Network energy-saving method, apparatus, related functions, storage medium and computer program product

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application are a network energy-saving method, an apparatus, a first function, a second function, a sixth function, a third function, a storage medium and a computer program product The method comprises: the first function sends first information to the second function, the first information being used for performing a related operation of session path adjustment; and / or the first function sends second information to the third function, the second information being used for triggering a related operation of device energy conservation for a fourth function.

Description

Network energy-saving method, device, related functions, storage medium and computer program product

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application is based on the Chinese patent application with application number 202410179092.8 and application date of February 15, 2024, and claims the priority of the Chinese patent application. The entire content of the Chinese patent application is hereby introduced into this application as a reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of core networks, and in particular to a network energy-saving method, device, related functions, storage medium, and computer program product. Background Art

[0004] Related technologies for energy-efficient networks primarily focus on energy-efficient design and optimization within core and access network domains. However, there are no effective solutions for energy conservation within network functions (NFs) and for charging network energy consumption. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To solve related technical problems, embodiments of the present application provide a network energy-saving method, device, related functions, storage medium, and computer program product.

[0006] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application is implemented as follows:

[0007] This embodiment of the present application provides a network energy saving method, which is applied to a first function and includes:

[0008] Sending first information to the second function, where the first information is used to perform operations related to session path adjustment;

[0009] and / or,

[0010] Sending second information to the third function, where the second information is used to trigger an operation related to energy saving of the fourth function device.

[0011] In the above solution, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0012] Terminal identification;

[0013] User data traffic information;

[0014] User connection status information;

[0015] Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session identifier;

[0016] One or more Data Network Access Identifier (DNAI) information;

[0017] and / or,

[0018] The second information includes at least one of the following:

[0019] Network configuration adjustment information;

[0020] Central Processing Unit (CPU) resource adjustment information;

[0021] Equipment capacity adjustment information;

[0022] Device sleep information.

[0023] In the above solution, the method further includes:

[0024] The first information and / or the second information is generated according to the energy consumption information of the fifth function and / or the energy consumption information of the fourth function obtained from the third function.

[0025] The embodiment of the present application further provides a network energy saving method, which is applied to the second function and includes:

[0026] receiving first information sent by a first function, where the first information is used to perform operations related to session path adjustment;

[0027] Third information is sent to a sixth function, where the third information is related to the first information.

[0028] In the above solution, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0029] Terminal identification;

[0030] User data traffic information;

[0031] User connection status information;

[0032] PDU session identifier;

[0033] One or more DNAI messages.

[0034] In the above solution, the third information includes at least one of the following:

[0035] Terminal identification;

[0036] User data traffic information;

[0037] User connection status information;

[0038] PDU session identifier;

[0039] One or more DNAI messages.

[0040] The embodiment of the present application further provides a network energy saving method, which is applied to the sixth function, including:

[0041] Receive third information sent by the second function, where the third information includes at least one of the following:

[0042] Terminal identification;

[0043] User data traffic information;

[0044] User connection status information;

[0045] PDU session identifier;

[0046] One or more DNAI messages.

[0047] In the above solution, the method further includes:

[0048] Perform relevant operations of session path adjustment according to the third information.

[0049] In the above solution, the operations related to adjusting the session path according to the third information include:

[0050] According to one or more DNAI information in the third information, modify the fourth function corresponding to one or more PDU sessions so that the one or more PDU sessions are aggregated into one or more fourth functions.

[0051] In the above solution, the method further includes:

[0052] Receive fourth information sent by the fourth function, where the fourth information is used to indicate whether the fourth function can complete or cannot complete operations related to session path adjustment.

[0053] The embodiment of the present application further provides a network energy saving method, which is applied to the third function, including:

[0054] Second information sent by the first function is received, where the second information is used to trigger an operation related to energy saving of a fourth function device.

[0055] In the above solution, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0056] Network configuration adjustment information;

[0057] CPU resource adjustment information;

[0058] Equipment capacity adjustment information;

[0059] Device sleep information.

[0060] In the above solution, the method further includes:

[0061] reducing CPU usage or CPU resources of the fourth function;

[0062] and / or,

[0063] Turn off / release the fourth function.

[0064] In the above solution, the method further includes:

[0065] Receive fifth information sent by the fourth function, where the fifth information is used to indicate whether the fourth function can complete or cannot complete operations related to device energy saving.

[0066] The embodiment of the present application further provides a network energy saving method, which is applied to the sixth function, including:

[0067] When a first PDU session of a first terminal is established, obtaining sixth information of the first terminal, the sixth information including network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session;

[0068] determining, based on the sixth information, seventh information of the first terminal, where the seventh information represents an energy-saving preference of the first terminal, and the energy-saving preference is associated with Quality of Service (QoS);

[0069] Determining, based on the seventh information, eighth information of the first terminal, the eighth information including flow information related to network energy consumption;

[0070] The eighth information is sent to the seventh function, so that the seventh function performs network energy consumption billing on the first terminal based on the eighth information.

[0071] In the above solution, the obtaining of the sixth information of the first terminal includes:

[0072] Sending ninth information to the first function, where the ninth information is used to request a subscription to network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session;

[0073] The sixth information sent by the first function is received, where the sixth information is sent by the first function when a preset trigger condition is met.

[0074] In the above solution, determining the seventh information of the first terminal based on the sixth information includes:

[0075] Sending tenth information to the eighth function, where the tenth information includes the sixth information, and the tenth information is used to query the contract information associated with network energy consumption and QoS of the first terminal;

[0076] receiving an eleventh message sent by the eighth function, where the eleventh message includes subscription information of the first terminal associated with network energy consumption and QoS;

[0077] Based on the eleventh information, the seventh information is determined.

[0078] In the above solution, determining the eighth information of the first terminal based on the seventh information includes:

[0079] Sending twelfth information to the fourth function, where the twelfth information includes the seventh information, and the twelfth information is used to collect statistics on traffic information related to network energy consumption of the first terminal;

[0080] Receive the eighth information sent by the fourth function.

[0081] In the above solution, the sixth information includes at least one of the following:

[0082] Network energy consumption information based on the first PDU session statistics;

[0083] Network energy consumption information based on statistics collected by a network function associated with the first PDU session;

[0084] Network energy consumption information collected by a radio access network (RAN) node associated with the first PDU session;

[0085] Network energy consumption information based on statistics of the network slice associated with the first PDU session;

[0086] Network energy consumption information based on statistics of the QoS flow associated with the first PDU session;

[0087] Based on network energy consumption information collected by an application associated with the first PDU session.

[0088] In the above solution, the seventh information includes at least one of the following:

[0089] Access type information;

[0090] Connection rate information;

[0091] Communication capability information.

[0092] In the above solution, when the seventh information represents that the energy saving preference of the first terminal includes adjusting the QoS level during energy saving, the method further includes:

[0093] Determining thirteenth information based on the eleventh information and the sixth information, wherein the eleventh information includes subscription information associated with network energy consumption and QoS of the first terminal, the second information is determined based on the eleventh information, and the thirteenth information represents the adjusted QoS level;

[0094] Send fourteenth information to the second function, where the fourteenth information includes the thirteenth information, and the fourteenth information is used to request an update of the QoS policy of the first PDU session.

[0095] In the above solution, the method further includes:

[0096] When the first PDU session is updated, obtaining updated sixth information;

[0097] When the updated sixth information meets the business requirements, the fifteenth information is sent to the seventh function, the fifteenth information includes the updated sixth information, and the fifteenth information is used to request the seventh function to update the network energy consumption billing of the first terminal according to the updated sixth information.

[0098] In the above solution, when the seventh information represents that the energy saving preference of the first terminal includes adjusting the QoS level during energy saving, the method further includes:

[0099] When the first PDU session is updated, obtaining updated sixth information;

[0100] If the updated sixth information does not meet the service requirements, adjust the QoS level until the updated sixth information meets the service requirements; or

[0101] When the updated sixth information meets the business requirements, the fifteenth information is sent to the seventh function, the fifteenth information includes the updated sixth information, and the fifteenth information is used to request the seventh function to update the network energy consumption billing of the first terminal according to the updated sixth information.

[0102] The embodiment of the present application further provides a network energy saving method, which is applied to the first function and includes:

[0103] When a first PDU session of the first terminal is established, receiving ninth information sent by the sixth function, where the ninth information is used to request a subscription to network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session;

[0104] Determining sixth information based on the ninth information, the sixth information including network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session;

[0105] When a preset trigger condition is met, the sixth information is sent to the sixth function.

[0106] In the above solution, the sixth information includes at least one of the following:

[0107] Network energy consumption information based on the first PDU session statistics;

[0108] Network energy consumption information based on statistics collected by a network function associated with the first PDU session;

[0109] Based on network energy consumption information collected by a RAN node associated with the first PDU session;

[0110] Network energy consumption information based on statistics of the network slice associated with the first PDU session;

[0111] Network energy consumption information based on statistics of the QoS flow associated with the first PDU session;

[0112] Based on network energy consumption information collected by an application associated with the first PDU session.

[0113] In the above solution, the method further includes:

[0114] The sixth information is sent to the seventh function, so that the seventh function performs network energy consumption billing on the first terminal based on the sixth information.

[0115] In the above solution, the method further includes:

[0116] determining seventh information of the first terminal, where the seventh information represents an energy-saving preference of the first terminal, and the energy-saving preference is associated with QoS;

[0117] Determining a first instruction based on the sixth information and the seventh information, where the first instruction is used to perform energy-saving optimization, and the first instruction includes a device-level and / or user-level instruction;

[0118] The first instruction is sent to the first node, so that the first node performs device-level and / or user-level energy-saving optimization by using the first instruction.

[0119] In the above solution, the seventh information includes at least one of the following:

[0120] Access type information;

[0121] Connection rate information;

[0122] Communication capability information.

[0123] In the above solution, the first node includes at least one of the following:

[0124] one or more RAN nodes;

[0125] one or more terminals;

[0126] one or more network functions;

[0127] The third function.

[0128] The present application also provides a network energy-saving device, including:

[0129] The first sending unit is configured to send first information to the second function, where the first information is used to perform related operations for session path adjustment; and / or, is configured to send second information to the third function, where the second information is used to trigger related operations for energy saving of the fourth function device.

[0130] The present application also provides a network energy-saving device, including:

[0131] a first receiving unit, configured to receive first information sent by a first function, where the first information is used to perform operations related to session path adjustment;

[0132] The second sending unit is configured to send third information to the sixth function, where the third information is related to the first information.

[0133] The present application also provides a network energy-saving device, including:

[0134] The second receiving unit is configured to receive third information sent by the second function, where the third information includes at least one of the following:

[0135] Terminal identification;

[0136] User data traffic information;

[0137] User connection status information;

[0138] PDU session identifier;

[0139] One or more DNAI messages.

[0140] The present application also provides a network energy-saving device, including:

[0141] The third receiving unit is configured to receive second information sent by the first function, where the second information is used to trigger related operations on energy saving of the fourth function device.

[0142] The present application also provides a network energy-saving device, including:

[0143] an acquiring unit, configured to acquire sixth information of the first terminal when a first PDU session of the first terminal is established, the sixth information including network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session;

[0144] a first preference unit configured to determine seventh information of the first terminal based on the sixth information, wherein the seventh information represents an energy-saving preference of the first terminal, and the energy-saving preference is associated with QoS;

[0145] a flow unit configured to determine eighth information of the first terminal based on the seventh information, wherein the eighth information includes flow information related to network energy consumption;

[0146] The third sending unit is configured to send the eighth information to the seventh function, so that the seventh function performs network energy consumption billing on the first terminal based on the eighth information.

[0147] The present application also provides a network energy-saving device, including:

[0148] A fourth receiving unit is configured to receive, when the first PDU session of the first terminal is established, ninth information sent by the sixth function, where the ninth information is used to request a subscription to network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session;

[0149] a statistical unit configured to determine sixth information based on the ninth information, the sixth information comprising network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session;

[0150] The fourth sending unit is configured to send the sixth information to the sixth function when a preset trigger condition is met.

[0151] The embodiment of the present application further provides a first function, including: a first communication interface and a first processor; wherein,

[0152] The first communication interface is configured to send first information to the second function, where the first information is used to perform operations related to session path adjustment; and / or is configured to send second information to the third function, where the second information is used to trigger operations related to energy saving of a fourth function device;

[0153] and / or,

[0154] The first processor is configured to receive ninth information sent by the sixth function through the first communication interface when the first PDU session of the first terminal is established, and the ninth information is used to request subscription to the network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session; determine sixth information based on the ninth information, and the sixth information includes the network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session; and send the sixth information to the sixth function through the first communication interface when a preset trigger condition is met.

[0155] The embodiment of the present application further provides a second function, including: a second communication interface and a second processor; wherein,

[0156] The second communication interface is configured as follows:

[0157] receiving first information sent by a first function, where the first information is used to perform operations related to session path adjustment;

[0158] Third information is sent to a sixth function, where the third information is related to the first information.

