Communication methods, apparatus, communication device, readable storage medium and computer program product

Abstract

The present application relates to communication methods, an apparatus, a communication device, a readable storage medium and a computer program product. A method comprises: sending to an AMF network element a first NAS message, the first NAS message carrying a wireless local area network user plane access identifier, and the wireless local area network user plane access identifier being used for indicating that a user plane data bearer is established on a wireless local area network; receiving a second NAS message sent by the AMF network element, the second NAS message carrying an IP address of a gateway, and the IP address of the gateway being acquired by the AMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier; and, on the basis of a wireless local area network IP address of the UE and the IP address of the gateway, establishing an IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway.

Description

Communication method, apparatus, communication device, readable storage medium and computer program product

[0001] Related applications

[0002] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 2024113046543, filed on September 19, 2024, entitled "Communication method, apparatus, communication device, readable storage medium and computer program product", the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0004] To ensure data transmission security, when a user equipment (UE) accesses a 5G (5th Generation Mobile Communication Technology) core network from a non-3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) access network (such as a wireless local area network), the data needs to be first transmitted to an N3IWF (Non-3GPP Inter Working Function) network element in the 5G network through an encrypted transmission mode such as an IPSEC (Internet Protocol Security) tunnel, and the N3IWF network element further forwards the data to the 5G core network.

[0005] However, not all user terminals support the process of accessing the N3IWF network element, and if the user terminal does not support accessing the N3IWF network element, the user terminal cannot transmit data to the 5G core network through the non-3GPP access network. Therefore, the current method of accessing the 5G core network from the non-3GPP access network has the problem of narrow application range. SUMMARY

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method applied to a UE, comprising:

[0007] sending a first NAS message to an AMF network element, wherein the first NAS message carries a wireless local area network user plane access identifier, and the wireless local area network user plane access identifier is used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a wireless local area network;

[0008] receiving a second NAS message sent by the AMF network element, the second NAS message carrying an IP address of a gateway; the IP address of the gateway is obtained by the AMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier;

[0009] establishing an IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway based on the wireless local area network IP address of the UE and the IP address of the gateway.

[0010] In one of the embodiments, the first NAS message is a PDU session establishment request message, and the second NAS message is a PDU session establishment response message.

[0011] In one of the embodiments, the second NAS message further carries an IP address of the UE, and the method further comprises:

[0012] encapsulating the user plane data based on the IP address of the UE and a destination IP address of the user plane data;

[0013] sending the encapsulated user plane data to the gateway through the IP tunnel.

[0014] In one of the embodiments, the second NAS message further carries authentication information, and the authentication information is obtained by the AMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier; and the establishing of the IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway based on the wireless local area network IP address and the IP address of the gateway comprises:

[0015] sending an IP tunnel establishment request to the gateway based on the wireless local area network IP address and the IP address of the gateway, the IP tunnel establishment request carrying the authentication information;

[0016] establishing the IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway if a response of passing the authentication of the gateway to the authentication information is received.

[0017] In one of the embodiments, the IP tunnel is any one of a QUIC tunnel, an IPSEC tunnel and a GRE tunnel.

[0018] In one of the embodiments, the gateway is any one of a UPF network element, a target EPDG network element and a target N3IWF network element, the target EPDG network element being obtained by combining an EPDG network element and a UPF network element, and the target N3IWF network element being obtained by combining a N3IWF network element and a UPF network element.

[0019] In a second aspect, the application further provides a communication method applied to an AMF network element, comprising:

[0020] receive the first NAS message sent by the UE;

[0021] if a wireless local area network user plane access identifier in the first NAS message is identified, send an SM message to an SMF network element, the SM message carrying the wireless local area network user plane access identifier; the wireless local area network user plane access identifier is used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a wireless local area network;

[0022] receive an N1N2 message transfer message sent by the SMF network element, the N1N2 message transfer message carrying an IP address of a gateway; the IP address of the gateway is acquired by the SMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier;

[0023] send a second NAS message to the UE, the second NAS message carrying the IP address of the gateway.

[0024] In one of the embodiments, the first NAS message is a PDU session establishment request message, the N1N2 message transfer message further carries an IP address of the UE and authentication information, the authentication information is acquired by the SMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier; and the second NAS message further carries the IP address of the UE and the authentication information.

[0025] In a third aspect, the application further provides a communication method applied to an SMF network element, comprising:

[0026] receive an SM message sent by an AMF network element;

[0027] if a wireless local area network user plane access identifier in the SM message is identified, select a target gateway based on the wireless local area network user plane access identifier;

[0028] send an N4 session establishment request to the target gateway, the N4 session establishment request carrying the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, the wireless local area network user plane access identifier being used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a wireless local area network;

[0029] receive an N4 session establishment response sent by the target gateway, the N4 session establishment response carrying an IP address of the target gateway; the IP address of the target gateway is acquired by the target gateway in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier;

[0030] send an N1N2 message transfer message to the AMF network element, the N1N2 message transfer message carrying the IP address of the target gateway.

[0031] In one of the embodiments, the SM message is a PDU session establishment request message, the N4 session establishment response further carries an IP address and authentication information of the UE, and the authentication information is obtained by the target gateway in response to the WLAN user plane access identifier; the N1N2 message delivery message further carries the IP address and the authentication information of the UE.

[0032] In a fourth aspect, the present application further provides a communication method applied to a gateway, comprising:

[0033] receiving an N4 session establishment request sent by an SMF network element;

[0034] if the WLAN user plane access identifier in the N4 session establishment request is identified, sending an N4 session establishment response to the SMF network element, wherein the N4 session establishment response carries an IP address of the gateway, and the IP address of the gateway is used for establishing an IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway.

[0035] In one of the embodiments, the sending of the N4 session establishment response to the SMF network element comprises:

[0036] determining an IP address and authentication information of the UE;

[0037] sending an N4 session establishment response to the SMF network element, wherein the N4 session establishment response carries the IP address of the gateway, the IP address of the UE and the authentication information.

[0038] In one of the embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0039] receiving first user plane data sent by the UE through the IP tunnel;

[0040] performing decapsulation processing on the first user plane data to obtain second user plane data and a destination IP address corresponding to the second user plane data;

[0041] forwarding the second user plane data to the destination IP address.

[0042] In a fifth aspect, the present application further provides a communication device applied to a UE, comprising:

[0043] a first sending module configured to send a first NAS message to an AMF network element, wherein the first NAS message carries a WLAN user plane access identifier, and the WLAN user plane access identifier is used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a WLAN;

[0044] receive a second NAS message sent by the AMF network element, the second NAS message carrying an IP address of a gateway; the IP address of the gateway is obtained by the AMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier;

[0045] establish an IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway based on the wireless local area network IP address of the UE and the IP address of the gateway.

[0046] In one of the embodiments, the first NAS message is a PDU session establishment request message, and the second NAS message is a PDU session establishment response message.

[0047] In one of the embodiments, the second NAS message further carries an IP address of the UE, and the apparatus further includes:

[0048] encapsulate the user plane data based on the IP address of the UE and a destination IP address of the user plane data;

[0049] send the encapsulated user plane data to the gateway through the IP tunnel.

[0050] In one of the embodiments, the second NAS message further carries verification information, and the verification information is obtained by the AMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier; the processing module is further configured to:

[0051] send an IP tunnel establishment request to the gateway based on the wireless local area network IP address and the IP address of the gateway, the IP tunnel establishment request carrying the verification information;

[0052] establish the IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway if a verification pass response to the verification information from the gateway is received.

[0053] In one of the embodiments, the IP tunnel is any one of a QUIC tunnel, an IPSEC tunnel, and a GRE tunnel.

[0054] In one of the embodiments, the gateway is any one of a UPF network element, a target EPDG network element, and a target N3IWF network element, the target EPDG network element being obtained by combining an EPDG network element and a UPF network element, and the target N3IWF network element being obtained by combining a N3IWF network element and a UPF network element.

[0055] In a sixth aspect, the application further provides a communication apparatus applied to an AMF network element, comprising:

[0056] The first receiving module is configured to receive a first NAS message sent by a UE.

[0057] The first sending module is configured to, if a wireless local area network user plane access identifier in the first NAS message is identified, send an SM message to an SMF network element, wherein the SM message carries the wireless local area network user plane access identifier; and the wireless local area network user plane access identifier is used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a wireless local area network.

