Paging association methods and apparatuses

Abstract

The application relates to a paging association method and device, which comprises the following steps: a first terminal sends a first message to a network device, wherein the first message contains at least one of paging association information and first association information. According to the embodiment of the application, paging association can be performed on different terminal devices, so that the service performance is improved.

Description

Paging association method and device Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly, to a paging association method and device. Background Art

[0002] In the fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G) network system, user equipment (UE) may need to access multiple third generation partnership project (3GPP) networks at the same time and switch and divert traffic between the two access networks. The terminal device can use two universal subscriber identity modules (USIM) to access the two networks, which can be regarded as two associated UEs accessing the two networks at the same time. The current multi-USIM card mechanism registers and connects the two USIM cards independently, and can only support a certain USIM card to restrict or refuse to accept paging requests. By restricting the access of one USIM card, the service continuity of the other USIM card is guaranteed, but some business performance of the restricted USIM card is sacrificed. In the multi-USIM card mechanism, how to associate paging between different USIM cards is a technical problem that needs to be solved.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a paging association method and device, which can perform paging association on different terminal devices and improve service performance.

[0005] The present invention provides a paging association method, including:

[0006] The first terminal sends a first message to the network device, where the first message includes at least one of paging-related information and first-related information.

[0007] The present invention provides a paging association method, including:

[0008] The second terminal receives a second message sent by the network device, where the second message includes corresponding second association information.

[0009] The present invention provides a paging association method, including:

[0010] The network device receives a first message sent by the terminal device, where the first message includes at least one of paging-related information and first-related information.

[0011] An embodiment of the present application provides a first terminal, including:

[0012] The first transceiver unit is configured to send a first message to the network device, where the first message includes at least one of paging-related information and first-related information.

[0013] An embodiment of the present application provides a second terminal, including:

[0014] The first receiving unit is configured to receive a second message sent by the network device, where the second message includes corresponding second association information.

[0015] An embodiment of the present application provides a network device, including:

[0016] The second transceiver unit is configured to receive a first message sent by a terminal device, where the first message includes at least one of paging associated information and first associated information.

[0017] An embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device, comprising: a transceiver, a processor, and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, the transceiver is used to communicate with other devices, and the processor is used to call and execute the computer program stored in the memory to enable the terminal device to perform the above-mentioned paging association method.

[0018] An embodiment of the present application provides a network device, comprising: a transceiver, a processor, and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, the transceiver is used to communicate with other devices, and the processor is used to call and execute the computer program stored in the memory to enable the network device to perform the above-mentioned paging association method.

[0019] An embodiment of the present application provides a chip for implementing the above-mentioned paging association method.

[0020] Specifically, the chip includes: a processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes the above-mentioned paging association method.

[0021] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a device, the device executes the above-mentioned paging association method.

[0022] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions, which enable a computer to execute the above-mentioned paging association method.

[0023] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the above-mentioned paging association method.

[0024] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device sends paging association information and / or first association information to the network device, and the terminal device can configure paging association restriction conditions so that when the network device receives a paging request for the terminal device, it will send a paging request that meets the paging association information to the associated terminal of the terminal device, thereby realizing paging association of different terminal devices and improving service performance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 is a diagram of the 5G network system architecture.

[0026] FIG2 is a schematic flowchart of a paging association method 200 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0027] FIG3 is an implementation flow chart of the first embodiment of the present application.

[0028] FIG4 is a flowchart of the implementation of the second embodiment of the present application.

[0029] FIG5 is a schematic flowchart of a paging association method 500 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0030] FIG6 is a schematic block diagram of a first terminal 600 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] FIG7 is a schematic block diagram of a network device 700 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0032] FIG8 is a schematic block diagram of a network device 800 according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0033] FIG9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 900 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] FIG10 is a schematic block diagram of a chip 1000 according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0036] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, Advanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A) system, New Radio (NR) system, NR system evolution system, LTE on unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) system, NR on unlicensed spectrum (NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum, NR-U) system, Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Fifth Generation (5G) system or other communication systems.

[0037] Generally speaking, traditional communication systems support a limited number of connections and are easy to implement. However, with the development of communication technology, mobile communication systems will not only support traditional communications, but will also support, for example, device-to-device (D2D) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, etc. The embodiments of the present application can also be applied to these communication systems.

[0038] In one embodiment, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, a dual connectivity (DC) scenario, and a standalone (SA) networking scenario.

[0039] In one embodiment, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to an unlicensed spectrum, wherein the unlicensed spectrum can also be considered as a shared spectrum; or, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to an authorized spectrum, wherein the authorized spectrum can also be considered as an unshared spectrum.

[0040] The embodiments of the present application describe various embodiments in conjunction with network devices and terminal devices, wherein the terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device, etc.

[0041] The terminal device can be a station (STAION, ST) in a WLAN, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a next-generation communication system such as an NR network, or a terminal device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) network, etc.

[0042] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water surface (such as ships, etc.); it can also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.).

[0043] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, or a wireless terminal device in a smart home, etc.

[0044] As an example and not a limitation, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be called wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not only hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0045] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device may be a device for communicating with a mobile device. The network device may be an access point (AP) in a WLAN, an evolved base station (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, or a relay station or access point, or a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and a network device (gNB) in an NR network, or a network device in a future evolved PLMN network or a network device in an NTN network, etc.

[0046] As an example and not a limitation, in an embodiment of the present application, the network device may have a mobile feature, for example, the network device may be a mobile device. Alternatively, the network device may be a satellite or a balloon station. For example, the satellite may be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite, etc. Optionally, the network device may also be a base station set up in a location such as land or water.

[0047] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device can provide services for a cell, and the terminal device communicates with the network device through the transmission resources used by the cell (for example, frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources). The cell can be a cell corresponding to the network device (for example, a base station). The cell can belong to a macro base station or a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cells here may include: metro cells, micro cells, pico cells, femto cells, etc. These small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0048] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, devices having communication functions in the network / system may be referred to as communication devices. Communication devices may include network devices and terminal devices having communication functions. The network devices and terminal devices may be specific devices in the embodiments of the present application and will not be described in detail here. Communication devices may also include other devices in the communication system, such as network controllers, mobility management entities, and other network entities, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0049] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably herein. The term "and / or" is simply a description of an association between related objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0050] It should be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association. For example, "A indicates B" can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can be obtained through A; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C; it can also mean that there is an association between A and B.

[0051] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" may indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between the two, or an association relationship between the two, or a relationship between indication and being indicated, configuration and being configured, etc.

[0052] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the relevant technologies of the embodiments of the present application are described below. The following relevant technologies can be arbitrarily combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and they all fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0053] Figure 1 is a diagram of the 5G network system architecture. The UE establishes an access layer connection with the access network (AN) through the Uu interface, exchanging access layer messages and wireless data transmission. The UE establishes a non-access stratum (NAS) connection with the access and mobility management function (AMF) through the N1 interface, exchanging NAS messages. The AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) is the mobility management function in the core network, and the SMF (Session Management Function) is the session management function in the core network. In addition to managing UE mobility, the AMF is also responsible for forwarding session management-related messages between the UE and the SMF. The PCF (Policy Control Function) is a policy management function in the core network, responsible for formulating policies related to UE mobility management, session management, and billing. The UPF (User Plane Function) is a user plane function in the core network, communicating with external data networks through the N6 interface and with the AN through the N3 interface.

