Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication method and device, relates to the field of communication, and can meet the service requirements of network digital twin service consumers. The communication method comprises the following steps: a second node serving as a management service provider receives demand information for the network digital twinning service from a first node serving as a management service consumer; creating a network digital twin instance according to the demand information; receiving first request information for requesting the network digital twin service from the first node; and sending an execution result of the network digital twinning service executed on the network digital twinning instance to the first node.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] With the increasing deployment scale of the fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication system and even the sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication system, and the in-depth application of the next-generation Internet (Internet Protocol Version 6, IPv6), the development of new-generation network technologies has attracted the attention of the industrial community. The intelligence of the network is considered to be the trend of the development of new-generation networks. The network provides the basis for information transmission in the digital society, and the digitalization of the network itself is a prerequisite for intelligent development. Based on this, the digital twin technology has emerged. With the development of digital twin technology and its application in multiple industries such as manufacturing, the application of the digital twin technology concept in the field of communication networks has gradually been studied and concerned by the industry. In the application of digital twin technology in communication networks, network digital twin (NDT) can enhance the systematic simulation, optimization, verification, and control capabilities lacking in the physical network by constructing a real-time mirror image of the physical network, facilitate the deployment of new network technologies, and more efficiently address network problems and challenges.

[0003] With the successful establishment of the SA5 R19 network digital twin topic in the service and system aspects (SA) of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), network digital twin is about to become one of the hot projects in the R19 standard discussion. SA5 is mainly responsible for the topic standards related to management, orchestration, and charging in SA.

[0004] The network digital twin management service is a typical application scenario of network digital twin in communication networks. At present, the network digital twin management service cannot meet the service needs of network digital twin service consumers. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus for meeting the service needs of network digital twin service consumers.

[0006] To achieve the above object, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a second node acting as a management service provider. The execution entity of this method can be the second node, or a component or device applied to the second node (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the second node. The communication method includes: receiving demand information for network digital twin services from a first node; creating a network digital twin instance according to the demand information; receiving a first request information from the first node for requesting network digital twin services; and sending the execution result of the network digital twin services executed on the network digital twin instance to the first node.

[0008] In the first aspect, the first node acting as a management service consumer first sends its own demand information for network digital twin services to the second node acting as a management service provider. The second node can customize and create a corresponding network digital twin instance based on the demand information, and implement the network digital twin services of the first node based on the network digital twin instance, which can meet the requirements of the management service consumer for the refinement degree of the network digital twin model. Moreover, the creation of the network digital twin instance matches the demand of the management service consumer, without causing waste of network digital twin resources.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the demand information includes a first identification information indicating the demand information and at least one of the following: the demanded network digital twin services, the validity period of the network digital twin services, the source of the data required to create the network digital twin instance, or the frequency of synchronization between the network digital twin instance and network data.

[0010] In this implementation, several possible contents included in the demand information are designed. Based on this demand information, the second node can customize and create a corresponding network digital twin instance.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method can also: send a first indication information indicating that the demand for network digital twin services can be met.

[0012] In this implementation, the second node notifies the first node through the first indication information that the capabilities of the second node can meet the demand information of the first node, which can be used by the first node to determine whether to send the first request information for requesting network digital twin services.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method can also: before receiving the first request information, receive a second request information for requesting to create a network digital twin instance.

[0014] In this implementation, receiving the second request information is used to determine that the creation of the network digital twin instance can be started.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the second request information includes the first identification information indicating the requirement information, or the second request information includes the first identification information and the status information of the network digital twin instance. The method may further: create a network digital twin instance according to the requirement information.

[0016] In this implementation, it is possible to determine, based on the second request information, which requirement information should be used to create the network digital twin instance, and create the network digital twin instance.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the second request information includes the first identification information indicating the requirement information and the requirement information of the first service in the network digital twin service, or the second request information includes the first identification information, the requirement information of the first service, and the status information of the network digital twin instance; the requirement of the first service is not available to services other than the first service, and the network digital twin instance includes a first instance and a second instance. The method may further: create a first instance according to the requirement information of the network digital twin service; the first instance is used for services other than the first service; update the first instance according to the requirement information of the first service to obtain a second instance, and the second instance is used for the first service.

[0018] In this implementation, it is possible to determine, based on the second request information, which requirement information should be used to create the network digital twin instance, divide the full amount of requirement information of the first node into two categories: a general data set (e.g., the requirement information for the network digital twin service) and a dedicated data set (e.g., the requirement information for the first service), create corresponding network digital twin instances respectively, and implement corresponding network digital twin services based on the network digital twin instances, improving the accuracy of the network digital twin service.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method may further: send the second identification information indicating the network digital twin instance.

[0020] In this implementation, when the second node sends the second identification information to the first node, it can be used by the first node to indicate which network digital twin instance to call through the second identification information when requesting the network digital twin service.

[0021] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method may further: modify the status information of the network digital twin instance when a condition for triggering a change in the instance status is met; send the modified status information of the network digital twin instance.

[0022] In this implementation, a lifecycle management mechanism for the network digital twin instance is designed, and the lifecycle management of the network digital twin instance is realized by generating and changing the status information of the network digital twin instance.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the first request information includes service parameters for requesting a network digital twin service and at least one of the following: second identification information indicating a network digital twin instance or first identification information indicating demand information.

[0024] In this implementation, the first request information can indicate which network digital twin instance should be combined with the service parameters to implement the corresponding network digital twin service.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the network digital twin service includes a pre-verification service, a visualization service, or a pre-assessment service. The execution result of the pre-verification service is the network metric value after the to-be-verified policy is executed in the network digital twin instance. The execution result of the visualization service is the visualization data of the visualization object. The execution result of the pre-assessment service is the predicted value of the evaluation metric of the pre-assessment service.

[0026] In this implementation, several possible network digital twin services and the corresponding execution results of the network digital twin services are designed.

[0027] In the second aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a first node as a management service consumer. The execution subject of this method can be the first node, or a component or device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) applied to the first node, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first node. This communication method includes: sending demand information for a network digital twin service; sending first request information for requesting a network digital twin service; receiving the execution result of the network digital twin service executed on the network digital twin instance.

[0028] In the second aspect, the first node, as a management service consumer, first sends its own demand information for the network digital twin service to the second node, which is a management service provider. The second node can customize and create a corresponding network digital twin instance based on the demand information and implement the network digital twin service of the first node based on the network digital twin instance, which can meet the demand of the management service consumer for the refinement degree of the network digital twin model. Moreover, the created network digital twin instance matches the demand of the management service consumer, and there will be no waste of network digital twin resources.

[0029] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the demand information includes first identification information indicating the demand information and at least one of the following: the required network digital twin service, the validity period of the network digital twin service, the source of the data required to create the network digital twin instance, or the frequency of network data synchronization between the network digital twin instance and the network data.

[0030] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0031] Receiving first indication information indicating that the requirements of the network digital twin service can be met.

[0032] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0033] Before sending the first request information, sending second request information for requesting the creation of a network digital twin instance.

[0034] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the second request information includes first identification information indicating requirement information; or, the second request information includes first identification information and the status information of the network digital twin instance;

[0035] Or, the second request information includes first identification information indicating requirement information and the requirement information of the first service in the network digital twin service, or, the second request information includes first identification information, the requirement information of the first service, and the status information of the network digital twin instance; the requirement of the first service is not available for services other than the first service.

[0036] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0037] Receiving second identification information indicating the network digital twin instance.

[0038] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0039] Receiving the modified status information of the network digital twin instance.

[0040] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the first request information includes service parameters for requesting the network digital twin service and at least one of the following: second identification information indicating the network digital twin instance or first identification information indicating requirement information.

[0041] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the network digital twin service includes a pre-verification service, a visualization service, or a pre-evaluation service. The execution result of the pre-verification service is the network metric value after the execution of the to-be-verified policy in the network digital twin instance. The execution result of the visualization service is the visualization data of the visualization object. The execution result of the pre-evaluation service is the predicted value of the evaluation metric of the pre-evaluation service.

[0042] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a second node or a chip or a system-on-chip in the second node. The communication device may implement the functions performed by the second node in the above first aspect or possible designs of the first aspect. The functions may be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. For example, the communication device includes: a transceiver module, configured to receive demand information for network digital twin services; a processing module, configured to create a network digital twin instance according to the demand information; the transceiver module, further configured to receive a first request information for requesting network digital twin services; and the transceiver module, further configured to send an execution result of the network digital twin service executed on the network digital twin instance.

[0043] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the demand information includes first identification information indicating the demand information and at least one of the following: the demanded network digital twin service, the validity period of the network digital twin service, the source of data required to create the network digital twin instance, or the frequency of network data synchronization with the network digital twin instance.

[0044] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to: send first indication information indicating that the demand for the network digital twin service can be satisfied.

[0045] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to: before receiving the first request information, receive second request information for requesting to create a network digital twin instance.

[0046] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the second request information includes the first identification information indicating the demand information, or the second request information includes the first identification information and the status information of the network digital twin instance. The processing module is specifically configured to: create a network digital twin instance according to the demand information.

[0047] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the second request information includes the first identification information indicating the demand information and the demand information of the first service in the network digital twin service, or the second request information includes the first identification information, the demand information of the first service, and the status information of the network digital twin instance; the demand for the first service is not available for services other than the first service, and the network digital twin instance includes a first instance and a second instance. The processing module is specifically configured to: create a first instance according to the demand information of the network digital twin service; the first instance is used for services other than the first service; update the first instance according to the demand information of the first service to obtain a second instance, and the second instance is used for the first service.

[0048] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to: send second identification information indicating a network digital twin instance.

