Method, device and system for acquiring network state

Abstract

The invention provides a method, a device and a system for acquiring a network state, and relates to the field of wireless communication. The method comprises: a user plane function (UPF) network element receiving a notification of a first event sent by a radio access network (RAN) device, the first event comprising an event in which the bit rate of a quality of service (QoS) flow cannot be ensured or can be ensured again, or an event in which QoS parameter configuration cannot meet or can meet a QoS flow transmission requirement again; and the UPF network element sends a notification of the first event to an application function AF network element. According to the user plane QNC mechanism disclosed by the invention, RAN-gt is used; uPF-gt; (NEF is optional) gt; compared with a control plane QNC mechanism, the event notification way of the AF enables the AF to know the network state in time, so as to quickly carry out adaptive adjustment of the coding rate, thereby avoiding network congestion caused by the adaptive adjustment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communications, and in particular to a method, device and system for acquiring network status. Background Art

[0002] QNC (QoS Notification Control) indicates whether to require RAN (Radio Access Network) to provide a notification message when GFBR (Guaranteed Flow Bit Rate) can no longer be guaranteed during the life cycle of a QoS (Quality of Service) flow.

[0003] According to the current QNC mechanism, if the queue delay or system load measured by the RAN exceeds the specified threshold, the RAN sends a notification to the SMF (session management function), the SMF sends a notification to the PCF (Policy Control Function), and the PCF sends a notification to the AF (application function) through the NEF (network exposure function) to instruct the AF to perform adaptive adjustment of the coding rate.

[0004] The control plane QNC mechanism of RAN->SMF->PCF->NEF->AF mentioned above takes a long time. If the network status cannot be notified to AF in time so that AF can quickly make adaptive adjustment of the coding rate, it will easily cause network congestion. Summary of the invention

[0005] The disclosed embodiment proposes a user plane QNC mechanism, which enables the AF to timely obtain the network status through the event notification path of RAN->UPF->(NEF optional)->AF, compared with the control plane QNC mechanism, and then quickly make adaptive adjustments to the coding rate to avoid the resulting network congestion.

[0006] Some embodiments of the present disclosure propose a method for obtaining network status, including: a user plane function UPF network element receives a notification of a first event sent by a wireless access network RAN ​​device, the first event including: an event that the bit rate of the quality of service QoS flow cannot be guaranteed or can be guaranteed again, or an event that the QoS parameter configuration cannot meet or can meet the QoS flow transmission requirement again; the UPF network element sends a notification of the first event to an application function AF network element.

[0007] In some embodiments, the QoS parameter configuration includes a first QoS parameter configuration and one or more alternative second QoS parameter configurations.

[0008] In some embodiments, the event that the QoS parameter configuration cannot meet or can meet the QoS flow transmission requirements again includes one or more of the following: the event that the first QoS parameter configuration or any second QoS parameter configuration can meet the QoS flow transmission requirements again; the event that the first QoS parameter configuration and all second QoS parameter configurations cannot meet the QoS flow transmission requirements; the event that the second QoS parameter configuration with the lowest priority cannot meet the QoS flow transmission requirements.

[0009] In some embodiments, the UPF network element receiving the notification of the first event sent by the RAN device includes: the UPF network element receiving the notification of the first event sent by the RAN device through the user plane part GTP-U tunnel of the General Packet Radio Service Tunneling Protocol.

[0010] In some embodiments, the UPF network element sending the notification of the first event to the AF network element includes: the UPF network element sending the notification of the first event to the AF network element through the network open function NEF network element; or the UPF network element directly sending the notification of the first event to the AF network element.

[0011] In some embodiments, the UPF network element receives an N4 session modification request sent by a session management function SMF network element, which is used to instruct the UPF network element to forward the notification of the first event received from the RAN device to the NEF network element or the AF network element; the UPF network element sends an N4 session modification response to the SMF network element.

[0012] In some embodiments, the SMF network element receives a session management policy control update notification request sent by a policy control function PCF network element, which includes policy control rules for monitoring and reporting of the first event; the SMF network element sends the configuration information for monitoring and reporting of the first event to the RAN device through the access and mobility management function AMF network element.

[0013] In some embodiments, the NEF network element receives a request from the AF network element to subscribe to a first event of a QoS flow; the NEF network element authorizes the request of the AF network element and sends a request to the PCF network element to subscribe to a first event of the QoS flow, so that the PCF network element generates a policy control rule for monitoring and reporting of the first event.