[0058] The second receiving module is configured to receive an N1N2 message transfer message sent by the SMF network element, wherein the N1N2 message transfer message carries an IP address of a gateway; and the IP address of the gateway is acquired by the SMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier.

[0059] The second sending module is configured to send a second NAS message to the UE, wherein the second NAS message carries the IP address of the gateway.

[0060] In one of the embodiments, the first NAS message is a PDU session establishment request message, the N1N2 message transfer message further carries an IP address of the UE and authentication information, the authentication information is acquired by the SMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier; and the second NAS message further carries the IP address of the UE and the authentication information.

[0061] In a seventh aspect, the present application further provides a communication device applied to an SMF network element, comprising:

[0062] The first receiving module is configured to receive an SM message sent by an AMF network element.

[0063] The processing module is configured to, if a wireless local area network user plane access identifier in the SM message is identified, select a target gateway based on the wireless local area network user plane access identifier.

[0064] The first sending module is configured to send an N4 session establishment request to the target gateway, wherein the N4 session establishment request carries the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, and the wireless local area network user plane access identifier is used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a wireless local area network.

[0065] The second receiving module is configured to receive an N4 session establishment response sent by the target gateway, wherein the N4 session establishment response carries an IP address of the target gateway; and the IP address of the target gateway is acquired by the target gateway in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier.

[0066] The second sending module is configured to send an N1N2 message passing message to the AMF network element, and the N1N2 message passing message carries the IP address of the target gateway.

[0067] In one of the embodiments, the SM message is a PDU session establishment request message, the N4 session establishment response further carries an IP address of the UE and verification information, and the verification information is obtained by the target gateway in response to the WLAN user plane access identifier; and the N1N2 message passing message further carries the IP address of the UE and the verification information.

[0068] In an eighth aspect, the present application further provides a communication device applied to a gateway, comprising:

[0069] The first receiving module is configured to receive an N4 session establishment request sent by an SMF network element.

[0070] The first sending module is configured to, if the WLAN user plane access identifier in the N4 session establishment request is identified, send an N4 session establishment response to the SMF network element, and the N4 session establishment response carries an IP address of the gateway, which is used to establish an IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway.

[0071] In one of the embodiments, the first sending module is further configured to:

[0072] determine an IP address of the UE and verification information;

[0073] send an N4 session establishment response to the SMF network element, and the N4 session establishment response carries the IP address of the gateway, the IP address of the UE and the verification information.

[0074] In one of the embodiments, the device further comprises:

[0075] The second receiving module is configured to receive first user plane data sent by the UE through the IP tunnel.

[0076] The decapsulation module is configured to perform decapsulation processing on the first user plane data, to obtain second user plane data and a destination IP address corresponding to the second user plane data.

[0077] The second sending module is configured to forward the second user plane data to the destination IP address.

[0078] In a ninth aspect, the present application further provides a communication device applied to a UE, comprising a transmitter, a processor and a receiver.

[0079] The transmitter is configured to send a first NAS message to an AMF network element, wherein the first NAS message carries a wireless local area network user plane access identifier, and the wireless local area network user plane access identifier is used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a wireless local area network.

[0080] The receiver is configured to receive a second NAS message sent by the AMF network element, wherein the second NAS message carries an IP address of a gateway; and the IP address of the gateway is obtained by the AMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier.

[0081] The processor is configured to establish an IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway based on the IP address of the wireless local area network of the UE and the IP address of the gateway.

[0082] In a tenth aspect, the present application further provides a communication device applied to an AMF network element, comprising a transmitter, a processor and a receiver.

[0083] The receiver is configured to receive a first NAS message sent by a UE.

[0084] The processor is configured to, if the wireless local area network user plane access identifier in the first NAS message is identified, control the transmitter to send an SM message to an SMF network element, wherein the SM message carries the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, and the wireless local area network user plane access identifier is used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a wireless local area network.

[0085] The receiver is further configured to receive an N1N2 message transfer message sent by the SMF network element, wherein the N1N2 message transfer message carries an IP address of a gateway; and the IP address of the gateway is obtained by the SMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier.

[0086] The transmitter is further configured to send a second NAS message to the UE, wherein the second NAS message carries the IP address of the gateway.

[0087] In an eleventh aspect, the present application further provides a communication device applied to an SMF network element, comprising a transmitter, a processor and a receiver.

[0088] The receiver is configured to receive an SM message sent by an AMF network element.

[0089] The processor is configured to, if the wireless local area network user plane access identifier in the SM message is identified, select a target gateway based on the wireless local area network user plane access identifier.

[0090] The transmitter is configured to send an N4 session establishment request to the target gateway, and the N4 session establishment request carries the WLAN user plane access identifier, which is used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a WLAN.

[0091] The receiver is further configured to receive an N4 session establishment response sent by the target gateway, and the N4 session establishment response carries the IP address of the target gateway, which is obtained by the target gateway in response to the WLAN user plane access identifier.

[0092] The transmitter is further configured to send an N1N2 message transfer message to the AMF network element, and the N1N2 message transfer message carries the IP address of the gateway.

[0093] In a twelfth aspect, the present application further provides a communication device applied to a gateway, comprising a transmitter, a processor and a receiver.

[0094] The receiver is configured to receive an N4 session establishment request sent by an SMF network element.

[0095] The processor is configured to, if the WLAN user plane access identifier in the N4 session establishment request is identified, control the transmitter to send an N4 session establishment response to the SMF network element, and the N4 session establishment response carries the IP address of the gateway, which is used to establish an IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway.

[0096] In a thirteenth aspect, the present application further provides a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement any one of the above methods.

[0097] In a fourteenth aspect, the present application further provides a computer program product. The computer program product comprises a computer program, and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement any one of the above methods.

[0098] The details of one or more embodiments of the present application are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the present application will be apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0099] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a communication method implemented by a UE according to an embodiment;

[0100] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a user plane data and control plane data transmission path according to an embodiment;

[0101] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a user plane data transmission method implemented by a UE according to an embodiment;

[0102] Figure 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of communication implemented by an AMF network element in one embodiment;

[0103] Figure 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of communication implemented by an SMF network element in one embodiment;

[0104] Figure 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of communication implemented by a gateway in one embodiment;

[0105] Figure 7 is a flow diagram illustrating step 604 in one embodiment;

[0106] Figure 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of forwarding user plane data by a gateway in one embodiment;

[0107] Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating the interaction of various network elements in one embodiment;

[0108] Figure 10 is a block diagram illustrating the structure of a communication apparatus applied to a UE in one embodiment;

[0109] Figure 11 is a block diagram illustrating the structure of a communication apparatus applied to an AMF network element in one embodiment;

[0110] Figure 12 is a block diagram illustrating the structure of a communication apparatus applied to an SMF network element in one embodiment;

[0111] Figure 13 is a block diagram illustrating the structure of a communication apparatus applied to a gateway in one embodiment;

[0112] Figure 14 is a diagram illustrating the internal structure of a communication device applied to a UE in one embodiment;

[0113] Figure 15 is a diagram illustrating the internal structure of a communication device applied to an AMF network element in one embodiment;

[0114] Figure 16 is a diagram illustrating the internal structure of a communication device applied to an SMF network element in one embodiment;

[0115] Figure 17 is a diagram illustrating the internal structure of a communication device applied to a gateway in one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0116] To make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only intended to explain the present application and not to limit the present application.

[0117] In one embodiment, a communication method is provided as shown in Figure 1. The present embodiment describes the method as applied to a UE (User Equipment), which includes the following steps:

[0118] In step 102, a first NAS message is sent to an AMF network element, and the first NAS message carries a wireless local area network user plane access identifier, which is used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a wireless local area network.

[0119] In the embodiments of the present application, when a UE accesses a wireless local area network, the UE needs to initiate a PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session with a DN (Data Network) through a 5G network, needs to transmit sensing data to a network element in a 5G core network, or in other scenarios in which user plane data needs to be transmitted to the 5G core network, a first NAS (Non-Access Stratum) message is sent to an AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) network element through a RAN (Radio Access Network), and a wireless local area network user plane access identifier (WLAN UP Only) is carried in the first NAS message to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a wireless local area network. The establishment of the user plane data bearer on the wireless local area network means that the UE needs to transmit user plane data through the wireless local area network.

