A communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a communication method and device, relates to the technical field of communication, and can improve the accuracy of matching of URSP rules by a terminal device according to application information, thereby improving the success rate of session establishment and data transmission, and improving the communication performance. The method comprises the following steps: a terminal device acquires first information of a first application according to a first acquisition path, and matches the first application information with a terminal device routing selection strategy (URSP) rule of the terminal device; in the case that the first application information does not match the URSP rule, second application information of the first application is acquired according to a second acquisition path; and the second application information is matched with the URSP rule.

Description

[0001] This is a divisional application. The original application number is 202311010465.0, and the original application date is August 10, 2023. The entire contents of the original application are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] In a communication system, the communication needs of various communication services may differ significantly. By flexibly allocating network resources and forming networks on demand, multiple isolated network slices with different characteristics can be virtually created on the same physical infrastructure to meet the communication needs of different services.

[0004] When transmitting services, terminal devices can obtain application information associated with traffic descriptors (TDs) and match appropriate user equipment route selection policy (URSP) rules based on the application information to conduct communication. For example, they can match URSP rules based on application information to select a network slice that meets the communication requirements for communication.

[0005] In related technologies, terminal devices may obtain multiple application information, and each application information may be different. This may cause errors when the terminal device matches URSP rules based on the application information. For example, a terminal device that is expected to be mapped to network slice 1 may be mapped to network slice 2 instead, which may lead to session establishment failure and inability to transmit data. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that can improve the accuracy of terminal devices in matching URSP rules based on application information, thereby increasing the success rate of session establishment and data transmission, and improving communication performance.

[0007] The embodiments of this application adopt the following technical solutions: Firstly, a communication method is provided. The execution subject of this method can be a terminal device, a chip within the terminal device, a chip system, or a system-on-a-chip. The following description uses a terminal device as the execution subject. The method includes: obtaining first information of a first application according to a first acquisition method; matching the first application information with the terminal device routing selection policy (URSP) rules of the terminal device; if the first application information does not match the URSP rules, obtaining second application information of the first application according to a second acquisition method; and matching the second application information with the URSP rules.

[0008] Based on the first aspect, since different application information corresponds to different acquisition methods, the terminal device obtains the first application information through the first acquisition method. After obtaining the first application information, it matches the first application information with URSP rules. If the first application information does not match the URSP rules, it obtains the second application information through the second acquisition method. After obtaining the second application information, it matches the second application information with URSP rules, thereby improving the accuracy of the terminal device in matching URSP rules based on application information, and thus improving the session establishment success rate and data transmission success rate, and improving communication performance.

[0009] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the URSP rule includes a traffic descriptor TD, which is associated with one or more application information such as: application descriptor, IP descriptor, domain descriptor, non-IP descriptor, data network name, and connectivity; the method further includes: if the first application information matches the URSP rule, determining network slice information based on the TD in the URSP rule, and communicating based on the network slice information.

[0010] In this implementation, if the first application information matches the URSP rule, the terminal device determines the network slice information based on the traffic descriptor in the URSP rule and communicates based on the network slice information. That is, there is no need to obtain the second application information through the second acquisition method, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing resource consumption.

[0011] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first application information includes one or more application information associated with the TD; or, the first application information includes an index for representing the TD, the index being mapped to the TD.

[0012] Optionally, the first application information includes one or more of the following: application descriptor, IP descriptor, domain descriptor, non-IP descriptor, data network name, and connectivity capabilities.

[0013] Optionally, the first application information includes one or more of A, B, C, D, and E; or one or more of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5; or descriptive symbols such as bit table 00000.

[0014] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: if the second application information does not match the URSP rules, combining the first application information and the second application information to obtain third application information; and matching the third application information with the URSP rules.

[0015] In this implementation, when the first application information does not match the URSP rule and the second application information does not match the URSP rule, the first application information and the second application information are combined, and the combined third application information is matched with the URSP rule, thereby further improving the session establishment success rate and data transmission success rate, and improving communication performance.

[0016] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first acquisition path has a higher priority than the second acquisition path.

[0017] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, before matching the first application information with the terminal device routing policy URSP rule, the method further includes: receiving a URSP rule sent from a network device, the URSP rule including indication information indicating that the priority of the first acquisition path is higher than the priority of the second acquisition path.

[0018] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, preset priority information indicates the priority of the first acquisition path and the priority of the second acquisition path.

[0019] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the preset priority information is determined based on the traffic descriptor field in the URSP rule; or, the preset priority information is predefined; or, the preset priority information is determined by the operating system vendor; or, the preset priority information is determined by the operator; or, the preset priority information is determined by the terminal equipment vendor.

[0020] Optionally, the terminal device has the ability to obtain M application information from N acquisition channels; where M and N are integers, M is greater than or equal to 1, and M is less than or equal to N.

[0021] It is understood that in this application, the terminal device has the ability to obtain application information from multiple acquisition channels. In actual communication scenarios, the terminal device may not be able to obtain application information from all acquisition channels, and the terminal device may not be able to obtain application information from one or more acquisition channels.

[0022] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the application information is obtained through one or more of the following methods: obtaining application information through the method provided by the application; or obtaining application information through the application programming interface (API); or determining application information based on the OS entity; or identifying the service to be transmitted based on a preset configuration file to obtain application information; or obtaining application information defined by the operator; or obtaining application information customized by the terminal device; or obtaining application information associated with the communication scenario; or obtaining application information pre-configured by the application store.

[0023] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, obtaining the first application information of the first application according to the first acquisition method includes: the OS entity of the terminal device obtaining the first application information of the first application according to the first acquisition method; or, the software development kit (SDK) entity of the terminal device obtaining the first application information of the first application according to the first acquisition method; or, the modem of the terminal device obtaining the first application information of the first application according to the first acquisition method.

[0024] In this implementation, different entities (such as OS entity, SDK entity, and modem entity) can be configured in the terminal device for different manufacturers. The terminal device can obtain application information based on the entity and different acquisition methods.

[0025] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, matching the first application information with the terminal device routing policy URSP rules includes: the terminal device's OS entity matching the first application information with the URSP rules; or, the terminal device's SDK entity matching the first application information with the URSP rules; or, the terminal device's modem entity matching the first application information with the URSP rules.

[0026] In this implementation, different entities (such as OS entity, SDK entity, modem entity) can be configured in the terminal device for different manufacturers. The terminal device can match the first application information with the URSP rules based on the entity.

[0027] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first application information includes security verification information; the first application information not matching the URSP includes: the first application information not matching the URSP when the security verification information is invalid. Wherein, the first application information matching the URSP includes: the first application information matching the URSP when the security verification information is valid.

