Anchor point smooth switching method based on high-priority service

Abstract

According to the anchor point smooth switching method based on the high priority service provided by the invention, a service smooth switching mechanism is newly added on the basis of the original 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3rd Generation Partnership Project, 3rd Generation Partnership Project) protocol basic process. A core network element SMF (Session Management Function) finds that a user moves to another site, a flow of inserting a combined ULCL (Uplink Classifier) and an auxiliary anchor point is initiated in the first stage, high-priority service flow is forwarded to a UPF (User Plane Function) of an original site, meanwhile, in order to save cross-site flow, common service is directly unloaded to the UPF of the site, so that the cross-site flow can be saved, and the cross-site flow can be saved. The method comprises the following steps of: starting a first-stage switching flow, monitoring the traffic use condition of high-priority services in real time, starting a second-stage switching flow after the high-priority services are finished, switching all services to the UPF of the site, and finally achieving the purpose of avoiding all cross-site traffic.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of 5G (5th Generation Mobile Communication Technology) communications, and specifically relates to an anchor point smooth switching mechanism based on high-priority services, and in particular to an anchor point smooth switching method based on high-priority services. Background Art

[0002] The modern communication environment is complex, so various communication methods and special communication requirements are required. 5G communication technology can be widely used in modern communications due to its wide coverage, high transmission, and strong compatibility. In an environment without communication infrastructure, a distributed core network (i.e., a distributed deployment of multiple core networks to form a system to provide services to terminals) can be used to solve the problems of reorganization and rapid terminal access.

[0003] In a distributed core network architecture, the location of each site is not fixed. If wireless channels are used for communication between sites, cross-site traffic will occupy wireless bandwidth, which is relatively costly. In order to reduce cross-site traffic, UPF generally only provides services for users at this site. Therefore, if a user moves between two sites, the UPF will be reselected through the SSC MODE 2 (Session and Service Continuity Mode 2) process to force the session to be reactivated. Although this avoids cross-site traffic, the service will be interrupted during the switching process. If it is a high-priority service, it will seriously affect the user experience. Therefore, it is necessary to seek a new switching method that can not only ensure the continuity of high-priority services, but also minimize cross-site traffic. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the above defects, in order to solve the problem of short-term service interruption caused by users accessing a new core network across sites, a smooth anchor switching mechanism is proposed to ensure that high-priority services are not interrupted, while maximizing the savings of cross-site traffic.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned effect, the present invention provides a method for smooth switching of anchor points based on high-priority services, including a distributed core network, wherein the distributed core network includes a first site and a second site, wherein the first site and the second site are both provided with 5GC (5G Core, 5G core network), including AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function, access mobility management function), SMF (Session Management Function, session management function) and UPF (UserPlane Function, user plane function), insert a jointly set ULCL (Uplink Classifier, uplink splitter) + auxiliary anchor point, forward the high-priority service traffic to the UPF of the original site, directly unload the ordinary service to the UPF of this site, and monitor the traffic usage of the high-priority service in real time, start the switching process after the high-priority service ends, and switch all services to the UPF of this site.

[0006] Preferably, the above method specifically comprises the following steps:

[0007] S1, access at the first site, activate the PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session, and all service traffic is forwarded through the UPF of the first site;

[0008] S2, SMF selects the UPF on the second site as the ULCL according to the UPF selection algorithm, and initiates the process of inserting the co-located ULCL and auxiliary anchor point UPF;

[0009] S3. SMF sends the pre-configured high-priority service diversion rules to ULCL, so that the high-priority service is forwarded to the primary anchor point on the original first site;

[0010] S4. SMF sends the diversion rules of common services to ULCL, so that non-high priority services are directly forwarded to the auxiliary anchor point of this site;

[0011] S5. After the switching process is completed, the timer for waiting for the deletion of indirect forwarding expires, the indirect forwarding channel is deleted, and subsequent high-priority services are retained at the primary anchor point, and ordinary services are unloaded to the local auxiliary anchor point;

