Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and device, belongs to the technical field of communication, and is used for reasonably processing uplink information in a local area network scene. In the method, a session management function entity sends indication information used for indicating to exchange a source address and a destination address in first PDR information to a user plane function entity, so that the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in flow description information in the first PDR information based on the indication information. Therefore, the information of the uplink flow can be reasonably processed, so that the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information sensed by the user plane functional entity is consistent with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information, and the user plane functional entity can correctly sense the first PDR information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a communication method and device. Background Art

[0002] Packet detection rule (PDR) is used to detect and classify data. PDR can be generated by session management function (SMF) entity and sent to user plane function (UPF) entity for use. After receiving PDR, UPF entity can exchange the source address and destination address in the PDR according to the source interface in the PDR being the access interface. Exemplarily, when the source interface in the PDR is "access", it means that the filter corresponding to the PDR is for the uplink data flow, that is, the PDR is an uplink PDR. Therefore, the UPF entity needs to exchange the source address and destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR to perceive (or use, or execute) the correct uplink PDR.

[0003] However, the above content is the processing of upstream information in the Internet Protocol (IP) scenario. In the local area network scenario, the processing of upstream information is a hot topic currently under discussion. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and device for reasonably processing upstream information in a local area network scenario.

[0005] In order to achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a session management function entity, or by a component of the session management function entity, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the session management function entity, or by a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the session management function entity. The following is an example of the method being executed by a session management function entity. The method includes: the session management function entity receives a policy and charging control PCC rule from a policy control function entity, the PCC rule includes flow description information and flow direction information, the flow description information includes a source address and a destination address of a downlink flow, and the flow direction information is used to indicate that the flow direction includes an uplink; the session management function entity sends a first PDR information to a user plane function entity, the first PDR information includes flow description information and indication information, the indication information is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are exchanged; or, the session management function entity sends a first PDR information and indication information to a user plane function entity, the first PDR information includes flow description information, and the indication information is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are exchanged.

[0007] Based on the method of the first aspect, it can be known that in a local area network scenario, the session management function entity generates uplink PDR information based on the PCC rule sent by the policy control function entity, and sends the uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity. The flow description information included in the uplink PDR information indicates the source address and destination address of the downlink flow, that is, the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane function entity is inconsistent (or does not match) with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information. In this case, the session management function entity sends an indication information for indicating the exchange of the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information to the user plane function entity, so that the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the flow description information in the first PDR information based on the indication information. In this way, the information of the uplink flow can be reasonably processed, so that the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane function entity is consistent with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information, so that the user plane function entity can correctly perceive (or use, or execute) the first PDR information.

[0008] It can be understood that the above-mentioned local area network can be a fifth-generation 5G local area network LAN. The above-mentioned flow direction includes uplink, which can be understood as the flow direction is uplink or bidirectional (i.e., uplink and downlink at the same time). And in the first aspect, the first PDR information is uplink PDR information, that is, the above-mentioned first PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) the first uplink PDR information.

[0009] In addition, the session management function entity may send the first PDR information carrying the indication information to the user plane function entity in the local area network scenario, or send the indication information and the first PDR information to the user plane function entity. It can be understood that the local area network scenario may refer to the above-mentioned flow description information and the above-mentioned flow direction information being applied to the local area network scenario. Exemplarily, the above-mentioned session management function entity sending the first PDR information to the user plane function entity may specifically include: when the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario, the session management function entity sends the first PDR information to the user plane function entity. Alternatively, the above-mentioned session management function entity sending the first PDR information and the indication information to the user plane function entity may specifically include: when the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario, the session management function entity sends the first PDR information and the indication information to the user plane function entity. It can also be understood that the above-mentioned local area network scenario may also be embodied by other information, which can be specifically set according to actual conditions without limitation.

[0010] In a possible design, the first PDR information is associated with the indication information. For example, the session management function entity may set the identifier of the first PDR information and the indication information in the same tuple or message, and send the tuple or the message.

[0011] In a possible design scheme, before the session management function entity sends the first PDR information to the user plane function entity, or before the session management function entity sends the first PDR information and indication information to the user plane function entity, the method described in the first aspect also includes: when the flow description information and the flow direction information in the flow description information are applied to the local area network scenario, the session management function entity determines that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are to be exchanged. In other words, in the local area network scenario, the session management function entity determines that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are to be exchanged by the user plane function entity. In other words, in the local area network scenario, the session management function entity determines that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are opposite, that is, the source address and the destination address are to be exchanged. That is, when the session management function entity is in the local area network scenario and the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink, it is determined that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information need to be exchanged (by the user plane function entity) to obtain the correct uplink PDR information.

[0012] In a possible design scheme, the PCC rule also includes a group identifier, and the method described in the first aspect also includes: the session management function entity determines, based on the group identifier, that the flow description information and flow direction information in the PCC rule are applied to the local area network scenario. It can be understood that the group identifier is used to indicate a group including multiple terminal devices. After receiving the group identifier, the session management function entity can determine, based on the group identifier, that the current scenario is a local area network, that is, the flow description information and flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario, thereby sending indication information to the user plane function entity in the local area network scenario. It can be understood that the session management function entity can also query the identifiers of multiple terminal devices corresponding to the group identifier through the unified data management function entity, such as a group of public user identifiers GPSI, or a group of user permanent identifiers SUPI, and determine (or generate) the first PDR information based on the identifier of the terminal device.

[0013] In a possible design, the source interface in the first PDR information is the first interface, the destination interface associated with the first PDR information is the core network interface, and the first interface is an interface inside the user plane functional entity for LAN data transmission. That is, this is a LAN scenario.

[0014] In a possible design, the local area network is a fifth-generation 5G local area network LAN. It can be understood that in this case, the first interface is an internal interface of the fifth-generation 5G virtual network VN.

[0015] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a user plane functional entity, or by a component of the user plane functional entity, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the user plane functional entity, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the user plane functional entity. The following is an explanation of the method performed by a user plane functional entity as an example. The method includes: in a local area network scenario, the user plane functional entity receives first PDR information from a session management functional entity, the first PDR information includes flow description information and indication information, the flow description information includes the source address and destination address of the downlink flow, and the indication information is used to indicate the exchange of the source address and destination address in the first PDR information; the user plane functional entity exchanges the source address and destination address in the first PDR information based on the indication information in the first PDR information to obtain the second PDR information.

[0016] On the third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a user plane functional entity, or by a component of the user plane functional entity, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the user plane functional entity, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the user plane functional entity. The following is an explanation of the method being executed by a user plane functional entity as an example. The method includes: in a local area network scenario, the user plane functional entity receives first PDR information and indication information from a session management functional entity, the first PDR information includes flow description information, the flow description information includes a source address and a destination address of a downlink flow, and the indication information is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are exchanged; based on the indication information, the user plane functional entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information to obtain a second PDR information.

[0017] According to the solutions of the second and third aspects, the user plane function entity can perform interactive operations on the PDR information according to the indication information received from the session management function entity, thereby obtaining correct uplink PDR information.

[0018] In combination with the second aspect or the third aspect, in a possible design scheme, after the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information, the method described in the second aspect or the method described in the third aspect also includes: the user plane function entity sends an uplink data packet, and the uplink data packet is at least one data packet obtained by the user plane function entity by matching the second PDR information. In this way, it can be ensured that the user plane function entity uses the correct uplink PDR information (i.e., the second PDR information) to detect and classify the data packets. It can be understood that the user plane function entity can send uplink data packets to application functions, network open function entities, or other devices, which can be flexibly set according to actual conditions without limitation.

[0019] In combination with the second aspect or the third aspect, in a possible design scheme, the source interface in the first PDR information is the first interface, the destination interface associated with the first PDR information is the core network interface, and the first interface is an interface inside the user plane functional entity for local area network data transmission. That is, the user plane functional entity can determine that the first PDR information is PDR information for an upstream flow based on the fact that the source interface in the first PDR information is the first interface and the destination interface associated with the first PDR information is the core network interface.

[0020] In combination with the second aspect or the third aspect, in a possible design scheme, the above-mentioned local area network is a fifth-generation 5G local area network LAN.

[0021] It can be understood that in the second aspect and the third aspect, the above-mentioned LAN scenario may refer to the above-mentioned flow description information being applied to the LAN scenario; or, the above-mentioned LAN scenario may refer to the above-mentioned flow description information and flow direction information being applied to the LAN scenario. That is, the above-mentioned "in the LAN scenario" may be replaced by "when the flow description information is applied to the LAN scenario" or "when the flow description information and flow direction information are applied to the LAN scenario".

[0022] In addition, in the second aspect and the third aspect, the first PDR information and the second PDR information are uplink PDR information, that is, the first PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) the first uplink PDR information, and the second PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) the second uplink PDR information. It can be understood that after receiving the PDR information from the session management function entity, the user plane function entity needs to detect the PDR information to determine whether the PDR information is uplink PDR information. For example, the user plane function entity can determine that the PDR information is uplink PDR information based on the association between the received PDR information and the indication information, such as the PDR information includes the indication information, and the identifier of the PDR information and the indication information are in the same tuple. For another example, the user plane function entity can determine that the PDR information is uplink PDR information based on the source address of the received PDR information and the destination address associated with the PDR information. Of course, the user plane function entity can also determine whether the received PDR information is uplink PDR information in other ways, which is not limited here.

[0023] In addition, the technical effects of the method described in the second aspect or the technical effects of the method described in the third aspect can also refer to the technical effects of the method described in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0024] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a user plane functional entity, or by a component of the user plane functional entity, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the user plane functional entity, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the user plane functional entity. The following is an explanation of the method performed by a user plane functional entity as an example. The method includes: the user plane functional entity receives first PDR information from a session management functional entity, the first PDR information includes flow description information and source interface information, and the flow description information includes a source address and a destination address of a downstream flow; the user plane functional entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the flow description information based on the source interface in the first PDR information as a first interface to obtain a second PDR information, and the above-mentioned first interface is an interface inside the user plane functional entity for local area network data transmission.

[0025] Based on the method of the fourth aspect, it can be known that in a local area network scenario, the session management function entity generates uplink PDR information based on the PCC rule sent by the policy control function entity, and sends the uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity. The flow description information included in the uplink PDR information indicates the source address and destination address of the downlink flow, that is, the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane function entity is inconsistent (or does not match) with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information. In this case, after receiving the first PDR information from the session management function entity, the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information according to the source interface in the first PDR information being the first interface. In this way, the information of the uplink flow can be reasonably processed, so that the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane function entity is consistent with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information, so that the user plane function entity can correctly perceive the uplink PDR information.

[0026] It can be understood that in the fourth aspect, the first PDR information and the second PDR information are both uplink PDR information, that is, the above-mentioned first PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) the first uplink PDR information, and the above-mentioned second PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) the second uplink PDR information.

[0027] In a possible design scheme, the user plane functional entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the flow description information according to the source interface in the first PDR information being the first interface and the destination interface associated with the uplink PDR information being the core network interface. It can be understood that when the source interface in the PDR information is the first interface and the destination interface associated with the uplink PDR information is the core network interface, the PDR information is uplink PDR information, and the user plane functional entity can exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information to perceive the correct uplink PDR information.

[0028] In a possible design scheme, the method described in the fourth aspect further includes: the user plane functional entity determines that the first PDR information is uplink PDR information according to the source interface being the first interface and the destination interface being the core network interface. That is, the user plane functional entity determines that the PDR information is uplink PDR information according to the source interface in the PDR information being the first interface and the destination interface associated with the uplink PDR information being the core network interface.

[0029] In a possible design scheme, the above-mentioned local area network is a fifth-generation 5G local area network LAN scenario. That is, at this time, the first interface can be an internal interface of the 5G virtual network VN.

[0030] In a possible design scheme, the destination interface associated with the first PDR information is the core network interface. That is, in the 5G LAN scenario, the source address of the first PDR information is the 5G VN internal interface, and the destination interface associated with the first PDR information is the core network interface.

[0031] In a possible design scheme, the method described in the fourth aspect further includes: the user plane function entity sends an uplink data packet, and the uplink data packet is at least one data packet obtained by the user plane function entity by matching the second uplink PDR data. In this way, it can be ensured that the user plane function entity uses the correct uplink PDR information to detect and classify the data packets.

[0032] In a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a policy control function entity, or by a component of the policy control function entity, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the policy control function entity, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the policy control function entity. The following is an explanation of the method being executed by a policy control function entity as an example. The method includes: the policy control function entity carries indication information in a policy and charging control PCC rule, and sends the PCC rule to a session management function entity; wherein the PCC rule includes flow description information and flow direction information, the flow description information includes a source address and a destination address of a downlink flow, the flow direction information is used to indicate that the flow direction includes an uplink, and the indication information is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow.

[0033] Based on the method of the fifth aspect, it can be known that in a local area network scenario, the session management function entity generates uplink PDR information based on the PCC rule sent by the policy control function entity, and sends the uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity. The flow description information included in the uplink PDR information indicates the source address and destination address for the downlink flow in the PCC rule, that is, the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane function entity is inconsistent (or does not match) with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information. In this case, when the flow direction includes uplink, the policy control function entity can carry indication information in the PCC rule to indicate that the source address and destination address included in the flow description are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow; after receiving the indication information, the session management function entity can associate the indication information with the uplink PDR information, and send the indication information and the uplink PDR information associated with the indication information to the user plane function entity, so that the user plane function entity determines the uplink PDR information based on the indication information, and exchanges the source address and destination address in the flow description in the uplink PDR information. In this way, the uplink flow information can be processed reasonably so that the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane functional entity is consistent with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information, thereby enabling the user plane functional entity to correctly perceive (or execute, or use) the uplink PDR information.

