Method for establishing signaling bearer, method for transmitting signaling, base station and storage medium

Abstract

Disclosed are a method for establishing a signaling bearer, a method for transmitting a signaling, a base station, and a storage medium, the method for establishing a signaling bearer comprising: a base station establishing a first bearer on a user plane protocol entity; wherein the first bearer is used for transmitting NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and a first network function.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of wireless technology, and in particular to a method for establishing a signaling bearer, a method for transmitting signaling, a base station, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] At present, the related processes of establishing and adjusting Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions involve too many network functions and need to rely on control plane signaling, resulting in large interaction delays and more interaction signaling in PDU sessions. Summary of the invention

[0003] To solve related technical problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a method for establishing a signaling bearer, a method for transmitting signaling, a base station, and a storage medium.

[0004] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application is implemented as follows:

[0005] The present application provides a method for establishing a signaling bearer, which is applied to a base station. The method includes:

[0006] A first bearer is established on a user plane protocol entity; wherein,

[0007] The first bearer is used to transmit non-access stratum (NAS) signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function.

[0008] Wherein, in the above scheme, the user plane protocol entity includes at least one of the following:

[0009] Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocol entity;

[0010] Radio Link Control (RLC) protocol entity;

[0011] Media Access Control (MAC) protocol entity.

[0012] In the above scheme, the method further includes:

[0013] sending a first NAS signaling related to session management to the first network function through the first bearer; and / or,

[0014] The second NAS signaling related to session management sent by the first network function is received through the first bearer and transmitted to the terminal.

[0015] In the above solution, the sending the first NAS signaling related to session management to the first network function through the first bearer includes:

[0016] Identifying a bearer used by the first NAS signaling based on the user plane protocol entity to obtain an identification result;

[0017] In a case where the identification result indicates that the first NAS signaling uses the first bearer, the first NAS signaling is sent to the first network function through the first bearer.

[0018] In the above scheme, the method further comprises:

[0019] In a case where the identification result indicates that the first NAS signaling does not use the first bearer, the first NAS signaling is sent to a network function where a NAS message anchor point is located.

[0020] The embodiment of the present application further provides a method for transmitting signaling, which is applied to a first network function, and the method includes:

[0021] receiving a first NAS signaling related to session management sent by the base station through the first bearer; and / or,

[0022] Sending a second NAS signaling related to session management to the base station through the first bearer; wherein,

[0023] The first bearer is established in a user plane protocol entity.

[0024] In the above solution, after the receiving base station sends a first NAS signaling related to session management through the first bearer, the method further includes:

[0025] sorting the first NAS signaling in NAS signaling received through the first bearer based on a sequence number in the first NAS signaling; and / or,

[0026] The first NAS signaling is decrypted based on the integrity protection key.

[0027] In the above solution, before sending the second NAS signaling related to session management to the base station through the first bearer, the method further includes:

[0028] Adding a sequence number in the second NAS signaling; and / or,

[0029] The second NAS signaling is encrypted based on the integrity protection key.

[0030] The embodiment of the present application further provides a method for transmitting signaling, which is applied to a terminal, and the method includes:

[0031] Sending a first NAS signaling related to session management to a base station; the first NAS signaling uses a first bearer; and / or,

[0032] receiving a second NAS signaling sent by the base station; the second NAS signaling represents a session management-related NAS signaling sent by the first network function to the base station through the first bearer; wherein,

[0033] The first bearer is established on a user plane protocol entity and is used for transmitting NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function.

[0034] In the above solution, before sending the first NAS signaling related to session management to the base station, the method further includes:

[0035] Adding a sequence number to the first NAS signaling; and / or,

[0036] The first NAS signaling is encrypted based on the integrity protection key.

[0037] In the above solution, after receiving the second NAS signaling sent by the base station, the method further includes:

[0038] sorting the second NAS signaling in the NAS signaling from the first network function sent by the base station based on the sequence number in the second NAS signaling; and / or,

[0039] The second NAS signaling is decrypted based on the integrity protection key.

[0040] The embodiment of the present application also provides a device for establishing a signaling bearer, including:

[0041] An establishing unit, configured to establish a first bearer on a user plane protocol entity; wherein,

[0042] The first bearer is used to transmit NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function.

[0043] The embodiment of the present application also provides a device for transmitting signaling, including:

[0044] A first receiving unit is configured to receive a first NAS signaling related to session management sent by a base station through a first bearer; and / or,

[0045] The first sending unit is configured to send a second NAS signaling related to session management to the base station through the first bearer; wherein,

[0046] The first bearer is established in a user plane protocol entity.

[0047] The embodiment of the present application also provides a device for transmitting signaling, including:

[0048] The second sending unit is configured to send a first NAS signaling related to session management to the base station; the first NAS signaling uses the first bearer; and / or,

[0049] The second receiving unit is configured to receive a second NAS signaling sent by the base station; the second NAS signaling represents a NAS signaling related to session management sent by the first network function to the base station through the first bearer; wherein,

[0050] The first bearer is established on a user plane protocol entity and is used for transmitting NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function.

