Switching method and communication apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application are a switching method and a communication apparatus. According to the method of the present application, an access network device may determine, according to received first information which is from a first device, to switch from a first interface to a second interface to transmit an uplink data packet which is from a terminal device, such that when the access network device cannot identify a data packet transmitted between the terminal device and a source network computing converged function node, a service interruption of the terminal device due to the access network device blindly switching from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet which is from the terminal device can be avoided, thereby ensuring the service experience of a user. The first interface is an interface between the access network device and the source network computing converged function node, the second interface is an interface between the access network device and a target network computing converged function node, and the first device is either the terminal device or the source network computing converged function node.

Description

Switching method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on June 15, 2023, with application number 202310714406.5 and invention name “Switching method and communication device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a switching method and a communication device. Background Art

[0003] The next generation of mobile communication networks integrates the characteristics and functions of cloud computing and computing networks, requiring the fusion of cloud, computing, and mobile communications. The network architecture of cloud computing network mobile communications includes nodes with network computing converged functions, responsible for providing computing services to user equipment (UE).

[0004] When an NCCF node has been providing computing services for a UE, it is necessary to consider how to switch to another NCCF node for the UE when the processing capability of the NCCF node deteriorates.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] An embodiment of the present application provides a switching method, so as to switch another network computing converged function node for a terminal device without affecting the service continuity of the terminal device, thereby improving the user experience.

[0007] In a first aspect, a handover method is provided. The method may be executed by an access network device, or may be executed by a component of the access network device (such as a chip or circuit), without limitation. The following description will be made using the access network device as an example.

[0008] The method includes: an access network device receives first information from a first device; the access network device determines, based on the first information, to switch from a first interface to a second interface to transmit an uplink data packet from a terminal device, the first interface being an interface between the access network device and a source network computing power fusion functional node, the second interface being an interface between the access network device and a target network computing power fusion functional node, the first device being a terminal device or the source network computing power fusion functional node; the access network device forwards the uplink data packet from the terminal device to the target network computing power fusion functional node through the second interface.

[0009] Based on the above technical solution, the access network device can determine to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device based on the first information from the first device, thereby avoiding the service interruption of the terminal device caused by blindly switching from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device when the access network device cannot identify the data packet transmitted between the terminal device and the source network computing power fusion function node, which is conducive to ensuring the service experience of the terminal device.

[0010] It can be understood that before the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device, the access network device forwards the uplink data packet from the terminal device to the source network computing power fusion function node through the first interface.

[0011] Exemplarily, switching from the first interface to the second interface specifically involves updating the first mapping relationship to the second mapping relationship; the first mapping relationship is the mapping relationship between the first data radio bearer (DRB) between the terminal device and the access network device and the first interface, and the second mapping relationship is the mapping relationship between the first DRB and the second interface.

[0012] In one possible implementation, when the access network device updates the first mapping relationship to the second mapping relationship, the access network device may also save (or maintain) a third mapping relationship, where the third mapping relationship is a mapping relationship between the second DRB between the terminal device and the access network device and the first interface. The second DRB is different from the first DRB, or in other words, the data stream carried by the first DRB is different from the data stream carried by the first DBR.

[0013] It can be understood that when the access network device also saves the third mapping relationship, after the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device, the uplink data packet from the terminal device received through the first DRB is forwarded to the target network computing power fusion function node through the second interface, and the uplink data packet from the terminal device received through the second DRB is forwarded to the source network computing power fusion function node through the first interface.

[0014] It can also be understood that before the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device, the access network device saves (or maintains) a fourth mapping relationship, where the fourth mapping relationship is a mapping relationship between the first DRB and the second DRB and the first interface. When the access network device saves the fourth mapping relationship, the access network device forwards the uplink data packet from the terminal device received through the first DRB and the second DRB to the source network computing power fusion function node through the first interface.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the first information is first switching confirmation information. Before the access network device receives the first information from the first device, the method further includes: the access network device sends first switching request information to the first device.

[0016] Optionally, the first switching request information includes identification information of the first data flow, and / or information of the target network computing power fusion function node; the first data flow is a data flow transmitted through the first interface to be switched to a data flow transmitted through the second interface.

[0017] Taking data stream #x as an example, if the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device, before forwarding the uplink data packet from the terminal device in data stream #x to the source network computing power fusion function node, after the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device, forwarding the uplink data packet from the terminal device in data stream #x to the target network computing power fusion function node, then data stream #x is the data stream transmitted through the first interface to be switched to be transmitted through the second interface.

[0018] Based on the above technical solution, if the first switching request information includes identification information of the first data stream, the first device can determine the first data stream to be switched from being transmitted through the first interface to being transmitted through the second interface based on the identification information of the first data stream. If the first switching request information includes information of the target network computing power fusion function node, the first device can send the context of the data stream to be switched from being transmitted through the first interface to being transmitted through the second interface to the target network computing power fusion function node based on the information of the target network computing power fusion function node, or the first device sends the information of the target network computing power fusion function node to the source network computing power fusion function node, so that the source network computing power fusion function node sends the context of the data stream to be switched from being transmitted through the first interface to being transmitted through the second interface to the target network computing power fusion function node based on the information of the target network computing power fusion function node, thereby facilitating the continuity of the services of the terminal device.

[0019] Optionally, the first switching confirmation information includes identification information of the second data stream, the second data stream includes the first data stream and the data stream associated with the first data stream, or, the second data stream includes data associated with the first data stream, or, the second data stream is all or part of the data stream in the first data stream; the second data stream is a data stream transmitted through the first interface to be switched to a data stream transmitted through the second interface.

[0020] Optionally, the first switching confirmation information includes timer information, and the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device based on the first information, including: the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device after the timer expires based on the timer information.

[0021] It should be understood that if the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device after the timer expires, the access network device will send the uplink data packet from the terminal device received after the timer expires to the target network computing power fusion function node through the second interface.

[0022] Optionally, if the first device is a terminal device, the first switching confirmation information includes the target packet sequence number; the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device based on the first information, including: the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device after receiving the target data packet based on the target packet sequence number, and the target data packet includes the target packet sequence number; the access network device forwards the uplink data packet from the terminal device to the target network computing power fusion functional node through the second interface, including: the access network device forwards the target data packet and at least one data packet after the target data packet from the terminal device to the target network computing power fusion functional node through the second interface.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the first information is a switching indication packet; the access network device forwards the uplink data packet from the terminal device to the target network computing power fusion function node through the second interface, including: the access network device forwards the data packet after the switching indication packet from the terminal device to the target network computing power fusion function node through the second interface.

[0024] Exemplarily, the handover indication packet is an end marker packet.

[0025] It should be understood that the data packet following the above-mentioned switching indication packet refers to the data packet received from the terminal device after the access network device receives the switching indication packet.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the first device is the terminal device, the first information is packet indication information, the packet indication information indicates that the first data packet is the first packet or the last packet of the first task, and the first data packet includes the packet indication information; the access network device receives the first information from the first device, including: the access network device receives the first data packet from the first device; the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device based on the first information, including: if the packet indication information indicates that the first data packet is the first packet of the first task, then the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device; or, if the packet indication information indicates that the first data packet is the last packet of the first task, then after the access network device receives the second data packet from the terminal device, it determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device, and the second data packet is the data packet received by the access network device after the first data packet.

[0027] It should be understood that if the packet indication information indicates that the first data packet is the first packet of the first task, the access network device forwards the first data packet and at least one data packet received from the terminal device after the first data packet to the target network computing power fusion function node through the second interface. If the packet indication information indicates that the first data packet is the last packet of the first task, the access network device forwards the data packet received from the terminal device after the first data packet (i.e., the second data packet) to the target network computing power fusion function node through the second interface.

[0028] It should be noted that a first task is a unit that implements specific business logic and can belong to a certain application or service. For example, a first task can refer to the start and end of a rendering in an extended reality (XR) application or cloud game, the start and end of rendering a frame of video, or the start and end of rendering one or more groups of pictures (GOPs), an inference (from the start to the completion of inference) in an artificial intelligence (AI) application, or a (relatively) independent calculation in an AI inference. The first task can also be called a first transaction.

[0029] Based on the above technical solution, the access network device can identify data packets from the terminal device based on the packet indication information in the data packets from the terminal device, allowing the access network device to independently determine when to send data packets from the UE to the target network computing power fusion function node without interacting with other nodes. For example, the access network device does not need to initiate a handover request to the target network computing power fusion function node or the terminal device, and accordingly, the target network computing power fusion function node or the terminal device does not need to restore the handover response to the access network device.

[0030] Exemplarily, the packet indication information is included in a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer or a protocol data unit (PDU) layer of the first data packet.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the first device is the terminal device, the first information is switching indication information, and the access network device receives the first information from the first device, including: the access network device receives a third data packet from the first device, and the third data packet includes the switching indication information; the access network device forwards the uplink data packet from the terminal device to the target network computing power fusion functional node through the second interface, including: the access network device forwards the third data packet to the target network computing power fusion functional node through the second interface.

[0032] It should be understood that the access network device can also forward the data packets received from the terminal device after the third data packet to the target network computing power fusion function node through the second interface.

[0033] Exemplarily, the switching indication information is a 1-bit information, or information of the target network computing power fusion function node, or identification information of the data stream transmitted through the first interface to be switched to the data stream transmitted through the second interface.

[0034] Exemplarily, the switching indication information is included in the SDAP layer or PDU layer of the third data packet.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the first device is the terminal device, and the first information is second switching request information.

[0036] Based on the above technical solution, the terminal device can trigger the switching of the network computing power fusion function node through the second switching request information. Compared with the method of triggering the switching of the network computing power fusion function node by the control plane network element, it can reduce some signaling interactions, thereby reducing the delay of user plane path switching and improving the end-to-end service experience.

[0037] Optionally, the second switching request information includes identification information of a third data flow, where the third data flow is a data flow transmitted through the first interface to be switched to be transmitted through the second interface.

[0038] Based on the above technical solution, the access network device can determine the third data stream that the terminal device requests to switch.

[0039] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first device is the terminal device, and the first device is the terminal device. The method also includes: the access network device sends a switching command to the source network computing power fusion function node, and the switching command includes identification information of the fourth data stream, and / or information of the target network computing power fusion function node; the fourth data stream is a data stream transmitted through the first interface to be switched to a data stream transmitted through the second interface.

[0040] Based on the above technical solution, the access network device sends a switching command to the source network computing power fusion function node, which is conducive to the source network computing power fusion function node sending the context of the data flow transmitted through the first interface to be switched to the data flow transmitted through the second interface to the target network computing power fusion function node according to the switching command, which is conducive to ensuring the continuity of the terminal device's services.

[0041] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: the access network device determines the target network computing power fusion functional node.

[0042] Exemplarily, when the first condition is met, the access network device determines the target network computing power fusion function node; wherein the first condition includes one or more of the following: the processing capacity of the source network computing power fusion function node is lower than the processing capacity threshold, and / or the communication quality between the source network computing power fusion function node and the terminal device is lower than the communication quality threshold.

[0043] Based on the above technical solution, when the first condition is met, the source network computing power fusion function node may not be able to provide services that meet the needs of the terminal device. If the target network computing power fusion function node determined by the access network device can provide services that meet the needs of the terminal device, it will be beneficial to improve the user experience.

[0044] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: the access network device receives information about the target network computing power fusion function node from the fusion management function network element.

[0045] In a second aspect, a handover method is provided, which can be executed by a first device, or by a component of the first device (such as a chip or circuit), without limitation. The following description is based on an example of execution by the first device.

[0046] The method includes: a first device receives a first switching request message from an access network device, the first device is a terminal device or a source network computing power fusion functional node; the first device sends a first switching confirmation message to the access network device, and the first switching confirmation message is used by the access network device to determine whether to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit an uplink data packet from the terminal device, the first interface is the interface between the access network device and the source network computing power fusion functional node, and the second interface is the interface between the access network device and the target network computing power fusion functional node.

[0047] The beneficial effects of the second aspect and each implementation method of the second aspect can refer to the above-mentioned first aspect.

[0048] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first switching request information includes identification information of the first data flow, and / or information of the target network computing power fusion function node; the first data flow is a data flow transmitted through the first interface to be switched to a data flow transmitted through the second interface.

[0049] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first switching confirmation information includes identification information of the second data stream, the second data stream includes the first data stream and the data stream associated with the first data stream, or, the second data stream includes the data stream associated with the first data stream, or, the second data stream is all or part of the data stream in the first data stream; the second data stream is a data stream transmitted through the first interface to be switched to a data stream transmitted through the second interface.

[0050] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first switching confirmation information includes timer information, and the first switching confirmation information is used by the access network device to determine that after the timer expires, it will switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device.

[0051] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first device is the terminal device, the first switching confirmation information includes the target packet sequence number, and the first switching confirmation information is used by the access network device to determine that after receiving the target data packet, it switches from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device, and the target data packet includes the target packet sequence number.

[0052] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first device is a source network computing power fusion functional node, and the method also includes: the first device sends the context of the data flow transmitted through the first interface to be switched to be transmitted through the second interface to the target network computing power fusion functional node.

[0053] In a third aspect, a handover method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device, or by a component of the terminal device (such as a chip or circuit), without limitation. The following description will be made using the terminal device as an example.

[0054] The method includes: the terminal device determines to switch the network computing power fusion function node; the terminal device sends a third data packet to the access network device, the third data packet includes switching indication information, and the switching indication information is used by the access network device to determine to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device; or, the terminal device sends a second switching request information to the access network device, and the second switching request information is used by the access network device to determine to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device; wherein, the first interface is the interface between the access network device and the source network computing power fusion function node, and the second interface is the interface between the access network device and the target network computing power fusion function node.

[0055] Based on the above technical solution, the terminal device can trigger the switching of the network computing power fusion function node. Compared with the method in which the switching of the network computing power fusion function node is triggered by the control plane network element, it can reduce some signaling interactions, thereby reducing the delay of user name path switching and improving the end-to-end service experience.

[0056] In addition, the access network device can determine to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device based on the switching indication information or the second switching request information from the terminal device, thereby avoiding the service interruption of the terminal device caused by blindly switching from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device when the access network device cannot identify the data packet transmitted between the terminal device and the source network computing power fusion function node, which is beneficial to ensuring the user's service experience.

[0057] Exemplarily, the terminal device determines to switch the network computing power fusion function node, including: when a first condition is met, the terminal device determines to switch the network computing power fusion function node; wherein the first condition includes one or more of the following: the processing capacity of the source network computing power fusion function node is lower than the processing capacity threshold, or the communication quality between the source network computing power fusion function node and the terminal device is lower than the communication quality threshold.

[0058] Based on the above technical solution, when the first condition is met, the source network computing power fusion function node may not be able to provide services that meet the needs of the terminal device. Therefore, the terminal device determines to switch the network computing power fusion function node, which is conducive to switching to the target network computing power fusion function node that can provide services that meet the needs of the terminal device, which is conducive to improving user experience.

[0059] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the switching indication information or the second switching request information includes information of the target network computing power fusion functional node, and the method also includes: the terminal device determines the target network computing power fusion functional node.

[0060] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the switching indication information is included in the SDAP layer or the PDU layer of the third data packet.

[0061] In a fourth aspect, a handover method is provided. The method may be executed by a converged management function network element, or may be executed by a component of the converged management function network element (e.g., a chip or circuit), without limitation. The following description will take the converged management function network element as an example.

[0062] The method includes: a fusion management function network element sends second information to each network computing power fusion function node among multiple network computing power fusion function nodes, and the second information includes information of the access network device; the fusion management function network element sends third information to the access network device, and the third information includes information of the multiple network computing power fusion function nodes. The third information also indicates that the first network computing power fusion function node among the multiple network computing power fusion function nodes is used to provide services for the terminal device; the fusion management function network element sends fourth information to the access network device, and the fourth information is used by the access network device to determine to switch from the third interface to the fourth interface to transmit uplink data packets from the terminal device, the third interface is the interface between the access network device and the first network computing power fusion function node, and the fourth interface is the interface between the access network device and the second network computing power fusion function node among the multiple network computing power fusion function nodes.

