Communication method, terminal device and network device

Abstract

Provided are a communication method, a terminal device and a network device. The communication method comprises: a terminal device sending a first message to an access network device, wherein the first message carries a second message, the first message is used for determining a first network element that is used for receiving the second message, and the second message is an NAS message.

Description

Communication method, terminal device and network device TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of communication, and more particularly, to a communication method, a terminal device and a network device. BACKGROUND

[0002] In some communication systems (such as a 6G system), an access network device can not need to send all received non-access stratum (NAS) messages to a mobility management network element in a core network. For example, in a scenario where the access network device interacts with a network element in the core network through a service-based interface, the access network device does not need to send all received NAS messages to the mobility management network element. Then, which network element in the core network to which the access network device sends the NAS message received from a terminal device is a problem to be solved.

[0003] SUMMARY

[0004] The present application provides a communication method, a terminal device and a network device. The various aspects involved in the present application are introduced below.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, comprising: a terminal device sending a first message to an access network device, the first message carrying a second message, the first message being used to determine a first network element receiving the second message, the second message being a NAS message.

[0006] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, comprising: an access network device receiving a first message sent by a terminal device, the first message carrying a second message, the first message being used to determine a first network element receiving the second message, the second message being a NAS message.

[0007] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, comprising: a first network element receiving a second message sent by an access network device, the second message being a NAS message; wherein the first network element is determined according to a first message carrying the second message.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, comprising: a second network element receiving a third message sent by an access network device, the third message being used to query identification information and / or address information of a first network element, the first network element being determined according to a first message carrying a second message, the second message being a NAS message.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a terminal device is provided, comprising: a sending module configured to send a first message to an access network device, the first message carrying a second message, the first message being used to determine a first network element receiving the second message, the second message being a NAS message.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a network device is provided, the network device being an access network device, the network device comprising: a receiving module configured to receive a first message sent by a terminal device, the first message carrying a second message, the first message being used to determine a first network element receiving the second message, the second message being a NAS message.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a network device is provided, the network device being a first network element, the network device comprising: a receiving module configured to receive a second message sent by an access network device, the second message being a NAS message; wherein the first network element is determined according to a first message carrying the second message.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a network device is provided, the network device being a second network element, the network device comprising: a receiving module configured to receive a third message sent by an access network device, the third message being used to query identification information and / or address information of a first network element, the first network element being determined according to a first message carrying a second message, the second message being a NAS message.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a terminal device is provided, comprising a processor, a memory and a communication interface, the memory being configured to store one or more computer programs, and the processor being configured to invoke the computer programs in the memory to cause the terminal device to perform some or all of the steps in the method of the first aspect.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a network device is provided, comprising a processor, a memory and a communication interface, the memory being configured to store one or more computer programs, and the processor being configured to invoke the computer programs in the memory to cause the network device to perform some or all of the steps in the method of any one of the second aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0015] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, comprising the terminal device and / or the network device described above. In another possible design, the system can further comprise other devices interacting with the terminal device or the network device in the solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0016] In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, the computer readable storage medium storing a computer program, the computer program causing a computer to perform some or all of the steps in the methods of the aspects described above.

[0017] In a thirteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program operable to cause a computer to execute some or all of the steps of the methods of any of the above aspects. In some implementations, the computer program product can be a software installation package.

[0018] In a fourteenth aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a memory and a processor. The processor can invoke and run a computer program from the memory to implement some or all of the steps described in the methods of any of the above aspects.

[0019] In the embodiments of the present application, the access network device can determine the network element receiving the NAS message through the first message (i.e., the message carrying the NAS message), so as to select the correct receiving network element for the NAS message sent by the terminal device, which is beneficial to the flexibility and modular design of the network architecture and reduces the information transmission delay. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] FIG. 1 is an example diagram of a system architecture of a 5G system.

[0021] FIG. 2 is an example diagram of a system architecture of a communication system to which the embodiments of the present application can be applied.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to yet another embodiment of the present application.

[0025] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to yet another embodiment of the present application.

[0026] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to yet another embodiment of the present application.

[0027] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to yet another embodiment of the present application.

[0028] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0030] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0031] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device according to yet another embodiment of the present application.

[0032] FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The technical solutions of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] FIG. 1 exemplarily shows a system architecture example diagram of a 5G system. The 5G system can include a plurality of network elements, nodes or devices, such as terminal devices, access network (AN) devices, user plane function (UPF) network elements, access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, session management function (SMF) network elements, policy control function (PCF) network elements, and application function (AF) network elements. The 5G system can also include a data network (DN) and the like.

[0035] The AMF is a mobility management function in the core network. In addition to performing mobility management on the terminal device, the AMF is also responsible for forwarding session management related messages between the terminal device and the SMF.

[0036] The SMF is a session management function in the core network, mainly responsible for session management, internet protocol (IP) address allocation and management of the terminal device, and the like.

[0037] The PCF is a policy management function in the core network, responsible for formulating policies related to the mobility management, session management, charging and the like of the terminal device.

[0038] The UPF is a user plane function in the core network, responsible for forwarding and receiving user data (such as service data flow) in the terminal device. The UPF can be connected with the access network device (such as a base station) and an external data network for data transmission.

[0039] In the 5G system shown in FIG. 1, various parts or network elements can communicate through interfaces. For example, a terminal device can access the AN through the Uu interface to establish an access layer connection and exchange access layer messages and wireless data transmission; the terminal device can connect to the AMF through the N1 interface to exchange NAS messages; the AN can connect to the AMF through the N2 interface to transmit wireless bearer control information from the core network to the AN, etc.; the UPF can transmit data through the N3 interface with the AN and through the N6 interface with the DN, etc.

[0040] In the 5G system architecture shown in FIG. 1, all NAS messages sent by the terminal device to the access network device are sent by the access network device to the AMF serving the terminal device through the N2 interface.

[0041] One important feature of the 5G system is that the communication system architecture can be a service-based architecture, that is, the network elements (service providers) in the core network can provide specific services and provide other network elements (consumers) with defined API interfaces for calling. The architecture of the 5G system learns from the successful experience of the service-based and micro-service-based architecture of information technology (IT) systems, and achieves decoupling and integration between network functions (NFs) through modularization. The decoupled NFs can be independently scaled, independently evolved, and deployed on demand.

[0042] In the 5G system, the interactions between all NFs of the control plane use service-based interfaces. In this way, the same service can be called by multiple NFs, which helps to reduce the coupling degree of interface definition between NFs, realizes on-demand customization of the overall network function, and can flexibly support different business scenarios and requirements. However, the N1 interface between the terminal device and the AMF, the N2 interface between the AN and the AMF, and the N4 interface between the SMF and the UPF still use traditional reference points for interaction. That is, at present, the evolution of the service-based architecture is not complete.

[0043] To solve the above problem, the related technology considers that the access network device is also connected to the bus, that is, the access network device can interact with the network elements in the core network through the service-based interface. In this way, the access network device does not need to send all received NAS messages to the AMF. That is, in the scenario where the access network device interacts with the network elements in the core network through the service-based interface, the core network device does not need to be fixedly connected to the AMF, and does not need to send all NAS messages to the AMF.

[0044] So, in the scenario that the access network device does not need to send all the received NAS messages to the AMF, for example, the scenario that the access network device interacts with the network element in the core network through the service interface, after the access network device receives the NAS message sent by the terminal device, the access network device needs to determine which network element in the core network to send the NAS message to.

[0045] Based on this, the embodiment of the application provides a communication method, a terminal device and a network device, which can select a correct receiving network element for the NAS message sent by the terminal device, are beneficial to the flexibility and modular design of the network architecture, and reduce the information transmission delay.

[0046] First, the communication system to which the embodiment of the application is applicable will be introduced.

[0047] The embodiment of the application can be applicable to any communication system, as long as the access network device can interact with the network element in the core network through the service interface. For example, the embodiment of the application can be applied to a terrestrial network (TN) system, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system. For another example, the embodiment of the application can be applied to a future communication system, such as a 6G communication system, a satellite communication system, etc.

[0048] Generally speaking, the traditional communication system supports a limited number of connections, which is easy to implement. However, with the development of communication technology, the mobile communication system will not only support the traditional communication, but also support, for example, device to device (D2D) communication, machine to machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication, or vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, etc. The embodiment of the application can also be applied to these communication systems.

[0049] The communication system in the embodiment of the application can be applied to a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, can also be applied to a dual connectivity (DC) scenario, and can also be applied to a standalone (SA) network deployment scenario.

[0050] The communication system in the embodiment of the application can be applied to an unlicensed spectrum, wherein the unlicensed spectrum can also be considered as a shared spectrum; or the communication system in the embodiment of the application can also be applied to a licensed spectrum, wherein the licensed spectrum can also be considered as a dedicated spectrum.

[0051] An example of a communication system to which embodiments of the present application are applicable will be given below with reference to FIG. 2. The communication system shown in FIG. 2 can be, for example, a 6G communication system.

[0052] The communication system shown in FIG. 2 can include a plurality of network elements, nodes or devices, such as terminal devices, access network devices, user plane function (UPF) network elements, mobile management network elements (e.g., 6G MM shown in FIG. 2), session management network elements (e.g., 6G SM shown in FIG. 2), application function (AF) network elements. The communication system can also include a data network DN, etc.

[0053] The functions of each part or network element involved in the communication system will be described below.

[0054] Terminal device: A terminal device can also be referred to as a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile station (MS), a mobile terminal (MT), a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user device. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, and can be used to connect people, things and machines, such as handheld devices with wireless connection functions, vehicle-mounted devices, etc. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer (Pad), a notebook computer, a palm computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a vehicle device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, etc.

[0055] Access network device: The access network device can be used to provide network access function for authorized terminal devices in a specific area, and can use different quality transmission channels according to the level, service demand, etc. of the terminal device. The access network device can manage wireless resources, provide access services for terminal devices, and then complete the forwarding of control signals and data between terminal devices and core networks.

[0056] The access network device can be a device in a wireless network. The access network device can also be referred to as a radio access network (RAN) device or a network device, such as a base station. The access network device in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that accesses a terminal device to a wireless network. The base station can broadly cover various names in the following or be replaced by the following names, such as: Node B (NodeB), evolved Node B (eNB), next generation Node B (gNB), relay station, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), master station MeNB, auxiliary station SeNB, multi-standard radio (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. The base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node, or the like, or a combination thereof. The base station can also refer to a communication module, modem or chip used in the aforementioned device or apparatus. The base station can also be a mobile switching center and a device that undertakes the function of a base station in device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, network side device in 6G network, device that undertakes the function of a base station in future communication system, etc. The base station can support networks of the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the access network device.

