Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and provides a communication method and apparatus, used for reasonably processing information of an uplink flow in a local area network scenario. In the method, a session management function entity transmits, to a user plane function entity, instruction information for instructing to exchange a source address and a designation address in first PDR information, so that the user plane function entity exchanges, on the basis of the instruction information, the source address and the destination address in flow description information in the first PDR information. In this way, the information of the uplink flow can be reasonably processed, so that the source address in the flow description information in uplink PDR information sensed by the user plane function entity is consistent with the address of a source interface comprised in the uplink PDR information, and thus, the user plane function entity can correctly sense the first PDR information.

Description

Communication method and apparatus

[0001] The present application claims priority from the Chinese patent application No. 202411393323.1 filed on September 30, 2024, and entitled "Communication method and apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication, in particular to a communication method and apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] A packet detection rule (PDR) is used for detecting and classifying data. The PDR can be generated by a session management function (SMF) entity and sent to a user plane function (UPF) entity for use. After receiving the PDR, the UPF entity can exchange the source address and the destination address in the PDR according to the source interface in the PDR as an access interface. For example, when the source interface in the PDR is "access", it means that the filter corresponding to the PDR is for an uplink data flow, i.e., the PDR is an uplink PDR. Therefore, the UPF entity needs to exchange the source address and the destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR to perceive (or use, or execute) the correct uplink PDR.

[0004] However, the above content is the processing of uplink flow information in an internet protocol (IP) scenario. In a local area network scenario, the processing of uplink flow information is a hot issue currently discussed. SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus for reasonably processing uplink flow information in a local area network scenario.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a session management function entity, or by a component of the session management function entity, such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system of the session management function entity, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the session management function entity. The method is described below by way of example with the session management function entity performing the method. The method comprises: receiving, by the session management function entity, a policy and charging control (PCC) rule from a policy control function entity, the PCC rule comprising flow description information and flow direction information, the flow description information comprising a source address and a destination address of a downlink flow, the flow direction information being used to indicate that the flow direction comprises an uplink; and sending, by the session management function entity, first PDR information to a user plane function entity, the first PDR information comprising the flow description information and indication information used to indicate that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are exchanged.

[0008] According to the method of the first aspect, in a local area network scenario, the session management function entity generates uplink PDR information based on the PCC rule sent by the policy control function entity, and sends the uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity. The flow description information included in the uplink PDR information indicates the source address and the destination address of the downlink flow, i.e., the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane function entity is inconsistent (or does not match) with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information. In this case, the session management function entity sends indication information to the user plane function entity, the indication information being used to indicate that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are exchanged, so that the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the flow description information in the first PDR information based on the indication information. In this way, the information of the uplink flow can be reasonably processed, so that the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane function entity is consistent with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information, thereby enabling the user plane function entity to correctly perceive (or use, or execute) the first PDR information.

[0009] It can be understood that the above-mentioned local area network can be a fifth generation (5G) local area network (LAN). The above-mentioned flow direction comprising an uplink can be understood as the flow direction being an uplink or bidirectional (i.e., simultaneously uplink and downlink). In the first aspect, the first PDR information is uplink PDR information, i.e., the above-mentioned first PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) first uplink PDR information.

[0010] In addition, the session management function entity can send the first PDR information carrying the indication information to the user plane function entity, or send the indication information and the first PDR information to the user plane function entity in a local area network scenario. It can be understood that the local area network scenario can refer to that the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario. For example, the session management function entity sending the first PDR information to the user plane function entity can specifically include that the session management function entity sends the first PDR information to the user plane function entity in the case that the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario. Alternatively, the session management function entity sending the first PDR information and the indication information to the user plane function entity can specifically include that the session management function entity sends the first PDR information and the indication information to the user plane function entity in the case that the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario. It can also be understood that the local area network scenario can also be embodied by other information, which can be set according to actual conditions and is not limited.

[0011] In a possible design, the first PDR information is associated with the indication information. For example, the session management function entity can set the identifier of the first PDR information and the indication information in the same tuple or message, and send the tuple or the message.

[0012] In a possible design, before the session management function entity sends the first PDR information to the user plane function entity, or before the session management function entity sends the first PDR information and the indication information to the user plane function entity, the method of the first aspect further includes that the session management function entity determines that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are to be exchanged in the case that the flow description information and the flow direction information in the flow description information are applied to the local area network scenario. In other words, in the local area network scenario, the session management function entity determines that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are to be exchanged by the user plane function entity. In still another way, in the local area network scenario, the session management function entity determines that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are opposite, i.e., the source address and the destination address are to be exchanged. That is, in the local area network scenario, and the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink, the session management function entity determines that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information need to be exchanged (by the user plane function entity) to obtain correct uplink PDR information.

[0013] In a possible design, the PCC rule further includes a group identifier, and the method of the first aspect further includes: determining, by the session management function entity, that the flow description information and the flow direction information in the PCC rule are applied to a local area network scenario according to the group identifier. It can be understood that the group identifier is used to indicate a group including a plurality of terminal devices. After receiving the group identifier, the session management function entity can determine that the current scenario is a local area network scenario according to the group identifier, that is, the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario, and accordingly, the session management function entity sends the indication information to the user plane function entity in the local area network scenario. It can be understood that the session management function entity can further query, through a unified data management function entity, identifiers of the plurality of terminal devices corresponding to the group identifier, such as a group of global public user identities GPSIs or a group of subscriber permanent identifiers SUPIs, and determine (or generate) the first PDR information according to the identifiers of the terminal devices.

[0014] In a possible design, the source interface in the first PDR information is a first interface, the destination interface associated with the first PDR information is a core network interface, and the first interface is an interface inside the user plane function entity for local area network data transmission. That is, the scenario is a local area network scenario.

[0015] In a possible design, the local area network is a fifth generation 5G local area network LAN. It can be understood that in this case, the first interface is a fifth generation 5G virtual network VN internal interface.

[0016] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be executed by a user plane function entity, a component of the user plane function entity such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system of the user plane function entity, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the user plane function entity. Hereinafter, the method is taken as an example for description. The method includes: in a local area network scenario, receiving, by the user plane function entity, first PDR information from a session management function entity, the first PDR information including flow description information and indication information, the flow description information including a source address and a destination address of a downlink flow, and the indication information being used to indicate that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are to be exchanged; and exchanging, by the user plane function entity, the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information based on the indication information in the first PDR information, to obtain second PDR information.

[0017] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a user plane function entity, or by a component of the user plane function entity, such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system of the user plane function entity, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the user plane function entity. The method is described below by way of example with the user plane function entity performing the method. The method comprises: in a local area network scenario, receiving, by the user plane function entity, first PDR information and indication information from a session management function entity, the first PDR information comprising flow description information, the flow description information comprising a source address and a destination address of a downlink flow, and the indication information being used to indicate that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are to be exchanged; and exchanging, by the user plane function entity, the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information based on the indication information to obtain second PDR information.

[0018] According to the solutions of the second and third aspects, the user plane function entity can perform the exchange operation on the PDR information according to the indication information received from the session management function entity, so as to obtain correct uplink PDR information.

[0019] In combination with the second aspect or the third aspect, in a possible design, after the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information, the method of the second aspect or the method of the third aspect further comprises: sending, by the user plane function entity, an uplink data packet, the uplink data packet being at least one data packet matched by the user plane function entity using the second PDR information. In this way, it can be ensured that the user plane function entity uses correct uplink PDR information (i.e., the second PDR information) to detect and classify data packets. It can be understood that the user plane function entity can send the uplink data packet to an application function, a network exposure function entity, or other devices, and the specific sending can be flexibly set according to actual conditions, without limitation.

[0020] In combination with the second aspect or the third aspect, in a possible design, the source interface in the first PDR information is a first interface, the destination interface associated with the first PDR information is a core network interface, and the first interface is an interface inside the user plane function entity for local area network data transmission. That is, the user plane function entity can determine that the first PDR information is uplink flow PDR information according to the first interface as the source interface in the first PDR information and the core network interface as the destination interface associated with the first PDR information.

[0021] In combination with the second aspect or the third aspect, in a possible design, the local area network is a fifth generation (5G) local area network (LAN).

[0022] It can be understood that in the second aspect and the third aspect, the local area network scenario described above can refer to that the flow description information described above is applied to the local area network scenario; or the local area network scenario described above can refer to that the flow description information and the flow direction information described above are applied to the local area network scenario. That is, the local area network scenario described above can be replaced by “in the case that the flow description information is applied to the local area network scenario” or “in the case that the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario”.

[0023] In addition, in the second aspect and the third aspect, the first PDR information and the second PDR information described above are uplink PDR information, that is, the first PDR information described above can be understood as (or replaced by) first uplink PDR information, and the second PDR information described above can be understood as (or replaced by) second uplink PDR information. It can be understood that after receiving the PDR information from the session management function entity, the user plane function entity needs to detect the PDR information to determine whether the PDR information is uplink PDR information. For example, the user plane function entity can determine that the received PDR information is uplink PDR information according to the association relationship between the received PDR information and the indication information, such as that the PDR information includes the indication information, or that the identifier of the PDR information is in the same tuple as the indication information. For another example, the user plane function entity can determine that the received PDR information is uplink PDR information according to the source address of the received PDR information and the destination address associated with the PDR information. Of course, the user plane function entity can also determine whether the received PDR information is uplink PDR information through other manners, which are not limited herein.

[0024] In addition, the technical effects of the method of the second aspect or the method of the third aspect can also refer to the technical effects of the method of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0025] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be executed by a user plane function entity, or by a component of the user plane function entity, such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system of the user plane function entity, or by a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the user plane function entity. Hereinafter, the method is taken as an example for description. The method comprises: receiving, by a user plane function entity, first PDR information from a session management function entity, the first PDR information comprising flow description information and source interface information, the flow description information comprising a source address and a destination address of a downlink flow; and exchanging, by the user plane function entity, the source address and the destination address in the flow description information according to a first interface of the source interface in the first PDR information to obtain second PDR information, the first interface being an interface for local area network data transmission inside the user plane function entity.

[0026] Based on the method of the fourth aspect, in a local area network scenario, the session management function entity generates uplink PDR information based on the PCC rule sent by the policy control function entity, and sends the uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity. The flow description information included in the uplink PDR information indicates the source address and the destination address of the downlink flow, that is, the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane function entity is inconsistent (or does not match) with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information. In this case, after receiving the first PDR information from the session management function entity, the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information according to the first interface as the source interface in the first PDR information. In this way, the information of the uplink flow can be reasonably processed, so that the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane function entity is consistent with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information, thereby enabling the user plane function entity to correctly perceive the uplink PDR information.

[0027] It can be understood that in the fourth aspect, the first PDR information and the second PDR information are both uplink PDR information, that is, the first PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) the first uplink PDR information, and the second PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) the second uplink PDR information.

[0028] In a possible design, the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the flow description information according to the first interface as the source interface in the first PDR information and the core network interface as the destination interface associated with the uplink PDR information. It can be understood that when the source interface in the PDR information is the first interface and the destination interface associated with the uplink PDR information is the core network interface, the PDR information is the uplink PDR information. At this time, the user plane function entity can exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information to perceive the correct uplink PDR information.

[0029] In a possible design, the method of the fourth aspect further includes: the user plane function entity determines the first PDR information as the uplink PDR information according to the first interface as the source interface and the core network interface as the destination interface. That is, the user plane function entity determines the PDR information as the uplink PDR information according to the first interface as the source interface in the PDR information and the core network interface as the destination interface associated with the uplink PDR information.

[0030] In a possible design, the local area network is a fifth generation (5G) local area network (LAN) scenario. That is, at this time, the first interface can be a 5G virtual network (VN) internal interface.

[0031] In a possible design, the destination interface associated with the first PDR information is a core network interface. That is, in the 5G LAN scenario, the source address of the first PDR information is a 5G VN internal interface, and the destination interface associated with the first PDR information is a core network (core) interface.

[0032] In a possible design, the method in the fourth aspect further includes: the user plane function entity sending an uplink data packet, the uplink data packet being at least one data packet matched by the user plane function entity using the second uplink PDR data. In this way, it can be ensured that the user plane function entity uses correct uplink PDR information to detect and classify data packets.

[0033] In a fifth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be executed by a policy control function entity, or by a component of the policy control function entity, such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system of the policy control function entity, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the policy control function entity. The method is described below by taking the method executed by the policy control function entity as an example. The method includes: carrying, by the policy control function entity, indication information in a policy and charging control (PCC) rule, and sending the PCC rule to a session management function entity; the PCC rule includes flow description information and flow direction information, the flow description information includes a source address and a destination address of a downlink flow, and the flow direction information is used to indicate that the flow direction includes uplink, and the indication information is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow.

[0034] Based on the method of the fifth aspect, in a local area network scenario, the session management function entity generates uplink PDR information based on the PCC rule sent by the policy control function entity, and sends the uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity. The flow description information included in the uplink PDR information indicates the source address and the destination address for the downlink flow in the PCC rule. That is, the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane function entity is inconsistent (or does not match) with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information. In this case, the policy control function entity can carry indication information in the PCC rule when the flow direction includes uplink, to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow. After receiving the indication information, the session management function entity can associate the indication information with the uplink PDR information, and send the indication information and the uplink PDR information associated with the indication information to the user plane function entity, so that the user plane function entity determines the uplink PDR information based on the indication information, and exchanges the source address and the destination address in the flow description in the uplink PDR information. In this way, the information of the uplink flow can be reasonably processed, so that the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane function entity is consistent with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information, so that the user plane function entity can correctly perceive (or execute or use) the uplink PDR information.