[0051] The embodiment of the present application further provides a base station, comprising: a first processor and a first communication interface; wherein,

[0052] The first communication interface is used to establish a first bearer on the user plane protocol entity; wherein,

[0053] The first bearer is used to transmit NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function.

[0054] The embodiment of the present application further provides a first network function, including: a second processor and a second communication interface; wherein,

[0055] The second communication interface is used to receive a first NAS signaling related to session management sent by the base station through the first bearer; and / or send a second NAS signaling related to session management to the base station through the first bearer; wherein,

[0056] The first bearer is established in a user plane protocol entity.

[0057] The embodiment of the present application further provides a terminal, comprising: a third processor and a third communication interface; wherein,

[0058] The third communication interface is used to send a first NAS signaling related to session management to the base station; the first NAS signaling uses the first bearer; and / or, receive a second NAS signaling sent by the base station; the second NAS signaling represents the NAS signaling related to session management sent by the first network function to the base station through the first bearer; wherein,

[0059] The first bearer is established on a user plane protocol entity and is used for transmitting NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function.

[0060] The embodiment of the present application further provides a base station, comprising: a first processor and a first memory for storing a computer program that can be run on the processor,

[0061] Wherein, the first processor is used to execute the steps of any of the above-mentioned base station side methods when running the computer program.

[0062] The embodiment of the present application further provides a first network function, including: a second processor and a second memory for storing a computer program that can be run on the processor,

[0063] Among them, when the second processor is used to run the computer program, it executes the steps of any method of the above-mentioned first network function side.

[0064] The embodiment of the present application further provides a terminal, comprising: a third processor and a third memory for storing a computer program that can be run on the processor,

[0065] The third processor is used to execute the steps of any of the above-mentioned terminal side methods when running the computer program.

[0066] An embodiment of the present application also provides a storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of any of the above-mentioned methods on the base station side are implemented, or the steps of any of the above-mentioned methods on the first network function side are implemented, or the steps of any of the above-mentioned methods on the terminal side are implemented.

[0067] The embodiments of the present application provide a method for establishing a signaling bearer, a method for transmitting signaling, and a base station, a network function, a terminal, and a storage medium, wherein the base station establishes a first bearer on a user plane protocol entity, and the first bearer is used to transmit NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function. On this basis, the base station sends the first NAS signaling related to session management to the first network function through the first bearer; and / or the first network function sends the second NAS signaling related to session management to the base station through the first bearer. Based on the above scheme, NAS signaling related to session management no longer needs to be transmitted through the control plane, but is sent through the user plane protocol entity using a dedicated bearer, thereby effectively reducing the interaction delay of the PDU session and the amount of interaction signaling. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0068] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a method for establishing a signaling bearer according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of establishing the first bearer in an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] Figure 3A schematic diagram of a signaling transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of another method for transmitting signaling according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the SBA architecture of an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the interactive process of establishing a session in an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a device for establishing a signaling bearer according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a device for transmitting signaling according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of another device structure for transmitting signaling according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] Fig.10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a base station according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] Fig.11 This is a schematic diagram of the first network function structure of an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] Fig.12 This is a schematic diagram of the terminal structure of an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0080] The core network of the fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G) adopts a service-based architecture (SBA), which is composed of independent network functions that can call each other. However, there are only two interfaces, N2 and N3, between the radio access network (RAN) and the core network. The N2 interface is used for signaling transmission between the access and mobility management function (AMF) and the RAN, and the N3 interface is used for data transmission.

[0081] At present, the relevant processes for establishing and adjusting PDU sessions involve network functions such as AMF, Session Management Function (SMF), User Plane Function (UPF), as well as NAS and Access Stratum (AS) of base stations and terminals. Taking the scenario of sending NAS signaling in the downlink as an example, AMF forms NAS signaling, sends it to RAN through the N2 interface, and then RAN transmits it to the terminal through the Signaling Radio Bearer (SRB) 2. At present, as far as the relevant processes of PDU sessions are concerned, there are too many network functions involved in the process, and it needs to rely on the signaling of the control plane, resulting in a large interaction delay and more interaction signaling in the PDU session.

[0082] Based on this, in each embodiment of the present application, the base station establishes a first bearer on the user plane protocol entity, and the first bearer is used to transmit NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function. On this basis, the base station sends the first NAS signaling related to session management to the first network function through the first bearer; and / or the first network function sends the second NAS signaling related to session management to the base station through the first bearer. Based on the above scheme, the NAS signaling related to session management no longer needs to be transmitted through the control plane, but is sent through the user plane protocol entity using a dedicated bearer, thereby effectively reducing the interaction delay of the PDU session and the amount of interaction signaling.

[0083] The present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0084] The present application embodiment provides a method for establishing a signaling bearer, which is applied to a base station, such as Figure 1 As shown, the method includes:

[0085] Step 101: Establish a first bearer on a user plane protocol entity.

[0086] The first bearer is used to transmit NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function.

[0087] After the 5G core network introduces the service-oriented architecture, NAS signaling can be divided into parts related to mobility management and parts related to session management. Here, a dedicated bearer for carrying NAS signaling related to session management is proposed, and the NAS signaling related to session management is transmitted through the user plane. Specifically, the first bearer is used to transmit NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function. Here, the first network function can be understood as a network function used to implement functions related to session management. In actual application, the first network function can be SMF, AMF or other network functions defined by the network side.