[0054] Currently, based on some requirements, such as ensuring service coverage and continuity, increasing capacity, etc., UE may need to access multiple 3GPP networks at the same time, such as accessing a 5G network and a 4th Generation Mobile Communication Technology (4G) network at the same time, or accessing two PLMN's 5G networks at the same time, and switching and diverting traffic between the two access networks. In this scenario, in order to ensure service continuity, a basic requirement is to allow the UE to register in two access networks at the same time and maintain a dual registration state. In order to reduce the impact on the existing network, some operators recommend using two Universal Subscriber Identity Modules (USIM) to access the two networks, which can be regarded as two associated UEs accessing the two networks at the same time.

[0055] Currently, dual registration support is mainly reflected in multi-Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) technology or multi-USIM card technology. Specifically, it can allow a UE to use two USIM cards to maintain registration status in two access networks at the same time.

[0056] During the registration process, when a multi-USIM user equipment (UE) has multiple USIMs active and supports and intends to use one or more multi-USIM specific features, it indicates support for the corresponding multi-USIM features to the AMF. Based on the indication of supported multi-USIM features received from the UE, the AMF indicates the support of the multi-USIM features to the UE based on the multi-USIM features supported by the network and any priority policy that may exist in the network.

[0057] When one of the USIMs of a multi-USIM user equipment (UE) is active in a 3GPP access, the UE may request the network to release its RRC connected (RRC_CONNECTED) state in the 3GPP access. This request can only be made if both the UE and the network have mutually indicated that they support the connection release function.

[0058] During the NAS connection release procedure, the UE indicates that it is requesting release from the RRC_CONNECTED state by initiating a service request procedure or registration procedure for 3GPP access. If the UE needs to perform a network registration update at the same time (including the case where a registration request is sent due to movement outside the registration area, that is, before detecting whether the new tracking area network supports this function, provided that the network has indicated support for the connection release function in the currently stored registration area), a release request indication will be included. If both the UE and the network support it, the UE may also provide paging restriction information together with the release request indication, which requests the network to restrict paging.

[0059] If a multi-USIM user equipment (UE) and the network both indicate to each other that they support the reject paging request function, the UE may establish a connection and respond to the paging by sending a reject paging indication to the network, indicating that the UE does not accept the paging and requesting to return to the connection management (CM) - idle state after sending this response.

[0060] When a multi-USIM UE in CM-IDLE state is paged by the network, the multi-USIM UE shall attempt to send a Service Request message to the paging network, including a Reject Paging Indication as a response to the paging, unless it is unable to do so due to UE implementation limitations. If both the UE and the network support it, the UE may also include paging restriction information in the Service Request message.

[0061] The multi-USIM user equipment (UE) and the network may support the paging restriction feature. If the AMF indicates that the network supports the paging restriction feature, the multi-USIM UE may indicate the paging restriction information in the service request or registration request message (including the case where the registration request is sent due to moving out of the registration area, i.e. before detecting whether the new tracking area network supports the feature, provided that the network has indicated support for the paging restriction feature in the currently stored registration area).

[0062] The current multi-USIM mechanism registers and connects two USIM cards independently, and can only support one USIM card to restrict or refuse to accept paging requests. In essence, it ensures the service continuity of the other USIM card by restricting the access of one USIM card, but sacrifices some business performance of the restricted USIM card (for example, some services may not be completed normally because it cannot accept paging).

[0063] The embodiment of the present application proposes a paging association method, which can associate the registrations of two USIM cards. When paging, the paging request sent to the restricted USIM card is sent through the other USIM card, thereby protecting the service quality of the other USIM card as much as possible while ensuring the service continuity of the restricted USIM card.

[0064] FIG2 is a schematic flow chart of a paging association method 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. The method can optionally be applied to the system shown in FIG1 , but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least part of the following contents.

[0065] S210. The first terminal sends a first message to a network device, where the first message includes at least one of paging-related information and first-related information.

[0066] By sending paging association information and / or first association information to the network device, the first terminal can configure paging association restriction conditions so that when the network device receives a paging request for the terminal device, it will send the paging request that meets the paging association information to the associated terminal of the terminal device (hereinafter referred to as the second terminal).

[0067] In some embodiments, the terminal device may refer to a USIM card in the terminal. If two USIM cards are installed in a terminal, both USIM cards may be regarded as terminal devices, and the two terminal devices (USIM cards) are associated, where one USIM card is the associated terminal of the other USIM card. Through the paging association method proposed in the embodiment of the present application, when performing paging, the paging request sent to the restricted USIM card can be sent through another USIM card, which then decides whether to activate / switch the USIM card for service, thereby protecting the service quality of the associated USIM as much as possible while ensuring the service continuity of the restricted USIM card. The first terminal and the second terminal may also be two independent terminals that jointly serve the same multi-access device.

[0068] In some implementations, the network device includes a registration management network element.

[0069] For example, the registration management network element includes an AMF or a Mobility Management Entity (MME).

[0070] In some implementations, the paging association information includes one or more of the following:

[0071] All paging calls to the first terminal are sent through the second terminal;

[0072] Except for the first paging, all pagings of the first terminal are sent through the second terminal.

[0073] The first paging may include one or more of voice service paging and PDU session paging. For example, the voice service paging may include IP Multimedia System (IMS) voice paging.

[0074] Through paging association information, the terminal device can configure paging association and paging association restrictions to the network device. For example, the specific form of paging association information may include:

[0075] a) All paging needs to be sent through the associated UE;

[0076] b) Except for voice service (IMS voice) paging, all paging is sent through the associated UE;

[0077] c) Except for specific PDU sessions, all paging is sent through the associated UE;

[0078] d) Except for voice services (IMS voice) and specific PDU session paging, all paging is sent through the associated UE.

[0079] In addition, the paging association information can also be used together with related technologies. For example, the paging association information used for paging association proposed in this embodiment can be used together with the existing paging restriction information used for the paging restriction function.

[0080] For example, through a registration request or a service request, the terminal device configures the paging restriction information to the network device.

[0081] In an example, the content indicated by the paging restriction information includes:

[0082] All paging except IMS voice paging is restricted.

[0083] At the same time, the paging-related information indicated by the terminal device configuration includes:

[0084] Specific PDU sessions are delivered via the associated UE, and other paging is restricted.

[0085] In this way, the contents jointly indicated by the paging restriction information and the paging association information include: IMS paging is normally delivered through the terminal device, a specific PDU session is delivered through the associated UE, and other paging is restricted.

[0086] In some embodiments, the first association information includes one or more of the following:

[0087] an identifier of the second terminal;

[0088] Access network information corresponding to the second terminal;

[0089] Association ID.

[0090] In some examples, the access network information corresponding to the second terminal may include PLMN ID information corresponding to the second terminal.

[0091] The first association information may be used to determine an associated terminal of the terminal device.

[0092] The first associated information may be included in the paging restriction information, such as being a field in the paging restriction information, or may be information independent of the paging associated information.

[0093] In the subsequent process, when the network device receives the paging request of the first terminal, it can send the paging that meets the paging association information to the associated UE of the terminal device, that is, the second terminal, based on the paging association information of the first terminal and the first association information.