[0028] Secondly, a communication method is provided. The execution subject of this method can be a network device, a chip within the network device, a chip system, or a system-on-a-chip. The following description uses a network device as the execution subject. The method includes: sending a Terminal Device Routing Policy (URSP) rule to a terminal device, the URSP rule instructing the terminal device to establish a PDU session using network slice information; and indicating to the terminal device that the priority of a first acquisition path is higher than the priority of a second acquisition path.

[0029] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the URSP rule includes indication information indicating that the first acquisition path has a higher priority than the second acquisition path.

[0030] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the URSP rule includes a traffic descriptor TD, which is associated with one or more of the following application information: application descriptor, IP descriptor, domain descriptor, non-IP descriptor, data network name, and connectivity.

[0031] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device that can be applied to a terminal device in the first aspect or a possible design of the first aspect to realize the functions performed by the terminal device. The communication device can be the terminal device itself, or it can be a chip, chip system, or system-on-a-chip of the terminal device, etc. The communication device can execute the functions performed by the terminal device through hardware, or it can execute corresponding software through hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions, such as a transceiver module and a processing module. The transceiver module is used to acquire first application information of a first application according to a first acquisition method; the processing module is used to match the first application information with the terminal device routing selection policy (URSP) rules of the terminal device; the transceiver module is also used to acquire second application information of the first application according to a second acquisition method when the first application information does not match the URSP rules; the processing module is also used to match the second application information with the URSP rules.

[0032] In one implementation of the third aspect, the URSP rule includes a traffic descriptor TD, which is associated with one or more of the following application information: application descriptor, IP descriptor, domain descriptor, non-IP descriptor, data network name, and connectivity. The processing module is also used to determine network slice information based on the TD in the URSP rule when the first application information matches the URSP rule, and to perform communication based on the network slice information.

[0033] In one implementation of the third aspect, the first application information includes one or more application information associated with the TD; or, the first application information includes an index for representing the TD, wherein the index is mapped to the TD.

[0034] In one implementation of the third aspect, the processing module is further configured to combine the first application information and the second application information to obtain the third application information if the second application information does not match the URSP rules; and match the third application information with the URSP rules.

[0035] In one implementation of the third aspect, the priority of the first acquisition method is higher than that of the second acquisition method.

[0036] In one implementation of the third aspect, before matching the first application information with the terminal device routing policy URSP rules, the processing module is further configured to receive URSP rules sent from the network device. The URSP rules include indication information indicating that the priority of the first acquisition path is higher than the priority of the second acquisition path.

[0037] In one implementation of the third aspect, preset priority information indicates the priority of the first acquisition path and the priority of the second acquisition path.

[0038] In one implementation of the third aspect, the preset priority information is determined based on the traffic descriptor field in the URSP rule; or, the preset priority information is predefined; or, the preset priority information is determined by the operating system vendor; or, the preset priority information is determined by the operator; or, the preset priority information is determined by the terminal equipment vendor.

[0039] In one implementation of the third aspect, the application information can be obtained through one or more of the following methods: obtaining application information through the application provided by the application; obtaining application information through the application programming interface (API); determining application information based on the OS entity; identifying the service to be transmitted based on a preset configuration file to obtain application information; obtaining application information defined by the operator; obtaining application information customized by the terminal device; obtaining application information associated with the communication scenario; or obtaining application information pre-configured by the application store.

[0040] In one implementation of the third aspect, the processing module is specifically used to: control the OS entity of the terminal device to obtain the first application information of the first application according to the first acquisition method; or, control the software development kit (SDK) entity of the terminal device to obtain the first application information of the first application according to the first acquisition method; or, control the modem of the terminal device to obtain the first application information of the first application according to the first acquisition method.

[0041] In one implementation of the third aspect, the processing module is specifically used to: control the OS entity of the terminal device to match the first application information with URSP rules; or, control the SDK entity of the terminal device to match the first application information with URSP rules; or, control the modem entity of the terminal device to match the first application information with URSP rules.

[0042] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the first application information includes security verification information; the processing module is specifically used to: if the security verification information is invalid, the first application information does not match the URSP. The processing module is specifically used to: if the security verification information is valid, the first application information matches the URSP.

[0043] It should be noted that the specific implementation of the communication device in the third aspect can refer to the behavior function of the terminal device in the communication method provided by the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect, and will not be elaborated further.

[0044] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device that can be applied to network devices in the second aspect or possible designs described above to achieve the functions performed by the network devices. The communication device can be a network device, a chip of the network device, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC). The communication device can execute the functions performed by the network devices through hardware or through corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above, such as a transceiver module. The transceiver module is used to send terminal device routing policy (URSP) rules to a terminal device. The URSP rules are used to instruct the terminal device to establish a PDU session using network slice information. The transceiver module is also used to indicate to the terminal device that the priority of the first acquisition path is higher than the priority of the second acquisition path.

[0045] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the URSP rule includes indication information indicating that the first acquisition path has a higher priority than the second acquisition path.

[0046] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the URSP rule includes a traffic descriptor TD, which is associated with one or more of the following application information: application descriptor, IP descriptor, domain descriptor, non-IP descriptor, data network name, and connectivity.

[0047] It should be noted that the specific implementation of the communication device in the fourth aspect can refer to the network device behavior function in the communication method provided by the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect, and will not be elaborated further.

[0048] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, which includes one or more processors; the one or more processors are configured to run computer programs or instructions, such that when the one or more processors execute the computer instructions or instructions, the communication device performs the communication method as described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect, or performs the communication method as described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect.

[0049] In one possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the communication device further includes one or more memories coupled to one or more processors, the memories used to store the aforementioned computer program or instructions. In one possible implementation, the memories are located outside the communication device. In another possible implementation, the memories are located inside the communication device. In embodiments of this application, the processor and memory may also be integrated into a single device, i.e., the processor and memory may be integrated together. In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a transceiver for receiving and / or transmitting information.

[0050] In one possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the communication device further includes one or more communication interfaces coupled to one or more processors, the one or more communication interfaces being used to communicate with other modules outside the communication device.

[0051] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, the communication device including an input / output interface and logic circuitry; the input / output interface is used for inputting and / or outputting information; the logic circuitry is used to perform the communication method as described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect, or to perform the communication method as described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect.

[0052] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores computer instructions or programs that, when executed on a computer, cause the communication method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect to be performed, or the communication method described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect to be performed.

[0053] Eighthly, a computer program product comprising computer instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, causes the communication method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect to be executed, or the communication method described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect to be executed.

[0054] In a ninth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the communication method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect to be executed, or the communication method described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect to be executed.

[0055] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects five through nine can be found in the technical effects of any possible design in aspect one above, or in the technical effects of any possible design in aspect two above, which will not be elaborated upon here.

