Policy configuration method, communication system, electronic device, and storage medium

Abstract

A policy configuration method. The method comprises: a user terminal sending a policy acquisition request to a 4G communication module, wherein the policy acquisition request carries interface information about a first communication interface; the 4G communication module sending the policy acquisition request to a 5G communication module; in response to the policy acquisition request, the 5G communication module determining, on the basis of the interface information, whether to issue initial configuration policy information of the first communication interface; when it is determined to issue the initial configuration policy information, sending the initial configuration policy information to the 4G communication module; the 4G communication module determining calling path information on the basis of the received initial configuration policy information and sending the calling path information to the user terminal; and the user terminal acquiring target configuration policy information of the first communication interface from the 4G communication module on the basis of the received calling path information, and configuring the first communication interface on the basis of the target configuration policy information.

Description

A policy configuration method, communication system, electronic device and storage medium

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims priority to Chinese patent application 202310923927.1 filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on July 25, 2023, and the disclosure of this Chinese patent application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of wireless communication technologies, and in particular to a policy configuration method, a communication system, an electronic device, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0004] 5G-V2X is the vehicle to everything (V2X) standard of the fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G), also known as NR-V2X. It is a vertical application of 5G in the Internet of Vehicles, which means that the car is connected to everything, with the advantages of high reliability, high speed, large range, and large bandwidth. Currently, user terminals that support NR-V2X need to request policy information for configuring relevant communication interfaces from the 5G communication module by residing within the signal coverage range of the 5G communication module. However, the 5G communication module has not yet been fully popularized, resulting in a small range of application scenarios for user terminals that support NR-V2X, that is, they can only be used within the signal coverage range of the 5G communication module, which seriously affects the efficient communication of the NR-V2X user terminal.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The main purpose of the embodiments of the present disclosure is to propose a policy configuration method, a communication system, an electronic device, and a storage medium, which are intended to enable user terminals located within the signal coverage range of the fourth generation mobile communication technology (4G) communication module to achieve high-speed communication using an interface for 5G wireless communication.

[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a policy configuration method, which is applied to a user terminal, wherein the user terminal is located within the signal coverage range of a 4G communication module of the fourth generation mobile communication technology, the 4G communication module is interconnected with a 5G communication module of the fifth generation mobile communication technology, and the user terminal is integrated with a first communication interface for 5G wireless communication. The policy configuration method comprises: the user terminal sends a policy acquisition request to the 4G communication module, the policy acquisition request carries interface information about the first communication interface; the 4G communication module sends the received policy acquisition request to the 5G communication module; the 5G communication module responds to the policy acquisition request Get request, based on the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request, determine whether to issue the initial configuration policy information of the first communication interface, and if it is determined to issue the initial configuration policy information, send the initial configuration policy information to the 4G communication module; the 4G communication module determines the call path information based on the received initial configuration policy information and sends it to the user terminal; the user terminal obtains the target configuration policy information of the first communication interface from the 4G communication module according to the received call path information, and configures the first communication interface according to the target configuration policy information to realize communication based on the first communication interface.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication system, comprising a 4G communication module, a 5G communication module, and at least one user terminal located within the signal coverage range of the 4G communication module, wherein the user terminal is integrated with a first communication interface for 5G wireless communication, wherein the user terminal is configured to: send a policy acquisition request to the 4G communication module, wherein the policy acquisition request carries interface information about the first communication interface; and, based on the received call path information, obtain target configuration policy information of the first communication interface from the 4G communication module, and configure the first communication interface according to the target configuration policy information to implement communication based on the first communication interface; the 4G communication module is configured to: send the received policy acquisition request to the 5G communication module; and, based on the received initial configuration policy information, determine the call path information and send the call path information to the user terminal; the 5G communication module is configured to: in response to the policy acquisition request, determine, based on the interface information, whether to issue the initial configuration policy information of the first communication interface; and if it is determined that the initial configuration policy information is to be issued, send the initial configuration policy information to the 4G communication module.

[0009] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, an embodiment of the present disclosure also provides an electronic device, comprising: one or more processors; a memory on which one or more programs are stored, and when the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the steps of the aforementioned policy configuration method.

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, which can be executed by one or more processors to implement the steps of the aforementioned policy configuration method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG1a is a schematic diagram of information interaction between modules during a policy configuration process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0012] FIG1b is a schematic diagram of specific information interaction between modules during the policy configuration process provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0013] FIG2 is a flowchart of determining whether to issue initial configuration policy information of NR-PC5 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0014] FIG3 is a flowchart of another method for determining whether to issue the initial configuration policy information of NR-PC5 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG4 is a flowchart of determining call path information provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of information interaction of a sharing strategy provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to illustrate the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0020] In the subsequent description, suffixes such as "module," "component," or "unit" used to represent elements are used only to facilitate the description of the present disclosure and have no specific meaning. Therefore, "module," "component," or "unit" may be used interchangeably.

[0021] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this disclosure should have the usual meanings understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which this disclosure belongs. The "first", "second" and similar words used in this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Similarly, similar words such as "one", "an" or "the" do not indicate a quantitative limitation, but rather indicate the presence of at least one. Similar words such as "include" or "comprise" mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word include the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects.