[0014] In some embodiments, the RAN device is: a source RAN device where a user equipment UE of the QoS flow is located or a target RAN device to which it is switched; wherein, when the RAN device is a target RAN device, the target RAN device receives a notification of the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow sent by the source RAN device, and decides whether to accept the QoS flow based on whether the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow supported by itself matches the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the notified QoS flow.

[0015] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a device for acquiring a network status, comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute a method for acquiring a network status based on instructions stored in the memory.

[0016] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a device for acquiring a network status, including: a module for executing a method for acquiring a network status.

[0017] Some embodiments of the present disclosure propose a system for acquiring network status, including: a UPF network element configured to execute a method for acquiring network status.

[0018] In some embodiments, it also includes: an SMF network element, configured to receive a session management policy control update notification request sent by a policy control function PCF network element, which includes policy control rules for monitoring and reporting of the first event; and sending configuration information for monitoring and reporting of the first event to the RAN device through an access and mobility management function AMF network element.

[0019] In some embodiments, it also includes: a NEF network element, configured to receive a request from the AF network element to send a first event to subscribe to a QoS flow; authorize the request of the AF network element, and send a request to the PCF network element to subscribe to the first event of the QoS flow, so that the PCF network element generates a policy control rule for monitoring and reporting of the first event.

[0020] In some embodiments, it also includes: a RAN device, including: a source RAN device where a user equipment UE of the QoS flow is located or a target RAN device that is switched to; wherein, when the RAN device is a target RAN device, the target RAN device is configured to receive a notification of the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow sent by the source RAN device, and decide whether to accept the QoS flow based on whether the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow supported by itself matches the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the notified QoS flow.

[0021] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which implements the steps of the method for obtaining network status when the program is executed by a processor. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the embodiments or related technical descriptions. The present disclosure can be more clearly understood according to the following detailed description with reference to the drawings.

[0023] Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and a person skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative work.

[0024] Figure 1 A flowchart of a method for subscribing to network status notification according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0025] Figure 2 A flowchart of a method for acquiring network status according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0026] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a system for acquiring network status according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0027] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing an apparatus for acquiring network status according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing an apparatus for acquiring network status according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] It should be noted that the relative arrangement of components and steps, the numerical expressions and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0030] Those skilled in the art can understand that the terms "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different steps, devices or modules, etc., and neither represent any specific technical meaning nor indicate the necessary logical order between them.

[0031] It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present disclosure, “plurality” may refer to two or more than two, and “at least one” may refer to one, two, or more than two.

[0032] It should also be understood that any component, data or structure mentioned in the embodiments of the present disclosure can generally be understood as one or more, unless explicitly limited or otherwise indicated in the context.

[0033] In addition, the term "and / or" in the present disclosure is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in the present disclosure generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0034] It should also be understood that the description of the various embodiments in the present disclosure focuses on the differences between the various embodiments, and the same or similar aspects thereof can be referenced to each other, and for the sake of brevity, they will not be described one by one.

[0035] At the same time, it should be understood that for the convenience of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship.

[0036] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure, its application, or uses.

[0037] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0038] It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters refer to similar items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0039] In addition, in order to avoid obscuring the present disclosure due to unnecessary details, only the processing steps and / or device structures closely related to at least the scheme according to the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, and other details that are not closely related to the present disclosure are omitted. It should also be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the drawings indicate similar items, and therefore once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be discussed again for subsequent drawings.

[0040] The following describes the terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0041] GBR QoS Flow (Guaranteed Bit Rate QoS Flow): GBR means that a certain bandwidth must be reserved to ensure the transmission rate of this QoS flow.

[0042] GFBR (Guaranteed Flow Bit Rate): indicates the bit rate guaranteed to be provided by the network to the QoS flow within the average time window.

[0043] QNC (QoS Notification Control) indicates whether to require RAN to provide notification messages when GFBR can no longer be guaranteed during the life cycle of a QoS flow. If the application traffic can adapt to changes in QoS (for example, if AF can trigger rate adaptation), notification control can be used for GBR QoS flows.

[0044] PDB (Packet Delay Budget): defines the upper limit of the time delay of a data packet between the N6 interface termination point in the user equipment (UE) and the UPF (user plane function).

[0045] PER (Packet Error Rate): The upper limit of the proportion of PDUs (Protocol Data Units), such as IP (Internet Protocol) packets, that are processed normally by the sender's link layer (for example, the RLC (Radio Link Control) layer in the RAN in 3GPP access type) but are not delivered normally to the upper layer (for example, the PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) layer in the RAN in 3GPP access type) by the packet receiver.

