Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and a communication device, and the method relates to the technical field of communication, and the method comprises the steps that a session management function receives first information from M user plane functions, and the first information is used for indicating the service capacity of each service supported by the user plane functions; the session management function determines the weight of the first service of each user plane function in the N user plane functions based on the service capacity of the first service of the N user plane functions, and the N user plane functions are user plane functions supporting the first service in the M user plane functions; the session management function selects the first user plane function corresponding to the terminal from the N user plane functions based on the weight of the first service of each user plane function in the N user plane functions, and the services signed by the terminal comprise the first service. Based on the method, the service load of each user plane function can be balanced, so that the service resource of each user plane function can be effectively utilized.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] The user plane function (UPF) is an important part of the core network. UPF can be used for services such as packet forwarding. With the development of the times, UPF can support some value-added services in addition to packet forwarding, such as intelligent diversion services, intelligent computing services, content relay services, high-throughput services, and content billing services. The session management function (SMF) is mainly responsible for the control plane functions of terminal device session management, such as session establishment, modification and deletion, UPF selection, etc.

[0003] When SMF and UPF are interconnected, there may be a scenario where the UPF capabilities in the UPF pool managed by SMF are not homogeneous. UPF capability heterogeneity means that in the UPF pool managed by SMF, there are at least two UPFs that support different types of value-added services. In such a scenario, how SMF selects the appropriate UPF for the terminal so that the service resources of each UPF can be effectively utilized is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides a communication method and a communication device, which are conducive to balancing the service load of each user plane function, so that the service resources of each user plane function are effectively utilized.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a session management function, where the session management function (or terminal device) can refer to the session management function itself, or to a processor, module, chip, or chip system that implements the method in the session management function. The method includes: the session management function receives first information from M user plane functions, the first information is used to indicate the service capacity of each service supported by the user plane function, M is an integer greater than 1; the session management function determines the weight of the first service of each user plane function in the N user plane functions based on the service capacity of the first service of the N user plane functions, the N user plane functions are user plane functions that support the first service among the M user plane functions, N is a positive integer less than or equal to M; the session management function selects the first user plane function corresponding to the terminal from the N user plane functions based on the weight of the first service of each user plane function in the N user plane functions, and the services signed by the terminal include the first service.

[0006] Based on the method described in the first aspect, service capacity refers to the total amount of resources available for the service, and service capacity can be derived from the planning of user plane functions. The session management function can dynamically adjust the network selection strategy in real time according to the service capacity of the user plane function, which is conducive to balancing the service load of each UPF and making effective use of the service resources of each UPF.

[0007] In some possible implementations, the first information is also used to indicate the service load of each service supported by the user plane function and / or the service failure status of each service supported by the user plane function. The service load refers to the resource usage of the service session counted by the UPF in real time, or the service load refers to the ratio of the resource usage of the service session counted by the UPF in real time to the service capacity, or refers to the system central processing unit (CPU) occupancy rate consumed by the service, or the service load is a value calculated based on the resource usage of the service session and the system CPU occupancy consumed by the service. The service failure status can also be called the service congestion status, and the service failure status is used to indicate whether the current service is in an available state.

[0008] In some possible implementations, the session management function receives the first information from the M user plane functions, which is specifically implemented as follows: the session management function periodically receives the first information from the M user plane functions. Based on this implementation, the SMF can periodically adjust the weight corresponding to the service of each UPF according to the service capacity of the M UPFs, which is conducive to enabling the SMF to adjust the network selection strategy in real time, balancing the service load of each UPF, and effectively utilizing the service resources of each UPF.

[0009] In some possible implementations, the method further includes: the session management function receives second information from the second user plane function, the second information indicates the service capacity of the first service after the second user plane function is updated, and the second user plane function belongs to N user plane functions. Based on this implementation, the SMF can timely update the service capacity of the UPF and recalculate the weights corresponding to the services of the UPF, which is conducive to enabling the SMF to adjust the network selection strategy in real time, balancing the service loads of each UPF, and effectively utilizing the service resources of each UPF.

[0010] In some possible implementations, the method further includes: the session management function sending response information for the first information to the M user plane functions.

[0011] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be performed by a user plane function, where the user plane function (or terminal device) can refer to the user plane function itself, or a processor, module, chip, or chip system that implements the method in the user plane function. The method includes: the user plane function sends first information to a session management function, the first information is used to indicate the service capacity of each service supported by the user plane function, and the first information is used to request the session management function to calculate the weight of the first service of the user plane function.

[0012] Among them, the beneficial effects of the second aspect and its possible implementation methods can be found in the description of the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0013] In some possible implementations, the first information is further used to indicate a service load of each service supported by the user plane function and / or a service failure status of each service supported by the user plane function.

[0014] In some possible implementations, the user plane function sends the first information to the session management function, which is specifically implemented as: periodically sending the first information to the session management function.

[0015] In some possible implementations, the method further includes: when the service capacity of the first service changes, the user plane function sends second information to the session management function, where the second information is used to indicate the updated service capacity of the first service.

[0016] In some possible implementations, the method further includes: the user plane function receiving response information from the session management function to the first information.

[0017] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device for executing a method in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect. The communication device includes a module for executing a method in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0018] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, the communication device comprising a processing circuit, configured to execute the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect. The processing circuit is configured to execute a program, and when the program is executed, the method shown in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect is executed.

[0019] In a possible implementation manner, the communication device further includes a memory for storing the program.

[0020] In a possible implementation manner, the memory is located outside the above communication device.

[0021] In a possible implementation manner, the memory is located within the above-mentioned communication device.

[0022] The processing circuit and the memory may also be integrated into one device, that is, the processing circuit and the memory may also be integrated together. Exemplarily, the communication device may be a chip.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication circuit, and the communication circuit is used to receive information (or input information) or send information (or output information).