[0022] For ease of understanding, before introducing the present disclosure, the special terms mentioned in the present disclosure are introduced in detail.

[0023] 1. NR-V2X (Vehicle to Everything) is a vehicle-based wireless communication technology that aims to communicate with surrounding vehicles, equipment, and base stations to obtain real-time traffic information such as road conditions, road information, and pedestrian information, in order to improve driving safety, reduce congestion, improve traffic efficiency, and provide in-vehicle entertainment information.

[0024] 2. User Equipment (UE) is an important concept in mobile communications and can operate on 3G and 4G networks. UEs include, for example, mobile phones, smart terminals, multimedia devices, and streaming media devices. In the embodiments of this disclosure, user terminals are actually wireless communication devices that support NR-V2X, such as smart cars.

[0025] 3. N26 is an interface between the 5G (NR) core network AMF and the 4G (LTE) core network MME, enabling information exchange between 5G (NR) and 4G (LTE). The AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), as the 5G core network, is primarily responsible for registration management, connection management, access management, mobility management, and various functions related to security and access management, as well as authorization. The MME (Mobile Management Entity), as the 4G core network, is primarily responsible for registration management, connection management, access management, mobility management, and various functions related to security and access management, as well as authorization.

[0026] 4. Extensible Markup Language (XML), a subset of the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), can be used to tag data and define data types. It is a source language that allows users to define their own markup languages. XML, as a standard generalized markup language, offers advantages such as high scalability, separation of content and form, strict syntax, and good value preservation.

[0027] 5. The NR-PC5 direct communication interface enables short-range direct communication between vehicles, people, and roads. The PC5 interface can be used for V2X communication regardless of network coverage. NR-PC5 achieves low latency and improves reliability in non-line-of-sight conditions.

[0028] 6. PCF (Policy Control Function) is a policy control functional entity that supports a unified policy framework and manages network behavior, provides policy rules to network entities, and accesses subscription information from the Unified Data Repository (UDR).

[0029] 7. In the Long Term Evolution (LTE) network (also known as the 4G network), the access network is called the Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) due to its evolutionary nature, which is the mobile communication wireless network in LTE.

[0030] In the related art, since 5G communication modules have not yet been fully popularized, the application scenarios of user terminals supporting NR-V2X are relatively small, which seriously affects the efficient communication of NR-V2X user terminals. At present, pre-configuration parameters can be stored in the 4G communication module in advance to support the configuration of related interfaces. However, most 4G communication modules pre-store relevant interface configuration strategies for 4G communication, and rarely pre-store relevant interface configuration strategies for 5G communication to occupy resources. Therefore, the local storage of the 4G communication module is likely to not contain the pre-configuration parameters to be accessed by the user terminal. In this way, user terminals that are not within the signal coverage range of the 5G communication module cannot access the configuration strategy that supports NR-V2X.

[0031] In view of this, the embodiment of the present disclosure provides a policy configuration method, which mainly includes: a user terminal within the signal coverage range of the 4G communication module obtains the target configuration policy information for the first communication interface of 5G wireless communication, and realizes long-distance data transmission between the 4G communication module and the 5G communication module through close-range information interaction between the user terminal and the 4G communication module and establishment of an interconnection relationship between the 4G communication module and the 5G communication module, so as to obtain the target configuration policy information of the first communication interface and realize high-speed communication. At the same time, the 4G communication module only sends the call path information of the target configuration policy information to the user terminal. The data volume of the call path information is much smaller than the target configuration policy information, which can save the communication bandwidth between the user terminal and the 4G communication module and improve the configuration efficiency.

[0032] For ease of understanding, the present disclosure first introduces a policy configuration method in detail. The execution subject of the policy configuration method provided by the present disclosure can be a communication system, which includes at least a 4G communication module, a 5G communication module, and at least one user terminal located within the signal coverage range of the 4G communication module.

[0033] The policy configuration method provided in the present disclosure is mainly applied to wireless communication of user terminals, wherein the user terminals, such as UEs, are mainly located within the signal coverage of a 4G communication module. The 4G communication module is interconnected with the 5G communication module, and the specific interconnection method can be, for example, an N26 interface interconnection.

[0034] The process of the user terminal acquiring the target configuration policy information is mainly in the registration stage of the user terminal. FIG1a is a schematic diagram of information interaction between modules in the policy configuration process provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG1a, including steps S11 to S16.

[0035] In step S11, the user terminal sends a policy acquisition request to the 4G communication module.

[0036] The user terminal is integrated with a first communication interface for 5G wireless communication, and the policy acquisition request carries interface information about the first communication interface.

[0037] Exemplarily, the first communication interface may include, but is not limited to, an NR-PC5 interface. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the user terminal uses the NR-PC5 interface for wireless communication, high-speed communication can be achieved. Interface information of the NR-PC5 interface, for example, includes relevant information that can characterize the identity of the NR-PC5 interface.

