF network element is also used to set validity conditions, which are used to indicate the validity time and / or validity area of ​​the path switching parameters.

[0095] In this case, when the relay terminal does not meet the valid conditions, 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 one possible implementation, the PCF network element can send indirect path handover parameters such as User Information ID, Default Destination Layer-2 ID(s), and ProSe Layer-3 UE-to-Network Relay Offloadindication to the relay terminal, and can set validity conditions for these indirect path handover parameters. These validity conditions include a validity time and a validity point. The indirect path handover parameter is valid only if these validity conditions are met.

[0097] For example, when a relay terminal is not in the time period and area specified by the valid conditions, the relay terminal can initiate an indirect path switching request so that the remote terminal can reselect the relay terminal and perform an indirect path switching.

[0098] In one possible implementation, when the relay terminal does not meet the valid conditions, the relay terminal is used to send a proximity service termination indication to the remote terminal, which is used to instruct the remote terminal to reselect the relay terminal.

[0099] For example, when a relay terminal is not within the time period and area specified in the effective conditions, the relay terminal can initiate a nearby service termination instruction. After receiving the nearby service termination instruction, the remote terminal can independently reselect the relay terminal according to the current situation.

[0100] In some embodiments, the PCF network element is further configured to determine terminal reselection rules and / or terminal priorities, both of which 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 can be sent separately to the corresponding remote terminal and / or relay terminal. Alternatively, the terminal reselection rule and / or terminal priority can be included in the URSP (UERoute Selection Policy) information. In this case, the PCF network element can send the terminal reselection rule and / or terminal priority to the corresponding remote terminal and / or relay terminal through the URSP information.

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

[0103] For example, the terminal reselection rule describes the rule information for remote terminals to reselect relay terminals. The terminal priority describes the priority information of relay terminals that each remote terminal can connect to.

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

[0105] For example, when the remote terminal is not within the time period and area specified by the valid conditions, the remote terminal refers to the reselection rules and / or terminal priority to reselect the relay terminal and perform an indirect path switch. Alternatively, the remote terminal can also perform relay terminal reselection through the discovery process.

[0106] It should be noted that the PCF network element can pre-adjust the indirect path switching between remote terminals and relay terminals in the ProSe service based on the analysis of user behavior, user experience, and network status. By pre-selecting suitable relay terminals, it can rationally utilize the resources provided by the relay terminals, improve user experience, and enhance network resource utilization. Furthermore, the PCF network element can pre-instruct remote terminals and / or relay terminals to perform indirect path switching autonomously based on the analysis of user behavior, user experience, and network status, thereby ensuring service continuity and improving user experience and resource utilization.

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

[0108] In an exemplary embodiment, when the PCF network element subscribes to the analysis results, the analysis request includes a subscription condition. This subscription condition may include the aforementioned analysis condition. This disclosure does not limit the analysis condition. Exemplarily, the analysis condition may be limited based on experience or application scenarios.

[0109] The embodiments disclosed herein have low modification costs for PCF network elements, NWDAF network elements, relay terminals, and remote terminals, are easy to implement, and reduce the steps involved in the initial deployment of ProSe-related policies in PCF network elements, thereby reducing the overhead incurred by operators during deployment. Furthermore, this disclosure uses NWDAF network elements to control users in the network capable of providing ProSe services, helping operators to rationally utilize network resources and improve network resource utilization.

[0110] Furthermore, this disclosure describes the application of network intelligence in ProSe-related strategies, providing dedicated data analysis for remote terminals and relay terminals to ensure business continuity and effectively improve user experience.

[0111] In some embodiments, the PCF network element can subscribe to a new Analytics ID from the NWDAF network element. Based on the predictive information included in the analysis results returned by the NWDAF network element, it can determine whether the current relay terminal is about to generate a large amount of data, enter an area with excessive network load, or have poor coverage. In this case, the PCF network element can issue an indirect path switching instruction to the current remote terminal or relay terminal, enabling the remote terminal to switch indirect paths before the relay terminal becomes unavailable, thus improving the flexibility of indirect path switching and effectively ensuring service continuity and reliability.

