Communication method, communication apparatus, and communication system

Abstract

A communication method, a communication apparatus, and a communication system, which relate to the technical field of communications. In the method, a first network element sends to a terminal device or a network device identity information of a second network element and function information of the second network element. The function information of the second network element is used for indicating a function supported by the second network element, and the network device or the terminal device can determine, on the basis of the function supported by the second network element, whether the second network element can still continue to serve as a selected network element. When the second network element can continue to serve as the selected network element, the terminal device or the network device does not need to trigger the first network element to perform network element selection again, so that the overall overhead incurred by the first network element performing network element selection can be effectively reduced.

Description

Communication method, communication device, and communication system

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on December 22, 2023, with application number 202311795610.0 and application name “Communication Method, Communication Device and Communication System”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a communication method, a communication device, and a communication system. Background Art

[0003] Currently, network devices can communicate with other network elements through the access and mobility management function (AMF). For example, when a terminal device wants to send information to a network element, the terminal device sends information for the AMF to select the network element. The network device forwards this information to the AMF, which selects the network element based on the information and sends the address information of the selected network element to the network device. The network device then sends the information that the terminal device wants to transmit to the network element based on the address information of the network element.

[0004] When the terminal device wants to send information to a network element again, the terminal device sends information for AMF to select the network element to the network device. The network device then forwards the information to AMF. AMF selects the network element again based on the information and sends the address information of the selected network element to the access network device. The network device sends the information that the terminal device wants to transmit to the network element according to the address information of the network element.

[0005] When the network element that the terminal device communicates with again is the same network element that the terminal device communicated with last time, the above process will cause AMF to perform unnecessary network element selection, resulting in a higher overall overhead for AMF in network element selection. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method, a communication device, and a communication system, which can support reducing the overall overhead when performing network element selection.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, including: sending first information to a first network element, the first information being used to indicate information of a terminal device; receiving identity information of a second network element and functional information of the second network element from the first network element, the second network element being a network element selected by the first network element based on the information of the terminal device, and the functional information of the second network element being used to indicate functions supported by the second network element.

[0008] The execution entity of the solution described in the first aspect can be a network device, a module within the network device (such as a chip system), or a logical node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the network device's functions, without limitation. For ease of description, the following description uses a network device as an example.

[0009] The functional information of the second network element mentioned above can also be used by the network device or the terminal device to determine whether it is necessary to trigger the first network element to perform network element selection again.

[0010] In the above technical solution, in addition to sending the identity information of the second network element to the network device, the first network element can also send the functional information of the second network element to the network device. The network device can determine the functions supported by the second network element based on the functional information of the second network element, and can determine whether to trigger the first network element to perform network element selection again based on the functions supported by the second network element. For example, when the network device determines that the second network element can still meet the communication needs of the terminal device based on the functions supported by the second network element, the network device can directly forward the information that the terminal device wants to transmit to the second network element. In this way, the first network element does not need to perform network element selection again, which can effectively reduce the overall overhead of network element selection.

[0011] In the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending identity information of the second network element and function information of the second network element to the terminal device.

[0012] When the network device forwards the identity information and function information of the second network element to the terminal device, the terminal device can determine the functions supported by the second network element based on the function information of the second network element, and can determine whether the second network element can still meet the communication needs of the terminal device based on the functions supported by the second network element. When the terminal device determines that the second network element can still meet the communication needs of the terminal device, the terminal device can determine that it does not need to trigger the first network element to select a network element again, thereby effectively reducing the overall overhead of network element selection.

[0013] In the first aspect, a possible implementation method is that the method further includes: receiving second information from the terminal device, the second information is used to indicate the identity information of the second network element, or receiving third information from the terminal device, the third information is used by the first network element to select the network element.

[0014] When the second information sent by the terminal device to the network device is used to indicate the identity information of the second network element, the network device can determine that the second network element can still meet the communication needs of the terminal device based on the identity information of the second network element indicated by the second information, and can determine that there is no need to trigger the first network element to select the network element again. In this way, the overall overhead when selecting the network element can be effectively reduced.

[0015] When the third information sent by the terminal device to the network device is used for the first network element to select a network element, the network device can determine based on the third information that the second network element can no longer meet the communication needs of the terminal device, and the network device can determine that the first network element needs to be triggered to select a network element again. In this way, it can support the completion of communication between the terminal device and other network elements.

[0016] In the first aspect, a possible implementation method, the method also includes: determining whether the second network element is the network element to continue to be selected based on the fourth information and the functional information of the second network element, the fourth information is used for the first network element to select the network element, and the fourth information comes from the terminal device.

[0017] When the terminal device sends the fourth information to the network device, the network device can determine whether the second network element can continue to meet the communication needs of the terminal device based on the fourth information and the functional information of the second network element. For example, if the network device determines based on the fourth information that the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate needs to support function 1, and the functional information of the second network element indicates that the second network element also supports function 1, the network device can therefore determine that the second network element can still meet the communication needs of the terminal device, and thus does not need to trigger the first network element to reselect a network element. In this way, the overall overhead of network element selection can be effectively reduced.

[0018] In the first aspect, a possible implementation method is to determine whether the second network element is the network element that continues to be selected, including: determining that the second network element is the network element that continues to be selected, sending fifth information to the second network element, the fifth information being information that the terminal device needs to transmit to the second network element; or determining that the second network element is not the network element that continues to be selected, and sending fourth information to the first network element.

[0019] When the network device determines that the second network element can still meet the communication needs of the terminal device, or in other words, when the network device determines that the second network element is the network element to continue to be selected, the network device can directly send the information that the terminal device wants to transmit to the second network element to the second network element. In this way, there is no need to trigger the first network element to select the network element again, which can effectively reduce the overall overhead when selecting the network element.

[0020] When the network device determines that the second network element can no longer meet the communication needs of the terminal device, or when the network device determines that the second network element is not the network element to be selected again, the network device can trigger the first network element to select the network element again, so that this can support communication between the terminal device and other network elements.

[0021] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, including: determining a second network element; and sending identity information of the second network element and functional information of the second network element, where the functional information of the second network element is used to indicate the functions supported by the second network element. The execution subject of the solution described in the second aspect can be the first network element, or a module in the first network element (such as a chip system, etc.), or a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first network element, without limitation. For ease of description, the following description takes the first network element as an example.

[0022] In the above technical solution, the first network element can feed back the identity information of the second network element and the functional information of the second network element. The functional information of the second network element can be used to indicate the functions supported by the second network element, or in other words, the functional information of the second network element can be used by the terminal device or network device to determine whether the second network element can still meet the next communication needs of the terminal device. The terminal device or network device can determine whether the second network element can still meet the next communication needs of the terminal device based on the functional information of the second network element to determine whether it is necessary to trigger the first network element to select the network element again, which can effectively reduce the overall overhead when selecting the network element. For example, when the terminal device or network device determines that the second network element can still meet the next communication needs of the terminal device based on the functional information of the second network element, the terminal device or network device may not need to trigger the first network element to select the network element again, thereby reducing the overall overhead when selecting the network element.

[0023] In the second aspect, a possible implementation method is to determine the second network element, including: receiving first information, where the first information is used to indicate information of a terminal device; selecting a network element based on the information of the terminal device and determining the second network element.

[0024] In this way, the first network element can determine the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate based on the information of the terminal device indicated by the first information.

[0025] In the second aspect, a possible implementation method of sending the identity information of the second network element and the functional information of the second network element includes: sending the identity information of the second network element and the functional information of the second network element to the terminal device; or sending the identity information of the second network element and the functional information of the second network element to the network device.

[0026] When the first network element sends the identity information and function information of the second network element to the terminal device, the terminal device can determine the functions supported by the second network element based on the function information of the second network element, and can determine whether the second network element can still meet the communication needs of the terminal device based on the functions supported by the second network element. When the terminal device determines that the second network element can still meet the communication needs of the terminal device, the terminal device determines that it does not need to trigger the first network element to select a network element again, thereby effectively reducing the overall overhead of network element selection.

[0027] When the first network element sends the identity information and function information of the second network element to the network device, the network device can determine the functions supported by the second network element based on the function information of the second network element, and can determine whether the second network element can still meet the communication needs of the terminal device based on the functions supported by the second network element. When the network device determines that the second network element can still meet the communication needs of the terminal device, the network device determines that it does not need to trigger the first network element to select a network element again, thereby effectively reducing the overall overhead of network element selection.

[0028] On the third aspect, a communication method is provided, including: sending first information, the first information is used to indicate information of a terminal device; receiving identity information of a second network element and functional information of the second network element, the second network element is a network element selected by the first network element based on the information of the terminal device, and the functional information of the second network element is used to indicate functions supported by the second network element.

[0029] The execution entity of the solution described in the third aspect can be a terminal device, a module in the terminal device (such as a chip system, etc.), or a logical node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the terminal device functions, without limitation. For ease of description, the following description uses a terminal device as an example.

[0030] In the above solution, after the terminal device sends the first information, the terminal device can receive the identity information of the second network element and the functional information of the second network element. The functional information of the second network element is used to indicate the functions supported by the second network element. The terminal device can determine whether the second network element can continue to be the network element with which the terminal device intends to communicate next time based on the functional information of the second network element. When the terminal device determines that the second network element continues to be the network element with which the terminal device intends to communicate next time, the terminal device can determine that it does not need to trigger the first network element to select the network element again, which can effectively reduce the overall overhead of network element selection.