[0056] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes a communication device as described in the third aspect or any possible design of the third aspect, or includes a communication device as described in the fourth aspect or any possible design of the fourth aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0057] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the frame structure of a URSP rule provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 6 A structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0058] Before describing the embodiments of this application, the technical terms involved in the embodiments of this application will be described.

[0059] Network slicing: With the development of mobile communication technology, various new services and application scenarios are constantly emerging, and a large number of devices are continuously connecting to the network. These devices belong to different industrial fields, and their requirements for network mobility, security, latency, reliability, and even billing methods vary greatly. If the traditional network construction approach is followed, and a single network is used to carry these services, it will be difficult to simultaneously meet the vastly different service needs. For operators, this would be a costly and inefficient investment, and for users, it would not provide high-quality services that meet specific needs. To address this, end-to-end network slicing is proposed to provide users with customized network services. By flexibly allocating network resources and networking on demand, multiple virtual network slices with different characteristics and mutual isolation are created on the same physical infrastructure. Alternatively, it can be described as abstracting a physical network into multiple network slices, each constituting an end-to-end logical network that is logically isolated from each other. This allows for targeted services to be provided to users, meeting the service needs of various communication services. Network slicing can also be called a slice, logical subnet, etc., without restriction.

[0060] With the introduction of network slicing technology, operators will be able to provide network capabilities with different functionalities, offering "dedicated" networks for users with varying business needs, ensuring high-quality service levels, and meeting differentiated business requirements. Users will also be able to utilize more advanced applications, further stimulating the development of new industry applications. Ultimately, this will achieve the goals of improving network resource utilization efficiency, optimizing operator network construction investment, and building a flexible and agile communication network.

[0061] For example, the following example of cloud gaming illustrates how network slicing can meet business needs.

[0062] Cloud gaming, based on real-time audio and video streaming technology, involves the server sending real-time audio and video streams to the client. The client then sends control command streams to the server based on the received audio and video streams, and the server applies these control command streams to the game. The entire loop involves server-side game rendering, audio and video encoding, network transmission, and client-side audio and video decoding and rendering. Each of these processes has a certain time consumption, with network transmission being the factor that has the greatest impact on user experience.

[0063] Using traditional 4G mobile communication networks or Wi-Fi networks, under normal network conditions, the response latency for cloud gaming fluctuates between approximately 50ms and 140ms. For some games with high requirements for responsiveness (e.g., action, fighting, multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), first-person shooter, racing, etc.), there is still a significant difference in experience compared to local games, necessitating further reduction in response latency. Furthermore, due to the unique nature of virtual reality (VR) devices, high latency can cause motion sickness; latency needs to be controlled below 20ms to effectively manage this discomfort. In short, the specific business scenarios of cloud gaming place higher demands on the network: low latency, high bandwidth, and minimal or no jitter.

[0064] Therefore, based on the above description of network slicing, dedicated network slices can be deployed for cloud gaming, such as low-latency, high-bandwidth, jitter-free or low-jitter network slices, to meet the business needs of cloud gaming and improve user experience.

[0065] User equipment route selection policy (URSP) rules are the core rules for configuring and managing network slicing on terminal devices. They are applied to terminal devices in the network slicing service process to guide them to transmit service data through the corresponding network slices based on service characteristics.

[0066] This application provides a communication method that improves the accuracy of a terminal device in matching URSP rules based on application information, thereby increasing session establishment success rate and data transmission success rate, and improving communication performance. Specifically, the method includes: in scenarios where different application information corresponds to different acquisition methods, the terminal device acquires application information according to the order of the acquisition methods; after acquiring one application information, the terminal device matches the application information with URSP rules; if the application information does not match the URSP rules, the terminal device continues to acquire the next application information and matches it with the URSP rules.

[0067] Correspondingly, if the application information matches the URSP rules, the terminal device will not obtain the next application information, thereby reducing resource consumption.

[0068] The real-time mode of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0069] The communication method provided in this application can be used in any communication system that includes network slicing. This communication system can be a third-generation partnership project (3GPP) communication system, such as a long-term evolution (LTE) system, or a 5th-generation (5G) mobile communication system, a new radio (NR) communication system, a vehicle-to-everything (NR V2X) system, or a hybrid LTE and 5G network system, or a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system, a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication system, an Internet of Things (IoT) system, and other next-generation communication systems, such as 6G and other future communication systems. It can also be a non-3GPP communication system, without limitation.

[0070] The following is based on Figure 1Taking an example, the communication system provided in the embodiments of this application will be described.

[0071] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application is shown below. Figure 1 As shown, the communication system may include one or more terminal devices, access network elements, core network elements, and data network (DN). The core network elements may include mobility management elements, session management elements, policy control elements, and other network elements.

[0072] After accessing the network, the terminal device can establish a protocol data unit (PDU) session, access the external DN through the PDU session, and interact with the application server deployed in the DN.

[0073] Figure 1 The terminal device can be located within the cell coverage area of ​​the access network element. The terminal device can communicate with the access network element via air interface through either the uplink (UL) or downlink (DL). For example, the terminal device can send uplink data to the access network element via the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) in the uplink direction; the access network element can send downlink data to the terminal device via the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) in the downlink direction. The terminal device can also communicate with core network elements through specific interfaces; for example, the terminal device can communicate with the mobility management element in the core network through the N1 interface.

[0074] in, Figure 1 The terminal equipment in this context can be a device with wireless transceiver capabilities or a chip or chip system that can be configured on the device. It allows users to access the network and is used to provide voice and / or data connectivity to users. Terminal equipment can also be called user equipment (UE), subscriber unit, terminal, mobile station (MS), or mobile terminal (MT), etc.

[0075] For example, Figure 1The terminal devices can be cellular phones, smartphones, wireless data cards, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), computers, tablets or computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wireless modems, handsets, laptop computers, smart speakers, train detectors, gas station sensors, etc. Terminal devices can also be VR terminals, augmented reality (AR) terminals, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in autonomous driving, wireless terminals in telemedicine, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, machine-type communication (MTC) terminals, vehicle-mounted terminals, vehicles with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication capabilities, intelligent connected vehicles, drones with UAV-to-UAV (U2U) communication capabilities, etc., without restriction.

[0076] in, Figure 1 The access network element can be any device deployed in the access network capable of wireless communication with terminal devices, or it can be a chip or chip system that can be configured in the aforementioned devices. It is mainly used to implement functions such as wireless physical control, resource scheduling and wireless resource management, wireless access control, and mobility management. Specifically, the access network element can be a device that supports wired access or a device that supports wireless access.

