Communication method, apparatus and device, and computer readable storage medium

Abstract

The present application discloses a communication method, apparatus and device, and a computer readable storage medium. The method comprises: on the basis of first information or second information, a first network function executes at least one of the following: rejecting at least one piece of registration request information or access request information of a user equipment (UE), accepting at most one piece of registration request information or access request information of a UE, deleting a repeated context of a UE, storing at most one context or a set of contexts of a UE, and storing a context of a UE at most once; or when receiving or locally acquiring first information or second information, a first network function executes at least one of the following: rejecting at least one piece of registration request information or access request information of a UE, accepting at most one piece of registration request information or access request information of a UE, deleting a repeated context of a UE, storing at most one context or a set of contexts of a UE, and storing a context of a UE at most once.

Description

A communication method and device, a communication apparatus, and a computer readable storage medium

[0001] Cross-reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application is based on and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410446591.9, filed on April 12, 2024, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the field of mobile communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and device, a communication apparatus, and a computer readable storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0004] After a user equipment (UE) is registered, the network saves the context of the UE and reserves a period of wireless air interface resources for the UE. In some cases, the UE can be repeatedly registered, which can result in additional process signaling and waste of network resources. Therefore, a mechanism is needed to manage the registration behavior of the UE. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and device, a communication apparatus, a computer program product, and a computer readable storage medium.

[0006] The present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a first network function, and the communication method comprises:

[0007] The first network function performs at least one of the following based on the first information: rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, deleting a duplicate context of the UE, storing at most one or a set of contexts of the UE, and storing the context of the UE at most once.

[0008] Alternatively,

[0009] The first network function performs at least one of the following when receiving or locally obtaining the first information: rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, deleting a duplicate context of the UE, storing at most one or a set of contexts of the UE, and storing the context of the UE at most once.

[0010] The present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a first network function, and the communication method comprises:

[0011] The first network function performs at least one of the following based on the second information: rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, deleting duplicate contexts of the UE, storing at most one or a set of contexts of the UE, and storing the context of the UE at most once.

[0012] The first network function performs at least one of the following upon receiving or locally obtaining the second information: rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, deleting duplicate contexts of the UE, storing at most one or a set of contexts of the UE, and storing the context of the UE at most once.

[0013] The present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a second network function, and the communication method comprises the following steps:

[0014] The second network function sends third information to the first network function, and the third information comprises at least one of the following information: first indication information, a first cause value, related information of UE registration or access, existing related information of UE registration or access, and a second time.

[0015] The present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a third function or device, and the communication method comprises the following steps:

[0016] The third function or device determines to reject the registration request information or the access request information of the UE based on the second information.

[0017] The present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a third function or device, and the communication method comprises the following steps:

[0018] The third function or device sends and / or writes the second information to the UE, and the second information comprises at least one of the following information: second indication information, a third time, related information of UE registration or access, existing related information of UE registration or access, an identifier of the UE, and a group identifier.

[0019] The present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a first network function, and the communication method comprises the following steps:

[0020] The first network function sends second information to at least one third function or device, and the second information comprises at least one of the following information: second indication information, a third time, related information of UE registration or access, existing related information of UE registration or access, an identifier of the UE, and a group identifier.

[0021] The application provides a communication device applied to a first network function, the communication device comprising:

[0022] The processing unit is configured to perform at least one of the following based on the first information: rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, deleting a repeated context of the UE, storing at most one or a set of contexts of the UE, and storing the context of the UE at most once; or performing at least one of the following when the first information is received or locally acquired: rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, deleting a repeated context of the UE, storing at most one or a set of contexts of the UE, and storing the context of the UE at most once.

[0023] The application provides a communication device applied to a first network function, the communication device comprising:

[0024] The processing unit is configured to perform at least one of the following based on the second information: rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, deleting a repeated context of the UE, storing at most one or a set of contexts of the UE, and storing the context of the UE at most once; or performing at least one of the following when the second information is received or locally acquired: rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, deleting a repeated context of the UE, storing at most one or a set of contexts of the UE, and storing the context of the UE at most once.

[0025] The application provides a communication device applied to a second network function, the communication device comprising:

[0026] The sending unit is configured to send third information to the first network function, the third information comprising at least one of the following information: first indication information, a first reason value, related information of UE registration or access, information that related information of UE registration or access already exists, and a second time.

[0027] The application provides a communication device applied to a third function or device, the communication device comprising:

[0028] The processing unit is configured to determine to reject the registration request information or the access request information of the UE based on the second information.

[0029] The application provides a communication device applied to a third function or device, the communication device comprising:

[0030] The sending unit is configured to send and / or write second information to the UE; wherein the second information comprises at least one of the following: second indication information, third time, related information of the UE having registered or accessed, related information of the UE having registered or accessed existing, an identifier of the UE, and a group identifier.

[0031] The application provides a communication device applied to a first network function, comprising:

[0032] The sending unit is configured to send second information to at least one third function or device; wherein the second information comprises at least one of the following: second indication information, third time, related information of the UE having registered or accessed, related information of the UE having registered or accessed existing, an identifier of the UE, and a group identifier.

[0033] The application provides a communication device, comprising: a processor and a memory for storing a computer program, wherein the processor is configured to invoke and run the computer program stored in the memory to execute any of the above communication methods.

[0034] The application provides a computer program product, comprising computer program instructions, which make a computer execute any of the above communication methods.

[0035] The application provides a computer readable storage medium for storing a computer program, which makes a computer execute any of the above communication methods.

[0036] In the technical solution of the application, how the network side manages the registration request information or access request of the UE is specified, and effective management of the registration behavior is achieved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0037] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure, together with the description.

[0038] FIG. 1-1 is a schematic diagram of an Ambient IoT device connection mode one;

[0039] FIG. 1-2 is a schematic diagram of an Ambient IoT device connection mode two;

[0040] FIG. 1-3 is a schematic diagram of an Ambient IoT device connection mode three;

[0041] FIG. 1-4 is a schematic diagram of an Ambient IoT device connection mode four;

[0042] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a 5G non-roaming network architecture;

[0043] Figure 3 is a simplified network architecture diagram;

[0044] Figure 4 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the application;

[0045] Figure 5 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the application;

[0046] Figure 6 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the application;

[0047] Figure 7 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the application;

[0048] Figure 8 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the application;

[0049] Figure 9 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the application;

[0050] Figure 10 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the application;

[0051] Figure 11 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the application;

[0052] Figure 12 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the application;

[0053] Figure 13 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the application;

[0054] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the application;

[0055] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the application;

[0056] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the application;

[0057] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the application;

[0058] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the application;

[0059] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the application;

[0060] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the application;

[0061] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip according to an embodiment of the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] It should be noted that the term "and / or" in this article is only to describe the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent three cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects. It should also be understood that the "indication" mentioned in this article can be direct indication or indirect indication, and can also mean having an association relationship. For example, A indicates B, which can mean that B can be obtained through A, or A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C, or A and B have an association relationship. It should also be understood that the "protocol" mentioned in this article can refer to a standard protocol in the communication field, for example, it can be NR protocol and related protocols applied to future communication systems, which are not limited in this application.

[0063] In order to facilitate the understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the related technologies of the embodiments of the present application are described as follows, which can be combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application in any way as optional schemes, and all belong to the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0064] 1. Passive Internet of Things

[0065] Internet of Things (IoT) adheres to the idea of everything can be connected to the network, and takes the interconnection of everything as the ultimate goal, which has helped hundreds of millions of devices to realize interconnection. However, with the rapid growth of market size, the problems of device energy supply, endurance, etc. are becoming new challenges for the development of Internet of Things. It can be said that how to realize low-power, low-cost and long-life network has become the key to the next stage of Internet of Things.

[0066] Under this background, low-power Internet of Things began to emerge, and after development, a series of mature low-power Internet of Things technologies represented by Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Long Range Radio (LoRa), Narrow Band IoT (NB-IoT), Reduced Capability (RedCap), etc. were formed.

[0067] Although the above low-power Internet of Things technology is to realize the low-power and large connection of Internet of Things, with the continuous iteration of technology and the increase of 5G industry applications, the types of connected objects are increasing, and there will be higher requirements for the price and power consumption of communication terminals. Based on these backgrounds, passive Internet of Things has begun to appear on the industrial stage and gradually become a focus. Passive Internet of Things uses environmental energy harvesting technology to convert the available energy around it into electrical energy that can drive its own circuit. In passive Internet of Things, the communication mode of scattering is the core, which can realize the transmission of information to the target node. The most prominent feature of passive Internet of Things is not dependent on traditional battery power supply, which can well solve the bottleneck problem in the development process of low-power Internet of Things, and is the key technology for the development of the next generation of Internet of Things, which has wide application in intelligent warehousing, logistics, asset management and other fields.

[0068] 2、Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

[0069] The improvement and application of radar have given birth to the most representative passive Internet of Things technology-RFID. RFID system is composed of tags, readers and control platforms. The reader uses inductive coupling or backscattering coupling principle to send electromagnetic wave signals to the tag, and the tag converts the electromagnetic wave signals into energy to activate the tag chip and feedback information, realizing tag identification. The mainstream RFID system can support multiple frequency bands. Among them, the ultra-high frequency (850MHz-910MFz) RFID system is based on electromagnetic wave backscattering technology, and the theoretical transmission distance is 1-10 meters, which has a wide range of applications, involving logistics, manufacturing, aviation and many other industries.

[0070] 3、Ambient IoT

[0071] The passive Internet of Things studied by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is named Ambient IoT. The standard progress of each working group of 3GPP is as follows:

[0072] In the standard TR 22.840, several application scenarios of Ambient IoT are defined, which generally include indoor scenarios and outdoor scenarios. Among them, the indoor scenario (or called local scenario) includes goods inventory, electronic price tag, indoor small object search, etc., and the outdoor scenario (or called wide area scenario) includes logistics transportation, public facility monitoring, smart ranch, etc. The application scenarios of Ambient IoT may be further updated in the future.

[0073] In the standard TR 38.848, three Ambient IoT device types and four Ambient IoT device connection modes are defined. The definition of the three Ambient IoT device types is shown in Table 1 below, and the four Ambient IoT device connection modes are shown in Figures 1-1 to 1-4.