[0063] Based on the above technical solution, the fusion management function network element can pre-select multiple network computing power fusion function nodes for the session of the terminal device, and send information of the access network device to each of the multiple network computing power fusion function nodes, and send information of multiple network computing power fusion function nodes to the access network device. Furthermore, if it is necessary to switch the network computing power fusion function node providing services for the terminal device from the first network computing power fusion function node to the second network computing power fusion function node, the access network device and the second network computing power fusion function node can communicate directly, thereby reducing the delay in switching the network computing power fusion function node.

[0064] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the fusion management function network element sends fourth information to the access network device, including: when the first condition is met, the fusion management function network element sends the fourth information to the access network device; wherein, the first condition includes one or more of the following: the processing capacity of the first network computing power fusion function node is lower than the processing capacity threshold, or the communication quality between the first network computing power fusion function node and the terminal device is lower than the communication quality threshold.

[0065] Based on the above technical solution, if the first condition is met, the first network computing power fusion function node may not be able to provide services that meet the needs of the terminal device. Therefore, the converged management function network element sends fourth information to the access network device, thereby switching the network computing power fusion function node that provides services to the terminal device to the second network computing power fusion function node. If this is beneficial to improving the user experience, for example, if the second network computing power fusion function node can provide services that meet the needs of the terminal device, the user experience can be improved.

[0066] In a fifth aspect, a switching method is provided, which includes: an access network device sends a first switching request message to a source network computing power fusion function node; the source network computing power fusion function node sends a first switching confirmation message to the access network device; the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit an uplink data packet from the terminal device based on the first switching confirmation message, the first interface is the interface between the access network device and the source network computing power fusion function node, and the second interface is the interface between the access network device and the target network computing power fusion function node.

[0067] Based on the above technical solution, the access network device can determine to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device based on the first switching confirmation information from the source network computing power fusion function node, thereby avoiding the service interruption of the terminal device caused by blindly switching from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device when the access network device cannot identify the data packet transmitted between the terminal device and the source network computing power fusion function node, which is conducive to ensuring the service experience of the terminal device.

[0068] In combination with the fifth aspect, in certain implementations of the fifth aspect, the first switching request information includes identification information of the first data flow, and / or information of the target network computing power fusion function node; the first data flow is a data flow transmitted through the first interface to be switched to a data flow transmitted through the second interface.

[0069] In combination with the fifth aspect, in certain implementations of the fifth aspect, the first switching confirmation information includes identification information of the second data stream, the second data stream includes the first data stream and the data stream associated with the first data stream, or, the second data stream includes the data stream associated with the first data stream, or, the second data stream is all or part of the data stream in the first data stream; the second data stream is a data stream transmitted through the first interface to be switched to a data stream transmitted through the second interface.

[0070] In combination with the fifth aspect, in certain implementations of the fifth aspect, the first switching confirmation information includes timer information; the access network device determines, based on the first switching confirmation information, to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device, including: the access network device determines, based on the timer information, to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device after the timer expires.

[0071] In combination with the fifth aspect, in certain implementations of the fifth aspect, the method further includes: the fusion management function network element sends information of the target network computing power fusion function node to the access network device.

[0072] In combination with the fifth aspect, in certain implementations of the fifth aspect, after the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device, the method also includes: the terminal device sends the uplink data packet to the access network device; the access network device forwards the uplink data packet to the target network computing power fusion functional node through the second interface.

[0073] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, wherein the communication device has the function of implementing the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect. The function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the above-mentioned functions, such as a transceiver unit and / or a processing unit.

[0074] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, wherein the communication device has the functionality to implement the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. The functionality can be implemented via hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the aforementioned functionality, such as a transceiver unit and / or a processing unit.

[0075] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, wherein the communication device has the function of implementing the method of the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect. The function can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the above-mentioned functions, such as a transceiver unit and / or a processing unit.

[0076] In a ninth aspect, a communication device is provided, wherein the communication device has the function of implementing the method of the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect. The function can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the above-mentioned functions, such as a transceiver unit and / or a processing unit.

[0077] In a tenth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and configured to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method of the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect. Exemplarily, the communication device further comprises a memory. Exemplarily, the communication device further comprises a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0078] In one implementation, the communication device is an access network device. When the communication device is an access network device, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0079] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in an access network device. When the communication device is a chip configured in an access network device, the communication interface may be an input / output interface.

[0080] Exemplarily, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Exemplarily, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0081] In an eleventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and configured to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method of the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof. Exemplarily, the communication device further comprises a memory. Exemplarily, the communication device further comprises a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0082] In one implementation, the communication apparatus is a first device. When the communication apparatus is the first device, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0083] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in the first device. When the communication device is a chip configured in the first device, the communication interface may be an input / output interface.

[0084] Exemplarily, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Exemplarily, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0085] In a twelfth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and configured to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method of the third aspect and any possible implementation thereof. Exemplarily, the communication device further comprises a memory. Exemplarily, the communication device further comprises a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0086] In one implementation, the communication device is a terminal device. When the communication device is a terminal device, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0087] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in a terminal device. When the communication device is a chip configured in a terminal device, the communication interface may be an input / output interface.

[0088] Exemplarily, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Exemplarily, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0089] In a thirteenth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and configured to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method of the fourth aspect and any possible implementation thereof. Exemplarily, the communication device further comprises a memory. Exemplarily, the communication device further comprises a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0090] In one implementation, the communication device is a converged management function network element. When the communication device is a converged management function network element, the communication interface may be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0091] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip configured in a converged management function network element. When the communication device is a chip configured in a converged management function network element, the communication interface may be an input / output interface.

[0092] Exemplarily, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Exemplarily, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0093] In a fourteenth aspect, a processor is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive a signal through the input circuit and transmit a signal through the output circuit, so that the processor executes the method of any possible implementation of aspects 1 to 4.

[0094] In a specific implementation, the processor may be one or more chips, the input circuit may be an input pin, the output circuit may be an output pin, and the processing circuit may be a transistor, a gate circuit, a trigger, or various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, received and input by a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. The input circuit and the output circuit may be the same circuit, which functions as an input circuit and an output circuit at different times. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0095] In a fifteenth aspect, a processing device is provided, comprising a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to read instructions stored in the memory and receive signals via a receiver and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute the method of any possible implementation of aspects 1 to 4.

[0096] Exemplarily, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0097] Exemplarily, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0098] In the specific implementation process, the memory can be a non-transitory memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM), which can be integrated with the processor on the same chip or can be set on different chips. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of memory and the setting method of the memory and the processor.

[0099] It should be understood that, for example, the related data interaction process of sending the first information can be the process of outputting the first information from the processor, and receiving the first information can be the process of the processor receiving the first information. Specifically, the data output by the processor can be output to the transmitter, and the input data received by the processor can be from the receiver. The transmitter and receiver can be collectively referred to as a transceiver.

[0100] The processing device in the fifteenth aspect may be one or more chips. The processor in the processing device may be implemented in hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, the processor may be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, or the like; when implemented in software, the processor may be a general-purpose processor implemented by reading software code stored in a memory, which may be integrated into the processor or located independently of the processor.

[0101] In the sixteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which, when executed, enables a computer to execute a method in any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects above.

[0102] In the seventeenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions). When the computer program runs on a computer, the method in any possible implementation of the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects is executed.

[0103] In an eighteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising the aforementioned access network device and a first device. The access network device is configured to execute the method of the aforementioned first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and the first device is configured to execute the method of the aforementioned second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0104] Optionally, the communication system further includes a terminal device, which is used to execute the method in the aforementioned third aspect and any possible implementation of the third aspect.

[0105] Optionally, the communication system further includes a converged management function network element, which is used to execute the method in the aforementioned fourth aspect and any possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0106] FIG1 is a system architecture applicable to the method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0107] FIG2 is a network architecture of cloud network computing mobile communications applicable to the method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0108] FIG3 is a schematic flow chart of a method 300 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0109] FIG4 is a schematic flow chart of a method 400 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0110] FIG5 is a schematic flow chart of a method 500 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0111] FIG6 is a schematic flow chart of a method 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0112] FIG7 is a schematic flow chart of a method 700 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0113] FIG8 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0114] FIG9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in another embodiment of the present application;

[0115] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a chip system provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0116] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0117] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), world-wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, fifth generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), sixth generation (6G) system or future communication system. The 5G mobile communication system described in this application includes a non-standalone (NSA) 5G mobile communication system or a standalone (SA) 5G mobile communication system. The communication system may also be a public land mobile network (PLMN), a sidelink communication system, a machine to machine (M2M) communication system, an Internet of Things (IoT) communication system, a vehicle to everything (V2X) communication system, an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) communication system, or other communication systems.

[0118] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. In the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B. The "and / or" in the present application is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, in the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" refers to two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers 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, where a, b, c can be single or multiple. In addition, in order to facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between identical or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art will understand that words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit differences. At the same time, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete way for easy understanding.

[0119] In addition, the network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0120] To facilitate understanding of the embodiment of the present application, an application scenario of the embodiment of the present application is first described in detail with reference to FIG1 .

[0121] The system architecture shown in FIG1 may include the following devices.

[0122] 1. User equipment (UE): can be referred to as terminal equipment, terminal, access terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device. The terminal equipment may also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, or a terminal device in a future-evolved PLMN, etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0123] 2. Access network (AN): Provides network access for authorized users in a specific area and can use transmission tunnels of different qualities based on user levels and business requirements. Access networks can be access networks that use different access technologies. Current access network technologies include: wireless access network technology used in third-generation (3G) systems, wireless access network technology used in fourth-generation (4G) systems, or next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) technology (such as the wireless access technology used in 5G systems).

[0124] An access network that implements network access functions based on wireless communication technologies is called a radio access network (RAN). The RAN manages radio resources, provides access services to terminals, and forwards control signals and user data between terminals and the core network.

[0125] The wireless access network device may be, for example, a base station (NodeB), an evolved NodeB (eNB or eNodeB), a next generation Node base station (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access point (AP) in a Wi-Fi wireless hotspot system, etc. It may also be a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, or the wireless access network device may be a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a drone, a wearable device, a network device in a 5G network, or a network device in an evolved PLMN, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the wireless access network device.

[0126] 3. Access Management NE: This is primarily responsible for mobility and access management, delivering user policies between user devices and the Policy Control Function (PCF) NE. It can be used to implement other functions of the Mobility Management Entity (MME) beyond session management, such as access authorization (authentication).

[0127] In a 5G communication system, the access management network element may be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element. In future communication systems, the access management network element may be an AMF network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0128] 4. Session management network element: It is mainly used for session management, allocation and management of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of user devices, selection of endpoints for manageable user plane functions, policy control and charging function interfaces, and downlink data communication.

[0129] In a 5G communication system, the session management network element may be a session management function (SMF) network element. In future communication systems, the session management network element may be an SMF network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0130] 5. User plane network element: used for packet routing and forwarding, quality of service (QoS) processing of user plane data, completion of user plane data forwarding, session / flow-level billing statistics, bandwidth limiting functions, etc.

[0131] In a 5G communication system, a user plane network element may be a user plane function (UPF) network element. In future communication systems, a user plane network element may be a UPF network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0132] 6. Data network element: a network used to provide data transmission.

[0133] In a 5G communication system, a data network element may be a data network (DN) element. In future communication systems, a data network element may be a DN element, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0134] 7. Policy control network element: A unified policy framework used to guide network behavior and provide policy rule information for control plane functional network elements (such as AMF, SMF network elements, etc.).

[0135] In a 4G communication system, the policy control network element may be a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) network element. In a 5G communication system, the policy control network element may be a PCF network element. In future communication systems, the policy control network element may be a PCF network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0136] 8. Data management network element: used to process user equipment identification, access authentication, registration and mobility management, etc.

[0137] In a 4G communication system, the data management network element may be a home subscriber server (HSS) network element. In a 5G communication system, the data management network element may be a unified data management (UDM) network element. In future communication systems, the data management network element may be a UDM network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0138] 9. Network exposure function (NEF) network element: used to securely expose services and capabilities provided by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network function to the outside world.

[0139] 10. Application Function (AF) Network Element: Provides certain application layer services to the UE. When providing services to the UE, the AF has requirements for QoS and charging policies, and needs to notify the network. At the same time, the AF also needs to obtain application-related information from the core network. The AF can have all the functions of the AF defined in the technical specification (TS) 23.501R-15, as well as related functions for application services. In other words, in the user plane architecture, the application server and the UE communicate in the user plane through the UE-RAN-UPF-AF path. The AF can also communicate with other network functions (NFs) in the 5G core network (5GC) through the NEF in the control plane architecture. For example, it communicates with the PCF through the NEF. If the AF is deployed by the 5GC operator, the AF can also communicate directly with other NFs in the 5GC in the control plane architecture, that is, the AF is in the trusted domain, without going through the NEF, such as directly communicating with the PCF.

[0140] 11. Network data analysis function (NWDAF) network element: It can be used to collect data from the network element, AF, and operation administration and maintenance (OAM) side, analyze the data through machine learning, artificial intelligence and other solutions, and feedback to the network element, AF, etc. to optimize network or service configuration, thereby providing better network quality and service experience.

[0141] 12. Network Repository Function (NRF) NE: This function can be used to provide NE information corresponding to the NE type, based on requests from other NEs, through NE discovery. NRF can also provide NE management services, such as NE registration, update, and deregistration, as well as NE status subscription and push notification.

[0142] 13. Authentication server function (AUSF) network element: Mainly responsible for authenticating users to determine whether users or devices are allowed to access the network.

[0143] In Figure 1, N1, N2, N3, N4, N6, N9, Nnwdaf, Nnef, Nnrf, Npcf, Nudm, Naf, Nausf, Namf, and Nsmf are interface sequence numbers. The meanings of these interface sequence numbers can be found in 3GPP TS 23.501.

[0144] It should be understood that the above-mentioned network architecture applied to the embodiments of the present application is only an example, and the network architecture applicable to the embodiments of the present application is not limited to this. Any network architecture that can realize the functions of the above-mentioned network elements is applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0145] It should also be understood that the AMF, SMF, UPF, NEF, PCF, UDM, NWDAF, NRF, AUSF, etc. shown in Figure 1 can be understood as network elements used to implement different functions in the core network, for example, they can be combined into network slices as needed. These core network 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.

[0146] It should also be understood that the above naming is only defined to facilitate the distinction between different functions and should not constitute any limitation to this application. This application does not exclude the possibility of adopting other naming in 5G networks and other future networks. For example, in a 6G network, some or all of the above network elements may continue to use the terminology in 5G, or may adopt other names. The interface names between the various network elements in Figure 1 are only an example. The names of the interfaces in the specific implementation may be other names, and this application does not limit this.

[0147] Figure 2 shows a network architecture for cloud-network-computing mobile communications, including UE, RAN, access control function, converged management function (CMF) and network computing converged function (NCCF). NCCF can also be called computing network converged function (CNCF).

[0148] The access control function is similar to the AMF in the 5G system, providing UE access control and UE paging functions.

[0149] CMF is similar to the functional combination of SMF+PCF+AF in the 5G system, and can provide the following functions: select the appropriate NCCF for the UE based on the microservice information or application requested by the UE, NCCF capabilities, load, and network layer information; establish the corresponding network layer bearer (or session, session + user plane channel) for the connection between the UE and NCCF based on the UE's request or the NCCF's request.

[0150] NCCF can provide the following functions: responsible for providing computing power services for UE computing service requests, including application (APP) computing services, communication functions and network function virtualization (NFVI); transmitting the API call information required by the application client (AC) to call the application programming interface (API) of the microservice; transmitting the application layer data stream associated with the microservice; transmitting the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) message between the world wide web (Web) browser and the Web server. For example, NCCF can provide APP computing services, which can specifically include rendering services, such as rendering images, videos, or model objects output by modeling software. NCCF can also provide artificial intelligence (AI) services, such as AI reasoning computing and video / image recognition.

