Session establishment method, communication system and related equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a session establishment method, a communication system and related equipment, and relates to the technical field of communication. In the scheme, a second network element sends a session establishment request to a first network element, and the session establishment request is used for indicating that both a first terminal and a second terminal have the capability of UE-SAT-UE communication from terminal to satellite to terminal; the first network element determines a session initiation protocol (SIP) signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal in response to the session establishment request, so that the first terminal and the second terminal establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path, and the SIP signaling transmission path comprises at least one network function (NF) deployed on a satellite node. The UE-SAT-UE NF is deployed on a satellite, so that dynamic reconstruction of an SIP signaling transmission path is realized, signaling in a ground core network is interactively migrated to a satellite node to be executed, control signaling is prevented from being transmitted through a satellite-ground link, and control plane interaction time delay is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a session establishment method, communication system and related equipment. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous evolution of Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) technology, satellite communication is gradually becoming an important component of next-generation mobile communication systems. In the UE (User Equipment)-SAT (Satellite)-UE communication scheme, terminals can achieve data interconnection via satellite, expanding the capabilities of satellite communication in end-to-end scenarios.

[0003] In related technologies, the control plane functions in UE-SAT-UE services are still centrally deployed in the terrestrial core network, which means that control signaling needs to be transmitted through the satellite-to-ground link, and the distance between the satellite and the ground causes a large control plane delay.

[0004] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background section above is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of this disclosure, and therefore may include information that does not constitute prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This disclosure provides a session establishment method, communication system, and related equipment, which at least to some extent overcomes the technical problem in related technologies where control signaling is transmitted via a satellite-to-ground link, and the distance between the satellite and the ground causes a large control plane delay.

[0006] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, or may be learned in part from practice of this disclosure.

[0007] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a session establishment method is provided, applied to a first network element, comprising: receiving a session establishment request sent by a second network element, wherein the session establishment request is used to indicate that both a first terminal and a second terminal have the capability of UE-SAT-UE communication; and in response to the session establishment request, determining a SIP (Session Initialization Protocol) signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal, so that the first terminal and the second terminal establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path, wherein the SIP signaling transmission path includes at least one NF (Network Function) deployed on a satellite node.

[0008] In some embodiments, the NF includes at least one of the following network elements: AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), SMF (Session Management Function), PCF (Policy Control Function), P-CSCF (Proxy-Call Session Control Function), S-CSCF (Serving-Call Session Control Function), AS (Application Server), and HSS (Home Subscriber Server).

[0009] In some embodiments, the NF includes at least one of the following functions: creating policy authorization, updating policy authorization, policy authorization notification, session management policy control update notification, updating session management policy control, event exposure notification, creating session management context for PDU (Protocol Data Unit) sessions, and updating session management context for PDU sessions.

[0010] In some embodiments, where the SIP signaling transmission path includes at least two NFs, at least two NFs are deployed on their respective satellite nodes.

[0011] In some embodiments, in response to a session establishment request, determining a SIP signaling transmission path between a first terminal and a second terminal to enable the first terminal and the second terminal to establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path includes: in response to a session establishment request, triggering an authentication process for the first terminal and the second terminal and a configuration process for the SIP signaling transmission path to determine a SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal to enable the first terminal and the second terminal to establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path, wherein the configuration process for the SIP signaling transmission path is triggered when the authentication process of the first terminal and / or the second terminal is completed and the authentication result is successful.

[0012] In some embodiments, in response to a session establishment request, an authentication process for the first terminal and the second terminal, as well as a configuration process for the SIP signaling transmission path, are triggered to determine the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal, so that the first terminal and the second terminal can establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path. This includes: in response to the session establishment request, sending a first authentication request to a third network element, so that the third network element performs authentication on the first terminal and the second terminal based on the first authentication request; if the authentication results of both the first terminal and the second terminal are successful, configuring the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal, and sending the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first network element and the fourth network element, wherein the fourth network element is used to send the received address information of the NF to the second terminal; receiving the address information of the NF sent by the third network element, and sending the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first terminal, so that the first terminal and the second terminal can establish a session connection based on the address information of the NF.

[0013] In some embodiments, in response to a session establishment request, an authentication process for the first terminal and the second terminal, as well as a SIP signaling transmission path configuration process, are triggered to determine the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal, so that the first terminal and the second terminal can establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path. This includes: in response to the session establishment request, performing authentication on the first terminal; if the authentication result of the first terminal is successful, sending a second authentication request to a fourth network element, so that the fourth network element performs authentication on the second terminal based on the second authentication request; if the authentication result of the second terminal is successful, configuring the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal, and sending the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the second terminal; receiving the authentication result of the second terminal and the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path returned by the fourth network element; and in response to the authentication result of the second terminal being successful, configuring the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal, and sending the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first terminal, so that the first terminal and the second terminal can establish a session connection based on the address information of the NF.

[0014] In some embodiments, sending the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first terminal includes: sending the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first terminal through the second network element; wherein, the fourth network element is further configured to send the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the second terminal through the fifth network element.

[0015] In some embodiments, the session establishment request is sent by the second network element when it is determined that both the first terminal and the second terminal have the capability of UE-SAT-UE communication; the capability of both the first terminal and the second terminal to have UE-SAT-UE communication includes: the satellite nodes accessed by the first terminal and the satellite nodes accessed by the second terminal are both in regeneration mode, and the communication conditions between the satellite nodes accessed by the first terminal and the satellite nodes accessed by the second terminal are met.

[0016] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a session establishment apparatus is also provided, configured in a first network element, comprising: a session establishment request receiving module, configured to receive a session establishment request sent by a second network element, wherein the session establishment request is used to indicate that both a first terminal and a second terminal have the capability of terminal-to-satellite-to-terminal UE-SAT-UE communication; and a signaling transmission path determining module, configured to determine a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal in response to the session establishment request, so that the first terminal and the second terminal establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path, wherein the SIP signaling transmission path includes at least one network function (NF) deployed on a satellite node.

[0017] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a communication system is also provided, comprising: a first network element, a second network element, a first terminal, and a second terminal; the second network element is configured to send a session establishment request to the first network element, wherein the session establishment request is used to indicate that both the first terminal and the second terminal have the capability for terminal-to-satellite-to-terminal UE-SAT-UE communication; the first network element is configured to, in response to the session establishment request, determine a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal, wherein the SIP signaling transmission path includes at least one Network Function (NF) deployed on a satellite node; the first terminal and the second terminal are configured to establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path.

[0018] In some embodiments, the third network element and the fourth network element; the first network element is further configured to send a first authentication request to the third network element in response to a session establishment request; the third network element is configured to perform authentication on the first terminal and the second terminal using the first authentication request, and if the authentication results of the first terminal and the second terminal are both successful, configure the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal; and send the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first network element and the fourth network element; the first network element is further configured to send the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first terminal; the fourth network element is configured to send the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the second terminal.

[0019] In some embodiments, the system further includes: a fourth network element; a first network element, further configured to perform authentication on the first terminal in response to a session establishment request, and send a second authentication request to the fourth network element if the authentication result of the first terminal is successful; the fourth network element, configured to perform authentication on the second terminal based on the second authentication request, and configure a SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal if the authentication result of the second terminal is successful, and send the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the second terminal; the first network element, further configured to receive the authentication result of the second terminal and the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path returned by the fourth network element, and configure a SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal in response to the authentication result of the second terminal being successful, and send the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first terminal.

[0020] In some embodiments, the system further includes a fifth network element; the first network element is further configured to send the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the second network element; the second network element is further configured to send the address information of the NF to the first terminal; the fourth network element is further configured to send the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the fifth network element; and the fifth network element is further configured to send the address information of the NF to the second terminal.