[0035] It can be understood that the above-mentioned flow direction including uplink can be understood as the flow direction being uplink or bidirectional (i.e. uplink and downlink at the same time). In addition, the policy control function entity can carry indication information in the PCC rule in a local area network scenario (such as a fifth generation 5G local area network LAN). It can be understood that the above-mentioned local area network scenario can refer to the application of the above-mentioned flow description information and the above-mentioned flow direction information to the local area network scenario. For example, the policy control function entity carrying indication information in the PCC rule can specifically include: in the case that the flow description information and the flow direction information in the PCC rule are applied to the local area network scenario, the policy control function entity carries indication information in the policy and charging control PCC rule. It can also be understood that the above-mentioned local area network scenario can also be embodied by other information, which can be flexibly set according to actual conditions without limitation.

[0036] In a possible design, before the policy control function entity carries the indication information in the PCC rule, the method in the fifth aspect further includes: the policy control function entity receiving first flow description information, flow direction information and group identification from an application function, and determining, according to the group identification, that the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to a local area network scenario, the first flow description information being used to determine flow description information in the PCC rule. The group identification can be used to indicate a group including a plurality of terminal devices. After receiving the group identification, the policy control function entity can determine, according to the group identification, that the current scenario is a local area network scenario, that is, the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario, and thus send, to the session management function entity, the indication information when the local area network scenario and the flow direction include uplink.

[0037] In a possible design, the policy control function entity carries the indication information in the PCC rule, including: the policy control function entity carrying the indication information in the PCC rule based on a local policy, the local policy indicating that the information for indicating the exchange of the source address and the destination address in the flow description information to determine the flow description of the uplink flow is sent to the session management function entity when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink.

[0038] In a possible design, the method in the fifth aspect further includes: the policy control function entity receiving policy information from an application function, the policy information being used to indicate that the information for indicating the exchange of the source address and the destination address in the flow description information to determine the flow description of the uplink flow is sent to the session management function entity when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink; and the policy control function entity carrying the indication information in the PCC rule, including: the policy control function entity carrying the indication information in the PCC rule based on the policy information. It can be understood that the policy information can be understood as a dynamic policy of the policy control function entity, and the dynamic policy can be updated and adjusted based on a request of a third party or another network element, that is, the dynamic policy can be flexibly set according to actual conditions.

[0039] In a sixth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a session management function entity, or by a component of the session management function entity, such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system of the session management function entity, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the session management function entity. The method is described below by way of example with reference to the method being performed by the session management function entity. The method includes: receiving, by the session management function entity, a policy and charging control (PCC) rule, the PCC rule including flow description information, flow direction information, and indication information, the flow description information including a source address and a destination address of a downlink flow, the flow direction information indicating that the flow direction includes an uplink, and the indication information indicating that the source address and the destination address are exchanged to determine flow description of the uplink flow; generating, by the session management function entity, first packet detection rule (PDR) information according to the PCC rule, the first PDR information including the flow description information; and sending, by the session management function entity, the first PDR information to a user plane function entity, the first PDR information including the indication information; or sending, by the session management function entity, the first PDR information and the indication information to the user plane function entity, the indication information being associated with the first PDR information.

[0040] It can be understood that, in the sixth aspect, the first PDR information is uplink PDR information, that is, the first PDR information described above can be understood as (or replaced by) first uplink PDR information.

[0041] In a possible design, the source interface in the first PDR information is a first interface, and the destination interface associated with the first PDR information is a core network interface, and the first interface is an interface for local area network data transmission inside the user plane function entity.

[0042] Optionally, the local area network is a fifth generation (5G) local area network (LAN).

[0043] In addition, the technical effects of the method of the sixth aspect can also refer to the technical effects of the methods of the first aspect to the fourth aspect, which will not be described herein again.

[0044] In a seventh aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a session management function entity, or by a component of the session management function entity, such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system of the session management function entity, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the session management function entity. The method is described below by way of example with reference to the method being performed by the session management function entity. The method includes: receiving, by the session management function entity, a media access control (MAC) address and flow direction information from a user plane function entity, and determining, by the session management function entity, packet detection rule (PDR) information according to the MAC address and the flow direction information; and wherein the MAC address is an address of a newly added terminal device in a terminal group, and the flow direction information indicates a flow direction corresponding to the MAC address.

[0045] Based on the method of the seventh aspect, when a terminal device is added in a terminal group or a local area network, the session management function entity can generate PDR information based on the MAC address of the terminal device reported by the user plane function entity and the pre-set flow information. The PDR information includes uplink PDR information and downlink PDR information. However, the transmission direction of the data of the terminal device can be uplink or downlink, that is, the session management function entity does not need to generate downlink PDR information or uplink PDR information at this time. In this case, the user plane function entity can send the MAC address of the added terminal device and the flow direction information to the session management function entity, so that the session management function entity generates corresponding PDR information based on the flow direction information. For example, when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is uplink, only uplink PDR information is generated. For another example, when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is downlink, only downlink PDR information is generated. In this way, the overhead of the session management function entity in generating PDR information can be reduced, and the processing overhead of the user plane function entity using PDR information can also be reduced, that is, the user plane function entity does not need to use additional PDR information to match data packets.

[0046] In a possible design, the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is uplink, and the PDR information is uplink PDR information. Alternatively, the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is downlink, and the PDR information is downlink PDR information. Alternatively, the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is bidirectional, and the PDR information is uplink PDR information and downlink PDR information. That is, when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is uplink, the PDR information does not include downlink PDR information. When the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is downlink, the PDR information does not include uplink PDR information.

[0047] Optionally, the source address in the uplink PDR information is the MAC address. In this way, the source address in the uplink PDR information can be correct, so that the user plane function entity does not need to exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information after receiving the uplink PDR information, thereby reducing the processing overhead of the user plane function entity. It can be understood that the session management function entity can exchange the source address and the destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information after generating the uplink PDR information, or directly determine the MAC address as the source address when generating the uplink PDR information. The specific determination can be flexibly set according to actual conditions, and is not limited.

[0048] In a possible design, the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is uplink, and the session management function entity determines the source address included in the uplink PDR information in the PDR information according to the MAC address and the flow direction information, including: the session management function entity determines the MAC address as the source address of the uplink PDR information according to the flow direction information. In this way, the session management function entity does not need to exchange the source address and the destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information after determining the uplink PDR information, thereby reducing the processing overhead of the session management function entity.

[0049] In an eighth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a user plane function entity, or a component of the user plane function entity, such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system of the user plane function entity, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the user plane function entity. Hereinafter, the method is described by taking the user plane function entity as an example. The method includes: obtaining a media access control (MAC) address and flow direction information, and sending the MAC address and the flow direction information to a session management function entity; and the MAC address is an address of a newly added terminal device in a terminal group, and the flow direction information is used to indicate a flow direction corresponding to the MAC address.

[0050] In a possible design, the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink, and the method of the fifth aspect further includes: receiving, by the user plane function entity, uplink PDR information from the session management function entity, and the source address in the uplink PDR information is the MAC address.

[0051] In addition, the technical effects of the method of the eighth aspect can also refer to the technical effects of the method of the seventh aspect, which are not described herein again.

[0052] In a ninth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes: performing, by a session management function entity, the method of the first aspect, and performing, by a user plane function entity, the method of the second aspect or the third aspect.

[0053] In a tenth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes: performing, by a policy control function entity, the method of the fifth aspect, and performing, by a session management function entity, the method of the sixth aspect.

[0054] Optionally, the method of the tenth aspect further includes: performing, by a user plane function entity, the method of the second aspect or the third aspect.

[0055] In an eleventh aspect, a communication method is provided. The method includes: performing, by a session management function entity, the method of the seventh aspect, and performing, by a user plane function entity, the method of the eighth aspect.

[0056] In a twelfth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus includes: a module or unit (e.g., a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit) for performing the method / operation / step / action of any one of the first aspect to the eighth aspect, e.g., a transceiver module and a processing module. For example, the transceiver module is configured to perform the transceiving function of the communication apparatus, and the processing module is configured to perform the function of the communication apparatus other than the transceiving function.

[0057] Optionally, the transceiver module can include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is configured to perform the sending function of the communication apparatus of the twelfth aspect, and the receiving module is configured to perform the receiving function of the communication apparatus of the twelfth aspect.

[0058] Optionally, the communication apparatus of the twelfth aspect can further include a storage module. The storage module stores a program or an instruction. When the processing module executes the program or the instruction, the communication apparatus can perform the method of any one of the first aspect to the eighth aspect.

[0059] It can be understood that the communication apparatus of the twelfth aspect can be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in the terminal device or the network device, or an apparatus including the terminal device or the network device, and the present application does not limit the same.

[0060] In addition, the technical effects of the communication apparatus of the twelfth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method of any one of the first aspect to the eighth aspect, and will not be described here.

[0061] In a thirteenth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus includes a processor. When the processor executes a computer instruction, the communication apparatus performs the method of any one of the first aspect to the eighth aspect.

[0062] In a possible design, the communication apparatus of the thirteenth aspect can further include a transceiver. The transceiver can be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be configured to enable the communication apparatus of the thirteenth aspect to communicate with other communication apparatuses.

[0063] In a possible design, the communication apparatus of the thirteenth aspect can further include a memory. The memory can be integrated with the processor, or can be separately arranged. The memory can be configured to store a computer program and / or data related to the method of any one of the first aspect to the eighth aspect.

[0064] In embodiments of the present application, the communication apparatus in the thirteenth aspect can be the terminal device or the network device in any of the first aspect to the eighth aspect, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in the terminal device or the network device, or an apparatus including the terminal device or the network device.

[0065] In addition, the technical effects of the communication apparatus in the thirteenth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method in any of the first aspect to the eighth aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0066] In the fourteenth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus includes a processor coupled with a memory, and the processor is configured to execute a computer program stored in the memory, so that the communication apparatus performs the method in any possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the eighth aspect.

[0067] In a possible design, the communication apparatus in the fourteenth aspect can further include a transceiver. The transceiver can be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for the communication apparatus in the fourteenth aspect to communicate with other communication apparatuses.

[0068] In embodiments of the present application, the communication apparatus in the fourteenth aspect can be the terminal device or the network device in any of the first aspect to the eighth aspect, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in the terminal device or the network device, or an apparatus including the terminal device or the network device.

[0069] In addition, the technical effects of the communication apparatus in the fourteenth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method in any of the first aspect to the eighth aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0070] In the fifteenth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, including a processor and a memory. The memory is configured to store a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, the communication apparatus performs the method in any implementation manner of the first aspect to the eighth aspect.

[0071] In a possible design, the communication apparatus in the fifteenth aspect can further include a transceiver. The transceiver can be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for the communication apparatus in the fifteenth aspect to communicate with other communication apparatuses.

[0072] In embodiments of the present application, the communication apparatus in the fifteenth aspect can be the terminal device or the network device in any of the first aspect to the eighth aspect, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in the terminal device or the network device, or an apparatus including the terminal device or the network device.

[0073] In addition, the technical effects of the communication apparatus of the fifteenth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method of any one of the first aspect to the eighth aspect, which will not be described here again.

[0074] The sixteenth aspect provides a communication apparatus for implementing the method of any one of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect to the eighth aspect.

[0075] The seventeenth aspect provides a communication chip, comprising: a logic circuit for executing computer instructions, and a communication interface for the communication chip to communicate with other apparatuses or chips, so that the method of any one of the implementation manners of the first aspect to the eighth aspect is implemented when the logic circuit executes the computer instructions.

[0076] The eighteenth aspect provides a communication system, comprising: a session management function entity for executing the method of the first aspect, and a user plane function entity for executing the method of the second aspect or the third aspect.

[0077] The nineteenth aspect provides a communication system, comprising: a policy control function entity for executing the method of the fifth aspect, and a session management function entity for executing the method of the sixth aspect.

[0078] Optionally, the communication system of the nineteenth aspect further comprises: a user plane function entity for executing the method of the second aspect or the third aspect.

[0079] The twentieth aspect provides a communication system, comprising: a session management function entity for executing the method of the seventh aspect, and a user plane function entity for executing the method of the eighth aspect.

[0080] The twenty-first aspect provides a computer readable storage medium, comprising: a computer program or instructions; when the computer program or instructions run on a computer, the computer executes the method of any one of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect to the eighth aspect.

[0081] The twenty-second aspect provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program or instructions, when the computer program or instructions run on a computer, the computer executes the method of any one of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect to the eighth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0082] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a fifth generation mobile communication system (5GS) according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0083] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0084] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0085] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0086] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0087] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0088] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0089] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0090] FIG. 9 is a structural diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0091] FIG. 10 is a structural diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0092] For the convenience of understanding, the following first introduces the technical terms involved in the embodiments of the present application.

[0093] 1. Fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) mobile communication system (referred to as 5G system (5G system, 5GS))

[0094] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the 5GS, as shown in FIG. 1, the 5GS includes: an access network (access network, AN) and a core network (core network, CN), and can also include: a terminal device.

[0095] The terminal device can be a terminal device with transceiver function, or a chip or chip system that can be disposed in the terminal device. The terminal device can also be referred to as a UE, an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a user station, a mobile station (MS), a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user equipment. The terminal in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a Pad, a wireless data card, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a handset, a laptop computer, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical treatment, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a vehicle-mounted terminal, a road side unit (RSU) with terminal function, etc. The terminal device in the present application can also be a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted component, a vehicle-mounted chip, or a vehicle-mounted unit built in a vehicle as one or more components or units. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type or category of terminal device.

