Network element discovery method and system, registered network element, user equipment and computer readable storage medium

Through the registered network element in the 5G network's autonomous domain to deal with the consumer network element foundation request, and use the registered network component to obtain the service information of other autonomous domains, it solves the problem of high load registered network element load. , Achieve the effect of improving network communication performance.

CN119383592APending Publication Date: 2025-01-28CHINA TELECOM CORP LTD TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION CENTER +1
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202411585634.8
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-11-07
Publication Date
2025-01-28

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In 5G networks, the load on registered network elements is high, resulting in a degradation of network communication performance.

Method used

By being responsible for handling the consumer network metad to discover requests in this autonomous domain in the autonomous domain, and obtain the service information of other autonomous domains from the inter -domain registered network element when necessary Information about the target network element.

Benefits of technology

Reduce the number of requests received by the registered network element, reducing the load of the registered network element, thereby improving the communication performance of the network.

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Abstract

The invention relates to a network element discovery method and system, a registered network element, user equipment and a computer readable storage medium, and relates to the field of communication. The network element discovery method comprises: a first registered network element receives a network element discovery request from a consumer network element, the network element discovery request carrying a network element service demand, and the first registered network element and the consumer network element are both located in a first autonomous domain; the first registration network element judges whether a target network element capable of meeting the network element service requirement exists in the first autonomous domain or not; and the first registration network element sends a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element according to a judgment result, and the network element discovery request response carries network element information of the target network element. According to the technical scheme of the invention, the load of the registration network element can be effectively reduced, and the communication performance of the network is improved.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method and system for network element discovery, a registration network element, a user equipment, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In the Fifth Generation Mobile Communication (5G) network, when the core network elements are started, they need to send a registration request to the Network Repository Function (NRF) network element, which serves as the registration network element, to register the services and functions they can provide with the NRF network element.

[0003] In the related art, the consumer network element needs to send a network element discovery request to the NRF network element so that the NRF network element can search and discover other network elements that can meet the network element service requirements of the consumer network element and return the network element information of other network elements to the consumer network element. Summary of the invention

[0004] The inventors of the present disclosure have discovered that the above-mentioned related technologies have the following problems: the load of the registered network elements in the network is high, which leads to a decrease in the communication performance of the network.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the embodiments of the present disclosure propose the following solutions.

[0006] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a method for network element discovery is provided, including: a first registered network element receives a network element discovery request from a consumer network element, the network element discovery request carries a network element service requirement, and the first registered network element and the consumer network element are both located in a first autonomous domain; the first registered network element determines whether there is a target network element in the first autonomous domain that can meet the network element service requirement; the first registered network element sends a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element based on a result of the determination, the network element discovery request response carries network element information of the target network element.

[0007] In some embodiments, the first registered network element sends a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element based on the result of the judgment, including: the first registered network element obtains service information of at least one second autonomous domain that can meet the service requirements of the network element from the inter-domain registered network element in response to the result of the judgment that the target network element does not exist in the first autonomous domain; the first registered network element sends the network element discovery request response to the consumer network element based on the service information of the at least one second autonomous domain.

[0008] In some embodiments, the first registered network element sends a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element based on the service information of the at least one second autonomous domain, including: the first registered network element obtains the network element information of at least one second network element within the at least one second autonomous domain that can meet the network element service requirements from the second registered network element within the at least one second autonomous domain based on the service information of the at least one second autonomous domain; the first registered network element sends the network element discovery request response to the consumer network element based on the network element information of the at least one second network element.

[0009] In some embodiments, the at least one second autonomous domain includes multiple second autonomous domains, and the service information of the at least one second autonomous domain includes the deployment location of each second autonomous domain in the multiple second autonomous domains and the service quality provided by each second autonomous domain. The first registered network element obtains the network element information of at least one second network element that can meet the service requirements of the network element from the second registered network element of the at least one second autonomous domain based on the service information of the at least one second autonomous domain, including: the first registered network element determines the designated autonomous domain from the multiple second autonomous domains based on the service information of the at least one second autonomous domain; the first registered network element obtains the network element information of the at least one second network element from the registered network elements within the designated autonomous domain.

[0010] In some embodiments, the at least one second network element includes multiple second network elements, the network element information of the at least one second network element includes the service area of ​​each of the multiple second network elements and the resource level provided by each second network element, and the first registered network element sends the network element discovery request response to the consumer network element based on the network element information of the at least one second network element, including: the first registered network element determines the target network element from the multiple second network elements based on the network element information of the at least one second network element, and sends the network element discovery request response to the consumer network element.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first registered network element sends a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element according to the result of the judgment, including: the first registered network element sends the network element discovery request response to the consumer network element in response to the result of the judgment that the target network element exists in the first autonomous domain.

[0012] In some embodiments, the network element service requirements include a first requirement and a second requirement, the target network elements include a first target network element and a second target network element, and the first registered network element sends a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element based on the judgment result, including: the first registered network element responds to the judgment result that there is the first target network element that can meet the first requirement in the first autonomous domain, but there is no second target network element that can meet the second requirement, obtains service information of the second autonomous domain that can meet the second requirement from the inter-domain registered network element, and sends the network element discovery request response to the consumer network element based on the service information of the second autonomous domain and the network element information of the first target network element.

[0013] In some embodiments, the method also includes: the first registered network element registers the network element for the network element within the first autonomous domain in response to receiving a network element registration request from the network element within the first autonomous domain, and the network element registration request carries at least one of an identifier of the network element within the first autonomous domain, a service area of ​​the network element, and a level of resources provided by the network element.

[0014] In some embodiments, the method also includes: the first registration network element sends an autonomous domain registration request to the inter-domain registration network element to perform autonomous domain registration of the first autonomous domain, the autonomous domain registration request carries autonomous domain registration information of the first autonomous domain, and the autonomous domain registration information includes at least one of the identification of the first autonomous domain, the deployment location, the type of service provided, and the quality of service provided.

[0015] In some embodiments, the method also includes: the first registration network element sends an autonomous domain registration update request to the inter-domain registration network element in response to an update of the autonomous domain registration information to perform an autonomous domain registration update of the first autonomous domain, and the autonomous domain registration update request carries the updated autonomous domain registration information.

[0016] In some embodiments, the service information of the at least one second autonomous domain includes at least one of a deployment location, a quality of service provided, and a type of service provided of the at least one second autonomous domain.

[0017] According to some other embodiments of the present disclosure, a method for network element discovery is provided, including: a user device sends a service request carrying a network element service requirement to a consumer network element, so that the consumer network element sends a network element discovery request carrying the network element service requirement to a first registered network element, wherein the first registered network element and the consumer network element are both located within a first autonomous domain; the user device receives a network element discovery request response returned by the first registered network element via the consumer network element, the network element discovery request response carrying network element information of a target network element that can meet the network element service requirement, and the network element discovery request response is determined by the first registered network element based on whether the target network element exists within the first autonomous domain.