[0021] According to another aspect of this disclosure, an electronic device is also provided, comprising: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to perform a session establishment method of any of the above via executing the executable instructions.

[0022] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, on which a computer program is stored, which, when executed by a processor, implements the session establishment method of any of the above.

[0023] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a computer program product is also provided, comprising: a computer program or instructions, wherein the computer program or instructions, when executed by a processor, implement a session establishment method for any of the above.

[0024] The session establishment method, communication system, and related equipment provided in the embodiments of this disclosure involve a second network element sending a session establishment request to a first network element. This session establishment request indicates that both the first and second terminals possess the capability for terminal-to-satellite-to-terminal UE-SAT-UE communication. In response to the session establishment request, the first network element determines a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling transmission path between the first and second terminals, enabling them to establish a session connection based on this path. The SIP signaling transmission path includes at least one Network Function (NF) deployed on a satellite node. By deploying the UE-SAT-UE NF on the satellite, dynamic reconfiguration of the SIP signaling transmission path is achieved, migrating signaling interactions from the terrestrial core network to satellite nodes for execution. This avoids control signaling transmission via the satellite-to-ground link, reducing control plane interaction latency.

[0025] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0026] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort.

[0027] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates a communication system architecture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 This diagram illustrates a session establishment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 This diagram illustrates another session establishment method flowchart in an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 4 This illustration shows a flowchart of a session establishment method in an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 5 This diagram illustrates a flowchart of a re-session establishment method in an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 6 This diagram illustrates a session establishment interaction flowchart according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 7 This diagram illustrates another session establishment interaction flowchart in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 8 This illustration shows another session establishment interaction flowchart in an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 9 This diagram illustrates a specific implementation flowchart of session establishment in an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 10This diagram illustrates another specific implementation flowchart for session establishment in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 11 This diagram illustrates a session establishment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 12 A structural block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0028] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure will be more comprehensive and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0029] Furthermore, the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative of this disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar parts, and therefore repeated descriptions of them will be omitted. Some block diagrams shown in the drawings are functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically or logically independent entities. These functional entities may be implemented in software, in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different network and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0030] The specific implementation methods of the embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an exemplary communication system architecture to which the session establishment method of the embodiments of this disclosure can be applied is shown. Figure 1 As shown, the system architecture includes: terminal 10 and satellite node 20.

[0032] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this disclosure, terminal 10 refers to an entity on the user side used to receive or transmit signals, and may also be referred to as terminal equipment, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc. The embodiments of this disclosure do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the terminal.

[0033] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the terminal 10 may be a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, notebook computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld computer, netbook, ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), mobile internet device (MID), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) device, robot, wearable device, flight vehicle, vehicle user equipment (VUE), shipboard equipment, pedestrian user equipment (PUE), smart home (home devices with wireless communication capabilities, such as refrigerators, televisions, washing machines, or furniture), game console, personal computer (PC), ATM, or self-service machine, etc. Wearable devices include: smartwatches, smart bracelets, smart earphones, smart glasses, smart jewelry (smart bracelets, smart chains, smart rings, smart necklaces, smart anklets, smart anklets, etc.), smart wristbands, smart clothing, etc. Among these, in-vehicle devices can also be referred to as in-vehicle terminals, in-vehicle controllers, in-vehicle modules, in-vehicle components, in-vehicle chips, or in-vehicle units, etc. It should be noted that the specific type of terminal 10 is not limited in the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0034] The satellite in this disclosure can be any type of aircraft or spacecraft, including low Earth orbit satellites (LEO), medium Earth orbit satellites (MEO), geostationary Earth orbit satellites (GEO), highly elliptical orbit satellites (HEO), etc. Depending on their function and architecture, satellites can also be specifically categorized as transparent satellites, also known as bent-pipe satellites, regenerative satellites, digital twin satellites, software-defined satellites (SDS), high-throughput satellites (HTS), CubeSats, microsatellites (MicroSat), nanosatellites (NanoSat), picosatellites (PicoSat), remote sensing satellites, meteorological satellites, navigation augmentation satellites, communication satellites, and constellation satellites. It should be noted that in this embodiment, a satellite can refer to a single satellite entity, or a satellite constellation or satellite network consisting of multiple satellites working collaboratively.

[0035] In some embodiments, functional units or payloads for providing or relaying communication services may be installed on the satellite node 20, including but not limited to on-board processing base stations (such as gNBs), on-board regenerative payloads, transparent transponders, on-board routers, on-board computing units, inter-satellite link terminals (ISL terminals), and satellite-ground link terminals. The on-board processing base station may also be referred to as an on-board base station, on-board node, on-board network unit, or non-terrestrial network node (NTN node). It should be noted that the specific implementation of the satellite node 20 is not limited in the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0036] Those skilled in the art will know that Figure 1 The number of terminals and satellites shown is merely illustrative; any number of terminals and satellites can be used depending on actual needs. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0037] Under the above system architecture, this disclosure provides a session establishment method, which can be executed by any electronic device with computing power.

[0038] In some embodiments, the session establishment method provided in this disclosure can be executed by the first network element of the above system architecture; in other embodiments, the session establishment method provided in this disclosure can be implemented by the terminal and various network elements on the network side in the above system architecture through interaction.

[0039] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a session establishment method in an embodiment of this disclosure, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the session establishment method provided in this embodiment mainly includes steps S202-S204.

[0040] In step S202, a session establishment request sent by the second network element is received, wherein the session establishment request is used to indicate that both the first terminal and the second terminal have the ability to communicate with UE-SAT-UE.

[0041] For example, a session establishment request can be an INVITE message.

[0042] The first terminal and the second terminal are the two parties communicating. The first terminal can be understood as the initiator of the communication, that is, the terminal that actively initiates the communication connection request, call or session, and can also be called the calling terminal. The second terminal can be understood as the receiver of the communication, that is, the terminal that receives the communication connection request, call or session, and can also be called the called terminal.

[0043] The first network element refers to the S-CSCF network element on the first terminal side. The first network element can be set on the satellite node and / or the ground network. The second network element refers to the P-CSCF network element on the first terminal side. The second network element can be set on the satellite node and / or the ground network.

[0044] UE-SAT-UE communication can be understood as direct communication between satellite-based user terminals, i.e., direct satellite-to-ground communication without going through a ground gateway station. Specifically, the first terminal and the second terminal establish a communication link directly through the satellite node and exchange data without needing to go through a ground gateway station in the satellite communication system for routing and relay.

[0045] A session establishment request is a signaling message initiated by a first terminal in a communication system to begin a bidirectional data exchange with a second terminal, characterized by state maintenance. In this embodiment, the session establishment request carries an indication message informing the first network element that both the first and second terminals possess UE-SAT-UE communication capabilities; or, the session establishment request carries the identifiers of the satellite nodes accessed by the first and second terminals, respectively, indicating that both terminals possess UE-SAT-UE communication capabilities. The fact that both the first and second terminals possess UE-SAT-UE communication capabilities can be understood as the first and second terminals supporting UE-SAT-UE communication in hardware. The satellite node identifier can be a satellite ID (Identity Document).

[0046] In some embodiments, the session establishment request is sent by the second network element when it is determined that both the first terminal and the second terminal have the capability of UE-SAT-UE communication; the capability of both the first terminal and the second terminal to have UE-SAT-UE communication includes: the satellite nodes accessed by the first terminal and the satellite nodes accessed by the second terminal are both in regeneration mode, and the communication conditions between the satellite nodes accessed by the first terminal and the satellite nodes accessed by the second terminal are met.

