Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a communication method and a communication device. The method can be applied to a scenario supporting an AI service. Embodiments of the application introduce a related interaction process of a core network architecture supporting an AI service or AI capability invocation. In the method, a UE initiates an AI service request to trigger an AMF to select an AI capability exposure network element for the UE. The AI capability exposure network element manages AI capabilities to ensure that the AI service request initiated by the UE can be responded by a suitable AI agent, thereby effectively improving the processing efficiency of the AI service.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication, and in particular, to a communication method and a communication apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0002] Currently, artificial intelligence (AI) services have been widely applied in intelligent terminals. And, with the wide deployment of Large Marketing Model (LLM) and AI agents on the terminal side and the edge side, the application scenarios of communication networks are undergoing profound changes. The current core network architecture is facing great challenges, at least in the following aspects: the core network architecture mainly focuses on traditional communication services, and the support for AI services is limited, or it cannot support the AI agent architecture capability, and new solutions are urgently needed. SUMMARY

[0003] The present application provides a communication method, a communication apparatus, a chip system, a computer readable storage medium, a computer program product and a communication system, by introducing a standard function related to AI services, in order to provide a management scheme related to AI capabilities, so as to better support AI services.

[0004] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device, or can also be executed by a component (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) configured in the terminal device, and can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The present application does not limit this. Hereinafter, the terminal device is taken as an example of UE for description.

[0005] The method comprises: sending, by a UE, a first request message (or AI service request) to an access and mobility management (AMF) network element through an access network device, the first request message being used to request to invoke a capability related to a first artificial intelligence (AI) service, the first request message being generated in response to a first AI service triggered by a user, the first request message comprising one or more of the following: a request identifier, a session identifier, an agent identifier, a user identifier, and token information; receiving a connection completion message from the AMF, the connection completion message being used to notify that a first PDU session has been successfully established, the first PDU session carrying first information, the first information being used to identify that the first PDU session is of an AI session type.

[0006] Based on the above technical solution, the UE initiates an AI service request to trigger the AMF to select an AI capability exposure network element (such as a first AI capability exposure network element) for the UE; so that the AI capability exposure network element selects a suitable AI agent for the first AI service, thereby ensuring that the AI service request initiated by the UE can be responded by a suitable AI agent, thereby effectively improving the processing efficiency of the AI service.

[0007] It should be noted that the first PDU session is different from the PDU session of the conventional communication service, i.e., the first PDU session is an AI PDU session (or simply AI session). For example, the first information is an AI session ID.

[0008] Embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit the initiating object of the AI session establishment process. The AI session establishment process can be triggered by the first AI capability exposure network element, i.e., the AI session establishment process is triggered in the case of an AI service request (such as the second request message), and the result of the session establishment is notified to the UE. Alternatively, the AI session establishment process can also be initiated by the UE. For the case of UE-initiated AI session establishment process, the first AI capability exposure network element can send a session establishment request to the UE through the SMF to notify the UE that it can initiate an AI session, so that the UE itself triggers the AI session establishment process.

[0009] Exemplarily, before receiving the connection complete message from the AMF, the method further comprises: receiving a session establishment indication from the AMF, the session establishment indication being used to trigger the UE to initiate a PDU session establishment process; and sending a session establishment message to a session management network element (SMF) through the AMF according to the session establishment indication, the session establishment message being used to request to establish the first PDU session. Therefore, the UE can trigger the AI session establishment process by itself based on the indication of the first AI capability exposure network element.

[0010] Of course, whether it is an AI session establishment process triggered by the UE itself or an AI session establishment process triggered by the first AI capability exposure network element, the UE can receive a connection complete message to know whether the AI session is successfully established.

[0011] After the AI session is successfully established, the UE can send the pending data to the AI agent based on the AI session. Optionally, after receiving the connection complete message from the AMF, the method further comprises: sending the pending data to the target AI agent or the first AI capability exposure network element through the first PDU session, the pending data being a data stream corresponding to the first AI service; receiving a user plane data stream from the UPF, the user plane data stream including a processing result for the pending data; and the processing result carrying a session identifier and / or a request identifier. Therefore, the UE sends the pending data to the target AI agent through the AI session to obtain the corresponding processing result, so as to perform subsequent steps (for example, including but not limited to: displaying the processing result, executing the result, or linking other applications) based on the processing result, so that the AI service triggered by the user can be efficiently processed.

[0012] The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitation on the type of the first request message. For example, the first request message is a non-access stratum (NAS) message, or the first request message is an RRC connection setup request message.

[0013] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a core network device, or can be executed by a component (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) configured in the core network device, and can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the core network device. The present application does not make limitation thereon. Hereinafter, the core network device is taken as an AMF for example.

[0014] The method comprises: receiving, by the AMF, a first request message (such as an AI service request) from a user equipment (UE), the first request message being a request message related to a first AI service, and the first request message comprising one or more of the following: a request identifier, a session identifier, a proxy identifier, a user identifier, and token information; selecting, according to the first request message, a first AI capability exposure network element, the first AI capability exposure network element supporting the first AI service; sending, to the first AI capability exposure network element, a second request message (such as in a direct sending form, or in a form forwarded by other network elements), the second request message comprising at least the user identifier; and in a case where a first PDU session is successfully established, sending, to the UE, a connection complete message, the connection complete message being used to notify that the first PDU session has been successfully established, and the first PDU session being used for the first AI service.

[0015] Based on the above technical solution, the AMF receives an AI service request from the UE, and selects an AI capability exposure network element (such as the first AI capability exposure network element) for the UE; so that the AI capability exposure network element selects a suitable AI proxy for the first AI service, thereby ensuring that the AI service request initiated by the UE can be responded by the suitable AI proxy, and thereby effectively improving the processing efficiency of the AI service.

[0016] The embodiment of the present application does not make limitation on the way in which the AMF sends the second request message to the first AI capability exposure network element. Optionally, the AMF sends the second request message to the first AI capability exposure network element, comprising: the AMF can send the second request message to the first AI capability exposure network element through a session management network element (i.e., the AMF sends the second request message to the SMF, and then the SMF sends the second request message to the first AI capability exposure network element); or the AMF can directly send the second request message to the first AI capability exposure network element (i.e., the AMF can directly communicate with the first AI capability exposure network element).

[0017] To make the UE know whether to select to a suitable AI capability exposure network element, the AMF can send a response message to the UE. Optionally, the method further comprises: the AMF sends a first response message to the UE, the first response message is used to respond to the first request message, and the first response message comprises information of the first AI capability exposure network element.

[0018] Optionally, if the authorization fails or the selection is abnormal, the failure reason is included in the first response message.

[0019] Regardless of whether the AI session establishment process is initiated by the first AI capability exposure network element or the UE, the AMF can forward the session establishment success message received from the SMF to the UE to inform the UE of the session establishment result. Optionally, before sending the connection complete message to the UE, the method further comprises: the AMF receives a session establishment confirmation message from the SMF, and the session establishment confirmation message is used to notify that the first PDU session is established successfully.

[0020] As described in the first aspect, the AI session establishment process can be indicated by the first AI capability exposure network element for the UE to initiate. Optionally, before sending the connection complete message to the UE, the method further comprises: receiving a session establishment indication from the SMF, the session establishment indication is used to trigger the UE to initiate the PDU session establishment process; and sending the session establishment process to the UE so that the UE initiates the AI session establishment process by itself.

[0021] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation of the AMF selecting the first AI capability exposure network element. Optionally, the AMF selects the first AI capability exposure network element according to the first request message, comprising: selecting the first AI capability exposure network element according to the first request message, policy information and / or authorization information, wherein the policy information is the policy information corresponding to the UE obtained from a policy control function (PCF), and the authorization information is the authorization information corresponding to the UE obtained from a unified data management (UDM) network element. Therefore, the AMF helps to select a more suitable AI capability exposure network element by combining the policy information and / or the authorization information, so as to invoke a more suitable AI agent, so as to ensure that the AI service request initiated by the UE can be responded by a suitable AI agent.

[0022] The second aspect is the implementation of the AMF side corresponding to the first aspect. The explanations (for example, including but not limited to: the implementation of the AI session establishment process, the implementation of the first PDU session, etc.), supplements and beneficial effect descriptions of the first aspect also apply to the second aspect, and will not be repeated.

[0023] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a first AI capability exposure network element, or by a component (such as a circuit, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) configured in the first AI capability exposure network element, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first AI capability exposure network element. The present application does not limit this. The following is described by taking the first AI capability exposure network element as an example.

[0024] The method comprises: receiving, by the first AI capability exposure network element, a second request message (such as an AI service request), the second request message comprising at least a user identifier, the user identifier being used to identify the identity of a caller; performing, by the first AI capability exposure network element, a capability orchestration process according to the second request message; generating, by the first AI capability exposure network element, session context information and orchestrating an action chain for a first AI service in the case of completing the capability orchestration, the action chain being a service invocation path used to process the first AI service; the action chain comprising a list of actions performed for the first AI service; triggering, by the first AI capability exposure network element, a session establishment process; and sending, by the first AI capability exposure network element, a session establishment confirmation message to an SMF in the case of completing the session establishment, the session establishment confirmation message being used to notify that a PDU session has been established.

[0025] Based on the above technical solution, the first AI capability exposure network element selects a suitable AI agent for a first AI service and triggers an AI session establishment process by receiving an AI service request from an AMF, thereby ensuring that an AI service request initiated by a UE can be responded by a suitable AI agent, and thereby effectively improving the processing efficiency of AI services.

[0026] The present application does not limit the source of the second request message received by the first AI capability exposure network element. Alternatively, the first AI capability exposure network element receives the second request message from the AMF; or the first AI capability exposure network element receives the second request message from the SMF (i.e., the AMF forwards the second request message to the first AI capability exposure network element through the SMF).

[0027] Exemplarily, the first AI capability exposure network element performs a capability orchestration process according to the second request message, which comprises: obtaining, by the first AI capability exposure network element, a user identifier according to the second request message; submitting, by the first AI capability exposure network element, the user identifier to a server to obtain an address of a target AI agent; and performing, by the first AI capability exposure network element, an orchestration process based on the address of the target AI agent. In other words, the processing process of a to-be-processed task is divided into a plurality of processing processes, each processing process is implemented by a corresponding AI agent or a large model, and the sequence relationship between the plurality of processing processes can follow the processing order of the orchestrated action chain.