[0049] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the processing module is further configured to modify the status information of the network digital twin instance when a condition for triggering a change in the instance status is met; the transceiver module is further configured to send the modified status information of the network digital twin instance.

[0050] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the first request information includes service parameters for requesting a network digital twin service and at least one of the following: second identification information indicating a network digital twin instance or first identification information indicating demand information.

[0051] In combination with the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the network digital twin service includes a pre-verification service, a visualization service, or a pre-evaluation service. The execution result of the pre-verification service is the network metric value after the to-be-verified policy is executed in the network digital twin instance. The execution result of the visualization service is the visualization data of the visualization object. The execution result of the pre-evaluation service is the predicted value of the evaluation metric of the pre-evaluation service.

[0052] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a first node or a chip or a system-on-chip in the first node. The communication device can implement the functions performed by the first node in the second aspect or possible designs of the second aspect. The functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. For example, the communication device includes: a transceiver module, configured to send demand information for a network digital twin service; the transceiver module is further configured to send a first request information for requesting a network digital twin service; the transceiver module is further configured to receive the execution result of the network digital twin service executed on the network digital twin instance.

[0053] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation, the demand information includes first identification information indicating the demand information and at least one of the following: the network digital twin service in demand, the validity period of the network digital twin service, the source of the data required to create a network digital twin instance, or the frequency of synchronization between the network digital twin instance and network data.

[0054] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to receive first indication information indicating that the demand for the network digital twin service can be met.

[0055] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to send a second request information for requesting the creation of a network digital twin instance before sending the first request information.

[0056] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation, the second request information includes the first identification information indicating the requirement information; or, the second request information includes the first identification information and the status information of the network digital twin instance;

[0057] Or, the second request information includes the first identification information indicating the requirement information and the requirement information of the first service in the network digital twin service, or, the second request information includes the first identification information, the requirement information of the first service, and the status information of the network digital twin instance; the requirement of the first service is not available for services other than the first service.

[0058] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to receive the second identification information indicating the network digital twin instance.

[0059] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to receive the modified status information of the network digital twin instance.

[0060] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation, the first request information includes the service parameters for requesting the network digital twin service and at least one of the following: the second identification information indicating the network digital twin instance or the first identification information indicating the requirement information.

[0061] In combination with the fourth aspect, in a possible implementation, the network digital twin service includes a pre-verification service, a visualization service, or a pre-evaluation service. The execution result of the pre-verification service is the network metric value after the to-be-verified policy is executed in the network digital twin instance. The execution result of the visualization service is the visualization data of the visualization object. The execution result of the pre-evaluation service is the predicted value of the evaluation metric of the pre-evaluation service.

[0062] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device. The communication device includes a processor and a transceiver. The processor and the transceiver are used to support the communication device to execute the methods of the first aspect or the second aspect. Further, the communication device may further include a memory. The memory stores computer instructions, and the processor may run the computer instructions to execute the methods of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0063] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions. When the computer instructions run, the methods of the first aspect or the second aspect are executed.

[0064] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer program product containing instructions. When it runs on a computer, it enables the computer to execute the methods of the above-mentioned first aspect or second aspect.

[0065] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a chip, which includes: a controller and an interface circuit. Among them, the controller is used to interact with other devices through the interface circuit to execute the method of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0066] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which includes: a first device and a second device. Among them, the first device is used to execute the method of the second aspect, and the second device is used to execute the method of the first aspect.

[0067] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which includes the first device executing the method of the second aspect and the second device executing the method of the first aspect.

[0068] Among them, for the beneficial effects described in the third aspect to the tenth aspect of the present application, reference can be made to the beneficial effects analysis of the first aspect or the second aspect, and details are not elaborated here. Description of the Drawings

[0069] Figure 1 It is a schematic flowchart of a network digital twin management service provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] Figure 2 It is a schematic architecture diagram of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] Figure 3 It is a schematic architecture diagram of another communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] Figure 4 It is a schematic architecture diagram of another communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] Figure 5 It is a schematic architecture diagram of another communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] Figure 6 It is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] Figure 7 It is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] Figure 8 It is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] Figure 9 It is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] Figure 10 It is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] Figure 11 Schematic flowchart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0080] Figure 12 Schematic flowchart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0081] Figure 13 Schematic flowchart of another communication method provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0082] Figure 14 Schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0083] Figure 15 Schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0084] Figure 16 Schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided by an embodiment of this application. Detailed implementation manners

[0085] The network architecture and service scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application. Those of ordinary skill in the art can know that with the evolution of the network architecture and the emergence of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application are equally applicable to similar technical problems.

[0086] The project of the 3GPP SA5 R19 network digital twin has been successfully approved, and its specific research objectives are as follows:

[0087] 1. Research and define terms related to digital twin (DT) in the 3GPP management system, such as network digital twin.

[0088] 2. Research the scenarios and requirements for using network digital twins, such as network operation pre-verification, radio access network (RAN) optimization, service guarantee, etc.

[0089] 3. Research the collaborative cooperation with other standard organizations in the management of network digital twins.

[0090] Therefore, network digital twins are about to become one of the hot projects in the R19 standard discussion. As a way to implement network management, while studying how to use network digital twins to achieve better network management services, the life cycle management of network digital twins should also be part of network management capabilities. Especially when network digital twin services (also known as network digital twin capabilities) are applicable to multiple use case scenarios, such as using network digital twins to achieve energy savings and using network digital twins to ensure service level agreements (SLAs), the management of network digital twin services can also be presented as a management service to management service consumers (such as operators, third parties, etc.).

[0091] Technical research on network digital twins focuses on the management services that network digital twins can provide. For example, using network digital twins to provide the visualization ability of high-precision digital maps for energy savings, using network digital twins to provide pre-verification services for energy-saving strategies, etc. The process of invoking network digital twin management services is as Figure 1 shown and includes the following steps:

[0092] S1. The consumer of the network digital twin management service (management service, MNS) (referred to as the management service consumer for short) sends a network digital twin management service request to the provider of the network digital twin management service (referred to as the management service provider for short). Exemplarily, the management service provider can also be called MNS producer or MNS provider, etc.

[0093] Among them, the network digital twin management service refers to a type of management service that performs simulation tasks based on the network mirror constructed by the network digital twin, such as pre-verification services, pre-assessment services, or visualization services, etc. In other words, the ability of the network digital twin is invoked through the network digital twin management service request to achieve a certain management service; the network digital twin management service request will carry management service parameters for implementing the management service. The management service parameters are related to the type of network digital twin management service. Exemplarily, the management service parameters of the pre-assessment service include assessment time, assessment method, regional information, and guarantee requirements, etc.; for another example, the management service parameters of the pre-verification service include the strategy to be verified, verification evaluation indicators, and the applicable scope of the verification strategy, etc. The pre-verification service, pre-assessment service, or visualization service will be introduced below with examples:

[0094] The pre-verification service can be a service for verifying the availability of a policy. Specifically, the management service consumer can obtain one or more policies based on analysis services or historical experience, etc., but the management service consumer does not know what impact the policy will have on the network if it is actually executed. In this case, the management service consumer can request the pre-verification service in the NDT management service from the MNS provider to determine what impact the policy will have on the network if it is actually executed.

[0095] The management service provider executes the policy in the network simulated by the network digital twin instance through the pre-verification service, obtains the execution result of executing the policy, and feeds back the execution result to the management service consumer. The execution result can characterize what impact the policy will have on the network if it is actually executed. In other words, the execution result can characterize the metric values of the network after the policy is executed. The management service consumer can judge whether to configure the policy to be verified to the live network based on the execution result combined with the original metric values of the actual network. When there are multiple policies, the management service consumer can also select a better policy based on the execution results corresponding to the multiple policies and configure it to the network.

[0096] For example, the pre-verification service can be used to verify the availability of implementing an energy-saving policy. At this time, the execution result of the pre-verification service can be some metrics of a certain network element, slice, or the network. Taking a base station as an example, among the execution results of the pre-verification service, the metrics of the base station can be: energy efficiency metric, number of user equipment (UE) accesses, or coverage area, etc.

[0097] For another example, the pre-verification service can also be used to verify the availability of implementing a fault handling policy, or to verify the availability of implementing an alarm handling policy, etc., without limitation.

[0098] The pre-evaluation service can be a service for evaluating the performance metrics of an evaluation object (such as a certain network element, the overall network, or a slice) in a future period of time. Specifically, the management service consumer may need to obtain the performance metrics of a certain network element, the overall network, or a slice in a future period of time. At this time, the management service consumer can request the pre-evaluation service of the network digital twin to predict the corresponding performance metrics.

[0099] Exemplarily, the pre-evaluation service can be used to evaluate the latency, throughput, or bandwidth, etc. of the evaluation object in a future period of time.

[0100] The visualization service can be a service for visualizing some metrics of a network. The management service consumer may have a visualization requirement for network information. Taking an energy-saving high-definition digital map in the form of a visualized network as an example, the network information with a visualization requirement is network information related to energy conservation, such as energy efficiency metrics, energy consumption metrics, or the energy-saving status of network elements, etc. The network generates corresponding metrics through the network digital twin instance simulation, and a user-friendly interface (such as in the form of a high-definition digital map) is generated through interface design to display these metrics.

[0101] It should be noted that the management service parameter can also be referred to as the service parameter, without limitation.

[0102] S2. After receiving the network digital twin management service request, the management service provider creates a corresponding network digital twin model, and implements the management service based on the created network digital twin model and the management service parameter to obtain the management service result.