[0047] In this embodiment, after receiving a session request from the first terminal, the second network element informs it that the first terminal wants to conduct an IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) voice call with the second terminal. Upon receiving the call request from the second terminal, the second network element checks whether the satellite node accessed by the first terminal is in regenerative mode, based on the access type provided during the first terminal's registration. If the satellite node is in regenerative mode, the second network element sends a query request to the core network. This query request carries relevant information about the first and second terminals, allowing the core network to query the access information of both terminals based on this information. The relevant information includes: the identifier of the first terminal and its IP (Internet Protocol) address; the identifier of the second terminal and its IP address, etc. Access information includes the access satellite ID and the location information of the access satellite, etc. The core network can be any of a 4G core network, a 5G core network, or a 6G core network. In this embodiment, a 6G core network is used as an example.

[0048] The second network element receives access information from the core network for both the first and second terminals. Based on this information, it determines that both terminals possess UE-SAT-UE communication capabilities. Specifically, if the satellite IDs of the first and second terminals are the same (i.e., they are connected to the same satellite), then both terminals are confirmed to have UE-SAT-UE communication capabilities. Alternatively, based on the satellite IDs of the first and second terminals, it determines whether the satellites accessed by the first and second terminals are connectable. If they are connectable, it determines whether the distance between the satellites accessed by the first and second terminals is less than a set distance, based on the location information of both satellites. If so, it is confirmed that both terminals possess UE-SAT-UE communication capabilities.

[0049] After determining that both the first terminal and the second terminal have the capability for UE-SAT-UE communication, the second network element sends a session establishment request to the first network element. The session establishment request carries an indication message indicating that both the first terminal and the second terminal have the capability for UE-SAT-UE communication. Alternatively, the session establishment request carries the satellite ID of the first terminal and the satellite ID of the second terminal, with the two satellite IDs indicating that both the first terminal and the second terminal have the capability for UE-SAT-UE communication.

[0050] In this embodiment, for the first time, the satellite access information of the terminals on both sides is queried through the core network during the P-CSCF stage. This enables a pre-determination of whether the two UEs support UE-SAT-UE communication, avoiding unnecessary session process initiation and the introduction of a ground AGW (Access Gateway).

[0051] In step S204, in response to the session establishment request, a SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal is determined so that the first terminal and the second terminal establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path, wherein the SIP signaling transmission path includes at least one NF deployed on a satellite node.

[0052] The SIP signaling transmission path can be understood as the signaling channel through which SIP signaling messages travel from the first terminal to the second terminal. SIP signaling messages are mainly divided into two categories: request messages and response messages, including but not limited to: session invitation (INVITE) messages, ACK (Acknowledge) messages, session termination (BYE) messages, and query (OPTIONS) messages.

[0053] In this embodiment, the SIP signaling transmission path starts and ends at the first terminal and the second terminal, and includes at least one NF deployed on a satellite node between the first terminal and the second terminal. For example, the SIP signaling transmission path may only include NF A deployed on one satellite node. Therefore, the SIP signaling transmission path is: First Terminal - NF A - Second Terminal. The satellite node deploying NF A is the satellite node accessed by both the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0054] For example, if a SIP signaling transmission path includes NF A and NF B deployed on different satellite nodes, then the SIP signaling transmission path is: First Terminal - NF B - NF C - Second Terminal. Here, the satellite node deploying NF B is the satellite node accessed by the first terminal, and the satellite node deploying NF C is the satellite node accessed by the second terminal.

[0055] It should be noted that this embodiment only describes the number of NFs deployed on satellite nodes in the SIP signaling transmission path, and is not a limitation thereof.

[0056] In addition, it should be noted that the above SIP signaling transmission path does not include ground base stations and ground gateway stations.

[0057] In this embodiment, by deploying UE-SAT-UE NF on satellite nodes, dynamic reconstruction of the SIP signaling transmission path is achieved, and signaling interaction in the ground core network is migrated to satellite nodes, avoiding the transmission of control signaling through the satellite-to-ground link and reducing control plane interaction latency.

[0058] In some embodiments, when the SIP signaling transmission path includes at least two NFs, the at least two NFs are deployed on their respective satellite nodes. In other words, when the SIP signaling transmission path includes at least two NFs, the at least two NFs are deployed on different satellite nodes.

[0059] For example, the SIP signaling transmission path includes NF A and NF B, which are deployed on two different satellites. For instance, NF A is deployed on satellite node A, and NF B is deployed on satellite node B.

[0060] A network of multiple satellites allows for longer SIP signaling transmission paths, enabling wider communication ranges.

[0061] An NF deployed on a satellite node can be understood as a functional entity running on the satellite node, used to process control plane signaling in orbit, thereby enabling the satellite node to have intelligent routing and session management capabilities.

[0062] In some embodiments, the NF includes at least one of the following network elements: AMF network element, SMF network element, PCF network element, P-CSCF network element, S-CSCF network element, AS network element, and HSS network element.

[0063] In this embodiment, control plane functions (AMF, SMF, PCF, P-CSCF, AS, HSS, etc.) strongly related to UE-SAT-UE services are split, trimmed, and recombined as needed, and constructed into modular NFs, which are then deployed on satellite nodes. This allows critical control signaling to be processed locally on the satellite, significantly reducing reliance on the ground core network. Simultaneously, the interaction of control plane signaling is changed from satellite-to-ground transmission to inter-satellite or single-satellite transmission, greatly shortening the latency of the session establishment process.

[0064] Specifically, after the terminal is powered on, it directly establishes a connection with the AMF network element on the satellite node to complete identity authentication and registration. When the terminal moves from the coverage area of ​​one satellite to another, the onboard AMF takes the lead in completing the handover signaling process.

[0065] SMF network elements establish session contexts for terminal data services in the satellite network and can select and direct an on-board user plane function to perform packet forwarding.

[0066] PCF network elements are used to create virtual network slices directly for different services on satellite nodes. For example, when network congestion is detected, the on-board PCF can instruct the SMF and AMF in real time to improve the quality of critical services.

[0067] When the AMF needs to authenticate a user, it can directly query the onboard HSS without having to go through lengthy satellite-to-ground interactions with the ground HSS, enabling calls to be quickly routed to the target satellite.

[0068] The P-CSCF network element is the first point of contact for SIP signaling. When a terminal initiates or receives a SIP call, all its SIP signaling is first sent to the on-board P-CSCF. The P-CSCF network element interacts with the on-board PCF network element to ensure that the media stream meets policy requirements.

[0069] AS network elements run service programs directly on satellite nodes. For example, even if the called terminal is not in the service area, the call can still be routed to the on-board AS for processing and storage.

[0070] By integrating multiple network elements into an NF, a complete call can be achieved, with all core signaling processes—from registration, authentication, and service triggering to routing lookup and session establishment—complete on-orbit. Even if there is a complete interruption with the terrestrial network, the satellite network can still provide services independently.

[0071] In some embodiments, the NF includes at least one of the following functions: creating policy authorization, updating policy authorization, policy authorization notification, session management policy control update notification, updating session management policy control, event exposure notification, creating session management context for PDU session, and updating session management context for PDU session.

[0072] In this embodiment, functions related to policy authorization, such as creating policy authorization, updating policy authorization, and policy authorization notification, can be handled by the PCF network element; functions related to session management, such as creating the session management context of a PDU session, updating the session management context of a PDU session, notifying users of session management policy control updates, and updating session management policy control, are handled by the SMF to optimize data transmission paths. Event exposure notifications enable different network elements to share status information in real time, achieving intelligent response.

[0073] Based on the above examples, the embodiments of this disclosure optimize the above session establishment method, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the optimized session establishment method mainly includes steps S302-S304.