[0151] N3*, shown in Figure 2, is the reference point / interface between the RAN and NCCF. This interface enables joint scheduling between N3 and the application layer. The core network service data platform is responsible for receiving and sending application data and caching data. The RAN generates N3 downlink scheduling information in real time based on air interface resources and reports it to the service data platform. Downlink data transmission requires adjustment of parameters such as the sending rate and sending time based on scheduling information fed back by the RAN.

[0152] Nsd shown in Figure 2 is a reference point between the UE and the NCCF, used for data interaction on the transport layer data plane.

[0153] The Nss shown in Figure 2 is a reference point between the UE and the NCCF, used for transport layer control plane data interaction.

[0154] Based on the network architecture shown in Figure 2, an embodiment of the present application provides a switching method, so as to switch another NCCF node for the UE without affecting the service continuity of the UE, thereby improving the user experience.

[0155] FIG3 shows a schematic flow chart of a method 300 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG3 , the method 300 may include the following steps.

[0156] Optionally, if the access network device has not determined the target NCCF node before executing the method 300 , the method 300 further includes S310 a or S310 b.

[0157] S310a: The access network device determines a target NCCF node.

[0158] The target NCCF node is the NCCF node that provides services to the terminal device after the access network device performs NCCF node switching.

[0159] In one possible implementation, the switching of NCCF nodes performed by an access network device can also be referred to as interface switching, where the interface is the interface between the access network device and the NCCF node. For example, the switching of NCCF node #1 to NCCF node #2 performed by an access network device can be referred to as interface #1 to interface #2 switching, where interface #1 is the interface between the access network device and NCCF node #1, and interface #2 is the interface between the access network device and NCCF node #2. The interface between the access network device and the NCCF node can also be referred to as the N3 interface or the N3* interface.

[0160] In one possible implementation, the switching of an NCCF node by an access network device can also be referred to as a path switching, where the path is the path between the terminal device and the NCCF node. For example, the switching of NCCF node #1 to NCCF node #2 by an access network device can be referred to as a path #1 to path #2 switching, where path #1 is the path between the terminal device and NCCF node #1, and path #2 is the path between the terminal device and NCCF node #2.

[0161] In one possible implementation, the switching of an NCCF node by an access network device may also be referred to as a connection switching, where the connection is the connection between the access network device and the NCCF node. For example, the switching of NCCF node #1 to NCCF node #2 by an access network device may be referred to as a switching from connection #1 to connection #2, where connection #1 is the connection between the access network device and NCCF node #1, and connection #2 is the connection between the access network device and NCCF node #2. The connection between the access network device and the NCCF node may also be referred to as an N3 connection, N3* connection, N3 tunnel, or N3* tunnel.

[0162] Exemplarily, the target NCCF node satisfies condition #1, which includes at least one of the following: the processing capability of the target NCCF node is higher than that of the source NCCF node; the processing capability of the target NCCF node is not lower than the initial processing capability of the source NCCF node; the deployment location of the target NCCF node is equivalent to that of the source NCCF node; or the deployment location of the target NCCF node is one level above that of the source NCCF node. The source NCCF node is the NCCF node that provided services to the terminal device before the access network device performs the NCCF node handover. In other words, the NCCF node handover performed by the access network device refers to the handover from the source NCCF node to the target NCCF node.

[0163] The processing capacity of an NCCF node (e.g., a source NCCF node or a target NCCF node) is related to the available resources of the NCCF node. The more available resources the NCCF node has, the stronger the processing capacity of the NCCF node. The processing capacity of an NCCF node can also be referred to as processing level, computing capacity, or computing level. The processing capacity of an NCCF node includes at least one of a static processing level, a real-time processing level, and a predictive processing level. It should be noted that the processing capacity of an NCCF node may change with changes in the available resources of the NCCF node. For example, if the number of users served by the NCCF node increases, the available resources of the NCCF node will decrease, and the processing capacity of the NCCF node may decrease.

[0164] The initial processing capability of the source NCCF node refers to the processing capability when the source NCCF node starts to provide services for the terminal device.

[0165] If the deployment location of the target NCCF node is equal to that of the source NCCF node, the difference between the first transmission delay and the second transmission delay does not exceed the duration threshold #1. The first transmission delay is the transmission delay between the target NCCF node and the access network device, and the second transmission delay is the transmission delay between the source NCCF node and the access network device. The duration threshold #1 may be a value predefined by the protocol. Exemplarily, the deployment location of the target NCCF node is equal to that of the source NCCF node in that: the difference between the first distance and the second distance does not exceed the distance threshold, and / or the first physical topology is the same as the second physical topology. The first distance is the distance between the target NCCF node and the access network device, and the second distance is the distance between the source NCCF node and the access network device. The distance threshold may be a value predefined by the protocol. The first physical topology is the physical topology between the target NCCF node and the access network device, and the second physical topology is the physical topology between the source NCCF node and the access network device. For example, if the target NCCF node and the source NCCF are located on the same access ring, the deployment location of the target NCCF node is equal to that of the source NCCF node.

[0166] It can be understood that if the processing capacity of the target NCCF node is higher than that of the source NCCF node, the target NCCF node may be able to provide more efficient services to the terminal device, thereby improving the service experience of the terminal device. If the processing capacity of the target NCCF node is higher than the initial capacity of the source NCCF node, then when the processing capacity of the source NCCF node decreases, the target NCCF node will provide services to the terminal device, which is conducive to providing more efficient services to the terminal device, thereby improving the service experience of the terminal device. If the deployment location of the target NCCF node is equal to the deployment location of the source NCCF node, it can be avoided that the transmission delay between the target NCCF node and the terminal device is greater than the transmission delay between the source NCCF node and the terminal device. If the deployment location of the target NCCF node is one level above the deployment location of the source NCCF node, the processing capacity of the target NCCF node is higher than that of the source NCCF node, and then when the target NCCF node provides services to the terminal device, it is conducive to providing more efficient services to the terminal device, thereby improving the service experience of the terminal device.

[0167] In one possible implementation, the access network device determines the target NCCF node, including: if a first condition is met, the access network device determines the target NCCF node. The first condition includes one or more of the following: a processing capability of the source NCCF node is lower than a processing capability threshold, or a communication quality between the source NCCF node and the terminal device is lower than a communication quality threshold #1.

[0168] The communication quality between the terminal device and the source NCCF node can be characterized by one or more of the following parameters: latency, jitter, packet loss rate, or bandwidth. Accordingly, communication quality threshold #1 can include one or more of the following: latency threshold #1, jitter threshold #1, packet loss rate threshold #1, or bandwidth threshold #1.

[0169] Optionally, the first condition also includes one or more of the following: the duration for which the processing capacity of the source NCCF node is lower than the processing capacity threshold reaches duration threshold #2, or the duration for which the communication quality between the source NCCF node and the terminal device is lower than communication quality threshold #1 reaches duration threshold #3. Duration threshold #2 and duration threshold #3 may be values ​​predefined by the protocol, and duration threshold #2 and duration threshold #3 may be equal, or duration threshold #2 and duration threshold #3 may be different.

[0170] The processing capability threshold and communication quality threshold #1 are related to the services that the terminal device expects or requests from the NCCF node. It should be understood that if the processing capability of the source NCCF node is lower than the processing capability threshold, and / or the communication quality between the source NCCF node and the terminal device is lower than communication quality threshold #1, the source NCCF node cannot provide the services that the terminal device expects or requests from the NCCF node.

[0171] The following describes how the access network device determines whether the processing capability of the source NCCF node is lower than the processing capability threshold.

[0172] Exemplarily, the access network device receives information #1 from the network management system, and information #1 is used to determine the processing capability of the source NCCF node. After determining the processing capability of the source NCCF node based on information #1, the access network device can determine whether the processing capability of the source NCCF node is lower than the processing capability threshold.

[0173] Information #1 may include one or more of the following: the processing capacity of the source NCCF node, resource configuration information of the source NCCF node, information about the real-time processing resources of the source NCCF node, the number of users served by the source NCCF node, the ratio of the number of users served by the source NCCF node to the maximum number of users supported by the source NCCF node, the number of connections served by the source NCCF node, or the ratio of the number of connections served by the source NCCF node to the maximum number of connections supported by the source NCCF node. Information about the real-time processing resources of the source NCCF node may include one or more of the following: resource usage of the source NCCF node and the remaining available resources of the source NCCF node.

[0174] Optionally, before the access network device receives information #1 from the network management system, method 300 further includes: the access network device sending a request message #1 to the network management system, where the request message #1 is used to request information #1. Request message #1 may be a subscription request message. Furthermore, based on request message #1, the network management system may send information #1 to the access network device if the processing capability of the source NCCF node changes. For example, if the processing capability of the source NCCF node falls below a processing capability threshold, the network management system sends information #1 to the access network device.

[0175] In another exemplary embodiment, the access network device receives information #2 from the converged management function network element. Information #2 is used to determine the processing capability of the source NCCF node. After determining the processing capability of the source NCCF node based on information #2, the access network device can then determine whether the processing capability of the source NCCF node is below a processing capability threshold. For more information about information #2, refer to information #1.

[0176] Optionally, before the access network device receives information #2 from the converged management function network element, method 300 further includes: the access network device sending a request message #2 to the converged management function network element, where the request message #2 is used to request information #2. Request message #2 may be a subscription request message. Furthermore, the converged management function network element may send information #2 to the access network device based on request message #2 if the processing capability of the source NCCF node changes.

[0177] The following describes how the access network device determines that the communication quality between the source NCCF node and the terminal device is lower than the communication quality threshold #1.

[0178] Exemplarily, the access network device determines the communication quality between the source NCCF node and the terminal device by monitoring the communication quality between the access network device and the terminal device, and the communication quality between the access network device and the source NCCF node, and then determines whether the communication quality between the terminal device and the source NCCF node is lower than the communication quality threshold #1.

[0179] The following describes how the access network device determines the target NCCF node.

[0180] Implementation method 1, the access network device determines the target NCCF node, including: the access network device receives information of at least one candidate NCCF node from the network management system; the access network device determines the target NCCF node according to the information of the at least one candidate NCCF node.

[0181] The information of the alternative NCCF node includes one or more of the following: the processing capacity of the alternative NCCF node, the resource configuration information of the alternative NCCF node, the real-time processing resource information of the alternative NCCF node, the number of users served by the alternative NCCF node, the ratio of the number of users served by the alternative NCCF node to the maximum number of users supported by the alternative NCCF node, the number of connections served by the alternative NCCF node, the ratio of the number of connections served by the alternative NCCF node to the maximum number of connections supported by the alternative NCCF node, the communication quality between the alternative NCCF node and the access network device, the identifier of the alternative NCCF node, the IP address of the alternative NCCF node, or the port number of the alternative NCCF node. Among them, the IP address and / or port number of the alternative NCCF node can be referred to as the N3* tunnel information corresponding to the alternative NCCF node, or the connection information corresponding to the alternative NCCF node.

[0182] The access network device may select at least one NCCF node that meets condition #1 from the at least one candidate NCCF node based on information about the at least one candidate NCCF node. Furthermore, the access network device may determine a target NCCF node from the at least one NCCF node that meets condition #1. For example, the target NCCF node may be the NCCF node with the highest processing capability among the at least one NCCF node that meets condition #1, or may be the NCCF node with the smallest load (e.g., the least number of users and / or the least number of connections served) among the at least one NCCF node that meets condition #1.

[0183] Optionally, each of the at least one candidate NCCF node satisfies condition #1. For example, the access network device may send a request message #3 to the network management system, requesting information about the NCCF nodes that satisfy condition #1. Furthermore, the network management system may send information about the at least one candidate NCCF node that satisfies condition #1 to the access network device based on request message #3.

[0184] Optionally, the communication quality between each of the at least one candidate NCCF node and the access network device is greater than communication quality threshold #2. For example, the access network device may send a request message #4 to the network management system, requesting information about NCCF nodes whose communication quality with the access network device exceeds communication quality threshold #2. Furthermore, the network management system may send information about at least one candidate NCCF node whose communication quality with the access network device exceeds the communication quality threshold to the access network device based on request message #3.

[0185] Implementation method 2, the access network device determines the target NCCF node, including: the access network device receives information about at least one candidate NCCF node from the converged management function network element; the access network device determines the target NCCF node based on the information about the at least one candidate NCCF node.

[0186] For more details about implementation method 2, please refer to the above implementation method 1.

[0187] It should be noted that the converged management function network element can obtain information about at least one candidate NCCF node from the network management system, or obtain information about at least one candidate NCCF node from the NWDAF, or obtain information about at least one candidate NCCF node from the enhanced NRF. Exemplarily, the enhanced NRF can be expressed as NRF*. Compared with the NRF defined in the existing protocol, the NRF* can store information about at least one NCCF.

[0188] S310b: The converged management function network element sends the target NCCF node information to the access network device.

[0189] Correspondingly, the access network device receives information about the target NCCF node from the converged management function network element.

[0190] After receiving the target NCCF node information, the access network device can determine the target NCCF node according to the target NCCF node information. The target NCCF node information can refer to the description of the candidate NCCF node information in S310a.

[0191] It should be understood that after the converged management function network element determines the target NCCF node, it can send information about the target NCCF node to the access network device. The method for the converged management network element to determine the target NCCF node can refer to the method for the access network device to determine the target NCCF node. For the sake of brevity, this embodiment of the application will not be described in detail.

[0192] After the access network device determines the target NCCF node, or after the access network device receives information about the target NCCF node, the method 300 continues to execute S320 to S340.

[0193] S320: The first device sends first information to the access network device.

[0194] Correspondingly, the access network device receives the first information from the first device.

[0195] The first device is a terminal device or a source NCCF node.

[0196] The embodiment of the present application does not limit the first information.

[0197] In one possible implementation, the first information is a first handover acknowledgment (ACK) message. Before the first device sends the first information to the access network device, method 300 further includes: the access network device sends a first handover request message to the first device. For more information about the first handover ACK message, please refer to method 400 below. For the sake of brevity, the details are not described here.

[0198] In one possible implementation, the first information is a handover instruction packet. Exemplarily, the handover instruction packet is an end marker packet. For more description of the handover instruction packet, please refer to method 400 below. For the sake of brevity, it is not described in detail here.

[0199] In one possible implementation, the first device is a terminal device, and the first information is packet indication information included in a first data packet, including the indication information indicating that the first data packet is the first packet or the last packet of a first task. In this implementation, the access network device receiving the first information from the first device includes: the access network device receiving the first data packet from the first device. For further description of the packet indication information, please refer to method 500 below; for the sake of brevity, it is not described in detail here.

[0200] It should be noted that a first task is a unit that implements specific business logic and can belong to a certain application or service. For example, a first task can refer to the start and end of a rendering in an extended reality (XR) application or cloud game, the start and end of rendering a frame of video, or the start and end of rendering one or more groups of pictures (GOPs), an inference (from the start to the completion of inference) in an artificial intelligence (AI) application, or a (relatively) independent calculation in an AI inference. The first task can also be called a first transaction.

[0201] In one possible implementation, the first device is a terminal device, and the first information is handover indication information included in a third data packet. In this implementation, the access network device receiving the first information from the first device includes: the access network device receiving the third data packet from the first device. For more information about the handover indication information, refer to method 600 below; for the sake of brevity, this description is not provided here.

[0202] In a possible implementation, the first device is a terminal device, and the first information is second switching request information. For more description of the second switching request information, please refer to method 600 below, which will not be described in detail here for the sake of brevity.

[0203] S330: The access network device determines, based on the first information, to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device.