[0028] As described in the first aspect, the AI session establishment process can be initiated by the UE at the indication of the first AI capability exposure network element. Optionally, the first AI capability exposure network element triggers the session establishment process, including: the first AI capability exposure network element sends a session establishment indication to the UE through the SMF, the session establishment indication being used to trigger the UE to initiate a PDU session establishment process, so that the UE initiates the AI session establishment process by itself.

[0029] The third aspect is the implementation of the first AI capability exposure network element corresponding to the other aspects. The explanations (for example, including but not limited to: the implementation of the AI session establishment process, the implementation of the first PDU session, and the like), supplements and beneficial effects of the other aspects are also applicable to the third aspect, and will not be repeated.

[0030] In the fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a core network device, or can also be executed by a component (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) configured in the core network device, and can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the core network device. The present application does not limit this. The following takes the SMF as an example for description.

[0031] The method comprises: the SMF establishes a first PDU session based on a session establishment request from the first AI capability exposure network element, or based on a session establishment message from the AMF, the first PDU session carrying first information, the first information being used to identify that the first PDU session is of an AI session type; and sending a session establishment confirmation message to the AMF, the session establishment confirmation message being used to notify that the first PDU session is established successfully.

[0032] Based on the above technical solution, the SMF receives the AI service request from the AMF, and assists the first AI capability exposure network element to establish the AI session when receiving the session establishment request, so as to ensure that the AI service request initiated by the UE can be responded by a suitable AI agent, thereby effectively improving the processing efficiency of the AI service.

[0033] Corresponding to the second aspect or the third aspect, the AMF sends a second request message to the first AI capability exposure network element through the SMF. Optionally, the method further comprises: the SMF receives a second request message from an access and mobility management network element AMF, the second request message at least including a user identifier, the user identifier being used to identify the caller identity; and forwarding the second request message to the first AI capability exposure network element.

[0034] As described in the first aspect, the AI session establishment procedure can be initiated by the UE at the indication of the first AI capability exposure network element. Optionally, before establishing the first PDU session, the method further comprises: receiving, by the SMF, a session establishment indication from the first AI capability exposure network element, the session establishment indication being used to trigger the UE to initiate the PDU session establishment procedure; forwarding, by the SMF, the session establishment indication to the AMF; and receiving, by the SMF, a session establishment message from the AMF, the session establishment message being used to confirm the initiation of the session establishment procedure.

[0035] Exemplarily, establishing the first PDU session comprises one or more of the following: allocating a data channel; allocating a bandwidth resource; and selecting a user plane function (UPF).

[0036] The fourth aspect is an implementation of the SMF side corresponding to the other aspects. The explanations (for example, including but not limited to: implementation manners of the AI session establishment procedure, implementation manners of the first PDU session, and the like), supplementary and beneficial effect descriptions of the other aspects are also applicable to the fourth aspect, and will not be repeated.

[0037] In the fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which comprises a transceiver module.

[0038] The transceiver module is configured to send, to an access and mobility management (AMF) network element through an access network device, a first request message used to request invoking a capability related to a first artificial intelligence (AI) service, the first request message being generated in response to the first AI service triggered by a user, and the first request message comprising one or more of the following: a request identifier, a session identifier, a proxy identifier, a user identifier, and token information.

[0039] The transceiver module is configured to receive, from the AMF, a connection complete message used to notify that a first PDU session has been successfully established, the first PDU session carrying first information used to identify that the first PDU session is of an AI session type.

[0040] In the sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which comprises a processing module and a transceiver module.

[0041] The transceiver module is configured to receive, from a user equipment (UE), a first request message related to a first AI service, the first request message comprising one or more of the following: a request identifier, a session identifier, a proxy identifier, a user identifier, and token information.

[0042] The processing module is configured to select, according to the first request message, a first AI capability exposure network element supporting the first AI service.

[0043] The transceiver module is further configured to send a second request message to the first AI-capable exposure network element, the second request message comprising at least a user identifier;

[0044] The transceiver module is further configured to send a connection complete message to the UE in a case where the first PDU session is successfully established, the connection complete message being used to notify that the first PDU session is successfully established, the first PDU session being used for the first AI service.

[0045] In a seventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which comprises a processing module and a transceiver module.

[0046] The transceiver module is configured to receive a second request message, the second request message comprising at least a user identifier, the user identifier being used to identify a caller identity;

[0047] The processing module is configured to perform a capability orchestration procedure according to the second request message, and further configured to generate session context information and orchestrate an action chain for the first AI service in a case where the capability orchestration is completed, the action chain being a service invocation path used for processing the first AI service, the action chain comprising a list of actions performed for the first AI service, and further configured to trigger a session establishment procedure.

[0048] The transceiver module is configured to send a session establishment confirmation message to an SMF in a case where the session establishment is completed, the session establishment confirmation message being used to notify that the PDU session is established.

[0049] In an eighth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which comprises a processing module and a transceiver module.

[0050] The processing module is configured to establish a first PDU session based on a session establishment request from the first AI-capable exposure network element, or based on a session establishment message from the AMF, the first PDU session carrying first information, the first information being used to identify that the first PDU session is an AI session type.

[0051] The transceiver module is further configured to send a session establishment confirmation message to the AMF, the session establishment confirmation message being used to notify that the first PDU session is successfully established.

[0052] The fifth to eighth aspects are device-side implementations corresponding to the first to fourth aspects, and the explanations, supplements and beneficial effects of the first to fourth aspects are equally applicable to the fifth to eighth aspects, and will not be repeated.

[0053] In a ninth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and is configured to execute instructions or data in the memory to implement the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes the memory. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0054] In an implementation, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0055] In another implementation, the communication apparatus is a chip configured in a terminal device. When the communication apparatus is a chip configured in a terminal device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0056] In a tenth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and is configured to execute instructions or data in the memory to implement the method in any possible implementation of the second aspect. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes the memory. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0057] In an implementation, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0058] In another implementation, the communication apparatus is a chip configured in a network device (such as an AMF). When the communication apparatus is a chip configured in a network device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0059] In an eleventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and is configured to execute instructions or data in the memory to implement the method in any possible implementation of the third aspect. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes the memory. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0060] In an implementation, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0061] In another implementation, the communication apparatus is a chip configured in a network device (such as a first AI capability exposure network element). When the communication apparatus is a chip configured in a network device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0062] In a twelfth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor. The processor is coupled with a memory and is configured to execute instructions or data in the memory to implement the method in any possible implementation of the fourth aspect. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes the memory. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled with the communication interface.

[0063] In an implementation form, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0064] In another implementation form, the communication apparatus is a chip configured in a network device (such as an SMF). When the communication apparatus is a chip configured in a network device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0065] In a thirteenth aspect, a processor is provided, which includes an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive a signal through the input circuit and transmit a signal through the output circuit, so that the processor performs the method in any possible implementation of any aspect.

[0066] In a specific implementation process, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the processing circuit can be a transistor, a gate circuit, a flip-flop, and various logic circuits, etc. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example but not limited to, a receiver, the output signal output by the output circuit can be output to and transmitted by, for example but not limited to, a transmitter, and the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0067] In a fourteenth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to read instructions stored in the memory, and can receive a signal through a receiver and transmit a signal through a transmitter to perform the method in any possible implementation of any aspect. Optionally, the processor is one or more, and the memory is one or more.

[0068] In a fifteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which, when executed, causes a computer to perform the method in any possible implementation of any aspect.

[0069] In a sixteenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method in any possible implementation of any of the aspects above.

[0070] In a seventeenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, which includes one or more processors for invoking and running instructions stored in a memory, so that the method in any of the aspects above or any possible implementation of the aspects is performed. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0071] In the chip system, the input circuit or interface for sending information or data, and the output circuit or interface for receiving information or data can be included.

[0072] In an eighteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the SMF, the AMF and the first AI capability exposure network element.

[0073] The AMF is configured to receive a first request message from the UE, the first request message being used to request to invoke a capability related to a first artificial intelligence (AI) service, the first request message being generated in response to a user triggering the first AI service, and the first request message including one or more of the following: a request identifier, a session identifier, a proxy identifier, a user identifier, and token information; and the AMF is further configured to select a first AI capability exposure network element according to the first request message, the first AI capability exposure network element supporting the first AI service.

[0074] The first AI capability exposure network element is configured to receive a second request message including at least a user identifier, and perform a capability orchestration process according to the second request message; and the first AI capability exposure network element is further configured to, in a case where the capability orchestration is completed, generate session context information and orchestrate an action chain for the first AI service, the action chain being a service invocation path for processing the first AI service, and the action chain including a list of actions performed for the first AI service; the first AI capability exposure network element is further configured to trigger a session establishment process; and the first AI capability exposure network element is further configured to, in a case where the session establishment is completed, send a session establishment confirmation message to the SMF, the session establishment confirmation message being used to notify that a first PDU session has been established.

[0075] The SMF is configured to send a connection completion message to the UE through the AMF, the connection completion message being used to notify that the first PDU session has been successfully established, and the first PDU session carrying first information used to identify that the first PDU session is an AI session type.

[0076] Optionally, the first AI capability exposure network element is configured to receive a second request message, including: the first AI capability exposure network element is configured to receive the second request message from the AMF, or is configured to receive the second request message from the SMF.

[0077] Optionally, the communication system further includes a UE and a UPF; the UE is configured to send to-be-processed data to the target AI agent or the first AI capability exposure network element through a first PDU session, the to-be-processed data being a data stream corresponding to first AI service; and the UPF is configured to send a user plane data stream to the UE, the user plane data stream including a processing result for the to-be-processed data; the processing result carrying a session identifier and / or a request identifier.

[0078] Optionally, the communication system can further include other devices in communication with the UE and / or the aforementioned network elements (such as the AMF, the SMF, or the first AI capability exposure network element). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0079] Figure 1 is an example diagram of a communication system of an embodiment of the present application;

[0080] Figures 2A to 2C different scenario example diagrams of an embodiment of the present application are shown;

[0081] Figure 3 is an example diagram of a communication method of an embodiment of the present application;

[0082] Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0083] Figure 5 is another schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0084] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0085] The technical solutions provided in the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: a global system for mobile communications (GSM) system, a general packet radio service (GPRS), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a long term evolution (LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD), a sidelink communication system, a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system, a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system or a new radio access technology (NR). The 5G mobile communication system can include a non-standalone (NSA) and / or standalone (SA). The technical solutions provided in the present application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as a 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system. The present application is not limited in this regard.