[0159] The embodiment of the present application further provides a sixth function, including: a third communication interface and a third processor; wherein,

[0160] The third communication interface is configured to receive third information sent by the second function, where the third information includes at least one of the following:

[0161] Terminal identification;

[0162] User data traffic information;

[0163] User connection status information;

[0164] PDU session identifier;

[0165] One or more DNAI information;

[0166] and / or,

[0167] The third processor is configured to obtain sixth information of the first terminal through the third communication interface when the first PDU session of the first terminal is established, the sixth information including network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session; determine seventh information of the first terminal based on the sixth information, the seventh information representing the energy-saving preference of the first terminal, and the energy-saving preference is associated with QoS; determine eighth information of the first terminal based on the seventh information, the eighth information including traffic information related to network energy consumption; and send the eighth information to the seventh function through the third communication interface, so that the seventh function performs network energy consumption billing for the first terminal based on the eighth information.

[0168] The embodiment of the present application further provides a third function, including: a fourth communication interface and a fourth processor; wherein,

[0169] The fourth communication interface is configured to receive second information sent by the first function, where the second information is used to trigger operations related to energy saving of the fourth function device.

[0170] The embodiment of the present application further provides a first function, comprising: a first processor and a first memory configured to store a computer program that can be run on the processor,

[0171] Wherein, the first processor is configured to execute the steps of any one of the above-mentioned methods on the first functional side when running the computer program.

[0172] The embodiment of the present application further provides a second function, including: a second processor and a second memory configured to store a computer program that can be run on the processor,

[0173] Wherein, the second processor is configured to execute the steps of any one of the above-mentioned second function side methods when running the computer program.

[0174] The embodiment of the present application further provides a sixth function, including: a third processor and a third memory configured to store a computer program that can be run on the processor,

[0175] Wherein, the third processor is configured to execute the steps of any one of the methods of the sixth functional side when running the computer program.

[0176] The embodiment of the present application further provides a third function, including: a fourth processor and a fourth memory configured to store a computer program that can be run on the processor,

[0177] The fourth processor is configured to execute the steps of any one of the methods on the third functional side when running the computer program.

[0178] An embodiment of the present application also provides a storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of any method of the first functional side mentioned above, or implements the steps of any method of the second functional side mentioned above, or implements the steps of any method of the sixth functional side mentioned above, or implements the steps of any method of the third functional side mentioned above.

[0179] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of any method of the first functional side mentioned above, or implements the steps of any method of the second functional side mentioned above, or implements the steps of any method of the sixth functional side mentioned above, or implements the steps of any method of the third functional side mentioned above.

[0180] The network energy saving method, apparatus, related functions, storage medium, and computer program product provided by embodiments of the present application include: a first function sending first information to a second function, and / or sending second information to a third function; the second function receiving the first information sent by the first function and sending third information to a sixth function; the sixth function receiving the third information sent by the second function; and the third function receiving the second information sent by the first function; wherein the first information is used to perform operations related to session path adjustment, the second information is used to trigger operations related to energy saving of a fourth function device; and the third information is related to the first information. Furthermore, the sixth function, upon establishing a first PDU session for a first terminal, obtains sixth information of the first terminal, the sixth information including network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session; determines seventh information of the first terminal based on the sixth information, the seventh information representing the energy saving preference of the first terminal, the energy saving preference being associated with QoS; determines eighth information of the first terminal based on the seventh information, the eighth information including traffic information related to network energy consumption; and sends the eighth information to the seventh function, so that the seventh function performs network energy consumption billing for the first terminal based on the eighth information. The solution provided by the embodiment of the present application is that the first function sends first information for performing related operations of session path adjustment to the second function, so that the second function sends third information related to the first information to the sixth function, so that the sixth function can subsequently perform related operations of session path adjustment according to the third information, such as modifying the fourth function corresponding to one or more PDU sessions so that one or more PDU sessions are aggregated into one or more fourth functions; and / or, the first function sends second information for triggering related operations of energy saving for the fourth function device to the third function, so that the third function can subsequently perform related operations of energy saving for the fourth function device, such as reducing the CPU usage or CPU resources of the fourth function, and / or shutting down / releasing the fourth function; in this way, unnecessary energy consumption can be avoided and network energy saving can be achieved, such as specifically achieving energy saving for the fourth function; and, under the premise of ensuring network performance, energy consumption can be reduced and the sustainability of the network can be improved. In addition, in the solution provided by the embodiment of the present application, when the first PDU session of the first terminal is established, for the first terminal, the sixth function determines the energy-saving preference associated with QoS based on the network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session, and determines and sends the traffic information related to the network energy consumption to the seventh function based on the determined energy-saving preference, so that the seventh function charges the first terminal for network energy consumption; in this way, billing for network energy consumption can be realized, for example, billing for network energy saving can be realized, thereby further optimizing the network. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0181] FIG1 is a flow chart of a network energy saving method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0182] FIG2 is a flow chart of another network energy-saving method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0183] FIG3 is a flow chart of a third network energy-saving method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0184] FIG4 is a flow chart of a fourth network energy-saving method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0185] FIG5 is a flow chart of a fifth network energy-saving method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0186] FIG6 is a flow chart of a sixth network energy-saving method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0187] FIG7 is a flow chart of a core network user plane network energy saving solution according to an example application of this application;

[0188] FIG8 is a flow chart of another core network user plane network energy saving solution according to an example application of this application;

[0189] FIG9 is a flow chart of the third core network user plane network energy saving solution according to the application example of this application;

[0190] FIG10 is a flow chart of an example of statically adjusting a billing policy in accordance with the present application;

[0191] FIG11 is a flow chart showing a method for dynamically adjusting a billing policy according to an example application of the present invention;

[0192] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of a network energy-saving device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0193] FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of another network energy-saving device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0194] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of a third network energy-saving device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0195] FIG15 is a schematic structural diagram of a fourth network energy-saving device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0196] FIG16 is a schematic structural diagram of a fifth network energy-saving device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0197] FIG17 is a schematic structural diagram of a sixth network energy-saving device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0198] FIG18 is a schematic diagram of a first functional structure of an embodiment of the present application;

[0199] FIG19 is a schematic diagram of a second functional structure of an embodiment of the present application;

[0200] FIG20 is a schematic diagram of the sixth functional structure of an embodiment of the present application;

[0201] FIG21 is a schematic diagram of the third functional structure of an embodiment of the present application;

[0202] FIG22 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the network energy-saving system according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0203] The present application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0204] It should be noted that in various embodiments of the present application, the functions in the network (i.e., the first function, the second function, the third function, the fourth function, the fifth function, the sixth function, the seventh function, and the eighth function) can also be referred to as network functions, functional bodies, network nodes, network elements or devices, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this, as long as their functions are realized.

[0205] The embodiment of the present application provides a network energy saving method, which is applied to the first function. As shown in FIG1 , the method includes:

[0206] Step 101: Send first information to the second function, where the first information is used to perform related operations of session path adjustment; and / or send second information to the third function, where the second information is used to trigger related operations of energy saving for the fourth function device.

[0207] In actual application, the first function may include a function newly added in the network for at least energy-saving control and / or energy consumption control. The first function may also be called an energy-saving control function (EECF) or an energy consumption function (ECF). The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific name of the first function, as long as its function is implemented. Alternatively, the first function may include existing functions in the network, such as a network data analysis function (NWDAF).

[0208] In actual application, the second function may include a policy control function (PCF) and other functions at least for policy control; the third function may include network management, such as operation administration and maintenance (OAM) or operation and maintenance / management center (OMC); the fourth function may include a user plane function (UPF), etc.

[0209] In one embodiment, the first information may include at least one of the following:

[0210] Terminal identification;

[0211] User data traffic information, i.e., information associated with user data traffic;

[0212] User connection status information, i.e., information that can reflect the user connection status and / or is associated with the user connection status;

[0213] PDU session identifier (PDU sessionID in English);

[0214] At least one DNAI information, that is, one or more (a plurality means at least two) DNAI information.

[0215] Wherein, in actual application, the terminal may also be referred to as user equipment (UE) or terminal equipment, etc., and may also be referred to as a user. The terminal identification may include a terminal address and / or a terminal code number, etc. The terminal address refers to a unique identifier of a terminal device, which is used to locate and identify the terminal device in a network; the terminal address may generally include a number or a string, and may specifically include at least one of the terminal device's Internet Protocol (IP) address, Media Access Control (MAC) address, mobile phone number, and other information. The terminal code number refers to an identification code of a terminal device, which is used to uniquely identify the terminal device in a network; the terminal code number may generally include a number or a string, and may specifically include at least one of the terminal device's serial number, International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, Integrated Circuit Card IDentity (ICCID) number, and other information. The PDU session identifier (which can be expressed as PDU sessionID in English) refers to the identifier of the user plane data unit (i.e., PDU) session, which is used to identify different user plane data sessions in the fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G) network; each PDU session has a unique PDU session identifier to distinguish different data sessions. The DNAI information is used to identify the data network accessed by the terminal device in the 5G network, and may specifically include information such as the access type, access point name (APN), access network identifier, etc. The access type may include 5G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), etc.; the access network identifier may include a public land mobile network (PLMN) identifier (such as ID), etc. The terminal identifier, the PDU session identifier, and the DNAI information are usually used in the 5G network to establish and manage the data connection of the terminal device, and may specifically include functions such as data transmission, access network selection, and flow control. These information play an important role in the network and can ensure that the terminal device can correctly access and use the data network.

[0216] In actual application, after the second function receives the first information, it can send a third information to the sixth function. The third information is related to the first information, that is, the third information can also be used to perform related operations of session path adjustment; after the sixth function receives the third information, it can perform related operations of session path adjustment according to the third information. Among them, the sixth function may include a session management function (SMF, Session Management Function) and other functions that are at least used for session management. In addition, the specific content contained in the third information can be the same as the first information, that is, the third information can contain all the content in the first information; or, the third information can contain part of the content in the first information; or, the third information can contain content obtained after corresponding processing of all or part of the content in the first information; the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific content contained in the third information, as long as its function (that is, used to enable the sixth function to perform related operations of session path adjustment) is realized. Exemplarily, the third information may include at least one of the following:

[0217] Terminal identification;

[0218] User data traffic information;

[0219] User connection status information;

[0220] PDU session identifier;

[0221] One or more DNAI messages.

[0222] In actual application, when the sixth function performs session path adjustment operations based on the third information, it may specifically modify the fourth functions corresponding to one or more PDU sessions (the one or more PDU sessions refer to at least one PDU session) based on one or more DNAI information in the third information, so that the one or more PDU sessions are aggregated into one or more fourth functions (the one or more fourth functions refer to at least one fourth function), thereby releasing other fourth functions. Other fourth functions refer to the fourth functions corresponding to the modified one or more PDU sessions, in addition to the one or more fourth functions to which the one or more PDU sessions are aggregated. Specifically, when the fourth function includes a UPF, the second function includes a PCF, and the sixth function includes an SMF, in order to shut down / release UPFs that can save energy while ensuring user communication quality, the first function may provide a PDU session path adjustment suggestion (i.e., the third information) to the SMF through the PCF. The SMF may modify the UPFs corresponding to the one or more PDU sessions based on the DNAI information suggested by the first function, so that the one or more PDU sessions are aggregated into one or more activated UPFs, thereby shutting down / releasing other UPFs that can save energy, thereby improving network resource utilization and efficiency while ensuring user communication quality. In addition, when the sixth function performs relevant operations of session path adjustment according to the third information, it can also instruct the fourth devices to share the load. Specifically, it can execute at least one of the operations of instructing one or more fourth devices to adjust QoS parameters (expressed as QoS parameters in English), triggering one or more PDU session release or deactivation (expressed as trigger PDU Session release or deactivation in English), re-establishing N4 interface to create a session for one or more fourth devices, and instructing the fourth devices to transfer context through the N9 interface.

[0223] In actual application, when the sixth function performs the relevant operation of session path adjustment based on the third information, it may send an operation instruction to the corresponding fourth function and may receive the fourth information sent by the fourth function. The fourth information is used to indicate whether the fourth function can complete or cannot complete the relevant operation of session path adjustment. The specific content and specific form of the fourth information can be determined according to requirements (such as network deployment requirements, etc.), and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. The sixth function can update / adjust / re-perform the relevant operation of session path adjustment based on the fourth information; and / or the sixth function can forward the fourth information to the first function through the second function to assist the first function in optimizing the energy-saving policy recommendation, that is, updating the first information. In addition, it is understood that in some specific circumstances (the specific scenario can be determined according to network deployment requirements, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this), the first function can directly perform the relevant operation of session path adjustment, that is, directly send the energy-saving policy recommendation (that is, send an operation instruction) to the corresponding fourth function, directly receive the fourth information sent by the fourth function, and determine whether the current energy consumption meets expectations based on the fourth information, and determine whether to repeat the policy adjustment step (that is, re-perform the relevant operation of session path adjustment).

[0224] In one embodiment, the second information may include at least one of the following:

[0225] Network configuration adjustment information;

[0226] CPU resource adjustment information;

[0227] Equipment capacity adjustment information;

[0228] Device sleep information.