[0034] It can be understood that the above-mentioned flow direction including uplink can be understood as the flow direction being uplink or bidirectional (i.e., uplink and downlink at the same time). In addition, the policy control function entity can carry indication information in the PCC rule under the local area network scenario (such as the fifth-generation 5G local area network LAN). It can be understood that the above-mentioned local area network scenario can refer to the application of the above-mentioned flow description information and the above-mentioned flow direction information to the local area network scenario. Exemplarily, the above-mentioned policy control function entity carrying indication information in the PCC rule can specifically include: when the flow description information and flow direction information in the PCC rule are applied to the local area network scenario, the policy control function entity carries indication information in the policy and charging control PCC rule. It can also be understood that the above-mentioned local area network scenario can also be reflected by other information, which can be flexibly set according to the actual situation without limitation.

[0035] In a possible design scheme, before the policy control function entity carries the indication information in the PCC rule, the method described in the fifth aspect also includes: the policy control function entity receives the first flow description information, flow direction information and group identifier from the application function, and determines that the flow description information and flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario based on the group identifier, and the first flow description information is used to determine the flow description information in the above PCC rule. The group identifier can be used to indicate a group including multiple terminal devices. After receiving the group identifier, the policy control function entity can determine that the current scenario is a local area network based on the group identifier, that is, the flow description information and flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario, thereby sending the indication information to the session management function entity in the local area network scenario and when the flow direction includes uplink.

[0036] In a possible design scheme, the policy control function entity carries indication information in the PCC rule, including: the policy control function entity carries indication information in the PCC rule based on a local policy, and the local policy indicates that when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes an uplink, information for indicating the source address and destination address in the exchange flow description information to determine the flow description of the uplink flow is sent to the session management function entity.

[0037] In a possible design scheme, the method described in the fifth aspect also includes: the policy control function entity receives policy information from the application function, the policy information is used to indicate that when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink, the information used to indicate the source address and destination address in the exchange flow description information to determine the flow description of the uplink is sent to the session management function entity; the policy control function entity carries the indication information in the PCC rule, including: the policy control function entity carries the indication information in the PCC rule based on the policy information. It can be understood that the policy information can be understood as the dynamic policy of the policy control function entity, and the dynamic policy can be updated and adjusted based on the request of a third party or other network element, that is, the dynamic policy can be flexibly set according to the actual situation.

[0038] In a sixth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a session management function entity, or by a component of the session management function entity, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the session management function entity, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the session management function entity. The following is an example of the method being executed by a session management function entity. The method includes: the session management function entity receives a policy and charging control PCC rule, the PCC rule includes flow description information, flow direction information, and indication information, the flow description information includes a source address and a destination address of a downlink flow, the flow direction information is used to indicate that the flow direction includes an uplink, and the indication information is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow; the session management function entity generates a first PDR information according to the PCC rule, and the first PDR information includes the flow description information; the session management function entity sends the first PDR information to the user plane function entity, and the first PDR information includes the indication information; or the session management function entity sends the first PDR information and the indication information to the user plane function entity, and the indication information is associated with the first PDR information.

[0039] It can be understood that in the sixth aspect, the first PDR information is uplink PDR information, that is, the above-mentioned first PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) the first uplink PDR information.

[0040] In a possible design scheme, the source interface in the first PDR information is the first interface, the destination interface associated with the first PDR information is the core network interface, and the first interface is an interface inside the user plane functional entity for local area network data transmission.

[0041] Optionally, the above-mentioned local area network is a fifth-generation 5G local area network LAN.

[0042] In addition, the technical effects of the method described in the sixth aspect can also refer to the technical effects of the methods described in the first to fourth aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0043] In the seventh aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a session management function entity, or by a component of the session management function entity, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the session management function entity, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the session management function entity. The following is an explanation of the method being executed by a session management function entity as an example. The method includes: the session management function entity receives a media access control MAC address and flow direction information from a user plane function entity, and determines a data packet detection rule PDR information based on the MAC address and flow direction information; wherein the MAC address is the address of a newly added terminal device in the terminal group, and the flow direction information is used to indicate the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address.

[0044] Based on the method of the seventh aspect, when a new terminal device is added to a terminal group or a local area network, the session management function entity generates PDR information based on the MAC address of the terminal device reported by the user plane function entity and the preset flow information, and the PDR information includes uplink PDR information and downlink PDR information. However, the transmission direction of the data of the terminal device may be uplink or downlink, that is, the session management function entity does not need to generate downlink PDR information or uplink PDR information at this time. In this case, the user plane function entity can send the MAC address and flow direction information of the newly added terminal device to the session management function entity, so that the session management function entity generates corresponding PDR information based on the flow direction information, such as when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is uplink, only uplink PDR information is generated, and when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is downlink, only downlink PDR information is generated. In this way, the overhead of the session management function entity in generating PDR information can be reduced, and the processing overhead of the user plane function entity using PDR information can also be reduced, that is, the user plane function entity does not need to use additional PDR information to match data packets at this time.

[0045] In a possible design, the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is uplink, and the above PDR information is uplink PDR information; or, the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is downlink, and the above PDR information is downlink PDR information; or, the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is bidirectional, and the above PDR information is uplink PDR information and downlink PDR information. That is, when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is uplink, the above PDR information does not include downlink PDR information; when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is downlink, the above PDR information does not include uplink PDR information.

[0046] Optionally, the source address in the uplink PDR information is the MAC address. In this way, the source address in the uplink PDR information can be correct, so that the user plane function entity does not need to exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information after receiving the uplink PDR information, thereby reducing the processing overhead of the user plane function entity. It can be understood that the session management function entity can exchange the source address and the destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information after generating the uplink PDR information, or directly determine the MAC address as the source address when generating the uplink PDR information. The specific setting can be flexibly made according to the actual situation without limitation.

[0047] In a possible design, the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is uplink, and the session management function entity determines the source address included in the uplink PDR information in the PDR information according to the MAC address and the flow direction information, including: the session management function entity determines the MAC address as the source address of the uplink PDR information according to the flow direction information. In this way, the session management function entity does not need to exchange the source address and the destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information after determining the uplink PDR information, thereby reducing the processing overhead of the session management function entity.

[0048] In an eighth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a user plane functional entity, or by a component of the user plane functional entity, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the user plane functional entity, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the user plane functional entity. The following is an explanation of the method being executed by a user plane functional entity as an example. The method includes: the user plane functional entity obtains a media access control MAC address and flow direction information, and sends the MAC address and flow direction information to a session management functional entity; wherein the MAC address is the address of a newly added terminal device in the terminal group, and the flow direction information is used to indicate the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address.

[0049] In one possible design scheme, the flow direction indicated by the above-mentioned flow direction information includes uplink, and the method described in the fifth aspect also includes: the user plane function entity receives uplink PDR information from the session management function entity, and the source address in the uplink PDR information is the above-mentioned MAC address.

[0050] In addition, the technical effects of the method described in the eighth aspect can also refer to the technical effects of the method described in the seventh aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0051] In a ninth aspect, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: a session management function entity executes the method described in the first aspect, and a user plane function entity executes the method described in the second aspect or the third aspect.

[0052] In a tenth aspect, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: a policy control function entity executes the method described in the fifth aspect, and a session management function entity executes the method described in the sixth aspect.

[0053] Optionally, the method described in aspect ten also includes: a user plane function entity executes the method described in aspect two or aspect three.

[0054] In the eleventh aspect, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: a session management function entity executes the method described in the seventh aspect, and a user plane function entity executes the method described in the eighth aspect.

[0055] In the twelfth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes: a module or unit (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit) for executing the method / operation / step / action described in any one of the first aspect to the eighth aspect, such as a transceiver module and a processing module. For example, the transceiver module is used to indicate the transceiver function of the communication device, and the processing module is used to execute functions of the communication device other than the transceiver function.

[0056] Optionally, the transceiver module may include a sending module and a receiving module, wherein the sending module is used to implement the sending function of the communication device described in aspect 12, and the receiving module is used to implement the receiving function of the communication device described in aspect 12.

[0057] Optionally, the communication device described in the twelfth aspect may further include a storage module, wherein the storage module stores a program or instruction. When the processing module executes the program or instruction, the communication device may execute the method described in any one of the first aspect to the eighth aspect.

[0058] It can be understood that the communication device described in the twelfth aspect can be a terminal device or a network device, or it can be a chip (system) or other parts or components that can be set in the terminal device or the network device, or it can be a device that includes the terminal device or the network device, and this application does not limit this.

[0059] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device described in the twelfth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method described in any one of the implementation methods of the first aspect to the eighth aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0060] In a thirteenth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor, when the processor executes a computer instruction, the communication device executes the method described in any possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the eighth aspect.

[0061] In a possible design scheme, the communication device described in the thirteenth aspect may further include a transceiver. The transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver may be used for the communication device described in the thirteenth aspect to communicate with other communication devices.

[0062] In a possible design scheme, the communication device described in the thirteenth aspect may also include a memory. The memory may be integrated with the processor or may be separately provided. The memory may be used to store the computer program and / or data involved in the method described in any one of the first aspect to the eighth aspect.

[0063] In an embodiment of the present application, the communication device described in aspect 13 may be a terminal device or a network device described in any one of aspects 1 to 8, or a chip (system) or other parts or components that may be arranged in the terminal device or the network device, or a device including the terminal device or the network device.

[0064] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device described in the thirteenth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method described in any one of the implementation methods of the first aspect to the eighth aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0065] In a fourteenth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor, the processor being coupled to a memory, the processor being configured to execute a computer program stored in the memory, so that the communication device executes the method described in any possible implementation manner in the first aspect to the eighth aspect.

[0066] In a possible design solution, the communication device described in aspect 14 may further include a transceiver. The transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver may be used for the communication device described in aspect 14 to communicate with other communication devices.

[0067] In an embodiment of the present application, the communication device described in aspect 14 may be a terminal device or a network device described in any one of aspects 1 to 8, or a chip (system) or other parts or components that may be arranged in the terminal device or the network device, or a device including the terminal device or the network device.

[0068] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device described in the fourteenth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method described in any one of the implementation methods of the first aspect to the eighth aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0069] In the fifteenth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, the communication device executes the method described in any one of the implementation methods of the first aspect to the eighth aspect.

[0070] In a possible design scheme, the communication device described in aspect 15 may further include a transceiver. The transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver may be used for the communication device described in aspect 15 to communicate with other communication devices.

[0071] In an embodiment of the present application, the communication device described in aspect 15 may be a terminal device or a network device described in any one of aspects 1 to 8, or a chip (system) or other parts or components that may be arranged in the terminal device or the network device, or a device including the terminal device or the network device.

[0072] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device described in the fifteenth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method described in any one of the implementation methods of the first aspect to the eighth aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0073] In a sixteenth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the method described in any possible implementation method of the first to eighth aspects.

[0074] In the seventeenth aspect, a communication chip is provided, comprising: a logic circuit and a communication interface, the logic circuit is used to execute computer instructions, the communication interface is used for the communication chip to communicate with other devices or chips, when the logic circuit executes the computer instructions, the method described in any one of the implementation methods of the first aspect to the eighth aspect is implemented.

[0075] In an eighteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising: a session management function entity for executing the method described in the first aspect, and a user plane function entity for executing the method described in the second aspect or the third aspect.

[0076] In the nineteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising: a policy control function entity for executing the method described in the fifth aspect, and a session management function entity for executing the method described in the sixth aspect.

[0077] Optionally, the communication system described in the nineteenth aspect also includes: a user plane functional entity for executing the method described in the second aspect or the third aspect.

[0078] In the twentieth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising: a session management function entity for executing the method described in the seventh aspect, and a user plane function entity for executing the method described in the eighth aspect.

[0079] In the twenty-first aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising: a computer program or instructions; when the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, the computer executes the method described in any possible implementation method of the first to eighth aspects.

[0080] In the twenty-second aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program or instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in any possible implementation of aspects one to eight. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0081] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the architecture of the fifth generation mobile communication system 5GS provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0082] Figure 2Schematic diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0083] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0084] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 3 ;

[0085] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 4 ;

[0086] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 5 ;

[0087] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 6 ;

[0088] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 7 ;

[0089] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0090] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 2 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0091] For ease of understanding, the technical terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are first introduced below.

[0092] 1. The fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system (abbreviated as 5G system (5G system, 5GS))

[0093] Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the 5GS architecture is shown in Figure 2. Figure 1 As shown, 5GS includes: access network (AN) and core network (CN), and may also include: terminal equipment.

[0094] The terminal device may be a terminal device with transceiver functions, or a chip or chip system that can be set in the terminal device. The terminal device may also be called UE, access terminal, subscriber unit, user station, mobile station (MS), mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device. The terminal in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a wireless data card, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a handset, a laptop computer, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a vehicle-mounted terminal, a road side unit (RSU) with terminal function, etc. The terminal device of the present application may also be a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted component, a vehicle-mounted chip or a vehicle-mounted unit built into the vehicle as one or more components or units. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type or category of the terminal device.

