Communication method and apparatus, and storage medium and computer program product

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of communications. Disclosed are a communication method and apparatus, and a storage medium and a computer program product. The method comprises: if it is determined that the execution of on-satellite direct communication between a first terminal and a second terminal cannot be continued, sending first information to a PCF, wherein the first information is used for indicating the use of a ground anchor UPF to process a user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal.

Description

A communication method, apparatus, storage medium and computer program product

[0001] The present disclosure claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202410420242.X entitled "A communication method, apparatus, storage medium and computer program product" filed on April 9, 2024 with the China Patent Office, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of communication, and particularly relates to a communication method, apparatus, storage medium and computer program product. BACKGROUND

[0003] User Equipment (UE)-Satellite-UE (UE-Satellite-UE, or on-satellite direct communication) communication refers to UE under the service of one or more satellites to communicate with each other (Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS call service)) when user plane traffic does not pass through a ground network.

[0004] In the process of UE-SAT-UE communication, due to satellite movement or satellite switching and other factors, UE-SAT-UE communication may not be able to continue. In this case, how to ensure the communication between terminals to improve the experience of terminal users is a technical problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, apparatus, storage medium and computer program product to improve the experience of terminal users.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method applied to a first network element, comprising:

[0007] If it is determined that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot continue to be performed, first information is sent to a policy control function (PCF);

[0008] The first information is used to indicate that user plane traffic between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through a ground anchor point user plane function (UPF).

[0009] In some embodiments, the first network element comprises a Session Management Function (SMF), and the SMF determines that the on-board direct communication between the terminals cannot be continued by one or more of the following manners:

[0010] receiving second information sent by the first on-board UPF and / or the second on-board UPF, and determining that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued according to the second information;

[0011] if it is determined that the first on-board UPF and / or the second on-board UPF fails, determining that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued;

[0012] if it is determined that the service satellite of the first terminal and / or the service satellite of the second terminal switches and there is no inter-satellite link between the service satellites after the switching, determining that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued;

[0013] wherein the first on-board UPF and the second on-board UPF are split UPFs corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal respectively.

[0014] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0015] deleting the first on-board UPF and / or the second on-board UPF from a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session; or

[0016] modifying a split rule of the first on-board UPF and / or the second on-board UPF.

[0017] In some embodiments, the first network element comprises a Proxy-Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF), and the P-CSCF determines that the on-board direct communication between the terminals cannot be continued by one or more of the following manners:

[0018] receiving third information sent by the first on-board IMS Access Gateway (AGW) and / or the second on-board IMS AGW, and determining that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued according to the third information;

[0019] if it is determined that the first on-board IMS AGW and / or the second on-board IMS AGW fails, determining that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued;

[0020] The first on-board IMS AGW and the second on-board IMS AGW are respectively a serving media access gateway corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0021] In some embodiments, the method further includes:

[0022] Selectively selecting a ground IMS AGW as a serving media access gateway of the first terminal and / or the second terminal.

[0023] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method applied to a PCF, including:

[0024] Receiving first information sent by a first network element;

[0025] According to the first information, sending fourth information to a second network element;

[0026] The first information is sent in a case where it is determined that the first network element cannot continue to perform on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal, and the first information and the fourth information are used to indicate that user plane traffic between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through a ground anchor point UPF.

[0027] In some embodiments, the first network element includes an SMF, and the second network element includes a P-CSCF; the receiving first information sent by a first network element includes:

[0028] Receiving the first information sent by the SMF.

[0029] In some embodiments, the according to the first information, sending fourth information to a second network element includes:

[0030] According to the first information, sending the fourth information to the P-CSCF.

[0031] In some embodiments, the first network element includes a P-CSCF, and the second network element includes an SMF; the receiving first information sent by a first network element includes:

[0032] Receiving the first information sent by the P-CSCF.

[0033] In some embodiments, the according to the first information, sending fourth information to a second network element includes:

[0034] According to the first information, sending the fourth information to the SMF.

[0035] In a third aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method applied to a P-CSCF, including:

[0036] receive fourth information sent by a PCF, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate that user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by a ground anchor point UPF;

[0037] add an identifier in a session charging record according to the fourth information, wherein the identifier is used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by the ground anchor point UPF.

[0038] In a fourth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method applied to a SMF, comprising:

[0039] receive fourth information sent by a PCF, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate that user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by a ground anchor point UPF;

[0040] delete the first space UPF and / or the second space UPF from a PDU session according to the fourth information; or modify the shunt rule of the first space UPF and / or the second space UPF;

[0041] The first space UPF and the second space UPF are respectively shunt UPFs corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0042] In a fifth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication device applied to a first network element, comprising a memory, a transceiver and a processor.

[0043] The memory is used to store computer programs; the transceiver is used to transceive data under the control of the processor; and the processor is used to read the computer programs in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0044] if it is determined that the space direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued, send first information to a PCF;

[0045] The first information is used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by a ground anchor point UPF.

[0046] In some embodiments, the first network element comprises a SMF, and the operations further comprise determining that the space direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued by one or more of the following ways:

[0047] receive second information sent by the first space UPF and / or the second space UPF; and determine that the space direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued according to the second information;

[0048] if it is determined that the first space UPF and / or the second space UPF fails, it is determined that the space direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued.

[0049] if it is determined that the serving satellite of the first terminal and / or the second terminal has switched and there is no inter-satellite link between the serving satellites after the switching, determining that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued;

[0050] The first on-satellite UPF and the second on-satellite UPF are respectively split UPFs corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0051] In some embodiments, the operations further include:

[0052] deleting the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF from the PDU session; or

[0053] modifying the split rule of the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF.

[0054] In some embodiments, the first network element includes a P-CSCF, and the operations further include determining that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued by one or more of the following:

[0055] receiving third information sent by a first on-satellite IP multimedia subsystem access gateway (IMS AGW) and / or a second on-satellite IMS AGW, and determining that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued according to the third information;

[0056] if it is determined that the first on-satellite IMS AGW and / or the second on-satellite IMS AGW has failed, determining that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued;

[0057] The first on-satellite IMS AGW and the second on-satellite IMS AGW are respectively serving media access gateways corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0058] In some embodiments, the operations further include:

[0059] selecting a ground IMS AGW as a serving media access gateway of the first terminal and / or the second terminal.

[0060] In a sixth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication apparatus applied to a PCF, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor:

[0061] The memory is configured to store a computer program; the transceiver is configured to transceive data under control of the processor; and the processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0062] receive first information sent by a first network element;

[0063] send fourth information to a second network element according to the first information;

[0064] The first information is sent in a case where it is determined that the first network element cannot continue to perform on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal, and the first information and the fourth information are used to indicate that user plane traffic between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through a ground anchor point UPF.

[0065] In some embodiments, the first network element includes an SMF, and the second network element includes a P-CSCF; the operations further include:

[0066] receiving the first information sent by the SMF.

[0067] In some embodiments, the operations further include:

[0068] sending the fourth information to the P-CSCF according to the first information.

[0069] In some embodiments, the first network element includes a P-CSCF, and the second network element includes an SMF; the operations further include:

[0070] receiving the first information sent by the P-CSCF.

[0071] In a seventh aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication apparatus applied to a P-CSCF, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor:

[0072] The memory is configured to store a computer program; the transceiver is configured to transceive data under control of the processor; and the processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0073] receiving fourth information sent by a PCF, where the fourth information is used to indicate that user plane traffic between a first terminal and a second terminal is processed through a ground anchor point UPF;

[0074] adding an identifier in a session record according to the fourth information, where the identifier is used to indicate that user plane traffic between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through the ground anchor point UPF.

