Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and device, relates to the field of wireless communication, and can dynamically maintain a mapping relationship between a group and group members thereof, simplify a process of joining a terminal into the group, and facilitate flexible joining of the terminal into the group. The method comprises the following steps: a first network element of a core network receives a request for allowing a terminal to access the core network, and stores an association relationship between an identifier of a first group and an identifier of the terminal under the condition of determining that the terminal is allowed to join the first group. Wherein the request for allowing the terminal to access the core network comprises the identifier of the first group.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In a communication system, a terminal can join one or more groups, and the network can determine policies based on the group granularity, such as diversion policies or traffic statistics policies, so that terminals in the same group can communicate using the same policy. When creating a group, the mapping relationship between the group and the group members is usually pre-set in the unified data management (UDM) network element and maintained by the UDM network element. When a terminal joins a group, the application function (AF) network element is required to trigger the UDM network element via the network exposure function (NEF) network element to modify the group member contract data maintained by the UDM network element. The process is relatively complicated and is not suitable for increasingly complex communication scenarios. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present application provides a communication method and device, which can dynamically maintain the mapping relationship between a group and its group members, simplify the process of a terminal joining a group, and improve the efficiency of a terminal joining a group.

[0004] In order to achieve the above purpose, the present application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first network element in a core network. The first network element here can refer to the first network element itself, or it can refer to a processor, a module, a logical node, a chip, or a chip system that implements the method in the first network element. Exemplarily, the first network element is an existing network element in the core network, such as a UDM network element, a unified data repository (UDR) or a policy control function (PCF) network element. Alternatively, the first network element is a newly added network element in the core network, such as a group data management function (GDMF) network element.

[0006] The method includes: receiving a first request for requesting to allow a terminal to access a core network, and saving an association between an identifier of the first group and an identifier of the terminal when it is determined that the terminal is allowed to join a first group. The first request includes the identifier of the first group.

[0007] Based on the method provided in the first aspect above, the first network element can dynamically maintain the mapping relationship between the first group and its group members based on the request to allow the terminal to access the core network, thereby simplifying the process of the terminal joining the group and facilitating the terminal to flexibly join the first group and access the core network using the identifier of the first group.

[0008] In one possible implementation, determining whether to allow the terminal to join the first group includes: sending an authentication request to a service node, the authentication request being used to request verification of whether the terminal is allowed to join the first group, the service node being used to provide services for the terminals in the first group; and receiving an authentication result from the service node, the authentication result being used to indicate that the terminal is allowed to join the first group.

[0009] Based on the possible implementation manner described above, the first network element may request the service node to authenticate the terminal to determine whether the terminal is allowed to access the first group.

[0010] In one possible implementation, before sending the authentication request to the service node, the method also includes: receiving a registration request from the service node, the registration request including address information of the service node; sending the authentication request to the service node includes: sending the authentication request to the service node according to the address information of the service node.

[0011] Based on the above possible implementations, the first network element may register the service node information so as to subsequently address the service node according to the registered information. For example, when receiving a request to allow the terminal to access the core network, the service node may be requested to verify the terminal according to the registered information.

[0012] In a possible implementation manner, the registration request further includes authentication indication information, where the authentication indication information is used to instruct to authenticate the terminal requesting to join the first group.

[0013] Based on the possible implementation manner described above, the first network element may request the service node to authenticate the terminal that requests to join the first group according to the instruction of the service node.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a second request for requesting to remove the terminal from the first group, and deleting the association between the identifier of the first group and the identifier of the terminal. The second request includes the identifier of the terminal and the identifier of the first group.

[0015] Based on the possible implementation manner, the first network element may delete the association between the identifier of the first group and the identifier of the terminal based on the second request to remove the terminal from the first group, so as to dynamically maintain the mapping relationship between the first group and its group members.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending first indication information to a policy function network element, where the first indication information is used to indicate updating of a policy for the terminal to access the core network, or to indicate that the terminal has been removed from the first group.

[0017] Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first network element can instruct the policy function network element to update the terminal access core network policy, or indicate that the terminal has been removed from the first group, so that the policy function network element re-determines the terminal access core network policy.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the method also includes: receiving a policy update request from a service node, the policy update request being used to request an update of the policy information of the first group, the service node being used to provide services for terminals in the first group, the policy information of the first group being used to indicate a policy for the terminals in the first group to access the core network; and sending the updated policy information of the first group to a policy function network element.

[0019] Based on the possible implementation manner described above, the first network element may update the policy information of the first group based on the request of the service node.

[0020] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: receiving a third request from a policy function network element, where the third request is used to request to obtain policy information of the first group; and sending the policy information of the first group to the policy function network element.

[0021] Based on the above possible implementation manner, the first network element may send the policy information of the first group to the policy function network element based on the request of the policy function network element.

[0022] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: receiving a fourth request, where the fourth request is used to request association of the identifier of the terminal with the identifier of the first group.

[0023] Based on the foregoing possible implementation manner, the first network element may associate the identifier of the terminal with the identifier of the first group based on the fourth request.

[0024] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending a response message to the first request, where the response message is used to indicate that the terminal is allowed to join the first group.

[0025] Based on the possible implementation manner described above, the first network element may indicate to the network element (such as the third network element) that receives the response message that the terminal is allowed to join the first group.

[0026] In a possible implementation manner, the response message to the first request includes the temporary identifier of the terminal.

[0027] Based on the possible implementation manner described above, the first network element may send the temporary identifier of the terminal through the response message.

[0028] In a possible implementation, before sending the response message to the first request, the method further includes: allocating the temporary identifier to the terminal; or receiving the temporary identifier from a service node, where the service node is used to provide services for the terminals in the first group.

[0029] Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first network element can allocate a temporary identifier for the terminal or obtain the temporary identifier of the terminal from the service node to associate the temporary identifier of the terminal with the identifier of the first group, so that the terminal can access the core network using the identifier of the first group.

[0030] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending an identifier of the first group allocated to the first group to a service node, where the service node is used to provide services for terminals in the first group.

[0031] Based on the above possible implementation manner, the first network element may allocate an identifier for the first group and send it to the service node, so that the service node may subsequently send group granularity information to the first network element based on the identifier.

[0032] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a second network element in a core network. The second network element here can refer to the second network element itself, or a processor, a module, a logical node, a chip, or a chip system that implements the method in the second network element. Exemplarily, the second network element is a control plane (CP) network element, such as a PCF network element or a GDMF network element. The second network element can also be called a policy function network element.

[0033] The method includes: receiving a policy request, the policy request is used to request a policy for a terminal to access the core network, the policy request includes an identifier of a first group; determining policy information of the first group according to the identifier of the first group, the policy information of the first group is used to indicate a policy for terminals in the first group to access the core network; sending first policy information according to the policy information of the first group and information of the terminal, the first policy information is used to indicate a policy for the terminal to access the core network, the information of the terminal includes subscription information of the terminal or access information of the terminal.

[0034] Based on the method provided in the second aspect above, the second network element can determine a strategy for the terminal to access the core network in combination with the information of the terminal, such as the subscription information of the terminal or the access information of the terminal. The strategy is a group-granular strategy. In other words, the strategy is a strategy adopted when the terminal uses the identifier of the first group to access the core network. Therefore, based on the method of the second aspect, the second network element can determine a group strategy suitable for each terminal in the first group. It should be understood that in the first group, the group strategies corresponding to different terminals may be the same or different.

[0035] In a possible implementation manner, the policy request further includes an identifier of the terminal, and the method further includes: determining the information of the terminal according to the identifier of the terminal.

[0036] Based on the above possible implementation manner, the second network element may determine the information of the terminal according to the identifier of the terminal included in the policy request, so as to determine a policy for the terminal to access the core network in combination with the terminal information.

[0037] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending a third request, where the third request is used to request to obtain policy information of the first group.

[0038] Based on the above possible implementation manner, the second network element may request the policy information of the first group from other network elements, such as the first network element, so as to determine the core network access policy for the terminal according to the policy information of the first group.

[0039] In a possible implementation manner, sending the third request includes: sending the third request when the policy information of the first group is not stored.

[0040] Based on the possible implementation manner described above, the second network element may request the policy information of the first group from other network elements without storing the policy information of the first group, so as to avoid unnecessary signaling overhead.

[0041] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending a fourth request, where the fourth request is used to request association of the identifier of the terminal with the identifier of the first group.

[0042] Based on the above possible implementation manner, the second network element may also request other network elements, such as the first network element, to associate the terminal identifier with the identifier of the first group so that the terminal accesses the core network using the identifier of the first group.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the method also includes: receiving first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate an update of a policy for the terminal to access the core network, or being used to indicate that the terminal has been removed from the first group; and sending second policy information based on information of the terminal, the second policy information being used to indicate a policy for the terminal to access the core network.

[0044] Based on the possible implementation manner described above, the second network element may re-determine a core network access strategy for the terminal after the terminal is removed from the first group.

[0045] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal. The terminal here can refer to the terminal itself, or a processor, module, logical node, chip, or chip system that implements the method in the terminal.

[0046] The method includes: obtaining an identifier of a first group; sending a request for accessing the core network to a third network element in the core network, the request for accessing the core network is used to request that the terminal be allowed to access the core network, and the request for accessing the core network includes the identifier of the first group; receiving a response message from the third network element, the response message is used to indicate whether the terminal is allowed to join the first group.

[0047] Based on the method provided in the third aspect above, after acquiring the identifier of the first group, the terminal may send a request for accessing the core network to the third network element, so as to request to access the core network using the identifier of the first group.

[0048] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending a second request to the third network element, where the second request is used to request to move the terminal out of the first group, and the second request includes an identifier of the terminal and an identifier of the first group.

[0049] Based on the possible implementation manner described above, the terminal may send a second request to the third network element to request to exit the first group.

[0050] In a possible implementation, the response message includes the temporary identifier of the terminal.

[0051] Based on the above possible implementation, the terminal can receive the temporary identifier assigned by the core network to itself through the response message, so as to use the temporary identifier to communicate with the network element in the core network. In this way, even if the terminal is not registered in the operator network, the identifier of the first group can be used to access the core network.

[0052] In a possible implementation, obtaining the identifier of the first group includes: receiving first information from a service node, where the first information is used to determine the identifier of the first group, and the service node is used to provide services for terminals in the first group.

[0053] Based on the possible implementation manner described above, the terminal may obtain the identifier of the first group from the service node, and then request the third network element to access the core network using the identifier of the first group.

[0054] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a third network element in a core network. The third network element here can refer to the third network element itself, or a processor, module, logical node, chip, or chip system that implements the method in the third network element. Exemplarily, the third network element is a CP network element, such as an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element or a session management function (SMF) network element.

[0055] The method includes: when it is determined that the core network allows the terminal to join the first group, sending a policy request, the policy request is used to request the policy for the terminal to access the core network, and the policy request includes an identifier of the first group; receiving first policy information, the first policy information is determined based on the policy information of the first group and the information of the terminal, the policy information of the first group is used to indicate the policy for the terminals in the first group to access the core network, and the information of the terminal includes the subscription information of the terminal or the access information of the terminal; and executing the first policy information.

[0056] Based on the method provided in the fourth aspect above, the third network element can, when determining that the core network allows the terminal to join the first group, request the network element that receives the policy request, such as the second network element, to determine a policy for the terminal to access the core network so that the terminal can access the core network using the policy.