[0074] Table 1: Definition of Ambient IoT device types

[0075] As shown in Table 1, the three Ambient IoT device types include Class A Ambient IoT devices (referred to as Class A in Table 1), Class B Ambient IoT devices (referred to as Class B in Table 1), and Class C Ambient IoT devices (referred to as Class C in Table 1). The three Ambient IoT device types are defined by four dimensions: “whether to have energy storage capability”, “whether to have active signaling capability”, “device complexity”, and “power consumption”.

[0076] As shown in Figures 1-1 to 1-4, the four Ambient IoT device connection modes include direct connection (i.e., connection mode 1), relay connection (i.e., connection mode 2), downlink / uplink relay connection (i.e., connection mode 3), and standalone connection (i.e., connection mode 4). As shown in Figure 1-1, in the direct connection, the Ambient IoT device directly connects to the base station for downlink / uplink transmission. As shown in Figure 1-2, in the relay connection, the Ambient IoT device connects to the base station through an intermediate node for downlink / uplink transmission. As shown in the upper half of Figure 1-3, in the downlink relay connection, the Ambient IoT device connects to the base station through an auxiliary node for downlink transmission, and the Ambient IoT device directly connects to the base station for uplink transmission. As shown in the lower half of Figure 1-3, in the uplink relay connection, the Ambient IoT device connects to the base station through an auxiliary node for uplink transmission, and the Ambient IoT device directly connects to the base station for downlink transmission. As shown in Figure 1-4, in the standalone connection, the Ambient IoT device connects to other devices (such as UEs) for sidelink transmission.

[0077] 4. Basic network architecture

[0078] The 5G non-roaming network architecture is shown in FIG. 2, which involves the following network elements: user equipment (UE), radio access network (RAN), user plane function (UPF), data network (DN), access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), policy control function (PCF), application function (AF), network slice selection function (NSSF), authentication server function (AUSF), network slice selection authentication and authorization function (NSSAAF), unified data management (UDM), and network slice admission control function (NSACF). It should be noted that the network architecture shown in FIG. 2 can also include more or fewer network elements, such as unified data repository (UDR) and network exposure function (NEF).

[0079] Ambient IoT devices are simple devices that require a single service, but the number of devices is often large, and many scenarios can actually be deployed in a campus, so the network architecture shown in FIG. 2 can be further simplified to the network architecture shown in FIG. 3. It should be noted that the network architecture shown in FIG. 3 is only one of the possible simplified architectures, and the actual network architecture can be similar or even the same, or different, or reuse the network architecture shown in FIG. 2. Regardless of which network architecture is adopted, it can be applied to the technical solutions of the present application.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 3, AMF and NFx are essential core network elements, Network Repository Function (NRF) is an optional core network element (for example, for Ambient IoT devices in some scenarios or some processes may involve this element), and AF is a non-core network element. In this network architecture, an unnamed new element (temporarily referred to as NFx) is included, which may have one or more of the following functions: subscription information management of Ambient IoT devices, registration management of Ambient IoT devices, subscription information management of Ambient IoT devices, etc. NFx may be a network function deployed independently, or may be co-located with other network functions (such as AMF, UDM, etc.). In the technical solution of the present application, NFx is responsible for subscription information management, i.e., replacing the function of UDM, but it does not mean that NFx will exist in actual deployment or NFx will replace the function of UDM, for example, the function of NFx is achieved by enhancing AMF and / or UDM. If a new network function is defined, NFx may be referred to as Tag Management Function (TMF) or other names, and the name of NFx is not limited in the present application. It can be understood that NFx described in the present application can be any network function, for example, NFx can include one or more of the following: UDM, TMF, UDR, PCF, NEF, NRF, AMF, etc. NFx can be replaced by any one of the above network functions, or at least one function or entity formed by any combination of any function of any item.

[0081] It should be noted that the network architecture in this embodiment only includes the network functions involved in the present application, and in fact, the network architecture supporting Ambient IoT devices may include other mandatory and / or optional network functions (or may not include them).

[0082] It should be noted that with the development of communication standards and evolution of network architecture, the names and functions of the network elements in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 may change, for example, some architecture designs hope to replace (or partially replace) UDM with a new dedicated element to perform registration and subscription management of Ambient IoT devices, or the function of Charging Function (CHF) is combined with the function of UDM.

[0083] In a standard registration procedure, a UE selects a base station to access, for example, the UE detects the signal strength of each base station and selects the base station with the strongest signal to register into the network. However, for some Ambient IoT devices (such as Class A Ambient IoT devices and Class B Ambient IoT devices), the ability to select a base station to register into the network is not available, and the base station can only scan / trigger the Ambient IoT devices to register or access (i.e., the Ambient IoT device returns its information to the base station after receiving the trigger from the base station). The Ambient IoT device registers to the network, which combines the passive device with the mobile network and introduces the capabilities of the mobile network into the management and related information processing of the passive device, at least with the following beneficial effects: a) facilitating the unified management of the Ambient IoT device, b) facilitating the transmission of massive data of the Ambient IoT device or large-scale / long-distance transmission of data, and c) utilizing the data processing capabilities of the core network.

[0084] In some cases, the UE can perform repeated registration, which can cause additional procedure signaling and waste of network resources. Therefore, a mechanism is needed to manage the registration behavior of the UE.

[0085] It should be noted that "repeated registration" can have different meanings. The definition of "repeated registration" can consider the time interval or not. As one definition, the definition of "repeated registration" considers the time interval, specifically, "repeated registration" refers to multiple registrations performed by the UE within a certain time interval, and if the time interval between two registrations is less than or equal to a certain pre-set time interval threshold, the two registrations are considered repeated registration. As another definition, the definition of "repeated registration" does not consider the time interval, specifically, "repeated registration" refers to multiple registrations performed by the UE within any time interval, and any two registrations within any time interval can be considered repeated registration. In addition, repeated registration can occur at different base stations (i.e., the UE performs repeated registration to different base stations) or at the same base station (i.e., the UE performs repeated registration to the same base station).

[0086] As one application scenario, in a local scenario for inventory of goods, a full-coverage base station deployment method is usually used, which inevitably causes some areas to be covered by two or more base stations. In the overlapping area of multiple base stations, it is possible that different base stations inventory the same Ambient IoT device into the network (i.e., repeated registration occurs).

[0087] As another application scenario, a large supermarket inventory is checked once a day at a fixed time (e.g. after closing). In this case, the goods that have been checked in the previous day and have not been checked out on the same day need to be "repeatedly" checked, which is similar to "periodic registration update". In this case, "repeated registration" specifically refers to multiple registrations within a certain time interval, that is, if the time interval between two registrations is less than or equal to a certain pre-set time interval threshold, the two registrations are considered as repeated registrations, otherwise they are considered as normal registration update.

[0088] As another application scenario, in a courier transfer center, a piece of courier usually will be sent out within a certain time, but the base station may (in some time period) check inventory at a high frequency in order to update logistics information in time. In this case, even for the same base station, multiple registrations within any time interval can be considered as repeated registrations.

[0089] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions of the present application are described in detail below through specific embodiments. The above related technologies can be combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, which all belong to the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application include at least part of the following contents.

[0090] It should be noted that all "passive Internet of Things" in the embodiments of the present application can refer to "Ambient IoT". In some embodiments, "passive Internet of Things" and "Ambient IoT" can be used interchangeably.

[0091] It should be noted that "registration" and "access" in the embodiments of the present application can be used interchangeably.

[0092] It should be noted that "UE" in the embodiments of the present application can be but is not limited to passive Internet of Things devices and / or tags. In some embodiments, "UE", "passive Internet of Things device", "Ambient IoT device" and "tag" can be used interchangeably. Alternatively, "UE" in the embodiments of the present application can be a function or entity capable of providing Ambient IoT identification and / or tag identification, for example, it can be one of a tag, an access network, a tag reader, a relay node, an auxiliary node, etc., or a combination of two or more functions. It can also be a function or entity containing one of the functions of a tag, an access network, a tag reader, a relay node, an auxiliary node, etc., or a combination of two or more functions.

[0093] It should be noted that the device type of the UE in the embodiments of the present application can be, but is not limited to, one of the following: a type A passive Internet of Things device, a type B passive Internet of Things device, and a type C passive Internet of Things device. Here, the specific definitions of the type A passive Internet of Things device, the type B passive Internet of Things device, and the type C passive Internet of Things device can refer to the aforementioned table 1.

[0094] It should be noted that the first network function in the embodiments of the present application can include at least one of the following: an AMF, a TMF, a UDM, a UDR, and a RAN.

[0095] It should be noted that the second network function in the embodiments of the present application can include at least one of the following: a UDM, a TMF, an AIoT MF, a UDR, a PCF, a NEF, and a NRF.

[0096] It should be noted that the third function or device in the embodiments of the present application can include at least one of the following: a RAN, an AMF, a UDM, a TMF, and a terminal.

[0097] It should be noted that the network function / function or device described above includes at least one of the listed items, which can mean that the network function / function or device is one or more of the listed items, for example, the first network function is an AMF, or the first network function is a network function combined with an AMF and a TMF; it can mean that the function or network function has one or more functions of the listed items, for example, the second network function has the registration function of the UDM (but does not have the complete UE subscription information opening function), and has the PCC policy management function of the PCF (but does not have the UE policy management function).

[0098] It should be noted that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the connected mode shown in FIG. 1-1, and are not limited thereto. The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to the connected modes shown in FIGS. 1-2 to 1-4 or other connected modes.

[0099] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application, which is applied to a first network function. As shown in FIG. 4, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0100] Step 401: The first network function, based on the first information, performs at least one of the following: rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, deleting duplicated context of the UE, storing at most one or one set of context of the UE, storing context of the UE at most once; or, upon receiving or locally obtaining the first information, the first network function performs at least one of the following: rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, deleting duplicated context of the UE, storing at most one or one set of context of the UE, storing context of the UE at most once.

[0101] In some embodiments, the first network function, based on the first information or upon receiving or locally obtaining the first information, rejects at least one registration request information or access request information of the plurality of registration request information or access request information of the UE.

[0102] For example, the first network function receives 3 registration request information / access request information related to UE1, then the first network function rejects 1 or 2 of the 3 registration request information / access request information, or rejects all. For another example, the first network function receives 3 registration request information / access request information related to UE1 and 2 registration request information / access request information related to UE2, then the first network function rejects 1 or 2 of the 2 registration request information / access request information related to UE1, and rejects 1 or 2 of the 3 registration request information / access request information related to UE2. As one possible implementation, the first network function decides which registration request information / access request information to reject according to the time when the registration request information / access request information is received, or randomly rejects the registration request information / access request information. It can be understood that if the first network function receives multiple registration request information / access request information related to multiple UEs, then for a certain UE, which registration request information / access request information to reject can be related or unrelated to which registration request information / access request information of other UEs to reject.

