Access network strategy control method and device and storage medium

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides an access network strategy control method and device and a storage medium, and the access network strategy control method applied to access network equipment comprises the steps: receiving strategy configuration information from a core network control plane network function; generating or updating a business service strategy based on the strategy configuration information; and sending part or all of the information in the business service strategy to target equipment. According to the embodiment of the invention, the strategy control of the data flow can be realized at the access network equipment, the network signaling overhead and the information transmission time delay are reduced, the business service strategy control efficiency is improved, and the user experience is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technologies, and in particular, to an access network policy control method, apparatus, and storage medium. Background Art

[0002] With the extension of the network ecosystem and the development of network technologies, network services have become increasingly rich. Diversified services require a Quality of Service (QoS) system mechanism to provide differentiated service guarantees. In the prior art, since the core network cannot obtain real-time information such as the resource status on the Radio Access Network (RAN) side and the air interface changes in a timely manner, it formulates QoS policies and parameters only based on user subscription information and service requirements, which may lead to a mismatch between service QoS requirements and network QoS capabilities, resulting in problems such as poor service experience and inefficient network operation.

[0003] In the core network, in order to dynamically control the QoS processing of each Internet Protocol (IP) flow, the network transfers the QoS status information obtained in the User Plane (UP) Network Function (NF) to the Control Plane (CP) NF. The CP NF updates the mapping rule according to the QoS status information obtained from the UP NF. The updated mapping rule needs to be transferred to the UP NF for execution again.

[0004] However, in the prior art, in a network with distributed deployment of the core network UP NF, there are problems of large network signaling overhead and latency. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of this application provide an access network policy control method, apparatus, and storage medium to solve the problems of large network signaling overhead and latency in the prior art and improve the policy control efficiency.

[0006] In a first aspect, an access network policy control method provided by embodiments of this application is applied to an access network device and includes:

[0007] Receiving policy configuration information from a core network control plane network function;

[0008] Generating or updating a service policy based on the policy configuration information;

[0009] Sending some or all of the information in the service policy to a target device.

[0010] In some embodiments, for an access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, the service policy includes at least one of a data flow routing rule, a data flow profile, and a data flow rule.

[0011] In some embodiments, for an access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, the data flow routing rule includes: a packet detection rule PDR;

[0012] And / or, the data flow profile includes: a QoS profile;

[0013] And / or, the data flow rule includes: QoS rules.

[0014] In some embodiments, for an access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, the method further includes:

[0015] Based on the data flow profile, perform data flow mapping and / or control.

[0016] In some embodiments, for an access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, the target device includes a distributed user plane network function and / or a terminal;

[0017] Sending part or all of the information in the service policy to the target device includes at least one of the following:

[0018] Sending the data flow routing rule to the distributed user plane network function;

[0019] Sending the data flow rule to the terminal.

[0020] In some embodiments, for an access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, sending the data flow routing rule to the distributed user plane network function includes:

[0021] Sending the data flow routing rule to the distributed user plane network function through a first functional interface or a specific logical interface.

[0022] In some embodiments, for an access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, the data flow routing rule is carried by a protocol data unit session or a transport network layer protocol extension header.

[0023] In some embodiments, for an access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, sending the data flow rule to the terminal includes:

[0024] Sending the data flow rule to the terminal through an access stratum AS message.

[0025] In some embodiments, for the access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, the AS message includes at least one of the following: Radio Resource Control (RRC) message; Medium Access Control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0026] In some embodiments, for the access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, the RRC message includes at least one data flow rule, and the data flow rule includes at least one of a rule identifier and flow configuration information.

[0027] In some embodiments, for the access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, the updating of the service policy includes:

[0028] Based on the target information and the policy configuration information, updating the service policy; the target information includes at least one of the following:

[0029] The resource situation obtained by the access network device and / or the measured radio interface quality information;

[0030] The measurement information reported by the terminal;

[0031] Service monitoring information.

[0032] In some embodiments, for the access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, the method further includes at least one of the following:

[0033] Collecting the resource situation;

[0034] Measuring the radio interface quality information;

[0035] Receiving the measurement information reported by the terminal;

[0036] Receiving the service monitoring information from the distributed user plane network function.

[0037] In some embodiments, for the access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, the method further includes:

[0038] Sending the updated service policy to the core network control plane network function.

[0039] In some embodiments, for the access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, the receiving of the policy configuration information from the core network control plane network function includes:

[0040] Receiving the policy configuration information carried by the core network control plane network function through a second functional interface message.

[0041] In some embodiments, for an access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, at least one policy configuration information is included in the second functional interface message, and the policy configuration information includes at least one of a configuration identifier and configuration information.

[0042] In some embodiments, for an access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, the policy configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0043] Policy control information, including information for generating the service policy;

[0044] Policy control update information, including information for updating the service policy;

[0045] Policy control activation information, including information for activating the service policy;

[0046] Policy control deactivation information, including information for deactivating the service policy.

[0047] In some embodiments, for an access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, the policy control information includes: Policy and Charging Control rules (PCC rules).

[0048] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides an access network policy control method, which is applied to a core network control plane network function and includes:

[0049] Sending policy configuration information to an access network device; the policy configuration information is used for the access network device to generate or update a service policy.

[0050] In some embodiments, for an access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, the service policy includes at least one of a data flow routing rule, a data flow profile, and a data flow rule.

[0051] In some embodiments, for an access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, the data flow routing rule includes: Packet Detection Rule (PDR);

[0052] And / or, the data flow profile includes: Quality of Service profile (QoS profile);

[0053] And / or, the data flow rule includes: Quality of Service rules (QoS rules).

[0054] In some embodiments, for an access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, the method further includes:

[0055] Receiving an updated service policy from the access network device.

[0056] In some embodiments, for the access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, the sending of the policy configuration information to the access network device includes:

[0057] Sending the policy configuration information to the access network device through a second functional interface message.

[0058] In some embodiments, for the access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, at least one policy configuration information is included in the second functional interface message, and at least one of a configuration identifier and configuration information is included in the policy configuration information.

[0059] In some embodiments, for the access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, the policy configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0060] Policy control information, including information for generating the service policy;

[0061] Policy control update information, including information for updating the service policy;

[0062] Policy control activation information, including information for activating the service policy;

[0063] Policy control deactivation information, including information for deactivating the service policy.

[0064] In some embodiments, for the access network policy control method according to an embodiment of the present application, the policy control information includes: Policy and Charging Control rules (PCC rules).

[0065] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides an access network device, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor, wherein:

[0066] The memory is used to store computer programs; the transceiver is used to transmit and receive data under the control of the processor; the processor is used to read the computer programs in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0067] Receiving policy configuration information from a core network control plane network function;

[0068] Generating or updating a service policy based on the policy configuration information;

[0069] Sending some or all of the information in the service policy to a target device.

[0070] In some embodiments, the service policy includes at least one of a data flow routing rule, a data flow profile, and a data flow rule.

[0071] In some embodiments, the data flow routing rules include: Packet Detection Rule PDR;

[0072] And / or, the data flow profile includes: QoS profile;

[0073] And / or, the data flow rules include: QoS rules.

[0074] In some embodiments, the operation further includes:

[0075] Based on the data flow profile, perform data flow mapping and / or control.

[0076] In some embodiments, the target device includes a distributed user plane network function and / or a terminal;

[0077] Sending some or all of the information in the service service policy to the target device includes at least one of the following:

[0078] Sending the data flow routing rules to the distributed user plane network function;

[0079] Sending the data flow rules to the terminal.

[0080] In some embodiments, sending the data flow routing rules to the distributed user plane network function includes:

[0081] Sending the data flow routing rules to the distributed user plane network function through a first functional interface or a specific logical interface.

[0082] In some embodiments, the data flow routing rules are carried by a protocol data unit session or a transport network layer protocol extension header.

[0083] In some embodiments, sending the data flow rules to the terminal includes:

[0084] Sending the data flow rules to the terminal through an access stratum AS message.

[0085] In some embodiments, the AS message includes at least one of the following: Radio Resource Control RRC message; Medium Access Control MAC control element CE.

[0086] In some embodiments, the RRC message includes at least one data flow rule, and the data flow rule includes at least one of a rule identifier and flow configuration information.