[0057] In one possible implementation, the method also includes: receiving a request from a terminal to access a core network, the request to access the core network being used to request that the terminal be allowed to access the core network, the request to access the core network including an identifier of the first group; and sending a first request to a first network element of the core network according to the request to access the core network, the first request being used to request that the terminal be allowed to access the core network, the first request including an identifier of the first group.

[0058] Based on the above possible implementation manner, the third network element may send a first request to the first network element based on the request of the terminal to request that the terminal be allowed to access the core network.

[0059] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: receiving a response message to the first request from the first network element, where the response message to the first request is used to indicate that the terminal is allowed to join the first group.

[0060] Based on the possible implementation manner described above, the third network element may receive the response message to determine that the core network allows the terminal to join the first group.

[0061] In a possible implementation manner, the response message to the first request includes the temporary identifier of the terminal.

[0062] Based on the above possible implementation methods, the third network element can receive the temporary identifier of the terminal through the response message, so that it can send the temporary identifier of the terminal to the terminal, so that the terminal can communicate with the core network based on the temporary identifier, or so that it can associate the temporary identifier of the terminal with the identifier of the first group, so as to facilitate its subsequent query of the group to which the terminal is located.

[0063] In a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a service node, and the service node can provide services for terminals in the first group. The service node here can refer to the service node itself, or a processor, module, logic node, chip, or chip system that implements the method in the service node.

[0064] The method includes: receiving an authentication request from a first network element of a core network, the authentication request being used to request verification of whether a terminal is allowed to join the first group, the authentication request including an identifier of the first group and an identifier of the terminal; authenticating the terminal according to the authentication request; and sending an authentication result, the authentication result being used to indicate whether the terminal is allowed to join the first group.

[0065] Based on the method provided in the fifth aspect above, the service node may authenticate the terminal based on the request of the first network element to determine whether to allow the terminal to join the first group.

[0066] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending a registration request to the first network element, where the registration request includes address information of the service node.

[0067] Based on the possible implementation manner described above, the service node may register its own information in the first network element, so that the first network element may subsequently communicate with the service node based on the information.

[0068] In a possible implementation manner, the registration request further includes authentication indication information, where the authentication indication information is used to instruct to authenticate the terminal requesting to join the first group.

[0069] Based on the possible implementation manner described above, the service node may indicate to the first network element through a registration request that the terminal requesting to join the first group needs to be authenticated.

[0070] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending a policy update request to the first network element, the policy update request being used to request an update of policy information of the first group, the policy information of the first group being used to indicate a policy for terminals in the first group to access the core network, the policy update request including an identifier of the first group.

[0071] Based on the possible implementation manner described above, the service node may request the first network element to update the policy information of the first group.

[0072] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: receiving an identifier of the first group allocated by the first network element to the first group.

[0073] Based on the possible implementation manner described above, the service node may obtain the identifier of the first group from the first network element, so as to subsequently transmit group granularity information to the first network element based on the identifier of the first group.

[0074] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the above method. The communication device may be the first network element in the above first aspect; or, the communication device may be the second network element in the above second aspect; or, the communication device may be the terminal in the above third aspect; or, the communication device may be the third network element in the above fourth aspect; or, the communication device may be the service node in the above fifth aspect. The communication device includes a module, unit, or means corresponding to the above method, and the module, unit, or means may be implemented by hardware, software, or by executing the corresponding software implementation by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions.

[0075] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in a possible implementation, the communication device may include a processing module and an interface module. The processing module may be used to implement the processing functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The processing module may be, for example, a processor. The interface module, which may also be referred to as an interface unit, is used to implement the sending and / or receiving functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The interface module may be composed of an interface circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver or a communication interface.

[0076] In combination with the sixth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the interface module includes a sending module and a receiving module, which are respectively used to implement the sending and receiving functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof.

[0077] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor; the processor is used to be coupled to a memory, and after reading an instruction in the memory, execute the method as described in any of the above aspects according to the instruction. The communication device may be the first network element in the above first aspect; or the communication device may be the second network element in the above second aspect; or the communication device may be the terminal in the above third aspect; or the communication device may be the third network element in the above fourth aspect; or the communication device may be the service node in the above fifth aspect.

[0078] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory, the memory being used to store program instructions and data. Optionally, the memory is integrated with the processor; or, the memory is independent of the processor.

[0079] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in a possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. Optionally, when the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0080] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and an interface circuit; the interface circuit is used to receive a computer program or instruction and transmit it to the processor; the processor is used to execute the computer program or instruction so that the communication device performs the method as described in any of the above aspects. The communication device can be the first network element in the above first aspect; or the communication device can be the second network element in the above second aspect; or the communication device can be the terminal in the above third aspect; or the communication device can be the third network element in the above fourth aspect; or the communication device can be the service node in the above fifth aspect.

[0081] In conjunction with the eighth aspect, in a possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. Optionally, when the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0082] In a ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer-readable storage medium is run on a computer, the computer can execute the method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0083] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0084] In an eleventh aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes a first network element for executing the method described in the first aspect and a third network element for executing the method described in the fourth aspect.

[0085] In combination with the above-mentioned eleventh aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the communication system also includes at least one of the following: a second network element for executing the method described in the above-mentioned second aspect, or a service node for executing the method described in the above-mentioned fifth aspect.

[0086] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any possible implementation method in the sixth to eleventh aspects can refer to the technical effects brought about by any aspect in the first to fifth aspects or different possible implementation methods in any aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0087] It can be understood that, under the premise that the solutions are not contradictory, the solutions in each aspect can be combined. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0088] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the traffic scenario provided for this application;

[0089] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the communication system architecture provided for this application;

[0090] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the architecture of the fifth generation (5G) network provided for this application;

[0091] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the communication device provided in this application;

[0092] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the communication method provided in this application Figure 1 ;

[0093] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the communication method provided in this application Figure 2 ;

[0094] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the communication method provided in this application Figure 3 ;

[0095] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0096] In the core network, groups are usually maintained by UDM network elements. For example, first, when creating a group, the mapping relationship between the group and the group members needs to be pre-set in the UDM network element and maintained by the UDM network element. Secondly, when a terminal joins the group, the AF network element needs to trigger the UDM network element via the NEF network element to modify the group member contract data maintained by the UDM network element. The above method of maintaining groups by UDM network elements is relatively complicated and is not suitable for increasingly complex communication scenarios.

[0097] For example, since the above method needs to clarify the affiliation between the group and the group members when creating the group, it is not applicable to the scenario where the group members are uncertain. Taking the scenario of watching a performance or event on site (hereinafter referred to as the event scenario) as an example, since the ticket purchaser and the person watching the performance or event on site may be different, the group members cannot be determined, and the UDM network element cannot maintain the group through the above method.

[0098] For another example, since the above method requires the AF network element to trigger the UDM network element via the NEF network element to modify the group member subscription data when the terminal joins the group, the process is relatively complicated and will result in a long delay (usually reaching seconds), so it is not suitable for scenarios where group members change dynamically. Figure 1 For example, in order to improve communication security, the network can collect Figure 1 The location, speed and direction of the traffic participants at the intersection are used to perform collision analysis and judgment, and push collision warning information to the above traffic participants as needed. However, at different times, Figure 1 The traffic participants at the intersections shown are all different. Therefore, if a traffic participant joins a group using the above method, it will result in that the traffic participant joins the group in a delayed manner, which will result in inaccurate information collected by the network, or the collision warning information will not be pushed to the traffic participant in need in a timely manner.

[0099] In order to solve the above problems, the present application provides a communication method. In this method, the first network element of the core network can receive a request to allow a terminal to access the core network, and save the association relationship between the identifier of the first group and the identifier of the terminal when it is determined that the terminal is allowed to join the first group. In the above process, the first network element does not need to pre-set the mapping relationship between the first group and its group members, nor does it require the AF network element to trigger the UDM network element via the NEF network element to modify the group member contract data, but based on the request to allow the terminal to access the core network, save the association relationship between the identifier of the first group and the identifier of the terminal. Therefore, the method can dynamically maintain the mapping relationship between the first group and its group members, simplify the process of the terminal joining the group, and facilitate the terminal to flexibly join the first group and access the core network using the identifier of the first group. Therefore, for the event scene, the network does not need to pre-store the mapping relationship between the group and the group members, but dynamically maintains the group based on the request. For traffic scenes, traffic participants can quickly and flexibly join the group to support group-granular data collection and collision warning information push in traffic scenes.

[0100] The implementation methods of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0101] The method provided in the present application can be used in various communication systems. For example, the communication system can be a long-term evolution (LTE) system, a 5G communication system, a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, a communication system related to the third generation partnership project (3GPP), a future evolution communication system (such as: the sixth generation (6th generation, 6G) communication system, etc.), or a system integrating multiple systems, etc., without limitation. Among them, 5G can also be called new radio (NR). The following is Figure 2 Taking the communication system 20 as an example, the method provided in the present application is described. Figure 2 It is only a schematic diagram and does not constitute a limitation on the applicable scenarios of the technical solution provided in this application.

[0102] like Figure 2 , which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 20 provided in this application. Figure 2 In the invention, the communication system 20 may include a network element 201 (corresponding to the first network element in the invention), a network element 202 (corresponding to the third network element in the invention) and a terminal 203 (corresponding to the terminal in the invention). Optionally, the communication system 20 also includes at least one of the following: a network element 204 (corresponding to the second network element in the invention) or a service node 205 (corresponding to the service node in the invention).

[0103] In the present application, the network element 201 may allow a terminal, such as the terminal 203, to initiate a process of accessing the core network. For example, the terminal 203 may obtain the identifier of the first group and send a request to the network element 202 to access the core network. The request to access the core network is used to request permission for the terminal to access the core network, and the request includes the identifier of the first group. After the network element 202 receives the request to access the core network from the terminal, it sends a first request to the network element 201 according to the request. The first request is used to request permission for the terminal to access the core network, and the first request includes the identifier of the first group. After the network element 201 receives the first request from the network element 202, when it is determined that the terminal is allowed to join the first group, the association relationship between the identifier of the first group and the identifier of the terminal is saved. In this way, the terminal 203 can be added to the first group, and subsequently, the terminal 203 can access the core network using the identifier of the first group.

[0104] Optionally, network element 202 may send a policy request to network element 204. The policy request is used to request a policy for terminal 203 to access the core network. The policy request includes an identifier of the first group. After receiving the policy request, network element 204 may determine the policy information of the first group according to the identifier of the first group, and send first policy information to network element 202 according to the policy information of the first group and the information of terminal 203. The policy information of the first group is used to indicate the policy for terminals in the first group to access the core network, and the information of terminal 203 includes the subscription information of terminal 203 or the access information of terminal 203. The first policy information is used to indicate the policy for terminal 203 to access the core network. After receiving the first policy information, network element 202 executes the first policy information. In this way, terminal 203 can access the core network using the policy indicated by the first policy information.

[0105] Optionally, the network element 201 may send an authentication request to the service node 205. The authentication request may be used to request verification of whether the terminal 203 is allowed to join the first group, and the authentication request includes an identifier of the first group and an identifier of the terminal. After receiving the authentication request, the service node 205 may authenticate the terminal 203 according to the authentication request, and send the authentication result to the network element 201. The authentication result is used to indicate whether the terminal 203 is allowed to join the first group. In this way, the terminal 203 may be authenticated to determine whether the terminal 203 can join the first group.

