COMMUNICATION METHOD, ELECTRONIC DEVICE, AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, an electronic device, and a computer-readable medium, the method including: a network control unit (NCU) communicating with a first network element, the NCU being used to provide network control-related functions, the first network element including at least one of a network packet unit (NPU) for providing network packet forwarding-related functions, a network data unit (NDU) for providing data management-related functions, and a network intelligence unit (NIU) for providing intelligent intrinsic-related functions.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application bearing application number 202310209583.8 and entitled "Communication Method, Electronic Device, and Computer-Readable Medium," filed with the China Patent Office on February 24, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This application relates to the technical field of communications, and in particular to communication methods, electronic devices, and computer-readable media. [Background technology]

[0003] With the continuous development of communication technologies such as 6G, the deep integration of the real physical world and the virtual digital world will be realized, helping to build a new world of intelligent connectivity and digital twins. New services such as immersive cloud extended range (XR), holographic communication, sensory interconnection, intelligent interaction, communication sensing, inclusive intelligence, digital twins, and full area coverage will be widely and deeply applied in areas such as people's lives, social production, and public services.

[0004] Correspondingly, with the emergence of new services and technologies, communication network architectures will continue to evolve into the future. For example, with the support of new functions and new scenarios, the number of network functions in communication network architectures is increasing, and the corresponding number of network elements has exceeded 40. In this situation, how to ensure the efficiency and reliability of communication processes remains an urgent technical challenge in this field. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The embodiments of the present application aim to provide a communication method, an electronic device, and a computer-readable medium. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present application are realized by the following aspects.

[0007] According to a first aspect, the present embodiment comprises: A communication method executed by a network control unit NCU, communicating with a first network element; The NCU is used to provide network control-related functions, and the first network element includes at least one of a network packet unit NPU for providing network packet forwarding-related functions, a network data unit NDU for providing data management-related functions, and a network intelligence unit NIU for providing intelligent intrinsic-related functions.

[0008] According to a second aspect, the present embodiment comprises: A communication method executed by a network data unit NDU, comprising: communicating with a second network element based on the data channel; The NDU is used to provide data management related functions, and the second network element includes at least one of a network control unit NCU for providing network control related functions and a network intelligence unit NIU for providing intelligent intrinsic related functions.

[0009] According to a third aspect, the present embodiment comprises: A communication method performed by a network packet unit NPU, comprising: communicating with a third network element; The NPU is used to provide network packet forwarding related functions, and the third network element provides a communication method, including at least a network control unit NCU.

[0010] According to a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application comprises: A communication method performed by a network intelligent unit (NIU), comprising: communicating with a fourth network element; The NIU is used to provide intelligent intrinsic related functions, and the fourth network element includes at least one of a network control unit NCU for providing network control related functions and a network data unit NDU for providing data management related functions.

[0011] According to a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application comprises: Provided is an electronic device comprising: a memory; a processor; and computer-executable instructions stored in the memory and operable on the processor, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the device to perform the steps of a method according to the first, second, third, or fourth aspect.

[0012] According to a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the computer to perform the steps of the methods according to the first, second, third and fourth aspects. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] In order to more clearly describe the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following will briefly describe the drawings necessary for describing the embodiments or the prior art. However, the drawings in the following description are only some of the embodiments described in the present application, and it is obvious that those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative efforts.

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a communication network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 2] 1 shows a schematic diagram of the architecture of a multi-access network adapter according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 3a] 1 shows a schematic diagram 1 of a user registration flow according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3b] 2 shows a schematic diagram 2 of a user registration flow according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3c] 3 shows a schematic diagram of a user registration flow according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3d] 1 shows a schematic diagram 1 of the interaction flow of a user registration flow according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3e] 2 shows a schematic diagram 2 of the interaction flow of a user registration flow according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4a] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a session establishment flow according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 4b] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an interaction flow of a session establishment flow according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 5a] 1 shows a schematic diagram 1 of an inter-NCU switching flow according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 5b] 2 shows a schematic diagram 2 of an inter-NCU switching flow according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 5c] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an interaction flow of an inter-NCU switching flow according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6a] 1 shows a schematic flow diagram 1 of a data analysis service according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6b] 2 shows a schematic flow diagram 2 of a data analysis service according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6c] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an interaction flow of a data analysis service according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an electronic device that executes a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] In order to help those skilled in the art better understand the technical solutions of the present application, the following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, but it is clear that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, and do not represent all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without paying creative labor should fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0016] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a communication network architecture according to the present application, which is an extremely simple, distributed, and autonomous future network architecture (also referred to as a 6G communication network architecture, etc.) that may include, but is not limited to, one or more of a network control unit (NCU), a network packet unit (NPU), a network data unit (NDU), a network intelligent unit (NIU), etc. It can be understood that the naming of each network unit in the communication network architecture according to the present application may be, but is not limited to, the above-mentioned NCU, NPU, NIU, NDU, etc., that is, the naming of each network unit in the communication network architecture according to the present application may be flexibly designed according to communication standards, protocols, etc., and is not limited here.

[0017] Among them, the NCU is used as the network control center of the communication network architecture to provide network control-related functions, including but not limited to mobility management, session management and other advanced functions, such as deterministic communication, computing network collaboration, and integration of sensing and communication; and also responsible for task driving and collaboration of tasks such as connectivity, computing power, intelligence, and recognition.

[0018] The NPU is used to provide network packet forwarding-related functions, for example, inheriting the basic functions of user plane data forwarding in related communication network architectures (e.g., 5G network architecture, 4G network architecture, etc.), introducing user plane programmable functions, and achieving the purpose of flexibly defining user plane processing logic, while evolving toward functional features such as computing network traffic recognition, deterministic communication, and fine-grained subnetworking.

[0019] The NDU is used to provide data management-related functions such as data plane unification and fusion. In this application, based on the user core data provided by the Unified Data Repository (UDR) / Unstructured Data Storage Function (UDSF) of related communication network architectures (e.g., 5G network architecture, 4G network architecture, etc.), network data and computational data are added, a unified data format is defined, and a data channel to the outside is provided, thereby solving the problem that the current independent data planes cannot be separated from each other by different manufacturers.

[0020] The NIU provides intelligent endogenous functions such as artificial intelligence (AI) task scheduling management, online inference, online training, and knowledge model warehouse. It also realizes cross-layer and cross-domain intelligence among multiple nodes through distributed learning collaboration, making the network extremely simple, flexible, and intelligent internally, and providing flexible AI services to applications externally.

[0021] Referring again to FIG. 1, the aforementioned communication network architecture of the present application may rely on a dual-bus architecture for its internal interactions. One is to reuse the service-based bus (SBI) of related communication network architectures (e.g., 5G network architecture, 4G network architecture, etc.), that is, to inherit the service-based design concept and extend the scope of the service-based interface from the core network control plane to the user control plane and further to the radio access side, thereby realizing end-to-end services in the mobile network field. For example, in this embodiment, the service-based bus may provide control message interactions between network units.

[0022] The other is a data bus, i.e., a data channel or data channel bus, newly added in this application. This allows various network units (e.g., NCU, NIU, etc.) to interact with the NDU through the data channel to achieve efficient data acquisition and processing. For example, in this embodiment, the data channel is used to enable high-speed transmission of data (e.g., core data, network data, computational data, etc.).

