Communication method, device and communication equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication method, a communication device and communication equipment. The method comprises the following steps: a session management function network element sends indication information to a user plane function network element, and the indication information is used for indicating the user plane function network element to allocate tunnel information borne by QCI5 and tunnel information borne by QCI7 to the session management function network element; storing the received tunnel information carried by the QCI5 and the received tunnel information carried by the QCI7; and when an establishment request of the QCI7 bearer is received, establishing the QCI7 bearer based on the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer, the QCI7 bearer being used for transmitting the media stream in the communication process of the user terminal. According to the method and the device, the technical problem of relatively long voice call time delay in a non-ground network scene in the related technology is solved.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In the field of satellite communications and core networks, with the continuous maturity of non-terrestrial network (NTN) technology and the widespread application of the Internet of Things (IoT) in satellite scenarios, in the existing technology, when a user initiates a call establishment request, that is, an invite message, when the caller and the called receive the IMS signaling, they both need to reserve resources, that is, establish the user plane bearer of QCI 7, and only after the resource reservation is completed can they interact with each other for subsequent voice streams. The delay is relatively long, which is particularly unsuitable for voice call requirements based on IoT NTN scenarios. When the user initiates the call process, that is, the UE initiates an Invite signaling message to the IMS, based on the IoT NTN IMS SIP streamlined scenario, if the user has only signed up for the SMS service but not the voice service, the caller side will not establish the QCI 7 bearer, which may cause the other calling side to ring, affecting the user experience. Summary of the invention

[0003] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, an apparatus and a communication device to at least solve the technical problem of long voice call delay in non-terrestrial network scenarios in the related art.

[0004] According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a communication method is provided, including: a session management function network element sends indication information to a user plane function network element, the indication information being used to instruct the user plane function network element to allocate tunnel information of a QCI5 bearer and tunnel information of a QCI7 bearer to the session management function network element; storing the received tunnel information of the QCI5 bearer and the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer; upon receiving a request to establish the QCI7 bearer, establishing the QCI7 bearer based on the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer, the QCI7 bearer being used to transmit the media stream in the communication process of the user terminal.

[0005] Optionally, the session management function network element sends indication information to the user plane function network element, including: when the services subscribed by the user terminal include voice services, sending indication information to the user plane function network element, the indication information is used to instruct the user plane function network element to allocate tunnel messages carried by QCI5 and tunnel information carried by QCI7 to the session management function network element; when the services subscribed by the user terminal do not include voice services, sending indication information to the user plane function network element, the indication information is used to instruct the user plane function network element to only allocate tunnel messages carried by QCI5 to the session management function network element.

[0006] Optionally, after storing the received tunnel information carried by QCI7, the method also includes: the session management function network element sets a timer, and the timer is used to limit the storage duration of the tunnel information carried by QCI7; when the timer expires, the stored tunnel information carried by QCI7 is deleted.

[0007] Optionally, the method further includes: the session management function network element stores the tunnel information carried by the QCI7 in the wireless access network through the access and mobility management function network element.

[0008] Optionally, the establishment of the QCI7 bearer is completed based on the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer, including: in response to the session border controller triggering the establishment request of the QCI7 bearer, the session management function network element sends a first trigger message to the user plane function network element, and the first trigger message is used to trigger the user plane function network element to send a second trigger message to the wireless access network, and the second trigger message is used to trigger the wireless access network to establish the QCI7 bearer between the user terminal.

[0009] Optionally, before the session management function network element sends the indication information to the user plane function network element, the method further includes: the user terminal sends a session invitation to the multimedia subsystem through the QCI5 bearer.

[0010] Optionally, the method also includes: the session management function network element transmits the tunnel information carried by QCI7 to the wireless access network through the access and mobility management function network element, and the tunnel information carried by QCI7 is used by the wireless access network to allocate to the core network.

[0011] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a communication device is also provided, including: a sending module, used for a session management function network element to send indication information to a user plane function network element, the indication information is used to instruct the user plane function network element to allocate tunnel information of the QCI5 bearer and tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer to the session management function network element; a storage module, used to store the received tunnel information of the QCI5 bearer and the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer; an establishment module, used to establish the QCI7 bearer based on the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer when a request to establish the QCI7 bearer is received, and the QCI7 bearer is used to transmit the media stream in the communication process of the user terminal.