[0106] Optionally, the network element 202 may also be responsible for counting and supervising the resources of the operator network used by users to access the subnet, such as network traffic, duration, etc. Wherein, the subnet is a network built in a certain area, such as a network built in a subnet location such as an enterprise, campus or stadium.

[0107] Optionally, the service node 205 may also be responsible for charging the members in the group.

[0108] In the present application, network element 201, network element 202 or network element 204 is a core network element. At least two of the three network elements may be the same core network element or the three network elements may be different core network elements, without limitation.

[0109] Exemplarily, network element 201 is an existing network element in the core network, such as a UDM network element, a UDR or a PCF network element. Alternatively, network element 201 is a newly added network element in the core network, such as a GDMF network element. It should be understood that the GDMF network element is only an example of the name of the network element 201. In specific applications, network element 201 can also be named in other ways, such as a group management function network element or a group function network element, without limitation. Network element 202 can be a CP network element, such as an AMF network element or an SMF network element. Network element 204 can also be a CP network element, such as a PCF network element or a GDMF network element.

[0110] In the present application, the service node 205 is used to provide services for the terminals in the first group. Exemplarily, the service node 205 is a node in the subnet, a node on top of a third-party operator (over the top, OTT) or a service node of an operator. Among them, the nodes in the subnet can provide subnet services for subnet users (such as visitors, members or employees of subnet places, etc.), such as extended reality (extended reality, XR) games, augmented reality (augmented reality, AR) navigation or immersive conferences. The nodes in the subnet can be deployed by subnet tenants, or deployed by subnet operators, or deployed across subnet operators. Among them, the subnet tenant is the owner of the subnet. The subnet operator can deploy subnets for subnet tenants. Cross-subnet operators can deploy subnets for multiple subnet tenants. As an example, the service node 205 is an application function (application function, AF) network element, an authentication, authorization, and accounting (authentication, authorization, and accounting, AAA) network element, or a network element with AF and AAA functions. Therefore, the service node 205 can be replaced by an AF / AAA network element.

[0111] In the present application, the terminal 203 is a device with wireless transceiver function. The terminal can be deployed on land, including indoors, outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water surface (such as ships, etc.); it can also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.). The terminal can also be called a terminal device, and the terminal device can be a user equipment (UE), a mobile station (MS), a mobile terminal (MT), etc., or a device for providing voice or data connectivity to users. Among them, UE includes handheld devices with wireless communication functions, vehicle-mounted devices (for example, cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed railways, etc.), wearable devices (such as smart watches, smart bracelets, pedometers, etc.) or computing devices. Exemplarily, UE can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a PDA, a mobile internet device (MID), a satellite terminal or a computer with wireless transceiver function. UE may also be a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless modem, a smart point of sale (POS) machine, a customer-premises equipment (CPE), an intelligent robot, a robotic arm, workshop equipment, smart home equipment (e.g., refrigerator, TV, air conditioner, electric meter, etc.), a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in unmanned driving, a wireless terminal in telemedicine, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, a vehicle-mounted terminal, a roadside unit (RSU) with a terminal function, or a flying device (e.g., an intelligent robot, a hot air balloon, a drone, an airplane), etc. The terminal may also be other devices with terminal functions, for example, the terminal may also be a device that functions as a terminal in device-to-device (D2D) communication.

[0112] As an example but not limitation, in the present application, the terminal may be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be referred to as wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. For example, a wearable device is not just a hardware device, but also a device that realizes powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include devices that are fully functional, large in size, and can realize complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as devices that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various types of smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0113] In the present application, the terminal may be a terminal in the Internet of Things (IoT) system. IoT is an important part of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection. The terminal in the present application may be a terminal in machine type communication (MTC). The terminal of the present application may be a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted component, a vehicle-mounted chip or a vehicle-mounted unit built into a vehicle as one or more components or units. The vehicle may implement the method of the present application through the built-in vehicle-mounted module, vehicle-mounted module, vehicle-mounted component, vehicle-mounted chip or vehicle-mounted unit. The terminal of the present application may be a vehicle, such as a car. Therefore, the present application may be applied to Internet of Vehicles, such as vehicle to everything (V2X), long term evolution vehicle (LTE-V), vehicle to vehicle (V2V), etc.

[0114] Optionally, the above-mentioned communication system 20 can be applicable to the 5G network currently being discussed, and can also be applicable to other future networks, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0115] Exemplarily, the communication system 20 is suitable for Figure 3The 5G network shown. The 5G network includes a network slice selection function (NSSF) network element, a NEF network element, a network repository function (NRF) network element, a PCF network element, a UDM network element, a UDR network element, an AF network element, an authentication server function (AUSF) network element, an AMF network element, an SMF network element, a user plane function (UPF) network element, a radio access network (RAN) node, a terminal and a data network (DN). Optionally, the 5G network also includes a GDMF network element.

[0116] exist Figure 3 In the 5G network, the terminal accesses the RAN node, and the terminal communicates with the AMF network element through the N1 interface (N1 for short); the RAN node communicates with the AMF network element through the N2 interface (N2 for short), and communicates with the UPF network element through the N3 interface (N3 for short); the SMF network element communicates with the UPF network element through the N4 interface (N4 for short), and the UPF network element accesses the DN through the N6 interface (N6 for short). In addition, Figure 3 The network elements shown in the figure, such as AUSF network element, AMF network element, SMF network element, GDMF network element, NSSF network element, NEF network element, NRF network element, PCF network element, UDM network element, UDR network element or AF network element, can interact with each other using service-oriented interfaces. For example, the service-oriented interface provided by the AUSF network element is Nausf; the service-oriented interface provided by the AMF network element is Namf; the service-oriented interface provided by the SMF network element is Nsmf; the service-oriented interface provided by the GDMF network element is Ngdmf; the service-oriented interface provided by the NSSF network element is Nnssf; the service-oriented interface provided by the NEF network element is Nnef; the service-oriented interface provided by the NRF network element is Nnrf; the service-oriented interface provided by the PCF network element is Npcf; the service-oriented interface provided by the UDM network element is Nudm; the service-oriented interface provided by the UDR network element is Nudr; and the service-oriented interface provided by the AF network element is Naf.

[0117] It can be understood that the device or entity corresponding to the network element 201 in the communication system 20 is Figure 3 The network element or entity corresponding to the network element 202 in the communication system 20 is Figure 3The AMF network element or SMF network element in the 5G network shown. The device or entity corresponding to the terminal 203 in the communication system 20 is Figure 3 The device or entity corresponding to the network element 204 in the communication system 20 is Figure 3 The PCF network element or GDMF network element in the 5G network shown. The device or entity corresponding to the service node 205 in the communication system 20 is Figure 3 AF in a 5G network is shown.

[0118] Understandably, Figure 2 The communication system 20 shown is only used as an example and is not used to limit the technical solution of the present application. Those skilled in the art should understand that in the specific implementation process, the communication system 20 may also include other network elements, and the number of each network element and terminal may also be determined according to specific needs without limitation.

[0119] Optional, this application Figure 2 Each network element or device (such as network element 201, network element 202, terminal 203, network element 204 or service node 205, etc.) in the communication device can also be referred to as a communication device, which can be a general device or a dedicated device, and this application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0120] Optional, this application Figure 2 The related functions of each network element or device (such as network element 201, network element 202, terminal 203, network element 204 or service node 205, etc.) in the network can be implemented by one device, or by multiple devices together, or by one or more functional modules in one device, and this application does not make specific restrictions on this. It can be understood that the above functions can be network elements in hardware devices, or software functions running on dedicated hardware, or a combination of hardware and software, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform).

[0121] In specific implementation, this application Figure 2 Each network element or device in (such as network element 201, network element 202, terminal 203, network element 204 or service node 205, etc.) can adopt Figure 4 The structure shown, or including Figure 4 Parts shown. Figure 4 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a communication device applicable to the present application. The communication device 40 includes at least one processor 401 and at least one communication interface 404, which are used to implement the method provided by the present application. The communication device 40 may also include a communication line 402 and a memory 403.

[0122] The processor 401 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the present application.

[0123] The communication link 402 may include a path to transmit information between the above-mentioned components, such as a bus.

[0124] The communication interface 404 is used to communicate with other devices or communication networks. The communication interface 404 can be any transceiver-like device, such as an Ethernet interface, a radio access network (RAN) interface, a wireless local area network (WLAN) interface, a transceiver, a pin, a bus, an interface circuit, or a transceiver circuit.

[0125] The memory 403 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory may be independent and coupled to the processor 401 via a communication line 402. The memory 403 may also be integrated with the processor 401. The memory provided in the present application may generally be non-volatile.

[0126] Among them, the memory 403 is used to store the computer execution instructions involved in executing the solution provided by this application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 401. The processor 401 is used to execute the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 403, so as to implement the method provided by this application. Alternatively, optionally, in this application, the processor 401 may also perform the processing-related functions in the method provided below in this application, and the communication interface 404 is responsible for communicating with other devices or communication networks, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0127] Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in the present application may also be referred to as application code, which is not specifically limited in the present application.

[0128] The coupling in this application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms, and is used for information exchange between devices, units or modules.

[0129] As an embodiment, the processor 401 may include one or more CPUs, such as Figure 4 CPU0 and CPU1 in.

[0130] As an embodiment, the communication device 40 may include multiple processors, such as Figure 4 401 and processor 407 in the embodiment of the present invention. Each of these processors may be a single-CPU processor or a multi-CPU processor. The processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0131] As an embodiment, the communication device 40 may further include an output device 405 and / or an input device 406. The output device 405 is coupled to the processor 401 and can display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 405 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. The input device 406 is coupled to the processor 401 and can receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device 406 may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensor device.

[0132] Understandably, Figure 4 The structure shown in the figure does not constitute a limitation on the communication device, except Figure 4 In addition to the components shown, the communication device may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0133] The method provided by the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Each network element or device in the following embodiments may have Figure 4 The parts shown are not described in detail.

[0134] It can be understood that the message names between the network elements or the names of the parameters in the messages in the following embodiments of the present application are merely examples, and other names may be used in specific implementations, and the present application does not impose any specific limitation on this.

[0135] It is understandable that in the present application, " / " can indicate that the objects associated with each other are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can indicate A or B; "and / or" can be used to describe that there are three relationships between the associated objects, for example, A and / or B can indicate: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, expressions similar to "at least one of A, B and C" or "at least one of A, B or C" are usually used to indicate any of the following: A exists alone; B exists alone; C exists alone; A and B exist at the same time; A and C exist at the same time; B and C exist at the same time; A, B and C exist at the same time. The above uses A, B and C as an example to illustrate the optional items of the item. When there are more elements in the expression, the meaning of the expression can be obtained according to the above rules.

[0136] In order to facilitate the description of the technical solution of the present application, in the present application, words such as "first" and "second" may be used to distinguish between technical features with the same or similar functions. The words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and the words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit them to be different. In the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations, and any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. The use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete way for easy understanding.