[0018] According to some other embodiments of the present disclosure, a registration network element is provided, including: a receiving module, configured to receive a network element discovery request from a consumer network element, the network element discovery request carries a network element service requirement, and the registration network element and the consumer network element are both located in a first autonomous domain; a judging module, configured to judge whether there is a target network element in the first autonomous domain that can meet the network element service requirement; and a sending module, configured to send a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element based on a result of the judgment, the network element discovery request response carries network element information of the target network element.

[0019] According to some further embodiments of the present disclosure, a user device is provided, comprising: a sending module, configured to send a service request carrying a network element service requirement to a consumer network element, so that the consumer network element sends a network element discovery request carrying the network element service requirement to a first registered network element, wherein the first registered network element and the consumer network element are both located within a first autonomous domain; a receiving module, configured to receive a network element discovery request response returned by the first registered network element via the consumer network element, the network element discovery request response carrying network element information of a target network element that can meet the network element service requirement, and the network element discovery request response is determined by the first registered network element based on whether the target network element exists within the first autonomous domain.

[0020] According to some further embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided an electronic device, comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute a method in any one of the above embodiments based on instructions stored in the memory device.

[0021] According to some further embodiments of the present disclosure, a system for network element discovery is provided, comprising: a registration network element in any one of the above embodiments and a user equipment in any one of the above embodiments.

[0022] In some embodiments, the system further comprises: a consumer network element configured to receive a service request from the user equipment, send a network element discovery request to the registration network element, and receive a network element discovery request response from the registration network element.

[0023] According to some other embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which computer instructions are stored. When the instructions are executed by a processor, the method in any of the above embodiments is implemented.

[0024] According to some further embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, comprising instructions, which, when executed by a processor, enable the processor to perform the network element discovery method according to any one of the above embodiments.

[0025] In the above embodiment, the first registered network element in the first autonomous domain can provide the consumer network element with network element information of the target network element that can meet the network element service demand according to the network element discovery request carrying the network element service demand sent by the consumer network element in the first autonomous domain. In this way, the registered network element in the autonomous domain can be responsible for receiving and processing the network element discovery request of the consumer network element in the autonomous domain, and does not need to be responsible for receiving the network element discovery request of the consumer network element outside the domain, which reduces the number of network element discovery requests received by the registered network element in the network, thereby reducing the load of the registered network element and improving the communication performance of the network. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The accompanying drawings, which constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0027] The present disclosure may be more clearly understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0028] Figure 1 A flowchart showing some embodiments of the method for network element discovery of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 2 Show Figure 1 Flowcharts of some embodiments of step 130;

[0030] Figure 3 Show Figure 2 Flowcharts of some embodiments of step 1320;

[0031] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing some embodiments of the network hierarchical registration architecture of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 5 A signaling diagram showing some embodiments of the method for network element discovery of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 6 Flowcharts showing other embodiments of the method for network element discovery of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 7 A block diagram showing some embodiments of a registration network element of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 8 A block diagram illustrating some embodiments of the user equipment of the present disclosure;

[0036] Fig. 9 A block diagram showing some embodiments of the electronic device of the present disclosure;

[0037] Fig.10 A block diagram showing some other embodiments of the electronic device of the present disclosure;

[0038] Fig.11 A block diagram showing some embodiments of the system for network element discovery of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the relative arrangement of components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0040] At the same time, it should be understood that for the convenience of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship.

[0041] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure, its application, or uses.

[0042] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered as part of the specification.

[0043] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limiting. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0044] It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters refer to similar items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0045] As mentioned above, the method in the related art requires each consumer network element to send a network element discovery request to the same registration network element to request to discover other network elements that can meet the demand. In this way, the number of network element discovery requests received by the registration network element in the network is high, resulting in a large load on the registration network element, which in turn causes the communication performance of the network to deteriorate.

[0046] In view of this, the present disclosure proposes a technical solution in which a registration network element in an autonomous domain is responsible for network element discovery of consumer network elements in the domain, which can effectively reduce the load of the registration network element and thereby improve the communication performance of the network.

[0047] It should be noted that in future networks (such as 6G networks), due to the existence of ubiquitous connections and large-scale communications, the network will be driven to form a distributed architecture. There will be a large number of network autonomous domains (hereinafter referred to as autonomous domains), enterprise-oriented (To Business, 2B) subnets, customized networks, etc. in the network, and the number of network elements and autonomous domains in the network will increase significantly. In this case, if the method in the relevant technology is continued to be used, the number of network element discovery requests received by the registered network elements in the future network will increase significantly, resulting in a significant increase in the load of the registered network elements in the future network, which will further reduce the communication performance of the future network.

[0048] Therefore, the technical solution proposed in the present disclosure is also applicable to network element discovery scenarios in future networks (such as 6G networks), which can further reduce the load of registered network elements in future networks and thereby improve the communication performance of future networks.

[0049] Figure 1 A flow chart showing some embodiments of the method for network element discovery of the present disclosure.

[0050] like Figure 1 As shown, in step 110, the first registration network element receives a network element discovery request from a consumer network element.

[0051] Here, the network element discovery request carries the network element service demand, and the first registration network element and the consumer network element are both located in the first autonomous domain.

[0052] For example, network element service requirements may include the need to obtain data sources required to perform model training; for another example, network element service requirements may include the need to obtain computing power resources required to perform perception services.

[0053] In some embodiments, the network element service requirement may come from a user equipment (UE). For example, a consumer network element in the first autonomous domain may send a network element discovery request carrying the network element service requirement to the first registration network element in response to receiving a service request carrying the network element service requirement from the UE.

[0054] In some embodiments, the first autonomous domain can be any one of multiple autonomous domains in the network, that is, any one of the multiple autonomous domains can receive a network element discovery request from a consumer network element within the autonomous domain, and perform network element discovery for the consumer network elements within the autonomous domain.

[0055] In some embodiments, the consumer network element may be any network element in the first autonomous domain except the first registration network element that has a network element service requirement.

[0056] In step 120, the first registered network element determines whether there is a target network element in the first autonomous domain that can meet the network element service requirements.

[0057] In some embodiments, the first registered network element can determine whether there is a target network element in the first autonomous domain that can meet the service requirements of the network element by retrieving the network element information of the network elements in the first autonomous domain. For example, the network element service requirement is to obtain the data source required for executing model training, and the network element information of the network elements in the first autonomous domain includes a description of the data source that can be provided by the network elements in the domain. The first registered network element can determine whether there is a target network element in the first autonomous domain that can provide the data source by retrieving the network element information of the network elements in the first autonomous domain.