[0095] The above-mentioned AN is used to implement access-related functions, can provide network access functions for authorized users in a specific area, and can determine transmission links of different qualities to transmit user data according to the user level, business requirements, etc. AN forwards control signals and user data between the terminal and CN. AN may include: access network equipment, also known as radio access network (RAN) equipment. CN is mainly responsible for maintaining the subscription data of the mobile network and providing session management, mobility management, policy management and security authentication functions for terminal equipment. CN mainly includes the following: user plane function (UPF), authentication server function (AUSF), access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), network slice selection function (NSSF), network exposure function (NEF), network repository function (NRF), policy control function (PCF), unified data management (UDM), unified data storage (UDR), application function (AF).

[0096] like Figure 1 As shown, the UE accesses the 5G network through the RAN device, the UE communicates with the AMF through the N1 interface (referred to as N1); the RAN communicates with the AMF through the N2 interface (referred to as N2); the RAN communicates with the UPF through the N3 interface (referred to as N3); the SMF communicates with the UPF through the N4 interface (referred to as N4), and the UPF accesses the DN through the N6 interface (referred to as N6). In addition, Figure 1The control plane functions shown in the figure, such as AUSF, AMF, SMF, NSSF, NEF, NRF, PCF, UDM, UDR, and AF, interact with each other using service-oriented interfaces. For example, the service-oriented interface provided by AUSF to the outside includes Nausf; the service-oriented interface provided by AMF to the outside includes Namf; the service-oriented interface provided by SMF to the outside includes Nsmf; the service-oriented interface provided by NSSF to the outside includes Nnssf; the service-oriented interface provided by NEF to the outside includes Nnef; the service-oriented interface provided by NRF to the outside includes Nnrf; the service-oriented interface provided by PCF to the outside includes Npcf; the service-oriented interface provided by UDM to the outside includes Nudm; the service-oriented interface provided by UDR to the outside includes Nudr; and the service-oriented interface provided by AF to the outside includes Naf.

[0097] RAN equipment can be equipment that provides access to terminal equipment. For example, RAN equipment may include: a next-generation mobile communication system, such as an access network device of a future communication network, or in a next-generation mobile communication system, the network equipment may also have other naming methods, which are all included in the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application, and the present application does not impose any restrictions on this. Alternatively, the RAN equipment may also include 5G, such as a gNB in ​​a new radio (NR) system, or one or a group of (including multiple antenna panels) antenna panels of a base station in 5G, or a network node constituting a gNB, a transmission point (transmission and reception point, TRP or transmission point, TP) or a transmission measurement function (transmission measurement function, TMF), such as a baseband unit (building base band unit, BBU), or a centralized unit (centralized unit, CU) or a distributed unit (distributed unit, DU), an RSU with base station function, or a wired access gateway, or a 5G core network. Alternatively, RAN equipment may also include access points (APs) in wireless fidelity (WiFi) systems, wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes, various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small stations), relay stations, access points, wearable devices, vehicle-mounted devices, and the like.

[0098] UPF is mainly responsible for user data processing (forwarding, receiving, billing, etc.).

[0099] AUSF is mainly used to perform security authentication of terminal devices.

[0100] AMF is mainly used for mobility management in mobile networks, such as user location update, user network registration, user switching, etc.

[0101] SMF is mainly used for session management in mobile networks, such as session establishment, modification, and release. Specific functions include allocating Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to users and selecting UPFs that provide data packet forwarding functions.

[0102] PCF mainly supports providing a unified policy framework to control network behavior, provides policy rules to the control layer network functions, and is responsible for obtaining user subscription information related to policy decisions. PCF can provide policies to AMF and SMF, such as quality of service (QoS) policy, slice selection policy, etc.

[0103] NSSF is mainly used to select network slices for terminal devices.

[0104] NEF is a control plane function provided by operators, which mainly enables third parties to use the services provided by the network, supports the network to open its capabilities, event and data analysis, and provides public land mobile network (PLMN) security configuration information from external applications, and the conversion of interactive information inside and outside the PLMN. For example, NEF can open some capabilities of the 5G network to third-party applications through the application program interface (API). The third-party application obtains some capabilities of the 5G network by calling the API provided by NEF through AF, so that the third-party application can control certain behaviors of the 5G network and terminal devices.

[0105] NRF is a control plane function provided by operators and can be used to maintain real-time information of network functions and services in the network.

[0106] UDM is mainly used to store user data, such as contract data, authentication / authorization data, etc.

[0107] UDR is mainly used to store structured data, including contract data and policy data, externally exposed structured data, and application-related data.

[0108] AF mainly provides corresponding services by interacting with CN, such as providing roaming UE with visited network selection information, guiding the routing of data flows, accessing NEF, etc.

[0109] For the convenience of explanation, in the embodiments of the present application, network functions (such as NEF, SMF, etc.) are collectively referred to as NFs, that is, the NFs described later in the embodiments of the present application can be replaced by any network function. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, terminal devices are referred to as UEs, that is, the UEs described later in the embodiments of the present application can be replaced by terminal devices. Figure 1 Only some network functions are schematically described. The NF described below is not limited to Figure 1 The network functions shown in .

[0110] It should be understood that the above naming is only defined for the convenience of distinguishing different functions and should not constitute any limitation to this application. This application does not exclude the possibility of using other naming in 5G networks and other future networks. For example, in future communication networks, some or all of the above network elements may use the terminology in 5G, or may use other names.

[0111] 2. Packet filter set

[0112] A packet filter set can put packets that meet certain matching characteristics in the same data stream, that is, the packet filter plays a role in classifying packets. 5G defines two types of packet filter sets, namely, the Internet Protocol (IP) packet filter set and the Ethernet (Ethernet) packet filter set. The IP packet filter set is used for IP type protocol data unit (PDU) sessions, and the Ethernet packet filter set is used for Ethernet type PDU sessions. A packet filter set can contain multiple packet filters. Each packet filter applies to uplink packets, downlink packets, or bidirectional packets (i.e., uplink packets and downlink packets).

[0113] Exemplarily, in the 5G core network, the PCF entity is responsible for generating QoS control policies and sending them to the SMF entity, and the SMF entity is responsible for deriving specific QoS control data. For example, the SMF entity derives the QoS control rules used by the UPF entity, gNB, and UE based on the session policy information sent by the PCF entity, and sends the QoS control rules to the UPF entity, gNB, and UE to jointly control user plane services. The SMF entity needs to locally save the association between the policy and charging control (PCC) rules and the PDR of the UPF, the QoS profile of the RAN, and the QoS rules of the UE. These associations can ensure that the uplink and downlink data of the same type of service are transmitted in the same QoS flow. The same type of service can be understood as a service data flow filtered out using the same data packet filter.

[0114] The following describes the data processing process in different network entities:

[0115] (1) Downlink data

[0116] The UPF entity classifies the downlink data packets according to the packet filter set in the downlink PDR sent by the SMF entity, maps the data packets to the QoS flow, and then performs the QoS control corresponding to the QoS flow. The UPF entity marks the classified data packets with the QoS flow identifier (QFI) at the N3 interface and sends the data packets to the AN (or RAN). After receiving the packet data, the AN (or RAN) finds the corresponding data radio bearer (DRB) and the corresponding QoS parameters according to the QFI to perform QoS control and send the data to the UE.

[0117] (2) Uplink data

[0118] The UE maps the uplink data packet to the QoS flow through the uplink (UL) data packet filter in the QoS rule sent by the SMF entity, and marks the QoS flow. The UE matches the QoS flow to the DRB and sends the data to the AN (or RAN). After receiving it, the AN (or RAN) performs QoS control according to the QFI and sends the packet data to the UPF entity.

[0119] 3.PDR

[0120] PDR is used to detect and classify data packets. PDR can be generated by SMF entity. Exemplarily, PCF entity can send QoS information carrying flow information to SMF entity; after receiving QoS information from PCF entity, SMF entity can generate PDR according to flow information in the QoS information, and send PDR information to UPF entity, so that UPF entity can match data packets and corresponding PDRs on UE and DN sides respectively based on the PDR information.

[0121] The above flow information can be sent by the PCF entity to the SMF entity through the PCC rule. The flow information can include a variety of information, such as flow description (flowDescription), Ethernet flow description (ethFlowDescription), flow direction (flowDirection), etc. Among them, the flow direction can indicate the direction in which the filter is applicable, and the direction can be downlink, uplink, or bidirectional (i.e., downlink and uplink at the same time). The flow information can be specifically referred to in the description of 29.512 in the technical specification (TS) of the third generation partnership project (3GPP), which will not be repeated here.

[0122] For the flow information issued for IP and Ethernet types, the PCF entity carries the downstream flow information (such as source IP address / port number, destination IP address / port number, etc.) and the actual direction of the filter indicated by the flow direction, such as upstream, downstream, or bidirectional, in the flow information issued for the IP / Ethernet packet filter. After receiving the flow description, the SMF entity can derive specific filter information and generate a PDR based on the filter information. In the process of the SMF entity generating the PDR, the SMF entity can fill in the flow description in the PDR based on the flow information. The packet filter includes an action, a direction, a protocol number (or an indication that the field is not used to filter packets), a source IP address / port number, and a destination IP address / port number. The action can be permit, the direction is taken as out, that is, it indicates a downstream IP data flow, the protocol number can be taken as "ip", the source IP address / port number is the remote IP address / port number, that is, UE2 IP, and the destination IP address / port number is the near-end IP address / port number, that is, UE1 IP.

[0123] It can be understood that the flow description sent by the PCF entity is the downstream flow information, that is, the flow description in the above flow information indicates the information of the downstream flow, not the information corresponding to the current flow direction. Therefore, after the SMF entity generates the upstream PDR and / or downstream PDR based on the flow information, the source address and destination address included in the flow description in the upstream PDR and / or downstream PDR correspond to the source address and destination address corresponding to the downstream flow. Therefore, after the UPF entity receives the PDR information from the SMF entity, when generating the upstream and downstream PDRs based on the PDR information, there is also a conversion mechanism, which is: when the source interface (sourceinterface) is the core network (core) interface, it means that the filter is for the downstream data flow, and at this time the UPF entity will maintain the above-mentioned filling method of the source IP address and the destination IP address, that is, the source address and the destination address included in the flow description in the downstream PDR information will not be changed; when the source interface is an access (access) interface, it means that the filter is for the upstream data flow, and at this time the UPF entity needs to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description in the upstream PDR information. That is to say, if the PDR information sent by the SMF entity includes uplink PDR information, the UPF entity needs to interact with the source address and destination address included in the flow description in the uplink PDR information to obtain the correct uplink PDR information. The above conversion mechanism can be specifically described in 29.244 of 3GPP TS, which will not be repeated here.

[0124] It can also be understood that the UPF entity can determine whether to exchange the source address and destination address included in the flow description in the PDR information based on the source interface included in the PDR information and the destination interface associated with the PDR information. In other words, the UPF entity can determine, based on the source interface included in the PDR information and the destination interface associated with the PDR information, whether to exchange the source address and destination address included in the flow description in the PDR information when the PDR information indicates an uplink PDR. For example, in the case where UE1 sends data to UPF, when UPF receives the uplink PDR information, it can first determine that the source interface included in the uplink PDR information is an access interface, and then determine the destination interface associated with the uplink PDR based on the forwarding action rule (FAR) ID included in the uplink PDR information, such as the internal interface of the 5G virtual network (VN) (described below), thereby exchanging the source address and destination address included in the flow description in the PDR information based on the source interface in the PDR information being the access interface and the destination interface associated with the PDR information being the internal interface of the 5G VN.

[0125] 4. First interface

[0126] In the LAN scenario, UPF has a built-in proprietary interface, namely the first interface. In other words, the first interface is an interface inside UPF for LAN data transmission. It can be understood that in the 5G local area network (LAN) scenario, the built-in proprietary interface of UPF is a 5G VN internal interface, that is, the above-mentioned first interface can be a 5GVN internal interface. In this case, when filling in the PDR information, the SMF entity can fill in the interface corresponding to the UPF entity as the 5GVN internal interface (5G VN internal), for example: the upstream line is UPF1->UPF2 / UE2, then the source interface is the 5G VN internal interface. It can be understood that the 5G VN internal interface can refer to the description of 23.501 in 3GPP TS, which will not be repeated here.

[0127] Through research, it is found that in a local area network scenario (such as a 5G LAN scenario), the UPF entity does not exchange the source address and destination address in the uplink PDR information, that is, the UPF entity cannot correctly perceive the uplink PDR information. Therefore, in a local area network scenario, the processing of the upstream information so that the UPF can correctly perceive the uplink PDR information is a hot topic currently under discussion.

[0128] It can be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the UPF entity sensing the uplink PDR information can also be understood as the UPF entity allocating the uplink PDR information, or the UPF entity executing the uplink PDR information.

[0129] In response to the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present application propose the following technical solutions to reasonably process the upstream flow information in a local area network scenario, so that the UPF entity can correctly perceive the upstream PDR.

[0130] The technical solution in this application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0131] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as 4th generation (4G) mobile communication systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, fifth generation (5G) mobile communication systems, such as new radio (NR) systems, and communication systems evolved after 5G, such as future communication network systems. They can also be applied to wireless fidelity (WiFi) systems, vehicle to everything (V2X) communication systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, and Internet of Vehicles communication systems.

[0132] The present application will present various aspects, embodiments or features around a system that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that each system may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all of the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the figures. In addition, combinations of these schemes may also be used.

[0133] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" and "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" in the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of the word "exemplary" is intended to present concepts in a concrete way.