[0204] The first interface is the interface between the access network device and the source NCCF node, and may also be referred to as the first N3 interface or the first N3* interface. The second interface is the interface between the access network device and the target NCCF node, and may also be referred to as the second N3 interface or the second N3* interface.

[0205] With reference to the description in S310a above, the access network device switching from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device can be replaced by the access network device switching from the first path to the second path to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device, or can be replaced by the access network device switching from the first connection to the second connection to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device. The first path is the path between the terminal device and the source NCCF node, and the second path is the path between the terminal device and the target NCCF node. The first connection is the connection between the access network device and the source NCCF node, and the second connection is the connection between the access network device and the target NCCF node.

[0206] Exemplarily, switching from the first interface to the second interface to transmit an uplink data packet from the terminal device specifically involves updating the first mapping relationship to the second mapping relationship. The first mapping relationship is a mapping relationship between a first data radio bearer (DRB) between the terminal device and the access network device and the first interface, and the second mapping relationship is a mapping relationship between the first DRB and the second interface.

[0207] In one possible implementation, when the access network device updates the first mapping relationship to the second mapping relationship, the access network device may also save (or maintain) a third mapping relationship, where the third mapping relationship is a mapping relationship between the second DRB between the terminal device and the access network device and the first interface. The second DRB is different from the first DRB, or in other words, the data stream carried by the first DRB is different from the data stream carried by the first DBR.

[0208] It can be understood that when the access network device also saves the third mapping relationship, after the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device, the uplink data packet from the terminal device received through the first DRB is forwarded to the target network computing power fusion function node through the second interface, and the uplink data packet from the terminal device received through the second DRB is forwarded to the source network computing power fusion function node through the first interface.

[0209] It can also be understood that before the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device, the access network device saves (or maintains) a fourth mapping relationship, where the fourth mapping relationship is a mapping relationship between the first DRB and the second DRB and the first interface. When the access network device saves the fourth mapping relationship, the access network device forwards the uplink data packet from the terminal device received through the first DRB and the second DRB to the source network computing power fusion function node through the first interface.

[0210] The following describes how the access network device determines, based on the first information, to switch from the first interface to the second interface for transmitting an uplink data packet from the terminal device.

[0211] In a possible implementation, if the first information is first switching ACK information, the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device when receiving the first switching ACK information.

[0212] In a possible implementation, if the first information is a switching indication packet, the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device when receiving the switching indication packet.

[0213] In one possible implementation, if the first information is packet indication information, the access network device determines that the first data packet is the first packet of the first task based on the indication information, and determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device.

[0214] In one possible implementation, if the first information is packet indication information, and the access network device determines that the first data packet is the last packet of the first task based on the packet indication information, then when the access network device receives the second data packet, it determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device. The second data packet is an uplink data packet from the terminal device received by the access network device after the first data packet. The second data packet can be a data packet of a second task, which is a task performed after the first task. The second task and the first task belong to the same application or service, or the second task and the first task belong to different applications or services.

[0215] In a possible implementation, the first information is switching indication information. When the access network device receives the switching indication information, it determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device.

[0216] In a possible implementation, the first information is second switching request information. When the access network device receives the second switching request information, it determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device.

[0217] S340: The access network device sends an uplink data packet to the target NCCF node.

[0218] Correspondingly, the target NCCF node receives the uplink data packet from the access network device.

[0219] It should be understood that the access network device sends an uplink data packet to the target NCCF node through the second interface. The uplink data packet is an uplink data packet received by the access network device from the terminal device.

[0220] If the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device based on the first information, the access network device sends the uplink data packet to the target NCCF node through the second interface after receiving the uplink data packet from the terminal device.

[0221] For example, if the first information is the first switching ACK information, the access network device sends the uplink data packet received from the terminal device after receiving the first switching ACK information to the target NCCF node through the second interface.

[0222] For another example, if the first information is a handover indication packet, the access network device will send the uplink data packet received from the terminal device after the handover indication packet to the target NCCF node via the second interface. In other words, after the access network device receives the handover indication packet, if the access network device receives an uplink data packet from the terminal device, the access network device will send the received uplink data packet to the target NCCF node via the second interface.

[0223] For another example, the first information is the packet indication information included in the first data packet, and includes indication information indicating that the first data packet is the first packet of the first task. The access network device sends the first data packet and at least one uplink data packet received from the terminal device after the first data packet to the target NCCF node through the second interface.

[0224] For another example, the first information is the packet indication information included in the first data packet, and the packet indication information indicates that the first data packet is the tail packet of the first task, then the access network device sends the second data packet received from the terminal device after the first data packet to the target NCCF node through the second interface.

[0225] For another example, if the first information is the switching indication information included in the third data packet, the access network device sends the third data packet and at least one uplink data packet received from the terminal device after the third data packet to the target NCCF node through the second interface.

[0226] For another example, if the first information is the second switching request information, the access network device sends the uplink data packet from the terminal device received after the second switching request information to the target NCCF node through the second interface.

[0227] It should be understood that before the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface for transmitting an uplink data packet from the terminal device, the interface used by the access network device is the first interface. When the access network device uses the first interface, the terminal device exchanges data with the source NCCF node through the access network device. That is, when the access network device receives an uplink data packet from the terminal device, it sends the received uplink data packet to the source NCCF node.

[0228] Optionally, after the target NCCF node receives an uplink data packet from the terminal device through the access network device, it can send a downlink data packet to the terminal device through the access network device, that is, the target NCCF sends a downlink data packet to the access network device, and then the access network device sends the downlink data packet received from the target NCCF node to the terminal device.

[0229] In an embodiment of the present application, the access network device can determine to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device based on the first information from the terminal device or the source NCCF node, thereby avoiding the service interruption of the terminal device caused by blindly switching the uplink data packet from the terminal device from the first interface to the second interface when the access network device cannot identify the data packet transmitted between the terminal device and the source NCCF node, which is beneficial to ensuring the service experience of the terminal device.

[0230] The handover method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described below with reference to Figures 4 to 7. It should be noted that in Figures 4 to 7, UE is an example of a terminal device, RAN is an example of an access network device, and CMF is an example of a converged management function network element.

[0231] FIG4 shows a schematic flow chart of a method 400 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG4 , the method 400 may include the following steps.

[0232] S401: The UE establishes a user plane connection with a source NCCF node.

[0233] In S401, the UE registers with the network and establishes a user plane connection with the source NCCF node. It should be understood that the session corresponding to the user plane connection established between the UE and the source NCCF node terminates at the source NCCF node. That is, uplink data packets sent by the UE to the source NCCF node via the RAN are processed by the source NCCF node. Accordingly, the source NCCF node can send downlink data packets to the UE via the RAN.

[0234] The manner in which the UE registers with the network and the manner in which the UE establishes a user plane connection with the source NCCF node may refer to existing protocols or standards. For the sake of brevity, the embodiments of this application will not be described in detail.

[0235] S402: RAN determines a target NCCF node.

[0236] S402 may refer to S310a in the above method 300 .

[0237] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application is described by taking the execution of S402 in method 400 as an example. In a possible implementation, S402 can be replaced by S320b in the above method 300, that is, the RAN can receive information from the target NCCF node of the CMF.

[0238] After the RAN determines the target NCCF node, method 400 continues to execute the steps in method 1, or continues to execute the steps in method 2.

[0239] The steps included in method 1 are described below.

[0240] S403: The RAN sends first handover request information to the source NCCF node.

[0241] Correspondingly, the source NCCF node receives the first handover request information from the RAN.

[0242] The first handover request information may also be referred to as N3* handover request information, or as NCCF node handover request information, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. The first handover request information may also be a first handover request message.

[0243] Optionally, the first switching request information includes identification information of the first data stream, and / or information of the target NCCF node. The first data stream is a data stream that is transmitted through the first interface and is to be switched to be transmitted through the second interface. Taking data stream #x as an example, if the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device, before forwarding the uplink data packet from the terminal device in data stream #x to the source network computing power fusion function node through the first interface, and the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device, after forwarding the uplink data packet from the terminal device in data stream #x to the target network computing power fusion function node through the second interface, then data stream #x is a data stream that is transmitted through the first interface and is to be switched to be transmitted through the second interface. For ease of description, the data stream that is transmitted through the first interface and is to be switched to be transmitted through the second interface will be referred to as the data stream to be switched below.

[0244] The identification information of the first data flow may be one or more of the following corresponding to the first data flow: a QoS flow identifier (QFI) list, an identifier of an N3*QoS flow, or an IP list. The first data flow may include all data flows or part of the data flows transmitted between the UE and the source NCCF node, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the first data flow may include data flows that are sensitive to latency (for example, data flows corresponding to video or voice services) among all data flows transmitted between the UE and the source NCCF node. It should be understood that the QoS flow mentioned in the embodiments of the present application refers to the minimum granularity at which data transmission between the terminal device and the NCCF node can be operated, and the N3*QoS flow submitted in the embodiments of the present application refers to the minimum granularity at which direct data transmission between the RAN and the NCCF node can be operated.

[0245] It should be noted that when the first data stream includes multiple data streams, different data streams may have different QFIs, different data streams may have different IPs, or different data streams may have different N3*QoS flow identifiers. It should also be noted that one data stream may correspond to one service or multiple services.

[0246] The target NCCF node information may include one or more of the following: an identifier of the target NCCF node, an IP address of the target NCCF node, or connection information corresponding to the target NCCF node. The connection information corresponding to the target NCCF node includes the IP address and port number of the target NCCF node.

[0247] The embodiment of the present application does not limit the manner in which the RAN sends the first handover request information to the source NCCF node.

[0248] In a possible implementation, the RAN sends the first handover request information to the source NCCF node through the CMF. Exemplarily, the RAN sends the first handover request information to the CMF, and then the CMF sends the first handover request information to the source NCCF node.

[0249] In one possible implementation, the RAN directly sends the first handover request information to the source NCCF node. Exemplarily, the RAN directly sends the first handover request information to the source NCCF node via a user plane control protocol. For example, the first handover request information sent by the RAN to the source NCCF node is carried in a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP) message, which may be a GTP-C control message.

[0250] Optionally, method 1 also includes S404.

[0251] S404: The UE interacts with the source NCCF node to freeze data.

[0252] For example, after the source NCCF node receives the first handover request information from the RAN, if there are still downlink data packets to be sent to the UE at the source NCCF node, or if one or more tasks between the UE and the source NCCF node have not yet been completed, the source NCCF node can interact with the UE to freeze the application layer data interaction (for example, the UE stops sending the uplink rendering instruction stream to the source NCCF node, and the source NCCF node stops sending the downlink rendered video stream to the UE). For details on the tasks, refer to the description of the first task in method 300 above.

[0253] Exemplarily, the source NCCF node sends information #3 to the UE, where the information #3 is used to request or instruct the UE to freeze application layer data interaction between the UE and the source NCCF node.

[0254] Optionally, if the first switching request information includes identification information of the first data flow to be switched, the source NCCF node interacts with the UE to freeze application layer data interaction corresponding to the first data flow.

[0255] Optionally, after receiving the first handover request information, the source NCCF node may determine data flow #1, and then interact with the UE to freeze application layer data interaction corresponding to data flow #1. Data flow #1 is the data flow to be switched determined by the source NCCF node.

[0256] The data stream #1 determined by the source NCCF node may include all or part of the data streams transmitted between the source NCCF node and the UE. For example, data stream #1 may include the data streams that are sensitive to latency among all the data streams transmitted between the UE and the source NCCF node. For another example, when the first switching request information includes the identification information of the first data stream, data stream #1 may include all or part of the data streams in the first data stream. For another example, when the first switching request information includes the identification information of the first data stream, data stream #1 may include the first data stream and a data stream associated with at least one data stream in the first data stream. Among them, the two mutually associated data streams may correspond to the same application or service.

[0257] Optionally, method 1 also includes S405.

[0258] S405: The source NCCF node sends the context of the data flow to be switched to the target NCCF node.

[0259] Correspondingly, the target NCCF node receives the context of the data flow to be switched from the source NCCF node.

[0260] The context of the data flow to be switched may include one or more of the following: a checkpoint of the application layer, data related to the data flow to be switched cached by the source NCCF node, or a protocol stack state between the source NCCF node and the UE.

[0261] For example, if application layer service continuity needs to be maintained, the source NCCF node may send the context of the switched data flow to the target NCCF node.

[0262] Optionally, the context of the data stream to be switched sent by the source NCCF node to the target NCCF node includes the context of all data streams to be switched, or includes the context of the data streams for which application layer service continuity needs to be maintained among all data streams to be switched. All data streams to be switched are the first data stream, or are data stream #1 determined by the source NCCF node. For a description of data stream #1, refer to S404 above.

[0263] The embodiment of the present application does not limit the method by which the source NCCF node determines the target NCCF node.

[0264] For example, if the first handover request information received by the source NCCF node includes information of the target NCCF node, the source NCCF node may send the context of the data flow to be switched to the target NCCF node according to the information of the target NCCF node.

[0265] For another example, the source NCCF node and the target NCCF node have an association relationship, and the source NCCF node can be pre-configured with information of the target NCCF node. Then, the source NCCF node can send the context of the data flow to be switched to the target NCCF node according to the pre-configured information of the target NCCF node.

[0266] S406: The source NCCF node sends a first handover ACK message or a handover indication packet to the RAN.

[0267] Correspondingly, the RAN receives the first handover ACK information or handover indication packet from the source NCCF node.

[0268] The first handover ACK information may also be referred to as N3* handover confirmation information, or as NCCF node handover response information, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. The first handover ACK information may also be a first handover ACK message.

[0269] The handover indication packet is a special data packet that may not carry any data. Exemplarily, the handover indication packet is an end marker packet. For example, the handover indication packet is a protocol data unit (PDU) end marker packet.

[0270] In one possible implementation, after the source NCCF node receives the first handover request information from the RAN, if the source NCCF node determines that the NCCF node can be switched, the source NCCF node sends a first handover ACK message or a handover indication packet to the RAN. Exemplarily, if method 400 executes S404, or if the source NCCF node has no downlink data packets to be sent to the UE, or if one or more tasks between the source NCCF node and the UE have ended, then the source NCCF node determines that the NCCF node can be switched.

[0271] In one possible implementation, after receiving the first handover request from the RAN, the source NCCF node may immediately send a first handover ACK to the RAN, or send the first handover ACK to the RAN if the NCCF node handover is not confirmed. In this implementation, the first handover request may include timer information, thereby instructing the RAN to switch from the first interface to the second interface for transmitting uplink data packets from the UE upon expiration of the timer. The first interface is the interface between the source NCCF node and the RAN, and the second interface is the interface between the target NCCF node and the RAN.

[0272] The source NCCF node may determine timer information based on the transmission status of all data flows to be switched, so that when the timer expires, data packets in at least one of all data flows to be switched have been transmitted, or tasks corresponding to at least one of all data flows to be switched have been completed. The data packets of the tasks corresponding to the data flows belong to the data flows.

[0273] The information of the timer is used to determine the timing duration of the timer. The timing of the timer can be in hours, minutes, seconds, or time units, such as slots, mini slots, or symbols, etc., which are not limited in this embodiment of the present application. The timer can start timing from a minimum value or a maximum value. For example, if the timer starts timing from 0 and reaches the maximum value (max=10), it means that the timer has expired. Alternatively, if the timer starts timing from the maximum value (max=10) and reaches 0, it means that the timer has expired.

[0274] Optionally, if the source NCCF node determines data stream #1, the first switching ACK information also includes identification information of the second data stream, and the identification information of the second data stream may be one or more of the following corresponding to the second data stream: QFI list, identification of N3*QoS stream, or IP list. For example, if the first switching request information does not include identification information of the first data stream, the second data stream is equivalent to data stream #1, that is, the second data stream may include all or part of the data streams transmitted between the source NCCF node and the UE. For another example, if the first switching request information includes identification information of the first data stream, and data stream #1 includes all or part of the data streams in the first data stream, the second data stream is equivalent to data stream #1. For another example, if the first switching request information includes identification information of the first data stream, and data stream #1 includes the first data stream and a data stream associated with at least one of the first data streams, the second data stream may include a data stream associated with at least one of the first data streams, or the second data stream is equivalent to data stream #1.