[0024] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processing circuit and a communication circuit. The processing circuit may be a logic circuit, and the communication circuit may be an interface circuit, wherein the logic circuit is coupled to the interface; the interface circuit is used to input and / or output information, and the logic circuit is used to execute any possible implementation method in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0025] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, comprising a communication device for executing the method described in the first aspect and a communication device for executing the method described in the second aspect.

[0026] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which is used to store a computer program. When the computer program is run on a computer, the method shown in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect is executed.

[0027] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which, when executed on a computer, enables the method shown in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect to be executed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a network system architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a core network architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a network architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 4 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the service capacity of a UPF provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 6A schematic diagram of the service capacity of a UPF provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the service capacity of a UPF provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 8 is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Fig. 9 is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Fig.10 It is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The specific embodiments of the present application are further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0039] The terms "first" and "second" and the like in the specification, claims and drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device comprising a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0040] Reference to "embodiments" herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of the phrase in various locations in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0041] In the present application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, "more than one" means two or more, "at least two (items)" means two or three and more than three, and "and / or" is used to describe the corresponding relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: only A exists, only B exists, and A and B exist at the same time, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b or c can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0042] In order to better understand the embodiments of the present application, the system architecture involved in the embodiments of the present application is first introduced below:

[0043] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), new radio (NR), the 3rd generation partner project (3GPP) service-based network architecture (SBA) and other fifth generation (5G) communication systems or future communication systems.

[0044] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a network system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 As shown, the terminal device can access the wireless network to obtain services of the external network (such as the data network (DN)) through the wireless network, or communicate with other devices through the wireless network, such as communicating with other terminal devices. The wireless network includes a (radio) access network ((radio) access network, (R) AN) and a core network (CN), wherein the (R) AN (hereinafter described as RAN) is used to access the terminal device to the wireless network, and the CN is used to manage the terminal device and provide a gateway for communication with the DN. The following are respectively Figure 1The terminal equipment, RAN, CN and DN involved in the system architecture are described in detail.

[0045] 1. Terminal equipment

[0046] The terminal device includes a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to the user. For example, the terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver function, which can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable 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 device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a vehicle-mounted terminal, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a wearable terminal, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios. Terminal equipment may also be sometimes referred to as terminal, user equipment (UE), access terminal, vehicle-mounted terminal, industrial control terminal, UE unit, UE station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, UE terminal, wireless communication device, UE agent or UE device, etc. The terminal may also be fixed or mobile. It is understood that all or part of the functions of the terminal in the present application may also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0047] 2. RAN

[0048] The RAN may include one or more RAN devices (or access network devices). The interface between the access network device and the terminal device may be a Uu interface (or air interface). Of course, in communications that evolve after 5G, the names of these interfaces may remain unchanged, or may be replaced by other names, and this application does not limit this.

[0049] Access network equipment refers to the node or device that connects the terminal device to the wireless network. Access network equipment includes, but is not limited to: next generation node B (gNB), evolved node B (eNB), next generation eNB (ng-eNB), wireless backhaul equipment, radio network controller (RNC), node B (NB), home evolved node B (HeNB) or home node B (HNB), baseband unit (BBU), transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), mobile switching center, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), machine-to-machine (M2M) communication equipment that performs base station functions, etc. It can also include cloud radio access network (cloud radio access network). The RAN in this application may be a RAN for 5G or a future RAN, and this application does not limit this.

[0050] 3. Core Network

[0051] The core network involved in the embodiments of the present application may be a 4G core network evolved packet core network (EPC), or a 5G core network (5G core network), or an EPC and 5GC fusion network architecture, or a possible future core network form. CN may include one or more network functions (NF) (also referred to as CN devices, functional network elements).

[0052] For example, Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a core network architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application, in Figure 2The CN shown includes multiple NFs: user plane function (UPF), network exposure function (NEF), network function repository function (NRF), policy control function (PCF), unified data management function (UDM), authentication server function (AUSF), access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), and application function (AF). Among them:

[0053] UPF is a gateway provided by the operator and is the gateway for the operator network to communicate with the DN. UPF includes user-plane related functions such as packet routing and transmission, packet detection, quality of service (QoS) processing, uplink packet detection, and downlink packet storage.

[0054] NEF is a control plane function provided by operators, which can open the core network capabilities and allow external network elements to interact with the core network through this network element.

[0055] NRF is a control plane function provided by the operator, which can be used to maintain real-time information of network functions and services in the network. For example, it supports network service discovery, maintains the services supported by the NF profile of the NF instance, supports service discovery of the service communication proxy (SCP), maintains the SCP profile of the SCP instance, sends notifications about newly registered, unregistered, and updated NFs and SCPs, and maintains the health status of NF and SCP operations.

[0056] PCF is a control plane function provided by the operator, including user subscription data management function, policy control function, charging policy control function, quality of service (QoS) control, etc. It is mainly used to provide PDU session policies to SMF. Among them, the policy may include charging-related policies, QoS-related policies, and authorization-related policies.

[0057] UDM is a control plane function provided by the operator, which is mainly used to manage the user's subscription data and authentication data, as well as to perform authentication credit processing, user identity processing, access authorization, registration / mobility management, subscription management and short message management, etc. In some embodiments, UDM may also include a unified data repository (UDR).

[0058] AUSF can be responsible for authenticating the terminal device and determining the legitimacy of the terminal device.

[0059] AMF is a control plane function provided by the operator network, responsible for access control and mobility management of terminal devices accessing the operator network, such as mobility status management, allocation of user temporary identities, authentication and authorization of users, etc.

[0060] SMF is a control plane function provided by the operator network, responsible for managing the protocol data unit (PDU) session of the terminal device. A PDU session is a channel for transmitting PDUs. The terminal device needs to transmit PDUs to and from the DN through the PDU session. SMF is responsible for establishing, maintaining and deleting PDU sessions. SMF includes session management (such as session establishment, modification and release, including tunnel maintenance between UPF and RAN), UPF selection and control, service and session continuity (SSC) mode selection, roaming and other session-related functions.

