Communication method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

The application provides a communication method, device and computer readable storage medium, and relates to the field of communication. The method comprises the following steps: a first network element determines that a signaling message is to be sent to a first terminal, and obtains a terminal address of a first session for transmitting the signaling message in at least one session associated with the first terminal; and then, based on the obtained terminal address of the first session, the signaling message is sent to the first terminal. The method realizes the delivery of the signaling message under the NAS over UP architecture.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus and computer-readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] In mobile communication systems, all service-related non-access stratum (NAS) messages between the terminal and the network are transmitted through the access and mobility management function (AMF), making the AMF susceptible to network function updates. As a critical node for terminal access to the network, upgrades to the AMF along with network function updates may cause terminal connection interruptions.

[0003] As the network faces increasingly diverse and dynamic service demands in the future, the shortcomings of the current network architecture are becoming more and more apparent. To address this, the industry has proposed a new network architecture: an architecture that transmits NAS messages for some services over the user plane (abbreviated as: NAS over user plane (UP) architecture), so that the introduction of these services does not affect other unrelated network elements such as AMF.

[0004] In a NAS over UP architecture, when the NF does not interact with the terminal via the control plane (CP) to exchange NAS messages, how to send the mobile terminated (MT) message to the terminal becomes an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium that enables the successful delivery of signaling messages under a NAS over UP architecture.

[0006] Firstly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a first network element, or a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) within the first network element, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first network element. The method will be described below using the first network element as an example.

[0007] For example, the method includes: determining to send a signaling message to a first terminal; obtaining the terminal address of a first session of the first terminal, wherein the first session is a session used for transmitting signaling messages; and sending a signaling message to the first terminal based on the terminal address of the first session.

[0008] The signaling message is used by the first network element to initiate a service or operation, and this signaling message can be replaced by a control message. For example, the signaling message in this application can be a NAS message or a NAS message indicating mobile termination (MT).

[0009] The first session of the first terminal refers to at least one session associated with the first terminal that can be used to transmit signaling messages. The terminal address of the first session can be an Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) address, an IPv6 address, an Internet Protocol (IP) address plus a port, or a Medium Access Control (MAC) address, etc.

[0010] The signaling messages sent by the first network element to the terminal can be carried and transmitted on the first session.

[0011] Based on this technical solution, when the first network element determines that it will send a signaling message to the first terminal, it can obtain the first session associated with the first terminal that can be used to transmit the signaling message, and then obtain the terminal address of the first session. In this way, the first network element can send the signaling message to the first terminal through the first session based on the terminal address of the first session, thus achieving successful delivery of the signaling message. Moreover, it is not necessary to forward the signaling message through network elements unrelated to the services of the first network element, such as access and mobility management functions, effectively reducing the impact on network elements unrelated to the services of the first network element.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, obtaining the terminal address of the first session includes: sending a first request message to a second network element or a third network element, the first request message being used to obtain the terminal address of the first session; and receiving a first response message, the first response message including the terminal address of the first session.

[0013] In this way, the second network element can obtain the first session terminal address from the received first response message.

[0014] The first request message includes the identification information of the first terminal, and at least one of the following information for determining a session capable of transmitting signaling messages: session attributes, first data network name (DNN), or first network slice identifier.

[0015] The attributes of this session are used to indicate whether the session is used to transmit signaling messages.

[0016] The first DNN can be a dedicated DNN, and the session established between the first terminal and the first data network (DN) corresponding to the first DNN can be used to transmit signaling messages. Therefore, it can be said that the first DNN is used to indicate that the session established between the first terminal and the first DN can transmit signaling messages.

[0017] The first network slice identifier is a dedicated network slice identifier. The session established between the first terminal and the first network slice identified by the first network slice identifier can be used to transmit signaling messages. Therefore, it can be said that the first network slice identifier is used to indicate that the session established between the first terminal and the first network slice can transmit signaling messages.

[0018] Optionally, when sending a first request message to a second network element, the first response message may originate from the second network element or from another network element. Alternatively, when sending a first request message to a third network element, the first response message may originate from the third network element or from another network element.

[0019] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, obtaining the terminal address of the first session includes: sending a first request message to a second network element or a third network element; receiving a first response message, the first response message including the terminal address of at least one session, and at least one of the following information for determining whether the at least one session is a session capable of transmitting signaling messages: session attributes, a first DNN, or a first network slice identifier; and determining the terminal address of the first session based on the first response message.

[0020] The first request message is used to obtain the address of the first terminal, and the first request message includes the identifier of the first terminal. Descriptions of the session attributes, the first DNN, and the first network slice identifier can be found in the preceding descriptions and will not be repeated here.

[0021] Optionally, when sending a first request message to a second network element, the first response message may originate from the second network element or from another network element. Alternatively, when sending a first request message to a third network element, the first response message may originate from the third network element or from another network element.

[0022] Optionally, determining the terminal address of the first session based on the first response message includes: the first network element determining the terminal address of the first session from the terminal addresses of at least one session based on at least one of the following information carried in the first response message for determining whether the at least one session is the first session: session attribute, first DNN, or first network slice identifier.

[0023] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before sending the first request message to the third network element, the method further includes: obtaining the third network element serving the first terminal through the second network element.

[0024] Secondly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a second network element or a third network element, or a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) within the second or third network element, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second or third network element. The method is described below using a second or third network element as an example. The second network element can be, for example, a unified data management network element, and the third network element can be a network element that stores first terminal session information.

[0025] For example, the method includes: receiving a first request message from a first network element, the first request message being used to obtain the terminal address of a first session of a first terminal, the first session being used to transmit signaling messages, the first request message including identification information of the first terminal, and at least one of the following information for determining a session capable of transmitting signaling messages: first attribute information, a first network slice identifier, or a first DNN; sending a first response message to the first network element, the first response message including the terminal address of the first session.

[0026] Based on this technical solution, the second or third network element can provide the first network element with the terminal address of the first terminal's first session based on the first request message from the first network element. This allows the first network element to obtain the terminal address of the first session, and subsequently, based on this address, send signaling messages to the first terminal, achieving successful signaling message delivery. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for forwarding the signaling message through network elements unrelated to the first network element's services, such as access and mobility management functions, effectively reducing the impact on network elements unrelated to the first network element's services.

[0027] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: determining the terminal address of at least one session associated with the first terminal based on the identification information of the first terminal carried in the first request message; and determining the terminal address of the first session from the terminal addresses of at least one session based on one or more of the following information carried in the first request message for determining the first session: session attributes, a first DNN, or a first network slice identifier.

[0028] Thirdly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a second network element or a third network element, or a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) within the second or third network element, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second or third network element. The method is described below using a second or third network element as an example. The second network element can be, for example, a unified data management network element, and the third network element can be a session management network element serving a first terminal.

[0029] For example, the method includes: receiving a first request message from a first network element, the first request message being used to obtain the address of a first terminal, the first request message including an identifier of the first terminal; sending a first response message to the first network element, the first response message including a terminal address of at least one session, and at least one of the following information for determining whether the at least one session is a session capable of transmitting signaling messages: a first attribute, a first DNN, or a first network slice identifier.

[0030] Based on this technical solution, the second or third network element can provide the first network element with the terminal address of at least one session of the first terminal, as well as a terminal address for determining whether at least one session is the first session, based on the first request message from the first network element. In this way, the first network element can obtain the terminal address of the first session and then send signaling messages to the first terminal based on that terminal address, achieving successful delivery of the signaling messages. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for forwarding the signaling messages through network elements unrelated to the first network element's services, such as access and mobility management functions, effectively reducing the impact on network elements unrelated to the first network element's services.