[0137] It is understood that the "embodiment" mentioned throughout the specification means that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments in the entire specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It is understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence number of each process does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the present application.

[0138] It can be understood that in the present application, "when...", "in the case of...", "if" and "if" all mean that corresponding processing will be taken under certain objective circumstances, but do not limit the time, nor do they require any judgment action when implementing them, nor do they mean the existence of other limitations.

[0139] It is understandable that some optional features in this application may be implemented independently in some scenarios without relying on other features, such as the solution on which it is currently based, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects. They may also be combined with other features according to needs in some scenarios. Accordingly, the device provided in this application may also realize these features or functions accordingly, which will not be elaborated here.

[0140] It can be understood that the same step or steps or technical features with the same functions in different embodiments of the present application can be referenced to each other.

[0141] Below Figure 2 The communication system 20 shown is used as an example to introduce the communication method provided by the present application.

[0142] It is understandable that in the present application, network element 201, network element 202, terminal 203, network element 204 or service node 205 can perform some or all of the steps in the present application, and these steps are only examples. The present application can also perform other steps or variations of various steps. In addition, the various steps can be performed in different orders presented in the present application, and it is possible that not all of the steps in the present application need to be performed.

[0143] It can be understood that the method provided below in the present application is to illustrate the method by taking network element 201, network element 202, terminal 203, network element 204 and service node 205 as the execution subject of the interaction diagram, but the present application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction diagram. For example, the network element (such as network element 201, network element 202 or network element 204) in the method provided in the following embodiment of the present application may also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network element to implement the method, or a logical node, logic module or software that can implement all or part of the network element function; the terminal 203 in the method provided below in the present application may also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal 203 to implement the method, or a logical node, logic module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal 203 function; the service node 203 in the method provided below in the present application may also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the service node 203 to implement the method, or a logical node, logic module or software that can implement all or part of the service node 203 function.

[0144] like Figure 5As shown, a communication method provided by the present application may include the following steps:

[0145] S501: The terminal 203 obtains an identifier of a first group.

[0146] In a possible implementation, the terminal 203 obtains the identifier of the first group from the service node 205 through the application layer. The service node 205 is used to provide services for the terminals in the first group. The identifier of the first group is used to indicate the first group.

[0147] As an example, the service node 205 sends the first information to the terminal 203, and the first information can be used to determine the identifier of the first group. After receiving the first information, the terminal 203 can determine the identifier of the first group according to the first information. The first information includes the identifier of the first group. For example, the first information includes coding information, and the terminal 203 obtains the identifier of the first group according to the coding indicated by the coding information. The coding indicated by the coding information is a character coding, or a QR code, or a barcode, etc. The characters may include symbols such as numbers and letters. Taking the traffic scenario as an example, the service node 205 can broadcast the first information, and after the terminal 203 enters the coverage area of ​​the service node 205, it can receive the first information and obtain the identifier of the first group according to the first information.

[0148] In another possible implementation, the terminal 203 obtains the identification of the first group through a sensing function (such as a camera function or a recognition function). Taking a sports event as an example, the terminal 203 scans the QR code on the paper ticket or the electronic ticket through the camera function to obtain the identification of the first group.

[0149] S502: The terminal 203 sends a request for accessing the core network to the network element 202. Accordingly, the network element 202 receives the request for accessing the core network from the terminal 203.

[0150] In the present application, the request for accessing the core network may be used to request that the terminal 203 be allowed to access the core network, or to request that the terminal 203 be allowed to access the core network using the identifier of the first group.

[0151] In one possible design, the request for accessing the core network includes an identifier of the first group. Optionally, the request for accessing the core network also includes an identifier of the terminal 203. For example, the terminal 203 has been registered in the operator network (such as a subscriber identity module (SIM) card is installed in the terminal 203), and the request for accessing the core network includes the identifier of the terminal 203. For another example, the terminal 203 has not yet been registered in the operator network (such as a SIM card is not installed in the terminal 203), and the request for accessing the core network does not include the identifier of the terminal 203.

[0152] Exemplarily, the identifier of terminal 203 is a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI), a generic public subscription identifier (GPSI), a global unique temporary identity (GUTI), or a subscription concealed identifier (SUCI). It should be understood that the above identifiers are only examples of the identifiers of terminal 203. In specific applications, the identifier of terminal 203 may also be other identifiers, such as an identifier assigned to terminal 203 by a future network (such as a 6G network), without limitation.

[0153] In one possible design, the request for accessing the core network is carried in a registration request message of terminal 203, a session (such as a protocol data unit (PDU) session) establishment request message, or a session (such as a PDU session) modification request message.

[0154] S503: The network element 202 sends a first request to the network element 201 according to the request for accessing the core network. Correspondingly, the network element 201 receives the first request from the network element 202.

[0155] In the present application, the first request may be used to request that the terminal 203 be allowed to access the core network, or to request that the terminal 203 be allowed to access the core network using the identifier of the first group. The content included in the first request is related to the content included in the request to access the core network. For example, the content included in the first request is the same as the content included in the request to access the core network. For another example, the first request is obtained by processing the request to access the core network, such as repackaging, deleting information, adding information, or modifying information.

[0156] In a possible design, the first request includes an identifier of the first group. Optionally, the first request also includes an identifier of the terminal 203.

[0157] It can be understood that if the identifier of the terminal 203 included in the request to access the core network is GUTI or SUCI, after the network element 202 receives the request to access the core network, it can map the GUTI or SUCI to an identifier recognizable by the core network such as SUPI, and send a first request, where the first request includes the identifier of the first group and the SUPI. Optionally, if the network element 202 stores the GPSI corresponding to the SUPI, the first request may also include the GPSI.

[0158] In a possible implementation, after receiving the request to access the core network, the network element 202 determines the network element 201 according to at least one of the identifier of the first group or the location information of the terminal 203, and sends the first request to the network element 201. The location information of the terminal 203 is used to indicate the location of the terminal 203, such as the cell where the terminal 203 is located or the tracking area where the terminal 203 is located, and can be obtained by the network element 202 from the access network node to which the terminal 203 accesses.

[0159] Exemplarily, the network element 202 sends a signal to the NRF network element (eg Figure 3 The NRF network element in the network element 201 sends at least one of the identifier of the first group or the location information of the terminal 203. After receiving the above information, the NRF network element queries the information of the network element 201 according to the information, and sends the information of the network element 201 to the network element 202. After receiving the information of the network element 201, the network element 202 can determine the network element 201 according to the information, and send a first request to the network element 201. Among them, the information of the network element 201 may include the address information of the network element 201. Optionally, the information of the network element 201 also includes the service information of the network element 201. The address information of the network element 201 may include at least one of the following: the Internet protocol (Internet protocol, IP) address of the network element 201, the fully qualified domain name (fullyqualified domain name, FQDN) of the network element 201, or the host name (host name) of the network element 201. The service information of the network element 201 is used to indicate the network function (NF) services (NF services) provided by the network element 201 or the NF capabilities provided by the network element 201, etc.

[0160] S504 : When it is determined that the terminal 203 is allowed to join the first group, the network element 201 saves the association relationship between the identifier of the first group and the identifier of the terminal 203 .

[0161] In the present application, "allowing the terminal 203 to join the first group" can be replaced by "allowing the terminal 203 to access the core network using the identifier of the first group". Allowing the terminal 203 to access the core network using the identifier of the first group can be understood as allowing the terminal 203 to access the first group, or the terminal 203 is authorized to access the first group, or allowing the terminal 203 to use the policy of the first group, or the terminal 203 is authorized to use the policy of the first group, or allowing the terminal 203 to access the service of the first group, or the terminal 203 is authorized to access the service of the first group.

[0162] It can be understood that if the first request includes the identifier of the terminal 203, after the network element 201 determines that the terminal 203 is allowed to join the first group, the association relationship between the identifier of the first group and the identifier of the terminal 203 can be directly saved. If the first request does not include the identifier of the terminal 203, the network element 201 can allocate an identifier for the terminal 203, and the network element 201 can also obtain the identifier allocated by the service node 205 to the terminal 203 from the service node 205, and then save the association relationship between the identifier of the first group and the above-mentioned allocated identifier. Subsequently, the network element 201 can also send the identifier allocated by the network element 201 or the service node 205 to the terminal 203 through the network element 202. The above-mentioned allocated identifier is a temporary identifier of the terminal 203.

[0163] In a possible implementation, after receiving the first request, the network element 201 directly determines to allow the terminal 203 to join the first group. For example, if the first group is open to all terminals, that is, all terminals requesting to join the first group can join the first group, after receiving the first request, the network element 201 directly determines to allow the terminal 203 to join the first group.

[0164] In another possible implementation, after receiving the first request, the network element 201 may request the service node 205 to authenticate the terminal 203. For example, if the first group is not open to all terminals, the network element 201 sends an authentication request to the service node 205 to request verification of whether the terminal 203 is allowed to join the first group, and the authentication request includes the identifier of the first group and the identifier of the terminal 203. After receiving the authentication request, the service node 205 authenticates the terminal 203. For example, the service node 205 instructs the terminal 203 to report the identity information of the terminal 203 (such as the account name, password or identity certificate information of the user corresponding to the terminal 203) through the network element 201 or the network element 202. After receiving the instruction, the terminal 203 reports its own identity information through the network element 201 or the network element 202, so that the service node 205 verifies the identity information of the terminal 203. Subsequently, the service node 205 sends the authentication result to the network element 201. The authentication result is used to indicate that the terminal 203 is allowed to join the first group, or to indicate that the terminal 203 is not allowed to join the first group.

[0165] It can be understood that if the result of the authentication indicates that the terminal 203 is allowed to join the first group, the network element 201 determines that the terminal 203 is allowed to join the first group. If the result of the authentication indicates that the terminal 203 is not allowed to join the first group, the network element 201 determines that the terminal 203 is not allowed to join the first group. In this case, the network element 201 does not save the association relationship between the identifier of the first group and the identifier of the terminal 203, and indicates to the terminal 203 through the network element 202 that the terminal 203 is not allowed to join the first group. The following embodiments of the present application are described by taking the example of the network element 201 determining that the terminal 203 is allowed to join the first group.

[0166] Optionally, in the above process, information transmitted between network element 201 and service node 205, such as authentication request or authentication result, or information transmitted between service node 205, network element 202 and terminal 203 can be carried in an extensible authentication protocol (EAP) message.

[0167] Optionally, the identifier allocated by the service node 205 to the terminal 203 as described above may be included in the authentication result.

[0168] Optionally, network element 201 sends a response message of the first request (hereinafter referred to as the first response message) to network element 202. The first response message is used to indicate that the terminal is allowed to join the first group. After receiving the first response message, network element 202 may send a response message of the request to access the core network (hereinafter referred to as the second response message) to terminal 203. The second response message may be used to indicate that terminal 203 is allowed to join the first group. Optionally, the first response message and the second response message include an identifier assigned by network element 201 to terminal 203, or the first response message and the second response message include an identifier assigned by service node 205 to terminal 203. In other words, the identifier assigned by network element 201 or service node 205 to terminal 203 may be sent to network element 202 via the first response message. Afterwards, network element 202 may send the identifier to terminal 203 via the second response message, or associate the identifier with the identifier of the first group so that network element 202 may query the group to which terminal 203 belongs.

