Service providing method and apparatus, and device and storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a service providing method and apparatus, and a device and a storage medium. The method comprises: a user equipment (UE) sending first request information to a network side by means of an established connection, wherein the first request information is used for requesting the network side to provide a target service to the UE, and the target service is a non-connection service. On the basis of the service providing method and apparatus, and device and storage medium, which are provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, a future communication system can provide to users services other than basic connection services.

Description

Service delivery methods, apparatus, equipment and storage media Cross-referencing

[0001] This disclosure incorporates, in its entirety, Chinese Patent Application No. 2024110154673, filed on July 26, 2024, entitled “Service Provision Method, Apparatus, Device and Storage Medium”, which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a service provision method, apparatus, device, and storage medium. Background Technology

[0003] Future communication systems, such as 6G systems, will become platforms for open innovation and information service provision. Unlike current communication systems, which primarily possess basic connectivity capabilities, future systems will have service capabilities that transcend connectivity. These capabilities include ubiquitous connectivity, computing power, trusted security, sensing, data services, and AI-based (Artificial Intelligence) network intelligent autonomy. Simultaneously, the resources managed by future communication systems will shift from connectivity to a multi-element approach encompassing connectivity, computing, data, and algorithms. Therefore, future communication systems will not only provide users with basic connectivity services but also other services such as computing services, AI services, and data services.

[0004] Among these, how future communication systems will provide users with services beyond basic connectivity has become a hot research topic. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This disclosure provides a service provision method, apparatus, device, and storage medium.

[0006] Firstly, a service provision method is provided, the method comprising:

[0007] User equipment (UE) sends a first request message to the network side through an established connection; wherein the first request message is used to request the network side to provide a target service to the UE, and the target service is a connectionless service.

[0008] In one embodiment, the target service includes at least one of the following services: artificial intelligence (AI) service; data service; perception service; computing service.

[0009] In one embodiment, the first request information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the session already established by the UE; the service type of the target service; and the service parameters of the target service.

[0010] In one embodiment, the user equipment (UE) sends a first request message to the network side through an established connection, including: the UE sending the first request message to the network side through an established control plane connection; or, the UE sending the first request message to the network side through an established user plane connection.

[0011] In one embodiment, the UE sends the first request information to the network side through an established control plane connection, including: the UE sends the first request information to the access and mobility management function through an established control plane connection.

[0012] In one embodiment, the UE sends the first request information to the access and mobility management function through an established control plane connection, including: the UE sends the first message to the access and mobility management function through the established control plane connection, the first message carrying the first request information; wherein the first message includes at least one of the following messages: service session establishment request message; service request message; service session modification request message.

[0013] In one embodiment, the UE sends the first request information to the network side through an established user plane connection, including: the UE sends the first request information to a first user plane function through the established user plane connection, wherein the first user plane function is the user plane anchor point of the session already established by the UE.

[0014] In one embodiment, the UE sends the first request information to the first user plane function through an established user plane connection, including: the UE sends a second message to the first user plane function through the established user plane connection, the second message carrying the first request information; wherein the second message is encapsulated based on a target packet encapsulation format, the target packet encapsulation format being used to indicate that the second message carries the first request information.

[0015] In one embodiment, the method further includes: the UE receiving session acceptance information, the session acceptance information being used to indicate that a session corresponding to the target service has been established.

[0016] In one embodiment, the method further includes: the UE sending service release information to the network side through an established connection; wherein the service release information is used to instruct the network side to perform a service release procedure for the target service.

[0017] In one embodiment, the service release information includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a session already established by the UE; the service type of the target service; and an identifier of the service of the target service.

[0018] Secondly, a service provision method is provided, the method comprising: a session management function receiving first request information sent by a UE through an established connection; the session management function executing a service provision process based on the first request information to provide a target service to the UE, the target service being a connectionless service.

[0019] In one embodiment, the target service includes at least one of the following services: AI service; data service; perception service; computing service.

[0020] In one embodiment, the first request information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the session already established by the UE; the service type of the target service; and the service parameters of the target service.

[0021] In one embodiment, the session management function receives a first request message sent by the UE through an established connection, including: the session management function receiving the first request message sent by the access and mobility management function, wherein the first request message is sent by the UE to the access and mobility management function through an established control plane connection; or, the session management function receives the first request message sent by a first user plane function, wherein the first request message is sent by the UE to the first user plane function through an established user plane connection, and the first user plane function is the user plane anchor point of the session already established by the UE.

[0022] In one embodiment, the session management function receives the first request information sent by the access and mobility management function, including: the session management function receiving a third message sent by the access and mobility management function, the third message carrying the first request information; wherein, the third message includes at least one of the following messages: a service session establishment request message; a service update request message; a service session modification request message.

[0023] In one embodiment, the session management function performs a service provision process based on the first request information, including: the session management function sending a service establishment request message to a target network function, the target network function being used to provide the target service; the session management function receiving a service establishment response message sent by the target network function; and the session management function performing a service establishment process according to the service establishment response message to establish the service of the target service.

[0024] In one embodiment, the method further includes: the session management function selecting the target network function based on the service type of the target service.

[0025] In one embodiment, the service establishment request message carries at least one of the following information: service parameters of the target service; the identifier of the UE; and information of the first user plane function.

[0026] In one embodiment, the service establishment response message carries at least one of the following information: service quality information of the target service; indication information of a second user plane function, wherein the second user plane function is the user plane anchor point of the target service's service; indication information of the service execution node of the target service; and the identifier of the target service's service.

[0027] In one embodiment, the session management function executes a service establishment process based on the service establishment response message, including:

[0028] The session management function sends a user plane connection modification request message to the first user plane function and a user plane connection establishment request message to the second user plane function to establish a session between the first user plane function and the second user plane function, as well as a session between the second user plane function and a target node, wherein the target node is the target network function and / or the service execution node; the session management function sends service management information to the access network node to which the UE accesses, to instruct the access network node to update the user plane bearer, wherein the service management information includes the quality of service information; the session management function sends session acceptance information to the UE, wherein the session acceptance information is used to indicate that the session corresponding to the target service has been established.

[0029] In one embodiment, the method further includes: the session management function acquiring the subscription data and / or policy data corresponding to the UE, and sending the subscription data and / or the policy data to the target network function.

[0030] In one embodiment, the method further includes: the session management function receiving service release information; and the session management function executing a service release process for the target service based on the service release information.

[0031] In one embodiment, the session management function receiving service release information includes: the session management function receiving the service release information sent by the UE through an established connection; or, the session management function receiving the service release information sent by the target network function.

[0032] Thirdly, a service providing apparatus is provided for use in a UE, the apparatus comprising:

[0033] The sending unit is used to send a first request message to the network side through the established connection;

[0034] The first request information is used to request the network to provide the target service to the UE, and the target service is a connectionless service.

[0035] Fourthly, a service providing apparatus is provided for session management functions, the apparatus comprising:

[0036] The receiving unit is used to receive the first request information sent by the UE through the established connection.

[0037] An execution unit is configured to execute a service provision process based on the first request information to provide a target service to the UE, wherein the target service is a non-connectivity service.

[0038] Fifthly, a user equipment is provided, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor:

[0039] The memory is used to store computer programs; the transceiver is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor; the processor is used to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: controlling the transceiver to send a first request message to the network side through an established connection; wherein the first request message is used to request the network side to provide a target service to the UE, and the target service is a connectionless service.

[0040] In one embodiment, the target service includes at least one of the following services: AI service; data service; perception service; computing service.

[0041] In one embodiment, the first request information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the session already established by the UE; the service type of the target service; and the service parameters of the target service.

[0042] In one embodiment, the processor is configured to perform the following operations: control the transceiver to send the first request information to the network side through an established control plane connection; or control the transceiver to send the first request information to the network side through an established user plane connection.