[0012] According to another aspect of the embodiment of the present application, a communication device is provided, including: a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store program instructions; and the processor is connected to the memory and is used to execute the above communication method.

[0013] According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a non-volatile storage medium is provided, which includes a stored computer program, wherein the device where the non-volatile storage medium is located executes the above-mentioned communication method by running the computer program.

[0014] According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a communication system is provided, including computer instructions, which implement the above communication method when executed by a processor.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present application, an indication message is sent to a user plane function network element through a session management function network element, and the indication message is used to instruct the user plane function network element to allocate tunnel information of the QCI5 bearer and tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer to the session management function network element; the received tunnel information of the QCI5 bearer and the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer are stored; when a request to establish the QCI7 bearer is received, the QCI7 bearer is established based on the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer, and the QCI7 bearer is used to transmit the media stream in the communication process of the user terminal, thereby achieving the purpose of pre-storing the QCI7 bearer and avoiding resource reservation, thereby realizing the technical effect of reducing voice call delay, and further solving the technical problem of long voice call delay in non-ground network scenarios in related technologies. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0017] Figure 1It is a schematic diagram of an IMS call flow in the related art;

[0018] Figure 2 It is another IMS call flow diagram in the related art;

[0019] Figure 3 is a hardware structure block diagram of a computer terminal for implementing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 4 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 5 is a flow chart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 6 is a flow chart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 7 is a flow chart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 8 is a flow chart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Fig. 9 It is a structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solution of the present application, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0027] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present application described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, a process, method, system, product or device comprising a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0028] The information collected in the embodiments of the present application is information and data authorized by the user or fully authorized by all parties, and the collection, storage, use, processing, transmission, provision, disclosure and application of the relevant data comply with the relevant laws, regulations and standards of the relevant regions, take necessary confidentiality measures, do not violate public order and good morals, and provide corresponding operation entrances for users to choose to authorize or reject automated decision-making results; if the user chooses to reject, the expert decision-making process will be entered.

[0029] In order to better understand the embodiments of the present application, the technical terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are explained as follows:

[0030] QCI5: QoS Class Identifier, service quality category identifier, QCI5 is associated with Non-GBR (Non-Guaranteed Bit Rate) priority services and is mainly used for IMS signaling, such as registration, authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) signaling. This is because although IMS signaling does not require a fixed bit rate, it has high requirements for delay and packet loss rate to ensure the timeliness and reliability of signaling, thereby ensuring the establishment and management of voice and video calls.

[0031] QCI7: QCI7 is associated with the GBR (Guaranteed Bit Rate) service and is mainly used for media stream transmission of IMS voice calls. In order to ensure the quality of voice calls, the network needs to provide a fixed bit rate and low latency guarantee for voice data streams. QCI7 bearer is designed for this purpose. It ensures the continuity and high quality of voice data during transmission and avoids possible discontinuity or delay problems during calls.

[0032] IMS: IP Multimedia Subsystem.

[0033] Invite message: a control message used to initiate a new session or modify an existing session.

[0034] DN: Destination Network, target network.

[0035] P-CSCF: Packet-Called Session Control Function, packet call session control function.

[0036] SBC: Session Border Controller.

[0037] 5GC: 5G core network.

[0038] SMF: Session Management Function, session management function.

[0039] PCF: Policy Control Function, policy control function.

[0040] UPF: User Plane Function, user plane function.

[0041] N4: Communication interface between SMF and UPF.

[0042] AMF: Access and Mobility Management Function, access and mobility management function.

[0043] RAN: Radio Access Network.

[0044] SIP: Session Initiation Protocol.

[0045] MO: Mobile Originate, calling party.

[0046] MT:Mobile Terminated, called party.

[0047] GW-C: Gateway control function.

[0048] GW-U: Gateway user plane function.

[0049] SBC: Session Border Controller.

[0050] RAN: Radio Access Network.

[0051] CN: Core Network.

[0052] PCRF: Policy and Charging Rules Function, policy and charging rules function.

[0053] P-CSCF: Proxy-Call Session Control Function, proxy call session control function.