[0120] The wireless local area network user plane access identifier is used to instruct the AMF network element to obtain the IP address (Global IP) of the gateway. The gateway refers to any network element that can provide a secure access point between the 5G network and an external data network. For example, a UPF network element (User Plane Function), an EPDG network element (Enhanced Packet Data Gateway), and the like. After reading the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, the AMF network element can carry the wireless local area network user plane access identifier in a message sent to a SMF (Session Management Function) network element in the next step, so that the SMF network element can know that the IP address of the gateway needs to be obtained. After selecting the gateway, if the SMF network element does not need to interact with the gateway to determine the IP address of the gateway, the SMF network element can send the IP address of the gateway to the AMF network element. If the SMF network element needs to interact with the gateway, the SMF network element sends the IP address of the gateway to the AMF network element after instructing the gateway to provide its own IP address, so that the AMF network element can feed back the IP address of the gateway to the UE.

[0121] At step 104, a second NAS message sent by the AMF network element is received, and the IP address of the gateway is carried in the second NAS message; the IP address of the gateway is obtained by the AMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier.

[0122] In the embodiments of the present application, after obtaining the IP address of the gateway, the AMF network element sends a second NAS message to the UE through the RAN, and carries the IP address of the gateway in the second NAS message. The UE can obtain the IP address of the gateway after parsing the second NAS message.

[0123] At step 106, an IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway is established based on the wireless local area network IP address of the UE and the IP address of the gateway.

[0124] In the embodiments of the present application, the UE obtains the wireless local area network IP address allocated by the wireless local area network for the UE, and establishes an IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway based on the wireless local area network IP address and the IP address of the gateway.

[0125] The type of the IP tunnel is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In an embodiment, the IP tunnel can be any one of a QUIC (Quick UDP Internet Connections) tunnel, an IPSEC (Internet Protocol Security) tunnel, and a GRE (Generic Routing Encapsulation) tunnel. Alternatively, the IP tunnel can also be any tunnel supporting establishment of a secure communication connection between a local area network IP address and a public network IP address. The specific negotiation process between the UE and the gateway in the process of establishing the IP tunnel can refer to the process of establishing the IP tunnel in the prior art, which will not be described herein.

[0126] After the IP tunnel is established, the UE can transmit user plane data to the gateway through the IP tunnel. The UE accessing the wireless local area network can communicate with the gateway through an access point (AP) of the wireless local area network. The UE can send user plane data to the access point of the wireless local area network, and the access point of the wireless local area network encapsulates the user plane data according to the relevant rules of the IP tunnel, and forwards the encapsulated user plane data to the gateway through the Internet. After obtaining the encapsulated user plane data, the gateway decapsulates the user plane data according to the relevant rules of the IP tunnel, and then forwards the user plane data to the destination DN of the PDU session.

[0127] It should be noted that the SMF network element can select multiple gateways for the UE, in which case the UE will receive the IP addresses of all the gateways selected by the SMF network element, and the UE needs to use the IP address of each gateway and establish an IP tunnel with each gateway respectively.

[0128] It should be noted that the related control plane data in the user plane data transmission process can still be transmitted according to the general process, that is, transmitted to the AMF network element through the RAN, and then transmitted to the SMF network element by the AMF network element. The transmission path of the control plane data and the user plane data in the embodiments of the present application can be referred to in FIG. 2.

[0129] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application carries a wireless local area network user plane access identifier in the NAS message, and the wireless local area network user plane access identifier is used to indicate that the user plane data bearer is established on the wireless local area network; after the AMF network element obtains the IP address of the gateway in response to the indication of the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, the AMF network element sends the IP address of the gateway to the UE through the NAS message. The UE can use the wireless local area network IP address allocated to the UE in the wireless local area network accessed by the UE, and the IP address of the gateway to establish an IP tunnel with the gateway, and use the IP tunnel to transmit user plane data. The embodiments of the present application enable the UE and the gateway to communicate through the IP tunnel, without going through the N3IWF network element, which enables the UE that does not support accessing the N3IWF network element to also transmit data to the gateway, and provides a more widely applicable way of accessing the 5G core network from the non-3GPP access network.

[0130] In one embodiment, the first NAS message is a PDU session establishment request message, and the second NAS message is a PDU session establishment response message.

[0131] In the embodiments of the present application, the method provided in the foregoing embodiments can be applied to a PDU session. The first NAS message is specifically a PDU session establishment request message, and the second NAS message is specifically a PDU session establishment response message. After the IP tunnel is established between the UE and the gateway, the user plane data in the PDU session process can be transmitted to the gateway through the IP tunnel, and forwarded to the destination DN of the PDU session by the gateway.

[0132] In one embodiment, the second NAS message also carries the IP address of the UE, as shown in FIG. 3, and the above method further includes:

[0133] Step 302, encapsulating the user plane data based on the IP address of the UE and the destination IP address of the user plane data;

[0134] Step 304, sending the encapsulated user plane data to the gateway through the IP tunnel.

[0135] In the embodiments of the present application, after receiving the first NAS message of the PDU session establishment request message, the AMF can further obtain and send the IP address required by the UE to use in the PDU session to the UE. The IP address can be an IPv4 or IPv6 address. After the gateway allocates the IP address of the UE, the gateway sends the IP address of the UE to the AMF network element through the SMF network element, and the AMF network element returns the IP address of the UE to the UE in the second NAS message.

[0136] After the UE receives the IP address, the UE encapsulates the user plane data in the PDU session using the IP address of the UE and the destination IP address to which the user plane data needs to be sent. The source address of the encapsulated user plane data is the IP address of the UE, and the destination address is the destination IP address. The UE further sends the encapsulated user plane data to the gateway through the IP tunnel. When the encapsulated user plane data is transmitted in the IP tunnel, the encapsulated user plane data needs to be encapsulated twice in the IP tunnel. The source address of the twice encapsulated user plane data is the IP address of the wireless local area network access point, and the destination address is the IP address of the UPF. After the twice encapsulated user plane data reaches the gateway, the gateway decapsulates the twice encapsulated user plane data to obtain the encapsulated user plane data. The gateway can further identify the destination address (i.e., the destination IP address) of the encapsulated user plane data and forward the encapsulated user plane data to the destination IP address.

[0137] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application enables the AMF network element to send the IP address of the UE to the UE, so that the UE can perform the PDU session through the IP address, and when performing the PDU session, the UE sends the encapsulated user plane data to the gateway through the IP tunnel. The gateway can further analyze the encapsulated user plane data received through the IP tunnel, identify the destination address of the encapsulated user plane data, and forward the encapsulated user plane data to the destination IP address of the user plane data. This can enable the UE that does not support the access N3IWF network element to perform the transmission of the user plane data between the gateway and the DN.

[0138] In one embodiment, the second NAS message further carries verification information, and the verification information is obtained by the AMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier; and in step 106, the IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway is established based on the wireless local area network IP address and the IP address of the gateway, including:

[0139] Based on the wireless local area network IP address and the IP address of the gateway, an IP tunnel establishment request is sent to the gateway, and the verification information is carried in the IP tunnel establishment request.

[0140] If a verification pass response of the gateway to the verification information is received, the IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway is established.

[0141] In the embodiment of the present application, the AMF network element also acquires authentication information required by the UE when establishing an IP tunnel in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier. The UE can use the authentication information to mutually authenticate the identity with the gateway in the process of establishing the IP tunnel.

[0142] The content of the authentication information is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application. The authentication information can be information used for identity authentication in an IP tunnel protocol. For example, in an IP tunnel protocol requiring digital certificate for identity authentication, the authentication information can be a digital certificate. The gateway can apply to a device responsible for issuing digital certificates to obtain the digital certificate of the UE, and send the digital certificate of the UE to the UE as authentication information through the SMF network element and the AMF network element. The UE completes the identity authentication step in the process of establishing the IP tunnel by exchanging the digital certificate with the gateway.

[0143] The authentication information can also be information irrelevant to the IP tunnel protocol, for example, it can be any information that can represent the identity of the UE. The UE sends the authentication information to the gateway in the IP tunnel establishment request when establishing the IP tunnel. After the gateway verifies the identity of the UE, the gateway sends a verification pass response to the UE. After receiving the verification pass response, the UE continues to complete the process of establishing the IP tunnel with the gateway.

[0144] The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application enables the AMF network element to acquire the authentication information of the UE in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, so that the UE can verify the identity of the UE by providing the authentication information to the UPF when establishing the IP tunnel, and the security of user plane data transmission can be improved.