[0031] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the method further includes: determining the terminal address of at least one session associated with the first terminal based on the identification information of the first terminal; and obtaining one or more of the following information for determining whether the at least one session is the first session: session attributes, a first DNN, or a first network slice identifier.

[0032] In conjunction with the second and third aspects, in some implementations of the second and third aspects, the method further includes: sending the first request message to other network elements.

[0033] In conjunction with the second and third aspects, in some implementations of the second and third aspects, the method further includes: receiving a first message from a fourth network element, the first message including the identification information of the first terminal and the terminal address of the first session. The fourth network element may be a session management function network element.

[0034] Optionally, the first message may also include: a first attribute, a first DNN, or a first network slice identifier.

[0035] Fourthly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to the terminal side, such as a terminal or a communication module within a terminal, or a circuit or chip (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core) responsible for communication functions within the terminal. The method will be described below using a first terminal as an example.

[0036] For example, the method includes: determining a first session for transmitting signaling messages; sending a second request message to a fourth network element, the second request message being used to request the establishment of the first session, or the second request message being used to request the modification of the second session to the first session for transmitting signaling messages.

[0037] The second session is one that cannot transmit signaling messages. In other words, the second request message can be used to modify one or more sessions that are not used to transmit signaling messages into sessions that can be used to transmit signaling messages.

[0038] For example, a first terminal may determine to acquire a first session for transmitting signaling messages if one of the following conditions is met: the first terminal supports a first service, the network instructs the first terminal to transmit signaling messages from the user plane, or the first session is not included in the sessions associated with the first terminal; wherein the signaling messages of the first service can be transmitted through the user plane.

[0039] Based on this technical solution, by requesting the establishment of a first session from the fourth network element or modifying the second session to a second session, the first terminal can make one or more sessions associated with the first terminal include a session for transmitting signaling messages. This allows the signaling messages that need to be sent to be transmitted through the first session, eliminating the need to forward the signaling messages through network elements unrelated to the services of the first network element, such as access and mobility management functions. This effectively reduces the impact on network elements unrelated to the services of the first network element.

[0040] Optionally, the second request message includes at least one of the following information for determining a session capable of transmitting signaling messages: session attributes, a first DNN, or a first network slice identifier.

[0041] Optionally, when the second request message is used to request the modification of the second session to a first session for transmitting signaling messages, the second request message may also include identification information of the second session.

[0042] Optionally, the second request message includes first port information, whereby the first port is used by the first terminal to receive signaling messages.

[0043] Fifthly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a fourth network element, or a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) within a fourth network element, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the fourth network element. The method is described below using a fourth network element as an example. This fourth network element can be a session management function network element.

[0044] For example, a second request message is received from a first terminal, the second request message being used to request the establishment of a session, or the second request message being used to request the modification of a session; based on the second request message, a first session for transmitting signaling messages is established, or a second session is modified into a first session for transmitting signaling messages.

[0045] The second request message is used to request the establishment of a session, including: the second request message is used to request the establishment of a first session.

[0046] The second request message is used to request a modification of the session, including: the second request message is used to request a modification of the second session into a first session for transmitting signaling messages.

[0047] For a description of the first session, the second session, and the second request message, please refer to the description in the fourth aspect; it will not be repeated here.

[0048] Based on this technical solution, the fourth network element can establish a first session for transmitting signaling messages based on the second request message from the first terminal, or modify the second session into a first session for transmitting signaling messages. In this way, one or more sessions associated with the first terminal can include a session for transmitting signaling messages. Consequently, the signaling messages to be sent can be directly transmitted through the first session, eliminating the need for forwarding the signaling messages through network elements unrelated to the first network element's services, such as access and mobility management functions. This effectively reduces the impact on network elements unrelated to the first network element's services.

[0049] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the method further includes: sending a second response message to the first terminal, the second response message including session attribute information, the session attribute information being used to determine whether the established session or the modified session is a session for transmitting signaling messages.

[0050] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in some implementations of the fifth aspect, the method further includes: sending a first message to the second network element, the first message including the identification information of the first terminal and the terminal address of the first session.

[0051] Optionally, the first message may also include: a first attribute, a first DNN, or a first network slice identifier.

[0052] Sixthly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to the terminal side, such as a terminal or a communication module in the terminal, or a circuit or chip in the terminal responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core). The method is described below using a first terminal as an example.

[0053] For example, the method includes: sending second capability information, the second capability information being used to indicate that the first terminal acts only as a client when transmitting non-access stratum signaling messages through a session and / or user plane; receiving first indication information and address information of at least one first network element, the first indication information being used to indicate the establishment of a connection for transmitting signaling messages through a session or user plane; and establishing a service connection with the at least one first network element through a first session based on the first indication information and the address information of the at least one first network element, the first session being a session for transmitting signaling messages.

[0054] Alternatively, the second capability information is used to indicate that the first terminal cannot act as a server or a called party when transmitting signaling messages through a session and / or user plane.

[0055] Based on this technical solution, the first terminal sends second capability information to the fifth network element, enabling the fifth network element to determine and send first instruction information and at least one address information of the first network element to the first terminal based on this second capability information. This allows the first terminal to establish a service connection with the first network element in advance through a first session. In this way, when the first network element needs to send service-related signaling messages, it can directly send the signaling messages to the first terminal through the established service connection, achieving successful delivery of the signaling messages. Furthermore, it eliminates the need to forward the signaling messages through network elements unrelated to the first network element's services, such as access and mobility management functions, effectively reducing the impact on network elements unrelated to the first network element's services.

[0056] In conjunction with the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the method further includes: establishing the first session.

[0057] Specifically, a session establishment request is sent to the session management function network element, which is used to request the establishment of the first session; and a message indicating successful session establishment is received from the session management function network element.

[0058] Seventhly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to the network side, such as an access network device, a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) within the access network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network device. The method is described below using a network device as an example.

[0059] For example, the method includes: receiving second capability information, the second capability information being used to instruct a first terminal to act as a client when transmitting signaling messages through the user plane; determining, based on the second capability information, that the first terminal wants to establish a user plane connection with at least one first network element; and sending first indication information and address information of the at least one first network element, the first indication information being used to instruct the establishment of a session for transmitting signaling messages and / or a connection for transmitting signaling messages through the user plane.

[0060] Based on this technical solution, the fifth network element can determine and send first indication information and at least one address information of the first network element to the first terminal based on the second capability information reported by the first terminal. This allows the first terminal to establish a service connection with the first network element in advance through a first session. In this way, when the first network element needs to send service-related signaling messages, it can directly send the signaling messages to the first terminal through the established service connection, achieving successful delivery of the signaling messages. Furthermore, it eliminates the need to forward the signaling messages through network elements unrelated to the first network element's services, such as access and mobility management functions, effectively reducing the impact on network elements unrelated to the first network element's services.

[0061] In conjunction with the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the method further includes: determining the address of the at least one first network element based on the service subscribed by the first terminal and / or a first policy, wherein the first policy indicates whether the network service should transmit signaling messages through the user plane.

[0062] Eighthly, this application provides a communication device including modules or units for implementing the methods of any of the above aspects and any possible implementations of any of the above aspects. It should be understood that each module or unit can implement its corresponding function by executing a computer program.