[0038] For example, a user terminal can connect to a 4G communication module via an air interface. Air interface, short for "air interface," is a descriptive term for the wireless transmission specifications between a base station and a user equipment terminal (UE). It defines the frequency, bandwidth, access timing, coding method, and handover for each wireless channel. For example, in wireless communications, a UE and a base station are connected via an air interface.

[0039] In step S12, the 4G communication module sends the received policy acquisition request to the 5G communication module.

[0040] For example, Figure 1b is a schematic diagram illustrating the specific information exchange between modules during the policy configuration process provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The 4G communication module may, for example, be a 4G communication system, such as a 4G base station, that integrates a second management unit and a second control unit. As shown in Figure 1b , the second management unit may be, for example, a 4G (LTE) core network MME, and the second control unit may be, for example, a V2X control function unit. The V2X control function implements V2X communication and provides the UE with the necessary V2X configuration policies to execute relevant network actions.

[0041] Exemplarily, the 5G communication module may be, for example, a 5G communication system that integrates a first management unit and a first control unit, such as a 5G base station. As shown in Figure 1b, the first management unit may be, for example, a 5G (NR) core network AMF, and the first control unit may be, for example, a policy control function (PCF). The PCF may be understood as a policy control functional entity that can support a unified policy framework, manage network behavior, and provide configuration policies to network entities.

[0042] Regarding step S12, specifically, as shown in FIG1b , the MME responds to the received policy acquisition request and, upon parsing the policy acquisition request and finding that the policy acquisition request carries interface information of the first communication interface, sends the policy acquisition request to the AMF. Exemplarily, the MME and AMF may be interconnected using the N26 interface.

[0043] In step S13, the 5G communication module responds to the policy acquisition request and determines whether to send the initial configuration policy information of the first communication interface based on the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request.

[0044] Specifically, as shown in Figure 1b, AMF sends the received policy acquisition request to PCF; PCF responds to the policy acquisition request and determines whether to issue the initial configuration policy information of NR-PC5 based on the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request.

[0045] The PCF is a policy control function entity that controls and manages the configuration policies for various interfaces. Configuration policies are the configuration parameters for interfaces in user terminals. Once a user terminal obtains a configuration policy and configures an interface using it, it can communicate using that interface. In other words, if a user terminal doesn't obtain an interface configuration policy, it can't communicate using that interface.

[0046] The PCF controls and manages the configuration policies of different interfaces, responds to policy acquisition requests, and parses the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request. If the interface information indicates the NR-PC5 interface, it determines whether to issue the initial configuration policy information of the NR-PC5 interface according to the interface information. The initial configuration policy information is at least part of the NR-V2X configuration parameters that support the UE to implement wireless communication on the NR-PC5 interface.

[0047] There are several different implementations for the step where the PCF responds to the policy acquisition request and determines whether to deliver the initial configuration policy information of the NR-PC5 based on the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request.

[0048] Figure 2 shows a possible implementation. Figure 2 is a flowchart of a method for determining whether to issue the initial configuration policy information of NR-PC5 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figure 2, including steps S21 to S24, which are specifically executed by the PCF.

[0049] In step S21, a response is made to the policy acquisition request to obtain the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request.

[0050] In step S22, it is detected whether initial configuration policy information matching the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request is stored. If so, step S23 is executed; if not, step S24 is executed.

[0051] In step S23, if it is determined that initial configuration policy information matching the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request is stored, it is determined to send the initial configuration policy information.

[0052] In step S24, if it is determined that the initial configuration policy information matching the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request is not stored, the initial configuration policy information is refused to be issued, and a rejection instruction is fed back to the AMF.

[0053] By using the judgment method of interface information calibration in steps S21 to S24, confusion in policy matching is avoided and orderly policy configuration is achieved.

[0054] Figure 3 illustrates another possible implementation, in which the policy acquisition request also carries device information about the user terminal. Figure 3 is a flowchart of another embodiment of the present disclosure for determining whether to issue initial configuration policy information for NR-PC5. As shown in Figure 3, steps S31 to S36 are specifically executed by the PCF.

[0055] In step S31, a response is made to the policy acquisition request to obtain the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request.

[0056] In step S32, it is detected whether the user terminal indicated by the device information has the application authority. If so, step S33 is executed; if not, step S36 is executed.

[0057] Device information includes, for example, information that can characterize the UE's identity. Application permissions include any rights that allow the user terminal to obtain NR-PC5 configuration policy information, such as the permission granted by the operator to support NR-V2X, etc.

[0058] In step S33, when it is determined that the user terminal has application authority, it is detected whether initial configuration policy information matching the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request is stored. If so, step S34 is executed; if not, step S35 is executed.

[0059] In step S34, if it is determined that initial configuration policy information matching the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request is stored, it is determined to send the initial configuration policy information.

[0060] In step S35, if it is determined that the initial configuration policy information matching the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request is not stored, the initial configuration policy information is refused to be issued, and a rejection instruction is fed back to the AMF.

[0061] In step S36, if it is determined that the user terminal does not have the application authority, the initial configuration policy information is refused to be issued, and a rejection instruction is fed back to the AMF.

[0062] By combining the above steps S31 to S36 with the judgment method of UE authority calibration and interface information calibration, the PCF can more accurately control the issuance of initial configuration policy information and achieve orderly policy configuration.