[0229] In actual application, after receiving the second information, the third function may perform operations related to energy saving of the fourth function device, such as adjusting the network configuration of the fourth function according to the network configuration adjustment information, adjusting the CPU resources of the fourth function according to the CPU resource adjustment information, adjusting the device capacity of the fourth function according to the device capacity adjustment information, controlling the sleep of the fourth function according to the device sleep information, etc. When adjusting the CPU resources of the fourth function according to the CPU resource adjustment information, the third function may specifically reduce the CPU usage or CPU resources of the fourth function according to the CPU resource adjustment information; when controlling the sleep of the fourth function according to the device sleep information, the third function may specifically shut down / release the fourth function.

[0230] In actual application, when the third function performs an operation related to energy saving on the fourth function device, it may send an operation instruction to the corresponding fourth function and may receive a fifth message sent by the fourth function. The fifth message is used to indicate whether the fourth function can complete or cannot complete the operation related to energy saving of the device. The specific content and specific form of the fifth message can be determined according to requirements (such as network deployment requirements, etc.), and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. The third function can update / adjust / re-perform the operation related to energy saving on the fourth function device based on the fifth information; and / or the third function can forward the fifth information to the first function to assist the first function in optimizing the energy saving strategy recommendation, that is, updating the second information. In addition, it can be understood that in some specific circumstances (the specific scenario can be determined according to network deployment requirements, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this), the first function can directly perform the operation related to energy saving on the fourth function device, that is, directly send the energy saving strategy recommendation (that is, send an operation instruction) to the corresponding fourth function, directly receive the fifth message sent by the fourth function, and judge whether the current energy consumption meets expectations based on the fifth information, and judge whether to repeat the strategy adjustment step (that is, re-perform the operation related to energy saving on the fourth function device).

[0231] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG1 , the method may further include:

[0232] Step 100: Generate the first information and / or the second information according to the energy consumption information of the fifth function and / or the energy consumption information of the fourth function obtained from the third function.

[0233] In actual application, the fifth function may include at least one of network functions such as UPF, SMF, PCF, and Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF); the first function may obtain energy consumption information of the fifth function from the fifth function. In addition, the energy consumption information may include at least one of network configuration adjustment information, CPU resource adjustment information, device capacity adjustment information, device sleep information, network energy consumption status information, etc. The network energy consumption status information may include at least one of terminal address, terminal code, user data flow information, user connection status information, PDU session identifier, one or more DNAI information, etc.

[0234] In actual application, the first information and / or the second information can be understood as the energy-saving strategy recommendations of the first function to the fourth function. In the case where the third function includes network management, and the fourth function and the fifth function both include UPF, the first function can analyze and predict the historical energy consumption information of UPF (such as the number of online users, the number of PDU sessions, the total amount of upstream and downstream data, CPU occupancy, etc.), and at the same time obtain the resource usage information of the current UPF from the network management (which can be understood as the energy consumption information of the current UPF), and give (i.e. generate) UPF energy-saving strategy adjustment recommendations (i.e. the first information and / or the second information). When the first function includes the EECF, the NWDAF can analyze and predict the historical behavior of the UPF (i.e., historical energy consumption), and the EECF can obtain the results of the NWDAF's analysis and prediction of the historical behavior of the UPF (i.e., historical energy consumption) from the NWDAF, and generate the first information and / or second information in combination with the current status of the UPF (i.e., current energy consumption) obtained from the network management; or, when the first function includes the EECF, the EECF can analyze and predict the historical behavior of the UPF (i.e., historical energy consumption), and generate the first information and / or second information in combination with the results of the analysis and prediction and the current status of the UPF (i.e., current energy consumption) obtained from the network management; or, when the first function includes the NWDAF, the NWDAF can analyze and predict the historical behavior of the UPF (i.e., historical energy consumption), and generate the first information and / or second information in combination with the results of the analysis and prediction and the current status of the UPF (i.e., current energy consumption) obtained from the network management.

[0235] Accordingly, an embodiment of the present application further provides a network energy saving method, which is applied to the second function. As shown in FIG2 , the method includes:

[0236] Step 201: Receive first information sent by a first function, where the first information is used to perform operations related to session path adjustment;

[0237] Step 202: Send third information to the sixth function, where the third information is related to the first information.

[0238] Here, it should be noted that the specific processing process of the second function has been described in detail above and will not be repeated here.

[0239] Accordingly, an embodiment of the present application further provides a network energy saving method, which is applied to the sixth function. As shown in FIG3 , the method includes:

[0240] Step 301: Receive third information sent by a second function, where the third information includes at least one of the following:

[0241] Terminal identification;

[0242] User data traffic information;

[0243] User connection status information;

[0244] PDU session identifier;

[0245] One or more DNAI messages.

[0246] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG3 , the method may further include:

[0247] Step 302: Perform relevant operations of adjusting the session path according to the third information.

[0248] In one embodiment, the operations related to adjusting the session path according to the third information may include:

[0249] According to one or more DNAI information in the third information, modify the fourth function corresponding to one or more PDU sessions so that the one or more PDU sessions are aggregated into one or more fourth functions.

[0250] In one embodiment, the method may further include:

[0251] Receive fourth information sent by the fourth function, where the fourth information is used to indicate whether the fourth function can complete or cannot complete operations related to session path adjustment.

[0252] Here, it should be noted that the specific processing process of the sixth function has been described in detail above and will not be repeated here.

[0253] Accordingly, an embodiment of the present application further provides a network energy saving method, which is applied to the third function. As shown in FIG4 , the method includes:

[0254] Step 401: Receive second information sent by the first function, where the second information is used to trigger operations related to energy saving of a fourth function device.

[0255] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG4 , the method may further include:

[0256] Step 402: Reduce the CPU usage or CPU resources of the fourth function; and / or shut down / release the fourth function.

[0257] In one embodiment, the method may further include:

[0258] Receive fifth information sent by the fourth function, where the fifth information is used to indicate whether the fourth function can complete or cannot complete operations related to device energy saving.

[0259] Here, it should be noted that the specific processing process of the third function has been described in detail above and will not be repeated here.

[0260] The embodiment of the present application further provides a network energy saving method, which is applied to the sixth function. As shown in FIG5 , the method includes:

[0261] Step 501: When a first PDU session of a first terminal is established, obtain sixth information of the first terminal, where the sixth information includes network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session;

[0262] Step 502: Determine seventh information of the first terminal based on the sixth information, where the seventh information represents an energy-saving preference of the first terminal, and the energy-saving preference is associated with QoS.

[0263] Step 503: Determine eighth information of the first terminal based on the seventh information, where the eighth information includes flow information related to network energy consumption;

[0264] Step 504: Send the eighth information to the seventh function, so that the seventh function charges the first terminal for network energy consumption based on the eighth information.

[0265] In actual application, the seventh function may include a charging service function (CHF, CHarging Function) and the like.

[0266] In actual application, the sixth function can subscribe to the network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session from the first function.

[0267] Based on this, in one embodiment, obtaining the sixth information of the first terminal may include:

[0268] Sending ninth information to the first function, where the ninth information is used to request a subscription to network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session;

[0269] The sixth information sent by the first function is received, where the sixth information is sent by the first function when a preset trigger condition is met.

[0270] In actual application, the ninth information may include information such as the identifier of the first PDU session and the identifier of the first terminal. In addition, the preset trigger condition can be set specifically according to needs. For example, the preset trigger condition may include an energy consumption threshold value. When the user's current energy consumption value exceeds the energy consumption threshold value, that is, when the energy consumption value of the first terminal is greater than the energy consumption threshold value, the first function sends the sixth information to the sixth function.

[0271] In one embodiment, the sixth information may include at least one of the following:

[0272] Network energy consumption information based on the first PDU session statistics;

[0273] Network energy consumption information based on statistics collected by a network function associated with the first PDU session;

[0274] Based on network energy consumption information collected by a RAN node associated with the first PDU session;

[0275] Network energy consumption information based on statistics of the network slice associated with the first PDU session;

[0276] Network energy consumption information based on statistics of the QoS flow associated with the first PDU session;

[0277] Based on network energy consumption information collected by an application associated with the first PDU session.

[0278] Here, from the above description, it can be seen that the first function can perform statistics on network energy consumption information, and the granularity of the network energy consumption information can be PDU session level (expressed as per PDU session in English), network function level (expressed as per NF in English), RAN node (such as base station, etc.) level (expressed as per RAN Node in English), network slice level (expressed as per network slicing in English), QoS flow level (expressed as per QoS flow in English) or application level.

[0279] In one embodiment, determining the seventh information of the first terminal based on the sixth information may include:

[0280] Sending tenth information to the eighth function, where the tenth information includes the sixth information, and the tenth information is used to query the contract information associated with network energy consumption and QoS of the first terminal;

[0281] receiving an eleventh message sent by the eighth function, where the eleventh message includes subscription information of the first terminal associated with network energy consumption and QoS;

[0282] Based on the eleventh information, the seventh information is determined.

[0283] In actual application, the tenth information and the eleventh information may further include information such as the identification of the first terminal, and the eighth function may include unified data management (UDM) and the like.

[0284] In one embodiment, the seventh information may include at least one of the following:

[0285] Access type information;

[0286] Connection rate information;

[0287] Communication capability information.

[0288] In actual application, the communication capability information may include the association between different energy consumption and different QoS levels, and / or the association between different energy consumption and different communication capabilities; for example, the first energy consumption value (the first energy consumption value represents that the energy consumption value of the first terminal exceeds 10% of the energy consumption threshold value) can be associated with enhanced communication capability (the specific content of the enhanced communication capability can be understood with reference to relevant technologies, and the embodiments of this application are not limited to this), and the second energy consumption value (the first energy consumption value represents that the energy consumption value of the first terminal exceeds 20% of the energy consumption threshold value) can be associated with basic communication capability (the specific content of the basic communication capability can be understood with reference to relevant technologies, and the embodiments of this application are not limited to this); and / or, the first energy consumption value can be associated with the first QoS level, and the second energy consumption value can be associated with the second QoS level, and the first QoS level is higher than the second QoS level. Here, it can be understood that when the communication capability information includes the association between different energy consumption and different QoS levels, the seventh information can represent the energy saving preference of the first terminal, including adjusting the QoS level when saving energy. At this time, the sixth function also needs to update the QoS policy of the first PDU session.

[0289] Based on this, in one embodiment, when the seventh information represents that the energy saving preference of the first terminal includes adjusting the QoS level during energy saving, the method may further include:

[0290] Determining thirteenth information based on the eleventh information and the sixth information, wherein the eleventh information includes subscription information associated with network energy consumption and QoS of the first terminal, the second information is determined based on the eleventh information, and the thirteenth information represents the adjusted QoS level;

[0291] Send fourteenth information to the second function, where the fourteenth information includes the thirteenth information, and the fourteenth information is used to request an update of the QoS policy of the first PDU session.

[0292] In actual application, the specific content and specific form of the thirteenth information can be determined according to requirements (such as network deployment requirements, etc.), and this embodiment of the application does not limit this. In addition, the fourteenth information can also include information such as the identifier of the first PDU session.

[0293] In actual application, the sixth function can use the fourth function to count the flow information related to network energy consumption, that is, to determine the eighth information.

[0294] Based on this, in one embodiment, determining the eighth information of the first terminal based on the seventh information may include:

[0295] Sending twelfth information to the fourth function, where the twelfth information includes the seventh information, and the twelfth information is used to collect statistics on traffic information related to network energy consumption of the first terminal;

[0296] Receive the eighth information sent by the fourth function.

[0297] In actual application, the twelfth information may also include information such as the identifier of the first terminal.

[0298] In actual application, the sixth function and the seventh function can support dynamic adjustment of the billing policy, that is, when the first PDU session is updated, the network energy consumption billing of the first terminal is updated.

[0299] Based on this, in one embodiment, the method may further include:

[0300] When the first PDU session is updated, obtaining updated sixth information;

[0301] When the updated sixth information meets the business requirements, the fifteenth information is sent to the seventh function, the fifteenth information includes the updated sixth information, and the fifteenth information is used to request the seventh function to update the network energy consumption billing of the first terminal according to the updated sixth information.

[0302] Among them, in actual application, whether the updated sixth information meets the business requirements can be understood as whether the network energy consumption information currently associated with the first PDU session (such as the current energy consumption of the first terminal) matches the current QoS policy of the first PDU session (can be understood as whether they correspond to or are associated with each other). At this time, the seventh information can characterize the energy-saving preference of the first terminal, including adjusting the QoS level when saving energy. In the case that the updated sixth information does not meet the business requirements, the sixth function can adjust the QoS level until the updated sixth information meets the business requirements. Specifically, the thirteenth information can be updated based on the eleventh information and the updated sixth information, and a new fourteenth information containing the updated thirteenth information is sent to the second function to request the second function to update the QoS policy of the first PDU session.

[0303] Based on this, in one embodiment, when the seventh information represents that the energy saving preference of the first terminal includes adjusting the QoS level during energy saving, the method may further include:

[0304] When the first PDU session is updated, obtaining updated sixth information;

[0305] If the updated sixth information does not meet the business requirements, adjust the QoS level until the updated sixth information meets the business requirements; or, if the updated sixth information meets the business requirements, send fifteenth information to the seventh function, the fifteenth information includes the updated sixth information, and the fifteenth information is used to request the seventh function to update the network energy consumption billing of the first terminal according to the updated sixth information.