[0103] Exemplarily, if the network digital twin management service requested by the network digital twin management service request is a pre-verification service, the management service result can be the result of the pre-verification; for another example, if the network digital twin management service requested by the network digital twin management service request is a pre-assessment service, the management service result can be the value of the pre-assessment key performance indicator (KPI), etc.

[0104] It should be noted that regardless of what service is requested by the network digital twin management service request, the network digital twin service validity period of the network digital twin model created in step S2, the source of the data required to create the network digital twin model, and the frequency of synchronization with the live network data are fixed. There is no targeted design for different network digital twin management services.

[0105] S3. The management service provider feeds back the management service result to the management service consumer to complete the invocation of the network digital twin management service.

[0106] In the process of invoking the network digital twin management service shown in the above steps S1 - S3, regardless of the requirements of the management service consumer, the network digital twin model created by the management service provider is the same. This will result in:

[0107] For the management service consumer, in the implementation of the network digital twin management service, the created general network digital twin model may not meet the management service consumer's requirements for the refinement degree of the network digital twin model.

[0108] For a management service provider, since the created network digital twin model is general rather than customized in implementing the network digital twin management service, it may lead to the created network digital twin model far exceeding the needs of the management service consumer, resulting in a waste of network digital twin resources.

[0109] To solve the above technical problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method. In this communication method, as a first node of the management service consumer, it first sends its own demand information for the network digital twin service to a second node of the management service provider. The second node can customize and create a corresponding network digital twin instance based on the demand information, and implement the network digital twin service of the first node based on the network digital twin instance, which can meet the needs of the management service consumer for the refinement degree of the network digital twin model. Moreover, the created network digital twin instance matches the needs of the management service consumer, and no waste of network digital twin resources will be caused. The communication method and communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the specification.

[0110] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: the sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system, the long term evolution (LTE) system, the fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system, the wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, future communication systems, or systems integrating multiple communication systems, etc., which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application. Among them, 5G can also be referred to as new radio (NR).

[0111] The network architecture and service scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are for more clearly explaining the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. Those of ordinary skill in the art know that with the evolution of the network architecture and the emergence of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are equally applicable to similar technical problems.

[0112] As Figure 2 shown, it is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 2 shown, the communication system 20 includes a first node 210 and a second node 220. Optionally, as Figure 2 shown, the communication system further includes at least one third node 230.

[0113] Among them, the first node 210 is used to send demand information for the network digital twin service to the second node 220.

[0114] The second node 220 is configured to receive the requirement information for the network digital twin service and create a network digital twin instance according to the requirement information.

[0115] The first node 210 is further configured to send first request information for requesting the network digital twin service.

[0116] The second node 220 is further configured to receive the first request information, call the created network digital twin instance to execute the network digital twin service, and obtain an execution result. Then, the second node 220 sends the execution result of the network digital twin service executed on the network digital twin instance to the first node 210.

[0117] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the first node may be, for example, a management service consumer, the second node may be, for example, a management service provider, and the third node may be, for example, a network data providing device. Several possible application architectures will be given below in combination with different scenarios.

[0118] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a communication architecture provided for an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 3 shown, the communication architecture includes a network management system (NMS), an element management system (EMS), and network function (NF) devices.

[0119] Among them, the network management system is responsible for the operation, management, and maintenance functions of the network, and may also be referred to as a cross-domain management system.

[0120] The element management system is used to manage one or more network elements of a certain category, and may also be referred to as a domain management system or a single-domain management system.

[0121] The network function device is used to provide network data. The network function device can be a network element in a radio access network (RAN), such as a next generation node B (gNB), a central unit (CU), or a distributed unit (DU), etc. Alternatively, the network function device can also be a core network (CN) element, such as an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), or a network exposure function (NEF), etc.

[0122] Among them, the network management system acts as a management service consumer, and the network element management system acts as a management service provider to provide the ability to construct a network mirror (also known as a network digital twin instance), support various simulation tasks to be executed in the network mirror, and feed back the execution results to the network management system.

[0123] Optionally, the network element management system can also configure the policies obtained from executing simulation tasks in the network digital twin to the network function device.

[0124] As an in-network element, the network function device will provide network data to the network element management system when the network element management system constructs a network mirror.

[0125] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a communication architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 4 shown, the communication architecture includes a third-party node, a network management system, a network element management system, and a network function device.

[0126] Among them, the third-party node is a device other than the operator and the equipment manufacturer.

[0127] The network management system is generally an operator device, responsible for the operation, management, and maintenance functions of the network, and can also be called a cross-domain management system.

[0128] The network element management system is generally an equipment manufacturer device, used to manage one or more network elements of a certain category, and can also be called a domain management system or a single-domain management system.

[0129] The network function device may be an operator device or an equipment manufacturer device, used to provide various network functions. For the introduction of the network function device, reference can be made to the introduction of the network function device in the Figure 3 shown communication architecture, which will not be elaborated here.

[0130] Among them, as a management service consumer, the third-party node sends demand information for network digital twin services to the network management system. If the network management system cannot provide network twin management services, the network element management system acts as a management service provider to provide network twin management services. At this time, the network management system can also be classified as a management service consumer. The network function device provides network data to the network element management system when the network element management system constructs a network mirror.

[0131] Or, as Figure 5 shown, as a management service consumer, the third-party node, the network management system can jointly provide network twin management services with the network element management system. Then, the network management system and the network element management system act as management service providers together to provide network twin management services. As an in-network element, the network function device provides network data to the network management system and / or the network element management system when the network management system and / or the network element management system constructs a network mirror.

[0132] It should be understood that the network elements responsible for the management service consumer and the management service provider in the above examples are an exemplary description. In actual implementation, based on the differences in the network architecture, there can be other designs for the network elements responsible for the above roles, which are not limited.

[0133] Based on the above Figures 2 to 5 communication architectures introduced in each example, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication method. In the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application, as a management service consumer, the first node first sends its own demand information for network digital twin services to the second node as a management service provider. The second node can customize and create corresponding network digital twin instances based on the demand information, and implement the network digital twin services of the first node based on the network digital twin instances, which can meet the requirements of the management service consumer for the refinement degree of the network digital twin model. Moreover, the creation of the network digital twin instances matches the needs of the management service consumer, and there will be no waste of network digital twin resources.

[0134] The following Figures 2 to 5 shown communication system is used to describe the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0135] It should be noted that in the following embodiments of the present application, the message names between each network element, the names of each parameter, or the names of each piece of information, etc. are only examples, and in other embodiments, they can also be other names. The communication method provided by the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0136] It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, each network element may execute some or all of the steps in the embodiments of the present application. These steps or operations are only examples, and the embodiments of the present application may also execute other operations or various variations of the operations. In addition, each step may be executed in a different order presented in the embodiments of the present application, and it is possible not to execute all the operations in the embodiments of the present application.

[0137] Figure 6 This is an example of the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. This method is described by taking the interaction between the first node and the second node as an example. Of course, the entity executing the actions of the first node in this method may also be a device / module in the first node, such as a chip, a processor, a processing unit, etc. in the first node; the entity executing the actions of the second node in this method may also be a device / module in the second node, such as a chip, a processor, a processing unit, etc. in the second node. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations in this regard. The processing executed by a single execution entity (for example, the first node or the second node) in the embodiments of the present application may also be divided into being executed by multiple execution entities, and these execution entities may be logically and / or physically separated. Exemplarily, as Figure 6 shown, this method may include the following steps:

[0138] S610, the first node sends the demand information for the network digital twin service to the second node. Correspondingly, the second node receives the demand information for the network digital twin service from the first node.

[0139] Among them, the demand information for the network digital twin service is used to indicate the parameters for creating a network digital twin instance. Based on different demands of the first node, the demand information for the network digital twin service of the first node may also be different. Exemplarily, the demand information for the network digital twin service may include the first identification information indicating the demand information and at least one of the following: the demanded network digital twin service, the validity period of the network digital twin service, the source of the data required for creating the network digital twin instance, or the frequency of synchronization between the network digital twin instance and the network data (abbreviated as the refresh frequency).

[0140] Based on the correspondence between the first node and the demand information for the network digital twin service, the first identification information can also indicate the first node. The network digital twin service required by the first node can be one or more capabilities. Exemplarily, the required network digital twin service can be at least one of the following: visualization capability (also known as visualization service), pre-verification capability (also known as pre-verification service), or pre-evaluation capability (also known as pre-evaluation service). The validity period of the network digital twin service is the available time of the network digital twin service required by the first node. The source of the data required to create a network digital twin instance can also be referred to as the physical object information of the network digital twin, and can also be called the network scope of the data required to create a network digital twin instance, etc. The physical object information of the network digital twin can include the granularity and / or the geographical area of the physical object of the network digital twin. Among them, the granularity of the physical object of the network digital twin can be at the slice level, subnet level, or network element level, etc. The geographical area of the physical object of the network digital twin is the geographical area of the network (such as slice, subnet, or network element, etc.) for which data needs to be obtained to create a network digital twin example.

[0141] S620, the second node creates a network digital twin instance.

[0142] Among them, after receiving the above demand information, the second node can determine whether its own capabilities can meet the above demand information.

[0143] In one embodiment, if the second node determines that its own capabilities can meet the above demand information, it can start creating a network digital twin instance.

[0144] In another embodiment, it can also be determined based on the indication of the first node when to start creating a network digital twin instance. In other words, after the second node determines that its own capabilities can meet the above demand information and receives the information indicating to start creating from the first node, it starts creating a network digital twin instance.