[0074] In step S302, a session establishment request sent by the second network element is received, wherein the session establishment request is used to indicate that both the first terminal and the second terminal have the ability to communicate with UE-SAT-UE.

[0075] The implementation method of step S302 in this embodiment is the same as that of step S202. For details, please refer to the description in the above embodiments. It will not be repeated in this embodiment.

[0076] In step S304, in response to the session establishment request, the authentication process of the first terminal and the second terminal and the configuration process of the SIP signaling transmission path are triggered to determine the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal so that the first terminal and the second terminal can establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path. The configuration process of the SIP signaling transmission path is triggered when the authentication process of the first terminal and / or the second terminal is completed and the authentication result is successful.

[0077] Authentication can be understood as determining whether a terminal has the subscription information to perform UE-SAT-UE communication. Subscription information refers to an authorization identifier or service attribute pre-configured for the terminal, which explicitly allows the user to use UE-SAT-UE, a service that communicates directly via satellite.

[0078] The authentication process is implemented through interaction between the first network element and the third network element, or through interaction between the first network element and the fourth network element, and is used to determine whether the first terminal and the second terminal have passed the authentication. Upon completion of the authentication process for the first terminal and / or the second terminal and a successful authentication result, the SIP signaling transmission path configuration process is triggered to determine the SIP signaling transmission path and enable the first terminal and the second terminal to establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path.

[0079] In this embodiment, after determining that the first terminal and the second terminal are legitimate authorized terminals, a SIP signaling transmission path is determined for them to prevent malicious users from wasting on-board NF resources by forging call requests and to improve network security.

[0080] Based on the above examples, the embodiments of this disclosure optimize the above session establishment method, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the optimized session establishment method mainly includes steps S402-S406.

[0081] In step S402, a session establishment request sent by the second network element is received, wherein the session establishment request is used to indicate that both the first terminal and the second terminal have the capability of terminal-to-satellite-to-terminal UE-SAT-UE communication.

[0082] In step S404, in response to the session establishment request, a first authentication request is sent to the third network element so that the third network element performs authentication on the first terminal and the second terminal based on the first authentication request. If the authentication results of the first terminal and the second terminal are both successful, the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal is configured, and the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path is sent to the first network element and the fourth network element. The fourth network element is used to send the received address information of the NF to the second terminal.

[0083] The third network element can be an AS network element and / or an HSS network element.

[0084] In this embodiment, the first network element (the S-CSCF network element corresponding to the first terminal) sends a first authentication request to the third network element (AS / HSS). The first authentication request is used to instruct the third network element to perform authentication on the first terminal and the second terminal. The first authentication request carries the identity identifier of the first terminal, the identity identifier of the second terminal, and the purpose of the request, i.e., UE-SAT-UE.

[0085] In response to the first authentication request, the third network element performs authentication on both the first and second terminals. The third network element then requests the necessary authentication information from the fourth network element (the S-CSCF network element corresponding to the second terminal). This required information includes whether the first terminal and the second terminal have subscription information sufficient to execute UE-SAT-UE. If the third network element determines that both the first and second terminals have subscription information sufficient to execute UE-SAT-UE, then the authentication of both terminals is considered successful.

[0086] After the third network element confirms that the first terminal and the second terminal have passed authentication, it reconfigures the SIP signaling transmission path for the first terminal and the second terminal, namely UE-on-board UE-SAT-UE NF – UE, where there can be one or two on-board UE-SAT-UE NF.

[0087] The third network element sends the authentication result and the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first network element and the fourth network element, respectively.

[0088] When the SIP signaling transmission path includes two NFs, the third network element sends the authentication result and the address information of the first NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first network element, and the third network element sends the authentication result and the address information of the second NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the fourth network element. The address information of the first NF is the address information of the UE-SAT-UE NF deployed in the satellite node accessed by the first terminal, and the address information of the second NF is the address information of the UE-SAT-UE NF deployed in the satellite node accessed by the second terminal.

[0089] When the SIP signaling transmission path includes one NF, the third network element sends the address information of the NF to the first network element and the fourth network element respectively, that is, the first terminal and the second terminal access the same NF deployed on the same satellite.

[0090] In step S406, the address information of the NF sent by the third network element is received, and the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path is sent to the first terminal, so that the first terminal and the second terminal establish a session connection based on the address information of the NF.

[0091] The first network element receives the authentication result and the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path returned by the third network element, and sends the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first terminal. The fourth network element receives the authentication result and the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path returned by the third network element, and sends the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the second terminal. The first terminal and the second terminal establish a session connection based on the received NF address information.

[0092] In this embodiment, a cross-UE bidirectional authentication process is implemented, with the third network element (AS / HSS) uniformly handling the authentication of the two UEs and deciding whether to reconfigure the SIP signaling path, thereby enhancing authentication efficiency and path configuration intelligence.

[0093] In some embodiments, sending the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first terminal includes: sending the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first terminal through the second network element; wherein, the fourth network element is further configured to send the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the second terminal through the fifth network element.

[0094] The first network element sends the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the second network element, and the second network element transmits the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first terminal. That is, the S-CSCF on the first terminal side sends the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the P-CSCF on the first terminal side, and the P-CSCF on the first terminal side transmits the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first terminal.

[0095] Furthermore, the S-CSCF on the first terminal side sends the address information of the first NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the P-CSCF on the first terminal side, and the P-CSCF on the first terminal side transmits the address information of the first NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first terminal.

[0096] The fourth network element sends the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the fifth network element, and the fifth network element transmits the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the second terminal. That is, the S-CSCF on the second terminal side sends the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the P-CSCF on the second terminal side, and the P-CSCF on the second terminal side transmits the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the second terminal.

[0097] Furthermore, the S-CSCF on the second terminal side sends the address information of the second NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the P-CSCF on the second terminal side, and the P-CSCF on the second terminal side transmits the address information of the second NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the second terminal.

[0098] After the dual S-CSCF completes the authentication of the UE's communication capabilities, they respectively send the address information of the new on-board NF to their respective terminals through the P-CSCF, thereby realizing the construction of a satellite-based SIP signaling transmission path.

[0099] Based on the above examples, the embodiments of this disclosure optimize the above session establishment method, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the optimized session establishment method mainly includes steps S502-S508.

[0100] In step S502, a session establishment request sent by the second network element is received, wherein the session establishment request is used to indicate that both the first terminal and the second terminal have the capability of terminal-to-satellite-to-terminal UE-SAT-UE communication.

[0101] In step S504, in response to the session establishment request, authentication is performed on the first terminal. If the authentication result of the first terminal is successful, a second authentication request is sent to the fourth network element so that the fourth network element performs authentication on the second terminal based on the second authentication request. If the authentication result of the second terminal is successful, the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal is configured, and the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path is sent to the second terminal.

[0102] The fourth network element can be the S-CSCF network element corresponding to the second terminal side, and the fifth network element can be the P-CSCF network element corresponding to the second terminal side.

[0103] In response to the session establishment request, the first network element (the S-CSCF network element corresponding to the first terminal) performs an authentication process on the first terminal, i.e., it determines whether the first terminal has subscription information that enables UE-SAT-UE. If the first terminal has subscription information that enables UE-SAT-UE, the authentication result of the first terminal is determined to be successful. After determining that the first terminal has passed authentication, the first network element sends a second authentication request to the fourth network element (the S-CSCF network element corresponding to the second terminal). The second authentication request carries the identity identifier of the second terminal, the satellite identifier accessed by the second terminal, and the purpose of the request, i.e., UE-SAT-UE.