[0087] In some embodiments, updating the service service policy includes:

[0088] Update the service policy based on the target information and the policy configuration information; the target information includes at least one of the following:

[0089] The resource situation obtained by the access network device and / or the measured radio interface quality information;

[0090] The measurement information reported by the terminal;

[0091] Service monitoring information.

[0092] In some embodiments, the operation further includes at least one of the following:

[0093] Collect the resource situation;

[0094] Measure the radio interface quality information;

[0095] Receive the measurement information reported by the terminal;

[0096] Receive the service monitoring information from the distributed user plane network function.

[0097] In some embodiments, the operation further includes:

[0098] Send the updated service policy to the core network control plane network function.

[0099] In some embodiments, the receiving the policy configuration information from the core network control plane network function includes:

[0100] Receive the policy configuration information carried by the second function interface message from the core network control plane network function.

[0101] In some embodiments, the second function interface message includes at least one policy configuration information, and the policy configuration information includes at least one of a configuration identifier and configuration information.

[0102] In some embodiments, the policy configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0103] Policy control information, including information for generating the service policy;

[0104] Policy control update information, including information for updating the service policy;

[0105] Policy control activation information, including information for activating the service policy;

[0106] Policy control deactivation information, including information for deactivating the service policy.

[0107] In some embodiments, the policy control information includes: Policy and Charging Control rules (PCC rules).

[0108] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a core network control plane network function, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor, where:

[0109] The memory is used to store computer programs; the transceiver is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor; the processor is used to read the computer programs in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0110] Send policy configuration information to an access network device; the policy configuration information is used for the access network device to generate or update a service policy.

[0111] In some embodiments, the service policy includes at least one of a data flow routing rule, a data flow profile, and a data flow rule.

[0112] In some embodiments, the data flow routing rule includes: a Packet Detection Rule (PDR);

[0113] And / or, the data flow profile includes: a Quality of Service profile (QoS profile);

[0114] And / or, the data flow rule includes: Quality of Service rules (QoS rules).

[0115] In some embodiments, the operation further includes:

[0116] Receive an updated service policy from the access network device.

[0117] In some embodiments, the sending of the policy configuration information to the access network device includes:

[0118] Send the policy configuration information to the access network device through a second functional interface message.

[0119] In some embodiments, the second functional interface message includes at least one policy configuration information, and the policy configuration information includes at least one of a configuration identifier and configuration information.

[0120] In some embodiments, the policy configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0121] Policy control information, including information for generating the service policy;

[0122] Policy control update information, including information for updating the service policy;

[0123] Policy control activation information, including information for activating the service policy;

[0124] Policy control deactivation information, including information for deactivating the service policy.

[0125] In some embodiments, the policy control information includes: Policy and Charging Control rules (PCC rules).

[0126] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides an access network policy control device, which is applied to an access network device and includes:

[0127] A first receiving unit, configured to receive policy configuration information from a core network control plane network function;

[0128] A processing unit, configured to generate or update a service policy based on the policy configuration information;

[0129] A first sending unit, configured to send some or all of the information in the service policy to a target device.

[0130] In some embodiments, the service policy includes at least one of a data flow routing rule, a data flow profile, and a data flow rule.

[0131] In some embodiments, the data flow routing rule includes: a Packet Detection Rule (PDR);

[0132] And / or, the data flow profile includes: a Quality of Service profile (QoS profile);

[0133] And / or, the data flow rule includes: Quality of Service rules (QoS rules).

[0134] In some embodiments, the processing unit is further configured to perform data flow mapping and / or control based on the data flow profile.

[0135] In some embodiments, the target device includes a distributed user plane network function and / or a terminal; the first sending unit is specifically configured to perform at least one of the following:

[0136] Send the data flow routing rule to the distributed user plane network function;

[0137] Send the data flow rule to the terminal.

[0138] In some embodiments, the first sending unit is specifically configured to:

[0139] Send the data flow routing rule to the distributed user plane network function through a first functional interface or a specific logical interface.

[0140] In some embodiments, the data flow routing rule is carried by a protocol data unit session or a transport network layer protocol extension header.

[0141] In some embodiments, the first sending unit is specifically configured to:

[0142] Send the data flow rule to the terminal through an access stratum (AS) message.

[0143] In some embodiments, the AS message includes at least one of the following: a radio resource control (RRC) message; a media access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0144] In some embodiments, the RRC message includes at least one data flow rule, and the data flow rule includes at least one of a rule identifier and flow configuration information.

[0145] In some embodiments, the processing unit is specifically configured to:

[0146] Update the service policy based on the target information and the policy configuration information; the target information includes at least one of the following:

[0147] The resource situation obtained by the access network device and / or the measured radio interface quality information;

[0148] The measurement information reported by the terminal;

[0149] Service monitoring information.

[0150] In some embodiments, the access network policy control device further includes:

[0151] An obtaining unit, configured to perform at least one of the following:

[0152] Collect the resource situation;

[0153] Measure the radio interface quality information;

[0154] Receive the measurement information reported by the terminal;

[0155] Receive the service monitoring information from the distributed user plane network function.

[0156] In some embodiments, the first sending unit is further configured to:

[0157] Send the updated service policy to the core network control plane network function.

[0158] In some embodiments, the first receiving unit is specifically configured to:

[0159] Receive the policy configuration information carried by the second functional interface message from the core network control plane network function.

[0160] In some embodiments, at least one policy configuration information is included in the second functional interface message, and at least one of a configuration identifier and configuration information is included in the policy configuration information.

[0161] In some embodiments, the policy configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0162] Policy control information, including information for generating the service policy;

[0163] Policy control update information, including information for updating the service policy;

[0164] Policy control activation information, including information for activating the service policy;

[0165] Policy control deactivation information, including information for deactivating the service policy.

[0166] In some embodiments, the policy control information includes: Policy and Charging Control rules (PCC rules).

[0167] In a sixth aspect, an access network policy control apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application is applied to a core network control plane network function, and includes:

[0168] A second sending unit, configured to send policy configuration information to an access network device; the policy configuration information is used for the access network device to generate or update a service policy.

[0169] In some embodiments, the service policy includes at least one of a data flow routing rule, a data flow profile, and a data flow rule.

[0170] In some embodiments, the data flow routing rule includes: a Packet Detection Rule (PDR);

[0171] And / or, the data flow profile includes: a Quality of Service profile (QoS profile);

[0172] And / or, the data flow rule includes: Quality of Service rules (QoS rules).

[0173] In some embodiments, the access network policy control apparatus further includes:

[0174] A second receiving unit, configured to receive an updated service policy from the access network device.

[0175] In some embodiments, the second sending unit is specifically configured to: send the policy configuration information to the access network device through a second functional interface message.

[0176] In some embodiments, at least one policy configuration information is included in the second functional interface message, and at least one of a configuration identifier and configuration information is included in the policy configuration information.

[0177] In some embodiments, the policy configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0178] Policy control information, including information for generating the service policy;

[0179] Policy control update information, including information for updating the service policy;

[0180] Policy control activation information, including information for activating the service policy;

[0181] Policy control deactivation information, including information for deactivating the service policy.

[0182] In some embodiments, the policy control information includes: Policy and Charging Control rules (PCC rules).

[0183] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a non-transitory readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing a processor to execute the access network policy control method described in the first aspect or the second aspect above.

[0184] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a processor-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing the processor to execute the steps of the access network policy control method described in the first aspect above.

[0185] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a processor-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing the processor to execute the steps of the access network policy control method described in the second aspect above.

[0186] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device storing a computer program for causing the communication device to execute the access network policy control method described in the first aspect or the second aspect above.

[0187] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip product storing a computer program for causing the chip product to execute the access network policy control method described in the first aspect or the second aspect above.