[0275] The embodiment of the present application does not limit the manner in which the source NCCF node sends the first handover ACK information or the handover indication packet to the RAN.

[0276] In one possible implementation, if the RAN sends a first handover request message to the source NCCF node through the CMF, the source NCCF node sends a first handover ACK message or a handover indication packet to the RAN through the CMF. Exemplarily, the source NCCF node sends the first handover ACK message or the handover indication packet to the CMF, and then the CMF sends the first handover ACK message or the handover indication packet to the RAN.

[0277] In one possible implementation, if the RAN directly sends the first handover request information to the source NCCF node, the source NCCF node directly sends the first handover request information or the handover indication packet to the RAN. Exemplarily, the source NCCF node directly sends the first handover request information or the handover indication packet to the RAN via a user plane control protocol.

[0278] The steps included in method 2 are described below.

[0279] S407: RAN sends first handover request information to the UE.

[0280] Correspondingly, the UE receives the first handover request information from the RAN.

[0281] For more description of the first switching request information, please refer to S403 above.

[0282] The embodiment of the present application does not limit the manner in which the RAN sends the first handover request information to the UE.

[0283] In a possible implementation, the RAN sends the first handover request information to the UE via the CMF. Exemplarily, the RAN sends the first handover request information to the CMF, and then the CMF sends the first handover request information to the UE.

[0284] In a possible implementation, the RAN directly sends the first handover request information to the UE. Exemplarily, the RAN directly sends the first handover request information to the UE via an air interface bearer between the RAN and the UE.

[0285] Optionally, method 2 also includes S408.

[0286] S408: The UE interacts with the source NCCF node to freeze data.

[0287] For example, after the UE receives the first switching request information from the RAN, there are still uplink data packets to be sent to the source NCCF node at the UE, or one or more tasks between the UE and the source NCCF node have not been completed, then the UE can interact with the source NCCF node to freeze the application layer data interaction (for example, the UE stops sending the uplink rendering instruction stream to the source NCCF node, and the source NCCF node stops sending the downlink rendering completed video stream to the UE).

[0288] Exemplarily, the UE sends information #4 to the source NCCF node, where the information #4 is used to request or instruct the source NCCF node to freeze application layer data interaction between the UE and the source NCCF node.

[0289] Optionally, if the first switching request information includes identification information of the first data flow, the UE interacts with the source NCCF node to freeze application layer data interaction corresponding to the first data flow.

[0290] Optionally, after receiving the first handover request information, the UE may determine data flow #2, and then interact with the source NCCF node to freeze application layer data interaction corresponding to data flow #2. Data flow #2 is the data flow to be switched determined by the UE.

[0291] The data stream #2 determined by the UE may include all or part of the data streams transmitted between the source NCCF node and the UE. For example, data stream #2 may include the data streams that are sensitive to latency among all the data streams transmitted between the UE and the source NCCF node. For another example, when the first switching request information includes the identification information of the first data stream, data stream #2 may include all or part of the data streams in the first data stream. For another example, when the first switching request information includes the identification information of the first data stream, data stream #2 may include the first data stream and a data stream associated with at least one of the first data streams.

[0292] Optionally, if the first handover request information includes information of the target NCCF node, then in S408 , the UE may further send the information of the target NCCF node to the source NCCF node.

[0293] Optionally, the UE may also send identification information of the first data flow or identification information of data flow #2 to the source NCCF node. The identification information of data flow #2 may be one or more of the following corresponding to data flow #2: QFI list, N3*QoS flow identification, or IP list.

[0294] S409: The UE sends a first handover ACK message or a handover indication packet to the RAN.

[0295] Correspondingly, the RAN receives the first handover ACK information or handover indication packet from the UE.

[0296] For more description of the first handover ACK information and the handover indication packet, please refer to S406 above.

[0297] In one possible implementation, after the UE receives the first handover request information from the RAN, if the UE determines that the NCCF node can be switched, the UE sends a first handover ACK message or a handover indication packet to the RAN. Exemplarily, if method 400 executes S408, or if there are no uplink data packets to be sent to the source NCCF node at the UE, or if one or more tasks between the source NCCF node and the UE have ended, then the UE determines that the NCCF node can be switched.

[0298] In one possible implementation, after receiving the first handover request information from the RAN, the UE may immediately send a first handover ACK information to the RAN, or send the first handover ACK information to the RAN if it is not determined that the NCCF node can be switched. In this implementation, the first handover request information may include timer information and / or a target packet sequence number, thereby instructing the RAN to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the UE when the timer expires and / or the target data packet is received. The target data packet includes the target packet sequence number, the first interface is the interface between the source NCCF node and the RAN, and the second interface is the interface between the target NCCF node and the RAN.

[0299] The UE can determine timer information based on the transmission status of all data streams to be switched, so that when the timer expires, data packets in at least one of all data streams to be switched have been transmitted, or the task corresponding to at least one of all data streams to be switched has been completed. For more description of the timer information, please refer to S406 above. All data streams to be switched are the first data stream, or data stream #2 determined by the UE. For a description of data stream #2, please refer to S408 above.

[0300] The target packet sequence number is the packet sequence number of the NCCF node allowed to be switched, determined by the UE. The UE can determine the target packet sequence number based on the transmission status of all data streams to be switched. The target packet sequence number may include one or more packet sequence numbers. For example, the target packet sequence number may include a packet sequence number, which is the sequence number of the first packet of task #a corresponding to data stream #a. Among them, data stream #a is any one of all data streams to be switched, or the data stream that is first transmitted after the UE sends the first switching ACK information among all data streams to be switched. Task #a is any one task corresponding to data stream #a, or the task that starts first after the UE sends the first switching ACK information among the tasks corresponding to data stream #a. For another example, the target packet sequence number includes one or more packet sequence numbers, and the one or more packet sequence numbers correspond one-to-one to the one or more data streams included in all data streams to be switched. Taking the packet sequence number #A included in the target packet sequence number as an example, the packet sequence number #A corresponds to the data stream #A in all the data streams to be switched, the packet sequence number #A is the sequence number of the first packet of the task #A corresponding to the data stream #A, and the task #A is any task corresponding to the data stream #A, or the service #A is the task that starts first among the tasks corresponding to the data stream #A after the UE sends the first switching ACK information.

[0301] Exemplarily, the target packet sequence number is a PDU packet number, that is, when the target data packet includes the target packet sequence number, the target packet sequence number is carried in the PDU layer of the target data packet.

[0302] Optionally, if the UE determines data stream #2, the first switching ACK information also includes identification information of the second data stream, and the identification information of the second data stream may be one or more of the following corresponding to the second data stream: QFI list, identification of N3*QoS stream, or IP list. For example, if the first switching request information does not include identification information of the first data stream, the second data stream is equivalent to data stream #2, that is, the second data stream may include all or part of the data streams transmitted between the source NCCF node and the UE. For another example, if the first switching request information includes identification information of the first data stream, and data stream #2 includes all or part of the data streams in the first data stream, the second data stream is equivalent to data stream #2. For another example, if the first switching request information includes identification information of the first data stream, and data stream #2 includes the first data stream and a data stream associated with at least one of the first data streams, the second data stream may include a data stream associated with at least one of the first data streams, or the second data stream is equivalent to data stream #2.

[0303] The embodiment of the present application does not limit the manner in which the UE sends the first handover ACK information or the handover indication packet to the RAN.

[0304] In one possible implementation, if the RAN sends a first handover request message to the UE via the CMF, the UE sends a first handover ACK message or a handover indication packet to the RAN via the CMF. Exemplarily, the UE sends the first handover ACK message or the handover indication packet to the CMF, and then the CMF sends the first handover ACK message or the handover indication packet to the RAN.

[0305] In one possible implementation, if the RAN directly sends the first handover request information to the UE, the UE directly sends the first handover request information or the handover indication packet to the RAN. Exemplarily, the UE directly sends the first handover request information or the handover indication packet to the RAN via an air interface bearer between the UE and the RAN.

[0306] Optionally, method 2 also includes S410.

[0307] S410: RAN sends a handover command to the source NCCF node.

[0308] Correspondingly, the source NCCF node receives the handover command from the RAN.

[0309] The switching command includes identification information of the fourth data flow, and / or information of the target NCCF node. The fourth data flow is the data flow to be switched, and the identification information of the fourth data flow can be one or more of the following corresponding to the fourth data flow: QFI list, identification of N3*QoS flow, or IP list. The fourth data flow is equivalent to the first data flow, or the first switching ACK information received by the RAN includes identification information of the second data flow, then the fourth data flow is equivalent to the second data flow, or is equivalent to the first data flow and the second data flow. For example, the second data flow includes the first data flow and a data flow associated with at least one of the first data flow, then the fourth data flow is equivalent to the second data flow. For another example, the second data flow includes a data flow associated with at least one of the first data flow, then the fourth data flow is equivalent to the first data flow and the second data flow, that is, the fourth data flow includes the first data flow and a data flow associated with at least one of the first data flow.

[0310] For example, if the first handover request information sent by the RAN to the UE does not include the information of the target NCCF node, the handover command sent by the RAN to the source NCCF node includes the information of the target NCCF node.

[0311] For another example, if all the data flows to be switched are not all the data flows transmitted between the UE and the source NCCF node, the switching command sent by the RAN to the source NCCF node includes identification information of the fourth data flow.

[0312] Optionally, method 2 also includes S411.

[0313] S411: The source NCCF node sends the context of the data flow to be switched to the target NCCF node.

[0314] Correspondingly, the target NCCF node receives the context of the data flow to be switched from the source NCCF node.

[0315] The context of the data flow to be switched may include one or more of the following: a checkpoint of the application layer, data related to the data flow to be switched cached by the source NCCF node, or a protocol stack state between the source NCCF node and the UE.

[0316] For example, if application layer service continuity needs to be maintained, the source NCCF node may send the context of the switched data flow to the target NCCF node.

[0317] Optionally, the context of the data flow to be switched sent by the source NCCF node to the target NCCF node includes the context of all data flows to be switched, or includes the context of the data flow for which application layer service continuity needs to be maintained among all data flows to be switched.

[0318] If the source NCCF node does not receive the identification information of the first data stream or the identification information of data stream #2 from the UE, all data streams to be switched are all data streams transmitted between the source NCCF node and the UE. If the source NCCF node receives the identification information of the first data stream from the UE, all data streams to be switched are the first data stream. If the source NCCF node receives the identification information of data stream #2 from the UE, all data streams to be switched are data stream #2. If the switching command received by the source NCCF node includes the identification information of the fourth data stream, all data streams to be switched are the fourth data stream.

[0319] The manner in which the RAN sends the handover command to the source NCCF node may refer to the manner in which the RAN sends the first handover request information to the source NCCF node in S403.

[0320] Optionally, method 2 also includes S412.

[0321] S412: The source NCCF node sends a handover completion message to the RAN.

[0322] Correspondingly, the RAN receives the handover completion information from the source NCCF node.

[0323] If the RAN sends a handover command to the source NCCF node, and the source NCCF node sends the context of the data flow to be switched to the target NCCF node according to the handover command, the source NCCF node may send a handover completion message to the RAN.

[0324] Optionally, the handover completion information includes identification information of the fifth data flow, which may be one or more of the following corresponding to the fifth data flow: QFI list, N3*QoS flow identification, or IP list. In S412, the source NCCF node sends the context of the fifth data flow to the target NCCF node.

[0325] The switching completion information may also be a switching completion message, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0326] S413: The RAN determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the UE.

[0327] S414: The UE sends an uplink data packet to the RAN.

[0328] Correspondingly, the RAN receives uplink data packets from the UE.

[0329] S415: The RAN sends an uplink data packet to the target NCCF node.

[0330] Correspondingly, the target NCCF node receives the uplink data packet from the RAN.

[0331] In one possible implementation, if the RAN receives a handover indication packet from the source NCCF node or the UE, the RAN determines to switch the transmission of uplink data packets from the UE from the first interface to the second interface. Furthermore, after the RAN receives the handover indication packet from the source NCCF node or the UE, if the RAN receives an uplink data packet from the UE, the RAN sends the uplink data packet from the UE to the target NCCF node via the second interface.

[0332] In one possible implementation, if the RAN receives a first handover ACK message from the source NCCF node or the UE, the RAN determines to switch transmission of uplink data packets from the UE from the first interface to the second interface. Furthermore, after the RAN receives the first handover ACK message from the source NCCF node or the UE, if the RAN receives an uplink data packet from the UE, the RAN sends the uplink data packet from the UE to the target NCCF node via the second interface.

[0333] In one possible implementation, if the RAN receives first handover ACK information from the source NCCF node or the UE, and the first handover ACK information includes timer information, the RAN determines, based on the timer information, to switch transmission of uplink data packets from the UE from the first interface to the second interface after the timer expires. Furthermore, after the timer expires, if the RAN receives uplink data packets from the UE, the RAN sends the uplink data packets from the UE to the target NCCF node via the second interface.

[0334] In one possible implementation, if the RAN receives a first handover ACK message from the UE, and the first handover ACK message includes a target packet sequence number, the RAN determines, based on the target packet sequence number, to switch transmission of the uplink data packet from the UE from the first interface to the second interface upon receipt of the target data packet. Furthermore, the RAN sends the target data packet to the target NCCF node via the second interface, and also sends uplink data packets from the UE received after the target data packet to the target NCCF node via the second interface.

[0335] Exemplarily, if the target packet sequence number includes a packet sequence number, the RAN determines, based on the target packet sequence number, that upon receiving the target data packet, to switch all data streams to be switched to the target NCCF node, that is, the RAN sends the target data packet and all uplink data packets from the UE received after the target data packet to the target NCCF node through the second interface.

[0336] Exemplarily, the target packet sequence number includes one or more packet sequence numbers, and the one or more packet sequence numbers correspond to one or more data streams included in all the data streams to be switched. Taking packet sequence number #A among the one or more packet sequence numbers as an example, packet sequence number #A corresponds to data stream #A among all the data streams to be switched. The RAN can determine based on packet sequence number #1 that upon receiving the target data packet #A, data stream #A will be switched to the target NCCF node, that is, the RAN sends the target data packet #A and the data packet #A received from the UE after the target data packet #A to the target NCCF node via the second interface. Among them, the target data packet #A includes packet sequence number #A, and data packet #A is a data packet in data stream #A. It can be understood that when the RAN receives the target data packet #A, if the RAN receives data packet #B from the UE after the target data packet #A, but the RAN does not receive the target data packet #B, the RAN will not send data packet #B to the target NCCF node, but will send data packet #B to the source NCCF node via the first interface. The target data packet #B includes a packet sequence number #B, the packet sequence number #B corresponds to the data stream #B in all the data streams to be switched, and the data packet #B is a data packet in the data stream #B.

[0337] It is understood that when the RAN determines to switch the transmission of uplink data packets from the UE from the first interface to the second interface, the RAN can update the mapping relationship between the data radio bearer (DRB) and the NCCF node. That is, the RAN updates the mapping relationship between the first DRB between the UE and the RAN and the source NCCF node to the mapping relationship between the first DRB and the target NCCF node. The mapping relationship between the DRB and the NCCF node can also be referred to as the mapping relationship between the DRB and the N3*.

[0338] Optionally, after receiving the uplink data packet from the UE through the RAN, the target NCCF node may send a downlink data packet to the UE through the RAN, that is, the target NCCF node sends the downlink data packet to the RAN, and then the RAN sends the downlink data packet received from the target NCCF node to the UE.

[0339] In an embodiment of the present application, RAN can trigger the switching of NCCF nodes. Compared with the method of triggering the switching of NCCF nodes by control plane network elements, it can reduce some signaling interactions, thereby reducing the delay of user name path switching and improving end-to-end service experience.