[0012] S6, monitoring the traffic of high-priority services, if it is found that the high-priority services are completed, proceeding to the next step, starting anchor point switching;

[0013] S7. Send a PDU session release request to the UE (User Equipment), carrying a special cause value, requesting reactivation;

[0014] S8, enter the session release process, and the sessions on SMF, the primary anchor point, and ULCL are all deleted;

[0015] S9, UE re-initiates PDU establishment request, and SMF selects the UPF on the second site as the main anchor point according to the UPF selection algorithm;

[0016] S10. After the session is successfully established, all services are directly processed on the UPF on the second site, and there is no cross-site traffic.

[0017] Preferably, if the handover process indicates to use the indirect forwarding channel, it is necessary to establish the indirect forwarding channel between the new and old base stations and the primary anchor point and the ULCL to ensure normal forwarding of data during the handover process.

[0018] Preferably, the above method comprises two stages:

[0019] Phase 1: Initiate the process of inserting the jointly set ULCL and auxiliary anchor point, forward high-priority service traffic to the UPF of the original site, directly offload ordinary services to the UPF of this site, and monitor the traffic usage of high-priority services in real time;

[0020] Phase 2: After the high-priority service is completed, the switching process is started to switch all services to the UPF of this site, ultimately achieving the goal of avoiding all cross-site traffic.

[0021] Preferably, the first stage of the above method comprises:

[0022] S101. On the first site SMF, configure the UPF of the first site as the primary anchor point UPF, configure the UPF of the second site as a jointly set ULCL and auxiliary anchor point, configure high priority service diversion rules, and configure the UPF of the second site as the primary anchor point UPF on the second site SMF;

[0023] S102. The UE moves out of the service range of the first site and moves to the service range of the second site, and initiates a switching process between two gNodeBs (Next-Generation Node Bs, 5G base station equipment).

[0024] S103. After receiving the switching request, if the SMF of site 1 finds that the UE has moved out of the coverage of the UPF of this site, the second site UPF is selected as the jointly set up ULCL and auxiliary anchor point through the UPF selection algorithm, and the process of inserting the jointly set up ULCL is initiated to start the first stage process of smooth switching.

[0025] Preferably, in the above S101, the UE initially accesses from the Source gNodeB, the session is activated on the Site 1 SMF, and the forwarding path of the service traffic is: UE→Source gNodeB→Site 1 UPF.

[0026] Preferably, after the first stage switching in S103 is completed, the AMF of the first site no longer has the context of the UE, and the AMF of the second site completely takes over the UE, but the SMF has not changed, and the UE session is still managed by the SMF of the first site.

[0027] Preferably, SMF will monitor the high-priority service traffic in real time, and by default will count the high-priority service traffic within the statistical period. If there is no traffic within the statistical period, it is considered that the high-priority service has ended.

[0028] Preferably, the second stage smooth switching process of the above method starts, the SMF starts the anchor point switching process, the first site SMF sends a PUD session release instruction to the UE, carrying a special reason value to require the UE to delete the session and reactivate it; after the session deletion process is completed, the UE re-initiates a session establishment request, at this time the second site AMF directly selects the SMF of the second site, the second site SMF selects the second site UPF as the jointly set up I-UPF (Intermediate UPF) and the main anchor point according to the configuration, and all subsequent business traffic is directly forwarded on the second site UPF.

[0029] The present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored. When the program is executed by a processor, the above method is implemented.