[0145] When creating a network digital twin instance, data of network functions in the existing network can be collected according to the demand information to create a network digital twin example, and its specific implementation can refer to the description of the embodiments shown below. Or, data of network functions in the existing network can also be collected according to the demand information and the second request information sent by the first node to create a network digital twin instance, and its specific implementation can refer to Figure 8 the description of the embodiments shown below. Figure 9Description of the illustrated embodiment. When creating a network digital twin instance, the data collection of network functions can be achieved according to the granularity of the physical object of the network digital twin in the requirement information and the refresh frequency of the network digital twin. In implementation, the granularity of the physical object of the network digital twin indicates which network function data needs to be collected, and the refresh frequency of the network digital twin indicates the frequency of collecting the network function data.

[0146] Considering that the requirements of the first node for network digital twin services may be diverse at different times, correspondingly, the network digital twin instances created by the second node are likely to be different at different times. When creating a network digital twin instance, the identification information indicating the network digital twin instance can be generated to distinguish different network digital twin instances. After generating the identification information indicating the network digital twin instance, the second node can also send it to the first node for the first node to indicate which network digital twin instance to call by the identification information indicating the network digital twin instance when requesting network digital twin services. The specific implementation of the second node sending the identification information indicating the network digital twin instance to the first node is described in Figure 10 the illustrated embodiment.

[0147] Optionally, when creating a network digital twin instance, the status information of the network digital twin instance can also be generated, and the life cycle management of the network digital twin instance can be achieved by changing the status information of the network digital twin instance. Exemplarily, the status information can be divided into: creation state, at this time the network digital twin instance is in the creation process and has not been created yet, and cannot be used to implement network digital twin services; activation state, at this time the network digital twin instance is created and can be used to implement network digital twin services; running state, at this time the network digital twin instance is created and is implementing network digital twin services; paused running state, at this time the network digital twin instance is used to implement network digital twin services, but the process of implementing network digital twin services is paused; deactivation state, at this time the network digital twin instance is created, but may require modification of the network digital twin instance, etc., and cannot be used to implement network digital twin services; deactivation state, at this time the network digital twin instance is created, but may require deletion of the network digital twin instance, etc., and is no longer used to implement network digital twin services. Based on the above definitions, when creating a network digital twin instance, the status information of the network digital twin instance is the creation state.

[0148] Optionally, if the second node determines that its own capabilities can meet the above requirement information, it can also send a type of information indicating that the network digital twin service requirements can be met to the first node, so that the first node can determine whether its network digital twin service requirements can be met. Its specific implementation will be described in Figure 7 the illustrated embodiment.

[0149] In one embodiment, the second node may also determine that its own capabilities cannot meet the above demand information. At this time, the second node may send a notification message to the first node notifying that the second node cannot meet the above demand information, so that the first node can timely determine that the second node cannot meet the above demand information.

[0150] Optionally, the notification message notifying that the second node cannot meet the above demand information may also carry the reason why the second node cannot meet the above demand information.

[0151] S630. The first node sends a first request message for requesting a network digital twin service to the second node. Correspondingly, the second node receives the first request message for requesting a network digital twin service from the first node.

[0152] Among them, the first request message includes service parameters for requesting a network digital twin service and at least one of the following: a second identification information indicating a network digital twin instance or a first identification information indicating demand information. The service parameters of the network digital twin service are related parameters for implementing the network digital twin management service. For example, if the network digital twin service is a pre-verification service, the corresponding service parameters may be the policy to be verified, verification evaluation indicators, the applicable scope of the verification policy, etc. Another example is that if the network digital twin service is a visualization service, the corresponding service parameters may be the visualization fineness requirement, the visualization object range, visualization information, etc. Among them, the visualization information can be flexibly configured. Exemplarily, the visualization information may include at least one of the following: energy efficiency, system capacity, or the number of UE accesses, etc. The first identification information can indicate demand information, and the second node can determine based on it which network digital twin instances are generated based on its corresponding demand information, and call one or more of the network digital twin instances to implement the network digital twin service. Similarly, the second identification information can indicate the corresponding network digital twin instance, and the second node can determine based on it the network digital twin instance that needs to be called. In other words, the second node can directly lock the network digital twin instance for implementing the network digital twin service based on the second identification information, with relatively high efficiency.

[0153] It should be understood that based on the implementation requirements of the network digital twin service, the corresponding service parameters can be flexibly designed without limitation.

[0154] S640. The second node executes the network digital twin service on the network digital twin instance and obtains an execution result.

[0155] Among them, after receiving the first request message, the second node executes the network digital twin service on the network digital twin instance corresponding to the first request message. There may be various network digital twin services, and their corresponding execution results will also be different. Exemplarily, the network digital twin service is a pre-verification service, and the execution result of the pre-verification service can be the network metric values after one or more to-be-verified policies are executed in the network digital twin instance.

[0156] For another example, the network digital twin service is a visualization service, and the execution result of the visualization service can be the feature information of one or more nodes that can be used for visual display. For example, the execution result of the visualization service can be a display interface obtained based on a user-friendly interface design and carrying the feature information of one or more nodes. Among them, the number of nodes depends on the visualization fineness requirement and the visualization object range. Exemplarily, the higher the visualization fineness requirement, the more nodes can be seen. Taking a node as a base station as an example, if the visualization fineness is low, such as 10km×10km, the base stations that may be seen may be at the city level (there may be 50). If the visualization accuracy is high, such as 1km*1km, the base stations that may be seen may be at the district level (there may be 500).

[0157] For another example, the larger the visualization object range, the more nodes can be seen. The content in the feature information of the node depends on what content the visualization information in the service parameters includes. Exemplarily, if the visualization information includes energy efficiency, the information of the node includes energy efficiency and the corresponding energy efficiency indicators. For another example, if the visualization information includes system capacity, the information of the node includes system capacity and the corresponding system capacity indicators.

[0158] It should be understood that the nodes in the visualization service can also be called visualization objects, such as slices, network elements, UEs, etc.

[0159] In another example, the network digital twin service is a pre-assessment service, and the execution result of the pre-assessment service can be the predicted value of the evaluation index obtained based on the service parameters of the pre-assessment service.

[0160] It should be understood that the above introduction of the network digital twin service and the corresponding execution result is exemplary. In actual implementation, the network digital twin service and the corresponding execution result can also have other designs, which are not limited.

[0161] S650, the second node sends the execution result to the first node. Correspondingly, the first node receives the execution result from the second node.

[0162] Among them, after obtaining the execution result of the network digital twin service, the second node can send the execution result to the first node. In this way, the demand of the first node for the network digital twin service is met.

[0163] In the embodiment of the present application, as the first node of the management service consumer, it first sends its own demand information for the network digital twin service to the second node as the management service provider. The second node can customize and create corresponding network digital twin instances based on the demand information, and implement the network digital twin service of the first node based on the network digital twin instances, which can meet the requirements of the management service consumer for the refinement degree of the network digital twin model. Moreover, the created network digital twin instances match the demands of the management service consumer, without causing waste of network digital twin resources.

[0164] In one embodiment, as Figure 7 shown, the method may further include the following steps:

[0165] S660, the second node sends the first indication information indicating that the demand for the network digital twin service can be met to the first node. Correspondingly, the first node receives the first indication information from the second node.

[0166] Among them, in Figure 6 step S620 of the embodiment shown, it is introduced that "if the second node determines that its own capabilities can meet the above demand information, it can also send a type of information indicating that the demand for the network digital twin service can be met to the first node". In the embodiment of the present application, this "type of information" can be the first indication information, and the first indication information indicates that the capabilities of the second node can meet the demand information. After receiving the first indication information, the first node can determine that the second node can meet its own service demands.

[0167] In the embodiment of the present application, the second node notifies the first node through the first indication information that the capabilities of the second node can meet the demand information of the first node, which can be used by the first node to determine whether to send the first request information for requesting the network digital twin service.

[0168] In one embodiment, as Figure 8 shown, the method may further include the following steps:

[0169] S670, the first node sends the second request information for requesting the creation of a network digital twin instance to the second node. Correspondingly, the second node receives the second request information from the first node.

[0170] Among them, in Figure 6In step S620 of the illustrated embodiment, it is introduced that "after the second node determines that its own capabilities can meet the above demand information and receives the information indicating the start of creation from the first node, it starts to create a network digital twin instance". In the embodiments of the present application, the "information indicating the start of creation" may be a second request message. After receiving the second request message, the second node starts to create a network digital twin instance.

[0171] The second request message includes first identification information indicating the demand information.

[0172] Optionally, the second request message may further include status information of the network digital twin instance. Referring to Figure 6 the description of the status information in step S620 in the illustrated embodiment, the second node may generate the status information by itself. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, it may also be that the first node sends the status information to the second node through the second request message. During the creation phase of the network digital twin instance, the status information included in the second request message is: the creation state.

[0173] In the scenario where the second request message is the above two designs, the network digital twin instance is created based on the demand information. In other words, S620 may include:

[0174] S6201, creating a network digital twin instance according to the demand information.

[0175] In another implementation manner, the second request message includes first identification information indicating the demand information and the demand information of the first service in the network digital twin service. The demand of the first service is not available for services other than the first service. In other words, the first service is a type of service with special requirements. The first service may also be referred to as a special service. The demand information of the first service has the following two aspects of influence on the network digital twin service:

[0176] 1) Affect the scope of collecting data of the existing network functions and constructing the network digital twin model corresponding to the network digital twin instance (the breadth and accuracy of the physical objects to be twinned); 2) Affect the presentation of the network digital twin management service results produced by using the network digital twin model.

