User equipment registration method and device and related equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a user equipment registration method and device and related equipment, and relates to the technical field of communication. The method comprises: receiving a registration request of a user equipment, the registration request carrying home network information of the user equipment; when the home network information does not contain the address of the home network, querying the address based on the home network information through registration of a network autonomous domain and a service proxy network element; requesting user information of the user equipment from a home network according to the address; the user equipment is registered into the network autonomous domain based on the user information. By means of the technical means, the problems that the network autonomous domain registration delay is large, and the characteristic that NAS signaling in a future communication network directly interacts with a network element in the related technology is not met are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular to a user equipment registration method, apparatus, and related equipment. Background Art

[0002] With the development of ultra-large-scale connections and distributed networks in future communication networks, the number of users and network autonomous domains will gradually increase. Especially for future scenarios such as intelligent communication, the method of retrieving the belonging network autonomous domain by user number greatly increases the retrieval delay, reduces user registration efficiency, and leads to a decline in user experience.

[0003] In addition, there is a trend in future communication networks where NAS (Non-Access Stratum Signalling) signaling will not be transferred through access network elements, but will directly interact with other network elements in a service-oriented manner, which will bring about a large number of network and network element discovery needs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a user equipment registration method, apparatus and related equipment, which improve the efficiency of network autonomous domain registration at least to a certain extent.

[0005] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, or may be learned in part by practice of the present disclosure.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a user equipment registration method is provided, comprising: receiving a registration request from a user equipment, wherein the registration request carries home network information of the user equipment; when the home network information does not include an address of the home network, querying the address based on the home network information through a registration and service agent network element of a network autonomous domain; requesting user information of the user equipment from the home network according to the address; and registering the user equipment with the network autonomous domain based on the user information.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, after receiving a registration request from a user device, the method further includes: determining whether the home network information includes an address of the home network; if not, querying the address based on the home network information through a registration and service agent network element, and requesting user information of the user device from the home network according to the address; if included, requesting user information of the user device from the home network according to the address.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the home network information includes autonomous domain information; querying the address through the registration and service agent network element of the network autonomous domain based on the home network information includes: querying the address based on the autonomous domain information through the registration and service agent network element.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an address is queried based on autonomous domain information through a registration and service proxy network element, including: using the autonomous domain information to generate an autonomous domain discovery request, sending the network autonomous domain discovery request to the registration and service proxy network element; receiving a network autonomous domain discovery response fed back by the registration and service proxy network element, and resolving the address from the network autonomous domain discovery response.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the registration request does not carry the home network information, the address is queried based on the identification number of the user equipment carried in the registration request through the registration and service agent network element.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, after registering the user equipment in the network autonomous domain based on the user information, the method further includes: generating home network information based on the privacy level of the home network; and returning the home network information to the user equipment.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, home network information is generated based on the privacy level of the home network, including: when the privacy level is higher than a preset level, the autonomous domain information of the home network is used as the home network information; when the privacy level is not higher than the preset level, the autonomous domain information and address of the home network are used as the home network information.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, requesting user information of a user device from a home network according to an address includes: generating a user device information request, sending the user device information request to the home network; receiving a user device information response fed back by the home network, and parsing the user information from the user device information response.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a user device is registered in a network autonomous domain based on user information, including: user information, including: context information, contract information, and authentication information; determining network elements corresponding to the context information, contract information, and authentication information in the network autonomous domain; and updating the context information, contract information, and authentication information to their respective corresponding network elements to register the user device in the network autonomous domain.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a user equipment registration apparatus is provided, comprising: a receiving module configured to receive a registration request from a user equipment, wherein the registration request carries home network information of the user equipment; a query module configured to query the address based on the home network information through a registration and service proxy network element of a network autonomous domain when the home network information does not include the address of the home network; a request module configured to request user information of the user equipment from the home network according to the address; and a registration module configured to register the user equipment with the network autonomous domain based on the user information.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, comprising: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to perform any of the above methods by executing the executable instructions.

[0017] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, any of the above methods is implemented.

[0018] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, including computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the computer instructions implement operating instructions of any of the above methods when executed by a processor.

[0019] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, through the registration and service agent network element of the network autonomous domain, the address is queried based on the home network information, the user information of the user equipment is requested from the home network according to the address, and the user equipment is registered to the network autonomous domain based on the user information. This solves the problems in the related technology such as the large registration delay of the network autonomous domain and the fact that it does not conform to the characteristics of NAS signaling in future communication networks that directly interact with network elements, thereby improving the registration efficiency and providing services for network autonomous domain registration in future communication networks.

[0020] It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The accompanying drawings are incorporated into and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, and together with the specification, are used to explain the principles of the present disclosure. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art can derive other drawings based on these drawings without inventive effort.