[0058] In some embodiments, the first registration network element may be registered with network element information of network elements in the first autonomous domain. This will be further described below.

[0059] In step 130, the first registration network element sends a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element according to the result of the determination.

[0060] Here, the network element discovery request response carries the network element information of the target network element.

[0061] It is understandable that the number of target network elements may be one or more. For example, the target network element may include network elements within the first autonomous domain, or may include network elements outside the first autonomous domain, or may include both network elements within the first autonomous domain and network elements outside the first autonomous domain. This will be further described later.

[0062] In some embodiments, the network element information of the target network element may include at least one of an identifier and an address of the target network element.

[0063] In some embodiments, the network element information of the target network element may include at least one of a service area, a provided service type, and a resource level.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the first registered network element in the first autonomous domain can provide the consumer network element with network element information of the target network element that can meet the network element service requirements based on the network element discovery request carrying the network element service requirements sent by the consumer network element in the first autonomous domain.

[0065] In this way, the registered network elements within the autonomous domain can be responsible for receiving and processing network element discovery requests from consumer network elements within the autonomous domain, without having to be responsible for receiving network element discovery requests from consumer network elements outside the domain. This reduces the number of network element discovery requests received by the registered network elements in the network, thereby reducing the load on the registered network elements, thereby improving the communication performance of the network and reducing the risk of registered network element failures.

[0066] In some embodiments, in step 130, the first registered network element sends a network element discovery request response carrying network element information of the target network element to the consumer network element in response to a judgment result that there is a target network element in the first autonomous domain that can meet the network element service requirements.

[0067] In this way, when a registered network element within the autonomous domain discovers that there is a target network element within the autonomous domain that can meet the network element service requirements, it can send a network element discovery request response carrying the network element information of the target network element to the consumer network element without further obtaining other information, thereby reducing the load on the registered network element and improving the efficiency of network element discovery.

[0068] Figure 2 Show Figure 1 Flowchart of some embodiments of step 130 in FIG.

[0069] like Figure 2 As shown, in step 1310, the first registered network element, in response to the judgment result that there is no target network element that can meet the network element service requirements in the first autonomous domain, obtains service information of at least one second autonomous domain that can meet the network element service requirements from the inter-domain registered network element.

[0070] In some embodiments, the first registration network element may be located in a first area, and the inter-domain registration network element may be located in a second area, and the second area includes the first area. For example, in a 5G network, the first registration network element may be used as a district-level or provincial-level NRF network element, and the inter-domain registration network element may be used as a national-level NRF network element.

[0071] It is understandable that there may be multiple autonomous domains in the network, and each autonomous domain may have customization capabilities, that is, various network services, functions, resources, etc. may be deployed on network elements within the autonomous domain as needed. The at least one second autonomous domain may include other autonomous domains in the multiple autonomous domains that are different from the first autonomous domain.

[0072] In some embodiments, the service information of at least one second autonomous domain may include at least one of the deployment location of the at least one second autonomous domain, the quality of service provided, and the type of service provided. For example, the quality of service provided by the at least one second autonomous domain may include the latency range of the provided service (e.g., model training service).

[0073] In some embodiments, the service information of at least one second autonomous domain may include at least one of an identifier of the at least one second autonomous domain, a service area, a level of resources provided, and an identifier of a corresponding public land mobile network (PLMN). For example, the level of resources provided by the at least one second autonomous domain may include the level of computing resources or data resources provided.

[0074] In some embodiments, the inter-domain registration network element may be registered with service information of each of the multiple autonomous domains, which will be further described below.

[0075] In some embodiments, step 1310 may be implemented as follows.

[0076] First, in response to the judgment result that there is no target network element in the first autonomous domain that can meet the network element service requirements, the first registered network element sends an autonomous domain discovery request carrying the network element service requirements to the inter-domain registered network element, so that the inter-domain registered network element can retrieve service information of multiple autonomous domains based on the network element service requirements to determine at least one second autonomous domain among the multiple autonomous domains that can meet the network element service requirements.

[0077] Afterwards, the first registration network element receives an autonomous domain discovery request response carrying service information of the at least one second autonomous domain from the inter-domain registration network element.

[0078] For example, the network element service requirement is to obtain perception services. The inter-domain registration network element responds to the autonomous domain discovery request received from the first registration network element, retrieves the service information of multiple autonomous domains based on the network element service requirement, and determines at least one second autonomous domain among the multiple autonomous domains whose service type is perception services, and returns the service information of the at least one second autonomous domain to the first registration network element.

[0079] In step 1320, the first registration network element sends a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element according to the service information of the at least one second autonomous domain.

[0080] For example, the first registered network element can obtain network element information of the target network element that can meet the network element service requirements based on the service information of at least one second autonomous domain, and send a network element discovery request response carrying the network element information of the target network element to the consumer network element.

[0081] In the above embodiment, even if there is no target network element that can meet the network element service requirement in the first autonomous domain, the first registered network element in the first autonomous domain can obtain service information of at least one second autonomous domain that can meet the network element service requirement from the inter-domain registered network element. Then, according to the service information of at least one second autonomous domain, a network element discovery request response carrying the network element information of the target network element is sent to the consumer network element.

[0082] In this way, the registration network element within the autonomous domain can be responsible for processing the network element discovery of the consumer network element within the autonomous domain, and the inter-domain registration network element can be responsible for processing the autonomous domain discovery between multiple autonomous domains. The registration network element within the autonomous domain can cooperate with the inter-domain registration network element to achieve cross-domain network element discovery. This hierarchical processing mechanism for network element discovery can help to further improve the efficiency of network element discovery on the basis of reducing the load of the registration network element.

[0083] Figure 3 Show Figure 2 Flowchart of some embodiments of step 1320 in FIG.

[0084] like Figure 3 As shown, in step 1321, the first registered network element obtains network element information of at least one second network element in at least one second autonomous domain that can meet the network element service requirements from the second registered network element in at least one second autonomous domain based on the service information of the at least one second autonomous domain.

[0085] In some embodiments, the at least one second autonomous domain may include only one second autonomous domain. The service information of the at least one second autonomous domain may include an address of a second registration network element in the one second autonomous domain.

[0086] For example, the first registered network element may send a network element discovery request to the second registered network element according to the address of the second registered network element, and receive a network element discovery request response returned by the second registered network element, which carries network element information of at least one second network element in the second autonomous domain that can meet the network element service requirements. For example, the second registered network element in the second autonomous domain may, in response to receiving the network element discovery request from the first registered network element, retrieve network element information of network elements in the second autonomous domain to determine at least one second network element in the second autonomous domain that can meet the network element service requirements, and return the determined network element information of the at least one second network element to the first registered network element.

[0087] In step 1322, the first registration network element sends a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element based on the network element information of the at least one second network element.