[0075] In an eighth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication apparatus applied to an SMF, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor:

[0076] The memory is configured to store a computer program; the transceiver is configured to transceive data under control of the processor; and the processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0077] receive fourth information sent by the PCF, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate that user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by the ground anchor point UPF;

[0078] delete the first on-orbit UPF and / or the second on-orbit UPF from the PDU session according to the fourth information; or modify the offloading rule of the first on-orbit UPF and / or the second on-orbit UPF;

[0079] The first on-orbit UPF and the second on-orbit UPF are respectively the offloading UPF corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0080] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication apparatus applied to a first network element, comprising:

[0081] The first sending unit is configured to send first information to the PCF if it is determined that the on-orbit direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued.

[0082] The first information is used to indicate that user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by the ground anchor point UPF.

[0083] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication apparatus applied to a PCF, comprising:

[0084] The first receiving unit is configured to receive first information sent by a first network element.

[0085] The first sending unit is configured to send fourth information to a second network element according to the first information.

[0086] The first information is sent in a case where it is determined that the first network element determines that the on-orbit direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued, and the first information and the fourth information are used to indicate that user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by the ground anchor point UPF.

[0087] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication apparatus applied to a P-CSCF, comprising:

[0088] The first receiving unit is configured to receive fourth information sent by the PCF, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate that user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by the ground anchor point UPF.

[0089] The first processing unit is configured to add an identifier in a session according to the fourth information, wherein the identifier is used to indicate that user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by the ground anchor point UPF.

[0090] In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication apparatus applied to an SMF, comprising:

[0091] a first receiving unit configured to receive fourth information sent by a PCF, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate that user plane service between a first terminal and a second terminal is processed by a ground anchor point UPF;

[0092] a first processing unit configured to delete a first on-orbit UPF and / or a second on-orbit UPF from a PDU session according to the fourth information, or modify a split rule of the first on-orbit UPF and / or the second on-orbit UPF;

[0093] wherein the first on-orbit UPF and the second on-orbit UPF are split UPFs corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal respectively.

[0094] In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a processor-readable storage medium, wherein the readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the steps in the communication method described above.

[0095] In a fourteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer program product comprising computer instructions, and the computer instructions are executed by a processor to implement the steps in the communication method described above.

[0096] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, if it is determined that the on-orbit direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued, the first network element sends first information to the PCF, wherein the first information is used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by a ground anchor point user plane function UPF. Thus, when it is determined that the on-orbit direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued, the user plane service between the terminals can be transferred back to the ground UPF for processing, so as to ensure the communication between the terminals. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0097] FIG. 1 is one of the scene schematic diagrams of an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0098] FIG. 2 is another of the scene schematic diagrams of an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0099] FIG. 3 is a third of the scene schematic diagrams of an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0100] FIG. 4 is one of the flowcharts of the communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0101] FIG. 5 is another of the flowcharts of the communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0102] FIG. 6 is a third of the flowcharts of the communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0103] FIG. 7 is a fourth flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0104] FIG. 8 is a fourth scenario diagram according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0105] FIG. 9 is a fifth flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0106] FIG. 10 is a fifth scenario diagram according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0107] FIG. 11 is a sixth flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0108] FIG. 12 is a seventh flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0109] FIG. 13 is a structure diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0110] FIG. 14 is a second structure diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0111] FIG. 15 is a third structure diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0112] FIG. 16 is a fourth structure diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0113] FIG. 17 is a fifth structure diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0114] FIG. 18 is a sixth structure diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0115] FIG. 19 is a seventh structure diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0116] FIG. 20 is an eighth structure diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0117] In the present disclosure, the term “and / or” describes an association relationship of associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone. The character “ / ” generally represents an “or” relationship between the front and rear associated objects.

[0118] In the present disclosure, the term “a plurality of” means two or more, and other quantifiers are similar.

[0119] With reference to the drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0120] In the related art, one premise of satellite research is that the base station is on the satellite (5G base station (gNB) is deployed on the satellite), and other network elements such as 5G core network elements and IMS core network elements are deployed on the ground. In this deployment mode, when the terminal accesses the 5G network through the satellite, the control plane service of the terminal is accessed to the ground (Access and Mobility Management Function, AMF) through the gNB on the satellite, and the user plane service is accessed to the ground UPF by the gNB. When the terminals communicate (IMS call), the path of the user plane service (call media data flow) is as shown in FIG. 1.

[0121] In FIG. 1, UE1 and UE2 access the ground 5G and IMS network through satellite Satellite1 / gNB1 and satellite Satellite2 / gNB2 respectively, and the media data flow between the terminals is interacted through the satellite and the ground network. The data flow is transmitted between the satellite and the ground for several times, and for the call service with high real-time requirement, the user experience will be reduced. Therefore, in order to reduce the delay, it is necessary to reduce the data interaction between the satellite and the ground, and after the terminal sends the data packet to the satellite, the data is exchanged on the satellite or between the satellites, and is directly forwarded to the target terminal, that is, UE-SAT-UE communication is realized, and the path of the user plane service is as shown in FIG. 2.

[0122] Since the user plane traffic of the terminal is transmitted to the UPF through the gNB, and is sent to the data network (Data Network, DN) or the IMS network by the UPF. Therefore, in order to realize UE-SAT-UE communication, at least the UPF needs to be deployed on the satellite. The UPF can have multiple deployment modes, and the UPF1 and UPF2 are deployed on the Satellite1 and Satelliet2 respectively in FIG. 2. The user plane traffic between the terminals is transmitted through the UPF1 and UPF2 and directly forwarded by the inter-satellite link. Compared with the mode of FIG. 1, the data transmission delay is reduced by 2 times of satellite-ground transmission.

[0123] In the IMS network, the media plane function IMS-AGW can implement traffic monitoring, codec conversion and other functions. Therefore, when the media traffic is required to pass through the IMS-AGW, in order to realize UE-SAT-UE communication, the IMS-AGW can also be deployed on the satellite, as shown in FIG. 3. The IMS-AGW can be deployed in various flexible ways, such as the IMS-AGW being deployed on a satellite to serve terminals accessing from multiple satellites, or the IMS-AGW being deployed on each satellite, etc. In FIG. 3, IMS-AGW1 and IMS-AGW2 are deployed on Satellite1 and Satellite2.

[0124] In the UE-SAT-UE communication process, due to factors such as satellite movement or satellite switching, if the on-satellite data forwarding cannot continue, the media data needs to be returned to the ground for forwarding.

[0125] To solve the above problems, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method and device to improve the experience of terminal users.

[0126] The method and device are based on the same application concept. Since the principles of the method and device for solving problems are similar, the implementation of the device and the method can be mutually referred to, and the repeated parts will not be described again.

[0127] Referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a communication method provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, applied to a first network element, as shown in FIG. 4, comprising the following steps:

[0128] Step 401: If it is determined that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot continue to be performed, first information is sent to the PCF.

[0129] The first information is used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through the ground anchor point UPF.

[0130] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first network element can be an SMF or a P-CSCF.

[0131] If the first network element is an SMF, the SMF determines that the on-satellite direct communication between terminals cannot continue to be performed in one or more of the following ways:

[0132] (1) receiving second information sent by a first on-satellite UPF and / or a second on-satellite UPF, wherein the second information is used to indicate that the opposite end of the interface between the first on-satellite UPF and the second on-satellite UPF is unreachable; and determining that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot continue to be performed according to the second information. The first on-satellite UPF and the second on-satellite UPF are respectively the split UPF corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0133] The interface between the first on-board UPF and the second on-board UPF can be an N19 interface or a newly defined Nxx interface. Here, the implementation of the second message is not limited, and can be implemented by any message between the SMF and the on-board UPF. For example, the sending of the second information can be implemented by a Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) Node Report procedure.