[0177] In the scenario where there is a special service, the full amount of demand information of the first node includes two categories: In Figure 6The demand information in step S610 and the demand information of the first service in the illustrated embodiment. From the perspective of data availability, the demand information in step S610 belongs to the general data set. In other words, for all services in the network digital twin service requested by the first node, the demand information in step S610 is available. The demand information of the first service belongs to the dedicated data set. In other words, for the first service in the network digital twin service requested by the first node, the demand information of the first service is available, while for services other than the first service, the demand information of the first service is not available (or has no effect).

[0178] The following is an exemplary description of the first service: Taking the visualization ability as the first service as an example, the demand information of this first service can be a visual accuracy of 50m×50m. This demand is useless for other service requirements, such as pre-verification ability and pre-evaluation ability, etc.

[0179] It should be understood that the second request information including the demand information of the first service is an example description. In actual implementation, the demand information of the first service can also be carried in other information sent by the first node to the second node. For example, the demand information of the first service can also be carried in Figure 6 step S610 in the illustrated embodiment, without limitation.

[0180] Optionally, in addition to the first identification information indicating the demand information and the demand information of the first service in the network digital twin service, the second request information can also include the status information of the network digital twin instance. In the scenario where the second request information includes the demand information of the first service, the network digital twin instance is created based on the demand information and the demand information of the first service. In this scenario, the network digital twin instance can include a first instance and a second instance. Correspondingly, as Figure 9 shown, S620 may include:

[0181] S6202, creating a first instance according to the demand information of the network digital twin service.

[0182] Among them, the first instance can also be called the basic instance. The first instance is an instance constructed based on the general data set (for example, the demand information of the network digital twin service). The first instance can be used for services other than the first service.

[0183] S6203, updating the first instance according to the demand information of the first service to obtain a second instance.

[0184] Among them, when creating the second instance, the first instance is updated based on the demand information of the first service to obtain the second instance. In other words, the second instance is a refined instance of the first instance, and the model accuracy of the second instance is higher than that of the first instance. The second instance can be used for the first service. For example, if the first service is visualization ability and the demand information of the visualization ability is a visual accuracy of 50m × 50m, then the parameter of the visual accuracy of 50m × 50m is added to the first instance, and the second instance is obtained by combining the data training of the network function.

[0185] In the embodiments of the present application, the full demand information of the first node is divided into two categories: a general data set (for example, the demand information for the network digital twin service) and a dedicated data set (for example, the demand information for the first service), and the corresponding network digital twin instances are respectively created, and the corresponding network digital twin services are implemented based on the network digital twin instances, improving the accuracy of the network digital twin service.

[0186] In one embodiment, as Figure 10 shown, the method may further include the following steps:

[0187] S680, the second node sends the second identification information indicating the network digital twin instance to the first node. Correspondingly, the first node receives the second identification information from the second node.

[0188] Among them, in Figure 6 step S620 of the embodiment shown, it is introduced that "when creating a network digital twin instance, the identification information indicating the network digital twin instance can be generated". In the embodiments of the present application, the "identification information indicating the network digital twin instance" can be the second identification information to distinguish different network digital twin instances.

[0189] In the embodiments of the present application, the second node sending the second identification information to the first node can be used by the first node to indicate which network digital twin instance to call through the second identification information when requesting the network digital twin service.

[0190] In one embodiment, as Figure 11 shown, the method may further include the following steps:

[0191] S690, when the instance status change condition is triggered, the second node modifies the status information of the network digital twin instance.

[0192] Among them, referring to Figure 6The state information of the network digital twin instance introduced in step S620 of the illustrated embodiment, and the initial state information of the network digital twin instance is the creation state. The instance state change conditions can be set flexibly. Exemplarily, the instance state change condition can be that the network digital twin instance is created successfully, and at this time, the state information of the network digital twin instance is modified from the creation state to the activation state. The instance state change condition can also be that the network digital twin instance starts to execute the service, and at this time, the state information of the network digital twin instance is modified from the activation state to the running state. The instance state change condition can also be that the network digital twin instance pauses the execution of the service, and at this time, the state information of the network digital twin instance is modified from the running state to the paused running state. The instance state change condition can also be that the network digital twin instance is modified, and at this time, the state information of the network digital twin instance is modified to the deactivation state. The instance state change condition can also be that the network digital twin instance is deactivated, and at this time, the state information of the network digital twin instance is modified to the deactivated state.

[0193] It should be understood that the above-introduced instance state change conditions are an exemplary description, and in specific implementations, there can be other designs, which are not limited.

[0194] S600, the second node sends the state information of the modified network digital twin instance to the first node. Correspondingly, the first node receives the state information of the modified network digital twin instance from the second node.

[0195] Among them, after modifying the state information of the network digital twin instance, the second node sends the state information of the modified network digital twin instance to the first node, which can be used by the first node to request the network digital twin service subsequently based on the state information of the modified network digital twin instance. For example, if the network digital twin service A needs to be implemented based on the network digital twin instance 1, and the second node sends the state information of the modified network digital twin instance 1 to the first node as the running state, then the first node can temporarily put on hold the request for the network digital twin service A, and instead wait until the second node sends the state information of the modified network digital twin instance 1 to the first node as the activation state, and then request the network digital twin service from the second node.

[0196] As can be seen from the above embodiments, in the embodiments of the present application, as the first node that manages service consumers, it first sends its own demand information for network digital twin services to the second node that manages service providers. The second node can customize and create corresponding network digital twin instances based on the demand information, and implement the network digital twin services of the first node based on the network digital twin instances, which can meet the demand of management service consumers for the refinement degree of the network digital twin model. Moreover, the created network digital twin instances match the demands of management service consumers, without causing waste of network digital twin resources. In addition, a life cycle management mechanism for network digital twin instances is designed, and by generating and changing the status information of network digital twin instances, the life cycle management of network digital twin instances is realized.

[0197] Next, taking Figure 2 the communication system shown as applicable to Figure 3 the communication architecture shown as an example, combined with Figures 6 to 11 the embodiments described above, several communication methods provided by the embodiments of the present application are given, as shown in Figures 12 to 13 turn.

[0198] In a possible implementation manner, for all network digital twin services, this solution constructs customized network digital twin instances based on a general data set, which can meet the demand of management service consumers for the refinement degree of the network digital twin model. As shown in Figure 12 turn, this communication method includes the following steps:

[0199] S1210, the network management system sends a network digital twin customization configuration request to the network element management system. Correspondingly, the network element management system receives the network digital twin customization configuration request from the network management system.

[0200] Among them, the network digital twin customization configuration request may include demand information for network digital twin services (which can be called conventional demand information), including the identifier of the network management system, the required network digital twin services, the validity period of the network digital twin services, the physical object information of the network digital twin, and the frequency of network data synchronization between the network digital twin instances, etc. The description of the demand information for network digital twin services can refer to the description in step S610 in the embodiment shown in Figure 6 turn, and will not be elaborated here.

[0201] S1220, the network element management system matches the network digital twin customization configuration request with its own existing capabilities to determine whether this request can be implemented, and obtains the acceptance result of the network digital twin customization configuration request.

[0202] Among them, the network digital twin customization configuration request acceptance result is a type of information indicating whether the requirements of the network digital twin service can be met. Exemplarily, the network digital twin customization configuration request acceptance result can be Figure 7 the first indication information indicating that the requirements of the network digital twin service can be met in the embodiment shown, and the first indication information can refer to the description of Figure 7 step S660 in the embodiment shown, which will not be elaborated here.

[0203] Alternatively, the network digital twin customization configuration request acceptance result can also be a notification message notifying the network element management system that the above network digital twin customization configuration request cannot be satisfied. Optionally, the notification message notifying the second node that the above network digital twin customization configuration request cannot be satisfied can also carry the reason why the second node cannot satisfy the above network digital twin customization configuration request.

[0204] Optionally, the network element management system can also store the network digital twin customization configuration request.

[0205] S1230, the network element management system sends the network digital twin customization configuration request acceptance result to the network management system. Correspondingly, the network management system receives the network digital twin customization configuration request acceptance result from the network element management system.

[0206] When the network management system determines that the network digital twin customization configuration request acceptance result indicates that the network element management system can meet the requirements of the network digital twin service, execute:

[0207] S1240, the network management system sends a network digital twin instance creation request to the network element management system.

[0208] Among them, the network digital twin instance creation request can carry the identifier of the network management system (or referred to as the network digital twin customization configuration request). Optionally, the network digital twin instance creation request can also carry the network digital twin instance status. The former is used to match the network digital twin customization configuration request, and the latter is used to update the status of the network digital twin instance to created.

[0209] Exemplarily, the network digital twin instance creation request can include Figure 8 the second request information of step S670 in the embodiment shown. The second request information includes the first identifier information of the network digital twin customization configuration request. Optionally, the second request information can also include the status information of the network digital twin instance.

[0210] S1250. The network element management system collects network data from network function devices based on a customized configuration request of network digital twins, and creates a network digital twin instance according to the network data and the customized configuration request of network digital twins.

[0211] Among them, when creating a network digital twin instance, an identifier of the network digital twin instance can be generated, the status of the network digital twin instance can be recorded, and the identifier of the network management system is associated with the identifier of the network digital twin instance. The collection of network data can be implemented according to the network digital twin granularity and the network digital twin refresh frequency.

[0212] Exemplarily, the identifier of the network digital twin instance can include Figure 10 the second identification information in step S680 of the embodiment shown. The status of the network digital twin instance can include Figure 8 the status information of the network digital twin instance in the second request information of step S670 in the embodiment shown.

[0213] S1260. The network element management system sends the network digital twin instance creation result to the network management system. Correspondingly, the network management system receives the instance creation result from the network element management system.