[0088] In the embodiment of the present application, the dedicated bearer of the NAS signaling related to session management has the following characteristics:

[0089] 1. This bearer is used to send NAS signaling related to session management;

[0090] 2. The bearer is established on the user plane protocol entity.

[0091] In one embodiment, the user plane protocol entity includes at least one of the following:

[0092] PDCP protocol entity;

[0093] RLC protocol entity;

[0094] MAC protocol entity.

[0095] In one embodiment, the method further comprises:

[0096] sending a first NAS signaling related to session management to the first network function through the first bearer; and / or,

[0097] Receive second NAS signaling related to session management sent by the first network function through the first bearer.

[0098] In the related art, any data transmitted on the wireless interface must pass through a radio bearer (RB). There are two types of radio bearers: SRB and DRB. SRB represents the radio bearer for transmitting RRC signaling and NAS signaling, and NAS signaling is carried by SRB2. Figure 2For example, in an embodiment of the present application, the base station establishes a dedicated bearer for carrying NAS signaling related to session management, and the first bearer can be established on a user plane protocol entity such as PDCP, RLC or MAC. The downlink data of the first bearer receives NAS signaling from the SMF, and is processed by the user plane protocol entity of the base station and then sent to the terminal; the uplink data of the first bearer is processed by the user plane protocol entity of the base station and then sent to the SMF. It can be seen that by establishing the first bearer, the access network has the ability to send NAS signaling related to session management through the user plane function. In this way, PDU sessions can be established and maintained without relying on control plane signaling, thereby ensuring that end-to-end PDU session establishment can be achieved only through user plane protocol entities, which can be more adapted to the architecture of 5G core network network function separation, and can also achieve further loose coupling of control plane and user plane functions on the access network side.

[0099] In actual application, the base station may select a destination network function for NAS signaling transmission according to the bearer type used by the NAS signaling. Specifically, in one embodiment, sending the first NAS signaling related to session management to the first network function through the first bearer includes:

[0100] Identifying a bearer used by the first NAS signaling based on the user plane protocol entity to obtain an identification result;

[0101] In a case where the identification result indicates that the first NAS signaling uses the first bearer, the first NAS signaling is sent to the first network function through the first bearer.

[0102] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the method further includes:

[0103] In a case where the identification result indicates that the first NAS signaling does not use the first bearer, the first NAS signaling is sent to a network function where a NAS message anchor point is located.

[0104] Here, after receiving the NAS signaling transmitted uplink by the terminal, the base station identifies the bearer used by the NAS signaling by parsing the logical channel identifier or bearer identifier of the data. If the NAS signaling uses the first bearer, the base station sends the NAS signaling to the first network function through the first bearer. If the NAS signaling does not use the first bearer, the base station sends the NAS signaling to the network function where the NAS message anchor point is located. Based on this, the transmission of NAS signaling related to session management does not need to be restricted to being sent to the RAN only through the control plane, nor does it need to be restricted to being transparently transmitted to the terminal through RRC signaling, avoiding the situation where the functional services of the RAN can only indirectly access the core network through the AMF, making the interface design between the RAN and the core network more flexible, realizing parallel access to services, and thus better performing end-to-end service.

[0105] The embodiment of the present application also provides a method for transmitting signaling, which is applied to the first network function. Figure 3 , methods include:

[0106] Step 301: receiving a first NAS signaling related to session management sent by a base station through a first bearer; and / or sending a second NAS signaling related to session management to the base station through the first bearer.

[0107] The first bearer is established in a user plane protocol entity.

[0108] Here, the first bearer can be established on the user plane protocol entity such as PDCP, RLC or MAC of the base station. The downlink data of the first bearer receives the second NAS signaling from the first network function, is processed by the user plane protocol entity of the base station, and then sent to the terminal; the uplink data of the first bearer is processed by the user plane protocol entity of the base station and then sent to the first network function, that is, the first network function receives the first NAS signaling sent by the base station through the first bearer.

[0109] In actual application, in order to ensure the transmission reliability of NAS signaling, a transmission order guarantee function and an integrity protection function may be configured for the NAS signaling transmitted through the first bearer.

[0110] Specifically, the first network function serves as a receiving end. In one embodiment, after receiving a first NAS signaling related to session management sent by the base station through the first bearer, the method further includes:

[0111] sorting the first NAS signaling in NAS signaling received through the first bearer based on a sequence number in the first NAS signaling;

[0112] The first NAS signaling is decrypted based on the integrity protection key.

[0113] Here, the terminal acts as a sender, and sends out the NAS signaling after adding a sequence number to the NAS signaling in accordance with the order in which the NAS signaling is sent. After receiving the NAS signaling, the first network function sorts the NAS signaling received through the first bearer based on the sequence number in the NAS signaling, thereby ensuring the transmission order of the NAS signaling. In addition, the terminal and the first network function negotiate an encryption and decryption key for integrity protection of the NAS signaling. Specifically, the terminal encrypts the sent NAS signaling, and the first network function decrypts the NAS signaling after receiving it, thereby ensuring the transmission integrity of the NAS signaling. Exemplarily, in actual application, the terminal can encrypt the NAS signaling using a public key based on the RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) algorithm, and the first network function can decrypt the NAS signaling using a private key.