[0022] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a user equipment registration system in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0023] Figure 2 A flowchart of a user equipment registration method in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0024] Figure 3 A flowchart of a user information request method in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0025] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method for sending home network information in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0026] Figure 5A schematic diagram of a user equipment registration system in a 5G communication scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0027] Figure 6 A flowchart of another user equipment registration method in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0028] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a user equipment registration device in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0029] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, example embodiments can be embodied in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the concepts of the example embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0031] In addition, the accompanying drawings are merely schematic illustrations of the present disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. Identical reference numerals in the figures denote identical or similar parts, and thus repetitive descriptions thereof will be omitted. Some of the block diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings are functional entities that do not necessarily correspond to physically or logically separate entities. These functional entities may be implemented in software, in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different networks and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0032] It should be understood that the various steps described in the method embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed in different orders and / or in parallel. In addition, the method embodiments may include additional steps and / or omit the steps shown. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0033] It should be noted that the concepts of "first" and "second" mentioned in this disclosure are only used to distinguish different devices, modules or units, and are not used to limit the order or interdependence of the functions performed by these devices, modules or units.

[0034] It should be noted that the modifications of "one" and "multiple" mentioned in the present disclosure are illustrative rather than restrictive, and those skilled in the art should understand that unless otherwise clearly indicated in the context, they should be understood as "one or more".

[0035] It should be pointed out that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present disclosure and the technical features therein may be combined with each other.

[0036] For ease of understanding, several terms involved in this disclosure are explained below:

[0037] A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is a string used to identify a resource, allowing the location of a resource on the Internet to be uniformly specified. URIs can be further divided into URLs (Uniform Resource Locator) and URNs (Uniform Resource Names). A URL not only identifies a resource but also specifies how to access it (for example, via HTTP or FTP), while a URN provides a persistent name but does not specify how to find or obtain the resource.

[0038] A Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) is a complete domain name that accurately identifies the location of a specific computer on the Internet. An FQDN consists of a hostname and a domain name, including the top-level domain (such as .com, .org, etc.). For example, in "www.example.com," "www" is the hostname, and "example.com" is the domain name. The entire string is the FQDN of this website.

[0039] The Internet Protocol (IP) is the core communication protocol of the internet, responsible for sending data packets between different devices. Every device connected to the internet is assigned a unique IP address so that other devices can find and communicate with it. There are currently two main versions of IP addresses: IPv4 and IPv6. An IPv4 address consists of four numbers, each between 0 and 255, separated by periods (for example, 192.168.1.1). Due to the limited resources of IPv4 addresses, IPv6 was developed, using a 128-bit address length to provide more address space.

[0040] Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling refers to the high-level signaling interaction between the user equipment (UE) and the core network in a mobile network. NAS signaling is independent of the operation of the access layer (i.e., the radio interface) and mainly involves direct communication between the UE and the mobility management entity (MME, AMF in 5G). NAS signaling is mainly used to handle functions such as connection management, mobility management, and session management. NAS signaling messages usually contain information such as authentication information, security parameters, and service requests, which are crucial for ensuring user data transmission and service quality. In 6G networks, NAS signaling is expected to be service-oriented, which means that it can interact with various services in the network more flexibly and efficiently.

[0041] The specific implementation of the embodiment of the present disclosure is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0042] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a user equipment registration system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The user equipment registration system includes: user equipment (UE), network autonomous domain A, network autonomous domain B, and network autonomous domain C. Network autonomous domain A, network autonomous domain B, and network autonomous domain C all include an access management network element and a registration and service proxy network element. It should be noted that a network autonomous domain can also be referred to as a subnet, a distributed network, etc.

[0043] If the user equipment registration system belongs to a 6G communication system, the network autonomous domain A, the network autonomous domain B and the network autonomous domain C may also include 6G core network elements (6th Generation Core Network Functions).

[0044] Network autonomous domains A, B, and C can independently provide services to user equipment (UE), or they can collaborate to provide a wider range of services. When a user equipment needs to register with network autonomous domain A:

[0045] Access management element of network autonomous domain A: If the UE's registration request does not include home network information (for example, when the UE is registering for the first time), the access management element will retrieve the network autonomous domain supporting the UE (the UE's home network) from the registration and service agent element of network autonomous domain A based on the UE's identification number. After completing other registration procedures, the access management element of network autonomous domain A adds the home network information to the registration completion message sent to the UE.

[0046] If the UE's registration request carries the home network information or the home data storage network element information (for example, in a roaming scenario), the access management network element can directly interact with the registration and service proxy network element of the network autonomous domain to which the user belongs (the UE's home network) based on the home network information, or retrieve the specific information of the registration and service proxy network element of the home network through the registration and service proxy network element of the network autonomous domain A, without the need for the registration and service proxy network element to perform complex retrieval based on the UE's identification number.

[0047] Home network information comes in two main forms:

[0048] Autonomous domain information of the UE's home network: This information may include the identification number of the network autonomous domain, etc.

[0049] Information about the registration and service agent network element of the autonomous domain of the UE's home network: For 5G networks, this information can be the AMF information to which the UE belongs, and the form of information includes the identifier, URI, FQDN, IP address, etc. of the registration and service agent network element of the network autonomous domain. Operators can configure it according to specific circumstances. For example, when the network security requirement level is high, sending the registration and service agent network element information may pose a security risk. In this case, the home network information can be configured as the home network autonomous domain information. If efficient network discovery is required, the home network information can be configured as the registration and service agent network element information of the home network autonomous domain.