[0031] In the third aspect, a possible implementation method is that the method further includes: sending second information, where the second information is used to indicate identity information of the second network element; or sending third information, where the third information is used by the first network element to select the network element.

[0032] When the second information sent by the terminal device to the network device is used to indicate the identity information of the second network element, the network device can determine that the second network element can still meet the communication needs of the terminal device based on the identity information of the second network element indicated by the second information, and can determine that there is no need to trigger the first network element to select the network element again. In this way, the overall overhead when selecting the network element can be effectively reduced.

[0033] When the third information sent by the terminal device to the network device is used for the first network element to select a network element, the network device can determine based on the third information that the second network element can no longer meet the communication needs of the terminal device, and the network device can determine that the first network element needs to be triggered to select a network element again. In this way, it can support the completion of communication between the terminal device and other network elements.

[0034] In combination with the solutions described in any of the first, second and third aspects, a possible implementation method is that the functional information of the second network element is used to indicate the functions supported by the second network element, including: the functional information of the second network element is used to indicate the conditions under which the second network element is valid.

[0035] The functional information of the second network element is merely an example of information and can be replaced with other examples of information. For example, the functional information of the second network element can be replaced with selection condition information of the second network element, or validity information of the second network element, or validity maintenance information of the second network element, etc. When the functional information of the second network element is used to indicate the conditions under which the second network element is valid, the network device or the terminal device can determine, based on the conditions under which the second network element is valid, whether the second network element can still be the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate next time. When the terminal device or the network device determines that the second network element can still be the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate next time, the terminal device or the network device can determine that there is no need to trigger the first network element to select the network element again, which can effectively reduce the overall overhead when performing network element selection.

[0036] In combination with the solutions described in any of the first, second and third aspects, a possible implementation method is that the functional information of the second network element includes at least one of the following: a network slice allowed to be selected by the terminal device, a service type allowed to be selected by the terminal device, a service accuracy allowed to be selected by the terminal device, a service quality allowed to be requested by the terminal device, a data network name allowed to be selected by the terminal device, or location information of the allowed terminal device.

[0037] In this way, the network device or terminal device can determine whether the second network element can continue to be the selected network element based on one or more of the above-mentioned conditions, and further determine whether it is necessary to trigger the first network element to perform network element selection again. When the network device or terminal device determines that the second network element continues to be the selected network element based on one or more of the above-mentioned conditions, the terminal device or network device may not need to trigger the first network element to perform network element selection again, which can effectively reduce the overall overhead when performing network element selection.

[0038] In combination with the solutions described in any of the first, second and third aspects, a possible implementation method is that the information of the terminal device includes at least one of the following: the network slice selected by the terminal device, the service type selected by the terminal device, the service accuracy selected by the terminal device, the quality of service requested by the terminal device, the data network name selected by the terminal device, or the location information of the terminal device.

[0039] In this way, the first network element can determine the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate based on one or more of the above items.

[0040] In combination with the solutions described in any of the first, second and third aspects, in one possible implementation, the identity information of the second network element includes at least one of the following: identification information of the second network element, the Internet Protocol address of the second network element, or the fully qualified domain name of the second network element.

[0041] In this way, the network device can determine the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate based on one or more of the above items.

[0042] In a fourth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising: a network device and a first network element. The network device is configured to send first information to the first network element, the first information indicating information of a terminal device; the first network element is configured to receive the first information and, further, send identity information of a second network element and function information of the second network element to the network device, the second network element being a network element selected by the first network element based on the information of the terminal device, the function information of the second network element indicating functions supported by the second network element; and the network device is further configured to receive the identity information of the second network element and the function information of the second network element.

[0043] The above-mentioned access network device and first network element can also be used to execute the methods described in the first aspect and the second aspect respectively.

[0044] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device may be a network device, or a device or module for performing the functions of a network device.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the communication device may include a module or unit corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect. The module or unit may be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0046] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device may be a first network element, or may be a device or module for performing the function of the first network element.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the communication device may include a module or unit corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect. The module or unit may be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0048] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be a terminal device, or a device or module for executing the functions of a terminal device.

[0049] In one possible implementation, the communication device may include a module or unit corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the third aspect. The module or unit may be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0050] In the eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes: an interface unit for sending first information to a first network element, the first information being used to indicate information of a terminal device; the interface unit is also used to receive identity information of a second network element and functional information of the second network element from the first network element, the second network element being a network element selected by the first network element based on the first information, and the functional information of the second network element being used to indicate functions supported by the second network element.

[0051] The above-mentioned communication device can also be used to execute the solution described in the method described in the first aspect and any possible manner of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0052] In the ninth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes: a processing unit for determining a second network element; an interface unit for sending identity information of the second network element and functional information of the second network element, the second network element is a network element selected by the first network element based on information of the terminal device, and the functional information of the second network element is used to indicate the functions supported by the second network element.

[0053] The above-mentioned communication device can also be used to execute the solution described in the method described in the aforementioned second aspect and any possible manner of the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0054] In the tenth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes: an interface unit for sending first information, the first information being used to indicate information of a terminal device; the interface unit is also used to receive identity information of a second network element and functional information of the second network element, the second network element being a network element selected by the first network element based on the information of the terminal device, and the functional information of the second network element being used to indicate functions supported by the second network element.

[0055] The above-mentioned communication device can also be used to execute the solution described in the method described in the aforementioned third aspect and any possible manner of the third aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0056] In the eleventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured to, by executing a computer program or instruction, or by a logic circuit, enable the communication device to execute the method described in the first aspect and any possible manner of the first aspect; or, enable the communication device to execute the method described in the second aspect and any possible manner of the second aspect; or, enable the communication device to execute the method described in the third aspect and any possible manner of the third aspect.

[0057] In a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory for storing the computer program or instruction.

[0058] In a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface, which is used to input and / or output signals.

[0059] In the twelfth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a logic circuit and an input / output interface, the input / output interface being used to input and / or output signals, the logic circuit being used to execute the method described in the first aspect and any possible manner of the first aspect; or, the logic circuit being used to execute the method described in the second aspect and any possible manner of the second aspect; or, the logic circuit being used to execute the method described in the third aspect and any possible manner of the third aspect.

[0060] In the thirteenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or the instruction is run on a computer, the method described in the first aspect and any possible manner of the first aspect is executed; or, the method described in the second aspect and any possible manner of the second aspect is executed; or, the method described in the third aspect and any possible manner of the third aspect is executed.

[0061] In the fourteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the method described in the first aspect and any possible manner of the first aspect to be executed; or, cause the method described in the second aspect and any possible manner of the second aspect to be executed; or, cause the method described in the third aspect and any possible manner of the third aspect to be executed.

[0062] In the fifteenth aspect, a chip system is provided, which is connected to a memory and is used to read and execute a software program stored in the memory to execute the method described in the first aspect and any possible manner in the first aspect; or, to execute the method described in the second aspect and any possible manner in the second aspect; or, to execute the method described in the third aspect and any possible manner in the third aspect.

[0063] In the sixteenth aspect, a chip system is provided, which includes: a communication interface for communicating with other devices; a processor for enabling a communication device equipped with the chip system to execute the method described in the first aspect and any possible manner in the first aspect; or, for enabling a communication device equipped with the chip system to execute the method described in the second aspect and any possible manner in the second aspect; or, for enabling a communication device equipped with the chip system to execute the method described in the third aspect and any possible manner in the first three aspects.

[0064] In the seventeenth aspect, a chip system is provided, which includes a processor, a memory and an input / output port, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program; the processor is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory, so that the processor executes the method described in the first aspect and any possible manner in the first aspect; or, so that the processor executes the method described in the second aspect and any possible manner in the second aspect; or, so that the processor executes the method described in the third aspect and any possible manner in the third aspect.

[0065] In the eighteenth aspect, a chip system is provided, which is applied to an electronic device, and the chip system includes one or more processors, and the processor is used to call computer instructions so that the electronic device executes the method described in the first aspect and any possible manner in the first aspect; or, the processor is used to call computer instructions so that the electronic device executes the method described in the second aspect and any possible manner in the second aspect; or, the processor is used to call computer instructions so that the electronic device executes the method described in the third aspect and any possible manner in the third aspect.

[0066] The description of the beneficial effects of any of the fourth to eighteenth aspects etc. may refer to the description of the beneficial effects of the first, second and third aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0067] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0068] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0069] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of an interaction flow of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0070] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of an interaction flow of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0071] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of an interaction flow of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0072] FIG6 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0073] FIG7 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0074] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0075] In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following points are first explained.

[0076] 1. In this application, unless otherwise specified, "a plurality of or at least two" means two or more.

[0077] 2. In each embodiment of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment based on their internal logical relationships.

[0078] 3. The various numerical numbers involved in this application are only used for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of protection of this application. The size of the serial numbers involved in this application does not mean the order of execution. The order of execution of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic. For example, the terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth" and other various terminology labels (if any) in the specification and claims and drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. Among them, the data used in this way can be interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments described here can be implemented in an order other than what is illustrated or described here.

[0079] At the same time, any embodiment or design described in this application as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner to facilitate understanding.

[0080] 4. The terms "comprise" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such process, method, product or apparatus.

[0081] 5. In this application, "used to indicate" can be understood as "enabling," and "enabling" can include direct enabling and indirect enabling. When describing that certain information is used to enable A, it can include that the information directly enables A or indirectly enables A, and does not necessarily mean that the information contains A.