[0134] For example, for the scenario where the gNB and UPF are deployed on the satellite, as the satellite moves, the inter-satellite link (ISL) between the two satellites can become unavailable, and the communication between the terminals is affected. At this time, the first on-board UPF or the second on-board UPF can send the second information to the SMF. Correspondingly, the SMF receives the second information.

[0135] (2) If it is determined that the first on-board UPF and / or the second on-board UPF fails, it is determined that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued.

[0136] Since there is an interface between the SMF and the UPF, the SMF can determine whether the first on-board UPF and / or the second on-board UPF fails by detecting the interface. If it is determined that the first on-board UPF and / or the second on-board UPF fails, it is determined that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued.

[0137] For example, for the scenario where the gNB and UPF are deployed on the satellite, the on-board UPF fails, and the communication between the terminals is affected. At this time, the SMF can determine whether the first on-board UPF and / or the second on-board UPF fails by detecting the interface with the UPF.

[0138] (3) If it is determined that the service satellite of the first terminal and / or the second terminal has switched and there is no inter-satellite link between the service satellites after the switching, it is determined that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued.

[0139] For example, the SMF can know whether there is an inter-satellite link between the service satellites after the switching according to the satellite ID (identifier) received during the switching process, in combination with ephemeris information and inter-satellite interconnection information, etc. If it is determined that there is no inter-satellite link, it is determined that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued.

[0140] In this case, the first information sent by the SMF to the PCF is used to indicate that the user plane traffic between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by the ground anchor UPF, and the first information is used to indicate that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal is terminated.

[0141] For example, for the scenario that the gNB and the UPF are deployed on the satellite, as the satellite or the terminal moves, the serving satellite of the terminal switches, and there is no inter-satellite link between the serving satellites after the switching, and the communication between the terminals is affected. At this time, the SMF can know whether there is an inter-satellite link between the serving satellites after the switching according to the satellite ID (identifier) received in the switching process, in combination with ephemeris information and inter-satellite interconnection information, etc.

[0142] In some embodiments, the SMF can also delete the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF from the PDU session, or modify the offloading rules of the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF. Thus, the user plane traffic between the first terminal and the second terminal can be processed using the ground anchor UPF.

[0143] If the first network element is a P-CSCF, the P-CSCF determines that the on-satellite direct communication between the terminals cannot be continued in one or more of the following ways:

[0144] (1) receiving third information sent by the first on-satellite IMS AGW and / or the second on-satellite IMS AGW, wherein the third information is used to indicate that the first on-satellite IMS AGW and the second on-satellite IMS AGW cannot communicate; and determining that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued according to the third information. The first on-satellite IMS AGW and the second on-satellite IMS AGW are the serving media access gateways corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal, respectively.

[0145] Here, the implementation of the third message is not limited, and can be implemented by any message between the IMS AGW and the P-CSCF.

[0146] For example, for the scenario that the gNB, the UPF, and the IMS-AGW are deployed on the satellite, as the satellite or the terminal moves, the terminal switches the serving satellite or the inter-satellite link is abnormal, causing the on-satellite IMS-AGWs to be unable to communicate, and the call between the terminals will be affected. The first on-satellite IMS AGW or the second on-satellite IMS AGW can send third information to the P-CSCF. Correspondingly, the P-CSCF receives the third information.

[0147] (2) If it is determined that the first on-board IMS AGW and / or the second on-board IMS AGW fails, it is determined that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued.

[0148] Since there is an interface between the IMS AGW and the P-CSCF, the P-CSCF can determine whether the first on-board IMS AGW and / or the second on-board IMS AGW fails through detection of the interface. If it is determined that the first on-board IMS AGW and / or the second on-board IMS AGW fails, it is determined that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued.

[0149] In this case, the first information sent by the P-CSCF to the PCF is used to indicate that the user plane traffic between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through a ground anchor UPF, including: the first information is used to indicate that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal is terminated or the on-board IMS AGW has been removed.

[0150] For example, for the scenario that the gNB, the UPF and the IMS-AGW are deployed on the satellite, as the satellite moves, the on-board IMS-AGW fails, and the communication between terminals is affected. At this time, the P-CSCF can determine whether the first on-board IMS AGW and / or the second on-board IMS AGW fails through detection of the interface between the IMS AGW.

[0151] In some embodiments, the P-CSCF can also select a ground IMS AGW as a serving media access gateway of the first terminal and / or the second terminal. Thus, the user plane traffic between the first terminal and the second terminal can be processed using a ground anchor UPF.

[0152] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, if it is determined that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued, the first network element sends first information to the PCF, where the first information is used to indicate that the user plane traffic between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through a ground anchor user plane function UPF. Thus, when it is determined that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued, the user plane traffic between terminals can be transferred back to the ground UPF for processing, so that the communication between terminals can be guaranteed.

[0153] Referring to FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a communication method provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, applied to a PCF, as shown in FIG. 5, including the following steps:

[0154] Step 501, receiving first information sent by a first network element.

[0155] Step 502, according to the first information, sending fourth information to the second network element.

[0156] The first information is sent in a case where it is determined that the first network element cannot continue to perform the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal, and the first information and the fourth information are used to indicate that user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through a ground anchor point UPF.

[0157] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first network element can be an SMF or a P-CSCF. Correspondingly, if the first network element is an SMF, the second network element can be a P-CSCF. If the first network element is a P-CSCF, the second network element can be an SMF.

[0158] If the first network element is an SMF and the second network element is a P-CSCF, in step 501, the PCF receives the first information sent by the SMF; the first information is used to indicate that user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through a ground anchor point UPF, and includes that the first information is used to indicate that on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal is terminated.

[0159] In this case, in step 502, the PCF can send the fourth information to the P-CSCF according to the first information; the fourth information is used to indicate that user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through a ground anchor point UPF, and includes that the fourth information is used to indicate that on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal is terminated.

[0160] If the first network element is a P-CSCF and the second network element is an SMF, in step 501, the PCF receives the first information sent by the P-CSCF; the first information is used to indicate that user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through a ground anchor point UPF, and includes that the first information is used to indicate that on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal is terminated or that an on-satellite IMS AGW has been removed.

[0161] In this case, in step 502, the PCF can send the fourth information to the SMF according to the first information; the fourth information is used to indicate that user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through a ground anchor point UPF, and includes that the fourth information is used to indicate that on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal is terminated or that an on-satellite IMS AGW has been removed.

[0162] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, if it is determined that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued, the first network element sends first information to the PCF, where the first information is used to indicate that a user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by a ground anchor point user plane function (UPF). In this way, when it is determined that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued, the user plane service between the terminals can be transferred back to the ground UPF for processing, so that the communication between the terminals can be ensured.

[0163] Referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a communication method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, applied to a P-CSCF, as shown in FIG. 6, the method includes the following steps:

[0164] In step 601, fourth information sent by the PCF is received, where the fourth information is used to indicate that a user plane service between a first terminal and a second terminal is processed by a ground anchor point UPF.

[0165] The fourth information used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by the ground anchor point UPF includes that the fourth information is used to indicate that on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal is terminated.

[0166] In step 602, according to the fourth information, an identifier is added in a session message, where the identifier is used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by the ground anchor point UPF.

