Flow processing method and device, DualSteer equipment, PCF and medium

Abstract

The invention discloses a flow processing method and device, DualSteer equipment, a PCF and a medium, and relates to the field of wireless communication. The specific implementation scheme is as follows: DualSteer equipment indirectly receives a flow processing strategy sent by a PCF (Policy Control Function) in an HPLMN (High Public Land Mobile Network), and executes flow guidance and / or switching based on the flow processing strategy under the condition of triggering the flow processing strategy; wherein the flow processing strategy comprises a flow guiding strategy and / or a flow switching strategy. Therefore, only when the DualSteer equipment triggers the flow processing strategy sent by the PCF in the HPLMN network, the DualSteer equipment can guide and / or switch the flow, the service continuity of the DualSteer equipment can be ensured, and the reliability of flow transmission is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a traffic processing method, apparatus, DualSteer device, PCF, and medium. Background Art

[0002] Currently, the 5G system does not support a single terminal accessing the 5G core network through two 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) access networks simultaneously, and transmitting data on two different 3GPP access networks. However, there are use cases for this type of requirement. To meet this requirement, 3GPP designed the DualSteer device. That is, when a terminal needs to transmit different data simultaneously on two 3GPP access networks, the DualSteer device will become two terminals that access the two 3GPP access networks and transmit data separately.

[0003] According to the definition of the latest 3GPP standard TS22.261, a DualSteer device refers to a device that supports traffic guidance and user data (for different services) across two 3GPP access networks. Generally, there is only one terminal in a DualSteer device. When the DualSteer device needs to transmit data on two access networks simultaneously, the DualSteer device becomes two terminals, which can simultaneously transmit different data on different 3GPP access networks. In addition, the DualSteer device can guide and / or switch traffic from one 3GPP access network to another 3GPP access network to continue transmitting data through the other 3GPP access network to ensure business continuity.

[0004] However, the 3GPP standard has not yet defined when a DualSteer device can trigger traffic steering and / or switching. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a method, apparatus, DualSteer device, PCF, and medium for traffic processing.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present application, a traffic processing method is provided, which is applied to a DualSteer device, including:

[0007] indirectly receiving a traffic processing policy sent by a policy control function (PCF) in a home PLMN network; wherein the traffic processing policy includes a traffic steering policy and / or a traffic switching policy;

[0008] In the case where the traffic processing policy is triggered, traffic guidance and / or switching is performed based on the traffic processing policy.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present application, another traffic processing method is provided, which is applied to a PCF in a PLMN network to which a DualSteer device belongs, including:

[0010] indirectly sending a traffic processing strategy to the DualSteer device; wherein the traffic processing strategy includes a traffic steering strategy and / or a traffic switching strategy;

[0011] The traffic processing strategy is used by the DualSteer device to perform traffic guidance and / or switching when the traffic processing strategy is triggered.

[0012] According to another aspect of the present application, a DualSteer device is provided, comprising:

[0013] Memory, transceiver, processor:

[0014] A memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for transmitting and receiving data under the control of a processor; and a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and performing the following operations:

[0015] indirectly receiving a traffic processing policy sent by a policy control function (PCF) in a home PLMN network; wherein the traffic processing policy includes a traffic steering policy and / or a traffic switching policy;

[0016] In the case where the traffic processing policy is triggered, traffic guidance and / or switching is performed based on the traffic processing policy.

[0017] According to another aspect of the present application, a PCF in a PLMN network to which a DualSteer device belongs is provided, including:

[0018] Memory, transceiver, processor:

[0019] A memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for transmitting and receiving data under the control of a processor; and a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and performing the following operations:

[0020] indirectly sending a traffic processing strategy to the DualSteer device; wherein the traffic processing strategy includes a traffic steering strategy and / or a traffic switching strategy;

[0021] The traffic processing strategy is used by the DualSteer device to perform traffic guidance and / or switching when the traffic processing strategy is triggered.

[0022] According to another aspect of the present application, a traffic processing device is provided, which is applied to a DualSteer device, including:

[0023] A receiving unit, configured to indirectly receive a traffic processing policy sent by a policy control function (PCF) in a home PLMN network; wherein the traffic processing policy includes a traffic steering policy and / or a traffic switching policy;

[0024] An execution unit is configured to, when the traffic processing strategy is triggered, execute traffic guidance and / or switching based on the traffic processing strategy.

[0025] According to another aspect of the present application, another traffic processing device is provided, which is applied to a PCF in a PLMN network to which a DualSteer device belongs, including:

[0026] A sending unit, configured to indirectly send a traffic processing strategy to the DualSteer device; wherein the traffic processing strategy includes a traffic steering strategy and / or a traffic switching strategy;

[0027] The traffic processing strategy is used by the DualSteer device to perform traffic guidance and / or switching when the traffic processing strategy is triggered.

[0028] According to another aspect of the present application, a processor-readable storage medium is provided, characterized in that the processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is used to enable the processor to execute the traffic processing method shown in any of the above embodiments.

[0029] According to another aspect of the present application, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program, which implements the traffic processing method shown in any of the above embodiments of the present application when executed by a processor.

[0030] The traffic processing method, apparatus, DualSteer device, PCF, and medium provided in the embodiments of the present application indirectly receive a traffic processing policy sent by a PCF in an HPLMN network through the DualSteer device, and, when the traffic processing policy is triggered, perform traffic guidance and / or switching based on the traffic processing policy. The traffic processing policy includes a traffic guidance policy and / or a traffic switching policy. This ensures that the DualSteer device guides and / or switches traffic only when the DualSteer device triggers the traffic processing policy sent by the PCF in the HPLMN network, thereby ensuring service continuity for the DualSteer device and improving traffic transmission reliability.

[0031] It should be understood that the content described in this section is not intended to identify the key or important features of the embodiments of the present application, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present application. Other features of the present application will become easily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] The accompanying drawings are provided to facilitate a better understanding of the present invention and do not constitute a limitation of the present application.

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the existing terminal multi-access mode (ATSSS) in non-roaming scenarios;

[0034] Figure 2 A flow chart of a traffic processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 3 A flow chart of another flow processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 4 A flow chart of another flow processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the process of issuing traffic guidance and / or switching strategies provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 6 A flow chart of another flow processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the implementation process of the flow guidance and / or switching provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0040] Figure 8 A flow chart of another flow processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the implementation process of the flow guidance and / or switching provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0042] Figure 10 A flow chart of another flow processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the implementation process of the flow guidance and / or switching provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 3 ;

[0044] Figure 12 A flow chart of another flow processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 13 A flow chart of another flow processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 14A schematic diagram of the structure of a DualSteer device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 15 A schematic diagram of the structure of a PCF provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 16 A schematic structural diagram of a flow processing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Figure 17 A schematic structural diagram of another flow processing device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] In the embodiments of this application, the term "and / or" describes the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0051] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "plurality" refers to two or more than two, and other quantifiers are similar.

[0052] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0053] To facilitate understanding, the terms involved in this application are first introduced.

[0054] 1. DualSteer device.

[0055] According to the definition of the latest 3GPP standard TS22.261, a DualSteer device is a device that supports traffic steering and user data exchange (for different services) across two 3GPP access networks. A DualSteer device can be a single terminal (when transmitting data non-simultaneously on the two networks) or two UEs (when transmitting data simultaneously on the two networks). Generally, a DualSteer device is a single terminal. If a DualSteer device is two terminals, the two terminals share a single subscription profile but have different identification information (such as SUPI (Subscription Permanent Identifier)).

[0056] Among them, DualSteer devices can be smartphones, IoT terminals, drones, etc., and the data signing and policy control of DualSteer devices are all controlled by the home network.

[0057] The two 3GPP access networks may belong to the same PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network), or may belong to different PLMNs, or one may belong to a PNI-PLMN (Public Network Integrated-PLMN) and the other may belong to a PLMN, etc. The access type of the two 3GPP access networks may both be 5G NR (New Radio) access, or one may be terrestrial access and the other satellite access, or one may be 5G NR access and the other may be 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) access, or access may be provided by two different satellite types (such as LEO (Low Earth Orbit), MEO (Medium Earth Orbit), GEO (High Earth Orbit), etc.).

[0058] 2. Traffic steering and traffic switching of DualSteer devices.

[0059] Traffic steering is the process of selecting an access network and routing traffic across it. This can apply to traffic for one or more services across two 3GPP access networks, including scenarios where all services use the same network connection (no data is transmitted simultaneously on both networks) or where different services are transmitted across different networks (data is transmitted simultaneously on both networks).

[0060] Traffic switching is the process of moving all traffic or services from one access network to another to minimize service disruption. This can apply to traffic for one or more services across two 3GPP access networks, including scenarios where all services use the same network connection (no data is transmitted simultaneously on both networks) or different services are moved to different networks (data is transmitted simultaneously on both networks).

[0061] 3. The architecture and functions of the terminal multi-access mode (ATSSS (Access Traffic Steering Switch and Splitting)).

[0062] Currently, the 5G system supports the same terminal accessing the 5G core network through a 3GPP access network and a non-3GPP access network at the same time, and establishing an MA (multi-access) PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session and two N3 links to simultaneously transmit user-plane data. In addition, both the terminal and the UPF (User Plane Function) must support MPTCP (MultiPath Transmission Control Protocol, a protocol for data transmission over multiple network paths), MPQUIC (MultipathQuickUDP (User Datagram Protocol) Internet Connections, also a protocol for data transmission over multiple network paths), or ATSSS-LL (Low-Layer) to achieve multipath transmission of user-plane data streams.

[0063] As an example, in a non-roaming scenario, the architecture of the terminal multiple access mode (ATSSS) can be as follows: Figure 1 As shown. Among them, Figure 1 AMF is the abbreviation of Access and Mobility Management Function, PCF is the abbreviation of Policy Control Function, SMF is the abbreviation of Session Management Function, and PMF is the abbreviation of Packet Mobility Function.

[0064] In related technologies, the 5G system does not support a single terminal accessing the 5G core network through two 3GPP access networks simultaneously, and transmitting data on two different 3GPP access networks. However, this requirement has its use cases, and to meet this need, 3GPP designed the DualSteer device. That is, when a terminal needs to transmit different data simultaneously on two 3GPP access networks, the DualSteer device will transform the two terminals into two separate 3GPP access networks for data transmission.

[0065] However, 3GPP has not yet begun research on the registration management, session management, policy management, mobility management and other technologies of DualSteer devices.

[0066] In addition, although the two terminals in the DualSteer device can transmit different data simultaneously on different 3GPP accesses, and when one of the 3GPP accesses is interrupted or the transmission quality deteriorates, the DualSteer device can guide and / or switch the traffic to another 3GPP access to continue transmitting data to ensure business continuity, the 3GPP standard has not yet defined when the DualSteer device can trigger traffic guidance and / or switching, how to select the access type when triggered, and which data or traffic can be guided and / or switched and which data or traffic cannot be guided and / or switched.

[0067] Therefore, in order to solve at least one of the above-mentioned problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a traffic processing method, apparatus, DualSteer device, PCF and medium, wherein the method and apparatus are based on the same application concept. Since the principles of solving the problems by the method and apparatus are similar, the implementation of the apparatus and method can refer to each other, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0068] The traffic processing method, apparatus, DualSteer device, PCF, and medium provided in this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0069] Figure 2 A flow chart of a traffic processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0070] The traffic processing method of the embodiment of the present application can be executed by a DualSteer device.

[0071] like Figure 2 As shown, the traffic processing method may include the following steps:

[0072] Step S201: indirectly receiving a traffic processing policy sent by a PCF in a HPLMN (Home PLMN) network; wherein the traffic processing policy includes a traffic steering policy and / or a traffic switching policy.

[0073] In an embodiment of the present application, the DualSteer device can indirectly receive the traffic processing policy sent by the PCF (or hPCF (Home PCF)) in the HPLMN network, where the traffic processing policy includes a traffic steering policy and / or a traffic switching policy.

[0074] As an example, the DualSteer device can receive the traffic processing policy sent by the PCF in the HPLMN network through the SMF, AMF or other network elements in the HPLMN network.

[0075] Step S202: When the traffic processing policy is triggered, traffic guidance and / or switching is performed based on the traffic processing policy.

[0076] In an embodiment of the present application, the DualSteer device can determine whether it triggers the traffic processing policy. If the traffic processing policy is triggered, the DualSteer device can perform traffic guidance and / or switching based on the traffic processing policy.

[0077] The traffic processing method of the embodiments of the present application indirectly receives a traffic processing policy sent by a PCF in the HPLMN network through a DualSteer device, and, when the traffic processing policy is triggered, executes traffic guidance and / or switching based on the traffic processing policy. The traffic processing policy includes a traffic guidance policy and / or a traffic switching policy. This ensures that the DualSteer device guides and / or switches traffic only when the DualSteer device triggers the traffic processing policy sent by the PCF in the HPLMN network, thereby ensuring service continuity for the DualSteer device and improving traffic transmission reliability.