[0082] The information enabled by the information is called information to be enabled. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to enable the enabled information, such as but not limited to, directly enabling the information to be enabled, such as the information to be enabled itself or the index of the information to be enabled. The information to be enabled can also be indirectly enabled by enabling other information, wherein there is an association between the other information and the information to be enabled. It is also possible to enable only a part of the information to be enabled, while the other parts of the information to be enabled are known or agreed in advance. For example, it is also possible to enable specific information with the help of the arrangement order of each piece of information agreed in advance (such as specified in the protocol), thereby reducing the enabling overhead to a certain extent. At the same time, it is also possible to identify the common parts of each piece of information and enable them uniformly to reduce the enabling overhead caused by enabling the same information separately.

[0083] 6. In this application, "pre-configuration" may include pre-definition, such as protocol definition. "Pre-definition" may be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in a device (e.g., including each network element). This application does not limit the specific implementation method.

[0084] 7. "Storage" or "saving" as used in this application may refer to storage in one or more memories. The one or more memories may be provided separately or integrated into an encoder or decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The one or more memories may also be provided in part separately and in part integrated into a decoder, processor, or communication device. The type of memory may be any form of storage medium and is not limited thereto.

[0085] 8. The “protocol” referred to in this application may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, such as the fourth generation (4G) network, the fifth generation (5G) network protocol, the new radio (NR) protocol, the 5.5G network protocol, the sixth generation (6 th generation, 6G) network protocols and related protocols used in future communication systems, which are not limited in this application.

[0086] 9. The arrows or boxes indicated by dotted lines in the schematic diagrams in the accompanying drawings of this application specification represent optional steps or optional modules.

[0087] 10. In this application, unless otherwise specified, “ / ” indicates that the objects associated with each other are in an “or” relationship. For example, A / B can mean A or B. “And / or” in this application is merely a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural.

[0088] 11. In this application, indication includes direct indication (also called explicit indication) and implicit indication. Direct indication of information A means including information A. Implicit indication of information A means indicating information A through the correspondence between information A and information B and the direct indication of information B. The correspondence between information A and information B can be predefined, pre-stored, pre-burned, or pre-configured.

[0089] 12. In this application, the use of information C to determine information D includes both situations where information D is determined solely based on information C and situations where information D is determined based on information C and other information. Furthermore, information C can also be used to determine information D indirectly, for example, where information D is determined based on information E, and information E is determined based on information C.

[0090] 13. In this application, "device A sends information A to device B" can be understood as the destination end of the information A or the intermediate network element in the transmission path between the destination end and the device B, which may include sending information to device B directly or indirectly.

[0091] 14. In this application, the phrase "Device B receives information A from Device A" should be understood to mean that the source of information A or an intermediate network element in the transmission path between the source and the device A is Device A, and may include directly or indirectly receiving the information from Device A. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as formatting changes, but the destination can still understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application should be understood similarly and are not elaborated on here.

[0092] First, a communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable is described.

[0093] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG1 , the communication system includes: a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (such as 110a and 110b, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal device (such as 120a-120j, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in FIG1 ). The terminal device 120 is connected to the RAN node 110 wirelessly. The RAN node 110 is connected to the core network 200 wirelessly or by wire. The core network devices in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device that integrates the core network logical functions and the radio access network logical functions.

[0094] The RAN 100 may be a 3GPP-related cellular system, such as a 4G or 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolutionary system (such as a 6G mobile communication system). The RAN 100 may also be an open radio access network (O-RAN), a cloud radio access network (C-RAN), or a WiFi system. The RAN 100 may also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0095] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of a communication system and facilitates wireless access for terminal devices. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in the communication system can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal device 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i can be a helicopter or drone configured as a mobile base station. For terminal device 120j accessing RAN 100 via network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal device. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b can be understood as communication devices with base station functionality, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functionality.

[0096] In one possible scenario, a RAN node may be a base station (BS), eNodeB, access point (AP), transmitting and receiving point (TRP), gNB, next-generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, base station in a future mobile communication system, or access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node may be a macro base station (such as 110a in Figure 1 ), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in Figure 1 ), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario.

[0097] Optionally, the RAN node may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an on-board device, etc. All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application may also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node in this application may also be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the RAN node.

[0098] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes implement part of the functions of the base station respectively. For example, the RAN node can be CU, DU, CU-control plane (CP), CU-user plane (UP), or radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or they can be included in the same network element, such as the baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0099] In different communication systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0100] It should be understood that the number of each device in the above-mentioned communication system is only for illustration and is not limited thereto. In actual applications, the communication system may further include more terminal devices, more RAN devices, and other devices.

[0101] In an embodiment of the present application, a terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, which may refer to user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, user station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device.

[0102] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may also be a satellite phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a wireless data card, a wireless modem, a machine type communication device, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a customer-premises equipment (CPE), a smart point of sale (POS) machine, a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a communication device carried on a high-altitude aircraft, a wearable device, a drone, a robot, a terminal in device-to-device (D2D) communication, a terminal in vehicle-to-everything (V2X), a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a remote medical device, or a similar device. There is no restriction on wireless terminals in medical, smart grid, transportation safety, smart city, smart home, or terminal devices in communication networks evolved after 5G.

[0103] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may also be a device with communication functions in the 6G communication system, without limiting the form or type of the terminal device in the 6G and other future communication systems.

[0104] In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device used to implement the functions of the terminal device can be the terminal device, or it can be a device that can support the terminal device to implement the functions, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal device or used in conjunction with the terminal device. In the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0105] In the embodiment of the present application, the network device is a device with wireless transceiver functions, which is used to communicate with the terminal device. The network device can be a node in the RAN, which can also be called a base station, or a RAN node. It can be an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) of long term evolution (LTE); or a base station of a 5G network such as gNodeB (gNB) or a base station in a public land mobile network (PLMN) evolved after 5G, a broadband network gateway (BNG), an aggregation switch or the 3GPP (the 3GPP) rd generation partnership project, 3GPP) network equipment, etc.

[0106] The RAN can be configured as a RAN, O-RAN, or C-RAN as defined by the 3GPP protocol. Network equipment may also include various forms of base stations, such as macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small cells), relay stations, TRPs, transmitting points (TPs), mobile switching centers, and devices that perform base station functions in device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, as well as network equipment in non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), etc., without specific limitation.

[0107] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device may further include a network element or module that implements part of the functions of the base station, for example, one or more of the following: a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). Optionally, the CU can be further separated into a CU-control plane (CP) and a CU-user plane (UP). The functions of the CU and DU can be implemented by different network elements, or simultaneously by the baseband unit (BBU) of the base station. The function of the RU can be implemented by the radio frequency equipment of the base station. For example, the radio frequency equipment of the base station may be a remote radio unit (RRU), a pico remote radio unit (pRRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or other units, modules or devices with radio frequency processing functions. The communication interface protocol between the BBU and the radio frequency equipment can be a common public radio interface (CPRI) interface protocol, an enhanced common public radio interface (eCPRI) interface protocol, or a fronthaul interface protocol between the DU and RU in the O-RAN system, etc., without limitation.

[0108] In different communication systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0109] In the embodiment of the present application, the network device may also be a device with communication functions in the 6G communication system, without limiting the form or type of the network device in the 6G and other future communication systems.

[0110] In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device used to implement the functions of the network device can be a network device, or a device that can support the network device to implement the functions, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the network device or used in conjunction with the network device. The chip system in the embodiments of the present application can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0111] The aforementioned network equipment may include a baseband device and a radio frequency device. The baseband device may be implemented by a single node or by multiple nodes. The radio frequency device may be independently implemented remotely from the baseband device or integrated into the baseband device, or some functions may be integrated independently and some functions may be integrated into the baseband device. For example, in an LTE communication system, the network equipment includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device. The radio frequency device may be remotely located relative to the baseband device, such as an RRU, which is a remote radio unit located relative to the BBU.

[0112] The communication between network equipment and terminal equipment follows a certain protocol layer structure. For example, the control plane protocol layer structure may include the functions of protocol layers such as the radio resource control (RRC) layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer and the physical layer; the user plane protocol layer structure may include the functions of protocol layers such as the PDCP layer, the RLC layer, the MAC layer and the physical layer; in one possible implementation, a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer may also be included above the PDCP layer.

[0113] A network device may implement the functions of protocol layers such as RRC, PDCP, RLC, and MAC by a single node, or may implement the functions of these protocol layers by multiple nodes. For example, in an evolutionary structure, a network device includes a CU and DU, and multiple DUs are centrally controlled by a single CU. For example, the CU and DU may be divided based on the protocol layers of the wireless network, such as the PDCP layer and above, which are located in the CU, while the functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer, such as the RLC layer and MAC layer, are located in the DU.

[0114] This protocol layer division is just an example. Division can also be performed at other protocol layers, such as the RLC layer, where functions of the RLC layer and above are placed in the CU, and functions of protocol layers below the RLC layer are placed in the DU. Alternatively, division can be performed within a specific protocol layer, such as where some functions of the RLC layer and functions of protocol layers above the RLC layer are placed in the CU, and the remaining functions of the RLC layer and functions of protocol layers below the RLC layer are placed in the DU. Furthermore, division can be performed in other ways, such as by latency, where functions that require processing time to meet latency requirements are placed in the DU, and functions that do not require latency requirements are placed in the CU.