[0077] For example, the access network element can be an access network (AN) / radio access network (RAN) device, composed of multiple AN / RAN nodes. AN / RAN nodes can be: access points (APs), base stations (nodeBs, NBs), macro base stations, micro base stations (or described as small cells), pico base stations, relay stations, enhanced nodeBs (eNBs), next-generation eNBs (ng-eNBs), next-generation nodeBs (gNBs), base stations in future mobile communication systems, transmission reception points (TRPs), transmission points (TPs), transmission measurement functions (TMFs), wearable devices, vehicle-mounted devices, or some other access node, etc., without limitation.

[0078] Figure 1 The mobility management network element is mainly responsible for terminal device access authentication, mobility management, and signaling interaction between various functional network elements. For example, it manages user registration status, user connection status, user registration and network access, tracking area updates, cell handover user authentication, and key security.

[0079] Figure 1 The session management network element in the context can be referred to as session management function, multicast / multicast service management function, or multicast session management network element, etc., without limitation. The session management network element is mainly used to implement user plane transmission logical channels, such as session management functions like the establishment, release, and modification of PDU sessions.

[0080] Figure 1 The policy control network element in the system can be used to provide policies to mobility management network elements, session management network elements, and terminal devices, such as URSP policies, quality of service (QoS) policies, etc.

[0081] Figure 1 The DN (Network Provider) in a DN can be the operator's network that provides data transmission services to users. An application server (AS) can be deployed within the DN, which provides data transmission services to users.

[0082] It should be noted that the terminal device, access network element, and core network element in the embodiments of this application can all be one or more chips, or they can be system on chip (SOC), etc. Figure 1 The accompanying drawings are merely illustrative and the number of devices included is not limited. Furthermore, except... Figure 1 In addition to the devices shown, the communication system may also include other devices. Figure 1 The names of the various devices and links are unrestricted, except... Figure 1 In addition to the names shown, individual devices and links can also be named using other names. Figure 1 In addition to the network elements shown, Figure 1 The network shown may also include user plane network elements, application function network elements, network storage network elements, network slicing selection network elements, network warehouse network elements, authentication service network elements, network data analysis network elements, network presentation network elements, etc., without limitation.

[0083] For example, with Figure 1 The communication system shown is a 5G communication system as an example. The network elements or entities corresponding to the above-mentioned mobility management network elements can be the access and mobility management function (AMF) in the 5G communication system, the network elements or entities corresponding to the session management network elements can be the session management function (SMF) in the 5G communication system, and the policy control network elements can be the policy control function (PCF) in the 5G communication system, etc.

[0084] In practical implementation, Figure 1 As shown in the figure: various terminal devices, access network elements, and core network elements can all adopt... Figure 2 The shown composition structure, or including Figure 2 The components shown. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the composition of a communication device 200 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 200 can be a terminal device or a chip or system-on-a-chip within a terminal device; it can also be an access network element or a chip or system-on-a-chip within an access network element; or it can be a core network element or a chip or system-on-a-chip within a core network element. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the communication device 200 includes a processor 201, a transceiver 202, and a communication line 203.

[0085] Furthermore, the communication device 200 may also include a memory 204. The processor 201, memory 204, and transceiver 202 can be connected via a communication line 203.

[0086] The processor 201 can be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device (PLD), or any combination thereof. The processor 201 can also be other devices with processing capabilities, such as circuits, devices, or software modules, without limitation.

[0087] Transceiver 202 is used to communicate with other devices or other communication networks. These other communication networks can be Ethernet, radio access network (RAN), wireless local area networks (WLAN), etc. Transceiver 202 can be a module, circuit, transceiver, or any device capable of enabling communication.

[0088] Communication line 203 is used to transmit information between the components included in communication device 200.

[0089] Memory 204 is used to store instructions. These instructions can be computer programs.

[0090] The memory 204 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and / or instructions; it can also be a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and / or instructions; it can also be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, etc., without limitation.

[0091] It should be noted that the memory 204 can exist independently of the processor 201 or can be integrated with the processor 201. The memory 204 can be used to store instructions, program code, or some data, etc. The memory 204 can be located inside or outside the communication device 200, without limitation. The processor 201 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 204 to implement the communication method provided in the following embodiments of this application.

[0092] In one example, processor 201 may include one or more CPUs, for example Figure 2 CPU0 and CPU1 in the CPU.

[0093] As an optional implementation, the communication device 200 includes multiple processors, for example, besides Figure 2 In addition to processor 201, it may also include processor 207.

[0094] As an optional implementation, the communication device 200 also includes an output device 205 and an input device 206. For example, the input device 206 is a device such as a keyboard, mouse, microphone, or joystick, and the output device 205 is a device such as a display screen or speaker.

[0095] It should be noted that the communication device 200 can be a desktop computer, laptop computer, network server, mobile phone, tablet computer, wireless terminal, embedded device, chip system, or other device. Figure 2 Equipment with a similar structure. Furthermore... Figure 2 The structural composition shown does not constitute a limitation on the communication device, except... Figure 2 In addition to the components shown, the communication device may include more or fewer components than illustrated, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0096] In this embodiment of the application, the chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0097] Furthermore, the actions, terms, etc., involved in the various embodiments of this application can be referenced interchangeably without limitation. The message names or parameter names in the messages between the various devices in the embodiments of this application are merely examples, and other names may be used in specific implementations without limitation.

[0098] Combination Figure 1 The communication system shown refers to the following Figure 3 The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described. The terminal device may be... Figure 1In the communication system shown, for any terminal device, the access network element can be the serving access network element of the terminal device, or described as the access network element to which the terminal device belongs. The policy control network element can be... Figure 1 Any policy control network element in the communication system shown. The terminal equipment, access network element, and policy control network element described in the following embodiments can all possess... Figure 2 The components shown. The processing performed by a single execution entity (terminal device, access network element, or policy control network element) shown in the embodiments of this application can also be divided into multiple execution entities, which can be logically and / or physically separated, without limitation.

[0099] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the method may include the following steps.

[0100] Step 301: The terminal device obtains the first application information of the first application according to the first acquisition method.

[0101] Different application information can correspond to different acquisition channels (or acquisition methods). Application information can also be referred to as: information related to the application, information from the application, etc., without restriction.

[0102] For example, application information may be a traffic descriptor component, or one or more traffic descriptor components, or an index representing a traffic descriptor component, or one or more indexes representing a combination of traffic descriptor components, without limitation.

[0103] As an example, the first application information includes application information related to the traffic descriptors. Exemplarily, the first application information includes one or more of the following: application descriptors, IP descriptors, domain descriptors, non-IP descriptors, data network name (DNN), and connection capabilities.