[0134] In the embodiments of the present application, "information", "signal", "message", "channel" and "signaling" can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that when the distinction between them is not emphasized, the meanings to be expressed are matched. "of", "corresponding, relevant" and "corresponding" can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that when the distinction between them is not emphasized, the meanings to be expressed are matched. In addition, the " / " mentioned in the present application can be used to express an "or" relationship.

[0135] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. A person of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that with the evolution of the network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0136] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, a communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application is first introduced.

[0137] The communication system can be applied to the above-mentioned 5GS, including: a policy control function entity, a session management function entity, and a user plane function entity. The policy control function entity, the session management function entity, and the user plane function entity can refer to the relevant introduction in the above-mentioned "1.5GS", which will not be repeated here.

[0138] In a possible implementation, when the flow direction includes uplink, the policy control function entity may send indication information to the session management function entity to instruct the source address and destination address included in the flow description information to be exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow; after receiving the indication information, the session management function entity sends the indication information and the PDR information associated with the indication information to the user plane function entity, so that the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information based on the indication information. In this way, the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane function entity can be consistent with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information, so that the user plane function entity can correctly perceive the uplink PDR information.

[0139] In another possible implementation, after receiving the flow description information and flow direction information from the policy control function entity, the session management function entity may send uplink PDR information and indication information associated with the uplink PDR to the user plane function entity based on the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information including uplink, or send uplink PDR information carrying indication information to the user plane function entity, so that the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information based on the indication information. In this way, the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane function entity can be consistent with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information, so that the user plane function entity can correctly perceive the uplink PDR information.

[0140] In another possible implementation, the user plane function entity may send the media access control (MAC) address of the newly added terminal device and the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address to the session management function entity, so that the session management function entity can generate corresponding PDR information according to the MAC address and the flow direction, such as when the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address includes uplink, only uplink PDR information is generated, and when the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address includes downlink, only downlink PDR information is generated. In this way, the overhead of the session management function entity in generating PDR information can be reduced. In addition, in this case, the user plane function entity does not need to use additional PDR information to match data packets, thereby reducing the processing overhead of the user plane function entity.

[0141] In another possible implementation, in a local area network scenario, after receiving the uplink PDR information from the session management function entity, the user plane function entity can exchange the source address and destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR according to the source interface in the uplink PDR information being the first interface, and the first interface being the interface inside the user plane function entity for local area network data transmission. In this way, the user plane function entity can exchange the source address and destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information, so that the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane function entity is consistent with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information, thereby enabling the user plane function entity to correctly perceive the uplink PDR information.

[0142] It should be understood that the above content is an exemplary description of the embodiments of the present application and is not intended to limit the embodiments of the present application. Figure 2-Figure 8 Description of the illustrated embodiment.

[0143] It can be understood that the above communication system may also include other network devices and / or terminal devices, which can be flexibly configured according to actual conditions without limitation.

[0144] For ease of understanding, the following will combine Figure 2 , Figure 4 , Figure 6 The interaction process between the policy control function entity, session management function entity and user plane function entity is specifically introduced through a method embodiment. The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the above communication system, which is specifically introduced below.

[0145] Scenario 1:

[0146] For example, Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 1 . In scenario 1, when the flow direction includes uplink, the PCF sends a PCC rule carrying indication information to the SMF to instruct the source address and destination address included in the flow description information to be exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow; based on the PCC rule, the SMF sends uplink PDR information and indication information to the UPF, where the indication information is associated with the uplink PDR information, or sends uplink PDR information carrying indication information to the UPF, so that the UPF exchanges the source address and destination address in the uplink PDR information based on the indication information. It can be understood that in scenario 1, the flow description information and flow direction information can be applied to the local area network scenario.

[0147] like Figure 2 As shown, the process of the communication method is as follows:

[0148] S201, AF sends media contract information to PCF. Correspondingly, PCF receives media contract information from AF.

[0149] The media contract information is used to indicate service-related information, and the media contract information includes stream information #1. Stream information #1 includes stream description information #1 and stream direction information. It can be understood that the media contract information can also be called service-related information, service information, or stream contract information, etc., without limitation.

[0150] The flow description information #1 includes the source address and destination address of the upstream flow; or, the flow description information #1 includes the source address and destination address of the upstream flow, and the source address and destination address of the downstream flow.

[0151] The flow direction information is used to indicate that the flow direction includes uplink. In other words, the flow direction information is used to indicate that the direction of the filter includes uplink. The flow direction including uplink can be understood as the flow direction being uplink or bidirectional (ie, uplink and downlink at the same time).

[0152] When the service request of UE1 is triggered, AF can send media contract information to PCF to indicate information related to the service to the core network. The specific implementation principle of "S201" can refer to the description in 29.514 of 3GPP TS, which will not be repeated here. It can be understood that AF can send media contract information to PCF through NEF; or, when AF is an AF within the operator and AF and PCF belong to the same operator network, AF can directly send media contract information to PCF.

[0153] Optionally, the media contract information may also include a group ID, which will be specifically described in “S202a” below.

[0154] It can be understood that after receiving the media contract information, the PCF can send the flow information #2 carrying the indication information to the SMF based on the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information including the uplink (i.e., S202a below, recorded as case 2.1), or can send the flow information #2 and the indication information to the SMF based on the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information including the uplink (i.e., S202b below, recorded as case 2.2), and the flow information #2 is associated with the indication information. They are introduced below respectively.

[0155] S202a, PCF sends flow information #2 to SMF. Correspondingly, SMF receives flow information #2 from PCF.

[0156] Flow information #2 includes flow description information #2, flow direction information and indication information.

[0157] The flow description information #2 includes the source address and destination address of the downstream flow. The downstream flow does not indicate the current flow direction, that is, the flow direction can be upstream or bidirectional (i.e., upstream and downstream at the same time). For example, the flow direction is bidirectional, and the flow description information includes the source address being the IP address of UE2 and the destination address being the IP address of UE1.

[0158] It can be understood that in S201, the flow description information #1 sent by the AF is complete and correct information. For example, when the flow direction is bidirectional, the flow description information #1 includes the source address and destination address of the upstream flow, and the source address and destination address of the downstream flow. Alternatively, when the flow direction is upstream, the flow description information #1 includes the source address and destination address of the upstream flow. Alternatively, when the flow direction is downstream, the flow description information #1 includes the source address and destination address of the downstream flow. When the PCF sends the flow description information #2 to the SMF based on the flow description information #1, in order to save signaling overhead, the PCF only carries the source address and destination address of the downstream flow in the flow description information #2, that is, it does not carry the source address and destination address of the upstream flow. It can also be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes the upstream, that is, the flow description information #1 includes the source address and destination address of the upstream flow. The flow description information #2 includes the source address and destination address of the downstream flow, that is, the flow description information #1 and the flow description information #2 are different.

[0159] The flow direction information can refer to the relevant introduction in the aforementioned "S201", which will not be repeated here.

[0160] The indication information is used to instruct the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information #2 to be exchanged to determine the flow description of the upstream. In other words, the indication information is used to instruct that in the process of determining the flow description of the upstream, the source address and the destination address included in the above flow description information #2 are exchanged. Alternatively, the indication information is used to instruct the SMF to set an indication information #1, and the indication information #1 is used to instruct the source address and the destination address of the upstream to be exchanged to determine the flow description of the upstream.

[0161] It can be understood that the flow information #2 may be included in the PCC rule, that is, the PCC rule includes indication information, flow description information #2 and flow direction information. In this case, the PCF may send the flow information #2 to the SMF through the PCC rule.

[0162] In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving the media signing information from the AF, the PCF may send flow information #2 carrying the indication information to the SMF based on the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information including the uplink.

[0163] Optionally, before PCF sends flow information #2 to SMF, PCF is configured with a local policy. The local policy indicates that when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink, information for indicating the source address and destination address in the exchange flow description information to determine the flow description of the uplink is sent to SMF. After receiving the media signing information from AF, PCF can send flow information #2 carrying the indication information to SMF based on the local policy when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink. It can be understood that the local policy can be a policy preconfigured in the policy control function entity.

[0164] Alternatively, before the PCF sends the flow information to the SMF, the PCF may also receive policy information sent from other functional entities (such as AF or NEF). The policy information indicates that when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink, information is sent to the SMF to indicate the source address and destination address in the exchange flow description information to determine the flow description of the uplink. After receiving the media signing information from the AF, the PCF may also send flow information #2 carrying the indication information to the SMF based on the policy information when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink. It can be understood that the policy information can be understood as the dynamic policy of the PCF, which is relatively flexible and can be updated and adjusted based on requests from third parties or other network elements.

[0165] Optionally, PCF may send flow information #2 carrying indication information to SMF when it is determined that the flow description information and flow direction information are applied to a local area network (such as a 5G LAN). Exemplarily, the above-mentioned media contract information also includes a group identifier; or, AF sends media contract information and a group identifier to PCF, and the media contract information is associated with the group identifier. The group identifier is used to indicate a group including multiple terminal devices, that is, the group identifier can indicate that the current scenario is a local area network. After receiving the group identifier, PCF can determine that the current scenario is a local area network through the group identifier, that is, the flow description information and flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario. Of course, PCF can also determine that the current scenario is a local area network based on other information, and can be set specifically according to actual conditions without limitation.

[0166] It can be understood that when AF sends media contract information to PCF through NEF, the media contract information sent by AF to NEF may carry an external group ID (external group ID), or AF sends media contract information and external group ID to NEF, and the media contract information is associated with the external group ID; after receiving the external group ID, NEF can map the external group ID to an internal group ID (internal group ID), and send the media contract information carrying the internal group ID to PCF, or send the media contract information and internal group ID to PCF, and the media contract information is associated with the internal group ID. After receiving the internal group ID, PCF can determine that the flow description information and flow direction information are applied to the local area network according to the internal group ID. The specific implementation principle of PCF determining that the flow description information and flow direction information are applied to the local area network according to the internal group ID is similar to the specific implementation principle of "PCF determines that the flow description information and flow direction information are applied to the local area network according to the group ID" mentioned above, and can be understood by reference to each other, and will not be repeated here.

[0167] It can also be understood that in the 5G LAN scenario, the embodiments of the present application can be based on session granularity or on the group granularity of terminal devices, and can be flexibly set according to actual conditions without limitation.

[0168] S202b, PCF sends flow information #2 and indication information to SMF. Correspondingly, SMF receives flow information #2 and indication information from PCF.

[0169] The flow information #2 includes flow description information #2 and flow direction information. The flow information #2 is associated with the indication information. The flow description information #2, the flow direction information, and the indication information can refer to the related introduction in the above S202a, which will not be repeated here.

[0170] It can be understood that the specific implementation principle of S202b is similar to the specific implementation principle of S202a mentioned above, and the difference is that: in S202a, the indication information is included in the flow information #2, that is, the flow information #2 carries the indication information; in S202b, the indication information is not included in the flow information #2, and the indication information and the flow information #2 can be understood as a parallel relationship, such as PCF sets the indication information and the flow information #2 in a tuple or message and sends it to SMF. The similarities between S202b and S202a can be understood by referring to the relevant introduction in S202a, and will not be repeated here.

[0171] It can also be understood that in the IP scenario, the PCF may not carry the indication information in the flow information #2, or the PCF may not send the flow information #2 and the indication information to the SMF. In this case, the UPF may exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information according to the existing exchange mechanism (specifically refer to the relevant introduction in "3.PDR"), that is, the UPF is not triggered to exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information through the indication information in the embodiment of the present application.

[0172] In addition, after the PCF sends the flow information #2 carrying the indication information to the SMF (ie, S202a); or, after the PCF sends the flow information #2 and the indication information to the SMF (ie, S202b below), the SMF can generate PDR information based on the flow information #2, that is, perform the following S203.

[0173] S203, SMF generates PDR information based on stream information #2.

[0174] The PDR information is used to detect and classify data packets, and the PDR information includes uplink PDR information. Exemplarily, when the flow direction is uplink, the PDR information is uplink PDR information; when the flow direction is bidirectional, the PDR information is uplink PDR information and downlink PDR information. It can be understood that both the uplink PDR information and the downlink PDR information include the above-mentioned flow description information #2.

[0175] After generating the PDR information, the SMF can associate the indication information sent by the PCF or the indication information #1 set by the SMF with the uplink PDR information, so as to indicate the uplink PDR information through the indication information or the indication information #1. It can be understood that when the indication information sent by the PCF is used to indicate the exchange of the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information #2 to determine the flow description of the uplink flow, the SMF sends the indication information; when the indication information sent by the PCF is used to instruct the SMF to set an indication information #1, the SMF sends the indication information #1. The following is an explanation of the SMF sending the indication information.

[0176] In a possible implementation, the uplink PDR information includes indication information. That is, after generating the uplink PDR information, the SMF carries the indication information in the uplink PDR information. In this way, the SMF can indicate the uplink PDR information through the indication information, that is, the PDR information including the indication information is the uplink PDR information.

[0177] In another possible implementation, the uplink PDR information is associated with the indication information. Exemplarily, after generating the uplink PDR information, the SMF may associate the identifier of the uplink PDR information with the indication information, and send the identifier and indication information of the associated uplink PDR information. For example, after generating the uplink PDR information, the SMF sets the identifier of the uplink PDR information and the indication information in the same tuple, and sends the tuple. In this way, the SMF can indicate the uplink PDR information through the indication information, that is, the identifier of the PDR information associated with the indication information indicates the uplink PDR information.

[0178] It can be understood that the specific implementation principle of SMF sending indication information #1 is the same as the specific implementation principle of the above-mentioned SMF sending indication information. You can refer to the above content for understanding, such as replacing the indication information with indication information #1 for understanding, and will not be repeated here.