[0115] In addition, the radio frequency device can be independently integrated and not placed in the DU, or it can be integrated in the DU, or part of it can be remotely located and part of it can be integrated in the DU. There is no limitation here.

[0116] The network architecture and service scenarios described in this application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided herein. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that, with the evolution of communication network architectures and the emergence of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided in this application are equally applicable to similar technical problems. For example, this application may be applicable to V2X scenarios.

[0117] The following describes the applicable network architecture of the embodiment of the present application in conjunction with Figure 2.

[0118] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2, the network architecture exemplarily includes: terminal equipment, RAN, AMF, session management function (SMF), network repository function (NRF), and unified data management (UDM).

[0119] AMF mainly performs functions such as mobility management or access authentication / authorization. In addition, AMF is also responsible for transmitting user policies between terminal devices and policy control function (PCF) network elements. In addition, AMF can receive non-access stratum (NAS) signaling (including mobility management (MM) signaling and session management (SM) signaling) of terminal devices and related signaling of access network devices (for example, base station-level next generation (NG) 2 interface signaling that interacts with AMF), complete the user registration process and forwarding of SM signaling and mobility management.

[0120] SMF is primarily used for session management, allocation and management of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for terminal devices, selection of endpoints for manageable user plane functions, policy control, and charging interfaces, or downlink data notification. SMF can also be used to complete processes related to establishing, releasing, or updating protocol data unit (PDU) sessions.

[0121] UDM mainly includes the following functions: unified data management, support for authentication credentials processing in 3GPP authentication and key negotiation mechanism, user identity processing, access authorization, registration and mobility management, contract management and short message management.

[0122] NRF is responsible for maintaining network element service information, supporting the acceptance of network element registration services, and returning target network element service information based on network element discovery requests. Because it can have interfaces with all service-oriented network elements in the above architecture (such as AMF, SMF, PCF, etc.), it is not shown in the figure.

[0123] The network architecture shown in Figure 2 may also include PCF, unified data repository (UDR), application function (AF), network element function (NEF), data network (DN), authentication server function (AUSF), and short message service function (SMSF).

[0124] In the above description, the above-mentioned network element can be a network element in a hardware device, a software function running on dedicated hardware, or a virtualized function instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The above-mentioned functional network element can be divided into one or more services, and further, there may be services that exist independently of the network function. An instance of the above-mentioned functional network element, an instance of a service included in the above-mentioned functional network element, or an instance of a service that exists independently of the network function can be referred to as a service instance.

[0125] The interfaces between the various network elements shown in Figure 2 are point-to-point interfaces. In actual implementation, the interfaces between the various control plane network elements can also be service-based interfaces. For example, Npcf, Nudr, Nudm, Naf, Namf, and Nsmf are service-based interfaces provided by the PCF, UDR, UDM, AF, AMF, and SMF, respectively, for invoking corresponding service-based operations.

[0126] The naming of each network element shown in Figure 2 is just a name, and the name does not limit the function of the network element itself. In 5G networks and other future networks, the above-mentioned network elements may also have other names, and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this. For example, in a 6G network, some or all of the above-mentioned network elements may continue to use the terminology used in 5G, or may have other names, etc., which are uniformly explained here and will not be repeated below.

[0127] In addition, the "network element" in this article can also be referred to as a network function instance (network function instance), network function (network function, NF), equipment, device or module, etc., which is not specifically limited in this application. In addition, the above naming is only defined to facilitate the distinction between different functions and should not constitute any limitation. This application does not exclude the possibility of adopting other naming in 5G networks and other networks in the future. For example, in a 6G network, some or all of the above-mentioned networks may continue to use the terminology in 5G, or other names may be used. The interface name between the above-mentioned network elements is only an example. The name of the interface in the specific implementation may be other names, and there is no specific limitation on this. In addition, the name of the message (or signaling) transmitted between the above-mentioned network elements is only an example and does not constitute any limitation on the function of the message itself.

[0128] In the network architecture shown in Figure 2, the RAN has direct interfaces with other network elements in the core network control plane. For example, the RAN and all network elements in the core network control plane are connected to the same bus, allowing the RAN to communicate directly with all network elements. In this architecture, when a UE needs to send a message to another network element, the RAN can directly send it to the corresponding network element, thus reducing signaling roundabouts.

[0129] In the network architecture shown in Figure 2, the AMF can still perform the network element selection function. When the AMF performs network element selection in the network architecture shown in Figure 2, the network architecture may have technical problems as described in the background technology section.

[0130] In view of this, the present application provides a communication method, a communication device, and a communication system, which can support reducing the overall overhead during network element selection.

[0131] The communication method according to the embodiment of the present application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0132] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an interaction flow of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method shown in Figure 3 can be executed by a terminal device, a network device, and a first network element, or by modules and / or devices (e.g., chips or integrated circuits) with corresponding functions installed in the terminal device, the network device, and the first network element, without limitation. The following description uses the terminal device, the network device, and the first network element as examples.

[0133] As shown in FIG3 , the method includes:

[0134] S301. The terminal device sends first information to the network device.

[0135] Correspondingly, the network device receives the first information.

[0136] The message exchanged between the terminal device and the network device may be a radio resource control (RRC) message. The first information may be carried in the RRC message. For example, the terminal device sends an RRC message to the network device, and the RRC message includes the first information.

[0137] Optionally, the first information may also be an RRC message, which is not limited to this.

[0138] S302. The network device sends first information to the first network element.

[0139] Correspondingly, the first network element receives the first information.

[0140] When the AMF has the function of network element selection, the first network element may be the AMF. When other network elements (network elements other than the AMF) have the function of network element selection, the first network element may be other network elements (network elements other than the AMF), without limitation.

[0141] When the first network element is an AMF, the message exchanged between the network device and the first network element may be an N2 message. The first information may be carried in the N2 message. For example, the network device sends an N2 message to the first network element, and the N2 message includes the first information.

[0142] When the first network element is another network element, the message exchanged between the network device and the first network element may be an Nx message (or other message names, which are not limited to this). The first information may be carried in the Nx message. For example, the network device sends an Nx message to the first network element, and the Nx message includes the first information.

[0143] When the network device sends the first information to the first network element, the information format of the first information may be changed. For example, if the first information is carried in an RRC message, the network device changes the format of the first information and carries the first information in an N2 message or an Nx message.

[0144] For the convenience of description, the first network element is used below to refer to the network element with the network element selection function, which can correspond to AMF or other network elements, and there is no limitation on this.

[0145] The first information can be used to indicate information of the terminal device (e.g., information of the UE). The first network element can determine the information of the terminal device based on the first information and can select a network element based on the information of the terminal device. Alternatively, the first network element can refer to the information of the terminal device to select a network element and thereby determine the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate. The network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate can also be referred to as the target network element of the terminal device. In other words, the first network element can determine the target network element of the terminal device based on or with reference to the information of the terminal device.

[0146] In one possible implementation, the terminal device information may include at least one of the following:

[0147] The network slice selected by the terminal device;

[0148] The service type selected by the terminal device;

[0149] Service accuracy of terminal equipment selection;

[0150] The quality of service (QoS) requested by the terminal device;

[0151] The data network name (DNN) selected by the terminal device; or

[0152] The location information of the terminal device.

[0153] In this way, the first network element can determine the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate based on one or more of the above items.

[0154] Exemplarily, the information of the terminal device includes the network slice selected by the terminal device (for example, the network slice selected by the terminal device is network slice #1). The first network element can determine the network element that can support the network slice based on the network slice selected by the terminal device, and can determine that the network element is the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate.

[0155] Exemplarily, the information of the terminal device includes the service type selected by the terminal device (for example, speed-aware service, direction-aware service, etc.). The first network element can determine the network element that can support the service type based on the service type selected by the terminal device, and can determine that the network element is the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate.

[0156] Exemplarily, the information of the terminal device includes the service accuracy selected by the terminal device (for example, the direction / angle perception error is less than 10 degrees, the speed perception error is less than 1 meter / second, etc.). The first network element can determine the network element that can support the service accuracy based on the service accuracy selected by the terminal device, and can determine that the network element is the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate.

[0157] Exemplarily, the information of the terminal device includes the QoS requested by the terminal device (for example, latency less than 1ms, aggregation rate greater than 100Mbps, etc.). The first network element can determine the network element that can support the QoS based on the QoS selected by the terminal device, and can determine that the network element is the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate.

[0158] Exemplarily, the information of the terminal device includes the DNN selected by the terminal device. The first network element can determine the network element that can support the DNN based on the DNN selected by the terminal device, and can determine that the network element is the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate.

[0159] Exemplarily, the information of the terminal device includes the location information of the terminal device (for example, the cell where the terminal device is located, the horizontal and vertical coordinates of the terminal device, etc.). The first network element can determine, based on the location information of the terminal device, a network element that can support providing services to the terminal device in the location indicated by the location information, and can determine that the network element is the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate.

[0160] In the embodiments of the present application, different network elements may support different service types, service precisions, QoS, or data network names, etc. When one or more network elements support the same service type, service precision, QoS, or data network name, the first network element may provide feedback to the network device regarding all of the one or more network elements, or the first network element may provide feedback to the network device regarding one of the one or more network elements, without limitation. Therefore, the second network element described below may refer to one network element or multiple network elements, without limitation.

[0161] S303: The first network element determines the second network element.