[0112] In some embodiments, the PCF network element can subscribe to a new Analytics ID from the NWDAF network element. Based on the prediction results included in the analysis returned by the NWDAF network element, it can identify users with low communication data volume, good network status, and strong PC5 signal in a specified area and time period. These users are then designated as target users and distributed to remote terminals and / or relay terminals via proximity service rules, URSP information, etc., facilitating ProSe service discovery for both remote and relay terminals. For example, when an indirect path switch is required, relay terminals can be reselected from the aforementioned target users.

[0113] The method provided in this disclosure can determine indirect path switching parameters by predicting proximity service information, including user behavior data, user experience data, and network status data. Therefore, this disclosure can pre-instruct remote terminals and / or relay terminals to perform indirect path switching, enabling them to autonomously perform indirect path switching in advance, improving the flexibility of indirect path switching and ensuring service continuity and reliability. Furthermore, this disclosure can consider real-time changes in user behavior and network status when determining path switching parameters, further improving resource utilization and thus enhancing 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 can be shown as follows: Figure 3 As shown. The method for returning proximity service information may include the following steps S302 to S310.

[0115] S302 receives analysis requests sent by PCF network elements.

[0116] S304, Collect nearby service information based on the analysis request.

[0117] S306, Determine the analysis results based on the proximity service information.

[0118] S308, determine whether the analysis result meets the analysis conditions. If yes, proceed to S310. If not, repeat S304 to S308 after a preset time interval.

[0119] S310 sends the analysis results to the PCF network element.

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

[0121] exist Figure 4In this context, the NWDAF network element can collect neighborhood service information from network elements such as DDNMF and AMF after receiving an analysis request.

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

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

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

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

[0126] For example, the analysis request is used to request analysis identifiers related to ProSe.

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

[0128] For example, the NF network element, DDNMF network element, AMF network element, etc. The terminal can be a user terminal with proximity service function.

[0129] S506, analyzes the neighboring service information to obtain the analysis results.

[0130] S508 returns the analysis results to the PCF network element.

[0131] S510 determines path switching parameters based on analysis results.

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

[0133] S514, relay terminal or 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 rules and / or terminal priority issued by the PCF network element.

[0135] It should be noted that the implementation methods of each step in S502 to S516 can be found in the relevant descriptions in S202 to S206 above, and will not be repeated here.

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

[0137] Figure 6 This diagram illustrates an indirect path switching device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the device includes:

[0138] The neighborhood service information collection module 601 is used to collect neighborhood service information when it receives an analysis request sent by a policy control function network element. The neighborhood service information includes user behavior data, user experience data, and network status data.

[0139] The analysis result determination module 602 is used to determine the analysis result based on the proximity service information. The analysis result is used to describe the results of statistical and / or predictive analysis of the data in the proximity service information.

[0140] The analysis result sending module 603 is used to send the analysis results to the policy control function network element. The policy control function network element is used to determine the path switching parameters through the analysis results and to assist the remote terminal and / or relay terminal in performing indirect path switching through the path switching parameters.

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

[0142] In some embodiments of this disclosure, user behavior data includes at least one of user identifier, application identifier, Internet Protocol address triplet, single network slice selection assistance information, data network name, relay service code, time of use of nearby services, location of use of nearby services, traffic characteristic information, and traffic throughput information; network status data includes at least one of quality of service parameters, short-range direct communication interface quality of service parameters, and short-range direct communication interface signal strength.

[0143] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the path switching parameters include at least one of user information identifier, default target layer 2 identifier, and relay unloading indication information.

[0144] In some embodiments of this disclosure, when the analysis results are used to describe the results of predicting data in the neighboring service information, the analysis results include the prediction confidence level of the neighboring service information.

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

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

[0147] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the policy control function network element is also used to determine the reselection terminal rules and / or terminal priority. Both the reselection terminal rules and terminal priority are used to assist the remote terminal in selecting the relay terminal. When the remote terminal does not meet the valid conditions, the remote terminal is used to reselect the relay terminal according to the reselection terminal rules and / or terminal priority, and to perform indirect path switching.

[0148] In some embodiments of this disclosure, when the policy control function network element subscribes to the analysis results, the apparatus further includes:

[0149] The subscription analysis module is used to collect neighborhood service information once at a preset time interval; determine the analysis result based on the neighborhood service information; and send the analysis result to the policy control function network element when the analysis result meets the analysis conditions.