[0145] In one embodiment, the gateway is any one of the UPF network element, the target EPDG network element and the target N3IWF network element. The target EPDG network element is obtained by combining the EPDG network element and the UPF network element, and the target N3IWF network element is obtained by combining the N3IWF network element and the UPF network element.

[0146] In the embodiment of the present application, the gateway can specifically select the UPF network element, the EPDG network element combined with the UPF network element, or the N3IWF network element combined with the UPF network element. The UPF network element, the EPDG network element and the N3IWF network element all have the function of providing a secure access point between the 5G network and the DN. In the case of using the EPDG network element or the N3IWF network element, in order to ensure that the gateway supports the PDU session function, the EPDG network element combined with the UPF network element or the N3IWF network element combined with the UPF network element can be selected as the gateway.

[0147] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a communication method is provided. The present embodiment is described by applying the method to the AMF network element, which includes the following steps:

[0148] Step 402, receiving the first NAS message sent by the UE.

[0149] Step 404, if the wireless local area network user plane access identifier in the first NAS message is identified, sending an SM message to the SMF network element, the SM message carrying the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, the wireless local area network user plane access identifier being used to indicate that the user plane data bearer is established on the wireless local area network.

[0150] In the embodiment of the application, the AMF network element receives the first NAS message sent by the UE through the RAN. If the wireless local area network user plane access identifier is not carried in the first NAS message, the AMF network element processes the first NAS message according to the general PDU session establishment process, that is, sends an SM (Session Management) message not carrying the wireless local area network user plane access identifier to the SMF network element.

[0151] If the wireless local area network user plane access identifier is carried in the first NAS message, the AMF network element carries the wireless local area network user plane access identifier in the SM message to indicate that the SMF network element establishes the user plane data bearer on the wireless local area network and needs to obtain the IP address of the gateway.

[0152] Step 406, receiving the N1N2 message transfer message sent by the SMF network element, the N1N2 message transfer message carrying the IP address of the gateway.

[0153] Step 408, sending the second NAS message to the UE, the second NAS message carrying the IP address of the gateway.

[0154] In the embodiment of the application, after the SMF network element selects the gateway and obtains the IP address of the selected gateway, the SMF network element returns the N1N2 message transfer message to the AMF network element. The N1N2 message transfer message carries the IP address of the gateway. The AMF network element returns the second NAS message to the UE through the RAN based on the N1N2 message transfer message and the IP address of the gateway, and carries the IP address of the gateway in the second NAS message, so that the UE can establish an IP tunnel with the gateway through the IP address of the gateway.

[0155] The communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application carries a wireless local area network user plane access identifier in a NAS message, and the wireless local area network user plane access identifier is used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a wireless local area network; after the AMF network element obtains the IP address of the gateway in response to the indication of the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, the AMF network element sends the IP address of the gateway to the UE through a NAS message; the UE can use the wireless local area network IP address allocated to the UE in the wireless local area network accessed by the UE, and the IP address of the gateway to establish an IP tunnel with the gateway, and use the IP tunnel to transmit user plane data. The embodiments of the present application enable the UE and the gateway to communicate through the IP tunnel, without going through the N3IWF network element, so that the UE that does not support accessing the N3IWF network element can also transmit data to the gateway, and a more widely applicable way of accessing the 5G core network from a non-3GPP access network is provided.

[0156] In one embodiment, the first NAS message is a PDU session establishment request message, the N1N2 message delivery message further carries the IP address of the UE and authentication information, and the authentication information is obtained by the SMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier; the second NAS message further carries the IP address of the UE and the authentication information.

[0157] In the embodiments of the present application, in a PDU session scenario, the SMF network element allocates the IP address of the UE to the UE or instructs the gateway to allocate the IP address of the UE to the UE after receiving an SM message. If the SMF network element reads the wireless local area network user plane access identifier of the SM message, the SMF network element further obtains authentication information. After receiving the N1N2 message delivery message returned by the SMF network element, the AMF network element sends a second NAS message to the UE through the RAN based on the IP address of the gateway, the IP address of the UE and the authentication information carried in the N1N2 message delivery message, and also carries the above three information in the second NAS message. So that the UE can establish an IP tunnel with the gateway through the IP address of the gateway, perform a PDU session through the IP address of the UE and the DN, and perform identity authentication with the gateway in the process of establishing the IP tunnel through the authentication information.

[0158] The communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application enables the SMF network element to obtain authentication information after reading the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, and returns the IP address of the UE and the authentication information to the UE in a PDU session scenario, so that the UE can perform a PDU session through the IP address and establish an IP tunnel through the authentication information. This can enable the UE that does not support accessing the N3IWF network element to transmit user plane data between the gateway and the DN, and improve the security of user plane data transmission.

[0159] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a communication method is provided. This embodiment illustrates the method applied to the SMF network element, including the following steps:

[0160] Step 502, receiving the SM message sent by the AMF network element.

[0161] Step 504, if the wireless local area network user plane access identifier in the SM message is identified, selecting the target gateway based on the wireless local area network user plane access identifier.

[0162] In the embodiment of the present application, after the SMF network element receives the SM message sent by the AMF network element, if the wireless local area network user plane access identifier is not carried in the SM message, the SMF network element selects the gateway according to the general process.

[0163] If the wireless local area network user plane access identifier is carried in the SM message, the SMF network element needs to select one or more gateways supporting the wireless local area network user plane access identifier from the available gateways as the target gateway. The gateway supporting the wireless local area network user plane access identifier refers to the gateway that can identify the wireless local area network user plane access identifier and support the establishment of an IP tunnel with the UE.

[0164] The SMF network element can record whether each gateway within the jurisdiction of the SMF network element supports the wireless local area network user plane access identifier. In the case that the wireless local area network user plane access identifier is carried in the SM message, the SMF network element obtains the currently available gateways and determines the gateways supporting the wireless local area network user plane access identifier from the currently available gateways, and then determines the target gateway from the gateways supporting the wireless local area network user plane access identifier. The SMF network element can determine the target gateway from the gateways supporting the wireless local area network user plane access identifier according to the distance between each gateway and the UE, the DN to which the UE needs to access, the specific requirements of the PDU session, and other factors, according to the general process of selecting the gateway in the PDU session.

[0165] Step 506, sending the N4 session establishment request to the target gateway, the N4 session establishment request carrying the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, the wireless local area network user plane access identifier being used to indicate that the user plane data bearer is established on the wireless local area network.

[0166] Step 508, receiving the N4 session establishment response sent by the target gateway, the N4 session establishment response carrying the IP address of the target gateway.

[0167] Step 510, sending the N1N2 message transfer message to the AMF network element, the N1N2 message transfer message carrying the IP address of the target gateway.

[0168] In the embodiment of the present application, after the SMF network element determines the target gateway, the SMF network element sends an N4 session establishment request to the target gateway, and carries the wireless local area network user plane access identifier in the N4 session establishment request to instruct the target gateway to transmit user plane data on the wireless local area network, and the target gateway needs to provide its IP address to the SMF network element.

[0169] The target gateway sends the IP address to the SMF network element in an N4 session establishment response, the SMF network element receives the IP address and returns the IP address to the AMF network element in an N1N2 message delivery message, and the AMF network element sends the IP address of the target gateway to the UE through the RAN, and the UE uses the IP address of the target gateway to establish an IP tunnel with the target gateway.

[0170] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is that the SMF network element determines the target gateway according to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, and carries the wireless local area network user plane access identifier in the N4 session establishment request sent to the target gateway, and the wireless local area network user plane access identifier is used to instruct user plane data to be carried on the wireless local area network; after the target gateway sends the IP address to the SMF network element, the SMF network element sends the IP address of the target gateway to the AMF network element through the N1N2 message delivery message, and the AMF network element sends the IP address to the UE, and the UE can use the wireless local area network IP address allocated to the UE in the wireless local area network accessed by the UE and the IP address of the gateway to establish an IP tunnel with the gateway, and use the IP tunnel to transmit user plane data. The embodiment of the present application enables the UE and the gateway to communicate through the IP tunnel, without going through the N3IWF network element, so that the UE that does not support accessing the N3IWF network element can also transmit data to the gateway, and a more widely applicable way of accessing the 5G core network from the non-3GPP access network is provided.