[0023] It can be understood that the HPLMN in Figure 1 is a home public land mobile network and the VPLMN is a visited public land mobile network, i.e., each network unit in the present application may be one or more of a user's visited NCU, a user's home NCU, etc.

[0024] Furthermore, the NCU of the above-described communication network architecture may also support at least one network access form, and different network access forms (also referred to as multimodal access) correspond to different network adapters (adaptors). For example, referring to FIG. 2, in the case of multimodal access of the NCU, such as satellite access, fixed network access, 4G / 5G access, Wi-Fi access, and other network access forms, access can be performed through different network adapters (or adapters). In this application, the network adapter can be realized in the form of a component or microservice, which is plug-and-play within the NCU, realizes adaptation and conversion of different protocols, and ensures communication performance and flexible access.

[0025] From the above, it has been found that, compared with communication network architectures according to related technologies (e.g., 5G network architecture, 4G network architecture, etc.), each network unit of the communication network architecture according to the present application can be obtained by reconstructing and aggregating similar network elements, such as rationalizing each network function (NF: Network Function) of the control plane in the related communication network architecture according to functional classification.

[0026] Specifically, some of the functions in the 5G communications network architecture, such as the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Policy Control Function (PCF), and logical processing such as Unified Data Management (UDM), can be incorporated into a single network unit such as the NCU as customizable and adjustable microservices. Additionally, static data and UDR data from the UDM and PCF can be processed professionally by a unified network data unit (e.g., NDU). In addition, for example, by optimizing and enhancing the User Plane Function (UPF) and Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF), the original more than 40 network elements have been reduced to four, normalizing function types, enabling flexible customization of network elements, flattening networking, and achieving a simple topology structure, resulting in a communications network architecture with improved maintainability, scalability, and network robustness compared to communications network architectures in related technologies.

[0027] For example, in terms of maintainability, the number of network elements in the communication network architecture of the present application is significantly reduced, which reduces the difficulty of network planning, deployment, startup, and maintenance, reduces the number of NF interactions, simplifies signaling transmission, shortens troubleshooting cycles, and makes it easier to identify problems.

[0028] In terms of scalability, for example, the number of network elements in the communication network architecture of the present application is significantly reduced, thereby shortening the release cycle of new functions and the cycle of interoperability tests between different manufacturers, improving customization capabilities for industry users (ToB, 2B), and accelerating user development.

[0029] In terms of network robustness, for example, the number of network elements in the communication network architecture of the present application is significantly reduced, thereby strengthening the network's self-checking and self-repair mechanisms, reducing the impact of failures, and clarifying the cloud security boundary, thereby reducing the risk of attacks.

[0030] Of course, in addition to the aforementioned advantages of maintainability, scalability, network robustness, etc., the communication network architecture of the present application can also focus on the needs of users / customers, comprehensively improve user traffic experience and network-cloud-network convergence service capabilities, and expand the scope of mobile network services.

[0031] In other words, the communication network architecture of this application can meet the diverse needs of new traffic and new scenarios. For example, in traffic scenarios such as immersive XR and the Metaverse, it is necessary to utilize not only basic connection services but also edge computing resource services, highly accurate environment and object recognition services, and network AI services to support user behavior prediction and optimal route selection.

[0032] In terms of network configuration, the core network of the communication network architecture of the present application (also referred to as a future core network) supports both centralized cloud deployment and distributed edge cloud deployment. In terms of network access mode, the core network of the communication network architecture of the present application can support multiple access modes, such as fixed, satellite, Wi-Fi, and terrestrial base station.

[0033] Furthermore, considering that the number of network elements in the communication network architecture of the present application is significantly reduced compared to the communication network architecture of the related art, in such cases, when various communication needs (such as user registration, session establishment, inter-NCU switching, data analysis service, etc.) are realized based on the communication network architecture of the present application, the number of interactions between network elements will inevitably be significantly reduced, the communication flow will be greatly simplified, communication efficiency will be improved, and the efficiency and reliability of the communication process will be ensured. Here, the interactive network elements that may be involved in achieving the above-mentioned communication objectives, such as user registration, session establishment, inter-NCU switching, and data analysis service, are as follows:

[0034] For example, the NCU communicates with a first network element (e.g., at least one of an NPU, an NDU, and an NIU) to achieve purposes such as user registration, session establishment, inter-NCU switching, data analysis services, etc.

[0035] Also, for example, the NDU communicates with a second network element (eg, an NCU and / or an NIU) based on a data channel to achieve purposes such as user registration, session establishment, inter-NCU switching, data analysis services, etc.

[0036] In addition, for example, the NPU communicates with a third network element (eg, an NCU) to achieve purposes such as user registration, session establishment, inter-NCU switching, and data analysis services.

[0037] Furthermore, for example, the NIU communicates with a fourth network element (eg, an NCU and / or an NDU) to achieve purposes such as user registration, session establishment, inter-NCU switching, data analysis services, etc.

[0038] Of course, when communication is performed based on the communication network architecture of the present application, the aforementioned user registration, session establishment, NCU switching, data analysis services, etc. can be achieved, but are not limited to these. Cell switching, random access, etc. can also be achieved, and are not limited here.

[0039] Based on the above-mentioned communication network architecture, with reference to various embodiments, the process of realizing various communication purposes (e.g., user registration, session establishment, NCU-to-NCU switching, data analysis service, etc.) is exemplarily described as follows:

[0040] 3a shows a schematic flow diagram of a communication method 300 according to an embodiment of the present application, which may be performed by an NCU. In other words, the method 300 may be performed by software or hardware installed on the NCU. As shown in FIG. 3a, the method 300 may include the following steps:

[0041] S310: The NCU communicates with a first network element.

[0042] Here, the NCU is used to provide network control-related functions, and the first network element includes at least one of an NPU for providing network packet forwarding-related functions, an NDU for providing data management-related functions, and an NIU for providing intelligent internal factors-related functions.

[0043] It can be understood that for the implementation process of S310, reference can be made to the relevant description of the communication network architecture described above. In addition, assuming that, as an embodiment, the NCU realizes user registration by communicating with the first network element, the implementation process may differ depending on the location where the user initiates the registration request, for example, the user registration may be initiated at a visiting location, or at home, etc. The following describes the registration process in various scenarios by combining embodiments 1 to 3. Embodiment 1

[0044] Assuming that a user (also called a physical terminal (PUE)) initiates a registration flow at home, the first network element may include the NDU, and the process of the NCU communicating with the first network element may include the following S311 to S314 shown in FIG. 3a.

[0045] S311: The NCU receives a first registration request.

[0046] Here, the first registration request may carry, but is not limited to, a user registration type (e.g., initial registration, periodic location update, etc.), terminal capability information (e.g., terminal positioning capability, integrated sensing and communication capability, Voice over New Radio (VoNR) capability, etc.), terminal location information, a terminal identifier, etc.

[0047] S312: The NCU determines that the first registration request is sent by a terminal and that it is the home NCU corresponding to the terminal.