[0088] For example, the first registration network element may determine the network element information of the target network element from the network element information of at least one second network element, and send a network element discovery request response carrying the network element information of the target network element to the consumer network element.

[0089] In some embodiments, the network element information of the at least one second network element may include at least one of an identifier, an address, a service area, a provided service type, and a resource level of the at least one second network element.

[0090] In the above embodiment, in response to the judgment result that there is no target network element that can meet the network element service demand in the first autonomous domain, the first registered network element in the first autonomous domain can first discover at least one second autonomous domain that can meet the network element service demand through the inter-domain registered network element; then obtain the network element information of at least one second network element that can meet the network element service demand in the at least one second autonomous domain through the registered network element in the at least one second autonomous domain; and send a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element based on the network element information of the at least one second network element.

[0091] In this way, in the process of cross-domain discovery of network elements achieved through the coordinated efforts of registered network elements within an autonomous domain and registered network elements between domains, the registered network elements within an autonomous domain can obtain network element information of target network elements in other autonomous domains that can meet the network element service requirements directly from registered network elements in other autonomous domains based on the service information of other autonomous domains provided by the inter-domain registered network elements, thereby further improving the efficiency of network element discovery while reducing the load of the registered network elements.

[0092] In some embodiments, the at least one second autonomous domain may include multiple second autonomous domains, and the service information of the at least one second autonomous domain may include the deployment location of each of the multiple second autonomous domains and the quality of service provided by each second autonomous domain. Figure 3 In the shown step 1321, the first registered network element can determine the designated autonomous domain from multiple second autonomous domains based on the service information of the at least one second autonomous domain, and obtain network element information of at least one second network element that can meet the network element service requirements from the registered network elements within the designated autonomous domain.

[0093] For example, the first registration network element may select an autonomous domain with a closer deployment location and higher service quality from multiple second autonomous domains as a designated autonomous domain based on the service information of the at least one second autonomous domain.

[0094] For example, a registered network element within a specified autonomous domain can retrieve network element information of network elements within the specified autonomous domain in response to receiving a network element discovery request from a first registered network element to determine at least one second network element within the specified autonomous domain that can meet network element service requirements, and return the network element information of the determined at least one second network element to the first registered network element.

[0095] In the above embodiment, the registered network element in the first autonomous domain determines the designated autonomous domain from the multiple second autonomous domains by jointly considering the deployment location and the quality of service provided by each of the multiple second autonomous domains discovered by the inter-domain registered network element, and then obtains the network element information of at least one second network element that can meet the network element service requirements from the registered network element in the designated autonomous domain.

[0096] In this way, the registered network elements within the autonomous domain can determine a designated autonomous domain that more reliably meets the network element service requirements from multiple other autonomous domains that can meet the network element service requirements, thereby improving the reliability of network element discovery while reducing the load of the registered network elements and improving the efficiency of network element discovery.

[0097] In some embodiments, the at least one second network element may include multiple second network elements, and the network element information of the at least one second network element may include a service area of ​​each of the multiple second network elements and a resource level provided by each of the second network elements. Figure 3 In step 1322 shown, the first registered network element may determine a target network element that can meet the network element service requirements from multiple second network elements based on the network element information of the at least one second network element, and send a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element.

[0098] For example, the first registered network element may select a second network element with a closer service area and a higher resource level from multiple second network elements as a target network element based on the network element information of the at least one second network element.

[0099] In the above embodiment, the first registered network element within the first autonomous domain determines the target network element that can meet the network element service requirements from multiple second network elements by jointly considering the service area and the level of resources provided by each second network element among multiple second network elements that can meet the network element service requirements in at least one second autonomous domain, and sends a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element.

[0100] In this way, the registered network elements within the autonomous domain can determine the target network elements that more reliably meet the network element service requirements from multiple network elements in other autonomous domains that can meet the network element service requirements, thereby further improving the reliability of network element discovery while reducing the load of the registered network elements and improving the efficiency of network element discovery.

[0101] Next, the following describes the case where the network element service requirement includes multiple requirements in combination with some embodiments. Figure 1 The implementation of step 130 is shown.

[0102] In some embodiments, the network element service requirement includes a first requirement and a second requirement, and the target network element includes a first target network element and a second target network element.

[0103] In some embodiments, Figure 1 In step 130 shown, in response to the judgment result that there is a first target network element that can meet the first requirement and a second target network element that can meet the second requirement in the first autonomous domain, the first registered network element sends a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element according to the network element information of the first target network element and the network element information of the second target network element. For example, the first registered network element may send a network element discovery request response carrying the network element information of the first target network element and the network element information of the second target network element to the consumer network element.

[0104] In this way, the registered network element within the autonomous domain discovers that there are multiple target network elements within the autonomous domain that can meet multiple requirements of the network element service requirements. It can then send a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element based on the network element information of these multiple target network elements without further obtaining other information, thereby reducing the load of the registered network element and improving the efficiency of network element discovery.

[0105] In some embodiments, Figure 1 In the step 130 shown, the first registered network element responds to the judgment result that there is a first target network element that can meet the first requirement but there is no second target network element that can meet the second requirement in the first autonomous domain, and obtains service information of the second autonomous domain that can meet the second requirement from the inter-domain registered network element, and sends a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element based on the service information of the second autonomous domain and the network element information of the first target network element.

[0106] For example, the first requirement is the requirement for service quality, and the second requirement is the requirement for computing power resources. There is a first target network element in the first autonomous domain that can meet the requirement for service quality, but there is no second target network element that can meet the requirement for computing power resources. In this case, the first registration network element can obtain the service information of the second autonomous domain that can meet the second requirement through the inter-domain registration network element, and send a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element based on the service information of the second autonomous domain and the network element information of the first target network element.

[0107] For example, the first registered network element can obtain the network element information of the second target network element within the second autonomous domain that can meet the second demand from the second registered network element within the second autonomous domain based on the service information of the second autonomous domain, and send a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element based on the network element information of the second target network element and the network element information of the first target network element.

[0108] It is understandable that the number of the second autonomous domains may be one or more. Figures 2 to 3 The manner in the related embodiments shown is similar to that of implementing cross-domain discovery of network elements that cooperate with the inter-domain registration network element, which will not be described in detail here.

[0109] In the above embodiment, the network element service demand includes multiple demands, and there is a first target network element in the first autonomous domain that can meet some of the multiple demands. The registered network element in the first autonomous domain can discover a second autonomous domain that can meet another part of the multiple demands except the first part through the inter-domain registered network element, and send a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element based on the service information of the second autonomous domain and the network element information of the first target network element.