[0096] The AN is used to implement access-related functions, can provide network access functions for authorized users in a specific area, and can determine transmission links of different qualities to transmit user data according to the level of a user, the demand of a service, and the like. The AN forwards control signals and user data between a terminal and a CN. The AN can include an access network device, which can also be referred to as a radio access network (RAN) device. The CN is mainly responsible for maintaining subscription data of a mobile network, and provides a terminal device with functions such as session management, mobility management, policy management, and security authentication. The CN mainly includes the following: a user plane function (UPF), an authentication server function (AUSF), an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), a network slice selection function (NSSF), a network exposure function (NEF), a network repository function (NRF), a policy control function (PCF), a unified data management (UDM), a unified data repository (UDR), and an application function (AF).

[0097] As shown in FIG. 1, a UE accesses a 5G network through a RAN device, the UE communicates with an AMF through an N1 interface (referred to as N1 for short), the RAN communicates with the AMF through an N2 interface (referred to as N2 for short), the RAN communicates with a UPF through an N3 interface (referred to as N3 for short), an SMF communicates with the UPF through an N4 interface (referred to as N4 for short), and the UPF accesses a DN through an N6 interface (referred to as N6 for short). In addition, the AUSF, AMF, SMF, NSSF, NEF, NRF, PCF, UDM, UDR, AF and other control plane functions shown in FIG. 1 interact using service interfaces. For example, the service interface provided by the AUSF to the outside includes Nausf; the service interface provided by the AMF to the outside includes Namf; the service interface provided by the SMF to the outside includes Nsmf; the service interface provided by the NSSF to the outside includes Nnssf; the service interface provided by the NEF to the outside includes Nnef; the service interface provided by the NRF to the outside includes Nnrf; the service interface provided by the PCF to the outside includes Npcf; the service interface provided by the UDM to the outside includes Nudm; the service interface provided by the UDR to the outside includes Nudr; and the service interface provided by the AF to the outside includes Naf.

[0098] The RAN device can be a device that provides access for a terminal device. For example, the RAN device can include an access network device of a next-generation mobile communication system, for example, a future communication network, or in the next-generation mobile communication system, the network device can also have other naming ways, which are all included in the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application, and the present application does not make any limitation on this. Or, the RAN device can also include a gNB in 5G, such as a new radio (NR) system, or one or a group (including multiple antenna panels) of antenna panels of a base station in 5G, or a network node that constitutes a gNB, a transmission and reception point (transmission and reception point, TRP or transmission point, TP) or a transmission measurement function (transmission measurement function, TMF), such as a building base band unit (building base band unit, BBU), or a centralized unit (centralized unit, CU) or a distributed unit (distributed unit, DU), an RSU with base station function, or a wired access gateway, or a core network of 5G. Or, the RAN device can also include an access point (access point, AP) in a wireless fidelity (wireless fidelity, WiFi) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small stations), relay stations, access points, wearable devices, vehicle-mounted devices, and the like.

[0099] The UPF is mainly responsible for user data processing (forwarding, receiving, charging, etc.).

[0100] The AUSF is mainly used for performing security authentication of terminal devices.

[0101] The AMF is mainly used for mobility management in a mobile network. For example, user location update, user registration network, user handover, etc.

[0102] The SMF is mainly used for session management in a mobile network. For example, session establishment, modification, release. Specific functions include, for example, allocating an internet protocol (IP) address for a user, selecting a UPF that provides packet forwarding functions, etc.

[0103] The PCF is mainly used to provide a unified policy framework to control network behavior, provide policy rules to control layer network functions, and be responsible for obtaining user subscription information related to policy decision. The PCF can provide policies such as quality of service (QoS) policies, slice selection policies, etc. to the AMF and SMF.

[0104] The NSSF is mainly used to select network slices for terminal devices.

[0105] The NEF is a control plane function provided by an operator, which mainly enables third parties to use network-provided services, supports network exposure of capabilities, event and data analysis, conversion of information between external applications and public land mobile network (PLMN) security equipment, and interaction between PLMNs. For example, the NEF can expose some capabilities of the 5G network to third-party applications through an application program interface (API), and the third-party application can obtain some capabilities of the 5G network by calling the API provided by the NEF, so that the third-party application can control some behaviors of the 5G network and terminal devices.

[0106] The NRF is a control plane function provided by an operator, which can be used to maintain real-time information of network functions and services in the network.

[0107] The UDM is mainly used to store user data, such as subscription data, authentication / authorization data, etc.

[0108] The UDR is mainly used to store structured data, including subscription data and policy data, externally exposed structured data, and application-related data.

[0109] AFs mainly provide corresponding services by interacting with the CN, such as providing roaming UE visiting network selection information, guiding the routing of data flow, accessing NEF, and the like.

[0110] For convenience of description, network functions (such as NEF, SMF, and the like) are collectively / referred to as NF in embodiments of the present application, that is, the NF described hereinafter in embodiments of the present application can be replaced by any network function. In addition, terminal devices are referred to as UEs in embodiments of the present application, that is, the UEs described hereinafter in embodiments of the present application can be replaced by terminal devices. FIG. 1 only schematically describes part of network functions, and the NFs described hereinafter are not limited to the network functions shown in FIG. 1.

[0111] It should be understood that the above naming is only defined for the convenience of distinguishing different functions, and should not constitute any limitation on the present application. The present application does not exclude the possibility of using other names in 5G networks and future other networks. For example, in future communication networks, part or all of the above-mentioned network elements can continue to use the terms in 5G, or other names can be used, and the like.

[0112] 2. Data packet filter set

[0113] The data packet filter set can put data packets satisfying certain matching characteristics into the same data flow, that is, the data packet filter plays a role in classifying data packets. 5G defines two types of data packet filter sets, namely, internet protocol (IP) data packet filter set and ethernet data packet filter set. The IP data packet filter set is used for IP type protocol data unit (PDU) sessions, and the ethernet data packet filter set is used for ethernet type PDU sessions. A data packet filter set can contain multiple data packet filters. Each data packet filter is applicable to uplink data packets, downlink data packets, or bidirectional data packets (i.e., uplink data packets and downlink data packets).

[0114] Exemplarily, in the 5G core network, the PCF entity is responsible for generating the QoS control policy and issuing it to the SMF entity, and the SMF entity is responsible for deriving specific QoS control data. For example, the SMF entity derives the QoS control rules used by the UPF entity, the gNB and the UE according to the session policy information issued by the PCF entity, and sends the QoS control rules to the UPF entity, the gNB and the UE, so as to jointly control the user plane service. The SMF entity needs to locally save the association relationship between the policy and charging control (PCC) rules and the PDR of the UPF, the QoS profile of the RAN and the QoS rules of the UE. These association relationships can ensure that the uplink and downlink data of the same type of service are transmitted in the same QoS flow. The same type of service can be understood as service data streams filtered by the same data packet filter.

[0115] The following describes the processing process of data in different network entities:

[0116] (1) Downlink data

[0117] The UPF entity classifies the downlink data packet according to the data packet filter set in the downlink PDR issued by the SMF entity, and maps the data packet to a QoS flow, and then performs the QoS control corresponding to the QoS flow. The UPF entity marks the classified data packet with a QoS flow identifier (QFI) on the N3 interface, and sends the data packet to the AN (or RAN). After receiving the packet data, the AN (or RAN) finds the corresponding data radio bearer (DRB) and the corresponding QoS parameter according to the QFI to perform QoS control, and sends the data to the UE.

[0118] (2) Uplink data

[0119] The UE maps the uplink data packet to a QoS flow through the uplink (UL) data packet filter in the QoS rule issued by the SMF entity, and marks the QoS flow. The UE matches the QoS flow to the DRB and sends the data to the AN (or RAN). After receiving, the AN (or RAN) performs QoS control according to the QFI, and sends the packet data to the UPF entity.

[0120] 3. PDR

[0121] The PDR is used for detecting and classifying data packets. The PDR can be generated by the SMF entity. For example, the PCF entity can send the QoS information carrying the flow information to the SMF entity; after receiving the QoS information from the PCF entity, the SMF entity can generate the PDR according to the flow information in the QoS information, and send the PDR information to the UPF entity, so that the UPF entity matches the data packets and the corresponding PDR on the UE side and the DN side based on the PDR information.

[0122] The above flow information can be sent by the PCF entity to the SMF entity through the PCC rule. The flow information can include various information such as flow description, ethFlowDescription, flow direction, etc. The flow direction can indicate the direction of the filter, which can be downlink, uplink, or bidirectional (i.e., downlink and uplink at the same time). The flow information can refer to the description in 3GPP TS 29.512, which is not repeated here.

[0123] For the flow information issued for IP and Ethernet types, the PCF entity carries the downlink flow information (such as source IP address / port number, destination IP address / port number, etc.) in the flow information issued for IP / Ethernet packet filters, and the actual direction of the filter indicated by the flow direction, such as uplink, downlink, or bidirectional. After receiving the flow description, the SMF entity can derive the specific filter information and generate the PDR based on the filter information. In the process of generating the PDR by the SMF entity, the SMF entity can fill in the flow description in the PDR based on the flow information. The data packet filter includes action, direction, protocol number (or indicates that the field is not used for filtering data packets), source IP address / port number, and destination IP address / port number, the action can be permit, the direction takes the value out, which means downlink IP data flow, the protocol number can take the value "ip", the source IP address / port number is the remote IP address / port number, i.e., UE2 IP, and the destination IP address / port number is the near-end IP address / port number, i.e., UE1 IP.

[0124] It can be understood that the flow description sent by the PCF entity is the downlink flow information, that is, the flow description in the above-mentioned flow information indicates the information of the downlink flow, not the information corresponding to the current flow direction. Therefore, after the SMF entity generates the uplink PDR and / or downlink PDR based on the flow information, the source address and the destination address included in the flow description in the uplink PDR and / or downlink PDR correspond to the source address and the destination address corresponding to the downlink flow. Therefore, after the UPF entity receives the PDR information from the SMF entity, when generating the uplink PDR and / or downlink PDR based on the PDR information, there is also a conversion mechanism, which is: when the source interface is a core network (core) interface, it means that the filter is for a downlink data flow, at this time the UPF entity will keep the above-mentioned filling mode of the source IP address and the destination IP address, that is, the source address and the destination address included in the flow description in the downlink PDR information will not be changed; when the source interface is an access interface, it means that the filter is for an uplink data flow, at this time the UPF entity needs to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description in the uplink PDR information. That is, if the PDR information sent by the SMF entity includes uplink PDR information, the UPF entity needs to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description in the uplink PDR information, so as to obtain the correct uplink PDR information. The above-mentioned conversion mechanism can refer to the description in 3GPP TS 29.244, which will not be described here.

[0125] It can also be understood that the UPF entity can determine whether to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description in the PDR information based on the source interface included in the PDR information and the destination interface associated with the PDR information. Or, the UPF entity can determine to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description in the PDR information based on the source interface included in the PDR information and the destination interface associated with the PDR information when the PDR information indicates an uplink PDR. For example, in the case that UE1 sends data to the UPF, the UPF can first determine that the source interface included in the uplink PDR information is an access interface when receiving the uplink PDR information, and then determine the destination interface associated with the uplink PDR based on the forwarding action rule (FAR) ID included in the uplink PDR information, such as a 5G virtual network (virtual network, VN) internal interface (to be introduced below), so as to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description in the PDR information based on the source interface included in the PDR information being an access interface and the destination interface associated with the PDR information being a 5G VN internal interface.

[0126] 4. The first interface

[0127] In a local area network scenario, the UPF has an internal proprietary interface, namely a first interface. In other words, the first interface is an interface inside the UPF for local area network data transmission. It can be understood that in a 5G local area network (LAN) scenario, the internal proprietary interface of the UPF is a 5G VN internal interface, that is, the first interface described above can be a 5G VN internal interface. In this case, when filling in the PDR information, the SMF entity can fill in the interface corresponding to the UPF entity as the 5G VN internal interface (5G VN internal), for example: the action is UPF1->UPF2 / UE2, and the source interface is the 5G VN internal interface. It can be understood that the 5G VN internal interface can refer to the description in 3GPP TS 23.501, which will not be described here.

[0128] Through research, it is found that in a local area network scenario (such as a 5G LAN scenario), the UPF entity does not exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information, that is, the UPF entity cannot correctly perceive the uplink PDR information. Therefore, in a local area network scenario, processing the information of the uplink flow so that the UPF correctly perceives the uplink PDR information is a hot issue currently discussed.

[0129] It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the UPF entity perceiving the uplink PDR information can also be understood as the UPF entity assigning the uplink PDR information, or the UPF entity executing the uplink PDR information.

[0130] In view of the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present application propose the following technical solutions to reasonably process the information of the uplink flow in a local area network scenario, so that the UPF entity can correctly perceive the uplink PDR.

[0131] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0132] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as a 4th generation (4G) mobile communication system, such as a long term evolution (LTE) system, a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, such as a new radio (NR) system, and a communication system evolved after 5G, such as a future communication network system, and can also be applied to a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, a vehicle to everything (V2X) communication system, a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a vehicle networking communication system, etc.

[0133] Various aspects, embodiments or features described herein can be presented with respect to a system that can include various devices, components, modules, etc. It is understood that such a system can include additional devices, components, modules, etc. and / or can not include all of the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed with respect to the figures. A combination of these approaches can also be used.

[0134] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the words "example" and "for example" are used to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any implementation or design scheme described herein as "example" should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations or design schemes. Rather, the word "example" is used to present concepts in a concrete manner.

[0135] In the embodiments of the present application, "information", "signal", "message", "channel", and "signaling" can be used interchangeably, and it should be pointed out that when the distinction is not emphasized, the meanings expressed are matched. "Of", "corresponding", and "corresponding" can be used interchangeably, and it should be pointed out that when the distinction is not emphasized, the meanings expressed are matched. In addition, the " / " mentioned in the present application can be used to represent the relationship of "or".