[0114] In one embodiment, before sending the second NAS signaling related to session management to the base station through the first bearer, the method further includes:

[0115] Adding a sequence number in the second NAS signaling; and / or,

[0116] The second NAS signaling is encrypted based on the integrity protection key.

[0117] Here, the first network function acts as a sender, and sends out the NAS signaling after adding a sequence number to the NAS signaling in accordance with the order in which the NAS signaling is sent. After receiving the NAS signaling, the terminal sorts the NAS signaling received through the first bearer based on the sequence number in the NAS signaling, thereby ensuring the transmission order of the NAS signaling. In addition, the terminal and the first network function negotiate an encryption and decryption key for integrity protection of the NAS signaling. Specifically, the first network function encrypts the sent NAS signaling, and the terminal decrypts the NAS signaling after receiving it, thereby ensuring the transmission integrity of the NAS signaling. Exemplarily, in actual application, the first network function can encrypt the NAS signaling using a public key based on the RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) algorithm, and the terminal can decrypt the NAS signaling using a private key.

[0118] The present application also provides a method for transmitting signaling, which is applied to a terminal. Figure 4 , methods include:

[0119] Step 401: Send a first NAS signaling related to session management to a base station; the first NAS signaling uses the first bearer; and / or, receive a second NAS signaling sent by the base station; the second NAS signaling represents NAS signaling related to session management sent by a first network function to the base station through the first bearer.

[0120] The first bearer is established on a user plane protocol entity and is used for transmitting NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function.

[0121] Here, the first bearer can be established on the user plane protocol entity such as PDCP, RLC or MAC of the base station. The downlink data of the first bearer receives the second NAS signaling from the first network function, is processed by the user plane protocol entity of the base station, and then sent to the terminal; the uplink data of the first bearer is processed by the user plane protocol entity of the base station and then sent to the first network function, that is, the first network function receives the first NAS signaling sent by the base station through the first bearer.

[0122] In one embodiment, the user plane protocol entity includes one of the following:

[0123] PDCP protocol entity;

[0124] RLC protocol entity;

[0125] MAC protocol entity.

[0126] In actual application, in order to ensure the transmission reliability of NAS signaling, a transmission order guarantee function and an integrity protection function may be configured for the NAS signaling transmitted through the first bearer.

[0127] Specifically, the terminal acts as a sending end. In one embodiment, before sending the first NAS signaling related to session management to the base station, the method further includes:

[0128] Adding a sequence number to the first NAS signaling; and / or,

[0129] The first NAS signaling is encrypted based on the integrity protection key.

[0130] Here, the terminal acts as a sender, and sends out the NAS signaling after adding a sequence number to the NAS signaling in accordance with the order in which the NAS signaling is sent. After receiving the NAS signaling, the first network function sorts the NAS signaling received through the first bearer based on the sequence number in the NAS signaling, thereby ensuring the transmission order of the NAS signaling. In addition, the terminal and the first network function negotiate an encryption and decryption key for integrity protection of the NAS signaling. Specifically, the terminal encrypts the sent NAS signaling, and the first network function decrypts the NAS signaling after receiving it, thereby ensuring the transmission integrity of the NAS signaling. Exemplarily, in actual application, the terminal can encrypt the NAS signaling using a public key based on the RSA algorithm, and the first network function can decrypt the NAS signaling using a private key.

[0131] In one embodiment, after receiving the second NAS signaling sent by the base station, the method further includes:

[0132] sorting the second NAS signaling in the NAS signaling from the first network function sent by the base station based on the sequence number in the second NAS signaling; and / or,

[0133] The second NAS signaling is decrypted based on the integrity protection key.

[0134] Here, the first network function acts as a sender, and sends out the NAS signaling after adding a sequence number to the NAS signaling in accordance with the order in which the NAS signaling is sent. After receiving the NAS signaling, the terminal sorts the NAS signaling received through the first bearer based on the sequence number in the NAS signaling, thereby ensuring the transmission order of the NAS signaling. In addition, the terminal and the first network function negotiate an encryption and decryption key for integrity protection of the NAS signaling. Specifically, the first network function encrypts the sent NAS signaling, and the terminal decrypts the NAS signaling after receiving it, thereby ensuring the transmission integrity of the NAS signaling. Exemplarily, in actual application, the first network function can encrypt the NAS signaling using a public key based on the RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) algorithm, and the terminal can decrypt the NAS signaling using a private key.

[0135] Based on the above embodiment, by establishing a dedicated bearer for NAS signaling related to session management in the user plane, an end-to-end dialogue between the base station and the first network function can be established only through the user plane. In the related art, NAS signaling is sent by AMF to RAN through the N2 interface, and NAS signaling is transmitted through RRC signaling. Figure 5 For example, in the embodiment of the present application, RAN can be directly connected to SMF and send NAS signaling related to session management directly to SMF. In other words, the establishment, update and release of PDU sessions can be performed on the user plane, and the authentication and mobility management functions do not need to be involved in the session management process, thereby simplifying the signaling process related to session management, reducing the number of signaling and reducing the PDU session interaction delay.