[0061] AF is used to send application-related requirements to PCF so that PCF generates corresponding policies.

[0062] Figure 2 Among them, Nnef, Nausf, Nnrf, Namf, Npcf, Nsmf, Nudm, Naf, N1, N2, N3, N4, N6 and N9 are interface serial numbers. The meanings of these interface serial numbers can be found in the definitions in the relevant standard protocols and are not limited here.

[0063] It should be noted that the above NF can also be called core network equipment, network element or functional network element. In the 5G communication system, each functional network element can be Figure 2 The names of the functional network elements shown in the figure may still be the same in the communication system evolved after 5G (such as 6G communication system). Figure 2 The names of the functional network elements shown in the figure may also have other names. For example, in a 5G communication system, the user plane function may be a UPF. In a communication system evolved after 5G (such as a 6G communication system), the user plane function may still be a UPF, or may have other names, which is not limited in this application.

[0064] It should also be noted that in the 5G communication system, the functions implemented by each functional network element can be as follows: Figure 2 As shown, they are independent. In the communication system evolved after 5G, each functional network element can still be Figure 2 The shown state is independent, but it can also be realized by integrated functional network elements. Figure 2 For example, in a 5G communication system, user-plane related functions are implemented by UPF, and access and mobility management related functions are implemented by AMF. In a communication system that evolves after 5G (such as a 6G communication system), user-plane related functions may still be implemented by UPF, and access and mobility management related functions may still be implemented by AMF. Alternatively, user-plane related functions and access and mobility management related functions may also be implemented by an integrated functional network element at the same time, which is not limited in this application.

[0065] 4.DN

[0066] DN, also known as packet data network (PDN), is a network located outside the operator network. The operator network can access multiple DNs. Application servers corresponding to various services can be deployed in the DN to provide a variety of possible services for terminal devices.

[0067] The method described in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to Figure 3 The communication network architecture shown includes at least one SMF and multiple UPFs. Figure 3 In the example, one SMF and two UPFs (UPF1 and UPF2) are taken, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of each network element.

[0068] When SMF and UPF are interconnected, there may be a scenario where the service capabilities of UPFs in the UPF pool managed by SMF are not homogeneous. UPF capability heterogeneity means that there are at least two UPFs in the UPF pool managed by SMF that support different services. In such a scenario, how SMF selects the appropriate UPF for the terminal so that the service resources of each UPF can be effectively utilized is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0069] In order to effectively utilize the business resources of each UPF, Figure 3 The network architecture shown in the figure, the embodiment of the present application proposes a communication method, such as Figure 4As shown, the model determination method includes steps 401 to 403, and the execution subject of the method can be SMF and UPF, or can also be a module of SMF and a module of UPF. For example, the module of SMF can be a chip, processor or processing unit in SMF, and the module of UPF can be a chip, processor or processing unit in UPF. The embodiment of the present application is described by taking SMF and UPF as examples.

[0070] 401. UPF sends first information, where the first information is used to indicate the service capacity (ServiceCapacity) of each service supported by UPF.

[0071] Correspondingly, the SMF receives M first information, and the M first information comes from M UPFs respectively. In other words, the SMF receives the first information from M UPFs, where M is an integer greater than 1. For greater simplicity, Figure 4 Only one UPF is illustrated in the figure, and the actual number of UPFs is M.

[0072] In an embodiment of the present application, the UPF pool managed by the SMF includes the M UPFs, and the service capabilities of the M UPFs may be homogenized or non-homogenized, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. The service capabilities of the M UPFs are homogenized, which means that the services supported by each UPF in the M UPFs are the same. The service capabilities of the M UPFs are non-homogeneous, which means that the services supported by at least two UPFs in the M UPFs are different. The difference in the services supported by the two UPFs includes the difference in some of the services supported by the two UPFs, and the difference in all the services supported by the two UPFs.

[0073] For example, suppose that the UPFs managed by SMF include UPF1, UPF2, UPF3, and UPF4. UPF1 supports service 1 and service 2, and UPF2 supports service 3 and service 4. The services supported by UPF1 and UPF2 are completely different. UPF3 supports service 1, service 2, and service 3. Both UPF1 and UPF3 support service 1 and service 2, but UPF1 does not support service 3. Therefore, some of the services supported by UPF1 and UPF3 are different. UPF4 supports service 1 and service 2. The services supported by UPF1 and UPF4 are the same.

[0074] In some possible implementations, the service types supported by UPF may include ordinary service types and value-added service types, wherein ordinary service types include services responsible for forwarding ordinary data, and value-added service types refer to services that can provide additional services. For example, value-added services may include one or more of the following: intelligent diversion services, intelligent computing services, content relay services, high-throughput services, and content billing services, as well as new types of services that continue to evolve in the future. The embodiments of this application do not limit the service types supported by UPF.

[0075] The first information is introduced below, and the first information can be used by the SMF to calculate the weights corresponding to each service supported by the UPF. The first information is used to indicate the service capacity of each service supported by the UPF.

[0076] Service capacity refers to the total amount of resources that can be used by the service. Service capacity can be derived from the planning of UPF. Exemplarily, for two UPFs supporting the same service, their service capacity planning can be the same or different. For example, UPF1, UPF2 and UPF3 all support service 1 and service 2. UPF1 plans the service capacity of service 1 to be 100 and the service capacity of service 2 to be 50. UPF2 plans the service capacity of service 1 to be 50 and the service capacity of service 2 to be 100. It can be obtained that the service capacities planned by UPF1 and UPF2 are different. UPF3 plans the service capacity of service 1 to be 100 and the service capacity of service 2 to be 50. It can be obtained that the service capacities planned by UPF1 and UPF3 are the same.

[0077] Optionally, the first information may also indicate the service load (ServiceLoad) of each service supported by the UPF and / or the service failure status (ServiceStatus) of each service supported by the UPF.

