Communication method and related device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and a related device, and the method comprises the steps: a terminal is connected to a first network element through first access network equipment, and the first network element is responsible for the access management of the terminal; the first access network device or the first network element sends first information to the terminal, wherein the first information indicates whether the first network element supports dual connectivity of the terminal through the two access network devices; correspondingly, the terminal receives the first information and sends second information to the second access network device when the first information indicates that the first network element supports the dual connectivity of the terminal through the two access network devices, and the second information indicates the first network element to request the second access network device to be connected with the first network element. According to the method provided by the invention, the terminal can be successfully registered to the network through the two access network devices in the double 3GPP mode access mode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to a communication method and related devices. Background Art

[0002] A terminal can be connected to a network through two different 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) access network devices, and this method is called dual 3GPP access. In the dual 3GPP access mode, the terminal needs to be connected to two radio access network (RAN) devices simultaneously, maintain radio resource control (RRC) connections with the two RAN devices, and register to the network through the two RANs.

[0003] However, when the terminal uses dual 3GPP access, how the terminal registers to the network is still an unsolved problem. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and related devices, which can successfully register to the network through two access network devices when the terminal uses dual 3GPP access.

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a communication device. For example, the communication device can be a terminal, or a component configured in the terminal (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.), or can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal functions. This application does not make any limitation in this regard. For convenience of understanding and description hereinafter, the method will be described by taking the terminal as an example of the communication device.

[0006] Exemplarily, the method includes: connecting to a first network element through a first access network device; receiving first information sent by the first access network device or the first network element, where the first information indicates whether the first network element supports dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0007] It can be understood that the terminal is a terminal that supports accessing the network through dual 3GPP. The first network element is responsible for the access management of the terminal.

[0008] Alternatively, the first piece of information indicates whether the first network element supports dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices, which can also be stated as: the first piece of information indicates whether the first network element supports the terminal to connect to the first network element through two access network devices; or, the first piece of information indicates whether the first network element supports the terminal to register with the first network element through two access network devices; or, the first piece of information indicates whether the first network element supports the terminal to connect to the first network element through two access network devices; or, the first piece of information indicates whether the first network element supports the terminal to connect to the first network element through two access network devices.

[0009] Optionally, when the first piece of information indicates that the first network element supports dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices, a second piece of information is sent to the second access network device, and the second piece of information is used to indicate the first network element to request the second access network device to connect to the first network element.

[0010] Optionally, when the first piece of information indicates that the first network element does not support dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices, a third piece of information is sent to the second access network device, and the third piece of information indicates that the second access network device cannot select the first network element.

[0011] The access types of the above two access network devices are 3GPP access types, that is, the first piece of information indicates whether the first network element supports dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices of 3GPP access types. Further, the RAT types of these two access network devices may be the same or different.

[0012] Based on this method, after the terminal connects to the first network element through the first access network device, it can determine whether the first network element supports two access network devices to connect to the first network element simultaneously by receiving the first piece of information sent from the first access network device or the first network element, and when the first network element supports two access network devices to connect to the first network element simultaneously, send a second piece of information for indicating the first network element to the second access network device to request the second access network device to connect to the first network element, or when the first network element does not support two access network devices to connect to the first network element simultaneously, send a third piece of information for indicating that the second access network device cannot select the first network element to the second access network device to request the second access network device to connect to other network elements except the first network element. Therefore, the method provided in this application can successfully register to the network through two access network devices when the terminal accesses in a dual 3GPP manner.

[0013] Combined with the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the first aspect, the above third piece of information does not include the identifier of the first network element; or, the third piece of information includes the identifier of the first network element and an indication of not selecting the first network element.

[0014] Based on this method, by sending the third information to the second access network device, the second access network device can be made not to select to connect to the first network element.

[0015] Combined with the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving fourth information from the first network element, where the fourth information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices.

[0016] It can be understood that the terminal being authorized to access the network through two access network devices means that the terminal is allowed to access the network in a dual 3GPP manner.

[0017] It can also be understood that when the terminal receives the fourth information indicating that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices, the terminal determines that it can register to the network through the second access network device, and sends the second information or the third information to the second access network device.

[0018] In one possible implementation manner, the above sending the second information to the second access network device includes: sending the second information to the second access network device according to the fourth information.

[0019] Exemplarily, when the first information indicates that the first network element supports the dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices, and the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices, the second information is sent to the second access network device.

[0020] In another possible implementation manner, the above sending the third information to the second access network device includes: sending the third information to the second access network device according to the fourth information.

[0021] Exemplarily, when the first information indicates that the first network element does not support the dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices, and the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices, the third information is sent to the second access network device.

[0022] Optionally, the fourth information may further indicate that the terminal is not authorized to access the network through two access network devices. At this time, the terminal may not send the second information and the third information.

[0023] Similarly, the terminal not being authorized to access the network through two access network devices means that the terminal is not allowed to access the network in a dual 3GPP manner.

[0024] Combined with the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the first aspect, before receiving the first information from the first network element, the method further includes: sending fifth information to the first access network device or the first network element, where the fifth information indicates that the terminal supports accessing the network through two access network devices.

[0025] Alternatively, the fifth information indicates that the terminal expects to access the network through two access network devices.

[0026] Among them, the fifth information is sent to the first access network device to request the first access network device to select a first network element that supports dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0027] Sending the fifth information to the first network element can trigger the first network element to send the first information to the terminal; at the same time, when the first network element supports dual connectivity through two access network devices, the first network element can accept the N2 request sent by the terminal through the second access network device based on the fifth information. The N2 request can be understood as an access network device requesting to connect to the first network element.

[0028] Combined with the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving sixth information from the first network element, where the sixth information indicates the radio access technology (RAT) of the two access network devices; based on the sixth information, selecting a second access network device.

[0029] It can be understood that when the first network element supports dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices, the RAT type of the second access network device should belong to the RAT type supported by the first network element. Since the terminal is connected to the first network element through the first access network device, the RAT type of the first access network device belongs to the RAT type supported by the first network element.

[0030] It can also be understood that the sixth information and the first information can be sent simultaneously or separately. When the sixth information and the first information are sent simultaneously, the content indicated by the first information and the sixth information can be carried by a registration accept message sent by the first network element to the terminal.

[0031] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a communication device. The communication device can be, for example, the first network element, or a component (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.) configured in the first network element, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first network element. The present application does not limit this. For the convenience of understanding and description below, the method is described by taking the first network element as an example of the communication device.

[0032] Exemplarily, the method includes: sending first information to the terminal, where the first information indicates whether the first network element supports dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices; when the first network element supports dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices, receiving a registration request message sent by the terminal through the second access network device.

[0033] Among them, the first network element is responsible for the access management of the terminal. Or rather, the first network element is the network element to which the terminal is connected through the first access network device.

[0034] Based on this method, the first network element sends the first information for indicating whether the first network element supports dual connection to the terminal, so that the terminal receiving the first information can determine the first network element connected to the second access network device based on the first information, ensuring that the terminal can successfully register to the network through the second access network device.

[0035] It can be understood that before sending the first information to the terminal, the terminal is connected to the first network element through the first access network device.

[0036] Optionally, before sending the first information to the terminal, the method further includes: receiving, through the first access network device, the fifth information from the terminal, where the fifth information indicates that the terminal supports accessing the network through two access network devices.

[0037] For the description of the fifth information, reference can be made to the description of the fifth information sent by the terminal to the first network element in the first aspect, which will not be elaborated here.

[0038] Optionally, before sending the first information to the terminal, the method further includes: receiving the fourth information from the policy control function (PCF) network element, where the fourth information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices.

[0039] Among them, PCF can be replaced by unified data management (UDM), that is, receiving the fourth information from UDM.

[0040] Optionally, sending the first information to the terminal includes: sending the first information to the terminal according to the fourth information.

[0041] Exemplarily, when the first network element has the ability to support the dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices and the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices, the first information is sent to the terminal, and the first information indicates that the first network element supports the dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0042] Exemplarily, when the first network element does not have the ability to support the dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices but the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices, the first information is sent to the terminal, and the first information indicates that the first network element does not support the dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0043] Optionally, the fourth information may further indicate that the terminal is not authorized to access the network through two access network devices.

[0044] Exemplarily, sending the first information to the terminal includes: sending the first information to the terminal according to the fourth information.

[0045] Exemplarily, when the first network element has the ability to support dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices and the terminal is not authorized to access the network through two access network devices, send the first information to the terminal, where the first information indicates that the first network element does not support dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0046] Exemplarily, when the first network element does not have the ability to support dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices and the terminal is not authorized to access the network through two access network devices, send the first information to the terminal or do not send the first information, where the first information indicates that the first network element does not support dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0047] In summary, when the fourth information indicates that the terminal is not authorized to access the network through two access network devices, the first information indicating that the first network element does not support dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices can be directly sent to the terminal or not sent.