[0054] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an IMS call flow in the related art is shown. Figure 1 As shown, including:

[0055] Step 1, user registration and session establishment (QCI 9, optional process); Step 2, session establishment for service IMS, the user triggers the establishment of the user plane path of QCI5, and the DN is P-CSCF; Step 3, the user registers for IMS through the path of QCI 5; Step 4, when the user makes a call, an Invite message is sent through QCI5, and the establishment of QCI 7 is triggered at the same time (resource reservation); Steps 5.1-5.2, SBC triggers 5GC (5G core network) to establish the user plane bearer of QCI 7, and after receiving the PCF message, SMF sends N4 session establishment to UPF, instructing UPF to allocate tunnel info of QCI 7; Step 5.3, execute other session establishment process steps, among which, an overview of the bearer establishment between RAN and UPF: SMF sends it to RAN through AMF, RAN informs AMF of its allocated tunnelinfo, AMF forwards it to SMF, and SMF informs UPF through N4 session modification message. At this point, the user plane bearer establishment of QCI 7 between RAN and UPF is completed. Step 6: other IMS interaction processes; Step 7: the user's media stream is transmitted through QCI 7.

[0056] Figure 2 Another IMS call flow diagram in the related art is shown. Figure 2 As shown, it includes: step 1, user registration and session establishment (QCI 9, optional process); step 2, service IMS session establishment, the user triggers the establishment of QCI5 user plane path, DN is P-CSCF; step 3, the user registers IMS through the QCI 5 path; step 4, when the user makes a call, the caller initiates the IMS session establishment process through QCI5; step 5, after SBC receives SIP signaling, PCF decides whether to continue to allocate QCI 7 tunnel information based on the user's contracted service (SMS / voice / voice and SMS), if the user has signed a voice service; step 5.1, trigger the establishment of QCI 7 (resource reservation); step 5.2, at the same time notify the called party to keep and reserve resources (establish QCI 7 bearer), after MO is established, send an update message to MT, MO returns an update completion message; step 6, complete other calling and called IMS interactions, and complete the establishment of QCI 7 user plane bearer; step 7, the user's media stream is transmitted through QCI 7.

[0057] Depend on Figure 1 and Figure 2It can be seen from the calling method shown that when the user initiates a call establishment request, i.e., an invite message, when the caller and the called receive the IMS signaling, both need to reserve resources, i.e., establish a user plane bearer of QCI 7, and interact with each other only after the resource reservation is completed. The subsequent voice stream interaction has a long delay. In order to solve the problems existing in the related art, the embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be run on Figure 3 In the computer terminal shown, the computer terminal is explained below.

[0058] The communication method embodiment provided in the embodiment of the present application can be executed in a mobile terminal, a computer terminal or a similar computing device. Figure 3 FIG. 1 shows a hardware structure block diagram of a computer terminal for implementing a communication method. Figure 3 As shown, the computer terminal 10 may include one or more (102a, 102b, ..., 102n are used to illustrate) processors (the processor may include but is not limited to a processing device such as a microprocessor MCU or a programmable logic device FPGA), a memory 104 for storing data, and a transmission module 106 for communication functions connected via a wired and / or wireless network. In addition, it may also include: a display, a keyboard, a cursor control device, an input / output interface (I / O interface), a universal serial bus (USB) port (which may be included as one of the ports of the I / O interface), a network interface, and a BUS bus. Those skilled in the art can understand that Figure 3 The structure shown is only for illustration and does not limit the structure of the above electronic device. Figure 3 More or fewer components as shown, or with Figure 3 Different configurations are shown.

[0059] It should be noted that the one or more processors and / or other data processing circuits described above may generally be referred to herein as "data processing circuits". The data processing circuits may be embodied in whole or in part as software, hardware, firmware, or any other combination thereof. In addition, the data processing circuit may be a single independent processing module, or may be incorporated in whole or in part into any of the other components in the computer terminal 10. As described in the embodiments of the present application, the data processing circuit acts as a processor control (e.g., selection of a variable resistor terminal path connected to an interface).

[0060] The memory 104 can be used to store software programs and modules of application software, such as program instructions / data storage devices corresponding to the communication method in the embodiment of the present application. The processor executes various functional applications and data processing by running the software programs and modules stored in the memory 104, that is, realizing the above-mentioned communication method. The memory 104 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic storage devices, flash memory, or other non-volatile solid-state memory. In some examples, the memory 104 may further include a memory remotely arranged relative to the processor, and these remote memories may be connected to the computer terminal 10 via a network. Examples of the above-mentioned network include, but are not limited to, the Internet, an intranet, a local area network, a mobile communication network, and combinations thereof.