[0169] It should be understood that if the network element 201 determines that the terminal 203 is not allowed to join the first group, the first response message and the second response message may indicate that the terminal 203 is not allowed to join the first group.

[0170] based on Figure 5 According to the method shown, terminal 203 may initiate a request for accessing the core network to network element 201 through network element 202, and the request includes the identifier of the first group that terminal 203 requests to join. Network element 201 may determine whether to allow terminal 203 to join the first group based on the request of terminal 203, and save the association between the identifier of the first group and the identifier of terminal 203 if the terminal is allowed to join the first group. In the above process, network element 201 may dynamically maintain the mapping relationship between the first group and its group members, simplify the process of the terminal joining the first group, and facilitate the terminal to flexibly join the first group and access the core network using the identifier of the first group. It can be understood that in an event scenario, users watching a performance or event can initiate a request to access the core network as needed and join the first group to receive messages pushed by the network at a group granularity. In a traffic scenario, entering Figure 1The user at the intersection shown can initiate a request to access the core network and join the first group to send group-granular data to the network, or receive collision warning information pushed by the network at a group granularity.

[0171] Optional, in Figure 5 In a possible implementation of the method shown, before the terminal 203 initiates a request to access the core network, the service node 205 may register information of the service node 205 in the network element 201, so that the network element 201 may access the service node 205 according to the registered information.

[0172] Specifically, Figure 6 As shown, Figure 5 The method shown also includes the following steps:

[0173] S500 : The service node 205 sends a registration request to the network element 201 . Accordingly, the network element 201 receives the registration request from the service node 205 .

[0174] In a possible design, the registration request includes the address information of the service node 205. Optionally, the registration request also includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the first group, service area information of the first group's services, policy information of the first group, or authentication indication information. For example, the registration request includes the address information of the service node 205 and the identifier of the first group; or, the registration request includes the address information of the service node 205 and the service area information of the first group's services; or, the registration request includes the address information of the service node 205 and the policy information of the first group; or, the registration request includes the address information of the service node 205 and authentication indication information; or, the registration request includes the address information of the service node 205, the identifier of the first group, service area information of the first group's services, policy information of the first group, and authentication indication information.

[0175] In the present application, the address information of the service node 205 is used to indicate the address of the service node 205, such as the IP address of the service node 205. The first group service is a service that the service node 205 can provide for the first group. The service area information of the first group service is used to indicate the area where the service node 205 can provide the first group service. For example, the service area information of the first group service includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the area, or geographical location information of the area. The authentication indication information is used to indicate that the terminal requesting to join the first group is to be authenticated. For example, the authentication indication information is used to indicate that the service node 205 verifies the identity information of the terminal requesting to join the first group. The policy information of the first group is used to indicate the policy for the terminals in the first group to access the core network, such as indicating at least one of the following policies: diversion policy, billing policy, flow control policy, service level agreement (SLA) policy, etc. Each policy is explained below.

[0176] In the present application, the diversion strategy of the first group may indicate the diversion measures to be adopted for the messages of the members of the first group (i.e., the terminals in the first group) to access specific services, such as local diversion measures, central diversion measures, or specific data network access diversion measures. The charging strategy of the first group may indicate the charging strategy adopted by the first group service, for example, it may indicate the charging method. The charging strategy of the first group may also indicate the charging reporting server, and / or, the traffic payment identifier, etc. Among them, the charging method includes: user payment strategy, OTT payment strategy or tenant payment strategy, etc. The tenant refers to the group that provides the first group service, such as XX company or XX organization, etc. The traffic payment identifier is, for example, the sponsor ID corresponding to the first group, the OTT identifier corresponding to the first group, or the tenant's unique identity identifier, etc. The traffic control strategy may include a user service flow diversion strategy or a forwarding strategy, etc. The SLA policy may include at least one of the following: a group granularity user number control strategy, a traffic quota control strategy, or a quality of service (QoS) guarantee strategy.

[0177] It can be understood that after receiving the registration request, the network element 201 can save the information in the registration request. For example, the network element 201 executes the context creation process to save the information in the registration request. Subsequently, the network element 201 can execute the corresponding process according to the information in the registration request. For example, if the registration request includes authentication indication information, in S504, the network element 201 can determine to request the service node 205 to authenticate the terminal 203. For another example, if the registration request includes the address information of the service node 205 and the identifier of the first group, in S504, the network element 201 can determine the address information of the service node 205 corresponding to the identifier of the first group included in the first request, and send the authentication request to the service node 205 according to the address information. For another example, if the registration request includes the policy information of the first group, the network element 201 can send the policy information of the first group to the network element 204 after receiving the registration request, so that the network element 204 determines the policy for the terminal 203 to access the core network according to the policy information of the first group.

[0178] In a possible implementation, the registration request is forwarded to the network element 201 via one or more network elements. The following takes the example of forwarding the registration request to the network element 201 via the NEF network element as an example.

[0179] Exemplarily, the service node 205 sends a registration request to the NEF network element. After receiving the registration request, the NEF network element determines the information of the network element 201 that can provide services for the first group according to at least one of the identifier of the first group or the service area information of the first group service included in the registration request, and sends the registration request to the network element 201. For example, the NEF network element stores the correspondence between the identifier of the first group and the information of the network element 201, and sends the registration request to the network element 201 according to the correspondence. For another example, the NEF network element stores the correspondence between the service area of ​​the first group service and the information of the network element 201, and sends the registration request to the network element 201 according to the correspondence. For another example, the NEF network element stores the correspondence between the identifier of the first group, the service area of ​​the first group service, and the information of the network element 201, and sends the registration request to the network element 201 according to the correspondence. In addition, the NEF network element can also process the information in the registration request and send the processed information to the network element 201. For example, the NEF network element can map the identifier of the first group carried in the registration request to an identifier that can be recognized by the core network. For another example, the NEF network element can map the service area information of the first group service carried in the registration request to area information that can be recognized by the core network. Exemplarily, the registration request carries longitude and latitude information or province, city and city information. After being processed by the NEF network element, what is sent to network element 201 is the cell / tracking area information corresponding to the longitude and latitude or province, city and city.

[0180] It is understandable that if the registration request does not include the identifier of the first group, after receiving the registration request, the network element 201 can allocate an identifier for the first group and send the identifier to the service node 205. Exemplarily, the network element 201 can pre-register a group identifier segment and select an unoccupied identifier from the group identifier segment to allocate to the first group. For example, the network element 201 registers the group identifier segment in other network elements in the core network other than the network element 201, such as the AF network element or the NEF network element, so that other network elements can search for the network element 201 based on the group identifier segment. It is understandable that after the network element 201 allocates the identifier of the first group, the correspondence between the identifier of the first group and the information included in the above registration request can be saved.

[0181] Optionally, the network element 201 may also send or update the group identifier list registered in the network element 201 to the NRF network element, so that the network element in the core network queries the group identifier registered in the network element 201 from the NRF network element according to the identifier of the network element 201, or queries the network element 201 according to the group identifier. For example, in S503, after the NRF network element receives the identifier of the first group sent by the network element 202, it may query the group identifier list according to the identifier of the first group, determine the network element 201, and send the information of the network element 201 to the network element 202.

[0182] In the present application, the group identifier registered in the network element 201 can be understood as an identifier received by the network element 201 through a registration request and stored locally, or a group identifier allocated after the network element 201 receives the registration request.

[0183] Optional, in Figure 5 In a possible implementation of the method shown, network element 202 may request network element 204 to determine a core network access policy for terminal 203 so that terminal 203 accesses the core network according to the policy. Figure 6 As shown, Figure 5 The method shown also includes the following steps:

[0184] S505: The network element 202 sends a policy request to the network element 204. Accordingly, the network element 204 receives the policy request from the network element 202.

[0185] In the present application, the policy request is used to request the terminal 203 to access the core network policy.

[0186] In a possible design, the policy request includes an identifier of the first group. Optionally, the policy request also includes an identifier of the terminal 203.

[0187] S506: The network element 204 determines the policy information of the first group according to the identifier of the first group.

[0188] In a possible implementation, the network element 204 sends a third request to the network element 201. The third request is used to request to obtain the policy information of the first group, and the third request may include the identifier of the first group. For example, when the policy information of the first group is not stored, the network element 204 sends the third request to the network element 201. After receiving the third request, the network element 201 sends the policy information of the first group to the network element 204. For another example, when the policy information of the first group is stored, the network element 204 obtains the policy information of the first group from the local according to the identifier of the first group. It can be understood that if the network element 204 receives the policy information of the first group before S506, the network element 204 can obtain the policy information of the first group from the local. For example, in S504, after the network element 201 determines to allow the terminal 203 to join the first group, the policy information of the first group can be sent to the network element 204, or, after S500, the network element 201 can send the policy information of the first group to the network element 204. After receiving the policy information of the first group, the network element 204 may store the policy information locally so as to obtain the policy information locally later.

[0189] Optionally, network element 204 sends a fourth request to network element 201. The fourth request is used to request to associate the identifier of terminal 203 with the identifier of the first group. The fourth request includes the identifier of the first group. Optionally, the fourth request also includes the identifier of terminal 203. It can be understood that after receiving the fourth request, network element 201 saves the association relationship between the identifier of the first group and the identifier of terminal 203; or after receiving the fourth request, network element 201 queries whether to save the association relationship between the identifier of the first group and the identifier of terminal 203, and if not saved, network element 201 saves the association relationship.

[0190] Optionally, the network element 201 performs an operation of determining to allow the terminal 203 to join the first group in S504, but does not perform an operation of saving an association relationship between the identifier of the first group and the identifier of the terminal 203. Instead, after receiving the fourth request, the network element 201 performs an operation of saving the association relationship.

[0191] It can be understood that the network element 204 can implement the corresponding functions by calling different services or carrying corresponding indication information in the third request and the fourth request. For example, the network element 204 calls service 1 (such as Ngdmf_DataManagement_Get service) through the third request to implement the request to obtain the policy information of the first group, and calls service 2 (such as Ngdmf_Registration_Register service) through the fourth request to implement the request to associate the identifier of the terminal 203 with the identifier of the first group. Alternatively, the third request includes indication information 1 for indicating the request to obtain the policy information of the first group, and the fourth request includes indication information 2 for indicating the request to associate the identifier of the terminal 203 with the identifier of the first group. Alternatively, the network element 204 implements the functions of the third request and / or the fourth request through the first message. Exemplarily, the first message includes indication information 3 for indicating to skip the request to obtain the policy information of the first group. In this case, the first message is used to request to associate the identifier of the terminal 203 with the identifier of the first group, and is not used to request to obtain the policy information of the first group. Alternatively, the first message includes indication information 4, which is used to indicate skipping the request to associate the identifier of the terminal 203 with the identifier of the first group. In this case, the first message is used to request to obtain the policy information of the first group, and is not used to request to associate the identifier of the terminal 203 with the identifier of the first group. Alternatively, the first message includes the identifier of the first group, but does not include the identifier of the terminal 203, to indicate a request to obtain the policy information of the first group, and does not request to associate the identifier of the terminal 203 with the identifier of the first group.

[0192] S507 : The network element 204 sends the first policy information to the network element 202 . Correspondingly, the network element 202 receives the first policy information from the network element 204 .