[0171] In one embodiment, the SM message is a PDU session establishment request message, the N4 session establishment response further carries the IP address and verification information of the UE, and the verification information is obtained by the target gateway in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier; and the N1N2 message delivery message further carries the IP address and verification information of the UE.

[0172] In the embodiment of the present application, in the PDU session scenario, the SMF network element needs to allocate the IP address of the UE to the UE or instruct the gateway to allocate the IP address of the UE to the UE after receiving the SM message. In the case that the SM message carries the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, the SMF also needs to obtain the authentication information. After receiving the N4 session establishment request and reading the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, the target gateway sends the IP address of the target gateway, the IP address of the UE and the authentication information to the SMF network element in the N4 session establishment response. The SMF network element sends the above three information to the AMF network element in the N1N2 message delivery message. The AMF network element sends the above three information to the UE. The UE can use the IP address of the target gateway to establish an IP tunnel with the target gateway, perform the PDU session through the IP address of the UE and the DN, and perform identity authentication with the target gateway in the process of establishing the IP tunnel through the authentication information.

[0173] The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application enables the SMF network element to obtain the authentication information in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, and returns the IP address of the UE required by the PDU session and the authentication information to the UE. The UE can perform the PDU session through the IP address and establish the IP tunnel through the authentication information. It can enable the UE that does not support the access N3IWF network element to perform the transmission of user plane data between the gateway and the DN, and improve the security of the transmission of user plane data.

[0174] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a communication method is provided. The embodiment illustrates the method applied to the gateway, which includes the following steps:

[0175] Step 602, receiving the N4 session establishment request sent by the SMF network element.

[0176] Step 604, if the wireless local area network user plane access identifier in the N4 session establishment request is identified, sending the N4 session establishment response to the SMF network element, and the N4 session establishment response carries the IP address of the gateway, which is used for establishing the IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway.

[0177] In the embodiment of the present application, the gateway receives the N4 session establishment request sent by the SMF network element. If the N4 session establishment request does not carry the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, the gateway processes the N4 session establishment request according to the general PDU session process.

[0178] If the N4 session establishment request carries the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, the UE obtains the IP address of itself, and sends the IP address to the SMF network element in the N4 session establishment response. The SMF network element sends the IP address to the UE through the AMF network element and the RAN. The UE can use the IP address to establish the IP tunnel with the gateway.

[0179] The communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application is that, after reading the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, the gateway sends the IP address to the SMF network element, the SMF network element sends the IP address to the UE through the AMF network element and the RAN, the UE can use the wireless local area network IP address allocated to the UE in the wireless local area network accessed by the UE, and the IP address of the gateway and the gateway establish an IP tunnel, and the user plane data is transmitted through the IP tunnel. The embodiments of the present application enable the UE and the gateway to communicate through the IP tunnel, without going through the N3IWF network element, so that the UE that does not support accessing the N3IWF network element can also transmit data to the gateway, and a more widely applicable way of accessing the 5G core network from the non-3GPP access network is provided.

[0180] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, in step 604, the N4 session establishment response is sent to the SMF network element, including:

[0181] In step 702, the IP address of the UE and the verification information are determined.

[0182] In step 704, the N4 session establishment response is sent to the SMF network element, and the N4 session establishment response carries the IP address of the gateway, the IP address of the UE and the verification information.

[0183] In the embodiments of the present application, in the PDU session scenario, the gateway needs to allocate the IP address of the UE to the UE, and the gateway also needs to allocate the verification information of the UE after reading the wireless local area network user plane access identifier in the N4 session establishment request.

[0184] In the PDU session scenario, the N4 session establishment request sent by the SMF network element carries the information required by the gateway to allocate the IP address. The way in which the gateway allocates the IP address to the UE can refer to the way in which the gateway allocates the IP address when the SMF network element instructs the gateway to allocate the IP address to the UE in the prior art, and the embodiments of the present application will not be described here.

[0185] The gateway can also determine the verification information of the UE. The verification information can be digital certificate and the like required for identity verification in the IP tunnel protocol, or can be verification information required for separate identity verification between the gateway and the UE before the IP tunnel is established. The specific verification information can be determined by a person skilled in the art according to the identity verification strategy adopted, and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations.

[0186] After the gateway determines the IP address of the UE and the verification information of the UE, the IP address of the UPF, the IP address of the UE and the verification information of the UE are carried in the N4 session establishment response and sent to the SMF network element, and the above three information are sent to the UE by the SMF network element through the AMF network element.

[0187] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the application enables the gateway to obtain verification information in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, and obtain the IP address of the UE in the PDU session scenario, so that the UE can perform PDU session through the IP address and establish an IP tunnel through the verification information. The UE that does not support access to the N3IWF network element can be enabled to perform transmission of user plane data between the gateway and the DN, and the security of user plane data transmission is improved.

[0188] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the above method further includes:

[0189] Step 802: receiving first user plane data sent by the UE through the IP tunnel.

[0190] Step 804: performing decapsulation processing on the first user plane data to obtain second user plane data and a destination IP address corresponding to the second user plane data.

[0191] Step 806: forwarding the second user plane data to the destination IP address.

[0192] In the embodiment of the application, the UE can send first user plane data encapsulated through an IP tunnel to the gateway. The source address of the first user plane data is the IP address of the wireless local area network access point where the UE is located, and the destination address is the IP address of the gateway. The gateway performs decapsulation on the first user plane data according to the related rules of the IP tunnel, and obtains second user plane data. The source address of the second user plane data is the IP address of the UE, and the destination address is the destination IP address of the PDU session of the UE. The gateway can further forward the second user plane data to the destination IP address.

[0193] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the application enables the UE to send encapsulated user plane data to the gateway through an IP tunnel when performing a PDU session, and the gateway can further analyze the encapsulated user plane data received through the IP tunnel, identify the destination address of the encapsulated user plane data, and forward the encapsulated user plane data to the destination IP address of the user plane data. The UE that does not support access to the N3IWF network element can be enabled to perform transmission of user plane data between the gateway and the DN.

[0194] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a communication method is provided, including:

[0195] Step 901: The UE sends a first NAS message to an AMF network element through an NG RAN (Next Generation Radio Access Network), and the first NAS message is a PDU session establishment request and carries a wireless local area network user plane access identifier.

[0196] In the embodiments of the present application, when the UE needs to perform a PDU session, the UE sends a first NAS message to an AMF network element through a RAN, and the first NAS message is a PDU session establishment request. If the UE needs to send user plane data through a wireless local area network, the wireless local area network user plane access identifier also needs to be carried in the first NAS message.

[0197] In step 902, the AMF network element sends a first SM message to an SMF network element, and the first SM message is a PDU session establishment request and carries the wireless local area network user plane access identifier.

[0198] In the embodiments of the present application, after the AMF network element receives the first NAS message, if the wireless local area network user plane access identifier is read, the wireless local area network user plane access identifier needs to be carried in the first SM message sent to the SMF network element.

[0199] In step 903, the SMF network element sends a second SM message to the AMF network element, and the second SM message is a PDU session establishment response.

[0200] In the embodiments of the present application, after the SMF network element receives the first SM message, the SMF network element sends a second SM message to the AMF network element. The SMF network element can also carry the wireless local area network user plane access identifier in the second SM message to indicate to the AMF network element that the wireless local area network user plane access identifier has been identified and the first SM message has been processed according to the indication of the wireless local area network user plane access identifier.

[0201] In step 904, the UE, the AMF network element, the SMF network element, and a PCF (Policy Control Function) network element interact with each other to perform PDU session authorization.

[0202] In the embodiments of the present application, the process of the above four network elements performing PDU session authorization can refer to the process of PDU session authorization in the prior art, and the embodiments of the present application will not be described again.

[0203] In step 905, the SMF network element selects a UPF network element supporting the wireless local area network user plane access identifier.

[0204] In the embodiments of the present application, the SMF network element selects one or more UPF network elements supporting identification of the wireless local area network user plane access identifier and supporting establishment of an IP tunnel with the UE from the existing available UPF network elements.

[0205] In step 906, the SMF network element sends an N4 session establishment request message to the UPF network element, and the N4 session establishment request message contains the wireless local area network user plane access identifier.

[0206] In the embodiment of the present application, the wireless local area network user plane access identifier needs to be carried in the N4 session establishment request message sent by the SMF network element to the UPF network element.