[0162] The first network element can obtain functional information and identity information of multiple network elements (including the second network element). For example, the first network element obtains information (profile) of several network elements, and this information can be used by the first network element to select a network element. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the manner in which the first network element obtains the information of the several network elements. The network management can pre-configure the information of the several network elements for the first network element, or other network elements can send the information of the several network elements to the first network element.

[0163] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific content of the information of the several network elements. For example, it may be one or more of the following: the identifier of the network element, the address of the network element (the address may be an Internet Protocol (IP) address or a fully qualified domain name (FQDN)), the network to which the network element belongs, the network slice corresponding to the network element, the service type supported by the network element, the quality of service supported by the network element, the DNN supported by the network element, the location information of the terminal device corresponding to the network element (the location information may be the timing advance (TA) of the terminal device), the load of the network element, the capacity of the network element, the priority of the network element, etc.

[0164] In one possible implementation, the first network element may determine that the second network element is the network element (or target network element) with which the terminal device wants to communicate based on the information of the terminal device. In this way, the first network element may determine that the terminal device wants to communicate based on the information of the terminal device indicated by the first information.

[0165] In another possible implementation, the first network element may refer to the terminal device information when selecting a network element. For example, the first network element may determine that the second network element is the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate based on the terminal device information and other information (e.g., network element load).

[0166] In another possible implementation, the first network element may not refer to the terminal device information when selecting a network element. For example, the first device may determine that the second network element is the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate based on other information (for example, information pre-configured by the network administrator to the first device, indicating that a specific network element should be selected during a certain time period, where the specific network element may be the second network element).

[0167] In summary, the embodiment of the present application does not limit the manner in which the first network element determines the second network element, wherein the second network element is the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate.

[0168] It should be noted that the second network element can also be a network element that can meet the communication needs of the terminal device. For example, the terminal device wants to access network slice #1 for communication, and the second network element supports network slice #1. The second network element can meet the communication needs of the terminal device.

[0169] S304. The first network element sends the identity information and function information of the second network element.

[0170] After the first network element determines the second network element, in addition to feeding back the identity information of the second network element, the first network element can also feed back the functional information of the second network element. The two can be carried in one message or in different messages respectively, and there is no limitation on this. Among them, the functional information of the second network element can be used to indicate the functions supported by the second network element, or in other words, the functional information of the second network element can be used by the terminal device or network device to determine whether the second network element can still meet the next communication needs of the terminal device. The terminal device or network device can determine whether it is necessary to trigger the first network element to select the network element again based on the functional information of the second network element to determine whether the second network element can still meet the next communication needs of the terminal device, which can effectively reduce the overall overhead when selecting the network element. For example, when the terminal device or network device determines that the second network element can still meet the next communication needs of the terminal device based on the functional information of the second network element, the terminal device or network device may not need to trigger the first network element to select the network element again, thus reducing the overall overhead when selecting the network element.

[0171] In one possible implementation, the first network element may send the identity information and functional information of the second network element to the network device, and the network device may not forward the identity information and functional information of the second network element to the terminal device. In this way, the network device can determine the functions supported by the second network element based on the functional information of the second network element, and can determine whether it is necessary to trigger the first network element to perform network element selection again based on the functions supported by the second network element. For example, when the network device determines that the second network element can still meet the terminal device's next communication needs based on the functions supported by the second network element, the network device can directly forward the information that the terminal device wants to transmit to the second network element. In this way, the first network element does not need to perform network element selection again, which can effectively reduce the overall overhead when performing network element selection.

[0172] In another possible implementation, the first network element may send the identity information and functional information of the second network element to the network device, and the network device may forward the identity information and functional information of the second network element to the terminal device. In this way, the terminal device can determine, based on the functional information of the second network element, whether the second network element can continue to be the network element with which the terminal device intends to communicate next. When the terminal device determines that the second network element continues to be the network element with which the terminal device intends to communicate next, the terminal device can determine that it does not need to trigger the first network element to select the network element again, which can effectively reduce the overall overhead of network element selection.

[0173] The identity information of the second network element can be used to indicate the identity of the second network element. The network device can determine that the second network element is the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate based on the identity of the second network element, and can forward the information to be transmitted from the terminal device to the second network element.

[0174] In one possible implementation, the identity information of the second network element may include at least one of the following:

[0175] identification information of the second network element;

[0176] the IP address of the second network element; or,

[0177] FQDN of the second NE.

[0178] In this way, the network device can determine the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate based on one or more of the above items.

[0179] Exemplarily, the identity information of the second network element includes identification information of the second network element (for example, it may include information such as the identification or index of the second network element that can distinguish the second network element). The network device can determine the corresponding second network element based on the identification information of the second network element, and forward the information to be transmitted from the terminal device to the second network element.

[0180] Exemplarily, the identity information of the second network element includes the IP address of the second network element. The network device can determine the second network element according to the IP address of the second network element and forward the information to be transmitted from the terminal device to the second network element.

[0181] Exemplarily, the identity information of the second network element includes the FQDN of the second network element. The network device can determine the second network element according to the FQDN of the second network element and forward the information to be transmitted from the terminal device to the second network element.

[0182] The functional information of the second network element can be used to indicate the functions supported by the second network element, or the functional information of the second network element can also be used by the terminal device or the network device to determine whether the second network element can still continue to meet the terminal device's next communication needs. After the terminal device or the network device obtains the functional information of the second network element, it can determine the functions supported by the second network element and, based on the functions supported by the second network element, determine whether the network element with which the terminal device will continue to communicate next time is the second network element.

[0183] In one possible implementation, the function information of the second network element may include at least one of the following:

[0184] Allowing end devices to select network slices;

[0185] The type of service that the terminal device is allowed to select;

[0186] Allow terminal devices to select service accuracy;

[0187] Allow the quality of service requested by the end device;

[0188] The name of the data network that the terminal device is allowed to select; or,

[0189] The location information of the terminal device is allowed.

[0190] In this way, the network device or terminal device can determine whether the second network element can continue to be the selected network element based on one or more of the above-mentioned conditions, and further determine whether it is necessary to trigger the first network element to perform network element selection again. When the network device or terminal device determines that the second network element continues to be the selected network element based on one or more of the above-mentioned conditions, the terminal device or network device may not need to trigger the first network element to perform network element selection again, which can effectively reduce the overall overhead when performing network element selection.

[0191] Exemplarily, the functional information of the second network element is used to indicate that the network slices that the second network element allows the terminal device to select include: network slice #1 and network slice #2. After the terminal device completes an information exchange with the second network element, when the terminal device wants to communicate with the network element that supports network slice #2, the second network element can be the network element that the terminal device wants to communicate with again, or the second network element can continue to meet the terminal device's next communication needs.

[0192] Exemplarily, the function information of the second network element is used to indicate that the service types that the second network element allows the terminal device to select include: service type #1 and service type #2. After the terminal device completes information exchange with the second network element once, when the terminal device wants to communicate with a network element that supports service type #2, the second network element can be the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate again, or the second network element can continue to meet the terminal device's next communication needs.

[0193] Exemplarily, the functional information of the second network element indicates that the second network element allows the terminal device to select service precisions including service precision #1 and service precision #2. After the terminal device completes information exchange with the second network element once, if the terminal device wishes to communicate with a network element supporting service precision #2, the second network element may become the network element with which the terminal device wishes to communicate again, or the second network element may continue to meet the terminal device's next communication needs.

[0194] Exemplarily, the functional information of the second network element is used to indicate that the QoS selected by the terminal device as permitted by the second network element include: QoS #1 and QoS #2. After the terminal device completes an information exchange with the second network element, when the terminal device wants to communicate with a network element that supports QoS #2, the second network element can be the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate again, or the second network element can continue to meet the terminal device's next communication needs.

[0195] Exemplarily, the function information of the second network element is used to indicate that the data network names that the second network element allows the terminal device to select include: data network name #1 and data network name #2. After the terminal device completes information exchange with the second network element once, if the terminal device wants to communicate with the network element that supports data network name #2, the second network element can be the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate again, or the second network element can continue to meet the terminal device's next communication needs.

[0196] Exemplarily, the functional information of the second network element is used to indicate that the second network element allows the terminal device to select location information including: location information #1 and location information #2. After the terminal device completes the first information exchange with the second network element, when the terminal device wants to communicate with the network element that supports location information #2, the second network element can be the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate again, or the second network element can continue to meet the terminal device's next communication needs.

[0197] In one possible implementation, the function information of the second network element can be used to indicate that the second network element supports function 1 and function 2. After the terminal device exchanges information with the second network element once, when the terminal device wants to communicate with the network element that supports function 2, the terminal device can determine that the second network element supports function 2 based on the function information of the second network element, and then determine that the second network element is the network element to continue to be selected or determine that the second network element is the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate again. Alternatively, the second network element can continue to meet the terminal device's next communication needs and can instruct the network device to forward to the second network element the information that the terminal device needs to transmit to the second network element.

[0198] Another possible implementation method is that when the terminal device wants to communicate with a network element that supports function 2, the terminal device can send information for network element selection to the network device, and the network device can determine whether the second network element is the network element to continue to be selected based on the information and the functional information of the second network element.

[0199] For example, the network device can determine based on the information that the terminal device wants to communicate with the network element that supports function 2, and the function information of the second network element indicates that the second network element supports function 2. The network device can determine that the second network element is the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate, or, in other words, the network device can determine that the second network element is the network element that continues to be selected. Accordingly, the network device can forward the information from the terminal device to the second network element.