[0193] In the present application, the first policy information is determined according to the policy information of the first group, and is used to indicate the policy of the terminal 203 accessing the core network, that is, the policy of the terminal 203 accessing the core network using the identifier of the first group, such as one or more of the diversion policy, the billing policy, the flow control policy, or the SLA policy. In other words, the network element 204 can determine the policy of the terminal 203 accessing the core network using the identifier of the first group according to the policy information of the first group, and indicate the policy to the network element 202.

[0194] It can be understood that when determining the first policy information, the network element 204 can consider the information of the terminal 203, such as the contract information of the terminal 203 or the access information of the terminal 203. The contract information of the terminal 203 can indicate the contract data of the terminal 203 granularity, such as the contract bandwidth of the terminal 203 or at least one of the contract slices of the terminal 203. In this way, the network element 204 can combine the contract data of the terminal 203 granularity and the contract information of the group granularity to execute the decision and determine the first policy information. The access information of the terminal 203 can indicate the state of the network to which the terminal 203 is connected, such as the network load, the network congestion state, or at least one of the regional policies of the network. In this way, the network element 204 can combine the state of the network to which the terminal 203 is connected and the contract information of the group granularity to execute the decision and determine the first policy information.

[0195] For example, taking the contract information of terminal 203 including the contract bandwidth of terminal 203, the contract bandwidth of terminal 203 is 200 megabits (M), and the policy information of the first group indicating that the guaranteed bandwidth of group members is 300M, the first policy information may indicate that the guaranteed bandwidth of terminal 203 is 200M, or indicate that the guaranteed bandwidth of terminal 203 is less than 300M, etc.

[0196] Exemplarily, taking the case where the access information of terminal 203 indicates that the network load of the network accessed by terminal 203 is high and the policy information of the first group indicates that the guaranteed bandwidth of group members is 300M, the first policy information may indicate that the guaranteed bandwidth of terminal 203 is less than 300M.

[0197] It can be understood that the above is only an example of network element 204 determining the first policy information. In specific applications, network element 204 may also use other methods to determine the first policy information, such as determining the first policy information based on the policy information of the first group, the contract information of terminal 203 and the access information of terminal 203, or when determining the first policy information, considering information other than the contract information of terminal 203 or the access information of terminal 203, etc., without limitation.

[0198] It is understandable that the first policy information is policy information maintained at a group granularity, and the terminal 203 does not need to sign a contract at a terminal granularity, which can avoid additional overhead. In addition, in the first group, the first policy information corresponding to different terminals can be the same or different.

[0199] Optionally, the network element 204 determines the information of the terminal 203 according to the identifier of the terminal 203 included in the policy request, further determines the first policy information according to the information of the terminal 203 and the policy information of the first group, and sends the first policy information to the network element 202 .

[0200] S508: The network element 202 executes the first policy information.

[0201] In a possible implementation, the network element 202 sends the corresponding policy to the network element for executing the first policy information, so that the network element receiving the policy executes the corresponding policy. For example, if the first policy information needs to be executed by the access network node, the network element 202 sends the first policy information to the access network node; or, if the first policy information needs to be executed by the terminal 203, the network element 202 sends the first policy information to the terminal 203; or, if the first policy information needs to be executed by the UPF network element, the network element 202 sends the first policy information to the UPF network element; or, if the first policy information needs to be executed by the UPF network element and the access network node, the network element 202 sends the first policy information to the UPF network element and the access network node.

[0202] Optionally, the first policy information needs to be sent to the terminal 203, and the first policy information may be included in the second response message. After the terminal 203 obtains the first policy information, it may determine that the core network allows the terminal 203 to join the first group.

[0203] Optional, in Figure 5 In a possible implementation of the method shown, if the terminal 203 decides to exit the first group, the network element 202 may request the network element 201 to remove the terminal 203 from the first group. Figure 6 As shown, Figure 5 The method shown also includes the following steps:

[0204] S509 : The terminal 203 sends a second request to the network element 202 . Accordingly, the network element 202 receives the second request from the terminal 203 .

[0205] In the present application, the second request is used to request to move the terminal 203 out of the first group or to request to exit the first group, and the second request includes the identifier of the terminal 203 and the identifier of the first group. Optionally, the second request also includes second indication information, which is used to indicate that the terminal 203 is moved out of the first group or to indicate that the terminal 203 requests to exit the first group.

[0206] Exemplarily, the content included in the second request may be in json format, such as the second request includes {identity of the removed group: identifier of the first group}.

[0207] In a possible implementation, the terminal 203 may determine to exit the first group according to a local decision, an application side notification, or a network side notification, and send a second request. For example, the terminal 203 locally decides that the service of the first group ends, or receives third indication information from the service node 205 or the network element 201, and sends a second request to the network element 202. The third indication information may indicate that the service of the first group is invalid or ended, or instruct the terminal 203 to exit the first group.

[0208] S510: The network element 202 sends a second request to the network element 201. Correspondingly, the network element 201 receives the second request from the network element 202.

[0209] It can be understood that after network element 202 receives the second request from terminal 203, it can directly forward the second request to network element 201; or, after network element 202 receives the second request from terminal 203, it further processes the second request, such as repackaging, adding information or deleting information, and sends the processed information to network element 201.

[0210] S511: The network element 201 deletes the association between the identifier of the first group and the identifier of the terminal 203 .

[0211] S512: The network element 201 sends first indication information to the network element 204. Correspondingly, the network element 204 receives the first indication information from the network element 201.

[0212] In the present application, the first indication information is used to indicate the update of the policy for terminal 203 to access the core network, or to indicate that terminal 203 has been removed from the first group, or to indicate that terminal 203 has exited the first group. The first indication information includes the identifier of terminal 203 and the identifier of the first group. Therefore, after receiving the first indication information, network element 204 can delete the first policy information, or update the first policy information to the second policy information. For example, if terminal 203 is not registered in the operator's network or terminal 203 is disconnected from the network, network element 204 deletes the first policy information. For another example, if terminal 203 is registered in the operator's network, network element 204 can determine the second policy information based on the information of terminal 203, and send the second policy information to network element 202 so that network element 202 executes the second policy information, and the second policy information is used to indicate the policy for terminal 203 to access the core network. The second policy information and the first policy information may be the same or different. Taking the example that the information of terminal 203 includes the contract information of terminal 203, the contract information of terminal 203 indicates that the contract bandwidth of terminal 203 is 200M, and the policy information of the first group indicates that the guaranteed bandwidth of group members is 300M, if the first policy information indicates that the guaranteed bandwidth of terminal 203 is 300M, after terminal 203 exits the first group, network element 204 determines the second policy information according to the contract information of terminal 203, and the second policy information indicates that the guaranteed bandwidth of terminal 203 is 200M.

[0213] In a possible design, if the first indication information indicates updating the policy for terminal 203 to access the core network, the first indication information may include a cause value, which indicates the reason for updating the policy for terminal 203 to access the core network. In this example, the cause is to move terminal 203 out of the first group or terminal 203 exits the first group. Alternatively, if the first indication information indicates to move terminal 203 out of the first group or terminal 203 exits the first group, the first indication information may be used to trigger updating the policy for terminal 203 to access the core network.

[0214] Optional, in Figure 5 In a possible implementation of the method shown, if the policy information of the first group is updated, the service node 205 may trigger the update process of the group policy. Figure 6 As shown, Figure 5 The method shown also includes the following steps:

[0215] S513 : The service node 205 sends a policy update request to the network element 201 . Accordingly, the network element 201 receives the policy update request from the service node 205 .

[0216] In the present application, the policy update request is used to request to update the policy information of the first group, such as deleting the policy information of the first group, updating all or part of the policy information of the first group. The policy update request includes an identifier of the first group. The policy update request indicates the information in the policy information of the first group that needs to be updated.

[0217] S514 : The network element 201 sends the updated policy information of the first group to the network element 204 . Accordingly, the network element 204 receives the updated policy information of the first group from the network element 201 .

[0218] It can be understood that after receiving the policy update request, the network element 201 searches for the policy information of the first group locally, obtains the updated policy information of the first group in combination with the request, and sends the updated policy information of the first group to the network element 204. The network element 201 also replaces part or all of the content of the locally stored policy information of the first group with the updated policy information of the first group.

[0219] It can be understood that after receiving the updated policy information of the first group, the network element 204 can determine the policy for all or part of the terminals in the first group to access the core network according to the updated policy information of the first group, so that the network element 202 executes the policy to achieve terminal granularity policy update. The process of the network element 204 determining the policy for all or part of the terminals to access the core network can refer to the process of the network element 204 determining the first policy information in S507, which will not be repeated.

[0220] It can be understood that the actions of the network element 201 or the network element 202 or the terminal 203 or the network element 204 or the service node 205 in the above S500-S515 can be Figure 4 The processor 401 in the communication device 40 shown calls the application code stored in the memory 403 for execution, and the present application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0221] In order to better understand the communication method provided by the present application, the following takes network element 201 as an example. Figure 3 The GDMF network element in the network element 202 is Figure 3 The SMF network element and terminal 203 in Figure 3 The terminal in the network element 204 is Figure 3 The PCF network element in the service node 205 is Figure 3 Taking the AF network element in as an example, the communication method provided by this application is introduced. It can be understood that Figures 5 to 7 The descriptions of the various features and steps in the methods shown can be used as reference for each other.

[0222] like Figure 7 As shown, another communication method provided by the present application may include the following steps:

[0223] S701: The AF network element sends a registration request to the GDMF network element. Correspondingly, the GDMF network element receives the registration request from the AF network element.

[0224] It can be understood that the process of S701 is similar to the process of S500, and reference may be made to the corresponding description in S500, and no further elaboration is given.

[0225] S702: The terminal obtains an identifier of the first group.

[0226] S703: The terminal sends a request to access the core network to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the request from the terminal to access the core network.

[0227] S704: The SMF network element sends a first request to the GDMF network element. Correspondingly, the GDMF network element receives the first request from the SMF network element.

[0228] S705: When the terminal is allowed to join the first group, the GDMF network element saves the association relationship between the identifier of the first group and the identifier of the terminal.

[0229] S706: The GDMF network element sends a response message of the first request to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the response message of the first request from the GDMF network element.

[0230] It can be understood that the process of S702-S706 is similar to the process of S501-S504, and reference may be made to the corresponding descriptions in S501-S504, and no further elaboration is given.

[0231] S707: The SMF network element sends a policy request to the PCF network element. Correspondingly, the PCF network element receives the policy request from the SMF network element.

[0232] S708: The PCF network element determines the policy information of the first group according to the identifier of the first group.

[0233] S709: The PCF network element sends the first policy information to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the first policy information from the PCF network element.

[0234] S710: The SMF network element executes the first policy information.

[0235] It can be understood that the process of S707-S710 is similar to the process of S505-S508, and reference may be made to the corresponding descriptions in S505-S508, and no further details are given.

[0236] S711: The SMF network element sends a response message of the request to access the core network to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the response message of the request to access the core network from the SMF network element.

[0237] It can be understood that the process of S711 is similar to the process of the network element 202 sending the second response message to the terminal 203 in S504. Please refer to the corresponding description in S504 and no further details will be given.

[0238] Optionally, if the terminal decides to exit the first group, the terminal may request the GDMF network element to remove the terminal from the first group through the SMF network element. Figure 7 The method shown may also include the following optional steps:

[0239] S712: The terminal sends a second request to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the second request from the terminal.