[0167] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, when it is determined that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued, the user plane service between the terminals can be transferred back to the ground UPF for processing, so that the communication between the terminals can be ensured.

[0168] Referring to FIG. 7, FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a communication method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, applied to an SMF, as shown in FIG. 7, the method includes the following steps:

[0169] In step 701, fourth information sent by the PCF is received, where the fourth information is used to indicate that a user plane service between a first terminal and a second terminal is processed by a ground anchor point UPF.

[0170] The first on-satellite UPF and the second on-satellite UPF are respectively split UPFs corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal. The fourth information used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by the ground anchor point UPF includes that the fourth information is used to indicate that on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal is terminated or that an on-satellite IMS AGW has been removed.

[0171] At step 702, according to the fourth information, the first on-board UPF and / or the second on-board UPF are deleted from the PDU session, or the offloading rule of the first on-board UPF and / or the second on-board UPF is modified.

[0172] Therefore, the user plane traffic between the first terminal and the second terminal can be processed by the ground anchor UPF.

[0173] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, when it is determined that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued, the user plane traffic between the terminals can be transferred back to the ground UPF for processing, so that the communication between the terminals can be guaranteed.

[0174] In the following, the scheme of the embodiments of the present disclosure is described in combination with different embodiments.

[0175] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the process of performing UE-SAT-UE communication, when the on-board data forwarding cannot be continued, the media data is transferred back to the ground path.

[0176] In one embodiment, the gNB and the UPF are deployed on the satellite, and the inter-satellite link is interrupted. The scenario to which the embodiment is applied is shown in FIG. 2. The gNB and the UPF are deployed on the satellite, and UE1 and UE2 have established UE-SAT-UE communication. The user plane data between the terminals is routed by the UPF. As shown in FIG. 8, during the call, with the movement of Satellte1 or Satellte2, the inter-satellite link (ISL) between the two satellites may be unavailable, or the on-board UPF may be faulty, and the call between the terminals will be affected. At this time, the media stream data between the terminals needs to be transferred back to the ground network so that the call can continue. Referring to FIG. 9, FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, which includes the following steps.

[0177] Step 901. UE1 and UE2 have established a UE-SAT-UE call. UE1 and UE2 are served by Satellite1 and Satellite2 respectively, the anchor UPF is on ground, the ground SMF inserts on-board UPF1 and UPF2 as split UPF for UE1 and UE2, GTP tunnel is established between UPF1 and UPF2 for direct interaction of call media data; the interface between UPF1 and UPF2 can reuse N19 interface in 5G LAN, or can be a newly defined Nxx interface; the serving UPF, PCF and P-CSCF of the two UEs can be the same network element, or can be different network elements, for the sake of brevity, no distinction is made in the process. The serving SMF of UE1 and UE2 can be one SMF, or the same I / V-SMF, or different SMFs in the same SMF set (SMF Set).

[0178] Step 902. At this time, the inter-UE media data flow communication path is: UE1<->gNB1 (SAT1)<->UPF1 (SAT1)<->UPF2 (SAT2)<->gNB2 (SAT2)<->UE2.

[0179] Step 903. Due to satellite movement or other reasons, the link between Satellite1 and Satellite2 is unavailable.

[0180] Step 904a / 904b. UPF1 or UPF2 detects that the GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP) tunnel between them is unavailable, and reports the event to the SMF. UPF1 and / or UPF2 can send second information to the SMF indicating that the interface peer of UPF1 and UPF2 is unreachable, for example, using the existing PFCP Node Report procedure, indicating "N19 / Nxx interface peer unreachable".

[0181] Step 905a / 905b. After the SMF receives the above indication from UPF1 and / or UPF2, it judges that the current UE-SAT-UE communication path cannot continue, and there is no other on-board UPF that can be selected as an alternative split UPF, so it deletes the inserted on-board split UPF1 and / or UPF2, or modifies the split rule of UPF1 and / or UPF2, and forwards the user plane traffic of UE1 and UE2 to the ground UPF.

[0182] In another case, if UPF1 or UPF2 fails to work normally, the N4 connection between SMF and UPF1 or UPF2 is interrupted, and the SMF will delete the inserted UPF1 or UPF2, and the user plane traffic of the UE is forwarded by the ground UPF.

[0183] Step 906. The SMF sends the first information, such as a policy update (Npcf SMPolicyControl_Update service operation), to the PCF, which contains an indication that "UE-SAT-UE communication has terminated".

[0184] Step 907. The PCF sends the fourth information, including an indication that "UE-SAT-UE communication has terminated", to the P-CSCF using the Rx interface (Re-Auth-Request (RAR) / Re-Auth-Answer (RAA) procedure) or the N5 interface (Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Notify operation). The IMS system can take further actions based on this indication, such as identifying subsequent traffic forwarding via the ground in the call record.

[0185] Step 908. After this, the inter-UE call media data path will be forwarded via the ground network element. After the SMF deletes the UPF1 and UPF2 on the satellite, the path is updated as follows: UE1 <-> gNB1 (SAT1) <-> UPF (ground) <-> gNB2 (SAT2) <-> UE2.

[0186] In one embodiment, the gNB and UPF are deployed on the satellite, and the service satellite is switched. The application scenario of the embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 2, the gNB and UPF are deployed on the satellite, UE1 and UE2 have established UE-SAT-UE communication, and the inter-UE user plane data is routed by the UPF. As shown in FIG. 10, during the call, as the satellite or UE moves, the UE switches the service satellite. After switching, there is no inter-satellite link or the inter-satellite link is unavailable between the satellites, and the inter-UE call will be affected. In FIG. 10, taking UE1 as an example, the service satellite is switched from Satellite1 to Satellite3, and there is no inter-satellite link between Satellite3 and Satellite1 / Satellite2. At this time, the inter-UE media stream data needs to be returned to the ground network to enable the call to continue. Referring to FIG. 11, which is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method includes:

[0187] Step 1101. UE1 and UE2 have established a UE-SAT-UE call. UE1 and UE2 are served by Satellite1 and Satellite2 respectively, the anchor UPF is on ground, the ground SMF inserts on-board UPF1 and UPF2 as offload UPF for UE1 and UE2, GTP tunnel is established between UPF1 and UPF2 for direct interaction of call media data; the interface between UPF1 and UPF2 can reuse N19 interface in 5G LAN, or can be a newly defined Nxx interface; the serving UPF, PCF and P-CSCF of the two UEs can be the same network element, or can be different network elements, for the sake of brevity, the difference is not distinguished in the process. The serving SMF of UE1 and UE2 can be one SMF, or the same I / V-SMF, or different SMFs in the same SMF set (SMF Set).

[0188] Step 1102. At this time, the inter-UE media data flow communication path is: UE1<->gNB1 (SAT1)<->UPF1 (SAT1)<->UPF2 (SAT2)<->gNB2 (SAT2)<->UE2.

[0189] Step 1103. Due to satellite movement or UE movement, the serving satellite of UE1 is switched from Satellite1 to Satellite3.

[0190] Step 1104. During the switching process, the SMF determines that UE-SAT-UE communication cannot continue, for example, the SMF learns that the gNB on Satellite3 cannot interwork with UPF2 through UPF3 or other on-board UPF according to the satellite ID received during the switching process, combined with ephemeris information and interconnection information between satellites, etc. The SMF deletes the inserted UPF1, and the subsequent user plane traffic of UE1 will be forwarded by gNB3 and ground UPF.

[0191] Step 1105. The SMF deletes the inserted on-board offload UPF2, and the user plane traffic of UE2 is forwarded by the ground UPF.