[0048] Based on this method, the first network element sends the first information for indicating whether the first network element supports two access network devices to be simultaneously connected to the first network element to the terminal, so that the terminal receiving the first information can determine whether it can be connected to the first network element through the second access network device when accessing the network in the dual 3GPP manner based on the first information. Thus, when the first network element supports two access network devices to be simultaneously connected to the first network element, the terminal can request the second access network device to be connected to the first network element, or when the first network element does not support two access network devices to be simultaneously connected to the first network element, request the second access network device to be connected to other network elements other than the first network element. Therefore, the method provided in this application can successfully register to the network through two access network devices when the terminal accesses in the dual 3GPP manner.

[0049] Optionally, the access types of the above two access network devices are both 3GPP access types. That is, whether the first network element supports dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices with the 3GPP access type.

[0050] For the description of the RAT type of the access network device, reference can be made to the description in the first aspect above, and details are not described here again.

[0051] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a communication device. The communication device can be, for example, an access network device, or a component (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.) configured in the access network device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network device. The present application does not limit this. For the convenience of understanding and description in the following, the method will be described by taking the first access network device as an example of the communication device.

[0052] Exemplarily, the method includes: receiving fifth information from a terminal, where the fifth information indicates that the terminal supports accessing the network through two access network devices; based on the fifth information, connecting to a first network element; and sending first information to the terminal, where the first information indicates whether the first network element supports dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0053] Among them, the first network element is responsible for the access management of the terminal. Or rather, the first network element is the network element to which the terminal is connected through the first access network device.

[0054] For the description of the first information, reference can be made to the relevant description in the first aspect above, and details will not be elaborated here.

[0055] Based on this method, the first access network device selects a first network element based on the received fifth information and establishes a connection with the first network element. After establishing a connection with the first network element, the first access network device can indicate whether the first network element supports dual connection by sending the first information to the terminal, so that the terminal receiving the first information can determine the network element connected to the second access network device based on the first information, ensuring that the terminal can successfully access the network through the second access network device.

[0056] Optionally, the above connecting to the first network element based on the fifth information includes: connecting to the first network element based on the fifth information and a first mapping relationship. Among them, the first mapping relationship indicates whether each of a plurality of first network elements supports dual connection, and the first mapping relationship can be pre-configured on the first access network device.

[0057] Optionally, the above connecting to the first network element based on the fifth information includes: based on the fifth information, sending seventh information to a network repository function (NRF) network element, where the seventh information is used to request the NRF to select a first network element that supports dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices; receiving the identifier of the first network element from the NRF; and connecting to the first network element based on the identifier of the first network element.

[0058] Optionally, when determining the connection to the first network element through the NRF, the method further includes: receiving first information from the NRF.

[0059] In combination with the third aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the third aspect, the method further includes: receiving fourth information sent by the first network element, where the fourth information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices.

[0060] Optionally, sending the first information to the terminal includes: sending the first information to the terminal according to the fourth information.

[0061] Exemplarily, when the first network element supports dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices and the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices, send the first information to the terminal, where the first information indicates that the first network element supports dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0062] Exemplarily, when the first network element has the ability to support dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices, but the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices, send the first information to the terminal, where the first information indicates that the first network element does not support dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0063] Optionally, the fourth information indicates that the terminal is not authorized to access the network through two access network devices. At this time, the first access network device may directly send the first information to the terminal or not send the first information, and the first information indicates that the first network element does not support dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0064] For a more detailed description of the fourth information, reference may be made to the description of the second aspect above, which will not be elaborated here.

[0065] In combination with the third aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the third aspect, the method further includes: sending the fifth information to the first network element, so that the first network element supporting dual connectivity accepts the N2 request sent by the terminal through the second access network device based on the fifth information.

[0066] Optionally, the access types of the two access network devices are both 3GPP access types.

[0067] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a communication device. The communication device may be, for example, an access network device, or a component (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.) configured in the access network device, or may also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network device. The present application does not make any limitation in this regard. For the convenience of understanding and description hereinafter, the second access network device is taken as an example of the communication device to describe the method.

[0068] Exemplarily, the method includes: receiving second information or third information from a terminal, where the second information indicates a first network element, and the third information indicates that the second access network device cannot select the first network element; the terminal is connected to the first network element through a first access network device, and the first network element is responsible for the access management of the terminal; determining a target network element based on the second information or the third information; and sending registration information to the target network element.

[0069] Exemplarily, the target network element is the first network element; the determining the target network element based on the second information or the third information includes: determining, based on the second information, that the target network element is the first network element.

[0070] Exemplarily, the target network element is another network element responsible for the access management of the terminal other than the first network element; the selecting the target network element based on the second information or the third information includes: determining, based on the third information, that another network element responsible for the access management of the terminal other than the first network element is the target network element.

[0071] Based on this method, the second access network device can determine the target AMF based on the second information or the third information from the terminal, effectively avoiding the problem that when the first network element does not support dual connection, the second access network device requests to connect to the first network element and thus the connection fails, and ensuring the success rate of the terminal registering to the network through two access network devices.

[0072] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, including modules or units for implementing the method in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation manner of any of the above aspects. It should be understood that each module or unit can implement the corresponding function by executing a computer program.

[0073] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, including a processor, where the processor is used to execute the method described in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation manner of any of the above aspects.

[0074] The device may further include a memory for storing instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, and when the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, the method described in the above aspects can be implemented.

[0075] The device may further include a communication interface for the device to communicate with other devices. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, or other types of communication interfaces.

[0076] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a chip system, which includes at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions involved in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation manners of any aspect. For example, for receiving or processing the data and / or information involved in the above method.

[0077] In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing program instructions and data, and the memory is located inside or outside the processor.

[0078] The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0079] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium including a computer program, which, when running on a computer, enables the computer to implement the methods in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation manners of any aspect.

[0080] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program (which may also be referred to as code or instruction), and when the computer program is run, enables the computer to execute the methods in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation manners of any aspect.

[0081] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which includes the foregoing terminal, first network element, first access network device, and second access network device. The terminal can be used to implement the methods in the first aspect and any possible implementation manner in the first aspect; the first network element can be used to implement the methods in the second aspect and any possible implementation manner in the second aspect; the first access network device can be used to implement the methods in the third aspect and any possible implementation manner in the third aspect; the second access network device can be used to implement the methods in the fourth aspect and any possible implementation manner in the fourth aspect.

[0082] It should be understood that the fifth to tenth aspects of the present application correspond to the technical solutions of the first to fourth aspects of the present application, and the beneficial effects obtained by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation manners are similar and will not be elaborated herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0083] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture based on a service-oriented architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0084] Figure 2 and Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0085] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0086] Figure 5 is another schematic flowchart of the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0087] Figure 6 and Figure 7 is a schematic block diagram of the device provided by the embodiments of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0088] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0089] For ease of understanding the embodiments of the present application, the following points are first explained:

[0090] First, in the embodiments of the present application, the use of prefix words such as "first" and "second" is only for facilitating the descriptive distinction of different things belonging to the same name category, and does not restrict the order, size or quantity of things. For example, "the first access network device" and "the second access network device" are only different devices, and do not limit the quantity or the high-low relationship of the priority of the devices; for another example, "the second information" and "the third information" are only different information, and there is no time sequence relationship, size relationship or high-low relationship of the priority between the two.

[0091] Second, "send" and "receive" in the embodiments of the present application represent the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending the second information to the second access network device" can be understood as the destination of the information being the second access network device, which may include directly sending through the air interface, or indirectly sending through other units or modules through the air interface. "Receiving the sixth information from the first network element" can be understood as the source of the sixth information being the first network element, which may include directly receiving from the first network element through the air interface, or indirectly receiving from the first network element through other units or modules through the air interface. "Send" can also be understood as "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as "input" of the chip interface.

[0092] In other words, sending and receiving can be carried out between devices, for example, between a terminal and the first network element; or can be carried out within a device, for example, sending or receiving between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within a device through a bus, a trace or an interface.

[0093] It can be understood that before the information is sent from the source end to the destination end, necessary processing may be performed, such as encoding, modulation, etc. After the destination end receives the information from the source end, corresponding processing may also be performed, such as decoding, demodulation, etc., so as to interpret the valid information from the source end. Similar expressions in the present application can be understood similarly and will not be elaborated.