[0050] The access management network element of the network autonomous domain A can be installed with an application to perform the following operations: receiving a registration request from a user device, wherein the registration request carries the home network information of the user device; when the home network information does not include the address of the home network, querying the address based on the home network information through the registration and service agent network element of the network autonomous domain; requesting user information of the user device from the home network according to the address; and registering the user device to the network autonomous domain based on the user information.

[0051] Figure 2 A flowchart of a user equipment registration method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 2 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0052] S201, receiving a registration request from a user equipment, where the registration request carries home network information of the user equipment;

[0053] S202, when the home network information does not include the address of the home network, querying the address based on the home network information through the registration and service agent network element of the network autonomous domain;

[0054] Home network information can include information about the user device's home network or the registration and service agent functions of the home network, such as the network autonomous domain identifier, URI, IP address, etc. The home network is actually also a network autonomous domain, which also has access management network elements and registration and service agent network elements.

[0055] The address of the home network may be a URI, IP address, etc. of the registration and service proxy function. If the home network information does not contain the URI, IP address, etc. of the registration and service proxy function, the URI, IP address, etc. of the registration and service proxy function may be queried based on the identification number of the network autonomous domain.

[0056] S203, requesting user information of the user equipment from the home network according to the address;

[0057] S204: Register the user equipment into the network autonomous domain based on the user information.

[0058] User information, including context, subscription, and authentication information, is crucial for ensuring that user devices can correctly and securely access the network. During the registration process, access management functions require this information to complete user registration and service configuration.

[0059] The embodiments of the present disclosure involve two network autonomous domains, one of which is the network autonomous domain to which the user device belongs (home network), which can be recorded as the first network autonomous domain, and the other is the network autonomous domain to which the user device is to be registered, which can be recorded as the second network autonomous domain. The execution subject of the embodiments of the present disclosure is the access management network element of the second network autonomous domain. The address of the registration and service proxy network element of the first network autonomous domain can be queried based on the home network information through the registration and service proxy network element of the second network autonomous domain. After knowing the address of the registration and service proxy network element of the first network autonomous domain, the user information of the user device can be requested from the registration and service proxy network element of the first network autonomous domain, thereby registering the user device with the network autonomous domain.

[0060] According to the technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, a registration request from a user device is received, wherein the registration request carries the user device's home network information; when the home network information does not include the home network address, the address is queried based on the home network information through the registration and service agent network element of the network autonomous domain; user information of the user device is requested from the home network according to the address; and the user device is registered with the network autonomous domain based on the user information. The above technical means solve the problems of long network autonomous domain registration delay in related technologies and the characteristics of direct interaction between NAS signaling and network elements in future communication networks, thereby improving registration efficiency and providing network autonomous domain registration services in future communication networks.

[0061] For example, in one application scenario, assume that a user device attempts to access network autonomous domain A for the first time and does not carry the specific address information of home network B. In this case, the access management function sends a query request to the registration and service proxy network element in network autonomous domain A based on the home network information provided by the user device (for example, the network autonomous domain identification number). The registration and service proxy network element retrieves the specific address information of home network B based on the home network information. Based on the obtained address, the user device's user information, such as context information, subscription information, and authentication information, is requested from home network autonomous domain B. Finally, based on this user information, the user device is successfully registered with network autonomous domain A.

[0062] Figure 3 A flowchart of a user information request method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 3 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0063] S301, determining whether the home network information includes the address of the home network;

[0064] S302, if not included, querying the address based on the home network information through the registration and service agent network element, and requesting the user information of the user equipment from the home network according to the address;

[0065] S303: If included, request the user information of the user equipment from the home network according to the address.

[0066] In this embodiment, upon receiving a registration request from a user device, the system first determines whether the home network information included in the registration request contains the home network address. If not, the system then queries the home network information for the corresponding address. Once the specific address is obtained, the system then requests the user device's user information from the home network based on that address. If the home network information in the registration request already contains the home network address, the system then directly requests the user device's user information from the home network based on that address. This technical approach enhances the efficiency of network autonomous domain discovery, speeds up user device registration within the network autonomous domain, and improves the user experience.

[0067] In an optional embodiment, in addition to querying the address through the registration and service agent network element, a pre-configured mapping table can also be used to find the home network address. In this case, if the home network information carried in the registration request does not include the home network address, a pre-established mapping table can be consulted, which stores the correspondence between various home network information and corresponding addresses. The above technical means can also enhance the efficiency of network autonomous domain discovery, speed up user device registration, and improve the overall user experience. This method is suitable for situations where real-time performance is not a high requirement but a simplified query process is required.

[0068] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the home network information includes autonomous domain information; querying the address through the registration and service agent network element of the network autonomous domain based on the home network information includes: querying the address based on the autonomous domain information through the registration and service agent network element.

[0069] In this embodiment, the autonomous domain information may be an identification number of the autonomous domain. The identification number of the autonomous domain is sent to the registration and service agent network element, and the registration and service agent network element queries the address based on the autonomous domain information.