[0043] In one embodiment, the processor is configured to perform the following operations: control the transceiver to send the first request information to the access and mobility management function via an established control plane connection.

[0044] In one embodiment, the processor is configured to perform the following operations: control the transceiver to send the first message to the access and mobility management function via an established control plane connection, the first message carrying the first request information; wherein the first message includes at least one of the following messages: a service session establishment request message; a service request message; a service session modification request message.

[0045] In one embodiment, the processor is configured to perform the following operations: control the transceiver to send the first request information to a first user plane function through an established user plane connection, wherein the first user plane function is the user plane anchor point of a session already established by the UE.

[0046] In one embodiment, the processor is configured to perform the following operations: control the transceiver to send a second message to the first user plane function through an established user plane connection, the second message carrying the first request information; wherein the second message is encapsulated based on a target message encapsulation format, the target message encapsulation format being used to indicate that the second message carries the first request information.

[0047] In one embodiment, the processor is further configured to perform the following operations: control the transceiver to receive session acceptance information, the session acceptance information being used to indicate that a session corresponding to the target service has been established.

[0048] In one embodiment, the processor is further configured to perform the following operations: control the transceiver to send service release information to the network side through an established connection; wherein the service release information is used to instruct the network side to execute a service release process for the target service.

[0049] In one embodiment, the service release information includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a session already established by the UE; the service type of the target service; and an identifier of the service of the target service.

[0050] Sixthly, a session management function is provided, including memory, transceiver, and processor:

[0051] The memory is used to store computer programs; the transceiver is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor; the processor is used to read the computer programs in the memory and perform the following operations: control the transceiver to receive a first request information sent by the UE through an established connection; execute a service provision process based on the first request information to provide a target service to the UE, wherein the target service is a connectionless service.

[0052] In one embodiment, the target service includes at least one of the following services: AI service; data service; perception service; computing service.

[0053] In one embodiment, the first request information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the session already established by the UE; the service type of the target service; and the service parameters of the target service.

[0054] In one embodiment, the processor is configured to perform the following operations: control the transceiver to receive the first request information sent by the access and mobility management function, wherein the first request information is sent by the UE to the access and mobility management function through an established control plane connection; or control the transceiver to receive the first request information sent by a first user plane function, wherein the first request information is sent by the UE to the first user plane function through an established user plane connection, and the first user plane function is the user plane anchor point of a session already established by the UE.

[0055] In one embodiment, the processor is configured to perform the following operations: control the transceiver to receive a third message sent by the access and mobility management function, the third message carrying the first request information; wherein the third message includes at least one of the following messages: a service session establishment request message; a service update request message; and a service session modification request message.

[0056] In one embodiment, the processor is configured to perform the following operations: control the transceiver to send a service establishment request message to a target network function, the target network function being used to provide the target service; control the transceiver to receive a service establishment response message sent by the target network function; and execute a service establishment process based on the service establishment response message to establish the service of the target service.

[0057] In one embodiment, the processor is further configured to perform the following operation: select the target network function based on the service type of the target service.

[0058] In one embodiment, the service establishment request message carries at least one of the following information: service parameters of the target service; the identifier of the UE; and information of the first user plane function.

[0059] In one embodiment, the service establishment response message carries at least one of the following information: service quality information of the target service; indication information of a second user plane function, wherein the second user plane function is the user plane anchor point of the target service's service; indication information of the service execution node of the target service; and the identifier of the target service's service.

[0060] In one embodiment, the processor is configured to perform the following operations: control the transceiver to send a user plane connection modification request message to the first user plane function and a user plane connection establishment request message to the second user plane function, so as to establish a session between the first user plane function and the second user plane function and a session between the second user plane function and a target node, wherein the target node is the target network function and / or the service execution node; control the transceiver to send service management information to the access network node to which the UE is accessed, so as to instruct the access network node to update the user plane bearer, wherein the service management information includes the quality of service information; control the transceiver to send session acceptance information to the UE, wherein the session acceptance information is used to indicate that the session corresponding to the target service has been established.

[0061] In one embodiment, the processor is further configured to perform the following operations: acquire subscription data and / or policy data corresponding to the UE, and control the transceiver to send the subscription data and / or policy data to the target network function.

[0062] In one embodiment, the processor is further configured to perform the following operations: control the transceiver to receive service release information; and execute a service release process for the target service based on the service release information.

[0063] In one embodiment, the processor is configured to perform the following operations: control the transceiver to receive the service release information sent by the UE through an established connection; or control the transceiver to receive the service release information sent by the target network function.

[0064] In a seventh aspect, a processor-readable storage medium is provided, the processor-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a processor to perform the method described in any of the first aspects above.

[0065] Eighthly, a processor-readable storage medium is provided, the processor-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a processor to perform the method described in any of the second aspects above.

[0066] The above description is merely an overview of the technical solution disclosed herein. In order to better understand the technical means of this disclosure and to implement it in accordance with the contents of the specification, and to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of this disclosure more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments of this disclosure are described below. Attached Figure Description

[0067] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the embodiments described below. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:

[0068] Figure 1 is an application environment diagram of a service provision method in one embodiment;

[0069] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a service provision method in one embodiment;

[0070] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating another service provision method in one embodiment;

[0071] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the process by which the session management function performs a service provision process based on the first request information in one embodiment.

[0072] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the process of the session management function executing the service establishment process based on the service establishment response message in one embodiment.

[0073] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the process of the session management function releasing the target service according to the request in one embodiment;

[0074] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating another service provision method in one embodiment;

[0075] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating another service provision method in one embodiment;

[0076] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating another service provision method in one embodiment;

[0077] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating another service provision method in one embodiment;

[0078] Figure 11 is a structural block diagram of a service providing device in one embodiment;

[0079] Figure 12 is a structural block diagram of another service providing device in one embodiment;

[0080] Figure 13 is a structural block diagram of another service providing device in one embodiment;

[0081] Figure 14 is a structural block diagram of another service providing device in one embodiment;

[0082] Figure 15 is an internal structure diagram of the UE in one embodiment;

[0083] Figure 16 is an internal structure diagram of the session management function in one embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0084] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this disclosure clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0085] According to the "6G Network Architecture Vision" white paper released by the IMT2030 (6G) Promotion Group, future communication systems, such as 6G communication systems, will become open innovation and information service platforms. Unlike current communication systems (1G to 5G communication systems), which mainly possess basic connectivity capabilities, future communication systems will have service capabilities that go beyond connectivity. These services include ubiquitous connectivity, computing power, trusted security, sensing, data service capabilities, and AI (Artificial Intelligence)-based network intelligent autonomy. Simultaneously, the resources allocated by future communication systems will shift from connectivity to a multi-element resource encompassing connectivity, computing, data, and algorithms. Therefore, future communication systems must not only provide users with basic connectivity services but also other services, such as computing services, AI services, and data services. In other words, future communication systems need to solve the problem of "connectivity plus" services.

[0086] Among these, how future communication systems will provide users with services beyond basic connectivity has become a hot research topic. It should be noted that, for ease of description, "services beyond basic connectivity" will be referred to as novel services or connectivity-free services in the following text.

[0087] One typical discussion, concerning 6G communication systems, proposes a process for users to obtain new services by integrating existing session establishment procedures. Specifically, during session establishment, the UE (User Equipment) sends a request message to the network side to request the new service based on this message. As explained above, in this discussion, if the UE needs to obtain the new service, it must initiate a session establishment process for that service and include relevant parameters in the session establishment request message.

[0088] This disclosure provides a method for providing a novel service to a future communication system. In this method, a UE sends a first request message to the network side through an established connection. The first request message is used to request the network side to provide a target service to the UE. The target service is a connectionless service. In this way, the UE can request the target service from the network side based on the existing connection. The target service is a connectionless service, without needing to initiate a session establishment request or request the target service by creating a new session.