[0094] Third, in the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship, but does not exclude the case where the associated objects before and after are in a "and" relationship. The specific meaning represented can be understood in combination with the context. "At least one (item)" or its similar expression refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single item or plural items. For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a, b, and c. Where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0095] Fourth, in the embodiments of the present application, "indicate" can include direct indication and indirect indication, and can also include explicit indication and implicit indication. If the information indicated by a certain piece of information (such as the indication information described below) is called the information to be indicated, then in the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated. For example, but not limited to, the information to be indicated can be directly indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or the index of the information to be indicated, etc. It is also possible to indirectly indicate the information to be indicated by indicating other information, where there is an association relationship between the other information and the information to be indicated; it is also possible to only indicate a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or pre-agreed. For example, the arrangement order of each piece of information pre-agreed (such as protocol pre-definition) can be used to indicate specific information, thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. The present application does not limit the specific manner of indication.

[0096] It can be understood that for the sender of the indication information, the indication information can be used to indicate the information to be indicated, and for the receiver of the indication information, the indication information can be used to determine the information to be indicated.

[0097] Fifth, in the embodiments of the present application, descriptions such as "when...", "in the case of...", "if", and "when" all refer to that in a certain objective situation, the device (such as a terminal, the first AMF, or the first access network device) will perform corresponding processing. It does not limit the time, and it does not require the device (such as a terminal, the first AMF, or the first access network device) to have a judgment action when implementing, nor does it mean that there are other limitations.

[0098] Sixth, the pre-definition in the present application can be understood as: definition, pre-definition, storage, pre-storage, pre-negotiation, pre-configuration, solidification, or pre-burning.

[0099] The technical solution provided by this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), Sidelink (SL) communication systems, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication systems, 5th Generation (5G) mobile communication systems or New Radio Access Technology (NR), satellite communication systems, etc. Among them, the 5G mobile communication system can include Non-Standalone (NSA) and / or Standalone (SA).

[0100] The technical solution provided by this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as 6th Generation (6G) mobile communication systems, etc. This application does not limit this.

[0101] Before introducing the method provided by the embodiments of this application, a brief introduction to each network element involved in this application will be given first.

[0102] 1. Access network device: The access network in this application refers to a device with wireless transceiver functions, or is called a Radio Access Network (RAN) device. The access network device can provide wireless communication function services and can connect the terminal to the wireless network. The radio access network device can be a node in the radio access network, simply referred to as a RAN node.

[0103] In a possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station (BS), evolved NodeB (eNodeB), transmission reception point (TRP), home evolved NodeB (or home Node B, HNB), access point (AP) of Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), mobile switching center, next-generation base station (gNB) in the 5G mobile communication system, next-generation base station in the 6G mobile communication system, or base station in future mobile communication systems, etc.

[0104] The RAN node can also be a device that undertakes the function of a base station in a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication system, a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication system, and an Internet of Things (IoT) communication system, etc. The RAN node can also be an RAN node in a non-terrestrial network (NTN), that is, the RAN node can be deployed on a high-altitude platform or a satellite. The RAN node can be a macro base station, a micro base station or an indoor station, or a relay node or a donor node, etc., or a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, a node in an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN) scenario, etc.

[0105] Optionally, the RAN node can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an in-vehicle device, etc. For example, the RAN node in V2X technology can be a road side unit (RSU). Of course, the RAN node can also be a node in the core network.

[0106] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes cooperate to assist the terminal to achieve wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement some functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and DU can be set separately, or can also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as included in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0107] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, the CU may also be referred to as the Open CU (O-CU), the DU may also be referred to as the Open DU (O-DU), the CU-CP may also be referred to as the Open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), the CU-UP may also be referred to as the Open CU-UP (O-CU-UP), and the RU may also be referred to as the Open RU (O-RU).

[0108] Among them, any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. That is to say, the access network device in this application can be a virtualized device or an access network functional network element. For example, it can be implemented by general hardware and instantiated virtualized functions, or by dedicated hardware and instantiated virtualized functions. Among them, the general hardware can be a server, such as a cloud server.

[0109] 2. Terminal: The terminal in this application may also be referred to as a user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile platform, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal device, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device.

[0110] A terminal can be a device that provides voice / data connectivity to users. For example, it can be a handheld device with wireless connection capabilities, a vehicle-mounted device, etc. Currently, some examples of terminals can be: mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver functions (such as laptops, palmtop computers, etc.), mobile internet devices (MIDs), virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, drones, wireless terminals in remote medical, wireless terminals in smart grid, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart city, wireless terminals in smart home, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication functions, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, terminals in 5G networks, or terminals in future evolved public land mobile networks (PLMNs), etc.

[0111] Among them, wearable devices can also be called wearable intelligent devices, which is the general term for devices developed by applying wearable technologies to intelligently design daily wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices that are directly worn on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not only a kind of hardware device, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable intelligent devices include those with complete functions and large sizes that can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, etc., and those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to cooperate with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for physical sign monitoring.

[0112] In addition, the terminal can also be a terminal in an 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-object interconnection. IoT technology can achieve massive connections, deep coverage, and power saving for terminals through, for example, narrow band (NB) technology.

[0113] In addition, the terminal can also include sensors such as intelligent printers, train detectors, and gas stations. Its main functions include collecting data (for some terminals), receiving control information and downlink data from network devices, and sending electromagnetic waves to transmit uplink data to network devices.

[0114] The terminal in this application can also be a virtualized device. For example, it can be implemented through general-purpose hardware and instantiated virtualization functions, or through dedicated hardware and instantiated virtualization functions. Among them, the general-purpose hardware can be a server, such as a cloud server.

[0115] It should be understood that this application does not limit the specific forms of wireless access network devices and terminals.

[0116] Next, the network elements of the core network part will be introduced:

[0117] 3. The first network element: responsible for the access management or registration management of the terminal. For example, this network element can be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element in the 5G core network, or it can also be a network element defined in future protocols responsible for the access management or registration management of the terminal.

[0118] Among them, the AMF in the 5G core network is mainly responsible for the signaling processing part. For example: functions such as access control, mobility management, registration, and deregistration.

[0119] 4. User plane function (UPF) network element: responsible for the forwarding and reception of user data in the terminal. It can receive user data from the data network and transmit it to the terminal through the access network device; the UPF network element can also receive user data from the terminal through the access network device and forward it to the data network. The transmission resources and scheduling functions provided for the terminal in the UPF network element are managed and controlled by the SMF network element.

[0120] 5. Session management function (SMF) network element: responsible for user plane function network element selection, Internet protocol (IP) address allocation, establishment, modification, and release of sessions, and quality of service control.

[0121] 6. Application Function (AF) network element: It mainly supports interacting with the 3GPP core network to provide services, such as influencing data routing decisions and providing some third-party services to the network side through the Policy Control Function network element.

[0122] 7. Policy Control Function (PCF) network element: It is responsible for policy control decisions, providing policy rules for control plane functions, and traffic-based charging control functions.

[0123] 8. Unified Data Management (UDM) network element: It is mainly responsible for the subscription data management of terminals, including the storage and management of terminal identifiers, access authorization of terminals, etc.

[0124] 9. Network Repository Function (NRF) network element: It supports the registration and discovery of network functions.

[0125] For ease of understanding the embodiments of the present application, the following will be combined with Figure 1 to introduce in detail the network architecture applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0126] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the network architecture based on the service-based architecture provided by the embodiments of the present application. As Figure 1 shown, the 5G network architecture can include three parts, namely the terminal part, the data network, and the operator network part.

[0127] Among them, the operator network can include one or more of the following network elements: Authentication Server Function (AUSF) network element, Network Exposure Function (NEF) network element, PCF network element, UDM network element, NRF network element, Application Function (AF) network element, AMF network element, SMF network element, AN network element, UPF network element, and Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) network element, etc. In the above operator network, the part other than the radio access network part can be called the core network part.

[0128] Figure 1 In the network architecture shown, each part of the network element can communicate based on service-based interfaces, where, Figure 1Nnssf, Nnef, Nnrf, Npcf, Nudm, Naf, Nusf, Namf, and Npcf in it are all service - based service interfaces. It should be understood that the functions of some network elements can be referred to the descriptions in the above - mentioned network element introductions. Specifically, known technologies can be referred to, and details are not elaborated here.

[0129] Among them, the access network device and the first network element can be connected through the N2 interface, that is, the N2 interface is the interface between the access network device and the first network element.

[0130] Currently, terminals in a communication system generally support accessing the network through a 3GPP access network device. With the development of communication technologies, a type of terminal that can support accessing the network through two different 3GPP access network devices has emerged. This way of accessing the network by the terminal is called dual 3GPP access in this application. In the dual 3GPP access mode, this type of terminal needs to be connected to two RAN devices simultaneously, maintain radio resource control (RRC) connections with the two RAN devices, and needs to register to the network through the two RAN devices, or rather, needs to connect to the network through the two RAN devices; or rather, needs to access the network through the two RAN devices.