[0103] In some embodiments, the first network function, based on the first information or upon receiving or locally obtaining the first information, accepts at most one registration request information or access request information of the plurality of registration request information or access request information of the UE.

[0104] For example, the first network function receives 3 registration request information / access request information related to UE1, and accepts 1 of the 3 registration request information / access request information or rejects all. For another example, the first network function receives 3 registration request information / access request information related to UE1 and 2 registration request information / access request information related to UE2, and accepts 1 of the 3 registration request information / access request information related to UE1 or rejects all, and accepts 1 of the 2 registration request information / access request information related to UE2 or rejects all. As a possible implementation, the first network function decides which registration request information / access request information to accept according to the time when the registration request information / access request information is received, or accepts the registration request information / access request information randomly. It can be understood that if the first network function receives multiple registration request information / access request information related to multiple UEs, which registration request information / access request information to accept for a certain UE can be related or unrelated to which registration request information / access request information to accept for other UEs.

[0105] In the embodiments of the present application, the first network function rejects at least one registration request information / access request information of the multiple registration request information / access request information of the UE, and / or accepts at most one registration request information / access request information of the multiple registration request information / access request information of the UE, so as to achieve the purpose of retaining only one registration request information / access request information of the UE, and avoid repeated registration of the UE.

[0106] In some embodiments, the first network function deletes at least one set of context information of the multiple sets of context information of the UE based on the first information or upon receiving or locally obtaining the first information; and / or, deletes the duplicate context information of the multiple sets of context information of the UE; and / or, stores at most one set of context information of the multiple sets of context information of the UE; and / or, stores the context information of the UE at most once.

[0107] Here, the first network function can not reject the registration request information / access request information of the UE based on the first information or upon receiving or locally obtaining the first information, but delete the duplicate context information of the UE, or store at most one set of context information of the UE, or store the context information of the UE at most once.

[0108] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following information:

[0109] 1) first indication information;

[0110] In some embodiments, the first indication information indicates at least one of: the first network function rejecting registration or access of the UE, the first network function deleting duplicated context of the UE, the first network function storing at most one context of the UE, and the first network function storing the context of the UE at most once.

[0111] 2) the first cause value;

[0112] In some embodiments, the first cause value includes that the UE has registered or accessed and / or related information of the registration or access of the UE already exists. For example, the first cause value is that the UE has registered or accessed. For another example, the first cause value is that the related information of the registration or access of the UE already exists.

[0113] 3) the related information of the registration or access of the UE.

[0114] 4) the related information of the registration or access of the UE already exists;

[0115] It should be noted that the "the related information of the registration or access of the UE already exists" can also be understood as "indication information that the related information of the registration or access of the UE already exists".

[0116] 5) the identity of the UE;

[0117] 6) the group identity.

[0118] 7) indication information related to not allowing periodic registration or access;

[0119] In some embodiments, the indication information related to not allowing periodic registration or access is locally configured by the first network function or received from the second network function.

[0120] 8) the first network function receives multiple registration request information or access request information of the UE within a certain time.

[0121] In the embodiments of the present application, the first network function obtains the first information or part of the content of the first information or information related to the first information, which can be but not limited to the following implementation manners:

[0122] Implementation manner one: the first network function locally configures the first information. The first network function can obtain the first information according to the local configuration.

[0123] For the manner one, the information included in the first information can refer to the foregoing scheme.

[0124] Implementation manner two: the first network function receives at least one of the following information sent by the second network function: the related information of the registration or access of the UE, the related information of the registration or access of the UE already exists, and the second time.

[0125] For the second mode, it can be understood that the first information includes at least one of the following: related information that the UE has registered or accessed, related information that the UE has registered or accessed already exists, and the second time.

[0126] In some embodiments, the second time includes a registration or access time of the UE, and / or a time difference between the registration or access time of the UE and a current time. Here, the registration or access time of the UE is a first registration or access time of the UE, or a most recent registration or access time of the UE.

[0127] In some embodiments, before the first network function receives the at least one information sent by the second network function, the first network function sends at least one of the following to the second network function: an identifier of the UE, a group identifier, and the second network function sends the at least one information related to the UE (i.e., at least one of the following: related information that the UE has registered or accessed, related information that the UE has registered or accessed already exists, and the second time) to the first network function according to the identifier of the UE and / or the group identifier.

[0128] The information sent by the first network function to the second network function can be carried in a first message, and the information sent by the second network function to the first network function can be carried in a second message. The first message and the second message can have various implementations, for example, the first message is a query request message, and the second message is a query response message.

[0129] The third implementation: the first network function receives at least one of the following sent by the second network function: the first indication information, and the first reason value.

[0130] For the third mode, it can be understood that the first information includes at least one of the following: the first indication information, and the first reason value. In some embodiments, the first indication information indicates that the first network function rejects the registration or access of the UE. In some embodiments, the first reason value includes that the UE has registered or accessed and / or related information that the UE has registered or accessed already exists. For example, the first reason value is that the UE has registered or accessed. For another example, the first reason value is that related information that the UE has registered or accessed already exists.

[0131] In some embodiments, after step 401, the communication method further includes:

[0132] The first network function sends at least one of the following to the UE and / or the access network: rejection registration information, rejection access information, and the first reason value. In some embodiments, the first reason value includes that the UE has registered or accessed and / or related information that the UE has registered or accessed already exists. For example, the first reason value is that the UE has registered or accessed. For another example, the first reason value is that related information that the UE has registered or accessed already exists.

[0133] In some embodiments, the information about the registration or access of the UE described in the embodiments of the present application includes: information about the registration or access of the UE in a period of time or at a specific time.

[0134] In some embodiments, the information about the registration or access of the UE described in the embodiments of the present application has existed, including: information about the registration or access of the UE has existed in a period of time or at a specific time.

[0135] In some embodiments, the identity of the UE described in the embodiments of the present application includes at least one of: an Electronic Product Code (EPC), a part of the EPC, a General Manager Number, an Object Class, a serial number, a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) identity, operator-related information, a group identity, a Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI), a Subscription Concealed Identifier (SUCI), a Generic Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI), a Globally Unique Temporary Identifier (GUTI), a Temporary Mobile Subscription Identifier (TMSI), and a Permanent Equipment Identifier (PEI).

[0136] It should be noted that the identity of the UE described in the embodiments of the present application includes one or more of the above, which can refer to any combination of all or part of the one or more, or all or part of the one or more as all or part of the identity of the UE. For example, the identity of the UE includes multiple fields, one or more of which is a part of the EPC.

[0137] In one example, the identity of the UE described in the embodiments of the present application is an EPC or a part of the EPC.

[0138] Here, by taking the EPC or part of the field of the EPC as the UE identifier of the passive Internet of Things device and / or tag, the following advantages are achieved: the existing passive device management mechanism is reused, the ability of the core network is utilized to realize unified management of the passive device without substantial modification of the existing passive tag management mechanism, which is simple and easy to implement; meanwhile, since there is no substantial modification to the existing passive device, the passive device is also compatible with the use mode of other existing passive Internet of Things devices, for example, for the processing of a small number of tags or a home scenario, a simple handheld code scanning gun can also use the passive device, without the need to purchase a core network service separately, which is more flexible and economical.

[0139] The foregoing technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application reject repeated registration of the UE, thereby saving network resources, saving signaling resources, and avoiding potential impact on paging caused by repeated registration.

[0140] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application, which is applied to a first network function, as shown in FIG. 5, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0141] Step 501: The first network function performs at least one of the following based on the second information: rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, deleting a duplicate context of the UE, storing at most one or a set of contexts of the UE, and storing the context of the UE at most once; or the first network function performs at least one of the following when receiving or locally obtaining the second information: rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, deleting a duplicate context of the UE, storing at most one or a set of contexts of the UE, and storing the context of the UE at most once.

[0142] In some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following information:

[0143] 1) second indication information;

[0144] In some embodiments, the second indication information indicates that the UE has registered or accessed, and / or the related information of the registration or access of the UE already exists.

[0145] 2) third time;

[0146] In some embodiments, the third time is the time of the most recent registration or access of the UE.

[0147] 3) related information of the registration or access of the UE;

[0148] 4) the related information of the registration or access of the UE already exists.

[0149] It should be noted that the "UE registration or access related information already exists" can also be understood as "indication information of the UE registration or access related information already exists".

[0150] In the embodiments of the present application, the first network function obtains the second information, which can but not limited to the following implementation manner:

[0151] The first network function receives at least one of the following information from the UE and / or the access network: the second indication information, the third time, the UE registration or access related information, and the UE registration or access related information already exists.

[0152] As a possible implementation manner, the first network function receives at least one of the following information from the access network: the second indication information, the third time, the UE registration or access related information, and the UE registration or access related information already exists. As another possible implementation manner, the first network function receives at least one of the following information from the UE: the second indication information, the third time, the UE registration or access related information, and the UE registration or access related information already exists. As another possible implementation manner, the access network receives at least one of the following information from the UE: the second indication information, the third time, the UE registration or access related information, and the UE registration or access related information already exists, and further, the first network function receives at least one of the following information from the access network: the second indication information, the third time, the UE registration or access related information, and the UE registration or access related information already exists, it should be noted that the information received by the first network function from the access network and the information received by the access network from the UE can be all the same or partially the same or have a correlation.

[0153] In some embodiments, after step 501, the communication method further includes:

[0154] The first network function sends at least one of the following information to the UE and / or the access network: the registration rejection information, the access rejection information, and the first reason value. In some embodiments, the first reason value includes the UE registration or access and / or the UE registration or access related information already exists. For example, the first reason value is the UE registration or access. For another example, the first reason value is the UE registration or access related information already exists.

[0155] In some embodiments, the UE registration or access related information described in the embodiments of the present application includes: the UE registration or access related information in a period of time or at a specific time.

[0156] In some embodiments, the UE registration or access related information already exists described in the embodiments of the present application includes: the UE registration or access related information already exists in a period of time or at a specific time.

[0157] The above technical solution of the embodiments of the present application rejects repeated registration of the UE, thereby saving network resources, saving signaling resources, and avoiding potential impact on paging caused by repeated registration.