[0306] Accordingly, an embodiment of the present application further provides a network energy saving method, which is applied to the first function. As shown in FIG6 , the method includes:

[0307] Step 601: When a first PDU session of a first terminal is established, receiving ninth information sent by a sixth function, where the ninth information is used to request subscription to network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session;

[0308] Step 602: Determine sixth information based on the ninth information, where the sixth information includes network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session.

[0309] Step 603: When a preset trigger condition is met, the sixth information is sent to the sixth function.

[0310] In actual application, the first function may also directly provide the seventh function with network energy consumption information for network energy consumption billing.

[0311] Based on this, in one embodiment, the method may further include:

[0312] The sixth information is sent to the seventh function, so that the seventh function performs network energy consumption billing on the first terminal based on the sixth information.

[0313] In one embodiment, the method may further include:

[0314] determining seventh information of the first terminal, where the seventh information represents an energy-saving preference of the first terminal, and the energy-saving preference is associated with QoS;

[0315] Determining a first instruction based on the sixth information and the seventh information, where the first instruction is used to perform energy-saving optimization, and the first instruction includes a device-level and / or user-level instruction;

[0316] The first instruction is sent to the first node, so that the first node performs device-level and / or user-level energy-saving optimization by using the first instruction.

[0317] The first node may include at least one of the following:

[0318] One or more RAN nodes (such as base stations, etc.), i.e., at least one RAN node;

[0319] one or more terminals, i.e. at least one terminal;

[0320] one or more network functions, i.e., at least one network function;

[0321] The third function.

[0322] In actual application, the device-level instructions can be used to perform at least one of the following operations: adjusting network configuration, adjusting device capacity, and enabling device sleep; and the user-level instructions can be used to perform at least one of the following operations: adjusting network resource allocation, adjusting user QoS levels, and so on. Furthermore, the first node can also be referred to as an energy consumption unit (which can be expressed as an energy consumption unit in English) or an energy consumption node (which can be expressed as an energy consumption node in English). The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific name of the first node, as long as its function (i.e., utilizing the first instruction to perform device-level and / or user-level energy-saving optimization) is implemented.

[0323] In a network energy-saving method provided in an embodiment of the present application, a first function sends first information to a second function, and / or sends second information to a third function; the second function receives the first information sent by the first function and sends third information to a sixth function; the sixth function receives the third information sent by the second function; and the third function receives the second information sent by the first function; wherein the first information is used to perform operations related to session path adjustment, the second information is used to trigger operations related to energy saving of a fourth function device; and the third information is related to the first information. Furthermore, when a first PDU session of a first terminal is established, the sixth function obtains sixth information of the first terminal, the sixth information including network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session; based on the sixth information, determines seventh information of the first terminal, the seventh information representing the energy-saving preference of the first terminal, the energy-saving preference being associated with QoS; based on the seventh information, determines eighth information of the first terminal, the eighth information including traffic information related to network energy consumption; and sends the eighth information to the seventh function, so that the seventh function performs network energy consumption billing for the first terminal based on the eighth information. The solution provided by the embodiment of the present application is that the first function sends first information for performing related operations of session path adjustment to the second function, so that the second function sends third information related to the first information to the sixth function, so that the sixth function can subsequently perform related operations of session path adjustment according to the third information, such as modifying the fourth function corresponding to one or more PDU sessions so that one or more PDU sessions are aggregated into one or more fourth functions; and / or, the first function sends second information for triggering related operations of energy saving for the fourth function device to the third function, so that the third function can subsequently perform related operations of energy saving for the fourth function device, such as reducing the CPU usage or CPU resources of the fourth function, and / or shutting down / releasing the fourth function; in this way, unnecessary energy consumption can be avoided and network energy saving can be achieved, such as specifically achieving energy saving for the fourth function; and, under the premise of ensuring network performance, energy consumption can be reduced and the sustainability of the network can be improved. In addition, in the solution provided by the embodiment of the present application, when the first PDU session of the first terminal is established, for the first terminal, the sixth function determines the energy-saving preference associated with QoS based on the network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session, and determines and sends the traffic information related to the network energy consumption to the seventh function based on the determined energy-saving preference, so that the seventh function charges the first terminal for network energy consumption; in this way, billing for network energy consumption can be realized, for example, billing for network energy saving can be realized, thereby further optimizing the network.

[0324] The present application is described in further detail below with reference to application examples.

[0325] In this application example, the first function includes EECF or NWDAF, the second function includes PCF, the third function includes network management (such as OAM, etc.), the fourth function includes UPF, the fifth function includes at least one of UPF, SMF, PCF, and AMF, the sixth function includes SMF, the seventh function includes CHF, and the eighth function includes UDM.

[0326] First, this application example proposes a core network user plane network energy-saving solution. By analyzing and predicting the historical information of UPF (such as the number of online users, the number of PDU sessions, the total amount of uplink and downlink data, CPU occupancy, etc.), and obtaining the current UPF resource usage information from the network management (such as the CPU usage of UPF, etc., that is, the energy consumption information of the fourth function mentioned above), it provides UPF energy-saving strategy adjustment suggestions (that is, the first information and / or the second information mentioned above). Specifically, this application example proposes the following three core network user plane network energy-saving solutions:

[0327] Solution 1: NWDAF analyzes and predicts the historical behavior of the UPF. EECF then recommends energy-saving strategies for the UPF based on the NWDAF's analysis and prediction results and the UPF status obtained from the network.

[0328] Solution 2: The EECF analyzes and predicts the historical behavior of the UPF and, based on the analysis and prediction results and the UPF status obtained from the network, provides energy-saving strategy recommendations for the UPF.

[0329] In solution 3, NWDAF analyzes and predicts the historical behavior of UPF and gives energy-saving strategy recommendations for UPF based on the analysis and prediction results and the UPF status obtained from the network.

[0330] In this application example, the energy-saving strategy recommendation given by the EECF / NWDAF for the UPF is used to instruct the UPF to perform device-level energy-saving optimization, and may specifically include at least one of the following two energy-saving strategy recommendations (i.e., the specific form of the energy-saving strategy recommendation may include the value or instruction (such as on / off, etc.) of one or more of the following parameters):

[0331] 1) Network function (NFs) resource adjustment information (i.e., the second information) for a single UPF, such as at least one of network configuration adjustment information, CPU resource adjustment information (which can be understood as an adjustment to the percentage of CPU resource occupancy, i.e., an adjustment to the CPU resource occupancy rate), device capacity adjustment information, and device sleep information. In this way, a single UPF can provide the highest quality communication service under the conditions of available resources, while reasonably allocating and scheduling network resources to minimize resource waste.

[0332] 2) Session policy adjustment information for multiple UPFs (i.e., the first information mentioned above); through this information, EECF / NWDAF can instruct UPFs to share load (i.e., load balancing), such as indicating which UPFs need to adjust QoS parameters (expressed as QoS parameters in English), instructing / triggering PDU session release or deactivation (expressed as or trigger PDU Session release or deactivation in English), indicating which UPFs need SMF to re-establish the N4 interface to create a session, or instructing UPFs to transfer context through the N9 interface, etc.; in this way, the use of some edge UPFs can be shut down / released, and the transmission of data traffic of the shut down / released UPFs can be executed by the central or adjacent UPFs, thereby providing device-level and network element-level energy consumption shutdown and sharing, fully ensuring the user's communication quality.

[0333] In this application example, after receiving the energy-saving policy (i.e., the first information and / or the second information mentioned above) sent directly by EECF / NWDAF or through other network functions (such as PCF and SMF, etc.), UPF can execute the energy-saving policy and feedback the response. EECF / NWDAF can determine whether the current energy consumption meets expectations based on the status information currently received from UPF, and determine whether the policy adjustment steps need to be repeated. In addition, UPF can also make policy judgments based on the actual situation of its own configuration to determine whether to execute the corresponding energy-saving policy; in other words, when UPF receives the energy-saving policy sent directly or indirectly by EECF / NWDAF, and judges the energy-saving policy, and believes that the energy-saving policy cannot be executed and / or cannot be matched (which can be understood as cannot match the current energy consumption status), UPF can directly or indirectly feedback to EECF / NWDAF a response that the energy-saving policy cannot be executed, so as to assist EECF / NWDAF in optimizing the energy-saving policy.

[0334] In this application example, the energy-saving policy recommendation for UPF (i.e., the above-mentioned first information and / or second information) can be sent directly by EECF / NWDAF to UPF, or can be sent indirectly by EECF / NWDAF to UPF via PCF via SMF; accordingly, the feedback after executing the energy-saving policy can be reported directly to EECF / NWDAF by UPF, or the SMF can also feedback the response via PCF. From another perspective, UPF can receive policy adjustment suggestions (i.e., energy-saving policy suggestions) in two ways. One way is that EECF / NWDAF sends the energy-saving policy (i.e., the above-mentioned first information) to PCF, and PCF sends the energy-saving policy (i.e., the above-mentioned third information) to SMF, and then SMF sends the energy-saving policy to UPF to adjust the PDU session path; the other way is that EECF / NWDAF sends the energy-saving policy (i.e., the above-mentioned second information) to the network management (such as OAM, etc.), and the network management sends the energy-saving policy to UPF to perform at least one of network configuration adjustment information, CPU resource adjustment, device capacity adjustment, and device sleep.

[0335] The following describes in detail the core network user plane network energy saving solution of this application example with reference to the flowchart.

[0336] Corresponding to the above-mentioned solution 2, as shown in FIG7 , a core network user plane network energy saving solution provided by this application example may include the following steps:

[0337] Step 701: Trigger EECF based on local operator policy, and then execute steps 702 and / or 703;

[0338] Here, if the AF triggers an energy-saving request to the serving UPF, steps 701a (AF sends an energy-saving request to the NEF (which can be expressed as Nnef_EnergySaving in English)) and 701b (NEF sends an energy-saving request to the EECF (which can be expressed as Neecf_EnergySaving in English)) are first executed, and then step 701 is executed; otherwise, step 701 is directly executed to trigger the EECF to execute NF energy saving and energy-related information collection based on the local operator policy, that is, trigger the EECF to execute steps 702 and / or 703;

[0339] Step 702: The EECF obtains energy consumption information from OAM, and then executes step 704.

[0340] Here, the energy consumption information obtained by the EECF from the OAM can be understood as the resource usage information of the UPF, such as at least one of network configuration adjustment information, CPU resource adjustment information, device capacity adjustment information, and device sleep information;

[0341] Step 703: The EECF obtains energy consumption information from the UPF, and then executes step 704.

[0342] Here, the energy consumption information obtained by the EECF from the UPF may include at least one of the following information: a terminal address, a terminal code number, user data flow information, user connection status information, a PDU session identifier (PD sessionID), and one or more DNAI information;

[0343] Step 704: The EECF proposes energy-saving policy recommendations (EE policy recommendations or Energy saving policy recommendations, i.e., the first information and / or the second information) to the UPF, and then executes steps 705a and / or 705b.

[0344] Here, the EECF may formulate an energy-saving strategy recommendation for the UPF based on the information collected in step 702 and / or 703, for performing operations related to session path adjustment on the UPF, and / or for triggering OAM operations related to energy saving on the UPF device;

[0345] Step 705a: The EECF sends an energy-saving strategy suggestion (i.e., the second information) to the OAM.

[0346] Here, the energy-saving policy recommendation sent by the EECF to the OAM instructs the OAM to adjust the configuration of the UPF, including reducing the CPU usage or CPU resources of the UPF, and / or shutting down / releasing the UPF;

[0347] Step 705b: The EECF sends the energy-saving strategy suggestion (i.e., the first information) to the PCF, and then executes step 706b;

[0348] Here, the EECF can specifically send an energy saving policy suggestion (i.e., energy saving policy suggestion) to the PCF through the PCF's Policy Authorization Create / Update (Npcf_PolicyAuthorization Create / Update) service to instruct the PCF to adjust the session management (SM) policy. The suggestion can specifically be used to adjust the session path.

[0349] Step 706b: The PCF executes Steps 3 to 5 of Figure 4.16.5.2-1 of TS 23.502, and then executes Step 707b.

[0350] Here, the PCF repeats steps 3 to 5 of the SM policy association modification process specified in TS23.502[3], receives the energy saving policy recommendation information sent by the EECF, adjusts the session path, and sends the session path adjustment information (i.e., the third information) to the SMF. The information may include at least one of the following information: the terminal address, the terminal code, the user data flow information, the user connection status information, the PDU session identifier (PD sessionID), and one or more DNAI information;

[0351] Step 707b: SMF reconfigures the User plane path of the PDU Session, and then executes step 708;

[0352] Here, after the SMF receives the energy-saving policy information (i.e., the third information) sent by the PCF, it can reconfigure the user plane path of the PDU session, and modify the UPF corresponding to one or more PDU sessions according to the DNAI information in the policy information sent by the PCF, so that the one or more PDU sessions are aggregated into one or more UPFs;

[0353] Step 708: The UPF sends a response to the SMF, indicating that the UPF can or cannot complete the device energy saving related operations.