[0131] Since current communication technologies only support terminals registering to the network through one 3GPP access network device, for terminals that support dual 3GPP access, in the dual 3GPP access mode, how to successfully register to the network has become an urgent problem to be solved.

[0132] Below, taking the first network element as the AMF as an example, combined with Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the communication scenarios provided by the embodiments of this application are introduced.

[0133] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a communication scenario applicable to the embodiments of this application. As Figure 2 shown, an AMF that supports dual - connection is deployed in the network (or rather, an AMF1 that supports the same terminal connecting to the same AMF through two access network devices is deployed in the network). If terminal 1 is a terminal that supports dual 3GPP access, then terminal 1 can be connected to this AMF1 through access network device 1 and access network device 2. For example, terminal 1 is connected to AMF1 through access network device 1 via the N2 interface, and terminal 1 is connected to AMF1 through access network device 2 via the N2 interface.

[0134] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another communication scenario applicable to the embodiments of this application. As Figure 3As shown, there is no AMF that supports dual connectivity deployed in the network (or, all the AMFs deployed in the network do not support the same terminal to connect to the same AMF through two access network devices, or, not all the AMFs deployed in the network support the same terminal to connect to the same AMF through two access network devices). If terminal 1 is a terminal that supports dual 3GPP access, then terminal 1 can connect to AMF1 through access network device 1 and connect to AMF2 through access network device 2. For example, terminal 1 is connected to AMF1 through access network device 1 via the N2 interface, and terminal 1 is connected to AMF2 through access network device 2 via the N2 interface.

[0135] Figure 2 and Figure 3 The access network device 1 and access network device 2 in [[ ]] are both access network devices of 3GPP access type, but the access network device 1 and access network device 2 have different radio access technology (RAT) types. For example, the RAT type can be 5G NR, 5G NR satellite, 6G RAT. Among them, 5G NR satellite can be further divided into low earth orbit (LEO), medium earth orbit (MEO) and geostationary earth orbit (GEO).

[0136] It can be understood that Figure 2 the RAT types of the access network device 1 and access network device 2 in [[ ]] are both RAT types supported by AMF1; Figure 3 the RAT type of the access network device 1 in [[ ]] is the RAT type supported by AMF 1, and the RAT type of the access network device 2 is the RAT type supported by AMF2. In other words, the RAT type of the access network device connected to the AMF via the N2 interface belongs to the RAT type supported by the AMF.

[0137] It can be understood that Figure 2 the access network device 1 and access network device 2 in [[ ]] belong to the same public land mobile network (PLMN).

[0138] It can also be understood that Figure 3 the access network device 1 and access network device 2 in [[ ]] belong to the same PLMN or different PLMNs. In the case of the same PLMN, AMF1 and AMF2 also belong to this PLMN. In the case of different PLMNs, for example, the access network device 1 and AMF1 belong to PLMN#1, and the access network device 2 and AMF2 belong to PLMN#2.

[0139] Combined withFigure 2 and Figure 3 It can be seen that when the terminal accesses the network through the dual 3GPP mode, there are two different scenarios. That is, the terminal can be connected to two different first network elements through two access network devices, or the terminal can be connected to the same first network element through two access network devices. Therefore, for a terminal allowed to access through the dual 3GPP mode, it is necessary to clarify whether it is registered to the same first network element or different first network elements.

[0140] In view of this, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and related device. In this method, for a terminal allowed to access through the dual 3GPP mode, after connecting to the first network element through the first access network device, when the first network element supports dual connection, it can be simultaneously connected to the first network element through the second access network device, or when the first network element does not support dual connection, it can be simultaneously connected to other network elements responsible for the access management of the terminal except the first network element through the second access network device. Therefore, the method provided by the present application can enable the terminal to clarify whether it is registered to the same first network element or different first network elements through two access network devices.

[0141] Next, in combination with Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail. The method provided by the present application can be applied to the network architecture shown in Figure 1 , and can also be applied to the application scenarios shown in Figure 2 or Figure 3 , but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0142] In the flowcharts shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the method is shown from the perspective of communication device interaction, but the present application does not limit the execution subject of the method. For example, Figure 4 and Figure 5 the terminal in can be replaced by a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the terminal to implement this method, and can also be a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions; Figure 4 and Figure 5 the access network device in can be replaced by a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the access network device to implement this method, and can also be a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the access network device functions; Figure 4 and Figure 5 the first network element in can be replaced by a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the first network element to implement this method, and can also be a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the first network element functions.

[0143] It should be understood that the first network element can also be called other names, and the present application does not limit this.

[0144] Figure 4 It is a schematic flowchart of a communication method 400 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method 400 may include S401 to S406, and the following details each step shown in the method 400.

[0145] S401, the terminal connects to the first network element #1 through the first access network device. Or rather, the terminal registers to the first network element #1 through the first access network device. Or rather, the terminal connects to the first network element #1 through the first access network device.

[0146] The first network element #1 in the present application refers to the first network element to which the terminal connects through the first access network device.

[0147] In the present application, the three expressions of "registering to the first network element", "accessing to the first network element", and "connecting to the first network element" may appear alternately. Those skilled in the art can understand that the meanings expressed by these three expressions are the same.

[0148] The terminal in the present application is a terminal that can access the network through the dual 3GPP mode.

[0149] Specifically, the terminal sends a registration request message to the first network element through the first access network device, and the first network element sends a registration accept message to the terminal through the first access network device.

[0150] S402, the first network element #1 sends the first information to the terminal, and the first information indicates whether the first network element #1 supports the dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first information from the first network element #1.

[0151] The dual connection in the present application means that the terminal connects to the same first network element through two access network devices, or means that the terminal accesses the same PLMN through two access network devices. In the scenario of dual connection, the terminal accesses the same first network element through two access network devices, and the first network element needs to maintain two N2 connections with the two access network devices (or radio access network devices) for the same terminal.

[0152] Alternatively, the first piece of information indicates whether the first network element #1 supports the dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices. It can also be said that the first piece of information indicates whether the first network element #1 supports the terminal to access the first network element #1 through two access network devices; or the first piece of information indicates whether the first network element #1 supports the terminal to register with the first network element #1 through two access network devices; or the first piece of information indicates whether the first network element #1 supports the terminal to connect to the first network element #1 through two access network devices; or the first piece of information indicates whether the network where the first network element #1 is located supports the dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices. For example, the first piece of information can be dual access support information.

[0153] Among them, the first piece of information can be generated by the first network element #1 and sent to the terminal through the first access network device. That is, the first network element #1 sends the first piece of information to the terminal through the first access network device. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the first piece of information and sends the first piece of information to the terminal.

[0154] Example 1, the first piece of information can be sent by the first network element #1 based on its own capabilities; or the first piece of information is sent by the first network element #1 based on its own capabilities and the information on whether the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices. The process of the first network element #1 sending the first piece of information is described in detail below, so it will not be elaborated here for the time being.

[0155] It should be noted here that the capabilities of the first network element are used to describe the characteristics of the first network element itself, which refers to whether the first network element deployed in the network has the ability to support the dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices. The capabilities of the first network element can be pre-configured.

[0156] Example 2, the first piece of information can be sent by the first network element #1 based on the capabilities of the network where it is located. The first network element #1 and the first access network device belong to the same PLMN. For example, the first access network device belongs to PLMN #1, and the first network element #1 also belongs to PLMN #1. Among them, PLMN #1 is the network where the first network element #1 is located.

[0157] The above S402 can be replaced with: The first network element #1 sends the first piece of information to the terminal, and the first piece of information indicates whether the network where the first network element #1 is located (i.e., PLMN #1) supports the dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0158] Optionally, in S402, if the first piece of information indicates that the first network element #1 supports the dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices; or when the first piece of information indicates that the network where the first network element #1 is located (i.e., PLMN #1) supports the dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices, the terminal can continue to execute S403.

[0159] At this time, the first access network device and the second access network device belong to the same PLMN.

[0160] Optionally, in S402, if the first information indicates that the first network element #1 does not support the dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices, or when the first information indicates that the network where the first network element #1 is located (i.e., PLMN #1) does not support the dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices, the terminal can continue to execute S404.

[0161] At this time, the first access network device and the second access network device may belong to the same PLMN or different PLMNs.

[0162] In the case where the first access network device and the second access network device belong to different PLMNs (for example, when the first access network device belongs to PLMN #1 and the second access network device belongs to PLMN #2), the terminal can initiate a registration to PLMN #2. In this way, even if the terminal learns that PLMN #1 does not support dual connection, it can still access PLMN #1 through one access network device (for example, the first access network device), and then access PLMN #2 through another access network device (for example, the second access network device), so as to realize the terminal's access in the dual 3GPP mode, effectively avoiding accessing PLMN #1 through two access network devices.