[0063] Ninthly, this application provides a communication device including a processor, the processor being configured to perform the methods described in any of the foregoing aspects and any possible implementations of any of the foregoing aspects.

[0064] The apparatus may further include a memory for storing instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, which, when executing the instructions stored in the memory, can implement the methods described in the foregoing aspects.

[0065] The device may also include a communication interface for communicating with other devices. For example, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module or other type of communication interface.

[0066] In a tenth aspect, this application provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions involved in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations of any of the above aspects, such as receiving or processing data and / or information involved in the above methods.

[0067] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing program instructions and data, which may be located within or outside the processor.

[0068] The chip system can consist of chips or include chips and other discrete components.

[0069] In one aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium including a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to implement the methods in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations of any of the above aspects.

[0070] In a twelfth aspect, this application provides a computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run, causes a computer to perform the methods of any of the above aspects and any possible implementations of any of the above aspects.

[0071] It should be understood that aspects eight to twelfth of this application correspond to the technical solutions of aspects one to seven of this application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation are similar, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0072] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the network architecture of the service-based architecture (SBA) in the fifth-generation (5G) network provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0073] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a network architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0074] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the transmission process of the NAS message for mobile terminated (MT) in a 5G network (location service, LCS).

[0075] Figure 4This is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0076] Figure 5 This is another illustrative flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0077] Figure 6 This is another illustrative flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0078] Figure 7 This is a schematic block diagram of the apparatus according to an embodiment of this application;

[0079] Figure 8 This is another schematic block diagram of the device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0080] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0081] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the following points are explained first:

[0082] First, in the embodiments of this application, the use of prefixes such as "first" and "second" is merely for the purpose of distinguishing and describing different things belonging to the same name category, and does not constrain the order, size, or quantity of things. For example, "first network element" and "second network element" are simply different network elements, and do not limit the number of network elements or their priority relationship; as another example, "first request message" and "second request message" are simply different request messages, and there is no temporal sequence, size relationship, or priority relationship between them.

[0083] Second, in the embodiments of this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. Sending and receiving can be performed between devices, for example, between a second network element and a first network element; or they can be performed within a network element, for example, by sending or receiving between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within a device via a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0084] It is understandable that information may undergo necessary processing, such as encoding and modulation, before being sent from the source to the destination. Similarly, the destination, upon receiving information from the source, can also perform corresponding processing, such as decoding and demodulation, to interpret the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way and will not be elaborated further.

[0085] Third, in the embodiments of this application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects, but it does not exclude the possibility of indicating an "and" relationship. The specific meaning can be understood in conjunction with the context. "At least one 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 of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Here, a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0086] Fourth, in the embodiments of this application, "instruction" can include direct instruction and indirect instruction, as well as explicit instruction and implicit instruction. The information indicated by a certain piece of information (such as the instruction information shown below) is called the information to be instructed. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly indicate the information to be instructed by indicating other information, where there is a correlation between the other information and the information to be instructed; or it can only indicate a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol predefined) arrangement order of various pieces of information, thereby reducing the instruction overhead to a certain extent. This application does not limit the specific method of instruction.

[0087] It is understandable that, for the sender of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to indicate the information to be indicated, and for the receiver of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to determine the information to be indicated.

[0088] Fifth, in the embodiments of this application, descriptions such as "when," "under the circumstances," "if," and "if" all refer to the network element making corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances. They are not time-limited, nor do they require the network element to make a judgment action during implementation, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0089] Sixth, the predefined terms in this application can be understood as: definition, pre-defined, storage, pre-storage, pre-negotiation, pre-configuration, solidification, or pre-firing.

[0090] Seventh, the term "storage" in this application can refer to storage in one or more memory devices. These memory devices can be separate installations or integrated into an encoder, decoder, processor, or communication device. Alternatively, some memory devices can be separately installed, while others can be integrated into the decoder, processor, or communication device. The type of memory can be any form of storage medium, and this application does not limit this.

[0091] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, sidelink (SL) communication systems, 5th generation (5G) mobile communication systems, new radio access technology (NR) systems, satellite communication systems, etc. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication networks.

[0092] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the SBA network architecture in a 5G network provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the 5G network architecture can include three parts: terminal equipment, data network (DN), and operator network.

[0093] The following is about Figure 1 A brief explanation of the network elements involved will be provided.

[0094] 1) Terminal equipment, also known as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user apparatus. The terms "terminal" and "terminal equipment" may be used interchangeably below.

[0095] A terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities. A terminal device can communicate with one or more core network (CN) devices (or core equipment) via access network equipment (or access devices) in a wireless access network. Terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water (such as on ships); and they can also be deployed in the air (e.g., on airplanes, balloons, and satellites).

[0096] Terminal devices can also be terminals in an Internet of Things (IoT) system, also known as IoT nodes. IoT is an important component of future information technology development. Its main technical characteristic is connecting objects to networks via communication technologies, thereby realizing an intelligent network that enables human-machine interaction and machine-to-machine interaction. Connections can be made through broadband or narrowband (NB) technologies. IoT technology, for example, can achieve massive connectivity, deep coverage, and low power consumption at the terminal level through narrowband technology.

[0097] The terminal device in this application can be a hardware device, a software function running on dedicated hardware, or a software function running on general-purpose hardware. It can also be a virtualized device, for example, implemented through general-purpose hardware and instantiated virtualization functions, or dedicated hardware and instantiated virtualization functions. Among them, the general-purpose hardware can be a server, such as a cloud server.

[0098] 2) The operator network may include one or more of the following network elements: network exposure function (NEF) network elements, policy control function (PCF) network elements, unified data management (UDM) network elements, application function (AF) network elements, authentication server function (AUSF) network elements, access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, session management function (SMF) network elements, user plane function (UPF) network elements, and access network (AN) (such as RAN network elements), etc.

[0099] In the aforementioned operator networks, the portion excluding the AN network element can be referred to as the core network portion. For ease of explanation, the term "network element" will be omitted below; for example, the AMF network element will be abbreviated as AMF, the SMF network element as SMF, the UPF network element as UPF, and so on.

[0100] Among them, the AMF is mainly responsible for terminal authentication, terminal mobility management (MM), network slice selection, and SMF selection; it serves as the anchor point for N1 and N2 signaling connections and provides routing for N1 / N2 session management (SM) messages to the SMF; and it maintains and manages the terminal's state information.

[0101] SMF is primarily responsible for all control plane functions of terminal session management, including UPF selection, Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation, session quality of service (QoS) management, and obtaining PCC (policy and charging control) policies (from PCF).

[0102] UPF serves as the anchor point for protocol data unit (PDU) session connections, and is responsible for filtering terminal data packets, data transmission / forwarding, rate control, and generating billing information.

[0103] UDR is primarily used to store user data, including subscription data invoked by UDM, policy information invoked by PCF, structured data used for capability exposure, and application data invoked by NEF.

[0104] UDM is mainly used to manage user data, such as the management of subscription information, including obtaining subscription information from UDR and providing it to other network elements (such as AMF); generating authentication credentials for the terminal for the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP); and registering and maintaining the network elements currently serving the terminal (for example, the AMF represented by AMF ID1 is the current serving AMF of the terminal).

[0105] NEF is used to connect other internal network elements of the core network with the application function (AF) network elements corresponding to the external application server (AS) of the core network, so as to provide network open capabilities to the AF, or provide information provided by the AF to the core network elements.

[0106] The AUSF authentication server function is used to perform security authentication on terminals when they access the network.