[0070] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an address is queried based on autonomous domain information through a registration and service proxy network element, including: using the autonomous domain information to generate an autonomous domain discovery request, sending the network autonomous domain discovery request to the registration and service proxy network element; receiving a network autonomous domain discovery response fed back by the registration and service proxy network element, and resolving the address from the network autonomous domain discovery response.

[0071] In this embodiment, autonomous domain information is used to generate an autonomous domain discovery request and send it to the registration and service proxy network element. The registration and service proxy network element performs a query based on the autonomous domain information in the request and returns a network autonomous domain discovery response. The required home network address is parsed from this response. This technical approach enhances the efficiency of network autonomous domain discovery, speeds up user device registration in the network autonomous domain, and improves the user experience.

[0072] In some embodiments, querying an address based on autonomous domain information through a registration and service proxy network element includes: establishing a temporary session with the registration and service proxy network element, sending the autonomous domain information to the registration and service proxy network element, and releasing the temporary session after receiving the address returned by the registration and service proxy network element. These technical measures ensure communication quality and correct address query errors.

[0073] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the registration request does not carry the home network information, the address is queried based on the identification number of the user equipment carried in the registration request through the registration and service agent network element.

[0074] In this embodiment, if a user device is registering for the first time, the registration request does not include home network information. In this case, a query request is generated using the user device's identification number and sent to the registration and service proxy network element. The registration and service proxy network element searches based on the received identification number and returns a response containing the home network address. The required home network address is parsed from this response. This technical approach enhances discovery efficiency within the network autonomous domain, speeds up user device registration within the network autonomous domain, and improves the user experience.

[0075] During the first registration, the user device does not have the home network information, so the registration request does not carry the home network information. After the first registration, the user device will receive the home network information, so generally non-first registrations will carry the home network information.

[0076] In some embodiments, a determination is made as to whether the home network information includes autonomous domain information. If so, the address is queried through the registration and service proxy network element based on the autonomous domain information. If not, the address is queried through the registration and service proxy network element based on the user device's identification number, where the registration request carries the identification number. These technical measures enhance the efficiency of discovery within the network autonomous domain, speed up user device registration within the network autonomous domain, and improve the user experience.

[0077] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method for sending home network information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 4 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0078] S401, generating home network information based on the privacy level of the home network;

[0079] S402: Return the home network information to the user equipment.

[0080] The privacy level of the home network is determined by the security and privacy policies of the operator or home network, and determines the level of detail included when generating home network information. A high privacy level might only include basic network autonomous domain identification numbers, while a low privacy level might include more detailed registration and service agent information, such as URIs and IP addresses.

[0081] In this embodiment, corresponding home network information is generated based on the privacy level of the home network. If the privacy level is high, the generated home network information may only include the network autonomous domain identifier; if the privacy level is low, it may include more detailed registration and service agent function information (such as URI, FQDN, IP address, etc.). The generated home network information is then returned to the user device for local storage. Through the above technical means, the protection of user data privacy is enhanced, the flexibility of network configuration is improved, and the user experience is improved.

[0082] In some embodiments, in addition to generating home network information based on privacy levels, a dynamic adjustment strategy can also be used to optimize the content of home network information. The level of detail of home network information can be flexibly adjusted based on real-time network conditions and service requirements. For example, when the network load is light, more detailed registration and service agent function information can be provided to accelerate the user's next access process. However, when the network load is high, privacy protection is prioritized, and the amount of information provided is reduced. This approach can also enhance user data privacy, increase network configuration flexibility, and improve the overall user experience. Furthermore, this dynamic adjustment strategy is particularly suitable for complex network environments that require a balance between performance and security.

[0083] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, home network information is generated based on the privacy level of the home network, including: when the privacy level is higher than a preset level, the autonomous domain information of the home network is used as the home network information; when the privacy level is not higher than the preset level, the autonomous domain information and address of the home network are used as the home network information.

[0084] In this embodiment, when the privacy level is higher than a preset level, only the autonomous domain information of the home network is used as the home network information. When the privacy level is not higher than the preset level, not only the autonomous domain information of the home network is included, but also specific address information (such as URI, IP address, etc.) is added to the home network information. This approach allows for more direct access and higher efficiency, but may sacrifice some privacy protection. Through the above technical means, the protection of user data privacy is enhanced, the flexibility of network configuration is increased, and the user experience is improved.

[0085] In some embodiments, in addition to adjusting the content of home network information based on privacy levels, home network information can also be customized using policies based on user preferences. In this scenario, users can select the level of detail they wish to receive based on their personal preferences. For example, privacy-conscious users can choose to receive only basic network autonomous domain identifiers, while users seeking efficient connectivity can choose to receive detailed home network information including specific address information. This approach also enhances user data privacy, increases network configuration flexibility, and improves the overall user experience. This preference-based policy is particularly suitable for applications requiring highly personalized services.

[0086] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, requesting user information of a user device from a home network according to an address includes: generating a user device information request, sending the user device information request to the home network; receiving a user device information response fed back by the home network, and parsing the user information from the user device information response.