[0089] It should be noted that the beneficial effects or technical problems solved by the embodiments of this disclosure are not limited to this one, but may also include other implicit or related problems. For details, please refer to the description of the embodiments below.

[0090] Please refer to Figure 1, which shows a schematic diagram of the implementation environment corresponding to the service provision method provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the implementation environment may include UE 101, access and mobility management function 102, user plane function 103, session management function 104, policy control function 105, subscription data management function 106, network storage function 107, and target network function. The target network function is used to provide connectionless services. The target network function may include at least one of the following: AI control function, data control function, perception control function, and computing control function.

[0091] The access and mobility management function 102, user plane function 103, session management function 104, policy control function 105, subscription data management function 106, network storage function 107, and target network function are deployed in the core network (CN). The UE 101 can communicate with the network functions deployed in the core network through the radioaccess network (RAN).

[0092] In this embodiment of the disclosure, UE 101 may be a wireless terminal, which may be a device that provides voice and / or other service data connectivity to a user, or a handheld device with wireless connectivity, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem. The wireless terminal may be a USB storage device, other personal computer memory device, or a dongle, and may also communicate with one or more core networks via an access network. The wireless terminal may be a mobile terminal, such as a mobile phone (or "cellular" phone) and a computer with a mobile terminal device, for example, a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-embedded, or vehicle-mounted mobile device that exchanges voice and / or data with the wireless access network. Examples include Personal Communication Service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, Session Initiated Protocol (SIP) phones, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) stations, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), personal computers, tablets, Machine-type Communication (MTC) terminal devices, etc. Wireless terminals may also be referred to as systems, subscriber units, subscriber stations, mobile stations, mobile devices, remote stations, access points, remote terminal devices, access terminal devices, user terminal devices, user agents, user devices, and wireless access devices and routers / modems that meet the limitations of this definition, but are not limited in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0093] Access and mobility management function 102 includes access mobility management for traditional services, and in some embodiments, it also includes access mobility management for new services such as data, sensing, computing, and AI. User plane function 103 supports data forwarding and transmission for traditional services, and in some embodiments, it also supports data forwarding and transmission for new services. Session management function 104 includes session management for traditional service connections, and in some embodiments, it also includes connection management for new services such as data, sensing, computing, and AI. Policy control function 105 includes policy control management for traditional services, and in some embodiments, it also includes policy control management for new services such as data, sensing, computing, and AI. Subscription data management function 106 includes user subscription data management for traditional service connections, and in some embodiments, it also includes user subscription data management for new services such as data, sensing, computing, and AI. Network storage function 107 includes services such as registration, storage, and discovery of traditional network functions, and in some embodiments, it also includes enhanced traditional network functions and registration, storage, and discovery services for new functions such as data, computing, sensing, and AI. AI control function is used to provide AI services, such as AI control, management, and execution functions. Data control functions provide data services, such as data control, management, and execution. Sensing control functions provide sensing services. Computation control functions provide computing services, such as the orchestration, management, and execution of computing resources.

[0094] The traditional services mentioned above include, for example, basic services of a universal nature such as voice and data. In some embodiments, the aforementioned network functions register and report their relevant information to the network storage function 107, including information on support for new information elements such as computing, data, AI, and security.

[0095] It should be noted that, in practical applications, the implementation environment corresponding to the service provision method provided in this disclosure embodiment may include more or fewer network functions than those shown in Figure 1, and this disclosure embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0096] The technical solutions of this disclosure and how they solve the aforementioned technical problems will be described in detail below with specific embodiments. These specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments. The embodiments of this disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0097] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG2, a service provision method is provided. Taking the application of this method to the UE in FIG1 as an example, the method includes the following steps:

[0098] Step 201: The UE sends the first request information to the network side through the established connection.

[0099] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the UE has already established a connection with the network side based on existing or future communication protocols. On this basis, the UE can send a first request message to the network side through the established connection. The first request message is used to request the network side to provide a target service to the UE. The target service is a connectionless service.

[0100] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the UE can send the first request information to a network function deployed in the core network through an established connection via the access network, thereby requesting the network function deployed in the core network to provide the target service to the UE.

[0101] The service provision method provided in this embodiment allows the UE to send a first request message to the network side through an established connection. The first request message is used to request the network side to provide a target service to the UE. The target service is a connectionless service. In this way, the UE can request the target service from the network side based on the existing connection. The target service is a connectionless service, and there is no need to initiate a session establishment request to request the target service by creating a new session.

[0102] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the target service includes at least one of the following services: AI service, data service, perception service, and computing service.

[0103] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the first request information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of a session already established by the UE; the service type of the target service; and the service parameters of the target service.

[0104] For example, the service type of the target service can indicate whether it is an AI service, a computing service, or a data service. For instance, for a data service, the business parameters of the target service might include information such as data type, data location, data acquisition frequency, data accuracy, and data real-time performance. For a computing service, the business parameters might include information such as computing resource type, required computing power, service type, latency, and duration. For an AI service, the business parameters might include the AI ​​service type (e.g., AI model, AI inference, AI training) and service quality information; for example, the service instruction information could be QoS (Quality of Service), AI inference accuracy, inference latency, and training latency.

[0105] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the UE sends a first request message to the network side through an established connection, which may include the following two cases:

[0106] A. The UE sends the first request information to the network side through the established control plane connection.

[0107] B. The UE sends the first request information to the network side through the established user plane connection.

[0108] The following sections will explain these two situations separately.

[0109] Scenario A: The UE can send the first request information to the access and mobility management function through the established control plane connection.

[0110] In some embodiments, the first request information may be carried in a first message sent by the UE to the access and mobility management function, wherein the first message may include at least one of the following messages: service session establishment request message; service request message; service session modification request message.

[0111] In some embodiments, the first request information can be sent by the UE to the access and mobility management function via the NAS (Non-Access Stratum) protocol layer.

[0112] In some embodiments of this disclosure, after receiving the first request information, the access and mobility management function can determine the session management function based on the "identifier of the session already established by the UE" in the first request information, and send the first request information to the determined session management function so that the session management function can perform a service provision process to provide the target service to the UE. The operations performed by the session management function will be described later in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0113] Scenario B: The UE can send a first request message to the first user plane function through an established user plane connection, wherein the first user plane function is the user plane anchor point of the session already established by the UE.

[0114] In some embodiments, the first request information may be carried in a second message sent by the UE to the first user plane function. The second message is encapsulated based on a target message encapsulation format, which is used to indicate that the second message carries the first request information. In some embodiments of this disclosure, for example, the second message may include a session establishment request message.

[0115] In some embodiments of this disclosure, after receiving the second message, the first user plane function can identify that the second message carries the first request information. For example, the first user plane function can identify that the second message carries the first request information based on identification methods such as intelligent identification of user plane services, identification of special messages, or identification according to configured rules. After identifying that the second message carries the first request information, the first user plane function can send the second message to the session management function. The session management function can parse the second message to obtain the first request information. Then, the session management function can execute a service provision process based on the first request information to provide the target service to the UE. The operations performed by the session management function will be described later in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0116] In some embodiments of this disclosure, during the service provision process performed by the session management function, the UE may receive session acceptance information. For example, the UE may receive the session acceptance information sent by the session management function, wherein the session acceptance information is used to indicate that the session corresponding to the target service has been established.

[0117] In some embodiments of this disclosure, after the network side provides the target service to the UE, the UE can request the network side to release the service of the target service as needed. The technical process of the UE requesting the network side to release the service of the target service may include the following steps: the UE sends service release information to the network side through an established connection. The service release information is used to instruct the network side to perform a service release procedure for the target service. For example, the UE can send service release information to the session management function through an established connection to request the session management function to perform a service release procedure for the target service.

[0118] In some embodiments of this disclosure, similar to those described above, the “connection already established by the UE” may include a control plane connection and / or a user plane connection. For example, the UE may send the service release information to the access and mobility management function through the established control plane connection, so that the access and mobility management function may send the service release information to the session management function. Alternatively, the UE may send the service release information to the first user plane function through the established user plane connection, and then the first user plane function may send the service release information to the session management function.