[0104] As another example, the first application information includes an index for representing a traffic descriptor. For instance, the index for representing a traffic descriptor may include one or more of A, B, C, D, and E. There is a mapping relationship between the index and the traffic descriptor; for example, A corresponds to an application descriptor, B corresponds to an IP descriptor, C corresponds to a domain descriptor, D corresponds to a data network name, and E corresponds to connectivity.

[0105] For example, an index, such as a value, can be used to represent a traffic descriptor. For instance, the value used to represent a traffic descriptor could be one or more of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. There is a mapping relationship between the index and the traffic descriptor; for example, 1 corresponds to the application descriptor, 2 to the IP descriptor, 3 to the domain descriptor, 4 to the data network name, and 5 to the connectivity capability.

[0106] For example, the index used to represent a flow descriptor may include one or more descriptive symbols such as bit tables. For instance, the index used to represent a flow descriptor may be a descriptive symbol such as a bit table 00000, and setting the corresponding bit to 1 can represent different flow descriptors.

[0107] For example, setting the last bit in bit table 00000 to 1 (i.e., 00001) indicates that the terminal device has obtained application information, while setting the last bit in bit table 00000 to 0 (i.e., 00000) indicates that the terminal device has not obtained application information.

[0108] There is a mapping relationship between the index and the traffic descriptor. For example, 00001 corresponds to the application descriptor, 00010 corresponds to the IP descriptor, 00100 corresponds to the domain descriptor, 01000 corresponds to the data network name, and 10000 corresponds to the connectivity.

[0109] Optionally, setting multiple bits in the bit table to 1 can correspond to multiple traffic descriptors. Setting two bits in bit table 00000 to 1 (such as 00011) corresponds to the application descriptor and the IP descriptor.

[0110] For example, the mapping relationship between the index used to represent the traffic descriptor and the traffic descriptor can be as shown in Table 1 below, where Table 1 shows the mapping relationship between the value used to represent the traffic descriptor and the traffic descriptor.

[0111] Table 1

[0112] For example, as shown in Table 1 above, if the value of the first application information is 1, it means that the application information included in the first application information is an application descriptor.

[0113] It should be noted that Table 1 above is merely an example illustrating the mapping relationship between indexes and traffic descriptors, and does not constitute a limitation on this application. Of course, Table 1 above may also include other indexes and corresponding traffic descriptors; or, the indexes in Table 1 above may also correspond to other traffic descriptors, which will not be elaborated here.

[0114] When transmitting services, terminal devices can obtain multiple application information through different acquisition methods. The application information obtained by the terminal devices through different acquisition methods can be the same or different, without restriction.

[0115] Optionally, the terminal device has the ability to obtain M application information from N acquisition channels; where M and N are integers, M is greater than or equal to 1, and M is less than or equal to N.

[0116] It is understood that in this application, the terminal device has the ability to obtain application information from multiple acquisition channels. In actual communication scenarios, the terminal device may not be able to obtain application information from all acquisition channels, and the terminal device may not be able to obtain application information from one or more acquisition channels.

[0117] For example, a terminal device may obtain application information in one or more of the following ways: ①: obtain application information through the methods provided by the application; ② obtain application information through the application program interface (API); ③ determine application information based on the OS entity; ④: identify the service to be transmitted based on a preset profile to obtain application information; ⑤: obtain application information defined by the operator; ⑥: obtain application information customized by the terminal device; ⑦: obtain application information related to the communication scenario; ⑧: obtain application information pre-configured by the application store.

[0118] For method ① above, the method provided by the application can be a preset method; or it can be an access method, without restriction.

[0119] For method ② above, the API can be provided by the OS, or it can be provided by the OS at the request of the operator. Applications can transmit application information to terminal devices through the API provided by the OS (or the direct acquisition method). Applications can also access traffic descriptors through the API to determine application information based on the traffic descriptors (or the indirect acquisition method).

[0120] In this method ②, the application information transmitted by the application is relatively clear. The terminal device does not need to identify the application information based on the configuration file or determine the application information by using custom methods. The terminal device can directly receive the application information transmitted by the application, reducing the error rate of the application information and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0121] Corresponding to method ③ above, the OS entity of the terminal device can infer application information based on the connection request. The connection request can originate from the application or from the OS entity itself, without restriction. Optionally, in method ③, the application information inferred by the OS entity can be a component of the traffic descriptor.

[0122] For method ④ above, a configuration file for identifying application information can be pre-configured for the terminal device. In this way, the terminal device can identify the application information on its own according to the configuration file, so the OS vendor does not need to provide an API for transmitting application information, which facilitates the promotion and implementation by the OS vendor.

[0123] For methods ⑤ or ⑥ above, the application information can also be customized by the operator or the terminal device, without restriction. The terminal device can obtain the operator-defined application information through the SDK entity, or obtain the terminal device-defined application information through the modem entity.

[0124] In method ⑦ above, the application information can also be associated with the communication scenario. This communication scenario can be an enterprise scenario, a consumer usage scenario, etc., and is not limited. The terminal device can determine the application information based on the communication scenario it is in, or the terminal device can also obtain operator-defined application information based on the communication scenario it is in.

[0125] Optionally, different entities can be configured in the terminal device for different manufacturers, such as the OS entity configured by the OS manufacturer, the software development kit (SDK) entity configured by the operator, and the modem entity configured by the terminal device manufacturer. The terminal device can obtain application information based on the entities configured by each manufacturer and according to different acquisition methods.

[0126] For example, the OS entity of the terminal device obtains the first application information according to the first acquisition method; or, the SDK of the terminal device obtains the first application information according to the first acquisition method; or, the modem of the terminal device obtains the first application information according to the first acquisition method, without limitation.

[0127] In some embodiments, different acquisition methods have different priorities, and the terminal device can acquire application information according to different acquisition methods based on preset priority information.

[0128] The preset priority information can be used to indicate the priority of the acquisition path for application information. Preset priority information can also be described as preset acquisition path order information, which can be used to indicate the order in which application information is acquired. Acquisition path priority can also be described as usage priority or application information usage priority, and acquisition path order can also be described as usage order or application information usage order, etc. This application uses preset priority information as an example for description; other descriptions can refer to the following description of preset priority information and are not limited thereto.

[0129] Optionally, the preset priority information may be determined by the terminal device based on the traffic descriptor field in the URSP rule; or the preset priority information may be predefined; or the preset priority information may be determined by the OS vendor; or the preset priority information may be determined by the operator; or the preset priority information may be determined by the terminal device vendor.

[0130] Different manufacturers may have different priorities regarding the methods by which terminal devices obtain application information. For example, operator 1 may prefer terminal devices to obtain application information through method 1; operator 2 may prefer terminal devices to obtain application information through method 2; the OS vendor may prefer terminal devices to obtain application information through method 3; and the terminal device manufacturer may prefer terminal devices to obtain application information through method 4, etc., without restriction. Based on this, preset priority information determined by each manufacturer can be pre-configured for terminal devices to indicate the priority of each method for obtaining application information as desired by different manufacturers.