[0207] In step 907, the UPF network element sends an N4 session establishment response to the SMF network element, and the N4 session establishment response includes the IP address allocated to the UE, the IP address of the UPF network element, and the verification information.

[0208] In the embodiment of the present application, if the UPF network element reads the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, the UPF network element allocates an IP address to the UE, obtains its own IP address, and determines the verification information required by the UE in the process of establishing an IP tunnel. The above three information are carried in the N4 session establishment response and sent to the SMF network element.

[0209] In step 908, the SMF network element sends an N1N2 message transmission message to the AMF network element, and the N1N2 message transmission message includes the IP address of the UE, the IP address of the UPF network element, and the verification information.

[0210] In the embodiment of the present application, after the SMF network element obtains the above three information, the SMF network element sends the above three information to the AMF network element in the N1N2 message transmission message.

[0211] In step 909, the AMF network element sends a second NAS message to the NG RAN, and the second NAS message includes the IP address of the UE, the IP address of the UPF network element, and the verification information.

[0212] In the embodiment of the present application, the AMF network element needs to forward the message to the UE through the NG RAN. The second NAS message sent by the AMF network element to the UE carries the above three information.

[0213] In step 910, the NG RAN transmits the second NAS message to the UE.

[0214] In the embodiment of the present application, the NG RAN forwards the second NAS message to the UE.

[0215] In step 911, the UE obtains the wireless local area network IP address allocated by the wireless local area network.

[0216] In the embodiment of the present application, the UE obtains a wireless local area network IP address allocated by the wireless local area network when accessing the wireless local area network.

[0217] In step 912, the UE establishes an IP tunnel with the UPF network element using the IP address of the UPF network element. In the process of establishing the tunnel, the verification information is provided to the UPF network element for identity verification. When the user plane data needs to be sent to the DN, the IP address of the UE is used.

[0218] In the embodiments of the present application, the UE establishes an IP tunnel with the UPF network element using its own wireless local area network IP address and the IP address of the UPF network element. The UE can perform the establishment process of the IP tunnel after mutual authentication with the UPF network element using authentication information. When the UE needs to transmit user plane data to a DN, the UE needs to be forwarded by the UPF network element. The UE first encapsulates user plane data with a source address being the IP address of the UE and a destination address being the destination IP address of the DN, and then sends the user plane data to the starting point of the IP tunnel (an access point of the wireless local area network). The access point of the wireless local area network encapsulates the user plane data again using the relevant rules of the IP tunnel. The source address and the destination address of the user plane data after the second encapsulation are the two ends of the IP tunnel, that is, the IP address of the access point and the IP address of the UPF network element. The access point sends the user plane data after the second encapsulation to the UPF network element. The UPF network element decapsulates the original encapsulated user plane data and forwards the encapsulated user plane data to the destination IP address according to the original destination address.

[0219] It should be understood that, although each step in the flowchart involved in each of the above-described embodiments is shown in sequence according to the arrow, these steps are not necessarily executed in sequence according to the arrow. Unless otherwise specified herein, the execution of these steps is not strictly limited in sequence, and these steps can be executed in other sequences. Moreover, at least part of the steps in the flowchart involved in each of the above-described embodiments can include multiple steps or multiple stages, which are not necessarily executed at the same time, but can be executed at different times, and the execution sequence of these steps or stages is not necessarily sequential, but can be executed in rotation or alternation with at least part of other steps or stages.

[0220] Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiments of the present application also provide a communication device for implementing the above-mentioned communication method. The implementation scheme for solving the problem provided by the device is similar to the implementation scheme described in the above method, and therefore the specific limitations in one or more communication device embodiments provided below can refer to the limitations of the communication method described above, which will not be described here again.

[0221] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, a communication device 1000 is provided, which is applied to a UE and includes a first sending module 1002, a receiving module 1004, and a processing module 1006, wherein:

[0222] The first sending module 1002 is configured to send a first NAS message to an AMF network element, wherein the first NAS message carries a wireless local area network user plane access identifier, and the wireless local area network user plane access identifier is used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a wireless local area network.

[0223] The receiving module 1004 is configured to receive a second NAS message sent by the AMF network element, and the second NAS message carries an IP address of a gateway; the IP address of the gateway is obtained by the AMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier;

[0224] The processing module 1006 is configured to establish an IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway based on the wireless local area network IP address of the UE and the IP address of the gateway.

[0225] In one of the embodiments, the first NAS message is a PDU session establishment request message, and the second NAS message is a PDU session establishment response message.

[0226] In one of the embodiments, the second NAS message further carries an IP address of the UE, and the apparatus further includes:

[0227] The encapsulating module is configured to encapsulate the user plane data based on the IP address of the UE and a destination IP address of the user plane data;

[0228] The second sending module is configured to send the encapsulated user plane data to the gateway through the IP tunnel.

[0229] In one of the embodiments, the second NAS message further carries verification information, the verification information is obtained by the AMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, and the processing module 1006 is further configured to:

[0230] send an IP tunnel establishment request to the gateway based on the wireless local area network IP address and the IP address of the gateway, and the IP tunnel establishment request carries the verification information;

[0231] If a verification pass response to the verification information is received from the gateway, establish the IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway.

[0232] In one of the embodiments, the IP tunnel is any one of a QUIC tunnel, an IPSEC tunnel, and a GRE tunnel.

[0233] In one of the embodiments, the gateway is any one of a UPF network element, a target EPDG network element, and a target N3IWF network element, the target EPDG network element is obtained by combining an EPDG network element and a UPF network element, and the target N3IWF network element is obtained by combining a N3IWF network element and a UPF network element.

[0234] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, a communication apparatus 1100 is provided, applied to an AMF network element, comprising: a first receiving module 1102, a first sending module 1104, a second receiving module 1106, and a second sending module 1108, wherein:

[0235] The first receiving module 1102 is configured to receive a first NAS message sent by a UE.

[0236] The first sending module 1104 is configured to, if a wireless local area network user plane access identifier in the first NAS message is identified, send an SM message to an SMF network element, wherein the SM message carries the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, and the wireless local area network user plane access identifier is used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a wireless local area network.

[0237] The second receiving module 1106 is configured to receive an N1N2 message transfer message sent by the SMF network element, wherein the N1N2 message transfer message carries an IP address of a gateway.

[0238] The second sending module 1108 is configured to send a second NAS message to the UE, wherein the second NAS message carries the IP address of the gateway.

[0239] In one of the embodiments, the first NAS message is a PDU session establishment request message, the N1N2 message transfer message further carries an IP address of the UE and authentication information, the authentication information is obtained by the SMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, and the second NAS message further carries the IP address of the UE and the authentication information.

[0240] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, a communication apparatus 1200 is provided, applied to an SMF network element, comprising: a first receiving module 1202, a processing module 1204, a first sending module 1206, a second receiving module 1208, and a second sending module 1210, wherein:

[0241] The first receiving module 1202 is configured to receive an SM message sent by an AMF network element.

[0242] The processing module 1204 is configured to, if a wireless local area network user plane access identifier in the SM message is identified, select a target gateway based on the wireless local area network user plane access identifier.

[0243] The first sending module 1206 is configured to send an N4 session establishment request to the target gateway, wherein the N4 session establishment request carries the wireless local area network user plane access identifier, and the wireless local area network user plane access identifier is used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a wireless local area network.

[0244] The second receiving module 1208 is configured to receive an N4 session establishment response sent by the target gateway, and the N4 session establishment response carries an IP address of the target gateway; the IP address of the target gateway is obtained by the target gateway in response to the WLAN user plane access identifier;

[0245] The second sending module 1210 is configured to send an N1N2 message transfer message to the AMF network element, and the N1N2 message transfer message carries the IP address of the target gateway.

[0246] In one of the embodiments, the SM message is a PDU session establishment request message, the N4 session establishment response further carries an IP address of the UE and verification information, and the verification information is obtained by the target gateway in response to the WLAN user plane access identifier; and the N1N2 message transfer message further carries the IP address of the UE and the verification information.

[0247] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, a communication apparatus 1300 is provided, which is applied to a gateway and includes a first receiving module 1302 and a first sending module 1304, wherein:

[0248] The first receiving module 1302 is configured to receive an N4 session establishment request sent by an SMF network element.