[0046] AQP (Alternative Qos Profile): When the access network detects that the current resources cannot meet the QoS parameter configuration requirements of the QoS flow, it can try to downgrade the QoS flow according to the priority of the AQP group, that is, confirm whether the current resources can meet the AQP. If the current resources cannot meet the AQP, the access network will send a notification message to the core network to indicate that the current resources of the access network cannot meet the requirements of the QoS flow.

[0047] Supporting immersive and interactive multimedia services such as Extended Reality (XR) is one of the important new features of 3GPP. XR services have high requirements for 5G network bandwidth, latency and data transmission rate. It may happen that the bit rate provided to the QoS flow for a period of time cannot meet the rapidly changing data transmission rate, or the QoS parameter configuration provided by AF (such as PDB, PER, etc.) cannot meet the QoS parameter requirements during data bursts. At this time, how to quickly and efficiently notify the AF network element (such as the application server) of the network status information so that the AF network element can adaptively adjust the coding rate in time according to the changes in the network status, thereby improving network efficiency, is a problem that needs to be solved.

[0048] If the application traffic can adapt to QoS changes (for example, the AF network element can trigger rate adaptation), then for the Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR) QoS flow, the QoS Notification Control (QNC) mechanism can be used to notify the AF network element of changes in the wireless network status.

[0049] The control plane QNC mechanism of RAN->SMF->PCF->NEF->AF in the related art takes a long time. The disclosed embodiment proposes a user plane QNC mechanism, which enables the AF network element to timely learn the network status through the event notification path of RAN->UPF->(optional for NEF)->AF, compared with the control plane QNC mechanism, and then quickly make adaptive adjustments to the coding rate to avoid the resulting network congestion.

[0050] The AF network element receives notifications of the network status from the network side by subscription to understand when the bit rate of the current QoS flow cannot be guaranteed or can be guaranteed again, when the QoS parameter configuration cannot meet or can meet the QoS flow transmission requirements again, etc. When the network status meets the reporting conditions, the network status is quickly and efficiently opened to the AF network element through the user plane and the service-oriented interface of the UPF network element.

[0051] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a flow chart of a method for subscribing to network status notifications in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1 As shown, the method for subscribing to network status notification of this embodiment includes the following steps.

[0052] In step 101, the AF network element sends a request for subscribing to the first event of a QoS flow to the NEF network element.

[0053] The first event includes, but is not limited to, network status events of QoS flows such as events in which the bit rate of the QoS flow cannot be guaranteed or can be guaranteed again, or events in which the QoS parameter configuration cannot meet or can meet the QoS flow transmission requirements again. Among them, the QoS parameter configuration includes a first QoS parameter configuration and one or more alternative second QoS parameter configurations. Multiple alternative second QoS parameter configurations have different priorities. The event in which the QoS parameter configuration cannot meet or can meet the QoS flow transmission requirements again includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: an event in which the first QoS parameter configuration or any second QoS parameter configuration can meet the QoS flow transmission requirements again; an event in which the first QoS parameter configuration and all second QoS parameter configurations cannot meet the QoS flow transmission requirements; an event in which the second QoS parameter configuration with the lowest priority cannot meet the QoS flow transmission requirements. QoS parameter configurations include, but are not limited to, PDB, PER, etc.

[0054] The request for subscribing to the first event of the QoS flow includes, for example, a flow description and a UE address of the QoS flow, a subscribed event identifier, etc. The request for subscribing to the first event of the QoS flow is, for example, a Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe request.

[0055] In step 102, the NEF network element authorizes the request of the AF network element.

[0056] In step 103, the NEF network element sends a request for subscribing to the first event of the QoS flow to the PCF (policy control function) network element.

[0057] The request for subscribing to the first event of the QoS flow includes, for example: the flow description and UE address of the QoS flow, the subscribed event identifier, etc. The request for subscribing to the first event of the QoS flow is, for example, a Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Subscribe request.

[0058] In step 104, after receiving the subscription request, the PCF network element generates a policy control rule for monitoring and reporting of the first event.

[0059] Policy control rules include, but are not limited to: monitoring the bit rate of QoS flows, monitoring whether QoS parameter configurations can meet QoS flow transmission requirements, and reporting the event when the bit rate of QoS flows cannot be guaranteed or can be guaranteed again, and reporting the event when QoS parameter configurations cannot meet or can meet QoS flow transmission requirements again.

[0060] In step 105, the PCF network element sends a response to the first event of subscribing to the QoS flow to the NEF network element to indicate whether the subscription is successful.

[0061] The response to the first event of subscribing to a QoS flow is, for example, a Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Subscribe response.