[0094] The terminal device can indicate paging-related information through a registration request or a service request. The following describes these two methods respectively:

[0095] Method 1: The terminal device indicates paging-related information through a registration request indication:

[0096] In this manner, the first message includes a registration request, that is, the terminal device sends a registration request to the network device, and the registration request includes at least one of the paging association information and the first association information.

[0097] In some examples, the registration request also includes first information, which can be used to request a multi-access service or indicate that the terminal device supports the multi-access service (or indicate that the terminal capability supports the multi-access service). The first information can be explicit indication information or implicit indication information; for example, the first information includes an identifier of an associated terminal of the terminal device.

[0098] Afterwards, the terminal device receives a registration response sent by the network device, which indicates that the network device supports paging association. The registration response may explicitly indicate that the network device supports paging association, or may implicitly indicate that the network device supports paging association; for example, the registration response indicates that the network device supports multi-access services (i.e., supports multi-access association by default), and / or the registration response configures the terminal device's policy or instructions related to paging association (such as configuring the terminal device to report paging association and paging association restrictions in a service request).

[0099] Method 2: The terminal device indicates paging-related information through a service request:

[0100] In this approach, the first message includes a service request. That is, the terminal device receives a paging request from the network device, and then sends a service request to the network device. The service request includes at least one of the paging-related information and the first-related information. In some examples, the service request also indicates that the terminal device refuses to accept the paging request.

[0101] Before the aforementioned paging request and service request, a registration process of the terminal device to the network device is also included, for example, including:

[0102] The terminal device sends a registration request to the network device, where the registration request includes at least one of first information and first association information. The first information is used to request a multi-access service or indicate that the terminal device supports the multi-access service. The first information can be explicit indication information or implicit indication information; for example, the first information includes an identifier of an associated terminal of the terminal device.

[0103] The terminal device receives a registration response sent by the network device, and the registration response indicates that the network device supports paging association. The registration response may explicitly indicate that the network device supports paging association, or may implicitly indicate that the network device supports paging association; for example, the registration response indicates that the network device supports multi-access service (i.e., supports multi-access association by default), and / or the registration response configures the terminal device with policies or instructions related to paging association (such as configuring the terminal device to report paging association and paging association restriction conditions in service requests, etc.).

[0104] In the second method, the terminal device is allowed to specify the paging association in the form of a service request after receiving the paging request. Compared with the first method, the paging association solution of the second method is more flexible in use.

[0105] Through any of the above two methods, the terminal device configures its own paging association information to the network device. For example. The first terminal configures its own paging association information to the network device, and configures that part or all of the paging of the first terminal can be sent through the second terminal associated with it. For example, USIM 1 and USIM 2 are two USIM cards installed in the same terminal, then USIM 1 and USIM 2 can be regarded as two terminals associated with each other, that is, USIM 2 is the associated terminal of USIM 1, and USIM 1 is the associated terminal of USIM 2. USIM 2 can configure paging association information to the network device, specifying that all or part of the types of paging of USIM 2 can be sent through its associated USIM 1; USIM 1 can configure paging association information to the network device, specifying that all or part of the types of paging of USIM 1 can be sent through its associated USIM 2. In subsequent processes, when the network device receives a paging request for USIM 2, it determines whether the paging request satisfies the paging association information of USIM 2. If so, it sends the paging request via USIM 1, which is associated with USIM 2. Similarly, when the network device receives a paging request for USIM 1, it determines whether the paging request satisfies the paging association information of USIM 1. If so, it sends the paging request via USIM 2, which is associated with USIM 1. If UE2, which corresponds to USIM 2, is also in the CM-IDLE state, paging of UE2 may be triggered. If UE2, which corresponds to USIM 2, is in the connected state, the paging request may be sent directly to UE2 via a NAS message.

[0106] The present application also provides a paging association method, which can be applied to the system shown in FIG1 , but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least part of the following contents:

[0107] The second terminal receives a second message sent by the network device, where the second message includes corresponding second association information.

[0108] The second message may be a paging request or NAS message for the first terminal, and the second message is sent to the second terminal based on the paging association information of the first terminal. The second association information can be used by the second terminal to determine that the second message is the second message of the first terminal. The second association information may include one or more of the following:

[0109] an identifier of the first terminal;

[0110] Paging information of the first terminal.

[0111] The paging information of the first terminal may include one or more of a paging reason, a paging type, a PDU session corresponding to the paging, and a service corresponding to the paging.

[0112] By adopting the paging association method proposed in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can configure the paging association restriction conditions; when the network side receives a paging request for the terminal device, it can send the paging request that meets the paging association restriction conditions to the associated device of the terminal device according to the paging association restriction conditions, thereby ensuring the business continuity of the terminal device and protecting the service quality of the associated device as much as possible.

[0113] The following is a detailed description of specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0114] Example 1:

[0115] Figure 3 is an implementation flow chart of the first embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment, the UE configures paging association and paging association restriction conditions when registering. When UE1 registers, it sends a registration request to the core network and carries multi-access indicator information in the registration request; after the core network receives the multi-access indicator information, if it supports paging association, it sends a registration response to UE1 and indicates in the registration response that the network device supports paging association. When UE2 registers, it sends a registration request to the core network and requests paging association service in the registration request, and carries the paging association restriction conditions; after the core network receives the registration request, if it supports the function, it sends a registration response to UE2 and indicates in the registration response that the network device supports the function. Subsequently, when the core network of UE2 receives a paging request for UE2, if the request meets the paging association restriction conditions, it triggers association paging to UE1.

[0116] In this embodiment, UE1 and UE2 may be two USIMs installed in the same terminal, or may be two independent terminals serving the same multi-access device.

[0117] The specific implementation process of this embodiment is as follows:

[0118] S301. UE1 initiates a registration process to the core network. For example, UE1 may send a registration request to a registration management network element (such as an AMF or MME). In this embodiment, the registration management network element is described as an AMF. UE1 sends a registration request to AMF1. The registration request includes UE1's ID information and multi-access indicator information. The multi-access indicator information is used to request a multi-access service or indicate that UE1 supports multi-access services. It may also indicate that UE1 is one of the multi-access devices (i.e., UE1 represented by one of the USIM cards in a dual-USIM UE). The multi-access indicator information may be explicit indication information or may be expressed in an implicit form. For example, it may carry one or more of the identifier (such as ID information) of UE2 associated with UE1 (i.e., UE2 represented by the other USIM card in a dual-USIM UE) and the access network information of UE2. The access network information of UE2 may include the PLMN ID corresponding to UE2.

[0119] S302. AMF1 registers the context of UE1 with the Unified Data Management (UDM) or Home Subscriber Server (HSS). This means that AMF1 is registered as the serving AMF of UE1 with the UDM or HSS. Specifically, AMF1 may send a context registration message to the UDM or HSS, which carries the ID of UE1 and the ID of AMF1.

[0120] S303: Perform the remaining UE1 registration process.

[0121] S304. AMF1 feeds back a registration response to UE1, and the registration response indicates that the network device supports paging association. For example, the registration response may carry indication information of support / activation / acceptance of paging association (Paging Association Supported / Activated / Accepted). The indication information of supporting paging association may be explicit indication information or implicit indication information. For example, the registration response indicates that the network device supports multi-access service, implicitly indicates that the network device can support multi-access association; and / or, the registration response configures UE1's policies or indications related to paging association (for example, configuring UE1 to report paging association and paging association restriction conditions in the service request).

