Communication method, apparatus and system

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and discloses a communication method, apparatus and system. The method comprises: a terminal device receiving information about a first computing node available to the terminal device, and information about at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use by means of the first computing node; and sending a first data packet, wherein the first data packet comprises first data, the information about the first computing node, and information about a first computing function among the at least one computing function, and the first computing function is used for performing computing processing on the first data. In this way, by carrying, in the data packet sent by the terminal device, the information about the first computing node and the information about the computing function associated with the first computing node, data of the terminal device is accurately routed to the computing function associated with the computing node, so that computing processing is performed on the data by the computing function associated with the computing node.

Description

A communication method, apparatus and system

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411551988.0, filed on October 31, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method, Apparatus and System", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus and system. Background Technology

[0004] With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) services, generative AI services are becoming increasingly diverse and evolving into AI agents. Because AI services require significant computing power, power consumption, and storage resources, they place new challenges on terminal devices. Due to resource limitations on the edge, cloud-edge-device computing collaboration has become a new trend to alleviate the computing pressure on the edge.

[0005] Based on this trend, one possible deployment approach is to deploy computing nodes within the network, such as placing them after access network devices. However, how to achieve the transmission of computing data between terminal devices and computing nodes when deploying computing nodes within the network still requires further research. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, and system that, by carrying information about a first computing node and information about the computing function associated with the first computing node in the data packets sent by the terminal device, enables the data of the terminal device to be accurately routed to the computing function associated with the computing node, so that the computing function associated with the computing node can perform calculation processing on the data.

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a first communication device. The "first communication device" in this application can refer to a terminal device, a component within the terminal device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal device's functions. For example, in the method provided in the first aspect, the terminal device receives information about a first computing node available to the terminal device and information about at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node; it then sends a first data packet, the first data packet including first data, information about the first computing node, and information about a first computing function among the at least one computing function, the first computing function being used to perform computational processing on the first data.

[0008] Thus, by carrying information about the first computing node and the computing function associated with the first computing node in the data packets sent by the terminal device, the data of the terminal device is accurately routed to the computing function associated with the computing node, so that the computing function associated with the computing node can perform calculation processing on the data.

[0009] In one possible design, the information of the first computing node in the first data packet is used to indicate that the first computing node is the receiving end of the first data packet; the information of the first computing function in the first data packet is used to indicate that the computing function that performs the calculation processing on the first data is the first computing function.

[0010] In existing transmission methods, data packets sent by terminal devices carry a destination IP address, which is the IP address of a server located outside the operator's network. Therefore, when the server's IP address changes dynamically, the terminal device only needs to be notified to update the server's IP address, with minimal impact on the operator's network. However, in the deployment method provided in this application embodiment, the computing function is deployed within the operator's network. Therefore, if the existing transmission method is used between the terminal device and the computing function associated with the computing node—that is, the data packets sent by the terminal device carry a destination IP address, which is the IP address of the computing function—the operator's network needs to update the IP address when the computing function's IP address changes dynamically, leading to greater network maintenance difficulties. Since the address of the first computing node typically does not change dynamically, the information of the first computing node (such as the address of the first computing node) and the information of the computing function (such as the identifier of the computing function) carried in the data packets sent by the terminal device in this application embodiment are information about the first computing node (such as the address of the first computing node) and the computing function (such as the identifier of the computing function). This means that data transmission does not require the address of the computing function, and the operator's network does not need to maintain the address of the computing function. This effectively avoids the problem of greater network maintenance difficulties caused by dynamic changes in the IP address of the computing function. It should be understood that the above IP address is an example and this application is not limited.

[0011] In one possible design, the first computing node can receive data packets sent by the terminal device, and then perform computation, inference, rendering, analysis, or processing on the data packets through AI-related functions such as large language models. Optionally, in one possible implementation, the first computing function refers to the computing model on the first computing node. The computing model can be distinguished by the type of service it supports, such as supporting AI models, large language models, large model inference, image rendering services, image recognition, human-computer interaction, and image-text question answering models; or it can be distinguished by different computing services, such as deployment by operators, Wenxin Yiyan, Kimi, or other manufacturers; or it can be distinguished by the service parameters of different supported computing services. Different computing functions on the first computing node can be distinguished by one or more of the three distinction methods mentioned above.

[0012] In one possible design, the method further includes: receiving configuration information from a first access network device, the configuration information being used to configure a mapping relationship between the first computing function and the data radio bearer, the first access network device being an access network device to which the terminal device is connected; the sending of the first data packet includes: sending the first data packet through the data radio bearer according to the mapping relationship.

[0013] Currently, access network devices typically configure a mapping relationship between QoS flow identifiers and data radio bearers, meaning that data from the same QoS flow is mapped to the same data radio bearer. However, in this embodiment, a single QoS flow can transmit data from multiple computing functions, and different computing functions may have different transmission requirements. Therefore, by configuring the mapping relationship between computing functions and data radio bearers, it is convenient to differentiate the data from different computing functions within the same QoS flow, thus meeting the transmission requirements of different computing functions.

[0014] In one possible design, the information of the first computing node includes at least one of the following: the address of the first computing node, the identifier of the first computing node, the connection identifier between the first computing node and the terminal device, and the session granularity identifier between the first computing node and the terminal device. Specifically, the connection identifier is used to identify the point-to-point connection between the first computing node and the terminal device, and the session granularity identifier is used to identify the session between the first computing node and the terminal device for transmitting one or more computing services.

[0015] In one possible design, the information of the first computing function includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the first computing function, the identifier of the computing model or computing task corresponding to the first computing function, and the port number information corresponding to the first computing function.