[0061] The transmission module 106 is used to receive or send data via a network. The specific example of the above network may include a wireless network provided by a communication provider of the computer terminal 10. In one example, the transmission module 106 includes a network adapter (Network Interface Controller, NIC), which can be connected to other network devices through a base station so as to communicate with the Internet. In one example, the transmission module 106 can be a radio frequency (RF) module, which is used to communicate with the Internet wirelessly.

[0062] The display may be, for example, a touch screen liquid crystal display (LCD) that enables a user to interact with a user interface of the computer terminal 10 .

[0063] It should be noted that, in some optional embodiments, the above Figure 3 The computer terminal shown may include hardware elements (including circuits), software elements (including computer code stored on a computer-readable medium), or a combination of hardware elements and software elements. It should be noted that Figure 3 This is merely one example of a particular embodiment and is intended to illustrate the types of components that may be present in the computer terminal described above.

[0064] In the above-mentioned operating environment, an embodiment of the present application provides an embodiment of a communication method. It should be noted that the steps shown in the flowchart of the accompanying drawings can be executed in a computer system such as a set of computer executable instructions, and although the logical order is shown in the flowchart, in some cases, the steps shown or described can be executed in an order different from that shown here.

[0065] Figure 4 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 4 As shown, the method comprises the following steps:

[0066] Step S202, the session management function network element sends instruction information to the user plane function network element, where the instruction information is used to instruct the user plane function network element to allocate tunnel information of the QCI5 bearer and tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer to the session management function network element;

[0067] Step S204, storing the received tunnel information carried by the QCI5 and the tunnel information carried by the QCI7;

[0068] Step S206: upon receiving the establishment request of the QCI7 bearer, establishing the QCI7 bearer based on the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer, wherein the QCI7 bearer is used to transmit the media stream in the communication process of the user terminal.

[0069] Through the above steps S202 to S206, the session management function network element sends an indication message to the user plane function network element, and the indication message is used to instruct the user plane function network element to allocate the tunnel information of the QCI5 bearer and the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer to the session management function network element; store the received tunnel information of the QCI5 bearer and the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer; when receiving the establishment request of the QCI7 bearer, establish the QCI7 bearer based on the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer, and the QCI7 bearer is used to transmit the media stream in the communication process of the user terminal, thereby achieving the purpose of pre-storing the QCI7 bearer and avoiding resource reservation, thereby achieving the technical effect of reducing the voice call delay, and further solving the technical problem of long voice call delay in non-terrestrial network scenarios in related technologies. The following is a detailed description.

[0070] In the technical solution provided in step S204 of the above-mentioned communication method, the specific manner in which the session management function network element sends indication information to the user plane function network element includes: when the services subscribed by the user terminal include voice services, sending indication information to the user plane function network element, the indication information is used to instruct the user plane function network element to allocate tunnel messages carried by QCI5 and tunnel information carried by QCI7 to the session management function network element; when the services subscribed by the user terminal do not include voice services, sending indication information to the user plane function network element, the indication information is used to instruct the user plane function network element to only allocate tunnel messages carried by QCI5 to the session management function network element.

[0071] Among them, after storing the received tunnel information carried by QCI7, the session management function network element sets a timer, and the timer is used to limit the storage duration of the tunnel information carried by QCI7; when the timer expires, the stored tunnel information carried by QCI7 is deleted.

[0072] In some embodiments of the present application, the session management function network element stores the tunnel information carried by QCI7 in the wireless access network through the access and mobility management function network element.

[0073] Among them, the specific process of completing the establishment of the QCI7 bearer based on the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer is as follows: in response to the session border controller triggering the establishment request of the QCI7 bearer, the session management function network element sends a first trigger message to the user plane function network element, and the first trigger message is used to trigger the user plane function network element to send a second trigger message to the wireless access network, and the second trigger message is used to trigger the wireless access network to establish the QCI7 bearer between the user terminal.