[0192] Step 1106. The SMF sends first information, such as policy update (Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Update service operation), to the PCF, which contains an indication that "UE-SAT-UE communication has terminated".

[0193] Step 1107. The PCF sends the fourth information to the P-CSCF using the Rx interface (RAR / RAA message request and response procedure) or the service-based N5 interface (Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Notify operation), including an indication of "UE-SAT-UE communication has terminated". The IMS system can take further actions according to this indication, such as identifying subsequent traffic forwarding via the ground in the call record.

[0194] Step 1108. After that, the inter-UE call media data path is: UE1<->gNB3 (SAT3)<->UPF (ground)<->gNB2 (SAT2)<->UE2, and the serving satellite of UE1 is Satellite3.

[0195] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the gNB, UPF and IMS-AGW are deployed on the satellite. The scenario to which the embodiment of the present disclosure is applied is shown in FIG. 3. The gNB, UPF and IMS-AGW are deployed on the satellite, and UE1 and UE2 have established UE-SAT-UE communication. The inter-UE user plane data passes through the IMS-AGW. In this embodiment, taking an inter-satellite link anomaly as an example, refer to FIG. 12, which is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, comprising:

[0196] Step 1201. UE1 and UE2 have established a UE-SAT-UE call. UE1 and UE2 are served by Satellite1 and Satellite2 respectively, and the anchor UPF is on the ground. The ground SMF inserts UPF1 and UPF2 on the satellite as the shunt UPF of UE1 and UE2. IMS-AGW1 and IMS-AGW2 on the satellite are the media access gateways of the two UEs respectively. The serving UPF, PCF and P-CSCF of the two UEs can be the same network element or different network elements. For the sake of brevity, no distinction is made in the flowchart.

[0197] Step 1202. At this time, the inter-UE media data stream communication path is: UE1<->gNB1 (SAT1)<->UPF1 (SAT1)<->IMS-AGW1 (SAT1)<->IMS-AGW2 (SAT2)<->UPF2 (SAT2)<->gNB2 (SAT2)<->UE2.

[0198] Step 1203. Due to satellite movement or other reasons, the inter-satellite link between Satellite1 and Satellite2 is unavailable.

[0199] Step 1204a / 1204b. IMS-AGW1 or IMS-AGW2 detects media stream anomaly and reports the event to the P-CSCF.

[0200] Another case, if IMS-AGW1 or IMS-AGW2 fails to work normally, the connection between P-CSCF and IMS-AGW1 or IMS-AGW2 is interrupted.

[0201] Step 1205. P-CSCF reselects a ground IMS-AGW as a media access gateway for UE1 / UE2, and sends first information (e.g. an update message) to PCF using Rx interface (Authentication Authorization Request (AAR) / Authentication Authorization Answer (AAA) process) or service N5 interface (Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Update operation), which carries an indication indicating that “onboard IMS AGW has been removed” or “terminate UE-SAT-UE communication”.

[0202] After receiving the update request, PCF sends fourth information to SMF, e.g. resource update request (Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify service operation), which carries the above-mentioned indication indicating that “onboard IMS AGW has been removed” or “terminate UE-SAT-UE communication”.

[0203] Step 1206a / 1206b. After receiving the indication, SMF deletes the inserted onboard split UPF1 and UPF2, or modifies the split rules of UPF1 and UPF2, and the user plane traffic of UE1 and UE2 will be forwarded by ground UPF.

[0204] Step 1207. Thereafter, the inter-UE media data stream communication path will be forwarded through ground network elements. After SMF deletes the onboard UPF1 and UPF2, the path is updated as: UE1<->gNB1 (SAT1)<->UPF+IMS-AGW (ground)<->gNB2 (SAT2)<->UE2.

[0205] As can be seen from the above description, for the scenario that UE-SAT-UE communication cannot continue, the user plane traffic can be returned to the ground network, which is helpful to improve the experience of end users.

[0206] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various systems, especially the 5th-Generation (5G) system. For example, the applicable systems can be a global system of mobile communication (GSM) system, a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) general packet radio service (GPRS) system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, a long term evolution advanced (LTE-A) system, a universal mobile system (UMTS), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) system, a 5G new radio (NR) system, and the like. The various systems all include terminal devices and network devices. The system can also include a core network part, such as an evolved packet system (EPS), a 5G system (5GS), and the like.

[0207] The terminal device to which the embodiments of the present disclosure relate can refer to a device providing voice and / or data connectivity for a user in a device having a wireless connection function, a handheld device, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, etc. In different systems, the name of the terminal device can also be different. For example, in the 5G system, the terminal device can be referred to as a user equipment (UE). The wireless terminal device can communicate with one or more core networks (CN) through a radio access network (RAN). The wireless terminal device can be a mobile terminal device, such as a mobile phone (or called "cellular" phone) and a computer with a mobile terminal device, for example, a portable, pocket, handheld, computer built-in or vehicle-mounted mobile device, which exchanges language and / or data with the radio access network. For example, personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc. The wireless terminal device can also be referred to as a system, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile, a remote station, an access point, a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, a user agent, a user device, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0208] As shown in FIG. 13, the communication apparatus of the embodiments of the present disclosure applied to a first network element, comprising:

[0209] The processor 1300 is configured to read the program in the memory 1320 and execute the following process:

[0210] If it is determined that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued, the first information is sent to the PCF;

[0211] The first information is used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through the ground anchor point UPF.

[0212] The transceiver 1310 is configured to receive and transmit data under the control of the processor 1300.

[0213] In FIG. 13, the bus architecture can include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically the various circuitry of the one or more processors represented by the processor 1300 and the memory represented by the memory 1320 linked together. The bus architecture can also link various other circuitry such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuitry, which are well known in the art and thus, are not further described herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1310 can be a plurality of elements, i.e., including a transmitter and a receiver, which provides a means for communicating with various other apparatuses over a transmission medium. The processor 1300 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1320 can store data used by the processor 1300 in executing operations.

[0214] The processor 1300 can be a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and the processor can also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0215] The processor 1300 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1320 can store data used by the processor 1300 in executing operations.

[0216] In some embodiments, the first network element includes an SMF, and the process can further include one or more of the following steps:

[0217] receiving second information sent by the first on-board UPF and / or the second on-board UPF, and determining that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued according to the second information;

[0218] If it is determined that the first on-board UPF and / or the second on-board UPF fails, it is determined that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued;

[0219] If it is determined that the service satellite of the first terminal and / or the service satellite of the second terminal has switched and there is no inter-satellite link between the switched service satellites, it is determined that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued;

[0220] The first on-orbit UPF and the second on-orbit UPF are respectively split UPFs corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0221] In some embodiments, the process can further include:

[0222] deleting the first on-orbit UPF and / or the second on-orbit UPF from a PDU session; or,

[0223] modifying a split rule of the first on-orbit UPF and / or the second on-orbit UPF.

[0224] In some embodiments, the first network element includes a P-CSCF, and the process can further include one or more of the following steps:

[0225] receiving third information sent by a first on-orbit IMS AGW and / or a second on-orbit IMS AGW; and determining that the on-orbit direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued according to the third information.

[0226] determining that the on-orbit direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued if it is determined that the first on-orbit IMS AGW and / or the second on-orbit IMS AGW fails.

[0227] The first on-orbit IMS AGW and the second on-orbit IMS AGW are respectively service media access gateways corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0228] In some embodiments, the processor 1300 is further configured to read the program in the memory 1420 and perform the following steps:

[0229] selecting a ground IMS AGW as a service media access gateway of the first terminal and / or the second terminal.