[0078] The service load refers to the resource usage of the service session counted by the UPF in real time, or the service load refers to the ratio of the resource usage of the service session counted by the UPF in real time to the service capacity, or refers to the system central processing unit (CPU) occupancy rate consumed by the service, or the service load is a value calculated based on the resource usage of the service session and the system CPU occupancy consumed by the service. Exemplarily, the size of the service load can be graded, and the first information can indicate the load level of the service by indicating the load level of the service. For example, the size of the service load can be divided into 5 load levels. Taking the service load as the ratio of the resource usage of the service session counted by the UPF in real time to the service capacity as an example, load level 1 indicates that the service load is less than 30%; load level 2 indicates that the service load is greater than or equal to 30% and less than 50%; load level 3 indicates that the service load is greater than or equal to 50% and less than 70%; load level 4 indicates that the service load is greater than or equal to 70% and less than 85%. The above division method is only an example, and there may be other level division methods, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0079] The service failure state can also be referred to as the service congestion state. The service failure state is used to indicate whether the current service is in an available state. For example, when a service unit fails or switches inside the UPF device, a certain type of service may be unavailable. In order to ensure that the SMF can adjust the service flow to the available UPF device in time, the UPF monitors the relevant service units of the device content in real time. When a failure occurs and the service is unavailable, the service status involved is refreshed from available to unavailable. Exemplarily, the service failure state can be indicated by 1 bit in the first information, and the 1 bit is referred to as the service failure state information. When the service failure state information is the first value, it indicates that the current service is available; when the service failure state information is the second value, it indicates that the current service is unavailable. Service unavailability can also be regarded as the service capacity of the service being 0. Optionally, the first value is 0 and the second value is 1, or the first value is 1 and the second value is 0. Exemplarily, the service failure state can also be indicated by the service capacity. For example, when the service capacity is equal to 0, it indicates that the current service is in an unavailable state; when the service capacity is greater than 0, it indicates that the current service is in an available state.

[0080] In some possible implementations, the first information is transmitted between the N4 interface between the SMF and the UPF, and the first information is carried in the N4 signaling. For example, the first information is generated based on the packet forwarding control protocol (PFCP), for example, the first information can be carried in one or more of the following messages: PFCP Node Report Request, PFCP Association Update Request, PFCP Session Establishment Response, PFCP Session Modification Response, PFCP Session Deletion Response, or PFCP Session Report Request. Optionally, the first information can also be carried in other signaling, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0081] In some possible implementations, the first information is sent periodically. Exemplarily, the UPF periodically sends the first information to the SMF, and correspondingly, the SMF periodically receives the first information from the M UPFs. Based on this implementation, the SMF can periodically adjust the weights corresponding to the services of each UPF according to the service capacity of the M UPFs, which is conducive to enabling the SMF to adjust the network selection strategy in real time, balancing the service load of each UPF, and making effective use of the service resources of each UPF.

[0082] In some possible implementations, when the service capacity changes, the UPF can proactively report updates to the SMF. Taking the second UPF as an example, illustratively, when the service capacity of the first service of the second UPF changes, the second UPF sends the second information to the SMF, and correspondingly, the SMF receives the second information from the second SMF, and the second information is used to indicate the updated service capacity of the first service. Based on this implementation, the SMF can timely update the service capacity of the UPF and recalculate the weights corresponding to the services of the UPF, which is conducive to enabling the SMF to adjust the network selection strategy in real time, balancing the service load of each UPF, and making effective use of the service resources of each UPF.

[0083] Optionally, the change in the service capacity of the first service of the second UPF may refer to that a difference between the service capacity of the first service before being updated and the service capacity of the first service after being updated is greater than a preset value.

[0084] Optionally, when the first information also indicates the service load of each service supported by the UPF and / or the service failure status of each service supported by the UPF, when the service load of the service supported by the UPF changes, and / or the service failure status of the service supported by the UPF changes, the UPF also sends the second information to inform the SMF,

[0085] Optionally, the second information is transmitted between the N4 interface between the SMF and the UPF, and the second information can be carried in the N4 signaling. For example, the second information can be carried in one or more of the following messages: PFCP Node ReportRequest, PFCP Association Update Request, PFCP Session Establishment Response, PFCP Session Modification Response, PFCP Session Deletion Response, or PFCPSession Report Request. Further optionally, the second information can also be carried in other signaling, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0086] It should be understood that the above two implementation methods can be implemented separately or simultaneously. For example, while the UPF periodically sends the first information, it can also actively report the second information according to the changes in the service capacity.

[0087] 402. The SMF determines the weight of the first service of each UPF in the N UPFs based on the service capacity of the first services of the N UPFs.

[0088] In the embodiment of the present application, N UPFs are UPFs that support the first service among M UPFs, and N is a positive integer less than or equal to M. For example, each UPF among the M UPFs supports the first service, and N is equal to M; there is at least one UPF among the M UPFs that does not support the first service, and N is less than M. The weight of the UPF is used for SMF network selection, or for SMF to select the corresponding UPF for the terminal.

[0089] Taking the first UPF among the N UPFs as an example, the following methods for calculating the weight of the first service of the first UPF are introduced:

[0090] Mode 1: The weight of the first service of the first UPF is equal to the ratio of the service capacity of the first service of the first UPF to the sum of the service capacities of the first services of N UPFs. Exemplarily, the weight of the first service of the first UPF satisfies:

[0091]

[0092] Wherein, W1 represents the weight of the first service of the first UPF, C1 represents the service capacity of the first service of the first UPF, represents the sum of the first service capacities of N UPFs, C i It represents the service capacity of the i-th UPF among N UPFs. The first UPF is the first UPF among the N UPFs. The value range of i is 1 to N (including 1 and N).