[0057] A base station can be fixed, or mobile. For example, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, with one or more cells that move in accordance with the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a device that communicates with another base station.

[0058] In some deployments, the access network device in embodiments of the present application can refer to a CU or a DU, or the access network device includes a CU and a DU. The gNB can also include an AAU.

[0059] The access network device and the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface; can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons and satellites in the air. The scene where the access network device and the terminal device in embodiments of the present application are located is not limited.

[0060] UPF network element: the UPF is a user plane function in the core network, which can be responsible for forwarding and receiving user data (such as service data flow) in the terminal device. The UPF can be connected with the access network device (such as a base station) and an external data network for data transmission. Exemplarily, the UPF can receive user data from the DN and transmit it to the terminal device through the access network device; or the UPF can also receive user data from the terminal device through the access network device, and then forward it to the DN. The transmission resource and scheduling function provided for the terminal device in the UPF is managed and controlled by the SMF. In some embodiments, the UPF can be divided into an intermediate-UPF (I-UPF) and an anchor-UPF (A-UPF). Among them, the I-UPF is connected with the access network, and the A-UPF is the UPF of the session anchor, and the A-UPF can also be called a PDU session anchor (PSA).

[0061] Mobility management network element: the mobility management network element is a mobility management function in the core network, which can be used to implement functions other than session management in the mobility management network element (mobility management entity, MME), such as lawful interception, or access authorization (or authentication) functions. In some embodiments, the mobility management network element can be, for example, an AMF. However, embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, and the mobility management network element can be, for example, a network element for implementing mobility management functions in future communication systems.

[0062] Session management network element: The session management network element is a session management function in the core network, and is mainly responsible for session management, IP address allocation and management of terminal devices, selection of a manageable user plane function, termination of a policy control or charging function interface, downlink data notification, configuration of routing information for a user plane function, and the like. In some embodiments, the session management network element may, for example, be an SMF. However, embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, and the session management network element may, for example, be a network element for implementing a session management function in a future communication system.

[0063] Policy management network element: The policy management network element is a policy management function in the core network, and can be responsible for formulating policies related to mobility management, session management, charging, and the like of terminal devices. Specifically, the policy management network element can provide policy rule information and the like for a function network element of the control plane (for example, a mobility management network element, a session management network element, and the like) to manage and control the mobility management, session management, and the like of terminal devices. In some embodiments, the policy management network element may, for example, be a PCF. However, embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, and the policy management network element may, for example, be a network element for implementing a policy management function in a future communication system.

[0064] AF network element: The AF mainly supports interaction with a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) core network to provide services, for example, influence data routing decisions, policy control functions, or provide some services of a third party to the network side. In other words, the AF can be mainly used to deliver application-side requirements for the network side. In some embodiments, the AF can be an application inside an operator, such as an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) technology. In some embodiments, the AF can be understood as a third-party server, for example, an application server in the Internet, providing relevant service information, including providing quality of service (QoS) requirement information corresponding to a service to a PCF, and sending user plane data information of a service to an A-UPF. In some embodiments, the AF can also be a content provider (CP). In some embodiments, if the AF is an AF inside an operator and is in a trusted domain with other NFs, the AF can directly interact with and access other NFs; if the AF is not in the trusted domain, the AF needs to access other NFs through other network elements (for example, an NEF network element described below).

[0065] DN: The DN refers to a network that can be used to provide transmission data. The DN can be a private network, such as a local area network, can be an external network not controlled by an operator, such as the Internet, or can be a proprietary network jointly deployed by operators, such as a network providing IMS services.

[0066] It should be understood that the above various network elements in the core network can also be referred to as functional entities, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the UPF network element can also be referred to as a UPF entity, and the mobile management network element can also be referred to as a mobile management entity, and the like. It should also be understood that in some embodiments, the xx network element or the xx functional entity can also be directly referred to as xx, for example, the UPF network element (or the UPF entity) can be referred to as UPF. For ease of description, the xx (such as UPF) mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can refer to the xx network element or the xx entity, and the following will not be described in detail.

[0067] Optionally, the communication system can also include a unified data management (UDM) network element, an authentication server function (AUSF) network element, a network slice selection function (NSSF) network element, a network exposure function (NEF) network element, a network data analytics function (NWDAF), a network repository function (NRF), and other network elements, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0068] The UDM network element is a subscription database in the core network, which can be used to generate and store subscription data of a user in the network (e.g., a 5G network), manage authentication data, and the like. The UDM network element can support interaction with external third-party servers. The AUSF network element can be used to receive a request of terminal device authentication from the AMF, request a key from the UDM, and then forward the delivered key to the AMF for authentication processing. The NSSF network element can be used for network slice selection. The NEF network element can be responsible for managing the opening of network data of the 5G network element to the outside, and external untrusted applications need to access the internal data of the core network through the NEF to ensure the security of the 3GPP network. In some embodiments, the NEF network element can also provide external application QoS capability exposure, event subscription, AF request distribution, and the like. The NWDAF network element can collect data from various network elements, network management systems, and the like in the core network for big data statistics, analysis, or intelligent data analysis, so as to obtain network-side analysis results or network-side prediction data, thereby assisting each network element to more effectively control the terminal device according to the data analysis results. The NRF network element can be used for NF registration, management, and state detection, and realizes automatic management of NFs. For example, each NF can register with the NRF when starting to provide services, and the registration information can include, for example, NF type, address, service list, and the like.

[0069] It should be understood that in the communication system shown in FIG. 2, the 5G network and the 6G network can share some NFs, for example, share the UDM, the UPF, and the NRF, and the like.

[0070] It should be understood that the terminal device, the access network device, the mobility management network element, and the session management network element shown in FIG. 2 are only names, and the names do not constitute a limitation on the devices themselves. In the 6G network and future other networks, the network elements corresponding to the terminal device, the access network device, the mobility management network element, and the session management network element can also be other names, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0071] It should be understood that all or part of the functions of the communication device in the present application can also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform).

[0072] It should be understood that the system architecture described in the embodiments of the present application is for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. It can be known by those skilled in the art that, with the evolution of network architecture, the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to similar technical problems.

[0073] The method embodiments of the present application will be introduced below.

[0074] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method shown in FIG. 3 is introduced from the perspective of interaction between a terminal device and an access network device. The terminal device and the access network device may, for example, be the terminal device and the access network device shown in FIG. 2.

[0075] The method shown in FIG. 3 includes step S310, which is described below.

[0076] In step S310, the terminal device sends a first message to the access network device. The first message carries a second message, which is a NAS message. That is, the first message is a message carrying a NAS message.

[0077] In some embodiments, the first message can be an access layer message. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the second message (the NAS message) can be carried in an access layer message. In some embodiments, the first message can be an existing access layer message. In some embodiments, the first message can be an access layer message defined in a future communication system, for example, the first message can be a newly defined access layer message in a 6G network.

[0078] In some embodiments, the first message can be a radio resource control (RRC) message. For example, the first message can be any type of RRC message, which is not limited in the present application. Illustratively, the first message can be one or more of the following messages: an RRC setup request (such as RRCSetupRequest) message, an RRC setup complete (such as RRCSetupComplete) message, an RRC resume complete (such as RRCResumeComplete) message, an uplink information transfer (such as ULInformationTransfer) message, and the like. In some embodiments, the first message can be an RRC message defined in a future communication system, for example, a newly defined RRC message in a 6G network, and the like.

[0079] In some embodiments, after the access network device receives the first message sent by the terminal device, the access network device can determine a network element receiving the second message according to the first message. For example, the method shown in FIG. 3 can further include step S320, in which the access network device determines a first network element receiving the second message according to the first message.

[0080] In some embodiments, the access network device determining the first network element according to the first message can include the access network device determining the type of the first network element according to the first message.

[0081] In some embodiments, the access network device determining the first network element according to the first message can include the access network device determining the identification and / or address information of the first network element according to the first message.

[0082] In some embodiments, the access network device determining the first network element according to the first message can comprise: the access network device determining the type of the first network element according to the first message, and the identification and / or address information of the first network element.

[0083] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the first network element. For example, the first network element can be a network element in the core network, such as the first network element can comprise one or more of the following: a mobility management network element, a session management network element, and a policy control network element. As an example, the first network element can be a mobility management network element, such as an AMF or a mobility management network element in a future communication system. As another example, the first network element can be a session management network element, such as an SMF or a session management network element in a future communication system. As yet another example, the first network element can be a policy control network element, such as a PCF or a policy management network element in a future communication system. However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, for example, the first network element can be other network elements in the core network, such as the first network element can be a data storage network element, such as a UDM or an NRF, or a data storage network element in a future communication system, etc.

[0084] In the embodiments of the present application, the first message can be used to determine the first network element receiving the second message, that is, the first message can be used to determine the first network element receiving the NAS message. In this way, the access network device can determine the network element receiving the second message according to the first message (or in other words, the access network device can determine the network element receiving the NAS message according to the message carrying the NAS message), so as to select the correct receiving network element for the NAS message sent by the terminal device, which is beneficial to the flexibility and modular design of the network architecture and reduces the information transmission delay.

[0085] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the implementation manner of determining the first network element by using the first message. As an implementation manner, the embodiments of the present application can determine the type of the second message by using the first message, and determine the first network element by using the type of the second message. As another implementation manner, the embodiments of the present application can determine the first network element by using the first information carried by the first message. As yet another implementation manner, the embodiments of the present application can determine the type of the second message by using the first message, and determine the first network element by using the type of the second message and the first information carried by the first message. Details are described below.

[0086] Implementation manner 1: the first message is used to determine the type of the second message

[0087] In implementation 1, the first message for determining the first network element receiving the second message can mean that the first message is for determining a type of the second message, and the type of the second message is for determining the first network element. Alternatively, in implementation 1, the first message can indicate the type of the second message, so that the access network device determines the first network element according to the type of the second message.

[0088] In some embodiments, the type of the second message for determining the first network element can mean that the type of the second message can be for determining the type of the first network element. For example, the type of the second message can be for determining whether the first network element is a mobility management network element or a session management network element, etc.

[0089] Embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of the second message, as long as the type of the second message can be for determining the first network element.