[0150] The apparatus provided in this disclosure can determine indirect path switching parameters by predicting proximity service information, including user behavior data, user experience data, and network status data. Therefore, this disclosure can pre-instruct remote terminals and / or relay terminals to perform indirect path switching, enabling them to autonomously perform indirect path switching in advance, improving the flexibility of indirect path switching and ensuring service continuity and reliability. Furthermore, this disclosure can consider real-time changes in user behavior and network status when determining path switching parameters, further improving resource utilization and thus enhancing the user experience.

[0151] Those skilled in the art will understand that various aspects of this disclosure can be implemented as a system, method, or program product. Therefore, various aspects of this disclosure can be specifically implemented in the following forms: a completely hardware implementation, a completely software implementation (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or a combination of hardware and software aspects, collectively referred to herein as a "circuit," "module," or "system."

[0152] The following reference Figure 7 To describe an electronic device 700 according to such an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 7 The electronic device 700 shown is merely an example and should not impose any limitation on the functionality and scope of use of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0153] like Figure 7 As shown, the electronic device 700 is manifested in the form of a general-purpose 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 storage unit 720 and processing unit 710).

[0154] The storage unit stores program code that can be executed by the processing unit 710, causing the processing unit 710 to perform the steps described in the "Detailed Description" section of this specification according to various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

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

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

[0157] Bus 730 can represent one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory cell bus or memory cell controller, a peripheral bus, a graphics acceleration port, a processing unit, or a local bus using any of the various bus structures.

[0158] Electronic device 700 can also communicate with one or more external devices 740 (e.g., keyboard, pointing device, Bluetooth device, etc.), and with one or more devices that enable a user to interact with electronic device 700, and / or with any device that enables electronic device 700 to communicate with one or more other computing devices (e.g., router, modem, etc.). This communication can be performed via input / output (I / O) interface 750. Furthermore, electronic device 700 can also communicate with one or more networks (e.g., local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), and / or public networks, such as the Internet) via network adapter 760. As shown, network adapter 760 communicates with other modules of electronic device 700 via bus 730. It should be understood that, although not shown in the figures, other hardware and / or software modules can be used in conjunction with 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.

[0159] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the exemplary embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by combining software with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solutions according to the embodiments of this disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (such as a CD-ROM, USB flash drive, external hard drive, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to cause a computing device (such as a personal computer, server, terminal device, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods according to the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0160] In exemplary embodiments of this 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 methods described above is stored thereon. In some possible implementations, various aspects of this disclosure may also be implemented as a program product including program code, which, when run on a terminal device, causes the terminal device to perform the steps of the various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure described in the "Detailed Description" section of this specification.

[0161] In particular, according to embodiments of this disclosure, the process described above with reference to the flowchart can be implemented as a computer program product, which includes a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the above-described indirect path switching method.

[0162] In exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, which may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. Exemplarily, the computer-readable storage medium stores a program product capable of implementing the methods described above. In some possible implementations, various aspects of this disclosure may also be implemented as a program product including program code, which, when run on a terminal device, causes the terminal device to perform the steps according to various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure described in the "Exemplary Methods" section of this specification.

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

[0164] In this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium may include a data signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, carrying readable program code. Such propagated data signals may take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. A readable signal medium may also be any readable medium other than a readable storage medium, capable of transmitting, propagating, or transmitting a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

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

[0166] In practical implementation, program code for performing the operations of this disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java and C++, and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as C or similar languages. The program code can execute entirely on the user's computing device, partially on the user's device, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In cases involving remote computing devices, the remote computing device can be connected to the user's computing device via any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or it can be connected to an external computing device (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0167] It should be noted that although several modules or units for the device used to perform actions have been mentioned in the detailed description above, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to embodiments of this disclosure, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be embodied in one module or unit. Conversely, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided and embodied by multiple modules or units.

[0168] Furthermore, although the steps of the method in this disclosure are described in a specific order in the accompanying drawings, this does not require or imply that the steps must be performed in that specific order, or that all the steps shown must be performed to achieve the desired result. Additional or alternative steps may be omitted, multiple steps may be combined into one step, and / or a step may be broken down into multiple steps.