[0136] The network architecture and service scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can know that with the evolution of network architecture and the appearance of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0137] In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, first, a communication system suitable for the embodiments of the present application is introduced.

[0138] The communication system can be applicable to the above-mentioned 5GS, including a policy control function entity, a session management function entity, and a user plane function entity. The policy control function entity, the session management function entity and the user plane function entity can refer to the related introduction in the above-mentioned "1.5GS", which will not be repeated here.

[0139] In a possible implementation, the policy control function entity can send indication information to the session management function entity to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow when the flow direction includes the uplink. After receiving the indication information, the session management function entity sends the indication information and the PDR information associated with the indication information to the user plane function entity, so that the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information based on the indication information. In this way, the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane function entity is consistent with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information, so that the user plane function entity correctly perceives the uplink PDR information.

[0140] In another possible implementation, after receiving the flow description information and the flow direction information from the policy control function entity, the session management function entity can send the uplink PDR information and the indication information associated with the uplink PDR to the user plane function entity, or send the uplink PDR information carrying the indication information to the user plane function entity, based on the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information, so that the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information based on the indication information. In this way, the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane function entity is consistent with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information, so that the user plane function entity correctly perceives the uplink PDR information.

[0141] In yet another possible implementation, the user plane function entity can send the media access control (MAC) address of the newly added terminal device and the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address to the session management function entity, so that the session management function entity can generate corresponding PDR information according to the MAC address and the flow direction, for example, only generate uplink PDR information when the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address includes the uplink, or only generate downlink PDR information when the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address includes the downlink. In this way, the overhead of the session management function entity in generating PDR information can be reduced. In addition, in this case, the user plane function entity does not need to use additional PDR information to match data packets, so that the processing overhead of the user plane function entity can be reduced.

[0142] In another possible implementation, in a local area network scenario, after receiving the uplink PDR information from the session management function entity, the user plane function entity can exchange the source address and the destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information according to the source interface in the uplink PDR information, and the first interface is an interface inside the user plane function entity for local area network data transmission. In this way, the user plane function entity can exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information, so that the source address in the flow description information perceived by the user plane function entity is consistent with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information, thereby enabling the user plane function entity to correctly perceive the uplink PDR information.

[0143] It should be understood that the above is an exemplary description of the embodiments of the present application, and is not a limitation on the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application are specifically described below with reference to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2-8.

[0144] It can be understood that other network devices and / or terminal devices can also be included in the above communication system, and the specific configuration can be flexibly set according to actual conditions, which is not limited.

[0145] For easy understanding, the interaction process between the policy control function entity, the session management function entity and the user plane function entity will be specifically introduced below by means of method embodiments in combination with FIGS. 2, 4 and 6. The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the above communication system, which will be specifically introduced below.

[0146] Scenario 1:

[0147] For example, FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. In scenario 1, the PCF sends the PCC rule carrying the indication information to the SMF to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow when the flow direction includes the uplink; the SMF sends the uplink PDR information and the indication information associated with the uplink PDR information to the UPF based on the PCC rule, or sends the uplink PDR information carrying the indication information to the UPF, so that the UPF exchanges the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information based on the indication information. It can be understood that in scenario 1, the flow description information and the flow direction information can be applied to the local area network scenario.

[0148] As shown in FIG. 2, the flow of the communication method is as follows:

[0149] S201, the AF sends the media subscription information to the PCF. Correspondingly, the PCF receives the media subscription information from the AF.

[0150] The media subscription information is used to indicate service related information, and the media subscription information includes the flow information #1. The flow information #1 includes flow description information #1 and flow direction information. It can be understood that the media subscription information can also be referred to as service related information, service information, or flow subscription information, etc., without limitation.

[0151] The flow description information #1 includes the source address and the destination address of the uplink flow; or the flow description information #1 includes the source address and the destination address of the uplink flow, and the source address and the destination address of the downlink flow.

[0152] The flow direction information is used to indicate that the flow direction includes uplink. Or in other words, the flow direction information is used to indicate that the direction of the filter includes uplink. The flow direction including uplink can be understood as the flow direction being uplink or bidirectional (i.e. uplink and downlink at the same time).

[0153] When the service request of the UE1 is triggered, the AF can send the media subscription information to the PCF to indicate the information related to the service to the core network. The specific implementation principle of "S201" can refer to the description in 3GPP TS 29.514, which will not be repeated here. It can be understood that the AF can send the media subscription information to the PCF through the NEF; or when the AF is an internal AF of an operator, and the AF and the PCF belong to the same operator network, the AF can directly send the media subscription information to the PCF.

[0154] Optionally, the media subscription information can also include a group identifier (group ID), which will be described in detail below at "S202a".

[0155] It can be understood that after receiving the media subscription information, the PCF can send the flow information #2 (i.e. S202a below, referred to as case 2.1) carrying the indication information to the SMF based on the flow direction including uplink indicated by the flow direction information, or send the flow information #2 and the indication information (i.e. S202b below, referred to as case 2.2) to the SMF based on the flow direction including uplink indicated by the flow direction information, and the flow information #2 is associated with the indication information. The following will be introduced respectively.

[0156] S202a, the PCF sends the flow information #2 to the SMF. Correspondingly, the SMF receives the flow information #2 from the PCF.

[0157] The flow information #2 includes flow description information #2, flow direction information, and indication information.

[0158] The flow description information #2 includes the source address and the destination address of the downlink flow. The downlink flow does not represent the current flow direction, i.e. the flow direction can be uplink or bidirectional (i.e. uplink and downlink at the same time) at this time. For example, the flow direction is bidirectional, and the flow description information includes the source address of the IP address of the UE2 and the destination address of the IP address of the UE1.

[0159] It can be understood that the stream description information #1 sent by the AF in S201 is complete and correct information. For example, when the stream direction is bidirectional, the stream description information #1 includes the source address and the destination address of the uplink stream, and the source address and the destination address of the downlink stream. Alternatively, when the stream direction is uplink, the stream description information #1 includes the source address and the destination address of the uplink stream. Alternatively, when the stream direction is downlink, the stream description information #1 includes the source address and the destination address of the downlink stream. When the PCF sends the stream description information #2 to the SMF based on the stream description information #1, the PCF saves signaling overhead by carrying only the source address and the destination address of the downlink stream in the stream description information #2, that is, not carrying the source address and the destination address of the uplink stream. It can also be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the stream direction information indicates that the stream direction includes uplink, that is, the stream description information #1 includes the source address and the destination address of the uplink stream. The stream description information #2 includes the source address and the destination address of the downlink stream, that is, the stream description information #1 and the stream description information #2 are different.

[0160] The stream direction information can refer to the related description in the foregoing “S201”, and will not be described here again.

[0161] The indication information is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the stream description information #2 are exchanged to determine the stream description of the uplink stream. In other words, the indication information is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the stream description information #2 are exchanged in the process of determining the stream description of the uplink stream. Alternatively, the indication information is used to instruct the SMF to set an indication information #1, and the indication information #1 is used to instruct the source address and the destination address of the uplink stream to be exchanged to determine the stream description of the uplink stream.

[0162] It can be understood that the stream information #2 can be included in the PCC rule, that is, the PCC rule includes the indication information, the stream description information #2 and the stream direction information. In this case, the PCF can send the stream information #2 to the SMF through the PCC rule.

[0163] In the embodiments of the present application, after receiving the media subscription information from the AF, the PCF can send the stream information #2 carrying the indication information to the SMF based on the stream direction indicated by the stream direction information including uplink.

[0164] Alternatively, before the PCF sends the stream information #2 to the SMF, the PCF is configured with a local policy. The local policy indicates that when the stream direction indicated by the stream direction information includes uplink, the information for instructing the source address and the destination address in the stream description information to be exchanged to determine the stream description of the uplink stream is sent to the SMF. After receiving the media subscription information from the AF, the PCF can send the stream information #2 carrying the indication information to the SMF based on the local policy when the stream direction indicated by the stream direction information includes uplink. It can be understood that the local policy can be a policy preconfigured in the policy control function entity.

[0165] Alternatively, before the PCF sends the flow information to the SMF, the PCF can also receive policy information sent from other functional entities (such as AF or NEF). The policy information indicates that when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink, the SMF is sent information indicating the source address and destination address in the exchanged flow description information to determine the flow description of the uplink flow. After receiving the media subscription information from the AF, the PCF can also send the flow information #2 carrying the indication information to the SMF based on the policy information when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink. It can be understood that the policy information can be understood as the dynamic policy of the PCF, which is relatively flexible and can be updated and adjusted based on the request of the third party or other network elements.

[0166] Alternatively, the PCF can send the flow information #2 carrying the indication information to the SMF when it is determined that the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to a local area network (such as a 5G LAN). For example, the above-mentioned media subscription information further includes a group identifier; or the AF sends the media subscription information and the group identifier to the PCF, and the media subscription information is associated with the group identifier. The group identifier is used to indicate a group including a plurality of terminal devices, that is, the group identifier can indicate that the current is a local area network scenario. After receiving the group identifier, the PCF can determine that the current is a local area network scenario through the group identifier, that is, the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario. Of course, the PCF can also determine that the current is a local area network scenario based on other information, which can be set according to actual conditions and is not limited.

[0167] It can be understood that when the AF sends the media subscription information to the PCF through the NEF, the media subscription information sent by the AF to the NEF can carry an external group identifier (external group ID), or the AF sends the media subscription information and the external group identifier to the NEF, and the media subscription information is associated with the external group identifier; the NEF can map the external group identifier to an internal group identifier (internal group ID) after receiving the external group identifier, and send the media subscription information carrying the internal group identifier to the PCF, or send the media subscription information and the internal group identifier to the PCF, and the media subscription information is associated with the internal group identifier. After receiving the internal group identifier, the PCF can determine that the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network according to the internal group identifier. The specific implementation principle of the PCF determining that the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network according to the internal group identifier is similar to the specific implementation principle of the PCF determining that the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network according to the group identifier, and can be understood by mutual reference, which will not be repeated here.

[0168] It can also be understood that in the 5G LAN scenario, the embodiments of the application can be based on session granularity or terminal device group granularity, which can be flexibly set according to actual conditions without limitation.

[0169] S202b, the PCF sends flow information #2 and indication information to the SMF. Correspondingly, the SMF receives the flow information #2 and the indication information from the PCF.

[0170] The flow information #2 includes flow description information #2 and flow direction information. The flow information #2 is associated with the indication information. The flow description information #2, the flow direction information and the indication information can be referred to the related description in the foregoing S202a, which will not be described here.

[0171] It can be understood that the specific implementation principle of S202b is similar to that of the foregoing S202a, except that in S202a, the indication information is contained in the flow information #2, that is, the indication information is carried in the flow information #2; in S202b, the indication information is not contained in the flow information #2, and the indication information and the flow information #2 can be understood as a parallel relationship, for example, the PCF sets the indication information and the flow information #2 in a tuple or a message and sends them to the SMF. The same parts of S202b and S202a can be understood with reference to the related description in S202a, which will not be described here.

[0172] It can also be understood that in the IP scenario, the PCF can not carry the indication information in the flow information #2, or the PCF can not send the flow information #2 and the indication information to the SMF. In this case, the UPF can exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information according to the existing exchange mechanism (for details, refer to the related description in “3. PDR”), that is, without the indication information in the embodiments of the application, the UPF exchanges the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information.

[0173] In addition, after the PCF sends the flow information #2 carrying the indication information to the SMF (i.e., S202a); or after the PCF sends the flow information #2 and the indication information to the SMF (i.e., S202b below), the SMF can generate PDR information based on the flow information #2, that is, S203 described below.

[0174] S203, the SMF generates PDR information based on the flow information #2.

[0175] The PDR information is used for detecting and classifying data packets, and the PDR information includes uplink PDR information. For example, when the flow direction is uplink, the PDR information is uplink PDR information; when the flow direction is bidirectional, the PDR information is uplink PDR information and downlink PDR information. It can be understood that the uplink PDR information and the downlink PDR information both include the flow description information #2.

[0176] After generating the PDR information, the SMF can associate the indication information sent by the PCF or the indication information #1 set by the SMF with the uplink PDR information, so as to indicate the uplink PDR information through the indication information or the indication information #1. It can be understood that when the indication information sent by the PCF is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information #2 are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow, the SMF sends the indication information; when the indication information sent by the PCF is used to indicate that the SMF sets an indication information #1, the SMF sends the indication information #1. The following describes the case where the SMF sends the indication information.

[0177] In a possible implementation, the uplink PDR information includes the indication information. That is, after generating the uplink PDR information, the SMF carries the indication information in the uplink PDR information. In this way, the SMF can indicate the uplink PDR information through the indication information, that is, the PDR information containing the indication information is the uplink PDR information.

[0178] In another possible implementation, the uplink PDR information is associated with the indication information. For example, after generating the uplink PDR information, the SMF can associate the identifier of the uplink PDR information with the indication information, and send the identifier of the associated uplink PDR information and the indication information. For example, after generating the uplink PDR information, the SMF sets the identifier of the uplink PDR information and the indication information in the same tuple, and sends the tuple. In this way, the SMF can indicate the uplink PDR information through the indication information, that is, the identifier of the PDR information associated with the indication information indicates the uplink PDR information.

[0179] It can be understood that the specific implementation principle of the SMF sending the indication information #1 is the same as the specific implementation principle of the SMF sending the indication information described above, and can be understood with reference to the above description, for example, by replacing the indication information with the indication information #1, which will not be described herein again.

[0180] S204, the SMF sends the PDR information to the UPF. Correspondingly, the UPF receives the PDR information from the SMF.