[0230] It should be noted that the above device provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can realize all the method steps achieved by the above method embodiments and achieve the same technical effects. Therefore, the same parts and beneficial effects of the method embodiments will not be described in detail.

[0231] As shown in FIG. 14, the communication device of the embodiments of the present disclosure applied to a PCF includes:

[0232] The processor 1400 is configured to read the program in the memory 1420 and perform the following process:

[0233] receiving first information sent by a first network element;

[0234] sending fourth information to a second network element according to the first information;

[0235] The first information is sent in a case where it is determined that the first network element cannot continue to perform the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal, and the first information and the fourth information are used to indicate that user plane traffic between the first terminal and the second terminal is to be processed by a ground anchor point UPF.

[0236] The transceiver 1410 is configured to receive and send data under the control of the processor 1400.

[0237] In FIG. 14, the bus architecture can include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges, depending on the specific application of the processor 1400. The bus architecture links together various circuits such as the processor 1400, the memory 1420, and can link various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage stabilizers, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further. The bus interface provides an interface to the bus architecture. The transceiver 1410 can be a plurality of elements, including a transmitter and a receiver, and provides a means for communicating with various other apparatuses over a transmission medium. The processor 1400 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1420 can store data used by the processor 1400 in the execution of operations.

[0238] The processor 1400 can be a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and the processor can also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0239] The processor 1400 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1420 can store data used by the processor 1400 in the execution of operations.

[0240] In some embodiments, the first network element includes an SMF, and the second network element includes a P-CSCF; the process further includes:

[0241] The first information is sent by the SMF.

[0242] In some embodiments, the process further includes:

[0243] According to the first information, the fourth information is sent to the P-CSCF.

[0244] In some embodiments, the first network element comprises a P-CSCF, and the second network element comprises an SMF; the process further comprises:

[0245] receiving the first information sent by the P-CSCF.

[0246] In some embodiments, the process further comprises:

[0247] sending the fourth information to the SMF according to the first information.

[0248] It should be noted that the above-mentioned apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can realize all the method steps realized by the above-mentioned method embodiments, and achieve the same technical effects. Therefore, the same parts and beneficial effects of the method embodiments will not be described in detail here.

[0249] As shown in FIG. 15, the communication apparatus of the embodiments of the present disclosure applied to a P-CSCF comprises:

[0250] The processor 1500 is configured to read the program in the memory 1520 and execute the following process:

[0251] receiving fourth information sent by a PCF, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by a ground anchor point UPF;

[0252] According to the fourth information, an identifier is added in the call record, wherein the identifier is used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by the ground anchor point UPF.

[0253] The transceiver 1510 is configured to receive and send data under the control of the processor 1500.

[0254] In FIG. 15, the bus architecture can include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, which are specifically linked by various circuits of the processor 1500 representing one or more processors and the memory 1520 representing the memory. The bus architecture can also link various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage stabilizers and power management circuits, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be further described herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1510 can be a plurality of elements, i.e., including a transmitter and a receiver, which provides a unit for communicating with various other devices on a transmission medium. The processor 1500 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1520 can store the data used by the processor 1500 in performing operations.

[0255] The processor 1500 can be a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and can also be a multi-core architecture.

[0256] The processor 1500 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1520 can store data used by the processor 1500 when performing operations.

[0257] In some embodiments, the fourth information is used to indicate that user plane traffic between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by a ground anchor point UPF, comprising:

[0258] The fourth information is used to indicate that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal is terminated.

[0259] It should be noted that the above-mentioned device provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can realize all method steps realized by the above-mentioned method embodiments, and can achieve the same technical effects. Therefore, the same parts and beneficial effects of the method embodiments will not be described in detail.

[0260] As shown in FIG. 16, the communication device of the embodiments of the present disclosure applied to the SMF, comprising:

[0261] The processor 1600 is used to read the program in the memory 1620, and execute the following process:

[0262] Receive the fourth information sent by the PCF, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate that the user plane traffic between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by a ground anchor point UPF;

[0263] According to the fourth information, the first on-board UPF and / or the second on-board UPF are deleted from the PDU session; or the shunt rule of the first on-board UPF and / or the second on-board UPF is modified;

[0264] The first on-board UPF and the second on-board UPF are respectively the shunt UPF corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0265] The transceiver 1610 is used to receive and send data under the control of the processor 1600.

[0266] In FIG. 16, the bus architecture can include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically, various circuitry of one or more processors represented by the processor 1600 and memory represented by the memory 1620 are linked together. The bus architecture can also link various other circuitry such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuitry, and the like, which are well known in the art, and thus, are not further described herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1610 can be a plurality of elements, i.e., including a transmitter and a receiver, providing a unit for communicating with various other apparatuses on a transmission medium. The processor 1600 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1620 can store data used by the processor 1600 in performing operations.

[0267] The processor 1600 can be a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and the processor can also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0268] The processor 1600 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1620 can store data used by the processor 1600 in performing operations.

[0269] In some embodiments, the fourth information is used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by the ground anchor point UPF, comprising:

[0270] The fourth information is used to indicate that the on-orbit direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal is terminated or the on-orbit IMS AGW has been removed.

[0271] It should be noted that the above-mentioned apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can realize all the method steps realized by the method embodiments, and achieve the same technical effects. Therefore, the same parts and beneficial effects of the method embodiments are not described in detail herein.

[0272] As shown in FIG. 17, the communication apparatus of the embodiments of the present disclosure, applied to a first network element, comprises:

[0273] The first sending unit 1701 is configured to send first information to the PCF if it is determined that the on-orbit direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued.

[0274] The first information is used to indicate that user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by a ground anchor point UPF.

[0275] In some embodiments, the first network element comprises an SMF, and the apparatus further comprises a first determining unit configured to determine that the on-satellite direct communication between terminals cannot be continued by one or more of the following manners:

[0276] receiving second information sent by the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF; and determining that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued according to the second information.

[0277] If it is determined that the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF fails, it is determined that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued.

[0278] If it is determined that the serving satellite of the first terminal and / or the serving satellite of the second terminal has switched and there is no inter-satellite link between the serving satellites after the switching, it is determined that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued.

[0279] The first on-satellite UPF and the second on-satellite UPF are respectively split UPFs corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0280] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises:

[0281] a first processing unit configured to delete the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF from a PDU session, or modify a split rule of the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF.

[0282] In some embodiments, the first network element comprises a proxy P-CSCF, and the apparatus further comprises a second determining unit configured to determine that the on-satellite direct communication between terminals cannot be continued by one or more of the following manners:

[0283] receiving third information sent by the first on-satellite IMS AGW and / or the second on-satellite IMS AGW; and determining that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued according to the third information.

[0284] If it is determined that the first on-satellite IMS AGW and / or the second on-satellite IMS AGW fails, it is determined that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued.

[0285] The first on-satellite IMS AGW and the second on-satellite IMS AGW are respectively serving media access gateways corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0286] In some embodiments, the apparatus can further include:

[0287] a second processing unit configured to select a ground IMS AGW as a serving media access gateway of the first terminal and / or the second terminal.

[0288] It should be noted that the apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can realize all the method steps achieved by the method embodiments and achieve the same technical effects. Therefore, the same parts and beneficial effects of the method embodiments will not be described in detail.

[0289] As shown in FIG. 18, the communication apparatus of the embodiments of the present disclosure applied to a PCF includes:

[0290] a first receiving unit 1801 configured to receive first information sent by a first network element;

[0291] a first sending unit 1802 configured to send fourth information to a second network element according to the first information;

[0292] The first information is sent in a case where it is determined that the first network element cannot continue to perform on-satellite direct communication between a first terminal and a second terminal, and the first information and the fourth information are used to indicate that user plane traffic between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through a ground anchor point UPF.