[0119] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the service release information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of a session already established by the UE; the service type of the target service; and the identifier of the service of the target service.

[0120] In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, a service provision method is provided. Taking the application of this method to the session management function in Figure 1 as an example, the method includes the following steps:

[0121] Step 301: The session management function receives the first request information sent by the UE through the established connection.

[0122] Step 302: The session management function performs a service provision process based on the first request information to provide the target service to the UE, wherein the target service is a non-connectivity service.

[0123] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the session management function can provide a target service to the UE by interacting with a target network function. The target network function is a network function used to provide the target service; for example, the target network function may include at least one of the following: AI control function, data control function, perception control function, and computing control function. In some embodiments of this disclosure, the session management function can establish a session for the target service and instruct access network nodes to update radio bearers, thereby providing the target service to the UE.

[0124] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the target service includes at least one of the following services: AI service; data service; perception service; computing service.

[0125] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the first request information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of a session already established by the UE; the service type of the target service; and the service parameters of the target service.

[0126] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the session management function receiving the first request information sent by the UE through an established connection may include the following two cases:

[0127] A. The session management function receives the first request information sent by the access and mobility management function, wherein the first request information is sent by the UE to the access and mobility management function through the established control plane connection.

[0128] B. The session management function receives the first request information sent by the first user plane function, wherein the first request information is sent by the UE to the first user plane function through the established user plane connection.

[0129] The embodiments disclosed below will describe these two situations separately.

[0130] Scenario A: The session management function receives a third message sent by the access and mobility management function, wherein the third message carries first request information.

[0131] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the third message includes at least one of the following messages: a service session establishment request message; a service update request message; and a service session modification request message.

[0132] In conjunction with the above, that is, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the UE can send a first message to the access and mobility management function through an established control plane connection. The first message carries first request information. After receiving the first request information carried in the first message, the access and mobility management function can determine the session management function based on the "identifier of the session already established by the UE" in the first request information. Then, the access and mobility management function can send a third message to the determined session management function, which carries the first request information.

[0133] Scenario B: The session management function receives a second message sent by the first user plane function, wherein the second message carries the first request information.

[0134] As described above, the UE can send a second message to the first user plane function through an established user plane connection. This second message carries first request information. After receiving the second message, the first user plane function can recognize that the second message contains the first request information. After recognizing that the second message contains the first request information, the first user plane function can send the second message to the session management function.

[0135] Please refer to Figure 4, which illustrates an optional technical process for the session management function to perform a service provision flow based on the first request information. As shown in Figure 4, this optional technical process includes the following steps:

[0136] Step 401: The session management function sends a service establishment request message to the target network function.

[0137] As described above, the target network function is a network function used to provide the target service. In some embodiments of this disclosure, the service establishment request message carries at least one of the following information: service parameters of the target service; the identifier of the UE; and information of a first user plane function. The information of the first user plane function may, for example, include tunnel information.

[0138] In some embodiments of this disclosure, before the session management function sends a service establishment request message to the target network function, the session management function can select the target network function according to the "service type of the target service" included in the first request information. After selecting the target network function, the session management function can perform the step of sending a service establishment request message to the target network function.

[0139] For example, assuming that the "service type of the target service" included in the first request information indicates that the target service is an AI service type, the session management function can select an AI control function as the target network function, and then the session management function can perform the step of sending a service establishment request message to the AI ​​control function.

[0140] Step 402: The session management function receives the service establishment response message sent by the target network function.

[0141] In some embodiments of this disclosure, after receiving the service establishment request message, the target network function can determine the service strategy based on the subscription data, policy information, service parameters of the target service, etc.

[0142] In one possible implementation, if the target network function has not previously obtained subscription data and policy information, the target network function can obtain subscription data and policy information from the subscription data management function and policy control function respectively based on information such as the UE's identifier.

[0143] In another possible implementation, if the target network function has previously acquired subscription data and policy information, the target network function can determine the service policy based on the previously acquired subscription data and policy information.

[0144] In another possible implementation, the session management function can obtain subscription data and / or policy information from the subscription data management function and / or policy control function based on information such as the UE's identifier, and then the session management function can send the obtained subscription data and / or policy information to the target network function.

[0145] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the service strategy determined by the target network function includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the target service's service, the service path, and service quality information, wherein the service path includes a second user plane function, which serves as the user plane anchor point for the target service's service. In some embodiments of this disclosure, if it is necessary to select a service execution node, the target network function may also select a service execution node, wherein the service execution node includes either a service execution function or a computing power node.

[0146] The target network function can send a service establishment response message to the session management function. In some embodiments of this disclosure, the service establishment response message may include at least one of the following: service quality information of the target service; indication information of the second user plane function; indication information of the service execution node of the target service; and the identifier of the service of the target service.

[0147] Step 403: The session management function executes the business establishment process based on the business establishment response message to establish the business of the target service.

[0148] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the session management function can establish a session for the target service based on the service establishment response message and instruct the access network node to update the radio bearer, thereby establishing the service for the target service.

[0149] Please refer to Figure 5, which illustrates the optional technical process by which the session management function executes the service establishment process based on the service establishment response message. As shown in Figure 5, this optional technical process includes the following steps:

[0150] Step 501: The session management function sends a user plane connection modification request message to the first user plane function and a user plane connection establishment request message to the second user plane function to establish a session between the first user plane function and the second user plane function, as well as a session between the second user plane function and the target node.

[0151] The target node is the target network function and / or service execution node. As mentioned above, the service execution node includes: service execution function or computing power node.

[0152] Step 502: The session management function sends service management information to the access network node to which the UE is connected, instructing the access network node to update the user plane bearer.

[0153] This business management information includes at least service quality information.

[0154] Step 503: The session management function sends session acceptance information to the UE.

[0155] The session acceptance information indicates that a session corresponding to the target service has been established.

[0156] In some embodiments of this disclosure, after providing the target service to the UE, the session management function can release the service of the target service upon request. Referring to Figure 6, which illustrates an optional technical process for the session management function to release the service of the target service upon request, the optional technical process includes the following steps:

[0157] Step 601: The session management function receives service release information.

[0158] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the release of services to the target service can be initiated by the UE or the target network function. Therefore, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the session management function can receive service release information sent by the UE through an established connection; or, the session management function can receive service release information sent by the target network function.

[0159] In some embodiments of this disclosure, similar to those described above, the “connection already established by the UE” may include a control plane connection and / or a user plane connection. For example, the session management function may receive service release information sent by the access and mobility management function, wherein the service release information is sent by the UE to the access and mobility management function through the established control plane connection. For example, the session management function may receive service release information sent by a first user plane function, wherein the service release information is sent by the UE to the first user plane function through the established user plane connection.

[0160] Step 602: The session management function executes the business release process for the target service based on the business release information.

[0161] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the session management function's execution of a service release process for a target service based on service release information may include one or more of the following operations: 1. The session management function releases the user plane connection based on the service release information. 2. The session management function modifies the user plane connection based on the service release information. 3. The session management function releases the configuration carried by the user plane based on the service release information.

[0162] To enable readers to understand the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this disclosure, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this disclosure will be described below in conjunction with four embodiments. It should be noted that the following four embodiments are only possible embodiments in actual application, and do not mean that the steps provided by the following four embodiments must be followed in actual application. In fact, there are many possible combinations of implementation steps in actual implementation. For details, please refer to the above description. The following four embodiments are not intended to limit the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0163] Please refer to Figure 7, which shows the flowchart corresponding to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 7, it includes the following steps:

[0164] Step 700: The UE has established a connection with the network side.

[0165] The connection established between the UE and the network side includes a control plane connection and / or a user plane connection. The first user plane function is the user plane anchor point of the session that the UE has already established.