[0048] Here, the NCU determines the sender of the first registration request and whether it is the home NCU (H-NCU) or visited NCU (V-NCU) of the terminal based on the related information carried in the first registration request or the terminal access mode, and then selects the corresponding registration flow based on the determination result, thereby ensuring smooth execution of the registration flow.

[0049] S313: The NCU sends a first data request to the NDU in response to the first registration request.

[0050] Here, the first data request is used to request all user data corresponding to the terminal, such as at least one of core data (e.g., user contract data, policy data), network data, computing power data, etc. related to the terminal.

[0051] In response to this, when the NDU receives the first data request sent by the NCU, the NDU may transmit all of the user data corresponding to the first data request to the NCU based on a data channel. Here, by adopting the data channel, the present application can achieve high-speed transmission of all of the user data while ensuring security of data transmission.

[0052] S314: The NCU receives all the user data transmitted by the NDU according to the data channel.

[0053] S315: The NCU registers the terminal based on the total amount of user data.

[0054] Here, in order to ensure security of user registration, etc., one possible embodiment is that the NCU performs terminal authentication based on the entire user data and sends a first registration response to the terminal based on the terminal authentication result.

[0055] For example, if the authentication result is authentication success, the corresponding first registration response will be registration success, or if the authentication result is authentication failure, the corresponding first registration response will be registration failure. Of course, if the authentication result is authentication failure, the first registration response may also carry information such as the reason for the authentication failure, but this is not limited thereto.

[0056] In this embodiment, when performing terminal authentication, the NCU adopts a unified data model centered on user data, and can provide a unified authentication method and unified user data management.

[0057] Based on this, in this embodiment, when the NCU receives the entire user data, it can store it in a digital twin terminal (DUE: Digital User Equipment) corresponding to the terminal. That is, the NCU can model and manage terminals using a unified digital twin UE (DUE), provide a unified authentication method and unified user data management, and ensure traffic continuity.

[0058] In one embodiment, the DUE corresponding to the terminal may be created when the NCU receives a first registration request or when the NCU receives the entire amount of user data transmitted by the NDU, and is not limited thereto.

[0059] In this embodiment, user registration is based on all user data, strengthening the design philosophy of user services. A user-level digital twin DUE is dynamically constructed within the NCU, and the DUE is associated with the PUE, allowing for user-based signaling processing and management, and providing external data functions, thereby avoiding data inconsistency issues. Furthermore, aggregation requires only one copy of the DUE data, reducing the amount of duplicated data and solving related technology problems, such as the waste of storage resources and high network resource overhead caused by multiple NFs storing their own data, thereby improving overall performance.

[0060] DUE also has the ability to drive AI and / or machine learning (ML), reducing data collection, lowering network service AI / ML overhead, and enabling AI / ML evolution. Embodiment 2

[0061] Assuming that the user initiates the registration flow at the visited location, the first network element includes the NDU, and the process of the NCU communicating with the first network element may include the following S316 to S319 shown in Figure 3b.

[0062] S316: The NCU receives the first registration request.

[0063] Here, the first registration request may carry, but is not limited to, a registration type (e.g., initial registration, periodic location update, etc.), terminal capability information (e.g., terminal positioning capability, integrated sensing and communication capability, VoNR capability, etc.), terminal location information, a terminal identifier, etc.

[0064] S317: The NCU determines that the first registration request is sent by a terminal and that it is the visited NCU corresponding to the terminal.

[0065] Here, the NCU can determine the sender of the first registration request and whether it is the home NCU (H-NCU) or visited NCU (V-NCU) of the terminal based on the first registration request or the terminal access mode, thereby ensuring smooth execution of the subsequent registration flow.

[0066] It can be understood that if the NCU is a V-NCU, the terminal is in a roaming scenario.

[0067] S318: The NCU synchronizes all user data of the terminal with the home NCU corresponding to the terminal according to the data channel.

[0068] For example, the V-NCU may send a second registration request to the H-NCU, and in response, upon receiving the second registration request, the H-NCU may return all user data of the terminal to the V-NCU, such as at least one of core data related to the terminal (e.g., user contract data, policy data), network data, computational power data, etc.

[0069] In this embodiment, when the V-NCU receives all the user data, it may store it as copy data.

[0070] Of course, as one possible embodiment, a user instance of a DUE can be created in the V-NCU to store copy data of the terminal, such as all user data, as in the above-described embodiment 1. Here, the realization process of the DUE and the like can be referred to in the related description of the above-described embodiment 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0071] It is understandable that future aerospace networks will face many challenges, such as high latency and high-speed movement. For example, the relative movement speed of LEO satellites to the ground is as fast as 7.56 km / s, and each satellite can provide service to users for only a few minutes, necessitating frequent switching. On the other hand, in this second embodiment, synchronization based on master copy data realizes an enhanced mobility management form, simplifies the flow, and improves the reliability of communication flows such as user registration. Here, all user data stored in the H-NCU is called master data, and all user data stored in the V-NCU is called copy data.

[0072] S319: The NCU registers the terminal based on the total amount of user data.

[0073] In order to ensure security of terminal registration, etc., in one possible embodiment, the NCU may perform terminal authentication based on the entire user data and transmit a first registration response to the terminal based on the terminal authentication result. For example, if the authentication result is authentication success, the corresponding first registration response may indicate registration success, or if the authentication result is authentication failure, the corresponding first registration response may indicate registration failure. Of course, the first registration response may also carry information such as the reason for authentication failure, but this is not limited thereto.

[0074] In this embodiment 2, under an extremely simple communication network architecture, this embodiment 2 can reduce the number of messages in the user registration flow and shorten the communication flow by quickly synchronizing the user master copy data of the DUE. Embodiment 3

[0075] Assuming that the user initiates the registration flow at the visited location, the first network element includes the NDU, and the process of the NCU communicating with the first network element may include the following S320 to S322 shown in FIG. 3c.

[0076] S320: The NCU receives a first registration request.

[0077] Here, the first registration request may carry, but is not limited to, a registration type (e.g., initial registration, periodic location update, etc.), terminal capability information (e.g., terminal positioning capability, integrated sensing and communication capability, VoNR capability, etc.), terminal location information, a terminal identifier, etc.

[0078] S321: The NCU determines that the first registration request is sent by a visited NCU corresponding to a terminal, and that the NCU itself is a home NCU corresponding to the terminal.

[0079] Here, the NCU can determine the sender of the first registration request and whether it is the home NCU (H-NCU) or visited NCU (V-NCU) of the terminal based on the first registration request or the terminal access mode, thereby ensuring smooth execution of the subsequent registration flow.

[0080] It can be understood that when the first registration request is sent by a V-NCU, the terminal is in a roaming scenario.

[0081] S322: The NCU synchronizes all user data corresponding to the first registration request to the visited NCU according to a data channel.

[0082] Of course, if the NCU detects that the entire user data corresponding to the first registration request does not exist locally after receiving the first registration request, the NCU can send a data acquisition request to the NDU to acquire the entire user data and synchronize it with the visited NCU.

[0083] Furthermore, similar to the first embodiment, when the home NCU locally stores all the user data, it can store it in the DUE corresponding to the terminal, thereby providing a unified authentication method and unified user data management for different users and ensuring traffic continuity. Here, for the implementation process of the DUE, etc., please refer to the relevant description of the first embodiment, and therefore will not be repeated here.

