A 5gc network selection method

Abstract

The application discloses a 5GC network selection method, comprising the following steps: writing a preset QCI in a preset storage area of a 4G terminal module; sending an initial network access request including the preset QCI to a connection management platform through the 4G terminal module; identifying the preset QCI through the connection management platform, triggering the grade configuration of network service based on the initial network access request, sending a QCI change request for changing the QCI setting of the 4G terminal module and routing the QCI change request to a policy and charging rule function unit of a 4G core network through a network node; processing the QCI change request through the policy and charging rule function unit of the 4G core network, obtaining an updated QCI, sending the updated QCI back to the network node through a packet data network gateway, updating the session information related to the 4G terminal module according to the updated QCI through the network node; and redirecting the 4G terminal module to an authentication management function unit of a 5GC according to the updated QCI through the network node.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, and in particular to a 5GC network selection method. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, building industry-specific 5G private networks has become the mainstream choice for large enterprises. By sharing operator base stations and deploying short slices of the private 5GC (5G Core Network), users' perception and application of 5G are transformed from a "black box" to a controllable and manageable experience. To address the policy restrictions on allocating independent Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs) to users, 5G terminals can be pre-configured with slice IDs. By pre-configuring slice IDs on the terminals and performing port mapping at the shared base stations, network access request packets can be correctly directed to the industry-specific private network.

[0003] After the construction of the private network 5GC and short slices, the existing 4G terminals need to be uniformly connected to the private network 5GC under the condition of security isolation of the private network. However, for 4G terminals, since 4G terminals do not support slicing, the base station cannot map and select the network for 4G terminals according to the 5G slice ID during the initial network access, and the private network 5GC cannot achieve unified management and control of 4G terminals and 5G terminals. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a 5GC network selection method so as to realize the unified management and control of 4G terminals and 5G terminals by 5GC.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution: A 5GC network selection method is provided, comprising the following steps: writing a preset QCI to a preset storage area of ​​a 4G terminal module; sending an initial network access request including the preset QCI to a connection management platform via the 4G terminal module; identifying the preset QCI through the connection management platform, triggering network service level configuration based on the initial network access request, sending a QCI change request to modify the QCI settings of the 4G terminal module and routing it via a network node to the policy and charging rule function unit of the 4G core network, so as to configure the QCI of the 4G terminal module according to the network service; processing the QCI change request through the policy and charging rule function unit of the 4G core network, obtaining an updated QCI, sending the updated QCI back to the corresponding network node via a packet data network gateway, updating the session information related to the 4G terminal module according to the updated QCI through the network node; and redirecting the 4G terminal module to the authentication management function unit of the 5GC through the network node according to the updated QCI.

[0006] The further technical solution is as follows: the preset storage area is an NV6044 storage area.

[0007] The further technical solution is as follows: writing the preset QCI to the preset storage area of ​​the 4G terminal module includes: setting the preset QCI in the XML configuration file of the 4G terminal module according to the service quality level identifier setting rules, and writing the preset QCI to the preset storage area of ​​the 4G terminal module.

[0008] The further technical solution is as follows: before writing the preset QCI into the preset storage area of ​​the 4G terminal module, the 5GC network selection method further includes: changing the default mode of the baseline version of the 4G terminal module and opening the permissions of the preset storage area of ​​the 4G terminal module.

[0009] The further technical solution is as follows: after writing the preset QCI into the preset storage area of ​​the 4G terminal module, the 5GC network selection method further includes: activating the flag bit of the 4G terminal module.

[0010] The further technical solution is as follows: after the network node redirects the 4G terminal module to the authentication management function unit of 5GC according to the updated QCI, the 5GC network selection method further includes: forming a virtual soft slice route to 5GC.

[0011] The further technical solution is as follows: after forming a virtual soft slice route to 5GC, the 5GC network selection method further includes: issuing an updated QCI to the existing 4G terminal modules through network nodes to obtain the updated 4G terminal modules; and establishing a whitelist based on the updated 4G terminal modules through the policy and charging rule function unit of the 4G core network.

[0012] The further technical solution is as follows: After the policy and charging rule function unit of the 4G core network establishes a whitelist based on the updated 4G terminal modules, the 5GC network selection method further includes: collecting the identity information of the 4G terminal modules to be verified and defining the quality of service policy; importing the whitelist into the policy and charging rule function unit of the 4G core network, creating and activating the quality of service policy so that the quality of service policy is associated with and takes effect with the updated 4G terminal modules in the whitelist; and executing and verifying the quality of service policy.