[0136] Furthermore, combined with Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the interaction process for establishing a PDU session is shown, wherein message interactions between the terminal and the first network function and between the UPF and the first network function are all performed on the first bearer.

[0137] In order to implement the method on the base station side of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application also provides a device for establishing a signaling bearer, which is arranged on the base station, such as Figure 7 As shown, the device comprises:

[0138] The establishing unit 701 is used to establish a first bearer on a user plane protocol entity; wherein,

[0139] The first bearer is used to transmit NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function.

[0140] In one embodiment, the user plane protocol entity includes at least one of the following:

[0141] PDCP protocol entity;

[0142] RLC protocol entity;

[0143] MAC protocol entity.

[0144] In one embodiment, the device further comprises:

[0145] The first transmission unit is used to send a first NAS signaling related to session management to the first network function through the first bearer; and / or receive a second NAS signaling related to session management sent by the first network function through the first bearer and transmit it to the terminal.

[0146] In one embodiment, the first transmission unit sends the first NAS signaling related to session management to the first network function through the first bearer, including:

[0147] Identifying a bearer used by the first NAS signaling based on the user plane protocol entity to obtain an identification result;

[0148] In a case where the identification result indicates that the first NAS signaling uses the first bearer, the first NAS signaling is sent to the first network function through the first bearer.

[0149] In one embodiment, the first transmission unit is further used for:

[0150] In a case where the identification result indicates that the first NAS signaling does not use the first bearer, the first NAS signaling is sent to a network function where a NAS message anchor point is located.

[0151] In actual application, the above-mentioned units can be implemented by a communication interface in a device for establishing a signaling bearer.

[0152] It should be noted that: the device for establishing a signaling bearer provided in the above embodiment only uses the division of the above program modules as an example when establishing a signaling bearer. In actual applications, the above processing can be assigned to different program modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different program modules to complete all or part of the processing described above. In addition, the device for establishing a signaling bearer provided in the above embodiment and the method embodiment for establishing a signaling bearer belong to the same concept. The specific implementation process is detailed in the method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0153] In order to implement the method on the first network function side of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application also provides a device for transmitting signaling, which is arranged on the first network function, such as Figure 8 As shown, the device comprises:

[0154] The second transmission unit 801 is used to receive a first NAS signaling related to session management sent by a base station through a first bearer; and / or send a second NAS signaling related to session management to the base station through the first bearer; wherein the first bearer is established on a user plane protocol entity.

[0155] In one embodiment, the device further comprises:

[0156] A first processing unit is configured to, after the first NAS signaling related to session management sent by the receiving base station through the first bearer, sort the first NAS signaling in the NAS signaling received through the first bearer based on a sequence number in the first NAS signaling; and / or decrypt the first NAS signaling based on an integrity protection key.

[0157] In one embodiment, the device further comprises:

[0158] The second processing unit is configured to add a sequence number to the second NAS signaling related to session management before sending the second NAS signaling related to session management to the base station through the first bearer; and / or encrypt the second NAS signaling based on the integrity protection key.

[0159] In actual application, the second transmission unit 801 can be implemented by a communication interface in a device for transmitting signaling; the first processing unit and the second processing unit can be implemented by a processor in the device for transmitting signaling.

[0160] In order to implement the method on the terminal side of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application also provides a device for transmitting signaling, which is arranged on the terminal, such as Fig. 9 As shown, the device comprises:

[0161] The third transmission unit 901 is used to send a first NAS signaling related to session management to the base station; the first NAS signaling uses the first bearer; and / or, receive a second NAS signaling sent by the base station; the second NAS signaling represents the NAS signaling related to session management sent by the first network function to the base station through the first bearer; wherein the first bearer is established in the user plane protocol entity, and is used to transmit NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function.

[0162] In one embodiment, the user plane protocol entity includes one of the following:

[0163] PDCP protocol entity;

[0164] RLC protocol entity;

[0165] MAC protocol entity.

[0166] In one embodiment, the device further comprises:

[0167] The third processing unit is configured to add a sequence number to the first NAS signaling related to session management before sending the first NAS signaling related to session management to the base station; and / or encrypt the first NAS signaling based on the integrity protection key.

[0168] In one embodiment, the device further comprises:

[0169] a fourth processing unit, configured to, after receiving the second NAS signaling sent by the base station, sort the second NAS signaling in the NAS signaling from the first network function sent by the base station based on a sequence number in the second NAS signaling; and / or, decrypt the second NAS signaling based on an integrity protection key.

[0170] In actual application, the third transmission unit 901 can be implemented by a communication interface in a device for transmitting signaling; the third processing unit and the fourth processing unit can be implemented by a processor in the device for transmitting signaling.