[0084] In response to this, after receiving the entire user data, the V-NCU stores it in the DUE as a copy of the terminal data, and after performing terminal authentication based on the entire user data, can feed back a first registration response to the terminal. Here, for the implementation of this process, reference can be made to the related description in the above-mentioned embodiment 2, and therefore it will not be repeated here.

[0085] Similar to the above-mentioned second embodiment, under an extremely simple communication network architecture, this third embodiment can reduce the number of messages in the user registration flow and shorten the communication flow by quickly synchronizing the user master copy data of the DUE.

[0086] Further, based on the description of the above embodiment of the method 300, and with reference to Fig. 3d and Fig. 3e, the interaction flow of the network elements for the above registration flow is exemplarily described as follows. Example 1

[0087] Assuming that the terminal (PUE) initiates the registration flow at home, the realization process may include the following S331 to S336 shown in FIG. 3d.

[0088] S331: The PUE sends a first registration request to the NCU.

[0089] S332: When the NCU receives the first registration request, the NCU sends a first data request to the NDU in response to the first registration request to request all of the user data.

[0090] S333: When the NDU receives the first data request, it transmits the entire amount of user data to the NCU based on a data channel.

[0091] S334: The NCU creates a user instance of the DUE and stores all of the user data.

[0092] S335: The NCU performs terminal authentication on the terminal based on the entire user data.

[0093] S336: The NCU transmits a first registration response to the terminal according to the terminal authentication result. Example 2

[0094] Assuming that the terminal initiates the registration flow at the visited location, the realization process may include the following S341 to S348 shown in FIG. 3e.

[0095] S341: The PUE sends a first registration request to the V-NCU at the visited location.

[0096] S342: In response to the first registration request, the V-NCU sends a second registration request to the H-NCU to request synchronization of all user data.

[0097] S343: When the H-NCU receives the second registration request, if all user data corresponding to the second registration request does not exist locally, the H-NCU sends a first data request to the NDU to obtain all user data.

[0098] In one embodiment, if the H-NCU determines that all user data corresponding to the second registration request is stored locally, it directly synchronizes the all user data to the V-NCU based on DUE.

[0099] S344: When the NDU receives the first data request, it transmits all the user data to the H-NCU based on the data channel.

[0100] S345: Upon receiving the entire user data, the H-NCU transmits the entire user data to the V-NCU based on the data channel.

[0101] S346: The V-NCU creates a user instance of the DUE and stores a copy of the user's data, i.e., the entire user data.

[0102] S347: The V-NCU performs terminal authentication on the terminal based on the entire user data.

[0103] S348: The V-NCU sends a first registration response to the terminal according to the authentication result.

[0104] It can be understood that the implementation processes of Examples 1 and 2 may include, but are not limited to, the above steps, and the implementation processes thereof can refer to the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiment 300, and can achieve the same or corresponding technical effects, so they will not be repeated here to avoid redundancy.

[0105] 4a shows a schematic flow diagram of a communication method 400 according to an embodiment of the present application, which may be performed by an NCU. In other words, the method 400 may be performed by software or hardware installed in the NCU. As shown in FIG. 4a, the method 400 may include the following steps:

[0106] S410: The NCU communicates with a first network element.

[0107] Here, the NCU is used to provide network control-related functions, and the first network element includes at least one of a network packet unit NPU for providing network packet forwarding-related functions, a network data unit NDU for providing data management-related functions, and a network intelligence unit NIU for providing intelligent internal functions.

[0108] It is to be understood that the implementation process of S410 can refer to the relevant description of the method embodiment 300 and / or the communication network architecture. In addition, as a possible embodiment, when the NCU communicates with a first network element to achieve the communication purpose of session establishment, the first network element may include the NPU. Correspondingly, the implementation process may include the following S411 to S413 shown in FIG. 4a:

[0109] S411: The NCU receives a first session establishment request sent by a terminal via a Radio Access Network (RAN).

[0110] That is, when the terminal sends the first session establishment request, it can send it to the NCU via a Radio Access Network (RAN).

[0111] S412: In response to the first session establishment request, the NCU requests session establishment related information from the NPU.

[0112] Here, the NCU can determine an appropriate NPU from at least one NPU depending on the total amount of user data of the terminal, and request session establishment-related information from the NPU, such as establishing a bearer, setting a forwarding rule, and requesting Quality of Service (QOS) policy information from the NCU.

[0113] In one embodiment, the process of the NCU requesting session establishment related information from the NPU in response to the first session establishment request (also referred to as a target session establishment request) includes: sending a second session establishment request to the NPU in response to the first session establishment request; and upon receiving the second session establishment request, the NPU determining session establishment related information such as bearer establishment, forwarding rule configuration, and QOS policy information, and sending a second session establishment response to the second NCU, wherein the second session establishment response carries the session establishment related information.

[0114] S413: The NCU sends a first session establishment response to the terminal via the RAN according to the session establishment related information.

[0115] Here, the NCU sends a first session establishment response to the RAN, carrying QOS policy information, etc., according to the session establishment-related information, and then the RAN applies for radio resources, establishes a bearer, etc., according to the QOS policy information, etc., to achieve the purpose of session establishment by the terminal.

[0116] In this embodiment, when a session is established based on the communication network architecture of the present application, the interaction flow between network elements is effectively simplified, such as by significantly reducing the number of interactions between network elements, i.e., the number of message steps.

[0117] That is, in this embodiment, by aggregating and reconstructing network elements, especially those with strong dependencies, information interactions between the original network elements are converted into microservice processing within the network unit, and the session establishment flow is also simplified. For example, flows involving frequent interactions between AMF, SMF, and PCF in related communication network architectures, such as session processing and policy acquisition, are realized within the same NCU in the communication network architecture of the present application. Typically, these flows do not involve external interactions, and only perform operations such as context transfer required between NCUs as needed in scenarios such as intercommunication and mobility. As a result, the number of steps in the session establishment process realized based on the communication network architecture of the present application is reduced from more than 20 in related art to less than four, significantly reducing the number of message interactions, simplifying the flow, and ensuring the reliability and efficiency of the communication process.

[0118] Further, based on the description of the above method embodiment 400, hereinafter, with reference to Example 3 and FIG. 4b, the interaction process between network elements in the session establishment flow is described as follows:

[0119] S421: The terminal sends a first session establishment request to the NCU via the RAN.

[0120] S422: In response to the first session establishment request, the NCU sends a second session establishment request to the NPU to request bearer establishment, transfer rule setting, QOS policy information, etc.

[0121] S423: In response to the second session establishment request, the NPU returns a second session establishment response, such as a bearer establishment response, to the NCU.

[0122] S424: In response to the second session establishment response, the NCU sends a third session establishment request to the RAN, carrying the first session establishment response sent to the terminal to initiate session establishment, and the third session establishment request carries QOS policy information, etc.

[0123] S425: The RAN requests radio resources, establishes a bearer, etc., according to the request such as the QOS policy carried in the third session establishment request, and transfers the first session establishment response to the terminal.

[0124] It can be understood that the implementation process of this example may include, but is not limited to, the steps described above, and the implementation process can refer to the relevant description of the method embodiment 400 described above, and can achieve the same or corresponding technical effects, so they will not be repeated here to avoid redundancy.