[0078] In order to clearly illustrate the above embodiments, the present application also proposes a traffic processing method.

[0079] Figure 3 A flow chart of another traffic processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0080] The traffic processing method of the embodiment of the present application can be executed by a DualSteer device.

[0081] The DualSteer device may include a first terminal and a second terminal, and the policy data of the first terminal and the second terminal are both defined in the PCF in the HPLMN network.

[0082] Among them, the access network device accessed by the first terminal is different from the access network device accessed by the second terminal. In order to distinguish the two access network devices, in this application, the access network device accessed by the first terminal is referred to as the first access network device, and the access network device accessed by the second terminal is referred to as the second access network device.

[0083] It should be noted that the access types of the first access network device and the second access network device are different. For example, one of the access types is satellite access and the other is terrestrial access, or one of the access types is 5G NR access and the other is 4G LTE access, or the two are access types of different satellite types, and so on.

[0084] Here, the access network device is used as an example. A base station can include multiple cells that provide services to terminals. Depending on the specific application scenario, a base station can also be called an access point, or it can be a device in the access network that communicates with wireless terminals over the air interface through one or more sectors, or other names. The base station can be used to convert received air frames into Internet Protocol (IP) packets and then act as a router between the wireless terminal and the rest of the access network, where the rest of the access network may include an Internet Protocol (IP) communication network. The base station can also coordinate the attribute management of the air interface. For example, the base station involved in the embodiments of the present application can be a base station (Base Transceiver Station, BTS) in the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), a base station (NodeB) in Wide-band Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), an evolutionary Node B (eNB or e-NodeB) in the long term evolution (LTE) system, a 5G base station (gNB) in the 5G network architecture (next generation system), a home evolved Node B (HeNB), a relay node, a femto, a pico, etc., and is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In some network structures, the base station may include a centralized unit (CU) node and a distributed unit (DU) node, and the centralized unit and the distributed unit may also be geographically separated.

[0085] The term "terminal" may refer to a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, a handheld device with wireless connectivity, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. The names of terminals may vary across different systems. For example, in a 5G system, a terminal may be referred to as User Equipment (UE). A wireless terminal may communicate with one or more core networks (CNs) via a radio access network (RAN). A wireless terminal may be a mobile terminal, such as a mobile phone (or "cellular" phone) or a computer with a mobile terminal. For example, a mobile device may be portable, pocket-sized, handheld, built-in, or in-vehicle, and may exchange voice and / or data with a radio access network. Examples include personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). A wireless terminal may also be referred to as a system, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, an access point, a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, a user agent, or a user device, but is not limited thereto in the embodiments of the present application.

[0086] like Figure 3 As shown, the traffic processing method may include the following steps:

[0087] Step S301: indirectly receiving, through a first terminal, a traffic processing policy sent by a PCF in a HPLMN network.

[0088] In an embodiment of the present application, the traffic processing policy may be indirectly sent to the first terminal by the PCF in the HPLMN network, wherein the traffic processing policy may include a traffic steering policy and / or a traffic switching policy.

[0089] In any embodiment of the present application, the traffic processing strategy may include at least one of the following:

[0090] The first item is the trigger condition for guidance and / or switching (Switch / Steer trigger condition).

[0091] As an example, the triggering conditions for guidance and / or switching can be determined based on at least one of the following: network capacity; traffic load; signal coverage; QoS (Quality of Service); terminal capabilities; network pre-configuration; communication network operator's policy, etc.

[0092] The second item is the boot and / or switch mode (Switch / Steer mode).

[0093] As an example, the boot and / or switch mode may be used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0094] 1. All traffic is directed and / or switched, that is, all traffic of the first terminal is directed and / or switched to the second access network device;

[0095] 2. Partially direct and / or switch, and partially discard, that is, direct and / or switch part of the total traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device, and discard the remaining traffic except for the part of the total traffic;

[0096] 3. Partially direct and / or switch, and partially retain, that is, direct and / or switch part of the traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device, and continue to process the remaining traffic through the first access network device;

[0097] 4. No traffic guidance and / or switching is performed, that is, all traffic is processed by the first access network device without performing traffic guidance and / or switching.

[0098] The third item is the guide and / or switch mode indicator (Switch / Steer mode indicator).

[0099] For example, 0 may be used to indicate partial guidance and / or switching and partial discarding; 1 may be used to indicate partial guidance and / or switching and partial retention.

[0100] The fourth item is the selection condition of the boot and / or switch mode (Switch / Steer selection condition).

[0101] As an example, the selection condition of the guidance and / or switching mode may be determined according to at least one of the following: quality of service (QoS); network pre-configuration; a policy of a communication network operator, etc.

[0102] The fifth item, Switch / Steer Access Preference, is the access type that is preferred for the guidance and / or switching mode selection. For example, the PCF may provide the access type of the second terminal as the access type that is preferred for the first terminal when switching.

[0103] As an example, the access type priority / preference of the bootstrapping and / or handover mode selection may be used to indicate the access type of the second access network device.

[0104] The sixth item is the PLMN priority / preference for the guidance and / or handover mode selection, that is, the PLMN to which the access type of the guidance and / or handover mode priority selection belongs.

[0105] As an example, the PLMN priority / preference for bootstrapping and / or handover mode selection may be used to indicate the PLMN to which the second access network device belongs.

[0106] Step S302, when the first terminal triggers the traffic processing strategy based on its own configuration, local conditions and at least one of the traffic processing strategies, the traffic of the first terminal is directed and / or switched to the second access network device to transmit business data through the second access network device.

[0107] In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving the traffic processing policy, the first terminal can determine whether the first terminal triggers the traffic processing policy based on its own configuration, local conditions and the trigger conditions in the traffic processing policy. If the traffic processing policy is triggered, the traffic of the first terminal is directed and / or switched to the second access network device to transmit business data through the second access network device.

[0108] In any embodiment of the present application, the local condition of the first terminal may include at least one of the following: network interface availability; signal loss condition; user preference.

[0109] The traffic processing method of the embodiment of the present application can guide and / or switch the traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device when the first terminal in the DualSteer device triggers the traffic processing policy sent by the PCF in the HPLMN network, so as to transmit business data through the second access network device, thereby ensuring the business continuity of the first terminal and increasing the reliability of traffic transmission.

[0110] In order to clearly illustrate the above embodiments, the present application also proposes a traffic processing method.

[0111] The traffic processing method of the embodiment of the present application can be executed by a DualSteer device.

[0112] The DualSteer device may include a first terminal and a second terminal, and the policy data of the first terminal and the second terminal are both defined in the PCF in the HPLMN network.

[0113] The access type of the first terminal to the first access network device is different from the access type of the second terminal to the second access network device.

[0114] Figure 4 A flow chart of another traffic processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0115] like Figure 4 As shown, the traffic processing method may include the following steps:

[0116] Step S401: indirectly receiving a traffic processing policy sent by a PCF in the HPLMN network through a first terminal; wherein the traffic processing policy is indirectly sent to the first terminal by the PCF by sending a target request to a target network element in the HPLMN network.

[0117] The traffic processing strategy includes a traffic steering strategy and / or a traffic switching strategy.

[0118] In the embodiment of the present application, the traffic processing policy may be sent indirectly to the first terminal by the PCF in the following manner:

[0119] 1. The PCF sends a target request to a target network element in the HPLMN network. The target request carries a traffic processing policy including a DualSteer rule.

[0120] Among them, the target network elements include but are not limited to: SMF, AMF and other network elements.

[0121] As an example, the DualSteer rule may be as shown in Table 1.

[0122] Table 1 Specific content of DualSteer rule

[0123]

[0124] APP1 in the application description refers to a first type of application, such as an APP (Application) that is not sensitive to latency, and APP2 refers to a second type of application, such as an application that is sensitive to latency (or has high latency requirements).

[0125] 2. The target network element updates the dual-boot DualSteer terminal rules sent to the first terminal according to the DualSteer rules carried in the target request.

[0126] 3. SMF sends the updated DualSteer terminal rules to the first terminal.

[0127] In any embodiment of the present application, the target network element is taken as SMF as an example, wherein the first terminal has established a first PDU session through the first access network device, and accordingly, the second terminal has established other PDU sessions different from the first PDU session through the second access network device (referred to as the third PDU session in this application). For example, the first terminal has registered and created a first PDU session on the 5GC (5G Core Network, 5G core network) (AMF, SMF, UPF in the HPLMN network) through the first access network device, and the second terminal has registered and created a third PDU session on the 5GC (AMF, SMF, UPF in the HPLMN network) through the second access network device. The traffic processing policy can be sent indirectly to the first terminal by the PCF in the following ways:

[0128] A. The PCF triggers the revision of the SM (Session Management) policy for the first PDU session and initiates an SM policy update request for the first PDU session to the SMF in the HPLMN network.

[0129] The SM policy update request carries a traffic processing policy including a DualSteer rule.

[0130] In a possible implementation of the present application, the PCF may trigger a revision of the session management SM policy for the first PDU session when a set trigger condition is met.

[0131] As an example, setting the trigger condition may include at least one of the following:

[0132] First, the UDR (Unified Data Repository) updates or changes the session contract information for the first terminal;

[0133] The second item, AF (Application Function), NEF (Network Entity Function) or TSCTSF (The Time Sensitive Communication and Time Synchronization Function), triggers a policy authorization request or a policy authorization update request for the first terminal.

[0134] The third item is a policy change of the communication network operator to which the first access network device belongs;

[0135] Fourth, PCF configuration changes.

[0136] B. The SMF updates the N4 rule of the first PDU session and the dual-boot DualSteer terminal rule (DualSteer UErule) sent to the first terminal according to the DualSteer rule carried in the SM policy update request.

[0137] C. SMF sends the updated N4 rule to the UPF in the HPLMN network, so that the UPF transmits and forwards the corresponding first PDU session according to the updated N4 rule.

[0138] D. The SMF sends the updated DualSteer terminal rules to the first terminal. For example, the SMF may send the updated DualSteer terminal rules to the first terminal via a PDU session update or an N2 message.

[0139] Step S402, when the first terminal triggers the traffic processing policy based on its own configuration, local conditions and at least one of the traffic processing policies, the traffic of the first terminal is guided and / or switched to the second access network device to transmit business data through the second access network device.

[0140] For the explanation of step S402, please refer to the relevant description in any embodiment of the present application and will not be repeated here.

[0141] The traffic processing method of the embodiment of the present application can implement a method in which the PCF sends a target request to the target network element in the HPLMN network, and sends a traffic processing policy to the first terminal in the DualSteer device to improve the effectiveness of the first terminal in obtaining the traffic processing policy.

[0142] The following example is taken as the target network element SMF, and combined with the first embodiment, Figure 4 The illustrated embodiment will be described in detail.

[0143] Example 1: hPCF (Home PCF) sends traffic guidance and / or switching strategies to the DualSteer device, such as Figure 5 As shown, the process of issuing traffic guidance and / or switching strategies mainly includes the following steps:

[0144] Among them, the prerequisites of the first embodiment may include: the first terminal in the DualSteer device (such as Figure 5 UE1 in) and the second terminal (such as Figure 5 The subscription data and policy data of UE2 in the HPLMN are defined in UDM1 and PCF1 of the HPLMN, respectively. RAN (Radio Access Network) 1 (referred to as the first access network device in this application), RAN2 (referred to as the second access network device in this application), AMF1, SMF1, and UPF1 all belong to the HPLMN. Furthermore, it is assumed that the access type of RAN1 belongs to 3GPP access1 (5G NR) and the access type of RAN2 belongs to 3GPP access2 (Satellite).

[0145] Among them, UE1 has registered in the HPLMN based on RAN1 and established PDU session 1 (referred to as the first PDU session in this application), and UE2 has registered in the HPLMN based on RAN2 and established PDU session 2 (referred to as the third PDU session in this application).

[0146] Step 50: UE1 has registered on 5GC (AMF1, SMF1, UPF1) through RAN1 (5G NR) and created PDU session 1.

[0147] Step 51: PCF1 triggers the revision of the SM policy for PDU session 1. The triggering conditions (referred to as setting triggering conditions in this application) include but are not limited to:

[0148] 1) UDR updates / changes the session subscription information for UE1;

[0149] 2) AF, NEF or TSCTSF triggers a policy authorization request or policy update request for UE1;

[0150] 3) Changes in network operator strategies;

[0151] 4) Changes in its own configuration.

[0152] Step 52: PCF1 initiates an SM policy update request for PDU session 1 to SMF1, mainly involving the update of a newly added DualSteer rule in the PCC (Policy and Charging Control) rule. For example, the DualSteer rule may be as shown in Table 1.