[0122] S305. UE2 initiates a registration process to the core network. For example, UE2 may send a registration request to a registration management network element (such as AMF or MME). In this embodiment, the registration management network element is introduced as AMF. UE2 sends a registration request to AMF2, and the registration request includes the ID information of UE2. AMF2 may be the same as or different from the above-mentioned AMF1. The registration request may also include at least one of multi-access indicator information, paging association information, and first association information. The following introduces these three types of information respectively:

[0123] (1) Multi-access indicator information can be used to request a multi-access service or indicate that UE2 supports the multi-access service, and can also indicate that UE2 is one of the multi-access devices (i.e., UE2 represented by one of the USIM cards in a dual-USIM UE). The multi-access indication information can be explicit indication information or can be expressed in an implicit form. For example, it can carry an identifier (such as ID information) of UE1 associated with UE2 (i.e., UE1 represented by the other USIM card in a dual-USIM UE).

[0124] (2) The paging association information may be paging association restriction information, and the paging association information may include one or more of the following:

[0125] All paging of UE2 is sent through the associated terminal;

[0126] Except for the first paging, all paging of UE2 is sent through the associated terminal.

[0127] The first paging may include one or more of a voice service paging and a protocol data unit (PDU) session paging. In some examples, the voice service paging includes an IP Multimedia System (IMS) voice paging.

[0128] For example, the specific form of paging-related information may include:

[0129] a) All paging needs to be sent through the associated UE;

[0130] b) Except for voice service (IMS voice) paging, all paging is sent through the associated UE;

[0131] c) Except for specific PDU sessions, all paging is sent through the associated UE;

[0132] d) Except for voice services (IMS voice) and specific PDU session paging, all paging is sent through the associated UE.

[0133] In addition, the paging association information can also be used together with related technologies. For example, the paging association information used for paging association proposed in this embodiment can be used together with the existing paging restriction information used for the paging restriction function.

[0134] In one example, the registration request sent by UE2 to AMF2 carries paging restriction information and paging association information; wherein, the paging restriction information indicates that all paging except IMS voice paging is restricted (i.e., only IMS voice paging is normally sent through UE2); the paging association information provides an association indication for the restricted paging (i.e., other paging except IMS voice paging). For example, the paging association information indicates that a specific PDU session is sent through the associated UE, and other paging is restricted. In this case, the content jointly indicated by the paging restriction information and the paging association information includes: IMS paging is normally sent through UE2, a specific PDU session is sent through the associated UE, and other paging is restricted.

[0135] (3) The first association information may include one or more of the identifier of the associated terminal, the access network information corresponding to the associated terminal, and the association identifier. For example, in this example, if UE2's associated terminal is UE1, the first association information may include one or more of the UE1 ID, the access network information corresponding to UE1, and the association ID. The association ID may be an identifier assigned by the core network to establish the association between UE1 and UE2.

[0136] The first related information may be included in the paging related information, or may be information independent of the paging related information.

[0137] In addition, the registration process in this step may be an initial registration process or a registration update process. For example, after UE2 registers first, UE1 registers and UE1's access network supports paging association, UE2 can perform a registration update and enable the paging association function during the registration update process.

[0138] S306: AMF2 saves the information sent by UE2 in S305, such as the paging association information and / or the first association information. AMF2 registers UE2's context with the UMD or HSS, i.e., registers UE2's serving AMF with the UMD or HSS as AMF2. Specifically, AMF2 may send a context registration message to the UMD or HSS. The context registration message carries the ID of UE2 and the ID of AMF2, and may also carry the first association information.

[0139] S307: UDM associates contexts between UE1 and UE2, such as recording the association relationship between UE1 and UE2.

[0140] S308: Perform the remaining UE2 registration process.

[0141] S309. AMF2 feeds back a registration response to UE2, indicating that the network device supports paging association. For example, the registration response may carry information indicating support for paging association. In addition, the registration response may also indicate that AMF2 has accepted UE2's configuration of paging association information.

[0142] S310. Other network elements (NF), such as SMF and PCF, trigger a paging request to UE2. The paging request includes the UE2 ID and may also carry a paging type.

[0143] S311. After receiving the paging request for UE2, AMF2 determines whether the paging satisfies the paging association information stored in the aforementioned registration process.

[0144] For example, if the paging association information specifies that all paging must be delivered through the associated UE, then the paging satisfies the paging association information;

[0145] For another example, if the paging association information stipulates that all paging except IMS voice paging is delivered through the associated UE; and the paging request for UE2 is a PDU session, then the paging request for UE2 satisfies the paging association information.

[0146] If the paging request for UE2 meets the paging association information, AMF2 determines the core network device (such as AMF1) of the associated terminal (such as UE1) of UE2. If AMF2 and AMF1 are different AMFs and there is no AMF1 information of the associated UE1 locally, AMF2 queries the UDM for the AMF1 corresponding to the associated UE1.

[0147] S312. AMF2 sends a paging request to AMF1. The paging request includes UE1 ID1 and second association information corresponding to the paging request. The second association information may include UE2 ID and corresponding paging information. The paging information may include one or more of the paging cause, paging type, PDU session corresponding to the paging request, and service corresponding to the paging request.

[0148] S313. After receiving the paging request sent by AMF2, AMF1 sends a second message to UE1, where the second message includes second association information corresponding to the paging. The second message may include a paging request or a NAS message. For example, when UE1 is in a connected state, AMF1 sends a NAS message to the UE; when UE1 is in a CM-IDLE state, AMF1 sends a paging request to the UE. The second association information can be used for UE1 to confirm that the paging request is an associated paging for UE2. The access network (AN) used for the paging may be the same as the access network when UE1 registered, or it may be different.

[0149] Through this embodiment, UE2 can be allowed to configure paging association information (that is, paging association restriction conditions) during registration; in this way, when UE2's AMF receives a paging for UE2, the paging that meets the paging association restriction conditions can be forwarded to the associated UE1 through AMF interaction, which not only avoids the paging directly waking up UE1 and affecting the service quality of UE2, but also avoids the inability to wake up UE1 and cause some services to fail to operate normally.

[0150] Example 2:

[0151] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the implementation of Example 2 of the present application. In this embodiment, the UE configures paging association restriction conditions when sending a service request. In this embodiment, when UE2 receives a paging call, it can send a service request that instructs UE2 to reject the paging call and remain in the CM-IDLE state. The service request also carries paging association information, which indicates that paging association is to be performed through the associated terminal (e.g., UE1).

[0152] In this embodiment, UE1 and UE2 may be two USIMs installed in the same terminal.

[0153] The specific implementation process of this embodiment is as follows:

[0154] S401, UE1 initiates a registration process to the core network. For example, UE1 may send a registration request to a registration management network element (such as AMF or MME). In this embodiment, the registration management network element is AME. UE1 sends a registration request to AMF1. The registration request includes UE1's ID information and multi-access indicator information. The multi-access indicator information is used to request a multi-access service or indicate that UE1 supports multi-access service. It may also indicate that UE1 is one of the multi-access devices (i.e., UE1 represented by one of the USIM cards of a dual-USIM UE). The multi-access indicator information may be explicit indication information or may be expressed in an implicit form. For example, it may carry one or more of the identifier (such as ID information) of UE2 associated with UE1 (i.e., UE2 represented by the other USIM card of the dual-USIM UE) and the access network information of UE2. The access network information of UE2 may include the PLMN ID corresponding to UE2.