[0104] Upon receiving the second authentication request, the fourth network element can infer that the first terminal is capable of performing UE-SAT-UE communication and begins authentication to determine if the second terminal is also capable of performing UE-SAT-UE communication. If the fourth network element verifies that the second terminal possesses subscription information sufficient for UE-SAT-UE communication, it configures a new SIP signaling transmission path for the second terminal, namely the on-board UE-SAT-UENF. It then sends the address information of the selected on-board UE-SAT-UENF to the fifth network element (the corresponding P-CSCF network element on the second terminal's side), and the fifth network element transmits the address information of the on-board UE-SAT-UENF to the second terminal.

[0105] In step S506, the authentication result of the second terminal returned by the fourth network element and the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path are received.

[0106] In step S508, in response to the authentication result of the second terminal being successful, the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal is configured, and the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path is sent to the first terminal so that the first terminal and the second terminal can establish a session connection based on the address information of the NF.

[0107] The first network element receives the authentication result of the second terminal and the selected on-board UE-SAT-UE NF address information returned by the fourth network element. After receiving the above information, the first network element can infer that the second terminal also has UE-SAT-UE communication qualification. The first network element configures a new SIP signaling transmission path for the first terminal, namely the on-board UE-SAT-UE NF, and sends the selected on-board UE-SAT-UE NF address information to the second network element. The second network element transmits the selected on-board UE-SAT-UE NF address information to the first terminal. The first terminal and the second terminal establish a session connection based on the received NF address information.

[0108] In this embodiment, capability inference and result sharing between the two S-CSCFs are added, enabling each party to complete the support judgment for UE-SAT-UE communication.

[0109] Based on the above embodiments, this embodiment provides a communication system, which includes a first network element, a second network element, a first terminal, and a second terminal; in this communication system, each device establishes a session through interaction, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the process of establishing a session through interaction between various devices in a communication system mainly includes steps S602-S606.

[0110] In step S602, the second network element sends a session establishment request to the first network element.

[0111] The session establishment request is used to indicate that both the first terminal and the second terminal have the capability for terminal-to-satellite-to-terminal UE-SAT-UE communication.

[0112] In step S604, the first network element responds to the session establishment request and determines the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0113] The SIP signaling transmission path includes at least one NF deployed on a satellite node.

[0114] In step S606, the first terminal and the second terminal establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path.

[0115] Based on the same inventive concept, this disclosure also provides a communication system. Since the principle of solving the problem in this communication system embodiment is similar to that in the above method embodiment, the implementation of this communication system embodiment can refer to the implementation of the above method embodiment, and repeated details will not be described again.

[0116] Based on the above embodiments, this embodiment provides a communication system, which includes a first network element, a second network element, a first terminal, a second terminal, a third network element, a fourth network element, and a fifth network element; in this communication system, each device establishes a session through interaction, such as... Figure 7 As shown, the process of establishing a session through interaction between various devices in a communication system mainly includes steps S702-S714.

[0117] In this embodiment, the example is UE A as the first terminal, UE B as the second terminal, S-CSCF A as the first network element, P-CSCF A as the second network element, AS / HSS as the third network element, S-CSCF B as the fourth network element, and P-CSCF B as the fifth network element.

[0118] In step S702, the first terminal sends a session request to the second network element.

[0119] UE A establishes a session with the terrestrial core network. The terrestrial core network selects a terrestrial UPF for it and assigns it an IP address. At the same time, the IMS assigns a terrestrial P-CSCF A and sends the IP address of the P-CSCF A to the UE through the session establishment process, so that the UE can communicate directly with the P-CSCF A in the future.

[0120] After UE A sends a session request to P-CSCF A, the session request is used to inform P-CSCF A that UE A and UE B are conducting an IMS voice call.

[0121] In step S704, if the second network element determines that both the first terminal and the second terminal have the capability of UE-SAT-UE communication, it sends a session establishment request to the first network element.

[0122] After receiving the session request, P-CSCF A can determine whether UE A is using regenerable mode satellite access based on the access type provided during UE A's previous registration. If UE A is using regenerable mode satellite access, P-CSCF A will provide 6GC with information about both UE A and UE B, such as UE ID and UE IP, to query the access information of the two UEs.

[0123] P-CSCF A receives access information (access satellite ID) from two UEs and determines whether the two UEs can perform UE-SAT-UE communication according to the current execution logic.

[0124] If P-CSCF A determines that the two UEs can perform UE-SAT-UE communication, it sends a Session Establishment Request (INVITE) message to S-CSCF A. The Session Establishment Request message carries a support indication that the two UEs can perform UE-SAT-UE communication and / or the satellite access identifiers of both parties.

[0125] In step S706, the first network element responds to the session establishment request by sending a first authentication request to the third network element.

[0126] After receiving the session establishment request message, S-CSCF A performs authentication for the two UEs. Specifically, S-CSCF A sends the first authentication request to AS / HSS.

[0127] In step S708, the third network element performs authentication on the first terminal and the second terminal based on the first authentication request. If the authentication results of the first terminal and the second terminal are both successful, the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal is configured.

[0128] The AS / HSS performs authentication, requesting the necessary information from the S-CSCF B of the second terminal. The AS / HSS returns the authentication result to both S-CSCF A and S-CSCF B. If the AS / HSS verifies that both UEs have subscription information for UE-SAT-UE, then the AS / HSS reconfigures the SIP signaling transmission path for these two UEs, i.e., UE-on-board UE-SAT-UE NF – UE, where there can be one or two on-board UE-SAT-UE NFs.

[0129] In step S708, the third network element sends the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first network element and the fourth network element.

[0130] AS / HSS sends the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to S-CSCF A and S-CSCF B respectively.

[0131] In step S710, the first network element sends the address information of the NF to the first terminal through the second network element.

[0132] S-CSCF A transmits the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to UE A through P-CSCF A.

[0133] In step S712, the fourth network element sends the address information of the NF to the first terminal through the fifth network element.

[0134] S-CSCF B transmits the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to UE B through P-CSCF B.

[0135] In step S714, the first terminal and the second terminal establish a session connection based on the address information of the NF.

[0136] UE A and UE B establish a session connection based on the address information of the NF.

[0137] Based on the above embodiments, this embodiment provides a communication system, which includes a first network element, a second network element, a first terminal, a second terminal, a fourth network element, and a fifth network element; in this communication system, each device establishes a session through interaction, such as... Figure 8 As shown, the process of establishing a session through interaction between various devices in the communication system mainly includes steps S802-S820.

[0138] In step S802, the first terminal sends a session request to the second network element.

[0139] In step S804, if the second network element determines that both the first terminal and the second terminal have the capability of UE-SAT-UE communication, it sends a session establishment request to the first network element.

[0140] Steps S802-S804 provided in this embodiment are implemented in the same way as S702-S704 in the above embodiment. For details, please refer to the description in the above embodiment. They will not be repeated in this embodiment.

[0141] In step S806, the first network element responds to the session establishment request and performs authentication on the first terminal.

[0142] After receiving the session establishment request message, S-CSCF A performs authentication on UE A.

[0143] In step S808, if the authentication result of the first terminal is successful, the first network element sends a second authentication request to the fourth network element.

[0144] Once UE A is successfully authenticated by S-CSCF A, it sends a second authentication request (SIP INVITE message) to S-CSCF B, which carries UE B's access satellite ID.

[0145] In step S810, the fourth network element performs authentication on the second terminal based on the second authentication request. If the authentication result of the second terminal is successful, the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal is configured.

[0146] After receiving the second authentication request, S-CSCF B can infer that UE A is capable of performing UE-SAT-UE communication and begin to perform authentication to determine whether UE B is capable of performing UE-SAT-UE communication.