[0179] S204, SMF sends PDR information to UPF. Correspondingly, UPF receives PDR information from SMF.

[0180] When the flow direction information indicates that the flow direction is uplink, the PDR information is uplink PDR information. Alternatively, when the flow direction information indicates that the flow direction is bidirectional, the PDR information is uplink PDR information and downlink PDR information. The uplink PDR information includes indication information, or the identifier of the uplink PDR information and the indication information are located in the same information or tuple.

[0181] S205, UPF exchanges the destination address and source address in the uplink PDR information to obtain updated uplink PDR information (recorded as uplink PDR information #1).

[0182] After receiving the PDR information, the UPF can determine the uplink PDR information based on the indication information in the PDR information, and exchange the source address and destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information to obtain the uplink PDR information after the source address and destination address are exchanged, that is, the uplink PDR information #1.

[0183] For example, the flow direction is bidirectional, the PDR information includes uplink PDR information and downlink PDR information, and the uplink PDR information includes indication information; after receiving the PDR information, the UPF can determine that the PDR information carrying the indication information is the uplink PDR information based on the indication information, and exchange the source address and destination address in the flow description information #2 in the uplink PDR information to obtain the uplink PDR information #1.

[0184] For another example, the flow direction is bidirectional, the PDR information includes uplink PDR information and downlink PDR information, and the identifier of the uplink PDR information and the indication information are in the same tuple; after receiving the PDR information, the UPF can determine the uplink PDR information according to the identifier of the PDR information associated with the indication information, and exchange the source address and destination address in the uplink PDR information to obtain uplink PDR information #1.

[0185] S206, UPF sends an uplink data packet to AF. Correspondingly, AF receives the uplink data packet from UPF.

[0186] The uplink data packet is at least one data packet matched by the UPF using the uplink PDR information #1. That is, at this time, the UPF uses the uplink PDR information #1 to match the data packet for the DN. It can be understood that the above-mentioned AF can be replaced by an application server (AS), DN, or other network elements such as UPF, which can be flexibly set according to actual conditions without limitation.

[0187] Optionally, when the PDR information also includes downlink PDR information, the UPF may send a downlink data packet to the UE1, and accordingly, the UE1 receives a downlink data packet from the UPF (eg, Figure 2 In S207). The downlink data packet is at least one data packet matched by the UPF using the downlink PDR information. That is, at this time, the UPF uses the downlink PDR information to match the data packet to the UE1.

[0188] It can be understood that the specific implementation principle of UPF using PDR information to match data packets can refer to the prior art and will not be repeated here. In addition, the embodiment of the present application does not limit the order in which UPF sends uplink PD data packets and downlink data packets. For example, UPF can send uplink data packets first and then downlink data packets, or UPF can send downlink data packets first and then uplink data packets.

[0189] It can also be understood that the description in S204-S206 is based on the indication information sent by SMF. In the case where the indication information sent by PCF is used to instruct SMF to set an indication information #1, the indication information in the above S204-S206 can be replaced by indication information #1 for understanding, and no further description is given here.

[0190] Combination of the above Figure 2 The process of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail. Figure 3 The overall process of the communication method is introduced. For example, Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 2The method can be applied to the communication between the policy control function entity, the session management function entity and the user plane function entity in the above communication system.

[0191] like Figure 3 As shown, the process of the communication method is as follows:

[0192] S301: When the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to a local area network scenario, the policy control function entity carries indication information in a PCC rule.

[0193] The flow description information includes the source address and destination address of the downstream flow. The flow direction information is used to indicate that the flow direction includes the upstream. The flow description information and the flow direction information can be sent by the application function to the policy control function entity, or can be sent by the application function to the policy control function entity through the network open function entity. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction in the aforementioned "S201", which will not be repeated here.

[0194] The PCC rule includes indication information. The indication information is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information are exchanged to determine the flow description of the upstream flow. In addition, the PCC rule also includes the above-mentioned flow description information and the above-mentioned flow direction information.

[0195] It can be understood that the above-mentioned flow description information, flow direction information and indication information can be included in the flow information, and the flow information can be included in the PCC rule. In other words, the PCC rule includes the flow information, and the flow information includes the flow description information, the flow direction information and the indication information. Alternatively, the above-mentioned flow description information and flow direction information can be included in the flow information, and the flow information and the indication information are included in the PCC rule, and the flow information is associated with the indication information, such as the flow information and the indication information are located in the same message or tuple. In other words, the PCC rule includes the flow information and the indication information, and the flow information includes the flow description information and the flow direction information, and the flow information is associated with the indication information.

[0196] In addition, the above-mentioned flow description information, flow direction information, indication information, and flow information can respectively refer to the relevant introduction of flow description information #2, flow direction information, indication information, and flow information #2 in the aforementioned "S201", and will not be repeated here.

[0197] In an embodiment of the present application, when the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to a local area network scenario, it can be indicated that the local area network scenario is in place at this time, and the policy control function entity can carry indication information in the PCC rule to instruct other functional entities (such as a session management function entity or a user plane function entity) to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information to determine the flow description of the upstream flow.

[0198] Optionally, before the policy control function entity carries the indication information in the PCC rule, the above-mentioned communication method may also include: the application function entity sends the first flow description information, the flow direction information and the group identifier to the policy control function entity, and accordingly, the policy control function entity receives the first flow description information, the flow direction information and the group identifier from the application function; the policy control function entity determines, based on the group identifier, that the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario, and the first flow description information is used to determine the above-mentioned flow description information.

[0199] The first stream description information can refer to the related introduction of stream description information #1 in the aforementioned "201", which will not be repeated here.

[0200] The group identifier is used to indicate a group including multiple terminal devices. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction in the aforementioned "S202a", which will not be repeated here.

[0201] The above-mentioned application function may be AF, and AF may send the first flow description information, flow direction information and group identifier to the network open function entity (such as NEF), which is forwarded by NEF to the policy control function entity. In this case, the first flow description information, flow direction information and group identifier sent by AF to NEF may be located in the same message, such as the first message; the first flow description information, flow direction information and group identifier sent by NEF to the policy control function entity may be located in the same message, such as the second message; the first message and the second message may be the same message or different messages, that is, NEF may obtain the content in the first message and carry it in the second message, such as mapping (or converting) the external group identifier in the first message to the internal group identifier carried in the second message. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction in the aforementioned "S202a", which will not be repeated here. Of course, AF sending the first flow description information, flow direction information and group identifier to the policy control function entity through NEF is an example. If AF is an AF inside the operator network and belongs to the same operator network as the policy control function entity, AF may also directly send the flow description, flow direction and group identifier to the policy control function entity.

[0202] In the embodiment of the present application, after receiving the group identifier, the policy control function entity can determine that the current scenario is a local area network scenario based on the group identifier. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction in the aforementioned "S202a", which will not be repeated here. It can be understood that the policy control function entity can also determine that the flow description information and flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario in other ways, which can be flexibly set according to actual conditions without limitation.

[0203] In addition, the policy control function entity may carry indication information in the PCC rule based on the local policy or policy information sent by other devices.

[0204] In a possible implementation, the policy control function entity carries the indication information in the PCC rule, which may specifically include: the policy control function entity carries the indication information in the PCC rule based on the local policy, and the local policy indicates that when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink, the information (recorded as information #1) used to indicate the source address and the destination address in the exchange flow description information to determine the flow description of the uplink is sent to the session management function entity. The local policy may be a policy pre-configured in the policy control function entity when configuring the policy control function entity. After receiving the flow direction information, the policy control function entity may judge or determine whether the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink based on the local policy, and when the flow direction includes uplink, send information #1 to the session management function entity.

[0205] In another possible implementation, before the policy control function entity carries the indication information in the PCC rule, the above-mentioned communication method may also include: the application function sends policy information to the policy control function entity, and accordingly, the policy control function entity receives the policy information from the application function, wherein the policy information is used to indicate that when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes an uplink, information for indicating the source address and destination address in the exchange flow description information to determine the flow description of the uplink flow is sent to the session management function entity; the above-mentioned policy control function entity carrying the indication information in the PCC rule may specifically include: the policy control function entity carries the indication information in the PCC rule based on the policy information.

[0206] It can be understood that the policy control function entity carries indication information in the PCC rule based on the local policy, and the policy control function entity carries indication information in the PCC rule based on the policy information. Please refer to the relevant introduction in the aforementioned "S202a", which will not be repeated here.

[0207] S302: The policy control function entity sends the PCC rule to the session management function entity. Correspondingly, the session management function entity receives the PCC rule from the policy control function entity.

[0208] The PCC rule includes the above-mentioned flow description information, flow direction information and indication information. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction in the aforementioned "S201", which will not be repeated here.

[0209] S303: The session management function entity generates first uplink PDR information according to the PCC rule.

[0210] The first uplink PDR information includes flow description information. The flow description information has the same content as the flow description information of the PCC rule, and the form may be the same or different, such as the flow description information and the flow description information of the PCC rule may be different information elements (IEs), etc. It can be understood that the specific implementation principle of the session management function entity generating the first uplink PDR information according to the PCC rule can refer to the description in 29.244 of 3GPP TS, which will not be repeated here.

[0211] After generating the first uplink PDR information, the session management function entity may carry the indication information in the first uplink PDR information and send it to the user plane function entity (recorded as case 3.1, described in S304a below) to instruct the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information to be exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow. Alternatively, the session management function entity may associate the indication information with the first uplink PDR information, and send the indication information and the first uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity (recorded as case 3.2, described in S304b below) to instruct the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information to be exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow.

[0212] The source interface in the first uplink PDR information may be the first interface, the destination interface associated with the first uplink PDR information may be the core network interface, and the first interface is an interface inside the user plane functional entity for local area network data transmission. The local area network may be a 5G LAN; in this case, the first interface may be a 5G VN internal interface. Of course, the first interface may also be other possible interfaces without limitation.

[0213] It can be understood that the destination interface associated with the first uplink PDR information is the interface corresponding to the FAR ID included in the first uplink PDR information. Exemplarily, the user plane functional entity can find the destination interface corresponding to the FAR ID in the FAR list according to the FAR ID included in the uplink PDR information, that is, the destination interface corresponding to the FAR ID is the destination interface associated with the first uplink PDR information. The specific implementation principle can refer to the description in 29.244 in 3GPP TS, which will not be repeated here.

[0214] It can be understood that the source interface in the first uplink PDR information is the first interface, and the destination interface associated with the first uplink PDR information is the core network interface, which can indicate that the current scenario is a 5G LAN scenario, that is, in the 5G LAN scenario, the session management function entity sends indication information to the user plane function entity. The following is a specific example of the source address included in the uplink PDR information and the destination address associated with the uplink PDR information in the 5G LAN scenario.

[0215] For example, when the uplink UPF sends a data packet to the DN, the source address included in the uplink PDR information is the 5G VN internal interface, and the destination address contained in the FAR indicated by the FAR ID included in the uplink PDR information is the core network interface (ie, core / N6).

[0216] For another example, when UPF#1 sends a data packet to UPF#2, an uplink PDR information #1 is configured at UPF#1, and an uplink PDR information #2 and a downlink PDR information # are configured at UPF#2. Among them, the source address of the uplink PDR information #1 is the 5GVN internal interface, and the destination address contained in the FAR indicated by the FAR ID included in the uplink PDR information #1 is the core network interface (i.e. core / N19); the uplink PDR information #2 corresponds to UPF#1 sending a data packet to the anchor PSA UPF. At this time, the source address included in the uplink PDR information #2 is the 5G VN internal interface, and the destination address contained in the FAR indicated by the FAR ID included in the uplink PDR information is the core network interface (i.e. core / N19); the downlink PDR information #2 corresponds to the anchor PSA UPF sending a data packet to UPF#2. At this time, the source address included in the downlink PDR information #2 is the core network interface (i.e. core / N19), and the destination address contained in the FAR indicated by the FAR ID included in the downlink PDR information is the 5G VN internal interface.

[0217] S304a, the session management function entity sends first uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity. Correspondingly, the user plane function entity receives the first uplink PDR information from the session management function entity.

[0218] The first uplink PDR information includes indication information, that is, the indication information is included in the first uplink PDR information. The indication information can also be used to indicate to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information to determine the flow description of the uplink PDR information.

[0219] In this case, the communication method may further include: the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information based on the indication information in the first uplink PDR information to obtain the second uplink PDR information ( Figure 3S305a in ). Alternatively, the above communication method may further include: the user plane function entity updates the first uplink PDR information based on the indication information in the first uplink PDR information to obtain the second uplink PDR information. It can be understood that the source address in the second uplink PDR information is the destination address associated with the first uplink PDR information, and the destination address associated with the second uplink PDR information is the source address associated with the first uplink PDR information. In addition, the user plane function entity updating the first uplink PDR information can be understood as the user plane function entity filling in each information in the second uplink PDR information based on each information in the first uplink PDR information. In the above manner, the user plane function entity can determine the correct uplink PDR information based on the indication information, that is, the user plane function entity can determine that the PDR information where the indication information is located is the uplink PDR information (that is, the first uplink PDR information), thereby exchanging the source address and destination address in the uplink PDR information. In this way, the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane functional entity is consistent with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information, so that the user plane functional entity perceives (or executes, or uses) the correct uplink PDR information.