[0200] It should be noted that the functional information of the second network element is only an information example, which can be replaced by other information examples. For example, the functional information of the second network element can be replaced by the selection condition information of the second network element, or the valid information of the second network element, or the maintenance validity information of the second network element, or the non-change condition information of the second network element, or the condition information for not reselecting the second network element, etc.

[0201] Optionally, the above-mentioned function information of the second network element can also be used to indicate the conditions under which the second network element is valid. Accordingly, the function information of the second network element can also be replaced by selection condition information of the second network element, which can also be used to indicate the conditions under which the second network element is valid.

[0202] When the function information of the second network element is replaced with selection condition information of the second network element (which may also be used to indicate a condition under which the second network element is valid), the terminal device or the network device may determine a condition for selecting the second network element (a condition under which the second network element is valid) based on the selection condition information of the second network element. For example, the selection condition of the second network element (or the condition under which the second network element is valid) may include:

[0203] 1): The network slice selected by the terminal device is network slice #1 or network slice #2;

[0204] 2) The terminal device selects the service type as "speed awareness" or "direction awareness";

[0205] 3) The speed perception error requested by the terminal device is less than 1 meter / second, or the direction / angle perception error requested by the terminal device is less than 10 degrees;

[0206] 4): The TA of the terminal device is less than 100 milliseconds.

[0207] It should be noted that the above conditions can be understood as: under certain conditions, the network element selected by the first network element will not change, and thus there is no need to trigger the first network element to select a network element again. The description of the conditions can be found in the previous paragraph and will not be repeated here.

[0208] When the terminal device or network device determines that the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate again meets one or more of the aforementioned conditions, the terminal device or network device can determine that the second network element is the selected network element or determine that the second network element is the network element that continues to be selected, or the terminal device or network device can determine that the second network element can continue to meet the communication needs of the terminal device.

[0209] When the terminal device or network device determines that the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate again does not meet the aforementioned conditions, the terminal device or network device may determine that the second network element is not the selected network element or determines that the second network element is not the network element that continues to be selected, or the terminal device or network device may determine that the second network element can no longer meet the communication needs of the terminal device.

[0210] When the functional information of the second network element is replaced by the valid information of the second network element, the terminal device or network device can determine, based on the valid information of the second network element, that the second network element can continue to be the information of the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate. For the description of the valid information of the second network element, please refer to the aforementioned example description of the selection conditions for the second network element and will not be repeated here.

[0211] Similarly, when the function information of the second network element is replaced by the maintain-validity information of the second network element, the description of the maintain-validity information of the second network element can refer to the aforementioned example description of the selection condition of the second network element.

[0212] In summary, after a terminal device exchanges information with a second network element, the terminal device or network device can determine, based on the functional information of the second network element, whether the second network element can continue to serve as the network element with which the terminal device intends to communicate. When the second network element continues to be the selected network element, the terminal device or network device does not need to trigger the first network element to perform network element selection, which helps reduce the overall overhead of the first network element when performing network element selection.

[0213] In the above technical solution, in addition to sending the identity information of the second network element, the first network element can also send the functional information of the second network element. The network device or terminal device can determine the functions supported by the second network element based on the functional information of the second network element, and can determine whether it is necessary to trigger the first network element to perform network element selection again based on the functions supported by the second network element. For example, when the network device or terminal device determines that the second network element can still meet the communication needs of the terminal device based on the functions supported by the second network element, the network device can directly forward the information that the terminal device wants to transmit to the second network element. In this way, the first network element does not need to perform network element selection again, which can effectively reduce the overall overhead when performing network element selection.

[0214] In summary, through the above technical solutions, the embodiments of the present application can reduce the overall overhead when performing network element selection. For example, when a terminal device or a network device determines that a second network element is the network element to be continued to be selected based on the functional information of the second network element, the network device or the terminal device does not need to trigger the first network element to perform network element selection again. In this way, the overall overhead of the first network element when performing network element selection can be reduced.

[0215] The method shown in FIG3 is further described below in conjunction with FIG4 and FIG5.

[0216] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the interaction flow of another communication method of an embodiment of the present application. The method shown in Figure 4 can be performed by a terminal device, a network device, an AMF (an example of a first network element) and an SMF (an example of a second network element), or by modules and / or devices (for example, chips or integrated circuits, etc.) with corresponding functions installed in the terminal device, network device, AMF and SMF, without limitation. The following description takes the terminal device, network device, AMF and SMF as examples. As shown in Figure 4, the method includes:

[0217] S401. The terminal device sends first information to the network device.

[0218] Correspondingly, the network device receives the first information.

[0219] S402. The network device sends the first information to the AMF.

[0220] Correspondingly, the AMF receives the first information.

[0221] For the description of the first information, please refer to the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0222] S403. AMF determines SMF.

[0223] For the description of S403 , please refer to the above description of S303 and will not be repeated here.

[0224] S404. AMF sends the SMF identity information and SMF function information to the network device.

[0225] Correspondingly, the network device receives the identity information of the SMF and the function information of the SMF.

[0226] S405: The network device sends the SMF identity information and SMF function information to the terminal device.

[0227] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the identity information of the SMF and the function information of the SMF.

[0228] When the network device forwards the SMF's identity information and SMF's functional information to the terminal device, the terminal device can determine the functions supported by the SMF based on the SMF's functional information, and can determine whether the SMF can still meet the terminal device's communication needs based on the functions supported by the SMF. When the terminal device determines that the SMF can still meet the terminal device's communication needs, the terminal device can determine that it does not need to trigger the AMF to select a network element again. In this way, the overall overhead of network element selection can be effectively reduced.

[0229] After the terminal device sends the first information, the terminal device can receive the identity information and functional information of the SMF. The terminal device can determine whether the SMF can continue to be the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate next time based on the functional information of the SMF. When the terminal device determines that the SMF continues to be the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate next time, the terminal device can determine that it does not need to trigger the AMF to select the network element again, which can effectively reduce the overall overhead when performing network element selection.

[0230] S406. The terminal device determines whether the SMF is the network element to continue to be selected based on the functional information of the SMF.

[0231] After the terminal device and SMF have exchanged information for the first time, the terminal device can determine whether SMF is the network element to be selected again based on whether the functions supported by the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate again correspond to the functions supported by SMF. In other words, the terminal device can determine whether SMF can continue to meet the communication needs of the terminal device based on the functional information of SMF. For example, the communication needs of the terminal device are: the terminal device wants to communicate with the network element that supports network slice #1, and the functional information of SMF indicates that SMF also supports network slice #1. In this way, SMF can still meet the communication needs of the terminal device.

[0232] When the terminal device determines that SMF is the network element to be selected again based on the functional information of SMF, the terminal device may not trigger AMF to select the network element again. In this way, the overall overhead of AMF when selecting the network element can be reduced.

[0233] Optionally, the method may further include:

[0234] S407a: The terminal device sends the second information and the fifth information to the network device.

[0235] Correspondingly, the network device receives the second information and the fifth information. The second information is used to indicate the identity information of the SMF. The fifth information is the information that the terminal device needs to transmit to the SMF.

[0236] When a terminal device wants to communicate with a certain network element, the terminal device can determine, based on the functional information of the SMF, whether the SMF is the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate again. When the terminal device determines, based on the functional information of the SMF, that the SMF continues to be the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate, the terminal device can send second information indicating the identity information of the SMF to the network device, and the network device can determine, based on the second information, that it needs to forward fifth information to the SMF.

[0237] To sum up, when the second information sent by the terminal device to the network device is used to indicate the identity information of the SMF, the network device can determine that the SMF can still meet the communication needs of the terminal device based on the identity information of the SMF indicated by the second information, and can determine that there is no need to trigger the AMF to select the network element again. In this way, the overall overhead when selecting the network element can be effectively reduced.

[0238] S407b: The network device sends the fifth information to the SMF.

[0239] Correspondingly, the SMF receives the fifth information.

[0240] In this way, information interaction between the terminal device and SMF can be completed.

[0241] Optionally, the method may further include:

[0242] S408a: The terminal device sends the third information and the fifth information to the network device.

[0243] Accordingly, the network device receives the third information and the fifth information. The third information is used by the AMF to select a network element. The fifth information is the information that the terminal device wants to transmit.

[0244] When the third information sent by the terminal device to the network device is used by AMF to select a network element, the network device can determine based on the third information that SMF can no longer meet the communication needs of the terminal device, and the network device can determine that AMF needs to be triggered to select a network element again, thereby supporting the completion of communication between the terminal device and other network elements.

[0245] In one possible implementation, the third information may include information for instructing network element selection. Exemplarily, the third information includes indication information and terminal device information. The indication information is used to indicate to the network device that the SMF is not the next network element to be selected, or the indication information is used to indicate to the network device that the terminal device has not selected a network element, or the indication information may be used to instruct the network device to trigger the AMF to reselect the network element. Accordingly, the network device may determine, based on the indication information in the third information, that the AMF needs to be triggered to reselect the network element.

[0246] When a terminal device wants to communicate with a certain network element, the terminal device can determine whether the SMF is the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate based on the functional information of the SMF. When the terminal device determines that the SMF is not the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate based on the functional information of the SMF, the terminal device can send third information to the network device, which is used by the AMF to select the network element. Correspondingly, the network device can determine that it does not need to send the fifth information to the SMF based on the third information, and send the third information to the AMF.

[0247] S408b. The network device sends the third information to the AMF.

[0248] Correspondingly, AMF receives the third information.