[0169] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the exemplary embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by combining software with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solutions according to the embodiments of this disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (such as a CD-ROM, USB flash drive, external hard drive, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to cause a computing device (such as a personal computer, server, mobile terminal, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods according to the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0170] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope of this disclosure is indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An indirect path switching method, characterized by, The application is applied to a network data analysis function (NWDAF) network element, and comprises the following steps: When receiving an analysis request sent by a policy control function (PCF) network element, collecting proximity service information, wherein 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 is used to describe a result of statistics and / or prediction on data in the proximity service information, and when the analysis result is used to describe a result of prediction on the proximity service information, a prediction confidence of the prediction on the proximity service information is included in the analysis result; sending the analysis result to the PCF network element, wherein the PCF network element is used to determine a path switching parameter according to the analysis result, and assist a remote terminal and / or a relay terminal to perform indirect path switching by using the path switching parameter; and the PCF network element is also used to set a validity condition, wherein the validity condition is used to indicate a validity time and / or a validity area of the path switching parameter; when the relay terminal does not satisfy 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 perform relay terminal reselection.

2. The indirect path switching method according to claim 1, characterized by, The collection of the proximity service information comprises the following steps: The proximity service information is collected from at least one of a direct discovery naming management function (DDNMF) network element, an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, a user terminal with a proximity service function, an application function (AF) entity, and an operation and maintenance management (OAM) entity.

3. The indirect path switching method according to claim 1, characterized by, The behavior habit data of the user comprises at least one of a user identifier, an application identifier, an Internet protocol (IP) address triple, single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI), a data network name (DNN), a relay service code, a time of proximity service use, a location of proximity service use, traffic characteristic information, and traffic throughput information. The network state data comprises at least one of a quality of service (QoS) parameter, a short distance direct communication interface (SDCIF) QoS parameter, and a SDCIF signal strength.

4. The indirect path switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by, The path switching parameter comprises at least one of a user information identifier, a default target layer 2 identifier, and relay offload indication information.

5. The indirect path switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by, The PCF network element is also used to set a validity condition, wherein the validity condition is used to indicate a validity time and / or a validity area of the path switching parameter. When the relay terminal does not satisfy 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 perform relay terminal reselection.

6. The indirect path switching method of claim 1, wherein, The PCF network element is also used to determine a reselection terminal rule and / or a terminal priority, wherein the reselection terminal rule and the terminal priority are both used to assist the remote terminal to select a relay terminal; When the remote terminal does not satisfy the validity condition, the remote terminal is used to perform relay terminal reselection and indirect path switching according to the reselection terminal rule and / or the terminal priority.

7. The indirect path switching method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by, When the PCF network element subscribes to the analysis result, the method further comprises the following steps: collecting proximity service information once every preset time period; determine an analysis result according to the proximity service information; when the analysis result meets an analysis condition, send the analysis result to the policy control function network element.

8. An indirect path switching device, characterized by The application is applied to a network data analysis function (NWDAF) network element, and comprises: 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 comprises behavior habit data of a user, user experience data, and network state data; an analysis result determination module, configured 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 on data in the proximity service information, and when the analysis result is used to describe a result of prediction on the proximity service information, a prediction confidence of prediction on the proximity service information is comprised in the analysis result; an analysis result sending module, configured to send the analysis result to the policy control function network element, wherein the policy control function network element is configured to determine a path switching parameter through the analysis result, and assist a remote terminal and / or a relay terminal to perform indirect path switching through the path switching parameter; the policy control function network element is further configured to set a validity condition, wherein the validity condition is used to indicate a validity time and / or a validity area of the path switching parameter; when the relay terminal does not meet the validity condition, the relay terminal is configured to send an indirect path switching request to the remote terminal, wherein the indirect path switching request is used to instruct the remote terminal to perform relay terminal reselection.

9. An electronic device, comprising: comprise: a processor; and a memory configured to store executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to execute the executable instructions to perform the indirect path switching method in any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program, characterized in that, The computer program is executed by the processor to implement the indirect path switching method in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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