[0147] If the S-CSCF B-certified UE B has subscription information that enables UE-SAT-UE, it configures a new SIP signaling transmission path for UE B, namely on-board UE-SAT-UE NF.

[0148] In step S812, the fourth network element sends the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the second terminal through the fifth network element.

[0149] The S-CSCF B transmits the selected on-board UE-SAT-UE NF address information to the UE B via the P-CSCF B.

[0150] In step S814, the fourth network element returns the authentication result of the second terminal and the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first network element.

[0151] S-CSCF B transmits the authentication result and the selected on-board UE-SAT-UE NF address information to S-CSCF A.

[0152] In step S816, the first network element responds to the authentication result of the second terminal as successful and configures the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0153] After receiving the above information, S-CSCF A can infer that UE B also has UE-SAT-UE communication qualification. S-CSCFA then configures a new SIP signaling transmission path for UE A, namely on-board UE-SAT-UE NF.

[0154] In step S818, the first network element sends the address information of the NF to the first terminal through the second network element.

[0155] S-CSCF A transmits the selected on-board UE-SAT-UE NF address information to UE A via P-CSCF A.

[0156] In step S820, the first terminal and the second terminal establish a session connection based on the address information of the NF.

[0157] UE A and UE B establish a session connection based on the address information of the NF.

[0158] In an application instance, such as Figure 9 As shown, in this application example, the session establishment process mainly includes the following steps: Step S902: UE A establishes a session with the ground UPF.

[0159] UE A establishes a session with the terrestrial core network. The terrestrial core network selects a terrestrial UPF for it and assigns it an IP address. At the same time, the IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) assigns a terrestrial P-CSCF A (Proxy-Call Session Control Function) to it and sends the IP address of the P-CSCF A to the UE through the session establishment process for subsequent direct communication between the UE and the P-CSCF A.

[0160] Step S904: UE A sends an INVITE message to P-CSCF A.

[0161] UE A sends an INVITE message to P-CSCF A to initiate an IMS voice call with UE B.

[0162] Steps S906, P-CSCF A, and 6GC retrieve access information for both parties in the call.

[0163] After receiving the INVITE message, P-CSCF A can determine whether the UE is using regenerable mode satellite access based on the access type provided during the UE's previous registration. If the UE is using regenerable mode satellite access, P-CSCF A will provide the 6GC with information about both the UE and the called UE, such as UE ID and UE IP, to query the access information of both UEs.

[0164] Step S908: P-CSCF A determines whether to perform UE-SAT-UE communication.

[0165] P-CSCF A receives access information (access satellite ID) from two UEs and confirms whether the two UEs can perform UE-SAT-UE communication.

[0166] Step S910: P-CSCF A sends an INVITE message to the IMS core network.

[0167] If P-CSCF A determines that the two UEs can perform UE-SAT-UE communication, it sends an INVITE message to S-CSCF, which carries a support indication that the two UEs can perform UE-SAT-UE communication and / or the satellite access identifiers of both parties.

[0168] Step S912: The IMS core network completes the authentication of the two UEs.

[0169] In step S914a, the IMS core network interacts with UE-SAT-UE NF A to configure the SIP signaling transmission path.

[0170] Step S914b: The IMS core network interacts with UE-SAT-UE NF B to configure the SIP signaling transmission path. In step S916a, the IMS core network sends the address information of UE-SAT-UE NF B to UE B via SIP message.

[0171] In step S916b, the IMS core network sends the address information of UE-SAT-UE NF A to UE A via SIP message.

[0172] The next two UEs will execute the session establishment process according to the new SIP signaling transmission path.

[0173] In an application instance, such as Figure 10 As shown, the session establishment process includes the following steps: Step 0: UE A establishes a session with ground UPF A, and UE A establishes a session with ground UPF B.

[0174] Step 1: UE A sends an INVITE message to UE-SAT-UE NF A to request the establishment of a formal voice session with UE B.

[0175] Step 2a: UE-SAT-UE NF A sends an allocation request to satellite IMS-AGW A to request communication resources.

[0176] Step 2b: Satellite IMS-AGW A returns a reservation message to UE-SAT-UE NF A to notify UE-SAT-UE NF A of the reserved communication resources.

[0177] Step 3: UE-SAT-UE NF A sends an INVITE message to UE-SAT-UE NF B, carrying the UE A access satellite identifier to convey session invitation information.

[0178] Step 4: UE-SAT-UE NF B determines whether to perform UE-SAT-UE communication and selects satellite IMS-AGW B.

[0179] Step 5: UE-SAT-UE NF B sends an INVITE message to UE B.

[0180] Step 6: UE B generates an 18X response message containing SDP.

[0181] Step 7: UE B sends an 18X response message to UE-SAT-UE NF B.

[0182] Step 8a: UE-SAT-UE NF B sends an allocation request to satellite IMS-AGW B to request communication resources.

[0183] Step 8b: Satellite IMS-AGW B returns a reservation message to UE-SAT-UE NF B to notify UE-SAT-UE NF A of the reserved communication resources.

[0184] Step 9: UE-SAT-UE NF B authorizes QoS resources for UE B, and authorizes network resources to ensure service quality for voice services.

[0185] Step 10: Insert LPSA and ULCL into the UPF in UE-SAT-UE NF B and provide forwarding rules.

[0186] Step 11: Update the ground UPF in UE-SAT-UE NF B using SMF.

[0187] Step 12: RAN update N3 in UE-SAT-UE NF B.

[0188] Step 13: UE-SAT-UE NF B sends an 18X response message to UE-SAT-UE NF A, which carries the UE B access satellite identifier.

[0189] Step 14: UE-SAT-UE NF A determines whether to perform UE-SAT-UE communication and selects satellite IMS-AGW A.

[0190] Step 15: UE-SAT-UE NF A authorizes QoS resources for UE A, and authorizes network resources to ensure service quality for voice services.

[0191] Step 16: Insert LPSA and ULCL into the UPF in UE-SAT-UE NF A and provide forwarding rules.

[0192] Step 17: Update the ground UPF in UE-SAT-UE NF A via SMF.

[0193] Step 18: RAN update N3 in UE-SAT-UE NF A.

[0194] Step 19: UE-SAT-UE NF B sends an 18X response message to UE B.

[0195] By pre-determining whether UE-SAT-UE communication is supported, unnecessary session initiation is avoided, preventing the introduction of ground-based AGW. Based on this, two dual-UE authentication mechanisms adaptable to different network architectures are provided. In Scheme 1, a process where AS / HSS uniformly handles dual-UE authentication and assists in selecting the UE-SAT-UE NF is introduced for the first time, enhancing authentication efficiency and path configuration intelligence. By introducing an onboard UE-SAT-UE NF integrating AMF, SMF, PCF, P-CSCF, and AS functions, dynamic reconfiguration of SIP signaling paths is achieved, migrating signaling interactions from the traditional terrestrial core network to inter-satellite or intra-satellite communication, effectively reducing control plane interaction latency. This optimizes the session establishment process from over 20 steps to approximately 10 steps, significantly improving communication efficiency and user experience, while providing technical feasibility and a path foundation for the practical commercial deployment of regenerative mode satellite communication.

[0196] Based on the same inventive concept, this disclosure also provides a session establishment apparatus, as shown in the following embodiment. Since the principle by which this session establishment apparatus solves the problem is similar to that of the above-described method embodiments, the implementation of this session establishment apparatus embodiment can refer to the implementation of the above-described method embodiments, and repeated details will not be elaborated further.

[0197] Figure 11 This diagram illustrates a session establishment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, such as... Figure 11 As shown, the session establishment apparatus includes: a session establishment request receiving module 1110 and a signaling transmission path determination module 1120.