[0090] In some embodiments, the type of the second message can be classified according to the receiving network element of the second message. For example, the second message can include one or more of the following: a mobility management type of NAS message, a session management type of NAS message, a policy control type of NAS message, etc. Embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, for example, the second message can also include a data storage type of NAS message, a data analysis type of NAS message, etc.

[0091] In some embodiments, the type of the second message can be classified according to the function of the second message. For example, the second message can include one or more of the following: a registration type of NAS message, a deregistration type of NAS message, a session establishment type of NAS message, a session modification type of NAS message, a session release type of NAS message, etc.

[0092] In some embodiments, the type of the second message can be classified according to multiple factors. For example, the second message can include one or more of the following: a mobility management type of NAS message, a session management type of NAS message, a policy control type of NAS message, a registration type of NAS message, a deregistration type of NAS message, a session establishment type of NAS message, a session modification type of NAS message, a session release type of NAS message, etc.

[0093] In some embodiments, after determining the type of the second message according to the first message, the access network device can send the second message to the correct receiving network element (the first network element). For example, the access network device can send a mobility management type NAS message to a mobility management network element, and send a session management type NAS message to a session management network element. For another example, the access network device can send a registration type NAS message, a registration type NAS message to a mobility management network element, and send a session establishment type NAS message, a session modification type NAS message, a session release type NAS message to a session management network element, and the like.

[0094] In some embodiments, the first message can explicitly indicate the type of the second message. For example, the first message can include first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate the type of the second message. In some embodiments, the first indication information can be indication.

[0095] The application embodiments do not limit the indication manner of the first indication information. As an implementation manner, the first indication information can occupy 1 bit, and the type of the second message is indicated by the 1 bit. For example, when the first indication information takes a value of "0", it indicates that the type of the second message is a mobility management type NAS message, and when the first indication information takes a value of "1", it indicates that the type of the second message is a session management type NAS message. For another example, when the first indication information takes a value of "1", it indicates that the type of the second message is a mobility management type NAS message, and when the first indication information takes a value of "0", it indicates that the type of the second message is a session management type NAS message. In this way, when the access network device determines that the type of the second message is a mobility management type NAS message according to the first indication information, the access network device can send the second message to a mobility management network element; and when the access network device determines that the type of the second message is a session management type NAS message according to the first indication information, the access network device can send the second message to a session management network element.

[0096] As another implementation manner, the first indication information can occupy multiple (two or more) bits, and the type of the second message is indicated by the multiple bits. This is described below.

[0097] As an example, the first indication information can occupy 2 bits, when the first indication information takes a value of "00", it indicates that the type of the second message is a mobility management type NAS message, when the first indication information takes a value of "01", it indicates that the type of the second message is a session management type NAS message, when the first indication information takes a value of "10", it indicates that the type of the second message is a policy control type NAS message, and the like.

[0098] As another example, the first indication information can occupy 2 bits, the first indication information taking value "00" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of session management type, the first indication information taking value "01" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of mobility management type, the first indication information taking value "10" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of policy control type, and so on.

[0099] As another example, the first indication information can occupy 2 bits, the first indication information taking value "00" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of registration type, the first indication information taking value "01" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of de-registration type, the first indication information taking value "10" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of session establishment type, the first indication information taking value "11" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of session modification type, and so on.

[0100] As another example, the first indication information can occupy 2 bits, the first indication information taking value "00" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of session establishment type, the first indication information taking value "01" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of session modification type, the first indication information taking value "10" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of registration type, the first indication information taking value "11" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of de-registration type, and so on.

[0101] As another example, the first indication information can occupy 3 bits, the first indication information taking value "000" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of registration type, the first indication information taking value "001" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of de-registration type, the first indication information taking value "010" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of session establishment type, the first indication information taking value "011" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of session modification type, the first indication information taking value "100" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of session release type, and so on.

[0102] As another example, the first indication information can occupy 3 bits, the first indication information taking value "000" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of session establishment type, the first indication information taking value "001" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of session modification type, the first indication information taking value "010" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of session release type, the first indication information taking value "011" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of registration type, the first indication information taking value "100" indicates that the type of the second message is a NAS message of de-registration type, and so on.

[0103] As a further example, the first indication information can occupy 3 bits, the first indication information takes value "000" to represent that the type of the second message is a registration type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "001" to represent that the type of the second message is a de-registration type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "010" to represent that the type of the second message is a session establishment type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "011" to represent that the type of the second message is a session modification type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "100" to represent that the type of the second message is a session release type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "101" to represent that the type of the second message is a mobility management type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "110" to represent that the type of the second message is a session management type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "111" to represent that the type of the second message is a policy control type NAS message, and the like.

[0104] As a further example, the first indication information can occupy 3 bits, the first indication information takes value "000" to represent that the type of the second message is a registration type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "001" to represent that the type of the second message is a de-registration type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "010" to represent that the type of the second message is a session establishment type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "011" to represent that the type of the second message is a session modification type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "100" to represent that the type of the second message is a session release type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "101" to represent that the type of the second message is a mobility management type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "110" to represent that the type of the second message is a session management type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "111" to represent that the type of the second message is a policy control type NAS message, and the like.

[0105] As a further example, the first indication information can occupy 3 bits, the first indication information takes value "000" to represent that the type of the second message is a registration type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "001" to represent that the type of the second message is a de-registration type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "010" to represent that the type of the second message is a session establishment type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "011" to represent that the type of the second message is a session modification type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "100" to represent that the type of the second message is a session release type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "101" to represent that the type of the second message is a mobility management type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "110" to represent that the type of the second message is a session management type NAS message, the first indication information takes value "111" to represent that the type of the second message is a policy control type NAS message, and the like.

[0106] It should be understood that the above-mentioned implementation manner of the first indication information indicating the type of the second message is only an example, and other indication manners can also be adopted by the embodiments of the present application, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0107] In some embodiments, the first indication information and the second message are both carried in the first message. For example, the second message can be carried in a NAS container in the first message, and the first message can carry the first indication information to indicate the type of the second message. Taking the first message as an RRC message as an example, the second message can be carried in a NAS container in the RRC message, and the RRC message carries the first indication information to indicate the type of the second message.

[0108] Embodiments of the present application explicitly indicate the type of the second message in the first message, and the indication manner is simple.

[0109] In some embodiments, the first message can implicitly indicate the type of the second message. For example, the type of a NAS container in the first message can be used to indicate the type of the second message.

[0110] In some embodiments, the first message can include different types of NAS containers, and the different types of NAS containers can be used to carry different types of NAS messages. Taking the first message as an RRC message as an example, the RRC message can include different types of NAS containers, and the second message can be carried in a different type of NAS container in the RRC message.

[0111] In some embodiments, the type of the NAS container included in the first message can be divided according to the receiving network element of the second message. For example, the first message can include one or more of the following NAS containers: a NAS container for carrying a mobility management type of NAS message, a NAS container for carrying a session management type of NAS message, a NAS container for carrying a policy control type of NAS message, and the like. However, embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, for example, the first message can also include a NAS container for carrying a data storage type of NAS message, a NAS container for carrying a data analysis type of NAS message, and the like.

[0112] In some embodiments, the type of the NAS container included in the first message can be divided according to the function of the second message. For example, the first message can include one or more of the following NAS containers: a NAS container for carrying a registration type of NAS message, a NAS container for carrying a deregistration type of NAS message, a NAS container for carrying a session establishment type of NAS message, a NAS container for carrying a session modification type of NAS message, a NAS container for carrying a session release type of NAS message, and the like.

[0113] In some embodiments, the type of NAS container included in the first message can be divided according to multiple factors. For example, the first message can include one or more of the following NAS containers: a NAS container for carrying a mobility management NAS message, a NAS container for carrying a session management NAS message, a NAS container for carrying a policy control NAS message, a NAS container for carrying a registration NAS message, a NAS container for carrying a deregistration NAS message, a NAS container for carrying a session establishment NAS message, a NAS container for carrying a session modification NAS message, a NAS container for carrying a session release NAS message, etc.

[0114] In some embodiments, the access network device may determine the type of the second message based on the NAS container to which the second message belongs. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the NAS container to which the second message belongs may be used to determine the type of the second message. As an implementation, the second message may be carried in a NAS container of the first message, and the NAS container to which the second message belongs may be used to determine the type of the second message.

[0115] As an example, the second message is carried in a NAS container of the first message for carrying a NAS message of the mobility management type. Then the access network device can determine that the type of the second message is a NAS message of the mobility management type, and thus can send the second message to the mobility management network element.

[0116] As another example, the second message is carried in a NAS container of the first message that is used to carry a session management type NAS message. The access network device can then determine that the type of the second message is a session management type NAS message, and thus can send the second message to the session management network element.

[0117] As another example, the second message is carried in a NAS container for carrying a mobility management type NAS message and a NAS container for carrying a session management type NAS message of the first message, then the access network device can send the second message to the mobility management network element and the session management network element.

[0118] As another example, the second message is carried in a NAS container of the first message for carrying a registration-type NAS message. The access network device may determine that the type of the second message is a registration-type NAS message, and thus may send the second message to the mobility management network element.

[0119] As another example, the second message is carried in a NAS container of the first message for carrying a session release type NAS message. The access network device can then determine that the type of the second message is a session release type NAS message, and thus can send the second message to the session management network element.

[0120] In the embodiment of the present application, the type of the second message is implicitly indicated by the type of the NAS container. On the one hand, the signaling overhead is low, and on the other hand, the changes to the existing communication system are relatively small.

[0121] Implementation 2: The first message includes the first information

[0122] In implementation manner 2, the first message includes (or carries) first information, and the first information can be used to determine the first network element.

[0123] In some embodiments, the first information may be understood as network element selection auxiliary information or network element determination auxiliary information. That is, the first information may assist the access network device in determining the first network element.

[0124] In some embodiments, the first information may be used to determine a deployment mode of the first network element. For example, the first information may be used to determine whether the first network element is a distributed deployed network element or a centralized deployed network element.

[0125] The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the first information, as long as the first information can be used to determine the first network element. For example, the first information can be used to determine the deployment mode of the first network element.

[0126] Exemplarily, the first information may include one or more of the following: service information supported by the terminal device, second indication information, the data network name (DNN) corresponding to the first network element, and network slice information corresponding to the first network element.