[0214] Among them, the network digital twin instance creation result indicates whether the creation of the network digital twin instance is successful or failed. If successful, the network digital twin instance creation result can include the identifier of the network digital twin instance. Exemplarily, the identifier of the network digital twin instance can include Figure 10 the second identification information indicating the network digital twin instance in step S680 of the embodiment shown; if failed, the network digital twin instance creation result can include the reason for failure.

[0215] S1270. The network management system sends a network digital twin management service call request to the network element management system. Correspondingly, the network element management system receives the network digital twin management service call request from the network management system.

[0216] Among them, the network digital twin management service call request carries management service parameters, a network digital twin customized configuration request identifier, and / or a network digital twin instance identifier, which is used to indicate which network digital twin instance needs to execute this management service. The management service parameters are related parameters for the network digital twin instance to implement the network digital twin management service, and there is no limitation.

[0217] Exemplarily, the network digital twin management service call request can include Figure 6 the first request information in step S630 of the embodiment shown.

[0218] S1280, the network element management system determines whether the network digital twin instance can execute the service according to the network digital twin management service call request, and when it is determined that the service can be executed, the service is executed to obtain the execution result of the network digital twin management service.

[0219] Among them, it can be determined whether the network digital twin instance can execute the service based on the network digital twin management service call request. For example, it can be determined whether the status of the corresponding network digital twin instance is the active state based on the network digital twin management service call request. If so, the service can be executed. Otherwise, the service cannot be executed.

[0220] After receiving the network digital twin management service call request, the network element management system executes the network digital twin management service on the network digital twin instance corresponding to the network digital twin management service call request. There may be multiple network digital twin management services, and their corresponding execution results will also be different. Exemplarily, the network digital twin service is a pre-verification service, and the execution result of the pre-verification service is the impact on the network after one or more to-be-verified policies are executed on the network digital twin instance. Another example is that the network digital twin service is a visualization service, and the execution result of the visualization service is to display the feature information of one or more nodes (such as interface display with a user-friendly interface design). Another example is that the network digital twin service is a pre-assessment service, and the execution result of the pre-assessment service is the predicted value of the evaluation index obtained based on the service parameters of the pre-assessment service.

[0221] S1290, the network element management system sends the execution result of the network digital twin management service to the network management system. Correspondingly, the network management system receives the execution result of the network digital twin management service from the network element management system.

[0222] Optionally, the communication method may further include the following steps:

[0223] S1201, the network management system sends a network digital twin instance status modification request to the network element management system. Correspondingly, the network element management system receives the network digital twin instance status modification request from the network management system.

[0224] Among them, the trigger condition for triggering the network management system to send the network digital twin instance status modification request can be flexibly designed. Exemplarily, the trigger condition may include pausing the operation of a certain network digital twin instance to save resources, activating the instance to prepare for the network digital twin management service, etc.

[0225] For the description of the network digital twin instance status, reference can be made to Figure 6 the description of the status information of the network digital twin instance in step S620 of the embodiment shown, which will not be elaborated here.

[0226] S1202, the network element management system modifies the status of the network digital twin instance according to the network digital twin instance status modification request, and obtains the modified status of the network digital twin instance.

[0227] Among them, when the network element management system receives the network digital twin instance status modification request, it can perform the corresponding modification of the network digital twin instance status to obtain the modified status of the network digital twin instance.

[0228] In one embodiment, the network element management system can also be set with instance status change conditions, and based on the instance status change conditions, it spontaneously modifies the status information of the network digital twin instance. The specific implementation can refer to Figure 11 the description of the relevant implementation of step S690 in the embodiment shown, which will not be elaborated here.

[0229] S1203, the network element management system sends the modified status of the network digital twin instance to the network management system. Correspondingly, the network management system receives the modified status of the network digital twin instance from the network element management system.

[0230] Among them, the description of S1203 can refer to Figure 11 the description of the relevant implementation of step S600 in the embodiment shown, which will not be elaborated here.

[0231] In another possible implementation, similar to Figure 12 the embodiment described, this solution introduces a dedicated data set: special requirement information for special services. First, a customized basic network digital twin instance is constructed based on the general data set, and on the basis of the basic network digital twin instance, a refined network digital twin instance is created by combining the special requirement information for special services. The basic network digital twin instance is used to implement network digital twin services other than special services (referred to as regular services), while the refined network digital twin instance is used to implement network digital twin services for special services, further meeting the needs of management service consumers for the refinement degree of the network digital twin model. As Figure 13 shown, this communication method includes the following steps:

[0232] S1310, the network management system sends a network digital twin customization configuration request to the network element management system. Correspondingly, the network element management system receives the network digital twin customization configuration request from the network management system.

[0233] Among them, the network digital twin customization configuration request can include regular requirement information for regular network digital twin services and special requirement information for special services. Exemplarily, the regular requirement information can be Figure 6 the requirement information for network digital twin services in the embodiment shown, and the description of the requirement information for network digital twin services can refer to Figure 6For the corresponding description in step S610 in the illustrated embodiment, it will not be elaborated here.

[0234] Exemplarily, the special requirement information for the special service may include Figure 8 the requirement information for the first service in the illustrated embodiment. For the description of the requirement information for the first service, reference may be made to Figure 8 the corresponding description in step S670 in the illustrated embodiment, which will not be elaborated here.

[0235] It should be understood that carrying the special requirement information for the special service in the network digital twin customization configuration request is an exemplary illustration. In specific implementation, the network management system may also send the special requirement information for the special service to the network element management system at other times. For example, carrying the special requirement information for the special service in the network digital twin instance creation request in S1340 below is not restricted.

[0236] S1320, the network element management system matches the network digital twin customization configuration request with its own existing capabilities to determine whether this request can be implemented, and obtains the acceptance result of the network digital twin customization configuration request.

[0237] Among them, the acceptance result of the network digital twin customization configuration request is a type of information indicating whether the requirements of the network digital twin service can be met. Exemplarily, the acceptance result of the network digital twin customization configuration request may be Figure 7 the first indication information in the illustrated embodiment indicating that the requirements of the network digital twin service can be met. The first indication information may refer to the description of Figure 7 step S660 in the illustrated embodiment, which will not be elaborated here.

[0238] Or, the acceptance result of the network digital twin customization configuration request may also be a notification information notifying the network element management system that the above network digital twin customization configuration request cannot be satisfied. Optionally, the notification information notifying the second node that the above network digital twin customization configuration request cannot be satisfied may also carry the reason why the second node cannot satisfy the above network digital twin customization configuration request.

[0239] Exemplarily, if the network digital twin customization configuration request includes the requirement information for the network digital twin service and the special requirement information for the special service, the acceptance result of the network digital twin customization configuration request may include the following two items: the indication information indicating whether the requirements of the network digital twin service are met, and the indication information indicating whether the special requirement information for the special service is met.

[0240] Optionally, the network element management system may also store the network digital twin customization configuration request.

[0241] S1330, the network element management system sends the acceptance result of the network digital twin customization configuration request to the network management system. Correspondingly, the network management system receives the acceptance result of the network digital twin customization configuration request from the network element management system.

[0242] When the network management system determines that the acceptance result of the network digital twin customization configuration request indicates that the network element management system can meet the requirements of the network digital twin service, execute:

[0243] S1340, the network management system sends a network digital twin instance creation request to the network element management system.

[0244] Among them, the network digital twin instance creation request may carry the identifier of the network management system (or referred to as the network digital twin customization configuration request). Optionally, the network digital twin instance creation request may also carry the status of the network digital twin instance. The former is used to match the network digital twin customization configuration request, and the latter is used to update the status of the network digital twin instance to created.

[0245] Exemplarily, the network digital twin instance creation request may include Figure 8 the second request information of step S670 in the illustrated embodiment. The second request information includes the first identification information of the network digital twin customization configuration request. Optionally, the second request information may also include the status information of the network digital twin instance.

[0246] Optionally, the network digital twin instance creation request may also include: special requirement information for special services.

[0247] S1350, the network element management system collects network data from network function devices based on the network digital twin customization configuration request, and creates a basic network digital twin instance and a refined network digital twin instance according to the network data and the network digital twin customization configuration request respectively.

[0248] Among them, when creating a network digital twin instance, an identifier of the network digital twin instance may be generated, and the status of the network digital twin instance is recorded, and the identifier of the network management system is associated with the identifier of the network digital twin instance. The collection of network data can be implemented according to the network digital twin granularity and the network digital twin refresh frequency.

[0249] Specifically, first create a basic instance according to the requirement information of the network digital twin service. The basic instance is an instance constructed based on a general data set (for example, the requirement information of the network digital twin service), and the basic instance can be used for regular services other than special services. Then update the basic instance according to the special requirement information of the special service to obtain a refined network digital twin instance.

[0250] Among them, when creating a refined network digital twin instance, the basic network digital twin instance is updated based on the special requirement information of the special service to obtain the refined network digital twin instance. In other words, the refined network digital twin instance is an instance refined from the basic network digital twin instance, and the model accuracy of the refined network digital twin instance is higher than that of the basic network digital twin instance. The refined network digital twin instance can be used for special services. For example, if the special service is visualization ability and the requirement information of the visualization ability is a visual accuracy of 50m × 50m, then the parameter of the visual accuracy of 50m × 50m is added to the basic network digital twin instance, and the refined network digital twin instance is obtained by combining the data training of the network function.

[0251] Exemplarily, the identifier of the network digital twin instance may include Figure 10 the second identifier information in step S680 of the illustrated embodiment. The state of the network digital twin instance may include Figure 8 the state information of the network digital twin instance in the second request information of step S670 in the illustrated embodiment.