[0163] It can be understood that the first information in this application can be carried in a registration accept message, or the first information can be replaced by a registration accept message. The registration accept message may further include: a globally unique temporary UE identifier in the 5G system (5G globally unique temporary identifier, 5G-GUTI), and the 5G-GUTI includes a globally unique first network element ID and a 5G-temporary mobile subscriber identity (temporary mobile subscriber identity, TMSI) (abbreviation: 5G-TMSI); where the GUAMI identifies the first network element allocated to the terminal, and the GUAMI can be composed of a mobile country code (MCC), a mobile network code (MNC), and a first network element identifier, and the first network element identifier can be composed of a first network element area ID, a first network element set ID, and a first network element pointer, and the 5G-TMSI uniquely identifies the terminal within the first network element. It should be understood that the 5G-GUTI in the registration accept message includes the identifier of the first network element.

[0164] Optionally, the method 400 further includes: S403, the terminal sends second information to a second access network device, where the second information indicates a first network element #1, so as to request the second access network device to connect to the first network element #1. Correspondingly, the second access network device receives the second information, and based on the second information, sends a registration request message to the first network element #1.

[0165] Exemplarily, the second information includes an identifier of the first network element #1. For example, the second information includes a 5G-GUTI, and the 5G-GUTI includes an identifier of the first network element #1.

[0166] It can be understood that the second information in this application may be carried in an access network message (AN message), or the second information is replaced with an AN message. Optionally, the AN message may further include a registration request message.

[0167] That is to say, when the first information indicates that the first network element #1 supports dual connection, the terminal can connect to the first network element #1 through the first access network device and the second access network simultaneously.

[0168] Wherein, both the first access network device and the second access network device are access network devices of 3GPP access types. Further, the RAT types of the first access network device and the second access network device are different, but both belong to the RAT types supported by the first network element #1.

[0169] Optionally, the method 400 further includes: S404, the terminal sends third information to the second access network device, where the third information indicates that the second access network device cannot select the first network element #1. Correspondingly, the second access network device receives the third information from the terminal, and based on the third information, sends a registration request message to other first network elements except the first network element #1.

[0170] Exemplarily, the third information includes an identifier of the first network element #1 and an indication not to select the first network element #1. For example, the third information does not include an identifier of the first network element #1; or the third information does not include a 5G-GUTI; or the third information includes a 5G-GUTI and the 5G-GUTI does not include an identifier of the first network element #1; or the third information includes a 5G-GUTI, and the 5G-GUTI includes an identifier of other first network elements (first network elements except the first network element #1).

[0171] It can be understood that the third information in this application may be carried in an AN message, or the third information may be replaced with an AN message. Optionally, the AN message may further include a registration request message. Wherein, the AN message may be an RRC message.

[0172] Exemplarily, when replacing the third information with an AN message, the identifier of the first network element #1 may not be included in the AN message to prevent the second access network device from selecting the first network element #1 for connection. Specifically, after receiving the third information, the second access network device does not select the first network element #1 and sends a registration request message to other first network elements (first network elements other than the first network element #1).

[0173] For example, when the 5G-GUTI is included in the third information, or the 5G-GUTI includes the identifier of other first network elements, the second access network device selects the other first network element included in the 5G-GUTI and sends a registration request message to other first network elements (first network elements other than the first network element #1).

[0174] In summary, when the first information indicates that the first network element #1 does not support dual connectivity, the terminal can connect to the first network element #1 through the first access network device and the second access network device simultaneously. When the first information indicates that the first network element #1 does not support dual connectivity, the terminal can connect to the first network element #1 through the first access network device and connect to other first network elements (other than the first network element #1) through the second access network device.

[0175] Both the first access network device and the second access network device are access network devices of the 3GPP access type. Further, the RAT types of the first access network device and the second access network device may be the same or different.

[0176] In the embodiments of the present application, after the terminal connects to the first network element #1 through the first access network device, the terminal can determine whether the first network element #1 supports the terminal to connect to the first network element #1 through two access network devices simultaneously by receiving the first information sent by the first network element #1. When the first network element #1 supports the terminal to connect to the first network element #1 through two access network devices simultaneously, the terminal sends the second information for indicating the first network element #1 to the second access network device to request the second access network device to connect to the first network element #1. Or when the first network element does not support the terminal to connect to the first network element #1 through two access network devices simultaneously, the terminal sends the third information for indicating that the second access network device cannot select the first network element #1 to the second access network device to request the second access network device to connect to other first network elements (other than the first network element #1). Therefore, the method provided in the present application can successfully connect to the network through two access network devices when the terminal accesses the network in the dual 3GPP mode.

[0177] Optionally, before S402, the method 400 further includes: S405, the terminal sends fifth information to the first network element #1 through the first access network device, where the fifth information indicates that the terminal supports accessing the network through two access network devices. Correspondingly, the first network element #1 receives the fifth information from the terminal.

[0178] Alternatively, the fifth information indicates that the terminal expects to access the network through two access network devices. For example, the fifth information may be dual steer support information.

[0179] It can be understood that the fifth information can trigger the first network element #1 to send the first information to the terminal (that is, the first network element #1 sends the first information to the terminal on the condition that the fifth information is received), and at the same time, when the first network element #1 supports dual connection, the first network element #1 accepts the N2 request sent by the terminal through the second access network device based on the fifth information. The N2 request can be understood as a request from the access network device to connect to the first network element.

[0180] It can also be understood that the fifth information in this application can be carried in the registration request message.

[0181] Optionally, when the first information indicates that the first network element #1 supports the dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices, the method 400 further includes: the terminal sends the fifth information to the second access network device.

[0182] Correspondingly, the second access network device receives the fifth information and sends the fifth information to the first network element, so that the first network element #1 accepts the N2 request sent by the terminal through the second access network device based on the fifth information.

[0183] Optionally, before S402, the method 400 further includes: S406, the PCF or UDM sends fourth information to the first network element #1, where the fourth information indicates whether the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices. Correspondingly, the first network element #1 receives the fourth information.

[0184] It can be understood that the terminal being authorized to access the network through two access network devices means that the terminal is allowed to access the network using the dual 3GPP method; the terminal not being authorized to access the network through two access network devices means that the terminal is not allowed to access the network using the dual 3GPP method. For example, the fourth information may be dual steer authorized information.

[0185] Optionally, the first network element #1 receives the policy information of the terminal from the PCF, and the policy information includes an indication of whether the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices. Alternatively, the first network element #1 receives the subscription information of the terminal from the UDM, and the subscription information includes an indication of whether the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices.

[0186] Example 1, when the fourth information indicates that the terminal is not authorized to access the network through two access network devices, the first network element #1 may, based on the fourth information, send the first information to the terminal or not send the first information.

[0187] Or rather, when the fourth information indicates that the terminal is not authorized to access the network through two access network devices, regardless of whether the first network element #1 has the ability to support dual connectivity or not, the first network element #1 may not send the first information (i.e., S402 may not be executed), or the first network element #1 sends the first information to the terminal, and the first information indicates that the first network element #1 does not support the dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0188] It should be understood that when the terminal does not receive the first information, the terminal considers that the first network element #1 does not support the dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices, or the network where the first network element is located does not support the dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0189] Example 2, when the fourth information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices, the first network element #1 may, based on the fourth information and its own capabilities (or the capabilities of the network where it is located), send the first information to the terminal.

[0190] For example, when the fourth information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices and the first network element has the ability to support dual connectivity, the first network element #1 sends the first information to the terminal, and the first information indicates that the first network element #1 supports the dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices. Alternatively, when the fourth information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices and the network where the first network element is located has the ability to support dual connectivity, the first network element sends the first information to the terminal, and the first information indicates that the network where the first network element is located supports the dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0191] For another example, when the fourth piece of information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices and the first network element #1 does not have the ability to support dual connectivity, the first network element #1 sends the first piece of information to the terminal, and the first piece of information indicates that the first network element does not support the terminal's dual connectivity through two access network devices. Alternatively, when the fourth piece of information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices and the network where the first network element #1 is located does not have the ability to support dual connectivity, the first network element #1 sends the first piece of information to the terminal, and the first piece of information indicates that the network where the first network element is located does not support the terminal's dual connectivity through two access network devices.

[0192] It should be noted that when S405 is executed, S406 may not be executed; or, when S406 is executed, S405 may not be executed (in this case, the first piece of information sent by the first network element may be triggered by the fourth piece of information); or, both S405 and S406 are executed.