[0127] The service information supported by the terminal device may include, for example, the service types supported by the terminal device. In some embodiments, the service information supported by the terminal device can be used to determine the first network element. For example, the access network device can select the first network element that is closer to the terminal device, or select the first network element that is farther away from the terminal device based on the service information supported by the terminal device. As an example, if the service supported by the terminal device is a low-latency service (or a service with relatively high latency requirements), the access network device can select the first network element that is closer to the terminal device in order to quickly transmit the service data stream. In some embodiments, the service information supported by the terminal device can be used to determine the deployment method of the first network element. Still taking the example of the service supported by the terminal device being a low-latency service, the access network device can select the first network element for distributed deployment, so as to select the first network element that is closer to the terminal device to serve the terminal device.

[0128] The second indication information can be used to indicate the deployment mode of the first network element. For example, the second indication information is used to indicate whether the first network element is a distributed deployed network element or a centrally deployed network element. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of bits occupied by the second indication information. As an example, the second indication information can occupy 1 bit. For example, when the value of the second indication information is "0", it indicates that the first network element is a distributed deployed network element, and when the value of the second indication information is "1", it indicates that the first network element is a centrally deployed network element. Alternatively, when the value of the second indication information is "0", it indicates that the first network element is a centrally deployed network element, and when the value of the second indication information is "1", it indicates that the first network element is a distributed deployed network element. As another example, the second indication information can occupy multiple bits. For example, the second indication information can be used to indicate information such as "distributed deployment" and "centralized deployment".

[0129] In some embodiments, the DNN corresponding to the first network element and / or the network slice information corresponding to the first network element (such as a slice identifier) ​​can be used to indicate the first network element. For example, the DNN corresponding to the first network element and / or the network slice information corresponding to the first network element can indicate a certain private network, and the access network device can determine the first network element corresponding to the private network based on the DNN corresponding to the first network element and / or the network slice information corresponding to the first network element. In some embodiments, the DNN corresponding to the first network element and / or the network slice information corresponding to the first network element can be used to indicate the deployment method of the first network element. For example, the DNN corresponding to the first network element and / or the network slice information corresponding to the first network element can indicate a certain private network, and the access network device can determine the first network element corresponding to the centrally deployed private network based on the DNN corresponding to the first network element and / or the network slice information corresponding to the first network element.

[0130] In the embodiment of the present application, the access network device can determine the first network element based on the first information, for example, determine the deployment method of the first network element, thereby ensuring that the determined first network element can better serve the terminal device. For example, the first network element determined based on the first information can meet different service requirements or meet the requirements of different UEs.

[0131] It should be noted that in some embodiments, implementation 1 or implementation 2 can be used alone to determine the first network element. In some embodiments, implementation 1 and implementation 2 can be combined to determine the first network element. For example, the access network device can determine the type of the second message by using the first message, and determine the first network element in combination with the type of the second message and the first information carried in the first message. As an example, the access network device determines that the type of the second message is a mobility management type NAS message, and the first information is used to indicate that the first network element is a distributedly deployed network element, and then the access network device can determine that the first network element is a distributedly deployed mobility management network element. As another example, the access network device determines that the type of the second message is a session management type NAS message, and the first information is used to indicate that the service supported by the terminal device is a low latency type service, and then the access network device can determine that the first network element is a distributedly deployed session management network element close to the terminal device, and the like.

[0132] In some embodiments, after the access network device determines the first network element according to the first message, the access network device can send the second message to the first network element. The method shown in FIG. 4 is introduced from the perspective of interaction between the terminal device, the access network device and the first network element. The method shown in FIG. 4 includes step S410 and step S420.

[0133] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. The method shown in FIG. 4 is introduced from the perspective of interaction between the terminal device, the access network device and the first network element. The method shown in FIG. 4 includes step S410 and step S420.

[0134] In step S410, the terminal device sends a first message to the access network device. The first message carries a second message, and the first message is used to determine a first network element that receives the second message.

[0135] For the introduction of step S410, reference can be made to the related introduction of step S310 in the foregoing, and for the sake of brevity, no longer be described here.

[0136] In step S420, the access network device sends the second message to the first network element.

[0137] In some embodiments, the access network device can send the second message to the first network element according to the first message.

[0138] In some embodiments, the access network device can determine the first network element according to the first message, and send the second message to the first network element.

[0139] In some embodiments, the access network device can send the second message to the first network element through a service interface. Or, the access network device can invoke a service provided by the first network element to send the second message to the first network element by invoking the service provided by the first network element.

[0140] In some embodiments, when the first network element needs to send a NAS message to the terminal device, the first network element can send the NAS message to the access network device through the service interface.

[0141] In some embodiments, after the access network device receives the NAS message sent by the first network element to the terminal device, the access network device can carry the NAS message in an access layer message and send the NAS message to the terminal device through the access layer message.

[0142] In some embodiments, after the access network device determines the first network element according to the first message, the access network device needs to obtain the related information of the first network element in order to send the second message to the first network element.

[0143] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the related information of the first network element obtained by the access network device. For example, the access network device can determine the identification information and / or address information of the first network element according to the related information, so as to send the second message to the first network element according to the identification information and / or address information of the first network element. As an example, after the access network device determines the first network element according to the first message, the access network device can obtain the identification information and / or address information of the first network element.

[0144] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the implementation of the access network device obtaining the identification information and / or address information of the first network element. As an implementation, the access network device can determine the identification information and / or address information of the first network element according to local configuration. As another implementation, the access network device can query the core network (for example, query the second network element in the core network) to determine the identification information and / or address information of the first network element. The implementation of the access network device querying the second network element to determine the identification information and / or address information of the first network element will be introduced below in combination with FIG. 5.

[0145] The method shown in FIG. 5 can include steps S510 to S530.

[0146] In step S510, the terminal device sends a first message to the access network device. The first message carries a second message, and the first message is used to determine a first network element receiving the second message.

[0147] For the introduction of step S510, please refer to the related introduction of step S310 in the foregoing description, and the detailed description is omitted here for brevity.

[0148] In step S520, the access network device sends a third message to the second network element. The third message can be used to query the identification information and / or address information of the first network element.

[0149] In some embodiments, the third message can include one or more of the following information: type information of the first network element, location information of the terminal device, and the first information.

[0150] The type information of the first network element can be used to indicate the type of the first network element, for example, to indicate that the first network element is a mobility management network element or a session management network element or a policy control network element, etc. In some embodiments, the type information of the first network element can be determined through the first message. For example, the access network device can determine the type of the second message according to the first message, and determine the type of the first network element according to the type of the second message.

[0151] The location information of the terminal device can be used to determine the identity and / or address information of the first network element, for example. For example, the first network element closest to the terminal device can be selected according to the location information of the terminal device. The present application does not limit the way of indicating the location information of the terminal device, which can be indicated by one or more of the following, for example: the information of the tracking area where the terminal device is located, the information of the cell where the terminal device is located.

[0152] The detailed description of the first information can be found in the foregoing, which will not be repeated here for brevity.

[0153] The present application does not limit the second network element, as long as the second network element stores the related information of the first network element (such as the identity information and / or address information of the first network element). For example, the second network element can be a network element in the core network. As an example, the second network element can be a data storage network element in the core network, such as UDM or NRF, etc.

[0154] In some embodiments, after the second network element receives the third message sent by the access network device, it can send the information of one or more network elements to the access network device, for example, the identity information and / or address information of one or more network elements.

[0155] In some embodiments, the access network device can determine the first network element according to the information of one or more network elements sent by the second network element. Or, the access network device can select one network element from the one or more network elements sent by the second network element as the first network element.

[0156] The present application does not limit the implementation of the access network device selecting the first network element from one or more network elements. As a possible implementation, the access network device can consider load balancing when selecting the first network element, for example, selecting a network element with lower load as the first network element. As another possible implementation, the access network device can randomly select the first network element from one or more network elements. As yet another possible implementation, the access network device can select the network element closest to the terminal device as the first network element, etc.

[0157] In step S530, the access network device sends the second message to the first network element.

[0158] For example, the access network device sends, to the first network element, a second message through a service interface.

[0159] For the convenience of understanding, several specific embodiments are given below to exemplarily introduce the flow of the method of the present application. It should be noted that the content not introduced in detail hereinafter can be referred to the introduction in the foregoing, such as the content contained in the first indication information, the content contained in the third message, how the access network device selects the first network element from one or more network elements sent by the second network element, etc.

[0160] Embodiment 1:

[0161] In Embodiment 1, the second message is a registration request message. Alternatively, Embodiment 1 is introduced by taking the example that the terminal device initially accesses the network and sends a registration request message to the core network.

[0162] In Embodiment 1, the first network element determined by the access network device is a mobility management network element.

[0163] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. The method shown in FIG. 6 can include steps S610 to S680.

[0164] In step S610, the terminal device sends a first message to the access network device.

[0165] In some embodiments, the first message is an access layer message. For example, the first message can be an RRCSetupComplete message.

[0166] In some embodiments, the second message is carried in the first message, or in other words, the NAS message is carried in the first message.

[0167] In some embodiments, the type of the second message is indicated in the first message. For example, it is indicated in the first message that the second message is a registration request message, or it is indicated in the first message that the second message is a NAS message of the registration type, or it is indicated in the first message that the second message is a NAS message of the mobility management type, etc.

[0168] As an implementation manner, the first message can carry first indication information (such as a type parameter), which is set to the mobility management type, or the registration type, or the registration request type.

[0169] As another implementation manner, different types of NAS containers can be set in the first message so as to carry different types of NAS messages in the corresponding type of NAS container. For example, the second message can be carried in a NAS container for carrying a NAS message of the mobility management type, so as to indicate, through the NAS container to which the second message belongs, that the type of the second message is the NAS message of the mobility management type.

[0170] At step S620, the access network device determines the type of the first network element according to the first message.

[0171] For example, the access network device can determine that the second message needs to be sent to the mobile management network element according to the type of the second message indicated by the first message.

[0172] At step S630, the access network device sends a third message to the second network element.

[0173] For example, the access network device can send the third message to a data storage network element (UDM or NRF, etc.).

[0174] In some embodiments, the third message can include one or more of the following information: type information of the first network element, location information of the terminal device.

[0175] At step S640, the second network element sends information of one or more network elements to the access network device.

[0176] For example, the second network element can send information of one or more network elements in the location where the terminal device is located to the access network device, and the one or more network elements all conform to the type information of the first network element, such as, in this example, the one or more network elements are all mobile management network elements.

[0177] In some embodiments, the second network element can send identification information and / or address information of the one or more network elements to the access network device. For example, in this example, the second network element can send identification information and / or address information of the one or more mobile management network elements to the access network device.

[0178] At step S650, the access network device determines the identification and / or address information of the first network element.