[0354] Corresponding to the above-mentioned solution 1, as shown in Figure 8, this solution includes both EECF and NWDAF. The EECF makes energy-saving strategy recommendations for the UPF, and the NWDAF assists the EECF in analyzing information such as the UPF's historical CPU resource usage and analyzing the UPF's session path adjustments. The analysis results are then provided to the EECF for the EECF to generate energy-saving strategy recommendations. Specifically, another core network user plane network energy-saving solution provided in this application example may include the following steps:

[0355] Step 801: Trigger EECF based on local operator policy, then execute step 802;

[0356] Here, if the AF triggers an energy-saving related request to the serving UPF, step 801a is first executed (AF sends an energy-saving request (which can be expressed as Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe Request in English) to NEF), step 801b (NEF sends an energy-saving request (which can be expressed as Neecf_EnergyConsumptionExposure_Subscribe Request in English) to EECF), step 801c (EECF sends an energy-saving response (which can be expressed as Neecf_EnergyConsumptionExposure_Subscribe Response in English) to NEF), and step 801d (NEF sends an energy-saving response (Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe Response) to AF), and then step 801 is executed; otherwise, step 801 is directly executed to trigger the EECF to execute NF energy saving and energy-related information collection based on the local operator policy, that is, trigger the EECF to execute step 802;

[0357] Step 802: The EECF obtains energy consumption information from OAM, and then executes step 803.

[0358] Step 803: The EECF sends an information analysis request (which can be expressed as Nnwdaf_AnalyticsInfo request in English) or an information subscription service request (which can be expressed as Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSubscription service request in English) to the NWDAF, and then executes step 804;

[0359] Step 804: NWDAF performs UPF energy consumption related analysis (which can be expressed as NWDAF drives UPF EC related analytics), and then executes step 805;

[0360] Step 805: The NWDAF sends an information analysis response (which can be expressed as Nnwdaf_AnalyticsInfo_Request response) or an information subscription notification (which can be expressed as Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSubscription_Notify) to the EECF, and then executes step 806;

[0361] Step 806: The EECF drives policy recommendations for the UPF, and then executes step 807.

[0362] Step 807: The EECF sends the energy-saving strategy suggestion (i.e., the first information) to the PCF, and then executes step 808;

[0363] Step 808: The PCF executes Steps 3 to 5 of Figure 4.16.5.2-1 of TS 23.502, and then executes Step 809.

[0364] Here, the PCF repeatedly executes steps 3 to 5 of the SM policy association modification process specified in TS 23.502 [3], receives the energy saving policy recommendation information sent by the EECF, adjusts the session path, and sends the session path adjustment information (i.e., the third information) to the SMF. The information may include at least one of the following information: the terminal address, the terminal code, the user data flow information, the user connection status information, the PDU session identifier (PD sessionID), and one or more DNAI information;

[0365] Step 809: SMF performs SM policy modification (which can be expressed as SM Policy Modification in English) on UPF.

[0366] Corresponding to the above solution 3, as shown in Figure 9, only NWDAF is involved in this solution, and NWDAF makes energy-saving strategy recommendations for UPFs. That is, NWDAF generates energy-saving strategy recommendations based on the analysis of information such as the UPF's historical CPU resource usage and the results of the UPF's session path adjustment analysis. Specifically, the third core network user plane network energy-saving solution provided in this application example may include the following steps:

[0367] Step 901: trigger NWDAF based on local operator policy, then execute step 902;

[0368] Here, if the AF triggers an energy-saving related request to the serving UPF, step 901a is first executed (AF sends an energy-saving request (which can be expressed as Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe Request in English) to NEF), step 901b (NEF sends an energy-saving request (which can be expressed as Nnwdaf_EnergyConsumptionExposure_Subscribe Request in English) to NWDAF), step 901c (NWDAF sends an energy-saving response (which can be expressed as Nnwdaf_EnergyConsumptionExposure_Subscribe Response in English) to NEF), and step 901d (NEF sends an energy-saving response (Nnef_EventExposure_Subscribe Response) to AF), and then step 901 is executed; otherwise, step 901 is directly executed to trigger NWDAF to execute NF energy saving and energy-related information collection based on local operator policies, that is, trigger NWDAF to execute steps 902 and / or 903;

[0369] Step 902: NWDAF obtains energy consumption information from OAM, and then executes step 904.

[0370] Here, the energy consumption information obtained by NWDAF from OAM can be understood as resource usage information of UPF, such as at least one of network configuration adjustment information, CPU resource adjustment information, device capacity adjustment information, device sleep information, etc.;

[0371] Step 903: NWDAF obtains energy consumption information from UPF (which can be expressed as Obtain energy consumption information from UPF), and then executes step 904;

[0372] Here, the energy consumption information obtained by the NWDAF from the UPF may include at least one of the following information: the terminal address, the terminal code number, the user data flow information, the user connection status information, the PDU session identifier (PD sessionID), and one or more DNAI information;

[0373] Step 904: NWDAF performs UPF energy consumption related analysis (which can be expressed as NWDAF drives UPF EC related analytics), and then executes step 905;

[0374] Here, the NWDAF may formulate energy-saving strategy recommendations for the UPF based on the information collected in steps 902 and / or 903;

[0375] Step 905: NWDAF sends an energy-saving strategy suggestion (i.e., the first information) to PCF, and then executes step 906;

[0376] Here, NWDAF can specifically send an energy saving policy suggestion (i.e., energy saving policy suggestion) to PCF through the PCF policy authorization create / update (English can be expressed as Npcf_PolicyAuthorization Create / Update) service to instruct PCF to adjust the session management (SM) policy. The suggestion can be specifically used to adjust the session path.

[0377] Step 906: The PCF executes Steps 3 to 5 of Figure 4.16.5.2-1 of TS 23.502, and then executes Step 907.

[0378] Here, the PCF repeatedly executes steps 3 to 5 of the SM policy association modification process specified in TS 23.502 [3], receives the energy saving policy recommendation information sent by the NWDAF, adjusts the session path, and sends the session path adjustment information (i.e., the third information) to the SMF. The information may include at least one of the following information: the terminal address, the terminal code, the user data flow information, the user connection status information, the PDU session identifier (PD sessionID), and one or more DNAI information;

[0379] Step 907: SMF performs SM policy modification (which can be expressed as SM Policy Modification in English) on UPF.

[0380] Secondly, in this application example, the EECF can support obtaining the user energy-saving preferences of the terminal (i.e., the seventh information mentioned above), generate device-level and / or user-level energy-saving instructions (i.e., the first instructions mentioned above) through aggregation, processing, and data analysis, and can send the generated energy-saving instructions to one or more energy-consuming nodes (i.e., the first nodes mentioned above) such as network functions, base stations, terminals, and network management in the core network for execution, thereby achieving device-level and / or user-level energy saving. The energy-consuming nodes can report energy consumption-related data (e.g., energy-saving optimization results) to the EECF and perform device-level energy-saving optimization based on the device-level energy-saving instructions, such as adjusting network configuration, adjusting device capacity, adjusting CPU resources, and enabling device hibernation. User-level energy-saving optimization can also be performed based on user-level energy-saving instructions and user competition mechanisms (e.g., pre-set mechanisms such as allocating resources based on user priority when resources are insufficient), such as adjusting network resource allocation and user QoS levels. Furthermore, the EECF can support collecting billing-related information (i.e., the eighth information mentioned above) through the SMF and / or UPF, and can send the billing-related information directly to the CHF or via the SMF for billing.

[0381] Accordingly, in this application example, the charging capability of SMF can be extended so that SMF supports energy consumption billing and can collect network energy consumption parameters. For example, the charging-related information collected for each PDU session may include the energy consumption information of the UE that triggers each PDU session / each NF / each RAN node / each network slice / each QoS flow (expressed in English as The charging information collected per PDU session includes the UE who triggers the energy consumption associated with the per PDU session / per NF / per RAN Node / per network slicing / per QoS flow, that is, the sixth information mentioned above). The charging capability of UPF can also be extended so that UPF supports energy consumption billing and can collect network energy consumption parameters. For example, UPF can support PDU session energy consumption information reporting related to each PDU session. The billing capability of CHF can also be expanded to enable CHF to support energy consumption billing and collect network energy consumption parameters. For example, CHF can support different billing mechanisms based on the different energy consumption states of network elements and network functions; for example, CHF can support associating energy consumption with billing information for each PDU session.

[0382] In this application example, based on the above-mentioned charging capability extension, after the terminal's PDU session is established, the charging policy can be statically adjusted. Specifically, as shown in Figure 10, the process of statically adjusting the charging policy may include the following steps:

[0383] Step 1001: After the PDU session of the terminal is established, the SMF subscribes to the energy consumption information reporting request to the EECF for the PDU session (i.e., sends the ninth message above), and then executes step 1002;

[0384] Step 1002: The EECF collects and compiles network energy consumption information (i.e., the sixth information) in real time, triggers user energy consumption reporting based on a threshold setting (i.e., the energy consumption threshold value), and then executes step 1003;

[0385] Step 1003: The EECF sends an energy consumption information response to the SMF (the response includes the sixth information), and then executes step 1004;

[0386] Step 1004: SMF queries the UDM for contract information (i.e., sends the tenth message above), and then executes step 1005;

[0387] Here, SMF can specifically query the user's contract information (i.e., the above-mentioned eleventh information) from UDM based on the energy consumption information (i.e., the above-mentioned sixth information);

[0388] Step 1005: The UDM provides feedback based on the QoS policies of different energy consumptions signed by the user, and then executes step 1006;

[0389] Here, different energy consumptions may correspond to different QoS policies. For example, if the energy consumption value of the terminal exceeds the energy consumption threshold by 10%, it may correspond to the first QoS level; if the energy consumption value of the terminal exceeds the energy consumption threshold by 20%, it may correspond to the second QoS level. The first QoS level is higher than the second QoS level; that is, when the energy consumption value of the terminal increases from exceeding the energy consumption threshold by 10% to exceeding the energy consumption threshold by 20%, the QoS level of the terminal is downgraded from the first QoS level to the second QoS level.

[0390] Step 1006: The UDM sends a user contract information response to the SMF (the response may include the eleventh information and / or the seventh information), and then executes step 1007;

[0391] Step 1007: The SMF sends a session policy update request (i.e., the fourteenth message) to the PCF, and then executes step 1008;

[0392] Here, the session policy update request may include the adjusted QoS level information (i.e., the above-mentioned thirteenth information);

[0393] Step 1008: The PCF sends a session policy update response to the SMF, and then executes step 1009;

[0394] Step 1009: The SMF sends an N4 session update request (i.e., the twelfth message) to the UPF, and then executes step 1010;

[0395] Here, the N4 session update request may carry the user energy consumption preference information (i.e., the seventh information mentioned above);

[0396] Step 1010: UPF sends an N4 session update response to SMF, and then executes step 1011;

[0397] Here, after receiving the N4 session update request carrying the user energy consumption preference information, the UPF can perform energy consumption-related traffic statistics; the N4 session update response can carry the user traffic information counted by the UPF (i.e., the eighth information above);

[0398] Step 1011: The SMF sends a billing update request to the CHF, and then executes step 1012;

[0399] Here, the billing update request may carry user traffic update statistics (ie, user traffic information counted by the UPF, ie, the eighth information mentioned above);

[0400] Step 1012: CHF updates the billing based on the user's energy consumption adjustment, and then executes step 1013;

[0401] Here, CHF can calculate energy consumption information of related terminals for billing based on PDU session granularity (per PDUsession), application granularity, slice granularity, NF granularity (per NF), RAN node granularity (per RAN Node), and QoS flow granularity (per QoS flow).

[0402] Step 1013: CHF sends a billing update response to SMF.

[0403] In this application example, based on the above-mentioned charging capability extension, after the terminal's PDU session is updated, the charging policy can be dynamically adjusted. Specifically, as shown in Figure 11, the process of dynamically adjusting the charging policy may include the following steps:

[0404] Step 1101: PDU session update, then execute step 1102;

[0405] Step 1102: The SMF subscribes to the energy consumption information reporting request from the EECF for the PDU session, and then executes step 1103;

[0406] Step 1103: EECF collects and counts network energy consumption information in real time, and then executes step 1104;

[0407] Step 1104: EECF sends an energy consumption information response to SMF, and then executes step 1105;

[0408] Here, the energy consumption information response carries the updated sixth information;

[0409] Step 1105: The SMF sends a billing update request (i.e., the fifteenth message) to the CHF, and then executes step 1106;

[0410] Here, if the business requirements are met, the SMF directly triggers the billing update from step 1105 to step 1107; if the business requirements are not met, the SMF continues to obtain the contract data from the UDM, performs the PCF policy update, and repeats steps 1004 to 1008 until the business requirements are met, and then triggers the billing update from step 1105 to step 1107;

[0411] Step 1106: CHF updates the billing based on the user's energy consumption adjustment, and then executes step 1107;

[0412] Step 1107: CHF sends a billing update response to SMF.

[0413] The solution provided in this application example has the following advantages:

[0414] 1) Designing a core network user plane energy-saving solution and implementing UPF energy conservation can save energy costs. By reducing the use of UPF CPU resources, energy consumption and operating costs can be reduced. Furthermore, while ensuring network performance, energy consumption can be reduced, improving network sustainability. It also protects the environment. Reducing UPF energy consumption helps reduce carbon emissions, which has a positive impact on environmental protection.