[0087] In this embodiment, a user device information request is generated and sent to the home network. This request typically includes the user device's identification number or other necessary identifying information. The home network then receives the request, searches for relevant user information, and returns a user device information response. This response includes the user device's context information, subscription information, and authentication-related information. Finally, the required user information is parsed from the user device information response to complete the user registration process. The above technical measures enhance the efficiency of network autonomous domain discovery, speed up user device registration within the network autonomous domain, and improve the user experience.

[0088] In some embodiments, requesting user information of a user device from a home network according to the address includes establishing a temporary session with the home network to obtain the user information from the home network, and releasing the temporary session after obtaining the user information. The above technical measures ensure communication quality and error-free querying of user information.

[0089] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a user device is registered in a network autonomous domain based on user information, including: user information, including: context information, contract information, and authentication information; determining network elements corresponding to the context information, contract information, and authentication information in the network autonomous domain; and updating the context information, contract information, and authentication information to their respective corresponding network elements to register the user device in the network autonomous domain.

[0090] Contextual information refers to data related to the current state of the user's device, including but not limited to the device's location, currently used network resources, and Quality of Service (QoS) parameters. This information is crucial to ensure that users can continue to enjoy services.

[0091] Subscription information refers to the detailed terms and conditions of the service agreement signed between the user and the network operator, including information such as the types of services allowed, service quality levels, and fee structures. This ensures that users can only access the services they have subscribed to.

[0092] Authentication information refers to information used to verify a user's identity, ensuring that only authorized users can access networks and services. This typically includes usernames, passwords, digital certificates, or biometric data.

[0093] In this embodiment, the network elements corresponding to the context information, subscription information, and authentication information in the user information are determined. This information is then updated in the corresponding network elements. For example, the context information is sent to the functional entity responsible for session management and quality of service; subscription information is sent to the user data management and policy control function; and authentication information is sent to the authentication server. Finally, through this series of operations, the user device is successfully registered with the network autonomous domain. This technical approach enhances the efficiency of interaction between the user device and the network, improves the accuracy of the user device registration process, and improves the user experience.

[0094] In some embodiments, in addition to updating different types of user information to their respective corresponding network elements, a centralized management system can also be used to uniformly process all user information. In this case, all types of user information (context information, contract information, authentication information) will be sent to a central management system for processing and storage. The specific implementation method is as follows: When a user device attempts to register, all relevant information will be collected and sent to the central management system through a single interface. The central management system is responsible for parsing this information and distributing it to the corresponding subsystems or modules for further processing as needed. This approach simplifies the information transmission path, reduces the need for multiple independent requests, and improves processing efficiency.

[0095] Figure 5A schematic diagram of a user equipment registration system in a 5G communication scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, and the system includes:

[0096] The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) is an access and mobility management network element responsible for handling tasks such as access control, location tracking, and mobility management for user equipment (UE). The AMF plays a key role when a user equipment attempts to connect to the network and manages user mobility and session status.

[0097] The Radio Access Network (RAN) connects user devices to the core network, including base stations and other wireless communication infrastructure. The RAN's primary responsibility is to provide a data transmission path from user devices to the core network and ensure the quality and service level of wireless communications.

[0098] The User Plane Function (UPF) is a network element in the user plane that handles the routing and forwarding of data traffic and plays a crucial role in 5G and 6G networks. The UPF directly participates in the transmission of data packets, ensuring that data is efficiently delivered from source to destination.

[0099] The Session Management Function (SMF) is a session management network element. Its main responsibilities include establishing, modifying, and releasing sessions, as well as allocating and managing resources such as IP addresses. The SMF works closely with the AMF to provide users with a seamless service experience.

[0100] A data network (DN) refers to any external network other than a mobile communication network, such as the internet or an enterprise intranet. A DN is the final destination where services and content accessed by user devices over a mobile network are located.

[0101] SBI (Service Based Interface) is a technical architecture for implementing communication between network elements. SBI allows different network elements to interact with each other in the form of services, enhancing the flexibility and scalability of the system.

[0102] NRF (Network Repository Function) is a network repository element whose primary responsibility is to discover and select available network element entities in the network and maintain their status information. NRF enables other components in the network to easily find and utilize the required services.

[0103] Other NFs (Other Network Functions), other network elements.

[0104] This system envisions the future network realizing NAS signaling service for UE. The specific processes and technical means involved are as follows:

[0105] Information storage during initial registration: When a UE first registers with a network, the access management function (AMF) sends the UE's home network information to the UE for local storage. This home network information can be the network autonomous domain identifier or more specific registration and service agent function information (such as URI, IP address, etc.), configured according to the operator's needs.

[0106] Direct addressing via the service-based interface during subsequent access: During subsequent terminal access, if the UE carries previously stored home network information, it can be directly addressed via the service-based interface. This means that the UE can directly use its stored home network information to locate and connect to the corresponding network resources without having to go through a complex search process again.

[0107] NRF retrieval based on home network information: If the home network information carried by the UE is insufficient to support direct addressing, the system can use this information to conduct further retrieval through the Network Repository Function (NRF). This approach avoids the traditional need for a comprehensive search based on the subscriber number, thus reducing query time and complexity.