[0220] Further, the communication method may further include: the user plane function entity sends an uplink data packet to the application function, where the uplink data packet is at least one data packet ( Figure 3 In other words, after the user plane function entity senses the correct uplink PDR information (i.e., the second uplink PDR information), it can use the correct uplink PDR information to match the data packet. It can be understood that the user plane function entity can send the uplink data packet to the application function, the network open function entity, or other user plane function entities other than the above user plane function entity, which can be set according to the actual situation without limitation.

[0221] S304b, the session management function entity sends the first uplink PDR information and indication information to the user plane function entity. Correspondingly, the user plane function entity receives the first uplink PDR information and indication information from the session management function entity.

[0222] The indication information is associated with the first uplink PDR information, that is, the indication information is associated with the first uplink PDR information. In other words, the indication information is associated with the identifier of the first uplink PDR. The indication information can refer to the relevant introduction in the above "S304a", which will not be repeated here.

[0223] It can be understood that after generating the first uplink PDR information, the session management function entity can associate the indication information with the identifier of the first uplink PDR information. For example, the session management function entity can set the indication information and the identifier of the first uplink PDR information in a tuple or message, and send the tuple or message to the user plane function entity, so that the user plane function entity can find the uplink PDR information based on the identifier of the first PDR information associated with the indication information.

[0224] In this case, the communication method may further include: the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information based on the indication information to obtain the second uplink PDR information ( Figure 3 S305b in). Alternatively, the above communication method may further include: the user plane function entity updates the first uplink PDR information based on the indication information in the first uplink PDR information to obtain the second uplink PDR information. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction in the above "S304a", which will not be repeated here. It can be understood that the source address in the second uplink PDR information is the destination address associated with the first uplink PDR information, and the destination address associated with the second uplink PDR information is the source address associated with the first uplink PDR information. In the above manner, the user plane function entity can determine the uplink PDR information (i.e., the first uplink PDR information) based on the indication information, that is, the user plane function entity can determine that the PDR information associated with the indication information is the uplink PDR information, such as determining that the PDR information corresponding to the identifier of the PDR information associated with the indication information is the uplink PDR information, thereby exchanging the source address and destination address in the uplink PDR information. In this way, the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane functional entity can be consistent with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information, so that the user plane functional entity perceives the correct uplink PDR information.

[0225] Further, the communication method may further include: the user plane function entity sends an uplink data packet, where the uplink data packet is at least one data packet ( Figure 3 For details, please refer to the related introduction in the aforementioned "S204a", which will not be repeated here.

[0226] It can be understood that in S304a and S304b, the content indicated by the indication information sent by the session management function entity and the indication information sent by the policy control function entity (that is, the indication information included in the PCC rule) can be the same or different. For example, the indication information sent by the session management function entity and the indication information sent by the policy control function entity both indicate that the source address and the destination address of the upstream are exchanged to determine the flow description of the upstream (that is, the content of the indication is the same). For example, the indication information sent by the policy control function entity is used to instruct the session management function entity to set an indication information #1, and the indication information #1 is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address of the upstream are exchanged to determine the flow description of the upstream; and the session management function entity sends the indication information #1 (that is, the content of the indication is different). For details, please refer to the aforementioned Figure 2 In addition, when the content of the indication information is the same, the form can be the same or different, such as the indication information sent by the session management function entity and the indication information sent by the policy control function entity are different IEs.

[0227] It can also be understood that in S304a and 304b, the user plane functional entity receives PDR information; after receiving the PDR information, the user plane functional entity needs to detect the PDR information, such as determining whether the PDR information is uplink PDR information or downlink PDR information based on the relationship between the PDR information and the indication information, so as to determine that the PDR information is uplink PDR information (i.e., the first uplink PDR information mentioned above).

[0228] In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned first uplink PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) the first PDR information, and the above-mentioned second uplink PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) the second PDR information.

[0229] In summary, in the embodiment of the present application, when the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario and the flow direction includes the uplink, the policy control function entity sends an indication message to the session management function entity to instruct the source address and the destination address included in the flow description to be exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow; after receiving the indication message, the session management function entity can associate the indication message with the first uplink PDR information, such as carrying the indication message in the first uplink PDR information, or associating the indication message with the identifier of the first uplink PDR information, and sending the indication message and the first uplink PDR information associated with the indication message to the user plane function entity, so that the user plane function entity determines the first uplink PDR information based on the indication message, and exchanges the source address and the destination address in the flow description information in the first uplink PDR information. In this way, the user plane function entity can correctly perceive the uplink PDR information.

[0230] Understandably, Figure 3 The embodiment shown can refer to the aforementioned Figure 2 The first PDR information and the second PDR information in the embodiment of the present application correspond to Figure 2 The uplink PDR information and uplink PDR information #1 in the illustrated embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0231] Scenario 2:

[0232] For example, Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 3 . In scenario 2, when the flow direction of the SMF includes uplink, the session management function entity determines to exchange the source address and destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information to determine the flow description of the uplink PDR information; and the SMF sends the uplink PDR information carrying the indication information to the UPF, or sends the uplink PDR information and the indication information to the UPF, and the indication information is associated with the uplink PDR information, so that the UPF exchanges the source address and destination address in the uplink PDR information based on the indication information. It can be understood that in scenario 2, the flow description information and the flow direction information can be applied to the local area network scenario.

[0233] like Figure 4 As shown, the process of the communication method is as follows:

[0234] S401, AF sends media contract information to PCF. Correspondingly, PCF receives media contract information from AF.

[0235] The media contract information includes stream information #1. Stream information #1 includes stream description information #1 and stream direction information.

[0236] The specific implementation principle of S401 can refer to the related introduction of S201 mentioned above, which will not be repeated here.

[0237] S402, PCF sends flow information #2 to SMF. Correspondingly, SMF receives flow information #2 from PCF.

[0238] Flow information #2 includes flow description information #2 and flow direction information. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction in the aforementioned "S202a", which will not be repeated here. It can be understood that flow information #2 can be included in the PCC rule, and the PCC rule in the embodiment of the present application is the same as Figure 2 The PCC rules in the embodiment shown are similar, except that: the PCC rules in the embodiment of the present application do not include indication information, Figure 2 The PCC rule in the illustrated embodiment includes indication information, and similarities may be referenced to each other and will not be described in detail here.

[0239] S403, SMF generates PDR information based on stream information #2.

[0240] The PDR information includes uplink PDR information, and the details can be referred to the related introduction in the aforementioned "S203", which will not be repeated here. The specific implementation principle of SMF generating PDR based on flow information can be referred to the existing technology, which will not be repeated here.

[0241] In the embodiment of the present application, the SMF may determine to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information #2 in the uplink PDR information according to the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information including the uplink. In this case, the SMF may send indication information to the UPF.

[0242] The indication information may be used to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information are exchanged. In other words, the indication information is used to indicate that in the process of determining the flow description information of the uplink PDR, the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information are exchanged.

[0243] Alternatively, the indication information may be used to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the upstream flow are exchanged to determine the flow description of the upstream flow. In this case, after receiving the indication information, the UPF needs to determine the corresponding uplink PDR information based on the upstream flow indicated by the indication information, and exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information.

[0244] Alternatively, the indication information may be used to indicate that the source address and destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information are wrong or opposite. In this case, after receiving the indication information, the UPF exchanges the source address and destination address in the uplink PDR information based on the indication information.

[0245] It can be understood that the SMF can carry indication information in the uplink PDR, or associate the flow information with the uplink PDR information to indicate the uplink PDR information through the indication information, so that the UPF can determine the uplink PDR information based on the indication information and exchange the source address and destination address in the uplink PDR information.

[0246] In addition, the SMF may also associate the indication information with multiple uplink PDR information, such as setting the indication information and the identifiers of the multiple uplink PDR information in the same message or tuple, so as to indicate through the indication information to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in each of the multiple uplink PDR information. It can be understood that the indication information is used to indicate the exchange of the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information. When the indication information is associated with multiple uplink PDR information, it can indicate the exchange of the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in each of the multiple uplink PDR information to determine the flow description of each of the multiple uplink PDR information.

[0247] Optionally, before SMF generates PDR information based on flow information #2, SMF may also perform local configuration. The local configuration indicates that when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink, information is sent to UPF to indicate the exchange of the source address and destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information to determine the flow description of the uplink PDR information. After receiving flow information #2 from PCF, SMF may send indication information to UPF based on local configuration when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink.

[0248] Alternatively, before the SMF generates PDR information based on flow information #2, the SMF may also receive policy information sent from other functional entities (such as PCF). The policy information indicates that when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink, information is sent to the UPF to indicate the exchange of the source address and destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information to determine the flow description of the uplink PDR information. After receiving flow information #2 from the PCF, the SMF may, based on the policy information, send indication information to the UPF when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink.

[0249] Optionally, SMF can send uplink PDR information carrying indication information to UPF in a LAN scenario, such as when SMF determines that the flow description information and flow direction information are applied to a LAN (such as a 5G LAN), or send indication information and uplink PDR information to UPF, where the indication information is associated with the uplink PDR information.

[0250] Exemplarily, PCF sending stream information #2 to SMF may specifically include: PCF sending stream information #2 and group information to SMF, the group identifier is used to indicate a group including multiple terminal devices, and the group information can refer to the relevant introduction in the aforementioned "S202a", which will not be repeated here. After receiving the group identifier, SMF can determine that the current scenario is a local area network based on the group identifier, that is, stream information #2 is applied to the local area network. And after receiving the group identifier, SMF can also query the identifiers of multiple terminal devices corresponding to the group identifier through UDM, such as a group of generic public subscription identifiers (GPSI) or a group of user permanent identifiers (SUPI), and use the identifier when subsequently generating PDR information. It can be understood that in this case, the media contract information sent by AF to PCF includes the group identifier, and the specific introduction can refer to the relevant introduction in the aforementioned "S202a", which will not be repeated here.

[0251] It can also be understood that in the 5G LAN scenario, the embodiments of the present application can be based on session granularity or on the group granularity of terminal devices, and can be flexibly set according to actual conditions without limitation.

[0252] S404, SMF sends PDR information to UPF. Correspondingly, UPF receives PDR information from SMF.

[0253] The specific implementation principle of S404 can refer to the related introduction of S204 mentioned above, which will not be repeated here.

[0254] S405, UPF exchanges the destination address and source address in the uplink PDR information to obtain updated uplink PDR information (recorded as uplink PDR information #1).

[0255] S406, UPF sends an uplink data packet to AF. Correspondingly, AF receives the uplink data packet from UPF.

[0256] Optionally, when the PDR information also includes downlink PDR information, the UPF may send a downlink data packet to the UE1, and accordingly, the UE1 receives a downlink data packet from the UPF (eg, Figure 4 (S407).

[0257] It can be understood that the specific implementation principles of the above S404-S407 can refer to the relevant introduction of the above S204-S207, which will not be repeated here. Figure 4 The embodiment shown is Figure 2 The embodiment shown is similar, except that: Figure 2In the embodiment shown, the PCF generates indication information and sends the indication information to the SMF, which then sends the indication information to the UPF, and the indication information is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information are exchanged to determine the flow description of the upstream flow; Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, the SMF generates indication information and sends the indication information to the UPF, and the indication information is used to indicate the exchange of the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information to determine the flow description of the uplink PDR information. The similarities can be understood by reference to each other and will not be repeated here.

[0258] The above is a general introduction to the process of the communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application in combination with the method embodiment. For ease of understanding, the above method is introduced below in a specific scenario.

[0259] Combination of the above Figure 4 The process of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail. Figure 5 The overall process of the communication method is introduced. For example, Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 4 The method can be applied to the communication between the policy control function entity, the session management function entity and the user plane function entity in the above communication system.

[0260] like Figure 5 As shown, the process of the communication method is as follows:

[0261] S501: A policy control function entity sends a PCC rule to a session management function entity. Correspondingly, the session management function entity receives the PCC rule from the policy control function entity.

[0262] The PCC rule includes flow description information and flow direction information. The flow description information includes the source address and destination address of the downlink flow. The flow direction information is used to indicate that the flow direction includes the uplink. The flow description information and the flow direction information can refer to the relevant introduction of the flow description information #2 and the flow direction information in the aforementioned "S402", which will not be repeated here.

[0263] After receiving the media contract information of the application function, the policy control function entity can send PCC rules to the session management function entity based on the media contract information. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction of the aforementioned "S401" and will not be repeated here.

[0264] It can be understood that after receiving the PCC rule, the session management function entity can generate the first uplink PDR information based on the PCC rule, and send the first uplink PDR information carrying the indication information (described below) to the user plane function entity (recorded as case 5.1, described below in S502a), or send the first uplink PDR information and the indication information to the user plane function entity (recorded as case 5.2, described below in S502b). The following are introduced respectively.

[0265] S502a, the session management function entity sends first uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity. Correspondingly, the user plane function entity receives the first uplink PDR information from the session management function entity.

[0266] The flow description information and flow direction information applied to the LAN scenario can indicate that the current scenario is a LAN scenario, such as a 5GLAN scenario.

[0267] The first uplink PDR information is determined based on the PCC rule, that is, the session management function entity can generate the first uplink PDR information according to the PCC rule. The first uplink PDR information includes the above-mentioned flow description information and indication information. The indication information is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the first uplink PDR information are exchanged. Alternatively, the indication information is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow.

[0268] It can be understood that the session management function entity can send the first uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity in the local area network scenario. That is, the above-mentioned session management function entity sending the first uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity can specifically include: when the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario, the session management function entity sends the first uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity.