[0030] Compared with the prior art, the present invention divides the entire switching process into two stages, ensuring the continuity of high-priority services and greatly saving cross-site traffic. It also does not add messages and cells outside the new protocol, and is fully compliant with the 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) protocol standards, and can be easily connected to UPFs of different manufacturers. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiment of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an embodiment of a method for smooth anchor point switching based on high priority services of the present invention is shown;

[0033] Figure 2A schematic diagram of an embodiment of a method for smooth anchor point switching based on high priority services of the present invention is shown;

[0034] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of network element morphology during the first phase of smooth switching of the anchor point smooth switching method based on high priority services of the present invention is shown;

[0035] Figure 4 It shows a schematic diagram of the network element form after the first stage of smooth switching of the anchor point smooth switching method based on the high priority service of the present invention is completed;

[0036] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the network element state after the second stage of smooth switching of the anchor point smooth switching method based on the high priority service of the present invention is completed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of the present invention will be described in detail below. In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and Examples. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only configured to explain the present invention and are not configured to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention can be implemented without the need for some of these specific details. The following description of the embodiments is only to provide a better understanding of the present invention by illustrating examples of the present invention.

[0038] It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the statement "include..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the elements.

[0039] The present invention provides an embodiment of an anchor point smooth switching method based on high-priority services, including a distributed core network, wherein the distributed core network includes a first site and a second site, wherein the first site and the second site are both provided with 5GC (5G Core, 5G core network), including AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function, access mobility management function), SMF (Session Management Function, session management function) and UPF (User Plane Function, user plane function), insert a jointly set ULCL (Uplink Classifier, uplink splitter) + auxiliary anchor point, forward the high-priority service traffic to the UPF of the original site, directly unload the ordinary service to the UPF of this site, and monitor the traffic usage of the high-priority service in real time, start the switching process after the high-priority service ends, and switch all services to the UPF of this site.

[0040] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides an embodiment of a method for smooth anchor point switching based on high priority services, which specifically includes the following steps:

[0041] S1, access at the first site, activate the PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session, and all service traffic is forwarded through the UPF of the first site;

[0042] S2, SMF selects the UPF on the second site as the ULCL according to the UPF selection algorithm, and initiates the process of inserting the co-located ULCL and auxiliary anchor point UPF;

[0043] S3. SMF sends the pre-configured high-priority service diversion rules to ULCL, so that the high-priority service is forwarded to the primary anchor point on the original first site;

[0044] S4. SMF sends the diversion rules of common services to ULCL, so that non-high priority services are directly forwarded to the auxiliary anchor point of this site;

[0045] S5. After the switching process is completed, the timer for waiting for the deletion of indirect forwarding expires, the indirect forwarding channel is deleted, and subsequent high-priority services are retained at the primary anchor point, and ordinary services are unloaded to the local auxiliary anchor point;

[0046] S6, monitoring the traffic of high-priority services, if it is found that the high-priority services are completed, proceeding to the next step, starting anchor point switching;

[0047] S7. Send a PDU session release request to the UE (User Equipment), carrying a special cause value, requesting reactivation;

[0048] S8, enter the session release process, and the sessions on SMF, the primary anchor point, and ULCL are all deleted;

[0049] S9. The UE re-initiates a PDU establishment request, and the SMF selects the UPF on the second site as the primary anchor point according to the UPF selection algorithm.

[0050] S10. After the session is successfully established, all services are directly processed on the UPF on the second site, and there is no cross-site traffic.

[0051] In some embodiments, if the handover process indicates to use an indirect forwarding channel, an indirect forwarding channel needs to be established between the new and old base stations and the primary anchor point and the ULCL to ensure normal forwarding of data during the handover process.

[0052] In some embodiments, there are two stages:

[0053] Phase 1: Initiate the process of inserting the jointly set ULCL and auxiliary anchor point, forward high-priority service traffic to the UPF of the original site, directly offload ordinary services to the UPF of this site, and monitor the traffic usage of high-priority services in real time;

[0054] Phase 2: After the high-priority service is completed, the switching process is started to switch all services to the UPF of this site, ultimately achieving the goal of avoiding all cross-site traffic.