[0153] In Table 1, the switch / steer trigger conditions may include network capacity, traffic load, signal coverage, QoS, terminal capabilities, network pre-configuration, and communication network operator policies. The hPCF may trigger the network or terminal to perform traffic steering and / or switching based on one or more of the above trigger conditions.

[0154] In Table 1, the guidance and / or switching mode (Switch / Steer mode), or the guidance and / or switching mode indication information (Switch / Steer mode indicator), is used to indicate at least one of the following:

[0155] 1. All-direction and / or switching: UE1 directs and / or switches all traffic from one access point to another. This is the default mode.

[0156] 2. Partial steering and / or switching: UE1 directs and / or switches part of the traffic from one access point to another access point, including the following two situations:

[0157] Partial guidance and / or switching, partial discard: UE1 guides and / or switches part of the traffic from the original access to another access, and discards the rest of the traffic;

[0158] Partial guidance and / or switching, partial retention: UE1 guides and / or switches part of the traffic from the original access to another access, which is taken over by UE2. The remaining traffic is not discarded and is still processed by UE1.

[0159] 3. No routing and / or switching: UE1 keeps all traffic on the original access and does not route and / or switch.

[0160] In Table 1, the selection conditions (Switch / Steer selection condition) of the steering and / or switching mode can be determined according to the QoS of the service, network pre-configuration, the policy of the communication network operator, etc.

[0161] In Table 1, the access type priority or preference (Switch / Steer AccessPreference) of the steering and / or switching mode refers to the access type that is preferentially selected in the steering and / or switching mode. For example, the PCF may provide the access type of UE2 as the access type that is preferentially selected when UE1 switches.

[0162] It should be noted that the above-mentioned DualSteer rule (or DualSteer PCC rule) can also be sent to UE1 when UE1 successfully establishes PDU session 1. In addition, the above-mentioned parameters are all optional.

[0163] In addition, if PDU session 1 is not delivered using PCC dynamic rules, the SMF needs to configure the corresponding DualSteerrule. The PCF needs to subscribe to the AMF for UE2's access type updates in advance.

[0164] Step 53: SMF1 updates the N4 rule of the corresponding PDU session 1 and the DualSteer terminal rule (DualSteer UE rule) sent to UE1 according to the updated DualSteer rule sent by PCF1.

[0165] Step 54: SMF1 sends the updated N4 rule to UPF1, instructing UPF1 to transmit and forward the corresponding PDU session 1 according to the updated N4 rule.

[0166] Step 55: SMF1 sends the updated DualSteer UErule to UE1 via PDU session 1 update.

[0167] In order to clearly illustrate any of the above embodiments, the present application also proposes a traffic processing method.

[0168] Figure 6 A flow chart of another traffic processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0169] The traffic processing method of the embodiment of the present application can be executed by a DualSteer device.

[0170] The DualSteer device may include a first terminal and a second terminal, and the policy data of the first terminal and the second terminal are both defined in the PCF in the HPLMN network.

[0171] The access type of the first terminal to the first access network device is different from the access type of the second terminal to the second access network device.

[0172] like Figure 6As shown, the traffic processing method may include the following steps:

[0173] Step S601: indirectly receiving a traffic processing policy sent by a PCF in the HPLMN network; wherein the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates guiding and / or switching all traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device.

[0174] The traffic processing strategy includes a traffic steering strategy and / or a traffic switching strategy.

[0175] For the explanation of step S601, please refer to the relevant description in any embodiment of the present application and will not be repeated here.

[0176] Step S602 , when the first terminal triggers a triggering condition in the traffic processing policy based on at least one of its own configuration, local conditions and the traffic processing policy, traffic guidance and / or switching is triggered by the first terminal.

[0177] In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving the traffic processing policy, the first terminal can determine whether the first terminal triggers the trigger condition in the traffic processing policy based on its own configuration, local conditions and the trigger condition in the traffic processing policy. If the first terminal triggers the trigger condition in the traffic processing policy (for example, the first terminal moves to a remote area, the signal coverage of the first access network device is insufficient, but there is a coverage signal of the second access network device), the traffic guidance and / or switching can be triggered by the first terminal.

[0178] Step S603, through the first terminal based on the Xn guidance and / or switching process, execute the Xn handover process from the first access network device to the second access network device; or, through the first terminal based on the N2 guidance and / or switching process, execute the N2 handover process from the first access network device to the second access network device.

[0179] In an embodiment of the present application, the first terminal may perform an Xn handover process from the first access network device to the second access network device based on the Xn guidance and / or switching process described in section TS23.502 4.9.1.2.2 of the 3GPP standard, or the first terminal may perform an N2 handover process from the first access network device to the second access network device based on the N2 guidance and / or switching process described in sections TS23.502 4.9.1.3.2 and 4.9.1.3.3 of the 3GPP standard.

[0180] Step S604: After the guidance and / or switching is completed, the traffic of all applications is transmitted through the second access network device via the first terminal.

[0181] In an embodiment of the present application, after the guidance and / or switching is completed, the traffic of all applications (such as the first type of applications and the second type of applications) can be transmitted through the first terminal via the second access network device for uplink and downlink data transmission.

[0182] The traffic processing method of the embodiment of the present application can be implemented so that when the first terminal indirectly receives the traffic processing policy indirectly issued by the PCF, and the traffic processing policy indicates the execution of the guidance and / or switching of all traffic, the first terminal guides and / or switches all traffic (i.e., the traffic of all applications) to the second access network device where the second terminal is located, so as to transmit business data through the second access network device, thereby ensuring the business continuity of the first terminal.

[0183] In conjunction with the second embodiment, Figure 6 The illustrated embodiment will be described in detail.

[0184] Embodiment 2: The first terminal UE1 triggers the traffic steering and / or switching triggering conditions in the traffic steering and / or switching policy, and executes steering and / or switching of all traffic.

[0185] After indirectly receiving the triggering conditions for guidance and / or switching (such as signal coverage change) sent by hPCF, UE1 determines that it needs to perform traffic guidance and / or switching based on its own configuration, local conditions, and at least one of the traffic guidance and / or switching strategies. If it receives the guidance and / or switching mode indication for all traffic from hPCF, UE1 will guide and / or switch the traffic of APP1 and APP2 to the access where UE2 is located. Figure 7 As shown, the specific implementation process of traffic guidance and / or switching (Traffic Switch) mainly includes the following steps:

[0186] It is assumed that the access type of RAN1 belongs to 3GPP access1 (5G NR) and the access type of RAN2 belongs to 3GPP access2 (Satellite).

[0187] In step 70a, PCF1 has indirectly delivered the traffic steering and / or switching policy including the DualSteer rule to UE1. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the switch / steer mode in the traffic steering and / or switching policy delivered by PCF1 is full steering and / or switching, and the triggering condition for steering and / or switching is a change in signal coverage, etc.

[0188] Step 70b, UE1 determines whether to trigger the triggering condition for guidance and / or switching based on its own configuration, local conditions, and at least one of the traffic guidance and / or switching strategies indirectly issued by PCF1. When UE1 meets the triggering condition, for example, UE1 moves to a remote area and the 5G NR signal coverage is insufficient, but there is a satellite coverage signal, UE1 triggers traffic guidance and / or switching, and according to the traffic guidance and / or switching strategy issued by PCF1, all traffic is guided and / or switched to the access point where UE2 is located.

[0189] Step 71a: UE1 triggers the handover process from RAN1 to RAN2, which can be performed according to the Xn guidance and / or switching process described in section 4.9.1.2.2 of TS23.502 in the 3GPP standard (provided that AMF1 remains unchanged).

[0190] It should be noted that when AMF1 sends a PDU session update message to SMF1, it will carry the updated access type of UE1 as satellite; when SMF1 updates UE1's PDU session 1, it must keep UE1's service IP (Internet Protocol) address unchanged; when SMF1 updates UE1's PDU session 1, it must keep PSAUPF (PDU Session Anchor UPF, anchor user plane function) unchanged, and insert I-UPF (intermediateUPF, intermediate user plane function) if necessary.

[0191] Step 71b: UE1 triggers a handover process from RAN1 to RAN2, which may be performed according to the N2 bootstrapping and / or handover process described in sections 4.9.1.3.2 and 4.9.1.3.3 of TS23.502 in the 3GPP standard.

[0192] It should be noted that when AMF1 sends a PDU session update message to SMF1, the accesstype of UE1 updated will be sent as satellite; when SMF1 updates UE1's PDU session 1, it needs to keep UE1's service IP address unchanged; when SMF1 updates UE1's PDU session 1, it needs to keep PSA UPF unchanged and insert I-UPF if necessary.

[0193] Step 72: After the guidance and / or handover is completed, UE1 transmits the traffic of APP1 and APP2 via RAN2 for uplink and downlink data transmission.

[0194] In order to clearly illustrate any of the above embodiments, the present application also proposes a traffic processing method.

[0195] Figure 8 A flow chart of another traffic processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0196] The traffic processing method of the embodiment of the present application can be executed by a DualSteer device.

[0197] The DualSteer device may include a first terminal and a second terminal, and the policy data of the first terminal and the second terminal are both defined in the PCF in the HPLMN network.

[0198] The access type of the first terminal to the first access network device is different from the access type of the second terminal to the second access network device.

[0199] like Figure 8 As shown, the traffic processing method may include the following steps:

[0200] Step S801, indirectly receiving the traffic processing policy sent by the PCF in the HPLMN network; wherein, the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates that part of the total traffic of the first terminal is guided and / or switched to the second access network device, and the remaining traffic except for the part of the total traffic is discarded.

[0201] The traffic processing strategy includes a traffic steering strategy and / or a traffic switching strategy.

[0202] For the explanation of step S801, please refer to the relevant description in any embodiment of the present application and will not be repeated here.

[0203] Step S802 , when the first terminal triggers a triggering condition in the traffic processing policy based on at least one of its own configuration, local conditions and the traffic processing policy, traffic guidance and / or switching is triggered by the first terminal.

[0204] For the explanation of step S802, please refer to the relevant description in any embodiment of the present application and will not be repeated here.

[0205] Step S803, for the first type of application in the first terminal, the Xn handover process from the first access network device to the second access network device is executed through the Xn-based guidance and / or switching process of the first terminal, or the N2 handover process from the first access network device to the second access network device is executed through the N2-based guidance and / or switching process of the first terminal.

[0206] Among them, the first type of application may be, for example, an APP that is not sensitive to latency.

[0207] In an embodiment of the present application, for the first type of application in the first terminal, the first terminal can perform an Xn handover process from the first access network device to the second access network device based on the Xn guidance and / or switching process described in section 4.9.1.2.2 of TS23.502 in the 3GPP standard, or the first terminal can perform an N2 handover process from the first access network device to the second access network device based on the N2 guidance and / or switching process described in sections 4.9.1.3.2 and 4.9.1.3.3 of TS23.502 in the 3GPP standard.

[0208] Step S804: After the guidance and / or switching is completed, the traffic of the first type of application is transmitted through the second access network device via the first terminal.

[0209] In an embodiment of the present application, after the guidance and / or switching is completed, the traffic of the first type of application can be transmitted through the second access network device through the first terminal.

[0210] Step S805: For the second type of application in the first terminal, if the traffic of the second type of application is carried by the second PDU session, the second PDU session corresponding to the second type of application is released by the first terminal based on the PDU session release process.

[0211] Among them, the second type of application may be, for example, an APP that is sensitive to latency (or has high latency requirements).

[0212] The first PDU session is a PDU session established by the first terminal through the first access network device. For example, the first terminal can register and create the first PDU session on the 5GC (AMF, SMF, UPF in the HPLMN network) through the first access network device.

[0213] The second PDU session is a new PDU session created by the first terminal based on the first PDU session.

[0214] In an embodiment of the present application, for the second type of application in the first terminal, a release process can be triggered by the first terminal. Specifically, if the traffic of the second type of application is carried by the second PDU session, the first terminal releases the second PDU session corresponding to the second type of application based on the PDU session release process.

[0215] For example, the first terminal may release the second PDU session corresponding to the second type of application based on the PDU session release process described in section 4.3.4.2 of TS23.502 in the 3GPP standard.

[0216] Step S806: If the traffic of the second type of application is carried by the first PDU session, the QoS flow of the traffic of the second type of application is deleted through the first terminal based on the PDU session update process.

[0217] In an embodiment of the present application, for the second type of application in the first terminal, if the traffic of the second type of application is carried by the existing first PDU session, and the QoS flow (i.e., QoS flow) of the traffic of the second type of application is different from other traffic, the QoS flow of the traffic of the second type of application can be deleted by the first terminal based on the PDU session update process described in section TS23.502 4.3.3.2 of the 3GPP standard.