[0093] For example, Figure 5 As shown, the UPFs managed by SMF include UPF1, UPF2 and UPF3, among which UPF1 supports service 1, service 2 and service 3, UPF2 supports service 1 and service 2, and UPF3 supports service 1 and service 3. The service capacity of service 1 of UPF1 is 200, the service capacity of service 1 of UPF2 is 400, and the service capacity of service 1 of UPF3 is 200. Based on the above formula (1), it can be calculated that the weight of service 1 of UPF1 is 0.25, the weight of service 1 of UPF2 is 0.5, and the weight of service 1 of UPF3 is 0.25. The service capacity of service 2 of UPF1 is 50, and the service capacity of service 2 of UPF2 is 50. Based on the above formula (1), it can be calculated that the weight of service 2 of UPF1 is 0.5, and the weight of service 2 of UPF2 is 0.5. The service capacity of service 3 of UPF1 is 80, and the service capacity of service 3 of UPF3 is 80. Based on the above formula (1), it can be calculated that the weight of service 3 of UPF1 is 0.5, and the weight of service 3 of UPF3 is 0.5.

[0094] Method 2: When the first information indicates the service capacity of the service supported by the UPF, the weight of the first service of the first UPF is equal to the ratio of the idle capacity of the first UPF to the sum of the idle capacity of the first services of N UPFs. The idle capacity refers to the size of unused resources in the resources planned by the UPF for the service, or the size of the resources not used by the service. The idle capacity can be obtained based on the service capacity and the service load. For example, the idle capacity is equal to the difference between the service capacity and the service load. Exemplarily, the weight of the first service of the first UPF satisfies:

[0095]

[0096] Among them, W1 represents the weight of the first service of the first UPF, C1 represents the service capacity of the first service of the first UPF, L1 represents the service load of the first service of the first UPF, and the service load is the resource usage of the service counted in real time by the UPF, and C1-L1 represents the idle capacity of the first service. represents the sum of the idle capacities of the first services of N UPFs, C i represents the service capacity of the ith UPF among N UPFs, Li Represents the business load of the i-th UPF among N UPFs.

[0097] For example, Figure 6 As shown, the UPF managed by SMF includes UPF1, UPF2 and UPF3, among which UPF1 supports service 1, service 2 and service 3, UPF2 supports service 1 and service 2, and UPF3 supports service 1 and service 3. The service capacity of service 1 of UPF1 is 200, and the service load is 100; the service capacity of service 1 of UPF2 is 400, and the service load is 100; the service capacity of service 1 of UPF3 is 200, and the service load is 100. Based on the above formula (2), it can be calculated that the weight of service 1 of UPF1 is 0.2, the weight of service 1 of UPF2 is 0.6, and the weight of service 1 of UPF3 is 0.2. The service capacity of service 2 of UPF1 is 50, and the service load is 20; the service capacity of service 2 of UPF2 is 50, and the service load is 30. Based on the above formula (2), it can be calculated that the weight of service 2 of UPF1 is 0.6, and the weight of service 2 of UPF2 is 0.4. The service capacity of UPF1 service 3 is 80, and the service load is 20. The service capacity of UPF3 service 3 is 80, and the service load is 40. Based on the above formula (2), it can be calculated that the weight of UPF1 service 3 is 0.6, and the weight of UPF3 service 3 is 0.4.

[0098] Method three: When a UPF supports at least two services, the UPF can plan to share the service capacity of the service with relatively idle resources with the service with relatively tight resources. Taking the first UPF as an example, the first UPF supports the first service and the second service, and the first service can share the service capacity of the second service with the first service. Optionally, the service capacity shared by the second service to the first service can be determined based on the preset load rate of the second service, and the load rate of the second service is equal to the ratio of the service load of the second service to the reserved capacity, and the reserved capacity is the capacity planned by the UPF for the service for reservation. The higher the service load of the second service, the less service capacity the second service shares with the first service; the smaller the service load of the second service, the more service capacity the second service shares with the first service. In this scenario, the service capacity of the first service is equal to the weight equal to the ratio of the effective capacity of the first UPF to the sum of the effective capacities of the first services of N UPFs, where the effective capacity refers to the sum of the service capacity of the service itself and the service capacity shared with the service by other services. Optionally, in the case where no other service shares service capacity for the service, the service capacity of the service is equal to the effective capacity. Exemplarily, the weight of the first service of the first UPF satisfies:

[0099]

[0100] Wherein, W1 represents the weight of the first service of the first UPF, E1 represents the service capacity of the first service of the first UPF, represents the sum of the first service capacities of N UPFs, E i Indicates the service capacity of the i-th UPF among N UPFs, the first UPF is the first UPF among N UPFs, and the value range of i is 1 to N (including 1 and N). C i represents the service capacity of the first service of the ith UPF among N UPFs, K represents the number of other services that share the service capacity of the first service among all services except the first service in the ith UPF, K is a positive integer, for example, assuming that 2 services share capacity with the first service, then K is equal to 2. The ith UPF includes K services that share capacity with the first service, C j ′The service capacity of the jth service among the K services, L j ′ represents the service load of the jth service among the K services, R j ' represents the load rate of the jth service among the K services, and the value range of i is 1 to K (including 1 and K).

[0101] For example, Figure 7 As shown, the UPF managed by SMF includes UPF1, UPF2 and UPF3, among which UPF1 supports service 1, service 2 and service 3, UPF2 supports service 1 and service 2, and UPF3 supports service 1 and service 3. The service capacity of service 1 of UPF1 is 200, and both services 2 and 3 share the service capacity with service 1. The service capacity of service 2 is 50, the service load is 10, the reserved capacity is 10, and the load rate is 50%. According to calculation, it can be obtained that the service capacity of service 2 of UPF1 shared with service 1 is 30, the service capacity of service 2 is 80, the service load is 20, the reserved capacity is 20, and the load rate is 50%. According to calculation, it can be obtained that the service capacity of service 3 of UPF1 shared with service 1 is 40. Therefore, based on the calculation of the above formula (4), it can be obtained that the effective capacity of service 1 of UPF1 is 270. Similarly, it can also be calculated that the effective capacity of service 1 of UPF2 is 280, and the effective capacity of service 1 of UPF3 is 240. Based on the above formula (3), it can be calculated that the weight of service 1 of UPF1 is 0.34, the weight of service 1 of UPF2 is 0.35, and the weight of service 1 of UPF3 is 0.3. The weight calculation of service 2 and service 3 adopts the method described in the above method 1, which will not be repeated here.