[0016] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending a request message for requesting the establishment of a communication connection between the terminal device and a computing node, the request message including information for determining the available computing nodes for the terminal device.

[0017] In one possible design, the information used to determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device includes at least one of the following: the identifier of a first access network device to which the terminal device is connected, the identifier of the computing power region of the terminal device, the identifier of the cell to which the terminal device is connected, and the identifier of the tracking area where the terminal device is located; the computing power region includes multiple access network devices, each of which is capable of connecting to each of the at least one computing node; or, the computing power region includes the multiple access network devices and the at least one computing node; or, the computing power region includes the at least one computing node.

[0018] In one possible design, the request message may also include information about the requested computational function, wherein the at least one computational function is within the scope of the requested computational function.

[0019] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a second communication device. The "second communication device" in this application can refer to a first computing node, a component within the first computing node (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first computing node. For example, in the method provided in the second aspect, the first computing node receives a first data packet, the first data packet including first data, information about the first computing node, and information about a first computing function associated with the first computing node; based on the information of the first computing function, it is determined that the first computing function will perform computational processing on the first data.

[0020] Thus, since the first data packet carries information about the computing function associated with the first computing node, after the first computing node receives the first data packet, it can accurately route the first data to the computing function associated with the computing node based on the information of the first computing function, so that the computing function associated with the computing node can perform computing processing on the first data.

[0021] In one possible design, the method further includes: receiving information from a terminal device; sending a second data packet, the second data packet including second data and information from the terminal device, wherein the second data is obtained by the first computing function performing calculations on the first data.

[0022] For example, during the establishment of the computing connection between the terminal device and the first computing node, core network elements (such as CMF network elements, for an introduction to CMF network elements, please refer to the description of the specific embodiments) can send the terminal device's information to the first computing node; furthermore, during the data transmission phase, the first computing node can carry the terminal device's information in the data packets sent to the terminal device.

[0023] In one possible design, the information of the terminal device in the second data packet is used to indicate that the terminal device is the receiver of the second data packet.

[0024] In one possible design, the second data packet also includes information about the first computing function, which is used to transmit the second data packet via a data wireless bearer associated with the first computing function.

[0025] For example, the first computing node sends a second data packet. Specifically, the second computing node sends the second data packet to the first access network device, which then sends the second data packet to the terminal device. Regarding the connection between the first access network device and the terminal device: during the connection configuration phase, the first access network device can configure the mapping relationship between computing functions and data radio bearers; subsequently, during the data transmission phase, the second data packet can carry information about the first computing function, so that the first access network device can map the second data packet to the corresponding data radio bearer for transmission based on the information about the first computing function.

[0026] Furthermore, configuring the mapping relationship between computing functions and data radio bearers, compared to the existing technology of "configuring the mapping relationship between QoS stream identifiers and data radio bearers," facilitates differentiated processing of data from different computing functions within the same QoS stream, thus meeting the transmission requirements of different computing functions.

[0027] In one possible design, the information of the terminal device includes at least one of the following: the address of the terminal device, the identifier of the terminal device, the connection identifier between the first computing node and the terminal device, and the identifier of the session granularity between the first computing node and the terminal device.

[0028] In one possible design, the information of the first computing function includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the first computing function, the identifier of the computing model or computing task corresponding to the first computing function, and the port number information corresponding to the first computing function.

[0029] In one possible design, the method further includes: receiving information that the terminal device is permitted to use at least one computing function through the first computing node; wherein the first computing function is one of the at least one computing function.

[0030] In one possible design, determining that the first data is processed by the first computing function based on the information of the first computing function includes: determining that the first data is processed by the first computing function based on the information of the first computing function and information about at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node.

[0031] Thus, the first computing node can determine whether the first computing function is one of at least one computing function (i.e., whether the first computing function is a computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node) based on the information of the first computing function and the information of at least one computing function. If yes, it can be determined that the first computing function will perform computing processing on the first data; if no, the first computing node can refuse to perform computing processing on the first data.

[0032] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a first communication device. The "first communication device" in this application can refer to a core network element (such as a CMF network element; for an introduction to CMF network elements, please refer to the description of specific embodiments), a component within a core network element (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the core network element's functions. For example, in the method provided in the third aspect, the CMF network element obtains information about a first computing node available to the terminal device, and information about at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node; it then sends the information about the first computing node available to the terminal device and the information about at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node to the terminal device; wherein the at least one computing function includes a first computing function, which is used to perform calculation processing on the first data sent by the terminal device.

[0033] In this way, the CMF network element sends the information of the first computing node and the information of at least one computing function to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can carry the information of the first computing node and the information of the first computing function in the data packet when sending the data packet, so that the data of the terminal device can be accurately routed to the first computing function associated with the computing node.

[0034] In one possible design, the information of the first computing node includes at least one of the following: the address of the first computing node, the identifier of the first computing node, the connection identifier between the first computing node and the terminal device, and the identifier of the session granularity between the first computing node and the terminal device.

[0035] In one possible design, the information of the first computing function includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the first computing function, the identifier of the computing model or computing task corresponding to the first computing function, and the port number information corresponding to the first computing function.

[0036] In one possible design, the method further includes: receiving a request message, the request message being used to request the establishment of a communication connection between the terminal device and a computing node, the request message including information for determining the computing nodes available to the terminal device; and determining, based on the information, that the computing nodes available to the terminal device include the first computing node.

[0037] In one possible design, the information used to determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device includes at least one of the following: the identifier of a first access network device to which the terminal device is connected, the identifier of the computing power region of the terminal device, the identifier of the cell to which the terminal device is connected, and the identifier of the tracking area where the terminal device is located; the computing power region includes multiple access network devices, each of which is capable of connecting to each of the at least one computing node; or, the computing power region includes the multiple access network devices and the at least one computing node; or, the computing power region includes the at least one computing node.