[0198] Session establishment request receiving module 1110 is used to receive a session establishment request sent by the second network element, wherein the session establishment request is used to indicate that both the first terminal and the second terminal have the capability of terminal-to-satellite-to-terminal UE-SAT-UE communication; Signaling transmission path determining module 1120 is used to determine the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal in response to the session establishment request, so that the first terminal and the second terminal establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path, wherein the SIP signaling transmission path includes at least one network function (NF) deployed on the satellite node.

[0199] In some embodiments, the NF includes at least one of the following network elements: AMF network element, SMF network element, PCF network element, P-CSCF network element, S-CSCF network element, AS network element, and HSS network element.

[0200] In some embodiments, the NF includes at least one of the following functions: creating policy authorization, updating policy authorization, policy authorization notification, session management policy control update notification, updating session management policy control, event exposure notification, creating session management context for PDU session, and updating session management context for PDU session.

[0201] In some embodiments, where the SIP signaling transmission path includes at least two NFs, at least two NFs are deployed on their respective satellite nodes.

[0202] In some embodiments, the signaling transmission path determination module 1120 is specifically used to respond to a session establishment request by triggering the authentication process of the first terminal and the second terminal and the configuration process of the SIP signaling transmission path to determine the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal, so that the first terminal and the second terminal can establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path. The configuration process of the SIP signaling transmission path is triggered when the authentication process of the first terminal and / or the second terminal is completed and the authentication result is successful.

[0203] In some embodiments, the signaling transmission path determination module 1120 is specifically used to respond to a session establishment request by sending a first authentication request to a third network element, so that the third network element performs authentication on the first terminal and the second terminal based on the first authentication request. If the authentication results of the first terminal and the second terminal are both successful, the module configures a SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal, and sends the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first network element and the fourth network element. The fourth network element is used to send the received address information of the NF to the second terminal; receive the address information of the NF sent by the third network element, and send the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first terminal, so that the first terminal and the second terminal establish a session connection based on the address information of the NF.

[0204] In some embodiments, the signaling transmission path determination module 1120 is specifically configured to, in response to a session establishment request, perform authentication on the first terminal; if the authentication result of the first terminal is successful, send a second authentication request to the fourth network element so that the fourth network element performs authentication on the second terminal based on the second authentication request; if the authentication result of the second terminal is successful, configure a SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal, and send the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the second terminal; receive the authentication result of the second terminal and the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path returned by the fourth network element; and, in response to the authentication result of the second terminal being successful, configure a SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal, and send the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first terminal so that the first terminal and the second terminal establish a session connection based on the address information of the NF.

[0205] In some embodiments, the signaling transmission path determination module 1120 is specifically used to send the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first terminal through the second network element; wherein, the fourth network element is further used to send the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the second terminal through the fifth network element.

[0206] In some embodiments, the session establishment request is sent by the second network element when it is determined that both the first terminal and the second terminal have the capability of UE-SAT-UE communication; the capability of both the first terminal and the second terminal to have UE-SAT-UE communication includes: the satellite nodes accessed by the first terminal and the satellite nodes accessed by the second terminal are both in regeneration mode, and the communication conditions between the satellite nodes accessed by the first terminal and the satellite nodes accessed by the second terminal are met.

[0207] It should be noted that the examples and application scenarios implemented by the modules in the above device embodiments and the corresponding steps in the method embodiments are the same, but are not limited to the content disclosed in the above method embodiments. It should also be noted that the above modules, as part of the device, can be executed in a computer system such as a set of computer-executable instructions.

[0208] Those skilled in the art will understand that various aspects of this disclosure can be implemented in the following forms: a completely hardware implementation, a completely software implementation (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or a combination of hardware and software implementations, which can be collectively referred to herein as a "circuit", "module" or "system".

[0209] Based on the same inventive concept, this disclosure also provides an electronic device, which includes: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to execute the session establishment method of any of the above-described methods by executing the executable instructions. Since the principle by which this electronic device embodiment solves the problem is similar to that of the above-described method embodiments, the implementation of this electronic device embodiment can refer to the implementation of the above-described method embodiments, and repeated details will not be described again.

[0210] The following reference Figure 12 To describe an electronic device 1200 according to such an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 12 The electronic device 1200 shown is merely an example and should not impose any limitation on the functionality and scope of use of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0211] like Figure 12 As shown, the electronic device 1200 is manifested in the form of a general-purpose computing device. The components of the electronic device 1200 may include, but are not limited to: at least one processing unit 1210, at least one storage unit 1220, and a bus 1230 connecting different system components (including storage unit 1220 and processing unit 1210).

[0212] The storage unit stores program code, which can be executed by the processing unit 1210, causing the processing unit 1210 to perform the steps described in the "Exemplary Methods" section above according to various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

[0213] In some embodiments, when the electronic device 1200 is a terminal, the processing unit 1210 may perform the following steps of the above method embodiment: receiving a session establishment request sent by a second network element, wherein the session establishment request is used to indicate that both the first terminal and the second terminal have the capability of UE-SAT-UE communication; in response to the session establishment request, determining a SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal, so that the first terminal and the second terminal establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path, wherein the SIP signaling transmission path includes at least one NF deployed on a satellite node.

[0214] Storage unit 1220 may include readable media in the form of volatile storage units, such as random access memory (RAM) 12201 and / or cache memory 12202, and may further include read-only memory (ROM) 12203.

[0215] Storage unit 1220 may also include a program / utility 12204 having a set (at least one) of program modules 12205, such program modules 12205 including but not limited to: operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules and program data, each or some combination of these examples may include an implementation of a network environment.

[0216] Bus 1230 can represent one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory cell bus or memory cell controller, a peripheral bus, a graphics acceleration port, a processing unit, or a local bus using any of the various bus structures.

[0217] Electronic device 1200 can also communicate with one or more external devices 1240 (e.g., keyboard, pointing device, Bluetooth device, etc.), one or more devices that enable a user to interact with electronic device 1200, and / or any device that enables electronic device 1200 to communicate with one or more other computing devices (e.g., router, modem, etc.). This communication can be performed via input / output (I / O) interface 1250. Furthermore, electronic device 1200 can also communicate with one or more networks (e.g., local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), and / or public networks, such as the Internet) via network adapter 1260. As shown, network adapter 1260 communicates with other modules of electronic device 1200 via bus 1230. It should be understood that, although not shown in the figures, other hardware and / or software modules can be used in conjunction with electronic device 1200, including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data backup storage systems.

[0218] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the exemplary embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by combining software with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solutions according to the embodiments of this disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (such as a CD-ROM, USB flash drive, external hard drive, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to cause a computing device (such as a personal computer, server, terminal device, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods according to the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0219] Based on the same inventive concept, this disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the session establishment method described above. Since the principle by which this computer-readable storage medium embodiment solves the problem is similar to that of the above method embodiments, the implementation of this computer-readable storage medium embodiment can refer to the implementation of the above method embodiments, and repeated details will not be elaborated further.

[0220] More specific examples of computer-readable storage media in this disclosure may include, but are not limited to: electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0221] In this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium may include a data signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, carrying readable program code. Such propagated data signals may take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. A readable signal medium may also be any readable medium other than a readable storage medium, capable of transmitting, propagating, or transmitting a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0222] Optionally, the program code contained on the computer-readable storage medium may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to wireless, wired, optical fiber, RF, etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0223] In practice, program code for performing the operations of this disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java and C++, and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as C or similar languages. The program code can execute entirely on the user's computing device, partially on the user's computing device, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In cases involving remote computing devices, the remote computing device can be connected to the user's computing device via any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or it can be connected to an external computing device (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0224] Based on the same inventive concept, this disclosure also provides a computer program product, including a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the session establishment method of any one of the above method embodiments. Since the principle by which this computer program product embodiment solves the problem is similar to that of the above method embodiments, the implementation of this computer program product embodiment can refer to the implementation of the above method embodiments, and repeated details will not be elaborated further.