[0340] Exemplarily, the manner in which the control plane network element triggers the switching of the NCCF node may include the following interaction processes: the interaction process between the control plane network element and the source NCCF node, the interaction process between the control plane network element and the target NCCF node, and the interaction process between the control plane network element and the access network device. In an embodiment of the present application, the manner in which the RAN triggers the switching of the NCCF node may include the interaction process between the RAN and the source NCCF node, or the interaction process between the RAN and the UE. Compared with the manner in which the control plane network element triggers the switching of the NCCF node, some signaling interactions are reduced.

[0341] In addition, the RAN can determine that the uplink data packet from the UE is transmitted through the second interface after switching from the first interface based on the first switching ACK information or switching indication packet from the source NCCF node or the UE, thereby avoiding the UE's service interruption caused by blindly switching from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the UE when the RAN cannot identify the data packet transmitted between the UE and the source NCCF node, thereby helping to ensure the UE's service experience.

[0342] FIG5 shows a schematic flow chart of a method 500 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG5 , the method 500 may include the following steps.

[0343] S501: The UE establishes a user plane connection with a source NCCF node.

[0344] For more description of S501 , please refer to S401 in the above method 400 .

[0345] S502: RAN determines a target NCCF node.

[0346] S502 may refer to S310a in the above method 300 .

[0347] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application is described by taking the execution of S502 in method 500 as an example. In a possible implementation, S502 can be replaced by S320b in the above method 300, that is, the RAN can receive information from the target NCCF node of the CMF.

[0348] S503: The UE sends a first data packet to the RAN.

[0349] Correspondingly, the RAN receives the first data packet from the UE.

[0350] The first data packet includes packet indication information, where the packet indication information indicates whether the first data packet is the first packet of the first task, or whether the first data packet is the last packet of the first task, or whether there are other data packets of the first task after the first data packet. For a description of the first task, reference may be made to method 300 above.

[0351] For example, the packet indication information may be carried in the header of the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer of the first data packet. The SDAP layer is a protocol layer between the UE and the RAN and can carry information such as QoS control. For example, the SDAP layer can carry the QFI. The SDAP layer of the first data packet can also be referred to as the SDAP* layer. The SDAP* layer can carry information elements (IEs) defined in the existing SDAP layer protocol. In addition, the SDAP* layer can also carry packet indication information.

[0352] For example, the packet indication information may be carried in a fixed position (e.g., the first 8 bits of the packet payload) in the header of the PDU layer of the first data packet or in the packet payload of the PDU layer. The PDU layer header may carry some information used to assist in mobile communication network transmission, such as QoS-related information, congestion-related information, and upper-layer protocol-related information.

[0353] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the packet indication information. For example, the packet indication information includes data length information and offset information, or includes data length information and position information. The data length information indicates the length of the data block corresponding to the first task, the offset information or the position information indicates the position of the first data packet in the data block corresponding to the first task, the data block corresponding to the first task includes at least one data packet, and the data block corresponding to the first task includes the first data packet. For example, if the data length information is 10, it means that the data block corresponding to the first task includes 10 data packets, and the offset information or the position information is 1, it means that the first data packet is the first packet of the first task, or if the offset information or the position information is 10, it means that the first data packet is the last packet of the first task.

[0354] S504: The RAN determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the UE.

[0355] In a possible implementation, the RAN determines, based on the packet indication information included in the first data packet, that the first data packet is the first packet of the first task, and then the RAN determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the UE.

[0356] For example, if the packet indication information is carried in the SDAP layer of the first data packet, the RAN can determine, based on the packet indication information, that the first data packet is the first packet of a protocol layer above SDAP (e.g., the first packet of the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) or the first packet of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)). For another example, the RAN can determine, based on the packet indication information, that the first data packet is the first packet of an application layer service transaction corresponding to the first task (e.g., the first packet of an uplink HTTP get for a download service). For another example, the RAN can determine, based on the packet indication information, that the first data packet is the first packet of an uplink data block or computing power task message corresponding to the first task.

[0357] In one possible implementation, the RAN determines, based on packet indication information included in the first data packet, that the first data packet is the last packet of a first task. The RAN then determines, upon receiving a second data packet from the UE, to switch transmission of the uplink data packet from the UE from the first interface to the second interface. The second data packet is an uplink data packet from the UE received by the RAN after the first data packet. The second data packet may be a data packet of a second task, which is a task performed after the first task and belongs to the same application or service as the first task, or the second task and the first task belong to different applications or services.

[0358] Optionally, before the RAN determines, based on the packet indication information included in the first data packet, that the first data packet is the first packet or the last packet of the first task, the RAN determines whether the data stream containing the first data packet belongs to the first data stream to be switched. If the data stream containing the first data packet belongs to the first data stream to be switched, the RAN determines, based on the packet indication information included in the first data packet, whether the first data packet is the first packet or the last packet of the first task. If the data stream containing the first data packet does not belong to the first data stream to be switched, the RAN determines not to perform switching from the first interface to the second interface, i.e., the RAN still transmits uplink data packets from the UE through the first interface. For a description of the first data stream, reference may be made to S403 in method 400 above.

[0359] Optionally, the RAN determines, based on the packet indication information included in the first data packet, to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the UE, which belongs to the same data flow as the first data packet. In other words, the RAN switches from the first interface to the second interface for the data flow in which the first data packet is located, that is, the RAN sends the first data packet and the uplink data packets from the UE received after receiving the first data packet, which belong to the same data flow as the first data packet, to the target NCCF node via the second interface. Alternatively, the RAN determines, based on the packet indication information included in the first data packet, to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the UE, which belongs to the first data flow. In other words, the RAN switches from the first interface to the second interface for the first data flow to be switched, that is, the RAN sends the first data packet and the uplink data packets in the first data flow from the UE received after receiving the first data packet, to the target NCCF node via the second interface.

[0360] Optionally, method 500 also includes S505.

[0361] S505: RAN sends a handover command to the source NCCF node.

[0362] Correspondingly, the source NCCF node receives the handover command from the RAN.

[0363] The switching command includes identification information of the fourth data flow, and / or information of the target NCCF node. The fourth data flow is the data flow to be switched, and the identification information of the fourth data flow may be one or more of the following corresponding to the fourth data flow: QFI list, identification of N3*QoS flow, or IP list. The fourth data flow is equivalent to the first data flow, or the fourth data flow is the data flow where the first data packet is located. For example, if the RAN determines that the data flow where the first data packet is located is switched from the first interface to the second interface, then the fourth data flow is the data flow where the first data packet is located. For another example, if the RAN determines that the first data flow is switched from the first interface to the second interface, then the fourth data flow is equivalent to the first data flow.

[0364] For a description of the target NCCF node information, reference may be made to S403 in the above method 400 .

[0365] Optionally, method 500 also includes S506.

[0366] S506: The source NCCF node sends the context of the data flow to be switched to the target NCCF node.

[0367] Correspondingly, the target NCCF node receives the context of the data flow to be switched from the source NCCF node.

[0368] The context of the data flow to be switched may include one or more of the following: a checkpoint of the application layer, data related to the data flow to be switched cached by the source NCCF node, or a protocol stack state between the source NCCF node and the UE.

[0369] For example, if application layer service continuity needs to be maintained, the source NCCF node may send the context of the switched data flow to the target NCCF node.

[0370] Optionally, the context of the data flow to be switched sent by the source NCCF node to the target NCCF node includes the context of the first data flow, or includes the context of a data flow in the first data flow for which application layer service continuity needs to be maintained.

[0371] The manner in which the RAN sends the handover command to the source NCCF node may refer to the manner in which the RAN sends the first handover request information to the source NCCF node in S403.

[0372] Optionally, method 500 also includes S507.

[0373] S507: The source NCCF node sends a handover completion message to the RAN.

[0374] Correspondingly, the RAN receives the handover completion information from the source NCCF node. The handover completion information may also be referred to as a handover completion message.

[0375] S507 may refer to S412 in the above method 400 .

[0376] S508: The UE sends an uplink data packet to the RAN.

[0377] Correspondingly, the RAN receives uplink data packets from the UE.

[0378] S509: RAN sends an uplink data packet to the target NCCF node.

[0379] Correspondingly, the target NCCF node receives the uplink data packet from the RAN.

[0380] In one possible implementation, if the RAN determines that the first data packet is the first packet of the first task based on the packet indication information included in the first data packet, the uplink data packet sent by the RAN to the target NCCF node through the second interface is the first data packet, and the second data packet received by the RAN from the UE after receiving the first data packet.

[0381] In one possible implementation, if the RAN determines, based on the packet indication information included in the first data packet, that the first data packet is the last packet of the first task, the uplink data packet sent by the RAN to the target NCCF node through the second interface is the second data packet received by the RAN after receiving the first data packet.

[0382] Optionally, if the RAN determines that the data flow containing the first data packet is switched from the first interface to the second interface, and the second data packet and the first data packet belong to the same data flow, the RAN sends the second data packet received from the UE after receiving the first data packet to the target NCCF node via the second interface. If the second data packet and the first data packet are not uplink data packets belonging to the same data flow, the RAN sends the second data packet to the source NCCF node via the first interface.

[0383] Optionally, if the RAN determines to switch the first data flow from the first interface to the second interface, and the data flow to which the second data packet belongs belongs to the first data flow, the RAN sends the second data packet received from the UE after receiving the first data packet to the target NCCF node via the second interface. If the data flow to which the second data packet belongs does not belong to the first data flow, the RAN sends the second data packet to the source NCCF node via the first interface.

[0384] Optionally, after receiving the uplink data packet from the UE through the RAN, the target NCCF node may send a downlink data packet to the UE through the RAN, that is, the target NCCF sends the downlink data packet to the RAN, and then the RAN sends the downlink data packet received from the target NCCF node to the UE.

[0385] In an embodiment of the present application, RAN can trigger the switching of NCCF nodes. Compared with the method of triggering the switching of NCCF nodes by control plane network elements, it can reduce some signaling interactions, thereby reducing the delay of user name path switching and improving end-to-end service experience.

[0386] Exemplarily, the method of triggering the switching of NCCF nodes by the control plane network element may include the following interaction processes: the interaction process between the control plane network element and the source NCCF node, the interaction process between the control plane network element and the target NCCF node, and the interaction process between the control plane network element and the access network device. In the embodiment of the present application, the RAN can trigger the switching of the NCCF node based on the information in the normally transmitted data packet without the need for additional interaction processes. Compared with the method of triggering the switching of the NCCF node by the control plane network element, some signaling interactions are reduced.

[0387] In addition, the RAN can identify data packets from the UE based on the packet indication information in the data packets from the UE, so that the RAN can independently determine when to send data packets from the UE to the target NCCF node without interacting with other nodes. This can avoid the UE's service interruption caused by blindly switching from the first interface to the second interface to transmit uplink data packets from the UE when the RAN cannot identify the data packets transmitted between the UE and the source NCCF node, thereby helping to ensure the UE's service experience.

[0388] FIG6 shows a schematic flow chart of a method 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG6 , the method 600 may include the following steps.

[0389] S601: The UE establishes a user plane connection with a source NCCF node.

[0390] For more description of S601 , please refer to S401 in the above method 400 .

[0391] S602: The UE determines to switch to an NCCF node.

[0392] Exemplarily, if a first condition is met, the UE determines to switch the NCCF node. The first condition includes one or more of the following: the processing capability of the source NCCF node is lower than a processing capability threshold, or the communication quality between the source NCCF node and the terminal device is lower than a communication quality threshold #1. For more description of the first condition, refer to S310a of S300 above.

[0393] The manner in which the UE determines that the processing capability of the source NCCF node is lower than the processing capability threshold may refer to the manner in which the RAN determines that the processing capability of the source NCCF node is lower than the processing capability threshold, as described in S310a of method 300 above. The manner in which the UE determines that the communication quality between the source NCCF node and the terminal device is lower than communication quality threshold #1 may refer to the manner in which the RAN determines that the communication quality between the source NCCF node and the terminal device is lower than communication quality threshold #1, as described in S310a of method 300 above.

[0394] Optionally, in S602, the UE may also determine a target NCCF node. The manner in which the UE determines the target NCCF node may refer to the manner in which the RAN determines the target NCCF node described in S310a of the method 300 above.

[0395] Then, method 600 continues to execute the steps in method 1, or continues to execute the steps in method 2.

[0396] The steps included in method 1 are described below.

[0397] S603: The UE sends a third data packet to the RAN.

[0398] Correspondingly, the RAN receives the third data packet from the UE.

[0399] The third data packet includes the switching indication information. Exemplarily, the switching indication information is carried in the SDAP layer or the PDU layer of the third data packet.

[0400] The embodiment of the present application does not limit the switching indication information.

[0401] Exemplarily, the switching indication information is 1-bit information, and the value of the switching indication information is "1" or "0".

[0402] For example, if the UE determines the target NCCF node, the handover indication information may be information of the target NCCF node. For a description of the information of the target NCCF node, reference may be made to S403 in the above method 400.

[0403] Exemplarily, the switching indication information may also be identification information of a third data flow, where the third data flow is the data flow to be switched. The identification information of the third data flow may include one or more of the following corresponding to the third data flow: a QFI list, an identifier of an N3*QoS flow, or an IP list. For a description of the third data flow, reference may be made to the description of the first data flow in S403 of method 400 above.

[0404] Exemplarily, the handover indication information may include multiple pieces of the above information. For example, the handover indication information may include one bit of information and information about the target NCCF node, or the handover indication information may include information about the target NCCF node and identification information of the third data flow.

[0405] Optionally, method 1 further includes S604.

[0406] S604: The RAN determines a target NCCF node.

[0407] If the handover indication information included in the third data packet does not include information about the target NCCF node, the RAN can determine the target NCCF node after receiving the third data packet. The manner in which the RAN determines the target NCCF node can refer to S310a in the above method 300.

[0408] The steps included in method 2 are described below.

[0409] S605: The UE sends a second handover request message to the RAN.

[0410] Correspondingly, the RAN receives the second handover request information from the UE.

[0411] The second handover request information may also be referred to as N3* handover request information, or as NCCF node handover request information, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. The second handover request information may also be referred to as a second handover request message.

[0412] Optionally, the second switching request information may be session modification information.

[0413] Optionally, the second switching request information includes identification information of the third data flow and / or information of the target NCCF node.

[0414] The manner in which the UE sends the second handover request information to the RAN may refer to the manner in which the UE sends the first handover ACK information or handover indication packet to the RAN in S409 of the above method 400 .

[0415] Optionally, method 2 also includes S606.

[0416] S606: The RAN determines a target NCCF node.

[0417] If the second handover request message does not include the target NCCF node information, the RAN may determine the target NCCF node after receiving the second handover request message. The manner in which the RAN determines the target NCCF node may refer to S310a in the above method 300.

[0418] Optionally, method 2 further includes S607.

[0419] S607: RAN sends handover response information to the UE.

[0420] Correspondingly, the UE receives handover response information from the RAN. The handover response information may also be referred to as a handover response message.

[0421] The manner in which the RAN sends the handover response information to the UE may refer to the manner in which the RAN sends the first handover request information to the UE in S407 of the above method 400 .

[0422] Optionally, before the UE receives the handover response information from the RAN, the UE suspends sending data packets corresponding to the data flow requested to be switched. The data flow requested to be switched by the UE refers to the data flow that the UE requests to be switched from the first interface to the second interface. Taking data flow #x as an example, the transmission path of data flow #x is: UE→RAN→source NCCF node. If the data flow requested to be switched by the UE is data flow #x, it means that the UE requests to switch the transmission path of data flow #x to: UE→RAN→target NCCF node.

[0423] Optionally, method 600 also includes S608.

[0424] S608: RAN sends a handover command to the source NCCF node.

[0425] Correspondingly, the source NCCF node receives the handover command from the RAN.