[0110] In this way, even if the network element service requirements include multiple requirements, and the network elements within the autonomous domain cannot meet another part of the multiple requirements, the registered network elements within the autonomous domain can also quickly discover the target network elements in another autonomous domain that can meet the other part of the requirements through the inter-domain registered network elements, thereby further improving the efficiency of network element discovery while reducing the load of the registered network elements.

[0111] The following describes the registration process of network elements within an autonomous domain and the registration process of an autonomous domain in conjunction with some embodiments.

[0112] In some embodiments, the first registered network element in the first autonomous domain may register the network element in the first autonomous domain in response to receiving a network element registration request from the network element in the first autonomous domain. The network element registration request may carry at least one of an identifier of the network element in the first autonomous domain, a service area of ​​the network element, and a resource level provided by the network element.

[0113] In some embodiments, the network element registration request received by the first registration network element may also carry at least one of an address of the network element for which network element registration is requested and a type of service provided.

[0114] In some embodiments, the first autonomous domain may include multiple network elements except the first registered network element, and the first registered network element may register a network element for each network element in the multiple network elements according to a network element registration request of the network element.

[0115] In some embodiments, the first registered network element can store the network element information provided by the network elements in the first autonomous domain through the network element registration request by registering the network elements in the first autonomous domain, so that it can subsequently determine whether the network elements in the first autonomous domain can meet the corresponding network element service requirements by retrieving the network element information.

[0116] In the above embodiment, the registration network element in the autonomous domain can be responsible for receiving and processing the network element registration request of the network element in the autonomous domain, and does not need to be responsible for receiving the network element registration request of the network element outside the domain. In this way, the number of network element registration requests received by the registration network element is greatly reduced, and the load of the registration network element is further reduced, thereby further reducing the risk of registration network element failure.

[0117] In some embodiments, the first registration network element in the first autonomous domain may send an autonomous domain registration request to the inter-domain registration network element to perform autonomous domain registration of the first autonomous domain. The autonomous domain registration request may carry autonomous domain registration information of the first autonomous domain, and the autonomous domain registration information may include at least one of an identifier of the first autonomous domain, a deployment location, a type of service provided, and a quality of service provided.

[0118] In some embodiments, the autonomous domain registration information of the first autonomous domain may also include at least one of a service area of ​​the first autonomous domain, a level of resources provided, and an identifier of a corresponding PLMN.

[0119] In some embodiments, the first autonomous domain may be any one of the multiple autonomous domains in the network, that is, any one of the multiple autonomous domains may send an autonomous domain registration request to the inter-domain registration network element to request the autonomous domain registration of the autonomous domain. In other words, the intra-domain registration network element of the autonomous domain may register the information such as services, functions, resources, etc. that the autonomous domain can provide to the outside with the inter-domain registration network element, so that the autonomous domains can be discovered through the inter-domain registration network element in the subsequent autonomous domains.

[0120] In the above embodiment, the registration network element in the autonomous domain can submit the autonomous domain registration information of the autonomous domain to the inter-domain registration network element to perform the autonomous domain registration of the autonomous domain. That is, the inter-domain registration network element can manage the registration information at the autonomous domain level without receiving the network element registration request of the network element in the domain. In this way, the number of registration requests received by the inter-domain registration network element is reduced, thereby reducing the load of the inter-domain registration network element, thereby reducing the risk of failure of the inter-domain registration network element.

[0121] In some embodiments, the first registration network element in the first autonomous domain may perform network element registration for the network element in the first autonomous domain in response to receiving a network element registration request from the network element in the first autonomous domain. In addition, the first registration network element may also send an autonomous domain registration request to the inter-domain registration network element to perform autonomous domain registration of the first autonomous domain.

[0122] Figure 4 Schematic diagram showing some embodiments of the network hierarchical registration architecture of the present disclosure.

[0123] like Figure 4 As shown, autonomous domain A includes autonomous domain A registered network element and 4 network function (NF) network elements, autonomous domain B includes autonomous domain B registered network element and 3 NF network elements, and autonomous domain C includes autonomous domain C registered network element and 3 NF network elements.

[0124] In some possible scenarios, the registered network element of autonomous domain A can receive network element registration requests from four NF network elements within autonomous domain A, and perform network element registration for these four NF network elements within autonomous domain A respectively; the registered network element of autonomous domain B can receive network element registration requests from three NF network elements within autonomous domain B, and perform network element registration for these three NF network elements within autonomous domain B respectively; similarly, the registered network element of autonomous domain C can receive network element registration requests from three NF network elements within autonomous domain C, and perform network element registration for these three NF network elements within autonomous domain C respectively.

[0125] In some possible scenarios, the inter-domain registration network element can receive autonomous domain registration requests from the autonomous domain A registration network element, the autonomous domain B registration network element and the autonomous domain C registration network element, and perform autonomous domain registration for autonomous domain A, autonomous domain B and autonomous domain C respectively.

[0126] In the above embodiment, the registration of network elements within the autonomous domain can be the responsibility of the registration network element within the autonomous domain, while the registration of autonomous domains can be the responsibility of the inter-domain registration network element. The autonomous domain uniformly presents the services, functions, resources, etc. that the network elements within the autonomous domain can provide to the outside through the intra-domain registration network element, so that multiple autonomous domains can achieve hierarchical registration at the network element level and the autonomous domain level through the intra-domain registration network element and the inter-domain registration network element. This hierarchical registration mechanism not only helps to reduce the load of the registration network element, but also helps to improve the efficiency of subsequent network element discovery.

[0127] In some embodiments, in response to an update of the autonomous domain registration information of the first autonomous domain, the first registration network element in the first autonomous domain may send an autonomous domain registration update request to the inter-domain registration network element to perform an autonomous domain registration update of the first autonomous domain, and the autonomous domain registration update request carries the updated autonomous domain registration information of the first autonomous domain. For example, the first registration network element in the first autonomous domain periodically updates the autonomous domain registration information to the inter-domain registration network element according to actual needs.

[0128] In this way, the registered network element in the autonomous domain can update the autonomous domain registration information of the autonomous domain to the inter-domain registered network element in time, reducing the occurrence of the situation where the reliability of subsequent network element discovery is reduced due to the failure to update the autonomous domain registration information in time. Thus, on the basis of reducing the load of the registered network element and improving the efficiency of network element discovery, the reliability of network element discovery is further improved.

[0129] Figure 5 A signaling diagram showing some embodiments of the method for network element discovery of the present disclosure.

[0130] like Figure 5 As shown, in event 1a, the registration network element of autonomous domain A responds to receiving network element registration requests from other network elements in autonomous domain A and performs network element registration for other network elements in autonomous domain A.

[0131] For example, the registered network element in autonomous domain A may send a network element registration request response to other network elements in autonomous domain A to notify other network elements in autonomous domain A that the intra-domain registration of the network element has been completed.