[0131] Optionally, the methods for obtaining the preset priority information indicators determined by different manufacturers may be the same, partially the same, or completely different.

[0132] For example, the methods for obtaining instruction information associated with the OS vendor may include acquisition method 1, acquisition method 2, and acquisition method 3. The methods for obtaining instruction information associated with the operator may include acquisition... Figure 1 The acquisition methods indicated by the terminal equipment manufacturer's associated information may include acquisition method 4, acquisition method 5, and acquisition method 6.

[0133] Optionally, the priority of each acquisition method can be determined based on the needs of each manufacturer, actual communication needs, or actual communication scenarios.

[0134] Optionally, the priority of the same acquisition method can be the same or different in the preset priority information determined by different manufacturers, without restriction.

[0135] For example, for preset priority information determined by the OS vendor, acquisition method 3 can be set as the first priority, acquisition method 1 as the second priority, and acquisition method 2 as the third priority. For preset priority information determined by the operator, acquisition method 1 can be set as the first priority, acquisition method 2 as the second priority, and acquisition method 4 as the third priority. For preset priority information determined by the terminal device vendor, acquisition method 4 can be set as the first priority, acquisition method 5 as the second priority, and acquisition method 6 as the third priority.

[0136] Among them, the first priority is greater than the second priority, which is greater than the third priority.

[0137] For example, the first acquisition method can be the acquisition method with the highest priority in the preset priority information.

[0138] Optionally, based on the above description of the preset priority information, for example, the preset priority information may be pre-configured in the terminal device.

[0139] Optionally, the terminal device can determine the aforementioned preset priority information based on factory configuration information. As another example, the aforementioned preset priority information is predefined. Specifically, the preset priority information can be predefined in the communication protocol, and the terminal device determines the preset priority information according to the communication protocol.

[0140] For another example, the terminal device receives the aforementioned preset priority information from the policy control network element.

[0141] Optional, such as Figure 4 As shown, priority information can be located in the traffic descriptor field of the URSP rule. The URSP rule fields can include the traffic descriptor field and the route selection descriptor (RSD) field.

[0142] Step 302: The terminal device matches the first application information with the URSP rules.

[0143] The matching of the first application information with the URSP rules by the terminal device can also be understood as: the terminal device evaluating the first application information with the URSP rules; or, the terminal device evaluating and matching the first application information with the URSP rules.

[0144] For example, such as Figure 5As shown, after establishing a connection with an access network element, the terminal device can send a registration request to the access network element to request information on network slices that can provide services to the terminal device, as well as URSP rules. This registration request can be transmitted to core network elements (such as mobility management elements and policy control elements) via the access network element. The mobility management element determines the network slices that can provide services to the terminal device, and the policy control element determines the URSP rules for the terminal device.

[0145] Optionally, the network device can send URSP rules carrying indication information (indicating different priorities corresponding to different acquisition methods) to the terminal device. For example, such as... Figure 5 As shown, policy control network elements can send URSP rules carrying indication information to terminal devices through mobility management network elements and access network elements.

[0146] Optionally, as shown in Table 2 below, URSP rules may also include rule priority fields, application descriptor fields, IP descriptor fields, domain descriptor fields, non-IP descriptor fields, data network name fields, connectivity fields, etc., without restriction.

[0147] Table 2

[0148] For example, the terminal device can match the first application information with the URSP rules described in Table 2 above. For instance, the terminal device can determine network slice information from the URSP rules based on the first application information.

[0149] Optionally, the OS entity of the terminal device may match the first application information with the URSP rules; or, the SDK entity of the terminal device may match the first application information with the URSP rules; or, the modem entity of the terminal device may match the first application information with the URSP rules, without restriction.

[0150] Step 303: If the first application information matches the URSP rule, the terminal device determines the network slice information according to the traffic descriptor in the URSP rule and communicates according to the network slice information.

[0151] As an example, matching the first application information with the URSP rule means that: the application information corresponding to the traffic descriptor included in the first application information is the same as the traffic descriptor in the URSP rule; or, the application information corresponding to the traffic descriptor included in the first application information has a mapping relationship with the traffic descriptor in the URSP rule.

[0152] For example, the first application information includes application information corresponding to a traffic descriptor, which is a "domain descriptor". The traffic descriptor in the URSP rule is also a "domain descriptor", so the first application information matches the URSP rule.

[0153] For example, the first application information includes the value "1", while the traffic descriptor in the URSP rule is an "application descriptor". However, the value "1" included in the first application information is related to the "application descriptor". For example, based on Table 1 above, there is a mapping relationship between the value "1" and the "application descriptor". Therefore, the first application information matches the URSP rule.

[0154] Optionally, the traffic descriptors in the URSP rules correspond one-to-one with the network slice information. When the first application information matches the URSP rules, the terminal device can determine the network slice information based on the traffic descriptors in the URSP rules and perform communication according to the network slice information.

[0155] For example, the "Application Descriptor" in the URSP rule corresponds to network slice information 1; the "IP Descriptor" in the URSP rule corresponds to network slice information 2; the "Domain Descriptor" in the URSP rule corresponds to network slice information 3; the "Non-IP Descriptor" in the URSP rule corresponds to network slice information 4; the "Data Network Name" in the URSP rule corresponds to network slice information 5; and the "Connectivity" in the URSP rule corresponds to network slice information 6.

[0156] For example, the first application information includes application information corresponding to a traffic descriptor, which is a "domain descriptor." The traffic descriptor in the URSP rule is also a "domain descriptor," therefore the first application information matches the URSP rule. Thus, based on the correspondence between the "domain descriptor" and network slice information 3, the terminal device determines the network slice information to be network slice information 3 and performs communication according to network slice information 3.

[0157] Optional, such as Figure 5As shown, after determining the network slice information, the terminal device can also send the determined network slice information in a PDU session establishment request to the access network element to request the establishment of a PDU session. The access network element can forward this PDU session establishment request to the mobility management network element. The mobility management network element checks the network slice information in the PDU session establishment request and selects the appropriate session management network element based on the network slice capabilities supported by each session management gateway in the network, and forwards the PDU session establishment request to the session management network element. After the session management network element completes the PDU session establishment process, it sends a PDU session establishment response to the terminal device through the mobility management network element and the access network element, completing the network slice mapping / PDU session establishment.

[0158] As another example, the first application information includes security verification information used to determine whether the first application information matches the URSP rules. For instance, the terminal device performs security verification based on the security verification information. If the security verification information is invalid, the terminal device determines that the first application information does not match the URSP rules; or, if the security verification information is invalid, the terminal device determines that the first application information fails the URSP rule evaluation (not qualified).