[0108] Figure 6 A flowchart of another method for registering a user device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 6 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0109] This method involves an access management network element (e.g., AMF) in network autonomous domain A, a registration and service proxy network element (e.g., NRF) in network autonomous domain A, and other network elements in network autonomous domain A, which are other relevant network functional entities in network autonomous domain A. A registration and service proxy network element (e.g., NRF) in network autonomous domain B, and other network elements in network autonomous domain B, which are other relevant network functional entities in network autonomous domain B. Network autonomous domain A is the autonomous domain in which the UE needs to register, and network autonomous domain B is the UE's home network.

[0110] Initialization: Complete the synchronization of registration and service agent functions in each autonomous domain: Ensure information synchronization between registration and service agent functions in different network autonomous domains to facilitate subsequent addressing and communication.

[0111] S601, the UE sends a registration request to the access management network element of the network autonomous domain A;

[0112] S602: The access management network element of network autonomous domain A determines the subsequent process based on local information and information carried by the UE;

[0113] S603, the access management network element of network autonomous domain A sends a network autonomous domain discovery request to the registration and service agent network element of network autonomous domain A;

[0114] If further query of the information of the home network autonomous domain is required, the access management network element of network autonomous domain A will send a network autonomous domain discovery request to the registration and service agent network element of network autonomous domain A.

[0115] S604, the registration and service agent network element of network autonomous domain A performs a network autonomous domain discovery operation according to the received request, and generates a network autonomous domain discovery response based on the result of the discovery operation and returns it to the access management network element of network autonomous domain A;

[0116] S605, after obtaining the necessary home network autonomous domain information, the access management network element of network autonomous domain A sends a UE information request to the registration and service agent network element of network autonomous domain B;

[0117] S606: After receiving the request, the registration and service agent network element of network autonomous domain B requests relevant information of the UE from the relevant network elements in its autonomous domain;

[0118] S607: The registration and service agent network element of network autonomous domain B returns a UE information request response to the access management network element of network autonomous domain A. The UE information request response includes relevant information of the UE.

[0119] S608, completing the subsequent user registration process, the access management network element of the network autonomous domain A uses the obtained UE-related information to complete the user registration process;

[0120] S609: Update the stored information in the network autonomous domain A and generate the home network information to be sent to the UE. The access management network element of the network autonomous domain A updates its internal stored information for the UE and generates the home network information to be sent to the UE.

[0121] S610: The access management network element of the network autonomous domain A sends a registration completion notification to the UE, which may include new or updated home network information.

[0122] Based on the same inventive concept, the present disclosure also provides a user equipment registration device, such as the following embodiment. Since the principle of solving the problem in the device embodiment is similar to that in the above method embodiment, the implementation of the device embodiment can refer to the implementation of the above method embodiment, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0123] Figure 7A schematic diagram of a user equipment registration device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 7 As shown, the user equipment registration device may include:

[0124] The receiving module 701 is configured to receive a registration request of a user equipment, wherein the registration request carries the home network information of the user equipment;

[0125] The query module 702 is configured to query the address based on the home network information through the registration and service agent network element of the network autonomous domain when the home network information does not include the address of the home network;

[0126] The request module 703 is configured to request user information of the user equipment from the home network according to the address;

[0127] The registration module 704 is configured to register the user equipment into the network autonomous domain based on the user information.

[0128] According to the technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, a registration request from a user device is received, wherein the registration request carries the user device's home network information; when the home network information does not include the home network address, the address is queried based on the home network information through the registration and service agent network element of the network autonomous domain; user information of the user device is requested from the home network according to the address; and the user device is registered with the network autonomous domain based on the user information. The above technical means solve the problems of long network autonomous domain registration delay in related technologies and the characteristics of direct interaction between NAS signaling and network elements in future communication networks, thereby improving registration efficiency and providing network autonomous domain registration services in future communication networks.

[0129] In some embodiments, the query module 702 is further configured to determine whether the home network information includes the address of the home network; if not, query the address based on the home network information through the registration and service agent network element, and request the user information of the user device from the home network according to the address; if included, request the user information of the user device from the home network according to the address.

[0130] In some embodiments, the query module 702 is further configured to use a pre-configured mapping table to search for the home network address. In this case, if the home network information carried in the registration request does not include the home network address, a pre-established mapping table may be consulted, which stores the correspondence between various home network information and corresponding addresses.

[0131] In some embodiments, the query module 702 is further configured to query the address based on the autonomous domain information through the registration and service proxy network element.

[0132] In some embodiments, the query module 702 is also configured to generate an autonomous domain discovery request using autonomous domain information, and send the network autonomous domain discovery request to the registration and service agent network element; receive the network autonomous domain discovery response fed back by the registration and service agent network element, and parse the address from the network autonomous domain discovery response.

[0133] In some embodiments, the query module 702 is further configured to establish a temporary session with the registration and service proxy network element, send the autonomous domain information to the registration and service proxy network element, and release the temporary session until the address fed back by the registration and service proxy network element is received.

[0134] In some embodiments, the query module 702 is further configured to query the address based on the identification number of the user equipment carried in the registration request through the registration and service agent network element when the registration request does not carry the home network information.