[0062] In step 106, the NEF network element sends a response to the first event of subscribing to the QoS flow to the AF network element to indicate whether the subscription is successful.

[0063] The response to subscribing to the first event of the QoS flow is, for example, a Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe response.

[0064] In step 107, the PCF network element sends a session management (SM) policy control update notification request to the SMF network element, which includes the monitoring and reporting policy control rules of the first event.

[0065] Policy control rules include, but are not limited to: monitoring the bit rate of QoS flows, monitoring whether QoS parameter configurations can meet QoS flow transmission requirements, and reporting the event when the bit rate of QoS flows cannot be guaranteed or can be guaranteed again, and reporting the event when QoS parameter configurations cannot meet or can meet QoS flow transmission requirements again.

[0066] The policy control rule is a PCC (Policy Control and Charging) rule.

[0067] In step 108, the SMF network element sends a session management policy control update notification response to the PCF network element.

[0068] In step 109, the SMF network element initiates an N4 session modification request to the UPF network element, which is used to instruct the UPF network element to forward the notification of the first event received from the RAN device to the NEF network element or the AF network element.

[0069] In step 110, the UPF network element sends an N4 session modification response to the SMF network element in response to the N4 session modification request.

[0070] In step 111, the SMF network element sends the monitoring and reporting configuration information of the first event to the AMF (Access and Mobility management Function) network element.

[0071] The SMF network element sends the monitoring and reporting configuration information of the first event to the AMF network element through Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer (Namf_communication_N1N2 message transmission).

[0072] Configuration information includes, for example, but is not limited to: monitoring the bit rate of the QoS flow, monitoring whether the QoS parameter configuration can meet the QoS flow transmission requirements, and reporting the event when the bit rate of the QoS flow cannot be guaranteed or can be guaranteed again, reporting the event when the QoS parameter configuration cannot meet or can meet the QoS flow transmission requirements again, and reporting the event through the GTP-U (User Plane Part of GTP) tunnel. GTP stands for GPRS Tunneling Protocol, and GPRS stands for General Packet Radio Service.

[0073] In step 112, the AMF network element sends a corresponding N2 message to the RAN device, including configuration information for monitoring and reporting of the first event, to instruct the RAN device to send a notification of the first event to the UPF through the GTP-U tunnel when the conditions are met.

[0074] In this embodiment, the AF receives notifications of the network status from the network side by subscription to understand when the bit rate of the current QoS flow cannot be guaranteed or can be guaranteed again, when the QoS parameter configuration cannot meet or can meet the QoS flow transmission requirements again, etc.

[0075] Figure 2 A flow chart showing a method for obtaining network status according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 2 As shown, the method for obtaining the network status of this embodiment includes the following steps.

[0076] In step 200, the network establishes resources for the QoS flow of the UE to ensure the required quality of service.

[0077] The RAN device triggers a first event and sends a notification of the first event. The first event includes, for example, but is not limited to: an event that the bit rate of the QoS flow cannot be guaranteed or can be guaranteed again, or an event that the QoS parameter configuration cannot meet or can meet the QoS flow transmission requirements again, and other network status events of the QoS flow. The RAN device is: a source RAN device (RAN1) where the user equipment UE of the QoS flow is located or a target RAN device (RAN2) that is switched to; when the RAN device is a target RAN device, the target RAN device receives the notification of the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow sent by the source RAN device, and decides whether to accept the QoS flow based on whether the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow supported by itself matches the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the notified QoS flow.

[0078] In step 201, when the QNC mechanism has been enabled and RAN1 has received the QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow (the QoS parameter configuration includes a first QoS parameter configuration and one or more alternative second QoS parameter configurations), the event triggering method is as follows.

[0079] If the queue delay or system load measured by RAN1 exceeds the specified threshold (i.e., the bit rate of the QoS flow cannot be guaranteed), or all QoS parameter configurations (such as PDB, PER, etc.) cannot meet the QoS flow transmission requirements, the notification of the first event should be triggered to indicate that "GFBR can no longer be guaranteed." Among them, all QoS parameter configurations include the first QoS parameter configuration and each alternative second QoS parameter configuration.

[0080] If the event notification of "GFBR can no longer be guaranteed" has been sent, and RAN1 determines that the current queue delay or system load or QoS parameter configuration is different from the situation when the event notification was last sent, the event notification needs to be re-triggered. The situations of re-triggering the event notification include, but are not limited to, the following three situations: satisfying the first QoS parameter configuration; satisfying any of the alternative second QoS parameter configurations, and failing to satisfy the lowest priority alternative second QoS parameter configuration.