[0086] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application are applicable to a communication system supporting an AI service. Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applied. The communication system can include network devices (including core network devices and access network devices) and UE. The terminal device and the network device can communicate through a wireless link (Uu interface). It should be understood that the above-mentioned Uu interface can be an air or wireless interface specified in a 3GPP protocol specification, such as an LTE air interface, an NR air interface, a RedCap air interface, a 6G air interface, etc., and the present application is not limited in this regard.

[0087] In some embodiments, the UE supports AI services. For example, the AI services include, but are not limited to, voice services, image processing services, etc.

[0088] It should be understood that Figure 1 The devices shown in FIG. 1 are only exemplary descriptions, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. In fact,Figure 1 The communication system in the middle can include more than Figure 1 The number of devices shown may be more or less. For example, Figure 1 The communication system may also include multiple network devices and / or multiple terminal devices.

[0089] It should be noted that, Figure 1 The term "AI capability open network element" is merely a name and does not limit the network element or device itself. In future networks (such as 6G networks), the device corresponding to the AI ​​capability open network element may have other names, and this application embodiment does not specifically limit this. For example, the AI ​​capability open network element can also be deployed in the NEF functional entity or AF functional entity, which will be uniformly described here and will not be repeated below. Another example is that the AI ​​capability open network element can also be deployed in the data network (DN).

[0090] Optionally, the AI-capable open network element can be a single network element, or it can be implemented by multiple network elements, or it can be a functional module within a network element. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this. The function corresponding to the AI-capable open network element can be a network element in a hardware device, a software function allowed on specialized hardware, or a virtualization function instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0091] The access network device in the present application is also sometimes referred to as an access node. The access network device has a wireless transceiving function for communicating with a terminal. The access network device includes, but is not limited to, a base station in the above-mentioned communication system, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, an access network device or a module of an access network device in an open RAN (ORAN) system, a satellite in an NTN communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc. The access network device can also be a module or unit capable of realizing part of the functions of a base station. The access network device can be a macro base station, a micro base station or an indoor station, a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. Optionally, the access network device can also be a server, a wearable device, or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. For example, the access network device in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology can be a road side unit (RSU). Multiple access network devices in a communication system can be the same type of base station or different types of base stations. The base station can communicate with the terminal directly or through a relay station. The terminal can communicate with multiple base stations in different access technologies. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form of the access network device.

[0092] Embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the core network device. The core network device includes, for example, a mobility management entity (MME), a broadcast multicast service center (BMSC), etc., or can also include a corresponding functional entity in a 5G system, such as a core network control plane (CP) or user plane (UP) network function, etc., for example, a session management network function (SMF), an access and mobility management function (AMF), etc. Among them, the core network control plane can also be understood as a core network control plane function (CPF) entity. For example, the core network device can include an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, an application function (AF) network element, a network exposure function (NEF) network element, and other devices with AIoT functions.

[0093] In the present application, the access network device or the core network device is referred to as a network device. The device for realizing the function of the network device can be the network device, or a device capable of supporting the network device to realize the function, such as a processor, a circuit, a chip, or a chip system, etc., which can be installed in the network device or connected with the network device for use. In the technical solutions provided in the present application, the device for realizing the function of the network device is taken as an example to describe the technical solutions provided in the present application.

[0094] The terminal device in the present application can be a wireless terminal device capable of receiving network device scheduling and indication information. The wireless terminal device can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, or a handheld device with wireless connection function, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. For example, the terminal device can communicate with one or more core networks or the Internet through a radio access network (RAN). The terminal device can also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal device can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (IOT), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, remote medical treatment, smart power grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, or satellite communication, etc. The terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, wearable device, vehicle, aircraft (such as unmanned aerial vehicle, helicopter, airplane), hot air balloon, ship, robot, mechanical arm, or smart home device, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the form of the terminal device.

[0095] In the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal device can be a terminal device, or a device capable of supporting the terminal device to realize the function, such as a processor, circuit, chip, chip system, etc., which can be installed in the terminal device or connected with the terminal device for use. In the technical solutions provided in the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal device is taken as an example to describe the technical solutions provided in the present application.

[0096] The access network device and / or the terminal device can be fixed or mobile. The access network device and / or the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoor or outdoor, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface; can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons and artificial satellites in the air. The application embodiments do not limit the application scenarios of the access network device and the terminal device. The access network device and the terminal device can be deployed in the same scenario or different scenarios, for example, the access network device and the terminal device are deployed on land at the same time; or the access network device is deployed on land and the terminal device is deployed on the water surface, etc., which will not be listed one by one.

[0097] In practical applications, a terminal can be assisted by multiple network devices to implement wireless access, and different network devices respectively implement part of the functions of a base station. For example, a network device can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU can be separately arranged or can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0098] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an ORAN system, the CU can also be referred to as an O-CU (open CU), the DU can also be referred to as an O-DU, the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as an O-RU. Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. The CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, and RU can implement different protocol layer functions.

[0099] Figures 2A to 2C Different scenario example diagrams to which embodiments of the present application are applied are shown. As shown in FIG. 1, a terminal can be assisted by multiple network devices to implement wireless access, and different network devices respectively implement part of the functions of a base station. For example, a network device can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU can be separately arranged or can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). Figure 2AAs shown, the communication system includes: an SMF, a UPF, an AMF, a RAN, a Unified Data Management (UDM), a Policy Control function (PCF), a Data Network (DN), a UE, and an Application Function (AF). The UE is connected with the AMF through an N1 interface, and the UE is connected with the RAN through a radio resource control (RRC) protocol; the RAN is connected with the AMF through an N2 interface; the RAN is connected with the UPF through an N3 interface; multiple UPFs can be connected through an N9 interface, and the UPF is connected with the DN through an N6 interface. Meanwhile, the UPF is connected with the SMF through an N4 interface; the SMF is connected with the PCF through an N7 interface, and the SMF is connected with the AMF through an N11 interface; multiple AMFs can be connected through an N14 interface, and the AMF is connected with the PCF through an N15 interface. The AMF and the SMF respectively acquire user subscription data from the UDM through N8 and N20 interfaces (not shown in the figure), and acquire policy data (such as charging rules, quality of service rules, and the like) from the PCF through N15 and N7 interfaces; the AF is connected with the PCF through an N5 interface. The SMF controls the UPF through an N4 interface. Specifically, the data network DN can include a switching network and a server.

[0100] In some embodiments of the present application, Figure 2A An AI Exposure Function (AIE) network element is introduced in the present application, and the AIE is connected with the AMF through an extended interface to provide services for invoking AI agents for the UE. The AIE can manage one or more AI agents. Different AI agents can provide different AI services or process different AI services.

[0101] Alternatively, a separate AIE network element can not be introduced, but the AIE function can be integrated in an existing function or network element entity, or in the network. For example, Figure 2B An example in which the AIE is deployed in the AF function is shown. For another example, Figure 2C An example in which the AIE is deployed in the NEF function is shown.

[0102] Optionally, one or more AI agents can be deployed separately from the AIE function, or integrated together (or deployed at the same location), which is not specifically limited. For example, the AIE and one or more AI agents managed thereby can be deployed in the same functional entity in the core network. For another example, the AIE is deployed in the NEF or AF in the core network, and one or more AI agents managed thereby are deployed in a server. For another example, the AIE and one or more AI agents managed thereby can be deployed in a server.

[0103] Regarding Figure 2B or Figure 2C The explanation of the network elements or functions involved in the above description can refer to the description in the above description, or refer to the description in the 3GPP standard, which is not repeated here for brevity. Figure 2A

[0104] It should be noted that Figures 2A to 2C The interface names between the network elements in the above description are only examples, and the interface names in the specific implementation can be other names, which are not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application. Figures 2A to 2C The names of the network elements (such as SMF, AF, UPF, etc.) included in the above description are only names, and the names do not limit the functions of the network elements. In the 5G network and future other networks, the above network elements can also be other names, which are not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, in the 6G network, part or all of the above network elements can use the terms in the 5G, or can be other names, etc. This is uniformly explained below, and will not be repeated here.

[0105] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, first, the terms involved in the present application are briefly explained. Optionally, the explanation of some terms can also refer to the explanation in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) standard protocol.

[0106] 1. AI agent

[0107] AI agents can be widely deployed on the terminal side or the edge side or the network side. The future core network architecture is gradually introducing AI agent architecture capabilities to better support efficient access and service invocation of terminal side AI capabilities. AIAgent needs to dynamically adjust service processes and capability invocation according to real-time scenarios, user behavior, environmental changes, etc. in actual application. The embodiments of the present application intend to introduce functions or management mechanisms related to AI service invocation capabilities in the core network architecture to meet the needs of highly dynamic and intelligent orchestration.

[0108] ​2、AI capability exposure function (AIE)

[0109] In response to an AI service triggered by a user, the UE invokes an AI agent service. For an application scenario in which the UE invokes the AI agent service, the present application deploys an AI agent in a core network architecture and introduces an AI capability exposure network element to support discovery and access of an authorized AI agent service, which helps to promote the wide application of AI capabilities in multiple terminals and multiple scenarios. The AI capability exposure network element is used to implement an orchestration function of AI agent capabilities. The present application embodiments do not make specific limitations on the form of the AI capability exposure network element.

[0110] In some embodiments, the existing network elements or interfaces or functions in the core network architecture are upgraded or improved or extended to introduce the orchestration function of AI agent capabilities, so as to indirectly implement the AI capability exposure network element. For example, the network capability exposure function (NEF) is extended to expand the orchestration capabilities and context awareness capabilities for AI agents to meet the high dynamic and intelligent orchestration requirements.

[0111] In other embodiments, the AI capability exposure network element is introduced in the core network architecture to be specifically used to implement the orchestration function of AI agent capabilities, thereby providing a more intelligent capability exposure function, so that the network effectively supports autonomous decision-making, collaborative work and security management of intelligent agents. The AI capability exposure network element supports AI agents to obtain, combine and collaborate network capabilities on demand.