[0158] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application, which is applied to a second network function, as shown in FIG. 6, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0159] Step 601: The second network function sends third information to the first network function, and the third information includes at least one of the following information: first indication information, a first reason value, UE registration or access related information, UE registration or access related information already exists, and a second time.

[0160] In the embodiments of the present application, the second network function sends the third information to the first network function, which can but is not limited to the following several implementation manners:

[0161] As an implementation manner, the second network function sends at least one of the following information to the first network function: UE registration or access related information, UE registration or access related information already exists, and a second time.

[0162] In some embodiments, the second time includes a registration or access time of the UE, and / or a time difference between the registration or access time of the UE and a current time. Here, the registration or access time of the UE is the first registration or access time of the UE or the most recent registration or access time of the UE.

[0163] In some embodiments, before the second network function sends the at least one information to the first network function, the second network function receives at least one of the following information sent by the first network function: an identifier of the UE, a group identifier, and the second network function sends the at least one information related to the UE (i.e., at least one of the UE registration or access related information, the UE registration or access related information already exists, and the second time) to the first network function according to the identifier of the UE and / or the group identifier.

[0164] The information sent by the first network function to the second network function can be carried in a first message, and the information sent by the second network function to the first network function can be carried in a second message. The first message and the second message can have various implementation manners, for example, the first message is a query request message, and the second message is a query response message.

[0165] As another implementation manner, the second network function sends at least one of the following information to the first network function: first indication information and a first reason value.

[0166] In some embodiments, the first indication information indicates at least one of: the first network function rejecting registration or access of the UE, the first network function deleting duplicated context of the UE, the first network function storing at most one context of the UE, and the first network function storing the context of the UE at most once. In some embodiments, the first cause value includes that the UE has registered or accessed, and / or the related information of the registration or access of the UE already exists. For example, the first cause value is that the UE has registered or accessed. For another example, the first cause value is that the related information of the registration or access of the UE already exists.

[0167] In some embodiments, the second network function sends the third information to the first network function based on fourth information, and the fourth information includes at least one of: an identifier of the UE, the related information of the registration or access of the UE, and the related information of the registration or access of the UE already exists.

[0168] In some embodiments, the related information of the registration or access of the UE described in the embodiments of the present application includes: the related information of the registration or access of the UE within a period of time or at a specific time.

[0169] In some embodiments, the related information of the registration or access of the UE described in the embodiments of the present application includes: the related information of the registration or access of the UE within a period of time or at a specific time.

[0170] In some embodiments, the identifier of the UE described in the embodiments of the present application includes at least one of: an electronic product code, a part of fields of the electronic product code, a general manager number, an article category, a serial number, a PLMN identifier, operator related information, a group identifier, a SUPI, a SUCI, a GPSI, a GUTI, a TMSI, and a PEI.

[0171] After the second network function sends the third information to the first network function, the first network function can reject at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE based on the third information or when receiving the third information, and / or accept at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, and / or delete duplicated context of the UE, and / or store at most one or one set of context of the UE, and / or store the context of the UE at most once. Here, the first network function rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, and / or accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, and / or deleting duplicated context of the UE, and / or storing at most one or one set of context of the UE, and / or storing the context of the UE at most once can refer to the foregoing scheme related to FIG. 4.

[0172] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a third function or device. As shown in FIG. 7, the communication method comprises the following steps.

[0173] In step 701, the third function or device determines to reject the registration request information or the access request information of the UE based on the second information.

[0174] In the embodiments of the present application, the third function or device determines to reject the registration request information or the access request information of the UE based on the second information. In some embodiments, the second information comprises at least one of the following information:

[0175] 1) second indication information;

[0176] In some embodiments, the second indication information indicates that the UE has been registered or accessed, and / or the related information of the UE registration or access exists.

[0177] 2) third time;

[0178] In some embodiments, the third time is the time of the latest registration or access of the UE.

[0179] 3) related information of the UE registration or access;

[0180] 4) the related information of the UE registration or access exists;

[0181] It should be noted that the "the related information of the UE registration or access exists" can also be understood as "indication information that the related information of the UE registration or access exists".

[0182] 5) identity of the UE;

[0183] 6) group identity.

[0184] In the embodiments of the present application, the third function or device obtains the second information, which can be but not limited to the following implementation manners:

[0185] As a possible implementation manner, the third function or device receives all or part of the second information sent by the UE.

[0186] Here, the third function or device can be understood as a reader / writer. The third function or device stimulates the UE, and the UE responds to the third function or device after being stimulated, and carries all or part of the second information in the response.

[0187] As another possible implementation manner, the third function or device receives all or part of the second information sent by the first network function.

[0188] In some embodiments, the information about the UE registration or access described in the embodiments of the present application includes: information about the UE registration or access in a period of time or at a specific time.

[0189] In some embodiments, the information about the UE registration or access described in the embodiments of the present application includes: information about the UE registration or access in a period of time or at a specific time.

[0190] In some embodiments, the identifier of the UE described in the embodiments of the present application includes at least one of: an electronic product code, a part of the field of the electronic product code, a general manager number, an article category, a SUPI, a SUCI, a GPSI, a GUTI, a TMSI, and a PEI.

[0191] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application, which is applied to a third function or device, as shown in FIG. 8, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0192] Step 801: the third function or device sends and / or writes second information to the UE; wherein the second information includes at least one of the following information: second indication information, third time, information about the UE registration or access, information about the UE registration or access existing, identifier of the UE, and group identifier.

[0193] In some embodiments, the second indication information indicates that the UE has registered or accessed, and / or the information about the UE registration or access exists.

[0194] In some embodiments, the third time is the time of the latest registration or access of the UE.

[0195] Here, the third function or device can be understood as a reader / writer. The third function or device (denoted as F1) sends and / or writes the above-mentioned second information to the UE. Further, the UE can send all or part of the above-mentioned second information to the third function or device (denoted as F2) by responding in the case of being stimulated by the third function or device (denoted as F2), so that the third function or device (denoted as F2) can determine to reject the registration request information or access request information of the UE based on the second information, where the third function or device (denoted as F2) rejects the registration request information or access request information of the UE, which can refer to the scheme related to the foregoing FIG. 7. It should be noted that the third function or device that "sends and / or writes the second information to the UE" and the third function or device that "receives the second information from the UE" can be the same or different.

[0196] In some embodiments, the information about the UE registration or access described in the embodiments of the present application includes: information about the UE registration or access in a period of time or at a specific time.

[0197] In some embodiments, the information related to the UE registration or access described in the embodiments of the present application has existed, including: the information related to the UE registration or access has existed for a period of time or at a specific time.

[0198] In some embodiments, the identity of the UE described in the embodiments of the present application includes at least one of: an electronic product code, a part of the field of the electronic product code, a general manager number, an article category, a serial number, a PLMN identity, operator-related information, a group identity, a SUPI, a SUCI, a GPSI, a GUTI, a TMSI, and a PEI.

[0199] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application, which is applied to a first network function, as shown in FIG. 9, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0200] Step 901: The first network function sends second information to at least one third function or device; wherein the second information includes at least one of the following information: second indication information, third time, information related to the UE registration or access, the information related to the UE registration or access has existed, the identity of the UE, and the group identity.

[0201] Here, the "at least one third function or device" can be all or part of the third functions or devices in communication with the first network function, or can also be all or part of the third functions or devices within a local area.

[0202] It should be noted that "the information related to the UE registration or access has existed" can also be understood as "indication information that the information related to the UE registration or access has existed".

[0203] In some embodiments, the second indication information indicates that the UE has registered or accessed, and / or the information related to the UE registration or access has existed.

[0204] In some embodiments, the third time is the time of the latest registration or access of the UE.

[0205] After the first network function sends the second information to the at least one third function or device, the third function or device can determine to reject the registration request information or the access request information of the UE based on the second information, and here, the third function or device rejects the registration request information or the access request information of the UE, which can refer to the foregoing scheme related to FIG. 7.

[0206] In some embodiments, the information related to the UE registration or access described in the embodiments of the present application includes: information related to the UE registration or access for a period of time or at a specific time.

[0207] In some embodiments, the information related to the UE registration or access described in the embodiments of the present application has existed, including: the information related to the UE registration or access has existed for a period of time or at a specific time.

[0208] In some embodiments, the identity of the UE described in the embodiments of the present application includes at least one of: an electronic product code, a partial field of the electronic product code, a general manager number, an article category, a serial number, a PLMN identity, operator-related information, a group identity, a SUPI, a SUCI, a GPSI, a GUTI, a TMSI, and a PEI.

[0209] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application are further illustrated below in conjunction with specific application examples.

[0210] Application Example One

[0211] In the present application example, the first network function is AMF, the second network function is UDM, and the third function or device is RAN. Of course, the first network function, the second network function, and the third function or device can also have other implementation manners, which are described above with respect to the first network function, the second network function, and the third function or device. That is, the AMF in the present embodiment can be replaced by the first network function or the aforementioned function or entity that can serve as the first network function, the UDM can be replaced by the second network function or the aforementioned function or entity that can serve as the second network function, and the RAN can be replaced by the third function or device or the aforementioned function or entity or device that can serve as the third function or device. In addition, any "registration" described in the present application example can be replaced by "access".

[0212] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 10, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0213] Step 1000: The RAN stimulates the UE.

[0214] Step 1001: The UE responds to the stimulation of the RAN.

[0215] Here, the UE responds to the stimulation of the RAN and sends information to the RAN. The information sent by the UE to the RAN can include the identity of the UE.

[0216] In some embodiments, the identity of the UE described in the embodiments of the present application includes at least one of: an electronic product code, a partial field of the electronic product code, a general manager number, an article category, a serial number, a PLMN identity, operator-related information, a group identity, a SUPI, a SUCI, a GPSI, a GUTI, a TMSI, and a PEI.

[0217] Step 1002: The RAN performs AMF selection.

[0218] Here, the "RAN performs AMF selection" is an optional step, i.e., step 1002 can also not be performed. When step 1002 is performed, the present application instance does not limit the manner and reference basis of AMF selection.

[0219] Step 1003: The RAN sends an identity of the UE to the AMF.

[0220] Here, the identity of the UE can be sent based on any interface and protocol. As an implementation manner, the identity of the UE can be sent based on the N2 interface / N2 message.

[0221] It should be noted that the RAN can also convert the identity of the UE into another form of identity, but the identity can identify the current UE. For the sake of description simplicity, in the following steps, it is described by default without such conversion, and in actual implementation, the identity of the UE involved in the following steps can also be the converted one.