[0107] PCF primarily controls Quality of Service (QoS) policies and charging policies. It provides configuration policy information to terminals and management policy information to network control plane elements (such as AMF and SMF) for managing terminals.

[0108] 3) Data network (DN) mainly provides business services to users.

[0109] The aforementioned network elements communicate with each other via interfaces. For example, the interface between the terminal and the AMF is interface N1, the interface between the AN and the AMF is interface N2, the interface between the AN and the UPF is interface N3, the interface between the SMF and the UPF is interface N4, and the interface between the UPF and the DN is interface N6. Some network elements can communicate based on service-oriented interfaces, among which... Figure 1 Nnef, Npcf, Nudm, Naf, Nausf, Namf, and Nsmf are service-oriented interfaces based on business logic.

[0110] The above description of the various network elements in the core network and the interfaces between them is merely illustrative and should not constitute any limitation on this application. Furthermore, Figure 1 The network elements shown can be understood as network elements in the core network used to implement different functions. These core network elements can be independent devices or integrated into the same device to implement different functions. This application does not limit the specific form of the above network elements.

[0111] It is understood that the network elements used in future communication systems may be any of the aforementioned network elements, or network elements with the same or similar functions under other names; this application does not limit this.

[0112] In 5G networks, communication between terminals and the network is divided into two categories: control plane and user plane. NAS signaling is used to transmit control messages between terminals and the core network. For example, when a terminal needs to establish a PDU session, it sends NAS signaling to the AMF, which then requests the establishment of the session from the SMF. Similarly, when a terminal wants to use location services, it sends NAS signaling to the AMF, which then requests the establishment of location services from the location management function (LMF). In other words, all control plane messages that the terminal needs to send to the network must be transmitted through NAS signaling. In 5G networks, the AMF is the endpoint for NAS signaling and has the ability to encrypt, decrypt, and resolve NAS messages. That is, regardless of whether the service related to the NAS message is related to the AMF's core functions, the NAS message sent by the terminal will reach the AMF.

[0113] As a critical node for terminal access to the network, the AMF (Automatic Facilitation Message Function) may experience connection interruptions if it is upgraded along with network function updates. Therefore, network architectures requiring terminals to transmit service-related NAS (Network Access Message) messages to the AMF are not flexible enough. To address this, the industry has proposed various network architecture improvement ideas to meet the increasingly diverse and dynamic service requirements of future networks. Among these proposed network architectures are... Figure 2 The network architecture shown supports terminals transmitting NAS messages for some services through the user plane. That is, it is intended to transmit NAS messages through protocol data unit (PDU) sessions so that the introduction of some new services will not affect other unrelated network elements (such as AMF).

[0114] The following is combined Figure 3 This paper introduces the process of transmitting MT NAS messages of LCS through the control plane in 5G networks.

[0115] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the transmission flow of MT NAS messages in an LCS (Local Class Serving) within a 5G network. For example... Figure 3 As shown, this process includes steps S301 to S307. Details are provided below. Figure 3 The steps shown.

[0116] S301, LMF decides to use user plane positioning for a specific terminal.

[0117] S302, the LMF sends a Namf_Comminication_N1N2 Transfer message (hereinafter referred to as message 1) to the AMF serving the terminal. Message 1 is used to request the AMF to send a downlink NAS message to the terminal. Message 1 includes user plane information, such as the IP address of the LMF.

[0118] S303, AMF sends a NAS message to the terminal, which includes the aforementioned user plane information;

[0119] S304, the terminal initiates a communication connection with the LMF via the user plane. For example, the LTE positioning protocol...

[0120] Protocol layer (LPP) connection.

[0121] Specifically, the terminal uses the LMF address received from the network side and the locally stored user routing selection policy (UEroute selection) to determine the routing path.

[0122] The system matches the policy (URSP) rules to determine the session information required for communication between the terminal and the LMF, thereby determining whether to create or reuse an existing PDU session on the terminal; and through this session, it sends user plane data packets to the LMF.

[0123] S305, the terminal sends a user plane positioning response message to the LMF through the AMF.

[0124] S306, the LMF sends a notification message to the AMF, which indicates that the user plane connection between the LMF and the terminal has been established.

[0125] S307, AMF stores the UP connection information of the terminal LMF in the terminal context.

[0126] Combination Figure 3 The LCS MT NAS message shown can be obtained through the control plane transmission process: the terminal can receive the address, identifier or domain name of any NF from the network, and then initiate a communication connection with that NF (such as a location protocol layer, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) connection, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection, other application layer protocol connections, etc.).

[0127] If Figure 3 The illustrated process applies to a NAS over UP architecture. The NF address still needs to be issued through the control plane (i.e., S301 to S304), and the AMF also needs to store the state of the UP connection between the terminal and the LMF (i.e., S307), which also impacts the AMF. Secondly, in S304, after receiving the NF address, the terminal needs to match it with URSP rules to determine the session for transmission. URSP can be pre-configured, but the terminal cannot pre-configure the addresses of all service NFs in the network. URSP can also be issued by the network, but this is configured to the terminal by the AMF / PCF according to certain rules, which is complex and may affect other network elements. These drawbacks contradict the original design intent of the NAS over UP architecture.

[0128] Furthermore, in a client-server architecture for network communication, the client also needs to obtain the server's Internet Protocol (IP) address through pre-configuration or domain name lookup, and then send a connection request to that address to establish a connection between the client and the server. In other words, the service initiator must know the service provider's address before it can initiate a service connection. In the client-server architecture, regarding both terminals and network functions (NFs), the service initiator is always the terminal, and the terminal must first obtain the NF's address information before initiating a user plane connection. How the terminal obtains the NF's address and communicates with it using a session also requires the NF's address to be issued through the control plane and URSP matching to find a usable session for transmission. Therefore, the same problem exists: it may lack flexibility and affect other network elements.

[0129] In summary, for Figure 2 In the network architecture shown, how an NF should proactively initiate services (i.e., how a MT sends messages) in order to minimize the impact on network elements unrelated to the NF's services has become an urgent problem to be solved.

[0130] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium. In this method, by establishing a first session for transmitting NAS messages, NAS messages initiated by an NF (Network Function) can be transmitted to a first terminal through the established first session, effectively reducing the impact on network elements unrelated to the NF's services when transmitting NAS messages.

[0131] The communication method and apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the method provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to... Figure 2 The network structure shown is not limited to this embodiment.

[0132] exist Figures 4 to 6 The flowchart shown illustrates the method from the perspective of device interaction, but this application does not limit the subject that performs the method. For example, Figures 4 to 6 Each network element in the method can be replaced by a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the implementation of the method by the network element, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network element. Figures 4 to 6 The first terminal can be replaced by a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the implementation of the method on the first terminal, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first terminal.

[0133] For example, Figures 4 to 6The first network element can be a network element responsible for providing and / or managing corresponding network services, which can be simply referred to as a service network element, such as LMF, sensing function (SF), artificial intelligence (AI) function (AIF), energy information function (EIF), calculation management function, and network data analytics function (NWDAF); the second network element is a network element responsible for unified data management functions, such as UDM; the third network element is a network element that stores all session information of the first terminal, such as UE-SMF, i.e., UE-level SMF, which may not support session management functions; the fourth network element is a network element that supports session management functions, such as SMF; the fifth network element is a network element that supports access and mobility management functions, such as AMF.

[0134] Figure 4 This is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 As shown, the method 400 may include the following steps:

[0135] S401, the first network element determines to send a signaling message to the first terminal.