[0188] The access network policy control method, device, and storage medium provided by the embodiments of this application obtain policy configuration information from the core network control plane network function through the access network device, generate or update service policies based on the policy configuration information, and then distribute the service policies to the target device, thereby realizing policy control of data streams in the access network device, helping to reduce network signaling overhead and information transmission delay, improving the efficiency of service policy control, and enhancing the user experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0189] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of this application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0190] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the principle of user plane traffic classification and marking and QoS flow to radio resource mapping in the prior art;

[0191] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a user-centric network architecture in the prior art;

[0192] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of distributed user plane network deployment in the prior art;

[0193] Figure 4 It is one of the flow diagrams of the access network policy control method provided by the embodiments of this application;

[0194] Figure 5 It is another flow diagram of the access network policy control method provided by the embodiments of this application;

[0195] Figure 6 It is yet another flow diagram of the access network policy control method provided by the embodiments of this application;

[0196] Figure 7 It is still another flow diagram of the access network policy control method provided by the embodiments of this application;

[0197] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the access network device provided by the embodiments of this application;

[0198] Figure 9 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the core network control plane network function provided by the embodiments of this application;

[0199] Figure 10 It is one of the schematic diagrams of the structure of the access network policy control device provided by the embodiments of this application;

[0200] Figure 11 It is the second structural schematic diagram of the access network policy control device provided by the embodiment of the present application. Specific implementation manners

[0201] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "and / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after.

[0202] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "a plurality of" means two or more, and other quantifiers are similar thereto.

[0203] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0204] The embodiments of the present application provide an access network policy control method, device, and storage medium, which are used to reduce network signaling overhead and information transmission delay, and can improve the service policy control efficiency.

[0205] Among them, the method and the device are based on the same inventive concept. Since the principles for the method and the device to solve problems are similar, the implementation of the device and the method can be referred to each other, and the repeated parts will not be described again.

[0206] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a variety of systems, such as 5G systems or 6G systems, etc. For example, the applicable systems can be Global System of Mobile Communication (GSM) systems, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) systems, Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) systems, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) systems, 5G New Radio (NR) systems, etc. Both terminal devices and network devices are included in these various systems. The system may also include a core network part, such as an Evolved Packet System (EPS), 5G System (5GS), etc.

[0207] The terminal device involved in the embodiments of the present application can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to users, such as a handheld device with wireless connection capabilities, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, etc. In different systems, the name of the terminal device may also be different. For example, in a 5G system, the terminal device can be called a user equipment (UE). The wireless terminal device can communicate with one or more core networks (CN) via a radio access network (RAN). The wireless terminal device can be a mobile terminal device, such as a mobile phone (or a "cellular" phone) and a computer with a mobile terminal device. For example, it can be a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-integrated, or vehicle-mounted mobile device that exchanges voice and / or data with the radio access network. For example, devices such as personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiated protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). The wireless terminal device can also be referred to as a system, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile, remote station, access point, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, user device, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0208] The network device involved in the embodiments of the present application can be a base station, which can include multiple cells that provide services to terminals. Depending on the specific application scenarios, the base station can also be referred to as an access point, or can be a device in the access network that communicates with wireless terminal devices through one or more sectors over the air interface, or other names. The network device can be used to mutually replace the received air frames and Internet Protocol (IP) packets, and act as a router between the wireless terminal device and the rest of the access network, where the rest of the access network can include an Internet Protocol (IP) communication network. The network device can also coordinate the attribute management of the air interface. For example, the network device involved in the embodiments of the present application can be a network device (Base Transceiver Station, BTS) in a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), or can be a network device (NodeB) in a Wide-band Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), or can also be an evolved network device (evolutional Node B, eNB or e-NodeB) in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, a 5G base station (gNB) in a 5G network architecture (next generation system), a 6G base station in a 6G network architecture, or can also be a Home evolved Node B (HeNB), a relay node, a femto, a pico, etc., which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In some network architectures, the network device can include a centralized unit (CU) node and a distributed unit (DU) node, and the centralized unit and the distributed unit can also be arranged separately geographically.

[0209] To facilitate a clearer understanding of the embodiments of the present application, some related knowledge will be introduced first.

[0210] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the principle of classification and marking of user plane traffic and mapping of QoS flow to radio resources in the prior art. As Figure 1As shown in the figure, 5G introduces an end-to-end 5G QoS architecture, uses Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions to provide end-to-end connection management for the user plane, refines the basic granularity into QoS flows, and uses a two-step mapping at the Non-Access Stratum (NAS) level and the Access Stratum (AS) level 2. For the UE, the core network will establish one or more PDU sessions. In the NAS level mapping, each PDU session can contain multiple QoS flows, and each QoS flow corresponds to a set of QoS parameters. In the AS level mapping, the Access Network (AN) maps QoS flows to Data Radio Bearers (DRBs) according to the QoS information from the core network.

[0211] Specifically, taking the following row mapping as an example, the mapping between the downlink IP packet and the QoS flow is completed by the User Plane Function (UPF). The UPF mapping algorithm is also called the Packet Detection Rule (PDR). For each IP packet, the PDR checks the packet information defined in the packet filtering configuration, such as the source IP address, source port, destination IP address, destination port, protocol ID, and service type, etc., and redirects the packet to a specific QoS flow. The PDR is provided to the UPF by the Session Management Function (SMF) that interacts with the Policy Control Function (PCF). The PCF makes Policy and Charging Control (PCC) decisions according to core network network functions (NFs) such as the SMF, Access and Mobility management Function (AMF), Charging Function (CHF), or network data analytics function (NWDAF), etc., determines the PCC rules, and delivers them to the SMF through service-based messages.

[0212] The SMF obtains from the PCC rules:

[0213] 1) Export rules and then provide these rules to the User Plane Function (UPF);

[0214] 2) Export QoS rules for the terminal and send them to the terminal via NAS messages;

[0215] 3) Export the QoS profile for the access network and send it to the base station via the AMF.

[0216] After the UPF identifies the appropriate PDU session and QoS flow, it forwards the data to the 5G base station (such as gNodeB or gNB) using the GPRS Tunneling Protocol User Plane (GTP-U) tunnel. The base station performs QoS guarantee on the access network side according to the configuration in the QoS profile.

[0217] At the same time, in the 5G era, due to considerations such as data security, latency, and reliability, some industry UPFs will be deployed closer to enterprise campuses. In traditional networks, the air interface latency usually only accounts for a small part of the end-to-end latency, and a large amount of latency is consumed outside the air interface, such as the latency from the core network to the service server. For scenarios such as stadiums and large theaters, when the end-to-end latency requirement is high and there are certain reliability requirements, the service data can be localized by using technologies such as UPF deployment closer to the edge and Mobile Edge Computing (MEC), and local traffic splitting and other solutions can be adopted to reduce the end-to-end latency. Relevant standardization work has been carried out in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The 5G Core Network (5GC) can select a UPF closer to the terminal for traffic forwarding, enabling local access to the Data Network (DN) through the N6 interface. This may be based on the terminal's subscription data, terminal location, Application Function (AF) information, Edge Application Server Discovery Function (EASDF) reported Edge Application Server (EAS) information, policies, or other relevant traffic rules. The EASDF in the 5GC supports the dynamic switching of the user PDU session anchor point to a distributed UPF (for some PDU sessions).

[0218] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a user-centric network architecture in the prior art. As Figure 2As shown in the figure, a flexible cell serving the UE is composed of multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs). The function introductions of each network element are as follows:

[0219] The cloud-based control unit (CCU) of the control plane anchor node is responsible for control and management functions;

[0220] The distributed data unit (DDU) of the user plane anchor point performs data scheduling and transmission;

[0221] The TRP undertakes radio frequency and part of the physical layer functions.

[0222] By introducing a flexible cell, multiple TRPs under the jurisdiction of the cross-DDU are organized to cooperate in transmission and serve a UE, thereby improving the user experience.

[0223] For 6G, on the core network side, distributed autonomy has become an important trend. On the one hand, the vision of endogenous wisdom drives the transformation of data processing from the core to the edge. In the future, data localization, extreme latency performance, and low-carbon energy conservation require bringing computing to the data to support "where the data is, where the data processing is". On the other hand, 6G faces more industries, and the service scenarios are more diversified, dynamic, and complex, with more localized requirements for signaling and data processing. Moreover, it is necessary to quickly and adaptively adjust network construction, functions, and services according to the changing environment. Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the distributed user plane network deployment in the existing technology. As Figure 3 shown, the distributed UPF feeds back QoS monitoring information to the core network to update the policy.