[0166] Step 701: The UE sends a service session establishment request message to the access and mobility management function based on the established control plane connection.

[0167] The service session establishment request message carries first request information, which includes: the identifier of the session already established by the UE, the service type of the target service requested by the UE, and the service parameters of the target service.

[0168] Step 702: The access and mobility management function selects a session management function based on the "identifier of the session already established by the UE" in the first request information, and sends a service session establishment request message to the selected session management function.

[0169] The business session establishment request message carries the first request information.

[0170] Step 703: The session management function selects the target network function based on the "service type of the target service" in the first request information.

[0171] The target network function is used to provide the target service.

[0172] Step 704: The session management function sends a service establishment request message to the selected target network function.

[0173] The service establishment request message carries the following information: service parameters of the target service; UE identifier; and information of the first user plane function.

[0174] Step 705: The target network function obtains the UE's subscription data and policy information from the subscription data management function and policy control function, respectively.

[0175] Step 706: The target network function determines the service policy and service execution node based on the contract data, policy information, and business parameters of the target service.

[0176] The service strategy includes the following: the identifier of the target service's business, the business path, and service quality information. The business path includes a second user plane function, which serves as the user plane anchor point for the target service's business. Furthermore, the target network function selects a business execution node, which can be either a business execution function or a computing power node.

[0177] Step 707: The target network function sends a service establishment response message to the session management function.

[0178] The service establishment response message may include: service quality information of the target service; indication information of the second user plane function; indication information of the service execution node of the target service; and the identifier of the service of the target service.

[0179] Step 708: The session management function sends a user plane connection modification request message to the first user plane function and a user plane connection establishment request message to the second user plane function to establish a session between the first user plane function and the second user plane function, as well as a session between the second user plane function and the target node.

[0180] The target node is the target network function and / or service execution node.

[0181] Step 709: The session management function sends service management information to the access network node to which the UE is connected, instructing the access network node to update the user plane bearer.

[0182] This business management information includes at least service quality information.

[0183] Step 710: The session management function sends session acceptance information to the UE.

[0184] The session acceptance information indicates that a session corresponding to the target service has been established.

[0185] Please refer to Figure 8, which shows the flowchart corresponding to the second embodiment. As shown in Figure 8, it includes the following steps:

[0186] Step 800: The UE has established a connection with the network side.

[0187] The connection established between the UE and the network side includes a control plane connection and / or a user plane connection. The first user plane function is the user plane anchor point of the session that the UE has already established.

[0188] Step 801: The UE sends a service update request message to the access and mobility management functions based on the established control plane connection.

[0189] The service update request message carries first request information, which includes: the identifier of the session already established by the UE, the service type of the target service requested by the UE, and the service parameters of the target service.

[0190] Step 802: The access and mobility management function selects a session management function based on the "identifier of the session already established by the UE" in the first request information, and sends a service update request message to the selected session management function.

[0191] The service update request message carries the first request information.

[0192] Step 803: The session management function selects the target network function based on the "service type of the target service" in the first request information.

[0193] The target network function is used to provide the target service.

[0194] Step 804: The session management function sends a service establishment request message to the selected target network function.

[0195] The service establishment request message carries the following information: service parameters of the target service; UE identifier; and information of the first user plane function.

[0196] Step 805: The session management function obtains the UE's subscription data and policy information from the subscription data management function and the policy control function, respectively.

[0197] Step 806: The session management function sends the acquired subscription data and policy information to the target network function.

[0198] Step 807: The target network function determines the service policy and service execution node based on the contract data, policy information, and business parameters of the target service.

[0199] The service strategy includes the following: the identifier of the target service's business, the business path, and service quality information. The business path includes a second user plane function, which serves as the user plane anchor point for the target service's business. Furthermore, the target network function selects a business execution node, which can be either a business execution function or a computing power node.

[0200] Step 808: The target network function sends a service establishment response message to the session management function.

[0201] The service establishment response message may include: service quality information of the target service; indication information of the second user plane function; indication information of the service execution node of the target service; and the identifier of the service of the target service.

[0202] Step 809: The session management function sends a user plane connection modification request message to the first user plane function and a user plane connection establishment request message to the second user plane function to establish a session between the first user plane function and the second user plane function, as well as a session between the second user plane function and the target node.

[0203] The target node is the target network function and / or service execution node.

[0204] Step 810: The session management function sends service management information to the access network node to which the UE is connected, instructing the access network node to update the user plane bearer.

[0205] This business management information includes at least service quality information.

[0206] Step 811: The session management function sends session acceptance information to the UE.

[0207] The session acceptance information indicates that a session corresponding to the target service has been established.

[0208] Please refer to Figure 9, which shows the flowchart corresponding to the third embodiment. As shown in Figure 9, it includes the following steps:

[0209] Step 900: The UE has established a connection with the network side.

[0210] The connection established between the UE and the network side includes a control plane connection and / or a user plane connection. The first user plane function is the user plane anchor point of the session that the UE has already established.

[0211] Step 901: The UE sends a service session establishment request message to the first user plane function based on the established user plane connection.

[0212] The service session establishment request message is encapsulated using a target message encapsulation format. This target message encapsulation format is used to indicate that the service session establishment request message carries first request information, which includes: the identifier of the session already established by the UE, the service type of the target service requested by the UE, and the service parameters of the target service.

[0213] Step 902: After recognizing that the business session establishment request message is a message carrying the first request information, the first user plane function sends the business session establishment request message to the session management function.

[0214] Step 903: The session management function selects the target network function based on the "service type of the target service" in the first request information.

[0215] The target network function is used to provide the target service.

[0216] Step 904: The session management function sends a service establishment request message to the selected target network function.

[0217] The service establishment request message carries the following information: service parameters of the target service; UE identifier; and information of the first user plane function.

[0218] Step 905: The session management function obtains the UE's subscription data and policy information from the subscription data management function and the policy control function, respectively.

[0219] Step 906: The session management function sends the acquired subscription data and policy information to the target network function.

[0220] Step 907: The target network function determines the service policy and service execution node based on the contract data, policy information, and business parameters of the target service.

[0221] The service strategy includes the following: the identifier of the target service's business, the business path, and service quality information. The business path includes a second user plane function, which serves as the user plane anchor point for the target service's business. Furthermore, the target network function selects a business execution node, which can be either a business execution function or a computing power node.

[0222] Step 908: The target network function sends a service establishment response message to the session management function.

[0223] The service establishment response message may include: service quality information of the target service; indication information of the second user plane function; indication information of the service execution node of the target service; and the identifier of the service of the target service.

[0224] Step 909: The session management function sends a user plane connection modification request message to the first user plane function and a user plane connection establishment request message to the second user plane function to establish a session between the first user plane function and the second user plane function, as well as a session between the second user plane function and the target node.

[0225] The target node is the target network function and / or service execution node.

[0226] Step 910: The session management function sends service management information to the access network node to which the UE is connected, instructing the access network node to update the user plane bearer.

[0227] This business management information includes at least service quality information.

[0228] Step 911: The session management function sends session acceptance information to the UE.

[0229] The session acceptance information indicates that a session corresponding to the target service has been established.

[0230] Please refer to Figure 10, which shows the flowchart corresponding to the fourth embodiment. As shown in Figure 10, it includes the following steps:

[0231] Step 1001: The session management function receives service release information sent by the UE.

[0232] The service release information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the session already established by the UE; the service type of the target service; and the identifier of the service of the target service.

[0233] Step 1002: The session management function instructs the first user plane function to modify the user plane connection.

[0234] Step 1003: The session management function instructs the second user plane function to release the user plane connection.

[0235] Step 1004: The session management function instructs the access network node to which the UE is connected to to release the user plane bearer configuration.

[0236] Step 1005: The session management function sends a service release response to the UE.