[0426] The handover command includes identification information of the fourth data flow and / or information of the target NCCF node. The fourth data flow is the data flow to be switched, and the identification information of the fourth data flow can be one or more of the following corresponding to the fourth data flow: a QFI list, an identifier of an N3*QoS flow, or an IP list. The fourth data flow is equivalent to the third data flow, or if the handover indication information or the second handover request information received by the RAN does not include identification information of the third data flow, then the fourth data flow is equivalent to the first data flow. For the description of the first data flow, refer to S403 in method 400 above.

[0427] Optionally, method 600 also includes S609.

[0428] S609: The source NCCF node sends the context of the data flow to be switched to the target NCCF node.

[0429] Correspondingly, the target NCCF node receives the context of the data flow to be switched from the source NCCF node.

[0430] The context of the data flow to be switched may include one or more of the following: a checkpoint of the application layer, data related to the data flow to be switched cached by the source NCCF node, or a protocol stack state between the source NCCF node and the UE.

[0431] For example, if application layer service continuity needs to be maintained, the source NCCF node may send the context of the switched data flow to the target NCCF node.

[0432] Optionally, the context of the data flow to be switched sent by the source NCCF node to the target NCCF node includes the context of the fourth data flow, or the context of the data flow in the fourth data flow for which application layer service continuity needs to be maintained.

[0433] The manner in which the RAN sends the handover command to the source NCCF node may refer to the manner in which the RAN sends the first handover request information to the source NCCF node in S403.

[0434] Optionally, the method 600 further includes S610

[0435] S610: The source NCCF node sends handover completion information to the RAN.

[0436] Correspondingly, the RAN receives the handover completion information from the source NCCF node. The handover completion information may also be referred to as a handover completion message.

[0437] S610 may refer to S412 in the above method 400 .

[0438] S611: The RAN determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit an uplink data packet from the UE.

[0439] S612: The UE sends an uplink data packet to the RAN.

[0440] Correspondingly, the RAN receives uplink data packets from the UE.

[0441] S613: The RAN sends an uplink data packet to the target NCCF node.

[0442] Correspondingly, the target NCCF node receives the uplink data packet from the RAN.

[0443] In one possible implementation, if the third data packet received by the RAN from the UE includes handover indication information, the RAN determines to switch transmission of the uplink data packet from the UE from the first interface to the second interface. Furthermore, the RAN sends the third data packet to the target NCCF node via the second interface.

[0444] Optionally, the RAN sends the uplink data packet from the UE received after receiving the third data packet to the target NCCF node through the second interface.

[0445] Optionally, the RAN sends, through the second interface, an uplink data packet received from the UE after receiving the third data packet and belonging to the same data flow as the third data packet, to the target NCCF node.

[0446] Optionally, if the switching indication information includes identification information of the third data flow, the RAN sends an uplink data packet corresponding to the third data flow from the UE received after receiving the third data packet to the target NCCF node through the second interface.

[0447] In one possible implementation, if the RAN receives the second handover request information from the UE, the RAN determines to switch transmission of uplink data packets from the UE from the first interface to the second interface. Furthermore, the RAN sends the uplink data packets from the UE received after receiving the second handover request information to the target NCCF node via the second interface.

[0448] Optionally, if the second handover request information includes identification information of the third data flow, the RAN sends the uplink data packet in the third data flow from the UE received after receiving the second handover request information to the target NCCF node through the second interface.

[0449] Optionally, after receiving the uplink data packet from the UE through the RAN, the target NCCF node may send a downlink data packet to the UE through the RAN, that is, the target NCCF sends the downlink data packet to the RAN, and then the RAN sends the downlink data packet received from the target NCCF node to the UE.

[0450] In an embodiment of the present application, the UE can trigger the switching of the NCCF node. Compared with the method of triggering the switching of the NCCF node by the control plane network element, it can reduce some signaling interactions, thereby reducing the delay of the user name path switching and improving the end-to-end service experience.

[0451] Exemplarily, the manner in which the control plane network element triggers the switching of the NCCF node may include the following interaction processes: the interaction process between the control plane network element and the source NCCF node, the interaction process between the control plane network element and the target NCCF node, and the interaction process between the control plane network element and the access network device. In an embodiment of the present application, the manner in which the UE triggers the switching of the NCCF node may include the interaction process between the UE and the source RAN, which reduces some signaling interactions compared to the manner in which the control plane network element triggers the switching of the NCCF node.

[0452] In addition, the RAN can determine to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the UE based on the switching indication information or the second switching request information from the UE, thereby avoiding the UE's service interruption caused by blindly switching from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the UE when the RAN cannot identify the data packet transmitted between the UE and the source NCCF node, which is beneficial to ensuring the UE's service experience.

[0453] FIG7 shows a schematic flow chart of a method 700 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG7 , the method 700 may include the following steps.

[0454] S701: UE sends a session establishment request message to CMF.

[0455] Correspondingly, the CMF receives a session establishment request message from the UE. The session establishment request message may also be referred to as a session establishment request message.

[0456] Optionally, in S701, the UE sends a session modification request message to the CMF. The session modification request message may also be referred to as a session modification request message.

[0457] S702: The CMF determines a plurality of NCCF nodes and a first NCCF node among the plurality of NCCF nodes.

[0458] After the CMF receives a session establishment request or a session modification request from the UE, it selects multiple NCCF nodes for the session requested to be established or modified by the UE. Each of the multiple NCCF nodes supports providing services to the UE. The first NCCF node can be any one of the multiple NCCF nodes, or the first NCCF node is the NCCF node with the lowest load among the multiple NCCF nodes, or the first NCCF node is the NCCF node with the highest processing capability among the multiple NCCF nodes.

[0459] S703: The CMF sends second information to the first NCCF node.

[0460] Correspondingly, the first NCCF node receives the second information from the CMF.

[0461] S704: The CMF sends second information to the second NCCF node.

[0462] Correspondingly, the second NCCF node receives the second information from the CMF. The second NCCF node belongs to multiple NCCF nodes.

[0463] The second information includes RAN information, which may include one or more of the following: an identifier of the RAN, an IP address of the RAN, or connection information corresponding to the RAN. The connection information corresponding to the RAN includes the IP address and port number of the RAN.

[0464] It should be noted that, in Figure 7, the example of CMF sending the second information to the first NCCF node and the second NCCF node is taken. When the multiple NCCF nodes also include other NCCF nodes different from the first NCCF node and the second NCCF node, the CMF also sends the second information to the other NCCF nodes in the multiple NCCF nodes different from the first NCCF node and the second NCCF node. That is, the CMF sends the second information to each NCCF node in the multiple NCCF nodes.

[0465] S705: The CMF sends the third information to the RAN.

[0466] Correspondingly, the RAN receives the third information from the CMF.

[0467] The third information includes information about each NCCF node among the multiple NCCF nodes, and the third information further indicates that a first NCCF node among the multiple NCCF nodes is used to provide services for the UE, or in other words, the third information indicates that the first NCCF node among the multiple NCCF nodes is an activated (active) NCCF node. For example, the third information may include multiple bits, the multiple bits corresponding one-to-one to the multiple NCCF nodes, and the bit corresponding to the first NCCF node among the multiple bits is set to a first value (the first value is 0 or 1), indicating that the first NCCF node is an active NCCF node.

[0468] The information of the NCCF node may include one or more of the following: an identifier of the NCCF node, an IP address of the NCCF node, or connection information corresponding to the NCCF node. The connection information corresponding to the NCCF node includes the IP address and port number of the NCCF node.

[0469] S706: The CMF sends a session establishment response message to the UE.

[0470] Correspondingly, the UE receives a session establishment response message from the CMF. The session establishment response message may also be referred to as a session establishment response message.

[0471] The session establishment response information may include connection information corresponding to the first NCCF node.

[0472] Optionally, if in S701, the UE sends a session modification request message to the CMF, then in S706, the CMF sends a session modification response message to the UE, where the session modification response message includes the connection information corresponding to the first NCCF node. The session modification response message may also be referred to as a session modification response message.

[0473] S707: The RAN saves information of multiple NCCF nodes and a mapping relationship between the DRB and the first NCCF node.

[0474] The DRB is the air interface bearer between the UE and the RAN. Based on the mapping relationship between the DRB and the first NCCF node, if the RAN receives an uplink data packet from the UE via the DRB, it will send the uplink data packet from the UE to the first NCCF node. If the RAN receives a downlink data packet from the first NCCF node, it will send the downlink data packet from the first NCCF node to the UE via the DRB.

[0475] S708: The CMF sends the fourth information to the RAN.

[0476] Correspondingly, the RAN receives the fourth information from the CMF.

[0477] The fourth information is used by the RAN to determine whether to switch transmission of uplink data packets from the UE from the third interface to the fourth interface, where the third interface is the interface between the RAN and the first NCCF node, and the fourth interface is the interface between the RAN and the second NCCF node. In other words, the fourth information is used to indicate that the active NCCF node is the second NCCF node.

[0478] Exemplarily, the uplink data packet from the UE is transmitted from the third interface to the fourth interface, specifically: mapping relationship #1 is updated to mapping relationship #2; mapping relationship #1 is the mapping relationship between DRB and the third interface, and mapping relationship #2 is the mapping relationship between DRB and the fourth interface.

[0479] Exemplarily, the fourth information indicates that the active NCCF node is the second NCCF node, and the fourth information is used by the RAN to determine whether to switch transmission of uplink data packets from the UE from the third interface to the fourth interface. For example, the fourth information includes information about the second NCCF node, or the fourth information includes multiple bits, the multiple bits corresponding one-to-one to the multiple NCCF nodes, and the bit corresponding to the second NCCF node in the multiple bits takes the first value.

[0480] Optionally, if the first condition is met, the CMF sends fourth information to the RAN. The first condition includes one or more of the following: the processing capability of the first NCCF node is lower than a processing capability threshold, or the communication quality between the first NCCF node and the terminal device is lower than a communication quality threshold #1. For more details on the first condition, refer to S310a of S300 above.

[0481] The manner in which the CMF determines that the processing capability of the first NCCF node is lower than the processing capability threshold may refer to the manner in which the RAN determines that the processing capability of the source NCCF node is lower than the processing capability threshold, as described in S310a of method 300 above. The manner in which the CMF determines that the communication quality between the first NCCF node and the terminal device is lower than communication quality threshold #1 may refer to the manner in which the RAN determines that the communication quality between the source NCCF node and the terminal device is lower than communication quality threshold #1, as described in S310a of method 300 above.

[0482] S709 : The RAN determines to switch from the third interface to the fourth interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the UE.

[0483] When the RAN receives the fourth information from the CMF, it determines to switch from the third interface to the fourth interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the UE.

[0484] Optionally, when the RAN receives the fourth information from the CMF and the first information from the first device, the RAN determines to switch from the third interface to the fourth interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the UE based on the fourth information and the first information. Specifically, the RAN determines that the active NCCF node is the second NCCF node based on the fourth information, and then determines to switch from the third interface to the fourth interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the UE based on the first information. In this case, the first interface is equivalent to the third interface, that is, the first NCCF node can be called the source NCCF node, and the second interface is equivalent to the fourth interface, that is, the second NCCF node can be called the target NCCF node.

[0485] For example, taking the first information as the first switching ACK information as an example, after the RAN receives the fourth information from the CMF, it can send the first switching request information to the first device. Then, after the RAN receives the first switching ACK information from the first device, it can determine to switch from the third interface to the fourth interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the UE.

[0486] For another example, taking the first information as packet indication information, after the RAN receives the fourth information from the CMF, if the RAN receives the packet indication information from the first device and determines that the first data packet is the first packet of the first task based on the packet indication information, then the RAN can determine to switch from the third interface to the fourth interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the UE.

[0487] For another example, taking the first information as switching indication information, after the RAN receives the fourth information from the CMF, if the RAN receives the switching indication information from the first device, the RAN can determine to switch from the third interface to the fourth interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the UE.

[0488] For another example, taking the first information as the second switching request information, after the RAN receives the fourth information from the CMF, if the RAN receives the second switching request information from the first device, the RAN can determine to switch from the third interface to the fourth interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the UE.

[0489] For more description of the first information, refer to methods 300 to 600 above. The manner in which the RAN determines, based on the first information, to switch from the third interface to the fourth interface for transmitting an uplink data packet from the UE, may refer to the manner in which the RAN switches from the first interface to the second interface for transmitting an uplink data packet from the UE based on the first information, as described in methods 300 to 600 above.

[0490] It can be understood that when RAN determines to switch from the third interface to the fourth interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the UE, RAN can update the mapping relationship between the DRB and the NCCF node, that is, RAN updates the mapping relationship between the DRB and the first NCCF node to the mapping relationship between the DRB and the second NCCF node.

[0491] S710: The UE sends an uplink data packet to the RAN.

[0492] Correspondingly, the RAN receives uplink data packets from the UE.

[0493] S711: The RAN sends an uplink data packet to the second NCCF node.

[0494] Correspondingly, the second NCCF node receives the uplink data packet from the RAN.

[0495] It can be understood that after the RAN determines to switch from the third interface to the fourth interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the UE, the RAN receives the uplink data packet from the UE and then sends the uplink data packet to the second NCCF node.

[0496] Optionally, after receiving the uplink data packet from the UE through the RAN, the second NCCF node can send a downlink data packet to the UE through the RAN, that is, the second NCCF node sends the downlink data packet to the RAN, and then the RAN sends the downlink data packet received from the second NCCF node to the UE.

[0497] In an embodiment of the present application, the CMF can pre-select multiple NCCF nodes for the UE's session, and send RAN information to each of the multiple NCCF nodes, as well as send information of multiple NCCF nodes to the RAN. Furthermore, if it is necessary to switch the NCCF node providing services to the UE from the first NCCF node to the second NCCF node, the RAN and the second NCCF node can communicate directly, thereby reducing the switching delay of the NCCF nodes.

[0498] The above describes in detail the method of an embodiment of the present application in combination with Figures 3 to 7, and the following describes in detail the device of an embodiment of the present application in combination with Figures 8 to 10. It should be noted that the device shown in Figures 8 to 10 can implement each step in the above method. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0499] FIG8 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1000 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG8 , the communication device 1000 may include a transceiver unit 1010 and a processing unit 1020 .

[0500] In one possible design, the communication device 1000 may be the access network device in the above method embodiment, or may be a chip for implementing the functions of the access network device in the above method embodiment.

[0501] It should be understood that the communication device 1000 may correspond to the access network device in method 300, method 400, method 500, method 600, or method 700 in the embodiments of the present application. The communication device 1000 may include units for executing the method executed by the access network device in method 300 in Figure 3, method 400 in Figure 4, method 500 in Figure 5, method 600 in Figure 6, or method 700 in Figure 7. Furthermore, each unit in the communication device 1000 and the above-mentioned other operations and / or functions are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes of method 300 in Figure 3, method 400 in Figure 4, method 500 in Figure 5, method 600 in Figure 6, or method 700 in Figure 7. It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above-mentioned corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above-mentioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0502] In another possible design, the communication apparatus 1000 may be the first device in the above method embodiment, or may be a chip for implementing the function of the first device in the above method embodiment.

[0503] It should be understood that the communication device 1000 may correspond to the method 300 in the embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 1000 may include a unit for executing the method executed by the first device in the method 300 in Figure 3. Furthermore, each unit in the communication device 1000 and the other operations and / or functions described above are respectively for implementing the corresponding process of the method 300 in Figure 3. It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0504] In another possible design, the communication device 1000 can be the terminal device in the above method embodiment, or it can be a chip used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0505] It should be understood that the communication device 1000 may correspond to method 400, method 500, or method 600 in the embodiments of the present application, and the communication device 1000 may include a unit for executing the method executed by the terminal device in method 400 in Figure 4, method 500 in Figure 5, or method 600 in Figure 6. Furthermore, each unit in the communication device 1000 and the other operations and / or functions described above are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes of method 400 in Figure 4, method 500 in Figure 5, or method 600 in Figure 6. It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above-mentioned corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above-mentioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0506] In another possible design, the communication device 1000 can be the source network computing power fusion functional node in the above method embodiment, or it can be a chip used to implement the functions of the source network computing power fusion functional node in the above method embodiment.