[0222] Step 1004: The AMF determines that the UE is a device of a specific device type.

[0223] Here, the "AMF determines that the UE is a device of a specific device type" is an optional step, i.e., step 1004 can also not be performed.

[0224] It should be noted that step 1004 can not be performed because a traditional UE carries a corresponding registration type in a registration request when performing periodic registration update, but an Ambient IoT device (such as a Class A passive Internet of Things device) does not report the registration type, and therefore, step 1004 needs to be performed to determine the device type. In other words, for other types of UEs, the network side can determine the periodic registration update according to the self-carried registration type. Considering potential backward compatible scenarios, step 1004 can be performed to determine the device type.

[0225] Here, the specific device type can be an Ambient IoT device, such as a Class A passive Internet of Things device, a Class B passive Internet of Things device, or a Class C passive Internet of Things device.

[0226] In some embodiments, the AMF can determine that the UE is a device of a specific device type according to the identity of the UE.

[0227] Step 1005: The AMF determines that the UE has been registered.

[0228] Here, the AMF determines that the UE has been registered based on first information. Here, the content of the first information can refer to the description of the foregoing related solutions.

[0229] The AMF obtains the first information or part of the first information or information related to the first information, which can be but is not limited to the following implementation manners:

[0230] Implementation manner one: The AMF locally configures the first information. The AMF can obtain the first information according to local configuration.

[0231] Implementation manner two: The AMF receives at least one of the following information sent by the UDM: related information of the UE registered or accessed, related information of the UE registered or accessed already existing, and a second time.

[0232] Here, the related information of the UE registered or accessed includes: related information of the UE registered or accessed within a period of time or at a specific time.

[0233] Here, the related information of the UE registered or accessed already existing includes: related information of the UE registered or accessed already existing within a period of time or at a specific time.

[0234] Here, the second time includes a registration or access time of the UE, and / or a time difference between the registration or access time of the UE and a current time. The registration or access time of the UE is a first registration or access time of the UE or a most recent registration or access time of the UE.

[0235] Before the AMF receives the at least one information sent by the UDM, the AMF sends an identity of the UE and / or a group identity to the UDM, and the UDM sends the at least one information related to the UE to the AMF according to the identity of the UE and / or the group identity.

[0236] The information sent by the AMF to the UDM can be carried in a first message, and the information sent by the UDM to the AMF can be carried in a second message. The first message and the second message can have various implementation manners, for example, the first message is a query request message (such as step 5a in FIG. 10), and the second message is a query response message (such as step 5b in FIG. 10).

[0237] Step 1006: The AMF determines to reject the registration request information of the UE according to the UE registered.

[0238] Step 1007: The AMF sends the rejection information to the RAN, carrying a first cause value.

[0239] Here, the first cause value is that the UE is registered or the related information of the UE registered already exists.

[0240] Steps 1006 and 1007 can be collectively described as: the AMF rejects the registration request information of the UE according to the UE registered, or the AMF sends the rejection information to the RAN according to the UE registered.

[0241] It should be noted that if step 1005 is replaced by the AMF determining that the UE is not registered, then the registration procedure can be continued, which can reuse the existing procedure, or can have any changes or even be redesigned, and the present application does not limit this.

[0242] Application Example Two

[0243] In the present application example, the first network function is an AMF, the second network function is a UDM, and the third function or device is a RAN. Of course, the first network function, the second network function, and the third function or device can also have other implementation manners, which are described above with respect to the first network function, the second network function, and the third function or device. That is, the AMF in the present embodiment can be replaced by the first network function or the aforementioned function or entity that can serve as the first network function, the UDM can be replaced by the second network function or the aforementioned function or entity that can serve as the second network function, and the RAN can be replaced by the third function or device or the aforementioned function or entity or device that can serve as the third function or device. In addition, any "registration" described in the present application example can be replaced by "access".

[0244] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 11, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0245] Step 1100: The RAN stimulates the UE.

[0246] Step 1101: The UE responds to the stimulation of the RAN.

[0247] Here, the UE sends information to the RAN in response to the stimulation of the RAN. The information sent by the UE to the RAN can include an identifier of the UE.

[0248] In some embodiments, the identifier of the UE described in the present application embodiment includes at least one of the following: an electronic product code, a part field of the electronic product code, a general manager number, an article category, a serial number, a PLMN identifier, operator-related information, a group identifier, a SUPI, a SUCI, a GPSI, a GUTI, a TMSI, and a PEI.

[0249] Step 1102: The RAN performs AMF selection.

[0250] Here, "the RAN performs AMF selection" is an optional step, that is, step 1002 can also not be performed. When step 1102 is performed, the present application does not limit the manner and reference basis of AMF selection.

[0251] Step 1103: The RAN sends the identifier of the UE to the AMF.

[0252] Here, the identity of the UE can be sent based on any interface and protocol. As an implementation manner, the identity of the UE can be sent based on the N2 interface / N2 message.

[0253] It should be noted that the RAN can also convert the identity of the UE into another form of identity, but the identity can identify the current UE. For the sake of simplicity of description, the following steps are described by default without such conversion, and in actual implementation, the identity of the UE involved in the following steps can also be the converted identity.

[0254] Step 1104: The AMF sends the identity of the UE to the UDM.

[0255] Here, the identity of the UE can be sent based on any interface and protocol. As an implementation manner, the identity of the UE can be sent based on the N8 interface / N8 message.

[0256] Step 1105: The UDM determines that the UE has been registered, and determines to reject the registration request information of the UE according to that the UE has been registered.

[0257] Step 1106: The UDM sends first indication information and / or a first cause value to the AMF.

[0258] Here, the first indication information indicates rejection of the registration of the UE.

[0259] Here, the first cause value is that the UE has been registered or the related information of the UE registration already exists.

[0260] Step 1105 and step 1106 can be collectively described as that the UDM rejects the registration request information of the UE according to that the UE has been registered, or the UDM sends the first indication information and / or the first cause value to the AMF according to that the UE has been registered.

[0261] Step 1107: The AMF determines to reject the registration request information of the UE according to the first indication information and / or the first cause value.

[0262] Step 1108: The AMF sends the rejection information to the RAN, carrying the first cause value.

[0263] Here, the first cause value is that the UE has been registered or the related information of the UE registration already exists.

[0264] It should be noted that if step 1105 is replaced by the UDM determining that the UE has not been registered, then the registration procedure can be continued, which can reuse the existing procedure, or can have any changes or even be redesigned, and the present application does not limit this.

[0265] Application Example Three

[0266] In the application example, the first network function is AMF, the second network function is UDM, and the third function or device is RAN. Of course, the first network function, the second network function, and the third function or device can also have other implementation manners, refer to the description of the first network function, the second network function, and the third function or device in the foregoing. That is, the AMF in the embodiment can be replaced by the first network function or the foregoing function or entity that can serve as the first network function, the UDM can be replaced by the second network function or the foregoing function or entity that can serve as the second network function, and the RAN can be replaced by the third function or device or the foregoing function or entity or device that can serve as the third function or device. In addition, any "registration" described in the application example can be replaced by "access".

[0267] FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 12, the communication method comprises the following steps:

[0268] Step 1200: The RAN stimulates the UE.

[0269] Step 1201: The UE responds to the stimulation of the RAN.

[0270] Here, the UE responds to the stimulation of the RAN and sends information to the RAN. The information sent by the UE to the RAN can include the identification of the UE.

[0271] Step 1202: Perform the registration process.

[0272] Step 1203: The RAN writes second information to the UE.

[0273] Here, "the RAN writes second information to the UE" can also be understood as "the reader writes second information to the tag". The second information includes at least one of the following information: second indication information, third time, UE registered related information, UE registered related information already exists, identification of the UE, group identification.

[0274] Here, the second indication information indicates that the UE has been registered or the UE registered related information already exists.

[0275] Here, the third time is the time of the last registration or access of the UE.

[0276] Here, the UE registered related information includes: the UE registered related information in a period of time or at a specific time.

[0277] Here, the UE registered related information already exists includes: the UE registered related information has existed in a period of time or at a specific time.

[0278] The identity of the UE includes at least one of the following: an electronic product code, a partial field of the electronic product code, a general manager number, an item category, a serial number, a PLMN identity, operator-related information, a group identity, a SUPI, a SUCI, a GPSI, a GUTI, a TMSI, and a PEI.

[0279] It should be noted that step 1203 can be performed in the registration process, after the registration process, or in any process, and the present application does not limit this.

[0280] It should be noted that the network elements (such as RAN and AMF) in the following steps can be the same as or different from the network elements (such as RAN and AMF) in the above steps, but the UE is the same.

[0281] Step 1204: The RAN stimulates the UE.

[0282] Step 1205: The RAN reads data of the UE.

[0283] Here, the RAN reading the data of the UE can contain at least one of the following information: second indication information, third time, related information of the UE having registered or accessed, related information of the UE having registered or accessed existing, identity of the UE, group identity, all or part of which come from the information written by the RAN to the UE in step 1203.

[0284] Only one of the following steps 1206 or steps 1207-1209 needs to be performed.

[0285] Step 1206: The RAN determines to reject the registration request information of the UE based on the second information.

[0286] Step 1207: The RAN sends the registration request information to the AMF.

[0287] Here, the registration request information sent by the RAN to the AMF can contain all or part of the above-mentioned second information, all or part of which come from the information read by the RAN from the UE in step 1205.

[0288] Step 1208: The AMF determines to reject the registration request information of the UE according to the second information.

[0289] Step 1209: The AMF sends the registration rejection information to the RAN.

[0290] Steps 1208 and 1209 can be collectively described as the AMF rejecting the registration request information of the UE according to the second information, or the AMF sending the rejection registration information to the RAN according to the second information.

[0291] Application Example Four

[0292] In the application example, the first network function is AMF, the second network function is UDM, and the third function or device is RAN. Of course, the first network function, the second network function, and the third function or device can also have other implementation manners, and refer to the description of the first network function, the second network function, and the third function or device in the foregoing. That is, the AMF in the embodiment can be replaced by the first network function or the foregoing function or entity that can serve as the first network function, the UDM can be replaced by the second network function or the foregoing function or entity that can serve as the second network function, and the RAN can be replaced by the third function or device or the foregoing function or entity or device that can serve as the third function or device. In addition, any "registration" described in the application example can be replaced by "access".