[0179] In some embodiments, if multiple network element information is returned in step S640, the access network device can select one of the network elements as the first network element.

[0180] In some embodiments, the access network device can also be locally configured with information (such as identification information and / or address information) of the mobile management network element. In this way, the access network device does not need to query the second network element to determine the information of the first network element receiving the second message. In this case, steps S630 and S640 can be omitted.

[0181] At step S660, the access network device sends the second message to the first network element.

[0182] For example, the access network device invokes a service provided by the first network element through a service interface. As an implementation manner, the access network device can invoke an Nmm_request service (which can be a newly defined service) provided by the first network element, and send the second message (in this embodiment, the registration request message) by invoking the service.

[0183] In step S670, the first network element determines to accept the registration of the terminal device, and sends a NAS message (for example, a registration response message) that needs to be sent to the terminal device to the access network device through the service interface.

[0184] In step S680, the access network device sends the NAS message (the registration response message) to the terminal device through an access layer message.

[0185] In embodiment 1, the access network device obtains that the type of the NAS message (the second message) that needs to be transmitted is a mobility management type or a registration type or a registration request type, and thus it can be determined that the NAS message needs to be sent to a mobility management network element. Then, the access network device invokes a service provided by the mobility management network element through a service interface, and sends the NAS message to the determined mobility management network element.

[0186] Embodiment 2:

[0187] In embodiment 2, the second message is a session establishment request message. In other words, embodiment 2 is introduced by taking that the terminal device needs to establish a PDU session and sends a session establishment request message to the core network as an example.

[0188] In embodiment 2, the first network element determined by the access network device is a session management network element.

[0189] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. The method shown in FIG. 7 can include steps S710 to S780.

[0190] In step S710, the terminal device sends a first message to the access network device.

[0191] In some embodiments, the first message is an access layer message. For example, the first message can be an RRCSetupComplete message. Alternatively, the first message can be an ULInformationTransfer message.

[0192] In some embodiments, the first message carries the second message, or in other words, the first message carries a NAS message.

[0193] In some embodiments, the first message indicates the type of the second message. For example, the first message indicates that the second message is a session establishment request message, or the first message indicates that the second message is a session establishment type NAS message, or the first message indicates that the second message is a session management type NAS message, and the like.

[0194] As an implementation manner, the first message can carry first indication information (such as a type parameter), which is set as a session management type, or a session establishment type, or a session establishment request type.

[0195] As another implementation manner, the first message can set different types of NAS containers, so as to carry different types of NAS messages in the corresponding type of NAS container. For example, the second message can be carried in a NAS container for carrying a session management type NAS message, so as to indicate the type of the second message as a session management type NAS message through the NAS container to which the second message belongs.

[0196] In some embodiments, the first message can also carry information for determining a network slice associated with a session. For example, the first message can carry DNN and / or slice identifier information corresponding to the first network element, and the like.

[0197] In step S720, the access network device determines the type of the first network element according to the first message.

[0198] For example, the access network device can determine that the second message needs to be sent to a session management network element according to the type of the second message indicated by the first message.

[0199] In step S730, the access network device sends a third message to a second network element.

[0200] For example, the access network device can send the third message to a data storage network element (UDM or NRF, etc.).

[0201] In some embodiments, the third message can include one or more of the following information: type information of the first network element, location information of the terminal device, DNN and / or slice information corresponding to the first network element.

[0202] In step S740, the second network element sends information of one or more network elements to the access network device.

[0203] For example, the second network element can send information of one or more network elements in a location where the terminal device is located to the access network device, and the one or more network elements all conform to the type information of the first network element, such as, in this example, the one or more network elements are all session management network elements.

[0204] In some embodiments, the second network element can send the identification information and / or address information of one or more network elements to the access network device. For example, in this example, the second network element can send the identification information and / or address information of one or more session management network elements to the access network device.

[0205] In step S750, the access network device determines the identification and / or address information of the first network element.

[0206] In some embodiments, if multiple network elements' information is returned in step S740, the access network device can select one of the network elements as the first network element.

[0207] In some embodiments, the access network device can also be locally configured with the information (such as identification information and / or address information) of the session management network element. In this way, the access network device does not need to query the second network element to determine the information of the first network element receiving the second message. In this case, steps S730 and S740 can be omitted.

[0208] In step S760, the access network device sends the second message to the first network element.

[0209] For example, the access network device invokes the service provided by the first network element through a service interface. As an implementation manner, the access network device can invoke the Nsm_request service (which can be a newly defined service) provided by the first network element, and send the second message (in this embodiment, the session establishment request message) through the invocation of the service.

[0210] In step S770, after the first network element determines to accept the session establishment request of the terminal device, the first network element sends the NAS message (such as the session establishment response message) to be sent to the terminal device to the access network device through the service interface.

[0211] In step S780, the access network device sends the NAS message (the session establishment response message) to the terminal device through an access layer message.

[0212] In embodiment 2, the access network device determines that the type of the NAS message (the second message) to be transmitted is a session management type or a session establishment type or a session establishment request type, so that it can be determined that the NAS message needs to be sent to a session management network element. Then, the access network device invokes the service provided by the session management network element through a service interface, and sends the NAS message to the determined session management network element.

[0213] Embodiment 3:

[0214] In embodiment 3, the first message carries the first information. The access network device can determine the first network element according to the first information. For example, the access network device can determine to select the first network element in a distributed deployment or the first network element in a centralized deployment according to the first information.

[0215] In embodiment 3, the first information can include one or more of the following: service information (such as a service type) supported by the terminal device, second indication information, a DNN corresponding to the first network element, and network slice information corresponding to the first network element.

[0216] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application. The method shown in FIG. 8 includes steps S810 to S880.

[0217] In step S810, the terminal device sends a first message to the access network device.

[0218] In some embodiments, the first message is an access layer message. For example, the first message can be an RRCSetupComplete message. Alternatively, the first message can be an ULInformationTransfer message.

[0219] In some embodiments, the first message carries the second message, or in other words, the first message carries the NAS message.

[0220] In some embodiments, the first message indicates the type of the second message.

[0221] In some embodiments, the first message carries the first information.

[0222] In step S820, the access network device determines the type of the first network element according to the first message.

[0223] For example, the access network device can determine the type of the first network element according to the type of the second message indicated by the first message.

[0224] In step S830, the access network device sends a third message to the second network element.

[0225] For example, the access network device can send the third message to a data storage network element (such as a UDM or a NRF).

[0226] In some embodiments, the third message can include one or more of the following information: type information of the first network element, the first information, and location information of the terminal device.

[0227] In step S840, the second network element sends information of one or more network elements to the access network device.

[0228] In some embodiments, the second network element can send the access network device the identification information and / or address information of one or more network elements. For example, in this example, the second network element can send the access network device the identification information and / or address information of one or more session management network elements.

[0229] In some embodiments, the second network element can send the access network device the information of one or more network elements conforming to the first information according to the received first information. For example, the first information indicates that the first network element is a distributedly deployed network element, and the type of the second message indicates that the first network element is a session management network element, then the second network element can send the access network device one or more distributedly deployed session management network elements.

[0230] In some embodiments, the one or more network elements sent by the second network element to the access network device all serve the location where the terminal device is located.

[0231] In step S850, the access network device determines the identification and / or address information of the first network element.

[0232] In some embodiments, if multiple network elements' information is returned in step S840, the access network device can select one of the network elements as the first network element.

[0233] In some embodiments, the access network device can also be locally configured with the information (such as identification information and / or address information) of the first network element. In this way, the access network device does not need to query the second network element to determine the information of the first network element that receives the second message. In this case, steps S830 and S840 can be omitted.

[0234] In step S860, the access network device sends the second message to the first network element.

[0235] For example, the access network device invokes the service provided by the first network element through a service interface. As an implementation manner, the access network device can invoke the Nnf_request service (which can be a newly defined service) provided by the first network element to send the second message through the invocation of the service.

[0236] In step S870, the first network element sends the NAS message that needs to be sent to the terminal device to the access network device through a service interface.

[0237] In step S880, the access network device sends the NAS message to the terminal device through an access layer message.

[0238] In embodiment 3, the access network device can determine the first network element according to the first information, for example, determine the deployment manner of the first network element, which is beneficial for the access network device to send the NAS message to the correct first network element according to different service requirements or according to the requirements of different terminal devices.

[0239] It should be understood that the embodiment 3 can be combined with the embodiment 1 or the embodiment 2. In this way, the access network device can determine the type of the second message according to the embodiment 1 or the embodiment 2, to determine the first network element (or the type of the first network element) according to the type of the second message; on this basis, the access network device can further determine the first network element (or the deployment manner of the first network element) according to the first information.

[0240] The method embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in combination with FIG. 1 to FIG. 8, and the device embodiments of the present application are described in detail below in combination with FIG. 9 to FIG. 13. It should be understood that the description of the method embodiments and the description of the device embodiments correspond to each other, and therefore, the parts not described in detail can be referred to the method embodiments.

[0241] FIG. 9 is a structural schematic diagram of a terminal device provided by an embodiment of the present application. The terminal device 900 shown in FIG. 9 includes a sending module 910. The sending module 910 can be used to send a first message to an access network device, the first message carrying a second message, the first message being used to determine a first network element receiving the second message, and the second message being a NAS message.

[0242] Optionally, the first message being used to determine the first network element receiving the second message includes that the first message is used to determine the type of the second message, and the type of the second message is used to determine the first network element.

[0243] Optionally, the first message includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate the type of the second message.

[0244] Optionally, the first indication information and the second message are both carried in the first message.

[0245] Optionally, the second message is carried in a NAS container of the first message, and the NAS container to which the second message belongs is used to determine the type of the second message.

[0246] Optionally, the first message includes different types of NAS containers, and the different types of NAS containers are used to carry different types of NAS messages.

[0247] Optionally, the NAS container of the first message includes one or more of the following: a NAS container used to carry a mobility management type of NAS message; a NAS container used to carry a session management type of NAS message; and a NAS container used to carry a policy control type of NAS message.

[0248] Optionally, the type of the second message comprises one or more of the following: a mobility management type NAS message, a session management type NAS message, a policy control type NAS message.

[0249] Optionally, the type of the second message comprises one or more of the following: a registration type NAS message, a de-registration type NAS message, a session establishment type NAS message, a session modification type NAS message, a session release type NAS message.

[0250] Optionally, the first message comprises first information, and the first information is used to determine the first network element.

[0251] Optionally, the first information is used to determine a deployment manner of the first network element.