[0269] In this case, the communication method may further include: the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information based on the indication information in the first uplink PDR information to obtain the second uplink PDR information (such as Figure 5 S503a in the above communication method. Alternatively, the communication method may further include: the user plane function entity updates the first uplink PDR information based on the indication information in the first uplink PDR information to obtain the second uplink PDR information. It can be understood that the source address in the second uplink PDR information is the destination address associated with the first uplink PDR information, and the destination address associated with the second uplink PDR information is the source address associated with the first uplink PDR information.

[0270] Furthermore, the communication method may further include: the user plane function entity sends an uplink data packet, where the uplink data packet is at least one data packet (such as Figure 5 For details, please refer to the related introduction of the aforementioned "S306", which will not be repeated here.

[0271] It can be understood that the specific implementation principle of S502a can refer to the relevant introduction of the aforementioned "S304a", which will not be repeated here.

[0272] S502b, the session management function entity sends first uplink PDR information and indication information to the user plane function entity. Correspondingly, the user plane function entity receives the first uplink PDR information and indication information from the session management function entity.

[0273] The first uplink PDR information is determined based on the PCC rule, and the first uplink PDR information includes flow description information. The indication information is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink PDR information. The indication information is associated with the uplink PDR information, and the specific description can be referred to the related introduction in the aforementioned "S304b", which will not be repeated here.

[0274] It can be understood that the session management function entity can send the first uplink PDR information and indication information to the user plane function entity in the local area network scenario. That is, the above-mentioned session management function entity sending the first uplink PDR information and indication information to the user plane function entity can specifically include: when the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario, the session management function entity sends the first uplink PDR information and indication information to the user plane function entity.

[0275] In this case, the communication method may further include: the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information based on the indication information to obtain the second uplink PDR information (such as Figure 5 Alternatively, the communication method may further include: the user plane function entity updates the first uplink PDR information based on the indication information in the first uplink PDR information to obtain the second uplink PDR information. The second uplink PDR information may refer to the relevant introduction in the above "S502a", which will not be repeated here.

[0276] Furthermore, the communication method may further include: the user plane function entity sends an uplink data packet, where the uplink data packet is at least one data packet (such as Figure 5 For details, please refer to the related introduction of the aforementioned "S306", which will not be repeated here.

[0277] It can be understood that the specific implementation principle of S502b can refer to the relevant introduction of the aforementioned "S304b", which will not be repeated here.

[0278] Optionally, before the session management function entity sends the first uplink PDR information (S502a) to the user plane function entity, or before the session management function entity sends the first uplink PDR information and indication information (S502b) to the user plane function entity, the above communication method may also include: in the case where the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario, the session management function entity determines that the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information are to be exchanged. In other words, in the local area network scenario, the session management function entity determines that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are to be exchanged by the user plane function entity. In other words, in the local area network scenario, the session management function entity determines that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are opposite (or wrong), that is, the source address and the destination address are to be exchanged. That is, in the local area network scenario, the session management function entity can determine that the source address and the destination address need to be exchanged. In this case, after the session management function entity generates the first uplink PDR information based on the PCC rule, the session management function entity carries the indication information in the first uplink PDR information and sends it to the user plane function entity, or associates the indication information with the first uplink PDR information, and sends the indication information and the first uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity, so that the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information.

[0279] Optionally, with respect to the above S502a and S502b, the session management function entity may determine that the above flow description information and flow direction information are applied to a local area network scenario according to the group identifier sent by the policy control function entity.

[0280] Exemplarily, the PCC rule also includes a group identifier, and the above communication method may further include: the session management function entity determines, based on the group identifier, that the flow description information and flow direction information in the PCC rule are applied to the local area network scenario. The group identifier is used to indicate a group including multiple terminal devices. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction in the aforementioned "S202", which will not be repeated here. After receiving the group identifier, the session management function entity can query the identifiers of multiple terminal devices corresponding to the group identifier through a unified data management function entity (such as UDM), and determine whether the current scenario is a local area network scenario based on the identifier of the terminal device. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction in the aforementioned "S403", which will not be repeated here. It can be understood that the session management function entity can also determine that the flow description information and flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario in other ways, which can be flexibly set according to actual conditions without limitation.

[0281] It can be understood that in the IP scenario, the session management function entity does not need to determine the exchange of the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information, that is, the session management function entity does not need to send indication information to the user plane function entity, that is, at this time the user plane function entity can exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information according to the existing exchange mechanism (refer to the relevant introduction in "3.PDR" for details).

[0282] In addition, the session management function entity may determine to exchange the source address and the destination address to determine the flow description of the upstream flow based on the local configuration or the policy information sent by other devices.

[0283] In one possible implementation, the session management function entity determines to exchange the source address and destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information, which may specifically include: the session management function entity determines to exchange the source address and destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information according to the local configuration, and the local configuration is used to instruct the session management function entity to send information to the user plane function entity for indicating the exchange of the source address and destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink.

[0284] In another possible implementation, before the above-mentioned session management function entity determines to exchange the source address and destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information, the above-mentioned communication method may also include: the policy control function entity sends policy information to the session management function entity, and accordingly, the session management function entity receives the policy information from the policy control function entity; the session management function entity determines to exchange the source address and destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information, which may specifically include: the session management function entity determines to exchange the source address and destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information according to the policy information, and the policy information is used to instruct the session management function entity to send information used to indicate the exchange of the source address and destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink.

[0285] It can be understood that the specific implementation principle of the session management function entity determining to exchange the source address and the destination address to determine the flow description of the upstream flow based on the local configuration or the policy information sent by other devices can be referred to the relevant introduction in the aforementioned "S403", which will not be repeated here.

[0286] Optionally, in the above S502a or S502b, the source interface in the first uplink PDR information is the first interface, and the destination interface associated with the first uplink PDR information is the core network interface, and the first interface is an interface for local area network data transmission inside the user plane functional entity. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction in the above "S303", which will not be repeated here. The local area network can be a 5G LAN, and the first interface can be a 5G VN internal interface. Of course, the above local area network and the first interface can be flexibly set according to actual conditions without restriction.

[0287] It can be understood that in the above S502a and S502b, the user plane function entity receives PDR information; after receiving the PDR information, the user plane function entity needs to detect the PDR information, such as determining that the PDR information is uplink PDR information or downlink PDR information based on the relationship between the PDR information and the indication information, in order to determine that the PDR information is uplink PDR information (i.e., first uplink PDR information). In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, the above first uplink PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) the first PDR information, and the above second uplink PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) the second PDR information.

[0288] It can also be understood that the first uplink PDR information can be one or more uplink PDR information. That is, when the first uplink PDR information is one PDR information, the indication information can indicate the exchange of the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information; when the first uplink PDR information is multiple PDR information, the indication information can indicate the exchange of the source address and the destination address in the multiple uplink PDR information. That is, the uplink PDR information can be based on the IE granularity or the message (such as N4 message) granularity, which can be flexibly set according to the actual situation without limitation.

[0289] In summary, in the embodiment of the present application, after receiving the PCC rule from the policy control function entity, the session management function entity can send the first uplink PDR information carrying the indication information to the user plane function entity when the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network, and the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes the uplink, or send the indication information and the first uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity, and the indication information is associated with the first uplink PDR information, so that the user plane function entity determines the first uplink PDR information based on the indication information, and exchanges the source address and the destination address in the flow description in the first uplink PDR information. In this way, the user plane function entity can correctly perceive the uplink PDR information.

[0290] Understandably, Figure 5 The embodiment shown can refer to the aforementioned Figure 4The relevant introduction in the illustrated embodiment is understood and will not be repeated here. Figure 5 The embodiment shown is Figure 3 The embodiment shown is similar, except that: Figure 3 In the embodiment shown, the PCF generates the indication information and sends the indication information to the SMF, and then the SMF sends the indication information to the UPF; Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the SMF generates indication information and sends the indication information to the UPF. The similarities can be understood by reference to each other and will not be repeated here.

[0291] Scenario 3:

[0292] For example, Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 5 In scenario 3, the UPF obtains the MAC address of the newly added terminal device in the terminal device group (or local area network) and the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address, and sends the MAC address of the newly added UE and the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address to the SMF; the SMF generates corresponding PDR information based on the MAC address of the newly added UE and the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address, and sends the PDR information to the UPF.

[0293] like Figure 6 As shown, the process of the communication method is as follows:

[0294] S601, SMF sends a policy control request trigger (PCRT) message to UPF. Correspondingly, UPF receives the PCRT message from SMF.

[0295] The PCRT information is used to request the UPF to report the MAC address of the newly added terminal device in the terminal device group (or local area network) to the SMF after obtaining (or learning, or sensing) the MAC address of the newly added terminal device.

[0296] In an embodiment of the present application, SMF can send PCRT information to UPF in the initial packet forwarding control protocol (PFCP) session establishment / update process to request UPF to report UE MAC address information to SMF after obtaining the newly added UE MAC address.

[0297] S602, UPF obtains MAC address #1.

[0298] MAC address #1 is the MAC address of a terminal device newly added to the terminal device group (or local area network).

[0299] UPF can obtain MAC address #1 from the upstream route through the N3 / N9 interface, which can be flexibly set according to the actual situation without restriction. It can be understood that the specific implementation principle of UPF obtaining MAC address #1 can refer to the description in clause 5.8.2.5.3 of 23.501 in SGPP TS, which will not be repeated here.

[0300] S603, in the process of obtaining MAC address #1, UPF senses the flow direction corresponding to MAC address #1.

[0301] The flow direction corresponding to MAC address #1 is the actual flow direction. The flow direction can be understood as the direction in which the data of the newly added terminal device can be transmitted, and the flow direction can be upstream, downstream, or bidirectional (i.e., upstream and downstream at the same time). UPF can obtain the flow direction corresponding to MAC address #1 from the upstream route through the N3 / N9 interface. It can be understood that UPF can obtain MAC address #1 and the flow direction corresponding to MAC address #1 from the upstream route through the N3 / N9 interface at the same time, or it can first obtain MAC address #1 from the upstream route through the N3 / N9 interface, and then obtain the flow direction corresponding to MAC address #1. It can be flexibly set according to the actual situation without restriction.

[0302] In the embodiment of the present application, the UPF supports sensing the actual flow direction in the process of obtaining the MAC address of the newly added terminal device in the terminal device group (or local area network). That is, the UPF can obtain the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address in the process of obtaining the MAC address of the newly added terminal device in the terminal device group (or local area network).

[0303] S604, UPF sends MAC address #1 and flow direction information #1 to SMF. Correspondingly, SMF receives MAC address #1 and flow direction information #1 from UPF.

[0304] Flow direction information #1 is used to indicate the flow direction corresponding to MAC address #1, that is, the flow direction perceived by the UPF, that is, the actual flow direction.

[0305] S605, SMF generates PDR information according to MAC address #1 and flow direction information #1.

[0306] That is, SMF can generate PDR information according to MAC address #1, flow direction information #1 and preset flow information. And when SMF generates PDR information, it can generate corresponding PDR information according to flow direction information #1. Exemplarily, when the flow direction indicated by flow direction information #1 is uplink, SMF generates uplink PDR information based on the flow direction information #1; or, when the flow direction indicated by flow direction information #1 is downlink, SMF generates downlink PDR information based on the flow direction information #1; or, when the flow direction indicated by flow direction information #1 is bidirectional, SMF generates uplink PDR information and downlink PDR information based on the flow direction information #1.

[0307] In addition, when the SMF generates the uplink PDR information based on the flow direction information #1, the MAC address #1 may be determined as the source address in the uplink PDR information, or after the uplink PDR information is generated, the source address included in the uplink PDR information and the destination address associated with the uplink PDR information may be exchanged. In other words, the source address in the uplink PDR information is the MAC address #1.

[0308] S606, SMF sends PDR information to UPF. Correspondingly, UPF receives PDR information from SMF.

[0309] After receiving the PDR information, the UPF can match the data packets based on the PDR information and send the matched data packets to the corresponding device. Exemplarily, when the PDR information includes uplink PDR information, the UPF can use the uplink PDR information to match the data packets and send the matched uplink data packets to the AF, AS, DN, or other UPFs; and / or, when the PDR information includes downlink PDR information, the UPF can use the downlink PDR information to match the data packets and send the matched downlink data packets to the UE.

[0310] It can be understood that the specific implementation principle of UPF using PDR information to match data packets can refer to the existing technology and will not be repeated here.

[0311] Combination of the above Figure 6 The process of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail. Figure 7 The overall process of the communication method is introduced. For example, Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 6 The method can be applied to the communication between the policy control function entity, the session management function entity and the user plane function entity in the above communication system.

[0312] like Figure 7 As shown, the process of the communication method is as follows:

[0313] S701, a user plane function entity obtains a MAC address and flow direction information.

[0314] The MAC address is the address of the newly added terminal device in the terminal group, or in other words, the MAC address is the address of the newly added terminal device in the local area network. The flow direction information is used to indicate the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address. The flow direction corresponding to the MAC address can be understood as the direction in which the data of the terminal device can be transmitted, such as uplink, downlink, or bidirectional. It can be understood that the MAC address in the embodiment of the present application can also be replaced by other possible addresses without limitation.

[0315] The user plane functional entity can obtain the above MAC address and flow direction information from the newly added terminal device. Exemplarily, when a terminal device #a is added to the terminal group or local area network, the terminal device #a can report the MAC address of the terminal device #a and the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address to the user plane functional entity.