[0237] It should be understood that although the steps in the flowcharts of Figures 2 to 10 are shown sequentially according to the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless explicitly stated herein, there is no strict order restriction on the execution of these steps, and they can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least some of the steps in Figures 2 to 10 may include multiple steps or multiple stages, which are not necessarily completed at the same time, but can be executed at different times. The execution order of these steps or stages is not necessarily sequential, but can be performed alternately or in turn with other steps or at least some of the steps or stages in other steps.

[0238] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG11, a service providing apparatus 1100 is provided, including a sending unit 1101.

[0239] The sending unit 1101 is used to send a first request information to the network side through an established connection, wherein the first request information is used to request the network side to provide a target service to the UE, and the target service is a connectionless service.

[0240] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the target service includes at least one of the following services: AI service; data service; perception service; computing service.

[0241] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the first request information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of a session already established by the UE; the service type of the target service; and the service parameters of the target service.

[0242] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the sending unit 1101 is configured to: send a first request message to the network side through an established control plane connection; or send a first request message to the network side through an established user plane connection.

[0243] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the sending unit 1101 is configured to: send a first request message to the access and mobility management function via an established control plane connection.

[0244] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the sending unit 1101 is configured to: send a first message to the access and mobility management function via an established control plane connection, the first message carrying first request information; wherein the first message includes at least one of the following messages: service session establishment request message; service request message; service session modification request message.

[0245] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the sending unit 1101 is configured to: send a first request message to a first user plane function through an established user plane connection, wherein the first user plane function is the user plane anchor point of a session already established by the UE.

[0246] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the sending unit 1101 is configured to: send a second message to a first user plane function through an established user plane connection, the second message carrying first request information; wherein the second message is encapsulated based on a target message encapsulation format, the target message encapsulation format being used to indicate that the second message carries the first request information.

[0247] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the sending unit 1101 is further configured to: send service release information to the network side through an established connection; wherein the service release information is used to instruct the network side to perform a service release process for the target service.

[0248] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the service release information includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a session already established by the UE; the service type of the target service; and an identifier of the service of the target service.

[0249] Please refer to Figure 12, which shows another service providing device 1200, which, in some embodiments, includes a receiving unit 1102 in addition to a sending unit 1101.

[0250] The receiving unit 1102 is used to receive session acceptance information, which indicates that a session corresponding to the target service has been established.

[0251] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG13, a service providing apparatus 1300 is provided, including a receiving unit 1301 and an execution unit 1302.

[0252] The receiving unit 1301 is used to receive the first request information sent by the UE through the established connection.

[0253] The execution unit 1302 is used to execute a service provision process based on the first request information to provide a target service to the UE, the target service being a non-connectivity service.

[0254] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the target service includes at least one of the following services: AI service; data service; perception service; computing service.

[0255] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the first request information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of a session already established by the UE; the service type of the target service; and the service parameters of the target service.

[0256] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the receiving unit 1301 is configured to: receive a first request message sent by an access and mobility management function, wherein the first request message is sent by the UE to the access and mobility management function through an established control plane connection; or, receive a first request message sent by a first user plane function, wherein the first request message is sent by the UE to the first user plane function through an established user plane connection, and the first user plane function is the user plane anchor point of a session already established by the UE.

[0257] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the receiving unit 1301 is configured to: receive a third message sent by the access and mobility management function, the third message carrying first request information; wherein the third message includes at least one of the following messages: service session establishment request message; service update request message; service session modification request message.

[0258] In some embodiments of this disclosure, execution unit 1302 is configured to: send a service establishment request message to a target network function, the target network function being used to provide a target service; receive a service establishment response message sent by the target network function; and execute a service establishment process according to the service establishment response message to establish the service of the target service.

[0259] In some embodiments of this disclosure, execution unit 1302 is further configured to: select a target network function based on the service type of the target service.

[0260] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the service establishment request message carries at least one of the following information: service parameters of the target service; the identifier of the UE; and information of a first user plane function.

[0261] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the service establishment response message carries at least one of the following information: service quality information of the target service; indication information of a second user plane function, wherein the second user plane function is the user plane anchor point of the target service; indication information of the service execution node of the target service; and the identifier of the target service.

[0262] In some embodiments of this disclosure, execution unit 1302 is configured to: send a user plane connection modification request message to a first user plane function and send a user plane connection establishment request message to a second user plane function to establish a session between the first user plane function and the second user plane function, and a session between the second user plane function and a target node, wherein the target node is a target network function and / or a service execution node; send service management information to the access network node to which the UE accesses, to instruct the access network node to update the user plane bearer, wherein the service management information includes quality of service information; and send session acceptance information to the UE, wherein the session acceptance information is used to indicate that the session corresponding to the target service has been established.

[0263] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the receiving unit 1301 is further configured to: receive service release information; and the execution unit 1302 is further configured to: execute a service release process for the target service based on the service release information.

[0264] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the receiving unit 1301 is configured to: receive service release information sent by the UE through an established connection; or, receive service release information sent by a target network function.

[0265] Please refer to Figure 14, which shows another service providing device 1400. In addition to the units included in the service providing device 1300, in some embodiments the service providing device 1400 also includes an acquisition unit 1303 and a sending unit 1304.

[0266] The acquisition unit 1303 is used to acquire the subscription data and / or policy data corresponding to the UE.

[0267] The sending unit 1304 is used to send subscription data and / or policy data to the target network function.

[0268] Specific limitations regarding the service providing device can be found in the limitations regarding the service providing method described above, and will not be repeated here. Each unit in the aforementioned service providing device can be implemented entirely or partially through software, hardware, or a combination thereof. These units can be embedded in hardware within or independently of the processor in the UE or the corresponding physical device for the session management function, or stored in software in the memory of the UE or the corresponding physical device for the session management function, so that the processor can invoke and execute the operations corresponding to each of the above units.

[0269] It should be noted that the division of units in the embodiments of this disclosure is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this disclosure can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated units described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional units.

[0270] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a processor-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this disclosure, in essence, or the part that contributes to the related technology, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a communication device, personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0271] It should be noted that the apparatus provided in this embodiment can implement all the method steps implemented in the above method embodiment and achieve the same technical effect. Therefore, the parts and beneficial effects that are the same as those in the method embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0272] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a UE provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. The UE 1500 shown in Figure 15 includes at least one processor 1501 and a memory 1502. The various components in the UE 1500 are coupled together via a bus system 1505. It is understood that the bus system 1505 is used to implement communication between these components. In addition to a data bus, the bus system 1505 also includes a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for clarity, all buses are labeled as bus system 1505 in Figure 15. Furthermore, this embodiment of the disclosure also includes a transceiver 1506, which may be multiple elements, including a transmitter and a receiver, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices over a transmission medium.

[0273] It is understood that the memory 1502 in this embodiment of the present disclosure may be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory may be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory may be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), Double Data Rate Synchronous DRAM (DDRSDRAM), Enhanced Synchronous DRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and Direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM). The memory 1502 of the systems and methods described in this disclosure is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0274] In some implementations, memory 1502 stores elements such as executable modules or data structures, or subsets thereof, or extended sets thereof: operating system 15021. Operating system 15021 includes various system programs, such as a framework layer, core library layer, driver layer, etc., used to implement various basic business functions and handle hardware-based tasks.

[0275] The methods disclosed in some or all of the above embodiments can also be applied to, implemented by, or cooperated with other components (e.g., a transceiver) in the processor 1501. The processor 1501 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above methods can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the hardware of the processor 1501 or by instructions in software form. The processor 1501 can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure can be directly embodied in the execution of a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can reside in a mature storage medium in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory 1502. Processor 1501 reads the information in memory 1502 and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0276] It is understood that the embodiments described in this disclosure can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, or a combination thereof. For hardware implementation, the processing unit can be implemented in one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), general-purpose processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic units for performing the functions described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0277] For software implementation, the techniques described in the embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described in the embodiments of this disclosure. The software code can be stored in memory and executed by processor 1501. The memory can be implemented in processor 1501 or external to processor 1501.