[0171] It should be noted that: the device for transmitting signaling provided in the above embodiment only uses the division of the above program modules as an example when transmitting signaling. In actual applications, the above processing can be assigned to different program modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different program modules to complete all or part of the processing described above. In addition, the device for transmitting signaling provided in the above embodiment and the method embodiment for transmitting signaling belong to the same concept. The specific implementation process is detailed in the method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0172] Based on the hardware implementation of the above program modules, and in order to implement the method on the base station side of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application also provides a base station, such as Fig.10 As shown, the base station 1000 includes:

[0173] The first communication interface 1001 is capable of exchanging information with other network nodes;

[0174] The first processor 1002 is connected to the first communication interface 1001 to implement information exchange with other network nodes, and is used to execute the method provided by one or more technical solutions of the base station side when running a computer program. The computer program is stored in the first memory 1003.

[0175] Specifically, the first communication interface 1001 is used to establish a first bearer on a user plane protocol entity; wherein,

[0176] The first bearer is used to transmit NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function.

[0177] In one embodiment, the user plane protocol entity includes at least one of the following:

[0178] PDCP protocol entity;

[0179] RLC protocol entity;

[0180] MAC protocol entity.

[0181] In one embodiment, the first communication interface 1001 is further used to send a first NAS signaling related to session management to the first network function through the first bearer; and / or,

[0182] A second NAS signaling related to session management sent by a first network function is received through the first bearer and transmitted to the terminal.

[0183] In one embodiment, the first communication interface 1001 sends the first NAS signaling related to session management to the first network function through the first bearer, including:

[0184] Identifying a bearer used by the first NAS signaling based on the user plane protocol entity to obtain an identification result;

[0185] In a case where the identification result indicates that the first NAS signaling uses the first bearer, the first NAS signaling is sent to the first network function through the first bearer.

[0186] In one embodiment, the first communication interface 1001 is further used for:

[0187] In a case where the identification result indicates that the first NAS signaling does not use the first bearer, the first NAS signaling is sent to a network function where a NAS message anchor point is located.

[0188] It should be noted that the specific processing process of the first processor 1002 and the first communication interface 1001 can be understood by referring to the above method.

[0189] Of course, in actual application, the various components in the base station 1000 are coupled together through the bus system 1004. It can be understood that the bus system 1004 is used to realize the connection and communication between these components. In addition to the data bus, the bus system 1004 also includes a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for the sake of clarity, Fig.10 Various buses are labeled as bus system 1004 .

[0190] The first memory 1003 in the embodiment of the present application is used to store various types of data to support the operation of the base station 1000. Examples of such data include: any computer program used to operate on the base station 1000.

[0191] The method disclosed in the above embodiment of the present application can be applied to the first processor 1002, or implemented by the first processor 1002. The first processor 1002 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method can be completed by the hardware integrated logic circuit or software instructions in the first processor 1002. The above-mentioned first processor 1002 may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP, Digital Signal Processor), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The first processor 1002 can implement or execute the various methods, steps and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. In combination with the steps of the method disclosed in the embodiment of the present application, it can be directly embodied as a hardware decoding processor to execute, or it can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module may be located in a storage medium, which is located in the first memory 1003, and the first processor 1002 reads the information in the first memory 1003 and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0192] In an exemplary embodiment, the base station 1000 can be implemented by one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), DSPs, programmable logic devices (PLDs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), general-purpose processors, controllers, microcontrollers (MCUs), microprocessors, or other electronic components to execute the aforementioned method.

[0193] Based on the hardware implementation of the above program module, and in order to implement the method of the first network function side of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application also provides a first network function, such as Fig.11As shown, the first network function 1100 includes:

[0194] The second communication interface 1101 is capable of exchanging information with other network nodes;

[0195] The second processor 1102 is connected to the second communication interface 1101 to implement information exchange with other network nodes, and is used to execute the method provided by one or more technical solutions of the first network function side when running the computer program. The computer program is stored in the second memory 1103.

[0196] Specifically, the second communication interface 1101 is used to:

[0197] receiving a first NAS signaling related to session management sent by the base station through the first bearer; and / or,

[0198] Sending a second NAS signaling related to session management to the base station through the first bearer; wherein,

[0199] The first bearer is established in a user plane protocol entity.

[0200] In one embodiment, the second processor 1102 is configured to, after receiving a first NAS signaling related to session management sent by the base station through the first bearer, sort the first NAS signaling in the NAS signaling received through the first bearer based on a sequence number in the first NAS signaling; and / or,

[0201] The first NAS signaling is decrypted based on the integrity protection key.

[0202] In an embodiment, the second processor 1102 is configured to, before sending the second NAS signaling related to session management to the base station through the first bearer, the method further includes:

[0203] Adding a sequence number in the second NAS signaling; and / or,

[0204] The second NAS signaling is encrypted based on the integrity protection key.

[0205] It should be noted that the specific processing process of the second processor 1102 and the second communication interface 1101 can be understood by referring to the above method.

[0206] Of course, in actual application, the various components in the first network function 1100 are coupled together through the bus system 1104. It can be understood that the bus system 1104 is used to realize the connection and communication between these components. In addition to the data bus, the bus system 1104 also includes a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for the sake of clarity, Fig.11 Various buses are labeled as bus system 1104 .

[0207] The second memory 1103 in the embodiment of the present application is used to store various types of data to support the operation of the first network function 1100. Examples of such data include: any computer program used to operate on the first network function 1100.