[0415] 2) It can improve network efficiency. That is, when one or more UPFs enter the energy-saving state and need to be shut down / released, the PDU session can be reaggregated to one or more other active UPFs to adjust the session path, thereby avoiding unnecessary energy consumption, improving the utilization and efficiency of network resources, and at the same time ensuring the user's communication quality;

[0416] 3) It can optimize the network load. That is, by dynamically adjusting the CPU resource usage of one or more UPFs, and through the collaboration and load balancing of multiple UPFs, it can avoid unnecessary load concentration in the network, thereby optimizing the overall network load distribution and the user's PDU session path; that is, it can ensure balanced network load distribution and avoid energy waste caused by excessive load on one or more specific UPFs;

[0417] 4) Energy-saving design of end-to-end systems can be achieved through the EECF and energy-consuming nodes. With the EECF as the centralized control node, cross-domain connectivity can be achieved, energy-saving optimization can be performed from a global perspective, and the overall energy consumption of the end-to-end network can be reduced, thus meeting the end-to-end energy-saving requirements of future networks.

[0418] 5) In this application example, EECF generates device-level and / or user-level energy-saving instructions based on user energy-saving preferences to instruct one or more energy-consuming nodes of the core network, such as network functions, base stations, terminals, and network management, to perform device-level and / or user-level energy-saving optimization. When resources are insufficient, a user competition mechanism based on user priority can be introduced to achieve energy-saving optimization at both device and user granularity. Since energy-saving optimization is performed in combination with user needs and user characteristics (i.e., user energy-saving preferences), network energy consumption can be reduced as much as possible without affecting user experience, thereby meeting the refined energy-saving requirements of future networks.

[0419] In order to implement the method of the first function side of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application further provides a network energy-saving device, which is set on the first function, as shown in Figure 12, and includes:

[0420] The first sending unit 1201 is configured to send first information to the second function, where the first information is used to perform related operations for session path adjustment; and / or, is configured to send second information to the third function, where the second information is used to trigger related operations for energy saving of the fourth function device.

[0421] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG12 , the device may further include:

[0422] The information processing unit 1202 is configured to generate the first information and / or the second information according to the energy consumption information of the fifth function and / or the energy consumption information of the fourth function obtained from the third function.

[0423] In actual application, the first sending unit 1201 can be implemented by a communication interface in the network energy-saving device; the information processing unit 1202 can be implemented by a processor in the network energy-saving device in combination with the communication interface.

[0424] In order to implement the method of the second function side of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application further provides a network energy-saving device, which is set on the second function, as shown in Figure 13, and includes:

[0425] The first receiving unit 1301 is configured to receive first information sent by a first function, where the first information is used to perform operations related to session path adjustment;

[0426] The second sending unit 1302 is configured to send third information to the sixth function, where the third information is related to the first information.

[0427] In actual application, the first receiving unit 1301 and the second sending unit 1302 can be implemented by a communication interface in the network energy-saving device.

[0428] In order to implement the method of the sixth function side of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application further provides a network energy-saving device, which is set on the sixth function, as shown in Figure 14, and includes:

[0429] The second receiving unit 1401 is configured to receive third information sent by the second function, where the third information includes at least one of the following:

[0430] Terminal identification;

[0431] User data traffic information;

[0432] User connection status information;

[0433] PDU session identifier;

[0434] One or more DNAI messages.

[0435] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG14 , the device may further include:

[0436] The first adjusting unit 1402 is configured to perform operations related to session path adjustment according to the third information.

[0437] In one embodiment, the first adjustment unit 1402 is further configured to modify the fourth function corresponding to one or more PDU sessions based on one or more DNAI information in the third information, so that the one or more PDU sessions are aggregated into one or more fourth functions.

[0438] In one embodiment, the second receiving unit 1401 is further configured to receive fourth information sent by the fourth function, where the fourth information is used to indicate whether the fourth function can complete or cannot complete operations related to session path adjustment.

[0439] In actual application, the second receiving unit 1401 can be implemented by a communication interface in the network energy-saving device; the first adjusting unit 1402 can be implemented by a processor in the network energy-saving device in combination with the communication interface.

[0440] In order to implement the method of the third function side of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application further provides a network energy-saving device, which is set on the third function, as shown in Figure 15, and includes:

[0441] The third receiving unit 1501 is configured to receive second information sent by the first function, where the second information is used to trigger operations related to energy saving of the fourth function device.

[0442] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG15 , the device may further include:

[0443] The first energy-saving unit 1502 is configured to reduce the CPU usage or CPU resources of the fourth function; and / or configured to shut down / release the fourth function.

[0444] In one embodiment, the third receiving unit 1501 is further configured to receive fifth information sent by the fourth function, where the fifth information is used to indicate whether the fourth function can complete or cannot complete operations related to device energy saving.

[0445] In actual application, the third receiving unit 1501 can be implemented by a communication interface in the network energy-saving device; the first energy-saving unit 1502 can be implemented by a processor in the network energy-saving device in combination with a communication interface.

[0446] In order to implement the method of the sixth function side of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application further provides a network energy-saving device, which is set on the sixth function, as shown in Figure 16, and includes:

[0447] An acquiring unit 1601 is configured to acquire sixth information of a first terminal when a first PDU session of the first terminal is established, the sixth information including network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session;

[0448] A first preference unit 1602 is configured to determine seventh information of the first terminal based on the sixth information, where the seventh information represents an energy saving preference of the first terminal, and the energy saving preference is associated with QoS;

[0449] The traffic unit 1603 is configured to determine eighth information of the first terminal based on the seventh information, where the eighth information includes traffic information related to network energy consumption;

[0450] The third sending unit 1604 is configured to send the eighth information to the seventh function, so that the seventh function performs network energy consumption billing for the first terminal based on the eighth information.

[0451] In one embodiment, the acquiring unit 1601 is further configured to:

[0452] Sending ninth information to the first function, where the ninth information is used to request a subscription to network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session;

[0453] The sixth information sent by the first function is received, where the sixth information is sent by the first function when a preset trigger condition is met.

[0454] In one embodiment, the first preference unit 1602 is further configured to:

[0455] Sending tenth information to the eighth function, where the tenth information includes the sixth information, and the tenth information is used to query the contract information associated with network energy consumption and QoS of the first terminal;

[0456] receiving an eleventh message sent by the eighth function, where the eleventh message includes subscription information of the first terminal associated with network energy consumption and QoS;

[0457] Based on the eleventh information, the seventh information is determined.

[0458] In one embodiment, the flow unit 1603 is further configured as:

[0459] Sending twelfth information to the fourth function, where the twelfth information includes the seventh information, and the twelfth information is used to collect statistics on traffic information related to network energy consumption of the first terminal;

[0460] Receive the eighth information sent by the fourth function.

[0461] In one embodiment, when the seventh information represents that the energy saving preference of the first terminal includes adjusting the QoS level during energy saving, as shown in FIG16 , the apparatus may further include:

[0462] The second adjustment unit 1605 is configured to:

[0463] Determining thirteenth information based on the eleventh information and the sixth information, wherein the eleventh information includes subscription information associated with network energy consumption and QoS of the first terminal, the second information is determined based on the eleventh information, and the thirteenth information represents the adjusted QoS level;

[0464] Send fourteenth information to the second function, where the fourteenth information includes the thirteenth information, and the fourteenth information is used to request an update of the QoS policy of the first PDU session.

[0465] In one embodiment, the obtaining unit 1601 is further configured to obtain updated sixth information when the first PDU session is updated;

[0466] Correspondingly, the third sending unit 1604 is also configured to send fifteenth information to the seventh function when the updated sixth information meets the business requirements, and the fifteenth information contains the updated sixth information. The fifteenth information is used to request the seventh function to update the network energy consumption billing of the first terminal based on the updated sixth information.

[0467] In one embodiment, when the seventh information represents that the energy saving preference of the first terminal includes adjusting the QoS level when saving energy, the obtaining unit 1601 is further configured to obtain the updated sixth information when the first PDU session is updated;

[0468] Accordingly, the second adjusting unit 1605 is further configured to:

[0469] If the updated sixth information does not meet the service requirements, adjust the QoS level until the updated sixth information meets the service requirements; or

[0470] When the updated sixth information meets the business requirements, the fifteenth information is sent to the seventh function, the fifteenth information includes the updated sixth information, and the fifteenth information is used to request the seventh function to update the network energy consumption billing of the first terminal according to the updated sixth information.

[0471] In actual application, the acquisition unit 1601, the first preference unit 1602, the traffic unit 1603 and the second adjustment unit 1605 can be implemented by the processor in the network energy-saving device in combination with the communication interface; the third sending unit 1604 can be implemented by the communication interface in the network energy-saving device.

[0472] In order to implement the method of the first function side of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application further provides a network energy-saving device, which is set on the first function, as shown in Figure 17, and includes:

[0473] The fourth receiving unit 1701 is configured to receive, when the first PDU session of the first terminal is established, ninth information sent by the sixth function, where the ninth information is used to request subscription to network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session;

[0474] The statistical unit 1702 is configured to determine sixth information based on the ninth information, where the sixth information includes network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session;

[0475] The fourth sending unit 1703 is configured to send the sixth information to the sixth function when a preset trigger condition is met.

[0476] In one embodiment, the fourth sending unit 1703 is further configured to send the sixth information to the seventh function, so that the seventh function charges the first terminal for network energy consumption based on the sixth information.

[0477] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG17 , the apparatus may further include:

[0478] The second preference unit 1704 is configured to determine seventh information of the first terminal, where the seventh information represents an energy saving preference of the first terminal, and the energy saving preference is associated with QoS;

[0479] The second energy-saving unit 1705 is configured to determine a first instruction based on the sixth information and the seventh information, where the first instruction is used to perform energy-saving optimization, and the first instruction includes a device-level and / or user-level instruction;

[0480] Correspondingly, the fourth sending unit 1703 is further configured to send the first instruction to the first node, so that the first node uses the first instruction to perform device-level and / or user-level energy-saving optimization.

[0481] In actual application, the fourth receiving unit 1701 and the fourth sending unit 1703 can be implemented by the communication interface in the network energy-saving device; the statistical unit 1702, the second preference unit 1704 and the second energy-saving unit 1705 can be implemented by the processor in the network energy-saving device combined with the communication interface.

[0482] It should be noted that the network energy-saving device provided in the above embodiment is merely an example of the division of the aforementioned program modules when performing network energy conservation. In actual applications, the aforementioned processing can be assigned to different program modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different program modules to complete all or part of the aforementioned processing. Furthermore, the network energy-saving device provided in the above embodiment and the network energy-saving method embodiment are based on the same concept. The specific implementation process is detailed in the method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0483] Based on the hardware implementation of the above program modules, and in order to implement the method of the first functional side of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application further provides a first function, as shown in FIG18 , the first function 1800 includes:

[0484] The first communication interface 1801 is capable of exchanging information with other network functions (such as at least one of the second function, the third function, the sixth function, and the seventh function) and / or nodes (such as the first node);

[0485] A first processor 1802 is connected to the first communication interface 1801 to implement information interaction with other network functions and / or nodes, and is configured to execute the methods provided by one or more technical solutions of the first function side when running a computer program;

[0486] A first memory 1803 , on which the computer program is stored.

[0487] Specifically, when implementing a network energy-saving method on the first function side of an embodiment of the present application, the first communication interface 1801 is configured to send first information to the second function, and the first information is used to perform related operations for session path adjustment; and / or, is configured to send second information to the third function, and the second information is used to trigger related operations for energy saving of the fourth function device.

[0488] In one embodiment, the first processor 1802 is configured to generate the first information and / or the second information according to the energy consumption information of the fifth function and / or the energy consumption information of the fourth function obtained from the third function.

[0489] Accordingly, when implementing another network energy saving method on the first functional side of the embodiment of the present application, the first processor 1802 is configured to:

[0490] When the first PDU session of the first terminal is established, receiving, through the first communication interface 1801, ninth information sent by the sixth function, where the ninth information is used to request a subscription to network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session;

[0491] Determining sixth information based on the ninth information, the sixth information including network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session;

[0492] When a preset trigger condition is met, the sixth information is sent to the sixth function through the first communication interface 1801.

[0493] In one embodiment, the first communication interface 1801 is further configured to send the sixth information to the seventh function, so that the seventh function charges the first terminal for network energy consumption based on the sixth information.

[0494] In one embodiment, the first processor 1802 is further configured to:

[0495] determining seventh information of the first terminal, where the seventh information represents an energy-saving preference of the first terminal, and the energy-saving preference is associated with QoS;

[0496] Determining a first instruction based on the sixth information and the seventh information, where the first instruction is used to perform energy-saving optimization, and the first instruction includes a device-level and / or user-level instruction;

[0497] The first instruction is sent to the first node through the first communication interface 1801, so that the first node uses the first instruction to perform device-level and / or user-level energy-saving optimization.

[0498] It should be noted that the specific processing process of the first communication interface 1801 and the first processor 1802 can be understood by referring to the above method, and will not be repeated here.