[0013] The further technical solution is as follows: When the service quality policy detects that a 4G terminal module corresponding to the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) in the whitelist initiates a packet data network connection request using a preset access point name, the default bearer QCI of the 4G terminal module is modified to the updated QCI, and the allocation and retention priority of the 4G terminal module is set.

[0014] The further technical solution is as follows: the execution and verification of the quality of service policy includes: sending an attach request to the 4G core network through the 4G terminal module to be verified, and sending a packet data network connection establishment request to the 4G core network; wherein, the packet data network connection establishment request includes the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) and Access Point Name (APN) of the 4G terminal module to be verified; receiving the packet data network connection establishment request through the policy and charging rule function unit of the 4G core network, performing policy consultation based on the IMSI and APN of the 4G terminal module to be verified in conjunction with the quality of service policy, querying the database, and determining whether the combination of the IMSI and APN of the 4G terminal module to be verified matches the IMSI and preset APN in the whitelist of the quality of service policy, so as to determine whether the 4G terminal module to be verified exists in the whitelist.

[0015] The beneficial technical effects of this invention are as follows: The 5GC network selection method of this invention pre-configures QCI in the 4G terminal module so that the initial network access request sent carries QCI, triggering the connection management platform to request the network to reconfigure a higher-level QCI, and obtain the updated QCI. This enables the use of the 4G terminal module to trigger a higher-priority and more secure QCI configuration, allowing the QCI level to be customized according to service requirements, achieving security isolation. Furthermore, the network node updates the session information related to the 4G terminal module according to the updated QCI, and the network node is redirected to the 5GC for network selection. This facilitates the management and control of 4G terminals through the 5GC, thereby achieving unified management and control of 4G and 5G terminals by the 5GC. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the following description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the 5GC mesh selection method provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the 5GC network selection method provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The 5GC network selection method includes the following steps: S10: Write a preset QCI to the preset storage area of ​​the 4G terminal module; where QCI (Quality of Service Class Identifier) ​​is a core parameter used in mobile communication networks (such as 4G LTE, 5G) to distinguish data flow priority and service quality (QoS). QCI defines the transmission characteristics required for different types of services (such as voice, video, and internet data) through a numerical identifier (1-9 or an extended range), including key indicators such as latency, packet loss rate, and throughput. In this embodiment, the value of the preset QCI can reach 99, and can be recorded as QCI99. The preset storage area is used to store the identity information and configuration parameters of the 4G terminal module. By writing the preset QCI to the preset storage area, the initially generated network access request can include the preset QCI.

[0020] S20: Send an initial network access request, including a preset QCI, to the Connection Management Platform (CMP) via the 4G terminal module; S30: Identify the preset QCI through the connection management platform, trigger the network service level configuration based on the initial network access request, send a QCI change request to change the QCI settings of the 4G terminal module, and route the QCI change request to the Policy and Charging Rule Function (PCRF) unit of the 4G core network through the network node (Mobility Management Entity, MME) to configure the QCI of the 4G terminal module according to the network service; wherein, the initial network access request includes the requested network service and the preset QCI, and the QCI change request is used to configure a QCI with a higher security level and higher priority to the 4G terminal module according to the network service.

[0021] S40: The QCI change request is processed by the policy and charging rules function unit of the 4G core network to obtain the updated QCI. The updated QCI is then sent back to the corresponding network node via the Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW). The network node updates the session information related to the 4G terminal module according to the updated QCI. S50: The network node redirects the 4G terminal module to the Authentication Management Function (AMF) unit of the 5GC according to the updated QCI.

[0022] The 5GC (5G Core Network) is the core network architecture of the fifth-generation mobile communication system (5G), responsible for implementing key services such as user equipment (UE) access control, session management, mobility management, data routing, and network function virtualization (NFV). The authentication management function unit is a key control plane network element of the 5G core network, primarily responsible for terminal access authentication and mobility management. Session information related to the 4G terminal module may include the QCI settings of the 4G terminal module. The 5GC network selection method pre-configures the QCI within the 4G terminal module so that the initial network access request carries the QCI, triggering the connection management platform to request a higher-level QCI reconfiguration from the network. This obtains the updated QCI, enabling the use of the 4G terminal module to trigger a higher-priority and more secure QCI configuration. The QCI level can be customized according to service requirements, achieving security isolation. Network nodes update the session information related to the 4G terminal module based on the updated QCI, and the network nodes are redirected to the 5GC for network selection. This facilitates the management and control of 4G terminals through the 5GC, thereby achieving unified management and control of both 4G and 5G terminals by the 5GC.