[0081] The RAN should continuously try to satisfy the first QoS parameter configuration, and if not, try to satisfy any alternative second QoS parameter configuration with a higher priority.

[0082] In step 202, RAN1 sends a notification of the first event to the UPF network element through the GTP-U tunnel, which may include whether the alternative second QoS parameter configuration with a specified priority order can meet the QoS flow transmission requirement to reflect the adjustment of the QoS parameter configuration.

[0083] In step 203a, the UPF network element sends a notification of the first event to the NEF network element through the service-based interface, and notifies the NEF network element of the first event.

[0084] The UPF network element sends a notification of the first event, for example, through a Nupf_EventExposure_Notify message, to notify the NEF network element of the first event.

[0085] In step 203b, the NEF network element sends a notification of the first event to the AF network element, notifying the AF network element of the first event.

[0086] The NEF network element sends a notification of the first event, for example, through a Nnef_EventExposure_Notify message, to notify the AF network element of the first event.

[0087] In step 204, when the AF network element is trustworthy, the UPF network element may also directly send a notification of the first event to the AF network element, and notify the AF network element of the first event.

[0088] That is, the UPF network element may also directly send a Nupf_EventExposure_Notify message to the AF network element to notify the AF network element of the first event.

[0089] As required, the notification method of 203a / b or the notification method of 204 may be used.

[0090] In step 205, when the UE needs to switch RAN equipment (such as a base station) due to movement of the UE, the UE starts measurement, collects information of surrounding RAN equipment and sends a measurement report to the source RAN equipment (RAN1). If the UE does not need to switch RAN equipment, steps 205-210 may not be performed.

[0091] In step 206, RAN1 selects a suitable RAN device (such as RAN2) as the target RAN device according to the received measurement report, and sends a notification of the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow to RAN2.

[0092] RAN2 receives the notification of the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow sent by RAN1, and decides whether to accept the QoS flow based on whether the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow supported by itself matches the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the notified QoS flow.

[0093] If the bit rate of the QoS flow supported by RAN2 itself matches the bit rate of the notified QoS flow, and the QoS parameter configuration supported by RAN2 itself matches any of the notified QoS parameter configurations, and these QoS parameter configurations include a first QoS parameter configuration and one or more alternative second QoS parameter configurations, then RAN2 can accept the QoS flow and can also indicate to RAN1 the identifier of the QoS parameter configuration matched by RAN2.

[0094] If the bit rate of the QoS flow supported by RAN2 itself does not match the bit rate of the notified QoS flow, or the QoS parameter configuration supported by RAN2 itself does not match the notified QoS parameter configuration, RAN2 cannot accept the QoS flow and will reject the QoS flow.

[0095] In step 207, RAN2 accepts the QoS flow of the UE. After the UE switches from RAN1 to RAN2, when the QNC mechanism has been enabled and RAN2 has received the QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow (the QoS parameter configuration includes a first QoS parameter configuration and one or more alternative second QoS parameter configurations), the event triggering method refers to step 201 and is not repeated here.

[0096] In step 208, RAN2 sends a notification of the first event to the UPF network element through the GTP-U tunnel, which may include whether the alternative second QoS parameter configuration with a specified priority order can meet the QoS flow transmission requirement to reflect the adjustment of the QoS parameter configuration.

[0097] In step 209a, the UPF network element sends a notification of the first event to the NEF network element through the service-based interface, and notifies the NEF network element of the first event.

[0098] The UPF network element sends a notification of the first event, for example, through a Nupf_EventExposure_Notify message, to notify the NEF network element of the first event.

[0099] In step 209b, the NEF network element sends a notification of the first event to the AF network element, notifying the AF network element of the first event.

[0100] The NEF network element sends a notification of the first event, for example, through a Nnef_EventExposure_Notify message, to notify the AF network element of the first event.

[0101] In step 210, when the AF network element is trustworthy, the UPF network element may also directly send a notification of the first event to the AF network element, and notify the AF network element of the first event.

[0102] That is, the UPF network element may also directly send a Nupf_EventExposure_Notify message to the AF network element to notify the AF network element of the first event.

[0103] As required, the notification method of 209a / b or the notification method of 210 may be used.

[0104] The above embodiment proposes a user plane QNC mechanism. Through the event notification path of RAN->UPF->(NEF optional)->AF, when the network status meets the reporting conditions, the network status is quickly and efficiently opened to the AF network element through the service interface of the user plane and the UPF network element. Compared with the control plane QNC mechanism, the AF can timely know the network status, and then quickly make adaptive adjustments to the coding rate to avoid the resulting network congestion.