[0055] In some embodiments, the first stage includes:

[0056] S101. On the first site SMF, configure the UPF of the first site as the primary anchor point UPF, configure the UPF of the second site as a jointly set ULCL and auxiliary anchor point, configure high priority service diversion rules, and configure the UPF of the second site as the primary anchor point UPF on the second site SMF;

[0057] S102. The UE moves out of the service range of the first site and moves to the service range of the second site, and initiates a switching process between two gNodeBs (Next-Generation Node Bs, 5G base station equipment).

[0058] S103. After receiving the switching request, if the SMF of site 1 finds that the UE has moved out of the coverage of the UPF of this site, the second site UPF is selected as the jointly set up ULCL and auxiliary anchor point through the UPF selection algorithm, and the process of inserting the jointly set up ULCL is initiated to start the first stage process of smooth switching.

[0059] In some embodiments, in S101 , the UE initially accesses from the Source gNodeB, the session is activated on the Site 1 SMF, and the forwarding path of the service traffic is: UE→Source gNodeB→Site 1 UPF.

[0060] In some embodiments, after the first stage switching in S103 is completed, the AMF of the first site no longer has the context of the UE, and the AMF of the second site completely takes over the UE, but the SMF has not changed, and the UE session is still managed by the SMF of the first site.

[0061] In some embodiments, SMF will monitor the high-priority service traffic in real time, and by default will count the high-priority service traffic within the statistical period. If there is no traffic within the statistical period, it is considered that the high-priority service has ended.

[0062] In some embodiments, the second-stage smooth switching process begins, the SMF starts the anchor point switching process, and the first-site SMF sends a PUD session release instruction to the UE, carrying a special reason value to require the UE to delete the session and reactivate it; after the session deletion process is completed, the UE re-initiates a session establishment request. At this time, the second-site AMF directly selects the SMF of the second site, and the second-site SMF selects the second-site UPF as the jointly set up I-UPF (Intermediate UPF) and the main anchor point according to the configuration. All subsequent business traffic is directly forwarded on the second-site UPF.

[0063] The present invention provides an embodiment of a method for smooth anchor switching based on high-priority services, and adds a new mechanism for smooth service switching on the basis of the original 3GPP protocol basic process. The core network element SMF discovers that the user has moved to another site. In the first stage, the process of inserting the jointly set ULCL+auxiliary anchor point is initiated to forward the high-priority service traffic to the UPF of the original site. At the same time, in order to save cross-site traffic, ordinary services are directly unloaded to the UPF of this site, and the traffic usage of high-priority services is monitored in real time. After the high-priority service is completed, the second stage of the switching process is started to switch all services to the UPF of this site, and finally achieve the purpose of avoiding all cross-site traffic. The entire detailed process of this solution can be divided into two major stages:

[0064] The first stage of smooth anchor point switching:

[0065] Step 1: The user accesses site 1 and activates the PDU session. All service traffic is forwarded through the UPF of site 1.

[0066] Step 2: The user moves to site 2. The SMF selects the UPF on site 2 as the ULCL according to the UPF selection algorithm and initiates the process of inserting the combined ULCL+auxiliary anchor point UPF.

[0067] Step 3: SMF sends the pre-configured high-priority service diversion rules to ULCL, so that the high-priority service is forwarded to the primary anchor point on the original site 1 to ensure the continuity of the high-priority service;

[0068] Step 4: SMF sends the diversion rules of common services to ULCL, so that non-high priority services are directly forwarded to the auxiliary anchor point of the site, saving cross-site traffic;

[0069] Step 5: If the handover process indicates to use an indirect forwarding channel, an indirect forwarding channel needs to be established between the new and old base stations and the primary anchor point and the ULCL to ensure normal forwarding of data during the handover process;

[0070] Step 6: After the switching process is completed, wait for the timer for deleting indirect forwarding to time out, delete the indirect forwarding channel, and keep the subsequent high-priority services at the primary anchor point, and unload the common services to the local secondary anchor point;

[0071] Step 7: Monitor the traffic of high-priority services. If the high-priority services are found to be completed, enter Phase 2 and start anchor switching.