[0193] Exemplarily, when both S405 and S406 are executed, the first network element #1 may, after receiving the fifth piece of information, continue to receive the fourth piece of information, and based on the fourth piece of information and the capabilities of the first network element #1, send the first piece of information to the terminal or not send the first piece of information. The description of sending the first piece of information and whether to send the first piece of information can refer to the description in S406 and will not be elaborated here.

[0194] Optionally, after S406, the method 400 further includes: the first network element #1 sends the fourth piece of information to the terminal through the first access network device. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the fourth piece of information from the first network element #1 and determines whether it can access the network through the second access network device based on the fourth piece of information.

[0195] Exemplarily, when the fourth piece of information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices, the terminal determines that it can access the network through the second access network device. That is, the terminal can continue to execute S403 or S404.

[0196] Furthermore, when the first piece of information indicates that the first network element #1 supports the terminal's dual connectivity through two access network devices and the fourth piece of information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices, the terminal can continue to execute S403; or, when the first piece of information indicates that the first network element #1 does not support the terminal's dual connectivity through two access network devices but the fourth piece of information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices, the terminal can continue to execute S404.

[0197] Exemplarily, when the fourth piece of information indicates that the terminal is not authorized to access the network through two access network devices, the terminal determines that it cannot access the network through the second access network device. That is, the terminal cannot continue to execute S403 and S404.

[0198] Optionally, before S403, the method 400 further includes: a first network element #1 sending sixth information to the terminal, where the sixth information indicates the RAT types of two access network devices. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the sixth information from the first network element #1 and selects a second access network device based on the sixth information.

[0199] Based on this method, after the terminal connects to the first network element #1 through the first access network device, it can select a second access network device belonging to the RAT type indicated by the sixth information based on the sixth information, improving the success rate of the terminal accessing the same first network element through two access network devices.

[0200] Exemplarily, the RAT types of the two access network devices indicated by the sixth information are 5G NR and 6G RAT. If the terminal connects to the first network element through a first access network device of the 5G NR type, then the RAT type of the second access network device selected by the terminal based on the sixth information should be 6G RAT, so that the terminal can continue to connect to the first network element through the second access network device.

[0201] It can be understood that since in S401, the terminal connects to the first network element #1 through the first access network device, the RAT type of the first access network device belongs to the RAT types supported by the first network element. Among them, the RAT type of the first access network device and the RAT type of the second access network device may be the same or different.

[0202] It should be noted that the access types of the above first access network device and the second access network device are both 3GPP access types. That is, the first network element supports the terminal to connect to the first network element simultaneously through two access network devices with access types of 3GPP access types.

[0203] Figure 5 It is another schematic flowchart of the communication method 500 provided by the embodiments of the present application. The method 500 may include S501 to S506, and the following describes each step shown in the method 500 in detail.

[0204] S501, the terminal sends fifth information to the first access network device, where the fifth information indicates that the terminal supports accessing the network through two access network devices. To request the first access network device to select a first network element that supports dual connection for connection. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the fifth information from the terminal.

[0205] Or rather, the fifth information indicates that the terminal expects to access the network through two access network devices. For example, the fifth information may be dual access support information.

[0206] Among them, the fifth information can be carried in the registration request message; or the fifth information is carried in the AN message. Optionally, the AN message may further include a registration request message. That is, the AN message includes a registration request message and an indication that the terminal supports accessing the network through two access network devices.

[0207] The access type of the above-mentioned first access network device is a 3GPP access type.

[0208] S502, the terminal connects to the first network element #1 through the first access network device. Or rather, the terminal registers to the first network element #1 through the first access network device. Or rather, the terminal connects to the first network element #1 through the first access network device.

[0209] Among them, the terminal connecting to the first network element #1 through the first access network device may include: the first access network device connects to the first network element based on the fifth information. Among them, the first access network device may connect to the first network element through the N2 interface, and the first network element is the first network element to which the terminal registers through the first access network device.

[0210] Example 1, the first access network device may select the first network element #1 based on the fifth information and connect to the first network element #1.

[0211] Optionally, information about whether multiple first network elements support dual connectivity is configured on the first access network device side. Therefore, the first access network device may select a first network element that supports dual connectivity as much as possible based on the fifth information. If information about the first network element supporting dual connectivity is configured on the first access network device side, the first access network device may select a first network element that supports dual connectivity based on the fifth information, that is, the first network element supports dual connectivity. If information about the first network element supporting dual connectivity is not configured on the first access network device side, the first access network device may not select a first network element that supports dual connectivity based on the fifth information, that is, the first network element does not support dual connectivity.

[0212] Example 2, the first access network device connecting to the first network element #1 based on the fifth information may include the following steps 1 to 3:

[0213] Step 1, after receiving the fifth information, the first access network device sends the seventh information to the NRF, and the seventh information is used to request the NRF to select a first network element that indicates the dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0214] Exemplarily, the seventh information may be a network element discovery request message or the seventh information is carried in the network element discovery request message, and the message includes that the type of the network function network element is the first network element, and the requirement is "supporting dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices". In this way, the NRF selects the first network element that can support dual connection and returns the identifier of the selected first network element to the access network device. If the NRF cannot select a first network element that supports dual connection, it also indicates to the access network device that the selected first network element does not support dual connection.

[0215] When each first network element registers with the NRF, the first network element sends information of "supporting dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices" to the NRF, so that the NRF stores that the first network element supports dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices. The information of "supporting dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices" may be dual access support information.

[0216] For the first access network device, when it does not receive the information indicating that the selected first network element does not support dual connection, the first access network device may connect to the first network element identified by the first network element identifier and may determine that the first network element identifier of the connected network element supports dual connection; when it receives the information indicating that the selected first network element does not support dual connection, the first access network device may connect to the first network element identified by the first network element identifier and may determine that the first network element identifier of the connected network element does not support dual connection.

[0217] Step 2, the NRF sends the identifier of the first network element #1 to the first access network device. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the identifier of the first network element #1 from the NRF.

[0218] Step 3, the first access network device connects to the first network element #1 based on the identifier of the first network element #1.

[0219] In the above Example 1 and Example 2, the first access network device connects to the first network element #1, which can be achieved by sending an N2 request to the first network element #1. For example, the first access network device sends an N2 request to the first network element #1, and the N2 request includes a registration request message. The first network element #1 receives the N2 request and sends an N2 request acceptance message to the first access network device, so that the first access network device establishes a connection with the first network element #1.

[0220] If the fifth information is carried in the N2 request or the registration request message, then during the connection process between the first access network device and the first network element #1, the fifth information can be sent to the first network element #1.

[0221] Optionally, if the fifth piece of information is not carried in the N2 request or the registration request message, after S502, the method 500 further includes: the first access network device sends the fifth piece of information to the first network element #1, so that when the first network element supports dual connectivity, the first network element accepts the N2 request sent by the terminal through the second access network device based on the fifth piece of information.

[0222] S503, the first access network device sends the first piece of information to the terminal, where the first piece of information indicates whether the first network element #1 supports dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first piece of information from the first access network device.

[0223] The first piece of information is generated by the first access network device and sent to the terminal. Alternatively, the first piece of information is generated by the NRF, and the NRF sends the generated first piece of information to the terminal through the first access network device.

[0224] Alternatively, the first piece of information indicates whether the network where the first network element #1 is located supports dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices. For example, the first piece of information may be dual steer support information.

[0225] Optionally, when the first piece of information indicates that the first network element #1 supports dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices, the method 500 further includes: S504, the terminal sends the second piece of information to the second access network device, where the second piece of information indicates the first network element #1. Correspondingly, the second access network device receives the second piece of information from the terminal.

[0226] For the description of S504, reference may be made to the relevant description in S403 above, which will not be elaborated here.

[0227] Optionally, when the first piece of information indicates that the first network element #1 does not support dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices, the method 500 further includes: S505, the terminal sends the third piece of information to the second access network device, where the third piece of information indicates that the second access network device cannot select the first network element #1. Correspondingly, the second access network device receives the third piece of information.

[0228] For the description of S505, reference may be made to the relevant description in S404 above, which will not be elaborated here.

[0229] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal sends information indicating that the terminal supports accessing the network through two access network devices to a first access network device, so as to request the first access network device to select a first network element that supports two access network devices to be simultaneously connected to the same first network element. After the first access network device establishes a connection with the first network element #1, the first access network device indicates whether the selected first network element #1 supports simultaneous connection with two access network devices through a first piece of information, so that the terminal receiving the first piece of information can determine based on the first piece of information whether it can connect to the first network element #1 or other first network elements through a second access network device. Therefore, the method provided in the present application can successfully connect to the network through two access network devices when the terminal accesses the network in a dual 3GPP manner.

[0230] Optionally, the method 500 further includes: S506, the PCF or the UDM sends fourth information to the first network element #1, and the fourth information indicates whether the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the fourth information.