[0063] Exemplarily, in the case of refusing to send the initial configuration policy information in the above S24, S35 or S36, the AMF sends the received feedback rejection instruction to the MME. In response to the rejection instruction, the MME may send configuration failure information to the UE, or send the E-UTRAN configuration policy for 4G wireless communication saved by the V2X control function to the UE.

[0064] In step S14, when the 5G communication module determines to send the initial configuration policy information, it sends the initial configuration policy information to the 4G communication module.

[0065] Specifically, as shown in Figure 1b, when the PCF determines to send the initial configuration policy information, it sends the initial configuration policy information to the AMF, and the AMF sends the received initial configuration policy information to the MME.

[0066] In step S15, the 4G communication module determines the calling path information based on the received initial configuration policy information and sends it to the user terminal.

[0067] Exemplarily, the call path information may be, for example, an address of an access configuration policy.

[0068] Specifically, the MME determines the call path information based on the received initial configuration policy information and sends it to the UE.

[0069] In one possible implementation, the MME generates target configuration policy information based on the initial configuration policy information using a preset algorithm, and sends the target configuration policy information to the V2X control function for storage, while generating call path information of the target configuration policy information and sending it to the user terminal.

[0070] In another possible implementation, considering the V2X control function's memory space and to avoid duplicate storage of the V2X control function, the MME may first determine the storage status of the V2X control function's configuration policy and then determine the call path information. Specifically, as shown in Figure 1b, the MME determines whether the V2X control function stores initial configuration policy information based on a pre-stored policy table (the policy table includes information about the configuration policy stored by the V2X control function). If it is determined that the V2X control function does not store initial configuration policy information, the MME generates target configuration policy information based on the initial configuration policy information and uses a preset algorithm to send the target configuration policy information to the V2X control function. Furthermore, the MME generates call path information for the target configuration policy information and sends it to the user terminal.

[0071] The initial configuration policy information may be at least part of the NR-V2X configuration parameters, while the target configuration policy information is the NR-V2X configuration parameters that support the UE to implement wireless communication on the NR-PC5 interface, which is a complete configuration parameter. Therefore, when the MME determines whether the V2X control function stores the initial configuration policy information, it specifically checks whether the policy table contains the target configuration policy information corresponding to the initial configuration policy information, and whether the interface information of the initial configuration policy information and the corresponding target configuration policy information are consistent.

[0072] When it is determined that the V2X control function does not store the initial configuration policy information, the calling path information of the target configuration policy information can be automatically generated according to the preset address generation algorithm.

[0073] Alternatively, the policy table records target configuration policy information and call path information for accessing the target configuration policy information, such as the V2X control function address. If it is determined that the V2X control function does not store the initial configuration policy information, the call path information corresponding to the target configuration policy information with a lower access frequency in the policy table can be sent to the UE as the call path information to be sent. If this multiplexing method is adopted, the target configuration policy information with a lower access frequency in the V2X control function will need to be replaced with the target configuration policy information corresponding to the NR-PC5 interface generated by the MME.

[0074] In this embodiment, the MME uses the policy table to monitor the configuration policy information in the V2X control function, thereby largely avoiding the situation where the V2X control function repeatedly stores the same configuration policy, thereby saving the memory space of the V2X control function.

[0075] In some embodiments, the MME uses a preset algorithm based on the initial configuration policy information to generate target configuration policy information and send it to the V2X control function. Specifically, it may include the MME using a preset markup language to generate a first enablement field; adding the first enablement field to the initial configuration policy information to obtain the target configuration policy information; and sending the target configuration policy information to the second control unit.

[0076] Exemplarily, the preset markup language is XML, and the first enabled fields may be, for example, "served by NR" and "not served by NR" fields. Specifically, the MME may generate the "served by NR" and "not served by NR" fields using XML, and add the "served by NR" and "not served by NR" fields to the initial configuration policy information to obtain the target configuration policy information. The MME then sends the target configuration policy information to the V2X control function for storage, so that the user terminal can obtain the target configuration policy information from the V2X control function based on the call path information of the target configuration policy information.

[0077] In some embodiments, the policy table records target configuration policy information and call path information for accessing the target configuration policy information, such as the V2X control function address. Upon detecting that target configuration policy information corresponding to the initial configuration policy information exists in the policy table, the MME determines that the V2X control function stores the initial configuration policy information, obtains the call path information of the target configuration policy information from the policy table, and sends it to the user terminal. The user terminal can then obtain the target configuration policy information from the V2X control function based on the call path information of the target configuration policy information.

[0078] Exemplarily, FIG4 is a flowchart of determining call path information provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG4 , steps S41 to S43 are included, and the specific execution subject is the MME.

[0079] In step S41, it is determined whether the second control unit stores initial configuration policy information according to the pre-stored policy table. If not, step S42 is executed; if so, step S43 is executed.

[0080] The MME maintains a policy table, which can be updated at any time. This table contains the current policy configuration information stored by the V2X control function. If the policy configuration stored by the V2X control function changes, the V2X control function sends a command to the MME to update the policy table. In other words, if the second control unit determines that the initial policy configuration information is not stored, it updates the policy table with the initial policy configuration information.