[0278] The processor 1501 is used to read computer programs from memory and perform the following operations:

[0279] The control transceiver 1506 sends a first request message to the network side through the established connection; wherein the first request message is used to request the network side to provide a target service to the UE, and the target service is a connectionless service.

[0280] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the target service includes at least one of the following services: AI service; data service; perception service; computing service.

[0281] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the first request information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of a session already established by the UE; the service type of the target service; and the service parameters of the target service.

[0282] In some embodiments of this disclosure, processor 1501 is configured to perform the following operations: control transceiver 1506 to send a first request message to the network side through an established control plane connection; or control transceiver 1506 to send a first request message to the network side through an established user plane connection.

[0283] In some embodiments of this disclosure, processor 1501 is configured to perform the following operations: control transceiver 1506 to send a first request message to the access and mobility management function via an established control plane connection.

[0284] In some embodiments of this disclosure, processor 1501 is configured to perform the following operations: control transceiver 1506 to send a first message to the access and mobility management function via an established control plane connection, the first message carrying first request information; wherein the first message includes at least one of the following messages: service session establishment request message; service request message; service session modification request message.

[0285] In some embodiments of this disclosure, processor 1501 is configured to perform the following operations: control transceiver 1506 to send a first request message to a first user plane function through an established user plane connection, wherein the first user plane function is the user plane anchor point of a session already established by the UE.

[0286] In some embodiments of this disclosure, processor 1501 is configured to perform the following operations: control transceiver 1506 to send a second message to a first user plane function through an established user plane connection, the second message carrying first request information; wherein the second message is encapsulated based on a target message encapsulation format, the target message encapsulation format being used to indicate that the second message carries the first request information.

[0287] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the processor 1501 is also configured to perform the following operations: control the transceiver 1506 to receive session acceptance information, the session acceptance information being used to indicate that a session corresponding to the target service has been established.

[0288] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the processor 1501 is further configured to perform the following operations: control the transceiver 1506 to send service release information to the network side through an established connection; wherein the service release information is used to instruct the network side to perform a service release process for the target service.

[0289] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the service release information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of a session already established by the UE; the service type of the target service; and the identifier of the service of the target service.

[0290] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the session management function provided in an embodiment of this disclosure. The session management function 1600 shown in Figure 16 includes at least one processor 1601 and a memory 1602. The various components in the session management function 1600 are coupled together via a bus system 1605. It is understood that the bus system 1605 is used to implement communication between these components. In addition to a data bus, the bus system 1605 also includes a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for clarity, all buses are labeled as bus system 1605 in Figure 16. Furthermore, this embodiment of the disclosure also includes a transceiver 1606, which may be multiple elements, including a transmitter and a receiver, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices over a transmission medium.

[0291] It is understood that the memory 1602 in the embodiments of this disclosure may be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory may be read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, or flash memory. The volatile memory may be random access memory used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory, dynamic random access memory, synchronous dynamic random access memory, double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory, enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory, synchronous linked dynamic random access memory, and direct memory bus random access memory. The memory 1602 of the systems and methods described in the embodiments of this disclosure is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0292] In some implementations, memory 1602 stores elements such as executable modules or data structures, or subsets thereof, or extended sets thereof: operating system 16021. Operating system 16021 includes various system programs, such as a framework layer, core library layer, driver layer, etc., used to implement various basic business functions and handle hardware-based tasks.

[0293] The methods disclosed in the above embodiments can also be applied to, or implemented by, the processor 1601, or implemented by the processor 1601 in conjunction with other components (e.g., a transceiver). The processor 1601 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, each step of the above methods can be completed by the integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor 1601 or by instructions in the form of software. The processor 1601 may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, an off-the-shelf programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure can be directly embodied in the execution of a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules may be located in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory or electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. The storage medium is located in memory 1602. Processor 1601 reads the information in memory 1602 and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0294] It is understood that the embodiments described in this disclosure can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, or a combination thereof. For hardware implementation, the processing unit can be implemented in one or more application-specific integrated circuits, digital signal processors, digital signal processing devices, programmable logic devices, field-programmable gate arrays, general-purpose processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic units for performing the functions described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0295] For software implementation, the techniques described in the embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described in the embodiments of this disclosure. The software code can be stored in memory and executed by processor 1601. The memory can be implemented in processor 1601 or external to processor 1601.

[0296] The processor 1601 is used to read computer programs from memory and perform the following operations:

[0297] The control transceiver 1606 receives the first request information sent by the UE through the established connection; and performs a service provisioning process based on the first request information to provide the target service to the UE, wherein the target service is a connectionless service.

[0298] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the target service includes at least one of the following services: AI service; data service; perception service; computing service.

[0299] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the first request information includes at least one of the following: the identifier of a session already established by the UE; the service type of the target service; and the service parameters of the target service.

[0300] In some embodiments of this disclosure, processor 1601 is configured to perform the following operations: control transceiver 1606 to receive first request information sent by access and mobility management function, wherein the first request information is sent by UE to access and mobility management function through an established control plane connection; or control transceiver 1606 to receive first request information sent by first user plane function, wherein the first request information is sent by UE to first user plane function through an established user plane connection, and the first user plane function is the user plane anchor point of a session already established by UE.

[0301] In some embodiments of this disclosure, processor 1601 is configured to perform the following operations: control transceiver 1606 to receive a third message sent by access and mobility management functions, the third message carrying first request information; wherein the third message includes at least one of the following messages: service session establishment request message; service update request message; service session modification request message.

[0302] In some embodiments of this disclosure, processor 1601 is configured to perform the following operations: control transceiver 1606 to send a service establishment request message to a target network function, the target network function being used to provide a target service; control transceiver 1606 to receive a service establishment response message sent by the target network function; and execute a service establishment process based on the service establishment response message to establish the service of the target service.

[0303] In some embodiments of this disclosure, processor 1601 is also configured to perform the following operations: select a target network function based on the service type of the target service.

[0304] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the service establishment request message carries at least one of the following information: service parameters of the target service; the identifier of the UE; and information of the first user plane function.

[0305] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the service establishment response message carries at least one of the following information: service quality information of the target service; indication information of a second user plane function, wherein the second user plane function is the user plane anchor point of the target service; indication information of the service execution node of the target service; and the identifier of the target service.

[0306] In some embodiments of this disclosure, processor 1601 is configured to perform the following operations: control transceiver 1606 to send a user plane connection modification request message to a first user plane function and a user plane connection establishment request message to a second user plane function, so as to establish a session between the first user plane function and the second user plane function and a session between the second user plane function and a target node, wherein the target node is a target network function and / or a service execution node; control transceiver 1606 to send service management information to the access network node to which the UE is accessed, so as to instruct the access network node to update the user plane bearer, wherein the service management information includes quality of service information; control transceiver 1606 to send session acceptance information to the UE, wherein the session acceptance information is used to indicate that the session corresponding to the target service has been established.

[0307] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the processor 1601 is further configured to perform the following operations: acquire subscription data and / or policy data corresponding to the UE, and control the transceiver 1606 to send the subscription data and / or policy data to the target network function.

[0308] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the processor 1601 is also configured to perform the following operations: control the transceiver 1606 to receive service release information; and execute a service release process for a target service based on the service release information.

[0309] In some embodiments of this disclosure, processor 1601 is configured to perform the following operations: control transceiver 1606 to receive service release information sent by UE through an established connection; or control transceiver 1606 to receive service release information sent by a target network function.

[0310] In one embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium is provided having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method embodiment described above.

[0311] This disclosure also provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the steps of the method embodiments described above.