[0224] In terms of the existing network QoS guarantee, the QoS requirements are determined in the core network, but the core network cannot obtain the real-time situations such as the resource conditions on the RAN side and the air interface changes in a timely manner, and only formulates QoS policies and parameters based on the user subscription information and service requirements. This makes the QoS requirements of the service and the QoS capabilities of the network unable to match, thus causing problems such as poor service experience and inefficient network operation.

[0225] In the core network, in order to dynamically control the QoS processing of each IP flow, the network transfers the QoS status information obtained in the UP NF to the CP NF. The CP NF updates the mapping rule according to the QoS status information obtained from the UP NF, and the updated mapping rule needs to be transferred to the UP NF for execution again. Due to signaling overhead and delay, as Figure 3As shown in the figure, the distributed UPF feeds back QoS monitoring information to the core network to update the policy. This operation has limitations in the scenario of distributed deployment of UPF NF, and there are problems of large network signaling overhead and latency.

[0226] For the above scenario, the access network policy control method, device, and storage medium provided by the embodiments of the present application are used to reduce network signaling overhead and information transmission latency, improve the efficiency of service policy control, and enhance the user experience.

[0227] Figure 4 It is a schematic flowchart of the access network policy control method provided by the embodiments of the present application

[0228] One of them, this method is applied to an access network device, such as Figure 4 As shown in the figure, this method includes steps 401

[0229] to step 403:

[0230] Step 401, receive policy configuration information from the core network control plane network function.

[0231] Step 402, generate or update a service policy based on the policy configuration information.

[0232] Optionally, the service policy includes at least one of a data flow routing rule, a data flow profile, and a data flow rule. Among them, the data flow routing rule may include a packet detection rule (PDR); and / or, the data flow profile may include a QoS profile; and / or, the data flow rule may include QoS rules.

[0233] Step 403, send some or all of the information in the service policy to the target device.

[0234] Optionally, the target device includes a distributed user plane network function and / or a terminal. The distributed user plane network function is, for example, a UPF or a specific function combining a UPF and an access network.

[0235] In the access network policy control method provided by the embodiments of the present application, the access network device obtains policy configuration information from the core network control plane network function, generates or updates a service policy based on the policy configuration information, and then distributes the service policy to the target device, thereby realizing the policy control of data flows in the access network device, which helps to reduce network signaling overhead and information transmission latency, improve the efficiency of service policy control, and enhance the user experience.

[0236] Optionally, the policy configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0237] 1) Policy control information, including information for generating the service policy.

[0238] For example, the policy control information may include Policy and Charging Control rules (PCC rules).

[0239] 2) Policy control update information, including information for updating the service policy.

[0240] 3) Policy control activation information, including information for activating the service policy.

[0241] 4) Policy control deactivation information, including information for deactivating the service policy.

[0242] Optionally, the access network policy control method provided by the embodiments of the present application further includes: after generating or updating the service policy based on the policy configuration information, the access network device performs data flow mapping and / or control based on the data flow profile.

[0243] For example, the access network device corresponds to a protocol stack or related functions, such as Radio Resource Control (RRC), and performs processing such as mapping, bearer configuration, quality of service guarantee, and monitoring based on the data flow profile.

[0244] Optionally, the implementation manner of sending part or all of the information in the service policy to the target device in step 403 may include at least one of the following:

[0245] Method 1: Sending the data flow routing rule to the distributed user plane network function.

[0246] Optionally, the implementation manner of sending the data flow routing rule to the distributed user plane network function in Method 1 includes: sending the data flow routing rule to the distributed user plane network function through a first functional interface or a specific logical interface.

[0247] For example, the first functional interface includes the N3 interface and / or the service-based interface. The specific logical interface includes the E1 interface and / or the F1 interface.

[0248] For example, the data flow routing rule is carried by a Protocol Data Unit session (PDU session) or a transport network layer protocol extension header. The transport network layer protocol is, for example, the User plane part of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP-U).

[0249] Method 2: Send the data flow rule to the terminal.

[0250] Optionally, the implementation of sending the data flow rule to the terminal in Method 2 may include: sending the data flow rule to the terminal through an access stratum (AS) message.

[0251] For example, the AS message may include at least one of the following: radio resource control (RRC) message; medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0252] Optionally, when the AS message includes RRC, the RRC message includes a data flow rule list, the data flow rule list includes at least one data flow rule, and the data flow rule includes at least one of a rule identifier and flow configuration information.

[0253] For example, the access network device carries a QoS rules list through an RRC reconfiguration message. The QoS rules list includes one or more QoS rule information, and the QoS rule information contains a rule identifier and uplink flow configuration information. The rule identifier is used to uniquely identify the QoS rule.

[0254] Optionally, the implementation of updating the service policy may include: updating the service policy based on the target information and the policy configuration information;

[0255] wherein the target information includes at least one of the following:

[0256] 1) The resource situation obtained by the access network device and / or the measured radio interface quality information;

[0257] 2) The measurement information reported by the terminal;

[0258] 3) The service monitoring information from the distributed user plane network function.

[0259] For example, the service monitoring information fed back by the distributed user plane network function includes: the hop count in the IP header, the timestamp in the real-time transport protocol (RTP) / transfer control protocol (TCP) header, the additional information in the GTP header, the in-band network telemetry information (delay, packet loss), and other IP flow and QoS flow monitoring information.

[0260] Optionally, the access network policy control method provided in the embodiments of the present application further includes at least one of the following:

[0261] 1) Collect the resource status, that is, the access network device obtains the resource status.

[0262] 2) Measure the air interface quality information, that is, the access network device measures the air interface quality information.

[0263] 3) Receive the measurement information reported by the terminal, that is, the air interface measurement information on the terminal side.

[0264] 4) Receive the service monitoring information from the distributed user plane network function.

[0265] Optionally, the access network policy control method provided in the embodiments of the present application further includes: after the access network device updates the service policy, it sends the updated service policy to the core network control plane network function. The core network control plane network function can update the policy configuration information according to the specific information and / or the updated service policy fed back by the access network device to obtain the updated policy configuration information, and then send it to the access network device. The specific information can be used by the core network control plane network function to update the service policy.

[0266] For example, the core network control plane network function updates the PCC rules according to the updated service policy fed back by the access network device to obtain the updated PCC rules, and then sends them to the access network device.

[0267] Optionally, the implementation manner of receiving the policy configuration information from the core network control plane network function in step 401 may include: receiving the policy configuration information carried by the second function interface message of the core network control plane network function.

[0268] For example, the second function interface message may include the N2 interface and / or the service-based interface.

[0269] Optionally, the second function interface message includes a policy configuration list; the policy configuration list includes at least one policy configuration information, and the policy configuration information includes at least one of a configuration identifier and configuration information.

[0270] For example, the core network control plane network function carries PCC rules information in the N2 interface message. For example, PCC rules information is carried in the PDU Session Resource Setup Request Transfer. Among them, one or more PCC rules items can be included in the form of a PCC rules list. Each item corresponds to a configuration and contains unique identifiers and information necessary for subsequent rule derivation, such as service data flow detection and policy control.

[0271] Optionally, the access network device can obtain policy configuration information through the N2 interface or the service-based interface with the core network control plane network function, and feedback access network side information to the core network control plane network function according to the core network configuration. For example, the access network device sends updated service policies and / or updated PCC rules to the core network control plane network function.

[0272] Figure 5 It is the second flow diagram of the access network policy control method provided by the embodiments of the present application. This method is applied to the core network control plane network function, as Figure 5 shown, this method includes:

[0273] Step 501, send policy configuration information to the access network device; the policy configuration information is used for the access network device to generate or update service policies.

[0274] Optionally, the core network control plane network function sends policy configuration information to the access network device. The policy configuration information is used for the access network device to generate or update service policies. The access network device generates or updates service policies based on the policy configuration information, and sends some or all of the information in the service policies to the target device. The target device includes, for example, a distributed user plane network function and / or a terminal.

[0275] Optionally, the service policy includes at least one of a data flow routing rule, a data flow profile, and a data flow rule. Among them, the data flow routing rule includes a packet detection rule (PDR); and / or, the data flow profile includes a QoS profile (QoS profile); and / or, the data flow rule includes QoS rules (QoS rules).