[0072] The second stage of smooth anchor point switching:

[0073] Step 1: Send a PDU session release command to the UE, carrying a special cause value, requesting reactivation;

[0074] Step 2: Enter the session release process, and the sessions on SMF, the primary anchor point, and ULCL are all deleted;

[0075] Step 3: The UE re-initiates a PDU establishment request, and the SMF selects the UPF on site 2 as the primary anchor point according to the UPF selection algorithm;

[0076] Step 4: After the session is successfully established, all services are processed directly on the UPF at site 2, without cross-site traffic.

[0077] The present invention is further combined with more embodiments, the actual connection diagram and implementation method are as follows Figure 2 As shown, the distributed core network in this method has two sites, site 1 and site 2, and each site has a set of 5GC (including AMF, SMF and UPF).

[0078] Step 1:

[0079] 1. On the site 1 SMF, configure the site 1 UPF as the primary anchor point UPF and the site 2 UPF as the combined ULCL + secondary anchor point;

[0080] 2. Configure high-priority service diversion rules;

[0081] 3. Configure the Site 2 UPF as the primary anchor UPF on the Site 2 SMF.

[0082] Initially, the UE accesses from the Source gNodeB, the session is activated on the Site 1 SMF, and the service traffic forwarding path is: UE→Source gNodeB→Site 1 UPF.

[0083] Step 2:

[0084] The UE moves out of the service range of site 1 and into the service range of site 2, initiating a handover procedure between the two gNodeBs.

[0085] Step 3:

[0086] After receiving the switching request, the SMF of site 1 finds that the UE has moved out of the coverage of the UPF of this site. Through the UPF selection algorithm, the UPF of site 2 is selected as the combined ULCL+auxiliary anchor point, and the process of inserting the combined ULCL is initiated, starting the first stage of the smooth switching process.

[0087] In the switching process, the functional form of each network element and the service traffic forwarding status are as follows: Figure 3 As shown in the figure, site 1AMF acts as Source AMF, site 2AMF acts as Target AMF, and site 1SMF manages UPFs of site 1 and site 2 at the same time (site 2SMF does not participate in the first stage). Site 1UPF acts as the main anchor point, and the original I-UPF function is stripped to the newly inserted ULCL UPF, that is, site 2UPF. Site 2UPF acts as a combined ULCL+ auxiliary anchor point. When inserting ULCL, SMF will send the pre-configured high-priority service diversion rules to ULCL, so that ULCL can forward the high-priority service packets received to the main anchor point according to the diversion rules to ensure the continuity of high-priority services. At the same time, ordinary service data is directly forwarded to the local auxiliary anchor point to save cross-site traffic. The high-priority service traffic forwarding path is: UE→Target gNodeB→Site 2UPF→Site 1UPF, and the ordinary service traffic forwarding path is: UE→Target gNodeB→Site 2UPF.

[0088] If there is an Xn interface (interface between 5G access networks) between the base stations being switched, the downlink data packets in the switching process can be directly forwarded between the two base stations through the Xn interface. If the Xn interface is not supported, it is necessary to temporarily establish an indirect forwarding channel between the base station, the main anchor point and the ULCL to ensure the order of data packet forwarding in the switching process. The indirect forwarding channel will be deleted after the switching is completed.

[0089] After the first phase of handover is completed, the site 1 AMF no longer has the UE context, and the site 2 AMF completely takes over the UE, but the SMF has not changed. The UE session is still managed by the SMF of site 1. The functional forms of each network element after the handover are as follows: Figure 4 shown.

[0090] Step 4:

[0091] After the first phase of the switching process is completed, SMF will monitor the high-priority service traffic in real time. By default, the high-priority service traffic will be counted for 5 seconds (the statistical period is configurable). If there is no traffic within 5 seconds, the high-priority service is considered to have ended. The specific traffic statistics function requires the cooperation of SMF and UPF: SMF instructs UPF to monitor specific traffic regularly in the PDR (Packet Detection Rule) element of the high-priority service, and UPF regularly reports traffic usage reports to SMF, and SMF makes decisions based on the reports. If SMF finds that the high-priority service has ended, it starts the second phase of the smooth switching process.