[0102] It should be understood that the calculation method described above is only an example, and SMF may also have other calculation methods, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0103] In some possible implementations, the SMF sends response information to the M UPFs for the first information, and the response information may be used to indicate that the first information has been successfully received. Optionally, the response information may also indicate the weight of each service supported by the UPF. In this way, the UPF can also determine the weight of each of its own services.

[0104] 403. The SMF selects a first UPF corresponding to the terminal from the N UPFs based on the weight of the first service of each UPF in the N UPFs, and the services subscribed by the terminal include the first service.

[0105] In the embodiment of the present application, the first UPF is the UPF selected by the SMF for the terminal, and the SMF can direct the PFCP session activation signaling of the terminal to the first UPF. In some possible implementations, the SMF can select the UPF with the highest weight as the UPF corresponding to the terminal, that is, the first UPF is the UPF with the highest weight among the N UPFs. For example, the N UPFs include UPF1 and UPF2, the weight of the first service of UPF1 is 0.1, and the weight of the first service of UPF2 is 0.9, then the SMF selects UPF2 as the UPF corresponding to the terminal. Alternatively, the SMF can also randomly select based on the probability corresponding to the weight of the service of each UPF in the N UPFs, and the probability of each UPF being selected is related to its corresponding weight. For example, the N UPFs include UPF1 and UPF2, the weight of the first service of UPF1 is 0.1, the weight of the first service of UPF2 is 0.9, the probability of UPF1 being selected is 10%, and the probability of UPF2 being selected is 90%.

[0106] Based on the method described in the embodiment of the present application, the SMF can dynamically adjust the network selection strategy in real time according to the UPF service capacity, which is conducive to balancing the service load of each UPF and making effective use of the service resources of each UPF.

[0107] Among them, the number of services signed by the terminal can be one or more. The above description only takes the first service as an example. Optionally, the number of services signed by the terminal can also be multiple. When the number of services signed by the terminal is multiple, the SMF can determine P UPFs from M UPFs, and the P UPFs are all UPFs that meet the multiple services signed by the terminal. Based on the weights of the services signed by the terminal corresponding to the P UPFs, the UPF corresponding to the terminal is selected from the P UPFs. The specific implementation is similar to the method described above and will not be repeated here.

[0108] In some examples, the process of SMF selecting UPF may be as follows:

[0109] 1) SMF obtains candidate UPF list 1 from UPF Pool according to the mandatory conditions of the terminal's user services. The UPFs included in candidate UPF list 1 all meet the mandatory conditions, which include but are not limited to one or more of the following: data network name (Data Network Name, DNN), slice, UPF service interface capability, equipment fault status filtering, etc.

[0110] 2) SMF determines candidate UPF list 2 from candidate UPF list 1 according to the contracted services of the terminal, and each UPF in candidate UPF list 2 has the ability to support the contracted services of the terminal. For example, the services contracted by terminal 1 include intelligent computing services, and each UPF in candidate UPF list 2 determined by SMF for terminal 1 supports intelligent computing services; for another example, the services contracted by terminal 2 include intelligent computing services and content relay services, and each UPF in candidate UPF list 2 determined by SMF for terminal 2 supports intelligent computing services and content relay services.

[0111] 3) SMF selects a UPF as the UPF corresponding to the terminal according to the weight of the service subscribed by the terminal corresponding to each UPF in the candidate UPF list 2, and directs the PFCP session activation signaling of the terminal to this UPF.

[0112] The following is an introduction to the communication device provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0113] The present application divides the functional modules of the communication device according to the above method embodiment. 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 modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. Figures 8 to 10 The communication device according to the embodiment of the present application is described in detail.

[0114] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 8 As shown, the communication device includes a processing module 801 and a communication module 802. The communication module 802 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 801 is used to implement corresponding processing functions. For example, the communication module 802 can also be an interface, a communication interface, etc.

[0115] In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device can be used to execute the actions performed by the SMF in the above method embodiment. In this case, the SMF can be the SMF itself or a chip or functional module that can be configured in the SMF. The communication module 802 is used to execute the operations related to the transmission and reception of the SMF in the above method embodiment, and the processing module 801 is used to execute the operations related to the processing of the SMF in the above method embodiment. Among them:

[0116] The communication module 802 is used to receive the first information from M UPFs, where the first information is used to indicate the service capacity of each service supported by the UPF, where M is an integer greater than 1; the processing module 801 is used to determine the weight of the first service of each UPF in the N UPFs based on the service capacity of the first service of the N UPFs, where the N UPFs are the UPFs supporting the first service in the M UPFs, and N is a positive integer less than or equal to M; the processing module 801 is also used to select the first UPF corresponding to the terminal from the N UPFs based on the weight of the first service of each UPF in the N UPFs, where the services signed by the terminal include the first service.

[0117] In some possible implementations, when the communication module 802 receives the first information from M UPFs, it is specifically configured to periodically receive the first information from the M UPFs.

[0118] In some possible implementations, the communication module 802 is further used to receive second information from a second UPF, where the second information indicates a service capacity of the first service after the second UPF is updated, and the second UPF belongs to N UPFs.

[0119] In some possible implementations, the communication module 802 is further configured to send response information to the M UPFs in response to the first information.

[0120] In some possible implementations, the first information is also used to indicate the service load of each service supported by the UPF and / or the service failure status of each service supported by the UPF.

[0121] In some possible implementations, the weight of the first service of the first UPF is equal to the ratio of the service capacity of the first service of the first UPF to the sum of the service capacities of the first services of N UPFs.