[0276] In the access network policy control method provided by the embodiments of the present application, the core network control plane network function sends policy configuration information to the access network device, so that the access network device generates or updates a service policy based on the policy configuration information, and then distributes the service policy to the target device, realizing policy control of data streams in the access network device, which helps to reduce network signaling overhead and information transmission delay, improve the efficiency of service policy control, and improve the user experience.

[0277] Optionally, the access network policy control method provided by the embodiments of the present application further includes: receiving an updated service policy from the access network device.

[0278] Optionally, the sending of the policy configuration information to the access network device includes: sending the policy configuration information to the access network device through a second functional interface message.

[0279] Optionally, the second functional interface message includes a policy configuration list; the policy configuration list includes at least one policy configuration information, and the policy configuration information includes at least one of a configuration identifier and configuration information.

[0280] Optionally, the policy configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0281] 1) Policy control information, including information for generating the service policy;

[0282] 2) Policy control update information, including information for updating the service policy;

[0283] 3) Policy control activation information, including information for activating the service policy;

[0284] 4) Policy control deactivation information, including information for deactivating the service policy.

[0285] Optionally, the policy control information includes: Policy and Charging Control (PCC) rules.

[0286] Figure 6 is the third flow diagram of the access network policy control method provided by the embodiments of the present application. This method is cooperatively executed by the access network device and the core network control plane network function. As Figure 6 shown, this method includes:

[0287] Step 601, the core network control plane network function sends policy configuration information to the access network device; the policy configuration information is used for the access network device to generate or update a service policy.

[0288] Step 602: The access network device receives the policy configuration information from the core network control plane network function; the access network device generates or updates the service policy based on the policy configuration information.

[0289] Step 603: The access network device sends some or all of the information in the service policy to the target device.

[0290] Optionally, the target device includes a distributed user plane network function and / or a terminal.

[0291] In the access network policy control method provided by the embodiments of this application, the policy configuration information is sent from the core network control plane network function to the access network device, so that the access network device can generate or update the service policy based on the policy configuration information, and then distribute the service policy to the target device, thereby realizing the policy control of data streams in the access network device, which helps to reduce the network signaling overhead and information transmission delay, improve the service policy control efficiency, and improve the user experience.

[0292] The access network policy control method provided by the embodiments of this application configures the access network device to perform policy control of data streams through the core network control plane network function in a distributed network. The core network control plane network function sends the policy control information to the access network device, and the access network device derives and generates the mapping and control rules of the data stream (such as PDR, QoS profile, and / or QoS rules, etc.), and distributes them to the corresponding network devices and / or terminals, and updates the rules according to the feedback information of the corresponding network devices and / or terminals.

[0293] Figure 7 It is the fourth flow diagram of the access network policy control method provided by the embodiments of this application. The access network policy control method provided by the embodiments of this application can be applied to a network with distributed deployment of the core network user plane function. As Figure 7 shown, the method includes:

[0294] Step 1: The terminal sends a terminal registration message to the core network control plane network function.

[0295] Optionally, the terminal accesses the network and sends a terminal registration message to the core network control plane network function (CN CP) for network-side registration.

[0296] Step 2: The core network control plane network function directly sends the policy and charging control rules (PCC rules) to the access network device.

[0297] Optionally, the CN CP network element determines the PCC rules and sends the PCC rules to the access network device.

[0298] Taking the 5G core network as an example, the SMF receives the PCC rules, generates the PCC rules configuration, and sends it to the AMF. The AMF carries the PCC rules configuration through the IE PDU Session Resource Setup Request Transfer in the N2 interface message. Among them, one or more PCC rules items can be included in the form of a PCC rules list. Each item corresponds to a configuration and contains unique identifiers and information necessary for subsequent rule derivation (such as service data flow detection, policy control, etc.).

[0299] For example, the CN CP network element can carry out pre-configuration through the above IE in the INITIAL CONTEXT SETUP REQUEST before service initiation or modify the pre-configured information of the access network device (such as a base station).

[0300] For another example, the CN CP network element can carry out pre-configuration activation through the above IE in the PDU SESSION RESOURCE SETUP REQUEST when the service is initiated, or modify the pre-configured information of the access network device (such as a base station).

[0301] If the CN CP network element configures and generates QoS Rules and sends them through NAS messages, or the terminal derives them by itself (such as the terminal pre-configures Reflective QoS), then the PCC rules configuration does not contain the necessary information for generating QoS rules.

[0302] Optionally, after receiving the PCC rules of the access network device sent by the core network control plane network function, the access network device derives and generates PDR, QoS profile, and / or QoS rules according to the PCC rules. It should be noted that if the PCC rules also contain the necessary information for generating QoS rules and the terminal is not configured to derive QoS rules by itself, then the access network device derives and generates QoS rules.

[0303] The access network device notifies the corresponding device of the PDR, QoS profile, and / or QoS rules.

[0304] Step 3a: The access network device sends a packet detection rule (PDR) to the distributed user plane network function. The distributed user plane network function performs processing such as flow mapping, routing forwarding, quality of service control, and monitoring based on the PDR.

[0305] Optionally, the access network device sends a PDR to the distributed user plane network function through the N3 interface.

[0306] For example, the access network device sends a PDR to the distributed user plane network function through an N3 interface message (i.e., carried by a DL PDU) or a transport network layer protocol extension header. Taking the 5G user plane GTP-U protocol as an example, a new type of extension header can be added to carry the PDR.

[0307] Optionally, if the distributed user plane network function (such as UPF) is combined with the access network function, the distributed user plane network function can receive the PDR through an access network side logical interface (such as the E1 interface, F1 interface).

[0308] Step 3b: The access network device notifies the access network related function (such as RRC) of the QoS profile through an internal message mechanism for access network side configuration.

[0309] Optionally, the access network device notifies the access network related function (such as RRC) of the derived QoS Profile through an internal message mechanism for access network side configuration.

[0310] Step 3c: The access network device sends QoS rules to the terminal.

[0311] Optionally, when the access network device derives QoS rules, the access network device sends the QoS rules to the terminal through an RRC message or a MAC CE. For example, the access network device carries a list of QoS rules in the RRC reconfiguration message, and the QoS rules list includes one or more QoS rule information, and the QoS rule information contains a unique identifier and uplink flow configuration information.

[0312] The terminal can receive the QoS rules sent by the access network device; or, the terminal can receive the QoS rules sent by the CN CP network element through a NAS message; or, the terminal derives the QoS rules by itself, such as the terminal pre-configures ReflectiveQoS.

[0313] The terminal performs corresponding terminal side configuration and flow processing according to the QoS rules.

[0314] Step 4: The terminal initiates a service request for service data transmission.

[0315] The distributed user plane network function performs service processing according to the PDR received from the access network device.

[0316] Optionally, when the terminal initiates a service request, the distributed user plane network function processes the service according to the PDR received from the access network device. The access network device performs service data transmission and QoS guarantee according to rules such as the configured QoS profile.

[0317] Step 5a: The distributed user plane network function sends monitoring information, i.e., service monitoring information, to the access network device.

[0318] Optionally, the monitoring information may include IP flow and QoS flow monitoring information, etc. For example, the monitoring information may include at least one of the following: the hop count in the IP header, the timestamp in the Real Time Transport Protocol (RTP) / Transfer Control Protocol (TCP) header, the additional information in the GTP header, and the in-band network telemetry information (delay, packet loss).

[0319] Step 5b: The access network device collects access network side measurement information by itself.

[0320] Optionally, the access network side measurement information may include at least one of the following: the node resources and load conditions of the access network device, and the radio interface quality information measured by the access network device. The radio interface quality information includes, for example, information such as delay, rate, and packet loss rate.

[0321] Step 5c: The terminal sends radio interface measurement information to the access network device.

[0322] Optionally, the terminal performs measurement reporting according to the access network configuration and reports radio interface quality information (such as CQI).

[0323] Step 5d: The core network control plane network function sends a Policy and Charging Control rules (PCC rules) update to the access network device.