[0218] The traffic processing method of the embodiment of the present application can be implemented in which the first terminal indirectly receives the traffic processing strategy indirectly issued by the PCF, and the traffic processing strategy indicates the execution of guidance and / or switching of part of the traffic, and when the remaining traffic is discarded, the first terminal guides and / or switches the traffic of the first type of application to the second access network device where the second terminal is located, and discards the traffic of the second type of application.

[0219] In conjunction with Example 3, Figure 8 The illustrated embodiment will be described in detail.

[0220] Embodiment 3: The first terminal UE1 triggers the traffic steering and / or switching triggering conditions in the traffic steering and / or switching policy, executes steering and / or switching of part of the traffic, and discards part of the traffic.

[0221] After indirectly receiving the guidance and / or switching trigger conditions (such as signal coverage changes) issued by hPCF, UE1 determines that it needs to perform traffic guidance and / or switching based on its own configuration, local conditions, and at least one of the traffic guidance and / or switching strategies. If it receives the guidance and / or switching mode indicator issued by hPCF indicating that some traffic is being guided and / or switched, and the switch / steer mode indicator is 0, UE1 guides and / or switches the traffic of APP1 to the access point where UE2 is located, and discards the traffic of APP2. Figure 9 As shown, the specific implementation process of traffic guidance and / or switching (Traffic Switch) mainly includes the following steps:

[0222] It is assumed that the access type of RAN1 belongs to 3GPP access1 (5G NR) and the access type of RAN2 belongs to 3GPP access2 (Satellite).

[0223] In step 90a, PCF1 has indirectly delivered the traffic steering and / or switching policy including the DualSteer rule to UE1. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the triggering condition for steering and / or switching in the traffic steering and / or switching policy delivered by PCF1 is a change in signal coverage, the switch / steer mode is partial steering and / or switching, and the switch / steer mode indicator is 0, that is, partial traffic is directed and / or switched, and partial traffic is discarded.

[0224] Step 90b, UE1 determines whether to trigger the triggering condition for guidance and / or switching based on its own configuration, local conditions, and at least one of the traffic guidance and / or switching strategies indirectly issued by PCF1. When UE1 meets the triggering condition, for example, UE1 moves to a remote area where 5G NR signal coverage is insufficient but there is satellite coverage, UE1 triggers traffic guidance and / or switching, and decides which services to guide and / or switch and which services to discard based on the traffic guidance and / or switching strategy issued by PCF1 and the QoS of the service or its own configuration. For example, UE1 can guide and / or switch the traffic of applications that are not sensitive to latency (such as APP1) to the access where UE2 is located, and discard the traffic of applications with high latency requirements (such as APP2).

[0225] Step 91a: For the traffic of APP1, UE1 triggers the handover process from RAN1 to RAN2, which can be based on the Xn guidance and / or switching process described in TS23.502 4.9.1.2.2 of the 3GPP standard (provided that AMF1 remains unchanged).

[0226] It should be noted that when AMF1 sends a PDU session update message to SMF1, it will carry UE1's updated accesstype as satellite; when SMF1 updates UE1's PDU session 1, it needs to keep UE1's service IP address unchanged; when SMF1 updates UE1's PDU session 1, it needs to keep PSA UPF unchanged and insert I-UPF if necessary.

[0227] In addition, it should be noted that when UE1 performs traffic guidance and / or switching, in addition to carrying the PDU session ID, it also needs to carry session information such as the QFI (QoS flow Identifier) that needs to be guided and / or switched.

[0228] Step 91b: UE1 triggers a handover process from RAN1 to RAN2, which may be performed according to the N2 bootstrapping and / or handover process described in sections 4.9.1.3.2 and 4.9.1.3.3 of TS23.502 in the 3GPP standard.

[0229] Step 92: After the bootstrapping and / or handover is completed, UE1 transmits the traffic of APP1 via RAN2.

[0230] Steps 93a-93b: UE1 triggers a release process for the traffic of APP2.

[0231] Step 93a. If UE1 creates a new PDU session (such as PDU session 3 (referred to as the second PDU session in this application)) based on the original PDU session 1 to carry the traffic of APP2, UE1 releases the second PDU session corresponding to APP2 according to the PDU session release process described in section TS23.5024.3.4.2 of the 3GPP standard.

[0232] Step 93b: If UE1 uses the existing PDU session 1 to carry APP2 traffic, but the QoS flow of APP2 traffic is different from other traffic, UE1 deletes the QoS flow corresponding to APP2 traffic according to the PDU session update process described in section 4.3.3.2 of TS23.502 in the 3GPP standard.

[0233] In order to clearly illustrate any of the above embodiments, the present application also proposes a traffic processing method.

[0234] Figure 10 A flow chart of another traffic processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0235] The traffic processing method of the embodiment of the present application can be executed by a DualSteer device.

[0236] The DualSteer device may include a first terminal and a second terminal, and the policy data of the first terminal and the second terminal are both defined in the PCF in the HPLMN network.

[0237] The access type of the first terminal to the first access network device is different from the access type of the second terminal to the second access network device.

[0238] like Figure 10 As shown, the traffic processing method may include the following steps:

[0239] Step S1001, indirectly receiving the traffic processing policy sent by the PCF in the HPLMN network; wherein the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates that part of the traffic of the first terminal is guided and / or switched to the second access network device, and the remaining traffic continues to be processed through the first access network device.

[0240] The traffic processing strategy includes a traffic steering strategy and / or a traffic switching strategy.

[0241] For the explanation of step S1001, please refer to the relevant description in any embodiment of the present application and will not be repeated here.

[0242] Step S1002 , when the first terminal triggers a triggering condition in the traffic processing policy based on at least one of its own configuration, local conditions and the traffic processing policy, traffic guidance and / or switching is triggered by the first terminal.

[0243] For the explanation of step S1002, please refer to the relevant description in any embodiment of the present application and will not be repeated here.

[0244] Step S1003: Send an indication message to the second terminal through the first terminal; wherein the indication message is used to indicate that the second terminal needs to carry the traffic of the first type of application in the first terminal, as well as session information related to the traffic of the first type of application.

[0245] Among them, the first type of application may be, for example, an APP that is not sensitive to latency.

[0246] In an embodiment of the present application, for the first type of application in the first terminal, an indication message can be sent to the second terminal through the first terminal, wherein the indication message is used to indicate that the second terminal needs to carry the traffic of the first type of application in the first terminal, as well as session information related to the traffic of the first type of application.

[0247] As an example, the first terminal can inform the second terminal through internal implementation that it needs to carry the traffic of the first type of application in the first terminal, and at the same time send the session information such as the session identifier (PDU session ID) of the PDU session involved in the traffic of APP1, the session type (PDU session type) of the PDU session, QFI (QoS Flow ID, QoS flow identifier), DNN (Data Network Name, data network name) / S-NSSAI (Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information, single network slice selection assistance information) to the second terminal.

[0248] Step S1004: Based on the indication message, the second terminal sends a guidance and / or switching request for the N2 QoS flow to the AMF in the HPLMN network; wherein the guidance and / or switching request for the N2 QoS flow is used to transfer the QoS flow of the traffic of the first type of application to the second access network device.

[0249] In an embodiment of the present application, the second terminal can send a guidance and / or switching request for the N2 QoS flow to the AMF in the HPLMN network based on the indication message; wherein the guidance and / or switching request for the N2 QoS flow is used to transfer the QoS flow of the traffic of the first type of application to the second access network device.

[0250] In any embodiment of the present application, the N2 QoS flow guidance and / or handover request is specifically used by the AMF to perform the following steps:

[0251] 1. Based on the request parameters in the steering and / or handover request for the N2 QoS flow, a PDU session update request is sent to the SMF in the HPLMN network.

[0252] As an example, the request parameters in the guidance and / or switching request of the N2 QoS flow may include at least one of the following: the session identifier (PDU session ID) of the PDU session involved in the QoS flow of the traffic of the first type of application, the session type (PDU session type) of the PDU session involved in the QoS flow, the QFI involved in the QoS flow, the access network tunnel information (AN tunnel information) involved in the QoS flow, the DNN or S-NSSAI involved in the QoS flow, the identification information of the second terminal (such as SUPI), the access type (Access type) of the second terminal, the access type (RAT (Radio Access Technology, wireless access technology) type) of the second access network device accessed by the second terminal, etc.

[0253] As an example, the PDU session update request may carry request parameters in the N2 QoS flow guidance and / or handover request.

[0254] In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving the PDU session update request, the SMF can send an N4 session update request to the UPF in the HPLMN network, wherein the N4 session update request can carry the above-mentioned PDU session ID, PDUsession type, QFI, DNN / S-NSSAI and AN tunnel information and other information.

[0255] After SMF receives the N4 session update response sent by UPF, it can send a PDU session update response to AMF.

[0256] 2. Upon receiving the PDU session update response sent by the SMF, send a guidance and / or switching response of the N2 QoS flow to the second terminal.

[0257] In an embodiment of the present application, when the AMF receives the PDU session update response sent by the SMF, the AMF may send an N2 QoS flow guidance and / or switching response to the second terminal, wherein the N2 QoS flow guidance and / or switching response is used to indicate that the QoS flow guidance and / or switching of the traffic of the first type of application is successful.

[0258] Step S1005: When the second terminal receives the guidance and / or switching response of the N2 QoS flow sent by the AMF, the traffic of the first type of application is transmitted through the second terminal based on the second access network device.

[0259] In an embodiment of the present application, when the second terminal receives the guidance and / or switching response of the N2 QoS flow sent by the AMF, the traffic of the first type of application can be transmitted through the second terminal based on the second access network device.

[0260] The traffic processing method of the embodiment of the present application can be implemented in that the first terminal indirectly receives the traffic processing strategy indirectly issued by the PCF, and the traffic processing strategy indicates the execution of guidance and / or switching of part of the traffic. When the remaining traffic is retained, the first terminal guides and / or switches the traffic of the first type of application to the second access network device where the second terminal is located, so that the traffic of the first type of application is processed by the second terminal. The traffic of the second type of application in the first terminal is still processed by the first terminal, which can improve the business continuity of the first terminal.

[0261] Below in conjunction with embodiment 4, Figure 10 The illustrated embodiment will be described in detail.

[0262] Embodiment 4: The first terminal UE1 triggers the traffic steering and / or switching triggering conditions in the traffic steering and / or switching policy, executes the steering and / or switching of part of the traffic, and reserves part of the traffic.

[0263] After indirectly receiving the guidance and / or switching trigger conditions (such as signal coverage changes) issued by hPCF, UE1 determines that it needs to perform traffic guidance and / or switching based on its own configuration, local conditions, and at least one of the traffic guidance and / or switching strategies. If it receives the guidance and / or switching mode indicator issued by hPCF indicating that some traffic is being guided and / or switched, and the switch / steer mode indicator is 1, UE1 guides and / or switches the traffic of APP1 to the access point where UE2 is located, and UE2 processes the traffic of APP1, while the traffic of APP2 is still processed by UE1. Figure 11 As shown, the specific implementation process of traffic guidance and / or switching (Traffic Switch) mainly includes the following steps:

[0264] It is assumed that the access type of RAN1 belongs to 3GPP access1 (5G NR) and the access type of RAN2 belongs to 3GPP access2 (Satellite).

[0265] In step 110a, PCF1 has sent the traffic steering and / or switching policy including the DualSteer rule to UE1. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the triggering condition for steering and / or switching in the traffic steering and / or switching policy sent by PCF1 is a change in signal coverage, etc., the switch / steer mode is full steering and / or switching, and the switch / steer mode indicator is 1, that is, part of the traffic is guided and / or switched, and part of the traffic is retained.

[0266] Step 110b: UE1 determines whether to trigger the triggering condition for steering and / or switching based on its own configuration, local conditions, and the traffic steering and / or switching policy indirectly issued by PCF1. When UE1 meets the triggering condition, for example, UE1 moves to a remote area where 5G NR signal coverage is insufficient but there is satellite coverage, UE1 triggers traffic steering and / or switching, and determines which services to direct and / or switch and which services to retain based on the traffic steering and / or switching policy issued by PCF1 and the QoS of the service or its own configuration. For example, UE1 can direct and / or switch the traffic of applications that are not sensitive to latency (such as APP1) to the access where UE2 is located, and UE2 will handle it; the traffic of applications with high latency requirements (such as APP2) will not be directed and / or switched, and will continue to be carried by UE1 based on the original access.

[0267] Step 111: UE1 notifies UE2 through internal implementation that it needs to carry the traffic of APP1, and at the same time sends the session information such as PDU session ID, PDU session type, QFI, DNN / S-NSSAI involved in the traffic of APP1 to UE2.

[0268] Step 112: UE2 sends a guidance and / or switching request for N2 QoS flow to AMF1, which is used to transfer the QoS flow involved in APP1 to satellite access; wherein, the request parameters in the guidance and / or switching request for N2 QoS flow include the PDU session ID, PDU session type, QFI, AN tunnel information, DNN / S-NSSAI involved in the QoS flow, and UE2's SUPI, Access type (3GPP), RAT type (Satellite) and other information.