[0092] Step 5:

[0093] The second phase of the smooth switching process begins, and the SMF starts the anchor switching process of SSC MODE 2. The site 1 SMF sends a "PDU Session Release Command" message to the UE, carrying a special reason value "Reactivation Requested" to request the UE to delete the session and reactivate. After the session deletion process is completed, the UE re-initiates a session establishment request. At this time, the site 2 AMF directly selects the site 2 SMF. The site 2 SMF selects the site 2 UPF as the co-located I-UPF+ main anchor point according to the configuration. All subsequent service traffic is directly forwarded on the site 2 UPF. The service traffic forwarding path in this stage is: UE→Target gNodeB→Site 2 UPF. The specific functional forms and traffic forwarding paths of each network element are as follows. Figure 5 shown.

[0094] Compared with the prior art, the present invention divides the entire switching process into two stages, ensuring the continuity of high-priority services and greatly saving cross-site traffic. It also does not add messages and cells outside the new protocol, fully complies with the 3GPP protocol standards, and can be easily connected to UPFs of different manufacturers.

[0095] For the convenience of description, the above device is described in various units according to their functions. Of course, when implementing the present application, the functions of each unit can be implemented in the same or multiple software and / or hardware.

[0096] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present invention may take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Moreover, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM (read-only disk), optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0097] The present invention is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that each process and / or block in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of processes and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowchart and / or block diagram. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0098] The present application may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions executed by a computer, such as program modules. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The present application may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices connected through a communication network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in local and remote computer storage media, including storage devices.

[0099] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A function specified in one or more boxes.

[0100] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for implementing the process. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps for the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0101] In a typical configuration, a computing device includes one or more processors (CPU), input / output interfaces, network interfaces, and memory.

[0102] The memory may include non-permanent storage in a computer-readable medium, random access memory (RAM) and / or non-volatile memory in the form of read-only memory (ROM) or flash RAM. The memory is an example of a computer-readable medium.

[0103] Computer readable media include permanent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media that can be implemented by any method or technology to store information. Information can be computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices or any other non-transmission media that can be used to store information that can be accessed by a computing device. As defined herein, computer readable media does not include temporary computer readable media (transitory media), such as modulated data signals and carrier waves.

[0104] It should also be noted that the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, commodity or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, commodity or device. In the absence of more restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, commodity or device including the elements.

[0105] Each embodiment in this specification is described in a progressive manner, and the same or similar parts between the embodiments can be referred to each other, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. In particular, for the system embodiment, since it is basically similar to the method embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the partial description of the method embodiment.

[0106] The above is only an embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various changes and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for smooth anchor switching based on high-priority services, including a distributed core network, the distributed core network including a first site and a second site, the first site and the second site are both equipped with a 5G core network, including AMF (access mobility management function), SMF (session management function) and UPF (user plane function), inserting a jointly set ULCL (uplink splitter) and an auxiliary anchor point, forwarding high-priority service traffic to the UPF of the original site, directly unloading ordinary services to the UPF of this site, and monitoring the traffic usage of high-priority services in real time, starting the switching process after the high-priority service ends, and switching all services to the UPF of this site.