[0324] Optionally, the core network control plane network function updates the PCC rules according to specific information and / or the updated service policy feedback from the access network device to obtain a PCC rules update (i.e., the updated PCC rules), and then sends it to the access network device. The specific information can be used by the core network control plane network function to update the service policy.

[0325] Optionally, when the access network device receives the updated PCC rules sent by the core network control plane network function, the access network device preferentially derives or updates the service policy based on the updated PCC rules.

[0326] The access network device updates the business service policy according to at least one of the monitoring information, the access network side measurement information, the air interface measurement information and the PCC rules update issued by the core network control plane network function, and obtains at least one of the PDR update, the QoS profile update and the QoS rules update.

[0327] Optionally, after the access network device modifies or updates the PCC rules, the access network device sends an updated PCC rules message to the core network control plane network function.

[0328] Step 6a: The access network device sends a packet detection rule (PDR) update (ie, an updated PDR) to the distributed user plane network function.

[0329] Step 6b: The access network device sends the QoS profile update (ie, the updated QoS profile) to the access network related functions (eg, RRC) through the internal message mechanism to perform access network side configuration.

[0330] Step 6c: The access network device sends a QoS rules update (ie, updated QoS rules) to the terminal.

[0331] Optionally, the access network device sends at least one of an updated PDR, an updated QoS profile, and updated QoS rules to the core network control plane network function.

[0332] Step 7: The terminal transmits service data according to the updated QoS rules.

[0333] Optionally, after the terminal receives the updated QoS rules, the terminal transmits service data according to the updated QoS rules.

[0334] The access network policy control method provided by the embodiment of the present application is that in a network where the core network user plane functions are distributedly deployed, for service sessions based on distributed user plane network functions, the core network control plane network functions will delegate the derivation operation of policy rules (PDR, QoS Profile and / or QoS rules) based on PCCrules to the access network side (i.e., the access network device) for execution.

[0335] If the QoS rules related information in the PCC rules issued by the core network control plane network function is missing, it is considered that the derivation is performed by the core network or the UE.

[0336] The access network equipment can receive monitoring information fed back by the distributed user plane network functions.

[0337] The access network device may also update policy rules (PDR, QoS Profile, and / or QoS rules) by integrating at least one of monitoring information, the resource status of the access network device itself, and the radio interface information measured by the access network and the terminal respectively.

[0338] Based on the access network policy control method provided in the embodiments of this application, the access network device can timely adjust the QoS rules derived from policy control based on the collected real-time information, further enriching the network QoS management means, improving the wireless QoS management ability, and solving the problem of low efficiency of the core network's QoS policy control for IP flows due to the limitations of signaling overhead and delay in the network with distributed deployment of the core network user plane function. For the network with distributed deployment of the core network user plane function, it helps to reduce network overhead and information transmission delay, and improve QoS guarantee and user experience.

[0339] Figure 8 is a schematic structural diagram of the access network device provided in the embodiments of this application, as Figure 8 shown, the access network device includes a memory 820, a transceiver 800, and a processor 810, where:

[0340] The memory 820 is used to store computer programs; the transceiver 800 is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor 810; the processor 810 is used to read the computer programs in the memory 820 and perform the following operations:

[0341] Receive policy configuration information from the core network control plane network function;

[0342] Generate or update service policies based on the policy configuration information;

[0343] Send some or all of the information in the service policy to the target device.

[0344] Specifically, the transceiver 800 is used to receive and send data under the control of the processor 810.

[0345] Among them, in Figure 8Among them, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically, various circuits represented by one or more processors represented by processor 810 and a memory represented by memory 820 are linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art, and thus will not be further described herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 800 may be multiple components, that is, including a transmitter and a receiver, and provides a unit for communicating with various other devices on a transmission medium, and these transmission media include wireless channels, wired channels, optical fiber cables, and other transmission media. The processor 810 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 820 may store data used by the processor 810 when performing operations.

[0346] The processor 810 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD). The processor may also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0347] Optionally, the service service policy includes at least one of a data flow routing rule, a data flow profile, and a data flow rule.

[0348] Optionally, the data flow routing rule includes: a packet detection rule PDR;

[0349] And / or, the data flow profile includes: a QoS profile QoS profile;

[0350] And / or, the data flow rule includes: QoS rules QoS rules.

[0351] Optionally, the operation further includes:

[0352] Based on the data flow profile, perform data flow mapping and / or control.

[0353] Optionally, the target device includes a distributed user plane network function and / or a terminal;

[0354] Sending part or all of the information in the service service policy to the target device includes at least one of the following:

[0355] Sending the data flow routing rule to the distributed user plane network function;

[0356] Send the data flow rule to the terminal.

[0357] Optionally, the sending the data flow routing rule to the distributed user plane network function includes:

[0358] Send the data flow routing rule to the distributed user plane network function through a first function interface or a specific logic interface.

[0359] Optionally, the data flow routing rule is carried by a protocol data unit session or a transport network layer protocol extension header.

[0360] Optionally, the sending the data flow rule to the terminal includes:

[0361] Send the data flow rule to the terminal through an access stratum (AS) message.

[0362] Optionally, the AS message includes at least one of the following: a radio resource control (RRC) message; a media access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0363] Optionally, the RRC message includes a data flow rule list, the data flow rule list includes at least one data flow rule, and the data flow rule includes at least one of a rule identifier and flow configuration information.

[0364] Optionally, the updating the service policy includes:

[0365] Update the service policy based on the target information and the policy configuration information; the target information includes at least one of the following:

[0366] The resource situation obtained by the access network device and / or the measured radio interface quality information;

[0367] The measurement information reported by the terminal;

[0368] The service monitoring information from the distributed user plane network function.

[0369] Optionally, the operation further includes at least one of the following:

[0370] Collect the resource situation;

[0371] Measure the radio interface quality information;

[0372] Receive the measurement information reported by the terminal;

[0373] Receive the service monitoring information from the distributed user plane network function.

[0374] Optionally, the operation further includes:

[0375] Send an updated service policy to the core network control plane network function.

[0376] Optionally, receiving the policy configuration information from the core network control plane network function includes:

[0377] Receiving the policy configuration information carried by the core network control plane network function through the second function interface message.

[0378] Optionally, the second function interface message includes a policy configuration list; the policy configuration list includes at least one policy configuration information, and the policy configuration information includes at least one of a configuration identifier and configuration information.

[0379] Optionally, the policy configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0380] Policy control information, including information for generating the service policy;

[0381] Policy control update information, including information for updating the service policy;

[0382] Policy control activation information, including information for activating the service policy;

[0383] Policy control deactivation information, including information for deactivating the service policy.

[0384] Optionally, the policy control information includes: Policy and Charging Control rules (PCC rules).

[0385] It should be noted here that the above access network device provided by the embodiments of the present application can implement all the method steps of the method embodiments with the access network device as the execution subject, and can achieve the same technical effects. The same parts and beneficial effects as those in the method embodiments will not be specifically described in this embodiment.

[0386] Figure 9 It is a schematic structural diagram of the core network control plane network function provided by the embodiments of the present application. As Figure 9 shown, the core network control plane network function includes a memory 920, a transceiver 900, and a processor 910, where:

[0387] The memory 920 is used to store computer programs; the transceiver 900 is used to transmit and receive data under the control of the processor 910; the processor 910 is used to read the computer programs in the memory 920 and perform the following operations:

[0388] Send policy configuration information to the access network device; the policy configuration information is used for the access network device to generate or update service policies.

[0389] Specifically, the transceiver 900 is configured to receive and transmit data under the control of the processor 910.

[0390] Among them, in Figure 9 The bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically various circuits represented by one or more processors represented by the processor 910 and the memory represented by the memory 920 are linked together. The bus architecture can also link together various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be further described herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 900 may be multiple components, that is, including a transmitter and a receiver, and provides a unit for communicating with various other devices on a transmission medium, and these transmission mediums include wireless channels, wired channels, optical fiber cables, and other transmission mediums. The processor 910 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 920 can store data used by the processor 910 when performing operations.

[0391] The processor 910 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), and the processor may also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0392] Optionally, the service policy includes at least one of a data flow routing rule, a data flow profile, and a data flow rule.