[0293] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a communication method provided by the embodiment of the application. As shown in FIG. 13, the communication method comprises the following steps:

[0294] Step 1300: The RAN stimulates the UE.

[0295] Step 1301: The UE responds to the stimulation of the RAN.

[0296] Here, the UE sends information to the RAN in response to the stimulation of the RAN. The information sent by the UE to the RAN can include the identification of the UE.

[0297] Step 1302: Perform the registration procedure.

[0298] Step 1303: The AMF sends second information to one or more RANs, the second information comprising at least one of the following information: second indication information, third time, related information of the UE having registered or accessed, related information of the UE having registered or accessed existing, identification of the UE, group identification.

[0299] Here, the second indication information indicates that the UE has registered or the related information of the UE having registered exists.

[0300] Here, the third time is the time of the latest registration or access of the UE.

[0301] Here, the related information of the UE having registered includes: related information of the UE having registered in a period of time or at a specific time.

[0302] Here, the related information of the UE having registered existing includes: the related information of the UE having registered existing in a period of time or at a specific time.

[0303] The identity of the UE includes at least one of the following: an electronic product code, a partial field of the electronic product code, a general manager number, an item category, a serial number, a PLMN identity, operator-related information, a group identity, a SUPI, a SUCI, a GPSI, a GUTI, a TMSI, and a PEI.

[0304] The one or more RANs can be all or part of the RANs that can communicate with the AMF, all or part of the RANs in a local area, or other cases, which can or can not include the RANs performing steps 1300-1302, and the present application is not limited.

[0305] It should be noted that step 1304 can be performed in a registration process, after a registration process, or in any process, and the present application is not limited.

[0306] It should be noted that the network elements (such as RANs and AMFs) in the following steps can be the same as or different from the network elements (such as RANs and AMFs) in the above steps, but the UE is the same.

[0307] Step 1304: The RAN stimulates the UE.

[0308] Step 1305: The RAN reads data of the UE.

[0309] Here, the RAN reading the data of the UE can include the identity of the UE.

[0310] Step 1306: The RAN determines to reject the registration request information of the UE based on the identity of the UE and the second information.

[0311] FIG. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a first network function, as shown in FIG. 14, the communication apparatus includes:

[0312] The processing unit 1401 is configured to perform at least one of the following based on the first information: rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, deleting duplicate contexts of the UE, storing at most one or a set of contexts of the UE, and storing the contexts of the UE at most once; or the first network function performs at least one of the following when receiving or locally obtaining the first information: rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, deleting duplicate contexts of the UE, storing at most one or a set of contexts of the UE, and storing the contexts of the UE at most once.

[0313] In some embodiments, the first information comprises at least one of the following: first indication information, a first cause value, related information that the UE has registered or accessed, related information that the UE has registered or accessed already exists, an identity of the UE, a group identity.

[0314] In some embodiments, the first indication information indicates at least one of the following: the first network function rejects registration or access of the UE, the first network function deletes duplicate contexts of the UE, the first network function stores at most one context of the UE, and the first network function stores a context of the UE at most once; and / or, the first cause value comprises that the UE has registered or accessed and / or related information that the UE has registered or accessed already exists.

[0315] In some embodiments, the first information comprises indication information related to not allowing periodic registration or access.

[0316] In some embodiments, the indication information related to not allowing periodic registration or access is configured locally by the first network function or received from a second network function.

[0317] In some embodiments, the first information comprises that the first network function receives multiple registration request information or access request information of the UE within a certain time.

[0318] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1401 is configured to reject at least one registration request information or access request information of the multiple registration request information or access request information of the UE; and / or, accept at most one registration request information or access request information of the multiple registration request information or access request information of the UE; and / or, delete at least one set of context information of the multiple sets of context information of the UE; and / or, delete duplicate context information of the multiple sets of context information of the UE; and / or, store at most one set of context information of the multiple sets of context information of the UE; and / or, store a context of the UE at most once.

[0319] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1401 is configured to locally configure the first information.

[0320] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises a receiving unit 1402.

[0321] The receiving unit 1402 is configured to receive at least one of the following information sent by a second network function: related information that the UE has registered or accessed, related information that the UE has registered or accessed already exists, a second time.

[0322] In some embodiments, the second time includes a registration or access time of the UE, and / or a time difference between the registration or access time of the UE and a current time.

[0323] In some embodiments, the registration or access time of the UE is a first registration or access time of the UE, or a most recent registration or access time.

[0324] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes a sending unit 1403.

[0325] The sending unit 1403 is configured to send, to the second network function, at least one of the following information: an identifier of the UE, a group identifier.

[0326] In some embodiments, the receiving unit 1402 is configured to receive, from the second network function, at least one of the following information: the first indication information, the first cause value.

[0327] In some embodiments, the sending unit 1403 is configured to send, to the UE and / or an access network, at least one of the following information: rejection registration information, rejection access information, the first cause value.

[0328] In some embodiments, the identifier of the UE includes at least one of the following information: an electronic product code, a partial field of the electronic product code, a general manager number, an article category, a serial number, a PLMN identifier, operator-related information, a group identifier, a SUPI, a SUCI, a GPSI, a GUTI, a TMSI, a PEI.

[0329] In some embodiments, the UE is a passive Internet of Things device; or the UE is a tag.

[0330] In some embodiments, the first network function includes at least one of the following: an AMF, a TMF, a UDM, a UDR, a RAN.

[0331] In some embodiments, the second network function includes at least one of the following: a UDM, a TMF, an AIoT MF, a UDR, a PCF, a NEF, a NRF.

[0332] Those skilled in the art should understand that the implementation functions of each unit in the communication apparatus shown in FIG. 14 can be understood with reference to the related description of the foregoing method. The functions of each unit in the communication apparatus shown in FIG. 14 can be implemented by a program running on a processor, or by a specific logic circuit.

[0333] FIG. 15 is a second structural component diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application, applied to a first network function. As shown in FIG. 15, the communication apparatus includes:

[0334] The processing unit 1501 is configured to perform at least one of the following based on the second information: rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, deleting duplicate contexts of the UE, storing at most one or a set of contexts of the UE, and storing the contexts of the UE at most once; or, when the second information is received or locally acquired, performing at least one of the following: rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, deleting duplicate contexts of the UE, storing at most one or a set of contexts of the UE, and storing the contexts of the UE at most once.

[0335] In some embodiments, the second information comprises at least one of the following: second indication information, third time, related information of the UE having registered or accessed, and related information of the UE having registered or accessed existing.

[0336] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises a receiving unit 1502.

[0337] The receiving unit 1502 is configured to receive at least one of the following from the UE and / or an access network: the second indication information, the third time, related information of the UE having registered or accessed, and related information of the UE having registered or accessed existing.

[0338] In some embodiments, the second indication information indicates that the UE has registered or accessed, and / or, related information of the UE having registered or accessed existing; and / or, the third time is a time of the UE having registered or accessed most recently.

[0339] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises a sending unit 1503.

[0340] The sending unit 1503 is configured to send at least one of the following to the UE and / or an access network: rejection information, rejection access information, and first cause value.

[0341] In some embodiments, the first cause value comprises that the UE has registered or accessed, and / or, related information of the UE having registered or accessed existing.

[0342] In some embodiments, the UE is a passive Internet of Things device; or, the UE is a tag.

[0343] In some embodiments, the first network function comprises at least one of the following: AMF, TMF, UDM, UDR, and RAN.

[0344] Those skilled in the art shall understand that the implementation functions of each unit in the communication apparatus shown in FIG. 15 can be understood with reference to the related description of the foregoing method. The functions of each unit in the communication apparatus shown in FIG. 15 can be implemented by a program running on a processor, or by a specific logic circuit.

[0345] FIG. 16 is a structural composition diagram three of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application, applied to a second network function. As shown in FIG. 16, the communication apparatus comprises:

[0346] a sending unit 1601 configured to send third information to a first network function, the third information comprising at least one of the following information: first indication information, a first reason value, related information that the UE has registered or accessed, that related information that the UE has registered or accessed already exists, and a second time.

[0347] In some embodiments, the first indication information indicates at least one of the following: that the first network function rejects registration or access of the UE, that the first network function deletes duplicate contexts of the UE, that the first network function stores at most one context of the UE, and that the first network function stores a context of the UE at most once; and / or, the first reason value comprises that the UE has registered or accessed, and / or, the related information that the UE has registered or accessed already exists; and / or, the second time comprises a time of registration or access of the UE, and / or, a time difference between the time of registration or access of the UE and a current time.

[0348] In some embodiments, the time of registration or access of the UE is a time of first registration or access of the UE or a time of most recent registration or access of the UE.

[0349] In some embodiments, the sending unit 1601 is configured to send the third information to the first network function based on fourth information, the fourth information comprising at least one of the following information: an identifier of the UE, related information that the UE has registered or accessed, and that related information that the UE has registered or accessed already exists.

[0350] In some embodiments, the related information that the UE has registered or accessed comprises related information that the UE has registered or accessed within a period of time or at a specific time; and / or, the related information that the UE has registered or accessed already exists comprises that the related information that the UE has registered or accessed has existed within a period of time or at a specific time.

[0351] In some embodiments, the identity of the UE comprises at least one of the following: an electronic product code, a partial field of the electronic product code, a general manager number, an item category, a serial number, a PLMN identity, operator-related information, a group identity, a SUPI, a SUCI, a GPSI, a GUTI, a TMSI, a PEI.

[0352] In some embodiments, the UE is a passive Internet of Things device; or, the UE is a tag.

[0353] In some embodiments, the first network function comprises at least one of the following: an AMF, a TMF, a UDM, a UDR, a RAN.

[0354] In some embodiments, the second network function comprises at least one of the following: a UDM, a TMF, an AIoT MF, a UDR, a PCF, a NEF, a NRF.

[0355] Those skilled in the art understand that the implementation functions of each unit in the communication apparatus shown in FIG. 16 can be understood with reference to the related description of the foregoing method. The functions of each unit in the communication apparatus shown in FIG. 16 can be implemented by a program running on a processor, or by a specific logic circuit.

[0356] FIG. 17 is a structural composition diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a third function or device. As shown in FIG. 17, the communication apparatus comprises:

[0357] The processing unit 1701 is configured to determine, based on the second information, to reject the registration request information or the access request information of the UE.