[0181] When the flow direction information indicates that the flow direction is uplink, the PDR information described above is uplink PDR information. Alternatively, when the flow direction information indicates that the flow direction is bidirectional, the PDR information described above is uplink PDR information and downlink PDR information. The uplink PDR information includes the indication information, or the identifier of the uplink PDR information and the indication information are located in the same information or tuple.

[0182] S205, the UPF exchanges the destination address and the source address in the uplink PDR information to obtain updated uplink PDR information (denoted as uplink PDR information #1).

[0183] The UPF can determine the uplink PDR information based on the indication information in the PDR information, and exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information to obtain the uplink PDR information after the exchange of the source address and the destination address, i.e., the uplink PDR information #1.

[0184] For example, the flow direction is bidirectional, the PDR information includes uplink PDR information and downlink PDR information, and the uplink PDR information includes indication information. After receiving the PDR information, the UPF can determine the PDR information carrying the indication information as the uplink PDR information according to the indication information, and exchange the source address and the destination address in the flow description information #2 in the uplink PDR information to obtain the uplink PDR information #1.

[0185] For another example, the flow direction is bidirectional, the PDR information includes uplink PDR information and downlink PDR information, and the identifier of the uplink PDR information and the indication information are in the same tuple. After receiving the PDR information, the UPF can determine the uplink PDR information according to the identifier of the PDR information associated with the indication information, and exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information to obtain the uplink PDR information #1.

[0186] In S206, the UPF sends the uplink data packet to the AF. Correspondingly, the AF receives the uplink data packet from the UPF.

[0187] The uplink data packet is at least one data packet matched by the UPF using the uplink PDR information #1. That is, at this time, the UPF matches the data packet for the DN using the uplink PDR information #1. It can be understood that the AF described above can be replaced by an application server (application server, AS), a DN, or other network elements such as a UPF, which can be flexibly set according to actual conditions without limitation.

[0188] Optionally, when the PDR information further includes downlink PDR information, the UPF can send a downlink data packet to the UE1, and correspondingly, the UE1 receives the downlink data packet from the UPF (such as S207 in FIG. 2). The downlink data packet is at least one data packet matched by the UPF using the downlink PDR information. That is, at this time, the UPF matches the data packet for the UE1 using the downlink PDR information.

[0189] It can be understood that the specific implementation principle of the UPF matching the data packet using the PDR information can refer to the prior art, which will not be described here. In addition, the order of the UPF sending the uplink PD data packet and the downlink data packet is not limited in the embodiments of the present application, for example, the UPF can first send the uplink data packet, and then send the downlink data packet, or the UPF can first send the downlink data packet, and then send the uplink data packet.

[0190] It can also be understood that S204-S206 is described in the case that the SMF sends the indication information. In the case that the indication information sent by the PCF is used to instruct the SMF to set an indication information #1, the indication information in S204-S206 can be replaced by the indication information #1, which will not be described herein.

[0191] The flow of the communication method provided by the embodiment of the application is described in detail above in combination with FIG. 2. The overall flow of the communication method is introduced below in combination with FIG. 3. Exemplarily, FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of the communication method provided by the embodiment of the application. The method can be applied to the communication between the policy control function entity, the session management function entity and the user plane function entity in the communication system.

[0192] As shown in FIG. 3, the flow of the communication method is as follows:

[0193] S301, in the case that the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario, the policy control function entity carries indication information in the PCC rule.

[0194] The flow description information includes the source address and the destination address of the downlink flow. The flow direction information is used to indicate that the flow direction includes the uplink. The flow description information and the flow direction information can be sent to the policy control function entity by the application function, or can be sent to the policy control function entity by the application function through the network exposure function entity, which can be referred to the related description in the foregoing “S201”, and will not be described herein.

[0195] The PCC rule includes the indication information. The indication information is used to instruct to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information to determine the flow description of the uplink flow. In addition, the PCC rule further includes the flow description information and the flow direction information.

[0196] It can be understood that the flow description information, the flow direction information and the indication information can be contained in the flow information, and the flow information can be contained in the PCC rule. In other words, the PCC rule includes the flow information, and the flow information includes the flow description information, the flow direction information and the indication information. Alternatively, the flow description information and the flow direction information can be contained in the flow information, and the flow information and the indication information are contained in the PCC rule, and the flow information is associated with the indication information, such as the flow information and the indication information being located in the same message or tuple. In other words, the PCC rule includes the flow information and the indication information, the flow information includes the flow description information and the flow direction information, and the flow information is associated with the indication information.

[0197] In addition, the flow description information, the flow direction information, the indication information and the flow information can be respectively referred to the related description of the flow description information #2, the flow direction information, the indication information and the flow information #2 in the foregoing “S201”, which will not be described herein.

[0198] In the embodiments of the present application, when the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario, it can be indicated that the local area network scenario is at this time, and the policy control function entity can carry indication information in the PCC rule to instruct other function entities (such as the session management function entity or the user plane function entity) to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information to determine the flow description of the uplink flow.

[0199] Optionally, before the policy control function entity carries the indication information in the PCC rule, the above communication method can further include that the application function entity sends the first flow description information, the flow direction information and the group identifier to the policy control function entity, and correspondingly, the policy control function entity receives the first flow description information, the flow direction information and the group identifier from the application function; and the policy control function entity determines, according to the group identifier, that the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario, and the first flow description information is used to determine the flow description information.

[0200] The first flow description information can refer to the related description of the flow description information #1 in the foregoing “201”, and details are not described herein again.

[0201] The group identifier is used to indicate a group including a plurality of terminal devices, and details can refer to the related description in the foregoing “S202a”, and details are not described herein again.

[0202] The application function can be an AF, and the AF can send the first flow description information, the flow direction information and the group identifier to a network exposure function entity (such as an NEF), and the NEF forwards the first flow description information, the flow direction information and the group identifier to the policy control function entity. In this case, the first flow description information, the flow direction information and the group identifier sent by the AF to the NEF can be located in the same message, such as a first message; the first flow description information, the flow direction information and the group identifier sent by the NEF to the policy control function entity can be located in the same message, such as a second message; the first message and the second message can be the same message, or can be different messages, that is, the NEF can obtain the content in the first message and carry it in the second message, such as mapping (or converting) the external group identifier in the first message into an internal group identifier and carrying it in the second message, and details can refer to the related description in the foregoing “S202a”, and details are not described herein again. Of course, the AF sends the first flow description information, the flow direction information and the group identifier to the policy control function entity through the NEF as an example, such as the AF being an AF in the operator network and belonging to the same operator network as the policy control function entity, and the AF can also directly send the flow description, the flow direction and the group identifier to the policy control function entity.

[0203] In the embodiments of the present application, after receiving the group identifier, the policy control function entity can determine that the current is a local area network scenario based on the group identifier. For details, refer to the foregoing related description in “S202a”, which will not be repeated here. It can be understood that the policy control function entity can also determine that the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario through other manners. For details, it can be flexibly set according to actual conditions, and is not limited.

[0204] In addition, the policy control function entity can carry the indication information in the PCC rule based on the local policy or the policy information sent by other devices. Details are described below.

[0205] In a possible implementation, the policy control function entity carrying the indication information in the PCC rule can specifically include that the policy control function entity carries the indication information in the PCC rule based on the local policy. The local policy indicates that when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink, the information (denoted as information #1) for indicating the exchange of the source address and the destination address in the flow description information to determine the flow description of the uplink flow is sent to the session management function entity. The local policy can be a policy preconfigured in the policy control function entity when the policy control function entity is configured. After receiving the flow direction information, the policy control function entity can determine whether the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink based on the local policy. When the flow direction includes uplink, the information #1 is sent to the session management function entity.

[0206] In another possible implementation, before the policy control function entity carries the indication information in the PCC rule, the foregoing communication method can further include that the application function sends the policy information to the policy control function entity. Correspondingly, the policy control function entity receives the policy information from the application function. The policy information is used to indicate that when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink, the information for indicating the exchange of the source address and the destination address in the flow description information to determine the flow description of the uplink flow is sent to the session management function entity. The policy control function entity carrying the indication information in the PCC rule can specifically include that the policy control function entity carries the indication information in the PCC rule based on the policy information.

[0207] It can be understood that the policy control function entity carrying the indication information in the PCC rule based on the local policy and the policy control function entity carrying the indication information in the PCC rule based on the policy information can refer to the foregoing related description in “S202a”, which will not be repeated here.

[0208] S302, the policy control function entity sends the PCC rule to the session management function entity. Correspondingly, the session management function entity receives the PCC rule from the policy control function entity.

[0209] The PCC rule includes the flow description information, the flow direction information, and the indication information, and details can be referred to the foregoing description in S201, and details are not described herein again.

[0210] In S303, the session management function entity generates first uplink PDR information according to the PCC rule.

[0211] The first uplink PDR information includes flow description information. The flow description information is the same as the content indicated by the flow description information of the PCC rule, and the forms can be the same or different, for example, the flow description information and the flow description information of the PCC rule can be different information elements (IEs). It can be understood that the specific implementation principle of the session management function entity generating the first uplink PDR information according to the PCC rule can be referred to the description in 3GPP TS 29.244, and details are not described herein again.

[0212] After generating the first uplink PDR information, the session management function entity can carry the indication information in the first uplink PDR information and send it to the user plane function entity (denoted as case 3.1, which is introduced in S304a below), to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow. Alternatively, the session management function entity can associate the indication information with the first uplink PDR information, and send the indication information and the first uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity (denoted as case 3.2, which is introduced in S304b below), to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow.

[0213] The source interface in the first uplink PDR information can be the first interface, and the destination interface associated with the first uplink PDR information can be the core network interface. The first interface is an interface used for local area network data transmission inside the user plane function entity. The local area network can be a 5G LAN; in this case, the first interface can be a 5G VN internal interface. Of course, the first interface can also be other possible interfaces, which are not limited.

[0214] It can be understood that the destination interface associated with the first uplink PDR information is the interface corresponding to the FAR ID included in the first uplink PDR information. For example, the user plane function entity can find the destination interface corresponding to the FAR ID in the FAR list according to the FAR ID included in the uplink PDR information, that is, the destination interface corresponding to the FAR ID is the destination interface associated with the first uplink PDR information, and the specific implementation principle can be referred to the description in 3GPP TS 29.244, and details are not described herein again.

[0215] It can be understood that the source interface in the first uplink PDR information is the first interface, and the destination interface associated with the first uplink PDR information is the core network interface, which can represent the current 5G LAN scenario, that is, in the 5G LAN scenario, the session management function entity sends the indication information to the user plane function entity. The following illustrates the source address included in the uplink PDR information and the destination address associated with the uplink PDR information in the 5G LAN scenario through specific examples.

[0216] For example, when the uplink PDR information is sent to the DN by the UPF, the source address included in the uplink PDR information is the 5G VN internal interface, and the destination address contained in the FAR indicated by the FAR ID included in the uplink PDR information is the core network interface (i.e., core / N6).

[0217] For another example, when the UPF#1 sends a data packet to the UPF#2, the UPF#1 is configured with an uplink PDR information#1, and the UPF#2 is configured with an uplink PDR information#2 and a downlink PDR information#. The source address of the uplink PDR information#1 is the 5G VN internal interface, and the destination address contained in the FAR indicated by the FAR ID included in the uplink PDR information#1 is the core network interface (i.e., core / N19). The uplink PDR information#2 corresponds to the UPF#1 sending a data packet to the anchor PSA UPF, at this time, the source address included in the uplink PDR information#2 is the 5G VN internal interface, and the destination address contained in the FAR indicated by the FAR ID included in the uplink PDR information is the core network interface (i.e., core / N19). The downlink PDR information#2 corresponds to the anchor PSA UPF sending a data packet to the UPF#2, at this time, the source address included in the downlink PDR information#2 is the core network interface (i.e., core / N19), and the destination address contained in the FAR indicated by the FAR ID included in the downlink PDR information is the 5G VN internal interface.

[0218] S304a, the session management function entity sends the first uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity. Correspondingly, the user plane function entity receives the first uplink PDR information from the session management function entity.

[0219] The first uplink PDR information includes the indication information, that is, the indication information is included in the first uplink PDR information. The indication information can also be used to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink PDR information.

[0220] In this case, the communication method can further include: the user plane function entity exchanging a source address and a destination address in the first uplink PDR information based on the indication information in the first uplink PDR information to obtain second uplink PDR information (S305a in FIG. 3). Alternatively, the communication method can further include: the user plane function entity updating the first uplink PDR information based on the indication information in the first uplink PDR information to obtain the second uplink PDR information. It can be understood that the source address in the second uplink PDR information is the destination address associated with the first uplink PDR information, and the destination address associated with the second uplink PDR information is the source address associated with the first uplink PDR information. In addition, the updating of the first uplink PDR information by the user plane function entity can be understood as the user plane function entity filling in each information in the second uplink PDR information based on each information in the first uplink PDR information. In this way, the user plane function entity can determine the correct uplink PDR information based on the indication information, that is, the user plane function entity can determine that the PDR information where the indication information is located is the uplink PDR information (i.e., the first uplink PDR information), and then exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information. In this way, the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane function entity is consistent with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information, so that the user plane function entity perceives (or executes or uses) the correct uplink PDR information.

[0221] Further, the communication method can further include: the user plane function entity sending an uplink data packet to an application function, the uplink data packet being at least one data packet matched by the user plane function entity using the second uplink PDR information (S306 in FIG. 3). That is, after perceiving the correct uplink PDR information (i.e., the second uplink PDR information), the user plane function entity can match the data packet using the correct uplink PDR information. It can be understood that the user plane function entity can send the uplink data packet to the application function, the network exposure function entity, or other user plane function entity except the user plane function entity, which can be set according to actual conditions and is not limited.