[0023] Preferably, the preset storage area is an NV6044 storage area.

[0024] Specifically, step S10, namely writing the preset QCI to the preset storage area of ​​the 4G terminal module, includes: According to the service quality level identifier (QCI) setting rules, a preset QCI is set in the 4G terminal module's XML configuration file and written to the 4G terminal module's preset storage area for storage. The service quality level identifier setting rules can be determined and managed by the 4G core network and connection management platform. The 4G core network can determine whether to approve the 4G terminal module's request to set a specific value for the service quality level identifier by checking the user's communication package and permissions in conjunction with the service quality level identifier setting rules. The 4G terminal module's XML configuration file is used to define and configure the 4G terminal module's network behavior and parameters, and the preset storage area retains the settings even after power loss.

[0025] Specifically, before step S10, that is, before writing the preset QCI into the preset storage area of ​​the 4G terminal module, the 5GC network selection method further includes: Change the default mode of the baseline version of the 4G terminal module and open the permissions of the preset storage area of ​​the 4G terminal module to support the pre-configuration of the terminal or module mode.

[0026] The baseline version default mode refers to the firmware configuration at the factory, which restricts the ability to modify parameters of the underlying hardware, including the NV6044 storage area. By granting access to the preset storage area of ​​the 4G terminal module, write operations to the preset storage area can be allowed via software.

[0027] Specifically, after step S10, that is, after writing the preset QCI to the preset storage area of ​​the 4G terminal module, the 5GC network selection method further includes: Activate the flag bit of the 4G terminal module.

[0028] Preferably, the flag for activating the 4G terminal module is specifically: Set the flag of the 4G terminal module to 1.

[0029] Specifically, after step S50, that is, after the network node redirects the 4G terminal module to the 5GC authentication management function unit according to the updated QCI, the 5GC network selection method further includes: A virtual soft slice is routed to 5GC. The virtual soft slice is formed through the coordinated efforts of the management and orchestration layer, the control layer, and the forwarding layer.

[0030] Specifically, after forming the virtual soft slice route to 5GC, the 5GC network selection method further includes: The updated 4G terminal module is obtained by sending the updated QCI to the existing 4G terminal modules through network nodes. The 4G core network's policy and billing rules function unit establishes a whitelist based on the updated 4G terminal modules.

[0031] Specifically, after the policy and charging rules function unit of the 4G core network establishes a whitelist based on the updated 4G terminal modules, the 5GC network selection method further includes: Collect the identity information of the 4G terminal modules to be verified and define the Quality of Service (QoS) policy; Import the whitelist into the 4G core network's policy and charging rules function unit, create and activate the quality of service policy, so that the quality of service policy is associated with and takes effect with the updated 4G terminal modules in the whitelist; Implement and validate the service quality strategy.

[0032] Preferably, the quality of service policy is as follows: when a 4G terminal module corresponding to an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) code in the whitelist initiates a Packet Data Network (PDN) connection request using a preset Access Point Name (APN), the default bearer QCI of the 4G terminal module is modified to the updated QCI, and the Allocation and Retention Priority (ARP) of the 4G terminal module is set.

[0033] Specifically, the execution and verification of the service quality policy includes: The 4G terminal module to be verified sends an attach request to the 4G core network and a packet data network connection establishment request to the 4G core network; wherein, the packet data network connection establishment request includes the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) and Access Point Name (APN) of the 4G terminal module to be verified. The 4G core network's policy and charging rules function unit receives packet data network connection establishment requests. It then performs policy consultation on the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) and Access Point Name (APN) of the 4G terminal module to be verified, combined with the Quality of Service (QoS) policy, to query the database and determine whether the combination of IMI and APN of the 4G terminal module to be verified matches the IMI and APN in the whitelist of the QoS policy, thus determining whether the 4G terminal module to be verified exists in the whitelist.