[0393] Optionally, the data flow routing rule includes: a packet detection rule PDR;

[0394] And / or, the data flow profile includes: a QoS profile;

[0395] And / or, the data flow rule includes: QoS rules.

[0396] Optionally, the operation further includes:

[0397] Receiving an updated service policy from the access network device.

[0398] Optionally, sending the policy configuration information to the access network device includes:

[0399] Sending the policy configuration information to the access network device through a second functional interface message.

[0400] Optionally, the second functional interface message includes a policy configuration list; the policy configuration list includes at least one policy configuration information, and the policy configuration information includes at least one of a configuration identifier and configuration information.

[0401] Optionally, the policy configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0402] Policy control information, including information for generating the service policy;

[0403] Policy control update information, including information for updating the service policy;

[0404] Policy control activation information, including information for activating the service policy;

[0405] Policy control deactivation information, including information for deactivating the service policy.

[0406] Optionally, the policy control information includes: Policy and Charging Control rules (PCC rules).

[0407] It should be noted here that the above core network control plane network functions provided by the embodiments of the present application can implement all the method steps of the method embodiments with the above execution subject being the core network control plane network function, and can achieve the same technical effects. The same parts and beneficial effects as those in the method embodiments will not be specifically described in this embodiment.

[0408] The embodiments of the present application further provide an access network policy control device, which is used to solve the problem of large network signaling overhead and latency in the prior art and can improve the policy control efficiency. It can be understood that the methods and devices provided by the embodiments of the present application are based on the same application concept. Since the principles of solving problems by the method and the device are similar, the implementation of the device and the method can be referred to each other, and the repeated parts will not be described again.

[0409] Figure 10 is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the access network policy control device provided by the embodiments of the present application. The access network policy control device is applied to an access network device. As Figure 10 shown, the access network policy control device includes a first receiving unit 1001, a processing unit 1002, and a first sending unit 1003, where:

[0410] The first receiving unit 1001 is configured to receive policy configuration information from the core network control plane network function;

[0411] The processing unit 1002 is configured to generate or update a service policy based on the policy configuration information;

[0412] The first sending unit 1003 is configured to send some or all of the information in the service policy to the target device.

[0413] In some embodiments, the service policy includes at least one of a data flow routing rule, a data flow profile, and a data flow rule.

[0414] In some embodiments, the data flow routing rule includes: a packet detection rule PDR;

[0415] And / or, the data flow profile includes: a QoS profile;

[0416] And / or, the data flow rule includes: QoS rules.

[0417] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1002 is further configured to perform data flow mapping and / or control based on the data flow profile.

[0418] In some embodiments, the target device includes a distributed user plane network function and / or a terminal; the first sending unit 1003 is specifically configured to perform at least one of the following:

[0419] Send the data flow routing rule to the distributed user plane network function;

[0420] Send the data flow rule to the terminal.

[0421] In some embodiments, the first sending unit 1003 is specifically configured to:

[0422] Send the data flow routing rule to the distributed user plane network function through a first functional interface or a specific logical interface.

[0423] In some embodiments, the data flow routing rule is carried by a protocol data unit session or a transport network layer protocol extension header.

[0424] In some embodiments, the first sending unit 1003 is specifically configured to:

[0425] Send the data flow rule to the terminal through an access stratum AS message.

[0426] In some embodiments, the AS message includes at least one of the following: a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message; a Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE).

[0427] In some embodiments, the RRC message includes a data flow rule list, the data flow rule list includes at least one data flow rule, and the data flow rule includes at least one of a rule identifier and flow configuration information.

[0428] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1002 is specifically configured to:

[0429] Update the service policy based on the target information and the policy configuration information; the target information includes at least one of the following:

[0430] The resource situation obtained by the access network device and / or the measured radio interface quality information;

[0431] The measurement information reported by the terminal;

[0432] The service monitoring information from the distributed user plane network function.

[0433] In some embodiments, the access network policy control device further includes:

[0434] An acquisition unit for at least one of the following:

[0435] Collect the resource situation;

[0436] Measure the radio interface quality information;

[0437] Receive the measurement information reported by the terminal;

[0438] Receive the service monitoring information from the distributed user plane network function.

[0439] In some embodiments, the first sending unit 1003 is further configured to:

[0440] Send the updated service policy to the core network control plane network function.

[0441] In some embodiments, the first receiving unit 1001 is specifically configured to:

[0442] Receive the policy configuration information carried by the core network control plane network function through the second function interface message.

[0443] In some embodiments, the second function interface message includes a policy configuration list; the policy configuration list includes at least one policy configuration information, and the policy configuration information includes at least one of a configuration identifier and configuration information.

[0444] In some embodiments, the policy configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0445] Policy control information, including information for generating the service policy;

[0446] Policy control update information, including information for updating the service policy;

[0447] Policy control activation information, including information for activating the service policy;

[0448] Policy control deactivation information, including information for deactivating the service policy.

[0449] In some embodiments, the policy control information includes: Policy and Charging Control rules (PCC rules).

[0450] Specifically, the access network policy control device provided in the embodiments of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the method embodiments with the above execution subject being an access network device, and can achieve the same technical effects. Here, the same parts and beneficial effects as those in the method embodiments will not be specifically described again.

[0451] Figure 11 It is the second structural schematic diagram of the access network policy control device provided in the embodiments of the present application. This access network policy control device is applied to the core network control plane network function. As Figure 11 shown, this access network policy control device includes:

[0452] A second sending unit 1101, configured to send policy configuration information to an access network device; the policy configuration information is used for the access network device to generate or update a service policy.

[0453] In some embodiments, the service policy includes at least one of a data flow routing rule, a data flow profile, and a data flow rule.

[0454] In some embodiments, the data flow routing rule includes: a Packet Detection Rule (PDR);

[0455] And / or, the data flow profile includes: a Quality of Service profile (QoS profile);

[0456] And / or, the data flow rule includes: Quality of Service rules (QoS rules).

[0457] In some embodiments, the access network policy control device further includes:

[0458] A second receiving unit, configured to receive an updated service policy from the access network device.

[0459] In some embodiments, the second sending unit 1101 is specifically configured to: send the policy configuration information to the access network device through a second functional interface message.

[0460] In some embodiments, the second functional interface message includes a policy configuration list; the policy configuration list includes at least one policy configuration information, and the policy configuration information includes at least one of a configuration identifier and configuration information.

[0461] In some embodiments, the policy configuration information includes at least one of the following:

[0462] Policy control information, including information for generating the service policy;

[0463] Policy control update information, including information for updating the service policy;

[0464] Policy control activation information, including information for activating the service policy;

[0465] Policy control deactivation information, including information for deactivating the service policy.

[0466] In some embodiments, the policy control information includes: Policy and Charging Control rules (PCC rules).

[0467] Specifically, the above access network policy control device provided by the embodiments of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented by the method embodiments with the above execution subject being the core network control plane network function, and can achieve the same technical effects. The same parts and beneficial effects as those in the method embodiments are not specifically described herein again.

[0468] It should be noted that the division of units / modules in the above embodiments of the present application is illustrative, only a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation. In addition, each functional unit in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically alone, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0469] When 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 processor-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution 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 computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) or a processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical discs.

[0470] In some embodiments, a non-transitory readable storage medium is further provided. The non-transitory readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is used to cause a processor to execute the access network policy control method provided in each of the above method embodiments.

[0471] Specifically, the above non-transitory readable storage medium provided by the embodiments of this application can implement all the method steps implemented by each of the above method embodiments and can achieve the same technical effects. The same parts and beneficial effects as those in the method embodiments will not be specifically described herein again.

[0472] It should be noted that: the non-transitory readable storage medium can be any available medium or data storage device that can be accessed by a processor, including but not limited to magnetic memories (such as floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes, magneto-optical discs (MO), etc.), optical memories (such as CDs, DVDs, BDs, HVDs, etc.), and semiconductor memories (such as ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, non-volatile memory (NAND FLASH), solid-state drives (SSD), etc.).

[0473] In some embodiments, a processor-readable storage medium is further provided. The processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is used to cause a processor to execute the access network policy control method provided in each of the above method embodiments whose execution subject is an access network device.