[0105] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a system for acquiring network status according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0106] like Figure 3 As shown, the system 300 for obtaining the network status of this embodiment includes: a UPF network element 310, and may also include one or more of an SMF network element 320, a NEF network element 330, and a RAN device 340.

[0107] The UPF network element 310 is configured to execute a method for obtaining a network status, including: receiving a notification of a first event sent by a wireless access network RAN ​​device, the first event including: an event in which the bit rate of a quality of service QoS flow cannot be guaranteed or can be guaranteed again, or an event in which the QoS parameter configuration cannot meet or can meet the QoS flow transmission requirements again; and sending a notification of the first event to an application function AF network element.

[0108] The QoS parameter configuration includes a first QoS parameter configuration and one or more alternative second QoS parameter configurations.

[0109] The events in which the QoS parameter configuration cannot meet or can meet the QoS flow transmission requirements again include one or more of the following: the event that the first QoS parameter configuration or any second QoS parameter configuration can meet the QoS flow transmission requirements again; the event that the first QoS parameter configuration and all second QoS parameter configurations cannot meet the QoS flow transmission requirements; the event that the second QoS parameter configuration with the lowest priority cannot meet the QoS flow transmission requirements.

[0110] The UPF network element 310 is configured to receive a notification of a first event sent by a RAN device through a GTP-U tunnel.

[0111] The UPF network element 310 is configured to send a notification of the first event to the AF network element through the NEF network element; or directly send a notification of the first event to the AF network element.

[0112] The UPF network element 310 is configured to receive an N4 session modification request sent by the SMF network element, and is used to instruct the UPF network element to forward the notification of the first event received from the RAN device to the NEF network element or the AF network element; and send an N4 session modification response to the SMF network element.

[0113] The SMF network element 320 is configured to receive a session management policy control update notification request sent by a policy control function PCF network element, which includes policy control rules for monitoring and reporting of the first event; and send configuration information for monitoring and reporting of the first event to the RAN device through an access and mobility management function AMF network element.

[0114] The NEF network element 330 is configured to receive a request from the AF network element for a first event to subscribe to a QoS flow; authorize the request from the AF network element, and send a request to the PCF network element for a first event to subscribe to a QoS flow, so that the PCF network element generates a policy control rule for monitoring and reporting the first event.

[0115] The RAN device 340 is: a source RAN device where the user equipment UE of the QoS flow is located or a target RAN device to which it is switched; wherein, when the RAN device 340 is a target RAN device, it is configured to receive a notification of the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow sent by the source RAN device, and decide whether to accept the QoS flow based on whether the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow supported by itself matches the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the notified QoS flow.

[0116] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing an apparatus for acquiring network status according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0117] like Figure 4 As shown, the device 400 for acquiring network status of this embodiment includes: modules 410-440.

[0118] The UPF module 410 is configured to execute a method for obtaining a network status, including: receiving a notification of a first event sent by a wireless access network RAN ​​device, the first event including: an event in which the bit rate of a quality of service QoS flow cannot be guaranteed or can be guaranteed again, or an event in which the QoS parameter configuration cannot meet or can meet the QoS flow transmission requirements again; and sending a notification of the first event to an application function AF network element.

[0119] The QoS parameter configuration includes a first QoS parameter configuration and one or more alternative second QoS parameter configurations.

[0120] The events in which the QoS parameter configuration cannot meet or can meet the QoS flow transmission requirements again include one or more of the following: the event that the first QoS parameter configuration or any second QoS parameter configuration can meet the QoS flow transmission requirements again; the event that the first QoS parameter configuration and all second QoS parameter configurations cannot meet the QoS flow transmission requirements; the event that the second QoS parameter configuration with the lowest priority cannot meet the QoS flow transmission requirements.

[0121] The UPF module 410 is configured to receive a notification of a first event sent by a RAN device through a GTP-U tunnel.

[0122] The UPF module 410 is configured to send a notification of the first event to the AF network element through the NEF network element; or directly send a notification of the first event to the AF network element.

[0123] The UPF module 410 is configured to receive an N4 session modification request sent by the SMF network element, and is used to instruct the UPF network element to forward the notification of the first event received from the RAN device to the NEF network element or the AF network element; and send an N4 session modification response to the SMF network element.

[0124] The SMF module 420 is configured to receive a session management policy control update notification request sent by a policy control function PCF network element, which includes policy control rules for monitoring and reporting of the first event; and send configuration information for monitoring and reporting of the first event to the RAN device through an access and mobility management function AMF network element.