[0038] In one possible design, the method further includes: obtaining the computing functions subscribed to by the terminal device; determining, based on the computing functions associated with the first computing node and / or the computing functions subscribed to by the terminal device, at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node, or determining the at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use.

[0039] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending information about the terminal device and / or information about at least one computing function that the terminal device is permitted to use through the first computing node to the first computing node. The purpose of sending the terminal device information and / or information about at least one computing function to the first computing node can be found in the description on the first computing node side.

[0040] In one possible design, the information of the terminal device includes at least one of the following: the address of the terminal device, the identifier of the terminal device, the connection identifier between the first computing node and the terminal device, and the identifier of the session granularity between the first computing node and the terminal device.

[0041] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending information about the at least one computing function and / or transmission requirement information for the at least one computing function to a first access network device to which the terminal device is connected.

[0042] Thus, by sending transmission requirement information for at least one computing function to the first access network device, the first access network device can configure the mapping relationship between at least one computing function and the data radio bearer according to the transmission requirement information for at least one computing function, so as to facilitate meeting the transmission requirements of at least one computing function.

[0043] In one possible design, the first computing node available to the terminal device is determined based on at least one of the following: the access network device to which the terminal device is connected; the computing power area of ​​the terminal device; the method further includes: sending subscription information, the subscription information being used to subscribe to at least one of the following: a change in the access network device to which the terminal device is connected; a change in the computing power area of ​​the terminal device; a change in the computing nodes available to the terminal device; a change in the cell to which the terminal device is connected; a change in the tracking area where the terminal device is located.

[0044] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, which can be executed by a fourth communication device. The "fourth communication device" in this application can refer to an access network device, a component within the access network device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network device. For example, in the method provided in the fourth aspect, the access network device receives transmission request information for at least one computing function, the at least one computing function including a first computing function; configures a mapping relationship between the first computing function and a data radio bearer based on the transmission request information of the first computing function; and sends configuration information to a terminal device, the configuration information being used to configure the mapping relationship between the first computing function and the data radio bearer.

[0045] In this way, by configuring the mapping relationship between computing functions and data wireless bearers, it is convenient to perform differentiated processing on data of different computing functions in the same QoS stream, so as to meet the transmission requirements of different computing functions.

[0046] In one possible design, the access network device receives information from the at least one computing function.

[0047] In one possible design, the information of the first computing function includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the first computing function, the identifier of the computing model or computing task corresponding to the first computing function, and the port number information corresponding to the first computing function.

[0048] In one possible design, the transmission requirement information for the first computing function includes at least one of the following: the transmission latency requirement for the first computing function, and the packet loss rate requirement for the first computing function. The transmission latency requirement for the first computing function refers to the upper limit of the transmission latency for all data packets of a single inference request related to the first computing function in the network, such as the upper limit of the transmission latency between the terminal device and the computing node. This value requires the access network device to send all data packets of a single inference request to the terminal device and / or the computing node within this data value. The packet loss rate requirement for the first computing function refers to the upper limit of the packet loss rate or packet error rate for all data packets of a single inference request related to the first computing function in the network.

[0049] The communication methods provided in the first to fourth aspects correspond to each other, and the beneficial effects of the relevant technical features in the first to fourth aspects can be referred to each other.

[0050] Fifthly, this application provides a communication device that has the functions involved in any of the first to fourth aspects. For example, the communication device includes a module, unit, or means corresponding to the operation involved in any of the first to fourth aspects. The function, unit, or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software.

[0051] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processing unit and a communication unit. The communication unit can be used to transmit and receive signals to enable communication between the communication device and other devices. The processing unit can be used to perform some internal operations of the communication device. The functions performed by the processing unit and the communication unit can correspond to the operations involved in any of the first to fourth aspects described above.

[0052] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor that can be coupled to a memory. The memory can store necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions involved in any of the first to fourth aspects described above. The processor can execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, causing the communication device to implement the methods in any of the possible designs or implementations of the first to fourth aspects described above when the computer programs or instructions are executed.

[0053] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor and a memory, the memory of which may store necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions involved in any of the first to fourth aspects described above. The processor may execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, and when the computer programs or instructions are executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any of the possible designs or implementations of the first to fourth aspects described above.

[0054] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices through the interface circuit and to execute the methods in any possible design or implementation of the first to fourth aspects described above.

[0055] Understandably, in the fifth aspect above, the processor can be implemented in hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, integrated circuit, etc.; when implemented in software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor that reads software code stored in memory. Furthermore, there can be one or more processors, and one or more memories. The memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory and processor can be separate. In specific implementations, the memory can be integrated with the processor on the same chip, or it can be set on different chips. This application does not limit the type of memory or the arrangement of the memory and processor.

[0056] In a sixth aspect, this application provides a communication system, which may include a first communication device and a second communication device; wherein the first communication device is used to perform the method described in the first aspect, and the second communication device is used to perform the method described in the second aspect.

[0057] Optionally, the communication system further includes a third communication device for performing the method described in the fourth aspect above.

[0058] Optionally, the communication device further includes a fourth communication device for performing the method described in the fourth aspect above.

[0059] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program (or computer-readable instructions) in which, when a computer reads and executes some or all of the computer-readable instructions, the method in any of the possible designs in the first to fourth aspects described above is executed.

[0060] For example, a computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access. This includes, but is not limited to, non-transient computer-readable media, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), CD-ROM or other optical disc storage, magnetic disk storage media, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer.