[0222] S304b, the session management function entity sends the first uplink PDR information and the indication information to the user plane function entity. Correspondingly, the user plane function entity receives the first uplink PDR information and the indication information from the session management function entity.

[0223] The indication information is associated with the first uplink PDR information, that is, the indication information and the first uplink PDR information have an associated relationship. Alternatively, the indication information and the identifier of the first uplink PDR have an associated relationship. The indication information can refer to the related description in the above “S304a” and will not be described here again.

[0224] It can be understood that after generating the first uplink PDR information, the session management function entity can associate the indication information with the identifier of the first uplink PDR information, for example, the session management function entity can set the indication information and the identifier of the first uplink PDR information in a tuple or a message, and send the tuple or the message to the user plane function entity, so that the user plane function entity finds the uplink PDR information based on the identifier of the first PDR information associated with the indication information.

[0225] In this case, the above communication method can further include: the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information based on the indication information to obtain the second uplink PDR information (S305b in FIG. 3). Alternatively, the above communication method can further include: the user plane function entity updates the first uplink PDR information based on the indication information in the first uplink PDR information to obtain the second uplink PDR information, which can be referred to the related description in the above “S304a” and will not be described here. It can be understood that the source address in the second uplink PDR information is the destination address associated with the first uplink PDR information, and the destination address associated with the second uplink PDR information is the source address associated with the first uplink PDR information. Through the above manner, the user plane function entity can determine the uplink PDR information (i.e., the first uplink PDR information) based on the indication information, i.e., the user plane function entity can determine that the PDR information associated with the indication information is the uplink PDR information, such as determining that the PDR information corresponding to the identifier of the PDR information associated with the indication information is the uplink PDR information, so as to exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information. In this way, the source address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information perceived by the user plane function entity is consistent with the address of the source interface included in the uplink PDR information, so that the user plane function entity perceives the correct uplink PDR information.

[0226] Further, the above communication method can further include: the user plane function entity sends the uplink data packet, which is at least one data packet matched by the user plane function entity using the second uplink PDR information (S306 in FIG. 3), which can be referred to the related description in the above “S204a” and will not be described here.

[0227] It can be understood that in S304a and S304b, the indication information sent by the session management function entity and the indication information sent by the policy control function entity (i.e., the indication information included in the PCC rule) can indicate the same or different content, such as the indication information sent by the session management function entity and the indication information sent by the policy control function entity both indicating that the source address and the destination address of the uplink flow are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow (i.e., the indicated content is the same), or such as the indication information sent by the policy control function entity being used to indicate that the session management function entity sets an indication information #1, which is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address of the uplink flow are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow; and the session management function entity sends the indication information #1 (i.e., the indicated content is different), which can be understood with reference to the embodiments described in the foregoing FIG. 2, and details are not described herein again. In the case where the indication information content is the same, the form can be the same or different, such as the indication information sent by the session management function entity and the indication information sent by the policy control function entity being different IEs.

[0228] It can also be understood that in S304a and 304b, the user plane function entity receives the PDR information; after receiving the PDR information, the user plane function entity needs to detect the PDR information, such as determining the PDR information as uplink PDR information or downlink PDR information according to the relationship between the PDR information and the indication information, so as to determine the PDR information as the uplink PDR information (i.e., the first uplink PDR information).

[0229] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the first uplink PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) the first PDR information, and the second uplink PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) the second PDR information.

[0230] In summary, in the embodiments of the present application, when the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario and the flow direction includes the uplink, the policy control function entity sends the indication information to the session management function entity to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow; after receiving the indication information, the session management function entity can associate the indication information with the first uplink PDR information, such as carrying the indication information in the first uplink PDR information, or such as associating the indication information with the identifier of the first uplink PDR information, and sending the indication information and the first uplink PDR information associated with the indication information to the user plane function entity, so that the user plane function entity determines the first uplink PDR information based on the indication information, and exchanges the source address and the destination address in the flow description information in the first uplink PDR information. In this way, the user plane function entity can correctly perceive the uplink PDR information.

[0231] It can be understood that the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 can be understood with reference to the related description in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, and the first PDR information and the second PDR information in the embodiment of the present application correspond to the uplink PDR information and the uplink PDR information #1 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, respectively, which will not be repeated here.

[0232] Scenario 2:

[0233] For example, FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. In scenario 2, when the SMF includes the uplink in the flow direction, the session management function entity determines to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information to determine the flow description of the uplink PDR information; and the SMF sends the uplink PDR information carrying the indication information to the UPF, or sends the uplink PDR information and the indication information to the UPF, the indication information being associated with the uplink PDR information, so that the UPF exchanges the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information based on the indication information. It can be understood that in scenario 2, the flow description information and the flow direction information can be applied to a local area network scenario.

[0234] As shown in FIG. 4, the flow of the communication method is as follows:

[0235] S401, the AF sends media subscription information to the PCF. Correspondingly, the PCF receives the media subscription information from the AF.

[0236] The media subscription information includes flow information #1. The flow information #1 includes flow description information #1 and flow direction information.

[0237] The specific implementation principle of S401 can be referred to the related description of S201, which will not be repeated here.

[0238] S402, the PCF sends flow information #2 to the SMF. Correspondingly, the SMF receives the flow information #2 from the PCF.

[0239] The flow information #2 includes flow description information #2 and flow direction information, which can be referred to the related description in the foregoing S202a, which will not be repeated here. It can be understood that the flow information #2 can be included in the PCC rule, and the PCC rule in the embodiment of the present application is similar to the PCC rule in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the difference is that the PCC rule in the embodiment of the present application does not include the indication information, and the PCC rule in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 includes the indication information, and the same can be referred to each other, which will not be repeated here.

[0240] S403, the SMF generates PDR information based on the flow information #2.

[0241] The PDR information includes uplink PDR information, which can be referred to the related description in the foregoing "S203", and details are not described herein. The specific implementation principle of the SMF generating the PDR based on the flow information can be referred to the prior art, and details are not described herein.

[0242] In the embodiment of the application, the SMF can determine to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information #2 in the uplink PDR information according to the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information. In this case, the SMF can send indication information to the UPF.

[0243] The indication information can be used to indicate to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information. In other words, the indication information is used to indicate to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information in the process of determining the flow description information of the uplink PDR.

[0244] Alternatively, the indication information can be used to indicate to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink flow to determine the flow description of the uplink flow. In this case, the UPF needs to determine the corresponding uplink PDR information based on the uplink flow indicated by the indication information after receiving the indication information, and exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information.

[0245] Alternatively, the indication information can be used to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information are wrong or reversed. In this case, the UPF exchanges the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information based on the indication information after receiving the indication information.

[0246] It can be understood that the SMF can carry the indication information in the uplink PDR, or associate the flow information with the uplink PDR information to indicate the uplink PDR information through the indication information, so that the UPF can determine the uplink PDR information according to the indication information and exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information.

[0247] In addition, the SMF can also associate the indication information with multiple uplink PDR information, such as setting the indication information and the identifiers of the multiple uplink PDR information in the same message or tuple, to indicate to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in each of the multiple uplink PDR information through the indication information. It can be understood that the indication information is used to indicate to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information. When the indication information is associated with multiple uplink PDR information, it can be indicated to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in each of the multiple uplink PDR information to determine the flow description of each of the multiple uplink PDR information.

[0248] Optionally, before the SMF generates the PDR information based on the flow information #2, the SMF can also perform a local configuration. The local configuration indicates that when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink, the SMF sends information to the UPF to indicate that the source address and the destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink PDR information. After receiving the flow information #2 from the PCF, the SMF can send the indication information to the UPF when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink based on the local configuration.

[0249] Alternatively, before the SMF generates the PDR information based on the flow information #2, the SMF can also receive policy information sent by other functional entities (such as PCF). The policy information indicates that when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink, the SMF sends information to the UPF to indicate that the source address and the destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink PDR information. After receiving the flow information #2 from the PCF, the SMF can send the indication information to the UPF when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink based on the policy information.

[0250] Optionally, the SMF can send the uplink PDR information carrying the indication information to the UPF, or send the indication information and the uplink PDR information to the UPF in a local area network scenario, such as when the SMF determines that the flow description information and the flow direction information apply to a local area network (such as 5GLAN), the indication information is associated with the uplink PDR information.

[0251] For example, the PCF sending the flow information #2 to the SMF can specifically include: the PCF sending the flow information #2 and group information to the SMF, the group identifier being used to indicate a group including a plurality of terminal devices, and the group information can refer to the related description in the foregoing "S202a", which will not be described here. After receiving the group identifier, the SMF can determine that the current is a local area network scenario, i.e., the flow information #2 applies to a local area network based on the group identifier. And the SMF can also query the identifiers of the plurality of terminal devices corresponding to the group identifier through the UDM after receiving the group identifier, such as a group of generic public subscription identifiers (GPSIs) or a group of SUbscription permanent identifiers (SUPIs), and use the identifiers when generating the PDR information subsequently. It can be understood that in this case, the group identifier is included in the media subscription information sent by the AF to the PCF, which can refer to the related description in the foregoing "S202a", which will not be described here.

[0252] It can also be understood that in the 5G LAN scenario, the embodiments of the present application can be based on session granularity or terminal device group granularity, which can be flexibly set according to actual conditions without limitation.

[0253] S404, the SMF sends the PDR information to the UPF. Correspondingly, the UPF receives the PDR information from the SMF.

[0254] The specific implementation principle of S404 can be referred to the related description of S204, which will not be repeated here.

[0255] S405, the UPF exchanges the destination address and the source address in the uplink PDR information to obtain updated uplink PDR information (denoted as uplink PDR information #1).

[0256] S406, the UPF sends the uplink data packet to the AF. Correspondingly, the AF receives the uplink data packet from the UPF.

[0257] Optionally, when the PDR information further includes downlink PDR information, the UPF can send the downlink data packet to the UE1, and correspondingly, the UE1 receives the downlink data packet from the UPF (such as S407 in FIG. 4).

[0258] It can be understood that the specific implementation principles of S404-S407 can be referred to the related description of S204-S207, which will not be repeated here. In addition, the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the difference is that in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the PCF generates the indication information and sends the indication information to the SMF, and the SMF sends the indication information to the UPF, and the indication information is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow; in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the SMF generates the indication information and sends the indication information to the UPF, and the indication information is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink PDR information, the same can be understood by referring to each other, which will not be repeated here.

[0259] The above introduces the flow of the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application in whole in combination with the method embodiments. For the convenience of understanding, the above method is introduced in the following specific scenarios.

[0260] The flow of the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail above in combination with FIG. 4. The overall flow of the communication method is introduced below in combination with FIG. 5. Exemplarily, FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The method can be applied to the communication among the policy control function entity, the session management function entity and the user plane function entity in the above communication system.

[0261] As shown in FIG. 5, the flow of the communication method is as follows:

[0262] S501, the policy control function entity sends the PCC rule to the session management function entity. Correspondingly, the session management function entity receives the PCC rule from the policy control function entity.

[0263] The PCC rule includes flow description information and flow direction information. The flow description information includes the source address and the destination address of the downlink flow. The flow direction information is used to indicate that the flow direction includes the uplink. The flow description information and the flow direction information can be respectively referred to the related description of the flow description information #2 and the flow direction information in the foregoing “S402”, and details are not described herein again.

[0264] After receiving the media subscription information of the application function, the policy control function entity can send the PCC rule to the session management function entity based on the media subscription information. Details can be referred to the related description of the foregoing “S401”, and details are not described herein again.

[0265] It can be understood that after receiving the PCC rule, the session management function entity can generate the first uplink PDR information based on the PCC rule, and send the first uplink PDR information (recorded as case 5.1, described below in S502a) carrying indication information (described below) to the user plane function entity, or send the first uplink PDR information and the indication information (recorded as case 5.2, described below in S502b) to the user plane function entity. Details are described below.

[0266] S502a, the session management function entity sends the first uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity. Correspondingly, the user plane function entity receives the first uplink PDR information from the session management function entity.

[0267] The flow description information and the flow direction information applied to the local area network scenario can represent that the current is the local area network scenario, such as the 5G LAN scenario.

[0268] The first uplink PDR information is determined based on the PCC rule, that is, the session management function entity can generate the first uplink PDR information according to the PCC rule. The first uplink PDR information includes the flow description information and the indication information. The indication information is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the first uplink PDR information are exchanged. Alternatively, the indication information is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink flow.

[0269] It can be understood that the session management function entity can send the first uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity in a local area network scenario. That is, the session management function entity sending the first uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity can specifically include: in the case that the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario, the session management function entity sending the first uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity.

[0270] In this case, the communication method can further include: the user plane function entity exchanging a source address and a destination address in the first uplink PDR information based on the indication information in the first uplink PDR information to obtain second uplink PDR information (such as S503a in FIG. 5). Alternatively, the communication method can further include: the user plane function entity updating the first uplink PDR information based on the indication information in the first uplink PDR information to obtain the second uplink PDR information. It can be understood that the source address in the second uplink PDR information is the destination address associated with the first uplink PDR information, and the destination address associated with the second uplink PDR information is the source address associated with the first uplink PDR information.

[0271] Further, the communication method can further include: the user plane function entity sending an uplink data packet, which is at least one data packet matched by the user plane function entity using the second uplink PDR information (such as S504 in FIG. 5). For details, reference can be made to the foregoing description of “S306”, which will not be repeated here.

[0272] It can be understood that the specific implementation principle of S502a can refer to the related description of the foregoing “S304a”, which will not be repeated here.

[0273] S502b, the session management function entity sends the first uplink PDR information and the indication information to the user plane function entity. Correspondingly, the user plane function entity receives the first uplink PDR information and the indication information from the session management function entity.