[0252] S1360, the network element management system sends the network digital twin instance creation result to the network management system. Correspondingly, the network management system receives the instance creation result from the network element management system.

[0253] Among them, the network digital twin instance creation result indicates whether the creation of the network digital twin instance is successful or failed. If successful, the network digital twin instance creation result may include the network digital twin instance identifier. Exemplarily, the network digital twin instance identifier may include Figure 10 the second identifier information indicating the network digital twin instance in step S680 of the illustrated embodiment; if failed, the network digital twin instance creation result may include the reason for failure.

[0254] S1370, the network management system sends a network digital twin management service call request to the network element management system. Correspondingly, the network element management system receives the network digital twin management service call request from the network management system.

[0255] Among them, the network digital twin management service call request carries management service parameters, a network digital twin customization configuration request identifier, and / or a network digital twin instance identifier, and is used to indicate which network digital twin instance needs to execute this management service. The management service parameters are relevant parameters for the network digital twin instance to implement the network digital twin management service, and are not limited.

[0256] Exemplarily, the network digital twin management service call request may include Figure 6 the first request information in step S630 of the illustrated embodiment.

[0257] S1380, The network element management system determines whether the network digital twin instance can execute the service according to the network digital twin management service call request, and when it is determined that the service can be executed, the service is executed to obtain the execution result of the network digital twin management service.

[0258] Among them, it is possible to determine whether the network digital twin instance can execute the service based on the network digital twin management service call request. For example, it is possible to determine whether the status of the corresponding network digital twin instance is the active state based on the network digital twin management service call request. If so, the service can be executed. Otherwise, the service cannot be executed.

[0259] Exemplarily, the network digital twin management service call request can request special services and regular services simultaneously. In other words, the network digital twin management service call request can request to call the basic network digital twin instance and the refined network digital twin instance simultaneously. The process of determining whether the basic network digital twin instance and the refined network digital twin instance can execute the service is independent of each other. That is, if it can be determined that the basic network digital twin instance can execute the regular service, while the refined network digital twin instance cannot execute the special service, then the regular service is implemented based on the basic network digital twin instance. Another example, if it is determined that the basic network digital twin instance cannot execute the regular service, while the refined network digital twin instance can execute the special service, then the special service is implemented based on the refined network digital twin instance. Another example, if it is determined that the basic network digital twin instance can execute the regular service, and the refined network digital twin instance can also execute the special service, then the regular service is implemented based on the basic network digital twin instance, and the special service is implemented based on the refined network digital twin instance.

[0260] After receiving the network digital twin management service call request, the network element management system executes the network digital twin management service on the network digital twin instance corresponding to the network digital twin management service call request. There may be multiple network digital twin services, and their corresponding execution results will also be different. Exemplarily, the network digital twin service is a pre-verification service, and the execution result of the pre-verification service is the impact on the network after one or more to-be-verified policies are executed on the network digital twin instance. Another example, the network digital twin service is a visualization service, and the execution result of the visualization service is to display the feature information of one or more nodes (such as interface display with a user-friendly interface design). Another example, the network digital twin service is a pre-assessment service, and the execution result of the pre-assessment service is the predicted value of the evaluation index obtained based on the service parameters of the pre-assessment service.

[0261] S1390, The network element management system sends the execution result of the network digital twin management service to the network management system. Correspondingly, the network management system receives the execution result of the network digital twin management service from the network element management system.

[0262] Optionally, the communication method may further include the following steps:

[0263] S1301. The network management system sends a request to modify the state of the network digital twin instance to the network element management system. Correspondingly, the network element management system receives the request to modify the state of the network digital twin instance from the network management system.

[0264] Among them, the triggering condition for the network management system to send the request to modify the state of the network digital twin instance can be flexibly designed. Exemplarily, the triggering condition may include pausing the operation of a certain network digital twin instance to save resources, activating the instance to prepare for the network digital twin management service, etc.

[0265] For the description of the state of the network digital twin instance, reference can be made to Figure 6 the description of the state information of the network digital twin instance in step S620 of the embodiment shown, which will not be elaborated here.

[0266] S1302. The network element management system modifies the state of the network digital twin instance according to the request to modify the state of the network digital twin instance, and obtains the modified state of the network digital twin instance.

[0267] Among them, when the network element management system receives the request to modify the state of the network digital twin instance, it can perform the corresponding modification of the state of the network digital twin instance to obtain the modified state of the network digital twin instance.

[0268] In an embodiment, the network element management system may also be set with an instance state change condition, and the state information of the network digital twin instance is spontaneously modified based on the instance state change condition. For its specific implementation, reference can be made to Figure 11 the description of the relevant implementation of step S690 in the embodiment shown, which will not be elaborated here.

[0269] S1303. The network element management system sends the modified state of the network digital twin instance to the network management system. Correspondingly, the network management system receives the modified state of the network digital twin instance from the network element management system.

[0270] Among them, for the description of S1303, reference can be made to Figure 11 the description of the relevant implementation of step S600 in the embodiment shown, which will not be elaborated here.

[0271] In the embodiment of the present application, Figure 2 the communication system shown is also applicable to Figure 4 the communication architecture shown, and implements Figures 6 to 11 the communication method described in the embodiment. Compared with Figure 12 or Figure 13In the implementation of the communication method in the communication architecture, in the embodiments of this application, a third-party node is introduced as a management service consumer. The network management system acts as an intermediate node to implement data transmission between the third-party node and the network element management system, so as to implement Figures 6 to 11 the communication method described in the foregoing embodiments. The specific implementation process can refer to Figure 12 or Figure 13 the description of the embodiments shown, which will not be elaborated here.

[0272] The above mainly introduces the solution provided by the embodiments of this application from the perspective of the execution logic of each step. It can be understood that in order to implement the above functions, each node, such as the first node or the second node, includes the corresponding hardware structure and / or software module for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, combining the algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this article, the method of the embodiments of this application can be implemented in the form of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is executed in the way of hardware or computer software driving hardware 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.

[0273] The embodiments of this application can divide the functional modules of the first node or the second node according to the above method examples. For example, each functional module can be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional module. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiments of this application is illustrative, only a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation.

[0274] In specific implementation, each network element shown in this application can adopt Figure 14 the shown composition structure or include Figure 14 the shown components. Figure 14 This is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided by the embodiments of this application. When the communication device has the function of the first node described in the embodiments of this application, the communication device can be the first node or a chip or system-on-chip in the first node. When the communication device has the function of the second node described in the embodiments of this application, the communication device can be the second node or a chip or system-on-chip in the second node.

[0275] Such as Figure 14As shown, the communication device may include a processor 1401, a communication line 1402, a transceiver 1403, and a memory 1404. Among them, the processor 1401, the memory 1404, and the transceiver 1403 may be connected through the communication line 1402. In one example, the processor 1401 may include one or more CPUs, such as Figure 14 CPU0 and CPU1 in

[0276] As an alternative implementation, the communication device includes multiple processors. For example, in addition to Figure 14 the processor 1401 in

[0277] the processor 1401 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device (PLD), or any combination thereof. The processor 1401 may also be other devices with processing functions, such as circuits, devices, or software modules.

[0278] The communication line 1402 is used to transmit information between the components included in the communication device.

[0279] The transceiver 1403 is used to communicate with other devices or other communication networks. The other communication network may be an Ethernet, a radio access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN), etc. The transceiver 1403 may be an interface circuit, a pin, a radio frequency module, a transceiver, or any device capable of implementing communication.

[0280] Furthermore, the communication device may further include a memory 1404. The memory 1404 is used to store instructions. Among them, the instructions may be computer programs.

[0281] Among them, the memory 1404 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and / or instructions. It can also be a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and / or instructions. It can also be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage, magnetic disk storage media, or other magnetic storage devices. Optical disc storage includes compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, or Blu-ray discs, etc.

[0282] It should be noted that the memory 1404 can exist independently of the processor 1401 or be integrated with the processor 1401. The memory 1404 can be used to store instructions, program codes, or some data, etc. The memory 1404 can be located inside the communication device or outside the communication device, without limitation. When the processor 1401 executes the instructions stored in the memory 1404, the method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented.

[0283] As an optional implementation, the communication device further includes an output device 1405 and an input device 1406. Exemplarily, the input device 1406 is a device such as a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, or a joystick, and the output device 1405 is a device such as a display screen or a speaker.

[0284] It should be noted that the communication device can be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a network server, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal, an embedded device, a chip system, or a device with a Figure 14 similar structure. In addition, Figure 14 the shown component structure does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. Except Figure 14 for the components shown, the communication device can include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0285] In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0286] Figure 15 The structure diagram of a communication device 1500 is shown, and this communication device is applied to the first node as a management service consumer. Figure 15 Each module in the shown device has the function of implementing Figures 6 - 13the functions of the corresponding steps in [reference document] and can achieve their corresponding technical effects. The beneficial effects corresponding to the steps executed by each module can be referred to Figures 6 - 13 the description of the corresponding steps and will not be elaborated here. The functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. For example, the communication device includes:

[0287] a transceiver module 1510, configured to send demand information for network digital twin services; the transceiver module 1510 is further configured to send a first request information for requesting network digital twin services; the transceiver module 1510 is further configured to receive the execution result of the network digital twin services executed on the network digital twin instance.