[0061] Eighthly, this application provides a computer program product that, when read and executed by a computer, causes any of the possible designs in the first to fourth aspects to be performed.

[0062] Ninthly, this application provides a chip (or chip system) including a processor coupled to a memory storing a computer program; the processor is configured to invoke part or all of the computer program in the memory, such that any of the possible designs in the first to fourth aspects described above are executed. Attached Figure Description

[0063] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the network architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a more specific network architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 3A is a schematic diagram of data transmission for edge computing provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 3B is a schematic diagram of data transmission corresponding to the deployment method provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0069] Figure 6 is a flowchart corresponding to implementation method 2 of the present application;

[0070] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a protocol layer structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figure 8 is a more specific flowchart provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0072] Figure 9 is an exemplary block diagram of the apparatus involved in the embodiments of this application;

[0073] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0074] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This application will focus on various aspects, embodiments, or features of a system that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that each system may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, combinations of these solutions may also be used.

[0075] In the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplarily" and "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design scheme described as an "example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of the term "example" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner. In the embodiments of this application, "of," "corresponding, relevant," and "corresponding" may sometimes be used interchangeably, and it should be noted that their intended meanings are consistent unless their distinction is emphasized.

[0076] The technical solutions in this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, 4th generation (4G) communication system, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, 5G communication system, such as New Radio (NR) system, and future evolution communication systems.

[0077] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture for a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. The network architecture comprises four components: terminal equipment, access network (AN), core network (CN), and data network (DN). The access network can be a radio access network (RAN).

[0078] Terminal equipment, access network, and core network are the main components of the aforementioned network architecture. Logically, they can be divided into two parts: the user plane and the control plane. The control plane is responsible for the management of the mobile network, while the user plane is responsible for the transmission of service data. For example, as shown in Figure 1, in a 5G communication system, the next generation (NG)2 reference point is located between the access network control plane and the core network control plane, the NG3 reference point is located between the access network user plane and the core network user plane, and the NG6 reference point is located between the core network user plane and the data network.

[0079] The following section provides a detailed introduction to each component of the aforementioned network architecture.

[0080] (1) Terminal equipment

[0081] A terminal device is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user. Terminal devices may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), terminal, access terminal, terminal unit, terminal station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile terminal (MT), wireless communication equipment, terminal agent, or terminal equipment, etc.

[0082] For example, the terminal device can be a handheld device with wireless connectivity, or a vehicle with communication capabilities, such as in-vehicle equipment (e.g., in-vehicle communication device, in-vehicle communication chip). Examples of current terminal devices include: mobile phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistant (PDA) devices, handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, tablet computers, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, laptops, handheld computers, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving vehicles, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, and wireless terminals in smart homes.

[0083] Terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable, or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water (such as ships); and they can be deployed in the air (e.g., on airplanes, balloons, and satellites). In this application embodiment, the terminal device can send and receive sensing signals. For example, the terminal device can receive a sensing request from a sensing function network element, and then send and / or receive sensing signals based on the sensing request to obtain relevant sensing data. This application embodiment does not limit the specific technology, device form, application scenario, or name of the terminal device.

[0084] (2) Access Network

[0085] The access network is deployed close to the terminal equipment, providing network access functionality for authorized users in a specific area. It can determine different quality transmission tunnels to transmit user data based on user level, service requirements, and other factors. The access network manages and utilizes its own resources efficiently, providing access services to terminal equipment on demand, and is responsible for forwarding control signals and service data between the terminal equipment and the core network.

[0086] Access network equipment is deployed in the access network to connect terminal devices to the wireless network. Access network equipment is typically connected to the core network via a wired link (e.g., fiber optic cable). Access network equipment can also be called radio access network equipment or RAN equipment / nodes. For example, access network equipment may include base stations, evolved NodeBs (eNodeBs) in LTE systems or evolved LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, next-generation NodeBs (gNBs) in 5G communication systems, transmission reception points (TRPs), base band units (BBUs), access points (APs) in wireless local area networks (WLANs), integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, base stations in future mobile communication systems, or access nodes in WiFi systems. Wireless access network equipment can also be modules or units that perform some of the functions of a base station, such as a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). CUs and DUs can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0087] Access network equipment can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable, or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on water (such as ships); and it can also be deployed in the air (such as on airplanes, balloons, and satellites). This application does not limit the specific technologies, equipment forms, application scenarios, or names used in the access network equipment.

[0088] (3) Core Network

[0089] The core network is responsible for maintaining the subscription data of the mobile network, managing the network elements of the mobile network, and providing terminal devices with functions such as session management, mobility management, policy management, and security authentication.

[0090] Specifically, this may include: providing network access authentication for the terminal device when it attaches; allocating network resources for the terminal device when it has a service request; updating network resources for the terminal device when it moves; providing a fast recovery mechanism for the terminal device when it is idle; releasing network resources for the terminal device when it detaches; and providing data routing functions for the terminal device when it has service data, such as forwarding uplink data to the data network, or receiving downlink data from the data network and forwarding it to the access network, and then sending it to the terminal device.

[0091] (4) Data Network

[0092] A data network, also known as a packet data network (PDN), is a network located outside the operator's network. An operator's network can connect to multiple DNs, each of which can deploy application servers corresponding to various services, providing a variety of possible services to terminal devices. In actual communication, the client is typically located on the terminal device, while the server is typically located on the data network. A data network can be a private network, such as a local area network (LAN), an external network not controlled by the operator, such as the Internet, or a dedicated network jointly deployed by the operator; the specific type is not limited.

[0093] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a more specific network architecture provided in an embodiment of this application. This network architecture is the network architecture of a 5G communication system. As shown in Figure 2, this network architecture includes terminal equipment, access network equipment, various types of core network elements / functional entities, and a data network.