[0074] Figure 5 A flow chart showing another communication method is shown, Figure 5 As shown, the method includes: step 1, UE turns on and completes the registration process; step 2, UE establishes a QCI 5 session, including: step 2.1, when SMF / GW-C and UPF / GW-U perform N4 interaction, SMF in addition to instructing UPF / GW-U to allocate QCI 5 tunnel info (tunnel information) according to the prior art, SMF decides whether to continue to allocate QCI 7 tunnel information based on the user's contracted service (SMS / voice / voice and SMS), if the user has signed a voice service, it is also instructed to allocate QCI 7 tunnel info; step 2.2, SMF receives the N4 response of UPF / GW-C, in addition to the prior art, enhancement: SMF / GW-C stores QCI 7 tunnel info. And set a timer to retain the information before the timer expires; delete it after expiration; step 2.3, execute the subsequent QCI 5 bearer establishment process according to the session establishment technology; step 3, according to the existing technology, based on the QCI 5 bearer, perform the IMS user registration process; step 4, according to the existing technology, based on the QCI 5 bearer, send the Invite session establishment process to the IMS based on the QCI 5 bearer; step 5.1a, after the SBC receives the SIP signaling of the session establishment, it triggers the QCI 7 bearer establishment request to the PCF; step 5.1b, SMF / GW-C continues to execute other user plane bearer establishment steps according to the existing technology based on the information stored in the above step 2.2; step 5.2, SBC is the same as the existing technology 2, and continues to interact with the IMS without waiting for the network QCI 7 bearer establishment triggered by the SBC; step 6, execute the remaining IMS interaction processes according to the existing technology; step 7, execute the transmission of the media stream based on QCI 7.

[0075] From the above method, it can be seen that SMF / GW-C no longer needs to interact with UPF / GW-U for N4, which eliminates the process of UPF / GW-U receiving SMF / GW-C signaling and allocating tunnel info and returning it to SMF / GW-C, saving the delay of the process and improving the user experience.

[0076] Figure 6 A flow chart of another communication method is shown, Figure 6 As shown, step 1, the UE power-on registration process is the same as the prior art; step 2, the UE establishes a QCI 5 session, including: step 2.1a, when SMF / GW-C and UPF / GW-U perform N4 interaction, SMF in addition to instructing UPF / GW-U to allocate QCI 5 tunnel info according to the prior art, decides whether to continue to allocate QCI 7 tunnel information based on the user's contracted service (SMS / voice / voice and SMS), if the user has signed a voice service, it is also instructed to allocate QCI 7 tunnel info; step 2.1b, SMF / GW-C stores QCI 7 tunnel info. And set a timer, and keep the information before the timer expires; delete it after expiration; Step 2.2a and Step 2.3 According to the prior art, SMF calls Namf_Comm_N1N2Message Transfe to AMF (AMF is used to forward N1 or N2 interface message to other NFs as a service-oriented interface operation), carrying the tunnel info allocated by SMF, and AMF sends N2 PDU Session Request (QCI5 tunnel info) to RAN. It can be understood that NF means network function); Step 2.2b, RAN allocates tunnel info of QCI 5 on the RAN side according to the prior art, and RAN also instructs it to allocate tunnel information of QCI 7 on the CN side in this step;

[0077] It should be noted that the tunnel info of QCI7 on the CN side of the RAN can also reuse the tunnel info such as TEID of QCI 5. Step 2.4, perform the subsequent QCI 5 bearer establishment process according to the session establishment technology; Step 3, according to the prior art, perform the IMS user registration process based on the QCI 5 bearer; Step 4, according to the prior art, send the Invite session establishment process to the IMS based on the QCI 5 bearer. Step 5.1a, after the SBC receives the SIP signaling for session establishment, it triggers the establishment request of the QCI 7 bearer to the PCF. Step 5.1b, SMF / GW-C and RAN continue to perform other user plane bearer establishment steps according to the prior art based on the information stored in the above steps 2.1b and 2.2b. Step 5.2, SBC is the same as the prior art 2, and does not wait for the network QCI 7 bearer establishment triggered by the SBC and continues to interact with the IMS. Step 6, perform the remaining IMS interaction processes according to the prior art. Step 7, perform media stream transmission based on QCI 7.

[0078] It is understandable that SMF / GW-C no longer needs to interact with UPF / GW-U for N4, which eliminates the process of UPF / GW-U receiving SMF / GW-C signaling and allocating tunnel info and returning it to SMF / GW-C, saving the latency of the process, improving user experience, and reducing the probability of ghost ringing.