[0132] In event 1b, the registration network element in autonomous domain B responds to receiving network element registration requests from other network elements in autonomous domain B and registers network elements for other network elements in autonomous domain B.

[0133] For example, the registered network element in autonomous domain B may send a network element registration request response to other network elements in autonomous domain B to notify other network elements in autonomous domain B that the intra-domain registration of the network element has been completed.

[0134] In event 2a, the autonomous domain A registration network element sends an autonomous domain A registration request to the inter-domain registration network element to perform autonomous domain registration of autonomous domain A.

[0135] For example, the inter-domain registration network element may send an autonomous domain registration request response to the autonomous domain A registration network element to notify autonomous domain A that the autonomous domain registration has been completed.

[0136] In event 2b, the autonomous domain B registration network element sends an autonomous domain B registration request to the inter-domain registration network element to perform autonomous domain registration of autonomous domain B.

[0137] For example, the inter-domain registration network element may send an autonomous domain registration request response to the autonomous domain B registration network element to notify autonomous domain B that the autonomous domain registration has been completed.

[0138] In event 3, the registration network element of autonomous domain A receives the intra-domain network element discovery request of the consumer network element. Here, the intra-domain network element discovery request may carry the network element service requirement.

[0139] For example, the consumer network element is a network element connected to autonomous domain A, and the network element discovery request within the domain can be used to inform the registration network element of autonomous domain A of the network elements, services, resources, etc. that the consumer network element needs to find.

[0140] In event 4, the registered network element of autonomous domain A performs network element search and discovery in autonomous domain A to determine whether there is a target network element in autonomous domain A that can meet the network element service requirements.

[0141] For example, the registered network element of autonomous domain A can retrieve the network element information of the network elements in autonomous domain A according to the network element service requirements to determine whether there is a target network element in autonomous domain A that can meet the network element service requirements.

[0142] In response to the judgment result that there is a target network element in autonomous domain A that can meet the network element service requirement, the registered network element in autonomous domain A executes event 11.

[0143] In response to the judgment result that there is no target network element in autonomous domain A that can meet the network element service demand, the registered network element in autonomous domain A executes event 5.

[0144] For example, the situation where there is no target network element that can meet the network element service requirements in autonomous domain A may include: there is no network element that can provide the required service type in autonomous domain A, there is no network element that can provide the required resource level in autonomous domain A (i.e., the resources of network elements in autonomous domain A are insufficient), there is no network element that can meet the required service quality in autonomous domain A, there is no network element that meets the required service area in autonomous domain A (i.e., the service area supported by network elements in autonomous domain A does not meet the requirements), etc. In these cases, the autonomous domain A registered network element will execute event 5 to find other autonomous domains that can meet the network element service requirements of the consumer network element.

[0145] In some embodiments, the network element service requirement may include a first requirement and a second requirement, and the target network element may include a first target network element and a second target network element. In response to the judgment result that there is a first target network element that meets the first requirement in the autonomous domain A, but there is no second target network element that meets the second requirement (that is, the network elements in the autonomous domain A can meet some of the requirements in the network element service requirement), the registered network element of autonomous domain A executes event 5.

[0146] For example, a user can send a service request to execute a model training task to a consumer network element connected to autonomous domain A through a user terminal, requesting the consumer network element to provide a data source for acquiring data and computing power resources for executing training tasks. In response to the service request, the consumer network element can send a network element discovery request to the registered network element of autonomous domain A, requesting to discover a network element that can provide the data source and the computing power resources. The registered network element of autonomous domain A discovers through network element retrieval that there are network elements in autonomous domain A that can provide the data source, but there are no network elements that can provide the computing power resources. As a result, the registered network element of autonomous domain A can sort out some of the requirements that can be met by the network elements in autonomous domain A, and send the other part of the requirements that are not met by the network elements in autonomous domain A to the inter-domain registered network element through execution event 5, so as to discover other autonomous domains that can meet the other part of the requirements through the inter-domain registered network element.

[0147] In event 5, the autonomous domain A registration network element sends an autonomous domain discovery request to the inter-domain registration network element.

[0148] For example, in response to the judgment result that there is no target network element in autonomous domain A that can meet the network element service requirement, the autonomous domain A registered network element may carry the network element service requirement in the autonomous domain discovery request.

[0149] For another example, the network element service demand includes a first demand and a second demand. In response to the judgment result that there is a first target network element that meets the first demand in autonomous domain A, but there is no second target network element that meets the second demand, the network element registered in autonomous domain A can carry the second demand in the autonomous domain discovery request (that is, carry the demand that cannot be met by the network element in autonomous domain A in the autonomous domain discovery request). For example, the network element service demand from the user includes the demand for collecting data in area 1 and the demand for collecting data in area 2, but the network element registered in autonomous domain A finds through network element search that the network elements in autonomous domain A can support collecting data in area 1, but not in area 2. Therefore, the network element registered in autonomous domain A can send an autonomous domain discovery request carrying the demand for collecting data in area 2 to the inter-domain registration network element, so as to discover other autonomous domains that support collecting data in area 2 through the inter-domain registration network element.

[0150] In event 6, the inter-domain registration network element performs autonomous domain search and discovery in response to receiving the autonomous domain discovery request from the autonomous domain A registration network element.

[0151] For example, the inter-domain registration network element can find at least one autonomous domain that can meet the network element service requirements by retrieving information of multiple autonomous domains, and generate an autonomous domain list corresponding to at least one second autonomous domain. The autonomous domain list may include at least one of the identifier, deployment location, service area, quality of service provided, level of resources provided, and address of the registered network element in at least one second autonomous domain.

[0152] In event 7, the inter-domain registration network element sends an autonomous domain discovery request response to the autonomous domain A registration network element.

[0153] For example, the autonomous domain discovery request response may carry an autonomous domain list corresponding to at least one second autonomous domain.

[0154] In event 8, the autonomous domain A registration network element sends an autonomous domain B network element discovery request to the autonomous domain B registration network element. Here, autonomous domain B is one of the at least one second autonomous domain returned by the inter-domain registration network element.

[0155] For example, the network elements in autonomous domain A can meet part of the network element service requirements, and the network element discovery request in autonomous domain B may carry another part of the requirements that cannot be met by the network elements in autonomous domain A.

[0156] In event 9, the registered network element in autonomous domain B responds to the network element discovery request received from the registered network element in autonomous domain A by searching and discovering network elements in autonomous domain B.

[0157] For example, the network element registered in autonomous domain B can retrieve the network element information of the network elements in autonomous domain B according to the requirements carried in the network element discovery request of the network element registered in autonomous domain A, and generate a network element list of at least one second network element that can meet the requirements. The network element list may include at least one of the address, service area, type of service provided, and resource magnitude of at least one second network element.

[0158] In event 10, the autonomous domain B registered network element sends a network element discovery request response to the autonomous domain A registered network element.