[0125] The NEF module 430 is configured to receive a request from the AF network element to send a first event to subscribe to a QoS flow; authorize the request of the AF network element, and send a request to the PCF network element to subscribe to the first event of the QoS flow, so that the PCF network element generates a policy control rule for monitoring and reporting the first event.

[0126] The RAN module 440 is: the source RAN device where the user equipment UE of the QoS flow is located or the target RAN device to which it is switched; wherein, when the RAN device 340 is the target RAN device, it is configured to receive a notification of the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow sent by the source RAN device, and decide whether to accept the QoS flow based on whether the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow supported by itself matches the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the notified QoS flow.

[0127] Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing an apparatus for acquiring network status according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0128] like Figure 5 As shown, the device 500 for obtaining network status of this embodiment includes: a memory 510 and a processor 520 coupled to the memory 510, and the processor 520 is configured to execute the method in any of the aforementioned embodiments based on the instructions stored in the memory 510.

[0129] The device 500 may further include an input / output interface 530 , a network interface 540 , a storage interface 550 , etc. These interfaces 530 , 540 , 550 , the memory 510 , and the processor 520 may be connected via a bus 560 , for example.

[0130] The memory 510 may include, for example, a system memory, a fixed non-volatile storage medium, etc. The system memory may store, for example, an operating system, an application program, a boot loader, and other programs.

[0131] The processor 520 may be implemented by a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistors and other discrete hardware components.

[0132] Among them, the input and output interface 530 provides a connection interface for input and output devices such as a display, a mouse, a keyboard, and a touch screen. The network interface 540 provides a connection interface for various networked devices. The storage interface 550 provides a connection interface for external storage devices such as SD cards and USB flash drives. The bus 560 can use any bus structure among a variety of bus structures. For example, the bus structure includes but is not limited to the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, the Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, and the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus.

[0133] A computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of a method for obtaining a network status. The storage medium may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

[0134] (1) A method for obtaining a network status, comprising: a user plane function UPF network element receiving a notification of a first event sent by a radio access network RAN ​​device, wherein the first event comprises an event that a bit rate of a quality of service QoS flow cannot be guaranteed or can be guaranteed again, or an event that a QoS parameter configuration cannot meet or can meet a QoS flow transmission requirement again; and the UPF network element sending a notification of the first event to an application function AF network element.

[0135] (2) According to (1), the QoS parameter configuration includes a first QoS parameter configuration and one or more alternative second QoS parameter configurations.

[0136] (3) According to (1-2), the event that the QoS parameter configuration cannot meet or can meet the QoS flow transmission requirements again includes one or more of the following: the event that the first QoS parameter configuration or any second QoS parameter configuration can meet the QoS flow transmission requirements again; the event that the first QoS parameter configuration and all second QoS parameter configurations cannot meet the QoS flow transmission requirements; the event that the second QoS parameter configuration with the lowest priority cannot meet the QoS flow transmission requirements.

[0137] (4) According to (1-3), the UPF network element receives the notification of the first event sent by the RAN device, including: the UPF network element receives the notification of the first event sent by the RAN device through the user plane part GTP-U tunnel of the General Packet Radio Service Tunneling Protocol.

[0138] (5) According to (1-4), the UPF network element sending the notification of the first event to the AF network element includes: the UPF network element sending the notification of the first event to the AF network element through the network open function NEF network element; or the UPF network element directly sending the notification of the first event to the AF network element.

[0139] (6) According to (1-5), it also includes: the UPF network element receives an N4 session modification request sent by the session management function SMF network element, which is used to instruct the UPF network element to forward the notification of the first event received from the RAN device to the NEF network element or the AF network element; the UPF network element sends an N4 session modification response to the SMF network element.

[0140] (7) According to (1-6), it also includes: the SMF network element receives a session management policy control update notification request sent by a policy control function PCF network element, which includes policy control rules for monitoring and reporting of the first event; the SMF network element sends configuration information for monitoring and reporting of the first event to the RAN device through the access and mobility management function AMF network element.

[0141] (8) According to (1-7), it also includes: the NEF network element receives the request sent by the AF network element for the first event of subscribing to the QoS flow; the NEF network element authorizes the request of the AF network element and sends a request for the first event of subscribing to the QoS flow to the PCF network element, so that the PCF network element generates a policy control rule for monitoring and reporting the first event.