[0135] In some embodiments, the query module 702 is also configured to determine whether the home network information includes autonomous domain information; if it does, the address is queried through the registration and service agent network element based on the autonomous domain information; if it does not, the address is queried through the registration and service agent network element based on the identification number of the user equipment, wherein the registration request carries the identification number.

[0136] In some embodiments, the registration module 704 is further configured to generate home network information based on the privacy level of the home network; and return the home network information to the user equipment.

[0137] In some embodiments, the registration module 704 is further configured to employ a dynamic adjustment strategy to optimize the content of the home network information. The level of detail of the home network information can be flexibly adjusted based on real-time network conditions and service requirements. For example, when the network load is light, more detailed registration and service agent function information can be provided to expedite the user's next access process. When the network load is high, privacy protection is prioritized, reducing the amount of information provided.

[0138] In some embodiments, the registration module 704 is further configured to use the autonomous domain information of the home network as the home network information when the privacy level is higher than the preset level; and to use the autonomous domain information and address of the home network as the home network information when the privacy level is not higher than the preset level.

[0139] In some embodiments, the registration module 704 is further configured to customize the home network information using policies based on user preferences. In this case, the user can select the level of detail in the home network information they wish to receive based on their personal preferences. For example, a user who values privacy protection may choose to receive only basic network autonomous domain identifiers; whereas a user who seeks efficient connectivity may choose to receive detailed home network information including specific address information.

[0140] In some embodiments, the request module 703 is further configured to generate a user equipment information request, send the user equipment information request to the home network, receive a user equipment information response fed back by the home network, and parse the user information from the user equipment information response.

[0141] In some embodiments, the request module 703 is further configured to establish a temporary session with the home network to obtain user information from the home network, and release the temporary session after obtaining the user information. Through the above technical means, the communication quality is guaranteed and the query of user information is guaranteed to be error-free.

[0142] In some embodiments, the registration module 704 is also configured as user information, including: context information, contract information, and authentication information; determining the network elements corresponding to the context information, contract information, and authentication information in the network autonomous domain; and updating the context information, contract information, and authentication information to the corresponding network elements to register the user device to the network autonomous domain.

[0143] In some embodiments, registration module 704 is further configured to utilize a centralized management system to centrally process all user information. In this scenario, all types of user information (context information, subscription information, authentication information) are sent to a central management system for processing and storage. The specific implementation is as follows: When a user device attempts to register, all relevant information is collected and sent to the central management system via a single interface. The central management system is responsible for parsing this information and distributing it to the appropriate subsystems or modules for further processing as needed.

[0144] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented as systems, methods, or program products. Therefore, various aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented in the following forms: a complete hardware implementation, a complete software implementation (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or a combination of hardware and software implementations, which may be collectively referred to herein as "circuits," "modules," or "systems."

[0145] Refer to the following Figure 8 800 according to this embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Figure 8 The electronic device 800 shown is merely an example and should not limit the functions and scope of use of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0146] like Figure 8As shown, electronic device 800 is implemented as a general-purpose computing device. Components of electronic device 800 may include, but are not limited to, the aforementioned at least one processing unit 810, the aforementioned at least one storage unit 820, and a bus 830 connecting various system components (including storage unit 820 and processing unit 810).

[0147] The storage unit stores program code, which can be executed by the processing unit 810, so that the processing unit 810 performs the steps described in the "Exemplary Method" section of this specification according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the processing unit 810 can perform the following steps of the above-mentioned method embodiment: receiving a registration request from a user device, wherein the registration request carries the home network information of the user device; when the home network information does not include the address of the home network, querying the address based on the home network information through the registration and service agent network element of the network autonomous domain; requesting user information of the user device from the home network according to the address; and registering the user device with the network autonomous domain based on the user information.

[0148] The storage unit 820 may include a readable medium in the form of a volatile storage unit, such as a random access memory unit (RAM) 8201 and / or a cache memory unit 8202 , and may further include a read-only memory unit (ROM) 8203 .

[0149] The storage unit 820 may also include a program / utility 8204 having a set (at least one) of program modules 8205, such program modules 8205 including but not limited to: an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data, each of which or some combination may include an implementation of a network environment.

[0150] Bus 830 may represent one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, a processing unit, or a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures.

[0151] The electronic device 800 may also communicate with one or more external devices 840 (e.g., a keyboard, a pointing device, a Bluetooth device, etc.), register with one or more user devices that enable a user to interact with the electronic device 800, and / or communicate with any device that enables the electronic device 800 to communicate with one or more other computing devices (e.g., a router, a modem, etc.). Such communication may occur via an input / output (I / O) interface 850. Furthermore, the electronic device 800 may also communicate with one or more networks (e.g., a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and / or a public network such as the Internet) via a network adapter 860. As shown, the network adapter 860 communicates with other modules of the electronic device 800 via a bus 830. It should be understood that, although not shown in the figure, other hardware and / or software modules may be used in conjunction with the electronic device 800, including but not limited to microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data backup storage systems.

[0152] Through the description of the above embodiments, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the example embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by combining software with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solution according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (which can be a CD-ROM, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, etc.) or on a network, and includes several instructions to enable a computing device (which can be a personal computer, a server, a terminal device, or a network device, etc.) to execute the method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0153] In the disclosed exemplary embodiments, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided. The computer-readable storage medium may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium.