[0499] Of course, in actual application, the various components in the first function 1800 are coupled together via a bus system 1804. It will be appreciated that the bus system 1804 is used to implement connectivity and communication between these components. In addition to a data bus, the bus system 1804 also includes a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for clarity, in FIG. 18 , all of these buses are labeled as the bus system 1804.

[0500] The first memory 1803 in the embodiment of the present application is configured to store various types of data to support the operation of the first function 1800. Examples of such data include any computer program for operating on the first function 1800.

[0501] The methods disclosed in the above embodiments of the present application can be applied to the first processor 1802 or implemented by the first processor 1802. The first processor 1802 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits or software instructions in the first processor 1802. The above first processor 1802 may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The first processor 1802 can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly implemented as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium located in the first memory 1803. The first processor 1802 reads the information in the first memory 1803 and completes the steps of the above method in conjunction with its hardware.

[0502] In an exemplary embodiment, the first function 1800 can be implemented by one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), DSPs, programmable logic devices (PLDs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), general-purpose processors, controllers, microcontrollers (MCUs), microprocessors, or other electronic components to execute the aforementioned method.

[0503] Based on the hardware implementation of the above program modules, and in order to implement the method of the second functional side of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application further provides a second function, as shown in FIG19 , the second function 1900 includes:

[0504] The second communication interface 1901 is capable of exchanging information with other network functions (such as the first function and / or the sixth function);

[0505] A second processor 1902 is connected to the second communication interface 1901 to implement information interaction with other network functions, and is configured to execute the methods provided by one or more technical solutions of the second function side when running a computer program;

[0506] The second memory 1903 , on which the computer program is stored.

[0507] Specifically, the second communication interface 1901 is configured as follows:

[0508] receiving first information sent by a first function, where the first information is used to perform operations related to session path adjustment;

[0509] Third information is sent to a sixth function, where the third information is related to the first information.

[0510] It should be noted that the specific processing process of the second communication interface 1901 can be understood by referring to the above method, and will not be repeated here.

[0511] Of course, in actual application, the various components in the second function 1900 are coupled together via a bus system 1904. It will be appreciated that the bus system 1904 is used to enable communication between these components. In addition to a data bus, the bus system 1904 also includes a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for clarity, in FIG. 19 , all of these buses are labeled as the bus system 1904.

[0512] The second memory 1903 in the embodiment of the present application is configured to store various types of data to support the operation of the second function 1900. Examples of such data include any computer program for operating on the second function 1900.

[0513] The methods disclosed in the above embodiments of the present application can be applied to or implemented by the second processor 1902. The second processor 1902 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits or software instructions in the second processor 1902. The above second processor 1902 may be a general-purpose processor, a DSP, or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, etc. The second processor 1902 can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly implemented and executed by a hardware decoding processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module may be located in a storage medium located in the second memory 1903. The second processor 1902 reads the information in the second memory 1903 and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0514] In an exemplary embodiment, the second function 1900 may be implemented by one or more ASICs, DSPs, PLDs, CPLDs, FPGAs, general-purpose processors, controllers, MCUs, Microprocessors, or other electronic components to perform the aforementioned method.

[0515] Based on the hardware implementation of the above program modules, and in order to implement the method of the sixth function side of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application further provides a sixth function, as shown in FIG20 , the sixth function 2000 includes:

[0516] The third communication interface 2001 is capable of exchanging information with other network functions (such as at least one of the first function, the second function, the fourth function, the seventh function, and the eighth function);

[0517] a third processor 2002 connected to the third communication interface 2001 to implement information interaction with other network functions, and configured to execute the methods provided by one or more technical solutions of the sixth function side when running a computer program;

[0518] The third memory 2003 , on which the computer program is stored.

[0519] Specifically, when implementing a network energy saving method on the sixth function side of an embodiment of the present application, the third communication interface 2001 is configured to receive third information sent by the second function, where the third information includes at least one of the following:

[0520] Terminal identification;

[0521] User data traffic information;

[0522] User connection status information;

[0523] PDU session identifier;

[0524] One or more DNAI messages.

[0525] In one embodiment, the third processor 2002 is configured to perform operations related to session path adjustment according to the third information.

[0526] In one embodiment, the third processor 2002 is further configured to modify the fourth function corresponding to one or more PDU sessions based on one or more DNAI information in the third information, so that the one or more PDU sessions are aggregated into one or more fourth functions.

[0527] In one embodiment, the third communication interface 2001 is further configured to receive fourth information sent by the fourth function, where the fourth information is used to indicate whether the fourth function can complete or cannot complete operations related to session path adjustment.

[0528] Accordingly, when implementing another network energy saving method of the sixth functional side of the embodiment of the present application, the third processor 2002 is configured to:

[0529] When the first PDU session of the first terminal is established, obtaining sixth information of the first terminal through the third communication interface 2001, the sixth information including network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session;

[0530] determining, based on the sixth information, seventh information of the first terminal, where the seventh information represents an energy-saving preference of the first terminal, and the energy-saving preference is associated with QoS;

[0531] Determining, based on the seventh information, eighth information of the first terminal, the eighth information including flow information related to network energy consumption;

[0532] The eighth information is sent to the seventh function through the third communication interface 2001, so that the seventh function charges the first terminal for network energy consumption based on the eighth information.

[0533] In one embodiment, the third processor 2002 is further configured to:

[0534] Sending ninth information to the first function through the third communication interface 2001, where the ninth information is used to request a subscription to network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session;

[0535] The sixth information sent by the first function is received through the third communication interface 2001 , where the sixth information is sent by the first function when a preset trigger condition is met.

[0536] In one embodiment, the third processor 2002 is further configured to:

[0537] Sending tenth information to the eighth function through the third communication interface 2001, where the tenth information includes the sixth information, and the tenth information is used to query the contract information associated with network energy consumption and QoS of the first terminal;

[0538] receiving, through the third communication interface 2001, eleventh information sent by the eighth function, the eleventh information including subscription information associated with network energy consumption and QoS of the first terminal;

[0539] Based on the eleventh information, the seventh information is determined.

[0540] In one embodiment, the third processor 2002 is further configured to:

[0541] sending twelfth information to the fourth function through the third communication interface 2001, where the twelfth information includes the seventh information, and the twelfth information is used to collect statistics on flow information related to network energy consumption of the first terminal;

[0542] The eighth information sent by the fourth function is received through the third communication interface 2001.

[0543] In one embodiment, when the seventh information indicates that the energy saving preference of the first terminal includes adjusting the QoS level during energy saving, the third processor 2002 is further configured to:

[0544] Determining thirteenth information based on the eleventh information and the sixth information, wherein the eleventh information includes subscription information associated with network energy consumption and QoS of the first terminal, the second information is determined based on the eleventh information, and the thirteenth information represents the adjusted QoS level;

[0545] The fourteenth information is sent to the second function through the third communication interface 2001, where the fourteenth information includes the thirteenth information, and the fourteenth information is used to request an update of the QoS policy of the first PDU session.

[0546] In one embodiment, the third processor 2002 is further configured to:

[0547] In case the first PDU session is updated, obtaining updated sixth information through the third communication interface 2001;

[0548] When the updated sixth information meets the business requirements, the fifteenth information is sent to the seventh function through the third communication interface 2001, and the fifteenth information includes the updated sixth information. The fifteenth information is used to request the seventh function to update the network energy consumption billing of the first terminal according to the updated sixth information.

[0549] In one embodiment, when the seventh information indicates that the energy saving preference of the first terminal includes adjusting the QoS level during energy saving, the third processor 2002 is further configured to:

[0550] In case the first PDU session is updated, obtaining updated sixth information through the third communication interface 2001;

[0551] If the updated sixth information does not meet the service requirements, adjust the QoS level until the updated sixth information meets the service requirements; or

[0552] When the updated sixth information meets the business requirements, the fifteenth information is sent to the seventh function through the third communication interface 2001, and the fifteenth information includes the updated sixth information. The fifteenth information is used to request the seventh function to update the network energy consumption billing of the first terminal according to the updated sixth information.

[0553] It should be noted that the specific processing process of the third processor 2002 can be understood by referring to the above method and will not be repeated here.

[0554] Of course, in actual application, the various components in the sixth function 2000 are coupled together via the bus system 2004. It is understood that the bus system 2004 is used to implement connection and communication between these components. In addition to the data bus, the bus system 2004 also includes a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for the sake of clarity, in Figure 20, all of the various buses are labeled as the bus system 2004.

[0555] The third memory 2003 in the embodiment of the present application is configured to store various types of data to support the operation of the sixth function 2000. Examples of such data include any computer program for operating on the sixth function 2000.

[0556] The methods disclosed in the above embodiments of the present application can be applied to or implemented by the third processor 2002. The third processor 2002 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits or software instructions in the third processor 2002. The third processor 2002 may be a general-purpose processor, a DSP, or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, etc. The third processor 2002 can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly implemented and executed by a hardware decoding processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules may be located in a storage medium located in the third memory 2003. The third processor 2002 reads the information in the third memory 2003 and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0557] In an exemplary embodiment, the sixth function 2000 may be implemented by one or more ASICs, DSPs, PLDs, CPLDs, FPGAs, general-purpose processors, controllers, MCUs, Microprocessors, or other electronic components to perform the aforementioned method.

[0558] Based on the hardware implementation of the above program modules, and in order to implement the method of the third functional side of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application further provides a third function, as shown in FIG21 , the third function 2100 includes:

[0559] The fourth communication interface 2101 is capable of exchanging information with other network functions (such as the first function and / or the fourth function);

[0560] a fourth processor 2102 connected to the fourth communication interface 2101 to implement information interaction with other network functions, and configured to execute the methods provided by one or more technical solutions of the third function side when running a computer program;

[0561] A fourth memory 2103 , on which the computer program is stored.

[0562] Specifically, the fourth communication interface 2101 is configured to receive second information sent by the first function, where the second information is used to trigger operations related to energy saving of the fourth function device.

[0563] In one embodiment, the fourth processor 2102 is configured to reduce the CPU usage or CPU resources of the fourth function; and / or is configured to shut down / release the fourth function.

[0564] In one embodiment, the fourth communication interface 2101 is further configured to receive fifth information sent by the fourth function, where the fifth information is used to indicate whether the fourth function can complete or cannot complete operations related to device energy saving.

[0565] It should be noted that the specific processing process of the fourth communication interface 2101 and the fourth processor 2102 can be understood by referring to the above method, and will not be repeated here.

[0566] Of course, in actual application, the various components in the third function 2100 are coupled together via a bus system 2104. It will be appreciated that the bus system 2104 is used to implement connections and communications between these components. In addition to a data bus, the bus system 2104 also includes a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for clarity, in FIG. 21 , all of these buses are labeled as the bus system 2104.

[0567] The fourth memory 2103 in the embodiment of the present application is configured to store various types of data to support the operation of the third function 2100. Examples of such data include any computer program for operating on the third function 2100.

[0568] The methods disclosed in the above embodiments of the present application can be applied to or implemented by the fourth processor 2102. The fourth processor 2102 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method can be performed by hardware integrated logic circuits or software instructions in the fourth processor 2102. The fourth processor 2102 may be a general-purpose processor, a DSP, or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, etc. The fourth processor 2102 can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly implemented and executed by a hardware decoding processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module may be located in a storage medium located in the fourth memory 2103. The fourth processor 2102 reads the information in the fourth memory 2103 and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0569] In an exemplary embodiment, the third function 2100 may be implemented by one or more ASICs, DSPs, PLDs, CPLDs, FPGAs, general-purpose processors, controllers, MCUs, Microprocessors, or other electronic components to perform the aforementioned method.

[0570] It can be understood that the memory (first memory 1803, second memory 1903, third memory 2003, fourth memory 2103) of the embodiment of the present application can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, and can also include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a magnetic random access memory (FRAM), a flash memory, a magnetic surface memory, an optical disc, or a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM); the magnetic surface memory can be a magnetic disk memory or a tape memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache.By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), synchronous static random access memory (SSRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronized dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus random access memory (DRRAM). The memory described in the embodiments of the present application is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0571] In order to implement the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application also provides a network energy-saving system, as shown in Figure 22, which includes: a first function 2201, a second function 2202, a sixth function 2203 and a third function 2204.

[0572] In actual application, the system may also include other network functions and nodes, such as at least one of the fourth function, fifth function, seventh function, eighth function, and first node mentioned above, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0573] In addition, it should be noted that the specific processing procedures of the first function 2201, the second function 2202, the sixth function 2203 and the third function 2204 have been described in detail above and will not be repeated here.

[0574] In an exemplary embodiment, the present application also provides a storage medium, namely, a computer storage medium, specifically, a computer-readable storage medium. For example, it includes a first memory 1803 storing a computer program. The computer program can be executed by the first processor 1802 of the first function 1800 to complete the steps of the first function-side method described above. For another example, it includes a second memory 1903 storing a computer program. The computer program can be executed by the second processor 1902 of the second function 1900 to complete the steps of the second function-side method described above. For another example, it includes a third memory 2003 storing a computer program. The computer program can be executed by the third processor 2002 of the sixth function 2000 to complete the steps of the sixth function-side method described above. For another example, it includes a fourth memory 2103 storing a computer program. The computer program can be executed by the fourth processor 2102 of the third function 2100 to complete the steps of the third function-side method described above. The computer-readable storage medium can be a memory such as FRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, Flash Memory, magnetic surface storage, optical disk, or CD-ROM.