[0155] S402. AMF1 registers the context of UE1 with the Unified Data Management (UDM) or Home Subscriber Server (HSS). This means that AMF1 is registered as the serving AMF of UE1 with the UDM or HSS. Specifically, AMF1 may send a context registration message to the UDM or HSS, which carries the ID of UE1 and the ID of AMF1.

[0156] S403: Perform the remaining UE1 registration process.

[0157] S404. AMF1 feeds back a registration response to UE1, and the registration response indicates that the network device supports paging association. For example, the registration response may carry indication information of support / activation / acceptance of paging association (Paging Association Supported / Activated / Accepted). The indication information of supporting paging association may be explicit indication information or implicit indication information. For example, the registration response indicates that the network device supports multi-access service, implicitly indicates that the network device can support multi-access association; and / or, the registration response configures UE1's policies or indications related to paging association (for example, configuring UE1 to report paging association and paging association restriction conditions in the service request).

[0158] S405: UE2 initiates a registration process with the core network. For example, UE2 may send a registration request to a registration management network element (such as an AMF or MME). In this embodiment, the registration management network element is described as AME. UE2 sends a registration request to AMF2, which includes UE2's ID information. AMF2 may be the same as or different from the aforementioned AMF1. The registration request may also include at least one of multi-access indicator information and first association information.

[0159] Among them, the multi-access indicator information can be used to request a multi-access service or indicate that the UE2 supports the multi-access service, and can also indicate that the UE2 is one of the multi-access devices (that is, UE2 represented by one of the USIM cards of the dual USIM card UE). The multi-access indication information can be explicit indication information or can be expressed in an implicit form. For example, it can carry an identifier (such as ID information) of the UE1 associated with the UE2 (that is, UE1 represented by the other USIM card of the dual USIM card UE).

[0160] The first association information may include one or more of an associated terminal identifier, access network information corresponding to the associated terminal, and an association identifier. For example, in this example, if UE2's associated terminal is UE1, the first association information may include one or more of UE1's ID, access network information corresponding to UE1, and an association ID. The association ID may be an identifier assigned by the core network to establish the association between UE1 and UE2.

[0161] In addition, the registration process in this step may be an initial registration process or a registration update process. For example, after UE2 registers first, UE1 registers and UE1's access network supports paging association, UE2 can perform a registration update and enable the paging association function during the registration update process.

[0162] S406. AMF2 registers the context of UE2 with the UMD or HSS, i.e., registers the serving AMF of UE2 with the UMD or HSS as AMF2. Specifically, AMF2 may send a context registration message to the UMD or HSS, where the context registration message carries the ID of UE2 and the ID of AMF2, and may also carry the first association information.

[0163] S407: UDM associates contexts between UE1 and UE2, such as recording the association relationship between UE1 and UE2.

[0164] S408: Perform the remaining UE2 registration process.

[0165] S409. AMF2 feeds back a registration response to UE2, where the registration response indicates that the network device supports paging association. For example, the registration response may carry indication information of supporting paging association.

[0166] S410: Other network elements (such as SMF, PCF, etc.) trigger a paging request to UE2. The paging request includes UE2 ID and may also carry a paging type.

[0167] S411. AMF2 sends the paging request to UE2 via AN2 (the AN2 may be the same as or different from the AN used when UE2 registers).

[0168] S412. UE2 sends a service request to AMF2. The service request may include an associated paging restriction indication, which is used to instruct UE2 to refuse to accept the paging and remain in the CM-IDLE state. The service request also includes paging association information, which may be paging association restriction information. The paging association information may include one or more of the following:

[0169] All paging of UE2 is sent through the associated terminal;

[0170] Except for the first paging, all paging of UE2 is sent through the associated terminal.

[0171] The first paging may include one or more of a voice service paging and a PDU session paging. In some examples, the voice service paging includes an IP Multimedia System (IMS) voice paging.

[0172] For example, the specific form of paging-related information may include:

[0173] a) All paging needs to be sent through the associated UE;

[0174] b) Except for voice service (IMS voice) paging, all paging is sent through the associated UE;

[0175] c) Except for specific PDU sessions, all paging is sent through the associated UE;

[0176] d) Except for voice services (IMS voice) and specific PDU session paging, all paging is sent through the associated UE.

[0177] In addition, the paging association information can also be used together with related technologies. For example, the paging association information used for paging association proposed in this embodiment can be used together with the existing paging restriction information used for the paging restriction function.

[0178] In one example, the service request sent by UE2 to AMF2 carries paging restriction information and paging association information; wherein the paging restriction information indicates that all paging except IMS voice paging is restricted (i.e., only IMS voice paging is normally sent through UE2); the paging association information provides an association indication for the restricted paging (i.e., other paging except IMS voice paging). For example, the paging association information indicates that a specific PDU session is sent through the associated UE, and other paging is restricted. In this case, the contents indicated by the paging restriction information and the paging association information include: IMS paging is normally sent through UE2, a specific PDU session is sent through the associated UE, and other paging is restricted.

[0179] S413. After receiving the service request, AMF2 determines whether the current paging request satisfies the paging association information based on the paging association information contained therein. If the current paging request satisfies the paging association information, AMF2 determines the core network device (such as AMF1) of the associated terminal (such as UE1) of UE2. If AMF2 and AMF1 are different AMFs and there is no AMF1 information of the associated UE1 locally, AMF2 queries the UDM for the AMF1 corresponding to the associated UE1.

[0180] S414. AMF2 sends a paging request to AMF1. The paging request includes UE1 ID1 and second association information corresponding to the paging request. The second association information may include UE2 ID and corresponding paging information. The paging information may include one or more of the paging cause, paging type, PDU session corresponding to the paging request, and service corresponding to the paging request.

[0181] S415. After receiving the paging request from AMF2, AMF1 sends a second message to UE1, which includes second association information corresponding to the paging request. The second message may include a paging request or an NAS message. For example, when UE1 is in the connected state, AMF1 sends a NAS message to the UE; when UE1 is in the CM-IDLE state, AMF1 sends a paging request to the UE. This second association information can be used by UE1 to confirm that the paging request is an associated paging request for UE2. The AN used for this paging request may be the same as the AN used when UE1 registered, or it may be different.

[0182] Through this embodiment, UE2 can be allowed to specify paging association in the form of a service request after receiving a paging request. Compared with the first embodiment, the paging association solution is more flexible.

[0183] This application also proposes a paging association method. FIG5 is a schematic flow chart of a paging association method 500 according to an embodiment of this application. This method can optionally be applied to the system shown in FIG1 , but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least part of the following contents.

[0184] S510: A network device receives a first message sent by a first terminal, where the first message includes at least one of paging-related information and first-related information.

[0185] In some implementations, the network device includes a registration management network element. For example, the registration management network element includes an AMF or an MME.

[0186] In some implementations, the paging association information includes one or more of the following:

[0187] All paging calls to the first terminal are sent through the second terminal;

[0188] Except for the first paging, all pagings of the first terminal are sent through the second terminal.

[0189] For example, the first paging includes one or more of a voice service paging and a PDU session paging. In some examples, the voice service paging includes an IMS voice paging.