[0142] (9) According to (1-8), the RAN device is: a source RAN device where a user equipment UE of the QoS flow is located or a target RAN device to which the RAN device is switched; wherein, when the RAN device is a target RAN device, the target RAN device receives a notification of the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow sent by the source RAN device, and decides whether to accept the QoS flow based on whether the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow supported by the target RAN device matches the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the notified QoS flow.

[0143] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present disclosure may take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Moreover, the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more non-transient computer-readable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer program code.

[0144] The present disclosure is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that each process and / or box in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the processes and / or boxes in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to generate a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowchart and / or block diagram. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0145] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A function specified in one or more boxes.

[0146] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for implementing the process in the computer or other programmable device. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps for the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0147] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure should be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining network status, comprising: The user plane function UPF network element receives a notification of a first event sent by a radio access network RAN ​​device, wherein the first event includes: an event that the bit rate of a quality of service QoS flow cannot be guaranteed or can be guaranteed again, or an event that the QoS parameter configuration cannot meet or can meet the QoS flow transmission requirement again; The UPF network element sends a notification of the first event to the application function AF network element. 2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the QoS parameter configuration comprises a first QoS parameter configuration and one or more alternative second QoS parameter configurations.

3. According to the method of claim 2, the event that the QoS parameter configuration cannot meet or can meet the QoS flow transmission requirement again includes one or more of the following: An event that the first QoS parameter configuration or any second QoS parameter configuration can meet the QoS flow transmission requirement again; An event in which the first QoS parameter configuration and all second QoS parameter configurations cannot satisfy the QoS flow transmission requirement; The second QoS parameter configuration with the lowest priority cannot satisfy the event of QoS flow transmission requirements.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the UPF network element receives a notification of a first event sent by a RAN device, comprising: The UPF network element receives the notification of the first event sent by the RAN device through the user plane part GTP-U tunnel of the General Packet Radio Service Tunneling Protocol.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the UPF network element sends a notification of the first event to the AF network element: The UPF network element sends a notification of the first event to the AF network element through the network open function NEF network element; or The UPF network element directly sends a notification of the first event to the AF network element.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: The UPF network element receives an N4 session modification request sent by a session management function SMF network element, which is used to instruct the UPF network element to forward the notification of the first event received from the RAN device to the NEF network element or the AF network element; The UPF network element sends an N4 session modification response to the SMF network element.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: The SMF network element receives a session management policy control update notification request sent by a policy control function PCF network element, which includes a policy control rule for monitoring and reporting the first event; The SMF network element sends the monitoring and reporting configuration information of the first event to the RAN device through the access and mobility management function AMF network element.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: The NEF network element receives a request from the AF network element for a first event of subscribing to a QoS flow; The NEF network element authorizes the request of the AF network element and sends a request for subscribing to the first event of the QoS flow to the PCF network element, so that the PCF network element generates a policy control rule for monitoring and reporting of the first event.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the RAN device is: a source RAN device where a user equipment UE of a QoS flow is located or a target RAN device to which the QoS flow is switched; wherein, When the RAN device is the target RAN device, the target RAN device receives the notification of the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow sent by the source RAN device, and decides whether to accept the QoS flow based on whether the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow supported by itself matches the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the notified QoS flow.

10. A device for obtaining a network status, comprising: Memory; as well as A processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the method for obtaining the network status according to any one of claims 1 to 9 based on instructions stored in the memory.

11. A device for obtaining a network status, comprising: A module for executing the method for obtaining network status according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. A system for obtaining network status, comprising: The UPF network element is configured to execute the method for obtaining the network status according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising: The SMF network element is configured to receive a session management policy control update notification request sent by a policy control function PCF network element, which includes policy control rules for monitoring and reporting of the first event; and send configuration information for monitoring and reporting of the first event to the RAN device through an access and mobility management function AMF network element.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising: The NEF network element is configured to receive a request from the AF network element for a first event of subscribing to a QoS flow; The request of the authorized AF network element is to send a request for subscribing to a first event of the QoS flow to the PCF network element, so that the PCF network element generates a policy control rule for monitoring and reporting of the first event.

15. The system according to any one of claims 12 to 14, further comprising: RAN equipment, including: a source RAN equipment where a user equipment UE of the QoS flow is located or a target RAN equipment to be switched; Among them, when the RAN device is the target RAN device, the target RAN device is configured to receive a notification of the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow sent by the source RAN device, and decide whether to accept the QoS flow based on whether the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the QoS flow supported by itself matches the bit rate or QoS parameter configuration of the notified QoS flow.

16. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein when the program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method for obtaining network status according to any one of claims 1 to 9 are implemented.

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