[0094] The core network user plane includes user plane function (UPF) network elements. The core network control plane includes, but is not limited to: access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, session management function (SMF) network elements, authentication server function (AUSF) network elements, network exposure function (NEF) network elements, network repository function (NRF) network elements, policy control function (PCF) network elements, unified data management (UDM) network elements, and application function (AF) network elements.

[0095] UPF network elements are primarily responsible for connecting to external networks and executing user data packet forwarding according to the routing rules of SMF network elements. For example, uplink data is sent to the data network or other UPF network elements, and downlink data is sent to other UPF network elements or access network devices.

[0096] AMF network elements are mainly responsible for the access management and mobility management of terminal devices, such as the status maintenance of terminal devices, the reachability management of terminal devices, the forwarding of non-access-stratum (MM NAS) messages, and the forwarding of session management (SM) N2 messages.

[0097] SMF (Service Provider Function) network elements are primarily responsible for session management in mobile networks, including establishing sessions for terminal devices, allocating and releasing resources for sessions, such as session quality of service (QoS), session paths, and forwarding rules. For example, they may allocate Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to terminal devices and select UPF (User Provider Function) network elements that provide packet forwarding functions.

[0098] The AUSF network element is primarily responsible for performing security authentication of terminal devices.

[0099] NEF network elements are used to connect other internal network elements of the core network with external application servers of the core network, so as to provide network capability information to external application servers, or to provide information from external application servers to core network elements.

[0100] The NRF network element is primarily responsible for providing other network elements with the functions of storing and selecting network function entity information.

[0101] The PCF network element is mainly responsible for user policy management, including policy authorization, quality of service and generation of billing rules, and distributing the corresponding rules to the UPF network element through the SMF network element to complete the installation of the corresponding policies and rules.

[0102] UDM network elements are primarily responsible for data management. For example, a UDM network element can manage user subscription information, including acquiring subscription information and providing it to other network elements (such as AMF network elements); and registering and maintaining network elements currently serving terminal devices. The functions of a UDM network element can be implemented through interaction with a unified data repository (UDR) network element (not shown in Figure 2), which stores the data required by the UDM network element to perform its operations. In actual implementation, the UDM network element and the UDR network element can be two independent physical entities, or the UDR network element can be integrated into the UDM network element; there are no restrictions.

[0103] The AF (Area Function) network element is mainly responsible for providing various application service data to the control plane network elements of the operator's communication network, or obtaining network data and control information from the control plane network elements of the communication network.

[0104] Although not shown, the above network architecture may include other possible network elements, without any specific limitations.

[0105] It is understood that Figure 2 illustrates a service-oriented architecture for the core network control plane. In this architecture, each control plane element is connected to a service bus, and interactions between control plane elements occur through service calls. That is, a control plane element exposes its services to other control plane elements for them to call. In other possible implementations, the core network control plane can also use point-to-point communication. In point-to-point communication, a specific set of messages exists between the communication interfaces of control plane elements. Specifically, the interface between the terminal device and the AMF element is called the N1 interface, the interface between the access network device and the AMF element is called the N2 interface, the interface between the access network device and the UPF element is called the N3 interface, the interface between the UPF element and the SMF element can be called the N4 interface, and the interface between the UPF element and the data network is called the N6 interface. Of course, in future communication systems, these interface names may remain unchanged or may be replaced with other names; this application does not limit this. In future communication systems, the aforementioned network elements or devices may still use their names in 5G communication systems, or have other names; the functions of the aforementioned network elements or devices may be performed by an independent network element or by several network elements together, and this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0106] Based on the network architecture shown in Figures 1 and 2, we will first introduce mobile edge computing (MEC): In 4G mobile communication systems and previous traditional mobile communication systems, user plane equipment generally follows a tree topology deployment. Uplink user data passes through the access network and backhaul network, and finally accesses the data network through a centrally deployed anchor gateway. In 4G mobile communication systems, anchor gateways are generally centrally deployed at higher locations in the network, such as regional central equipment rooms. With this small-scale, centralized deployment, the network topology is relatively simple, facilitating centralized service management and packet processing by operators at the anchor points. With the widespread deployment of 4G mobile communication systems, mobile internet has achieved tremendous success, gradually becoming one of the main ways for users to access the internet, leading to an explosive growth in mobile traffic. Traditional centralized deployment methods are increasingly unable to support this rapidly growing mobile traffic model. On the one hand, in a centralized network, the increased traffic ultimately concentrates at the anchor gateway and core equipment room, placing increasingly higher demands on backhaul network bandwidth, equipment room throughput, and gateway specifications. On the other hand, the long backhaul network and complex transmission environment from the access network to the anchor gateway also lead to significant latency and jitter in user data transmission. Against this backdrop, the industry has proposed mobile edge computing. Mobile edge computing achieves distributed local processing of service traffic by moving user plane network elements and service processing capabilities to the network edge, avoiding excessive traffic concentration and thus significantly reducing the requirements for core data centers and centralized gateways. Simultaneously, mobile edge computing also shortens the backhaul network distance, reducing end-to-end latency and jitter in user data, making the deployment of ultra-low latency services possible.