[0190] For example, the specific form of paging-related information may include:

[0191] a) All paging needs to be sent through the associated UE;

[0192] b) Except for voice service (IMS voice) paging, all paging is sent through the associated UE;

[0193] c) Except for specific PDU sessions, all paging is sent through the associated UE;

[0194] d) Except for voice services (IMS voice) and specific PDU session paging, all paging is sent through the associated UE.

[0195] In addition, the paging association information can also be used together with related technologies. For example, the paging association information used for paging association proposed in this embodiment can be used together with the existing paging restriction information used for the paging restriction function.

[0196] In some embodiments, the first association information includes one or more of the following:

[0197] an identifier of the second terminal;

[0198] Access network information corresponding to the second terminal;

[0199] Association ID.

[0200] In some examples, the access network information corresponding to the second terminal may include PLMN ID information corresponding to the second terminal.

[0201] The first association information may be used to determine a second terminal associated with the first device.

[0202] The first associated information may be included in the paging restriction information, such as being a field in the paging restriction information, or may be information independent of the paging associated information.

[0203] By receiving the paging association information and / or first association information configured by the terminal device, the network device can save the paging association restriction conditions of the terminal device, so that when the network device receives a paging request for the terminal device, it will send the paging request that meets the paging association information to the associated terminal of the terminal device, thereby realizing paging association of different terminal devices and improving service performance.

[0204] In some embodiments, the terminal device may refer to a USIM card in the terminal. If two USIM cards are installed in a terminal, both USIM cards may be regarded as terminal devices, and the two terminal devices (USIM cards) are associated, where one USIM card is the associated terminal of the other USIM card. Through the paging association method proposed in the embodiment of the present application, when performing paging, the paging request sent to the restricted USIM card can be sent through another USIM card, which then decides whether to activate / switch the USIM card for service, thereby protecting the service quality of the associated USIM as much as possible while ensuring the service continuity of the restricted USIM card. The first terminal and the second terminal may also be two independent terminals that jointly serve the same multi-access device.

[0205] The network device may receive the paging association information and / or the first association information sent by the first terminal through a registration request or a service request.

[0206] In some implementations, the first message includes a registration request.

[0207] In some implementations, the first message includes first information, where the first information is used to request a multiple access service or indicate that the first terminal supports the multiple access service.

[0208] In some implementations, the first message includes a service request.

[0209] In some implementations, before the network device receives the first message sent by the first terminal, the method further includes:

[0210] The network device sends a paging request to the first terminal.

[0211] In some implementations, the service request is used to instruct the first terminal to refuse to accept paging.

[0212] In some embodiments, further comprising:

[0213] The network device receives a registration request sent by the first terminal, where the registration request includes at least one of first information and first association information, where the first information is used to request a multi-access service or indicate that the first terminal supports the multi-access service.

[0214] In some implementations, the first information includes an identifier of the second terminal.

[0215] In some implementations, the method further includes the network device sending a registration response to the first terminal, where the registration response indicates that the network device supports paging association.

[0216] In some implementations, the registration response indicates that the network device supports paging association, including:

[0217] The registration response indicates that the network device supports multiple access services, and / or the registration response configures a policy or indication related to paging association of the first terminal.

[0218] After receiving the paging association information and / or first association information configured by the first terminal, when a paging request for the first terminal is subsequently received, the paging request that meets the paging association information can be sent to the second terminal associated with the first terminal. For example, when a paging request from the first terminal is received, if the paging request of the first terminal meets the paging association information, the network device determines the second terminal associated with the first terminal; the network device sends a second message to the second terminal or the registration management network element of the second terminal, and the second message includes the corresponding second association information. The second association information can be used by the second terminal to confirm that the paging request is an associated paging for the first terminal. The second message may include a paging request or a NAS message.

[0219] In some implementations, the second association information includes one or more of the following:

[0220] an identifier of the first terminal;

[0221] Paging information of the first terminal.

[0222] In some implementations, the paging information of the associated terminal includes one or more of the following:

[0223] Paging reason;

[0224] Paging type;

[0225] Paging corresponding PDU session;

[0226] Paging corresponding service.

[0227] The present application also provides a first terminal. FIG6 is a schematic block diagram of a first terminal 600 according to an embodiment of the present application. The first terminal 600 may include:

[0228] The first transceiver unit 610 is configured to send a first message to the network device, where the first message includes at least one of paging-related information and first-related information.

[0229] In some implementations, the first message includes a registration request.

[0230] In some implementations, the first message includes first information, where the first information is used to request a multiple access service or indicate that the first terminal supports the multiple access service.

[0231] In some implementations, the first message includes a service request.

[0232] In some implementations, the first transceiver unit 610 is further configured to receive a paging request sent by the network device.

[0233] In some implementations, the service request is used to instruct the first terminal to refuse to accept paging.

[0234] In some embodiments, the first transceiver unit 610 is further used to send a registration request to the network device, where the registration request includes at least one of the first information and the first association information, and the first information is used to request a multi-access service or indicate that the first terminal supports the multi-access service.

[0235] In some implementations, the first information includes an identifier of the second terminal.

[0236] In some implementations, the first transceiver unit 610 is further configured to receive a registration response sent by the network device, where the registration response indicates that the network device supports paging association.

[0237] In some implementations, the registration response indicates that the network device supports paging association, including:

[0238] The registration response indicates that the network device supports multiple access services, and / or the registration response configures a policy or indication related to paging association of the first terminal.

[0239] In some implementations, the paging association information includes one or more of the following:

[0240] All paging calls to the first terminal are sent through the second terminal;

[0241] Except for the first paging, all paging messages of the first terminal are delivered through the second association.

[0242] In some implementations, the first paging includes one or more of a voice service paging and a PDU session paging.

[0243] In some embodiments, the first association information includes one or more of the following:

[0244] an identifier of the second terminal;

[0245] access network information corresponding to the second association;

[0246] Association ID.

[0247] In some examples, the access network information corresponding to the second terminal may include PLMN ID information corresponding to the second terminal.

[0248] The embodiment of the present application further provides a second terminal, including:

[0249] The first receiving unit is configured to receive a second message sent by the network device, where the second message includes corresponding second association information.

[0250] In some implementations, the second association information includes one or more of the following:

[0251] an identifier of the first terminal;

[0252] Paging information of the first terminal.

[0253] In some implementations, the paging information of the associated terminal includes one or more of the following:

[0254] Paging reason;

[0255] Paging type;

[0256] Paging corresponding protocol data unit PDU session;

[0257] Paging corresponding service.

[0258] In some embodiments, the network device includes a registration management network element.

[0259] In some embodiments, the registration management network element includes an access and mobility management function AMF or a mobility management entity MME.

[0260] The terminal device of the embodiment of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiment. The processes, functions, implementation methods and beneficial effects corresponding to the various modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) in the terminal device can be found in the corresponding descriptions in the above-mentioned method embodiments, which will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the functions described by the various modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) in the terminal device 600 of the embodiment of the application can be implemented by different modules (sub-modules, units or components, etc.) or by the same module (sub-module, unit or component, etc.).

[0261] FIG7 is a schematic block diagram of a network device 700 according to an embodiment of the present application. The network device 700 may include:

[0262] The second transceiver unit 710 is configured to receive a first message sent by a first terminal, where the first message includes at least one of paging-related information and first-related information.

[0263] In some implementations, the first message includes a registration request.