[0231] It can also be understood that when the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices, the terminal can access the network in a dual 3GPP manner; when the terminal is not authorized to access the network through two access network devices, the terminal cannot access the network in a dual 3GPP manner.

[0232] Optionally, the first network element #1 receives the policy information of the terminal from the PCF, and the policy information includes an indication of whether the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices. Alternatively, the first network element #1 receives the subscription information of the terminal from the UDM, and the subscription information includes an indication of whether the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices.

[0233] It should be noted that S506 can be executed before S503 or after S503.

[0234] In a first possible implementation manner, S506 is executed before S503. Then, after receiving the fourth information, the first network element #1 can send the fourth information to the first access network device. Correspondingly, the first access network device receives the fourth information and sends the first information based on the fourth information.

[0235] Example 1, when the fourth information indicates that the terminal is not authorized to access the network through two access network devices, the first access network device can send the first information to the terminal or not send the first information based on the fourth information.

[0236] That is to say, when the fourth information indicates that the terminal is not authorized to access the network through two access network devices, regardless of whether the first network element connected to the first access network device has the ability to support dual connectivity or not, the first access network device may not send the first information (i.e., S503 may not be executed), or the first access network device sends the first information to the terminal, and the first information indicates that the first network element #1 does not support the dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0237] It should be understood that when the terminal does not receive the first information, the terminal understands that the first network element does not support the dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices, or the network where the first network element is located does not support the dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0238] Example 2: When the fourth information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices, the first access network device may send the first information to the terminal based on the fourth information and the capabilities of the first network element itself.

[0239] For example, when the fourth information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices and the first network element #1 has the ability to support dual connectivity, the first access network device sends the first information to the terminal, and the first information indicates that the first network element does not support the dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0240] Another example: when the fourth information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices and the first network element #1 does not have the ability to support dual connectivity, the first access network device sends the first information to the terminal, and the first information indicates that the first network element does not support the dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0241] In the second possible implementation, S506 is executed after S503. Then, after receiving the fourth information, the first network element #1 sends the fourth information to the terminal through the first access network device. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the fourth information from the first network element #1 and determines whether it can access the network through the second access network device based on the fourth information.

[0242] Example 1: When the fourth information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices, the terminal determines that it can access the network through the second access network device. That is, the terminal can continue to execute S504 or S505.

[0243] Further, when the first information indicates that the first network element #1 supports dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices, and the fourth information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices, the terminal may continue to execute S504; or, when the first information indicates that the first network element #1 does not support dual connectivity of the terminal through two access network devices, but the fourth information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices, the terminal may continue to execute S505.

[0244] Example 2, when the fourth information indicates that the terminal is not authorized to access the network through two access network devices, the terminal determines that it cannot access the network through the second access network device. That is, the terminal cannot continue to execute S504 and S505.

[0245] Optionally, when the first access network device selects the first network element #1 through the NRF, after S506, the method 500 further includes: the first network element #1 sends the fourth information to the NRF. Correspondingly, the NRF receives the fourth information from the first network element #1, and based on the fourth information, sends the first information to the terminal through the first access network device.

[0246] Optionally, before S504, the method 500 further includes: the first network element #1 sends the sixth information to the terminal, and the sixth information indicates the RAT types of the two access network devices. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the sixth information from the first network element #1, and based on the sixth information, selects the second access network device.

[0247] For the description of the sixth information, reference may be made to the description in the foregoing method 400, and details are not described herein again.

[0248] Similar to the foregoing, the access types of the first access network device and the second access network device are both 3GPP access types. When both the first access network device and the second access network device are connected to the first network element, the RAT types of the first access network device and the second access network device both belong to the RAT types supported by the first network element.

[0249] The foregoing method 400 and method 500 are implemented independently. That is, for a terminal supporting dual 3GPP access, it can be determined whether to connect to the same first network element or different first network elements through two access network devices based on method 400 or method 500.

[0250] The method provided in the embodiments of the present application is described in detail above. The following combines Figure 6 and Figure 7 to describe the device provided in the embodiments of the present application in detail.

[0251] Figure 6 and Figure 7Schematic diagram of a possible device provided by an embodiment of the present application. These devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal, the first network element, the first access network device, or the second access network device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0252] Figure 6 It is a schematic block diagram of a device provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 6 shown, the device 600 includes a transceiver module 610 and a processing module 620.

[0253] A possible design is that the device 600 is used to implement the function of the terminal in the method embodiment shown above Figure 4 or Figure 5 above.

[0254] Exemplarily, the processing module 620 is used to: connect to the first network element through the first access network device, and the first network element is responsible for the access management of the terminal; the transceiver module 610 is used to: receive the first information from the first access network device or the first network element, and the first information is used to indicate whether the first network element supports the dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices; and, in the case where the first information indicates that the first network element supports the dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices, send the second information to the second access network device, and the second information is used to indicate the first network element to request the second access network device to connect to the first network element.

[0255] Optionally, the transceiver module 610 is further used to: in the case where the first information indicates that the first network element does not support the dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices, send the third information to the second access network device, and the third information indicates that the second access network device cannot select the first network element.

[0256] Optionally, the transceiver module 610 is further used to: receive the fourth information from the first network element, and the fourth information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices; the processing module 620 is further used to: according to the fourth information, send the second information to the second access network device.

[0257] Optionally, the transceiver module 610 is further used to: send the fifth information to the first access network device, and the fifth information indicates that the terminal supports accessing the network through two access network devices.

[0258] Optionally, the transceiver module 610 is further used to: receive the sixth information from the first network element, and the sixth information indicates the radio access technology (RAT) type of the two access network devices; the processing module 620 is further used to: based on the sixth information, select the second access network device.

[0259] For a more detailed description of the above transceiver module 610 and processing module 620, reference can be directly made to the relevant descriptions in Figure 4 or Figure 5 the corresponding descriptions in the embodiments shown, which will not be elaborated here.

[0260] Another possible design is that the apparatus 600 is used to implement the function of the first network element in the method embodiments shown in the above Figure 4 or Figure 5 .

[0261] Exemplarily, the transceiver module 610 is configured to: send first information to the terminal, where the first information is used to indicate whether the first network element supports dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices; and receive a registration request message from a second access network device, where the registration request message is sent by the terminal when the first network element supports dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0262] Optionally, the transceiver module 610 is further configured to: receive fifth information from the terminal through a first access network device, where the fifth information indicates that the terminal supports accessing the network through two access network devices.

[0263] Optionally, the transceiver module 610 is further configured to: receive fourth information from a policy control function PCF, where the fourth information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices.

[0264] Optionally, the transceiver module 610 is further configured to: send the fourth information to the terminal.

[0265] For a more detailed description of the above transceiver module 610 and processing module 620, reference can be directly made to the relevant descriptions in Figure 4 or Figure 5 the corresponding descriptions in the embodiments shown, which will not be elaborated here.

[0266] Another possible design is that the apparatus 600 is used to implement the function of the first access network device in the method embodiments shown in the above Figure 4 or Figure 5 .

[0267] Exemplarily, the transceiver module 610 is configured to: receive fifth information from the terminal, where the fifth information indicates that the terminal supports accessing the network through two access network devices; the processing module 620 is configured to: connect to the first network element based on the fifth information; the transceiver module 610 is further configured to: send first information to the terminal, where the first information indicates whether the first network element supports dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices.

[0268] Optionally, the processing module 620 is further configured to: based on the fifth information, send seventh information to the network storage function NRF network element, where the seventh information is used to request the NRF to select a first network element that supports dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices; the transceiver module 610 is further configured to: receive the identifier of the first network element from the NRF; the processing module 620 is further configured to: connect to the first network element based on the identifier of the first network element.

[0269] Optionally, the transceiver module 610 is further configured to: receive the first information from the NRF.

[0270] Optionally, the transceiver module 610 is further configured to: receive fourth information sent by the first network element, where the fourth information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices; the processing module 620 is further configured to: send the first information to the terminal according to the fourth information.

[0271] Optionally, the transceiver module 610 is further configured to: send the fifth information to the first network element.

[0272] For a more detailed description of the above transceiver module 610 and processing module 620, reference can be directly made to Figure 4 or Figure 5 the relevant descriptions in the embodiments shown, which will not be elaborated here.

[0273] Another possible design is that the apparatus 600 is used to implement the function of the second access network device in the method embodiments shown above Figure 4 or Figure 5 shown.

[0274] Exemplarily, the transceiver module 610 is configured to: receive second information or third information from the terminal, where the second information indicates a first network element, and the third information indicates that the second access network device cannot select the first network element; the processing module 620 is configured to: connect the terminal to the first network element through a first access network device, where the first network element is responsible for the access management of the terminal; determine a target network element based on the second information or the third information; the transceiver module 610 is further configured to: send a registration request message to the target network element.