[0079] Figure 7 A flow chart of another communication method is shown, Figure 7As shown, it includes: Step 1, UE power-on registration process, which is the same as the prior art. Step 2, UE establishes a session of QCI 5. In step 2.1a, when SMF / GW-C and UPF / GW-U perform N4 interaction, SMF, in addition to instructing UPF / GW-U to allocate tunnel info of QCI 5 according to the prior art, decides whether to continue to allocate tunnel information of QCI 7 based on the service (SMS / Voice / Voice and SMS) signed by the user. If the user has signed a voice service, it is also instructed to allocate tunnel info of QCI 7. Step 2.1b, SMF / GW-C stores tunnel info of QCI 7. And set a timer, and keep the information before the timer expires; delete it after expiration; Step 2.2a and Step 2.3 According to the existing technology, SMF calls Namf_Comm_N1N2Message Transfe to AMF, carrying the tunnelinfo of QCI 5 and QCI7 allocated by SMF, and AMF sends N2 PDU Session Request (QCI5 tunnel info & QCI 7 tunnel info) to RAN. Step 2.2b, RAN allocates tunnel info of QCI 5 on the RAN side according to the existing technology, and RAN also instructs it to allocate tunnel information of QCI 7 on the CN side in this step. RAN receives the tunnel info of QCI 5 & QCI 7 from UPF / GW-U and saves it. At this point, the uplink path QCI 5 and QCI 7 from RAN to UPF / GW-C are connected. Step 2.4, perform the subsequent QCI 5 bearer establishment process according to the session establishment technology. Step 3, according to the existing technology, perform the IMS user registration process based on the bearer of QCI 5. Step 4: According to the prior art, based on the bearer of QCI 5, send the Invite session establishment process to IMS. Step 5.1a: After receiving the SIP signaling of session establishment, SBC triggers the establishment request of QCI 7 bearer to PCF. Step 5.1b: SMF / GW-C and RAN establish the user plane bearer information of QCI 7 based on the above steps 2.1b and 2.2. SMF / GW-C triggers AMF, and AMF triggers RAN to establish the wireless side bearer.

[0080] The QCI 7 bearer between UPF / GW-U and RAN has been established, and there is no need to interact in this process. Only the establishment process of the wireless DRB on the RANUE side is triggered. This saves the delay of the multi-step process of establishing the QCI 7 user plane bearer between RAN and UPF / GW-U, improves user experience, and reduces the probability of ghost ringing.

[0081] Step 5.2: The SBC is the same as the prior art 2, and does not wait for the network QCI 7 bearer triggered by the SBC to be established but continues to interact with the IMS.

[0082] Step 6: Execute the remaining IMS interaction processes according to the prior art.

[0083] Step 7: Perform transmission of the media stream based on QCI 7.

[0084] It should be noted that before the session management function network element sends the indication information to the user plane function network element, the user terminal sends a session invitation to the multimedia subsystem through the QCI5 bearer. The session management function network element transmits the tunnel information carried by the QCI7 to the wireless access network through the access and mobility management function network element, and the tunnel information carried by the QCI7 is used by the wireless access network to allocate to the core network.

[0085] Figure 8 A flow chart of another communication method is shown, Figure 8 As shown, including:

[0086] Step 1: UE power-on registration process, same as the prior art.

[0087] Step 2: UE establishes a session of QCI 5.

[0088] Step 3, the network triggers the establishment of the user plane bearer of QCI 7 between RAN and UPF / GW-U, which can also be triggered by the network at any time when the bearer establishment of QCI 5 is completed.

[0089] It should be noted that as long as it is done before the user makes a call (that is, before sending Invite), the user experience can be improved. The network trigger is initiated only if it is determined that the user has signed a voice service.

[0090] Step 4: According to the prior art, based on the bearer of QCI 5, an Invite session establishment process is sent to the IMS.

[0091] Step 5.1a: After receiving the SIP signaling for session establishment, the SBC triggers a request to establish a QCI 7 bearer to the PCF.

[0092] Step 5.1b, SMF / GW-C and RAN establish the user plane bearer information of QCI 7 based on the above steps 2.1b and 2.2. SMF / GW-C triggers AMF, and AMF triggers RAN to establish the wireless side bearer.

[0093] The QCI 7 bearer between UPF / GW-U and RAN has been established, and there is no need to interact in this process. Only the establishment process of the wireless DRB on the RANUE side is triggered. This saves the delay of the multi-step process of establishing the QCI 7 user plane bearer between RAN and UPF / GW-U, improves user experience, and reduces the probability of ghost ringing.

[0094] Step 5.2: The SBC is the same as the prior art 2, and does not wait for the network QCI 7 bearer triggered by the SBC to be established but continues to interact with the IMS.

[0095] Step 6: Execute the remaining IMS interaction processes according to the prior art.

[0096] Step 7: Perform transmission of the media stream based on QCI 7.