[0274] The first uplink PDR information is determined based on the PCC rule, and the first uplink PDR information includes the flow description information. The indication information is used to indicate that the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information are exchanged to determine the flow description of the uplink PDR information. The indication information is associated with the uplink PDR information. For details, reference can be made to the related description of the foregoing “S304b”, which will not be repeated here.

[0275] It can be understood that the session management function entity can send the first uplink PDR information and the indication information to the user plane function entity in a local area network scenario. That is, the session management function entity sending the first uplink PDR information and the indication information to the user plane function entity can specifically include: in the case that the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario, the session management function entity sends the first uplink PDR information and the indication information to the user plane function entity.

[0276] In this case, the communication method can further include: the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information based on the indication information to obtain second uplink PDR information (such as S503b in FIG. 5). Alternatively, the communication method can further include: the user plane function entity updates the first uplink PDR information based on the indication information in the first uplink PDR information to obtain the second uplink PDR information. The second uplink PDR information can refer to the related description in the foregoing “S502a”, and will not be described here again.

[0277] Further, the communication method can further include: the user plane function entity sends an uplink data packet, the uplink data packet being at least one data packet matched by the user plane function entity using the second uplink PDR information (such as S504 in FIG. 5), and the specific implementation can refer to the related description of the foregoing “S306”, and will not be described here again.

[0278] It can be understood that the specific implementation principle of S502b can refer to the related description of the foregoing “S304b”, and will not be described here again.

[0279] Optionally, before the session management function entity sends the first uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity (S502a), or before the session management function entity sends the first uplink PDR information and the indication information to the user plane function entity (S502b), the above communication method can further include: in a case where the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to a local area network scenario, the session management function entity determines that the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information are to be exchanged. In other words, in the local area network scenario, the session management function entity determines that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are to be exchanged by the user plane function entity. In other words, in the local area network scenario, the session management function entity determines that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are opposite (or incorrect), i.e., the source address and the destination address are to be exchanged. That is, in the local area network scenario, the session management function entity can determine that the source address and the destination address need to be exchanged. In this case, after the session management function entity generates the first uplink PDR information based on the PCC rule, the session management function entity sends the indication information in the first uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity, or associates the indication information with the first uplink PDR information, and sends the indication information and the first uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity, so that the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information.

[0280] Optionally, for the above S502a and S502b, the session management function entity can determine that the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to a local area network scenario according to a group identifier sent by a policy control function entity.

[0281] For example, the PCC rule further includes a group identifier, and the above communication method can further include: the session management function entity determines that the flow description information and the flow direction information in the PCC rule are applied to a local area network scenario according to the group identifier. The group identifier is used to indicate a group including a plurality of terminal devices, which can be referred to as the above “S202” and will not be described here. After receiving the group identifier, the session management function entity can query the identifiers of the plurality of terminal devices corresponding to the group identifier through a unified data management function entity (such as UDM), and determine whether the current is a local area network scenario based on the identifiers of the terminal devices, which can be referred to as the above “S403” and will not be described here. It can be understood that the session management function entity can also determine that the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to a local area network scenario through other ways, which can be flexibly set according to actual conditions and is not limited.

[0282] It can be understood that in the IP scenario, the session management function entity can not need to determine to exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information, that is, the session management function entity does not need to send the indication information to the user plane function entity, that is, at this time, the user plane function entity can exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information according to the existing exchange mechanism (for details, refer to the related description in "3. PDR").

[0283] In addition, the session management function entity can determine to exchange the source address and the destination address to determine the flow description of the uplink flow based on the policy information sent by the local configuration or other devices. Details are described below.

[0284] In a possible implementation, the session management function entity determining to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information can specifically include: the session management function entity determining to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information according to the local configuration, the local configuration being used to instruct the session management function entity to send information indicating to exchange the source address and the destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes the uplink.

[0285] In another possible implementation, before the session management function entity determines to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information, the communication method can further include: a policy control function entity sending policy information to the session management function entity, and correspondingly, the session management function entity receiving the policy information from the policy control function entity; the session management function entity determining to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information can specifically include: the session management function entity determining to exchange the source address and the destination address included in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information according to the policy information, the policy information being used to instruct the session management function entity to send information indicating to exchange the source address and the destination address in the flow description information in the uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes the uplink.

[0286] It can be understood that the specific implementation principle of the session management function entity determining to exchange the source address and the destination address to determine the flow description of the uplink flow based on the local configuration or the policy information sent by other devices can refer to the related description in the foregoing "S403", and details are not described herein.

[0287] Optionally, in the S502a or S502b, the source interface in the first uplink PDR information is the first interface, and the destination interface associated with the first uplink PDR information is the core network interface, and the first interface is an interface for local area network data transmission within the user plane function entity. For details, refer to the related description in the foregoing “S303”, which will not be repeated here. The local area network can be a 5G LAN, and the first interface can be a 5G VN internal interface. Of course, the local area network and the first interface can be flexibly set according to actual conditions, and are not limited.

[0288] It can be understood that in the S502a and S502b, the user plane function entity receives the PDR information; after receiving the PDR information, the user plane function entity needs to detect the PDR information, such as determining the PDR information as uplink PDR information or downlink PDR information according to the relationship between the PDR information and the indication information, so as to determine the PDR information as uplink PDR information (i.e., the first uplink PDR information). In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, the first uplink PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) the first PDR information, and the second uplink PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) the second PDR information.

[0289] It can also be understood that the first uplink PDR information can be one or more uplink PDR information. That is, when the first uplink PDR information is one PDR information, the indication information can indicate to exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information; when the first uplink PDR information is multiple PDR information, the indication information can indicate to exchange the source address and the destination address in the multiple uplink PDR information. That is, the uplink PDR information can be in the granularity of IE or in the granularity of message (such as N4 message), which can be flexibly set according to actual conditions, and is not limited.

[0290] In summary, in the embodiment of the present application, after receiving the PCC rule from the policy control function entity, the session management function entity can send the first uplink PDR information carrying the indication information to the user plane function entity, or send the indication information and the first uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity in the scenario that the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network, and the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink, the indication information is associated with the first uplink PDR information, so that the user plane function entity determines the first uplink PDR information based on the indication information, and exchanges the source address and the destination address in the flow description in the first uplink PDR information. In this way, the user plane function entity can correctly perceive the uplink PDR information.

[0291] It can be understood that the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 can be understood with reference to the related description in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, which will not be repeated here. The embodiment shown in FIG. 5 is similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, and the difference is that in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the indication information is generated by the PCF and sent to the SMF, and then the SMF sends the indication information to the UPF; in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the indication information is generated by the SMF and sent to the UPF, and the same can be understood by mutual reference, which will not be repeated here.

[0292] Scenario 3:

[0293] For example, FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the application. In scenario 3, the UPF obtains the MAC address of the newly added terminal device in the terminal device group (or local area network) and the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address, and sends the MAC address of the newly added UE and the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address to the SMF; the SMF generates corresponding PDR information based on the MAC address of the newly added UE and the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address, and sends the PDR information to the UPF.

[0294] As shown in FIG. 6, the flow of the communication method is as follows:

[0295] S601, the SMF sends policy control request trigger (PCRT) information to the UPF. Correspondingly, the UPF receives the PCRT information from the SMF.

[0296] The PCRT information is used to request the UPF to report the MAC address of the newly added terminal device in the terminal device group (or local area network) to the SMF after obtaining (or learning, or perceiving) the MAC address.

[0297] In the embodiment of the application, the SMF can send the PCRT information to the UPF in the initial packet forwarding control protocol (PFCP) session establishment / update process to request the UPF to report the UE MAC address information to the SMF after obtaining the newly added UE MAC address.

[0298] S602, the UPF obtains the MAC address #1.

[0299] The MAC address #1 is the MAC address of the newly added terminal device in the terminal device group (or local area network).

[0300] The UPF can obtain the MAC address #1 from the uplink route through the N3 / N9 interface, which can be flexibly set according to actual conditions without limitation. It can be understood that the specific implementation principle of the UPF obtaining the MAC address #1 can refer to the description in clause 5.8.2.5.3 in SGPP TS 23.501, which will not be repeated here.

[0301] In S603, the UPF perceives the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address #1 in the process of obtaining the MAC address #1.

[0302] The flow direction corresponding to the MAC address #1 is the actual flow direction. The flow direction can be understood as the direction in which the data of the newly added terminal device can be transmitted, and the flow direction can be uplink, downlink, or bidirectional (i.e., uplink and downlink at the same time). The UPF can obtain the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address #1 from the uplink route through the N3 / N9 interface. It can be understood that the UPF can obtain the MAC address #1 and the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address #1 from the uplink route through the N3 / N9 interface at the same time, or can obtain the MAC address #1 and the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address #1 from the uplink route through the N3 / N9 interface in sequence, which can be flexibly set according to actual conditions without limitation.

[0303] In the embodiments of the present application, the UPF supports perceiving the actual flow direction in the process of obtaining the MAC address of the newly added terminal device in the terminal device group (or local area network). That is, the UPF can obtain the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address in the process of obtaining the MAC address of the newly added terminal device in the terminal device group (or local area network).

[0304] In S604, the UPF sends the MAC address #1 and the flow direction information #1 to the SMF. Correspondingly, the SMF receives the MAC address #1 and the flow direction information #1 from the UPF.

[0305] The flow direction information #1 is used to indicate the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address #1, i.e., the flow direction perceived by the UPF, i.e., the actual flow direction.

[0306] In S605, the SMF generates PDR information according to the MAC address #1 and the flow direction information #1.

[0307] That is, the SMF can generate the PDR information according to the MAC address #1, the flow direction information #1 and the pre-set flow information. When generating the PDR information, the SMF can generate corresponding PDR information according to the flow direction information #1. For example, when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information #1 is uplink, the SMF generates uplink PDR information based on the flow direction information #1; or when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information #1 is downlink, the SMF generates downlink PDR information based on the flow direction information #1; or when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information #1 is bidirectional, the SMF generates uplink PDR information and downlink PDR information based on the flow direction information #1.

[0308] In addition, when the SMF generates uplink PDR information based on the flow direction information #1, the MAC address #1 can be determined as the source address in the uplink PDR information, or the source address included in the uplink PDR information and the destination address associated with the uplink PDR information can be exchanged after the uplink PDR information is generated. That is, the source address in the uplink PDR information is the MAC address #1.

[0309] S606, the SMF sends the PDR information to the UPF. Correspondingly, the UPF receives the PDR information from the SMF.

[0310] After receiving the PDR information, the UPF can match the data packet based on the PDR information, and send the matched data packet to the corresponding device. For example, when the PDR information includes uplink PDR information, the UPF can match the data packet using the uplink PDR information, and send the matched uplink data packet to the AF, the AS, the DN or other UPF; and / or when the PDR information includes downlink PDR information, the UPF can match the data packet using the downlink PDR information, and send the matched downlink data packet to the UE.

[0311] It can be understood that the specific implementation principle of the UPF matching the data packet using the PDR information can refer to the prior art, which will not be described here.

[0312] The above describes in detail the flow of the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application in combination with FIG. 6. The overall flow of the communication method is introduced below in combination with FIG. 7. For example, FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The method can be applied to the communication between the policy control function entity, the session management function entity and the user plane function entity in the communication system.

[0313] As shown in FIG. 7, the flow of the communication method is as follows:

[0314] S701, the user plane function entity obtains a MAC address and flow direction information.

[0315] The MAC address is the address of a newly added terminal device in a terminal group, or the address of a newly added terminal device in a local area network. The flow direction information is used to indicate the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address. The flow direction corresponding to the MAC address can be understood as the direction in which the data of the terminal device can be transmitted, such as uplink, downlink, or bidirectional. It can be understood that the MAC address in the embodiments of the present application can also be replaced by other possible addresses, without limitation.

[0316] The user plane function entity can obtain the MAC address and the flow direction information from the newly added terminal device. For example, a terminal device#a is newly added in a terminal group or a local area network, and the terminal device#a can report the MAC address of the terminal device#a and the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address to the user plane function entity.

[0317] It can be understood that the specific implementation principle of S701 can refer to the related description of S601-S602 described above. The MAC address and the flow direction information in the embodiments of the present application correspond to the MAC address#1 and the flow direction information#1 in the embodiments shown in FIG. 6, respectively, which will not be described here.

[0318] S702, the user plane function entity sends the MAC address and the flow direction information to the session management function entity. Correspondingly, the session management function entity receives the MAC address and the flow direction information corresponding to the MAC address from the user plane function entity.

[0319] The user plane function entity can send the MAC address and the flow direction information through an existing message, or send the MAC address and the flow direction information through a newly defined message, without limitation.

[0320] S703, the session management function entity determines the PDR information according to the MAC address and the flow direction information.

[0321] That is, the session management function entity can determine the PDR information according to the MAC address, the flow direction information, and the flow information. The flow information can be information pre-configured by the session management function entity, or information sent to the session management function entity by other devices (such as a policy control function entity), without limitation.

[0322] It can be understood that the PDR information generated by the session management function entity is related to the flow direction information. That is, when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is uplink, the PDR information is uplink PDR information; or when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is downlink, the PDR information is downlink PDR information; or when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is bidirectional, the PDR information is uplink PDR information and downlink PDR information. That is, when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is uplink, the PDR information is only uplink PDR information, or the PDR information does not include downlink PDR information. When the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is downlink, the PDR information is only downlink PDR information, or the PDR information does not include uplink PDR information.