[0122] In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device can be used to execute the actions performed by the UPF in the above method embodiment. In this case, the UPF can be the UPF itself or a chip or functional module that can be configured in the UPF. The communication module 802 is used to execute the operations related to the sending and receiving of the UPF in the above method embodiment, and the processing module 801 is used to execute the operations related to the processing of the UPF in the above method embodiment. Among them:

[0123] The communication module 802 is used to send first information to the SMF, where the first information is used to indicate the service capacity of each service supported by the UPF, and the first information is used to request the SMF to calculate the weight of the first service of the UPF.

[0124] In some possible implementations, the first information is also used to indicate the service load of each service supported by the UPF and / or the service failure status of each service supported by the UPF.

[0125] In some possible implementations, the communication module 802 sends the first information to the SMF, specifically for: periodically sending the first information to the SMF.

[0126] In some possible implementations, the communication module 802 is used to send second information to the SMF when the service capacity of the first service changes, where the second information is used to indicate the updated service capacity of the first service.

[0127] In some possible implementations, the communication module 802 is further configured to receive response information from the SMF to the first information.

[0128] Optionally, in the above embodiment, the communication device may further include a storage module, which may be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module 801 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the communication device implements the above method embodiment.

[0129] The specific description of the communication module and the processing module is only an example. For the specific functions or execution steps of the communication module and the processing module, reference may be made to the above-mentioned method embodiment, which will not be described in detail here.

[0130] The above describes the communication device of the embodiment of the present application, and the following describes possible product forms of the communication device. Figure 8 Any form of product with the functions of the communication device described above falls within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application. The following description is only for example and does not limit the product form of the communication device of the embodiments of the present application to this.

[0131] In one possible implementation, Figure 8In the communication device shown, the processing module 801 may be one or more processing circuits, the communication module 802 may be a communication circuit, or the communication module 802 may also be a sending module and / or a receiving module, the sending module may be a sending circuit, the receiving module may be a receiving circuit, and the sending module and the receiving module are integrated into one device, such as a communication circuit. In the embodiment of the present application, the processing circuit and the communication circuit may be coupled, etc., and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the connection mode of the processing circuit and the communication circuit. In the process of executing the above method, the process of sending information in the above method may be a process in which the processing circuit outputs the above information. When outputting the above information, the processing circuit outputs the above information to the communication circuit so that the communication circuit transmits (or outputs). After the above information is output by the processing circuit, it may also need to be processed in other ways before it reaches the communication circuit. Similarly, the process of receiving information in the above method may be a process in which the processing circuit receives the input information. When the processing circuit receives the input information, the communication circuit receives the above information and inputs it into the processing circuit. Furthermore, after the communication circuit receives the above information, the above information may need to be processed in other ways before it is input into the processing circuit.

[0132] Fig. 9 Schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig. 9 As shown, the communication device 90 includes one or more processing circuits 920 and a communication circuit 910 .

[0133] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication device may be used to execute the steps, methods or functions executed by the above-mentioned SMF, such as the processing circuit 920 may be used to execute the following steps: Figure 8 The functions or steps implemented by the processing module 801 shown in FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B may be implemented by the communication circuit 910. Figure 8 The functions or steps implemented by the communication module 802 shown in FIG. 8 are shown in FIG. 8 . For detailed description of the processing circuit 920 and the communication circuit 910 , please refer to FIG. Figure 8 Or the method embodiments shown above will not be described in detail here.

[0134] In some other embodiments of the present application, the communication device is used to execute the steps, methods or functions executed by the above-mentioned UPF, such as the processing circuit 920 can be used to execute the following steps: Figure 8 The functions or steps implemented by the processing module 801 shown in FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B may be implemented by the communication circuit 910. Figure 8 The functions or steps implemented by the communication module 802 shown in FIG. 8 are shown in FIG. 8 . For detailed description of the processing circuit 920 and the communication circuit 910 , please refer to FIG. Figure 8 Or the method embodiments shown above will not be described in detail here.

[0135] Exemplarily, the processing circuit may be one or more processors, or all or part of the circuits in one or more processors. The communication circuit may be a transceiver, or an input / output circuit, or an interface circuit, etc.

[0136] For example, in Fig. 9 In various implementations of the communication device shown, the communication circuit may include a receiver and a transmitter, wherein the receiver is used to perform a receiving function (or operation) and the transmitter is used to perform a transmitting function (or operation). The communication circuit is used to communicate with other devices / communication devices through a transmission medium.

[0137] Optionally, the communication device 90 may further include one or more memories 930 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 930 is coupled to the processing circuit 920. The coupling in the embodiment of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between the communication device, unit or module, which may be electrical, mechanical or other forms, and is used for information exchange between the communication device, unit or module. The processing circuit 920 may operate in conjunction with the memory 930. The processing circuit 920 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 930. Optionally, at least one of the above one or more memories may be included in the processing circuit.

[0138] The specific connection medium between the communication circuit 910, the processing circuit 920 and the memory 930 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. Fig. 9 In the embodiment, the memory 930, the processing circuit 920 and the communication circuit 910 are connected via a bus 940. Fig. 9 The connections between the other components are shown in bold lines, which are only for illustration and are not intended to be limiting. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Fig. 9 Only one thick line is used in the diagram, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0139] In the embodiments of the present application, the processing circuit may be a general processing circuit, a digital signal processing circuit, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, etc., which may implement or execute the various methods, steps and logic block diagrams in the embodiments of the present application. The general processing circuit may be a microprocessing circuit or any conventional processing circuit, etc. The steps of the method in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application may be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processing circuit, or may be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processing circuit, etc.