[0107] The implementation of mobile edge computing relies on the downward shift of service processing capabilities. In the user plane transmission path, it remains: terminal device - access network device - UPF network element - server in the data network (see Figure 3A). Specifically, the MEC is mainly responsible for computing data packets forwarded by the UPF network element. For example, the UPF network element can connect to the MEC's ​​data center (i.e., the MEC platform, located in the data network) via the N6 interface. This UPF network element can forward data packets accessing a specific application to the MEC platform, enabling the server deployed on the MEC platform that supports that application to process the data packet. Taking uplink data transmission as an example, the terminal device sends a data packet (this data packet comes from an application in the terminal device's application layer, such as application a). The data packet carries the destination IP address, i.e., the IP address of the server in the data network. This data packet can then be transmitted through the access network device and the UPF network element (the UPF network element is selected by the SMF network element for the terminal device to route data packets; the terminal device is unaware of the UPF network element) to the server in the data network, so that the computing model of application a in the server can process the data packet. In other words, the mobile communication system acts as a communication conduit, responsible for transmitting uplink and downlink data, while data processing and computation are performed by servers in the data network; the function of the mobile communication system is communication, and computation is performed by remote servers.

[0108] With the development of wireless communication networks, the computing power for inference is growing rapidly, posing new challenges to the computing power requirements of terminal devices. The focus of artificial intelligence (AI) processing is shifting from the cloud to the edge, and the industry believes that cloud-edge-device collaboration can alleviate the computing power pressure on the terminal side. Based on this trend, this application proposes a new deployment method to support the offloading of computing power on the terminal side. Referring to Figure 3B, the deployment method proposed in this application is as follows: a computing node is deployed within the operator's network, for example, after the access network device. The computing node then receives data packets from application b on the terminal device through the access network device, and after completing the computation task through the computation model of application b, sends the calculated data to the terminal device through the access network device. That is, the data transmission path is: terminal device - access network device - computing node, thereby enabling the offloading of computing power on the terminal side.

[0109] It is understood that the deployment method shown in Figure 3B is only one possible example. The computing node in this embodiment can also be deployed in other possible locations within the operator network, such as after the UPF network element. In this case, the data transmission path is: terminal device - access network device - UPF network element - computing node. This embodiment will be described using the deployment method shown in Figure 3B as an example.

[0110] However, when computing nodes are deployed within a network, how to achieve the transmission of computing data between terminal devices and computing nodes still requires further research.

[0111] Based on this, embodiments of this application will provide a communication method, apparatus, and system. By carrying information about a first computing node and information about the computing function associated with the first computing node in the data packets sent by the terminal device, the data of the terminal device is accurately routed to the computing function associated with the computing node, so that the computing function associated with the computing node can perform calculation processing on the data.

[0112] First, the network architecture to which this application embodiment applies will be introduced. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4, the network architecture may include terminal devices, access network devices, computing nodes, and computing management function (CMF) network elements. Optionally, the network architecture may also include some network elements shown in the network architecture of Figure 2, as shown in the dashed boxes in Figure 4. The descriptions of the relevant network elements or devices in Figure 4 can be found in the above description; here, the CMF network elements and computing nodes are mainly described.

[0113] CMF network elements: CMF network elements can be used for execution control of computing tasks and awareness management of computing resources, including establishing computing connections between terminal devices and computing nodes, allocating and releasing resources for computing connections, such as assigning identifiers for computing connections to terminal devices and / or computing nodes. CMF network elements can be deployed within the core network. For example, a CMF network element can be a newly added network element within the core network. This newly added network element (i.e., the CMF network element) can communicate with other network elements in the core network through service interfaces, or it can communicate with other network elements in the core network through point-to-point communication. Alternatively, a CMF network element can be an enhancement of an existing network element. For example, a CMF network element can be an SMF network element or an AMF network element with added computing management functions. Alternatively, a CMF network element can be a module within an SMF network element or an AMF network element. Alternatively, a CMF network element can also have the functions of one or more of the SMF or AMF network elements, which can be understood as a CMF network element that can be used to replace one or more of the SMF or AMF network elements. Furthermore, the embodiments in this application are described using the name "CMF network element" as an example, and the specific name is not limited.

[0114] Computing Nodes: Deployed after the access network equipment, computing nodes can also be called far-edge intelligent nodes (FeINs). A computing node can be associated with one or more computing functions, each corresponding to a computing model for a computing power application. For example, a computing node might be associated with computing functions 1, 2, and 3. Computing function 1 corresponds to a large model supporting text-based question answering, computing function 2 corresponds to a large model supporting image recognition, and computing function 3 corresponds to a large model supporting image rendering. In this embodiment, "computing function" can be understood as a computing function module or an application server used to implement computing functions; no specific limitation is made. One or more computing functions associated with a computing node can be deployed independently of the computing node, or they can be deployed on the computing node; no specific limitation is made. Furthermore, different computing nodes can be associated with different computing functions, or the service level agreement (SLA) values ​​for computation latency and / or computation accuracy of the computing functions associated with different computing nodes can be different.

[0115] For example, the deployment location of the computing node that the access network device can connect to is related to the deployment location of the access network device. For instance, when the deployment location of the computing node is close to the access network device, the access network device can connect to the computing node; when the deployment location of the computing node is far from the access network device, the access network device cannot connect to the computing node or can access the computing node through other network nodes (such as UPF).

[0116] As one possible implementation, at the access network device level, the computing nodes that different access network devices can connect to may be the same or different. For example, access network device 1 can connect to computing nodes a1 and a2, while access network device 2 can connect to computing nodes b1 and b2. The connection relationship information between the access network device and the computing nodes can be pre-configured in the access network device. Optionally, this connection relationship information can also be pre-configured in core network elements (such as CMF and / or AMF elements), or the access network device or other possible network elements (such as NRF) can send the connection relationship information between the access network device and the computing nodes to the core network elements; the specific implementation is not limited. For example, the connection relationship information between the access network device and the computing nodes includes the identifier of the access network device, the identifier of the computing nodes that the access network device can connect to, and optionally, the identifier of the computing function associated with the computing node and the SLA value of the computing delay and / or computing accuracy of the computing function.