[0575] In an exemplary embodiment, the present application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program, which can be executed by the first processor 1802 of the first function 1800 to complete the steps of the first function side method. Alternatively, the computer program can be executed by the second processor 1902 of the second function 1900 to complete the steps of the second function side method. Alternatively, the computer program can be executed by the third processor 2002 of the sixth function 2000 to complete the steps of the sixth function side method. Alternatively, the computer program can be executed by the fourth processor 2102 of the third function 2100 to complete the steps of the third function side method.

[0576] It should be noted that: "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0577] In addition, the technical solutions described in the embodiments of the present application can be arbitrarily combined without conflict.

[0578] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A network energy saving method, applied to a first function, comprising: Sending first information to the second function, where the first information is used to perform operations related to session path adjustment; and / or, Sending second information to the third function, where the second information is used to trigger an operation related to energy saving of the fourth function device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first information includes at least one of the following: Terminal identification; User data traffic information; User connection status information; Protocol data unit PDU session identifier; One or more data network access identifiers (DNAIs); and / or, The second information includes at least one of the following: Network configuration adjustment information; Central processing unit CPU resource adjustment information; Equipment capacity adjustment information; Device sleep information.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The method further comprises: The first information and / or the second information is generated according to the energy consumption information of the fifth function and / or the energy consumption information of the fourth function obtained from the third function.

4. A network energy saving method, applied to the second function, comprising: receiving first information sent by a first function, where the first information is used to perform operations related to session path adjustment; Third information is sent to a sixth function, where the third information is related to the first information.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The first information includes at least one of the following: Terminal identification; User data traffic information; User connection status information; PDU session identifier; One or more DNAI messages.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein: The third information includes at least one of the following: Terminal identification; User data traffic information; User connection status information; PDU session identifier; One or more DNAI messages.

7. A network energy saving method, applied to the sixth function, comprising: Receive third information sent by the second function, where the third information includes at least one of the following: Terminal identification; User data traffic information; User connection status information; PDU session identifier; One or more DNAI messages.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The method further comprises: Perform relevant operations of session path adjustment according to the third information.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The operations related to adjusting the session path according to the third information include: According to one or more DNAI information in the third information, modify the fourth function corresponding to one or more PDU sessions so that the one or more PDU sessions are aggregated into one or more fourth functions.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein The method further comprises: Receive fourth information sent by the fourth function, where the fourth information is used to indicate whether the fourth function can complete or cannot complete operations related to session path adjustment.

11. A network energy saving method, applied to the third function, comprising: Second information sent by the first function is received, where the second information is used to trigger an operation related to energy saving of a fourth function device.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The second information includes at least one of the following: Network configuration adjustment information; CPU resource adjustment information; Equipment capacity adjustment information; Device sleep information.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein The method further comprises: reducing CPU usage or CPU resources of the fourth function; and / or, Turn off / release the fourth function.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein The method further comprises: Receive fifth information sent by the fourth function, where the fifth information is used to indicate whether the fourth function can complete or cannot complete operations related to device energy saving.

15. A network energy saving method, applied to the sixth function, comprising: When a first PDU session of a first terminal is established, obtaining sixth information of the first terminal, the sixth information including network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session; determining, based on the sixth information, seventh information of the first terminal, where the seventh information represents an energy saving preference of the first terminal, and the energy saving preference is associated with quality of service (QoS); Determining, based on the seventh information, eighth information of the first terminal, the eighth information including flow information related to network energy consumption; The eighth information is sent to the seventh function, so that the seventh function performs network energy consumption billing on the first terminal based on the eighth information.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein The acquiring sixth information of the first terminal includes: Sending ninth information to the first function, where the ninth information is used to request a subscription to network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session; The sixth information sent by the first function is received, where the sixth information is sent by the first function when a preset trigger condition is met.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The determining, based on the sixth information, the seventh information of the first terminal includes: Sending tenth information to the eighth function, where the tenth information includes the sixth information, and the tenth information is used to query the contract information associated with network energy consumption and QoS of the first terminal; receiving an eleventh message sent by the eighth function, where the eleventh message includes subscription information of the first terminal associated with network energy consumption and QoS; Based on the eleventh information, the seventh information is determined.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein The determining, based on the seventh information, the eighth information of the first terminal includes: Sending twelfth information to the fourth function, where the twelfth information includes the seventh information, and the twelfth information is used to collect statistics on traffic information related to network energy consumption of the first terminal; Receive the eighth information sent by the fourth function.

19. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein: The sixth information includes at least one of the following: Network energy consumption information based on the first PDU session statistics; Network energy consumption information based on statistics collected by a network function associated with the first PDU session; Based on network energy consumption information collected by a radio access network RAN ​​node associated with the first PDU session; Network energy consumption information based on statistics of the network slice associated with the first PDU session; Network energy consumption information based on statistics of the QoS flow associated with the first PDU session; Based on network energy consumption information collected by an application associated with the first PDU session.

20. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein The seventh information includes at least one of the following: Access type information; Connection rate information; Communication capability information.

21. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein In a case where the seventh information represents that the energy saving preference of the first terminal includes adjusting the QoS level during energy saving, the method further includes: Determining thirteenth information based on the eleventh information and the sixth information, wherein the eleventh information includes subscription information associated with network energy consumption and QoS of the first terminal, the second information is determined based on the eleventh information, and the thirteenth information represents the adjusted QoS level; Send fourteenth information to the second function, where the fourteenth information includes the thirteenth information, and the fourteenth information is used to request an update of the QoS policy of the first PDU session.

22. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein The method further comprises: When the first PDU session is updated, obtaining updated sixth information; When the updated sixth information meets the business requirements, the fifteenth information is sent to the seventh function, the fifteenth information includes the updated sixth information, and the fifteenth information is used to request the seventh function to update the network energy consumption billing of the first terminal according to the updated sixth information.

23. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein In a case where the seventh information represents that the energy saving preference of the first terminal includes adjusting the QoS level during energy saving, the method further includes: When the first PDU session is updated, obtaining updated sixth information; If the updated sixth information does not meet the service requirements, adjust the QoS level until the updated sixth information meets the service requirements; or When the updated sixth information meets the business requirements, the fifteenth information is sent to the seventh function, the fifteenth information includes the updated sixth information, and the fifteenth information is used to request the seventh function to update the network energy consumption billing of the first terminal according to the updated sixth information.

24. A network energy saving method, applied to a first function, comprising: When a first PDU session of the first terminal is established, receiving ninth information sent by the sixth function, where the ninth information is used to request a subscription to network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session; Determining sixth information based on the ninth information, the sixth information including network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session; When a preset trigger condition is met, the sixth information is sent to the sixth function.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein The sixth information includes at least one of the following: Network energy consumption information based on the first PDU session statistics; Network energy consumption information based on statistics collected by a network function associated with the first PDU session; Based on network energy consumption information collected by a RAN node associated with the first PDU session; Network energy consumption information based on statistics of the network slice associated with the first PDU session; Network energy consumption information based on statistics of the QoS flow associated with the first PDU session; Based on network energy consumption information collected by an application associated with the first PDU session.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein The method further comprises: The sixth information is sent to the seventh function, so that the seventh function performs network energy consumption billing on the first terminal based on the sixth information.

27. The method according to claim 24, wherein The method further comprises: determining seventh information of the first terminal, where the seventh information represents an energy-saving preference of the first terminal, and the energy-saving preference is associated with QoS; Determining a first instruction based on the sixth information and the seventh information, where the first instruction is used to perform energy-saving optimization, and the first instruction includes a device-level and / or user-level instruction; The first instruction is sent to the first node, so that the first node performs device-level and / or user-level energy-saving optimization by using the first instruction.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein The seventh information includes at least one of the following: Access type information; Connection rate information; Communication capability information.

29. The method according to claim 27, wherein The first node includes at least one of the following: one or more RAN nodes; one or more terminals; one or more network functions; The third function.

30. A network energy-saving device, comprising: A first sending unit is configured to send first information to the second function, where the first information is used to perform operations related to session path adjustment; And / or, configured to send second information to the third function, where the second information is used to trigger related operations for energy saving of the fourth function device.

31. A network energy-saving device, comprising: a first receiving unit, configured to receive first information sent by a first function, where the first information is used to perform operations related to session path adjustment; The second sending unit is configured to send third information to the sixth function, where the third information is related to the first information.

32. A network energy-saving device, comprising: The second receiving unit is configured to receive third information sent by the second function, where the third information includes at least one of the following: Terminal identification; User data traffic information; User connection status information; PDU session identifier; One or more DNAI messages.

33. A network energy-saving device, comprising: The third receiving unit is configured to receive second information sent by the first function, where the second information is used to trigger related operations on energy saving of the fourth function device.

34. A network energy-saving device, comprising: an acquiring unit, configured to acquire sixth information of the first terminal when a first PDU session of the first terminal is established, the sixth information including network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session; a first preference unit configured to determine seventh information of the first terminal based on the sixth information, wherein the seventh information represents an energy-saving preference of the first terminal, and the energy-saving preference is associated with QoS; a flow unit configured to determine eighth information of the first terminal based on the seventh information, wherein the eighth information includes flow information related to network energy consumption; The third sending unit is configured to send the eighth information to the seventh function, so that the seventh function performs network energy consumption billing on the first terminal based on the eighth information.

35. A network energy-saving device, comprising: A fourth receiving unit is configured to receive, when the first PDU session of the first terminal is established, ninth information sent by the sixth function, where the ninth information is used to request a subscription to network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session; a statistical unit configured to determine sixth information based on the ninth information, the sixth information comprising network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session; The fourth sending unit is configured to send the sixth information to the sixth function when a preset trigger condition is met.

36. A first function, comprising: a first communication interface and a first processor; wherein, The first communication interface is configured to send first information to the second function, where the first information is used to perform operations related to session path adjustment; and / or is configured to send second information to the third function, where the second information is used to trigger operations related to energy saving of a fourth function device; and / or, The first processor is configured to receive ninth information sent by the sixth function through the first communication interface when the first PDU session of the first terminal is established, and the ninth information is used to request subscription to the network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session; determine sixth information based on the ninth information, and the sixth information includes the network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session; and send the sixth information to the sixth function through the first communication interface when a preset trigger condition is met.

37. A second function comprising: A second communication interface and a second processor; wherein, The second communication interface is configured as follows: receiving first information sent by a first function, where the first information is used to perform operations related to session path adjustment; Third information is sent to a sixth function, where the third information is related to the first information.

38. A sixth function, comprising: A third communication interface and a third processor; wherein, The third communication interface is configured to receive third information sent by the second function, where the third information includes at least one of the following: Terminal identification; User data traffic information; User connection status information; PDU session identifier; One or more DNAI information; and / or, The third processor is configured to obtain sixth information of the first terminal through the third communication interface when the first PDU session of the first terminal is established, the sixth information including network energy consumption information associated with the first PDU session; determine seventh information of the first terminal based on the sixth information, the seventh information representing the energy-saving preference of the first terminal, and the energy-saving preference is associated with QoS; determine eighth information of the first terminal based on the seventh information, the eighth information including traffic information related to network energy consumption; and send the eighth information to the seventh function through the third communication interface, so that the seventh function performs network energy consumption billing for the first terminal based on the eighth information.

39. A third function comprising: A fourth communication interface and a fourth processor; wherein, The fourth communication interface is configured to receive second information sent by the first function, where the second information is used to trigger operations related to energy saving of the fourth function device.

40. A first function, comprising: a first processor and a first memory configured to store a computer program executable on the processor, Wherein, when the first processor is configured to run the computer program, it executes the steps of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 3, or executes the steps of the method described in any one of claims 24 to 29.

41. A second function comprising: a second processor and a second memory configured to store a computer program executable on the processor, Wherein, the second processor is configured to execute the steps of the method according to any one of claims 4 to 6 when running the computer program.

42. A sixth function, comprising: a third processor and a third memory configured to store a computer program capable of being executed on the processor, Wherein, the third processor is configured to execute the steps of the method described in any one of claims 7 to 10, or execute the steps of the method described in any one of claims 15 to 23 when running the computer program.

43. A third function comprising: a fourth processor and a fourth memory configured to store a computer program capable of being executed on the processor, The fourth processor is configured to execute the steps of the method according to any one of claims 11 to 14 when running the computer program.

44. A storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the computer program implements the steps of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 3, or the steps of the method described in any one of claims 4 to 6, or the steps of the method described in any one of claims 7 to 10, or the steps of the method described in any one of claims 11 to 14, or the steps of the method described in any one of claims 15 to 23, or the steps of the method described in any one of claims 24 to 29.

45. A computer program product comprising a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 3, or implements the steps of the method described in any one of claims 4 to 6, or implements the steps of the method described in any one of claims 7 to 10, or implements the steps of the method described in any one of claims 11 to 14, or implements the steps of the method described in any one of claims 15 to 23, or implements the steps of the method described in any one of claims 24 to 29.

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