[0288] Figure 16 FIG. shows a structural diagram of a communication device 1600, which is applied to a second node as a management service provider. Figure 16 Each module in the shown device has the function of implementing Figures 6 - 13 the functions of the corresponding steps in [reference document] and can achieve their corresponding technical effects. The beneficial effects corresponding to the steps executed by each module can be referred to Figures 6 - 13 the description of the corresponding steps and will not be elaborated here. The functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. For example, the communication device includes:

[0289] a transceiver module 1610, configured to receive demand information for network digital twin services; a processing module 1620, configured to create a network digital twin instance according to the demand information; the transceiver module 1610 is further configured to receive a first request information for requesting network digital twin services; the transceiver module 1610 is further configured to send the execution result of the network digital twin services executed on the network digital twin instance.

[0290] In the embodiments of the present application, the first node as a management service consumer first sends its own demand information for network digital twin services to the second node as a management service provider. The second node can customize and create corresponding network digital twin instances based on the demand information, and implement the network digital twin services of the first node based on the network digital twin instances, which can meet the requirements of the management service consumer for the refinement degree of the network digital twin model. Moreover, the created network digital twin instances match the demands of the management service consumer, and no waste of network digital twin resources will occur.

[0291] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication system, which includes: a first node and a second node. Among them, the first node may have the functions of the above communication device 1500, and the second node may have the functions of the above communication device 1600.

[0292] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer-readable storage medium. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be completed by a computer program instructing relevant hardware. This program can be stored in the above computer-readable storage medium. When this program is executed, it can include the processes of the above method embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium can be the terminal device in any of the foregoing embodiments, such as an internal storage unit including a data sending end and / or a data receiving end, for example, the hard disk or memory of the terminal device. The above computer-readable storage medium can also be an external storage device of the above terminal device, such as a plug-in hard disk, a smart media card (SMC), a secure digital (SD) card, a flash card, etc. equipped on the above terminal device. Further, the above computer-readable storage medium can also include both the internal storage unit of the above terminal device and the external storage device. The above computer-readable storage medium is used to store the above computer program and other programs and data required by the above terminal device. The above computer-readable storage medium can also be used to temporarily store the data that has been output or will be output.

[0293] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer instruction. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be completed by a computer instruction instructing relevant hardware (such as a computer, a processor, a network device, and a terminal, etc.). This program can be stored in the above computer-readable storage medium.

[0294] The embodiments of the present application also provide a chip system. The chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete devices, without limitation. The chip system includes a controller and an interface circuit. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be completed by the chip system. For example, the chip system can be used to implement the functions executed by the first node or the second node in the above method embodiments.

[0295] In a possible design, the above chip system further includes a memory, and the memory is used to store program instructions and / or data. When the chip system runs, the processor executes the program instructions stored in the memory, so that the chip system executes the functions executed by the first node or the second node in the above method embodiments.

[0296] In the embodiments of the present application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, and may implement or execute the various methods, steps and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application may be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0297] In the embodiments of the present application, the memory may be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), etc., or may also be a volatile memory, such as a random access memory. The memory is any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in the embodiments of the present application may also be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing a storage function, for storing instructions and / or data.

[0298] It should be noted that the terms "first" and "second" in the description, claims and drawings of the present application are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally further includes steps or units not listed, or optionally further includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0299] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, "a plurality" means two or more, "at least two (items)" means two, three or more, and "and / or" is used to describe the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, "A and / or B" may mean: only A exists, only B exists, and both A and B exist at the same time. Among them, A and B may be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after. "At least one (item) of the following" or its similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single item (item) or plural items (items). For example, at least one (item) of a, b or c may mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, c may be single or multiple. It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A. For example, B can be determined according to A. It should also be understood that determining B according to A does not mean determining B only according to A, and B can also be determined according to A and / or other information. In addition, the "connection" that appears in the embodiments of the present application refers to various connection methods such as direct connection or indirect connection to achieve communication between devices, and the embodiments of the present application do not make any limitation on this.

[0300] Unless otherwise specified, the "transmission" (transmit / transmission) that appears in the embodiments of the present application refers to two-way transmission, including the actions of sending and / or receiving. Specifically, the "transmission" in the embodiments of the present application includes the sending of data, the receiving of data, or the sending and receiving of data. Or rather, the data transmission here includes uplink and / or downlink data transmission. Data may include channels and / or signals. Uplink data transmission is the transmission of uplink channels and / or uplink signals, and downlink data transmission is the transmission of downlink channels and / or downlink signals. The "network" and "system" that appear in the embodiments of the present application express the same concept, and a communication system is a communication network.

[0301] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and conciseness of description, only the above division of each functional module is used as an example. In actual applications, the above functions can be allocated to different functional modules according to needs, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0302] In several embodiments provided by this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the modules or units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the displayed or discussed coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between each other can be through some interfaces. The indirect coupling or communication connection of the devices or units can be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0303] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated. The components displayed as units can be one physical unit or multiple physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or they can also be distributed to multiple different places. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0304] In addition, in each embodiment of this application, the functional units 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. The above-mentioned integrated units can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units. If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on such an understanding, the technical solution of the embodiments of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of this technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to enable a device, such as a single-chip microcomputer, a chip, etc., or a processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in each embodiment of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical discs.

[0305] As described above, only the specific implementation manners of this application are provided, but the protection scope of this application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be covered by the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application should be subject to the protection scope of the claimed rights.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Including: Receiving demand information for network digital twin services; Creating a network digital twin instance according to the demand information; Receiving first request information for requesting the network digital twin services; Sending the execution result of the network digital twin services executed on the network digital twin instance.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The demand information includes first identification information indicating the demand information and at least one of the following: the required network digital twin services, the validity period of the network digital twin services, the source of the data required to create the network digital twin instance, or the frequency of network data synchronization with the network digital twin instance.

3. The communication method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: Sending first indication information for indicating that the demand for the network digital twin services is met.

4. The communication method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Before receiving the first request information, receiving second request information for requesting the creation of a network digital twin instance.

5. The communication method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The second request information includes first identification information indicating the demand information, or the second request information includes the first identification information and the status information of the network digital twin instance. The method further includes: Creating the network digital twin instance according to the demand information.

6. The communication method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The second request information includes first identification information indicating the demand information and the demand information of the first service in the network digital twin services, or the second request information includes the first identification information, the demand information of the first service, and the status information of the network digital twin instance; the demand for the first service is not available for services other than the first service. The network digital twin instance includes a first instance and a second instance. The method further includes: Creating a first instance according to the demand information of the network digital twin services; the first instance is used for services other than the first service; Updating the first instance according to the demand information of the first service to obtain a second instance, and the second instance is used for the first service.

7. The communication method according to any one of claims 4-6, characterized in that, The method further includes: Sending second identification information indicating the network digital twin instance.

8. The communication method according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that, The method further includes: Modifying the status information of the network digital twin instance when an instance status change condition is triggered; Sending the modified status information of the network digital twin instance.

9. The communication method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The first request information includes service parameters for requesting the network digital twin services and at least one of the following: second identification information indicating the network digital twin instance or first identification information indicating the demand information.

10. The communication method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The network digital twin services include a pre-verification service, a visualization service, or a pre-assessment service. The execution result of the pre-verification service is the network metric value after the to-be-verified policy is executed in the network digital twin instance. The execution result of the visualization service is the visualization data of the visualization object. The execution result of the pre-assessment service is the predicted value of the assessment index of the pre-assessment service.

11. A communication method, characterized in that, Including: Sending demand information for network digital twin services; Sending first request information for requesting the network digital twin services; Receiving the execution result of the network digital twin services executed on the network digital twin instance.

12. The communication method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The requirement information includes first identification information indicating the requirement information and at least one of the following: the required network digital twin service, the validity period of the network digital twin service, the source of the data required to create the network digital twin instance, or the frequency of synchronization between the network digital twin instance and network data.

13. The communication method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receiving first indication information for indicating that the requirement of the network digital twin service is met.

14. The communication method according to any one of claims 11-13, characterized in that, The method further includes: Before sending the first request information, sending second request information for requesting the creation of a network digital twin instance.

15. The communication method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The second request information includes the first identification information indicating the requirement information; or, the second request information includes the first identification information and the status information of the network digital twin instance; Alternatively, the second request information includes the first identification information indicating the requirement information and the requirement information of a first service in the network digital twin service, or, the second request information includes the first identification information, the requirement information of the first service, and the status information of the network digital twin instance; the requirement of the first service is not available for services other than the first service.

16. The communication method according to any one of claims 14-15, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receiving second identification information indicating the network digital twin instance.

17. The communication method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receiving the modified status information of the network digital twin instance.

18. The communication method according to any one of claims 11-17, characterized in that, The first request information includes service parameters for requesting the network digital twin service and at least one of the following: second identification information indicating the network digital twin instance or first identification information indicating the requirement information.

19. The communication method according to any one of claims 11-18, characterized in that, The network digital twin service includes a pre-verification service, a visualization service, or a pre-evaluation service. The execution result of the pre-verification service is the network metric value after the execution of the to-be-verified policy in the network digital twin instance. The execution result of the visualization service is the visualization data of the visualization object. The execution result of the pre-evaluation service is the predicted value of the evaluation metric of the pre-evaluation service.

20. A communication device, characterized in that, The apparatus includes: a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1-19.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication apparatus includes a processor and a transceiver, and the processor and the transceiver are used to support the communication apparatus to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-19.

22. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and when the computer instructions run, the method according to any one of claims 1-19 is executed.

23. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes: a controller and an interface circuit. Among them, the controller is used to interact with other devices through the interface circuit to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-19.

24. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes: a first device and a second device. Among them, the first device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 11-19, and the second device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-10.

25. A communication method, characterized in that, Including the first device executing the method according to any one of claims 11-19 and the second device executing the method according to any one of claims 1-10.

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