[0252] Optionally, the first information comprises one or more of the following: service information supported by the terminal device; second indication information used to indicate the deployment manner of the first network element; a data network name (DNN) corresponding to the first network element; network slice information corresponding to the first network element.

[0253] Optionally, the identification information and / or address information of the first network element is determined by the access network device according to local configuration, or the identification information and / or address information of the first network element is obtained by the access network device by querying a second network element.

[0254] Optionally, the first message is an access layer message.

[0255] Optionally, the first network element comprises one or more of the following: a mobility management network element, a session management network element, and a policy control network element.

[0256] Optionally, the sending module 910 can be a transceiver 1330. The terminal device 900 can further include a processor 1310 and a memory 1320, as shown in FIG. 13.

[0257] FIG. 10 is a structural schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application. The network device 1000 shown in FIG. 10 is an access network device. The network device 1000 includes a receiving module 1010. The receiving module 1010 can be used to receive a first message sent by a terminal device, wherein the first message carries a second message, the first message is used to determine a first network element receiving the second message, and the second message is a NAS message.

[0258] Optionally, the first message used to determine the first network element receiving the second message comprises: the first message used to determine a type of the second message, and the type of the second message is used to determine the first network element.

[0259] Optionally, the first message comprises first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a type of the second message.

[0260] Optionally, the first indication information and the second message are both carried in the first message.

[0261] Optionally, the second message is carried in a NAS container of the first message, and a type of the NAS container to which the second message belongs is used to determine the type of the second message.

[0262] Optionally, the first message comprises NAS containers of different types, and the NAS containers of different types are used to carry NAS messages of different types.

[0263] Optionally, the NAS container of the first message comprises one or more of the following: a NAS container used to carry a mobility management type of NAS message; a NAS container used to carry a session management type of NAS message; a NAS container used to carry a policy control type of NAS message.

[0264] Optionally, the type of the second message comprises one or more of the following: a mobility management type of NAS message, a session management type of NAS message, and a policy control type of NAS message.

[0265] Optionally, the type of the second message comprises one or more of the following: a registration type of NAS message, a deregistration type of NAS message, a session establishment type of NAS message, a session modification type of NAS message, and a session release type of NAS message.

[0266] Optionally, the first message comprises first information, and the first information is used to determine the first network element.

[0267] Optionally, the first information is used to determine a deployment manner of the first network element.

[0268] Optionally, the first information comprises one or more of the following: service information supported by the terminal device; second indication information used to indicate the deployment manner of the first network element; a data network name (DNN) corresponding to the first network element; and network slice information corresponding to the first network element.

[0269] Optionally, the network device further comprises a first sending module 1020, configured to send the second message to the first network element through a service interface.

[0270] Optionally, the second message is sent by the access network device to the first network element through a service interface.

[0271] Optionally, the identity information and / or the address information of the first network element is determined by the access network device according to local configuration.

[0272] Optionally, the network device further includes a second sending module, configured to send a third message to a second network element, the third message being used to query the identity information and / or the address information of the first network element.

[0273] Optionally, the third message includes one or more of the following information: type information of the first network element; location information of the terminal device; first information used to determine the first network element.

[0274] Optionally, the first message is an access layer message.

[0275] Optionally, the first network element includes one or more of the following: a mobility management network element, a session management network element, and a policy control network element.

[0276] Optionally, the receiving module 1010 can be a transceiver 1330. The network device 1000 can further include a processor 1310 and a memory 1320, as shown in FIG. 13.

[0277] FIG. 11 is a structural schematic diagram of a network device provided by another embodiment of the present application. The network device 1100 shown in FIG. 11 is a first network element. The network device 1100 includes a receiving module 1110. The receiving module 1110 can be configured to receive a second message sent by an access network device, the second message being a NAS message; wherein the first network element is determined according to a first message carrying the second message.

[0278] Optionally, the first message is used to determine the type of the second message, and the type of the second message is used to determine the first network element.

[0279] Optionally, the first message includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate the type of the second message.

[0280] Optionally, the first indication information and the second message are both carried in the first message.

[0281] Optionally, the second message is carried in a NAS container of the first message, and the NAS container to which the second message belongs is used to determine the type of the second message.

[0282] Optionally, the first message includes different types of NAS containers, and the different types of NAS containers are used to carry different types of NAS messages.

[0283] Optionally, the NAS container of the first message comprises one or more of the following: a NAS container for carrying a mobility management type NAS message; a NAS container for carrying a session management type NAS message; a NAS container for carrying a policy control type NAS message.

[0284] Optionally, the type of the second message comprises one or more of the following: a mobility management type NAS message, a session management type NAS message, a policy control type NAS message.

[0285] Optionally, the type of the second message comprises one or more of the following: a registration type NAS message, a de-registration type NAS message, a session establishment type NAS message, a session modification type NAS message, a session release type NAS message.

[0286] Optionally, the first message comprises first information, and the first information is used to determine the first network element.

[0287] Optionally, the first information is used to determine a deployment manner of the first network element.

[0288] Optionally, the first information comprises one or more of the following: service information supported by the terminal device; second indication information used to indicate the deployment manner of the first network element; a data network name (DNN) corresponding to the first network element; network slice information corresponding to the first network element.

[0289] Optionally, the identification information and / or address information of the first network element is determined by the access network device according to local configuration, or the identification information and / or address information of the first network element is obtained by the access network device by querying a second network element.

[0290] Optionally, the second message is sent by the access network device to the first network element through a service interface.

[0291] Optionally, the first message is an access layer message.

[0292] Optionally, the first network element comprises one or more of the following: a mobility management network element, a session management network element, and a policy control network element.

[0293] Optionally, the receiving module 1110 can be a transceiver 1330. The network device 1100 can further include a processor 1310 and a memory 1320, as shown in FIG. 13.

[0294] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a network device according to another embodiment of the present application. The network device 1200 shown in Figure 12 is a second network element. The network device 1200 comprises a receiving module 1210. The receiving module 1210 can be configured to receive a third message sent by an access network device, the third message being used to query identification information and / or address information of a first network element, the first network element being determined according to a first message carrying a second message, the second message being a NAS message.

[0295] Optionally, the first message is used to determine a type of the second message, the type of the second message being used to determine the first network element.

[0296] Optionally, the first message comprises first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the type of the second message.

[0297] Optionally, the first indication information and the second message are both carried in the first message.

[0298] Optionally, the second message is carried in a NAS container of the first message, the NAS container to which the second message belongs being used to determine the type of the second message.

[0299] Optionally, the first message comprises different types of NAS containers, the different types of NAS containers being used to carry different types of NAS messages.

[0300] Optionally, the NAS container of the first message comprises one or more of the following: a NAS container used to carry a mobility management type of NAS message; a NAS container used to carry a session management type of NAS message; a NAS container used to carry a policy control type of NAS message.

[0301] Optionally, the type of the second message comprises one or more of the following: a mobility management type of NAS message, a session management type of NAS message, a policy control type of NAS message.

[0302] Optionally, the type of the second message comprises one or more of the following: a registration type of NAS message, a de-registration type of NAS message, a session establishment type of NAS message, a session modification type of NAS message, a session release type of NAS message.

[0303] Optionally, the first message comprises first information, the first information being used to determine the first network element.

[0304] Optionally, the first information is used to determine a deployment manner of the first network element.

[0305] Optionally, the first information comprises one or more of the following: service information supported by the terminal device; second indication information used to indicate a deployment mode of the first network element; a data network name (DNN) corresponding to the first network element; network slice information corresponding to the first network element.

[0306] Optionally, the third message comprises one or more of the following: type information of the first network element; location information of the terminal device; first information used to determine the first network element.

[0307] Optionally, the first message is an access layer message.

[0308] Optionally, the first network element comprises one or more of the following: a mobility management network element, a session management network element, and a policy control network element.

[0309] Optionally, the receiving module 1210 can be a transceiver 1330. The network device 1200 can further include a processor 1310 and a memory 1320, as shown in FIG. 13.

[0310] FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. The dashed line in FIG. 13 indicates that the unit or module is optional. The apparatus 1300 can be used to implement the method described in the foregoing method embodiments. The apparatus 1300 can be a chip, a terminal device, or a network device.

[0311] The apparatus 1300 can include one or more processors 1310. The processor 1310 can support the apparatus 1300 to implement the method described in the foregoing method embodiments. The processor 1310 can be a general purpose processor or a dedicated processor. For example, the processor can be a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor can also be other general purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, etc. The general purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor.

[0312] The apparatus 1300 can further include one or more memories 1320. The memories 1320 store a program for execution by the processor 1310, such that the processor 1310 performs the methods described in the foregoing method embodiments. The memories 1320 can be independent of the processor 1310 or integrated in the processor 1310.

[0313] The apparatus 1300 can further include a transceiver 1330. The processor 1310 can communicate with other devices or chips through the transceiver 1330. For example, the processor 1310 can perform data transceiving with other devices or chips through the transceiver 1330.

[0314] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer readable storage medium for storing a program. The computer readable storage medium can be applied in the terminal device or the network device provided by the embodiments of the present application, and the program causes the computer to execute the method performed by the terminal device or the network device in the embodiments of the present application.

[0315] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product. The computer program product includes a program. The computer program product can be applied in the terminal device or the network device provided by the embodiments of the present application, and the program causes the computer to execute the method performed by the terminal device or the network device in the embodiments of the present application.

[0316] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program. The computer program can be applied in the terminal device or the network device provided by the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program causes the computer to execute the method performed by the terminal device or the network device in the embodiments of the present application.

[0317] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" can be used interchangeably in the present application. In addition, the terms used in the present application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application. The terms "first", "second", "third", and "fourth" and the like in the specification and claims of the present application and the drawings are used to distinguish different objects, and are not used to describe a particular order. In addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0318] In the embodiments of the present application, the "indication" mentioned can be direct indication, or indirect indication, or can be an indication with an associated relationship. For example, A indicates B, which can mean that B can be obtained by A directly; or A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained by C; or A and B have an associated relationship.

[0319] In the embodiments of the present application, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A, and B can be determined according to A. However, it should also be understood that the determination of B according to A does not mean that B is determined only according to A, but B can also be determined according to A and / or other information.

[0320] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" can represent a direct or indirect corresponding relationship between the two, can also represent an associated relationship between the two, and can also indicate a relationship with the indicated, configured and configured.

[0321] In the embodiments of the present application, "including" mentioned can mean direct inclusion, or indirect inclusion. Alternatively, "including" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be replaced by "indicating" or "for determining". For example, A includes B can be replaced by A indicating B, or A for determining B.