[0249] The AMF can select a network element based on the third information, and send the identity information and function information of the network element selected by the AMF (for example, the third network element, etc.) to the network device.

[0250] The method shown in Figure 4 is described by taking the example of a terminal device determining whether the second network element continues to be the selected network element based on the function information of the second network element. The following describes the content of the network device determining whether the second network element continues to be the selected network element based on the function information of the second network element in conjunction with Figure 5.

[0251] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the interaction flow of another communication method of an embodiment of the present application. The method shown in Figure 5 can be performed by a terminal device, a network device, an AMF (an example of a first network element) and an SMF (an example of a second network element), or by modules and / or devices (for example, chips or integrated circuits, etc.) with corresponding functions installed in the terminal device, network device, AMF and SMF, without limitation. The following description takes the terminal device, network device, AMF and SMF as examples. As shown in Figure 5, the method includes:

[0252] S501. The terminal device sends first information to the network device.

[0253] Correspondingly, the network device receives the first information.

[0254] S502. The network device sends the first information to the AMF.

[0255] Correspondingly, the AMF receives the first information.

[0256] For the description of the first information, please refer to the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0257] S503. AMF determines SMF.

[0258] For the description of S503 , please refer to the above description of S303 and will not be repeated here.

[0259] S504. AMF sends the SMF identity information and SMF function information to the network device.

[0260] Correspondingly, the network device receives the identity information of the SMF and the function information of the SMF.

[0261] S505: The terminal device sends the fourth information and the fifth information to the network device.

[0262] Accordingly, the network device receives the fourth information and the fifth information. The fourth information is used by the first network element to select a network element. The description of the fourth information can refer to the description of the first information above and will not be repeated here. The fifth information is the information that the terminal device wants to transmit.

[0263] S506: The network device determines whether the SMF is the network element to continue to be selected based on the fourth information and the function information of the SMF.

[0264] Specifically, the network device can determine whether the SMF is the network element to be continued to be selected based on the functional information of the SMF and the fourth information. Exemplarily, the functional information of the SMF is used to indicate that the second network element supports function 1 and function 2. The network device determines based on the fourth information that the terminal device wants to communicate with the network element that supports function 2. The network device can determine that the SMF is the network element to be continued to be selected. Exemplarily, the functional information of the SMF is used to indicate that the SMF supports function 1 and function 2. The network device determines based on the fourth information that the terminal device wants to communicate with the network element that supports function 3. The network device can determine that the SMF is not the network element to be continued to be selected.

[0265] To sum up, when the network device determines that SMF is the network element to be selected again based on the functional information of SMF, the network device may not trigger AMF to select the network element again. In this way, the overall overhead of AMF when selecting the network element can be reduced.

[0266] In summary, when the terminal device sends the fourth information to the network device, the network device can determine whether the SMF can continue to meet the communication needs of the terminal device based on the fourth information and the functional information of the second network element. For example, the network device determines based on the fourth information that the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate needs to support function 1, and the functional information of the SMF indicates that the SMF also supports function 1. The network device can therefore determine that the SMF can still continue to meet the communication needs of the terminal device, and thus there is no need to trigger network element selection again. In this way, the overall overhead of network element selection can be effectively reduced.

[0267] Optionally, the method may further include:

[0268] S507a: The network device sends the fifth information to the SMF.

[0269] When the network device determines that the SMF is the network element to continue to be selected based on the fourth information and the functional information of the SMF, the network device can directly send the fifth information to the SMF.

[0270] In summary, when the network device determines that SMF can still meet the communication needs of the terminal device, or when the network device determines that SMF is the network element to continue to be selected, the network device can directly send the information that the terminal device wants to transmit to the second network element to SMF. In this way, there is no need to trigger AMF to select the network element again, which can effectively reduce the overall overhead when selecting the network element.

[0271] In this way, information interaction between the terminal device and SMF can be completed.

[0272] Optionally, the method may further include:

[0273] S507b. The network device sends the fourth information to the AMF.

[0274] Correspondingly, the AMF receives the fourth information. The AMF may identify the network element based on the fourth information, determine the corresponding network element, and feedback the identity information and function information of the network element to the network device.

[0275] When the network device determines that SMF is not the network element to be selected again based on the functional information of SMF, the network device can send the fourth information to AMF. AMF can select the network element based on the fourth information, and feedback the identity information and functional information of the network element selected by AMF to the network device. The network device forwards the information that the terminal device wants to transmit to the network element based on the identity information of the network element selected by AMF.

[0276] In summary, when the network device determines that SMF can no longer meet the communication needs of the terminal device, or when the network device determines that SMF is not the network element to be selected again, the network device can trigger AMF to select the network element again, so that this can support communication between the terminal device and other network elements.

[0277] In the embodiments of the present application, the solutions shown in Figures 3-5 are such that a first network element feeds back functional information of a network element selected by the first network element to a network device or a terminal device, and the terminal device or the network device determines whether the network element is to be continued selected based on the functional information of the network element. When the terminal device or the network device determines that the network element is to be continued selected based on the functional information of the network element, the terminal device or the network device determines that it is not necessary to trigger the first network element to select the network element again. In this way, the overall overhead of the first network element in performing network element selection can be effectively reduced.

[0278] In an embodiment of the present application, the functional information of the second network element can be used by the terminal device or the network device to determine whether it is necessary to trigger the first network element to select the network element again, or in other words, the terminal device or the network device can determine whether it is necessary to trigger the first network element to select the network element again based on the functional information of the second network element information fed back by the first network element. In this way, the overall overhead of the first network element when selecting the network element can be effectively reduced. For example, when the network element with which the terminal device wants to communicate again is the same network element with which the terminal device communicated before, the first network element does not need to select the network element again. This can prevent the first network element from making unnecessary network element selections, thereby helping to reduce the overall overhead of the first network element.

[0279] Therefore, the above-mentioned functional information of the second network element is only used as an information example, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit other terminology that can be used for the functional information of the second network element.

[0280] In the embodiment of the present application, the method shown in Figures 3 to 5 is described by taking the example of a terminal device or a network device obtaining functional information of a second network element in the process of interacting first information with a first network element. The terminal device or the network device may also obtain functional information of the second network element through other means. For example, after the first network element sends the identity information of the second network element to the network device, it may send functional information of the second network element to the network device during the process of interacting with other information of the network device, and so on. This is not limited.

[0281] In an embodiment of the present application, after the network device or terminal device obtains the functional information of the second network element, it can determine whether it is necessary to trigger the first network element to perform network element selection again based on the functional information of the second network element. For example, after the network device obtains the first information or the fourth information, it determines whether the second network element can still meet the communication needs of the terminal device based on the first information or the fourth information and the functional information of the second network element, or determines whether the second network element can still continue to be the selected network element. For another example, after the terminal device obtains the functional information of the second network element, it determines whether it is necessary to trigger the first network element to perform network element selection again based on its own communication needs or the requirements for the functions supported by the target network element and in combination with the functions supported by the second network element.

[0282] In summary, after the terminal device or network device obtains the functional information of the second network element, it can judge or determine whether it is necessary to trigger the first network element to perform network element selection again based on the functional information of the second network element. When the terminal device or network device judges or determines that it is not necessary to trigger the first network element to perform network element selection again based on the functional information of the second network element, this can reduce the number of times the first network element performs network element selection, thereby helping to reduce the overall overhead when performing network element selection.

[0283] The following describes the device embodiments corresponding to the method embodiments of the present application. The following only briefly describes the device, and the specific implementation steps and details of the solution can be referred to the method embodiments above.

[0284] To implement the various functions of the method provided herein, the terminal device, the network device, and the first network element may include hardware structures and / or software modules, and implement the aforementioned functions in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules. Whether a particular one of the aforementioned functions is implemented in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0285] Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device includes a processor 610 and a communication interface 620, which can be interconnected via a bus 630. The communication device can be a terminal device, a network device, or a first network element.

[0286] Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory 640. The memory 640 includes, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or portable read-only memory (CD-ROM), and is used for related instructions and data.

[0287] The processor 610 may be one or more central processing units (CPUs). In the case where the processor 610 is a CPU, the CPU may be a single-core CPU or a multi-core CPU.

[0288] The processor 610 may be a signal processor, chip, or other integrated circuit capable of implementing the method of the present application, or a portion of the circuitry within the aforementioned processor, chip, or integrated circuit for processing functions. Furthermore, the communication interface 620 may also be an input / output interface, which is used for inputting or outputting signals or data, or may be an input / output circuit.

[0289] When the communication device is a terminal device, illustratively, the processor 610 is configured to perform the following operations: sending first information; receiving function information of a second network element and identity information of the second network element, etc.

[0290] When the communication device is a network device, illustratively, the processor 610 is configured to perform the following operations: sending first information; receiving function information of a second network element and identity information of the second network element, etc.

[0291] When the communication device is a first network element, illustratively, the processor 610 is configured to perform the following operations: receive first information; and send function information of a second network element and identity information of the second network element.

[0292] The above contents are only for exemplary description. When the communication device is a terminal device, a network device, or a first network element, it will be responsible for executing the methods or steps related to the terminal device, the network device, or the first network element in the above method embodiments.

[0293] When the communication device is a terminal device, a network device, or a first network element, the communication interface 620 may also be referred to as a transceiver. The above description is merely an exemplary description. For specific details, please refer to the contents shown in the above method embodiment.