[0125] 5a shows a schematic flow diagram of a communication method 500 according to an embodiment of the present application, which may be performed by an NCU. In other words, the method 500 may be performed by software or hardware installed in the NCU. As shown in FIG. 5a, the method 500 may include the following steps:

[0126] S510: Communicate with a first network element.

[0127] Here, the NCU is used to provide network control-related functions, and the first network element includes at least one of an NPU for providing network packet forwarding-related functions, an NDU for providing data management-related functions, and an NIU for providing intelligent internal factors-related functions.

[0128] It can be understood that for the implementation process of S510, reference can be made to the method embodiment 300, the method embodiment 400, and the related description of the communication network architecture described above. In addition, as a possible embodiment, when the NCU achieves the communication purpose of inter-NCU switching by communicating with a first network element, the first network element may include the NPU, including a source NPU and a target NPU. Correspondingly, when the NCU is a source NCU, the implementation process may include the following S511 to S514 shown in FIG. 5a:

[0129] S511: The source NCU receives a first switching request sent by the source RAN.

[0130] Here, the source RAN determines whether to initiate a switching flow by monitoring terminal access signals (e.g., uplink signals and downlink signals), and for example, if the signal quality of the terminal access signals is poor, the source RAN decides to initiate a switching flow, that is, sends a first switching request to the source NCU.

[0131] Of course, when the source NCU receives the first switching request, it can determine whether inter-NCU switching is necessary based on the terminal's location, the terminal's communication quality, etc., and if necessary, it can determine the target NCU based on the terminal's total user data, etc., and start the switching flow, i.e., the subsequent S512.

[0132] S512: In response to the first switching request, the source NCU sends a second switching request to the target NCU to request a terminal to switch from the source NCU to the target NCU.

[0133] Correspondingly, when the target NCU receives the second switching request, it may determine an appropriate NPU, i.e., a target NPU, in response to the second switching request. Then, the target NCU sends a session establishment request to the target NPU, the target NPU determines session establishment-related information in response to the session establishment request and sends the session establishment-related information to the target NCU via a session establishment response, the target NCU sends a switching request to a target RAN in response to the received session establishment response, and upon receiving the switching response sent by the target RAN, sends a second switching response to the source NCU in response to the switching response, i.e., the source NCU described in S513 receives the second switching response sent by the target NCU in response to the second switching request.

[0134] S513: The source NCU receives a second switching response sent by the target NCU in response to the second switching request.

[0135] S514: The source NCU sends a first switching command to the source RAN in response to the second switching response.

[0136] In response to this, when the source RAN receives the first switching command, it sends a switching command to the terminal, and the terminal switches from the source RAN to the target RAN according to the switching command. After the switching is completed, the target RAN sends a switching completion notification to the target NCU, and then the target NCU sends a switching completion notification to the source NCU, and the source NCU initiates a bearer release request to the source NPU, releasing the data transfer resources originally requested by the S-NPU, and finally, the source NPU returns a bearer release response, thereby completing the inter-NCU switching flow.

[0137] Of course, from the above switching flow, we can see that when performing inter-NCU switching, the number of network elements and interfaces in the communication network architecture is significantly reduced, and the number of interaction messages related to the switching process is also significantly reduced, thereby simplifying the switching flow and ensuring the efficiency of the communication process. For example, by reducing the number of network elements and interfaces, measurements have shown that the number of steps for establishing switching is reduced from the original 30 or more to less than 14, the number of message interactions is significantly reduced, and the flow is simplified.

[0138] Furthermore, as another possible embodiment, when the NCU is set as a target NCU in an inter-NCU switching process, the realization process may include the following S521 to S522 shown in FIG. 5b.

[0139] S521: The target NCU receives a third switching request sent by the source NCU to request a terminal to switch from the source NCU to the target NCU.

[0140] S522: In response to the third switching request, the target NCU sends a third switching response to the source NCU.

[0141] In one embodiment of the present application, the process of the target NCU sending a third switching response to the source NCU in response to the third switching request includes the steps of determining a target NPU in response to the third switching request and sending a third session establishment request to the target NPU, receiving a third session establishment response sent by the target NPU, sending a fourth switching request to the target RAN in response to the third session establishment response, receiving a fourth switching response sent by the target RAN in response to the fourth switching request, and sending the third switching response to the source NCU in response to the fourth switching response.

[0142] It can be understood that for the switching flow that realizes NCU-to-NCU switching with the NCU as the target NCU, reference can be made to the related explanations of S511 to S514 mentioned above, and the same or corresponding technical effects can be achieved, so they will not be repeated here to avoid redundancy.

[0143] In addition, in this method embodiment, only the inter-NCU switching flow is provided, but in actual communications, there may be internal switching within the RAN, switching within the same NCU, etc., and the switching process is similar to the inter-NCU switching flow described above, so it will not be repeated here.

[0144] Furthermore, based on the description of the above-mentioned method embodiment 500, with reference to FIG. 5c and Example 4, the interaction process between network elements in the flow of inter-NCU switching is described as follows.

[0145] S531: When the source RAN (S-RAN) determines to initiate switching by monitoring the PUE signal, the S-RAN sends a first switching request to the source NCU (S-NCU) to start the switching flow.

[0146] S532: When the S-NCU determines that inter-NCU switching is necessary in response to the first switching request, it sends a second switching request to the target NCU (T-NCU) in response to the first switching request.

[0147] S533: The T-NCU selects an appropriate target NPU (T-NPU) according to the second switching request, and sends a third session establishment request, such as a bearer establishment request, to the T-NPU.

[0148] S534: After the T-NPU successfully creates a bearer channel in response to the third session establishment request, it sends a third session establishment response to the T-NCU, which may include session establishment related information such as bearer information.

[0149] S535: The T-NCU sends a third switching request to the target RAN (T-RAN) in response to the third session establishment response.

[0150] S536: The T-RAN sends a third switching response to the T-NCU in response to the third switching request.

[0151] S537: In response to the third switching response, the T-NCU returns a second switching response to the S-NCU.

[0152] S538: The S-NCU sends a first switching command to the S-RAN in response to the second switching response.

[0153] S539: The S-RAN sends a second switching command to the PUE according to the first switching command.

[0154] S540: After the PUE switches to the T-RAN according to the second switching command, the T-RAN returns a switching completion notification to the T-NCU.

[0155] S541: In response to receiving the switching completion notification, the T-NCU returns the switching completion notification to the S-NCU.

[0156] S542: The S-NCU initiates a bearer release request to the S-NPU, and releases the data transfer resources etc. originally requested by the S-NPU.

[0157] S543: The S-NPU returns a bearer release response.

[0158] It can be understood that the realization process of inter-NCU switching in this example may include, but is not limited to, the above-mentioned steps, and the realization process can refer to the relevant description of the above-mentioned method embodiment 500, and can achieve the same or corresponding technical effects, so it will not be repeated here to avoid redundancy.

[0159] 6a shows a schematic flow diagram of a communication method 600 according to an embodiment of the present application, which may be performed by an NCU. In other words, the method 600 may be performed by software or hardware installed in the NCU. As shown in FIG. 6a, the method 600 may include the following steps:

[0160] S610: Communicate with a first network element.