[0249] The first sending module 1304 is configured to, if the WLAN user plane access identifier in the N4 session establishment request is identified, send an N4 session establishment response to the SMF network element, and the N4 session establishment response carries an IP address of the gateway, which is used to establish an IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway.

[0250] In one of the embodiments, the first sending module 1304 is further configured to:

[0251] determine an IP address of the UE and verification information;

[0252] send the N4 session establishment response to the SMF network element, and the N4 session establishment response carries the IP address of the gateway, the IP address of the UE, and the verification information.

[0253] In one of the embodiments, the apparatus further includes:

[0254] The second receiving module is configured to receive first user plane data sent by the UE through the IP tunnel.

[0255] The decapsulation module is configured to perform decapsulation processing on the first user plane data, to obtain second user plane data and a destination IP address corresponding to the second user plane data.

[0256] The second sending module is configured to forward the second user plane data to the destination IP address.

[0257] Each of the above modules can be implemented by software, hardware, and combinations thereof, in whole or in part. The above modules can be embedded in or independent of a processor in a computer device in hardware form, or stored in a memory in a computer device in software form, so as to be called and executed by a processor to perform the operations corresponding to the above modules.

[0258] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, a communication device is provided, which is applied to a UE and includes a receiver 1401, a memory 1402, a processor 1403, at least one communication bus 1404, and a transmitter 1405. The communication bus 1404 is configured to realize the communication connection between the elements. The memory 1402 can include a high-speed RAM memory and can also include a non-volatile storage NVM such as at least one disk memory. The memory 1402 can store various programs for completing various processing functions and implementing the method steps of the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the transmitter 1405 can be a radio frequency processing module or a baseband processing module in an access network device, and the receiver 1401 can also be a radio frequency processing module or a baseband processing module in an access network device. The transmitter 1405 and the receiver 1401 can be integrated together to realize a transceiver. The transmitter 1405 and the receiver 1401 can be coupled to the processor 1403, which can realize the receiving or transmitting action under the indication or control action of the processor 1403.

[0259] The transmitter 1405 is configured to send a first NAS message to an AMF network element, the first NAS message carrying a wireless local area network user plane access identifier, the wireless local area network user plane access identifier being used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a wireless local area network.

[0260] The receiver 1401 is configured to receive a second NAS message sent by the AMF network element, the second NAS message carrying an IP address of a gateway; the IP address of the gateway is acquired by the AMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier.

[0261] The processor 1403 is configured to establish an IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway based on the IP address of the wireless local area network of the UE and the IP address of the gateway.

[0262] In one embodiment, the first NAS message is a PDU session establishment request message, and the second NAS message is a PDU session establishment response message.

[0263] In one of the embodiments, the second NAS message further carries an IP address of the UE.

[0264] The processor 1403 is further configured to encapsulate the user plane data based on the IP address of the UE and a destination IP address of the user plane data.

[0265] The transmitter 1405 is configured to send the encapsulated user plane data to the gateway through the IP tunnel.

[0266] In one of the embodiments, the second NAS message further carries authentication information, and the authentication information is obtained by the AMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier.

[0267] The transmitter 1405 is further configured to send an IP tunnel establishment request to the gateway based on the wireless local area network IP address and an IP address of the gateway, and the IP tunnel establishment request carries the authentication information.

[0268] The processor 1403 is further configured to establish an IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway if a verification pass response of the gateway to the authentication information is received.

[0269] In one of the embodiments, the IP tunnel is any one of a QUIC tunnel, an IPSEC tunnel, and a GRE tunnel.

[0270] In one of the embodiments, the gateway is any one of a UPF network element, a target EPDG network element, and a target N3IWF network element, the target EPDG network element is obtained by combining an EPDG network element and a UPF network element, and the target N3IWF network element is obtained by combining a N3IWF network element and a UPF network element.

[0271] In one of the embodiments, as shown in FIG. 15, a communication device is provided, which is applied to an AMF network element and includes a receiver 1501, a memory 1502, a processor 1503, at least one communication bus 1504, and a transmitter 1505. The connection relationship of various elements and the specific definition of each element can refer to the definition of the communication device in the foregoing embodiments, and the embodiments of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0272] The receiver 1501 is configured to receive a first NAS message sent by a UE.

[0273] The processor 1503 is configured to, if the WLAN user plane access identifier is identified in the first NAS message, control the transmitter 1505 to send an SM message to an SMF network element, and the SM message carries the WLAN user plane access identifier, and the WLAN user plane access identifier is used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a WLAN.

[0274] The receiver 1501 is further configured to receive an N1N2 message transfer message sent by the SMF network element, and the N1N2 message transfer message carries an IP address of a gateway; and the IP address of the gateway is acquired by the SMF network element in response to the WLAN user plane access identifier.

[0275] The transmitter 1505 is further configured to send a second NAS message to the UE, and the second NAS message carries the IP address of the gateway.

[0276] In one of the embodiments, the first NAS message is a PDU session establishment request message, the N1N2 message transfer message further carries an IP address of the UE and authentication information, the authentication information is acquired by the SMF network element in response to the WLAN user plane access identifier; and the second NAS message further carries the IP address of the UE and the authentication information.

[0277] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, a communication device is provided, which is applied to an SMF network element and includes a receiver 1601, a memory 1602, a processor 1603, at least one communication bus 1604, and a transmitter 1605. The connection relationship of various elements and the specific definition of each element can refer to the definition of the communication device in the foregoing embodiments, and the present embodiment will not be described here.

[0278] The receiver 1601 is configured to receive an SM message sent by an AMF network element.

[0279] The processor 1603 is configured to, if the WLAN user plane access identifier is identified in the SM message, select a target gateway based on the WLAN user plane access identifier.

[0280] The transmitter 1605 is configured to send an N4 session establishment request to the target gateway, and the N4 session establishment request carries the WLAN user plane access identifier, and the WLAN user plane access identifier is used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a WLAN.

[0281] The receiver 1601 is further configured to receive an N4 session establishment response sent by the target gateway, and the N4 session establishment response carries an IP address of the target gateway; the IP address of the target gateway is obtained by the target gateway in response to the WLAN user plane access identifier;

[0282] The transmitter 1605 is further configured to send an N1N2 message transfer message to the AMF network element, and the N1N2 message transfer message carries the IP address of the gateway.

[0283] In one of the embodiments, the SM message is a PDU session establishment request message, the N4 session establishment response further carries an IP address of the UE and verification information, and the verification information is obtained by the target gateway in response to the WLAN user plane access identifier; the N1N2 message transfer message further carries the IP address of the UE and the verification information.

[0284] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17, a communication device is provided, which is applied to a gateway and includes a receiver 1701, a memory 1702, a processor 1703, at least one communication bus 1704, and a transmitter 1705. The connection relationship of various elements and the specific definition of each element can refer to the definition of the communication device in the foregoing embodiments, and the present embodiment will not be described here.

[0285] The receiver 1701 is configured to receive an N4 session establishment request sent by an SMF network element.

[0286] The processor 1703 is configured to, if the WLAN user plane access identifier in the N4 session establishment request is identified, control the transmitter 1705 to send an N4 session establishment response to the SMF network element, and the N4 session establishment response carries an IP address of the gateway, and the IP address of the gateway is used to establish an IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway.

[0287] In one of the embodiments, the processor 1703 is further configured to determine an IP address of the UE and verification information.

[0288] The transmitter 1705 is further configured to send an N4 session establishment response to the SMF network element, and the N4 session establishment response carries the IP address of the gateway, the IP address of the UE, and the verification information.

[0289] In one of the embodiments, the receiver 1701 is further configured to receive first user plane data sent by the UE through the IP tunnel.

[0290] The processor 1703 is further configured to perform decapsulation processing on the first user plane data, to obtain second user plane data and a destination IP address corresponding to the second user plane data.

[0291] The transmitter 1705 is configured to forward the second user plane data to the destination IP address.

[0292] In an embodiment, a computer readable storage medium is provided, and the computer readable storage medium has stored thereon a computer program. The computer program is executed by a processor to implement the steps in the above method embodiments.

[0293] In an embodiment, a computer program product is provided, and the computer program product includes a computer program. The computer program is executed by a processor to implement the steps in the above method embodiments.

[0294] It should be noted that the user information (including but not limited to user equipment information, user personal information, etc.) and data (including but not limited to data for analysis, stored data, displayed data, etc.) involved in the present application are all information and data authorized by the user or authorized by all parties.