[0112] The present application embodiments do not make specific limitations on the naming of the AI capability exposure network element, as long as the corresponding functions are provided. The AI capability exposure network element communicates with the AI agent on the terminal side. The AI capability exposure network element is used to implement the authorization, access and capability orchestration of AI capabilities.

[0113] It should be understood that the technical terms in the present application are only used as examples and are not limited. For example, as the technology evolves, technical terms may also change, and other technical terms should also apply to the present application in the case of the same technical meaning.

[0114] Currently, existing standard networks focus on traditional communication services, and there is no explicit solution for how to support the invocation of AI services in the core network architecture. Therefore, it is necessary to propose a standard function for AI services in the core network architecture to provide a management scheme for AI capabilities, thereby better supporting AI services.

[0115] In view of this, this application provides a communication method in which the UE initiates an AI service request to trigger the AMF to select an AI capability open network element for the UE; the AI ​​capability open network element manages the AI ​​capability to ensure that the AI ​​service request initiated by the UE can be responded to by the appropriate AI proxy, thereby effectively improving the processing efficiency of AI services.

[0116] The following detailed explanation of the solution provided in this application, in conjunction with the corresponding flowcharts, illustrates the method in detail. It is understood that the illustrative flowcharts provided in this application primarily use different devices (e.g., UE, AMF, SMF, first AI capability open network element, or other network elements) as examples of the execution entities for this interactive illustration. However, this application does not limit the execution entities for the interactive illustrations. For example, the devices in the illustrative flowcharts (e.g., UE, AMF, SMF, first AI capability open network element, or other network elements) can also be chips, chip systems, or processors that support the implementation of this method on the device, or logical modules or software capable of implementing all or part of the device's functions.

[0117] As a general statement, the message or signaling interactions involved in the interaction process of this application embodiment can be standard messages or signaling or newly introduced messages or signaling. This application embodiment does not make specific limitations on this.

[0118] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of this application. It can be understood that... Figure 3 The UE in the middle can be Figure 1 or Figure 2A or Figure 2B or Figure 2C The UE shown can also refer to devices within the UE (such as processors, chips, or chip systems). The first AI capability open network element can be... Figure 1 The AI ​​capability open network element in the context can also refer to the device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system) within the AI ​​capability open network element; or it can also be... Figure 2A The AIE shown; or, it could be Figure 2B AF as shown in the figure; or, it could also be Figure 2C NEF is shown in the figure.

[0119] It should be noted that, Figure 3 This description uses only the first AI capability open network element as an example; the embodiments in this application are not limited to this. In fact, Figure 3 The initial AI capability open network element may not be included; instead, it can be provided by existing network elements (such as NEF or AF network elements). Figure 3 The method or steps for opening up the first AI capability network element shown.

[0120] It should also be noted that, Figure 3The first AI capability exposure network element is only described by taking the example of being located at the core network side, and embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. For example, the first AI capability exposure network element can also be located at the DN side or the cloud or other reasonable positions, etc. That is, the deployment mode of the first AI capability exposure network element is relatively flexible, and is not particularly limited.

[0121] Similarly, the position where the target AI agent is located is not specifically limited. Figure 3 The target AI agent can also be located at the DN side or the cloud or other reasonable positions, for example. Figure 3 As shown in the method, the method comprises the following steps:

[0122] At step 300, the UE sends a first request message to an access and mobility management (AMF) network element through an access network device, and the first request message is used to request to invoke a capability related to a first AI service. Correspondingly, the AMF network element receives the first request message.

[0123] The first request message is generated by the UE in response to a first AI service triggered by a user. The present application does not specifically limit the trigger condition for the UE to generate the first request message. In some embodiments, the UE generates the first request message in response to the operation of the first AI service triggered by the user. The first request message can be understood as an AI service request message, or an AI service request.

[0124] Exemplarily, the UE locally comprises an AI agent; the AI agent locally of the UE generates the first request message according to the user intention or the user demand.

[0125] The first AI service introduced above is only used to generally refer to a service that needs to invoke an AI capability or an AI service or a related large model, and is not limited to a specific service. The present application does not specifically limit the type of the first AI service triggered by the user. In some embodiments, the first AI service is a voice assistant wake-up service, or the first AI service is a voice interaction service, or the first AI service is an image recognition service, or the first AI service is a video processing service, or other services that invoke a large model, or other AI services executed by an intelligent agent, etc.

[0126] The present application does not specifically limit the message type of the first request message. The first request message can be a newly introduced message specially used for an AI service, or an existing message, and is not specifically limited.

[0127] Exemplarily, the first request message is a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message, or the first request message is carried in a NAS message. The UE uploads the NAS message to a core network element (for example, an AMF network element) through a wireless access network (or an access network device). It can be understood that the wireless access network transmits or forwards the NAS message to the core network.

[0128] Taking the first request message as an AI service request, the AI service request can be located in a service request message. The service request message can be a request message specially used for AI services, or a request message used for traditional communication services, which is not specifically limited.

[0129] In some embodiments, the first request message can also be an RRC connection establishment request message. For example, the RRC connection establishment request message can include an information element for indicating an AI service, or an information element for indicating a call of an AI service.

[0130] The first request message can include one or more key parameter fields to implement the call of an AI service or AI capability. Optionally, the first request message includes one or more of the following: a request identifier, a session identifier, a proxy identifier, a user identifier, and token information.

[0131] The request identifier (for example, represented as require_ID) is used to uniquely identify the AI service call request, so as to facilitate network side tracking or auditing. For the case of concurrent calls, the request identifier can be used to distinguish different call requests or request messages.

[0132] For example, although multiple UEs simultaneously call an AI voice agent (voice_agent), the request identifiers corresponding to the AI service requests initiated by each UE are different, so that the network can distinguish the call requests from different UEs.

[0133] It can be understood that this is only an example of multiple UEs calling the same AI agent, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. For example, multiple AI services triggered by the same UE can also call the same AI service agent, and the request identifiers can be used to distinguish them.

[0134] The session identifier (for example, represented as session_ID) is used to identify the context of a multi-round session, so as to facilitate subsequent connection calls. For example, in order to make the process of service processing proceed, a multi-round session needs to be performed, and the session identifier can identify the context of the multi-round session.

[0135] The agent identifier (e.g., denoted as agent ID) is used to identify the service type of the AI agent in this invocation. In other words, the agent identifier is used to identify the target AI agent service. For example, the service triggered by the user is a voice assistant wake-up service, and the agent identifier is used to identify the voice agent (i.e., indicating that the current invocation is the voice agent), where the voice agent can be used to implement services related to voice processing. For another example, the service triggered by the user is a visual service, and the agent identifier is used to identify the vision agent (i.e., indicating that the current invocation is the vision agent), where the vision agent can be used to implement services related to vision.

[0136] The user identifier (e.g., denoted as use code) is used to identify the caller identity, or in other words, to identify the user identity. The user identifier is used to identify whether the current invocation request has the authorization to invoke the AI agent. Or the user identifier can be understood as a service permission identifier or a service code, which is used for subsequent network side authorization verification, such as checking by the core network element whether the current invocation request is authorized to invoke the AI agent service.

[0137] The token information (e.g., denoted as ai auth token) is used for authorization verification of the capability request. For example, the token information is the user side OAuth2 Token (using the JWT structure). The token information is verified by the AIE network element (e.g., the first AI capability opening network element).

[0138] Optionally, the first request message further includes invocation path information (e.g., denoted as capability chain). Through the capability chain, the AI capability invocation link can be flexibly defined or dynamically arranged, which is helpful to realize the on-demand combination of end-to-end multi-agent and multi-service capabilities. The invocation path information is used to define the invocation capability chain path. For example, the chain capability path is in turn Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) → Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) → Planner → Final Answer.

[0139] Exemplarily, the following Table 1 shows the parameter fields that can be included in the first request message and the corresponding descriptions.

[0140] Table 1

[0141]

[0142] It should be understood that the parameter fields shown in Table 1 above are only for the purpose of illustration, and are not intended to limit all the fields in Table 1 to be included in the first request message. For example, agent_ID and use_code are included in the first request message.

[0143] By introducing multiple layers of parameters (such as multiple parameter fields in Table 1), the embodiments of the present application can achieve multi-dimensional security authentication and permission verification, so that each step in the AI service execution AI business process can realize identity tracking, permission verification and fine-grained access control, meeting high security requirements.

[0144] In step 301, the AMF network element selects a first AI capability exposure network element according to the first request message, and the first AI capability exposure network element supports the first AI business.

[0145] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application introduce an AI capability exposure network element in order to integrate one or more of the following functions in the core network architecture: AI capability exposure, registration, discovery scheduling, security awareness, and management of session life cycle, etc.; in order to form the ability of the communication network to call AI services independently. The AI capability exposure network element, as a unified entrance of AI capability, can support the registration and arrangement of multiple AI agents, and help to improve the arrangeability, manageability and security of AI services. The description of arrangement will be described later in step 303.

[0146] That is, after receiving the first request message (such as an AI service request) from the UE, the AMF network element selects a suitable capability exposure network element, such as the first AI capability exposure network element, for the UE, so that the first AI capability exposure network element calls a suitable AI agent to provide services for the UE.

[0147] It should be noted that the so-called "suitable capability exposure network element" can be understood as an AI capability exposure network element that supports processing the first AI business. In actual deployment, multiple AI capability exposure functions or entities may be deployed, or there may be multiple servers, each server deploying one or more large models to support different AI businesses. Therefore, it is necessary for the network side to select a corresponding capability exposure network element among multiple capability exposure network elements for the first AI business triggered by the UE. For example, the UE calls a voice service in response to a voice assistant wake-up business triggered by the user; in response, the network side selects an AI capability exposure network element corresponding to the voice service in order to obtain a corresponding AI agent, so as to process the voice assistant wake-up business based on a voice large model.

[0148] In some embodiments, step 301 includes: the AMF obtains the agent identifier and the user identifier according to the first request message; and selects the first AI capability exposure network element as a service AI capability exposure network element according to the agent identifier and the user identifier.

[0149] The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on the specific implementation of the AMF selecting the first AI-capable exposure network element. In some embodiments, the AMF selects a suitable AI-capable exposure network element for the UE based on locally configured content.