[0264] In some implementations, the first message includes first information, where the first information is used to request a multiple access service or indicate that the first terminal supports the multiple access service.

[0265] In some implementations, the first message includes a service request.

[0266] In some implementations, the second transceiver unit 710 is further configured to send a paging request to the first terminal.

[0267] In some implementations, the service request is used to instruct the first terminal to refuse to accept paging.

[0268] In some embodiments, the second transceiver unit 710 is further used to receive a registration request sent by the first terminal, where the registration request includes at least one of the first information and the first association information, and the first information is used to request a multi-access service or indicate that the first terminal supports the multi-access service.

[0269] In some implementations, the first information includes an identifier of the second terminal.

[0270] In some implementations, the second transceiver unit 710 is further configured to send a registration response to the first terminal, where the registration response indicates that the network device supports paging association.

[0271] In some implementations, the registration response indicates that the network device supports paging association, including:

[0272] The registration response indicates that the network device supports multiple access services, and / or the registration response configures a policy or indication related to paging association of the first terminal.

[0273] In some implementations, the paging association information includes one or more of the following:

[0274] All paging calls to the first terminal are sent through the second terminal;

[0275] Except for the first paging, all pagings of the first terminal are sent through the second terminal.

[0276] In some implementations, the first paging includes one or more of a voice service paging and a PDU session paging.

[0277] In some embodiments, the first association information includes one or more of the following:

[0278] an identifier of the second terminal;

[0279] Access network information corresponding to the second terminal;

[0280] Association ID.

[0281] In some examples, the access network information corresponding to the second terminal may include PLMN ID information corresponding to the second terminal.

[0282] FIG8 is a schematic block diagram of a network device 800 according to another embodiment of the present application. The network device 800 includes a second transceiver unit 710 and a first processing unit 820; wherein,

[0283] A first processing unit 820 is configured to determine the second terminal if the paging request of the first terminal satisfies the paging association information;

[0284] The second transceiver unit 710 is further configured to send a second message to the second terminal or a registration management network element of the second terminal, wherein the second message includes corresponding second association information. The second message may include a paging request or a NAS message.

[0285] In some implementations, the second association information includes one or more of the following:

[0286] an identifier of the first terminal;

[0287] Paging information of the first terminal.

[0288] In some implementations, the paging information of the associated terminal includes one or more of the following:

[0289] Paging reason;

[0290] Paging type;

[0291] Paging corresponding PDU session;

[0292] Paging corresponding service.

[0293] In some embodiments, the network device includes a registration management network element.

[0294] In some embodiments, the registration management network element includes an AMF or an MME.

[0295] The network devices 700 and 800 of the embodiments of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the network devices in the aforementioned method embodiments. The processes, functions, implementation methods, and beneficial effects corresponding to the various modules (sub-modules, units, or components, etc.) in the network devices 700 and 800 can be found in the corresponding descriptions in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the functions described in the various modules (sub-modules, units, or components, etc.) in the network devices 700 and 800 of the embodiments of the application can be implemented by different modules (sub-modules, units, or components, etc.) or by the same module (sub-module, unit, or component, etc.).

[0296] Figure 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 900 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 900 includes a processor 910, which can call and run a computer program from a memory to enable the communication device 900 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0297] In one embodiment, the communication device 900 may further include a memory 920. The processor 910 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 920 to enable the communication device 900 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0298] The memory 920 may be a separate device independent of the processor 910 , or may be integrated into the processor 910 .

[0299] In one embodiment, the communication device 900 may further include a transceiver 930 , and the processor 910 may control the transceiver 930 to communicate with other devices, specifically, to send information or data to other devices, or to receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0300] The transceiver 930 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 930 may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0301] In one embodiment, the communication device 900 may be a network device of an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 900 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0302] In one embodiment, the communication device 900 may be a terminal device of an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 900 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0303] 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip 1000 according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip 1000 includes a processor 1010, which can call and execute a computer program from a memory to implement the method according to the embodiment of the present application.

[0304] In one embodiment, the chip 1000 may further include a memory 1020. The processor 1010 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 1020 to implement the method executed by the terminal device or the network device in the embodiment of the present application.

[0305] The memory 1020 may be a separate device independent of the processor 1010 , or may be integrated into the processor 1010 .

[0306] In one embodiment, the chip 1000 may further include an input interface 1030. The processor 1010 may control the input interface 1030 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0307] In one embodiment, the chip 1000 may further include an output interface 1040. The processor 1010 may control the output interface 1040 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0308] In one embodiment, the chip can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in each method of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0309] In one embodiment, the chip can be applied to the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in each method of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0310] The chips used in the network device and the terminal device may be the same chip or different chips.

[0311] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a system-level chip, a system chip, a chip system or a system-on-chip chip, etc.

[0312] The processor mentioned above may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor mentioned above may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0313] The memory mentioned above may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. The non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM).

[0314] It should be understood that the above-mentioned memories are exemplary but not restrictive. For example, the memories in the embodiments of the present application may also be static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM RAM (DR RAM), etc. In other words, the memories in the embodiments of the present application are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0315] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When software is used for implementation, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function in accordance with the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website, computer, server or data center by wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrations. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0316] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0317] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0318] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited to this. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A paging association method, comprising: The first terminal sends a first message to the network device, where the first message includes at least one of paging-related information and first-related information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first message includes a registration request.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The first message includes first information, where the first information is used to request a multi-access service or indicate that the first terminal supports the multi-access service.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first message includes a service request.

5. The method according to claim 4, before the first terminal sends the first message to the network device, further comprising: The first terminal receives a paging request sent by the network device.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, wherein: The service request is used to instruct the first terminal to refuse to accept paging.

7. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, further comprising: The first terminal sends a registration request to the network device, where the registration request includes at least one of first information and first association information, where the first information is used to request a multi-access service or indicate that the first terminal supports the multi-access service.

8. The method according to claim 3 or 7, wherein: The first information includes an identifier of the second terminal.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, further comprising, the first terminal receiving a registration response sent by the network device, wherein the registration response indicates that the network device supports paging association.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The registration response indicates that the network device supports paging association, including: The registration response indicates that the network device supports multiple access services, and / or the registration response configures a policy or indication related to paging association of the first terminal.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The paging-related information includes one or more of the following: All paging calls to the first terminal are sent via the second terminal; Except for the first paging, all pagings of the first terminal are sent through the second terminal.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The first paging includes one or more of voice service paging and PDU session paging.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein: The first association information includes one or more of the following: an identifier of the second terminal; access network information corresponding to the second terminal; Association ID.

14. A paging association method, comprising: The second terminal receives a second message sent by the network device, where the second message includes corresponding second association information.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The second association information includes one or more of the following: an identifier of the first terminal; Paging information of the first terminal.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein The paging information of the first terminal includes one or more of the following: Paging reason; Paging type; Paging corresponding protocol data unit PDU session; Paging corresponding service.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein: The network device includes a registration management network element.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein The registration management network element includes an access and mobility management function AMF or a mobility management entity MME.

19. A paging association method, comprising: The network device receives a first message sent by a first terminal, where the first message includes at least one of paging-related information and first-related information.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein The first message includes a registration request.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, wherein The first message includes first information, where the first information is used to request a multi-access service or indicate that the first terminal supports the multi-access service.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein The first message includes a service request.