[0154] In some possible implementations, various aspects of the present disclosure may also be implemented in the form of a program product, which includes program code. When the program product is run on a terminal device, the program code is used to enable the terminal device to execute the steps of various exemplary implementations of the present disclosure described in the above "Specific Implementation Methods" section of this specification.

[0155] More specific examples of computer-readable storage media in the present disclosure may include, but are not limited to, an electrical connection having one or more conductors, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0156] In the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium may include a data signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, which carries readable program code. Such propagated data signals may take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. A readable signal medium may also be any readable medium other than a readable storage medium that can transmit, propagate, or transfer a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0157] Alternatively, the program code contained on the computer-readable storage medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wired, optical cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0158] In a specific implementation, the program code for performing the operations of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages such as Java, C++, and the like, as well as conventional procedural programming languages such as "C" or similar programming languages. The program code may be executed entirely on the user's computing device, partially on the user's device, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In the case of a remote computing device, the remote computing device may be connected to the user's computing device via any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or may be connected to an external computing device (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0159] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer program product or computer program, which includes computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor of a computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium and executes the computer instructions, causing the computer device to perform the user device registration method provided in various optional embodiments of any of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0160] It should be noted that although several modules or units of the device for action execution are mentioned in the detailed description above, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be concretized in one module or unit. Conversely, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided into multiple modules or units to be concretized.

[0161] Furthermore, although the steps of the method of the present disclosure are described in a particular order in the accompanying drawings, this does not require or imply that the steps must be performed in this particular order, or that all steps shown must be performed to achieve the desired results. Additionally or alternatively, some steps may be omitted, multiple steps may be combined into one step, and / or one step may be decomposed into multiple steps.

[0162] Through the description of the above embodiments, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the example embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by combining software with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solution according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (which can be a CD-ROM, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, etc.) or on a network, and includes several instructions to enable a computing device (which can be a personal computer, a server, a mobile terminal, or a network device, etc.) to execute the method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0163] Other embodiments of the present disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. This disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present disclosure that follow the general principles of the present disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The description and examples are to be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope of the present disclosure being indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A user equipment registration method, characterized in that: include: receiving a registration request from a user equipment, wherein the registration request carries home network information of the user equipment; When the home network information does not include the address of the home network, querying the address based on the home network information through a registration and service agent network element of the network autonomous domain; requesting user information of the user equipment from the home network according to the address; The user equipment is registered in the network autonomous domain based on the user information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that After receiving the registration request of the user equipment, the method further includes: determining whether the home network information includes the address of the home network; If not included, querying the address based on the home network information through the registration and service agent network element, and requesting the user information of the user equipment from the home network according to the address; If included, requesting the user information of the user equipment from the home network according to the address.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The home network information includes autonomous domain information; The querying the address through the registration and service agent network element of the network autonomous domain based on the home network information includes: The address is queried based on the autonomous domain information through the registration and service agent network element.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The querying of the address based on the autonomous domain information by the registration and service agent network element includes: Generate an autonomous domain discovery request using the autonomous domain information, and send the network autonomous domain discovery request to the registration and service agent network element; Receive a network autonomous domain discovery response fed back by the registration and service agent network element, and parse the address from the network autonomous domain discovery response.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The method further comprises: In a case where the registration request does not carry the home network information, the address is queried based on the identification number of the user equipment carried in the registration request through the registration and service agent network element.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that After registering the user equipment in the network autonomous domain based on the user information, the method further includes: generating the home network information based on a privacy level of the home network; The home network information is returned to the user equipment.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The generating the home network information based on the privacy level of the home network includes: When the privacy level is higher than a preset level, using the autonomous domain information of the home network as the home network information; When the privacy level is not higher than the preset level, the autonomous domain information and address of the home network are used as the home network information.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The requesting the user information of the user equipment from the home network according to the address includes: generating a user equipment information request, and sending the user equipment information request to the home network; Receive a user equipment information response fed back by the home network, and parse the user information from the user equipment information response.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The registering the user equipment to the network autonomous domain based on the user information includes: The user information includes: context information, contract information, and authentication information; Determining, in the network autonomous domain, network elements corresponding to the context information, the subscription information, and the authentication information; The context information, the subscription information, and the authentication information are updated to their respective corresponding network elements to register the user equipment with the network autonomous domain.

10. A user equipment registration device, characterized in that: include: a receiving module configured to receive a registration request from a user equipment, wherein the registration request carries the home network information of the user equipment; a query module configured to query the address based on the home network information through a registration and service agent network element of a network autonomous domain when the home network information does not include the address of the home network; a request module configured to request user information of the user equipment from the home network according to the address; A registration module is configured to register the user equipment into the network autonomous domain based on the user information.

11. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: processor; as well as a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; The processor is configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 by executing the executable instructions.

12. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is implemented.

13. A computer program product, comprising computer instructions, wherein the computer instructions are stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer instructions are executed by a processor, the computer program product implements the operation instructions of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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