[0117] As another possible implementation, multiple access network devices share at least one computing node, meaning that each of the multiple access network devices can connect to each of these at least one computing node. For ease of description, this application introduces the concept of a "computing power region," which may include multiple access network devices, each capable of connecting to each of the at least one computing node corresponding to the computing power region; or, the computing power region may include multiple access network devices and at least one computing node, each capable of connecting to each of these at least one computing node; or, the computing power region may include at least one computing node, and the multiple access network devices corresponding to the computing power region can connect to each of these at least one computing node. For example, a computing power region includes computing nodes a1, a2, b1, and b2. When the access network devices corresponding to the computing power region include access network device 1 and access network device 2, the computing nodes that access network device 1 can connect to include computing nodes a1, a2, b1, and b2, and the computing nodes that access network device 2 can connect to include computing nodes a1, a2, b1, and b2.

[0118] It is understood that the network architecture shown in Figure 4 is only one possible example. The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of communication system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0119] Based on the network architecture shown in Figure 4, the communication method provided in this application is described below with reference to specific embodiments. The communication method provided in this application involves multiple communication devices, such as a first communication device, a second communication device, and a third communication device. The first communication device is a terminal device or a component of a terminal device, such as a chip or chip system disposed in the terminal device; the second communication device is a first computing node or a component of a first computing node, such as a chip or chip system disposed in the first computing node; the third communication device is a core network element (such as a CMF network element) or a component of a core network element, such as a chip or chip system disposed in a core network element. In this application embodiment, the example of "the first communication device being a terminal device, the second communication device being a first computing node, and the third communication device being a CMF network element" is used for description.

[0120] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, and "send information" can include direct sending or indirect sending through other communication devices, communication apparatuses, units, or modules. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, and "receive information" can include receiving directly from YY or receiving indirectly from YY through other communication devices, communication apparatuses, units, or modules. In addition, "send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. In other words, "send" or "receive" can be performed between devices, such as between access network devices and terminal devices through an air interface, or "send" or "receive" can be performed within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within a device through a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0121] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, the method may include:

[0122] S501, the CMF network element obtains information about the first computing node available to the terminal device, and information about at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node.

[0123] For example, the CMF network element can receive a request message, which may include the identifier of the terminal device. The request message is used to request the establishment of a communication connection between the terminal device and a computing node, or in other words, to request the establishment of a computing connection within the operator's network for the terminal device. Furthermore, based on the request message, the CMF network element determines that the computing nodes available to the terminal device include a first computing node, and determines that the computing functions allowed for the terminal device to use through the first computing node include at least one computing function, and obtains information about the first computing node and at least one computing function. The computing functions allowed for the terminal device to use through the first computing node refer to: the terminal device being allowed to send data to be computed (hereinafter referred to as "first data") to the computing function through the first computing node, and / or receiving data computed by the computing function (hereinafter referred to as "second data") through the first computing node.

[0124] The request message can be sent by the terminal device to the CMF network element. For example, the terminal device sends request message 'a' to the AMF network element through the first access network device. After receiving request message 'a', the AMF network element can select the CMF network element based on the access network device to which the terminal device is connected and / or the location information of the terminal device, and then send request message 'a' to the selected CMF network element. Alternatively, the terminal device sends request message 'a' to the first access network device, and after receiving request message 'a', the first access network device sends request message 'a' to the CMF network element. The names of request message 'a' and request message 'a' can be the same or different; there is no specific limitation.

[0125] A request message (such as request message a or request message a') can be called a compute plane connection request message or a compute session creation request message. A request message can be a newly introduced signaling or message, in which both the sender and receiver are aware that it is a connection request message for the compute plane; alternatively, a request message can reuse an existing request message (such as a PDU session establishment request message), by adding compute service-specific S-NSSAI or DNN, or other additional indication information, to indicate that the PDU session establishment request message is for a compute service.

[0126] (1) Describe the information of the computing nodes and the information of the computing functions.

[0127] The computing nodes available to the terminal device refer to the computing nodes that the terminal device can connect to. Optionally, the terminal device can establish a connection with the computing nodes through the first access network device, or through the first access network device and the user plane function network element, or through other network devices. The terminal device can have one or more computing nodes available to it. When the terminal device has multiple computing nodes available to it, the first computing node can be one of these multiple computing nodes.

[0128] Taking the first computing node as an example, the information of the first computing node may include at least one of the following: the address of the first computing node (e.g., IP address), the identifier of the first computing node (e.g., ID), the connection identifier between the first computing node and the terminal device (connection ID), and the session granularity identifier between the first computing node and the terminal device. The connection identifier between the first computing node and the terminal device may be assigned by the CMF network element or obtained by the terminal device itself, and there is no specific limitation. In this embodiment of the application, the information of the first computing node is described as the address of the first computing node. For other situations, those skilled in the art can directly replace it to obtain the corresponding technical solution.

[0129] Taking a first computing function among at least one computing function as an example, the information of the first computing function may include at least one of the following: an identifier of the first computing function, an identifier of the computing model or computing task corresponding to the first computing function, and port number information corresponding to the first computing function. In this embodiment, the identifier of the first computing function is used as an example for description. For other cases, those skilled in the art can directly replace it to obtain the corresponding technical solution.

[0130] (2) The implementation of “CMF network element determines the computing nodes available to the terminal device and at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node” is described.

[0131] There are multiple ways for the CMF network element to determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device and the at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node. The following describes two possible implementations in conjunction with implementation method 1 and implementation method 2.