[0240] S713: The SMF network element sends a second request to the GDMF network element. Correspondingly, the GDMF network element receives the second request from the SMF network element.

[0241] S714: The GDMF network element deletes the association between the identifier of the first group and the identifier of the terminal.

[0242] S715: The GDMF network element sends first indication information to the PCF network element. Correspondingly, the PCF network element receives the first indication information from the GDMF network element.

[0243] It can be understood that the process of S712-S715 is similar to the process of S509-S512, and the corresponding description in S509-S512 can be referred to and will not be repeated here.

[0244] Optionally, if the policy information of the first group is updated, the AF network element may trigger the group policy update process. Figure 7 The method shown may also include the following optional steps:

[0245] S716: The AF network element sends a policy update request to the GDMF network element. Correspondingly, the GDMF network element receives the policy update request from the AF network element.

[0246] S717: The GDMF network element sends the updated policy information of the first group to the PCF network element. Correspondingly, the PCF network element receives the updated policy information of the first group from the GDMF network element.

[0247] It can be understood that the process of S716-S717 is similar to the process of S513-S514. Please refer to the corresponding description in S513-S514 and no further details will be given.

[0248] It can be understood that the actions of the AF network element, GDMF network element, SMF network element, terminal or PCF network element in the above S701-S717 can be Figure 4 The processor 401 in the communication device 40 shown calls the application code stored in the memory 403 for execution, and the present application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0249] The various embodiments mentioned above in this application can be combined without limitation if there is no contradiction between the solutions.

[0250] The above mainly introduces the scheme provided by the present application from the perspective of interaction between various network elements. Accordingly, the present application also provides a communication device, which can be a network element (such as network element 201, network element 202 or network element 204) in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above network element, or a component that can be used for a network element; or, the communication device can be a terminal 203 in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above terminal 203, or a component that can be used for the terminal 203; or, the communication device can be a service node 205 in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above service node 205, or a component that can be used for the service node 205. It can be understood that in order to realize the above functions, the above network element, terminal 203 or service node 205, etc., include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and algorithm operations of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed in hardware or in a computer software-driven hardware manner depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0251] The present application can divide the functional modules of network element 201, network element 202, terminal 203, network element 204 or service node 205 according to the above method example. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It can be understood that the division of modules in the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation.

[0252] For example, when the functional modules are divided in an integrated manner, Figure 8 The structure diagram of a communication device 80 is shown. The communication device 80 includes an interface module 801 and a processing module 802. The interface module 801, which may also be referred to as an interface unit, is used to perform transceiver operations, and may be, for example, an interface circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver or a communication interface. The processing module 802, which may also be referred to as a processing unit, is used to perform operations other than transceiver operations, and may be, for example, a processing circuit or a processor.

[0253] In some embodiments, the communication device 80 may further include a storage module ( Figure 8 ), for storing program instructions and data.

[0254] Exemplarily, the communication device 80 is used to implement the functions of the network element 201. The communication device 80 is, for example, Figure 5 The embodiment shown or Figure 6 The network element 201 in the embodiment shown, or Figure 7 The GDMF network element described in the embodiment shown.

[0255] The interface module 801 is used to receive a first request. The first request is used to request that the terminal be allowed to access the core network, and the first request includes an identifier of the first group. For example, the interface module 801 may be used to execute S503.

[0256] The processing module 802 is configured to save the association relationship between the identifier of the first group and the identifier of the terminal when it is determined that the terminal is allowed to join the first group. For example, the processing module 802 may be configured to execute S504.

[0257] In one possible implementation, the processing module 802 is specifically used to send an authentication request to the service node through the interface module 801, the authentication request is used to request verification of whether the terminal is allowed to join the first group, and the service node is used to provide services for the terminals in the first group; the processing module 802 is specifically used to receive the authentication result from the service node through the interface module 801, and the authentication result is used to indicate that the terminal is allowed to join the first group.

[0258] In a possible implementation, the interface module 801 is further configured to receive a registration request from a service node, where the registration request includes address information of the service node; the interface module 801 is specifically configured to send an authentication request to the service node according to the address information of the service node.

[0259] In a possible implementation manner, the registration request further includes authentication indication information, where the authentication indication information is used to instruct to authenticate the terminal requesting to join the first group.

[0260] In a possible implementation, the interface module 801 is further used to receive a second request, the second request is used to request to remove the terminal from the first group, the second request includes the terminal identifier and the first group identifier; the processing module 802 is further used to delete the association between the first group identifier and the terminal identifier.

[0261] In a possible implementation, the interface module 801 is further used to send first indication information to the policy function network element, where the first indication information is used to indicate updating of the policy for the terminal to access the core network, or to indicate that the terminal has been removed from the first group.

[0262] In one possible implementation, the interface module 801 is also used to receive a policy update request from a service node, the policy update request is used to request an update of the policy information of the first group, the service node is used to provide services for the terminals in the first group, and the policy information of the first group is used to indicate the policy for the terminals in the first group to access the core network; the interface module 801 is also used to send the updated policy information of the first group to the policy function network element.

[0263] In a possible implementation, the interface module 801 is further used to receive a third request from the policy function network element, where the third request is used to request to obtain policy information of the first group; the interface module 801 is further used to send the policy information of the first group to the policy function network element.

[0264] In a possible implementation, the interface module 801 is further configured to receive a fourth request, where the fourth request is used to request to associate the identifier of the terminal with the identifier of the first group.

[0265] In a possible implementation, the interface module 801 is further configured to send a response message to the first request, where the response message is used to indicate that the terminal is allowed to join the first group.

[0266] In a possible implementation manner, the response message to the first request includes a temporary identifier of the terminal.

[0267] In a possible implementation, the processing module 802 is further configured to allocate a temporary identifier to the terminal; or the interface module 801 is further configured to receive a temporary identifier from a service node, and the service node is configured to provide services for the terminals in the first group.

[0268] In a possible implementation, the interface module 801 is further configured to send an identifier of the first group allocated to the first group to a service node, and the service node is configured to provide services for the terminals in the first group.

[0269] When used to implement the functions of the network element 201 or the GDMF network element, for other functions that the communication device 80 can implement, refer to Figure 5 The embodiment shown, Figure 6 The embodiment shown or Figure 7 The relevant introduction of the illustrated embodiment will not be repeated in detail.

[0270] Alternatively, illustratively, the communication device 80 is used to implement the functions of the network element 204. The communication device 80 is, for example, Figure 6 The network element 204 of the embodiment shown in the figure may be Figure 7 The PCF network element described in the embodiment shown.

[0271] The interface module 801 is used to receive a policy request. The policy request is used to request a policy for the terminal to access the core network, and the policy request includes an identifier of the first group. For example, the interface module 801 can be used to execute S505.

[0272] The processing module 802 is used to determine the policy information of the first group according to the identifier of the first group. The policy information of the first group is used to indicate the policy for the terminals in the first group to access the core network. For example, the processing module 802 can be used to execute S506.

[0273] The interface module 801 is further used to send first policy information according to the policy information of the first group and the information of the terminal. The first policy information is used to indicate the policy of the terminal accessing the core network, and the information of the terminal includes the subscription information of the terminal or the access information of the terminal. For example, the interface module 801 can also be used to execute S507.

[0274] In a possible implementation, the policy request further includes an identifier of the terminal, and the processing module 802 is further configured to determine the information of the terminal according to the identifier of the terminal.

[0275] In a possible implementation, the interface module 801 is further configured to send a third request, where the third request is used to request to obtain policy information of the first group.

[0276] In a possible implementation manner, the interface module 801 is specifically configured to send the third request when the policy information of the first group is not stored.

[0277] In a possible implementation, the interface module 801 is further configured to send a fourth request, where the fourth request is used to request to associate the identifier of the terminal with the identifier of the first group.

[0278] In one possible implementation, the interface module 801 is also used to receive first indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate an update of a policy for the terminal to access the core network, or is used to indicate that the terminal has been removed from the first group; the interface module 801 is also used to send second policy information based on the information of the terminal, the second policy information is used to indicate a policy for the terminal to access the core network.

[0279] When used to implement the functions of the network element 204 or the PCF network element, for other functions that the communication device 80 can implement, refer to Figure 6 The embodiment shown or Figure 7 The relevant introduction of the illustrated embodiment will not be repeated in detail.

[0280] Alternatively, illustratively, the communication device 80 is used to implement the functions of the terminal. The communication device 80 is, for example, Figure 5 The embodiment shown, Figure 6 The embodiment shown or Figure 7 The terminal described in the embodiment shown.

[0281] The processing module 802 is used to obtain the identifier of the first group. For example, the processing module 802 can be used to execute S501.

[0282] The interface module 801 is used to send a request for accessing the core network to a third network element in the core network. The request for accessing the core network is used to request that the terminal be allowed to access the core network, and the request for accessing the core network includes an identifier of the first group. For example, the interface module 801 can be used to execute S502.

[0283] The interface module 801 is further configured to receive a response message from a third network element, wherein the response message is used to indicate whether the terminal is allowed to join the first group.

[0284] In a possible implementation, the interface module 801 is further configured to send a second request to the third network element, where the second request is used to request to move the terminal out of the first group, and the second request includes an identifier of the terminal and an identifier of the first group.

[0285] In a possible implementation manner, the response message includes a temporary identifier of the terminal.

[0286] In a possible implementation, the processing module 802 is specifically configured to receive first information from a service node through the interface module 801, where the first information is used to determine an identifier of the first group, and the service node is configured to provide services for terminals in the first group.

[0287] When used to implement the functions of the terminal, for other functions that the communication device 80 can implement, refer to Figure 5 The embodiment shown, Figure 6 The embodiment shown or Figure 7 The relevant introduction of the illustrated embodiment will not be repeated in detail.

[0288] Alternatively, illustratively, the communication device 80 is used to implement the functions of the network element 202. The communication device 80 is, for example, Figure 5 The embodiment shown or Figure 6 The network element 202 of the embodiment shown in the figure may be Figure 7 The SMF network element described in the embodiment shown.

[0289] The interface module 801 is used to send a policy request when it is determined that the core network allows the terminal to join the first group. The policy request is used to request a policy for the terminal to access the core network, and the policy request includes an identifier of the first group. For example, the interface module 801 can be used to execute S505.

[0290] The interface module 801 is further used to receive first policy information. The first policy information is determined based on the policy information of the first group and the information of the terminal. The policy information of the first group is used to indicate the policy for the terminals in the first group to access the core network. The information of the terminal includes the subscription information of the terminal or the access information of the terminal. For example, the interface module 801 can also be used to execute S507.

[0291] The processing module 802 is used to execute the first policy information. For example, the processing module 802 can be used to execute S508.

[0292] In one possible implementation, the interface module 801 is also used to receive a request from the terminal for accessing the core network, the request for accessing the core network is used to request permission for the terminal to access the core network, and the request for accessing the core network includes an identifier of the first group; the interface module 801 is also used to send a first request to the first network element of the core network according to the request for accessing the core network, the first request is used to request permission for the terminal to access the core network, and the first request includes an identifier of the first group.

[0293] In a possible implementation manner, the interface module 801 is further configured to receive a response message to the first request from the first network element, where the response message to the first request is used to indicate that the terminal is allowed to join the first group.