[0136] In this context, signaling messages can be replaced with control messages. These signaling messages are used by the first network element to initiate services or activities; for example, they can be NAS messages. In 5G networks, NAS messages are transmitted between the user equipment and the AMF via the N1 interface.

[0137] Furthermore, this signaling message could be, for example, a NAS message indicating mobile terminated (MT). MT refers to the data transmission process from the mobile network to the mobile device.

[0138] For example, the first network element may determine to send a signaling message to the first terminal under any of the following scenarios: Scenario 1, the first network element receives a data collection request from a third-party service and needs to instruct the first terminal to upload the collected data; Scenario 2, the first network element needs to send a perception service message to the first terminal.

[0139] For scenario 1, the first network element could be, for example, an NWDAF (Non-WDAF). For scenario 2, the first network element could be, for example, a sensing function network element.

[0140] S403, the first network element obtains the terminal address of the first session of the first terminal, which is a session used for transmitting signaling messages.

[0141] It is understood that a first terminal can be associated with at least one session, which may include: a session that can be used to transmit signaling messages, and / or a session that cannot be used to transmit signaling messages. For ease of description, this application will refer to the session that can be used to transmit signaling messages as the first session. The at least one session associated with the first terminal device refers to a session established by the session management network element for the first terminal, which may specifically be a PDU session.

[0142] It can also be understood that in at least one session associated with the first terminal, each session can have one address, and the addresses of different sessions are different. When the first terminal communicates using different sessions, the address (i.e., the source address) used can be different, and different source addresses can be used to communicate with different DNs and / or slices. Since at least one terminal address in at least one session is the address of the first terminal, this application refers to the address of the session as the terminal address of the session. For example, the terminal address of the first session in at least one session can be, for example, an Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) address, an IPv6 address, an Internet Protocol (IP) address + port, or a MAC address, etc.

[0143] S405, the first network element sends a signaling message to the first terminal based on the terminal address of the first session. Correspondingly, the first terminal receives the signaling message from the first network element.

[0144] In other words, when the first network element determines the target terminal (e.g., the first terminal in this application), the first network element needs to obtain the address of the target terminal in order to send a message to the target terminal through the user.

[0145] Among them, the signaling messages are transmitted through the first session, or in other words, the signaling messages are transmitted on the first session.

[0146] For example, the terminal address of the first session is an IPv4 / IPv6 address. When the first network element sends a signaling message to the first terminal based on the terminal address of the first session, the first network element may not specify the destination port, or it may obtain port X and send the message to port X. The first terminal monitors downlink messages on port X. Port X can be predefined, meaning all terminals use the same port, in which case the first network element may not specify the destination port. Alternatively, port X can be sent by the first terminal to the session management network element. Or, the session attribute information of the first session includes information about port X.

[0147] In this embodiment, when the first network element determines that it will send a signaling message to the first terminal, it can obtain the first session in the session associated with the first terminal that can be used to transmit the signaling message, and then obtain the terminal address of the first session. In this way, the first network element can send the signaling message to the first terminal through the first session based on the terminal address of the first session, thus realizing the successful delivery of the signaling message. Moreover, it is not necessary to forward the signaling message through network elements unrelated to the services of the first network element, such as access and mobility management functions, which effectively reduce the impact on network elements unrelated to the services of the first network element.

[0148] Optionally, one specific implementation of the above S403 is: the first network element obtains the terminal address of the first session of the first terminal based on the received first response message.

[0149] The first response message is a response message from a network element to a first request message sent by a first network element. This first request message is used to obtain the terminal address of the first session. That is, method 400 further includes: S402, whereby the first network element sends a first request message to a second network element. Correspondingly, the second network element receives the first request message from the first network element. S402 can, for example, be executed before S403.

[0150] In this context, the second network element can be replaced by the third network element. That is, S402 can be replaced by: the first network element sending a first request message to the third network element. Correspondingly, the third network element receives the first request message from the first network element. In other words, the first network element can send a first request message to the second (or third) network element. Correspondingly, the second network element receives the first request message from the first (or third) network element.

[0151] For example, when the first network element sends a first request message to the third network element, the method 400 may further include: S404, whereby the first network element obtains the third network element serving the first terminal through the second network element. This S404 may, for example, be executed before S402.

[0152] The network element that responds to the first response message can be the second network element (or the third network element), or it can be any other network element besides the second network element (or the third network element). Specifically, when the first network element sends the first request message to the second network element, the network element is either the second network element or any other network element besides the second network element; when the first network element sends the first request message to the third network element, the network element is either the third network element or any other network element besides the third network element.

[0153] As an example, if a network element is the second (or third) network element, after S402, method 400 may further include: S406, the second (or third) network element sends a first response message to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the first response message from the second (or third) network element.

[0154] As another example, when one network element is another network element, after S402, the method 400 may further include: S408, the second network element sends the first request message to the other network element; and S410, the other network element sends the first response message to the first network element.

[0155] The sending of a first response message by other network elements to the first network element includes: other network elements sending a first response message directly to the first network element, or other network elements sending a first response message indirectly to the first network element. For example, other network elements send a first response message indirectly to the first network element through a second network element.

[0156] It is understandable that, when a certain network element is another network element, the first request message forwarded by the second network element to the other network element can also be replaced by another message. This other message can be a message sent by the second network element to the other network element when it receives the first request message from the first network element, which can trigger the other network element to send the first response message to the first network element.

[0157] The following section, combining two possible designs, details the information included in the first request message and the first response message.

[0158] In a first possible design, the first request message may include identification information of the first terminal, and at least one or more of the following information for determining a session capable of transmitting signaling messages (i.e., the first session): session attributes, a first DNN, or a first network slice identifier. The first response message includes the terminal address of the first session.

[0159] The session attributes are used to indicate whether the session is used to transmit signaling messages.

[0160] The first DNN can be a dedicated DNN, and the session established between the first terminal and the first DN corresponding to the first DNN can be used to transmit signaling messages. Therefore, it can be said that the first DNN is used to indicate that the session established between the first terminal and the first DN can transmit signaling messages.

[0161] The first network slice identifier is a dedicated network slice identifier. The session established between the first terminal and the first network slice identified by the first network slice identifier can be used to transmit signaling messages. Therefore, it can be said that the first network slice identifier is used to indicate that the session established between the first terminal and the first network slice can transmit signaling messages.

[0162] For the first possible design, method 400 may further include: S412, a certain network element ( Figure 4 (Taking the second network element as an example) Based on the identification information of the first terminal, the terminal address of at least one session associated with the first terminal is determined; and, in S414, a network element determines the terminal address of the first session from the terminal addresses of at least one session based on one or more of the following information carried in the first request message for determining the first session: session attributes, a first DNN, or a first network slice identifier. S412 and S414 can be executed, for example, after S402 or S408.

[0163] For a description of a network element and at least one session associated with a terminal, please refer to the relevant descriptions above, which will not be repeated here.

[0164] In a second possible design, the first request message includes an identifier of the first terminal. The first response message includes the terminal address of at least one session, and at least one or more of the following information used to determine whether the at least one session is the first session: session attributes, a first DNN, or a first network slice identifier.

[0165] For a description of the session attributes, the first DNN, and the first network slice identifier, please refer to the description in the first possible design; it will not be repeated here.