[0097] The communication method provided in the present application can, before the UE establishes a session with the IMS, allow the SMF to instruct the user plane network element to allocate tunnel info of QCI 5 and QCI 7 during the UE QCI 5 bearer establishment process. The SMF / GW-C can save the tunnel info of QCI 7, and when the SBC triggers the network to establish the QCI 7 bearer, it exchanges tunnel info with the RAN, and the SMF / GW-C omits the interactive step of instructing the UPF / GW-U to allocate the QCI 7 tunnel info. The tunnel info on the RAN CN side can also be allocated together with the QCI5 allocation. The QCI 7 bearer information between the RAN and UPF / GW-U can be exchanged based on the tunnelinfo of 1.2 to 1.3 above, that is, the QCI 7 bearer is collaboratively established when QCI 5 is established. When the network receives the SBC triggering the QCI 7 bearer establishment request during the IMS session establishment process, only part of the prior art process is executed according to the prior art, thereby reducing the signaling interaction delay of the process. In addition to completing part or all of the QCI 7 user plane bearer establishment process during the IMS QCI5 bearer process, the network NF can initiate the QCI 7 user plane bearer establishment process at any time before the user initiates a call request. This reduces the probability of the user not signing up for a voice call and the called party ringing problem, while also reducing the signaling delay of the default bearer establishment, improving the user experience.

[0098] Fig. 9 A communication device according to an embodiment of the present application includes:

[0099] A sending module 90, configured for a session management function network element to send indication information to a user plane function network element, wherein the indication information is used to instruct the user plane function network element to allocate tunnel information carried by QCI5 and tunnel information carried by QCI7 to the session management function network element;

[0100] A storage module 92, configured to store the received tunnel information carried by the QCI5 and the received tunnel information carried by the QCI7;

[0101] The establishment module 94 is used to establish the QCI7 bearer based on the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer when receiving the establishment request of the QCI7 bearer, and the QCI7 bearer is used to transmit the media stream in the communication process of the user terminal.

[0102] Through the above-mentioned communication device, an indication message is sent to the user plane function network element through the session management function network element, and the indication message is used to instruct the user plane function network element to allocate the tunnel information of the QCI5 bearer and the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer to the session management function network element; the received tunnel information of the QCI5 bearer and the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer are stored; when a request to establish the QCI7 bearer is received, the QCI7 bearer is established based on the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer, and the QCI7 bearer is used to transmit the media stream in the communication process of the user terminal, thereby achieving the purpose of pre-storing the QCI7 bearer and avoiding resource reservation, thereby realizing the technical effect of reducing the voice call delay, and further solving the technical problem of long voice call delay in non-ground network scenarios in related technologies.

[0103] The sending module 90 includes: a sending submodule, which is used for the session management function network element to send indication information to the user plane function network element, including: when the services subscribed by the user terminal include voice services, sending indication information to the user plane function network element, and the indication information is used to instruct the user plane function network element to allocate tunnel messages carried by QCI5 and tunnel information carried by QCI7 to the session management function network element; when the services subscribed by the user terminal do not include voice services, sending indication information to the user plane function network element, and the indication information is used to instruct the user plane function network element to only allocate tunnel messages carried by QCI5 to the session management function network element.

[0104] The sending submodule includes: a timing unit, which is used for the session management function network element to set a timer after storing the received tunnel information carried by the QCI7, and the timer is used to limit the storage duration of the tunnel information carried by the QCI7; when the timer expires, the stored tunnel information carried by the QCI7 is deleted.

[0105] The storage module 92 includes: a storage submodule, which is used for the session management function network element to store the tunnel information carried by the QCI7 in the wireless access network through the access and mobility management function network element.

[0106] The establishment module 94 includes: a first establishment submodule and a second establishment submodule, the first establishment submodule is used to complete the establishment of the QCI7 bearer based on the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer, including: in response to the session border controller triggering the establishment request of the QCI7 bearer, the session management function network element sends a first trigger message to the user plane function network element, the first trigger message is used to trigger the user plane function network element to send a second trigger message to the wireless access network, and the second trigger message is used to trigger the wireless access network to establish the QCI7 bearer between the user terminal.

[0107] The sending module 90 also includes: an invitation submodule, which is used for the user terminal to send a session invitation to the multimedia subsystem through the QCI5 bearer before the session management function network element sends the indication information to the user plane function network element.