[0081] Specifically, after receiving the initial configuration policy information, the MME detects whether there is target configuration policy information matching the initial configuration policy information in the policy table. If so, it determines that the V2X control function stores the initial configuration policy information; otherwise, it determines that the V2X control function does not store the initial configuration policy information.

[0082] Step S42: If it is determined that the second control unit does not store the initial configuration policy information, generate target configuration policy information based on the initial configuration policy information using a preset algorithm and send it to the second control unit; and generate call path information of the target configuration policy information and send it to the user terminal.

[0083] Exemplarily, when it is determined that the V2X control function does not store the initial configuration policy information, the V2X control function address of the target configuration policy information may be automatically generated according to a preset address generation algorithm.

[0084] Step S43: When detecting that the target configuration policy information corresponding to the initial configuration policy information exists in the policy table, determining that the second control unit stores the initial configuration policy information, and obtaining the calling path information of the target configuration policy information from the policy table and sending it to the user terminal.

[0085] It should be noted that the call path information, such as the access V2X control function address, has a data volume far smaller than the data volume of the target configuration policy information. Therefore, the MME only sends the V2X control function address to the UE, which can save the communication bandwidth between the UE and the MME and improve configuration efficiency.

[0086] In step S16, the user terminal obtains the target configuration policy information of the first communication interface from the 4G communication module according to the received call path information, and configures the first communication interface according to the target configuration policy information to implement communication based on the first communication interface.

[0087] Specifically, as shown in FIG1b , the user terminal obtains the target configuration policy information from the V2X control function according to the calling path information of the target configuration policy information. For example, the UE accesses the V2X control function according to the V2X control function address to obtain the target configuration policy information.

[0088] A policy configuration method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure enables a UE to obtain configuration parameters allocated by the network side for communication on the NR-PC5 interface within the 4G network coverage area, thereby expanding the actual application scenarios of the UE and breaking the limitation of being restricted by the 5G network coverage area.

[0089] In the prior art, when a UE accesses the V2X control function in a 4G base station and requests to obtain target configuration policy information, if other user terminals (for example, multiple UEs located within the signal coverage of the 4G base station, in addition to the UEs that have obtained the target configuration policy information) also want to access the V2X control function in the 4G base station and request to obtain the configuration parameters of the NR-PC5 interface, if many other user terminals access the same V2X control function address at the same time, then the address may cause congestion, thereby reducing communication performance.

[0090] In this regard, after the user terminal obtains the target configuration policy information from the 4G communication module in step S16, the user terminal can also broadcast a shared configuration message to achieve resource sharing with other user terminals. Specifically, other user terminals respond to the shared configuration message and feedback a sharing instruction to the user terminal; the other user terminals are terminals that are interconnected with the user terminal and have not obtained the target configuration policy information of the first communication interface; the other user terminals are located within the signal coverage of the 4G communication module; the user terminal responds to the sharing instruction and sends the target configuration policy information of the first communication interface to the other user terminals that feedback the sharing instruction; the other user terminals receive the target configuration policy information and configure the first communication interface according to the target configuration policy information to achieve communication based on the first communication interface.

[0091] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of information exchange for a sharing policy provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG5 , UE1, which has already obtained the target configuration policy information, and UE2 and UE3, which have not yet obtained the target configuration policy information, are included. Specifically, UE1 obtains the target configuration policy information from the PCF according to the specific process of steps S11 to S16 described above and stores it locally. UE2 and UE3 both wait to receive the target configuration policy information using the default configuration interface. UE1 broadcasts a sharing configuration message using the default configuration interface. Here, UE1 can interact with other user terminals (UE2 and / or UE3) using unicast. The default configuration interface can be, for example, a PC5 interface or other communication interface. Upon receiving a request to obtain the NP-PC5 configuration policy, the other user terminals (UE2 and / or UE3) respond with a request to share the policy. In response to the request to receive the policy information provided by the other user terminals (UE2 and / or UE3), UE1 again transmits the NP-PC5 target configuration policy information to the corresponding other user terminals (UE2 and / or UE3) using the default configuration interface. Afterwards, other user terminals (UE2 and / or UE3) receive the target configuration policy information and configure NP-PC5 according to the target configuration policy information to implement communication based on the first communication interface. Subsequently, the newly configured NP-PC5 can be used to establish unicast or multicast communication between user terminals to avoid congestion on the default configured communication parameters and improve communication performance.

[0092] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, other user terminals do not need to perform steps S11 to S16. They can synchronously obtain the target configuration policy information of NP-PC5 by broadcasting the shared configuration message through UE1, thereby effectively avoiding congestion and enhancing communication reliability.

[0093] For example, the shared range between a user terminal and other user terminals is, for example, between 0 and 1000 meters, to ensure transmission accuracy, if environmental conditions permit. For example, before vehicles need to form a platoon (which can be understood as the registration phase), they can gather within a certain range to synchronize configuration strategies.