[0159] Optionally, if the first application information is "fake", the terminal device determines that the first application information fails the URSP rule evaluation.

[0160] Accordingly, if the security information is valid, the terminal device determines that the first application information matches the URSP rules; or, if the security information is valid, the terminal device determines that the evaluation of the first application information and the URSP rules has passed.

[0161] Optionally, for example, if the first application information is "genuine" or "not fake", the terminal device determines that the first application information passes the URSP rule evaluation.

[0162] Step 304: If the first application information does not match the URSP rules, the terminal device obtains the second application information of the first application according to the second acquisition method.

[0163] Optionally, the terminal device may obtain the second application information from the second acquisition path based on preset priority information. For example, assuming the preset priority information indicates that the priority corresponding to the first acquisition path is first priority and the priority corresponding to the second acquisition path is second priority, and the first priority is higher than the second priority, then the terminal device, based on the preset priority information, first obtains the first application information from the first acquisition path and matches the first application information with URSP rules. If the first application information does not match the URSP rules, the terminal device obtains the second application information from the second acquisition path and matches the second application information with URSP rules. Correspondingly, if the second application information does not match the URSP rules, the terminal device obtains the next application information (or fourth application information) from the third acquisition path.

[0164] It should be understood that the priority of the third acquisition method is lower than that of the second and first priorities.

[0165] Optionally, if the fourth application information does not match the URSP rules, the terminal device shall follow steps 301-304 above to attempt to obtain the fifth application information through the fourth acquisition method, and so on, until the application information obtained by the terminal device matches the URSP rules.

[0166] For other descriptions of step 304, please refer to the relevant descriptions of step 301 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0167] Step 305: The terminal device matches the second application information with the URSP rules.

[0168] The description of step 305 can be found in the description of step 302 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0169] Optionally, if the second application information matches the URSP rules, the terminal device determines the network slice information based on the traffic descriptor in the URSP rules and communicates based on the network slice information.

[0170] The description of how the terminal device determines the network slice information corresponding to the traffic descriptor in the URSP rule based on the second application information can be found in step 303 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0171] In summary, the solution adopted in this application embodiment obtains first application information through a first acquisition method, and then matches the first application information with URSP rules. If the first application information does not match the URSP rules, the terminal device obtains second application information through a second acquisition method, and then matches the second application information with URSP rules. This improves the accuracy of the terminal device in matching URSP rules based on application information, thereby improving the session establishment success rate and data transmission success rate, and improving communication performance.

[0172] Furthermore, if the first application information matches the URSP rules, the terminal device determines the network slice information based on the traffic descriptor in the URSP rules and communicates based on the network slice information. That is, there is no need to obtain the second application information through the second acquisition method, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing resource consumption.

[0173] Optionally, if the second application information does not match the URSP rules, the terminal device combines the first and second application information to obtain the third application information. Then, the terminal device matches the third application information with the URSP rules.

[0174] For example, the terminal device may select a portion of the application information from the first application information and a portion of the application information from the second application information to combine; alternatively, the terminal device may select all the application information from the first application information and a portion of the application information from the second application information to combine; alternatively, the terminal device may select all the application information from the first application information and all the application information from the second application information to combine; or alternatively, the terminal device may select a portion of the application information from the first application information and all the application information from the second application information to combine, without limitation. The purpose of combining the first application information and the second application information is to create application information that can match the traffic descriptor in the URSP rule.

[0175] For example, the first application information includes application information corresponding to the traffic descriptor, which includes a "domain descriptor" and an "IP descriptor"; the second application information includes application information corresponding to the traffic descriptor, which includes an "application descriptor" and a "data network name". The traffic descriptor in the URSP rule includes both a "domain descriptor" and an "application descriptor".

[0176] The terminal device combines the first application information and the second application information to obtain the third application information, which includes application information corresponding to the traffic descriptor. This application information corresponding to the traffic descriptor includes a "domain descriptor" and an "application descriptor". Therefore, the combined third application information matches the URSP rules.

[0177] Based on the above method, when the first application information does not match the URSP rule and the second application information does not match the URSP rule, the third application information obtained by combining the first application information and the second application information can be matched with the URSP rule, thereby further improving the session establishment success rate and data transmission success rate, and improving communication performance.

[0178] Optional, such as Figure 5 As shown, the policy control network element can also update the preset priority information and send the updated preset priority information to the terminal device when the priority of the application information acquisition method changes.

[0179] Among them, the policy control network element can send the updated preset priority information to the terminal device in the updated URSP rule.

[0180] Optionally, the policy control network element can send the updated URSP rules to the terminal device in a registration command message.

[0181] Optionally, the terminal device can update the network slice information based on the updated preset priority information to improve the accuracy of the terminal device in selecting network slices according to the traffic descriptors in the URSP rules, thereby improving the session establishment success rate and data transmission success rate, and improving communication performance.

[0182] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, the executing entity may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also perform other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application.

[0183] The foregoing primarily describes the solutions provided in this application from the perspective of device-to-device interaction. It is understood that each device, in order to achieve the aforementioned functions, includes corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0184] This application embodiment can divide each device into functional modules according to the above method example. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0185] When dividing each function into modules according to its corresponding function. Figure 6 A communication device 400 is shown, which can perform the above-described... Figures 3 to 5 The actions performed by the terminal device or policy control network element in the method shown, and all related content of each step involved in the above method embodiments, can be referenced from the functional description of the corresponding functional module. The technical effects that can be obtained can be referred to the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0186] The communication device 400 may include a transceiver module 401 and a processing module 402. For example, the communication device 400 may be a communication equipment. When applied to a communication equipment, the transceiver module 401 may be a transceiver, which may include an antenna and radio frequency circuits, etc.; the processing module 402 may be a processor (or processing circuit), for example, a baseband processor, which may include one or more CPUs. When the communication device 400 is a component with the above-described communication device functions, the transceiver module 401 may be a radio frequency unit; the processing module 402 may be a processor (or processing circuit), for example, a baseband processor. When the communication device 400 is a chip system, the transceiver module 401 may be an input / output interface of a chip (e.g., a baseband chip); the processing module 402 may be a processor (or processing circuit) of the chip system, and may include one or more central processing units. It should be understood that the transceiver module 401 in this embodiment may be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit components; the processing module 402 may be implemented by a processor or processor-related circuit components (or, referred to as a processing circuit).