[0323] The source address in the uplink PDR information is the MAC address. In this way, the source address in the uplink PDR information is correct, so that the user plane function entity does not need to exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information after receiving the uplink PDR information, thereby reducing the processing overhead of the user plane function entity. It can be understood that the session management function entity can exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information after generating the uplink PDR information, or directly determine the MAC address as the source address when generating the uplink PDR information. The specific setting can be flexibly set according to actual conditions, and is not limited.

[0324] Alternatively, when the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information is uplink, the session management function entity determines that the source address included in the uplink PDR information in the PDR information can specifically include: the session management function entity determines the MAC address as the source address of the uplink PDR information according to the flow direction information. In this way, the session management function entity does not need to exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information after determining the uplink PDR information, thereby reducing the processing overhead of the session management function entity.

[0325] Further, the flow direction indicated by the flow direction information includes uplink, and the communication method can further include: the session management function entity sends uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity, and correspondingly, the user plane function entity receives the uplink PDR information from the session management function entity, wherein the source address in the uplink PDR information is a MAC address. That is, the session management function entity sends correct uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity. In this way, the user plane function entity does not need to exchange the source address and the destination address in the uplink PDR information sent by the session management function entity, thereby reducing the processing overhead of the user plane function entity.

[0326] To sum up, in the embodiment of the present application, the user plane function entity can send the MAC address of the newly added terminal device and the flow direction information indicating the flow direction corresponding to the MAC address to the session management function entity, so that the session management function entity can determine the PDR information according to the MAC address and the flow direction information. In this way, the session management function entity can generate corresponding PDR information based on the flow direction, thereby reducing the overhead of the session management function entity when generating PDR information when the flow direction is uplink or downlink. In addition, the user plane function entity does not need to use additional PDR information to match the data packet, thereby reducing the processing overhead of the user plane function entity.

[0327] It can be understood that the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 can be understood with reference to the related description in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0328] For example, FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method can be applied to the interaction between the user plane function entity and the session management function entity in the communication system described above.

[0329] As shown in FIG. 8, the flow of the communication method is as follows:

[0330] S801, the session management function entity sends first uplink PDR information to the user plane function entity. Correspondingly, the user plane function entity receives the first uplink PDR information from the session management function entity.

[0331] The first uplink PDR information is used to detect and classify data packets. The first uplink PDR information includes flow description information and source interface information. The flow description information includes the source address and the destination address of the downlink flow, which can be understood with reference to the related description of the flow description information #2 in the aforementioned S202a, which will not be repeated here. The source interface information is used to indicate the source interface in the first uplink PDR information.

[0332] S802, the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information according to the first interface in the first uplink PDR information to obtain second uplink PDR information.

[0333] The first interface is an interface used for local area network data transmission inside the user plane function entity. The local area network can be a 5G LAN, and the first interface can be a 5G VN internal interface. It can be understood that the local area network and the first interface can be set according to actual conditions, which is not limited.

[0334] Further, the first uplink PDR information is associated with a core network interface as the destination interface. It can be understood that, when the source interface in the PDR information is a 5G VN internal interface, and the destination interface associated with the PDR information is a core network interface, the PDR information is uplink PDR information. That is, the user plane function entity can determine whether the PDR information is uplink PDR information according to the source interface and the destination interface. That is, the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information according to the source interface in the first uplink PDR information being the first interface and the destination interface associated with the uplink PDR information being a core network interface.

[0335] It can be understood that, in S802, the user plane function entity receives PDR information; after receiving the PDR information, the user plane function entity needs to detect the PDR information, such as determining the PDR information to be uplink PDR information or downlink PDR information based on the source address in the PDR information and the destination address associated with the PDR information, so as to determine the PDR information to be uplink PDR information (i.e., the first uplink PDR information). In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the first uplink PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) the first PDR information, and the second uplink PDR information can be understood as (or replaced by) the second PDR information.

[0336] That is, the above-mentioned communication method can further include: the user plane function entity determines the first PDR information to be uplink PDR information according to the source interface being the first interface and the destination interface being a core network interface.

[0337] It can also be understood that, in S802, the user plane function entity can also not exchange the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information, but update the first uplink PDR information. That is, at this time, S802 can be: the user plane function entity can update the first uplink PDR information according to the source interface in the first uplink PDR information being the first interface, to obtain second PDR information, wherein the source address in the second uplink PDR information is the destination address associated with the first uplink PDR information, and the destination address associated with the second uplink PDR information is the source address associated with the first uplink PDR information. For details, reference can be made to the related description in the foregoing "S304a", which will not be described here.

[0338] Optionally, after the user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information according to the first interface as the source interface in the first uplink PDR information (i.e., S802), the above communication method can further include: the user plane function entity sends an uplink data packet, the uplink data packet being at least one data packet matched by the user plane function entity using the second uplink PDR data (S803 in FIG. 8), which can refer to the foregoing related description in “S204a” or “S306” and will not be described here.

[0339] In summary, in the embodiments of the present application, after receiving the first uplink PDR information from the session management function entity, the user plane function entity can exchange the source address and the destination address in the first uplink PDR information according to the first interface as the source interface in the first uplink PDR information. In this way, the user plane function entity can correctly perceive the uplink PDR information in the local area network scenario.

[0340] It can be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the “source address and the destination address in the PDR information” and the “source address and the destination address in the flow description information in the PDR information” indicate the same content, i.e., they can be used alternatively. In various embodiments of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referred to each other if there is no special description and logical conflict, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship. In addition, in various embodiments of the present application, the names of each message, each information and each function entity are only an example of the expression manner, and each message, each information and each function entity can also be replaced by any possible name without limitation.

[0341] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail above in combination with FIGS. 2-8. The communication apparatus for executing the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below in combination with FIGS. 9-10.

[0342] FIG. 9 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. As an example, as shown in FIG. 9, the communication apparatus 900 includes a transceiver module 901 and a processing module 902. For ease of illustration, FIG. 9 only shows the main components of the communication apparatus.

[0343] The transceiver module 901 is configured to perform the transceiving functions of the methods shown in FIGS. 2-8, and the processing module 902 is configured to perform other functions of the methods shown in FIGS. 2-8 except the transceiving functions.

[0344] Optionally, the transceiver module 901 can include a transmitting module (not shown in FIG. 9) and a receiving module (not shown in FIG. 9). The transmitting module is configured to implement the transmitting function of the communication apparatus 900, and the receiving module is configured to implement the receiving function of the communication apparatus 900.

[0345] Optionally, the communication apparatus 900 can further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 9), which stores programs or instructions. When the processing module 902 executes the programs or instructions, the communication apparatus 900 can perform the functions of the network device (such as a policy control function entity, a session management function entity, or a user plane function entity) in the methods shown in FIGS. 2-8.

[0346] It can be understood that the communication apparatus 900 can be a network device, a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in the network device, or an apparatus including the network device, which are not limited in the present application.

[0347] FIG. 10 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus can be a network device, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be arranged in the network device. As shown in FIG. 10, the communication apparatus 1000 can include a processor 1001. Optionally, the communication apparatus 1000 can further include a memory 1002 and / or a transceiver 1003. The processor 1001 is coupled with the memory 1002 and the transceiver 1003, for example, through a communication bus.

[0348] The components of the communication apparatus 1000 will be described in detail below in combination with FIG. 10.

[0349] The processor 1001 is the control center of the communication apparatus 1000, which can be one processor or a plurality of processing elements. For example, the processor 1001 is one or more central processing units (CPUs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement one or more embodiments of the present application, such as one or more microprocessors (digital signal processors, DSPs), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0350] Optionally, the processor 1001 can execute various functions of the communication apparatus 1000 by running or executing software programs stored in the memory 1002 and calling data stored in the memory 1002, such as executing the communication method described above.

[0351] In a specific implementation, as an example, the processor 1001 can include one or more CPUs, such as the CPU0 and the CPU1 shown in FIG. 10.

[0352] In a specific implementation, as an example, the communication apparatus 1000 can also include multiple processors, such as the processor 1001 and the processor 1004 shown in FIG. 10. Each of the processors can be a single-CPU or a multi-CPU. The processor herein can refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (for example, computer program instructions).

[0353] The memory 1002 is configured to store software programs for implementing the solutions of the present application, and the processor 1001 is configured to control execution. For specific implementation, refer to the methods described above, and details are not described herein.

[0354] Optionally, the memory 1002 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program codes in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to this. The memory 1002 can be integrated with the processor 1001 or exist independently and be coupled with the processor 1001 through an interface circuit (not shown in FIG. 10) of the communication apparatus 1000, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited in this regard.

[0355] The transceiver 1003 is configured to communicate with other communication devices. For example, the communication device 1000 is a terminal, and the transceiver 1003 can be configured to communicate with a network device or another terminal. For another example, the communication device 1000 is a network device, and the transceiver 1003 can be configured to communicate with a terminal or another network device.

[0356] Optionally, the transceiver 1003 can include a receiver and a transmitter (not shown separately in FIG. 10). The receiver is configured to implement the receiving function, and the transmitter is configured to implement the transmitting function.

[0357] Optionally, the transceiver 1003 can be integrated with the processor 1001, or can exist independently and be coupled to the processor 1001 through an interface circuit (not shown in FIG. 10) of the communication device 1000. The embodiments of the present application do not make a limitation in this regard.

[0358] It can be understood that the structure of the communication device 1000 shown in FIG. 10 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device, and an actual communication device can include more or fewer components than those shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0359] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device 1000 can refer to the technical effects of the methods described in the above method embodiments, which will not be described here again.

[0360] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor.

[0361] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a nonvolatile memory, or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. Among them, the nonvolatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example, and not limitation, many forms of random access memory (RAM) are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0362] The above-described embodiments can be implemented in part or in whole through software, hardware (e.g., circuitry), firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the above-described embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When loaded and executed by a computer, the computer instructions or computer programs can produce the processes or functions described above in accordance with the embodiments of the present application. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable apparatus. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, such as from a website site, a computer, a server, or a data center to another website site, a computer, a server, or a data center through a wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium or a collection of medium accessible by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, a data center, etc. containing one or more available medium. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium can be a solid-state disk.

[0363] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this document is merely used to describe an associated relationship between associated objects, and can represent three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent three cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally represents an "or" relationship between the front and rear associated objects, but can also represent an "and / or" relationship. The specific meaning can be understood according to the context before and after.

[0364] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of the items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0365] It should be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence number of the above-described processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of the processes should be determined according to their functions and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0366] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0367] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0368] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described device embodiments are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0369] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separated, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or can be distributed on a plurality of network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0370] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically independently, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0371] If the functions are implemented in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially or the parts that contribute to the prior art or parts of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a plurality of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

[0372] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: The session management function entity receives policy and charging control (PCC) rules from a policy control function entity, the PCC rules comprising flow description information and flow direction information, the flow description information comprising a source address and a destination address of a downlink flow, and the flow direction information being used to indicate that the flow direction comprises uplink; In a case where the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to a local area network scenario, the session management function entity sends first PDR information to a user plane function entity, the first PDR information comprising the flow description information and indication information used to indicate that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are to be exchanged; or In a case where the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to a local area network scenario, the session management function entity sends first PDR information and indication information to a user plane function entity, the first PDR information comprising the flow description information, and the indication information being used to indicate that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are to be exchanged.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Before the session management function entity sends the first PDR information to the user plane function entity, or before the session management function entity sends the first PDR information and the indication information to the user plane function entity, the method further comprises: In a case where the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to the local area network scenario, the session management function entity determines that the source address and the destination address in the first PDR information are to be exchanged.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The PCC rules further comprise group identification, and the method further comprises: The session management function entity determines, according to the group identification, that the flow description information and the flow direction information are applied to a local area network scenario.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The source interface in the first PDR information is a first interface, and the destination interface associated with the first PDR information is a core network interface, the first interface being an interface inside the user plane function entity and used for local area network data transmission.

5. The method according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The local area network is a fifth generation (5G) local area network (LAN).

6. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: A user plane function entity receives first uplink packet detection rule (PDR) information from a session management function entity, the first PDR information comprising flow description information and source interface information, the flow description information comprising a source address and a destination address of a downlink flow; The user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address according to the first interface being a source interface in the first PDR information, to obtain second PDR information, the first interface being an interface inside the user plane function entity and used for local area network data transmission.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address according to the first interface being a source interface in the first PDR information, comprising: The user plane function entity exchanges the source address and the destination address according to the first interface being a source interface in the first PDR information and a core network interface being a destination interface associated with the first PDR information.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The method further comprises: The user plane function entity determines that the first PDR information is uplink PDR information according to the source interface being the first interface and the destination interface being a core network interface.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6-8, characterized in that, The local area network is a fifth generation (5G) local area network (LAN).

10. The method according to any one of claims 6-9, characterized in that, The first PDR information is associated with a destination interface that is a core network interface.

11. The method according to any one of claims 6-10, characterized in that, The method further includes: The user plane function entity sends an uplink data packet, the uplink data packet being at least one data packet obtained by the user plane function entity using the second uplink PDR data for matching.

12. A communications device, characterized by The communication device is configured to perform the communication method of any one of claims 1-11.

13. A communications device, characterized by Comprising: a processor and a memory; The memory is configured to store computer instructions, when the processor executes the instructions, to cause the communication device to perform the communication method of any one of claims 1-11.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium comprises computer programs or instructions, when the computer programs or instructions are run on the communication device, to cause the communication device to perform the method of any one of claims 1-11.

15. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises computer programs or instructions, when the computer programs or instructions are run on the communication device, to cause the method of any one of claims 1-11 to be performed.

16. A method of communication, comprising: Comprising the method of any one of claims 1-5, and the method of any one of claims 6-11.

17. A communication system, characterized by Comprising a session management function entity and a user plane function entity, wherein the session management function entity is configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1-5, and the user plane function entity is configured to perform the method of any one of claims 6-11.

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