[0094] In some embodiments, after other user terminals obtain the target configuration policy information from the user terminal, the other user terminals can act as new shared devices and broadcast shared configuration messages through the first communication interface to achieve policy acquisition for UEs in a wider range that have not obtained the target configuration policy information.

[0095] The above is a detailed description of a policy configuration method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0096] Those skilled in the art will understand that in the above-mentioned method of the specific implementation method, the writing order of each step does not mean a strict execution order and does not constitute any limitation on the implementation process. The specific execution order of each step should be determined by its function and possible internal logic.

[0097] The present disclosure also provides a communication system. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided by the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6, the communication system includes a 4G communication module 61, a 5G communication module 62, and at least one user terminal 63 located within the signal coverage range of the 4G communication module 61.

[0098] The user terminal 63 is integrated with a first communication interface for 5G wireless communication. The user terminal 63 is configured to: send a policy acquisition request (the policy acquisition request carries interface information about the first communication interface) to the 4G communication module 61, obtain target configuration policy information for the first communication interface from the 4G communication module 61 based on the received call path information, and configure the first communication interface according to the target configuration policy information to implement communication based on the first communication interface.

[0099] It should be noted that the user terminal 63 in the embodiment of the present disclosure is configured to execute steps S11 and S16 in the above-mentioned policy configuration method, and the repeated parts are not repeated here.

[0100] The 4G communication module 61 is configured to: send the received policy acquisition request to the 5G communication module 62, and determine the call path information based on the received initial configuration policy information and send it to the user terminal 63.

[0101] It should be noted that the 4G communication module 61 in the embodiment of the present disclosure is configured to execute steps S12 and S15 in the above-mentioned policy configuration method, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0102] The 5G communication module 62 is configured to: in response to a policy acquisition request, determine based on the interface information whether to send the initial configuration policy information of the first communication interface, and if it is determined to send the initial configuration policy information, send the initial configuration policy information to the 4G communication module 61.

[0103] It should be noted that the 5G communication module 62 in the embodiment of the present disclosure is configured to execute steps S13 and S14 in the above-mentioned policy configuration method, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0104] A communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure enables a UE to obtain configuration parameters allocated by the network side for communication on the NR-PC5 interface within a 4G network coverage area, thereby expanding the actual application scenarios of the UE and breaking the limitation of being restricted by the 5G network coverage area.

[0105] In some embodiments, the 5G communication module 62 includes a first management unit 621 (e.g., AMF) and a first control unit 622 (e.g., PCF).

[0106] The first management unit 621 is configured to send the received policy acquisition request to the first control unit 622 .

[0107] The first control unit 622 is configured to detect whether initial configuration policy information matching the interface information is stored in response to the policy acquisition request, and determine to issue the initial configuration policy information if it is determined that initial configuration policy information matching the interface information is stored.

[0108] It should be noted that the first control unit 622 in the embodiment of the present disclosure is configured to execute steps S21 to S24 in the above-mentioned policy configuration method, and the repeated parts are not repeated here.

[0109] In some embodiments, the policy acquisition request also carries device information about the user terminal 63 .

[0110] The first management unit 621 is configured to send the received policy acquisition request to the first control unit 622. The first control unit 622 is configured to, in response to the policy acquisition request, detect whether the user terminal 63 indicated by the device information has the application permission, and if it is determined that the user terminal 63 has the application permission, detect whether initial configuration policy information matching the interface information is stored, and if it is determined that the initial configuration policy information matching the interface information is stored, determine to issue the initial configuration policy information.

[0111] It should be noted that the first control unit 622 in the embodiment of the present disclosure is configured to execute steps S31 to S36 in the above-mentioned policy configuration method, and the repeated parts are not repeated here.

[0112] In some embodiments, the 4G communication module 61 includes a second management unit 611 (eg, an MME) and a second control unit 612 (eg, a V2X control function).

[0113] The second management unit 611 is configured to: determine whether the second control unit 612 stores initial configuration policy information based on a pre-stored policy table (the policy table includes information on the configuration policy stored by the second control unit 612); if it is determined that the second control unit 612 does not store initial configuration policy information, generate target configuration policy information based on the initial configuration policy information using a preset algorithm and send it to the second control unit 612, and generate call path information of the target configuration policy information.

[0114] It should be noted that the second management unit 611 in the embodiment of the present disclosure is configured to execute steps S61 to S63 in the above-mentioned policy configuration method, and the repeated parts are not repeated here.

[0115] The user terminal 63 is configured to obtain the target configuration policy information from the second control unit 612 according to the calling path information of the target configuration policy information.

[0116] In some embodiments, the second management unit 611 is configured to: generate a first enable field using a preset markup language; add the first enable field to the initial configuration policy information to obtain target configuration policy information; and send the target configuration policy information to the second control unit 612.

[0117] It should be noted that the second management unit 611 in the embodiment of the present disclosure is configured to execute the specific implementation process of "generating the first enabled field and obtaining the target configuration policy information" in the above-mentioned policy configuration method, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0118] In some embodiments, the second management unit 611 is further configured to: upon detecting that target configuration policy information corresponding to the initial configuration policy information exists in the policy table, determine that the second control unit 612 stores the initial configuration policy information, obtain call path information of the target configuration policy information from the policy table, and send it to the user terminal 63. The user terminal 63 is configured to obtain the target configuration policy information from the second control unit 612 based on the call path information of the target configuration policy information.