[0166] For the second possible design, method 400 may further include: S416, where a network element determines the terminal address of at least one session associated with the first terminal based on the identification information of the first terminal; and S418, acquiring one or more of the following information for determining whether the at least one session is the first session: session attributes, a first DNN, or a first network slice identifier. S416 and S418 may be executed, for example, after S402 or S408.

[0167] For the second possible design, the first network element obtains the terminal address of the first session based on the first response message, including: the first network element determines the terminal address of the first session from the terminal addresses of at least one session based on at least one of the following information carried in the first response message for determining whether the at least one session is the first session: session attribute, first DNN, or first network slice identifier.

[0168] Figure 5This is another illustrative flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 5 As shown, the method 500 may include the following steps. It is understood that... Figure 5 The steps shown can be performed before S401 or S403 described above.

[0169] S501, the first terminal determines to acquire the first session for transmitting signaling messages.

[0170] For example, the first terminal determining to acquire a first session for transmitting signaling messages may include: the first terminal determining to establish a first session for transmitting the signaling messages, or the first terminal determining to modify the session to a first session for transmitting the signaling messages.

[0171] Optionally, the first terminal determines to acquire a first session for transmitting signaling messages if one of the following conditions is met: the first terminal supports a first service, the network instructs the first terminal to transmit signaling messages from the user plane, or the first session is not included in the sessions associated with the first terminal. The signaling messages for the first service can be transmitted through the user plane. The first service may be, for example, a data acquisition service, a communication sensing service, or an AI-related service.

[0172] S502, the first terminal sends a second request message to the fourth network element, the second request message being used to request the establishment of a session; or, the second request message being used to request the modification of a session. Correspondingly, the fourth network element receives the second request message from the first terminal.

[0173] The second request message is used to request the establishment of a session, and may include: the second request message is used to request the establishment of a first session. The second request message is used to request the modification of a session, and may include: the second request message is used to request the modification of a second session into a first session for transmitting signaling messages, wherein the second session is a session that cannot transmit signaling messages; or, the second request message is used to request the modification of one or more sessions that cannot transmit signaling messages into sessions for transmitting signaling messages.

[0174] When the second request message is used to request the establishment of a session, the method 500 may further include: S503, the fourth network element establishes a first session for transmitting signaling messages based on the second request message. S503 may be executed, for example, after S502.

[0175] In the case where the second request message is used to request modification of the session, the method 500 may further include: S504, whereby the fourth network element, based on the second request message, modifies the second session into a first session for transmitting signaling messages. S504 may, for example, be executed after S502.

[0176] It is understandable that modifying the second session by the fourth network element includes modifying the function / attributes of the second session, but not other parameters, such as the session identifier. In other words, compared with the session before and after the modification, all parameters are the same except for the function / attributes of the session.

[0177] Optionally, after S503 or S504, the method 500 further includes: S505, the fourth network element sends a second response message to the first terminal, the second response message including session attribute information, the session attribute information being used to determine whether the established session or the modified session is a session for transmitting signaling messages.

[0178] Optionally, the second request message may include at least one or more of the following information: session attributes, a first DNN, or a first network slice identifier. This at least one piece of information is used to indicate that the session requested by the first terminal to be established, or the session to be modified, is a session for transmitting signaling messages. Alternatively, this at least one piece of information is used to determine a session capable of transmitting signaling messages.

[0179] Optionally, the second request message may include first capability information, which indicates that the first terminal has the capability to transmit signaling messages via session / user plane. In this way, the second session management function network element can establish a session for the first terminal to transmit signaling messages.

[0180] Optionally, the second request message may include first port information, which is used by the first terminal to receive signaling messages.

[0181] Optionally, when the second request message is used to request the modification of the second session to a first session for transmitting signaling messages, the second request message may also include identification information of the second session. In this way, the second session management function can determine the session that needs to be modified based on the identification information of the second session.

[0182] In one possible implementation, method 500 further includes: S506, whereby the fourth network element sends a first message to the second network element (or the third network element), the first message including the identification information of the first terminal and the terminal address of the first session. Correspondingly, the second network element (or the third network element) receives the first message from the second session management function. S506 may be executed, for example, after S503 or S504.

[0183] Optionally, the first message may also include: a first attribute, a first DNN, or a first network slice identifier.

[0184] Figure 6 This is another illustrative flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 6 As shown, the method 600 may include the following steps:

[0185] S601, the first terminal sends second capability information to the fifth network element. This second capability information indicates that the first terminal acts only as a client or as a caller when transmitting signaling messages through a session or user plane, meaning that the establishment of the service is initiated solely by the first terminal. Correspondingly, the fifth network element receives the second capability information from the first terminal.

[0186] Alternatively, the second capability information is used to indicate that the first terminal cannot act as a server or a called party when transmitting signaling messages through a session and / or user plane.

[0187] Optionally, the second capability information may be carried in the registration request message sent by the first terminal.

[0188] S603, the fifth network element determines, based on the second capability information, that the first terminal needs to establish a user plane connection with at least one first network element.

[0189] Optionally, after S603, the method 600 further includes: S602, the fifth network element determines, based on the service subscribed by the first terminal, and / or, a first strategy, relevant information of at least one first network element, the first strategy indicating whether the service subscribed by the first terminal should transmit signaling messages through the user plane.

[0190] The relevant information of at least one first network element may include the address of the first network element, the type of the first network element, and / or the type of service in the service subscribed by the first terminal that requires the transmission of signaling messages through the user plane.

[0191] Optionally, after S603, the method 600 further includes: S604, whereby the fifth network element sends a session establishment request to the fourth network element, the session establishment request being used by the fourth network element to establish a session (i.e., a first session) for the first terminal to transmit signaling messages. Correspondingly, the fourth network element receives the session establishment request from the fifth network element; and establishes the first session for the first terminal based on the session establishment request.

[0192] The session establishment request may include the identification information of the first terminal, session attribute information, etc. The session attribute information indicates that the established session can be used to transmit signaling messages.

[0193] Optionally, after the fifth network element confirms that the session has been established, step S605 can be executed again to avoid repeatedly triggering the first terminal to establish the first session.

[0194] S605, the fifth network element sends a first indication message and address information of at least one first network element to the first terminal. The first indication message is used to indicate the establishment of a session or connection for transmitting signaling messages through a session or user plane. Correspondingly, the first terminal receives the first indication message and the address information of at least one first network element.

[0195] The first indication information may be, for example, a single information element (IE), a message name, or a source name.

[0196] S607, the first terminal establishes a service connection with at least one first network element through a first session based on the first indication information and the address information of at least one first network element. The first session is a session used to transmit signaling messages.

[0197] Optionally, before S607, if there is no first session of the first terminal, the method 600 may further include: S606, the first terminal requests the fourth network element to establish a session for transmitting signaling messages.

[0198] In other words, when the fifth network element triggers the establishment of the first session through step S604, the first terminal can receive the information of the first session (such as attribute information) from the network (such as the session management network element), thereby determining that a session for transmitting signaling messages already exists, so step S606 does not need to be executed.

[0199] In this embodiment, the fifth network element can determine and send first indication information and at least one address information of the first network element to the first terminal based on the second capability information reported by the first terminal. This allows the first terminal to establish a service connection with the first network element in advance through a first session. In this way, when the first network element needs to send service-related signaling messages, it can directly send the signaling messages to the first terminal through the established service connection, achieving successful delivery of the signaling messages. Furthermore, it eliminates the need to forward the signaling messages through network elements unrelated to the first network element's services, such as access and mobility management functions, effectively reducing the impact on network elements unrelated to the first network element's services.