[0150] In some embodiments, the AMF queries other network elements (such as a UDM or a policy control function, PCF, network element) for authorization information or policy information to determine a suitable AI-capable exposure network element. For example, the AMF can learn from the PCF whether the user is a common customer of the operator or a VIP customer; if the user is a common customer, the computing resources provided to the common user are limited resources, and if the user is a VIP customer, the computing resources provided to the VIP user are more abundant and have shorter latency; accordingly, the AI-capable exposure network element selected by the AMF for the VIP user can provide better services (including but not limited to: better Quality of Service (QoS) capability, stronger computing power, etc.) than the AI-capable exposure network element selected by the AMF for the common user.

[0151] To enable the UE to learn whether a suitable AI-capable exposure network element is selected, the AMF can return a first response message to the UE. Optionally, after step 301, the method further includes: the AMF sending a first response message to the UE, the first response message being used to respond to the first request message. Correspondingly, the UE receives the first response message.

[0152] Optionally, if the authorization fails or the selection is abnormal, the first response message includes a failure reason. The failure reason includes but is not limited to one or more of the following: insufficient authority, service unavailable, verification failure, no matching suitable service, etc.

[0153] Optionally, if the AMF successfully selects the first AI-capable exposure network element, the first response message includes information related to the first AI-capable exposure network element. That is, if the authorization is successful or the first AI-capable exposure network element is successfully selected, the AMF can return the information of the selected first AI-capable exposure network element to the UE. Of course, if the AMF successfully selects the first AI-capable exposure network element, the subsequent process can also be continued, and the first response message is not sent to the UE.

[0154] The AMF sends a second request message to the first AI-capable exposure network element through the SMF, the second request message including at least a user identifier. Specifically, step 302-1, the AMF sends a second request message to the SMF; step 302-2, the SMF forwards the second request message to the first AI-capable exposure network element. Correspondingly, the first AI-capable exposure network element receives the second request message.

[0155] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the manner in which the first AI capability exposure network element receives the second request message. The steps 302-1 and 302-2 are only used to illustrate a possible implementation. For example, the steps 302-1 and 302-2 can be replaced by: the AMF directly sends the second request message to the first AI capability exposure network element. That is, the AMF can directly interact or communicate with the first AI capability exposure network element, without the forwarding of the SMF.

[0156] That is, after selecting the first AI capability exposure network element, the AMF can forward or deliver the request message to the first AI capability exposure network element. The first AI capability exposure network element is responsible for the registration, discovery and orchestration of AI capabilities, so as to ensure that the AI service request of the UE can be responded or processed by a suitable AI agent.

[0157] Optionally, the second request message can be the same as the first request message in the step 300, that is, the AMF forwards the first request message from the UE to the first AI capability exposure network element through the SMF, or directly sends the first request message to the first AI capability exposure network element. Alternatively, the second request message can be different from the first request message in the step 300, that is, the AMF sends part or all of the contents obtained after analyzing the first request message to the first AI capability exposure network element through the SMF, or directly sends the part or all of the contents to the first AI capability exposure network element. For example, at least the user identifier is sent to the first AI capability exposure network element.

[0158] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of the second request message. The type of the second request message can comply with the communication interface between the SMF and the first AI capability exposure network element, or the communication interface between the AMF and the first AI capability exposure network element. For example, the SMF can send the second request message to the first AI capability exposure network element through the communication interface between the SMF and the first AI capability exposure network element. For example, the AMF can send the second request message to the first AI capability exposure network element through the communication interface between the AMF and the first AI capability exposure network element. Of course, the communication interface between the SMF and the first AI capability exposure network element, or the communication interface between the AMF and the first AI capability exposure network element can be a newly introduced communication interface, or an existing communication interface, which is not limited. For the interaction between the AMF and the SMF, the existing communication interface can be used, which is not limited.

[0159] In step 303, the first AI capability exposure network element performs an orchestration process according to the second request message.

[0160] The capability orchestration process can be understood as determining the services or AI capabilities required to execute the first AI service. In other words, the capability orchestration can be understood as dividing the processing process of the first AI service into several execution steps, or in other words, calling several AI capabilities. For example, the first AI service is a voice instruction. Through the orchestration process, it can be determined that the language instruction is first parsed based on a voice text parsing model, or in other words, text understanding is performed to obtain the specific content of the voice instruction; then based on the specific content of the voice instruction, it is known that the task to be processed is to process an image; then a visual model is used to process the image.

[0161] Optionally, step 303 comprises: the first AI capability exposure network element obtaining a user identifier (use_code) according to the second request message; submitting the user identifier to a server (such as a DNS or AI domain name server) to obtain the address (or service address) of the target AI agent; and performing orchestration processing based on the address of the target AI agent.

[0162] The first AI capability exposure network element can connect one or more AI agents, or in other words, call one or more AI capabilities. For example, one or more AI agents support processing voice tasks; one or more AI agents support processing image tasks. The first AI capability exposure network element performs orchestration processing based on the address of the target AI agent, which can be understood as: the first AI capability exposure network element selects the most suitable AI agent as the target AI agent based on the address of the target AI agent and the capability catalog (including one or more AI agents that the first AI capability exposure network element can connect) to achieve capability orchestration. Of course, the target AI agent can include one or more AI agents, depending on the type of the first AI service. Moreover, the location corresponding to the target AI agent is not specifically limited. The target AI agent can be deployed on the UE side, on the network side or the server side, or on the data network side (such as a DN), as long as it can be called or as long as it can be managed by the first AI capability exposure network element.

[0163] Exemplarily, after receiving the second request message, the first AI capability exposure network element obtains a user identifier (use_code) by parsing the second request message, and submits the user identifier to a DNS or AI domain name server to resolve the service address of the target AI agent. The first AI capability exposure network element matches the most suitable AI agent based on the service address of the target AI agent to achieve capability orchestration.

[0164] The above example is only a process of selecting a suitable AI agent by a first AI capability exposure network element through a user identifier, and embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. The first AI capability exposure network element can also select a suitable AI agent in combination with other information or parameters. For example, the first AI capability exposure network element supports automatic retrieval, discovery, and dynamic selection of the most suitable AI agent or capability node according to parameters such as use_code and agent_ID, to support the collaborative work of multiple AI agents under the same process, thereby helping to adapt to complex and heterogeneous AI service scenarios.

[0165] To achieve more refined management or security authentication, after performing capability orchestration, the first AI capability exposure network element can also generate related key information and perform capability authorization, so as to provide services only to customers within the service range. In some embodiments, step 303 further includes that the first AI capability exposure network element generates key information and performs capability authorization.

[0166] For example, the key information is ai_auth_token. The ai_auth_token adopts a JWT structure. The ai_auth_token generally refers to a token for AI service authentication (Authentication Token), which is mainly used for software components in multi-factor authentication, and verifies the identity of a user by generating a dynamic value.

[0167] Step 304, in the case of completing the capability orchestration process, the first AI capability exposure network element generates session context information for the first AI service and orchestrates an action chain, the action chain being a service call path for processing the first AI service; the action chain includes a list for execution for the first AI service. Alternatively, the action chain can be understood as the order of a plurality of processing processes for executing the first AI service, and each processing process is executed by a corresponding large model (or an AI agent is called to execute).

[0168] Exemplarily, the session context information generated by the first AI capability exposure network element includes a session identifier (which can be used to identify an AI PDU session) and a request identifier.

[0169] Optionally, the first AI capability exposure network element orchestrates the action chain, which specifically includes determining the ID, address information (which can be the address of a physical server), and capability chain call path of the target AI agent. In other words, by splitting the processing process of the to-be-processed task into a plurality of processing processes, each processing process is implemented by a corresponding AI agent or large model, and the sequence relationship between the plurality of processing processes can follow the processing order of the orchestrated action chain.

[0170] For example, the capability chain invocation path is: ASR→RAG→Planner→Final Answer. It can be understood as a large model that needs to be called in sequence when processing the first AI service to obtain the final processing result.

[0171] At step 305, the first AI capability exposure network element notifies the target AI agent.

[0172] It should be noted that the purpose of notifying the target AI agent is to inform the target AI agent in advance that an AI PDU session will be established to process the task.

[0173] The target AI agent is used to generally refer to the related AI agent (which can be one or more AI agents) involved in the capability chain invocation path. The above step 305 is only described by taking the target AI agent as an example. The number of target AI agents is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application. In fact, if there are multiple target AI agents, the first AI capability exposure network element will notify multiple target AI agents and assign tasks and corresponding invocation permissions to each target AI agent. The invocation permission of the target AI agent determines whether the target AI agent can be invoked or not, so as to better provide services.

[0174] It can be understood that the task assigned by the first AI capability exposure network element to each target AI agent corresponds to the capability supported by the AI agent. For example, for an AI agent that supports processing voice tasks, the first AI capability exposure network element assigns a voice task to the AI agent.

[0175] At step 306, the first AI capability exposure network element triggers an AI session establishment process.

[0176] It should be noted that after generating the session context information, the first AI capability exposure network element can trigger a first packet data unit (PDU) session (or AI PDU session, which can be referred to as AI session) establishment process to allocate data channels and bandwidth resources.

[0177] Optionally, the first PDU session can carry first information, and the first information is used to identify that the first PDU session is an AI session type. For example, the first information is an AI session ID. For another example, the first information is the value of a certain bit.

[0178] Regarding the process of allocating data channels and bandwidth resources, the establishment process of the PDU session of the traditional communication service can be referred to, which will not be described here. The AI PDU session triggered by the present application is used for AI service, that is, AI PDU session. AI PDU session and PDU session of traditional communication service can be distinguished by session ID.

[0179] Exemplarily, the first AI capability exposure network element triggers the PCF or the SMF to complete the establishment process of the AI PDU session, and sets corresponding quality of service (QoS) parameters to guarantee the transmission quality of the AI service.

[0180] Embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit the initiation object of the AI session establishment process. The AI session establishment process can be triggered by the first AI capability exposure network element, i.e., the AI session establishment process is triggered in the case of an AI service request (such as the second request message), and the result of the session establishment is notified to the UE. Alternatively, the AI session establishment process can also be initiated by the UE. For the case of UE-initiated AI session establishment process, the first AI capability exposure network element can send a session establishment request to the UE through the SMF before step 305 to notify the UE that it can initiate an AI session, so that the UE itself triggers the AI session establishment process. The process of UE-initiated session is described below in connection with steps a to c.