[0159] For example, the network element discovery request response sent by the registration network element of autonomous domain B may carry a network element list corresponding to at least one second network element.

[0160] In event 11, the registration network element of autonomous domain A sends a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element. Here, the network element discovery request response may carry network element information of a target network element that can meet the network element service requirement.

[0161] It should be understood that the above Figures 1 to 4 The relevant steps and descriptions in the illustrated embodiment are also applicable to Figure 5 The method of network element discovery shown in the figure can be found in the previous article. Figures 1 to 4 The illustrated embodiments will not be described in detail here.

[0162] Figure 6 Flowcharts showing other embodiments of the network element discovery method of the present disclosure.

[0163] like Figure 6 As shown, in step 610, the UE sends a service request carrying the network element service requirement to the consumer network element, so that the consumer network element sends a network element discovery request carrying the network element service requirement to the first registration network element.

[0164] Here, the first registration network element and the consumer network element are both located in the first autonomous domain.

[0165] In step 620, the UE receives a network element discovery request response returned by the first registration network element via the consumer network element.

[0166] Here, the network element discovery request response may carry network element information of a target network element that can meet the network element service requirements, wherein the network element discovery request response is determined by the first registered network element based on whether the target network element exists in the first autonomous domain.

[0167] It should be understood that the above Figures 1 to 5 The relevant steps and descriptions in the illustrated embodiment are also applicable to Figure 6 The method of network element discovery shown in the figure can be found in the previous article. Figures 1 to 5 The illustrated embodiments will not be described in detail here.

[0168] In the above embodiment, the UE sends a service request carrying the network element service requirement to the consumer network element, so that the consumer network element can obtain the network element information of the target network element that can meet the network element service requirement through the registered network element in the autonomous domain.

[0169] In this way, the consumer network element can obtain the network element information of the target network element that can meet the network element service requirements from the registered network elements within the autonomous domain according to the network element service requirements from the UE, without sending network element discovery requests to the registered network elements outside the domain, thereby reducing the number of network element discovery requests received by the registered network element, and further reducing the load of the registered network element, thereby improving the communication performance of the network and reducing the risk of registered network element failure.

[0170] Figure 7 A block diagram illustrating some embodiments of a registration network element of the present disclosure.

[0171] like Figure 7 As shown, the registration network element 700 includes a receiving module 701 , a judging module 702 and a sending module 703 .

[0172] The receiving module 701 is configured to receive a network element discovery request from a consumer network element. Here, the network element discovery request carries a network element service requirement, and both the registration network element 700 and the consumer network element are located in the first autonomous domain.

[0173] The determination module 702 is configured to determine whether there is a target network element in the first autonomous domain that can meet the network element service requirements.

[0174] The sending module 703 is configured to send a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element according to the result of the determination, where the network element discovery request response carries network element information of the target network element.

[0175] In some embodiments, the registration network element 700 may be used as the first registration network element, and may also include executing the above Figures 1 to 5 Other modules for other operations in the illustrated embodiments.

[0176] Figure 8 A block diagram illustrating some embodiments of the user equipment of the present disclosure.

[0177] like Figure 8 As shown, the user equipment 800 includes a sending module 801 and a receiving module 802 .

[0178] The sending module 801 is configured to send a service request carrying a network element service requirement to the consumer network element, so that the consumer network element sends a network element discovery request carrying the network element service requirement to the first registered network element. Here, the first registered network element and the consumer network element are both located in the first autonomous domain.

[0179] The receiving module 802 is configured to receive the network element discovery request response returned by the first registered network element via the consumer network element. Here, the network element discovery request response carries network element information of the target network element that can meet the network element service requirements, and the network element discovery request response is determined by the first registered network element based on whether the target network element exists in the first autonomous domain.

[0180] In some embodiments, the user device 800 may further include a method for executing the above Figure 6 Other modules for other operations in the illustrated embodiments.

[0181] Fig. 9 A block diagram showing some embodiments of the electronic device of the present disclosure.

[0182] like Fig. 9 As shown, the electronic device 900 of this embodiment includes: a memory 901 and a processor 902 coupled to the memory 901 , and the processor 902 is configured to execute a method in any one of the embodiments of the present disclosure based on instructions stored in the memory 901 .

[0183] The memory 901 may include, for example, a system memory, a fixed non-volatile storage medium, etc. The system memory may store, for example, an operating system, an application program, a boot loader, a database, and other programs.

[0184] In some embodiments, the electronic device 900 may be used as a registration network element for performing operations in any of the above embodiments. In other embodiments, the electronic device 900 may be used as a user equipment for performing operations in any of the above embodiments.

[0185] Fig.10 A block diagram showing some other embodiments of the electronic device of the present disclosure.

[0186] like Fig.10 As shown, the electronic device 1000 of this embodiment includes: a memory 1001 and a processor 1002 coupled to the memory 1001 , and the processor 1002 is configured to execute the method in any one of the aforementioned embodiments based on instructions stored in the memory 1001 .

[0187] The memory 1001 may include, for example, a system memory, a fixed non-volatile storage medium, etc. The system memory may store, for example, an operating system, an application program, a boot loader, and other programs.

[0188] The electronic device 1000 may also include an input / output interface 1003, a network interface 1004, a storage interface 1005, etc. These interfaces 1003, 1004, 1005, the memory 1001, and the processor 1002 may be connected, for example, via a bus 1006. The input / output interface 1003 provides a connection interface for input / output devices such as a display, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen, a microphone, and a speaker. The network interface 1004 provides a connection interface for various networked devices. The storage interface 1005 provides a connection interface for external storage devices such as an SD card and a USB flash drive.

[0189] In some embodiments, the electronic device 1000 may be used as a registration network element for performing operations in any of the above embodiments. In other embodiments, the electronic device 1000 may be used as a user device for performing operations in any of the above embodiments.

[0190] Fig.11 A block diagram showing some embodiments of the system for network element discovery of the present disclosure.

[0191] like Fig.11 As shown, the network element discovery system 1100 includes a registration network element 1101 and a user equipment 1102. For example, the registration network element 1101 may be a registration network element 700 / 1000. For example, the user equipment 1102 may be a user equipment 800 / 1000.

[0192] In some embodiments, the network element discovery system 1100 may further include a consumer network element 1103. The consumer network element 1103 may be configured to receive a service request from the user equipment 1102, send a network element discovery request to the registration network element 1101, and receive a network element discovery request response from the registration network element 1101.

[0193] It should be understood that the network element discovery system 1100 may also include various other network elements and devices, which will not be described in detail here.

[0194] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present disclosure may take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Furthermore, the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable non-transient storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0195] So far, the network element discovery method according to the present disclosure has been described in detail. In order to avoid obscuring the concept of the present disclosure, some details known in the art are not described. Based on the above description, those skilled in the art can fully understand how to implement the technical solution disclosed here.