[0200] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

[0201] Figure 7 and Figure 8The diagram illustrates possible apparatuses provided for embodiments of this application. These apparatuses can be used to implement the functions of any network element or first terminal in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0202] Figure 7 This is a schematic block diagram of the apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 7 As shown, the device 700 includes a processing module 710 and a transceiver module 720.

[0203] One possible design is that device 700 is used to achieve the above. Figure 4 The function of the first network element in the method embodiment shown.

[0204] For example, the processing module 710 is configured to: determine to send a signaling message to the first terminal; and obtain the terminal address of the first session of the first terminal; the transceiver module 720 is configured to: send the signaling message to the first terminal based on the terminal address of the first session.

[0205] Optionally, the transceiver module 720 is further configured to: send a first request message to a second network element or a third network element, the first request message being used to obtain the terminal address of the first session; and receive a first response message, the first response message including the terminal address of the first session.

[0206] Optionally, the transceiver module 720 is further configured to: send a first request message to a second network element or a third network element, the first request message being used to obtain the address of the first terminal, the first request message including the identifier of the first terminal, the first request message including the identifier information of the first terminal, and at least one of the following information for determining a session capable of transmitting signaling messages: session attributes, a first DNN, or a first network slice identifier; and receive a first response message, the first response message including the terminal address of at least one session, and at least one of the following information for determining whether the at least one session is a session capable of transmitting signaling messages: session attributes, a first DNN, or a first network slice identifier; the processing module 710 is further configured to: determine the terminal address of the first session based on the first response message.

[0207] Optionally, the transceiver module 720 is also used to: obtain a third network element serving the first terminal through the second network element.

[0208] For a more detailed description of the processing module 710 and the transceiver module 720 mentioned above, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 4 The relevant descriptions in the illustrated embodiments are directly obtained and will not be repeated here.

[0209] Another possible design is that device 700 is used to achieve the above. Figure 4 or Figure 5The method embodiment shown illustrates the function of the second or third network element.

[0210] For example, the transceiver module 720 is configured to: receive a first request message from a first network element, the first request message being used to obtain the terminal address of a first session of a first terminal, the first session being used to transmit signaling messages, the first request message including identification information of the first terminal, and at least one of the following information for determining a session capable of transmitting signaling messages: first attribute information, first network slice identifier, or first DNN; and send a first response message to the first network element, the first response message including the terminal address of the first session.

[0211] For example, the transceiver module 720 is configured to: receive a first request message from a first network element, the first request message being used to obtain the address of a first terminal, the first request message including an identifier of the first terminal; and send a first response message to the first network element, the first response message including the terminal address of at least one session, and at least one of the following information for determining whether at least one session is a session capable of transmitting signaling messages: a first attribute, a first DNN, or a first network slice identifier.

[0212] For a more detailed description of the processing module 710 and the transceiver module 720 mentioned above, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 4 or Figure 5 The relevant descriptions in the illustrated embodiments are directly obtained and will not be repeated here.

[0213] Another possible design is that device 700 is used to achieve the above. Figure 5 or Figure 6 The method embodiment shown illustrates the function of the first terminal.

[0214] For example, the processing module 710 is configured to: determine and acquire a first session for transmitting signaling messages; the transceiver module 720 is configured to: send a second request message to the fourth network element, the second request message being used to request the establishment of the first session, or the second request message being used to request the modification of the second session to the first session for transmitting signaling messages.

[0215] Optionally, the processing module 710 is specifically configured to: determine the acquisition of a first session for transmitting signaling messages if one of the following conditions is met: the first terminal supports a first service, the network instructs the first terminal to transmit signaling messages from the user plane, or the first session is not included in the session associated with the first terminal.

[0216] For example, the transceiver module 720 is configured to: send second capability information, which is used to instruct the first terminal to act only as a client when transmitting non-access stratum signaling messages through a session and / or user plane; and receive first indication information and address information of at least one first network element, the first indication information being used to instruct the establishment of a connection for transmitting signaling messages through a session or user plane; the processing module 710 is configured to: establish a service connection with at least one first network element through a first session based on the first indication information and the address information of at least one first network element, the first session being a session for transmitting NAS messages.

[0217] Optionally, the processing module 710 is also used to: request the establishment of a first session.

[0218] For a more detailed description of the processing module 710 and the transceiver module 720 mentioned above, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 5 or Figure 6 The relevant descriptions in the illustrated embodiments are directly obtained and will not be repeated here.

[0219] Another possible design is that device 700 is used to achieve the above. Figure 5 The method embodiment shown illustrates the function of the fourth network element.

[0220] For example, the transceiver module 720 is configured to: receive a second request message from the first terminal, the second request message being used to request the establishment of a session, or the second request message being used to request the modification of a session; the processing module 710 is configured to: based on the second request message, establish a first session for transmitting signaling messages, or modify a second session into a first session for transmitting signaling messages.

[0221] Optionally, the transceiver module 720 is further configured to: send a second response message to the first terminal, the second response message including session attribute information, the session attribute information being used to determine that the established session or modified session is a session for transmitting signaling messages.

[0222] Optionally, the transceiver module 720 is further configured to: send a first message to the second network element, the first message including the identification information of the first terminal and the terminal address of the first session.

[0223] For a more detailed description of the processing module 710 and the transceiver module 720 mentioned above, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 4 The relevant descriptions in the illustrated embodiments are directly obtained and will not be repeated here.

[0224] Another possible design is that device 700 is used to achieve the above. Figure 6 The function of the fifth network element in the method embodiment shown.

[0225] For example, the transceiver module 720 is configured to: receive second capability information, the second capability information being used to instruct the first terminal to act as a client when transmitting non-access stratum (NAS) messages through the user plane; the processing module 710 is configured to: determine, based on the second capability information, that the first terminal wants to establish a user plane connection with at least one first network element; the transceiver module 720 is further configured to: send first indication information and address information of at least one first network element, the first indication information being used to instruct the establishment of a session for transmitting NAS messages and / or a connection for transmitting NAS messages through the user plane.

[0226] Optionally, the processing module 710 is further configured to: determine the address of at least one first network element based on the service subscribed by the first terminal and / or a first policy, wherein the first policy indicates whether the network service should transmit signaling messages through the user plane.

[0227] For a more detailed description of the processing module 710 and the transceiver module 720 mentioned above, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 6 The relevant descriptions in the illustrated embodiments are directly obtained and will not be repeated here.

[0228] It should be noted that device 700 may include a transmitting module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, device 700 may include a receiving module but not a transmitting module. Specifically, it depends on whether the above-described scheme executed by device 700 includes both transmitting and receiving actions. It is understood that because device 700 has communication capabilities, it can also be called a communication device.

[0229] Figure 8 This is another schematic block diagram of the device provided in the embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 8 As shown, the device 800 includes one or more processors 810. The processor 810 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the central processing unit can be used to control the device (e.g., a first network element, a second network element, or a first terminal), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0230] Optionally, in one design, processor 810 may include a program (also referred to as code or instructions) that can be executed on processor 810, causing device 800 to perform the method performed by the first or second device in the above method embodiments. In yet another possible design, device 800 includes circuitry (…). Figure 8 (Not shown), the circuit is used to implement the functions of each network element or the first terminal in the above method embodiment.

[0231] For example, processor 810 can be used to execute computer programs or instructions in memory to achieve Figures 4 to 5The steps executed by each network element or the first terminal in any of the embodiments shown.