[0507] It should be understood that the communication device 1000 may correspond to the source network computing power fusion function node in the method 400, method 500, or method 600 of the embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 1000 may include a unit for executing the method performed by the source network computing power fusion function node in the method 400 in Figure 4, the method 500 in Figure 5, or the method 600 in Figure 6. In addition, each unit in the communication device 1000 and the above-mentioned other operations and / or functions are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes of the method 400 in Figure 4, the method 500 in Figure 5, or the method 600 in Figure 6. It should be understood that the specific process of each unit performing the above-mentioned corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above-mentioned method embodiment and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0508] In another possible design, the communication device 1000 can be the integrated management function network element in the above method embodiment, or it can be a chip used to implement the functions of the integrated management function network element in the above method embodiment.

[0509] It should be understood that the communication device 1000 may correspond to the converged management function network element in embodiment 700 of the present application, and the communication device 1000 may include a unit for executing the method executed by the converged management function network element in method 700 in FIG7. Furthermore, each unit in the communication device 1000 and the other operations and / or functions described above are respectively for implementing the corresponding process of method 700 in FIG7. It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the corresponding steps described above has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0510] It should also be understood that the transceiver unit 1010 in the communication device 1000 may correspond to the transceiver 2020 in the communication equipment 2000 shown in FIG. 9 , and the processing unit 1020 in the communication device 1000 may correspond to the processor 2010 in the communication equipment 2000 shown in FIG. 9 .

[0511] It should also be understood that when the communication device 1000 is a chip, the chip includes a transceiver unit. Optionally, the chip may also include a processing unit. The transceiver unit may be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processing unit may be a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip.

[0512] The transceiver unit 1010 is used to implement the signal transceiver operation of the communication device 1000, and the processing unit 1020 is used to implement the signal processing operation of the communication device 1000.

[0513] Optionally, the communication device further includes a storage unit 1030, and the storage unit 1030 is used to store instructions.

[0514] Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 2000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 9, the communication device 2000 includes at least one processor 2010 and a transceiver 2020. The processor 2010 is coupled to a memory and is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to control the transceiver 2020 to transmit and / or receive signals. Optionally, the communication device 2000 also includes a memory 2030 for storing instructions.

[0515] It should be understood that the processor 2010 and memory 2030 may be combined into a processing device, and the processor 2010 is used to execute the program code stored in the memory 2030 to implement the above functions. In specific implementations, the memory 2030 may also be integrated into the processor 2010 or independent of the processor 2010.

[0516] It should also be understood that the transceiver 2020 may include a receiver (or receiver) and a transmitter (or transmitter). The transceiver 2020 may further include an antenna, which may be one or more. The transceiver 2020 may also be an antenna interface or interface circuit.

[0517] When the communication device 2000 is a chip, the chip includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit may be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processing unit may be a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip.

[0518] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a chip system according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip system herein may also be a system composed of circuits. The chip system 3000 shown in FIG10 includes: a logic circuit 3010 and an input / output interface 3020. The logic circuit is configured to couple with the input interface and transmit data through the input / output interface to execute the methods described in FIG3 , FIG4 , FIG5 , FIG6 , or FIG7 .

[0519] The present application also provides a processing device, including a processor and an interface. The processor can be used to execute the method in the above method embodiment.

[0520] It should be understood that the processing device may be a chip. For example, the processing device may be a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a central processor unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips.

[0521] During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor or an instruction in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be performed by a hardware processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art such as a random access register, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in conjunction with its hardware. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0522] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiment of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor or an instruction in the form of software. The above 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 device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component. The disclosed methods, steps and logic block diagrams in the embodiment of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0523] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache.

[0524] According to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the present application also provides a computer program product, which includes: computer program code, which, when the computer program code runs on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method of any one of the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7.

[0525] According to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores program code. When the program code runs on a computer, the computer executes the method of any one of the embodiments shown in Figures 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7.

[0526] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the present application also provides a system, which includes the aforementioned access network device and the first device. Optionally, the system also includes a fusion management function network element and / or a target network computing power fusion function node.

[0527] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (e.g., a high-density digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid-state drive (SSD)).

[0528] In the several embodiments mentioned in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0529] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A switching method, characterized in that: include: The access network device receives first information from the first device; The access network device determines, according to the first information, to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit an uplink data packet from the terminal device, the first interface is an interface between the access network device and a source network computing power fusion function node, the second interface is an interface between the access network device and a target network computing power fusion function node, and the first device is the terminal device or the source network computing power fusion function node; The access network device forwards the uplink data packet from the terminal device to the target network computing power fusion function node through the second interface.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first information is first switching confirmation information. Before the access network device receives the first information from the first device, the method further includes: The access network device sends first switching request information to the first device.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The first switching request information includes identification information of the first data flow, and / or information of the target network computing power fusion function node; the first data flow is a data flow transmitted through the first interface to be switched to be transmitted through the second interface.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The first switching confirmation information includes identification information of the second data stream, the second data stream includes the first data stream and a data stream associated with the first data stream, or the second data stream includes a data stream associated with the first data stream, or the second data stream is all or part of the data stream in the first data stream; the second data stream is a data stream transmitted through the first interface to be switched to be transmitted through the second interface.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that The first switching confirmation information also includes timer information; The access network device determines, according to the first information, to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit an uplink data packet from the terminal device, including: The access network device determines, based on the information of the timer, that after the timer expires, it switches from the first interface to the second interface to transmit an uplink data packet from the terminal device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that The first device is the terminal device, and the first switching confirmation information further includes a target packet sequence number; The access network device determines, according to the first information, to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit an uplink data packet from the terminal device, including: The access network device determines, according to the target packet sequence number, to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit an uplink data packet from the terminal device after receiving the target data packet, wherein the target data packet includes the target packet sequence number; The access network device forwards the uplink data packet from the terminal device to the target network computing power fusion function node through the second interface, including: The access network device forwards the target data packet and at least one data packet after the target data packet from the terminal device to the target network computing power fusion function node through the second interface.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first information is a switching indication packet; The access network device forwards the uplink data packet from the terminal device to the target network computing power fusion function node through the second interface, including: The access network device forwards the data packet following the switching indication packet from the terminal device to the target network computing power fusion function node through the second interface.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first device is the terminal device, the first information is packet indication information, the packet indication information indicates that the first data packet is the first packet or the last packet of the first task, the first task is a unit belonging to an application or a service and used to implement specific service logic, and the first data packet includes the packet indication information; The access network device receives first information from a first device, including: The access network device receives the first data packet from the first device; The access network device determines, according to the first information, to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit an uplink data packet from the terminal device, including: If the packet indication information indicates that the first data packet is the first packet of the first task, the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device; The access network device forwards the uplink data packet from the terminal device to the target network computing power fusion node through the second interface, including: The access network device forwards the first data packet and at least one data packet from the terminal device received after the first data packet to the target network computing power fusion function node through the second interface; or, If the packet indication information indicates that the first data packet is the tail packet of the first task, then after the access network device receives the second data packet from the terminal device, it determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device, and the second data packet is a data packet received by the access network device after the first data packet; The access network device forwards the uplink data packet from the terminal device to the target network computing power fusion node through the second interface, including: The access network device forwards the second data packet to the target network computing power fusion function node through the second interface.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The packet indication information is included in the service data adaptation protocol SDAP layer or the protocol data unit PDU layer of the first data packet.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first device is the terminal device, the first information is switching indication information, and the access network device receives the first information from the first device, including: The access network device receives a third data packet from the first device, where the third data packet includes the switching indication information; The access network device forwards the uplink data packet from the terminal device to the target network computing power fusion function node through the second interface, including: The access network device forwards the third data packet to the target network computing power fusion function node through the second interface.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The switching indication information is included in the SDAP layer or the PDU layer of the third data packet.

12. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first device is the terminal device, and the first information is second switching request information.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The second switching request information includes identification information of a third data flow, where the third data flow is a data flow transmitted through the first interface to be switched to be transmitted through the second interface.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that The first device is the terminal device, and the method further includes: The access network device sends a switching command to the source network computing power fusion function node, and the switching command includes identification information of the fourth data flow and / or information of the target network computing power fusion function node; the fourth data flow is a data flow transmitted through the first interface to be switched to be transmitted through the second interface.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that The method further comprises: The access network device determines the target network computing power fusion function node.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The access network device determines a target network computing power fusion function node, including: When the first condition is met, the access network device determines the target network computing power fusion function node; wherein the first condition includes one or more of the following: the processing capacity of the source network computing power fusion function node is lower than the processing capacity threshold, or the communication quality between the source network computing power fusion function node and the terminal device is lower than the communication quality threshold.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that The method further comprises: The access network device receives information about the target network computing power fusion function node from the fusion management function network element.

18. A switching method, characterized in that: include: A first device receives first switching request information from an access network device, where the first device is a terminal device or a source network computing power fusion function node; The first device sends a first switching confirmation message to the access network device, and the first switching confirmation message is used by the access network device to determine to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device, the first interface is the interface between the access network device and the source network computing power fusion function node, and the second interface is the interface between the access network device and the target network computing power fusion function node.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The first switching request information includes identification information of the first data flow and / or information of the target network computing power fusion function node; the first data flow is a data flow transmitted through the first interface to be switched to be transmitted through the second interface.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The first switching confirmation information includes identification information of the second data stream, the second data stream includes the first data stream and a data stream associated with the first data stream, or the second data stream includes a data stream associated with the first data stream, or the second data stream is all or part of the data stream in the first data stream; the second data stream is a data stream transmitted through the first interface to be switched to be transmitted through the second interface.

21. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 20, characterized in that The first switching confirmation information also includes timer information, and the first switching confirmation information is used by the access network device to determine to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device after the timer expires.

22. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 20, characterized in that The first device is the terminal device, and the first switching confirmation information also includes a target packet sequence number. The first switching confirmation information is used by the access network device to determine that after receiving a target data packet, it switches from the first interface to the second interface to transmit an uplink data packet from the terminal device, and the target data packet includes the target packet sequence number.

23. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 21, characterized in that The first device is a source network computing power fusion function node, and the method further includes: The first device sends the context of the data flow to be switched to the target network computing power fusion function node, where the data flow to be switched is a data flow transmitted through the first interface to be switched to be transmitted through the second interface.

24. A switching method, characterized in that: include: The terminal device determines to switch the network computing power fusion function node; Said The terminal device sends a third data packet to the access network device, wherein the third data packet includes switching indication information, and the switching indication information is used by the access network device to determine to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit an uplink data packet from the terminal device; or, The terminal device sends a second switching request message to the access network device, and the second switching request message is used by the access network device to determine to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device; wherein the first interface is the interface between the access network device and the source network computing power fusion functional node, and the second interface is the interface between the access network device and the target network computing power fusion functional node.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that The terminal device determines to switch the network computing power fusion function node, including: When the first condition is met, the terminal device determines to switch the network computing power fusion function node; wherein the first condition includes one or more of the following: the processing capacity of the source network computing power fusion function node is lower than the processing capacity threshold, or the communication quality between the source network computing power fusion function node and the terminal device is lower than the communication quality threshold.

26. The method according to claim 24 or 25, characterized in that The switching indication information or the second switching request information includes information of the target network computing power fusion function node, and the method further includes: The terminal device determines the target network computing power fusion functional node.

27. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 26, characterized in that The switching indication information is included in the service data adaptation protocol layer or the protocol data unit layer of the third data packet.

28. A switching method, characterized in that: include: The fusion management function network element sends second information to each of the multiple network computing power fusion function nodes, where the second information includes information of the access network device; The fusion management function network element sends third information to the access network device, where the third information includes information of the multiple network computing power fusion function nodes, and the third information further indicates that a first network computing power fusion function node among the multiple network computing power fusion function nodes is used to provide services for the terminal device; The fusion management function network element sends fourth information to the access network device, and the fourth information is used by the access network device to determine to switch from the third interface to the fourth interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device, the third interface is the interface between the access network device and the first network computing power fusion function node, and the fourth interface is the interface between the access network device and the second network computing power fusion function node among the multiple network computing power fusion function nodes.

29. The method according to claim 28, characterized in that The converged management function network element sends fourth information to the access network device, including: When the first condition is met, the fusion management function network element sends fourth information to the access network device; wherein the first condition includes one or more of the following: the processing capacity of the first network computing power fusion function node is lower than the processing capacity threshold, or The communication quality between the first network computing power fusion function node and the terminal device is lower than the communication quality threshold.

30. A switching method, characterized in that: include: The access network device sends a first switching request message to the source network computing power fusion function node; The source network computing power fusion function node sends first switching confirmation information to the access network device; The access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit the uplink data packet from the terminal device according to the first switching confirmation information, the first interface is the interface between the access network device and the source network computing power fusion functional node, and the second interface is the interface between the access network device and the target network computing power fusion functional node.

31. The method according to claim 30, characterized in that The first switching request information includes identification information of the first data flow and / or information of the target network computing power fusion function node; the first data flow is a data flow transmitted through the first interface to be switched to be transmitted through the second interface.

32. The method according to claim 30 or 31, characterized in that The first switching confirmation information includes identification information of the second data stream, the second data stream includes the first data stream and a data stream associated with the first data stream, or the second data stream includes a data stream associated with the first data stream, or the second data stream is all or part of the data stream in the first data stream; the second data stream is a data stream transmitted through the first interface to be switched to be transmitted through the second interface.

33. The method according to any one of claims 30 to 32, characterized in that The first switching confirmation information includes timer information; The access network device determines, according to the first switching confirmation information, to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit an uplink data packet from the terminal device, including: The access network device determines, based on the information of the timer, that after the timer expires, it switches from the first interface to the second interface to transmit an uplink data packet from the terminal device.

34. The method according to any one of claims 30 to 33, characterized in that The method further comprises: The fusion management function network element sends the information of the target network computing power fusion function node to the access network device.

35. The method according to any one of claims 30 to 34, characterized in that After the access network device determines to switch from the first interface to the second interface to transmit an uplink data packet from the terminal device, the method further includes: The terminal device sends an uplink data packet to the access network device; The access network device forwards the uplink data packet to the target network computing power fusion function node through the second interface.

36. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising a module or unit for implementing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17, or comprising a module or unit for implementing the method as claimed in any one of claims 18 to 23, or comprising a module or unit for implementing the method as claimed in any one of claims 24 to 27, or comprising a module or unit for implementing the method as claimed in any one of claims 28 to 29.

37. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is coupled to at least one memory, and the at least one processor is used to execute a computer program or instruction stored in the at least one memory so that the communication device performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, or the communication device performs the method according to any one of claims 18 to 23, or the communication device performs the method according to any one of claims 24 to 27, or the communication device performs the method according to any one of claims 28 to 29.

38. The device according to claim 36 or 37, characterized in that The device is a communication device, or a circuit, or a chip.

39. A chip, characterized in that: It comprises a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is used to receive data and / or information and transmit the received data and / or information to the processor, and the processor processes the data and / or information so as to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17, or so as to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 18 to 23, or so as to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 24 to 27, or so as to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 28 to 29.

40. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that A computer program is stored thereon, and when the computer program is executed, the computer executes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 17, or the method as described in any one of claims 18 to 23, or the method as described in any one of claims 24 to 27, or the method as described in any one of claims 28 to 29.

41. A computer program product comprising instructions, characterized in that When it runs on a computer, it enables the computer to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17, or enables the computer to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 18 to 23, or enables the computer to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 24 to 27, or enables the computer to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 28 to 29.

42. A communication system, characterized in that: The method comprises an access network device and a first device, wherein the access network device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, and the first device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 18 to 23.

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