[0208] The method disclosed in the above embodiment of the present application can be applied to the second processor 1102, or implemented by the second processor 1102. The second processor 1102 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method can be completed by the hardware integrated logic circuit or software instructions in the second processor 1102. The above-mentioned second processor 1102 may be a general-purpose processor, DSP, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The second processor 1102 can implement or execute the various methods, steps and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. In combination with the steps of the method disclosed in the embodiment of the present application, it can be directly embodied as a hardware decoding processor to execute, or it can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module may be located in a storage medium, which is located in the second memory 1103, and the second processor 1102 reads the information in the second memory 1103 and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0209] In an exemplary embodiment, the first network function 1100 may be implemented by one or more ASICs, DSPs, PLDs, CPLDs, FPGAs, general purpose processors, controllers, MCUs, Microprocessors, or other electronic components to perform the aforementioned method.

[0210] Based on the hardware implementation of the above program modules, and in order to implement the method on the terminal side of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application also provides a terminal, such as Fig.12 As shown, the terminal 1200 includes:

[0211] The third communication interface 1201 is capable of exchanging information with other network nodes;

[0212] The third processor 1202 is connected to the third communication interface 1201 to implement information exchange with other network nodes, and is used to execute the method provided by one or more technical solutions of the terminal side when running the computer program. The computer program is stored in the third memory 1203.

[0213] Specifically, the third communication interface 1201 is used to send a first NAS signaling related to session management to the base station; the first NAS signaling uses the first bearer; and / or,

[0214] receiving a second NAS signaling sent by the base station; the second NAS signaling represents a session management-related NAS signaling sent by the first network function to the base station through the first bearer; wherein,

[0215] The first bearer is established on a user plane protocol entity and is used for transmitting NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function.

[0216] In one embodiment, the user plane protocol entity includes one of the following:

[0217] PDCP protocol entity;

[0218] RLC protocol entity;

[0219] MAC protocol entity.

[0220] In one embodiment, the third processor 1202 is configured to add a sequence number to the first NAS signaling related to session management before sending the first NAS signaling related to session management to the base station; and / or encrypt the first NAS signaling based on an integrity protection key.

[0221] In one embodiment, the third processor 1202 is configured to, after receiving the second NAS signaling sent by the base station, sort the second NAS signaling in the NAS signaling from the first network function sent by the base station based on a sequence number in the second NAS signaling; and / or, decrypt the second NAS signaling based on an integrity protection key.

[0222] Of course, in actual application, the various components in the terminal 1200 are coupled together through the bus system 1204. It can be understood that the bus system 1204 is used to realize the connection and communication between these components. In addition to the data bus, the bus system 1204 also includes a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for the sake of clarity, Fig.12 Various buses are labeled as bus system 1204.

[0223] The third memory 1203 in the embodiment of the present application is used to store various types of data to support the operation of the terminal 1200. Examples of such data include: any computer program used to operate on the terminal 1200.

[0224] The method disclosed in the above embodiment of the present application can be applied to the third processor 1202, or implemented by the third processor 1202. The third processor 1202 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the third processor 1202 or an instruction in the form of software. The above-mentioned third processor 1202 may be a general-purpose processor, a DSP, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The third processor 1202 can implement or execute the various methods, steps and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. In combination with the steps of the method disclosed in the embodiment of the present application, it can be directly embodied as a hardware decoding processor to execute, or it can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module may be located in a storage medium, which is located in the third memory 1203, and the third processor 1202 reads the information in the third memory 1203 and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0225] In an exemplary embodiment, the terminal 1200 may be implemented by one or more ASICs, DSPs, PLDs, CPLDs, FPGAs, general purpose processors, controllers, MCUs, Microprocessors, or other electronic components to perform the aforementioned methods.

[0226] It can be understood that the memory (first memory 1003, second memory 1103, third memory 1203) of the embodiment of the present application can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, and can also include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can 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), a magnetic random access memory (FRAM), a ferromagnetic random access memory, a flash memory, a magnetic surface memory, an optical disc, or a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM); the magnetic surface memory can be a disk memory or a tape memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache.By way of example but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), synchronous static random access memory (SSRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), direct memory bus random access memory (DRRAM). The memory described in the embodiments of the present application is intended to include but is not limited to these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0227] In an exemplary embodiment, the embodiment of the present application further provides a storage medium, namely a computer storage medium, specifically a computer-readable storage medium, for example, including a first memory 1003 storing a computer program, and the computer program can be executed by the first processor 1002 of the base station 1000 to complete the steps of the aforementioned base station side method. For another example, a second memory 1103 storing a computer program is included, and the computer program can be executed by the second processor 1102 of the first network function 1100 to complete the steps of the aforementioned first network function side method. For another example, a third memory 1203 storing a computer program is included, and the computer program can be executed by the third processor 1202 of the terminal 1200 to complete the steps of the aforementioned terminal side method. The computer-readable storage medium can be a memory such as FRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, Flash Memory, magnetic surface memory, optical disk, or CD-ROM.

[0228] It should be noted that "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. The term "and / or" in this article is only a description of the association relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone.

[0229] In the embodiment of the present application, the network function NF may also be referred to as a network element, an entity, a network device, a network side device, etc.

[0230] In addition, the technical solutions described in the embodiments of the present application can be combined arbitrarily without conflict.