[0312] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the methods described above. Any references to memory, storage, databases, or other media used in the embodiments provided in this disclosure can include at least one of non-volatile and volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can include read-only memory (ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash memory, or optical storage, etc. Volatile memory can include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM can be in various forms, such as static random access memory (SRAM) or dynamic random access memory (DRAM), etc.

[0313] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0314] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementations of this disclosure, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this disclosure, and these all fall within the protection scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

A service providing method, wherein, The method comprises: A user equipment (UE) sends first request information to a network side through an established connection; The first request information is used to request the network side to provide a target service for the UE, and the target service is a non-connection service. The method of claim 1, wherein, The target service comprises at least one of the following services: An artificial intelligence (AI) service, a data service, a perception service, and a computing service. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first request information comprises at least one of the following information: An identifier of a session established by the UE; A service type of the target service; A service parameter of the target service. The method of claim 1, wherein, The UE sends the first request information to the network side through the established connection, comprising: The UE sends the first request information to the network side through an established control plane connection; or The UE sends the first request information to the network side through an established user plane connection. The method of claim 4, wherein, The UE sends the first request information to the network side through the established control plane connection, comprising: The UE sends the first request information to an access and mobility management function (AMF) through the established control plane connection. The method of claim 5, wherein, The UE sends the first request information to the AMF through the established control plane connection, comprising: The UE sends a first message to the AMF through the established control plane connection, and the first message carries the first request information; The first message comprises at least one of the following messages: a service session establishment request message, a service request message, and a service session modification request message. The method of claim 4, wherein, The UE sends the first request information to the network side through the established user plane connection, comprising: The UE sends the first request information to a first user plane function (UPF) through the established user plane connection, wherein the first UPF is a user plane anchor point of a session established by the UE. The method of claim 7, wherein, The UE sends the first request information to the first UPF through the established user plane connection, comprising: The UE sends a second message to the first UPF through the established user plane connection, and the second message carries the first request information; The second message is encapsulated based on a target message encapsulation format, and the target message encapsulation format is used to indicate that the first request information is carried in the second message. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: The UE receives session acceptance information, and the session acceptance information is used to indicate that a session corresponding to the target service has been established. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: The UE sends service release information to the network side through the established connection; The service release information is used to instruct the network side to perform a service release process for the target service. The method of claim 10, wherein, The service release information comprises at least one of the following: An identifier of a session established by the UE; A service type of the target service; An identifier of a service of the target service. A service providing method, wherein, The method comprises: A session management function (SMF) receives first request information sent by a UE through an established connection; The session management function performs a service providing procedure based on the first request information to provide a target service for the UE, the target service being a non-connection service. The method of claim 12, wherein, The target service includes at least one of the following services: an AI service; a data service; a perception service; and a computing service. The method of claim 12, wherein, The first request information includes at least one of the following information: an identifier of a session that has been established by the UE; a service type of the target service; a traffic parameter of the target service. The method of claim 14, wherein, The session management function receives first request information sent by the UE through an already established connection, including: The session management function receives the first request information sent by an access and mobility management function, wherein the first request information is sent by the UE to the access and mobility management function through an already established control plane connection; or The session management function receives the first request information sent by a first user plane function, wherein the first request information is sent by the UE to the first user plane function through an already established user plane connection, and the first user plane function is a user plane anchor point of a session that has been established by the UE. The method of claim 15, wherein, The session management function receives the first request information sent by an access and mobility management function, including: The session management function receives a third message sent by the access and mobility management function, the third message carrying the first request information; The third message includes at least one of the following messages: a traffic session establishment request message; a traffic update request message; and a traffic session modification request message. The method of claim 15, wherein, The session management function performs a service providing procedure based on the first request information, including: The session management function sends a traffic establishment request message to a target network function for providing the target service; The session management function receives a traffic establishment response message sent by the target network function; The session management function performs a traffic establishment procedure according to the traffic establishment response message to establish a traffic of the target service. The method of claim 17, wherein, The method further includes: The session management function selects the target network function based on a service type of the target service. The method of claim 17, wherein, The traffic establishment request message carries at least one of the following information: a traffic parameter of the target service; an identifier of the UE; information of the first user plane function. The method of claim 17, wherein, The traffic establishment response message carries at least one of the following information: quality of service information of the target service; indication information of a second user plane function, the second user plane function being a user plane anchor point of the traffic of the target service; indication information of a traffic execution node of the target service; an identifier of the traffic of the target service. The method of claim 20, wherein, The session management function performs a traffic establishment procedure according to the traffic establishment response message, including: The session management function sends a user plane connection modification request message to the first user plane function and a user plane connection establishment request message to the second user plane function to establish a session between the first user plane function and the second user plane function and a session between the second user plane function and a target node, the target node being the target network function and / or the service execution node; The session management function sends service management information to an access network node accessed by the UE to instruct the access network node to update a user plane bearer, the service management information including the quality of service information; The session management function sends session acceptance information to the UE, the session acceptance information being used to indicate that a session corresponding to the target service has been established. The method of claim 17, wherein, The method further includes: The session management function obtains subscription data and / or policy data corresponding to the UE and sends the subscription data and / or the policy data to the target network function. The method of claim 17, wherein, The method further includes: The session management function receives service release information; The session management function performs a service release procedure for the target service according to the service release information. The method of claim 23, wherein, The session management function receives service release information, including: The session management function receives the service release information sent by the UE through an already established connection; or The session management function receives the service release information sent by the target network function. A user equipment, wherein, Comprising a memory, a transceiver, a processor: The memory is used to store a computer program; The transceiver is used to transceive data under the control of the processor; The processor is used to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: Control the transceiver to send first request information to the network side through an already established connection; Wherein, the first request information is used to request the network side to provide a target service to the UE, the target service being a non-connection service. The user equipment of claim 25, wherein, The first request information includes at least one of the following information: An identifier of a session already established by the UE; A service type of the target service; A service parameter of the target service. The user equipment of claim 25, wherein The processor is used to perform the following operations: Control the transceiver to send the first request information to the network side through an already established control plane connection; or Control the transceiver to send the first request information to the network side through an already established user plane connection. The user equipment of claim 25, wherein The processor is further used to perform the following operations: Control the transceiver to receive session acceptance information, the session acceptance information being used to indicate that a session corresponding to the target service has been established. The user equipment of claim 25, wherein, The processor is further used to perform the following operations: Control the transceiver to send service release information to the network side through an already established connection; Wherein, the service release information is used to instruct the network side to perform a service release procedure for the target service. A session management function, wherein, Comprising a memory, a transceiver, a processor: The memory is used to store a computer program; The transceiver is used to transceive data under the control of the processor; The processor is used to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: The transceiver is controlled to receive first request information sent by the UE through an established connection; A service providing procedure is performed based on the first request information to provide a target service to the UE, the target service being a non-connection service. The session management function of claim 30, wherein, The first request information comprises at least one of the following information: An identifier of a session established by the UE; A service type of the target service; A traffic parameter of the target service. The session management function of claim 31, wherein, The processor is configured to perform the following operations: The transceiver is controlled to receive the first request information sent by an access and mobility management function, wherein the first request information is sent by the UE to the access and mobility management function through an established control plane connection; or The transceiver is controlled to receive the first request information sent by a first user plane function, wherein the first request information is sent by the UE to the first user plane function through an established user plane connection, and the first user plane function is a user plane anchor point of a session established by the UE. The session management function of claim 32, wherein, The processor is configured to perform the following operations: The transceiver is controlled to send a traffic establishment request message to a target network function for providing the target service; The transceiver is controlled to receive a traffic establishment response message sent by the target network function; A traffic establishment procedure is performed according to the traffic establishment response message to establish traffic of the target service. The session management function of claim 33, wherein, The processor is further configured to perform the following operations: The transceiver is controlled to receive traffic release information; A traffic release procedure for the target service is performed according to the traffic release information. A processor-readable storage medium, wherein, The processor readable storage medium stores a program for causing the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 11; or The program is for causing the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 12 to 24.

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