[0322] In the embodiments of the present application, "predefined" or "preconfigured" can be realized by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other means for indicating related information in devices (for example, including terminal devices and network devices), and the specific implementation manner of the present application is not limited. For example, predefinition can refer to definition in a protocol.

[0323] In the embodiments of the present application, the "protocol" can refer to a standard protocol in the communication field, for example, it can include LTE protocol, NR protocol and related protocols applied in future communication systems, and the present application is not limited to this.

[0324] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "and / or" is only a description of the association relationship between the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can mean that A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this paper generally represents a "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after it.

[0325] In various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial number of the above processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of the processes should be determined according to its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0326] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented by other manners. For example, the above-described device embodiments are merely illustrative, for example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division, and in actual implementation, another division manner can be adopted, 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 interfaces, devices or units, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0327] 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, i.e., can be located in one place or 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.

[0328] In addition, the functional units 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.

[0329] In the above embodiments, all or part can be realized by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When realized by software, all or part can be realized in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, the computer instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) manner. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium readable by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. integrated with one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (such as floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), optical media (such as digital video disc (DVD)) or semiconductor media (such as solid state disk (SSD)) and the like.

[0330] The above description is only specific embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto, any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope 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 characterized by comprising: Comprising: A terminal device sends a first message to an access network device, the first message carrying a second message, the first message being used to determine a first network element receiving the second message, the second message being a non-access stratum (NAS) message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first message being used to determine the first network element receiving the second message comprises: the first message being used to determine a type of the second message, the type of the second message being used to determine the first network element.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first message comprises first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the type of the second message.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The first indication information and the second message are both carried in the first message.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein, The second message is carried in a NAS container of the first message, the NAS container to which the second message belongs being used to determine the type of the second message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The first message comprises different types of NAS containers, the different types of NAS containers being used to carry different types of NAS messages.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The NAS container of the first message comprises one or more of the following: a NAS container used to carry a mobility management type of NAS message; a NAS container used to carry a session management type of NAS message; a NAS container used to carry a policy control type of NAS message.

8. The method according to any one of claims 2-7, characterized in that, The type of the second message comprises one or more of the following: a mobility management type of NAS message, a session management type of NAS message, a policy control type of NAS message.

9. The method according to any one of claims 2-7, characterized in that, The type of the second message comprises one or more of the following: a registration type of NAS message, a de-registration type of NAS message, a session establishment type of NAS message, a session modification type of NAS message, a session release type of NAS message.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The first message comprises first information, the first information being used to determine the first network element.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The first information is used to determine a deployment manner of the first network element.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The first information comprises one or more of the following: service information supported by the terminal device; second indication information used to indicate the deployment manner of the first network element; a data network name (DNN) corresponding to the first network element; network slice information corresponding to the first network element.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that, The identification information and / or address information of the first network element are determined by the access network device according to local configuration, or the identification information and / or address information of the first network element are obtained by the access network device querying a second network element.

14. The method of any one of claims 1-13, wherein, The first message is an access stratum (AS) message.

15. The method of any one of claims 1-14, wherein, The first network element comprises one or more of the following: a mobility management network element, a session management network element, a policy control network element.

16. A method of communication, comprising: Comprising: An access network device receives a first message sent by a terminal device, the first message carrying a second message, the first message being used to determine a first network element receiving the second message, the second message being a non-access stratum (NAS) message.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, The first message being used to determine the first network element receiving the second message comprises: the first message being used to determine a type of the second message, the type of the second message being used to determine the first network element.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, The first message comprises first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the type of the second message.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, The first indication information and the second message are both carried in the first message.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein, The second message is carried in a NAS container of the first message, and a NAS container to which the second message belongs is used to determine a type of the second message.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein, The first message includes different types of NAS containers, and the different types of NAS containers are used to carry different types of NAS messages.

22. The method of claim 20 or 21, wherein, The NAS container of the first message includes one or more of the following: a NAS container used to carry a mobility management type of NAS message; a NAS container used to carry a session management type of NAS message; a NAS container used to carry a policy control type of NAS message.

23. The method of any one of claims 17-22, wherein, The type of the second message includes one or more of the following: a mobility management type of NAS message, a session management type of NAS message, and a policy control type of NAS message.

24. The method of any one of claims 17-22, wherein, The type of the second message includes one or more of the following: a registration type of NAS message, a deregistration type of NAS message, a session establishment type of NAS message, a session modification type of NAS message, and a session release type of NAS message.

25. The method of any one of claims 16-24, wherein, The first message includes first information used to determine the first network element.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein, The first information is used to determine a deployment mode of the first network element.

27. The method of claim 25 or 26, wherein, The first information includes one or more of the following: service information supported by the terminal device; second indication information used to indicate the deployment mode of the first network element; a data network name (DNN) corresponding to the first network element; and network slice information corresponding to the first network element.

28. The method of any one of claims 16-27, wherein, The method further includes: The access network device sends the second message to the first network element.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein, The second message is sent by the access network device to the first network element through a service interface.

30. The method of any one of claims 16-29, wherein, The identification information and / or address information of the first network element are determined by the access network device according to local configuration.

31. The method of any one of claims 16-29, wherein, The method further includes: The access network device sends a third message to a second network element, and the third message is used to query the identification information and / or address information of the first network element.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein, The third message includes one or more of the following information: type information of the first network element; location information of the terminal device; first information used to determine the first network element.

33. The method of any one of claims 16-32, wherein, The first message is an access layer message.

34. The method of any one of claims 16-33, wherein, The first network element includes one or more of the following: a mobility management network element, a session management network element, and a policy control network element.

35. A method of communication, comprising: includes: A first network element receives a second message sent by an access network device, and the second message is a non-access layer (NAS) message. The first network element is determined according to a first message carrying the second message.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein, The first message is used to determine a type of the second message, and the type of the second message is used to determine the first network element.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein, The first message includes first indication information used to indicate the type of the second message.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein, The first indication information and the second message are both carried in the first message.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein, The second message is carried in a NAS container of the first message, and a NAS container to which the second message belongs is used to determine a type of the second message.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein, The first message includes different types of NAS containers, and the different types of NAS containers are used to carry different types of NAS messages.

41. The method of claim 39 or 40, wherein, The NAS container of the first message includes one or more of the following: a NAS container used to carry a mobility management type of NAS message; a NAS container used to carry a session management type of NAS message; a NAS container used to carry a policy control type of NAS message.

42. The method of any one of claims 36-41, wherein, The type of the second message includes one or more of the following: a mobility management type of NAS message, a session management type of NAS message, and a policy control type of NAS message.

43. The method of any one of claims 36-41, wherein, The type of the second message includes one or more of the following: a registration type of NAS message, a deregistration type of NAS message, a session establishment type of NAS message, a session modification type of NAS message, and a session release type of NAS message.

44. The method of any one of claims 35-43, wherein, The first message includes first information used to determine the first network element.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein, The first information is used to determine a deployment mode of the first network element.

46. The method of claim 44 or 45, wherein, The first information includes one or more of the following: service information supported by the terminal device; second indication information used to indicate a deployment mode of the first network element; a data network name (DNN) corresponding to the first network element; network slice information corresponding to the first network element.

47. The method of any one of claims 35-46, wherein, The identification information and / or address information of the first network element are determined by the access network device according to local configuration, or the identification information and / or address information of the first network element are obtained by the access network device by querying a second network element.

48. The method of any one of claims 35-47, wherein, The second message is sent by the access network device to the first network element through a service interface.

49. The method of any one of claims 35-48, wherein, The first message is an access layer message.

50. The method of any one of claims 35-49, wherein, The first network element includes one or more of the following: a mobility management network element, a session management network element, and a policy control network element.

51. A method of communication, comprising: includes: The second network element receives a third message sent by an access network device, and the third message is used to query identification information and / or address information of a first network element, and the first network element is determined according to a first message carrying a second message, and the second message is a non-access layer (NAS) message.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein, The first message is used to determine a type of the second message, and the type of the second message is used to determine the first network element.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein, The first message includes first indication information used to indicate the type of the second message.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein, The first indication information and the second message are both carried in the first message.

55. The method of claim 52, wherein, The second message is carried in a NAS container of the first message, and a NAS container to which the second message belongs is used to determine the type of the second message.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein, The first message includes different types of NAS containers, and the different types of NAS containers are used to carry different types of NAS messages.

57. The method of claim 55 or 56, wherein, The NAS container of the first message includes one or more of the following: a NAS container used to carry a mobility management type of NAS message; a NAS container used to carry a session management type of NAS message; a NAS container used to carry a policy control type of NAS message.

58. The method of any one of claims 52-57, wherein, The type of the second message comprises one or more of the following: a mobility management type NAS message, a session management type NAS message, a policy control type NAS message.

59. The method of any one of claims 52-57, wherein, The type of the second message comprises one or more of the following: a registration type NAS message, a de-registration type NAS message, a session establishment type NAS message, a session modification type NAS message, a session release type NAS message.

60. The method of any one of claims 51-59, wherein, The first message comprises first information, and the first information is used to determine the first network element.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein, The first information is used to determine a deployment mode of the first network element.

62. The method of claim 60 or 61, wherein, The first information comprises one or more of the following: service information supported by the terminal device; second indication information, used to indicate the deployment mode of the first network element; a data network name (DNN) corresponding to the first network element; network slice information corresponding to the first network element.

63. The method of any one of claims 51-62, wherein, The third message comprises one or more of the following information: type information of the first network element; location information of the terminal device; first information, used to determine the first network element.

64. The method of any one of claims 51-63, wherein, The first message is an access layer message.

65. The method of any one of claims 51-64, wherein, The first network element comprises one or more of the following: a mobility management network element, a session management network element, and a policy control network element.

66. A terminal device, comprising: comprises: a sending module, configured to send a first message to an access network device, the first message carrying a second message, the first message being used to determine a first network element receiving the second message, and the second message being a non-access layer (NAS) message.

67. The terminal device of claim 66, wherein, The first message used to determine the first network element receiving the second message comprises: the first message used to determine a type of the second message, and the type of the second message used to determine the first network element.

68. The terminal device of claim 67, wherein, The first message comprises first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate the type of the second message.

69. The terminal device of claim 68, wherein, The first indication information and the second message are both carried in the first message.