[0181] Optionally, before step 305, the method further comprises:

[0182] Step a, the first AI capability exposure network element sends a session establishment indication to the SMF, the session establishment indication being used to trigger the UE to initiate a PDU session establishment process. Correspondingly, the SMF receives the session establishment indication.

[0183] Step b, the SMF sends the session establishment indication to the AMF. Correspondingly, the AMF receives the session establishment indication.

[0184] Step c, the AMF sends the session establishment indication to the UE. Correspondingly, the UE receives the session establishment indication.

[0185] Step d, the UE sends a session establishment message to the AMF, the session establishment message being used to request to establish a first PDU session. Correspondingly, the AMF receives the session establishment message.

[0186] Step e, the AMF sends the session establishment message to the SMF. Correspondingly, the SMF receives the session establishment message.

[0187] Optionally, the session establishment message includes the data plane IP address of the first AI capability exposure network element or the IP address of the target AI agent.

[0188] The above steps a to e are an example of UE-initiated AI session establishment process, and are only one possible implementation manner. Embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. In fact, the first AI capability exposure network element can also initiate the session establishment process by itself, and the result of the successful session establishment can be notified to the UE.

[0189] Step 307, the SMF selects a user plane function UPF.

[0190] Optionally, the SMF can select a suitable UPF to process user data based on the session establishment indication of the first AI-capable exposure network element or the session establishment message sent by the UE.

[0191] At step 308, the SMF sends a session establishment confirmation message to the AMF. Correspondingly, the AMF receives the session establishment confirmation message.

[0192] That is, the SMF can instruct the AMF to create a corresponding session through the session establishment confirmation message. For example, the session establishment confirmation message is a Session Establishment Accept.

[0193] At step 309, the AMF sends an RRC connection complete message to the UE. Correspondingly, the UE receives the RRC connection complete message. The RRC connection complete message is used to notify that the first PDU session has been successfully established, and the first PDU session carries first information used to identify that the first PDU session is an AI session type. In other words, the first PDU session is an AI PDU session established for the first AI service.

[0194] After the AMF completes the creation of the AI PDU session, the AMF sends an RRC connection complete message to the UE to inform that the session establishment is successful. For example, the RRC connection complete message is an RRC Setup Complete. After the UE receives the RRC connection complete message, the UE can know that the AI PDU session has been successfully established, and can send the pending data stream to the related AI agent.

[0195] The above steps 306 to 309 can be understood as a process of establishing an AI PDU session. After the AI PDU session is established, the UE can connect to the first AI-capable exposure network element or the selected target AI agent (or AI agent service path) through the AI PDU session to initiate the data stream of the first AI service.

[0196] Through the establishment of the AI PDU session, deep coupling of AI capability service and network session (such as PDU session) can be achieved, AI capability chain context and network QoS, data path and dynamic collaborative optimization can be achieved, and efficient, safe and controllable AI service data stream can be ensured.

[0197] At step 310, the UE sends pending data to the target AI agent (or the first AI-capable exposure network element) through the AI PDU session (or the first PDU session), and the pending data is a data stream of the first AI service.

[0198] In some embodiments, the UE sends the data to be processed (such as an audio data stream or an image data stream) to the target AI agent (or to the AI agent service path) through the data channel. The target AI agent processes in sequence according to the capability chain (or service path), for example including but not limited to: speech recognition processing, inference process, planning process, output result, etc., and generates a processing result (or the result of the first AI service).

[0199] The following steps 311 and 312 can be understood as the target AI agent returning the processing result to the UE through the UPF.

[0200] For example, as shown in step 311, the target AI agent sends the processing result to the UPF. Figure 3

[0201] After processing the data to be processed, the target AI agent can return the processing result to the UE through the UPF.

[0202] In step 312, the UPF sends the user plane data stream to the UE, and the user plane data stream includes the processing result for the data to be processed. Correspondingly, the UE receives the user plane data stream.

[0203] Specifically, the UE receives the processing result (such as Final Answer) through the data bearer channel, and performs subsequent steps based on the processing result, for example including but not limited to: displaying the processing result, executing the result, or linking other applications, so that the AI service triggered by the user can be efficiently processed.

[0204] Optionally, the processing result carries a corresponding mark or identifier for session tracking and auditing. For example, the processing result carries a request identifier (such as require_ID) and / or a session identifier (session_ID).

[0205] It can be understood that after the AI PDU session is successfully established, the UE can perform multiple rounds of sessions with the target AI agent, that is, repeatedly perform the above steps 310 to 312, and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations thereon. Of course, if the UE receives another AI service (such as a second AI service) triggered by the user, it can initiate a capability calling process for the second AI service to the network side, and the related processes or steps can refer to the description of the foregoing Figure 3 , which will not be expanded here.

[0206] It should be understood that Figure 3 the processes shown in the foregoing are only exemplary descriptions of the related interaction processes of the core network architecture supporting AI services or AI capability calling introduced by the embodiments of the present application, or to facilitate understanding of the interaction processes supporting AI services or calling AI capabilities, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. In fact, in practice, based on the description of the foregoing​Figure 3 The flowchart shown can obtain more or less steps of the interaction process shown to provide the AI service for the UE. Figure 3 The flowchart shown can obtain more or less steps of the interaction process shown to provide the AI service for the UE.

[0207] It should be understood that Figures 1 to 3 The flowchart or scenario diagram shown is only for understanding and is not intended to limit the embodiments of the present application to the examples shown in the diagram. In fact, based on the examples in the embodiments of the present application, those skilled in the art can make equivalent transformations to obtain more implementation manners. Figures 1 to 3 The flowchart or scenario diagram shown is only for understanding and is not intended to limit the embodiments of the present application to the examples shown in the diagram. In fact, based on the examples in the embodiments of the present application, those skilled in the art can make equivalent transformations to obtain more implementation manners.

[0208] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail above in combination with Figures 1 to 3 The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail above in combination with Figure 4 and Figure 5 The communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below in combination with

[0209] In the embodiments above, the terminal device can perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments; the network device (such as AMF, SMF or the first AI capability opening network element) can perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments. These steps or operations are only examples, and the embodiments of the present application can also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, various steps can be performed in different orders according to various embodiments, and it is possible that not all operations in the embodiments of the present application are performed. Moreover, the size of the serial number of each step does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0210] Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram of the communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 4 The communication device 600 can include a communication module 620. The communication module 620 can implement a corresponding communication function, which can be an internal communication function of the communication device 600 or a communication function of the communication device 600 and other devices. Optionally, the communication module 620 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a transceiver module. Optionally, the communication device 600 further includes a processing module 610. The processing module 610 can implement a corresponding processing function.

[0211] Optionally, the communication device 600 further includes a storage module, which can be used to store instructions and / or data; the processing module 610 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module to enable the communication device 600 to implement the foregoing method embodiments.

[0212] In a possible design, the communication apparatus 600 can correspond to a user equipment (UE) in the foregoing method embodiments, or a component (such as a circuit, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) configured in the UE. The communication apparatus 600 can be used to perform steps or procedures performed by the UE in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0213] For example, the communication module 620 is configured to send, to an access and mobility management (AMF) network element through an access network device, a first request message used to request invoking a capability related to a first artificial intelligence (AI) service, the first request message being generated in response to the first AI service triggered by a user, and the first request message including one or more of the following: a request identifier, a session identifier, a proxy identifier, a user identifier, and token information.

[0214] The communication module 620 is further configured to receive, from the AMF, a connection complete message used to notify that a first PDU session has been successfully established, and the first PDU session carrying first information used to identify that the first PDU session is of an AI session type.

[0215] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 620 is further configured to receive, from the AMF, a session establishment indication used to trigger the UE to initiate a PDU session establishment procedure, and the communication module 620 is further configured to send, to a session management (SM) network element through the AMF, a session establishment message used to request establishing the first PDU session according to the session establishment indication.

[0216] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 620 is further configured to send, to a target AI proxy or a first AI capability exposure network element through the first PDU session, to-be-processed data, and the to-be-processed data is a data stream corresponding to the first AI service; and the communication module 620 is further configured to receive, from a UPF, a user plane data stream including a processing result for the to-be-processed data, and the processing result carrying a session identifier and / or a request identifier.

[0217] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first request message is a non-access stratum (NAS) message, or the first request message is an RRC connection establishment request message.

[0218] The above is only an example, and detailed steps or procedures can refer to the foregoing embodiment descriptions. For brevity, details are not described herein.

[0219] In a possible design, the communication apparatus 600 can correspond to a network device (such as an access and mobility management, AMF, network element) in the foregoing method embodiments, or a component (such as a circuit, a chip, or a chip system) configured in a network device (such as an AMF network element). The communication apparatus 600 can be used to execute steps or processes performed by a network device (such as an AMF network element) in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0220] The communication module 620 is configured to receive a first request message from a user equipment, UE, the first request message being a request message related to a first AI service, the first request message including one or more of the following: a request identifier, a session identifier, a proxy identifier, a user identifier, and token information.

[0221] The processing module 610 is configured to select, according to the first request message, a first AI capability exposure network element that supports the first AI service.

[0222] The communication module 620 is further configured to send, to the first AI capability exposure network element, a second request message including at least the user identifier.

[0223] The communication module 620 is further configured to send, to the UE, a connection complete message in a case where the first PDU session is successfully established, the connection complete message being used to notify that the first PDU session has been successfully established, the first PDU session being used for the first AI service.

[0224] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 620 is further configured to send, to the UE, a first response message in response to the first request message, the first response message including information of the first AI capability exposure network element.

[0225] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 620 is further configured to receive a session establishment confirmation message from the SMF, the session establishment confirmation message being used to notify that the first PDU session is successfully established.

[0226] Optionally, as an embodiment, the processing module 610 is configured to select, according to the first request message, a first AI capability exposure network element, including: selecting, according to the first request message, the first AI capability exposure network element based on policy information and / or authorization information, wherein the policy information is policy information corresponding to the UE obtained from a policy control function, PCF, and the authorization information is authorization information corresponding to the UE obtained from a unified data management, UDM, network element.

[0227] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 620 is configured to send a second request message to the first AI capability exposure network element, including: sending the second request message to the first AI capability exposure network element through a session management network element SMF.