[0108] The second establishment submodule is used for the session management function network element to transmit the tunnel information carried by QCI7 to the wireless access network through the access and mobility management function network element, and the tunnel information carried by QCI7 is used for the wireless access network to allocate to the core network.

[0109] It should be noted that Fig. 9 The communication device shown is used to perform Figure 2 The communication method shown, therefore the relevant explanations in the above communication method are also applicable to the communication device and will not be repeated here.

[0110] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device, including: a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store program instructions; and the processor is connected to the memory and is used to execute the above-mentioned communication method.

[0111] An embodiment of the present application further provides a non-volatile storage medium, which includes a stored computer program, wherein a device where the non-volatile storage medium is located executes the above-mentioned communication method by running the computer program.

[0112] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, including a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium, wherein the non-volatile computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the communication method in the present application are implemented.

[0113] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, including computer instructions, which implement the steps of the communication method in the present application when executed by a processor.

[0114] According to another aspect of the embodiment of the present application, a communication system is further provided, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the communication method in the present application are implemented.

[0115] The serial numbers of the above-mentioned embodiments of the present application are for description only and do not represent the advantages or disadvantages of the embodiments.

[0116] In the above embodiments of the present application, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant description of other embodiments.

[0117] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed technical content can be implemented in other ways. Among them, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units can be a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of units or modules, which can be electrical or other forms.

[0118] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the present embodiment.

[0119] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0120] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions to enable a communication device (which can be a personal computer, a server or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memory (RAM, RandomAccess Memory), mobile hard disk, disk or optical disk and other media that can store program codes.

[0121] The above is only a preferred implementation of the present application. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the present application. These improvements and modifications should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The session management function network element sends indication information to the user plane function network element, where the indication information is used to instruct the user plane function network element to allocate tunnel information of the QCI5 bearer and tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer to the session management function network element; Storing the received tunnel information carried by the QCI5 and the received tunnel information carried by the QCI7; When a request to establish the QCI7 bearer is received, the QCI7 bearer is established based on the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer, and the QCI7 bearer is used to transmit the media stream in the communication process of the user terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The session management function network element sends indication information to the user plane function network element, including: In a case where the service subscribed by the user terminal includes a voice service, sending indication information to the user plane function network element, wherein the indication information is used to instruct the user plane function network element to allocate a tunnel message carried by QCI5 and tunnel information carried by QCI7 to the session management function network element; In a case where the services subscribed by the user terminal do not include voice services, indication information is sent to the user plane function network element, wherein the indication information is used to instruct the user plane function network element to only allocate tunnel messages carried by QCI5 to the session management function network element.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that After storing the received tunnel information carried by the QCI7, the method further includes: The session management function network element sets a timer, where the timer is used to limit the storage duration of the tunnel information carried by the QCI7; When the timer expires, the stored tunnel information carried by the QCI7 is deleted.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The session management function network element stores the tunnel information carried by QCI7 in the wireless access network through the access and mobility management function network element.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The step of establishing the QCI7 bearer based on the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer includes: In response to the session border controller triggering the request to establish the QCI7 bearer, the session management function network element sends a first trigger message to the user plane function network element, and the first trigger message is used to trigger the user plane function network element to send a second trigger message to the wireless access network, and the second trigger message is used to trigger the wireless access network to establish the QCI7 bearer between the user terminal.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Before the session management function network element sends the indication information to the user plane function network element, the method further includes: The user terminal sends a session invitation to the multimedia subsystem via the QCI5 bearer.

7. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: The session management function network element transmits the tunnel information carried by QCI7 to the wireless access network through the access and mobility management function network element, and the tunnel information carried by QCI7 is used by the wireless access network to allocate to the core network.

8. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A sending module, configured for a session management function network element to send indication information to a user plane function network element, wherein the indication information is used to instruct the user plane function network element to allocate tunnel information carried by QCI5 and tunnel information carried by QCI7 to the session management function network element; A storage module, used to store the received tunnel information carried by the QCI5 and the received tunnel information carried by the QCI7; An establishment module is used to establish the QCI7 bearer based on the tunnel information of the QCI7 bearer when a request to establish the QCI7 bearer is received, and the QCI7 bearer is used to transmit the media stream in the communication process of the user terminal.

9. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store program instructions; and the processor, connected to the memory, is used to execute the communication method described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A communication system comprising computer instructions, characterized in that When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

Images