[0269] Step 113: AMF1 sends a PDU session update request to SMF1. The PDU session update request carries information such as SUPI, Access type (3GPP), RAT type (Satellite), PDU session ID, PDU session type, QFI, DNN / S-NSSAI, and AN tunnel information that needs to be updated.

[0270] Step 114: SMF1 sends an N4 session update request to UPF1, where the N4 session update request carries information such as PDU session ID, PDU session type, QFI, DNN / S-NSSAI, and AN tunnel information that need to be updated.

[0271] Step 115: After AMF1 receives the PDU session update response returned by SMF1, AMF1 returns an N2 QoS flow guidance and / or switching response to UE2, indicating that the QoS flow guidance and / or switching of APP1's traffic is successful.

[0272] Step 116: UPF1 sends a UP Tunnel End Marker to RAN1, informing RAN1 that the QoS Flow of APP1 has been guided and / or the handover has been completed, and the previous UP Tunnel has ended.

[0273] Step 117: UE2 transmits uplink and downlink data of APP1 based on RAN2.

[0274] In order to clearly illustrate any of the above embodiments, the present application also proposes a traffic processing method.

[0275] Figure 12 A flow chart of another traffic processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0276] The traffic processing method of the embodiment of the present application can be executed by a DualSteer device.

[0277] The DualSteer device may include a first terminal and a second terminal, and the policy data of the first terminal and the second terminal are both defined in the PCF in the HPLMN network.

[0278] The access type of the first terminal to the first access network device is different from the access type of the second terminal to the second access network device.

[0279] like Figure 12As shown, the traffic processing method may include the following steps:

[0280] Step S1201, indirectly receiving a traffic processing policy sent by a PCF in the HPLMN network; wherein the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates that all traffic is processed through the first access network device, and no traffic guidance and / or switching is performed.

[0281] The traffic processing strategy includes a traffic steering strategy and / or a traffic switching strategy.

[0282] For the explanation of step S1201, please refer to the relevant description in any embodiment of the present application and will not be repeated here.

[0283] In step S1202, when the first terminal triggers a trigger condition in the traffic processing policy based on its own configuration, local conditions and at least one of the traffic processing policy, the first terminal transmits all application traffic through the first access network device.

[0284] In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving the traffic processing policy, the first terminal can determine whether the first terminal triggers the trigger condition in the traffic processing policy based on its own configuration, local conditions and at least one of the traffic processing policy. If the first terminal triggers the trigger condition in the traffic processing policy (for example, the first terminal moves to a remote area, the signal coverage of the first access network device is insufficient, but there is a coverage signal of the second access network device), and the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates that all traffic is processed through the first access network device, the first terminal may not perform traffic guidance and / or switching, that is, all application traffic can be transmitted through the first access network device through the first terminal.

[0285] The traffic processing method of the embodiment of the present application can be implemented so that when the first terminal indirectly receives the traffic processing policy indirectly issued by the PCF, and the traffic processing policy indicates not to perform traffic guidance and / or switching, the first terminal continues to process the traffic of all applications, that is, the first terminal will not guide and / or switch the traffic of the first and second types of applications to the second access network device where the second terminal is located, thereby ensuring the business continuity of the first terminal.

[0286] Below in conjunction with embodiment 5, Figure 12 The illustrated embodiment will be described in detail.

[0287] Example 5: The first terminal UE1 triggers the traffic steering and / or switching triggering conditions in the traffic steering and / or switching policy, but does not perform traffic steering and / or switching.

[0288] After indirectly receiving the guidance and / or switching trigger conditions (such as signal coverage changes) sent by hPCF, UE1 determines that it is necessary to perform traffic guidance and / or switching based on its own configuration, local conditions, and at least one of the traffic guidance and / or switching strategies. However, if the switch / steer mode sent by hPCF is not to guide and / or switch all traffic, UE1 will not guide and / or switch the traffic of APP1 and APP2 to the Access where UE2 is located.

[0289] The above are various method embodiments executed by the DualSteer device. The present application also proposes a traffic processing method executed by the PCF in the PLMN network to which the DualSteer device belongs.

[0290] Figure 13 A flow chart of another traffic processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0291] The traffic processing method of the embodiment of the present application can be executed by the PCF in the PLMN network to which the DualSteer device belongs.

[0292] like Figure 13 As shown, the traffic processing method may include the following steps:

[0293] Step S1301: indirectly sending a traffic processing policy to the DualSteer device; wherein the traffic processing policy includes a traffic steering policy and / or a traffic switching policy; wherein the traffic processing policy is used by the DualSteer device to perform traffic steering and / or switching when the traffic processing policy is triggered.

[0294] It should be noted that the aforementioned Figures 1 to 12 The explanations of the various method embodiments executed by the DualSteer device in the embodiments are also applicable to this embodiment. The implementation principles are similar and will not be repeated here.

[0295] The traffic processing method of the present embodiment indirectly sends a traffic processing policy to the DualSteer device via the PCF in the HPLMN network. The traffic processing policy includes a traffic steering policy and / or a traffic switching policy. The traffic processing policy is used by the DualSteer device to direct and / or switch traffic when the traffic processing policy is triggered. This ensures that the DualSteer device directs and / or switches traffic only when the traffic processing policy sent by the PCF in the HPLMN network is triggered, thereby ensuring service continuity for the DualSteer device and improving traffic transmission reliability.

[0296] When two terminals in a DualSteer device transmit different data simultaneously on different 3GPP accesses, if one of the 3GPP accesses is interrupted or the transmission quality deteriorates, to ensure service continuity, the DualSteer device can direct and / or switch traffic to the other 3GPP access for continued transmission. However, when and how the DualSteer device triggers traffic steering and / or switching is performed are not yet defined in the current 3GPP standard.

[0297] In order to solve the above problems, this application focuses on providing the triggering conditions and switching strategies for traffic guidance and / or switching of DualSteer devices.

[0298] In any embodiment of the present application, the design concept of the present application mainly includes two aspects: one is the triggering conditions for traffic steering and / or switching, and the other is the traffic steering and / or switching strategy. Among them, the triggering conditions for traffic steering and / or switching can be determined by the DualSteer device according to pre-configuration, etc., or can refer to the triggering strategy issued by the network. Among them, the triggering conditions can be determined based on but not limited to information: network capacity, traffic load, signal coverage, QoS (Quality of Service, Quality of Service), terminal capabilities, network pre-configuration, communication network operator's strategy, etc. The traffic steering and / or switching strategy is uniformly issued by the PCF in the HPLMN, and its strategy source can be determined based on service quality QoS, network pre-configuration, communication network operator's strategy, etc.

[0299] The following is an illustrative description of the design concept of the present application in conjunction with Examples 1 to 5. Among them, Example 1 introduces that hPCF sends traffic guidance and / or switching strategies for DualSteer devices, and the traffic guidance and / or switching strategies include triggering conditions for guidance and / or switching, guidance and / or switching modes, and selection conditions for guidance and / or switching modes. Among them, Example 1 can be the premise of Example 2, Example 3, Example 4, and Example 5. Based on this premise, Example 2, Example 3, Example 4, and Example 5 respectively introduce how the first terminal (such as UE1) in the DualSteer device guides and / or switches traffic after receiving different guidance and / or switching strategies sent by hPCF.

[0300] Example 1: hPCF sends traffic steering and / or switching (Traffic Switch / Steering) policies to DualSteer devices;

[0301] Example 2: The first terminal (such as UE1) in the DualSteer device triggers a traffic steering and / or switching (Traffic Switch / Steering) policy to perform steering and / or switching of all traffic;

[0302] Example 3: The first terminal (such as UE1) in the DualSteer device triggers a traffic steering and / or switching (Traffic Switch / Steering) policy, executes steering and / or switching of part of the traffic, and directly discards the remaining traffic;

[0303] Example 4: The first terminal (such as UE1) in the DualSteer device triggers a traffic steering and / or switching (Traffic Switch / Steering) strategy, performs steering and / or switching of part of the traffic, and retains the remaining traffic;

[0304] Example 5: The first terminal (such as UE1) in the DualSteer device triggers a traffic steering and / or switching (Traffic Switch / Steering) policy, but does not perform traffic steering and / or switching.

[0305] In summary, the technical solution provided by this application has at least the following characteristics:

[0306] For the terminal side: receive the traffic steering and / or switching strategy issued by the PCF in the HPLMN network, and execute as needed such as Example 2, Example 3, Example 4, and Example 5; traffic steering and / or switching can be triggered based on its own implementation or with reference to the traffic steering and / or switching strategy issued by the PCF.

[0307] For the network side: PCF adds a new DualSteer rule, including Switch / steertrigger condition, Switch / steer mode, Switch / steer mode indicator, Switch / steer mode selectioncondition, Switch / steer access preference, etc., and sends it to the UE and the target network element (such as SMF) to guide the UE on how to trigger traffic guidance and / or switching, as well as the specific method of guidance and / or switching, as shown in Example 1.

[0308] Compared with the existing technology that "does not support a terminal to access the 5G core network through two 3GPP access networks at the same time and transmit data on two different 3GPP accesses at the same time, and does not support when one of the 3GPP access is interrupted or the transmission quality deteriorates, the DualSteer device will guide and / or switch the traffic to another 3GPP access for continued transmission, and cannot guarantee the continuity of terminal services", the technical solution provided by this application has at least the following advantages: it can ensure the continuity of terminal services, increase transmission reliability, open up user usage scenarios, and add new business growth points for communication network operators.

[0309] The technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applicable to a variety of systems, especially 5G systems. For example, applicable systems may be Global System of Mobile communication (GSM) systems, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) systems, 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) systems, Worldwide interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) systems, 5G New Radio (NR) systems, etc. These various systems include terminals and network equipment. The system may also include core network parts, such as the Evolved Packet System (EPS) and the 5G System (5GS).

[0310] In order to implement the above embodiments, the present application also proposes a DualSteer device.

[0311] Figure 14A schematic diagram of the structure of a DualSteer device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0312] like Figure 14 As shown, the DualSteer device may include: a transceiver 1400 , a processor 1410 , a memory 1420 , and a user interface 1430 .

[0313] Among them, the memory 1420 is used to store computer programs; the transceiver 1400 is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor 1410; the processor 1410 is used to read the computer program in the memory 1020 and perform the following operations: indirectly receive the traffic processing policy sent by the policy control function PCF in the home PLMN network; wherein the traffic processing policy includes a traffic steering policy and / or a traffic switching policy; when the traffic processing policy is triggered, the traffic steering and / or switching is performed based on the traffic processing policy.

[0314] The transceiver 1400 is configured to receive and send data under the control of the processor 1410 .

[0315] Among them, Figure 14 In the embodiment, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically linking together various circuits of one or more processors 1410 represented by processor 1410 and memory 1420 represented by memory 1420. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are all well known in the art and therefore will not be described further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1400 may be a plurality of components, namely, a transmitter and a receiver, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices on a transmission medium, such as a wireless channel, a wired channel, an optical cable, and the like. For different user devices, the user interface 1430 may also be an interface capable of connecting external or internal devices as required, and the connected devices include but are not limited to a keypad, a display, a speaker, a microphone, a joystick, and the like.

[0316] The processor 1410 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1420 can store data used by the processor 1410 when performing operations.

[0317] Optionally, the processor 1410 may be a CPU (central processing unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), and the processor may also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0318] The processor 1410 calls the program stored in the memory 1420 to execute the program provided in the embodiment of the present application according to the obtained executable instructions. Figures 1 to 12 The processor 1410 and the memory 1420 may also be physically separated.

[0319] As a possible implementation, a DualSteer device includes a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein policy data of the first terminal and the second terminal are both defined in a PCF in a home PLMN network; the first terminal is connected to a first access network device, and the second terminal is connected to a second access network device, and the access types of the first access network device and the second access network device are different;

[0320] The processor 1410 executes the indirect reception of the traffic processing policy sent by the policy control function PCF in the home PLMN network, specifically: indirectly receiving the traffic processing policy sent by the PCF through the first terminal;

[0321] Accordingly, the processor 1410 executes traffic guidance and / or switching based on the traffic processing strategy when the traffic processing strategy is triggered. Specifically, when the first terminal triggers the traffic processing strategy based on its own configuration, local conditions and at least one of the traffic processing strategies, the traffic of the first terminal is guided and / or switched to the second access network device to transmit business data through the second access network device.

[0322] As a possible implementation manner, the local condition of the first terminal includes at least one of the following: network interface availability; signal loss condition; user preference.

[0323] As a possible implementation method, the traffic handling strategy includes at least one of the following: triggering conditions for guidance and / or switching; guidance and / or switching mode; indication information of guidance and / or switching mode; selection conditions for guidance and / or switching mode; access type priority / preference for guidance and / or switching mode selection; PLMN priority / preference for guidance and / or switching mode selection.