[0187] For example, the transceiver module 401 can be used to perform... Figures 3 to 5 In the illustrated embodiment, all transmit and receive operations performed by the communication device, and / or other processes used to support the techniques described herein; processing module 402 can be used to execute Figures 3 to 5 The embodiments shown include all operations performed by the communication device other than the transmit and receive operations, and / or other processes used to support the techniques described herein.

[0188] As an example, Figure 6 The transceiver module 401 can be replaced by a transceiver unit, which can integrate the functions of the transceiver module 401; the processing module 402 can be replaced by a processor, which can integrate the functions of the processing module 402. Furthermore, Figure 6 The communication device 400 shown may also include a memory.

[0189] Optionally, when the processing module 402 is replaced by a processor and the transceiver module 401 is replaced by a transceiver, the communication device 400 involved in the embodiments of this application can also be... Figure 7 The communication device 500 shown. The processor can be logic circuit 501, and the transceiver can be interface circuit 502. Further, Figure 7 The communication device 500 shown may also include a memory 503.

[0190] This application also provides a computer program product that, when executed by a computer, can implement the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0191] This application also provides a computer program that, when executed by a computer, can implement the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0192] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. This program can be stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, it can include the processes of the above method embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium can be an internal storage unit of the terminal (including a data sending end and / or a data receiving end) of any of the foregoing embodiments, such as the terminal's hard disk or memory. The computer-readable storage medium can also be an external storage device of the terminal, such as a plug-in hard disk, smart media card (SMC), secure digital (SD) card, flash card, etc., equipped on the terminal. Further, the computer-readable storage medium can include both the terminal's internal storage unit and external storage devices. The computer-readable storage medium is used to store the computer program and other programs and data required by the terminal. The computer-readable storage medium can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

[0193] It should be noted that the terms "first" and "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order. "First" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this embodiment, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0194] Furthermore, the terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the steps or units listed, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0195] It should be understood that in this application, "at least one (item)" means one or more. "More than one" means two or more. "At least two (items)" means two or three or more. "And / or" is used to describe the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: only A exists, only B exists, and A and B exist simultaneously, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one (item) of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. "...when" and "if" both mean that a corresponding action will be taken under certain objective circumstances, not a time limit, nor do they require a judgment action at the time of implementation, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0196] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner to facilitate understanding.

[0197] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, only the division of the above functional modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0198] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of modules or units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another device, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0199] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. A component shown as a unit can be one or more physical units; that is, it can be located in one place or distributed in multiple different locations. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0200] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0201] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application embodiment, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a device (which may be a microcontroller, chip, etc.) or processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a terminal device, the method includes: Obtain the first application information of the first application according to the first acquisition method; The first application information is matched with the terminal device routing policy URSP rules of the terminal device; If the first application information does not match the URSP rule, the second application information of the first application is obtained according to the second acquisition method; The second application information is matched with the URSP rules.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The URSP rule includes a traffic descriptor (TD), which is associated with one or more of the following application information: application descriptor, IP descriptor, domain descriptor, non-IP descriptor, data network name, and connectivity; the method further includes: If the first application information matches the URSP rule, network slice information is determined according to the TD in the URSP rule, and communication is performed according to the network slice information.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first application information includes one or more application information associated with the TD; or, The first application information includes an index for representing the TD, and the index has a mapping relationship with the TD.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the second application information does not match the URSP rule, the first application information and the second application information are combined to obtain the third application information; The third application information is matched with the URSP rules.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The first acquisition method has a higher priority than the second acquisition method.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Before matching the first application information with the terminal device routing policy URSP rules, the method further includes: The system receives the URSP rule sent from a network device. The URSP rule includes indication information indicating that the priority of the first acquisition path is higher than the priority of the second acquisition path.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The preset priority information indicates the priority of the first acquisition method and the priority of the second acquisition method.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The preset priority information is determined based on the traffic descriptor field in the URSP rule; or, The preset priority information is predefined; or, The preset priority information is determined by the operating system (OS) vendor; or, The preset priority information is determined by the operator; or, The preset priority information is determined by the terminal equipment manufacturer.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Application information can be obtained through one or more of the following methods: Obtain application information through methods provided by the application; or... Obtain application information through the Application Programming Interface (API); or... Determine the application information of the application based on the OS entity; or... The system identifies the service to be transmitted based on a preset configuration file to obtain application information; or... Obtain application information defined by the operator; or, Obtain custom application information from the terminal device; or, Obtain application information related to the communication scenario; or, Retrieve pre-configured app information from the app store.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the first application information of the first application according to the first acquisition method includes: The OS entity of the terminal device obtains the first application information of the first application according to the first acquisition method; or... The terminal device's software development kit (SDK) entity obtains the first application information of the first application according to the first acquisition method; or... The modem of the terminal device obtains the first application information of the first application according to the first acquisition method.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The step of matching the first application information with the terminal device routing policy URSP rules includes: The OS entity of the terminal device matches the first application information with the URSP rules; or... The SDK entity of the terminal device matches the first application information with the URSP rules; or... The modem entity of the terminal device matches the first application information with the URSP rule.

12. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first application information includes security verification information; the first application information does not match the URSP, including: If the security verification information is invalid, the first application information does not match the URSP; Wherein, the first application information matches the URSP, including: If the security verification information is valid, the first application information matches the URSP.

13. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to network devices, the method includes: Send the terminal device routing policy URSP rules to the terminal device; The URSP rule is used to determine whether to obtain the second application information. If the first application information does not match the URSP rule, the second application information is obtained according to the second acquisition method, and the first application information is obtained according to the first acquisition method.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The URSP rule includes indication information indicating that the first acquisition path has a higher priority than the second acquisition path.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The URSP rule includes a traffic descriptor TD, which is associated with one or more of the following application information: application descriptor, IP descriptor, domain descriptor, non-IP descriptor, data network name, and connectivity.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, include: The transceiver module is used to obtain the first application information of the first application according to the first acquisition method; The processing module is used to match the first application information with the terminal device routing selection policy URSP rules of the terminal device; The transceiver module is further configured to obtain the second application information of the first application according to the second acquisition method when the first application information does not match the URSP rule; The processing module is further configured to match the second application information with the URSP rules.

17. A communication device, characterized in that, include: The transceiver module is used to send the terminal device routing policy URSP rules to the terminal device. The URSP rule is used to determine whether to obtain the second application information. If the first application information does not match the URSP rule, the second application information is obtained according to the second acquisition method, and the first application information is obtained according to the first acquisition method.

18. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor; the processor is configured to run a computer program or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-12, or to perform the method as described in any one of claims 13-15.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs that, when executed on a computer, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-12 to be performed, or cause the method as described in any one of claims 13-15 to be performed.

20. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes computer instructions; when some or all of the computer instructions are run on a computer, they cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-12 to be performed, or cause the method as described in any one of claims 13-15 to be performed.

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