[0294] In a possible implementation manner, the response message to the first request includes a temporary identifier of the terminal.

[0295] When used to implement the functions of the network element 202, for other functions that the communication device 80 can implement, refer to Figure 5 The embodiment shown, Figure 6 The embodiment shown or Figure 7 The relevant introduction of the illustrated embodiment will not be repeated in detail.

[0296] Alternatively, illustratively, the communication device 80 is used to implement the function of the service node 505. The communication device 80 is, for example, Figure 5 The embodiment shown or Figure 6 The service node 205 described in the embodiment shown may be Figure 7 The AF network element described in the embodiment shown.

[0297] The interface module 801 is used to receive an authentication request from a first network element of a core network. The authentication request is used to request verification of whether the terminal is allowed to join a first group, and the authentication request includes an identifier of the first group and an identifier of the terminal.

[0298] The processing module 802 is used to authenticate the terminal according to the authentication request.

[0299] The interface module 801 is further configured to send an authentication result, wherein the authentication result is used to indicate whether the terminal is allowed to join the first group.

[0300] In a possible implementation manner, the interface module 801 is further configured to send a registration request to the first network element, where the registration request includes address information of the service node.

[0301] In a possible implementation manner, the registration request further includes authentication indication information, where the authentication indication information is used to instruct to authenticate the terminal requesting to join the first group.

[0302] In one possible implementation, the interface module 801 is also used to send a policy update request to the first network element, the policy update request is used to request an update of the policy information of the first group, the policy information of the first group is used to indicate the policy for terminals in the first group to access the core network, and the policy update request includes an identifier of the first group.

[0303] In a possible implementation manner, the interface module 801 is further configured to receive an identifier of the first group allocated by the first network element to the first group.

[0304] When used to implement the function of the service node 205, for other functions that the communication device 80 can implement, refer to Figure 5 The embodiment shown, Figure 6 The embodiment shown or Figure 7 The relevant introduction of the illustrated embodiment will not be repeated in detail.

[0305] In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the communication device 80 may be implemented as Figure 4 For example, Figure 4 The processor 401 in the communication device 80 can call the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 403 to enable the communication device 80 to execute the method described in the above embodiment.

[0306] For example, Figure 8 The functions / implementation processes of the interface module 801 and the processing module 802 can be Figure 4 The processor 401 in the embodiment calls the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 403 to implement. Or, Figure 8 The function / implementation process of the processing module 802 in can be Figure 4 The processor 401 in the embodiment calls the computer execution instruction stored in the memory 403 to implement, Figure 8 The function / implementation process of the interface module 801 in can be Figure 4 The communication interface 404 in is implemented.

[0307] It is understandable that one or more of the above modules or units can be implemented by software, hardware or a combination of the two. When any of the above modules or units is implemented in software, the software exists in the form of computer program instructions and is stored in a memory, and a processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow. The processor can be built into an SoC (system on chip) or an ASIC, or it can be an independent semiconductor chip. In addition to the core used to execute software instructions for calculation or processing in the processor, it can also further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), PLDs (programmable logic devices), or logic circuits that implement dedicated logic operations.

[0308] When the above modules or units are implemented in hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of a CPU, a microprocessor, a digital signal processing (DSP) chip, a microcontroller unit (MCU), an artificial intelligence processor, an ASIC, a SoC, an FPGA, a PLD, a dedicated digital circuit, a hardware accelerator or a non-integrated discrete device, which can run the necessary software or not rely on the software to execute the above method flow.

[0309] Optionally, the present application also provides a chip system, including: at least one processor and an interface, the at least one processor is coupled to a memory through the interface, and when the at least one processor executes a computer program or instruction in the memory, the method in any of the above method embodiments is executed. In one possible implementation, the chip system also includes a memory. Optionally, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices, which is not specifically limited in the present application.

[0310] Optionally, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be completed by a computer program to instruct the relevant hardware, and the program can be stored in the above computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, it can include the processes of the above method embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium can be an internal storage unit of the communication device of any of the above embodiments, such as a hard disk or memory of the communication device. The above computer-readable storage medium can also be an external storage device of the above communication device, such as a plug-in hard disk, a smart memory card (smart media card, SMC), a secure digital (secure digital, SD) card, a flash card (flash card), etc. equipped on the above communication device. Further, the above computer-readable storage medium can also include both the internal storage unit of the above communication device and an external storage device. The above computer-readable storage medium is used to store the above computer program and other programs and data required by the above communication device. The above computer-readable storage medium can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or is to be output.

[0311] Optionally, the present application also provides a computer program product. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be completed by a computer program to instruct related hardware, and the program can be stored in the above computer program product. When the program is executed, it can include the processes of the above method embodiments.

[0312] Optionally, the present application also provides a computer instruction. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be completed by computer instructions to instruct related hardware (such as a computer, a processor, a network element 201, a network element 202, a terminal 203, a network element 204 or a service node 205, etc.). The program can be stored in the above computer-readable storage medium or in the above computer program product.

[0313] Optionally, the present application further provides a communication system, including: the network element 201, the network element 202 and the terminal 203 in the above embodiment. Optionally, the communication system further includes at least one of the network element 204 or the service node 205.

[0314] Through the description of the above implementation methods, technical personnel in the relevant field can clearly understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, only the division of the above-mentioned functional modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above-mentioned functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0315] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the modules or units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0316] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may be one physical unit or multiple physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed in multiple different places. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the present embodiment.

[0317] 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.

[0318] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a first network element of a core network, the method comprising: receiving a first request, where the first request is used to request that a terminal be allowed to access the core network, and the first request includes an identifier of a first group; In the case where it is determined that the terminal is allowed to join the first group, an association relationship between the identifier of the first group and the identifier of the terminal is saved.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The determining to allow the terminal to join the first group includes: Sending an authentication request to a service node, the authentication request being used to request verification of whether the terminal is allowed to join the first group, the service node being used to provide services for the terminals in the first group; An authentication result is received from the service node, where the authentication result is used to indicate that the terminal is allowed to join the first group.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that Before sending the authentication request to the service node, the method further includes: receiving a registration request from the service node, wherein the registration request includes address information of the service node; The sending of the authentication request to the service node comprises: The authentication request is sent to the service node according to the address information of the service node.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The registration request further includes authentication indication information, where the authentication indication information is used to instruct to authenticate the terminal requesting to join the first group.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving a second request, where the second request is used to request to move the terminal out of the first group, and the second request includes an identifier of the terminal and an identifier of the first group; The association between the identifier of the first group and the identifier of the terminal is deleted.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending first indication information to a policy function network element, where the first indication information is used to indicate updating a policy for the terminal to access the core network, or to indicate that the terminal has been removed from the first group.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving a policy update request from a service node, the policy update request being used to request an update of policy information of the first group, the service node being used to provide services for terminals in the first group, the policy information of the first group being used to indicate a policy for terminals in the first group to access the core network; Sending updated policy information of the first group to the policy function network element.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving a third request from a policy function network element, wherein the third request is used to request obtaining policy information of the first group; Sending the policy information of the first group to the policy function network element.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The method further comprises: A fourth request is received, where the fourth request is used to request association of the identifier of the terminal with the identifier of the first group.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The method further comprises: A response message of the first request is sent, where the response message is used to indicate that the terminal is allowed to join the first group.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The response message of the first request includes the temporary identifier of the terminal.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that Before sending the response message to the first request, the method further includes: allocating the temporary identity to the terminal; or, The temporary identifier is received from a service node, where the service node is used to provide services for terminals in the first group.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: An identifier of the first group allocated to the first group is sent to a service node, where the service node is used to provide a service for terminals in the first group.

14. A communication method, characterized in that: The method applied to a second network element of a core network includes: receiving a policy request, the policy request being used to request a policy for a terminal to access the core network, the policy request including an identifier of a first group; determining, according to the identifier of the first group, policy information of the first group, where the policy information of the first group is used to indicate a policy for terminals in the first group to access the core network; First policy information is sent according to the policy information of the first group and the information of the terminal, where the first policy information is used to indicate a policy for the terminal to access the core network, and the information of the terminal includes subscription information of the terminal or access information of the terminal.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The policy request also includes an identifier of the terminal, and the method further includes: The information of the terminal is determined according to the identifier of the terminal.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: A third request is sent, where the third request is used to request to obtain policy information of the first group.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The sending of the third request comprises: If the policy information of the first group is not stored, the third request is sent.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A fourth request is sent, where the fourth request is used to request to associate the identifier of the terminal with the identifier of the first group.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 18, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate updating a policy for the terminal to access the core network, or to indicate that the terminal has been removed from the first group; Second policy information is sent according to the information of the terminal, where the second policy information is used to indicate a policy for the terminal to access the core network.

20. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a terminal, and the method includes: Obtaining an identifier of a first group; Sending a request for accessing the core network to a third network element in the core network, where the request for accessing the core network is used to request that the terminal be allowed to access the core network, and the request for accessing the core network includes an identifier of the first group; A response message is received from the third network element, where the response message is used to indicate whether the terminal is allowed to join the first group.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The method further comprises: A second request is sent to the third network element, where the second request is used to request to move the terminal out of the first group, and the second request includes an identifier of the terminal and an identifier of the first group.

22. The method according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that The response message includes the temporary identifier of the terminal.

23. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 22, characterized in that The obtaining the identifier of the first group includes: First information is received from a service node, where the first information is used to determine an identifier of the first group, and the service node is used to provide services for terminals in the first group.

24. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a third network element of a core network, the method comprising: If it is determined that the core network allows the terminal to join the first group, sending a policy request, where the policy request is used to request a policy for the terminal to access the core network, and the policy request includes an identifier of the first group; receiving first policy information, where the first policy information is determined according to policy information of the first group and information of the terminal, where the policy information of the first group is used to indicate a policy for terminals in the first group to access the core network, and the information of the terminal includes subscription information of the terminal or access information of the terminal; The first policy information is executed.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving a request for accessing a core network from a terminal, the request for accessing the core network being used to request that the terminal be allowed to access the core network, the request for accessing the core network including an identifier of the first group; A first request is sent to a first network element of the core network according to the request for accessing the core network, where the first request is used to request that the terminal be allowed to access the core network, and the first request includes an identifier of the first group.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that The method further comprises: A response message to the first request is received from the first network element, where the response message to the first request is used to indicate that the terminal is allowed to join the first group.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that The response message of the first request includes the temporary identifier of the terminal.

28. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising a unit or module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, or comprising a unit or module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 19, or comprising a unit or module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 23, or comprising a unit or module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 24 to 27.

29. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, the processor being coupled to a memory, the memory being used to store programs or instructions, and when the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, the device executes the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, or executes the method as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 19, or executes the method as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 23, or executes the method as claimed in any one of claims 24 to 27.

30. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instruction stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program or instructions are executed, the computer performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, or the method according to any one of claims 14 to 19, or the method according to any one of claims 20 to 23, or the method according to any one of claims 24 to 27.

31. A computer program product, comprising computer program code, characterized in that: When the computer program code runs on a computer, the computer implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 13, or the method of any one of claims 14 to 19, or the method of any one of claims 20 to 23, or the method of any one of claims 24 to 27.

Images