[0275] Optionally, the target network element is the first network element; the processing module 620 is further configured to: determine that the target network element is the first network element based on the second information.

[0276] Optionally, the target AMF is another network element other than the first network element that is responsible for the access management of the terminal; the processing module 620 is further configured to: determine, based on the third information, that another network element other than the first network element that is responsible for the access management of the terminal is the target network element.

[0277] It should be noted that the device 600 may include a sending module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, the device 600 may include a receiving module but not a sending module. Specifically, it depends on whether the above-described solution executed by the device 600 includes a sending action and a receiving action. It can be understood that since the device 600 has a communication function, it can also be referred to as a communication device.

[0278] Figure 7 is another schematic block diagram of the device provided in the embodiments of the present application. As Figure 7 shown, the device 700 includes one or more processors 710. The processor 710 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, etc. For example, it may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control the device (such as a terminal, a first network element, a first access network device, or a second access network device or chip, etc.), execute software programs, and process data of the software programs.

[0279] Optionally, in one design, the processor 710 may include a program (which may also be referred to as code or instructions), and the program may be run on the processor 710, so that the device 700 executes the methods executed by the terminal, the first network element, the first access network device, or the second access network device in the method embodiments above. In another possible design, the device 700 includes a circuit ( Figure 7 not shown), and the circuit is used to implement the functions of the terminal, the first network element, the first access network device, or the second access network device in the method embodiments above.

[0280] Exemplarily, the processor 710 may be used to execute computer programs or instructions in the memory to implement Figure 3 or Figure 4 the steps executed by the terminal, the first network element, the first access network device, or the second access network device in any one of the method embodiments shown in the embodiments shown.

[0281] Optionally, the device 700 may include one or more memories 720, on which there are programs (sometimes also referred to as code or instructions), and the programs may be run on the processor 710, so that the device 700 executes the methods executed by the terminal, the first network element, the first access network device, or the second access network device in the above embodiments.

[0282] Optionally, an artificial intelligence (AI) module may be included in the processor 710 and / or the memory 720, and the AI module is used to implement AI-related functions. The AI module may be implemented in a software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware manner. For example, the AI module may include a radio intelligent controller (RIC) module. For example, the AI module may be a near real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0283] Optionally, data may also be stored in the processor 710 and / or the memory 720. The processor and the memory may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0284] Optionally, the device 700 may further include a communication interface 730. The processor 710 may sometimes also be referred to as a processing unit, which controls the device (such as a terminal, a first network element, a first access network device, or a second access network device). The communication interface 730 may sometimes also be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or a transceiver, etc., and is used to implement the transceiver function of the device.

[0285] Optionally, the device 700 further includes a communication interface 730. The processor 710 and the communication interface 730 are coupled to each other. It can be understood that the communication interface 730 may be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0286] It can be understood that since the device 700 has a communication function, it may also be referred to as a communication device.

[0287] When the device 700 is used to implement Figure 4 or Figure 5 the method, the processor 710 is used to execute the functions of the above-mentioned processing unit, and the communication interface 730 is used to execute the functions of the above-mentioned transceiver module. Whether the communication interface 730 is used for sending or receiving specifically depends on whether the device 700 performs a sending action or a receiving action in the implemented solution.

[0288] It can be understood that when the device 700 is a terminal, a first network element, a first access network device, or a second access network device, the communication interface 730 may be a transceiver, which may specifically include a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter is used to send signals, and the receiver is used to receive signals. When the device 700 is a chip applied to a terminal, a first network element, a first access network device, or a second access network device, the communication interface 730 may be an input / output circuit, where the input circuit may be used for receiving, and the output interface may be used for sending.

[0289] It should be noted that the above method embodiments can be applied to a processor or implemented by a processor. The processor may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by the integrated logic circuit in the hardware of the processor or by instructions in software form.

[0290] The above-mentioned processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0291] The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed and completed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed and completed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module may be located in a mature storage medium in the art such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. This storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and combines its hardware to complete the steps of the above method.

[0292] The memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0293] The present application also provides a computer-readable medium, on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by a computer, it implements the functions of the above method embodiments.

[0294] The present application also provides a computer program product containing instructions, and when the computer program product is executed by a computer, it implements the functions of the above method embodiments.

[0295] The method provided in the above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product may include one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wire (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more integrated available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (such as a floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic disk), an optical medium (such as a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (such as a solid state disk (SSD)), etc.

[0296] Those of ordinary skill in the art can realize that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are executed in a hardware or software 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 to exceed the scope of this application.

[0297] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments and will not be elaborated herein.

[0298] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the displayed or discussed couplings or direct couplings or communication connections to each other may be through some interfaces. The indirect couplings or communication connections of the devices or units may be in an electrical, mechanical, or other form.

[0299] The unit described as a separation component may or may not be physically separated. The component displayed as a unit may or may not be a physical unit, that is, it may be located in one place or distributed to multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0300] In addition, in each embodiment of the present application, each functional unit can be integrated in a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0301] If the above-mentioned function is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art or a part of this technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to enable a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memories, random access memories, magnetic disks, or optical discs that can store program codes.

[0302] The above is only the specific implementation manner of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present application can easily think of changes or substitutions, which should all be covered by the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, applied to a terminal, the method comprising: connecting to a first network element through a first access network device, the first network element being responsible for access management of the terminal; receiving first information from the first access network device or the first network element, the first information being used to indicate whether the first network element supports dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices; when the first information indicates that the first network element supports dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices, sending second information to a second access network device, the second information being used to indicate the first network element to request the second access network device to connect to the first network element.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, the method further comprises: when the first information indicates that the first network element does not support dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices, sending third information to the second access network device, the third information indicating that the second access network device cannot select the first network element.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, the third information does not include an identifier of the first network element; or, the third information includes an identifier of the first network element and an indication of not selecting the first network element.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, the method further comprises: receiving fourth information from the first network element, the fourth information indicating that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices; the sending the second information to the second access network device includes: sending the second information to the second access network device according to the fourth information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, before receiving the first information from the first access network device or the first network element, the method further comprises: sending fifth information to the first access network device, the fifth information indicating that the terminal supports accessing the network through two access network devices.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, the access types of the two access network devices are both 3GPP access types.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, the method further comprises: receiving sixth information from the first network element, the sixth information indicating the radio access technology types of the two access network devices; selecting the second access network device based on the sixth information.

8. A communication method, characterized in that, applied to a first network element, the first network element being responsible for access management of a terminal, the method comprising: sending first information to the terminal, the first information being used to indicate whether the first network element supports dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices; receiving a registration request message from a second access network device, the registration request message being sent by the terminal when the first network element supports dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, the method further comprises: Receiving fifth information from the terminal, where the fifth information indicates that the terminal supports accessing the network through two access network devices.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein, the method further includes: receiving fourth information from a policy control function network element, where the fourth information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, the method further includes: sending the fourth information to the terminal.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein, the access types of the two access network devices are both 3rd Generation Partnership Project access types.

13. A communication method, wherein, applied to a first access network device, the method includes: receiving fifth information from a terminal, where the fifth information indicates that the terminal supports accessing the network through two access network devices; connecting to a first network element based on the fifth information; sending first information to the terminal, where the first information indicates whether the first network element supports dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, the connecting to a first network element based on the fifth information includes: sending seventh information to a network storage function network element based on the fifth information, where the seventh information is used to request the network storage function network element to select a first network element that supports dual connection of the terminal through two access network devices; receiving an identifier of the first network element from the network storage function network element; connecting to the first network element based on the identifier of the first network element.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, the method further includes: receiving the first information from the network storage function network element.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein, the method further includes: receiving fourth information from the first network element, where the fourth information indicates that the terminal is authorized to access the network through two access network devices; the sending the first information to the terminal includes: sending the first information to the terminal according to the fourth information.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein, the method further includes: sending the fifth information to the first network element.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein, the access types of the two access network devices are both 3rd Generation Partnership Project access types.

19. A communication device, wherein, including a module for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

20. A communication device, wherein, including a processor for causing the communication device to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18 by executing a computer program and / or through logic circuits.

21. The device according to claim 20, wherein, further including a memory for storing a computer program and / or a configuration file of the logic circuit.

22. The device according to claim 20 or 21, wherein, it further comprises a communication interface for inputting and / or outputting signals.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, wherein, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18 is executed.

24. A computer program product, wherein, it comprises a computer program, and when the computer program is run, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18 is executed.

25. A communication system, wherein, it comprises a terminal, a first network element and a second access network device, wherein the terminal is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the first network element is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, and the first access network device is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 13 to 18.

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