[0324] As a possible implementation manner, the trigger condition is determined based on at least one of the following: network capacity; traffic load; signal coverage; quality of service QoS; terminal capability; network pre-configuration; and communication network operator's policy.

[0325] As a possible implementation method, the guidance and / or switching mode is used to indicate at least one of the following: guiding and / or switching all traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device; guiding and / or switching part of the total traffic to the second access network device, and discarding the remaining traffic except for part of the total traffic; guiding and / or switching part of the traffic to the second access network device, and continuing to process the remaining traffic through the first access network device; processing all traffic through the first access network device without performing traffic guidance and / or switching.

[0326] As a possible implementation manner, the selection condition is determined according to at least one of the following: quality of service QoS; network pre-configuration; and a policy of a communication network operator.

[0327] As a possible implementation manner, the access type priority / preference is used to indicate the access type of the second access network device.

[0328] As a possible implementation manner, the PLMN priority / preference is used to indicate the PLMN to which the second access network device belongs.

[0329] As a possible implementation method, the traffic processing policy is indirectly sent to the first terminal by the PCF through the following steps: sending a target request to the target network element in the home PLMN network, wherein the target request carries a traffic processing policy including a dual-guide DualSteer rule; wherein the dual-guide DualSteer rule is used by the target network element to update the dual-guide DualSteer terminal rules sent to the first terminal, and send the updated dual-guide DualSteer terminal rules to the first terminal.

[0330] As a possible implementation method, the first terminal has established a first protocol data unit PDU session through the first access network device; the target network element is the session management function SMF, and the target request is the PCF triggering the revision of the session management SM policy for the first PDU session, and the SM policy update request initiated for the first PDU session; wherein, the SM policy update request carries a traffic processing policy including a dual-boot DualSteer rule, and the dual-boot DualSteer rule is used by the SMF to update the N4 rule of the first PDU session and the dual-boot DualSteer terminal rule sent to the first terminal; wherein, the updated N4 rule is used by the user plane function UPF in the home PLMN network to perform transmission and forwarding of the first PDU session; wherein, the updated dual-boot DualSteer terminal rule is used by the SMF to send to the first terminal.

[0331] As a possible implementation method, when the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates that all traffic is guided and / or switched to the second access network device, the processor 1410 executes the guidance and / or switching of the traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device when the first terminal triggers the traffic processing policy based on its own configuration, local conditions and at least one of the traffic processing policy. Specifically, when the first terminal triggers the triggering condition in the traffic processing policy based on its own configuration, local conditions and at least one of the traffic processing policy, the guidance and / or switching of the traffic is triggered through the first terminal; the Xn handover process from the first access network device to the second access network device is executed through the guidance and / or switching process based on Xn of the first terminal; or the N2 handover process from the first access network device to the second access network device is executed through the guidance and / or switching process based on N2 of the first terminal; after the guidance and / or switching is completed, the traffic of all applications is transmitted through the second access network device through the first terminal.

[0332] As a possible implementation method, when the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates that part of the total traffic is guided and / or switched to the second access network device, and the remaining traffic except for part of the total traffic is discarded, the processor 1410 executes the guidance and / or switching of the traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device when the first terminal triggers the traffic processing policy based on its own configuration, local conditions and at least one of the traffic processing policy. Specifically, when the first terminal triggers the triggering condition in the traffic processing policy based on its own configuration, local conditions and at least one of the traffic processing policy, the guidance and / or switching of the traffic is triggered through the first terminal; for the first type of application in the first terminal, the Xn handover process from the first access network device to the second access network device is executed through the Xn-based guidance and / or switching process of the first terminal, or the N2 handover process from the first access network device to the second access network device is executed through the N2-based guidance and / or switching process of the first terminal; after the guidance and / or switching is completed, the traffic of the first type of application is transmitted through the second access network device through the first terminal.

[0333] As a possible implementation method, the processor 1410 executes to guide and / or switch the traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device when the first terminal triggers the traffic processing policy based on at least one of its own configuration, local conditions and traffic processing policy. Specifically, for the second type of application in the first terminal, if the traffic of the second type of application is carried by the second PDU session, the second PDU session corresponding to the second type of application is released through the first terminal based on the PDU session release process; wherein the second PDU session is a new session created by the first terminal based on the first PDU session; if the traffic of the second type of application is carried by the first PDU session, the QoS flow of the traffic of the second type of application is deleted through the first terminal based on the PDU session update process.

[0334] As a possible implementation method, when the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates that part of the traffic is to be guided and / or switched to the second access network device, and the remaining traffic is to continue to be processed through the first access network device, the processor 1410 executes, when the first terminal triggers the traffic processing policy based on at least one of its own configuration, local conditions and traffic processing policy, to guide and / or switch the traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device, specifically: when the first terminal triggers the triggering condition in the traffic processing policy based on at least one of its own configuration, local conditions and traffic processing policy, the guidance and / or switching of the traffic is triggered by the first terminal; sending an indication message to the second terminal through the first terminal; wherein the indication message is used to indicate that the second terminal needs to carry the traffic of the first type of application in the first terminal, as well as session information related to the traffic of the first type of application; sending, through the second terminal, a guidance and / or switching request for an N2 QoS flow to the AMF in the home PLMN network based on the indication message; wherein the guidance and / or switching request for the N2 QoS flow is used to transfer the QoS flow of the traffic of the first type of application to the second access network device; and receiving the N2 sent by the AMF at the second terminal In the case of guidance and / or switching response of QoS flow, traffic transmission of the first type of application is performed through the second terminal based on the second access network device; wherein, the guidance and / or switching response of N2 QoS flow is used to indicate that the QoS flow guidance and / or switching is successful.

[0335] As a possible implementation method, the guidance and / or switching request of the N2 QoS flow is used by the AMF to perform the following steps: based on the request parameters in the guidance and / or switching request of the N2 QoS flow, a PDU session update request is sent to the SMF in the home PLMN network; upon receiving the PDU session update response sent by the SMF, a guidance and / or switching response of the N2 QoS flow is sent to the second terminal.

[0336] As a possible implementation method, the request parameters in the guidance and / or switching request of the N2 QoS flow include at least one of the following: the session identifier of the PDU session involved in the QoS flow; the session type of the PDU session involved in the QoS flow; the QoS flow identifier QFI involved in the QoS flow; the access network tunnel information AN tunnel information involved in the QoS flow; the data network name DNN or single network slice selection auxiliary information S-NSSAI involved in the QoS flow; the identification information of the second terminal; the access type of the second terminal; the access type of the second access network device accessed by the second terminal.

[0337] As a possible implementation method, when the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates that all traffic is processed through the first access network device and no traffic guidance and / or switching is performed, the processor 1410 is also used to perform the following operations: when the first terminal triggers the triggering condition in the traffic processing policy based on its own configuration, local conditions and at least one of the traffic processing policies, all application traffic is transmitted through the first terminal via the first access network device.

[0338] It should be noted that the DualSteer device provided in the embodiment of the present application can achieve the above Figures 1 to 12 All the method steps implemented in the method embodiment can achieve the same technical effects, and the parts and beneficial effects of this embodiment that are the same as those in the method embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0339] In order to implement the above embodiment, the present application also proposes a PCF.

[0340] Figure 15 A schematic diagram of the structure of a PCF provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0341] like Figure 15 As shown, the PCF is a PCF in the PLMN network to which the DualSteer device belongs, and may include: a transceiver 1500 , a processor 1510 , and a memory 1520 .

[0342] Among them, the memory 1520 is used to store computer programs; the transceiver 1500 is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor 1510; the processor 1510 is used to read the computer program in the memory 1520 and perform the following operations: indirectly sending a traffic processing policy to the DualSteer device; wherein the traffic processing policy includes a traffic steering policy and / or a traffic switching policy; wherein the traffic processing policy is used by the DualSteer device to perform traffic steering and / or switching when the traffic processing policy is triggered.

[0343] The transceiver 1500 is configured to receive and send data under the control of the processor 1510 .

[0344] Among them, Figure 15In the embodiment, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically linking together various circuits of one or more processors represented by processor 1510 and memory represented by memory 1520. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are all well known in the art and, therefore, will not be described further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1500 may be a plurality of components, i.e., a transmitter and a receiver, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices on a transmission medium, such as a wireless channel, a wired channel, an optical cable, and the like. The processor 1510 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1520 may store data used by the processor 1510 when performing operations.

[0345] The processor 1510 may be a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a CPLD, and the processor 1510 may also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0346] It should be noted that the PCF provided in the embodiment of the present application can achieve the above Figure 13 All the method steps implemented in the method embodiment can achieve the same technical effects, and the parts and beneficial effects of this embodiment that are the same as those in the method embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0347] With the above Figures 1 to 12 Corresponding to the flow processing method provided in the embodiment, the present application also provides a flow processing device. Since the flow processing device provided in the embodiment of the present application is consistent with the above Figures 1 to 12 The flow processing method provided in the embodiment corresponds to the embodiment, so the implementation method of the flow processing method is also applicable to the flow processing device provided in the embodiment of the present application, and will not be described in detail in the embodiment of the present application.

[0348] Figure 16 A schematic structural diagram of a flow processing device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0349] like Figure 16 As shown, the traffic processing device 1600 can be applied to a DualSteer device, and includes: a receiving unit 1610 and an execution unit 1620.

[0350] The receiving unit 1610 is configured to indirectly receive a traffic processing policy sent by a policy control function PCF in a home PLMN network; wherein the traffic processing policy includes a traffic steering policy and / or a traffic switching policy.

[0351] The execution unit 1620 is configured to execute traffic guidance and / or switching based on the traffic processing policy when the traffic processing policy is triggered.

[0352] As a possible implementation, a DualSteer device includes a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein policy data of the first terminal and the second terminal are both defined in a PCF in a home PLMN network; the first terminal is connected to a first access network device, and the second terminal is connected to a second access network device, and the access types of the first access network device and the second access network device are different;

[0353] The receiving unit 1610 is specifically configured to: indirectly receive the traffic processing policy sent by the PCF through the first terminal;

[0354] Correspondingly, the execution unit 1620 is specifically used to: when the first terminal triggers the traffic processing policy based on its own configuration, local conditions and at least one of the traffic processing policies, guide and / or switch the traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device, so as to transmit business data through the second access network device.

[0355] As a possible implementation manner, the local condition of the first terminal includes at least one of the following: network interface availability; signal loss condition; user preference.

[0356] As a possible implementation method, the traffic handling strategy includes at least one of the following: triggering conditions for guidance and / or switching; guidance and / or switching mode; indication information of guidance and / or switching mode; selection conditions for guidance and / or switching mode; access type priority / preference for guidance and / or switching mode selection; PLMN priority / preference for guidance and / or switching mode selection.

[0357] As a possible implementation manner, the trigger condition is determined based on at least one of the following: network capacity; traffic load; signal coverage; quality of service QoS; terminal capability; network pre-configuration; and communication network operator's policy.

[0358] As a possible implementation method, the guidance and / or switching mode is used to indicate at least one of the following: guiding and / or switching all traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device; guiding and / or switching part of the total traffic to the second access network device, and discarding the remaining traffic except for part of the total traffic; guiding and / or switching part of the traffic to the second access network device, and continuing to process the remaining traffic through the first access network device; processing all traffic through the first access network device without performing traffic guidance and / or switching.

[0359] As a possible implementation manner, the selection condition is determined according to at least one of the following: quality of service QoS; network pre-configuration; and a policy of a communication network operator.

[0360] As a possible implementation manner, the access type priority / preference is used to indicate the access type of the second access network device.

[0361] As a possible implementation manner, the PLMN priority / preference is used to indicate the PLMN to which the second access network device belongs.

[0362] As a possible implementation method, the traffic processing policy is indirectly sent to the first terminal by the PCF in the following manner: sending a target request to the target network element in the home PLMN network, wherein the target request carries a traffic processing policy including a dual-guide DualSteer rule; wherein the dual-guide DualSteer rule is used by the target network element to update the dual-guide DualSteer terminal rules sent to the first terminal, and send the updated dual-guide DualSteer terminal rules to the first terminal.

[0363] As a possible implementation method, the first terminal has established a first protocol data unit PDU session through the first access network device; the target network element is the session management function SMF, and the target request is the PCF triggering the revision of the session management SM policy for the first PDU session, and the SM policy update request initiated for the first PDU session; wherein, the SM policy update request carries a traffic processing policy including a dual-boot DualSteer rule, and the dual-boot DualSteer rule is used by the SMF to update the N4 rule of the first PDU session and the dual-boot DualSteer terminal rule sent to the first terminal; wherein, the updated N4 rule is used by the user plane function UPF in the home PLMN network to perform transmission and forwarding of the first PDU session; wherein, the updated dual-boot DualSteer terminal rule is used by the SMF to send to the first terminal.