[0293] In some embodiments, the first network element includes an SMF, and the second network element includes a P-CSCF; and the first receiving unit is further configured to receive the first information sent by the SMF.

[0294] In some embodiments, the first sending unit is further configured to send the fourth information to the P-CSCF according to the first information.

[0295] In some embodiments, the first network element includes a P-CSCF, and the second network element includes an SMF; and the first receiving unit is further configured to receive the first information sent by the P-CSCF.

[0296] In some embodiments, the first sending unit is further configured to send the fourth information to the SMF according to the first information.

[0297] It should be noted that the apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can realize all the method steps achieved by the method embodiments and achieve the same technical effects. Therefore, the same parts and beneficial effects of the method embodiments will not be described in detail.

[0298] As shown in FIG. 19, the communication device of the embodiment of the present disclosure, applied to a P-CSCF, comprises:

[0299] A first receiving unit 1901 is configured to receive fourth information sent by a PCF, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate that user plane service between a first terminal and a second terminal is processed by a ground anchor point UPF.

[0300] A first processing unit 1902 is configured to add an identifier in a session record according to the fourth information, wherein the identifier is used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by the ground anchor point UPF.

[0301] In some embodiments, the fourth information used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by the ground anchor point UPF comprises:

[0302] The fourth information is used to indicate that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal is terminated.

[0303] It should be noted that the above device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure can realize all the method steps realized by the method embodiments and achieve the same technical effects, and the same parts and beneficial effects of the method embodiments will not be described in detail.

[0304] As shown in FIG. 20, the communication device of the embodiment of the present disclosure, applied to a SMF, comprises:

[0305] A first receiving unit 2001 is configured to receive fourth information sent by a PCF, wherein the fourth information is used to indicate that user plane service between a first terminal and a second terminal is processed by a ground anchor point UPF.

[0306] A first processing unit 2002 is configured to delete a first on-satellite UPF and / or a second on-satellite UPF from a PDU session according to the fourth information, or modify a split rule of the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF.

[0307] The first on-satellite UPF and the second on-satellite UPF are respectively split UPFs corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal.

[0308] In some embodiments, the fourth information used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed by the ground anchor point UPF comprises:

[0309] The fourth information is used to indicate that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal is terminated or that an on-satellite IMS AGW has been removed.

[0310] It should be noted that the division of the units in the embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, another division manner can be used. In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present disclosure can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present separately, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0311] When the integrated unit is realized in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a processor-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present disclosure, essentially or the part that contributes to the related art, or all or part of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a computer software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, and includes a plurality of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) or a processor to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present disclosure. The aforementioned storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

[0312] The embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a communication device, including a memory, a processor, and a program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, and the processor implements the steps in the communication method when executing the program.

[0313] The embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer program product, including computer instructions executable by a processor to implement the processes of the communication method embodiments described above and achieve the same technical effects. To avoid repetition, details are not described here.

[0314] The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a processor-readable storage medium, and the processor-readable storage medium stores a program. The program is executed by a processor to implement each process of the communication method embodiment and achieve the same technical effects. To avoid repetition, details are not described herein. The readable storage medium can be any available medium or data storage device accessible by the processor, including but not limited to a magnetic memory (for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape, a magneto optical disk (MO), etc.), an optical memory (for example, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), a Blu-ray disc (BD), a high-definition versatile disc (HVD), etc.), and a semiconductor memory (for example, a ROM, an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a non-volatile memory (NAND (Non-volatile Memory Device) FLASH), a solid state disk (Solid State Drives, SSD), etc.

[0315] It should be noted that in this document, the term "comprising" or "including" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or apparatus including a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed or inherent to such a process, method, article or apparatus. Without more limitations, the element defined by the statement "comprising a" does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or apparatus including the element.

[0316] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the above-mentioned embodiment method can be realized by means of software and necessary general hardware platform, of course, it can also be realized by hardware, but in many cases, the former is a better embodiment. According to such understanding, the technical solutions of the present disclosure or the parts that make contributions to the related art can be embodied in the form of software product, which is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk), and includes a plurality of instructions to make a terminal (which can be a mobile phone, computer, server, air conditioner, or network device, etc.) execute the method described in each embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0317] Further, it is to be noted that in the apparatus and method of the present disclosure, it is apparent that each component or each step can be decomposed and / or recombined. These decompositions and / or recombinations should be considered as equivalent solutions of the present disclosure. Moreover, the steps of performing the above series of processes can naturally be executed in time sequence according to the order of description, but do not necessarily have to be executed in time sequence, and some steps can be executed in parallel or independently of each other. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that all or any steps or components of the method and apparatus of the present disclosure can be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof, in any computing device (including processors, storage media, etc.) or network of computing devices, using the basic programming skills of those skilled in the art upon reading the description of the present disclosure.

[0318] It should be noted that it should be understood that the division of each module above is only a logical division of functions, and in actual implementation, all or part of them can be integrated into one physical entity, or can be physically separated. Moreover, these modules can all be implemented in the form of being called by a processing element through software; all can be implemented in the form of hardware; or some modules can be implemented in the form of being called by a processing element through software, and some modules can be implemented in the form of hardware. For example, a certain module can be a separately established processing element, or can be integrated in a certain chip of the above apparatus, in addition, it can also be stored in the form of program code in the memory of the above apparatus, and called and executed by a certain processing element of the above apparatus to determine the function of the above module. The implementation of other modules is similar. Moreover, all or part of these modules can be integrated together, or can be independently implemented. The processing element described herein can be an integrated circuit having a signal processing capability. In the implementation process, each step of the above method or each of the above modules can be completed by the integrated logic circuit of hardware or the instruction of software in the processing element.

[0319] For example, each module, unit, sub-unit or sub-module can be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above method, for example: one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), or, one or more Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), or, one or more Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), etc. For another example, when the above certain module is implemented in the form of a processing element scheduling code, the processing element can be a general-purpose processor, for example, a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or other processor that can invoke program code. For another example, these modules can be integrated together to implement in the form of a System-On-a-Chip (SOC).

[0320] The terms "first", "second", and the like in the description and in the claims of the present disclosure are used for distinguishing between similar objects, not necessarily described in a particular order or sequence. It is to be understood that the data used in these descriptions can be interchanged, where appropriate, so that one embodiment of the present disclosure, for example, can be implemented in an order different from that of those other embodiments, for example, in an order other than that described here or illustrated in the figures. Also, the terms "comprise" and "have" and their any variations, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, for example, a process, a method, a system, a product, or an apparatus that comprises a list of steps or units not necessarily limited to those clearly identified, but can include other not clearly recited steps or units, or other steps or units inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus. Further, the use of "and / or" in the description and in the claims indicates that at least one of the connected objects is included, for example, A and / or B and / or C indicates 7 cases including A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B both exist, B and C both exist, A and C both exist, and A, B and C all exist. Similarly, the use of "at least one of A and B" in the description and in the claims should be understood as "A alone, B alone, or A and B both exist".