[0232] Optionally, the device 800 may include one or more memories 820 storing programs (sometimes referred to as code or instructions) that can be run on the processor 810, causing the device 800 to perform the methods executed by the network elements or the first terminal in the above embodiments.

[0233] Optionally, the processor 810 and / or memory 820 may include an AI module for implementing AI-related functions. The AI ​​module may be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of both. For example, the AI ​​module may include a radio intelligent controller (RIC) module. For instance, the AI ​​module may be a near real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0234] Optionally, the processor 810 and / or memory 820 may also store data. The processor and memory may be configured separately or integrated together.

[0235] Optionally, the device 800 may further include a communication interface 830. The processor 810, sometimes referred to as a processing unit, controls the device (e.g., a first network element, a second network element, or a first terminal). The communication interface 830, sometimes referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, is used to implement the transceiver function of the device.

[0236] Optionally, the device 800 also includes a communication interface 830. The processor 810 and the communication interface 830 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the communication interface 830 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0237] It is understandable that since device 800 has communication capabilities, it can also be called a communication device.

[0238] When device 800 is used to implement Figures 4 to 5 In this method, the processor 810 performs the functions of the aforementioned processing unit, and the communication interface 830 performs the functions of the aforementioned transceiver module. Whether the communication interface 830 is used for sending or receiving depends on whether the device 800 is used to perform a sending or receiving action in the execution scheme.

[0239] It should be noted that the above method embodiments can be applied to a processor, or implemented by a processor. A processor may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by software instructions.

[0240] The aforementioned processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0241] The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can reside in mature storage media in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0242] The memory in this application embodiment can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or it can include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0243] The methods provided in the above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, they can be implemented, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product may include one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic disk), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0244] This application also provides a computer program product that, when run on a processor, can implement the methods shown in the above method embodiments.

[0245] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium containing computer instructions that, when executed on a processor, can implement the methods shown in the above-described method embodiments.

[0246] This application also provides a chip, including a processor, for reading instructions stored in a memory. When the processor executes the stored instructions, the chip can implement the method shown in the above method embodiments.

[0247] This application also provides a communication system, including the aforementioned first network element and first terminal. Optionally, the communication system may further include one or more of the aforementioned second, third, fourth, and fifth network elements.

[0248] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software 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.

[0249] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0250] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of 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 system, 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 apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0251] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0252] In addition, 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.

[0253] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) 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, read-only memory, random access memory, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0254] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Determine to send a signaling message to the first terminal; Obtain the terminal address of the first session of the first terminal, wherein the first session is a session used for transmitting signaling messages; Based on the terminal address of the first session, the signaling message is sent to the first terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Obtaining the terminal address of the first session includes: Send a first request message to a second network element or a third network element. The first request message is used to obtain the terminal address of the first session. The first request message includes the identification information of the first terminal, as well as at least one of the following information for determining a session that can transmit signaling messages: session attributes, first data network name (DNN), or first network slice identifier. Receive a first response message, which includes the terminal address of the first session.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Obtaining the terminal address of the first session includes: Send a first request message to a second network element or a third network element. The first request message is used to obtain the address of the first terminal and includes the identifier of the first terminal. Receive a first response message, the first response message including the terminal address of at least one session, and at least one of the following information for determining whether the at least one session is a session capable of transmitting signaling messages: session attribute, first DNN, or first network slice identifier; Based on the first response message, the terminal address of the first session is determined.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, Before sending the first request message to the third network element, the method further includes: The third network element that provides services to the first terminal is obtained through the second network element.

5. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive a first request message from a first network element. The first request message is used to obtain the terminal address of the first session of the first terminal. The first session is used to transmit signaling messages. The first request message includes the identification information of the first terminal and at least one of the following information for determining the session that can transmit signaling messages: first attribute information, first network slice identifier, or first data network name (DNN). Send a first response message to the first network element, the first response message including the terminal address of the first session.

6. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive a first request message from a first network element, the first request message being used to obtain the address of a first terminal, the first request message including the identifier of the first terminal; Send a first response message to the first network element. The first response message includes the terminal address of at least one session and at least one of the following information for determining whether the at least one session is a session capable of transmitting signaling messages: a first attribute, a first data network name (DNN), or a first network slice identifier.

7. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Determine the first session to acquire for transmitting signaling messages; Send a second request message to the fourth network element. The second request message is used to request the establishment of the first session, or the second request message is used to request the modification of the second session to the first session for transmitting signaling messages. The second session is a session that cannot transmit signaling messages.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second request message includes at least one of the following pieces of information for determining a session capable of transmitting signaling messages: session attributes, a first data network name (DNN), or a first network slice identifier.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, When the second request message is used to request the modification of the second session to a first session for transmitting signaling messages, the second request message also includes identification information of the second session.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, The determination of acquiring the first session for transmitting signaling messages includes: A first session for transmitting signaling messages is determined to be acquired if one of the following conditions is met: the first terminal supports the first service, the network instructs the first terminal to transmit signaling messages from the user plane, or the first session is not included in the session associated with the first terminal. Among them, the signaling messages of the first service can be transmitted through the user plane.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that, The second request message includes first port information, which is used by the first terminal to receive signaling messages.

12. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive a second request message from the first terminal, the second request message being used to request the establishment of a session, or the second request message being used to request the modification of a session; Based on the second request message, a first session for transmitting signaling messages is established, or a second session is modified to a first session for transmitting signaling messages.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The second request message includes first capability information, which indicates that the first terminal has the ability to transmit signaling messages through the session / user plane.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The method further includes: A second response message is sent to the first terminal. The second response message includes session attribute information, which is used to determine whether the established or modified session is a session for transmitting signaling messages.

15. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The second request message is used to request the establishment of a session, including: The second request message is used to request the establishment of the first session; The second request message is used to request modification of the session, including: The second request message is used to request the modification of the second session into a first session for transmitting signaling messages.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The second request message includes at least one of the following pieces of information for determining a session capable of transmitting signaling messages: session attributes, a first data network name (DNN), or a first network slice identifier.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a first message to the second network element. The first message includes the identification information of the first terminal and the terminal address of the first session.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The first message also includes: a first attribute, a first DNN, or a first network slice identifier.

19. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Send second capability information, which is used to instruct the first terminal to act only as a client when transmitting non-access stratum signaling messages through the session and / or user plane; Receive first indication information and address information of at least one first network element, wherein the first indication information is used to indicate the establishment of a connection for transmitting signaling messages through a session or user plane; Based on the first indication information and the address information of the at least one first network element, a service connection is established with the at least one first network element through a first session, wherein the first session is a session used to transmit signaling messages.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The method further includes: Establish the first session.

21. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive second capability information, the second capability information being used to instruct the first terminal to act as a client when transmitting signaling messages through the user plane; Based on the second capability information, it is determined that the first terminal needs to establish a user plane connection with at least one first network element; Send a first indication message and the address information of the at least one first network element, wherein the first indication message is used to indicate the establishment of a session for transmitting signaling messages and / or a connection for transmitting signaling messages through the user plane.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the services subscribed by the first terminal and / or a first policy, the address of at least one first network element is determined, wherein the first policy indicates whether the network service should transmit signaling messages through the user plane.

23. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 22.

24. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes at least one processor for causing the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 22 by executing a computer program and / or by logic circuitry.

25. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method of any one of claims 1 to 22 is performed.

26. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program, and when the computer program is run, the method of any one of claims 1 to 22 is performed.

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