[0358] In some embodiments, the second information comprises at least one of the following: second indication information, a third time, related information of the registration or access of the UE, the related information of the registration or access of the UE already exists, an identity of the UE, a group identity.

[0359] In some embodiments, the second indication information indicates that the UE has been registered or accessed, and / or, the related information of the registration or access of the UE already exists; and / or, the third time is a time of the latest registration or access of the UE.

[0360] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises a receiving unit 1702.

[0361] The receiving unit 1702 is configured to receive all or part of the second information sent by the UE or the first network function.

[0362] In some embodiments, the identity of the UE comprises at least one of: an electronic product code, a partial field of the electronic product code, a general manager number, an item category, a serial number, a PLMN identity, operator-related information, a group identity, a SUPI, a SUCI, a GPSI, a GUTI, a TMSI, a PEI.

[0363] In some embodiments, the UE is a passive Internet of Things device; or the UE is a tag.

[0364] In some embodiments, the third function or device comprises at least one of: a RAN, an AMF, a UDM, a TMF, a terminal.

[0365] In some embodiments, the first network function comprises at least one of: an AMF, a TMF, a UDM, a UDR, a RAN.

[0366] Those skilled in the art understand that the implementation functions of each unit in the communication apparatus shown in FIG. 17 can be understood with reference to the related description of the foregoing method. The functions of each unit in the communication apparatus shown in FIG. 17 can be implemented by a program running on a processor, or by a specific logic circuit.

[0367] FIG. 18 is a structural composition diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a third function or device. As shown in FIG. 18, the communication apparatus comprises:

[0368] A sending unit 1801 configured to send and / or write second information to a UE; wherein the second information comprises at least one of: second indication information, a third time, related information of the UE having registered or accessed, the related information of the UE having registered or accessed already existing, an identity of the UE, a group identity.

[0369] In some embodiments, the second indication information indicates that the UE has registered or accessed, or the related information of the UE having registered or accessed already existing; and / or the third time is a time of the UE having registered or accessed last time.

[0370] In some embodiments, the identity of the UE comprises at least one of: an electronic product code, a partial field of the electronic product code, a general manager number, an item category, a serial number, a PLMN identity, operator-related information, a group identity, a SUPI, a SUCI, a GPSI, a GUTI, a TMSI, a PEI.

[0371] In some embodiments, the UE is a passive Internet of Things device; or the UE is a tag.

[0372] In some embodiments, the third function or device comprises at least one of the following: a RAN, an AMF, a UDM, a TMF, a terminal.

[0373] Those skilled in the art understand that the implementation functions of each unit in the communication apparatus shown in FIG. 18 can be understood with reference to the related description of the foregoing method. The functions of each unit in the communication apparatus shown in FIG. 18 can be implemented by a program running on a processor, or by a specific logic circuit.

[0374] FIG. 19 is a structural composition schematic diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a first network function. As shown in FIG. 19, the communication apparatus comprises:

[0375] a sending unit 1901 configured to send second information to at least one third function or device; wherein the second information comprises at least one of the following: second indication information, a third time, related information of the UE having registered or accessed, related information of the UE having registered or accessed existing, an identifier of the UE, a group identifier.

[0376] In some embodiments, the second indication information indicates that the UE has registered or accessed, and / or the related information of the UE having registered or accessed existing; and / or the third time is a time of the UE having registered or accessed last time.

[0377] In some embodiments, the identifier of the UE comprises at least one of the following: an electronic product code, a part field of the electronic product code, a general manager number, an article category, a serial number, a PLMN identifier, operator related information, a group identifier, a SUPI, a SUCI, a GPSI, a GUTI, a TMSI, a PEI.

[0378] In some embodiments, the UE is a passive Internet of Things device; or the UE is a tag.

[0379] In some embodiments, the first network function comprises at least one of the following: an AMF, a TMF, a UDM, a UDR, a RAN.

[0380] In some embodiments, the third function or device comprises at least one of the following: a RAN, an AMF, a UDM, a TMF, a terminal.

[0381] Those skilled in the art understand that the implementation functions of each unit in the communication apparatus shown in FIG. 19 can be understood with reference to the related description of the foregoing method. The functions of each unit in the communication apparatus shown in FIG. 19 can be implemented by a program running on a processor, or by a specific logic circuit.

[0382] FIG. 20 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 2000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 2000 shown in FIG. 20 includes a processor 2010, which can invoke and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0383] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 20, the communication device 2000 can further include a memory 2020. The processor 2010 can invoke and run a computer program from the memory 2020 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0384] The memory 2020 can be a separate device independent of the processor 2010, or can be integrated in the processor 2010.

[0385] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 20, the communication device 2000 can further include a transceiver 2030, which can be controlled by the processor 2010 to communicate with other devices, specifically, to send information or data to other devices, or to receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0386] The transceiver 2030 can include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 2030 can further include an antenna, and the number of antennas can be one or more.

[0387] Optionally, the communication device 2000 can be specifically a first network function in the embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 2000 can implement the corresponding procedures implemented by the first network function in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, details are not described herein.

[0388] Optionally, the communication device 2000 can be specifically a second network function in the embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 2000 can implement the corresponding procedures implemented by the second network function in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, details are not described herein.

[0389] Optionally, the communication device 2000 can be specifically a third function or device in the embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 2000 can implement the corresponding procedures implemented by the third function or device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, details are not described herein.

[0390] FIG. 21 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip in the embodiment of the present application. The chip 2100 shown in FIG. 21 includes a processor 2110, which can invoke and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0391] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 21, the chip 2100 can further include a memory 2120. The processor 2110 can call and run a computer program from the memory 2120 to implement the method in the embodiments of the present application.

[0392] The memory 2120 can be a separate device independent of the processor 2110, or can be integrated in the processor 2110.

[0393] Optionally, the chip 2100 can further include an input interface 2130. The processor 2110 can control the input interface 2130 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, can obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0394] Optionally, the chip 2100 can further include an output interface 2140. The processor 2110 can control the output interface 2140 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, can output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0395] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the first network function in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the first network function in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, details are not repeated here.

[0396] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the second network function in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the second network function in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, details are not repeated here.

[0397] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the third function or device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the third function or device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, details are not repeated here.

[0398] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can also be referred to as a system-level chip, a system chip, a chip system or a system-on-chip chip, etc.

[0399] It should be understood that the processor of the embodiments of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with a processing capability of signals. In the implementation process, each step of the method embodiments described above can be completed by the integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor or the instructions in the form of software. The processor described above can be a general processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component. The disclosed methods, steps and logic block diagrams in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor or the like. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as a hardware coding processor for execution, or a combination of hardware and software modules in the coding processor for execution. The software module can be located in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read only memory, a programmable read only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register or other mature storage medium in the art. The storage medium is located in the storage, and the processor reads the information in the storage, and combines the hardware to complete the steps of the above method.

[0400] It is to be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a nonvolatile memory, or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. Among them, the nonvolatile memory can be a read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), a programmable read-only memory (Programmable ROM, PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (Erasable PROM, EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (Electrically EPROM, EEPROM) or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (Static RAM, SRAM), dynamic random access memory (Dynamic RAM, DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (Synchronous DRAM, SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (Double Data Rate SDRAM, DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (Enhanced SDRAM, ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (Synchlink DRAM, SLDRAM) and direct memory bus random access memory (Direct Rambus RAM, DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the system and method described herein is intended to include, but not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0401] It should be understood that the above-mentioned memory is exemplary but not limiting, for example, the memory in the embodiments of the present application can also be static random access memory (static RAM, SRAM), dynamic random access memory (dynamic RAM, DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (synchronous DRAM, SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (double data rate SDRAM, DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (enhanced SDRAM, ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (synch link DRAM, SLDRAM) and direct memory bus random access memory (Direct Rambus RAM, DR RAM) and the like. That is, the memory in the embodiments of the present application is intended to include, but not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0402] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer readable storage medium for storing the computer program.

[0403] Optionally, the computer readable storage medium can be applied to the first network function in the embodiment of the present application, and the computer program makes the computer execute the corresponding process realized by the first network function in the various methods of the embodiment of the present application, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0404] Optionally, the computer readable storage medium can be applied to the second network function in the embodiment of the present application, and the computer program makes the computer execute the corresponding process realized by the second network function in the various methods of the embodiment of the present application, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0405] Optionally, the computer readable storage medium can be applied to the third function or device in the embodiment of the present application, and the computer program makes the computer execute the corresponding process realized by the third function or device in the various methods of the embodiment of the present application, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0406] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product comprising computer program instructions.

[0407] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the first network function in the embodiment of the present application, and the computer program instructions make the computer execute the corresponding process realized by the first network function in the various methods of the embodiment of the present application, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0408] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the second network function in the embodiment of the present application, and the computer program instructions make the computer execute the corresponding process realized by the second network function in the various methods of the embodiment of the present application, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0409] Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the third function or device in the embodiment of the present application, and the computer program instructions make the computer execute the corresponding process realized by the third function or device in the various methods of the embodiment of the present application, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0410] Those skilled in the art can realize that the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized in electronic hardware or in combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are realized in hardware or software mode depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. The skilled person can use different methods to realize the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0411] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working process of the system, device and unit described above can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0412] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0413] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, that is, can be located in one place, or can be distributed on a plurality of network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment scheme.

[0414] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application 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.

[0415] If the functions are realized in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application or the part of the present application that essentially contributes to the prior art or the part of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a 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.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The foregoing 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 program code storage media.