[0228] The above is only an example, and detailed steps or processes can refer to the description of the foregoing embodiments. For brevity, details are not repeated here.

[0229] In a possible design, the communication apparatus 600 can correspond to a network device (such as the first AI capability exposure network element, or the NEF network element, or the AF network element) in the foregoing method embodiments, or a component (such as a circuit, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) configured in a network device (such as the first AI capability exposure network element, or the NEF network element, or the AF network element). The communication apparatus 600 can be configured to perform steps or processes performed by the network device (such as the first AI capability exposure network element, or the NEF network element, or the AF network element) in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0230] The communication module 620 is configured to receive a second request message, the second request message including at least a user identifier, the user identifier being used to identify a caller identity;

[0231] The processing module 610 is configured to perform a capability orchestration process according to the second request message;

[0232] The processing module 610 is further configured to, in a case where the capability orchestration is completed, generate session context information and orchestrate an action chain for the first AI service, the action chain being a service invocation path for processing the first AI service; and the action chain including a list of operations performed for the first AI service.

[0233] The processing module 610 is further configured to trigger a session establishment process.

[0234] The communication module 620 is further configured to, in a case where the session establishment is completed, send a session establishment confirmation message to the SMF, the session establishment confirmation message being used to notify that a PDU session has been established.

[0235] Optionally, as an embodiment, the processing module 610 is configured to perform the capability orchestration process according to the second request message, including: obtaining the user identifier according to the second request message; submitting the user identifier to a server to obtain an address of a target AI agent; and performing orchestration processing based on the address of the target AI agent.

[0236] Optionally, as an embodiment, the processing module 610 is configured to trigger the session establishment process, including: invoking the communication module 620 to send a session establishment indication to the UE through the SMF, the session establishment indication being used to trigger the UE to initiate a PDU session establishment process.

[0237] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 620 is configured to receive the second request message, including: receiving the second request message from an access and mobility management network element (AMF) network element; or, receiving the second request message from a session management network element (SMF) network element.

[0238] The above is only an example, and detailed steps or processes can refer to the description of the foregoing embodiments. For brevity, details are not repeated here.

[0239] In a possible design, the communication apparatus 600 can correspond to a network device (such as an SMF network element) in the foregoing method embodiments, or a component (such as a circuit, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) configured in a network device (such as an SMF network element). The communication apparatus 600 can be configured to perform the steps or processes performed by the network device (such as an SMF network element) in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0240] The processing module 610 is further configured to establish a first PDU session based on the session establishment request from the first AI capability exposure network element, or based on the session establishment message from the AMF, the first PDU session carrying first information, the first information being used to identify that the first PDU session is an AI session type.

[0241] The communication module 620 is configured to send a session establishment confirmation message to the AMF, the session establishment confirmation message being used to notify that the first PDU session is established successfully.

[0242] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 620 is further configured to receive a session establishment indication from the first AI capability exposure network element, the session establishment indication being used to trigger the UE to initiate a PDU session establishment process.

[0243] The communication module 620 is further configured to forward the session establishment indication to the AMF.

[0244] The communication module 620 is further configured to receive a session establishment message from the AMF, the session establishment message being used to confirm to initiate a session establishment process.

[0245] Optionally, as an embodiment, the processing module 610 is further configured to establish the first PDU session, including one or more of the following: allocating a data channel; allocating a bandwidth resource; selecting a user plane function (UPF).

[0246] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 620 is further configured to receive a second request message from an access and mobility management network element (AMF), the second request message comprising at least a user identity, the user identity being used to identify a caller identity; and the communication module 620 is further configured to forward the second request message to the first AI capability exposure network element.

[0247] The above is only an example, and detailed steps or processes can refer to the description of the foregoing embodiments. For brevity, details are not repeated here.

[0248] Figure 5 is another schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5 the communication apparatus 700 can be a chip, a chip system, or a processor, etc. of a terminal device (such as a UE) or a network device (such as an AMF, or an SMF, or a first AI capability exposure network element or an NEF network element or an AF network element) implementing the above method. The communication apparatus 700 can be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiments, and details can be referred to the description in the above method embodiments.

[0249] As shown in Figure 5 the communication apparatus 700 can include one or more processors 710, which can also be referred to as processing units or processing modules, and can implement certain control functions. The processor 710 can be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, etc., for example, can be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication apparatus 700 (such as a base station, a baseband chip, a user, and a user chip), execute software programs, and process data of software programs.

[0250] In an optional design, the processor 710 can also store instructions and / or data, which can be executed by the processor 710, so that the communication apparatus 700 executes the method described in the above method embodiments.

[0251] In another optional design, the communication apparatus 700 can include a communication interface 720 for implementing receiving and sending functions. For example, the communication interface 720 can be a transceiver circuit, an interface, an interface circuit, or a transceiver, etc. The transceiver circuit, the interface, the interface circuit, or the transceiver for implementing receiving and sending functions can be separate or integrated together. The above transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver can be used for reading and writing of code / data, or the above transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver can be used for transmission or transfer of signals.

[0252] Optionally, the communication apparatus 700 can include one or more memories 730 that can store instructions that can be executed by the processor 710 to cause the communication apparatus 700 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memory 730 can also store data. Optionally, the processor 710 can also store instructions and / or data. The processor 710 and the memory 730 can be separately arranged, or can be integrated together.

[0253] It should be understood that, in a possible design, each step in the method embodiments provided in the present application can be completed by integrated logic circuits of hardware in the processor or instructions in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being completed by a hardware processor, or being completed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software modules can be located in a random memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, or other mature storage media in the art. The storage media is located in the memory, and the processor reads information in the memory and combines hardware to complete the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0254] In one implementation, the communication apparatus 700 can correspond to the terminal device (such as a UE) in the above method embodiments, and can be used to perform each step and / or process performed by the terminal device (such as a UE) in the above method embodiments. The processor 710 can be used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 730, and when the processor 710 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 710 is used to perform each step and / or process of the above method embodiments corresponding to the terminal device.

[0255] In another implementation, the communication apparatus 700 can correspond to the AMF in the above method embodiments, and can be used to perform each step and / or process performed by the AMF in the above method embodiments. The processor 710 can be used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 730, and when the processor 710 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 710 is used to perform each step and / or process of the above method embodiments corresponding to the AMF.

[0256] In yet another implementation, the communication apparatus 700 can correspond to the SMF in the above method embodiments, and can be used to perform each step and / or process performed by the SMF in the above method embodiments. The processor 710 can be used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 730, and when the processor 710 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 710 is used to perform each step and / or process of the above method embodiments corresponding to the SMF.

[0257] In another implementation, the communication apparatus 700 can correspond to the first AI capability exposure network element in the above method embodiments, and can be configured to perform the steps and / or procedures performed by the first AI capability exposure network element in the above method embodiments. The processor 710 can be configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory 730, and when the processor 710 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 710 is configured to perform the steps and / or procedures of the above method embodiments corresponding to the first AI capability exposure network element.

[0258] In another implementation, the communication apparatus 700 can correspond to the NEF network element or the AF network element (supporting AIE function) in the above method embodiments, and can be configured to perform the steps and / or procedures performed by the NEF network element or the AF network element in the above method embodiments. The processor 710 can be configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory 730, and when the processor 710 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 710 is configured to perform the steps and / or procedures of the above method embodiments corresponding to the NEF network element or the AF network element.

[0259] It should be understood that the above processing apparatus can be one or more chips. For example, the processing apparatus can be a field programmable gate array (FPGA), can be an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), can also be a system on chip (SoC), can also be a central processor unit (CPU), can also be a network processor (NP), can also be a digital signal processor (DSP), can also be a micro controller unit (MCU), can also be a programmable logic device (PLD) or other integrated chip.

[0260] It is to be appreciated that the memory in the embodiments of the application can be a volatile or non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically EPROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as external cache. By way of example, and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, for example, static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM (DR RAM). It is to be appreciated that the memory described herein is intended to include, without being limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0261] According to the method provided by the embodiments of the application, the application further provides a chip system, which comprises one or more processors, and is used for calling and running instructions stored in a memory, so that the method of the embodiments of the application is executed. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0262] The chip system can include an input circuit or interface for sending information or data, and an output circuit or interface for receiving information or data.

[0263] According to the method provided by the embodiments of the application, the application further provides a communication system, which comprises the aforementioned UE, AMF, SMF and first AI capability exposure network element (or NEF network element or AF network element). Optionally, the communication system further comprises a target AI agent, PCF, UDM, etc.

[0264] According to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the present application further provides a computer program product, which comprises computer program codes, and when the computer program codes are run on a computer, the computer is caused to perform each step or process performed by the AMF, the SMF, the first AI capability opening network element (or the NEF network element or the AF network element), and the UE in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0265] According to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the present application further provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores program codes, and when the program codes are run on a computer, the computer is caused to perform each step or process performed by the UE in any of the foregoing method embodiments, or the computer is caused to perform each step or process performed by the AMF in any of the foregoing method embodiments, or the computer is caused to perform each step or process performed by the SMF in any of the foregoing method embodiments, or the computer is caused to perform each step or process performed by the first AI capability opening network element (or the NEF network element or the AF network element) in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0266] The computer readable storage medium can be the volatile memory or the non-volatile memory described above, or can simultaneously include the volatile memory and the non-volatile memory.

[0267] In the embodiments of the present application, each term and English abbreviation is an exemplary example given for convenience of description, and should not constitute any limitation on the present application. The present application does not exclude the possibility of defining other terms capable of achieving the same or similar functions in the existing or future protocols.

[0268] In the foregoing embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be realized by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When realized by software, all or part of the embodiments can be realized in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product comprises one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated.

[0269] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented by other manners. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units or components shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0270] It should be understood that the magnitude of the serial number of each process in various embodiments of the present application does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0271] In addition, the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably in this paper. The term "and / or" in this paper is only a description of the association relationship between the associated objects, which means that there are three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the three cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone. In addition, the character " / " in this paper generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects. For example, A / B can represent A or B.

[0272] In the embodiments of the present application, "information", "signal", "message", "channel", and "signalling" can be used interchangeably at times. It should be pointed out that when the distinction is not emphasized, the meanings expressed are consistent. "Of", "corresponding" and "corresponding" can be used interchangeably at times. It should be pointed out that when the distinction is not emphasized, the meanings expressed are consistent.