[0161] Here, the NCU is used to provide network control-related functions, and the first network element includes at least one of an NPU for providing network packet forwarding-related functions, an NDU for providing data management-related functions, and an NIU for providing intelligent internal factors-related functions.

[0162] It can be understood that for the implementation process of S610, reference can be made to the method embodiments 300 to 500 and the related description of the communication network architecture. In addition, referring again to FIG. 6a, as a possible embodiment, when the NCU achieves the communication purpose of realizing the data analysis service by communicating with the first network element, the first network element may include the NIU.

[0163] Based on this, when the NCU functions as a network portal, the process of the NCU communicating with the first network element to realize the data analysis service may include the following S611 to S612 shown in FIG. 6a.

[0164] S611: The NCU receives a data service request.

[0165] Here, the data service request may be sent by an Application Function (AF) to request user distribution data, network status data, etc., but is not limited thereto. That is, in this embodiment, the NCU corresponds to a network portal, and is used to receive a request sent by an AF, and forward the received request to a corresponding network element, such as the NIU described in the following S612.

[0166] S612: The NCU forwards the data service request to the NIU.

[0167] Of course, when the NIU receives the data request, it may send a third data acquisition request to the NDU to obtain target data (e.g., raw data such as network data, computing power data, core network data, etc.) used for data analysis services, and then return the target data to the NCU; and / or the NIU may use corresponding intelligent algorithms and models to process and analyze the received target data to obtain data processing results, and return the data processing results corresponding to the target data to the NCU, and then the NCU may forward the received target data or the data processing results corresponding to the target data to the AF.

[0168] Furthermore, as another possible embodiment, if the NIU stores relevant data used to perform data analysis services, such as static data (terminal location information, terminal status information, etc.) in the NCU, the process of the NCU communicating with the first network element may include the following S613 to S614 shown in Figure 6b.

[0169] S613: The NCU receives the second data request sent by the NIU.

[0170] Here, the second data request may be sent by the NIU after receiving a data service request to request related data used for data analysis service from the NCU.

[0171] S614: The NCU provides target data corresponding to the second data request to the NIU according to a data channel.

[0172] Correspondingly, when the NIU receives the target data sent by the NCU, it can perform data analysis services by combining the target data with the target data sent by the NDU, such as using corresponding intelligent algorithms and models to process and analyze the target data.

[0173] In this embodiment, the NIU is used to realize the network's intelligent plane function, which is the basic unit for processing intelligent tasks in the network. Internally, the NIU applies AI / ML to the network to improve the intelligence of the communication network. In addition to basic load analysis and congestion prediction, the NIU can also predict resource configuration and allocation requirements for NCUs and NPUs, and analyze service tailoring and customization requirements, making the network extremely simple, flexible, and intelligent. Externally, the NIU provides flexible AI / ML network services (AIaaS) for applications, such as providing network performance analysis and prediction, performing network routing selection, and assisting applications in configuring service QoS.

[0174] Of course, since the number of network elements and interfaces in the communication network architecture is greatly reduced, the number of interactive messages related to the data analysis service process is also greatly reduced, simplifying the data analysis service flow and ensuring the efficiency of the communication process.

[0175] Furthermore, based on the description of the above-mentioned method embodiment 600, the interaction process between network elements in the data analysis service flow will be described below with reference to an example and Fig. 6c, where it is assumed that the AF does not need to perform signaling interaction with the NIU via the NCU.

[0176] S621: When the AF needs to obtain data analysis services (eg, user distribution data, network status data, etc.), it sends a data service request to the NIU.

[0177] In one embodiment of the present application, the NIU may send a data service request to an NCU, which is a network portal.

[0178] S622: The NIU sends a third data request to the NDU to obtain raw data such as network data, computing power data, and core network data in response to the data service request.

[0179] S623: The NDU returns target data corresponding to the third data request to the NIU according to the data channel.

[0180] S624: The NIU uses corresponding intelligent algorithms and models to process and analyze the acquired target data.

[0181] S625: The NIU returns the target data or the data processing result corresponding to the target data to the AF.

[0182] It can be understood that the implementation process of the data analysis service in this example may include, but is not limited to, the steps described above, and the implementation process can refer to the relevant description of the above-mentioned method embodiment 600, and can achieve the same or corresponding technical effects, so they will not be repeated here to avoid redundancy.

[0183] Furthermore, in addition to the above-described communication network architecture of the present application and the above-described method embodiments 300 to 600 realized based on this communication network architecture, the communication network architecture shown in FIG. 1 of the present application can also achieve the following technical effects:

[0184] (1) Resolving signaling storms: By adopting DUE, the standard signaling interface between NFs is replaced with the DUE internal data access interface, eliminating signaling storms caused by interactions between multiple NFs.

[0185] (2) True Grayscale Upgrade: Single DUE deployment and grayscale upgrade is simple and achieved without relying on DUE internals; it is a simple process of replacing DUEs in batches.

[0186] (3) New features are released N times faster: The release of a new feature does not require the upgrade of N related NFs.

[0187] (4) Faults are easy to identify and the system is easy to maintain: Multiple NFs interact and depend on each other, so when a fault occurs, it spreads easily, making it difficult to identify the cause and taking a long time to resolve. In the case of a single DUE, the cause of the fault can be easily identified, making it easy to isolate and repair the fault.

[0188] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device, which may include a first communication module applied to an NCU for communicating with a first network element, the NCU being used for providing network control-related functions, and the first network element including at least one of a network packet unit NPU for providing network packet forwarding-related functions, a network data unit NDU for providing data management-related functions, and a network intelligence unit NIU for providing intelligent intrinsic-related functions.

[0189] In one embodiment of the present application, the first network element includes the NDU, and the step of the first communication module communicating with the first network element includes the steps of receiving a first registration request, determining that the first registration request is sent by a terminal and that the first communication module is a home NCU corresponding to the terminal, sending a first data request to the NDU in response to the first registration request, receiving all user data sent by the NDU based on a data channel, and registering the terminal based on the all user data.

[0190] In one embodiment of the present application, after the step of receiving a first registration request, the step of the first communication module communicating with the first network element further includes the steps of determining that the first registration request is sent by a terminal and that the first communication module is itself a visited NCU corresponding to the terminal, synchronizing all user data of the terminal with a home NCU corresponding to the terminal based on the data channel, and registering the terminal based on the all user data.

[0191] In one embodiment of the present application, the step of registering a terminal based on the total user data of the first communication module includes a step of performing terminal authentication according to the total user data and a step of sending a first registration response to the terminal according to the terminal authentication result, and the total user data is stored in a digital twin terminal DUE corresponding to the terminal.

[0192] In one embodiment of the present application, after the step of receiving a first registration request, the step of the first communication module communicating with the first network element further includes the step of determining that the first registration request is sent by a visited NCU corresponding to the terminal and that the first communication module is itself a home NCU corresponding to the terminal, and the step of synchronizing all user data corresponding to the first registration request to the visited NCU based on a data channel.

[0193] In one embodiment of the present application, the total amount of user data includes at least one of core data, network data, and computational power data related to the terminal.