70. The terminal device of claim 67, wherein, The second message is carried in a NAS container of the first message, and a NAS container to which the second message belongs is used to determine the type of the second message.

71. The terminal device of claim 70, wherein, The first message comprises different types of NAS containers, and the different types of NAS containers are used to carry different types of NAS messages.

72. The terminal device of claim 70 or 71, wherein, The NAS container of the first message comprises one or more of the following: a NAS container used to carry a mobility management type NAS message; a NAS container used to carry a session management type NAS message; a NAS container used to carry a policy control type NAS message.

73. The terminal device of any one of claims 67-72, wherein, The type of the second message comprises one or more of the following: a mobility management type NAS message, a session management type NAS message, a policy control type NAS message.

74. The terminal device of any one of claims 67-72, wherein, The type of the second message comprises one or more of the following: a registration type NAS message, a de-registration type NAS message, a session establishment type NAS message, a session modification type NAS message, a session release type NAS message.

75. The terminal device of any one of claims 66-74, wherein, The first message comprises first information, and the first information is used to determine the first network element.

76. The terminal device of claim 75, wherein, The first information is used to determine a deployment mode of the first network element.

77. The terminal device of claim 75 or 76, wherein, The first information includes one or more of the following: service information supported by the terminal device; second indication information for indicating a deployment mode of the first network element; a data network name (DNN) corresponding to the first network element; network slice information corresponding to the first network element.

78. The terminal device of any one of claims 66-77, wherein, The identification information and / or the address information of the first network element are determined by the access network device according to local configuration, or the identification information and / or the address information of the first network element are obtained by the access network device by querying a second network element.

79. The terminal device of any one of claims 66-78, wherein, The first message is an access layer message.

80. The terminal device of any one of claims 66-79, wherein, The first network element includes one or more of the following: a mobility management network element, a session management network element, and a policy control network element.

81. A network device, comprising: The network device is an access network device, and the network device includes: a receiving module configured to receive a first message sent by a terminal device, the first message carrying a second message, the first message being used to determine a first network element receiving the second message, and the second message being a non-access layer (NAS) message.

82. The network device of claim 81, wherein, The first message being used to determine the first network element receiving the second message includes that the first message is used to determine a type of the second message, and the type of the second message being used to determine the first network element.

83. The network device of claim 82, wherein, The first message includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate the type of the second message.

84. The network device of claim 83, wherein, The first indication information and the second message are both carried in the first message.

85. The network device of claim 82, wherein, The second message is carried in a NAS container of the first message, and a NAS container to which the second message belongs is used to determine the type of the second message.

86. The network device of claim 85, wherein, The first message includes different types of NAS containers, and the different types of NAS containers are used to carry different types of NAS messages.

87. The network device of claim 85 or 86, wherein, The NAS container of the first message includes one or more of the following: a NAS container for carrying a mobility management type of NAS message; a NAS container for carrying a session management type of NAS message; a NAS container for carrying a policy control type of NAS message.

88. The network device of any of claims 82-87, wherein, The type of the second message includes one or more of the following: a mobility management type of NAS message, a session management type of NAS message, and a policy control type of NAS message.

89. The network device of any of claims 82-87, wherein, The type of the second message includes one or more of the following: a registration type of NAS message, a deregistration type of NAS message, a session establishment type of NAS message, a session modification type of NAS message, and a session release type of NAS message.

90. The network device of any of claims 81-89, wherein, The first message includes first information, and the first information is used to determine the first network element.

91. The network device of claim 90, wherein, The first information is used to determine a deployment mode of the first network element.

92. The network device of claim 90 or 91, wherein, The first information includes one or more of the following: service information supported by the terminal device; second indication information for indicating a deployment mode of the first network element; a data network name (DNN) corresponding to the first network element; network slice information corresponding to the first network element.

93. The network device of any of claims 81-92, wherein, The network device further includes: a first sending module configured to send the second message to the first network element through a service interface.

94. The network device of claim 93, wherein, The second message is sent by the access network device to the first network element through a service interface.

95. The network device of any of claims 81-94, wherein, The identity information and / or address information of the first network element is determined by the access network device according to local configuration.

96. The network device of any of claims 81-94, wherein, The network device further includes: A second sending module, configured to send a third message to a second network element, the third message being used to query the identity information and / or address information of the first network element.

97. The network device of claim 96, wherein, The third message includes one or more of the following information: Type information of the first network element; Position information of the terminal device; First information used to determine the first network element.

98. The network device of any of claims 81-97, wherein, The first message is an access layer message.

99. The network device of any of claims 81-98, wherein, The first network element includes one or more of the following: a mobility management network element, a session management network element, and a policy control network element.

100. A network device, comprising: The network device is a first network element, and the network device includes: A receiving module, configured to receive a second message sent by an access network device, the second message being a non-access layer (NAS) message; The first network element is determined according to a first message carrying the second message.

101. The network device of claim 100, wherein, The first message is used to determine the type of the second message, and the type of the second message is used to determine the first network element.

102. The network device of claim 101, wherein, The first message includes first indication information, which is used to indicate the type of the second message.

103. The network device of claim 102, wherein, The first indication information and the second message are both carried in the first message.

104. The network device of claim 101, wherein, The second message is carried in a NAS container of the first message, and the NAS container to which the second message belongs is used to determine the type of the second message.

105. The network device of claim 104, wherein, The first message includes different types of NAS containers, and the different types of NAS containers are used to carry different types of NAS messages.

106. The network device of claim 104 or 105, wherein, The NAS container of the first message includes one or more of the following: A NAS container used to carry a mobility management type of NAS message; A NAS container used to carry a session management type of NAS message; A NAS container used to carry a policy control type of NAS message.

107. The network device of any of claims 101-106, wherein, The type of the second message includes one or more of the following: a mobility management type of NAS message, a session management type of NAS message, and a policy control type of NAS message. 108.The network device according to any one of claims 101-106, wherein, The type of the second message includes one or more of the following: a registration type of NAS message, a deregistration type of NAS message, a session establishment type of NAS message, a session modification type of NAS message, and a session release type of NAS message.

109. The network device of any of claims 100-108, wherein, The first message includes first information used to determine the first network element.

110. The network device of claim 109, wherein, The first information is used to determine the deployment mode of the first network element.

111. The network device of claim 109 or 110, wherein, The first information includes one or more of the following: Service information supported by the terminal device; Second indication information used to indicate the deployment mode of the first network element; A data network name (DNN) corresponding to the first network element; Network slice information corresponding to the first network element.

112. The network device of any of claims 100-111, wherein, The identity information and / or address information of the first network element is determined by the access network device according to local configuration, or the identity information and / or address information of the first network element is obtained by the access network device by querying a second network element.

113. The network device of any of claims 100-112, wherein, The second message is sent by the access network device to the first network element through a service interface.

114. The network device of any of claims 100-113, wherein, The first message is an access layer message.

115. The network device of any of claims 100-114, wherein, The first network element comprises one or more of the following: a mobility management network element, a session management network element, a policy control network element. 116.A network device, characterized by The network device is a second network element, and the network device comprises: The receiving module is configured to receive a third message sent by the access network device, the third message being used for querying identity information and / or address information of a first network element, the first network element being determined according to the first message carrying the second message, the second message being a non-access layer (NAS) message.

117. The network device of claim 116, wherein, The first message is used to determine the type of the second message, and the type of the second message is used to determine the first network element.

118. The network device of claim 117, wherein, The first message comprises first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate the type of the second message.

119. The network device of claim 118, wherein, The first indication information and the second message are both carried in the first message.

120. The network device of claim 117, wherein, The second message is carried in a NAS container of the first message, and the NAS container to which the second message belongs is used to determine the type of the second message.

121. The network device of claim 120, wherein, The first message comprises different types of NAS containers, and the different types of NAS containers are used to carry different types of NAS messages.

122. The network device of claim 120 or 121, wherein, The NAS container of the first message comprises one or more of the following: a NAS container used to carry a mobility management type of NAS message; a NAS container used to carry a session management type of NAS message; a NAS container used to carry a policy control type of NAS message.

123. The network device of any of claims 117-122, wherein, The type of the second message comprises one or more of the following: a mobility management type of NAS message, a session management type of NAS message, and a policy control type of NAS message.

124. The network device of any of claims 117-122, wherein, The type of the second message comprises one or more of the following: a registration type of NAS message, a de-registration type of NAS message, a session establishment type of NAS message, a session modification type of NAS message, and a session release type of NAS message.

125. The network device of any of claims 116-124, wherein, The first message comprises first information, and the first information is used to determine the first network element.

126. The network device of claim 125, wherein, The first information is used to determine the deployment mode of the first network element.

127. The network device of claim 125 or 126, wherein, The first information comprises one or more of the following: service information supported by the terminal device; second indication information used to indicate the deployment mode of the first network element; a data network name (DNN) corresponding to the first network element; network slice information corresponding to the first network element.

128. The network device of any of claims 116-127, wherein, The third message comprises one or more of the following information: type information of the first network element; location information of the terminal device; first information used to determine the first network element.

129. The network device of any of claims 116-128, wherein, The first message is an access layer message.

130. The network device of any of claims 116-129, wherein, The first network element comprises one or more of the following: a mobility management network element, a session management network element, and a policy control network element.

131. A terminal device, comprising: The terminal device comprises a transceiver, a memory, and a processor, the memory is configured to store a program, and the processor is configured to invoke the program in the memory to enable the terminal device to perform the method in any one of claims 1-15. The first message is an access layer message. The first network element comprises one or more of the following: a mobility management network element, a session management network element, and a policy control network element. The terminal device comprises a transceiver, a memory, and a processor, the memory is configured to store a program, and the processor is configured to invoke the program in the memory to enable the terminal device to perform the method in any one of claims 1-15.

132. A network device, comprising: A network device comprising a transceiver, a memory for storing a program, and a processor for invoking the program in the memory to cause the network device to perform the method of any of claims 16-34 or 35-50 or 51-65.

133. An apparatus, comprising: A device comprising a processor for invoking a program from a memory to cause the device to perform the method of any of claims 1-65.

134. A chip, characterized by A chip comprising a processor for invoking a program from a memory to cause a device in which the chip is installed to perform the method of any of claims 1-65.

135. A computer readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer program stored on a computer readable medium, the program causing a computer to perform the method of any of claims 1-65.

136. A computer program product, characterized in that, A computer program product comprising a program causing a computer to perform the method of any of claims 1-65.

137. A computer program characterised in that, The computer program causes a computer to perform the method of any of claims 1-65.

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