[0119] It should be noted that the second management unit 611 in the embodiment of the present disclosure is also configured to perform the specific implementation process of "determining whether the V2X control function stores initial configuration policy information" in the above-mentioned policy configuration method, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0120] In some embodiments, the first communication interface comprises a direct communication interface NR-PC5.

[0121] In some embodiments, the 4G communication module 61 and the 5G communication module 62 are interconnected via an N26 interface.

[0122] In some embodiments, after the user terminal 63 obtains the target configuration policy information from the 4G communication module 61, it is also configured to: broadcast a shared configuration message; and, in response to a request for sharing instruction, send the target configuration policy information of the first communication interface to other user terminals 64 that feedback the request for sharing instruction; the other user terminals 64 are terminals that are interconnected with the user terminal 63 and have not obtained the target configuration policy information of the first communication interface; the other user terminals 64 are located within the signal coverage range of the 4G communication module 61.

[0123] Other user terminals 64 are configured to respond to the sharing configuration message by feeding back a sharing request to user terminal 63; and to receive the target configuration policy information and configure the first communication interface in accordance with the target configuration policy information to enable communication over the first communication interface. Here, other user terminals 64 do not need to perform steps S11 to S16; instead, they can synchronously obtain the target configuration policy information of NP-PC5 through the sharing configuration message broadcast by UE1, effectively avoiding congestion and enhancing communication reliability.

[0124] It should be noted that the other user terminals 64 and the user terminal 63 in the embodiment of the present disclosure are configured to also execute the specific implementation process of the above-mentioned policy configuration method as shown in FIG5 , and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0125] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device is also provided. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 7, the electronic device includes: one or more processors 701; a memory 702, on which one or more programs are stored. When the one or more programs are executed by one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the aforementioned policy configuration method of the embodiment of the present disclosure; and one or more I / O interfaces 703, which are connected between the processor and the memory and are configured to implement information interaction between the processor and the memory.

[0126] Processor 701 is a device with data processing capabilities, including but not limited to a central processing unit (CPU). Memory 702 is a device with data storage capabilities, including but not limited to random access memory (RAM, more specifically, SDRAM, DDR, etc.), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and flash memory (FLASH). I / O interface (read / write interface) 703 is connected between processor 701 and memory 702 to enable information exchange between processor 701 and memory 702, including but not limited to a data bus.

[0127] In some embodiments, the processor 701 , the memory 702 , and the I / O interface 703 are connected to each other via a bus 704 , and further connected to other components of the computing device.

[0128] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is further provided, wherein the storage medium stores one or more programs, and the one or more programs can be executed by one or more processors to implement the steps of the aforementioned policy configuration method.

[0129] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that all or some of the steps, systems, and functional modules / units in the methods disclosed above may be implemented as software, firmware, hardware, and appropriate combinations thereof. In hardware implementations, the division between the functional modules / units mentioned in the above description does not necessarily correspond to the division of physical components; for example, a physical component may have multiple functions, or a function or step may be performed by several physical components in cooperation. Some or all physical components may be implemented as software executed by a processor, such as a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, or a microprocessor, or implemented as hardware, or implemented as an integrated circuit, such as an application-specific integrated circuit. Such software may be distributed on a computer-readable medium, which may include a computer storage medium (or non-transitory medium) and a communication medium (or temporary medium). As is well known to those skilled in the art, the term computer storage medium includes volatile and non-volatile, removable, and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storing information (such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data). Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and can be accessed by a computer. In addition, it is well known to those skilled in the art that communication media typically embodies computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and may include any information delivery media.

[0130] Example embodiments have been disclosed herein, and although specific terms are employed, they are used and should be interpreted only in a general illustrative sense and not for purposes of limitation. In some instances, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise expressly indicated, features, characteristics, and / or elements described in conjunction with a particular embodiment may be used alone or in combination with features, characteristics, and / or elements described in conjunction with other embodiments. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A policy configuration method, which is applied to a user terminal, wherein the user terminal is located within the signal coverage range of a 4G communication module of a fourth generation mobile communication technology, the 4G communication module is interconnected with a 5G communication module of a fifth generation mobile communication technology, and the user terminal is integrated with a first communication interface for 5G wireless communication, the policy configuration method comprising: The user terminal sends a policy acquisition request to the 4G communication module, where the policy acquisition request carries interface information about the first communication interface; The 4G communication module sends the received policy acquisition request to the 5G communication module; The 5G communication module responds to the policy acquisition request, determines whether to issue the initial configuration policy information of the first communication interface based on the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request, and sends the initial configuration policy information to the 4G communication module if it is determined that the initial configuration policy information is to be issued; The 4G communication module determines the calling path information based on the received initial configuration policy information and sends the calling path information to the user terminal; The user terminal obtains the target configuration policy information of the first communication interface from the 4G communication module according to the received call path information, and configures the first communication interface according to the target configuration policy information to achieve communication based on the first communication interface.