[0194] In one embodiment of the present application, the first network element includes the NPU, and the step of communicating with the first network element of the first communication module includes the steps of receiving a first session establishment request sent by a terminal via a RAN, requesting session establishment related information from the NPU in response to the first session establishment request, and sending a first session establishment response to the terminal via the RAN in response to the session establishment related information.

[0195] In one embodiment of the present application, the step of the first communication module requesting session establishment related information from the NPU in response to the first session establishment request includes the steps of sending a second session establishment request to the NPU in response to the first session establishment request, and receiving a second session establishment response sent by the NPU in response to the second session establishment request, wherein the session establishment related information is carried in the second session establishment response.

[0196] In one embodiment of the present application, the first network element includes an NPU including a source NPU and a target NPU, the NCU is a source NCU, and the step of the first communication module communicating with the first network element includes the steps of receiving a first switching request sent by a source RAN, sending a second switching request to the target NCU in response to the first switching request to request a terminal to switch from the source NCU to the target NCU, receiving a second switching response sent by the target NCU in response to the second switching request, and sending a first switching command to the source RAN in response to the second switching response.

[0197] In one embodiment of the present application, the first network element includes an NPU including a source NPU and a target NPU, the NCU is a target NCU, and the step of the first communication module communicating with the first network element includes a step of receiving a third switching request sent by the source NCU, the third switching request being used to request a terminal to switch from the source NCU to the target NCU, and a step of sending a third switching response to the source NCU in response to the third switching request.

[0198] In one embodiment of the present application, the step of the first communication module sending a third switching response to the source NCU in response to the third switching request includes the steps of determining a target NPU in response to the third switching request and sending a third session establishment request to the target NPU, receiving the third session establishment response sent by the target NPU, sending a fourth switching request to the target RAN in response to the third session establishment response, receiving the fourth switching response sent by the target RAN in response to the fourth switching request, and sending the third switching response to the source NCU in response to the fourth switching response.

[0199] In one embodiment of the present application, the first network element includes the NIU, and the step of the first communication module communicating with the first network element includes at least one of the steps of receiving a data service request and forwarding the data service request to the NIU, and receiving a second data request sent by the NIU and providing target data corresponding to the second data request to the NIU based on a data channel.

[0200] In one embodiment of the present application, the NCU supports at least one network access type, and different network access types correspond to different network adapters.

[0201] In one embodiment of the present application, the network adapter is implemented by a component or a microservice.

[0202] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device, which may include a second communication module applied to an NDU for communicating with a second network element based on a data channel, wherein the NDU is used for providing data management-related functions, and the second network element includes at least one of a network control unit NCU for providing network control-related functions and a network intelligence unit NIU for providing intelligent intrinsic-related functions.

[0203] In one embodiment of the present application, the second network element includes the NCU, and the step of communicating with the second network element based on a data channel of the second communication module includes the steps of receiving a first data request sent by the NCU, and sending a full amount of user data corresponding to the first data request to the NCU based on the data channel.

[0204] In one embodiment of the present application, the second network element includes the NIU, and the step of the second communication module communicating with the second network element based on a data channel includes the steps of receiving a third data request sent by the NIU, and sending target data corresponding to the third data request to the NIU based on the data channel.

[0205] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device, which may be applied to an NPU and include a third communication module for communicating with a third network element, wherein the NPU is used to provide network packet forwarding related functions, and the third network element includes at least a network control unit (NCU).

[0206] In one embodiment of the present application, the third network element includes an NCU, and the step of the third communication module communicating with the third network element includes the steps of receiving a target session establishment request sent by the NCU, and sending a target session establishment response to the NCU, in which the session establishment related information is carried.

[0207] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device, which may be applied to an NIU and include a fourth communication module for communicating with a fourth network element, wherein the NIU is used for providing intelligent intrinsic-related functions, and the fourth network element includes at least one of a network control unit NCU for providing network control-related functions and a network data unit NDU for providing data management-related functions.

[0208] In one embodiment of the present application, the fourth network element includes the NCU and / or the NDU, and the step of the fourth communication module communicating with the fourth network element includes the steps of receiving a data service request sent by an application function AF or the NCU, requesting target data from the NDU and / or the NCU in response to the data service request, and sending the target data and / or a data processing result corresponding to the target data to the AF or NCU.

[0209] Each of the above communication devices according to the embodiments of the present application can execute each of the methods described in the above method embodiments and realize the functions and beneficial effects of each of the methods described in the above method embodiments, so they will not be repeated here.

[0210] 7 is a schematic diagram of a hardware configuration for implementing an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to this diagram, at the hardware level, the electronic device includes a processor and optionally includes an internal bus, a network interface, and memory. The memory may include, for example, an internal memory such as a high-speed random-access memory (RAM), and may also include at least one non-volatile memory such as a disk memory. Of course, the electronic device may also include hardware necessary for other traffic.

[0211] The processor, network interface, and memory may be interconnected via an internal bus, which may be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The buses may be categorized as address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of illustration, only one double-headed arrow is shown in the figure, but this does not imply that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0212] The memory stores a program. Specifically, the program may include program code including computer operation instructions. The memory includes internal memory and non-volatile memory, and can provide instructions and data to the processor.

[0213] The processor reads the corresponding computer program from the non-volatile memory into the internal memory and runs it to form a device for identifying the target user at a logical level. The processor executes the program stored in the memory, specifically, executes the methods disclosed in the embodiments shown in Figures 3a to 6a, and realizes the functions and beneficial effects of each method described in the above-mentioned method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0214] The methods disclosed in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3a to 6a of the present application may be applied to or realized by a processor. The processor may be an integrated circuit chip capable of processing signals. In the implementation process, each step of the above method may be performed by a hardware integrated logic circuit of the processor or instructions in software form. The processor may be a general-purpose processor including a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), etc., a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component. Each method, step, and logical block diagram disclosed in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented or performed. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed with reference to the embodiments of the present application may be performed by a hardware decoding processor or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor, and may be directly implemented. The software module may be configured in a storage medium that is mature in the art, such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is configured in the memory, and the processor reads information in the memory and implements the steps of the above method in combination with the hardware.

[0215] The electronic device can execute each method described in the above method embodiments and realize the functions and beneficial effects of each method described in the above method embodiments, so they will not be repeated here.

[0216] Of course, the electronic device of the present application does not exclude other embodiments other than software embodiments, such as a logical device or a method combining software and hardware, i.e., the entity that executes the following processing flow is not limited to each logical unit, but may be hardware or a logical device.

[0217] An embodiment of the present application proposes a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs that, when executed by an electronic device including multiple application programs, cause the electronic device to execute the methods disclosed in the embodiments shown in Figures 3a to 6b, thereby realizing the functions and beneficial effects of each method described in the aforementioned method embodiments, and therefore will not be repeated here.

[0218] Here, the computer-readable storage medium includes a read-only memory (abbreviated as ROM), a random access memory (abbreviated as RAM), a magnetic disk, an optical disk, and the like.