[0196] The method and system of the present disclosure may be implemented in many ways. For example, the method and system of the present disclosure may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination of software, hardware, and firmware. The above order of steps for the method is for illustration only, and the steps of the method of the present disclosure are not limited to the order specifically described above, unless otherwise specifically stated. In addition, in some embodiments, the present disclosure may also be implemented as a program recorded in a recording medium, which includes machine-readable instructions for implementing the method according to the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure also covers a recording medium storing a program for executing the method according to the present disclosure.

[0197] Although some specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail by way of example, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above examples are for illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above embodiments may be modified without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for network element discovery, comprising: The first registration network element receives a network element discovery request from a consumer network element, the network element discovery request carries a network element service requirement, and the first registration network element and the consumer network element are both located in a first autonomous domain; The first registration network element determines whether there is a target network element in the first autonomous domain that can meet the network element service requirement; The first registration network element sends a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element according to the result of the judgment, and the network element discovery request response carries the network element information of the target network element.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first registration network element sending a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element according to the result of the judgment includes: In response to the result of the judgment that the target network element does not exist in the first autonomous domain, the first registration network element obtains service information of at least one second autonomous domain that can meet the service requirement of the network element from the inter-domain registration network element; The first registration network element sends the network element discovery request response to the consumer network element according to the service information of the at least one second autonomous domain.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The first registration network element sending a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element according to the service information of the at least one second autonomous domain includes: The first registration network element obtains, from a second registration network element in the at least one second autonomous domain, network element information of at least one second network element in the at least one second autonomous domain that can meet the network element service requirement; The first registration network element sends the network element discovery request response to the consumer network element based on the network element information of the at least one second network element.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The at least one second autonomous domain includes a plurality of second autonomous domains, and the service information of the at least one second autonomous domain includes a deployment location of each of the plurality of second autonomous domains, and a quality of service provided by each of the second autonomous domains. The first registered network element acquiring, according to the service information of the at least one second autonomous domain, network element information of at least one second network element that can meet the network element service requirement from the second registered network element of the at least one second autonomous domain includes: The first registration network element determines a designated autonomous domain from the plurality of second autonomous domains based on the service information of the at least one second autonomous domain; The first registered network element obtains the network element information of the at least one second network element from the registered network elements in the designated autonomous domain.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The at least one second network element includes a plurality of second network elements, and the network element information of the at least one second network element includes a service area of ​​each of the plurality of second network elements and a resource level provided by each of the second network elements. The first registration network element sending the network element discovery request response to the consumer network element based on the network element information of the at least one second network element includes: The first registration network element determines the target network element from the plurality of second network elements based on the network element information of the at least one second network element, and sends the network element discovery request response to the consumer network element.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The first registration network element sending a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element according to the result of the judgment includes: In response to the judgment result that the target network element exists in the first autonomous domain, the first registration network element sends the network element discovery request response to the consumer network element.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The network element service requirement includes a first requirement and a second requirement, and the target network element includes a first target network element and a second target network element. The first registration network element sending a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element according to the result of the judgment includes: In response to the judgment result that the first target network element that can meet the first requirement exists in the first autonomous domain but the second target network element that can meet the second requirement does not exist, the first registered network element obtains service information of the second autonomous domain that can meet the second requirement from the inter-domain registered network element, and sends the network element discovery request response to the consumer network element based on the service information of the second autonomous domain and the network element information of the first target network element.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: The first registration network element registers the network element for the network element in the first autonomous domain in response to receiving a network element registration request from the network element in the first autonomous domain, and the network element registration request carries at least one of an identifier of the network element in the first autonomous domain, a service area of ​​the network element, and a level of resources provided by the network element.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: The first registration network element sends an autonomous domain registration request to the inter-domain registration network element to perform autonomous domain registration of the first autonomous domain. The autonomous domain registration request carries autonomous domain registration information of the first autonomous domain. The autonomous domain registration information includes at least one of the identification of the first autonomous domain, the deployment location, the type of service provided, and the quality of service provided.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: In response to the autonomous domain registration information being updated, the first registration network element sends an autonomous domain registration update request to the inter-domain registration network element to perform an autonomous domain registration update of the first autonomous domain, wherein the autonomous domain registration update request carries the updated autonomous domain registration information.

11. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein: The service information of the at least one second autonomous domain includes at least one of a deployment location, a provided service quality, and a provided service type of the at least one second autonomous domain.

12. A method for network element discovery, comprising: The user equipment sends a service request carrying a network element service requirement to the consumer network element, so that the consumer network element sends a network element discovery request carrying the network element service requirement to the first registration network element, and the first registration network element and the consumer network element are both located in the first autonomous domain; The user equipment receives a network element discovery request response returned by the first registered network element via the consumer network element. The network element discovery request response carries network element information of a target network element that can meet the network element service requirements. The network element discovery request response is determined by the first registered network element based on whether the target network element exists in the first autonomous domain.

13. A registration network element, comprising: A receiving module is configured to receive a network element discovery request from a consumer network element, wherein the network element discovery request carries a network element service requirement, and the registration network element and the consumer network element are both located in a first autonomous domain; A determination module, configured to determine whether there is a target network element in the first autonomous domain that can meet the network element service requirement; The sending module is configured to send a network element discovery request response to the consumer network element according to the result of the judgment, wherein the network element discovery request response carries the network element information of the target network element.

14. A user equipment, comprising: a sending module configured to send a service request carrying a network element service requirement to a consumer network element, so that the consumer network element sends a network element discovery request carrying the network element service requirement to a first registration network element, wherein both the first registration network element and the consumer network element are located in a first autonomous domain; The receiving module is configured to receive a network element discovery request response returned by the first registered network element via the consumer network element, the network element discovery request response carries network element information of a target network element that can meet the network element service requirements, and the network element discovery request response is determined by the first registered network element based on whether the target network element exists in the first autonomous domain.

15. An electronic device, comprising: Memory; and A processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to execute the method for network element discovery according to any one of claims 1 to 11, or the method for network element discovery according to claim 12, based on instructions stored in the memory.

16. A system for network element discovery, comprising: A registration network element, configured to execute the network element discovery method according to any one of claims 1 to 11; as well as The user equipment is configured to execute the network element discovery method according to claim 12.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising: The consumer network element is configured to receive a service request from the user equipment, send a network element discovery request to the registration network element, and receive a network element discovery request response from the registration network element.

18. A computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implement the network element discovery method described in any one of claims 1 to 11, or the network element discovery method described in claim 12.

19. A computer program product, comprising instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method for network element discovery according to any one of claims 1 to 11, or the method for network element discovery according to claim 12.