[0140] In the embodiment of the present application, the memory may include, but is not limited to, non-volatile memory such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), a random access memory (RAM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a read-only memory (ROM) or a portable read-only memory (CD-ROM), etc. The memory is any storage medium that can be used to carry or store program codes in the form of instructions or data structures and can be read and / or written by a computer (such as the communication device shown in the present application), but is not limited thereto. The memory in the embodiment of the present application can also be a circuit or any other communication device that can realize a storage function, for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0141] Exemplarily, the processing circuit 920 is mainly used to process the communication protocol and communication data, and to control the entire communication device, execute the software program, and process the data of the software program. The memory 930 is mainly used to store the software program and data. The communication circuit 910 may include a control circuit and an antenna. The control circuit is mainly used to convert the baseband signal and the radio frequency signal and to process the radio frequency signal. The antenna is mainly used to send and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input and output communication devices, such as touch screens, display screens, keyboards, etc., are mainly used to receive data input by users and output data to users.

[0142] When the communication device is turned on, the processing circuit 920 can read the software program in the memory 930, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be sent wirelessly, the processing circuit 920 performs baseband processing on the data to be sent, and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and then sends the radio frequency signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processing circuit 920. The processing circuit 920 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0143] In another implementation, the RF circuit and antenna may be arranged independently of the processing circuit for baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the RF circuit and antenna may be arranged remotely from the communication device.

[0144] The communication device shown in the embodiment of the present application may also have Fig. 9The embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of components and the like. The methods executed by the processing circuit and the communication circuit shown above are only examples, and the specific steps executed by the processing circuit and the communication circuit can refer to the methods described above.

[0145] In another possible implementation, Figure 8 In the communication device shown, the processing module 801 may be one or more logic circuits, and the communication module 802 may be an input / output interface, or may be called a communication interface, or an interface circuit, or an interface, etc. Alternatively, the communication module 802 may also include a sending module and / or a receiving module, the sending module may include an output interface, the receiving module may include an input interface, and the sending module and the receiving module may be integrated into one module, such as an input / output interface.

[0146] Fig.10 Schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.10 As shown, Fig.10 The communication device shown includes a logic circuit 1001 and an interface circuit 1002. That is, the processing module 801 can be implemented by the logic circuit 1001, and the communication module 802 can be implemented by the interface circuit 1002. The logic circuit 1001 can be a chip, a processing circuit, an integrated circuit or a system on chip (SoC) chip, etc., and the interface circuit 1002 can be a communication interface, an input / output interface, a pin, etc. For example, Fig.10 The communication device may be a chip, which includes a logic circuit 1001 and an interface circuit 1002 .

[0147] In the embodiment of the present application, the logic circuit and the interface may also be coupled to each other. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific connection method between the logic circuit and the interface. For example, the logic circuit 1001 may be used to perform the following Figure 8 The functions or steps implemented by the processing module 801 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 can be used to perform the following steps: Figure 8 The functions or steps implemented by the communication module 802 shown in FIG. 1001 and the interface circuit 1002 can be referred to in detail. Figure 8 Or the method embodiments shown above will not be described in detail here.

[0148] The communication device shown in the embodiment of the present application can implement the method provided in the embodiment of the present application in the form of hardware, or can implement the method provided in the embodiment of the present application in the form of software, etc., and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0149] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, which includes an SMF and a UPF. The SMF and the UPF can be used to execute the method in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0150] In addition, the present application also provides a computer program, which is used to implement the operations and / or processing performed by each communication device in the method provided by the present application.

[0151] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which computer codes are stored. When the computer codes are executed on a computer, the computer executes the operations and / or processes performed by each communication device in the method provided by the present application.

[0152] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer code or a computer program. When the computer code or the computer program runs on a computer, the operations and / or processes performed by each method provided by the present application are executed.

[0153] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, communication devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the communication device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the modules is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple modules or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, communication devices or modules, or it can be an electrical, mechanical or other form of connection.

[0154] The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as modules may or may not be physical modules, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the technical effects of the solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0155] In addition, each functional module in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated into one processing module, or each module can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules.

[0156] If the integrated module is implemented in the form of a software function module and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or partly contributed to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a readable storage medium, including a number of instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned readable storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), disk or optical disk and other media that can store program code.

[0157] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which 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: The method comprises: receiving first information from M user plane functions, where the first information is used to indicate a service capacity of each service supported by the user plane function, where M is an integer greater than 1; Determine, based on the service capacity of the first service of N user plane functions, a weight of the first service of each user plane function in the N user plane functions, the N user plane functions being user plane functions supporting the first service in the M user plane functions, and N being a positive integer less than or equal to M; Based on the weight of the first service of each user plane function in the N user plane functions, a first user plane function corresponding to the terminal is selected from the N user plane functions, and the services subscribed by the terminal include the first service.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first information is also used to indicate the service load of each service supported by the user plane function and / or the service failure status of each service supported by the user plane function.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The receiving first information from M user plane functions includes: First information from M user plane functions is periodically received.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Second information is received from a second user plane function, where the second information indicates a service capacity of the first service after the second user plane function is updated, and the second user plane function belongs to the N user plane functions.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Send response information for the first information to the M user plane functions.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The weight of the first service of the first user plane function is equal to the ratio of the service capacity of the first service of the first user plane function to the sum of the service capacities of the first services of the N user plane functions.

7. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: First information is sent to a session management function, where the first information is used to indicate a service capacity of each service supported by the user plane function, and the first information is used to request the session management function to calculate a weight of a first service of the user plane function.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The first information is also used to indicate the service load of each service supported by the user plane function and / or the service failure status of each service supported by the user plane function.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The sending the first information to the session management function includes: The first information is periodically sent to the session management function.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that: The method further comprises: When the service capacity of the first service changes, second information is sent to the session management function, where the second information is used to indicate the updated service capacity of the first service.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Receive response information from the session management function to the first information.

12. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes a module or unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or the communication device includes a module or unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 7 to 11.

13. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor, wherein the processor is used to enable the communication device to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or the processor is used to enable the communication device to implement the method according to any one of claims 7 to 11.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 7 to 11 is executed.

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