[0474] Specifically, the above processor-readable storage medium provided by the embodiments of this application can implement all the method steps implemented by each of the above method embodiments and can achieve the same technical effects. The same parts and beneficial effects as those in the method embodiments will not be specifically described herein again.

[0475] In some embodiments, a computer-readable storage medium is further provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is used to cause a computer to execute the access network policy control method provided in each of the above method embodiments with the core network control plane network function as the execution subject.

[0476] Specifically, the above computer-readable storage medium provided in the embodiments of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented in each of the above method embodiments, and can achieve the same technical effects. The same parts and beneficial effects as those in the method embodiments in this embodiment will not be specifically described herein.

[0477] In some embodiments, a communication device is further provided. A computer program is stored in the communication device, and the computer program is used to cause the communication device to execute the access network policy control method provided in each of the above method embodiments.

[0478] Specifically, the above communication device provided in the embodiments of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented in each of the above method embodiments, and can achieve the same technical effects. The same parts and beneficial effects as those in the method embodiments in this embodiment will not be specifically described herein.

[0479] In some embodiments, a chip product is further provided. A computer program is stored in the chip product, and the computer program is used to cause the chip product to execute the access network policy control method provided in each of the above method embodiments.

[0480] Specifically, the above chip product provided in the embodiments of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented in each of the above method embodiments, and can achieve the same technical effects. The same parts and beneficial effects as those in the method embodiments in this embodiment will not be specifically described herein.

[0481] Those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as a method, a system, or a computer program product. Therefore, the present application can take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Moreover, the present application can take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage and optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0482] This application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or block in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and / or blocks in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-executable instructions. These computer-executable instructions can be provided to the processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, such that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate means for implementing the functions specified in one flow Figure 1 one flow or multiple flows and / or blocks Figure 1 or multiple blocks.

[0483] These processor-executable instructions can also be stored in a processor-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, such that the instructions stored in the processor-readable memory produce a manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions specified in one flow Figure 1 one flow or multiple flows and / or blocks Figure 1 or multiple blocks.

[0484] These processor-executable instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device, such that a series of operational steps are performed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, and thus the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one flow Figure 1 one flow or multiple flows and / or blocks Figure 1 or multiple blocks.

[0485] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalent technologies, this application is also intended to include these changes and modifications.

Claims

1. An access network policy control method, characterized in that, Applied to an access network device, the method includes: Receiving policy configuration information from a core network control plane network function; Generating or updating a service policy based on the policy configuration information; Sending some or all of the information in the service policy to a target device.

2. The access network policy control method according to claim 1, characterized in that The service policy includes at least one of a data flow routing rule, a data flow profile, and a data flow rule.

3. The access network policy control method according to claim 2, wherein The target device includes a distributed user plane network function and / or a terminal; The sending some or all of the information in the service policy to the target device includes at least one of the following: Sending the data flow routing rule to the distributed user plane network function; Sending the data flow rule to the terminal.

4. The access network policy control method according to claim 3, wherein The sending the data flow routing rule to the distributed user plane network function includes: Sending the data flow routing rule to the distributed user plane network function through a first functional interface or a specific logical interface.

5. The access network policy control method according to claim 3, wherein The sending the data flow rule to the terminal includes: Sending the data flow rule to the terminal through an access stratum (AS) message.

6. The access network policy control method according to claim 5, wherein The AS message includes at least one of the following: a radio resource control (RRC) message; a media access control (MAC) control element (CE).

7. The access network policy control method according to claim 6, wherein The RRC message includes at least one data flow rule, and the data flow rule includes at least one of a rule identifier and flow configuration information.

8. The access network policy control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The updating the service policy includes: Updating the service policy based on target information and the policy configuration information; the target information includes at least one of the following: Resource status obtained by the access network device and / or measured radio interface quality information; Measurement information reported by the terminal; Service monitoring information.

9. The access network policy control method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The receiving the policy configuration information from the core network control plane network function includes: Receiving the policy configuration information carried by a second functional interface message from the core network control plane network function.

10. The access network policy control method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The second functional interface message includes at least one policy configuration information, and the policy configuration information includes at least one of a configuration identifier and configuration information.

11. An access network policy control method, characterized in that, Applied to a core network control plane network function, the method includes: Sending policy configuration information to an access network device; the policy configuration information is used for the access network device to generate or update a service policy.

12. The access network policy control method according to claim 11, wherein The service policy includes at least one of a data flow routing rule, a data flow profile, and a data flow rule.

13. The access network policy control method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The sending the policy configuration information to the access network device includes: Sending the policy configuration information to the access network device through a second functional interface message.

14. The access network policy control method according to claim 13, wherein The second functional interface message includes at least one policy configuration information, and the policy configuration information includes at least one of a configuration identifier and configuration information.

15. An access network device, characterized in that, Including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor; The memory is used to store a computer program; the transceiver is used to transmit and receive data under the control of the processor; the processor is used to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: Receiving policy configuration information from a core network control plane network function; Generating or updating a service policy based on the policy configuration information; Sending some or all of the information in the service policy to a target device.

16. The access network device according to claim 15, characterized in that, The service policy includes at least one of a data flow routing rule, a data flow profile, and a data flow rule.

17. The access network device according to claim 16, wherein The target device includes a distributed user plane network function and / or a terminal; Sending part or all of the information in the service policy to the target device includes at least one of the following: Sending the data flow routing rule to the distributed user plane network function; Sending the data flow rule to the terminal.

18. The access network device according to claim 17, characterized in that, Sending the data flow routing rule to the distributed user plane network function includes: Sending the data flow routing rule to the distributed user plane network function through a first function interface or a specific logic interface.

19. The access network device according to claim 17, characterized in that Sending the data flow rule to the terminal includes: Sending the data flow rule to the terminal through an access stratum (AS) message.

20. The access network device according to claim 19, wherein The AS message includes at least one of the following: a radio resource control (RRC) message; a media access control (MAC) control element (CE).

21. The access network device according to claim 20, wherein The RRC message includes at least one data flow rule, and the data flow rule includes at least one of a rule identifier and flow configuration information.

22. The access network device according to any one of claims 15 to 21, characterized in that, Updating the service policy includes: Updating the service policy based on target information and the policy configuration information; the target information includes at least one of the following: Resource status obtained by the access network device and / or measured radio interface quality information; Measurement information reported by the terminal; Service monitoring information.

23. The access network device according to any one of claims 15 to 22, characterized in that, Receiving the policy configuration information from the core network control plane network function includes: Receiving the policy configuration information carried by a second function interface message from the core network control plane network function.

24. The access network device according to claim 23, characterized in that, The second function interface message includes at least one policy configuration information, and the policy configuration information includes at least one of a configuration identifier and configuration information.

25. A core network control plane network function, characterized in that, It includes a memory, a transceiver, and a processor; The memory is used to store a computer program; the transceiver is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor; the processor is used to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: Sending policy configuration information to an access network device; the policy configuration information is used for the access network device to generate or update a service policy.

26. The core network control plane network function according to claim 25, characterized in that, The service policy includes at least one of a data flow routing rule, a data flow profile, and a data flow rule.

27. The core network control plane network function according to claim 25 or 26, characterized in that Sending the policy configuration information to the access network device includes: Sending the policy configuration information to the access network device through a second function interface message.

28. The core network control plane network function according to claim 27, wherein The second function interface message includes at least one policy configuration information, and the policy configuration information includes at least one of a configuration identifier and configuration information.

29. An access network policy control device, characterized in that, Applied to an access network device, it includes: A first receiving unit, configured to receive policy configuration information from a core network control plane network function; A processing unit, configured to generate or update a service policy based on the policy configuration information; A first sending unit, configured to send part or all of the information in the service policy to a target device.

30. An access network policy control device, characterized in that, Applied to a core network control plane network function, it includes: A second sending unit, configured to send policy configuration information to an access network device; the policy configuration information is used for the access network device to generate or update a service policy.

31. A non-transitory readable storage medium, characterized in that, The non-transitory readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is used to cause a processor to execute the access network policy control method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

32. A non-transitory readable storage medium, characterized in that, The non-transitory readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is used to cause a processor to execute the access network policy control method according to any one of claims 11 to 14.

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