[0416] The above merely provides the specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited to this. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of the changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed by the present application, which should be covered in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, applied to a first network function, comprising: The first network function performs at least one of the following based on the first information: rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the user equipment UE, accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, deleting duplicate contexts of the UE, storing at most one context or a set of contexts of the UE, and storing the context of the UE at most once; or, When the first network function receives or locally obtains the first information, it performs at least one of the following: rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, deleting duplicate contexts of the UE, storing at most one or a set of contexts of the UE, and storing the context of the UE at most once.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first information includes at least one of the following information: first indication information, a first cause value, relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed, relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed exists, the identifier of the UE, and a group identifier.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The first indication information indicates at least one of the following: the first network function rejects registration or access of the UE, the first network function deletes duplicate contexts of the UE, the first network function stores at most one context of the UE, and the first network function stores the context of the UE at most once; and / or, The first cause value includes that the UE has been registered or accessed and / or relevant information of the UE registration or access already exists.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first information includes indication information related to not allowing periodic registration or access.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The indication information related to not allowing periodic registration or access is locally configured by the first network function or received from the second network function.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first information includes multiple registration request information or access request information received by the first network function from the UE within a certain period of time.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein performing at least one of the following comprises: The first network function rejects at least one registration request information or access request information among multiple registration request information or access request information of the UE; and / or, The first network function receives at most one registration request message or access request message from the UE; and / or, Deleting, by the first network function, at least one set of context information from the multiple sets of context information of the UE; and / or, The first network function deletes duplicate context information from the multiple sets of context information of the UE; and / or, The first network function stores at most one set of context information of the UE among the multiple sets of context information; and / or, The first network function stores the context information of the UE at most once.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein The method further comprises: The first network function locally configures the first information.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein The method further comprises: The first network function receives at least one of the following information sent by the second network function: relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed, relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed exists, and a second time.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The second time includes the registration or access time of the UE and / or the time difference between the registration or access time of the UE and the current time.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The registration or access time of the UE is the first registration or access time of the UE, or the most recent registration or access time.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein The method further comprises, The first network function sends at least one of the following information to the second network function: an identifier of the UE and a group identifier.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein The method further comprises: The first network function receives at least one of the following information sent by the second network function: the first indication information and the first cause value.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein The method further comprises: The first network function sends at least one of the following information to the UE and / or access network: registration rejection information, access rejection information, and the first cause value.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein The UE identifier includes at least one of the following information: electronic product code, partial field of the electronic product code, general administrator number, item category, serial number, land public mobile network PLMN identifier, operator related information, group identifier, subscription permanent identifier SUPI, subscription hidden identifier SUCI, general public subscription identifier GPSI, global unique temporary identifier GUTI, temporary mobile subscription identifier TMSI, and permanent equipment identifier PEI.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein The UE is a passive IoT device; or, the UE is a tag.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein The first network function includes at least one of the following: access management function AMF, tag management function TMF, unified data management UDM, unified data storage UDR, and radio access network RAN.

18. The method according to any one of claims 5, 9 to 13, wherein The second network function includes at least one of the following: unified data management UDM, tag management function TMF, passive Internet of Things management function AIoTMF, unified data storage UDR, policy control function PCF, network open function NEF, and network storage function NRF.

19. A communication method, applied to a first network function, the method comprising: The first network function performs at least one of the following based on the second information: rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, deleting duplicate contexts of the UE, storing at most one context or a set of contexts of the UE, and storing the context of the UE at most once; or When the first network function receives or locally obtains the second information, it performs at least one of the following: rejecting at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accepting at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, deleting duplicate contexts of the UE, storing at most one or a set of contexts of the UE, and storing the context of the UE at most once.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein The second information includes at least one of the following information: second indication information, a third time, relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed, and relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed exists.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein The method further comprises: The first network function receives at least one of the following information from the UE and / or the access network: the second indication information, the third time, relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed, and relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed exists.

22. The method according to claim 20 or 21, wherein The second indication information indicates that the UE has been registered or accessed, and / or that relevant information of the UE registration or access already exists; and / or, The third time is the time when the UE was last registered or accessed.

23. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 21, wherein The method further comprises: The first network function sends at least one of the following information to the UE and / or access network: registration rejection information, access rejection information, and a first cause value.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein The first cause value includes that the UE has been registered or accessed, and / or that the UE registration or access related information already exists.

25. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 21, wherein The UE is a passive Internet of Things device; or, the UE is a tag.

26. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 21, wherein The first network function includes at least one of the following: AMF, TMF, UDM, UDR, and RAN.

27. A communication method, applied to a second network function, the method comprising: The second network function sends third information to the first network function, where the third information includes at least one of the following: first indication information, first cause value, relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed, relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed exists, and second time.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein The first indication information indicates at least one of the following: the first network function rejects registration or access of the UE, the first network function deletes duplicate contexts of the UE, the first network function stores at most one context of the UE, and the first network function stores the context of the UE at most once; and / or, The first cause value includes that the UE has been registered or accessed, and / or that the relevant information of the UE registration or access already exists; and / or, The second time includes the registration or access time of the UE and / or the time difference between the registration or access time of the UE and the current time.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein The registration or access time of the UE is the first registration or access time or the most recent registration or access time of the UE.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein: The second network function sends third information to the first network function, including: The second network function sends third information to the first network function based on the fourth information, where the fourth information includes at least one of the following information: an identifier of the UE, relevant information that the UE has been registered or accessed, and relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed exists.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein The relevant information about the UE's registration or access includes: relevant information about the UE's registration or access within a period of time or a specific time; and / or, The relevant information of the UE registration or access already exists, including: the relevant information of the UE registration or access already exists within a period of time or a specific time.

32. The method according to claim 30, wherein The UE identifier includes at least one of the following information: electronic product code, partial field of the electronic product code, universal administrator number, item category, serial number, PLMN identifier, operator related information, group identifier, SUPI, SUCI, GPSI, GUTI, TMSI, PEI.

33. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 32, wherein The UE is a passive Internet of Things device; or, the UE is a tag.

34. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 32, wherein The first network function includes at least one of the following: AMF, TMF, UDM, UDR, and RAN.

35. The method according to any one of claims 27 to 32, wherein The second network function includes at least one of the following: UDM, TMF, AIoTMF, UDR, PCF, NEF, NRF.

36. A communication method, applied to a third function or device, comprising: The third function or device determines to reject the registration request information or access request information of the UE based on the second information.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein The second information includes at least one of the following information: second indication information, a third time, relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed, relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed exists, an identifier of the UE, and a group identifier.

38. The method according to claim 37, wherein The second indication information indicates that the UE has been registered or accessed, and / or that relevant information of the UE registration or access already exists; and / or, The third time is the time when the UE was last registered or accessed.

39. The method according to any one of claims 36 to 38, wherein The method further comprises: The third function or device receives all or part of the second information sent by the UE or the first network function.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein The UE identifier includes at least one of the following information: electronic product code, partial field of the electronic product code, universal administrator number, item category, serial number, PLMN identifier, operator related information, group identifier, SUPI, SUCI, GPSI, GUTI, TMSI, PEI.

41. The method according to any one of claims 36 to 40, wherein The UE is a passive IoT device; or, the UE is a tag.

42. The method according to any one of claims 36 to 40, wherein The third function or device includes at least one of the following: RAN, AMF, UDM, TMF, terminal.

43. The method of claim 39, wherein: The first network function includes at least one of the following: AMF, TMF, UDM, UDR, and RAN.

44. A communication method, applied to a third function or device, the method comprising: The third function or device sends and / or writes second information to the UE; wherein, the second information includes at least one of the following information: second indication information, a third time, relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed, relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed already exists, the UE's identifier, and the group identifier.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein: The second indication information indicates that the UE has been registered or accessed, or relevant information about the UE registration or access already exists; and / or, The third time is the time when the UE was last registered or accessed.

46. ​​The method of claim 44, wherein The UE identifier includes at least one of the following information: electronic product code, partial field of the electronic product code, universal administrator number, item category, serial number, PLMN identifier, operator related information, group identifier, SUPI, SUCI, GPSI, GUTI, TMSI, PEI.

47. The method according to any one of claims 44 to 46, wherein The UE is a passive IoT device; or, the UE is a tag.

48. The method according to any one of claims 44 to 46, wherein The third function or device includes at least one of the following: RAN, AMF, UDM, TMF, terminal.

49. A communication method, applied to a first network function, the method comprising: The first network function sends second information to at least one third function or device; wherein the second information includes at least one of the following information: second indication information, a third time, relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed, relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed exists, the UE identifier, and the group identifier.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein The second indication information indicates that the UE has been registered or accessed, and / or that relevant information of the UE registration or access already exists; and / or, The third time is the time when the UE was last registered or accessed.

51. The method of claim 49, wherein The UE identifier includes at least one of the following information: electronic product code, partial field of the electronic product code, universal administrator number, item category, serial number, PLMN identifier, operator related information, group identifier, SUPI, SUCI, GPSI, GUTI, TMSI, PEI.

52. The method according to any one of claims 49 to 51, wherein The UE is a passive Internet of Things device; or, the UE is a tag.

53. The method according to any one of claims 49 to 51, wherein The first network function includes at least one of the following: AMF, TMF, UDM, UDR, and RAN.

54. The method according to any one of claims 49 to 51, wherein The third function or device includes at least one of the following: RAN, AMF, UDM, TMF, terminal.

55. A communication device, applied to a first network function, comprising: The processing unit is configured to perform at least one of the following based on the first information: reject at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accept at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, delete the duplicate context of the UE, store at most one or a set of contexts of the UE, and store the context of the UE at most once; or, when receiving or locally obtaining the first information, perform at least one of the following: reject at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accept at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, delete the duplicate context of the UE, store at most one or a set of contexts of the UE, and store the context of the UE at most once.

56. A communication device, applied to a first network function, comprising: The processing unit is configured to perform at least one of the following based on the second information: reject at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accept at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, delete duplicate contexts of the UE, store at most one or a set of contexts of the UE, and store the context of the UE at most once; and / or, when receiving or locally obtaining the second information, perform at least one of the following: reject at least one registration request information or access request information of the UE, accept at most one registration request information or access request information of the UE, delete duplicate contexts of the UE, store at most one or a set of contexts of the UE, and store the context of the UE at most once.

57. A communication device, applied to a second network function, comprising: The sending unit is configured to send third information to the first network function, where the third information includes at least one of the following information: first indication information, first cause value, relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed, relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed exists, and second time.

58. A communication device, applied to a third function or device, comprising: The processing unit is configured to determine, based on the second information, to reject the registration request information or access request information of the UE.

59. A communication device, applied to a third function or device, comprising: A sending unit is configured to send and / or write second information to the UE; wherein the second information includes at least one of the following information: a second indication information, a third time, relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed, relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed already exists, the UE's identifier, and the group identifier.

60. A communication device, applied to a first network function, comprising: A sending unit is configured to send second information to at least one third function or device; wherein the second information includes at least one of the following information: a second indication information, a third time, relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed, relevant information that the UE has registered or accessed already exists, an identifier of the UE, and a group identifier.

61. A communication device comprising: A processor and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, the processor being used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 54.

62. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions for causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 54.

63. A computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, wherein the computer program causes a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 54.

Images