[0316] It can be understood that the specific implementation principle of S701 can refer to the relevant introduction of S601-S602 above, and the MAC address and flow direction information in the embodiment of the present application correspond to Figure 6 The MAC address #1 and flow direction information #1 in the illustrated embodiment are not described in detail here.

[0317] S702: The user plane function entity sends a MAC address and flow direction information to the session management function entity. Correspondingly, the session management function entity receives the MAC address and the flow direction information corresponding to the MAC address from the user plane function entity.

[0318] The user plane functional entity may send the MAC address and flow direction information through an existing message or through a newly defined message without restriction.

[0319] S703: The session management function entity determines PDR information according to the MAC address and flow direction information.

[0320] That is, the session management function entity can determine the PDR information according to the MAC address, flow direction information and flow information. The flow information can be information pre-configured by the session management function entity, or information sent to the session management function entity by other devices (such as the policy control function entity), without limitation.

[0321] It can be understood that the PDR information generated by the session management function entity is related to the flow direction information. That is, the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is uplink, and the above PDR information is uplink PDR information; or, the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is downlink, and the above PDR information is downlink PDR information; or, the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is bidirectional, and the above PDR information is uplink PDR information and downlink PDR information. In other words, when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is uplink, the above PDR information is only uplink PDR information, or in other words, the above PDR information does not include downlink PDR information. When the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is downlink, the above PDR information is only downlink PDR information, or in other words, the above PDR information does not include uplink PDR information.

[0322] The source address in the uplink PDR information is the MAC address. In this way, the source address in the uplink PDR information can be correct, so that the user plane function entity does not need to exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information after receiving the uplink PDR information, thereby reducing the processing overhead of the user plane function entity. It can be understood that the session management function entity can exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information after generating the uplink PDR information, or directly determine the MAC address as the source address when generating the uplink PDR information. The specific setting can be flexibly set according to the actual situation without limitation.

[0323] Optionally, the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is uplink, and the session management function entity determines the source address included in the uplink PDR information in the PDR information according to the MAC address and the flow direction information, which may specifically include: the session management function entity determines the MAC address as the source address of the uplink PDR information according to the flow direction information. In this way, the session management function entity does not need to exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR after determining the uplink PDR information, thereby reducing the processing overhead of the session management function entity.

[0324] Furthermore, the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink, and the above communication method may also include: the session management function entity sends uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity, and accordingly, the user plane function entity receives the uplink PDR information from the session management function entity, wherein the source address in the uplink PDR information is a MAC address. That is, the session management function entity sends the correct uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity. In this way, the user plane function entity does not need to exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information sent by the session management function entity, thereby reducing the processing overhead of the user plane function entity.

[0325] In summary, in the embodiment of the present application, the user plane function entity can send the MAC address of the newly added terminal device and the flow direction information indicating the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address to the session management function entity, so that the session management function entity can determine the PDR information according to the MAC address and the flow direction information. In this way, the session management function entity can generate the corresponding PDR information based on the flow direction, thereby reducing the overhead of the session management function entity in generating PDR information when the flow direction is uplink or downlink. In addition, the user plane function entity does not need to use additional PDR information to match data packets, thereby reducing the processing overhead of the user plane function entity.

[0326] Understandably, Figure 7 The embodiment shown can refer to the aforementioned Figure 6 The relevant introduction in the illustrated embodiment is understood and will not be repeated here.

[0327] For example, Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 7 The method may be applicable to the interaction between the user plane function entity and the session management function entity in the above communication system.

[0328] like Figure 8 As shown, the process of the communication method is as follows:

[0329] S801: A session management function entity sends first uplink PDR information to a user plane function entity. Correspondingly, the user plane function entity receives the first uplink PDR information from the session management function entity.

[0330] The first uplink PDR information is used to detect and classify data packets. The first uplink PDR information includes flow description information and source interface information. The flow description information includes the source address and destination address of the downlink flow. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction of flow description information #2 in the aforementioned "S202a", which will not be repeated here. The source interface information is used to indicate the source interface in the first uplink PDR information.

[0331] S802: The user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information according to the source interface in the first uplink PDR information being the first interface, so as to obtain second uplink PDR information.

[0332] The first interface is an interface for local area network data transmission inside the user plane functional entity. The local area network may be a 5G LAN, and the first interface may be a 5G VN internal interface. It is understood that the local area network and the first interface may be set according to actual conditions without limitation.

[0333] Further, the destination interface associated with the first uplink PDR information is the core network interface. It can be understood that when the source interface in the PDR information is the 5G VN internal interface and the destination interface associated with the PDR information is the core network interface, the PDR information is uplink PDR information. That is, the user plane functional entity can determine whether the PDR information is uplink PDR information based on the source interface and the destination interface. That is, the user plane functional entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information based on the source interface in the first uplink PDR information being the first interface, which can specifically include: the user plane functional entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information based on the source interface in the first uplink PDR information being the first interface and the destination interface associated with the uplink PDR information being the core network interface.

[0334] It can be understood that in S802, the user plane functional entity receives PDR information; after receiving the PDR information, the user plane functional entity needs to detect the PDR information, such as determining that the PDR information is uplink PDR information or downlink PDR information based on the source address in the PDR information and the destination address associated with the PDR information, in order to determine that the PDR information is uplink PDR information (i.e., first uplink PDR information). In addition, in an embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned first uplink PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) the first PDR information, and the above-mentioned second uplink PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) the second PDR information.

[0335] That is, the communication method may further include: the user plane function entity determines that the first PDR information is uplink PDR information according to the source interface being the first interface and the destination interface being the core network interface.

[0336] It can also be understood that in S802, the user plane functional entity may not exchange the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information, but update the first uplink PDR information. That is, at this time S802 can be: the user plane functional entity can update the first uplink PDR information according to the source interface in the first uplink PDR information as the first interface, so as to obtain the second PDR information, wherein the source address in the second uplink PDR information is the destination address associated with the first uplink PDR information, and the destination address associated with the second uplink PDR information is the source address associated with the first uplink PDR information. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction in the aforementioned "S304a", which will not be repeated here.

[0337] Optionally, after the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information according to the source interface in the first uplink PDR information being the first interface (i.e., S802), the communication method may further include: the user plane function entity sends an uplink data packet, which is at least one data packet ( Figure 8 For details, please refer to the related introduction in the aforementioned "S204a" or "S306", which will not be repeated here.

[0338] In summary, in the embodiment of the present application, after receiving the first uplink PDR information from the session management function entity, the user plane function entity can exchange the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information according to the source interface in the first uplink PDR information being the first interface. In this way, the user plane function entity can correctly perceive the uplink PDR information in the local area network scenario.

[0339] It can be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the "source address and destination address in the PDR information" and the "source address and destination address in the flow description information in the PDR information" indicate the same content, that is, the two can be used interchangeably. In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified and there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment according to their inherent logical relationships. In addition, in the various embodiments of the present application, the names of each message, each information, and each functional entity are merely an example of expression, and each message, each information, and each functional entity can also be replaced by any possible name without limitation.

[0340] Combination of the above Figure 2-Figure 8 The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail. Figure 9-10 A communication device for executing the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application is described in detail.

[0341] Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 For example, Fig. 9 As shown, the communication device 900 includes: a transceiver module 901 and a processing module 902. For ease of description, Fig. 9 Only the main components of the communication device are shown.

[0342] Among them, the transceiver module 901 is used to perform the above Figure 2-Figure 8 The processing module 902 is used to perform the above-mentioned Figure 2 Figure 8 The method shown has other functions besides the sending and receiving functions.

[0343] Optionally, the transceiver module 901 may include a sending module ( Fig. 9 ) and a receiving module ( Fig. 9 The sending module is used to implement the sending function of the communication device 900, and the receiving module is used to implement the receiving function of the communication device 900.

[0344] Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a storage module ( Fig. 9 When the processing module 902 executes the program or instruction, the communication device 900 can execute the above method. Figure 2-Figure 8 The functions of the network device (such as a policy control function entity, a session management function entity, or a user plane function entity, etc.) in the method shown.

[0345] It can be understood that the communication device 900 can be a network device, or a chip (system) or other parts or components that can be set in the network device, or a device that includes the network device, which is not limited in this application.

[0346] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 2 For example, the communication device may be a network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly that can be arranged in the network device. Fig.10 As shown, the communication device 1000 may include a processor 1001. Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a memory 1002 and / or a transceiver 1003. The processor 1001 is coupled with the memory 1002 and the transceiver 1003, such as being connected via a communication bus.

[0347] Combine the following Fig.10 The components of the communication device 1000 are described in detail:

[0348] The processor 1001 is the control center of the communication device 1000, and may be a processor or a general term for multiple processing elements. For example, the processor 1001 is one or more central processing units (CPUs), or may be application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or may be configured to implement one or more integrated circuits of the embodiments of the present application, such as one or more microprocessors (digital signal processors, DSPs), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0349] Optionally, the processor 1001 may execute various functions of the communication device 1000 , such as executing the above-mentioned communication method, by running or executing a software program stored in the memory 1002 , and calling data stored in the memory 1002 .

[0350] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 1001 may include one or more CPUs, such as Fig.10 CPU0 and CPU1 are shown in FIG.

[0351] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 1000 may also include multiple processors, such as Fig.10 1001 and 1004 are shown in FIG. Each of these processors may be a single-core processor (single-CPU) or a multi-core processor (multi-CPU). A processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0352] The memory 1002 is used to store the software program for executing the solution of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 1001. The specific implementation method can refer to the above method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0353] Optionally, the memory 1002 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory 1002 may be integrated with the processor 1001, or may exist independently and be accessed through the interface circuit ( Fig.10 (not shown) is coupled to the processor 1001, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0354] The transceiver 1003 is used for communication with other communication devices. For example, if the communication device 1000 is a terminal, the transceiver 1003 can be used to communicate with a network device, or with another terminal device. For another example, if the communication device 1000 is a network device, the transceiver 1003 can be used to communicate with a terminal, or with another network device.

[0355] Optionally, the transceiver 1003 may include a receiver and a transmitter ( Fig.10 The receiver is used to implement a receiving function, and the transmitter is used to implement a sending function.

[0356] Optionally, the transceiver 1003 may be integrated with the processor 1001, or may exist independently and communicate with the processor 1001 through the interface circuit ( Fig.10 (not shown) is coupled to the processor 1001, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0357] Understandably, Fig.10 The structure of the communication device 1000 shown in the figure does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. The actual communication device may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0358] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device 1000 can refer to the technical effects of the methods described in the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0359] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), and the processor may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0360] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of random access memory (RAM) are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0361] The above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware (such as circuits), firmware or any other combination. When implemented using software, the above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer programs are loaded or executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website site, computer, server or data center to another website site, computer, server or data center by wired (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that contains one or more available media sets. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (for example, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium can be a solid-state hard disk.

[0362] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this article is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship, but it may also indicate an "and / or" relationship. Please refer to the context for specific understanding.

[0363] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can be represented by: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0364] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0365] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0366] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0367] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0368] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0369] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0370] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application can be essentially or partly embodied in the form of a software product that contributes to the prior art. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0371] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: The session management function entity receives a policy and charging control PCC rule from the policy control function entity, wherein the PCC rule includes flow description information and flow direction information, wherein the flow description information includes a source address and a destination address of a downlink flow, and the flow direction information is used to indicate that the flow direction includes an uplink; In a case where the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to a local area network scenario, the session management function entity sends first PDR information to a user plane function entity, where the first PDR information includes the flow description information and indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate that a source address and a destination address in the first PDR information are to be exchanged; or When the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to a local area network scenario, the session management function entity sends first PDR information and indication information to a user plane function entity, wherein the first PDR information includes the flow description information, and the indication information is used to indicate the exchange of the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Before the session management function entity sends the first PDR information to the user plane function entity, or before the session management function entity sends the first PDR information and indication information to the user plane function entity, the method further includes: In a case where the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario, the session management function entity determines that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are to be exchanged.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The PCC rule further includes a group identifier, and the method further includes: The session management function entity determines, according to the group identifier, that the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to a local area network scenario.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The source interface in the first PDR information is the first interface, the destination interface associated with the first PDR information is the core network interface, and the first interface is an interface inside the user plane functional entity for local area network data transmission.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The local area network is the fifth generation 5G local area network LAN.

6. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: The user plane function entity receives first uplink data packet detection rule PDR information from the session management function entity, where the first PDR information includes flow description information and source interface information, and the flow description information includes a source address and a destination address of a downlink flow; The user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address to obtain second PDR information based on the source interface in the first PDR information being the first interface, where the first interface is an interface inside the user plane function entity for local area network data transmission.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address according to the source interface in the first PDR information being the first interface, including: The user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address according to the source interface in the first PDR information being the first interface and the destination interface associated with the first PDR information being the core network interface.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The user plane functional entity determines that the first PDR information is uplink PDR information according to the source interface being the first interface and the destination interface being the core network interface.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that: The local area network is the fifth generation 5G local area network LAN.

10. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that: The destination interface associated with the first PDR information is a core network interface.

11. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The user plane function entity sends an uplink data packet, where the uplink data packet is at least one data packet obtained by the user plane function entity by matching the second uplink PDR data.

12. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device is used to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A communication device, characterized in that: include: Processor and memory; The memory is used to store computer instructions. When the processor executes the instructions, the communication device executes the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium comprises a computer program or an instruction. When the computer program or the instruction is executed on a communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

15. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by a communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 is executed.

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