[0321] The embodiments of the present disclosure are described above in combination with the accompanying drawings, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above specific embodiments, and the above specific embodiments are only illustrative, not restrictive, and those of ordinary skill in the art can make many forms under the inspiration of the present disclosure without departing from the purpose of the present disclosure and the scope protected by the claims, which all belong to the protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A communication method, applied to a first network element, comprising: If it is determined that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot continue, sending first information to the policy control function PCF; The first information is used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through the ground anchor user plane function UPF.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first network element includes a session management function SMF, and the SMF determines that the on-board direct communication between the terminals cannot be continued by one or more of the following methods: receiving second information sent by the first on-board UPF and / or the second on-board UPF; determining, based on the second information, that on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued; If it is determined that the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF fails, it is determined that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued; If it is determined that the serving satellite of the first terminal and / or the second terminal is switched and no inter-satellite link exists between the switched serving satellites, it is determined that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued; The first on-satellite UPF and the second on-satellite UPF are the diversion UPFs corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal respectively.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The method further comprises: Deleting the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF from the protocol data unit PDU session; or, Modify the diversion rules of the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first network element includes a proxy call session control function P-CSCF, and the P-CSCF determines that the on-board direct communication between the terminals cannot be continued by one or more of the following methods: receiving third information sent by the first on-board IP Multimedia Subsystem Access Gateway IMS AGW and / or the second on-board IMS AGW; and determining, based on the third information, that on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued; If it is determined that the first on-satellite IMS AGW and / or the second on-satellite IMS AGW fails, it is determined that on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot continue; The first on-satellite IMS AGW and the second on-satellite IMS AGW are serving media access gateways corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal respectively.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The method further comprises: A terrestrial IMS AGW is selected as a serving media access gateway for the first terminal and / or the second terminal.

6. A communication method, applied to PCF, comprising: receiving first information sent by a first network element; Sending fourth information to the second network element according to the first information; The first information is sent when it is determined that the first network element cannot continue to perform on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal, and the first information and the fourth information are used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through the ground anchor point UPF.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The first network element includes an SMF, and the second network element includes a P-CSCF; and the receiving the first information sent by the first network element includes: Receive the first information sent by the SMF.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The sending fourth information to the second network element according to the first information includes: Send the fourth information to the P-CSCF according to the first information.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The first network element includes a P-CSCF, and the second network element includes an SMF; and the receiving the first information sent by the first network element includes: Receive the first information sent by the P-CSCF.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The sending fourth information to the second network element according to the first information includes: According to the first information, the fourth information is sent to the SMF.

11. A communication method, applied to a P-CSCF, comprising: receiving fourth information sent by the PCF, wherein the fourth information is used to instruct that a user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal be processed through the ground anchor point UPF; According to the fourth information, an identifier is added to the call record, wherein the identifier is used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through the ground anchor point UPF.

12. A communication method, applied to SMF, comprising: receiving fourth information sent by the PCF, wherein the fourth information is used to instruct that a user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal be processed through the ground anchor point UPF; Deleting the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF from the PDU session according to the fourth information; or modifying the diversion rules of the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF; The first on-satellite UPF and the second on-satellite UPF are the diversion UPFs corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal respectively.

13. A communication device, applied to a first network element, comprising: Memory, transceiver, processor: memory for storing computer programs; a transceiver, configured to transmit and receive data under the control of the processor; A processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: If it is determined that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot continue, sending first information to the PCF; The first information is used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through the ground anchor point UPF.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein The first network element includes an SMF, and the operation further includes determining that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued in one or more of the following ways: receiving second information sent by the first on-board UPF and / or the second on-board UPF; determining, based on the second information, that on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued; If it is determined that the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF fails, it is determined that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued; If it is determined that the serving satellite of the first terminal and / or the second terminal is switched and no inter-satellite link exists between the switched serving satellites, it is determined that the on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued; The first on-satellite UPF and the second on-satellite UPF are the diversion UPFs corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal respectively.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein The operations further include: Delete the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF from the PDU session; or, Modify the diversion rules of the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF.

16. The device according to claim 13, wherein The first network element includes a P-CSCF, and the operation further includes determining that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued in one or more of the following ways: receiving third information sent by the first on-board IP Multimedia Subsystem Access Gateway IMS AGW and / or the second on-board IMS AGW; and determining, based on the third information, that on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued; If it is determined that the first on-satellite IMS AGW and / or the second on-satellite IMS AGW fails, it is determined that on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot continue; The first on-satellite IMS AGW and the second on-satellite IMS AGW are serving media access gateways corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal respectively.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein The operations further include: A terrestrial IMS AGW is selected as a serving media access gateway for the first terminal and / or the second terminal.

18. A communication device, applied to PCF, comprising: Memory, transceiver, processor: memory for storing computer programs; a transceiver, configured to transmit and receive data under the control of the processor; A processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: receiving first information sent by a first network element; Sending fourth information to the second network element according to the first information; The first information is sent when it is determined that the first network element cannot continue to perform on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal, and the first information and the fourth information are used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through the ground anchor point UPF.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein The first network element includes an SMF, and the second network element includes a P-CSCF; the operation further includes: Receive the first information sent by the SMF.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein The operations further include: Send the fourth information to the P-CSCF according to the first information.

21. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein The first network element includes a P-CSCF, and the second network element includes an SMF; and the operation further includes: Receive the first information sent by the P-CSCF.

22. The device according to claim 21, wherein The operations further include: According to the first information, the fourth information is sent to the SMF.

23. A communication device, applied to a P-CSCF, comprising: Memory, transceiver, processor: memory for storing computer programs; a transceiver, configured to transmit and receive data under the control of the processor; A processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: receiving fourth information sent by the PCF, wherein the fourth information is used to instruct that a user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal be processed through the ground anchor point UPF; According to the fourth information, an identifier is added to the call record, wherein the identifier is used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through the ground anchor point UPF.

24. A communication device, applied to SMF, comprising: Memory, transceiver, processor: memory for storing computer programs; a transceiver, configured to transmit and receive data under the control of the processor; A processor is configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: receiving fourth information sent by the PCF, wherein the fourth information is used to instruct that a user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal be processed through the ground anchor point UPF; Deleting the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF from the PDU session according to the fourth information; or modifying the diversion rules of the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF; The first on-satellite UPF and the second on-satellite UPF are the diversion UPFs corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal respectively.

25. A communication device, applied to a first network element, comprising: A first sending unit is configured to send first information to the PCF if it is determined that the on-board direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal cannot be continued; The first information is used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through the ground anchor point UPF.

26. A communication device, applied to PCF, comprising: A first receiving unit, configured to receive first information sent by a first network element; A first sending unit, configured to send fourth information to a second network element according to the first information; The first information is sent when it is determined that the first network element cannot continue to perform on-satellite direct communication between the first terminal and the second terminal, and the first information and the fourth information are used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through the ground anchor point UPF.

27. A communication device, applied to a P-CSCF, comprising: A first receiving unit is configured to receive fourth information sent by the PCF, wherein the fourth information is used to instruct to process a user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal through the ground anchor point UPF; The first processing unit is configured to add an identifier to a call record according to the fourth information, wherein the identifier is used to indicate that the user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal is processed through a ground anchor point UPF.

28. A communication device, applied to SMF, comprising: A first receiving unit is configured to receive fourth information sent by the PCF, wherein the fourth information is used to instruct to process a user plane service between the first terminal and the second terminal through the ground anchor point UPF; The first processing unit is configured to delete the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF from the PDU session according to the fourth information; or modify the diversion rule of the first on-satellite UPF and / or the second on-satellite UPF; The first on-satellite UPF and the second on-satellite UPF are the diversion UPFs corresponding to the first terminal and the second terminal respectively.

29. A processor-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program is configured to cause the processor to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

30. A computer program product comprising computer instructions, wherein when the computer instructions are executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 is implemented.

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