[0034] In summary, the 5GC network selection method of the present invention pre-configures QCI within the 4G terminal module so that the initial network access request carries the QCI, triggering the connection management platform to request the network to reconfigure a higher-priority QCI, thereby obtaining the updated QCI. This enables the 4G terminal module to trigger a higher-priority and more secure QCI configuration, allowing for customization of the QCI level according to service requirements, achieving security isolation, and updating session information related to the 4G terminal module through network nodes based on the updated QCI. Furthermore, the network nodes are redirected to the 5GC for network selection, which facilitates the management and control of 4G terminals through the 5GC, thereby achieving unified management and control of both 4G and 5G terminals by the 5GC.

[0035] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention, and these modifications or substitutions should all be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A 5GC screen selection method, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Write the preset QCI to the preset storage area of ​​the 4G terminal module; The 4G terminal module sends an initial network access request, including a preset QCI, to the connection management platform. The system identifies the preset QCI through the connection management platform, triggers the network service level configuration based on the initial network access request, sends a QCI change request to change the QCI settings of the 4G terminal module, and routes it through the network node to the policy and charging rule function unit of the 4G core network, so as to configure the QCI of the 4G terminal module according to the network service. The QCI change request is processed by the policy and charging rules function unit of the 4G core network to obtain the updated QCI. The updated QCI is then sent back to the corresponding network node via the packet data network gateway. The network node updates the session information related to the 4G terminal module based on the updated QCI. The network node redirects the 4G terminal module to the 5GC authentication management function unit based on the updated QCI.

2. The 5GC mesh selection method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The preset storage area is the NV6044 storage area.

3. The 5GC mesh selection method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of writing a preset QCI to the preset storage area of ​​the 4G terminal module includes: According to the service quality level identifier setting rules, a preset QCI is set in the XML configuration file of the 4G terminal module, and the preset QCI is written to the preset storage area of ​​the 4G terminal module.

4. The 5GC mesh selection method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before writing the preset QCI into the preset storage area of ​​the 4G terminal module, the 5GC network selection method further includes: Change the default mode of the baseline version of the 4G terminal module and grant permissions to the preset storage area of ​​the 4G terminal module.

5. The 5GC mesh selection method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After writing the preset QCI to the preset storage area of ​​the 4G terminal module, the 5GC network selection method further includes: Activate the flag bit of the 4G terminal module.

6. The 5GC mesh selection method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After the network node redirects the 4G terminal module to the 5GC authentication management function unit according to the updated QCI, the 5GC network selection method further includes: Create a virtual soft slice route to 5GC.

7. The 5GC mesh selection method according to claim 6, characterized in that, After the virtual soft slice route is formed to the 5GC, the 5GC network selection method further includes: The updated 4G terminal module is obtained by sending the updated QCI to the existing 4G terminal modules through network nodes. The 4G core network's policy and billing rules function unit establishes a whitelist based on the updated 4G terminal modules.

8. The 5GC mesh selection method according to claim 7, characterized in that, After the policy and charging rules function unit of the 4G core network establishes a whitelist based on the updated 4G terminal modules, the 5GC network selection method further includes: Collect the identity information of the 4G terminal modules to be verified and define the quality of service policy; Import the whitelist into the 4G core network's policy and charging rules function unit, create and activate the quality of service policy, so that the quality of service policy is associated with and takes effect with the updated 4G terminal modules in the whitelist; Implement and validate the service quality strategy.

9. The 5GC mesh selection method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The service quality policy is as follows: when a 4G terminal module corresponding to an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) in the whitelist initiates a packet data network connection request using a preset access point name, the default bearer QCI of the 4G terminal module is modified to the updated QCI, and the allocation and retention priority of the 4G terminal module is set.

10. The 5GC mesh selection method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The execution and verification of the quality of service policy includes: The 4G terminal module to be verified sends an attach request to the 4G core network and a packet data network connection establishment request to the 4G core network; wherein, the packet data network connection establishment request includes the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) and Access Point Name (APN) of the 4G terminal module to be verified. The 4G core network's policy and charging rules function unit receives packet data network connection establishment requests. It then performs policy consultation on the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) and Access Point Name (APN) of the 4G terminal module to be verified, combined with the Quality of Service (QoS) policy, to query the database and determine whether the combination of IMI and APN of the 4G terminal module to be verified matches the IMI and APN in the whitelist of the QoS policy, thus determining whether the 4G terminal module to be verified exists in the whitelist.

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