23. The method according to claim 22, before the network device receives the first message sent by the first terminal, further comprising: The network device sends a paging request to the first terminal.

24. The method according to claim 22 or 23, wherein The service request is used to instruct the first terminal to refuse to accept paging.

25. The method according to any one of claims 22 to 24, further comprising: The network device receives a registration request sent by the first terminal, where the registration request includes at least one of first information and first association information, and the first information is used to request a multi-access service or indicate that the first terminal supports the multi-access service.

26. The method according to claim 21 or 25, wherein The first information includes an identifier of the second terminal.

27. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 26, further comprising: the network device sending a registration response to the first terminal, wherein the registration response indicates that the network device supports paging association.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein The registration response indicates that the network device supports paging association, including: The registration response indicates that the network device supports multiple access services, and / or the registration response configures a policy or indication related to paging association of the first terminal.

29. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 28, wherein: The paging-related information includes one or more of the following: All paging calls to the first terminal are sent via the second terminal; Except for the first paging, all pagings of the first terminal are sent through the second terminal.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein The first paging includes one or more of voice service paging and PDU session paging.

31. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 30, wherein: The first association information includes one or more of the following: an identifier of the second terminal; access network information corresponding to the second terminal; Association ID.

32. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 31, further comprising: In a case where the paging request of the first terminal satisfies the paging association information, the network device determines a second terminal; The network device sends a second message to the second terminal or a registration management network element of the second terminal, where the second message includes corresponding second association information.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein The second association information includes one or more of the following: an identifier of the first terminal; Paging information of the first terminal.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein The paging information of the associated terminal includes one or more of the following: Paging reason; Paging type; Paging corresponding PDU session; Paging corresponding service.

35. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 34, wherein: The network device includes a registration management network element.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein The registration management network element includes AMF or MME.

37. A first terminal, comprising: The first transceiver unit is configured to send a first message to the network device, where the first message includes at least one of paging-related information and first-related information.

38. The first terminal according to claim 37, wherein: The first message includes a registration request.

39. The first terminal according to claim 37 or 38, wherein: The first message includes first information, where the first information is used to request a multi-access service or indicate that the first terminal supports the multi-access service.

40. The first terminal according to claim 37, wherein: The first message includes a service request.

41. The first terminal according to claim 40, wherein the first transceiver unit is further configured to receive a paging request sent by the network device.

42. The first terminal according to claim 40 or 41, wherein: The service request is used to instruct the first terminal to refuse to accept paging.

43. According to the first terminal according to any one of claims 40-42, the first transceiver unit is also used to send a registration request to the network device, and the registration request includes at least one of the first information and the first association information, and the first information is used to request a multi-access service or indicate that the first terminal supports a multi-access service.

44. The first terminal according to claim 39 or 43, wherein: The first information includes an identifier of the second terminal.

45. The first terminal according to any one of claims 37 to 44, wherein the first transceiver unit is further configured to receive a registration response sent by the network device, wherein the registration response indicates that the network device supports paging association.

46. ​​The first terminal according to claim 45, wherein: The registration response indicates that the network device supports paging association, including: The registration response indicates that the network device supports multiple access services, and / or the registration response configures a policy or indication related to paging association of the first terminal.

47. The first terminal according to any one of claims 37 to 46, wherein: The paging-related information includes one or more of the following: All paging calls to the first terminal are sent via the second terminal; Except for the first paging, all pagings of the first terminal are sent through the second terminal.

48. The first terminal according to claim 47, wherein: The first paging includes one or more of voice service paging and PDU session paging.

49. The first terminal according to any one of claims 37 to 48, wherein: The first association information includes one or more of the following: an identifier of the second terminal; access network information corresponding to the second terminal; Association ID.

50. A second terminal, comprising: The first receiving unit is configured to receive a second message sent by a network device, where the second message includes corresponding second association information. The second terminal according to claim 50 , wherein: The second association information includes one or more of the following: an identifier of the first terminal; Paging information of the first terminal.

52. The second terminal according to claim 51, wherein: The paging information of the associated terminal includes one or more of the following: Paging reason; Paging type; Paging corresponding protocol data unit PDU session; Paging corresponding service.

53. The second terminal according to any one of claims 50 to 52, wherein: The network device includes a registration management network element.

54. The second terminal according to claim 53, wherein: The registration management network element includes an access and mobility management function AMF or a mobility management entity MME.

55. A network device comprising: The second transceiver unit is configured to receive a first message sent by a first terminal, where the first message includes at least one of paging-related information and first-related information.

56. The network device according to claim 55, wherein The first message includes a registration request.

57. The network device according to claim 55 or 56, wherein: The first message includes first information, where the first information is used to request a multi-access service or indicate that the first terminal supports the multi-access service.

58. The network device according to claim 55, wherein: The first message includes a service request.

59. The network device according to claim 58, wherein the second transceiver unit is further configured to send a paging request to the first terminal.

60. The network device according to claim 58 or 59, wherein: The service request is used to instruct the first terminal to refuse to accept paging.

61. According to the network device according to any one of claims 59-60, the second transceiver unit is also used to receive a registration request sent by the first terminal, the registration request contains at least one of the first information and the first association information, and the first information is used to request a multi-access service or indicate that the first terminal supports the multi-access service.

62. The network device according to claim 57 or 61, wherein: The first information includes an identifier of the second terminal.

63. The network device according to any one of claims 55 to 62, wherein the second transceiver unit is further configured to send a registration response to the first terminal, wherein the registration response indicates that the network device supports paging association.

64. The network device according to claim 63, wherein: The registration response indicates that the network device supports paging association, including: The registration response indicates that the network device supports multiple access services, and / or the registration response configures a policy or indication related to paging association of the first terminal.

65. The network device according to any one of claims 55 to 64, wherein: The paging-related information includes one or more of the following: All paging calls to the first terminal are sent via the second terminal; Except for the first paging, all pagings of the first terminal are sent through the second terminal.

66. The network device according to claim 65, wherein The first paging includes one or more of voice service paging and PDU session paging.

67. The network device according to any one of claims 55 to 66, wherein: The first association information includes one or more of the following: an identifier of the second terminal; access network information corresponding to the second terminal; Association ID.

68. The network device according to any one of claims 55 to 67, further comprising: a first processing unit, configured to determine a second terminal when the paging request of the first terminal satisfies the paging association information; The second transceiver unit is further configured to send a second message to the second terminal or the registration management network element of the second terminal. The second message includes corresponding second association information.

69. The network device according to claim 68, wherein The second association information includes one or more of the following: an identifier of the first terminal; Paging information of the first terminal.

70. The network device according to claim 69, wherein The paging information of the associated terminal includes one or more of the following: Paging reason; Paging type; Paging corresponding PDU session; Paging corresponding service.

71. The network device according to any one of claims 55 to 70, wherein: The network device includes a registration management network element.

72. The network device according to claim 71, wherein The registration management network element includes AMF or MME.

73. A terminal device comprising: A transceiver, a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, the transceiver is used to communicate with other devices, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory so that the terminal device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

74. A network device comprising: A transceiver, a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, the transceiver is used to communicate with other devices, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to enable the network device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 19 to 36.

75. A chip comprising: A processor, configured to call and execute a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 36.

76. A computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, which, when executed by a device, causes the device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 36.

77. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions for causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 36.

78. A computer program causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 36.

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