[0364] As a possible implementation method, when the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates that all traffic is to be guided and / or switched to the second access network device, the execution unit 1620 is specifically used to: when the first terminal triggers the triggering condition in the traffic processing policy based on its own configuration, local conditions and at least one of the traffic processing policy, trigger the guidance and / or switching of traffic through the first terminal; execute the Xn handover process from the first access network device to the second access network device through the guidance and / or switching process based on Xn of the first terminal; or execute the N2 handover process from the first access network device to the second access network device through the guidance and / or switching process based on N2 of the first terminal; after the guidance and / or switching is completed, transmit all application traffic through the second access network device through the first terminal.

[0365] As a possible implementation method, when the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates that part of the total traffic is guided and / or switched to the second access network device, and the remaining traffic except for part of the total traffic is discarded, the execution unit 1620 is specifically used to: when the first terminal triggers the triggering condition in the traffic processing policy based on its own configuration, local conditions and at least one of the traffic processing policy, trigger the guidance and / or switching of traffic through the first terminal; for the first type of application in the first terminal, execute the Xn handover process from the first access network device to the second access network device through the Xn-based guidance and / or switching process of the first terminal, or execute the N2 handover process from the first access network device to the second access network device through the N2-based guidance and / or switching process of the first terminal; after the guidance and / or switching is completed, transmit the traffic of the first type of application through the second access network device through the first terminal.

[0366] As a possible implementation method, the execution unit 1620 is specifically used to: for the second type of application in the first terminal, if the traffic of the second type of application is carried by the second PDU session, then the first terminal releases the second PDU session corresponding to the second type of application based on the PDU session release process; wherein, the second PDU session is a new session created by the first terminal based on the first PDU session; if the traffic of the second type of application is carried by the first PDU session, then the first terminal deletes the QoS flow of the traffic of the second type of application based on the PDU session update process.

[0367] As a possible implementation method, when the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates that part of the traffic is to be guided and / or switched to the second access network device, and the remaining traffic is to continue to be processed through the first access network device, the execution unit 1620 is specifically used to: trigger the guidance and / or switching of traffic through the first terminal when the first terminal triggers the triggering condition in the traffic processing policy based on its own configuration, local conditions and at least one of the traffic processing policy; send an indication message to the second terminal through the first terminal; wherein the indication message is used to indicate that the second terminal needs to carry the traffic of the first type of application in the first terminal, as well as session information related to the traffic of the first type of application; send a guidance and / or switching request for N2 QoS flow to the AMF in the home PLMN network based on the indication message through the second terminal; wherein the guidance and / or switching request for N2 QoS flow is used to transfer the QoS flow of the traffic of the first type of application to the second access network device; when the second terminal receives the guidance and / or switching response of N2 QoS flow sent by AMF, transmit the traffic of the first type of application based on the second access network device through the second terminal; wherein N2 The QoS flow guidance and / or switching response is used to indicate that the QoS flow guidance and / or switching is successful.

[0368] As a possible implementation method, the guidance and / or switching request of the N2 QoS flow is specifically used for: the AMF sends a PDU session update request to the SMF in the home PLMN network based on the request parameters in the guidance and / or switching request of the N2 QoS flow; upon receiving the PDU session update response sent by the SMF, the AMF sends the guidance and / or switching response of the N2 QoS flow to the second terminal.

[0369] As a possible implementation method, the request parameters in the guidance and / or switching request of the N2 QoS flow include at least one of the following: the session identifier of the PDU session involved in the QoS flow; the session type of the PDU session involved in the QoS flow; the QoS flow identifier QFI involved in the QoS flow; the access network tunnel information AN tunnel information involved in the QoS flow; the data network name DNN or single network slice selection auxiliary information S-NSSAI involved in the QoS flow; the identification information of the second terminal; the access type of the second terminal; the access type of the second access network device accessed by the second terminal.

[0370] As a possible implementation method, when the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates that all traffic is processed through the first access network device and traffic guidance and / or switching is not performed, the execution unit 1620 is also used to: when the first terminal triggers the trigger condition in the traffic processing policy based on its own configuration, local conditions and at least one of the traffic processing policy, transmit all application traffic through the first terminal through the first access network device.

[0371] It should be noted that the above-mentioned flow processing device provided in the embodiment of the present application can achieve the above-mentioned Figures 1 to 12 All the method steps implemented in the method embodiment can achieve the same technical effects, and the parts and beneficial effects of this embodiment that are the same as those in the method embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0372] With the above Figure 13 Corresponding to the flow processing method provided in the embodiment, the present application also provides a flow processing device. Since the flow processing device provided in the embodiment of the present application is consistent with the above Figure 13 The flow processing method provided in the embodiment corresponds to the embodiment, so the implementation method of the flow processing method is also applicable to the flow processing device provided in the embodiment of the present application, and will not be described in detail in the embodiment of the present application.

[0373] Figure 17 A schematic structural diagram of another flow processing device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0374] like Figure 17As shown, the traffic processing device 1700 can be applied to the PCF in the PLMN network to which the DualSteer device belongs, and includes: a sending unit 1710.

[0375] The sending unit 1710 is used to indirectly send a traffic processing policy to the DualSteer device; the traffic processing policy includes a traffic steering policy and / or a traffic switching policy; the traffic processing policy is used by the DualSteer device to perform traffic steering and / or switching when the traffic processing policy is triggered.

[0376] It should be noted that the above-mentioned flow processing device provided in the embodiment of the present application can achieve the above-mentioned Figure 13 All the method steps implemented in the method embodiment can achieve the same technical effects, and the parts and beneficial effects of this embodiment that are the same as those in the method embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0377] It should be noted that the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional units.

[0378] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a processor-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or a processor to execute all or part of the steps of the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), disk or optical disk, and other media that can store program code.

[0379] In order to implement the above embodiments, the present application also proposes a processor-readable storage medium.

[0380] The processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program for causing the processor to execute the present application. Figures 1 to 13 The traffic processing method of any embodiment.

[0381] Among them, the processor-readable storage medium can be any available medium or data storage device that can be accessed by the processor, including but not limited to magnetic storage (such as floppy disks, hard disks, tapes, magneto-optical disks (MO)), optical storage (such as CDs, DVDs, BDs, HVDs, etc.), and semiconductor storage (such as ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, non-volatile memory (NANDFLASH), solid-state drives (SSDs)), etc.

[0382] In order to implement the above embodiments, the present application also proposes a computer program product.

[0383] The computer program product includes a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the present application. Figures 1 to 13 The traffic processing method of any embodiment.

[0384] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application can adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application can adopt the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage and optical storage, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0385] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that each process and / or box in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the processes and / or boxes in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer-executable instructions. These computer-executable instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the steps in the process. Figure 1 a process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0386] These processor-executable instructions may 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, so that the instructions stored in the processor-readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device that implements the process Figure 1 a process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0387] These processor-executable instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operational steps are performed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for executing on the computer or other programmable device to implement the process. Figure 1 a process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A step that specifies a function in one or more boxes.

[0388] Obviously, those skilled in the art may 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 equivalents, this application is intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A traffic processing method, characterized in that: Applies to dual-boot DualSteer devices, including: indirectly receiving a traffic processing policy sent by a policy control function (PCF) in a home PLMN network; wherein the traffic processing policy includes a traffic steering policy and / or a traffic switching policy; In the case where the traffic processing policy is triggered, traffic guidance and / or switching is performed based on the traffic processing policy.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The DualSteer device includes a first terminal and a second terminal, and the policy data of the first terminal and the second terminal are both defined in the PCF in the home PLMN network; The first terminal is connected to a first access network device, the second terminal is connected to a second access network device, and the access types of the first access network device and the second access network device are different; The indirect reception of the traffic processing policy sent by the policy control function PCF in the home PLMN network includes: indirectly receiving, through the first terminal, a traffic processing policy sent by the PCF; Accordingly, when the traffic processing strategy is triggered, the traffic guidance and / or switching is performed based on the traffic processing strategy, including: When the first terminal triggers the traffic processing strategy based on its own configuration, local conditions and at least one of the traffic processing strategies, the traffic of the first terminal is guided and / or switched to the second access network device to transmit business data through the second access network device.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The local condition of the first terminal includes at least one of the following: Network interface availability; Signal loss conditions; User preferences.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The traffic handling strategy includes at least one of the following: triggering conditions for guidance and / or switching; Boot and / or switch modes; Instruction information of the boot and / or switching mode; selection conditions of the guiding and / or switching modes; access type priority / preference for said bootstrapping and / or handover mode selection; PLMN priority / preference for the bootstrapping and / or handover mode selection.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The trigger condition is determined according to at least one of the following: Network capacity; Traffic load; Signal coverage; Quality of Service (QoS); Terminal capabilities; Network pre-configuration; Strategies of communication network operators.

6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The guidance and / or switching mode is used to indicate at least one of the following: Directing and / or switching all traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device; Directing and / or switching part of the total traffic to the second access network device, and discarding the remaining traffic except the part of the total traffic; Directing and / or switching the portion of traffic to the second access network device, and continuing to process the remaining traffic through the first access network device; All traffic is processed by the first access network device without performing traffic guidance and / or switching.

7. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The selection condition is determined based on at least one of the following: Service quality QoS; Network pre-configuration; Strategies of communication network operators.

8. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The access type priority / preference is used to indicate the access type of the second access network device.

9. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The PLMN priority / preference is used to indicate the PLMN to which the second access network device belongs.

10. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that The traffic processing policy is sent indirectly by the PCF to the first terminal through the following steps: Sending a target request to a target network element in the home PLMN network, wherein the target request carries the traffic processing policy including the dual-steering DualSteer rule; The dual-boot DualSteer rule is used by the target network element to update the dual-boot DualSteer terminal rule sent to the first terminal, and to send the updated dual-boot DualSteer terminal rule to the first terminal.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The first terminal has established a first protocol data unit (PDU) session through the first access network device; The target network element is a session management function (SMF), and the target request is an SM policy update request for the first PDU session initiated by the PCF to trigger a revision of the session management (SM) policy for the first PDU session; wherein the SM policy update request carries the traffic processing policy including the dual-boot DualSteer rule, and the dual-boot DualSteer rule is used by the SMF to update the N4 rule of the first PDU session and the dual-boot DualSteer terminal rule sent to the first terminal; The updated N4 rule is used by a user plane function UPF in the home PLMN network to transmit and forward the first PDU session; The updated dual-boot DualSteer terminal rule is used by the SMF to be sent to the first terminal.

12. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that When the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates that all traffic is to be guided and / or switched to the second access network device, guiding and / or switching traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device when the first terminal triggers the traffic processing policy based on at least one of its own configuration, local conditions, and the traffic processing policy includes: triggering, by the first terminal, directing and / or switching traffic when a trigger condition in the traffic processing policy is triggered by the first terminal based on at least one of its own configuration, local conditions, and the traffic processing policy; Performing an Xn handover process from the first access network device to the second access network device through an Xn-based guidance and / or handover process by the first terminal; or Performing an N2 handover process from the first access network device to the second access network device through the first terminal based on the N2 guidance and / or handover process; After the guidance and / or switching is completed, the traffic of all applications is transmitted through the second access network device via the first terminal.

13. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that When the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates that part of the total traffic is to be guided and / or switched to the second access network device, and the remaining traffic except the part of the total traffic is discarded, guiding and / or switching the traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device when the first terminal triggers the traffic processing policy based on at least one of its own configuration, local conditions, and the traffic processing policy includes: triggering, by the first terminal, directing and / or switching traffic when a trigger condition in the traffic processing policy is triggered by the first terminal based on at least one of its own configuration, local conditions, and the traffic processing policy; For the first type of application in the first terminal, an Xn handover process is performed from the first access network device to the second access network device through the Xn-based guidance and / or handover process of the first terminal, or an N2 handover process is performed from the first access network device to the second access network device through the N2-based guidance and / or handover process of the first terminal; After the guidance and / or switching is completed, the traffic of the first type of application is transmitted through the second access network device via the first terminal.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The step of directing and / or switching traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device when the first terminal triggers the traffic processing policy based on at least one of its own configuration, local conditions, and the traffic processing policy further includes: For the second type of application in the first terminal, if the traffic of the second type of application is carried by the second PDU session, releasing the second PDU session corresponding to the second type of application through the first terminal based on the PDU session release process; wherein the second PDU session is a new session created by the first terminal based on the first PDU session; If the traffic of the second type of application is carried by the first PDU session, the QoS flow of the traffic of the second type of application is deleted through the first terminal based on the PDU session update process.

15. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that When the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates that the portion of traffic is to be guided and / or switched to the second access network device, and the remaining traffic is to continue to be processed through the first access network device, guiding and / or switching the traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device when the first terminal triggers the traffic processing policy based on at least one of its own configuration, local conditions, and the traffic processing policy includes: triggering, by the first terminal, directing and / or switching traffic when a trigger condition in the traffic processing policy is triggered by the first terminal based on at least one of its own configuration, local conditions, and the traffic processing policy; Sending an indication message to the second terminal through the first terminal; wherein the indication message is used to indicate that the second terminal needs to carry traffic of the first type of application in the first terminal, as well as session information related to the traffic of the first type of application; Sending, through the second terminal based on the indication message, a N2 QoS flow guidance and / or switching request to the AMF in the home PLMN network; wherein the N2 QoS flow guidance and / or switching request is used to transfer the QoS flow of the traffic of the first type of application to the second access network device; When the second terminal receives the guidance and / or switching response of the N2 QoS flow sent by the AMF, the traffic of the first type of application is transmitted through the second terminal based on the second access network device; wherein, the guidance and / or switching response of the N2QoS flow is used to indicate that the guidance and / or switching of the QoS flow is successful.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The N2 QoS flow guidance and / or handover request is used by the AMF to perform the following steps: Sending a PDU session update request to the SMF in the home PLMN network based on request parameters in the steering and / or handover request of the N2 QoS flow; Upon receiving the PDU session update response sent by the SMF, a guidance and / or switching response of the N2 QoS flow is sent to the second terminal.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The request parameters in the N2 QoS flow guidance and / or switching request include at least one of the following: The session identifier of the PDU session involved in the QoS flow; The session type of the PDU session involved in the QoS flow; The QoS flow identifier QFI involved in the QoS flow; Access network tunnel information AN tunnel information involved in the QoS flow; The data network name DNN or single network slice selection auxiliary information S-NSSAI involved in the QoS flow; identification information of the second terminal; an access type of the second terminal; The access type of the second access network device accessed by the second terminal.

18. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that When the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates that all traffic is processed by the first access network device without performing traffic guidance and / or switching, the method further includes: When the first terminal triggers the triggering condition in the traffic processing policy based on its own configuration, local conditions and at least one of the traffic processing policy, all application traffic is transmitted through the first access network device via the first terminal.

19. A traffic processing method, characterized in that: The PCF used in the DualSteer device's home PLMN network includes: indirectly sending a traffic processing strategy to the DualSteer device; wherein the traffic processing strategy includes a traffic steering strategy and / or a traffic switching strategy; The traffic processing strategy is used by the DualSteer device to perform traffic guidance and / or switching when the traffic processing strategy is triggered.

20. A DualSteer device, characterized in that: Including memory, transceiver, processor; A memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for transmitting and receiving data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and performing the following operations: indirectly receiving a traffic processing policy sent by a policy control function (PCF) in a home PLMN network; wherein the traffic processing policy includes a traffic steering policy and / or a traffic switching policy; In the case where the traffic processing policy is triggered, traffic guidance and / or switching is performed based on the traffic processing policy.

21. The DualSteer device according to claim 20, wherein: The DualSteer device includes a first terminal and a second terminal, and the policy data of the first terminal and the second terminal are both defined in the PCF in the home PLMN network; The first terminal is connected to a first access network device, the second terminal is connected to a second access network device, and the access types of the first access network device and the second access network device are different; The processor executes the traffic processing policy sent by the policy control function PCF in the indirectly received home PLMN network, specifically: indirectly receiving, through the first terminal, a traffic processing policy sent by the PCF; Accordingly, the processor executes, when the traffic processing strategy is triggered, traffic guidance and / or switching based on the traffic processing strategy, specifically: When the first terminal triggers the traffic processing strategy based on its own configuration, local conditions and at least one of the traffic processing strategies, the traffic of the first terminal is guided and / or switched to the second access network device to transmit business data through the second access network device.

22. The DualSteer device according to claim 21, wherein: The local condition of the first terminal includes at least one of the following: Network interface availability; Signal loss conditions; User preferences.

23. The DualSteer device according to claim 21, wherein: The traffic handling strategy includes at least one of the following: triggering conditions for guidance and / or switching; Boot and / or switch modes; Instruction information of the boot and / or switching mode; selection conditions of the guiding and / or switching modes; access type priority / preference for said bootstrapping and / or handover mode selection; PLMN priority / preference for the bootstrapping and / or handover mode selection.

24. The DualSteer device according to claim 23, wherein: The trigger condition is determined according to at least one of the following: Network capacity; Traffic load; Signal coverage; Quality of Service (QoS); Terminal capabilities; Network pre-configuration; Strategies of communication network operators.

25. The DualSteer device according to claim 23, wherein: The guidance and / or switching mode is used to indicate at least one of the following: Directing and / or switching all traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device; Directing and / or switching part of the total traffic to the second access network device, and discarding the remaining traffic except the part of the total traffic; Directing and / or switching the portion of traffic to the second access network device, and continuing to process the remaining traffic through the first access network device; All traffic is processed by the first access network device without performing traffic guidance and / or switching.

26. The DualSteer device according to claim 23, wherein: The selection condition is determined based on at least one of the following: Service quality QoS; Network pre-configuration; Strategies of communication network operators.

27. The DualSteer device according to claim 23, wherein: The access type priority / preference is used to indicate the access type of the second access network device.

28. The DualSteer device of claim 23, wherein: The PLMN priority / preference is used to indicate the PLMN to which the second access network device belongs.

29. The DualSteer device according to any one of claims 21 to 28, wherein: The traffic processing policy is sent indirectly by the PCF to the first terminal through the following steps: Sending a target request to a target network element in the home PLMN network, wherein the target request carries the traffic processing policy including the dual-steering DualSteer rule; The dual-boot DualSteer rule is used by the target network element to update the dual-boot DualSteer terminal rule sent to the first terminal, and to send the updated dual-boot DualSteer terminal rule to the first terminal.

30. The DualSteer device according to claim 29, wherein: The first terminal has established a first protocol data unit (PDU) session through the first access network device; The target network element is a session management function (SMF), and the target request is an SM policy update request for the first PDU session initiated by the PCF to trigger a revision of the session management (SM) policy for the first PDU session; wherein the SM policy update request carries the traffic processing policy including the dual-boot DualSteer rule, and the dual-boot DualSteer rule is used by the SMF to update the N4 rule of the first PDU session and the dual-boot DualSteer terminal rule sent to the first terminal; The updated N4 rule is used by a user plane function UPF in the home PLMN network to transmit and forward the first PDU session; The updated dual-boot DualSteer terminal rule is used by the SMF to be sent to the first terminal.

31. The DualSteer device according to any one of claims 21 to 28, wherein: When the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates that all traffic is to be guided and / or switched to the second access network device, the processor executes, when the first terminal triggers the traffic processing policy based on at least one of its own configuration, local conditions, and the traffic processing policy, guiding and / or switching the traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device, specifically: triggering, by the first terminal, directing and / or switching traffic when a trigger condition in the traffic processing policy is triggered by the first terminal based on at least one of its own configuration, local conditions, and the traffic processing policy; Performing an Xn handover process from the first access network device to the second access network device through the first terminal based on the Xn guidance and / or handover process; or Performing an N2 handover process from the first access network device to the second access network device through the first terminal based on the N2 guidance and / or handover process; After the guidance and / or switching is completed, the traffic of all applications is transmitted through the second access network device via the first terminal.

32. The DualSteer device according to any one of claims 21 to 28, wherein: When the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates that part of the total traffic is guided and / or switched to the second access network device, and the remaining traffic except the part of the total traffic is discarded, the processor executes, when the first terminal triggers the traffic processing policy based on at least one of its own configuration, local conditions, and the traffic processing policy, guiding and / or switching the traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device, specifically: triggering, by the first terminal, directing and / or switching traffic when a trigger condition in the traffic processing policy is triggered by the first terminal based on at least one of its own configuration, local conditions, and the traffic processing policy; For the first type of application in the first terminal, an Xn handover process is performed from the first access network device to the second access network device through the Xn-based guidance and / or handover process of the first terminal, or an N2 handover process is performed from the first access network device to the second access network device through the N2-based guidance and / or handover process of the first terminal; After the guidance and / or switching is completed, the traffic of the first type of application is transmitted through the second access network device via the first terminal.

33. The DualSteer device according to claim 32, wherein: The processor executes, when the first terminal triggers the traffic processing policy based on at least one of its own configuration, local conditions, and the traffic processing policy, directing and / or switching traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device, specifically: For the second type of application in the first terminal, if the traffic of the second type of application is carried by the second PDU session, releasing the second PDU session corresponding to the second type of application through the first terminal based on the PDU session release process; wherein the second PDU session is a new session created by the first terminal based on the first PDU session; If the traffic of the second type of application is carried by the first PDU session, the QoS flow of the traffic of the second type of application is deleted through the first terminal based on the PDU session update process.

34. The DualSteer device according to any one of claims 21 to 28, wherein: When the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates that the portion of traffic is to be guided and / or switched to the second access network device, and the remaining traffic is to continue to be processed through the first access network device, the processor executes, when the first terminal triggers the traffic processing policy based on at least one of its own configuration, local conditions, and the traffic processing policy, guiding and / or switching the traffic of the first terminal to the second access network device, specifically: triggering, by the first terminal, directing and / or switching traffic when a trigger condition in the traffic processing policy is triggered by the first terminal based on at least one of its own configuration, local conditions, and the traffic processing policy; Sending an indication message to the second terminal through the first terminal; wherein the indication message is used to indicate that the second terminal needs to carry traffic of the first type of application in the first terminal, as well as session information related to the traffic of the first type of application; Sending, through the second terminal based on the indication message, a N2 QoS flow guidance and / or switching request to the AMF in the home PLMN network; wherein the N2 QoS flow guidance and / or switching request is used to transfer the QoS flow of the traffic of the first type of application to the second access network device; When the second terminal receives the guidance and / or switching response of the N2 QoS flow sent by the AMF, the traffic of the first type of application is transmitted through the second terminal based on the second access network device; wherein, the guidance and / or switching response of the N2QoS flow is used to indicate that the guidance and / or switching of the QoS flow is successful.

35. The DualSteer device of claim 34, wherein: The N2 QoS flow guidance and / or handover request is used by the AMF to perform the following steps: Sending a PDU session update request to the SMF in the home PLMN network based on request parameters in the steering and / or handover request of the N2 QoS flow; Upon receiving the PDU session update response sent by the SMF, a guidance and / or switching response of the N2 QoS flow is sent to the second terminal.

36. The DualSteer device according to claim 35, wherein: The request parameters in the N2 QoS flow guidance and / or switching request include at least one of the following: The session identifier of the PDU session involved in the QoS flow; The session type of the PDU session involved in the QoS flow; The QoS flow identifier QFI involved in the QoS flow; Access network tunnel information AN tunnel information involved in the QoS flow; The data network name DNN or single network slice selection auxiliary information S-NSSAI involved in the QoS flow; identification information of the second terminal; an access type of the second terminal; The access type of the second access network device accessed by the second terminal.

37. The DualSteer device according to any one of claims 21 to 28, characterized in that When the guidance and / or switching mode in the traffic processing policy indicates that all traffic is processed by the first access network device and that traffic guidance and / or switching is not performed, the processor is further configured to perform the following operations: When the first terminal triggers the triggering condition in the traffic processing policy based on its own configuration, local conditions and at least one of the traffic processing policy, all application traffic is transmitted through the first access network device via the first terminal.

38. A PCF in a DualSteer device's home PLMN network, characterized in that: Including memory, transceiver, processor; A memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for transmitting and receiving data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and performing the following operations: indirectly sending a traffic processing strategy to the DualSteer device; wherein the traffic processing strategy includes a traffic steering strategy and / or a traffic switching strategy; The traffic processing strategy is used by the DualSteer device to perform traffic guidance and / or switching when the traffic processing strategy is triggered.

39. A flow processing device, characterized in that: Applies to dual-boot DualSteer devices, including: A receiving unit, configured to indirectly receive a traffic processing policy sent by a policy control function (PCF) in a home PLMN network; wherein the traffic processing policy includes a traffic steering policy and / or a traffic switching policy; An execution unit is configured to, when the traffic processing strategy is triggered, execute traffic guidance and / or switching based on the traffic processing strategy.

40. A flow processing device, characterized in that: The PCF used in the DualSteer device's home PLMN network includes: A sending unit, configured to indirectly send a traffic processing strategy to the DualSteer device; wherein the traffic processing strategy includes a traffic steering strategy and / or a traffic switching strategy; The traffic processing strategy is used by the DualSteer device to perform traffic guidance and / or switching when the traffic processing strategy is triggered.

41. A processor-readable storage medium, characterized in that The processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is used to enable the processor to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, or the method according to claim 19.

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