2. The policy configuration method according to claim 1, wherein: The 5G communication module includes a first management unit and a first control unit; The 5G communication module responds to the policy acquisition request and determines whether to issue initial configuration policy information of the first communication interface based on the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request, including: The first management unit sends the received policy acquisition request to the first control unit; The first control unit responds to the policy acquisition request to obtain the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request, detects whether initial configuration policy information matching the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request is stored, and determines whether the initial configuration policy information matching the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request is stored. When initial configuration policy information matching the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request is stored, it is determined to send the initial configuration policy information.

3. The policy configuration method according to claim 1, wherein: The policy acquisition request also carries device information about the user terminal; the 5G communication module includes a first management unit and a first control unit; The 5G communication module responds to the policy acquisition request and determines whether to issue the configuration policy information of the first communication interface based on the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request, including: The first management unit sends the received policy acquisition request to the first control unit; The first control unit responds to the policy acquisition request to obtain the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request, and detects whether the user terminal indicated by the device information has application permission; if it is determined that the user terminal has application permission, detects whether initial configuration policy information matching the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request is stored; if it is determined that initial configuration policy information matching the interface information carried in the policy acquisition request is stored, determines to send the initial configuration policy information.

4. The policy configuration method according to claim 1, wherein: The 4G communication module includes a second management unit and a second control unit; The 4G communication module determines the call path information based on the received initial configuration policy information, including: The second management unit determines, based on a pre-stored policy table, whether the second control unit stores the initial configuration policy information, wherein the policy table includes information about the configuration policy stored by the second control unit; if it is determined that the second control unit does not store the initial configuration policy information, based on the initial configuration policy information, using a preset algorithm, generates the target configuration policy information and sends the target configuration policy information to the second control unit; and generates the calling path information of the target configuration policy information and sends the calling user information to the user terminal; The user terminal obtains target configuration policy information of the first communication interface from the 4G communication module according to the received call path information, including: The user terminal obtains the target configuration policy information from the second control unit according to the calling path information of the target configuration policy information.

5. The policy configuration method according to claim 4, wherein: The step of generating the target configuration strategy information based on the initial configuration strategy information and adopting the preset algorithm and sending the target configuration strategy information to the second control unit includes: Using a preset markup language, generating a first enabled field; Adding the first enabling field to the initial configuration policy information to obtain the target configuration policy information; The target configuration strategy information is sent to the second control unit.

6. The policy configuration method according to claim 4, further comprising: In the case where it is detected that the target configuration policy information corresponding to the initial configuration policy information exists in the policy table, determining that the second control unit stores the initial configuration policy information, and obtaining the calling path information of the target configuration policy information from the policy table and sending it to the user terminal; The user terminal obtains target configuration policy information of the first communication interface from the 4G communication module according to the received call path information, including: The user terminal obtains the target configuration policy information from the second control unit according to the calling path information of the target configuration policy information.

7. The policy configuration method according to claim 4, further comprising: When it is determined that the second control unit does not store the initial configuration policy information, the policy table is updated using the initial policy configuration information.

8. The policy configuration method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The first communication interface includes a direct communication interface NR-PC5.

9. The policy configuration method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The 4G communication module and the 5G communication module are interconnected via an N26 interface.

10. The policy configuration method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: After the user terminal obtains the target configuration policy information from the 4G communication module, the method further includes: The user terminal broadcasts a sharing configuration message; Other user terminals respond to the shared configuration message and feedback to the user terminal Requesting a sharing instruction, wherein the other user terminal is a terminal interconnected with the user terminal and has not obtained the target configuration policy information of the first communication interface, and the other user terminal is within the signal coverage range of the 4G communication module; The user terminal responds to the request sharing instruction and sends the target configuration policy information of the first communication interface to other user terminals that feed back the request sharing instruction; The other user terminal receives the target configuration policy information, and configures the first communication interface according to the target configuration policy information to implement communication based on the first communication interface.

11. A communication system, comprising a 4G communication module, a 5G communication module and at least one user terminal located within the signal coverage of the 4G communication module, wherein the user terminal is integrated with a first communication interface for 5G wireless communication, wherein: The user terminal is configured as follows: Sending a policy acquisition request to the 4G communication module; wherein the policy acquisition request carries interface information about the first communication interface; and According to the received call path information, obtaining target configuration policy information of the first communication interface from the 4G communication module, and configuring the first communication interface according to the target configuration policy information to implement communication based on the first communication interface; The 4G communication module is configured as follows: Sending the received policy acquisition request to the 5G communication module; as well as Based on the received initial configuration policy information, determining the call path information and sending the call path information to the user terminal; The 5G communication module is configured as follows: In response to the policy acquisition request, based on the interface information, determining whether to issue initial configuration policy information of the first communication interface; as well as In the case of determining to send the initial configuration policy information, the initial configuration policy information is sent to the 4G communication module.

12. An electronic device comprising: one or more processors; A memory having one or more programs stored thereon, when the one or more programs The method is executed by the one or more processors so that the one or more processors implement the steps of the policy configuration method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs can be executed by one or more processors to implement the steps of the policy configuration method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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