[0225] It should be noted that although several modules or units for the device used to perform actions have been mentioned in the detailed description above, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to embodiments of this disclosure, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be embodied in one module or unit. Conversely, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided and embodied by multiple modules or units.

[0226] Furthermore, although the steps of the method in this disclosure are described in a specific order in the accompanying drawings, this does not require or imply that the steps must be performed in that specific order, or that all the steps shown must be performed to achieve the desired result. Additional or alternative steps may be omitted, multiple steps may be combined into one step, and / or a step may be broken down into multiple steps.

[0227] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the exemplary embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by combining software with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solutions according to the embodiments of this disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (such as a CD-ROM, USB flash drive, external hard drive, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to cause a computing device (such as a personal computer, server, mobile terminal, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods according to the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0228] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A session establishment method, characterized in that, Applied to the first network element, including: Receive a session establishment request sent by a second network element, wherein the session establishment request is used to indicate that both the first terminal and the second terminal have the capability of terminal-to-satellite-to-terminal UE-SAT-UE communication; In response to the session establishment request, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling transmission path is determined between the first terminal and the second terminal, so that the first terminal and the second terminal establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path, wherein the SIP signaling transmission path includes at least one Network Function (NF) deployed on a satellite node.

2. The session establishment method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The NF includes at least one of the following network elements: Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network element, Session Management Function (SMF) network element, Policy Control Function (PCF) network element, Proxy-Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) network element, Service-Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) network element, Application Server (AS) network element, and Home Subscriber Server (HSS) network element.

3. The session establishment method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The NF includes at least one of the following functions: creating policy authorization, updating policy authorization, policy authorization notification, session management policy control update notification, updating session management policy control, event exposure notification, creating a session management context for a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, and updating the session management context for a PDU session.

4. The session establishment method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the case where the SIP signaling transmission path includes at least two NFs, the at least two NFs are deployed on their corresponding satellite nodes.

5. The session establishment method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In response to the session establishment request, determining the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal, so that the first terminal and the second terminal establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path, includes: In response to the session establishment request, the authentication process of the first terminal and the second terminal and the configuration process of the SIP signaling transmission path are triggered to determine the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal, so that the first terminal and the second terminal can establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path. The configuration process of the SIP signaling transmission path is triggered when the authentication process of the first terminal and / or the second terminal is completed and the authentication result is successful.

6. The session establishment method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of responding to the session establishment request by triggering the authentication process of the first terminal and the second terminal, as well as the configuration process of the SIP signaling transmission path, to determine the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal, so that the first terminal and the second terminal can establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path, includes: In response to the session establishment request, a first authentication request is sent to a third network element, so that the third network element performs authentication on the first terminal and the second terminal based on the first authentication request. If the authentication results of the first terminal and the second terminal are both successful, a SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal is configured, and the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path is sent to the first network element and the fourth network element. The fourth network element is used to send the received address information of the NF to the second terminal. The first terminal receives the address information of the NF sent by the third network element and sends the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first terminal, so that the first terminal and the second terminal establish a session connection based on the address information of the NF.

7. The session establishment method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of responding to the session establishment request by triggering the authentication process of the first terminal and the second terminal, as well as the configuration process of the SIP signaling transmission path, to determine the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal, so that the first terminal and the second terminal can establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path, includes: In response to the session establishment request, authentication is performed on the first terminal. If the authentication result of the first terminal is successful, a second authentication request is sent to the fourth network element so that the fourth network element performs authentication on the second terminal based on the second authentication request. If the authentication result of the second terminal is successful, a SIP signaling transmission path is configured between the first terminal and the second terminal, and the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path is sent to the second terminal. Receive the authentication result of the second terminal returned by the fourth network element and the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path; In response to the authentication result of the second terminal being successful, the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal is configured, and the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path is sent to the first terminal, so that the first terminal and the second terminal establish a session connection based on the address information of the NF.

8. The session establishment method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, Sending the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first terminal includes: The second network element sends the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first terminal; wherein, the fourth network element is further configured to send the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the second terminal via the fifth network element.

9. The session establishment method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The session establishment request is sent by the second network element when it is determined that both the first terminal and the second terminal have the capability of UE-SAT-UE communication. Both the first terminal and the second terminal have the capability of UE-SAT-UE communication, including: the satellite nodes accessed by the first terminal and the satellite nodes accessed by the second terminal are both in regeneration mode, and the satellite nodes accessed by the first terminal and the satellite nodes accessed by the second terminal meet the communication conditions.

10. A session establishment apparatus, characterized in that, Configured in the first network element, including: The session establishment request receiving module is used to receive a session establishment request sent by the second network element, wherein the session establishment request is used to indicate that both the first terminal and the second terminal have the ability to communicate between the terminal and the satellite and between the terminal and the UE-SAT-UE. The signaling transmission path determination module is configured to determine, in response to the session establishment request, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal, so that the first terminal and the second terminal establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path, wherein the SIP signaling transmission path includes at least one Network Function (NF) deployed on a satellite node.

11. A communication system, characterized in that, include: First network element, second network element, first terminal, and second terminal; The second network element is used to send a session establishment request to the first network element, wherein the session establishment request is used to indicate that both the first terminal and the second terminal have the capability of terminal-to-satellite-to-terminal UE-SAT-UE communication; The first network element is configured to, in response to the session establishment request, determine the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal, wherein the SIP signaling transmission path includes at least one Network Function (NF) deployed on a satellite node. The first terminal and the second terminal are used to establish a session connection based on the SIP signaling transmission path.

12. The communication system according to claim 11, characterized in that, It also includes: third network elements and fourth network elements; The first network element is also used to send a first authentication request to the third network element in response to the session establishment request; The third network element is used to perform authentication on the first terminal and the second terminal based on the first authentication request. If the authentication results of the first terminal and the second terminal are both successful, the third network element configures the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal and sends the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first network element and the fourth network element. The first network element is also used to send the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first terminal; The fourth network element is used to send the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the second terminal.

13. The communication system according to claim 11, characterized in that, It also includes: the fourth network element; The first network element is also configured to respond to the session establishment request, perform authentication on the first terminal, and send a second authentication request to the fourth network element if the authentication result of the first terminal is successful. The fourth network element is used to perform authentication on the second terminal based on the second authentication request. If the authentication result of the second terminal is successful, it configures the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal and sends the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the second terminal. The first network element is further configured to receive the authentication result of the second terminal returned by the fourth network element and the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path, and in response to the authentication result of the second terminal being successful, configure the SIP signaling transmission path between the first terminal and the second terminal, and send the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the first terminal.

14. The communication system according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, It also includes the fifth network element; The first network element is also used to send the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the second network element; The second network element is also used to send the address information of the NF to the first terminal; The fourth network element is also used to send the address information of the NF in the SIP signaling transmission path to the fifth network element; The fifth network element is also used to send the address information of the NF to the second terminal.

15. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: processor; as well as Memory for storing the executable instructions of the processor; The processor is configured to execute the session establishment method of any one of claims 1 to 9 by executing the executable instructions.

16. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the session establishment method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

17. A computer program product comprising: A computer program or instruction, characterized in that, when executed by a processor, the computer program or instruction implements the session establishment method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images