2. The method for smooth anchor point switching based on high priority services according to claim 1, characterized in that The method specifically comprises the following steps: S1, access at the first site, activate the PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session, and all service traffic is forwarded through the UPF of the first site; S2, SMF selects the UPF on the second site as the ULCL according to the UPF selection algorithm, and initiates the process of inserting the jointly set ULCL and auxiliary anchor point UPF; S3. SMF sends the pre-configured high-priority service diversion rules to ULCL, so that the high-priority service is forwarded to the primary anchor point on the original first site; S4. SMF sends the diversion rules of common services to ULCL, so that non-high priority services are directly forwarded to the auxiliary anchor point of this site; S5. After the switching process is completed, the timer for waiting for the deletion of indirect forwarding expires, the indirect forwarding channel is deleted, and subsequent high-priority services are retained at the primary anchor point, and ordinary services are unloaded to the local auxiliary anchor point; S6, monitoring the traffic of high-priority services, if it is found that the high-priority services are completed, proceeding to the next step, starting anchor point switching; S7. Send a PDU session release request to the UE (User Equipment), carrying a special cause value, requesting reactivation; S8, enter the session release process, and the sessions on SMF, the primary anchor point, and ULCL are all deleted; S9. The UE re-initiates a PDU establishment request, and the SMF selects the UPF on the second site as the primary anchor point according to the UPF selection algorithm. S10. After the session is successfully established, all services are directly processed on the UPF on the second site, and there is no cross-site traffic.

3. The method for smooth anchor point switching based on high priority services according to claim 2, characterized in that: If the handover process indicates to use the indirect forwarding channel, it is necessary to establish the indirect forwarding channel between the new and old base stations and the primary anchor point and the ULCL to ensure normal forwarding of data during the handover process.

4. The method for smooth anchor point switching based on high priority services according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method comprises two stages: Phase 1: Initiate the process of inserting the jointly set ULCL and auxiliary anchor point, forward high-priority service traffic to the UPF of the original site, directly offload ordinary services to the UPF of this site, and monitor the traffic usage of high-priority services in real time; Phase 2: After the high-priority service is completed, the switching process is started to switch all services to the UPF of this site, ultimately achieving the goal of avoiding all cross-site traffic.

5. The method for smooth anchor point switching based on high priority services according to claim 4, characterized in that The first stage of the method comprises: S101. On the first site SMF, configure the UPF of the first site as the primary anchor point UPF, configure the UPF of the second site as a jointly set ULCL and auxiliary anchor point, configure high priority service diversion rules, and configure the UPF of the second site as the primary anchor point UPF on the second site SMF; S102: The UE moves out of the service range of the first site and moves to the service range of the second site, and a handover process is initiated between the two base station devices. S103. After receiving the switching request, if the SMF of site 1 finds that the UE has moved out of the coverage of the UPF of this site, the second site UPF is selected as the jointly set up ULCL and auxiliary anchor point through the UPF selection algorithm, and the process of inserting the jointly set up ULCL is initiated to start the first stage process of smooth switching.

6. The method for smooth anchor point switching based on high priority services according to claim 5, characterized in that: In S101, the UE initially accesses from the source base station device, the session is activated on the site 1 SMF, and the forwarding path of the service traffic is: UE→source base station device→site 1 UPF.

7. The method for smooth anchor point switching based on high priority services according to claim 5, characterized in that: After the first stage switching in S103 is completed, the AMF of the first site no longer has the context of the UE, and the AMF of the second site completely takes over the UE, but the SMF has not changed, and the UE session is still managed by the SMF of the first site.

8. The method for smooth anchor point switching based on high priority services according to claim 5, characterized in that: SMF monitors high-priority service traffic in real time. By default, it collects statistics on high-priority service traffic within the statistical period. If there is no traffic within the statistical period, it is considered that the high-priority service has ended.

9. The method for smooth anchor point switching based on high priority services according to claim 4, characterized in that The method starts with a second-stage smooth switching process, the SMF starts an anchor point switching process, the first-site SMF sends a PUD session release instruction to the UE, carrying a special reason value to require the UE to delete the session and reactivate it; after the session deletion process is completed, the UE re-initiates a session establishment request, at which time the second-site AMF directly selects the second-site SMF, and the second-site SMF selects the second-site UPF as the jointly set up I-UPF (Intermediate UPF) and main anchor point according to the configuration, and all subsequent business traffic is directly forwarded on the second-site UPF.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the program, when executed by a processor, implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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