[0219] Furthermore, embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product including a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer program including program instructions that, when executed by a computer, implement the methods disclosed in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3a to 6a and realize the functions and beneficial effects of each method described in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0220] Therefore, the above is merely a preferred embodiment of the present application, and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made without departing from the spirit and principles of the present application shall also be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

[0221] The systems, devices, modules, or units described in the above embodiments may be specifically implemented by computer chips or entities, or may be implemented by products having certain functions. A typical implementation device is a computer. Specifically, the computer may be, for example, a personal computer, a laptop computer, a mobile phone, a camera phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, a media player, a navigation device, an email device, a game console, a tablet computer, a wearable device, or any combination of these devices.

[0222] Computer-readable media include persistent and non-persistent, removable and non-removable media, and may be implemented by any method or technology to store information. Information may be computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase-change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital multifunction disk (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, tape magnetic disk storage, or other non-transmission media that may be used to store information accessible by a computing device. As defined herein, computer-readable media does not include transitory computer-readable media, such as modulated data signals or carriers.

[0223] It should be noted that the terms "comprise," "comprise," or any variation thereof, are intended to encompass a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a set of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed or that are inherent in such process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless further limited, an element qualified by the phrase "comprises" does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0224] In this specification, each embodiment will be described step by step, and identical or similar parts between the embodiments may be mutually referred to, and each embodiment will be described by focusing on the differences from other embodiments. In particular, since the system embodiments are substantially similar to the method embodiments, the description thereof will be relatively simple, and the relevant points may be referred to the description of the method embodiments.

Claims

1. A communication method executed by a network control unit NCU, comprising: communicating with a first network element; The NCU is used for providing network control related functions, and the first network element includes at least one of a network packet unit NPU for providing network packet forwarding related functions, a network data unit NDU for providing data management related functions, and a network intelligence unit NIU for providing intelligent intrinsic related functions; Communication method.

2. The first network element includes the NDU, and the step of communicating with the first network element comprises: receiving a first registration request; determining that the first registration request is sent by a terminal and that it is a home NCU corresponding to the terminal; sending a first data request to the NDU in response to the first registration request; receiving all user data transmitted by the NDU according to a data channel; and registering the terminal based on the total amount of user data. The method of claim 1.

3. After the step of receiving a first registration request, the step of communicating with a first network element comprises: determining that the first registration request is sent by a terminal and that it is a visited NCU corresponding to the terminal; Synchronizing all user data of the terminal with a home NCU corresponding to the terminal according to the data channel; and registering the terminal based on the total amount of user data. The method of claim 2.

4. The step of registering a terminal based on the total amount of user data includes: performing terminal authentication according to the total amount of user data; sending a first registration response to the terminal according to a terminal authentication result; The entire user data is stored in a digital twin terminal DUE corresponding to the terminal, The method according to claim 2 or 3.

5. After the step of receiving a first registration request, the step of communicating with a first network element comprises: determining that the first registration request is sent by a visited NCU corresponding to a terminal and that it is itself a home NCU corresponding to the terminal; and synchronizing all user data corresponding to the first registration request to the visited NCU based on a data channel. The method of claim 2.

6. The total user data includes at least one of core data, network data, and computational power data related to the terminal; The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5.

7. the first network element includes the NPU, and the step of communicating with the first network element includes: receiving a first session establishment request sent by a terminal via a RAN; requesting session establishment related information from the NPU in response to the first session establishment request; and sending a first session establishment response to the terminal via the RAN in response to the session establishment related information. The method of claim 1.

8. The step of requesting session establishment related information from the NPU in response to the first session establishment request includes: sending a second session establishment request to the NPU in response to the first session establishment request; receiving a second session establishment response sent by the NPU in response to the second session establishment request, wherein the session establishment related information is carried in the second session establishment response; The method of claim 7.

9. The first network element includes an NPU including a source NPU and a target NPU, and the NCU is a source NCU; The step of communicating with a first network element comprises: receiving a first switching request sent by a source RAN; In response to the first switching request, sending a second switching request to the target NCU to request a terminal to switch from the source NCU to the target NCU; receiving a second switching response sent by the target NCU in response to the second switching request; and transmitting a first switching command to the source RAN in response to the second switching response. The method of claim 1.

10. The first network element includes an NPU including a source NPU and a target NPU, and the NCU is a target NCU; The step of communicating with a first network element comprises: receiving a third switching request sent by a source NCU, the third switching request being used to request a terminal to switch from the source NCU to the target NCU; and transmitting a third switching response to the source NCU in response to the third switching request. The method of claim 1.

11. The step of transmitting a third switching response to the source NCU in response to the third switching request includes: determining a target NPU in response to the third switching request and sending a third session establishment request to the target NPU; receiving a third session establishment response sent by the target NPU; sending a fourth switching request to the target RAN in response to the third session establishment response; receiving a fourth switch response sent by the target RAN in response to the fourth switch request; and transmitting a third switching response to the source NCU in response to the fourth switching response. The method of claim 10.

12. the first network element includes the NIU, and the step of communicating with the first network element includes: receiving a data service request and forwarding the data service request to the NIU; receiving a second data request sent by the NIU; and providing target data corresponding to the second data request to the NIU based on a data channel. The method of claim 1.

13. The NCU supports at least one network access form, and different network access forms correspond to different network adapters. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. The network adapter is realized by a component or a microservice. The method of claim 13.

15. A communication method executed by a network data unit NDU, comprising: communicating with a second network element based on the data channel; the NDU is used for providing data management related functions, and the second network element includes at least one of a network control unit NCU for providing network control related functions and a network intelligence unit NIU for providing intelligent intrinsic related functions; Communication method.

16. The second network element includes the NCU, and the step of communicating with the second network element based on a data channel includes: receiving a first data request sent by the NCU; transmitting a full amount of user data corresponding to the first data request to the NCU based on the data channel; 16. The method of claim 15.

17. The second network element includes the NIU, and the step of communicating with the second network element based on a data channel includes: receiving a third data request sent by the NIU; and transmitting target data corresponding to the third data request to the NIU based on the data channel.

16. The method of claim 15.

18. A communication method executed by a network packet unit NPU, comprising: communicating with a third network element; the NPU is used for providing network packet forwarding related functions, and the third network element includes at least a network control unit (NCU); Communication method.

19. The third network element includes an NCU, and the step of communicating with the third network element includes: receiving a target session establishment request sent by the NCU; sending a target session establishment response to the NCU, the target session establishment response carrying the session establishment related information; 20. The method of claim 18.

20. A communication method executed by a network intelligent unit NIU, comprising: communicating with a fourth network element; The NIU is used for providing intelligent intrinsic related functions, and the fourth network element includes at least one of a network control unit NCU for providing network control related functions and a network data unit NDU for providing data management related functions; Communication method.

21. the fourth network element includes the NCU and / or the NDU, and the step of communicating with the fourth network element includes: receiving a data service request sent by an application function AF or the NCU; requesting target data from the NDU and / or the NCU in response to the data service request; transmitting the target data and / or data processing results corresponding to the target data to the AF or NCU; 21. The method of claim 20.

22. An electronic device, a processor; a memory configured to store computer executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the steps of the communication method of any one of claims 1 to 21; electronic equipment.

23. A computer-readable medium storing one or more programs that, when executed by an electronic device including a plurality of application programs, cause the electronic device to perform the steps of the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 21. Computer-readable medium.

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