[0231] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a signaling bearer, characterized in that: Applied to a base station, the method comprises: A first bearer is established on a user plane protocol entity; wherein, The first bearer is used for transmitting non-access stratum NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The user plane protocol entity includes at least one of the following: Packet Data Convergence Protocol PDCP protocol entity; Radio link control RLC protocol entity; Medium Access Control MAC protocol entity.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: sending a first NAS signaling related to session management to the first network function through the first bearer; and / or, The second NAS signaling related to session management sent by the first network function is received through the first bearer and transmitted to the terminal.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The sending the first NAS signaling related to session management to the first network function through the first bearer includes: Identifying a bearer used by the first NAS signaling based on the user plane protocol entity to obtain an identification result; In a case where the identification result indicates that the first NAS signaling uses the first bearer, the first NAS signaling is sent to the first network function through the first bearer.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: In a case where the identification result indicates that the first NAS signaling does not use the first bearer, the first NAS signaling is sent to a network function where a NAS message anchor point is located.

6. A method for transmitting signaling, characterized in that: Applied to a first network function, the method comprises: receiving a first NAS signaling related to session management sent by the base station through the first bearer; and / or, A second NAS signaling related to session management is sent to the base station through the first bearer; wherein the first bearer is established in a user plane protocol entity.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that After the receiving base station sends a first NAS signaling related to session management through the first bearer, the method further includes: sorting the first NAS signaling in NAS signaling received through the first bearer based on a sequence number in the first NAS signaling; and / or, The first NAS signaling is decrypted based on the integrity protection key.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that Before sending the second NAS signaling related to session management to the base station through the first bearer, the method further includes: Adding a sequence number in the second NAS signaling; and / or, The second NAS signaling is encrypted based on the integrity protection key.

9. A method for transmitting signaling, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal, the method comprises: Sending a first NAS signaling related to session management to a base station; the first NAS signaling uses a first bearer; and / or, receiving a second NAS signaling sent by the base station; the second NAS signaling represents a session management-related NAS signaling sent by the first network function to the base station through the first bearer; wherein, The first bearer is established on a user plane protocol entity and is used for transmitting NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that Before sending the first NAS signaling related to session management to the base station, the method further includes: Adding a sequence number to the first NAS signaling; and / or, The first NAS signaling is encrypted based on the integrity protection key.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that After receiving the second NAS signaling sent by the base station, the method further includes: sorting the second NAS signaling in the NAS signaling from the first network function sent by the base station based on the sequence number in the second NAS signaling; and / or, The second NAS signaling is decrypted based on the integrity protection key.

12. A device for establishing a signaling bearer, characterized in that: include: An establishing unit, configured to establish a first bearer on a user plane protocol entity; wherein, The first bearer is used to transmit NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function.

13. A device for transmitting signaling, characterized in that: include: A first receiving unit, configured to receive a first NAS signaling related to session management sent by a base station through a first bearer; and / or, The first sending unit is configured to send a second NAS signaling related to session management to the base station through the first bearer; wherein, The first bearer is established in a user plane protocol entity.

14. A device for transmitting signaling, characterized in that: include: A second sending unit, configured to send a first NAS signaling related to session management to the base station; The first NAS signaling uses the first bearer; and / or, A second receiving unit, configured to receive a second NAS signaling sent by the base station; The second NAS signaling represents NAS signaling related to session management sent by the first network function to the base station through the first bearer; wherein, The first bearer is established on a user plane protocol entity and is used for transmitting NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function.

15. A base station, characterized in that: include: A first processor and a first communication interface; wherein, The first communication interface is used to establish a first bearer on the user plane protocol entity; wherein, The first bearer is used to transmit NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function.

16. A first network function, characterized in that: include: A second processor and a second communication interface; wherein, The second communication interface is used to receive a first NAS signaling related to session management sent by the base station through the first bearer; and / or send a second NAS signaling related to session management to the base station through the first bearer; wherein, The first bearer is established in a user plane protocol entity.

17. A terminal, characterized in that: include: A third processor and a third communication interface; wherein, The third communication interface is used to send a first NAS signaling related to session management to the base station; the first NAS signaling uses the first bearer; and / or, receive a second NAS signaling sent by the base station; the second NAS signaling represents the NAS signaling related to session management sent by the first network function to the base station through the first bearer; wherein, The first bearer is established on a user plane protocol entity and is used for transmitting NAS signaling related to session management between the base station and the first network function.

18. A base station, characterized in that: include: a first processor and a first memory for storing a computer program executable on the processor, Wherein, when the first processor is used to run the computer program, the steps of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 5 are executed.

19. A first network function, characterized in that: include: a second processor and a second memory for storing a computer program executable on the processor, Wherein, when the second processor is used to run the computer program, the steps of the method described in any one of claims 6 to 8 are executed.

20. A terminal, characterized in that: include: a third processor and a third memory for storing a computer program executable on the processor, Wherein, the third processor is used to execute the steps of the method described in any one of claims 9 to 11 when running the computer program.

21. A storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 5, or implements the steps of the method described in any one of claims 6 to 8, or implements the steps of the method described in any one of claims 9 to 11.

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