[0273] Here, it is uniformly stated that the specific implementation mode of "predefined" can include any of the following: protocol predefined, or manufacturer specification of communication equipment, or communication operator defined, or pre-installed in communication equipment when communication equipment is shipped, or other agreed manner agreed in advance.

[0274] The terms (or numbers) "first", "second", …, etc. appearing in the embodiments of the present application are only for descriptive purposes, i.e. only to distinguish different objects, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features limited by "first", "second", …, etc. can include one or more features explicitly or implicitly. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" means one or more. The meaning of "multiple" is two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single (item) or multiple (item).

[0275] For example, the meaning of the expression similar to "the item includes at least one of A, B, and C" in the embodiments of the present application, if not specifically stated, generally means that the item can be any one of A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, A, B and C, A and A, A, A and A, A, A and B, A, A and C, A, B and B, A, C and C, B and B, B, B and B, B, B and C, C and C, C, C and C, and other combinations of A, B, and C. The above is an example of 3 elements A, B, and C to illustrate the optional entries of the item. When the expression is "the item includes at least one of A, B,..., and X", that is, the expression has more elements, the applicable entries of the item can also be obtained according to the foregoing rules.

[0276] In conclusion, the above only describes the preferred embodiments of the technical solutions of the present application, and is not used to limit the protection scope of the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a user equipment (UE), and the method includes: The access network device sends a first request message to the Access and Mobility Management (AMF) network element. The first request message is used to request the invocation of capabilities related to the first artificial intelligence (AI) service. The first request message is generated in response to the first AI service triggered by the user. The first request message includes one or more of the following: request identifier, session identifier, proxy identifier, user identifier, and token information. The system receives a first response message, which is used to respond to the first request message. The first response message includes information about a first AI capability open network element, wherein the first AI capability open network element is determined by the AMF network element. The first AI capability open network element manages one or more AI agents. The first AI capability open network element is used to perform a capability orchestration process, and, upon completion of capability orchestration, generates session context information for the first AI service and orchestrates an action chain, wherein the action chain is a service call path for processing the first AI service. The action chain includes a list of actions to be performed for the first AI service. The first AI capability open network element is also used to trigger the establishment process of a first packet data unit (PDU) session. Receive a connection completion message from AMF, the connection completion message is used to notify that the first PDU session has been successfully established, the first PDU session carries first information, the first information is used to identify the first PDU session as an AI session type.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before receiving the connection completion message from the AMF, the method further includes: Receive a session establishment indication from the AMF, the session establishment indication being used to trigger the UE to initiate a PDU session establishment process; According to the session establishment instruction, the AMF sends a session establishment message to the session management network element SMF, and the session establishment message is used to request the establishment of the first PDU session.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, After receiving a connection completion message from the AMF, the method further includes: The data to be processed is sent to the target AI agent or the first AI capability open network element through the first PDU session, and the data to be processed is the data stream corresponding to the first AI service. Receive user plane data stream from User Plane Function (UPF), the user plane data stream including the processing result of the data to be processed; the processing result carries a session identifier and / or a request identifier.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first request message is a non-access stratum NAS message, or the first request message is an RRC connection establishment request message.

5. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to Access and Mobility Management (AMF) network elements, and the method includes: Receive a first request message from a user equipment (UE), the first request message being a request message related to a first AI service, the first request message including one or more of the following: request identifier, session identifier, proxy identifier, user identifier, token information; the user identifier is used to identify the caller's identity; Based on the first request message, select a first AI capability open network element, the first AI capability open network element supports the first AI service, and the first AI capability open network element manages one or more AI agents; Send a first response message to the UE. The first response message is used to respond to the first request message. The first response message includes information about the first AI capability open network element. The first AI capability open network element sends a second request message to the first AI capability open network element, the second request message including at least a user identifier; the first AI capability open network element is used to perform a capability orchestration process according to the second request message, and is used to generate session context information and orchestrate an action chain for the first AI service after the capability orchestration is completed, the action chain being a service call path for processing the first AI service; the action chain includes a list of actions to be performed for the first AI service; the first AI capability open network element is also used to trigger the establishment process of a first packet data unit (PDU) session; If the first PDU session is successfully established, a connection completion message is sent to the UE. The connection completion message is used to notify that the first PDU session has been successfully established and the first PDU session is used for the first AI service.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, Before sending a connection completion message to the UE, the method further includes: A session establishment confirmation message is received from the Session Management Network Element (SMF), which is used to notify the first PDU that the session has been successfully established.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The step of selecting the first AI capability open network element according to the first request message includes: Based on the first request message, and the policy information and / or authorization information, the first AI capability open network element is selected, wherein the policy information is the policy information corresponding to the UE obtained from the policy control function PCF, and the authorization information is the authorization information corresponding to the UE obtained from the unified data management network element UDM.

8. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, Sending the second request message to the first AI capability open network element includes: The Session Management Element (SMF) sends a second request message to the first AI capability open element.

9. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a first AI capability open network element, which manages one or more AI agents; the method includes: Receive a second request message, the second request message including at least a user identifier, the user identifier being used to identify the caller's identity; Based on the second request message, execute the capability orchestration process; Once the capability orchestration is complete, session context information is generated for the first AI service and an action chain is orchestrated. The action chain is a service call path used to process the first AI service. The action chain includes a list of actions to be performed for the first AI service. Trigger the session establishment process for the first data unit (PDU) session; Once the session is established, a session establishment confirmation message is sent to the session management network element (SMF). The session establishment confirmation message is used to notify that the first PDU session has been established, and the first PDU session is used for the first AI service.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The capability orchestration process performed according to the second request message includes: The user identifier is obtained according to the second request message; Submit the user identifier to the server to obtain the address of the target AI agent; Orchestration processing is performed based on the address of the target AI agent.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The process of triggering session establishment includes: The session establishment instruction is sent to the UE via SMF, and the session establishment instruction is used to trigger the UE to initiate the PDU session establishment process.

12. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The receiving of the second request message includes: Receive a second request message from the Access and Mobility Management (AMF) network element; Alternatively, receive a second request message from the Session Management Element (SMF).

13. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to the Session Management Element (SMF), and the method includes: Receive a second request message from the Access and Mobility Management Element (AMF), the second request message including at least a user identifier, the user identifier being used to identify the caller's identity; The second request message is forwarded to the first AI capability open network element; wherein, the first AI capability open network element is determined by the AMF network element; the first AI capability open network element manages one or more AI agents; the first AI capability open network element is used to perform a capability orchestration process, and, upon completion of capability orchestration, to generate session context information for the first AI service and orchestrate an action chain, the action chain being a service call path for processing the first AI service; the action chain includes a list of actions to be performed for the first AI service; the first AI capability open network element is also used to trigger the establishment process of a first packet data unit (PDU) session; The first PDU session is established based on a session establishment request from the first AI capability open network element, or based on a session establishment message from the access and mobility management network element (AMF). The first PDU session carries first information, which is used to identify the first PDU session as an AI session type. A session establishment confirmation message is sent to the AMF, which is used to notify the first PDU that the session has been successfully established.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, Before establishing the first PDU session, the method further includes: Receive a session establishment instruction from the first AI capability open network element, the session establishment instruction being used to trigger the UE to initiate a PDU session establishment process; The session establishment instruction is forwarded to the AMF; Receive a session establishment message from the AMF, the session establishment message being used to confirm the initiation of the session establishment process.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The establishment of the first PDU session includes at least one or more of the following: Allocate data channels; Allocate bandwidth resources; Select User Face Function (UPF).

16. A communication system, characterized in that, include: Access and Mobility Management (AMF) network element, First AI Capability Opening network element, Session Management (SMF) network element; The First AI Capability Opening network element manages one or more AI agents; The AMF is used to receive a first request message from the UE. The first request message is used to request the invocation of capabilities related to a first artificial intelligence (AI) service. The first request message is generated in response to the first AI service triggered by the user. The first request message includes one or more of the following: request identifier, session identifier, proxy identifier, user identifier, and token information. The AMF is also used to select a first AI capability open network element according to the first request message, and the first AI capability open network element supports the first AI service. The first AI capability open network element is used to receive a second request message, the second request message including at least a user identifier; and to perform a capability orchestration process based on the second request message; The first AI capability open network element is also used to generate session context information and orchestrate action chains for the first AI service after completing capability orchestration. The action chain is a service call path for processing the first AI service. The action chain includes a list of actions to be performed for the first AI service. The first AI capability open network element is also used to trigger the session establishment process of the first PDU session; The first AI capability open network element is also used to send a session establishment confirmation message to the session management network element SMF after the session is established. The session establishment confirmation message is used to notify that the first PDU session has been established. The SMF is used to send a connection completion message to the UE through the AMF. The connection completion message is used to notify that the first PDU session has been successfully established. The first PDU session carries first information, which is used to identify the first PDU session as an AI session type.

17. The communication system according to claim 16, characterized in that, The first AI capability open network element is used to receive the second request message, including: The first AI capability open network element is used to receive a second request message from the AMF, or to receive a second request message from the SMF.

18. The communication system according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that, The communication system also includes the UE and UPF; The UE is used to send the data to be processed to the target AI agent or the first AI capability open network element through the first PDU session, and the data to be processed is the data stream corresponding to the first AI service. The UPF is used to send a user plane data stream to the UE, the user plane data stream including the processing result of the data to be processed; the processing result carries a session identifier and / or a request identifier.

19. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes at least one processor coupled to a memory storing a program or instructions, wherein the processor executes the program or instructions such that the communication device is configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, or to perform the method as described in any one of claims 5 to 8, or to perform the method as described in any one of claims 9 to 12, or to perform the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 15.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, It stores a computer program or instructions thereon, which, when executed, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, or cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 5 to 8, or cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 9 to 12, or cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 15.

21. A communication system, characterized in that, Includes the communication device as described in claim 19.

22. A chip system, characterized in that, The chip system includes one or more processors, which are configured to call and execute instructions stored in memory, such that the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4 is executed, or the method as described in any one of claims 5 to 8 is executed, or the method as described in any one of claims 9 to 12 is executed, or the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 15 is executed.

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