[0294] The implementation of each operation in FIG6 may also correspond to the corresponding description of the method embodiments shown in FIG3 to FIG5 .

[0295] Figure 7 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device may be a terminal device, a network device, or a first network element, or may be a chip or module within the terminal device, network device, or first network element, configured to implement the methods described in the above embodiments. The communication device includes an interface unit 710 and a processing unit 720. The interface unit 710 and processing unit 720 are described below as examples.

[0296] The interface unit 710 may include a transmitting unit and a receiving unit. The transmitting unit is used to perform the transmitting operation of the communication device, and the receiving unit is used to perform the receiving operation of the communication device. For ease of description, this embodiment of the application combines the transmitting unit and the receiving unit into a single interface unit. This is described here as a unified description and will not be repeated later.

[0297] When the communication device is a terminal device, the interface unit 710 is illustratively configured to send the first information and receive functional information and identity information of the second network element. The processing unit 720 is configured to execute the processing, coordination, and other steps of the terminal device. For example, the processing unit 720 is configured to determine whether the second network element is the network element to continue to be selected.

[0298] When the communication device is a network device, the interface unit 710 is illustratively configured to receive the first information, send the first information, and receive functional information and identity information of a second network element. The processing unit 720 is configured to execute steps related to processing and coordination of the network device. For example, the processing unit 720 is configured to determine whether the second network element is the network element to continue to be selected.

[0299] When the communication device is a first network element, the interface unit 710 is illustratively configured to receive first information and transmit functional information and identity information of a second network element. The processing unit 720 is configured to execute the processing, coordination, and other steps of the first network element. For example, the processing unit 720 is configured to determine the second network element.

[0300] The above contents are only for exemplary description. When the communication device is a terminal device, a network device, or a first network element, it will be responsible for executing the methods or steps related to the terminal device, the network device, or the first network element in the above method embodiments.

[0301] Optionally, the communication device further includes a storage unit 730, which is used to store a program or code for executing the aforementioned method.

[0302] The device embodiments shown in Figures 6 and 7 are used to implement the contents described in Figures 3 to 5. The specific execution steps and methods of the devices shown in Figures 6 and 7 can refer to the contents described in the above method embodiments.

[0303] The present application also provides a chip, including a processor, for calling and executing instructions stored in a memory from the memory, so that a communication device equipped with the chip executes the methods in the above examples.

[0304] The present application also provides another chip, comprising: an input interface, an output interface, and a processor, wherein the input interface, the output interface, and the processor are connected via an internal connection path, and the processor is configured to execute code in a memory. When the code is executed, the processor is configured to execute the methods in the above examples. Optionally, the chip also includes a memory, which is configured to store computer programs or code.

[0305] The present application also provides a processor for coupling with a memory, and for executing the methods and functions involving a network device or a terminal device in any of the above embodiments.

[0306] In another embodiment of the present application, a computer program product including instructions is provided. When the computer program product is run on a computer, the method of the above embodiment is implemented.

[0307] The present application also provides a computer program. When the computer program is executed in a computer, the method of the aforementioned embodiment is implemented.

[0308] In another embodiment of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a computer, the method described in the above embodiment is implemented.

[0309] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0310] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0311] In the several embodiments provided in this application, the disclosed systems, devices, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as 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.

[0312] Units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected based on actual needs to achieve the objectives of the technical solutions of this embodiment.

[0313] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0314] If the function is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0315] The above is only a specific implementation of the embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the embodiment of the present application, and they should be included in the scope of protection of the embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the embodiment of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a network device, comprising: Sending first information to the first network element, where the first information is used to indicate information of the terminal device; Receive identity information of a second network element and function information of the second network element from the first network element, where the second network element is a network element selected by the first network element based on information of the terminal device, and the function information of the second network element is used to indicate functions supported by the second network element.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The function information of the second network element is used to indicate the function supported by the second network element, including: The function information of the second network element is used to indicate a condition under which the second network element is valid.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The function information of the second network element includes at least one of the following: The network slice that the terminal device is allowed to select, the service type that the terminal device is allowed to select, the service accuracy that the terminal device is allowed to select, the quality of service that the terminal device is allowed to request, the data network name that the terminal device is allowed to select, or the location information of the terminal device that is allowed.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: Send the identity information of the second network element and the function information of the second network element to the terminal device.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving second information from the terminal device, where the second information is used to indicate identity information of the second network element, or, Receive third information from the terminal device, where the third information is used by the first network element to select a network element.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: Determine whether the second network element is the network element to continue to be selected based on fourth information and functional information of the second network element, the fourth information is used by the first network element to select the network element, and the fourth information comes from the terminal device.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The determining whether the second network element is the network element to be continuously selected includes: determining that the second network element continues to be the selected network element, and sending fifth information to the second network element, where the fifth information is information that the terminal device needs to transmit to the second network element; or, Determine that the second network element is not the network element to be continuously selected, and send the fourth information to the first network element.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The terminal device information includes at least one of the following: The network slice selected by the terminal device, the service type selected by the terminal device, the service accuracy selected by the terminal device, the quality of service requested by the terminal device, the data network name selected by the terminal device, or the location information of the terminal device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The identity information of the second network element includes at least one of the following: The identification information of the second network element, the Internet Protocol address of the second network element, or the fully qualified domain name of the second network element.

10. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a first network element, comprising: Determining a second network element; The identity information of the second network element and the function information of the second network element are sent, where the function information of the second network element is used to indicate the functions supported by the second network element.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The determining the second network element includes: receiving first information, where the first information is used to indicate information of a terminal device; A network element is selected based on the information of the terminal device, and the second network element is determined.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: The function information of the second network element is used to indicate the function supported by the second network element, including: The function information of the second network element is used to indicate a condition under which the second network element is valid.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that The function information of the second network element includes at least one of the following: The network slice that the terminal device is allowed to select, the service type that the terminal device is allowed to select, the service accuracy that the terminal device is allowed to select, the quality of service that the terminal device is allowed to request, the data network name that the terminal device is allowed to select, or the location information of the terminal device that is allowed.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that The sending the identity information of the second network element and the function information of the second network element includes: Sending the identity information of the second network element and the function information of the second network element to the terminal device; or, The identity information of the second network element and the function information of the second network element are sent to the network device.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that The terminal device information includes at least one of the following: The network slice selected by the terminal device, the service type selected by the terminal device, the service accuracy selected by the terminal device, the quality of service requested by the terminal device, the data network name selected by the terminal device, or the location information of the terminal device.

16. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that The identity information of the second network element includes at least one of the following: The identification information of the second network element, the Internet Protocol address of the second network element, or the fully qualified domain name of the second network element.

17. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a terminal device, comprising: Sending first information, where the first information is used to indicate information of the terminal device; Receive identity information of a second network element and function information of the second network element, where the second network element is a network element selected by the first network element based on information of the terminal device, and the function information of the second network element is used to indicate functions supported by the second network element.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The function information of the second network element is used to indicate the function supported by the second network element, including: The function information of the second network element is used to indicate a condition under which the second network element is valid.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The function information of the second network element includes at least one of the following: The network slice that the terminal device is allowed to select, the service type that the terminal device is allowed to select, the service accuracy that the terminal device is allowed to select, the quality of service that the terminal device is allowed to request, the data network name that the terminal device is allowed to select, or the location information of the terminal device that is allowed.

20. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that The method further comprises: sending second information, where the second information is used to indicate identity information of the second network element; or, Send third information, where the third information is used by the first network element to select a network element.

21. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 20, characterized in that The terminal device information includes at least one of the following: The network slice selected by the terminal device, the service type selected by the terminal device, the service accuracy selected by the terminal device, the quality of service requested by the terminal device, the data network name selected by the terminal device, or the location information of the terminal device.

22. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 21, characterized in that The identity information of the second network element includes at least one of the following: The identification information of the second network element, the Internet Protocol address of the second network element, or the fully qualified domain name of the second network element.

23. A communication system, characterized in that: include: Network equipment and first network element; The network device is used to send first information to the first network element, where the first information is used to indicate information of the terminal device; The first network element is used to receive the first information, and send identity information of a second network element and function information of the second network element to the network device, where the second network element is a network element selected by the first network element based on the information of the terminal device, and the function information of the second network element is used to indicate functions supported by the second network element; The network device is further used to receive the identity information of the second network element and the function information of the second network element.

24. A communication device, characterized in that: comprising a processor configured to, by executing a computer program or instructions, or, by means of a logic circuit, enabling the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9; or, causing the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 10 to 16; or, The communication device is enabled to execute the method according to any one of claims 17 to 22.

25. A communication device, characterized in that: It includes a logic circuit and an input / output interface, wherein the input / output interface is used to input and / or output signals. The logic circuit is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9; or, The logic circuit is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 10 to 16; or, The logic circuit is configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 17 to 22.

26. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer readable storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed on a computer, so that the method of any one of claims 1 to 9 is performed; or, so that the method of any one of claims 10 to 16 is performed; or, The method according to any one of claims 17 to 22 is performed.

27. A computer program product, characterized in that Contains instructions that, when executed on a computer, so that the method of any one of claims 1 to 9 is performed; or, so that the method of any one of claims 10 to 16 is performed; or, The method according to any one of claims 17 to 22 is performed.

28. A chip system, characterized in that: The chip system includes a processor, a memory and an input / output port, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program; the processor is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory, so that the processor executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9; or, so that the processor performs the method according to any one of claims 10 to 16; or, So that the processor executes the method as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 22.

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