[0295] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program. The computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer readable storage medium, and when the computer program is executed, the processes of the above-mentioned embodiments of the methods can be included. Any reference to memory, database or other medium used in the embodiments provided in the present application can include at least one of non-volatile and volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can include read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash memory, optical storage, high-density embedded non-volatile memory, resistive memory (ReRAM), magnetoresistive memory (Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory, MRAM), ferroelectric memory (Ferroelectric Random Access Memory, FRAM), phase change memory (Phase Change Memory, PCM), graphene memory, etc. Volatile memory can include random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM) or external cache memory, etc. As an illustration but not limitation, RAM can be in various forms, such as static random access memory (Static Random Access Memory, SRAM) or dynamic random access memory (Dynamic Random Access Memory, DRAM), etc. The database involved in the embodiments provided in the present application can include at least one of a relational database and a non-relational database. The non-relational database can include a distributed database based on a block chain, etc., without being limited thereto. The processor involved in the embodiments provided in the present application can be a general-purpose processor, a central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, a digital signal processor, a programmable logic device, a data processing logic device based on quantum computing, etc., without being limited thereto.

[0296] Any combination of the technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments can be made. In order to make the description simple, all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments are not described, however, as long as the combination of the technical features does not exist contradictory, it should be considered as the scope of the present application.

[0297] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several embodiments of the present application, and the description is more specific and detailed, but it should not be understood as a limitation on the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that for ordinary skilled in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, a number of modifications and improvements can be made, which are within the scope of the present application. Therefore, the scope of the patent protection of the present application should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, applied to a UE, comprising: sending a first NAS message to an AMF network element, wherein the first NAS message carries a wireless local area network user plane access identifier, and the wireless local area network user plane access identifier is used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a wireless local area network; receiving a second NAS message sent by the AMF network element, wherein the second NAS message carries an IP address of a gateway; the IP address of the gateway is obtained by the AMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier; and based on the IP address of the UE and the IP address of the gateway, establishing an IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the first NAS message is a PDU session establishment request message, and the second NAS message is a PDU session establishment response message. 3.The method of claim 2, wherein the second NAS message further carries an IP address of the UE, and the method further comprises: based on the IP address of the UE and a destination IP address of user plane data, encapsulating the user plane data; and sending the encapsulated user plane data to the gateway through the IP tunnel. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein the second NAS message further carries authentication information, and the authentication information is obtained by the AMF network element in response to the wireless local area network user plane access identifier; and the establishing the IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway based on the IP address of the wireless local area network and the IP address of the gateway comprises: based on the IP address of the wireless local area network and the IP address of the gateway, sending an IP tunnel establishment request to the gateway, wherein the IP tunnel establishment request carries the authentication information; and if a verification pass response to the authentication information is received from the gateway, establishing the IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway. 5.The method of claim 1, wherein the IP tunnel is any one of a QUIC tunnel, an IPSEC tunnel and a GRE tunnel. 6.The method of claim 1, wherein the gateway is any one of a UPF network element, a target EPDG network element and a target N3IWF network element, the target EPDG network element is obtained by combining an EPDG network element and a UPF network element, and the target N3IWF network element is obtained by combining a N3IWF network element and a UPF network element. 7.A communication method, applied to an AMF network element, comprising: receiving a first NAS message sent by a UE; if a wireless local area network user plane access identifier in the first NAS message is identified, sending an SM message to an SMF network element, wherein the SM message carries the wireless local area network user plane access identifier; and the wireless local area network user plane access identifier is used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a wireless local area network. receive an N1N2 messaging message sent by the SMF network element, the N1N2 messaging message carrying an IP address of a gateway, the IP address of the gateway being acquired by the SMF network element in response to the WLAN user plane access identifier; send a second NAS message to the UE, the second NAS message carrying the IP address of the gateway.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first NAS message is a PDU session establishment request message, the N1N2 messaging message further carrying an IP address of the UE and authentication information, the authentication information being acquired by the SMF network element in response to the WLAN user plane access identifier, and the second NAS message further carrying the IP address of the UE and the authentication information.

9. A communication method, applied to a gateway, comprising: receiving an N4 session establishment request sent by an SMF network element; if a WLAN user plane access identifier in the N4 session establishment request is identified, sending an N4 session establishment response to the SMF network element, the N4 session establishment response carrying an IP address of the gateway, the IP address of the gateway being used to establish an IP tunnel between a UE and the gateway.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the sending of the N4 session establishment response to the SMF network element comprises: determining an IP address of the UE and authentication information; sending an N4 session establishment response to the SMF network element, the N4 session establishment response carrying the IP address of the gateway, the IP address of the UE, and the authentication information.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises: receiving first user plane data sent by the UE through the IP tunnel; performing decapsulation processing on the first user plane data to obtain second user plane data and a destination IP address corresponding to the second user plane data; forwarding the second user plane data to the destination IP address.

12. A communication apparatus, applied to a UE, comprising: a first sending module configured to send a first NAS message to an AMF network element, the first NAS message carrying a WLAN user plane access identifier, the WLAN user plane access identifier being used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a WLAN; a receiving module configured to receive a second NAS message sent by the AMF network element, the second NAS message carrying an IP address of a gateway, the IP address of the gateway being acquired by the AMF network element in response to the WLAN user plane access identifier; a processing module configured to establish an IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway based on a WLAN IP address of the UE and the IP address of the gateway.

13. A communication apparatus, applied to an AMF network element, comprising: a first receiving module configured to receive a first NAS message sent by a UE; ​ The first sending module is configured to send an SM message to an SMF network element if the WLAN user plane access identifier is identified in the first NAS message, wherein the SM message carries the WLAN user plane access identifier, and the WLAN user plane access identifier is used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a WLAN. The second receiving module is configured to receive an N1N2 message transfer message sent by the SMF network element, wherein the N1N2 message transfer message carries an IP address of a gateway; and the IP address of the gateway is obtained by the SMF network element in response to the WLAN user plane access identifier. The second sending module is configured to send a second NAS message to the UE, wherein the second NAS message carries the IP address of the gateway.

14. A communication device, applied to a gateway, comprising: The first receiving module is configured to receive an N4 session establishment request sent by an SMF network element. The first sending module is configured to send an N4 session establishment response to the SMF network element if the WLAN user plane access identifier is identified in the N4 session establishment request, wherein the N4 session establishment response carries an IP address of a gateway, and the IP address of the gateway is used to establish an IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway.

15. A communication device, applied to a UE, comprising a transmitter, a processor and a receiver. The transmitter is configured to send a first NAS message to an AMF network element, wherein the first NAS message carries a WLAN user plane access identifier, and the WLAN user plane access identifier is used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a WLAN. The receiver is configured to receive a second NAS message sent by the AMF network element, wherein the second NAS message carries an IP address of a gateway; and the IP address of the gateway is obtained by the AMF network element in response to the WLAN user plane access identifier. The processor is configured to establish an IP tunnel between the UE and the gateway based on a WLAN IP address of the UE and the IP address of the gateway.

16. A communication device, applied to an AMF network element, comprising a transmitter, a processor and a receiver. The receiver is configured to receive a first NAS message sent by a UE. The processor is configured to control the transmitter to send an SM message to an SMF network element if a WLAN user plane access identifier is identified in the first NAS message, wherein the SM message carries the WLAN user plane access identifier, and the WLAN user plane access identifier is used to indicate that a user plane data bearer is established on a WLAN. The receiver is further configured to receive an N1N2 message transfer message sent by the SMF network element, wherein the N1N2 message transfer message carries an IP address of a gateway; and the IP address of the gateway is obtained by the SMF network element in response to the WLAN user plane access identifier. The transmitter is further configured to send a second NAS message to the UE, wherein the second NAS message carries the IP address of the gateway. 17.A communication device, applied to a gateway, comprising a transmitter, a processor and a receiver; the receiver is used for receiving an N4 session establishment request sent by an SMF network element; the processor is used for, if a wireless local area network user plane access identifier in the N4 session establishment request is identified, controlling the transmitter to send an N4 session establishment response to the SMF network element, the N4 session establishment response carrying an IP address of the gateway, the IP address of the gateway being used for establishing an IP tunnel between a UE and the gateway. 18.A computer readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method of any one of claims 1 to 11. 19.A computer program product, comprising a computer program, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method of any one of claims 1 to 11.

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