[0132] Implementation Method 1

[0133] In implementation method 1, the request message (such as request message a' above) includes information for determining the available computing nodes for the terminal device. The CMF network element determines the available computing nodes for the terminal device based on the information for determining the available computing nodes for the terminal device.

[0134] The information used to determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device includes at least one of the following: ① the identifier of the first access network device to which the terminal device is connected; ② the identifier of the computing power region of the terminal device; ③ the identifier of the cell to which the terminal device is connected; ④ the identifier of the tracking area where the terminal device is located; ⑤ the current location information of the terminal device; ⑥ the subscription data of the terminal device; ⑦ the request message of the terminal device; ⑧ the local configuration of the terminal device. It is understood that ① to ⑧ here are merely illustrative examples, and the information used to determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device may also include other possible information, without specific limitations.

[0135] ① When the information used to determine the available computing nodes for a terminal device includes the identifier of the first access network device, the CMF network element can determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device based on the identifier of the first access network device. For example, the CMF network element can determine the computing nodes that the first access network device can connect to based on the identifier of the first access network device and the pre-configured connection relationship between the access network device and the computing nodes. The computing nodes that the first access network device can connect to are the computing nodes available to the terminal device. Alternatively, the CMF network element can determine the computing power region where the first access network device is located or the computing power region corresponding to the first access network device based on the identifier of the first access network device. The computing power region where the first access network device is located or the computing power region corresponding to the first access network device is the computing power region of the terminal device. Furthermore, the CMF network element determines the available computing nodes for the terminal device based on the computing power region of the terminal device, as detailed below.

[0136] ② When the information used to determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device includes the identifier of the computing power region of the terminal device, the CMF network element can determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device based on the identifier of the computing power region of the terminal device.

[0137] In one example, the computing power region includes multiple access network devices, each capable of connecting to at least one computing node within that computing power region. The CMF network element can be pre-configured with correspondence information 1, which includes the identifier of the computing power region, the identifier of the at least one computing node corresponding to that computing power region, and optionally, the identifiers of the multiple access network devices included in the computing power region. Thus, based on the identifier of the computing power region of the terminal device, the CMF network element can determine that the computing nodes available to the terminal device include at least one computing node corresponding to that computing power region.

[0138] In another example, the computing power region includes multiple access network devices and at least one computing node. The CMF network element can be pre-configured with correspondence information 2, which includes the identifier of the computing power region, the identifier of the at least one computing node included in the computing power region, and optionally, the identifiers of the multiple access network devices included in the computing power region. Thus, based on the identifier of the computing power region of the terminal device, the CMF network element can determine that the available computing nodes for the terminal device include at least one computing node.

[0139] In another example, the computing power region includes at least one computing node. The CMF network element can be pre-configured with correspondence information 3, which includes the identifier of the computing power region, the identifier of the at least one computing node included in the computing power region, and optionally, the identifiers of multiple access network devices corresponding to the computing power region. Thus, based on the identifier of the computing power region, the CMF network element can determine that the computing nodes available to the terminal device include at least one computing node.

[0140] ③ When the information used to determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device includes the cell identifier accessed by the terminal device, the CMF network element can determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device based on the cell identifier accessed by the terminal device. One possible implementation is that the CMF network element can determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device based on the correspondence between the cell identifier and the computing node.

[0141] ④ When the information used to determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device includes the tracking area identifier where the terminal device is located, the CMF network element can determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device based on the tracking area identifier. One possible implementation is that the CMF network element can determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device based on the correspondence between the tracking area identifier and the computing nodes.

[0142] It is understood that this description is based on any one of ① to ④ as an example of the information used to determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device. Other cases can be referred to in the same way and will not be described in detail here.

[0143] Regarding request messages a and a', taking the example of "the terminal device sends request message a to the AMF network element, and the AMF network element sends request message a' to the CMF network element" (the example of "the terminal device sends request message a to the first access network device, and the first access network device sends request message a' to the CMF network element" can be understood similarly): In one example, request message a and request message a' contain the same content, such as information used to determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device. In another example, request message a does not include information used to determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device, while request message a' does. That is, after receiving request message a, if the AMF network element determines that request message a does not include information used to determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device, it can send request message a', which includes information used to determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device. In another example, request message a and request message a' contain different information. For instance, request message a includes the cell identifier that the terminal device accesses and / or the tracking area identifier where the terminal device is located, while request message a' includes the identifier of the first access network device that the terminal device accesses or the identifier of the computing power area of ​​the terminal device. In other words, after receiving request message a, the AMF network element can obtain the identifier of the first access network device that the terminal device accesses or the identifier of the computing power area of ​​the terminal device based on the cell identifier that the terminal device accesses and / or the tracking area identifier where the terminal device is located carried in request message a, and then send request message a'.

[0144] Assuming the computing nodes available to the terminal device determined by the CMF network element include a first computing node, the CMF network element determines at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node based on the computing functions associated with the first computing node and the computing functions subscribed to by the terminal device. For example, at least one computing function is the intersection of the computing functions associated with the first computing node and the computing functions subscribed to by the terminal device. For instance, if the terminal device's subscribed computing functions include computing function 1, computing function 2, computing function 3, and computing function 4, and the first computing node's associated computing functions include computing function 1, computing function 2, computing function 3, and computing function 5, then the CMF network element can determine that the terminal device is allowed to use at least one computing function through the first computing node, including computing function 1, computing function 2, and computing function 3. The CMF network element can obtain the terminal device's subscription information from the UDM network element. This subscription information includes the identifier of the terminal device's subscribed computing function, and optionally, the SLA value of the computing function's computational latency and / or computational accuracy. Furthermore, the CMF network element determines the terminal device's subscribed computing function based on the subscription information. This application does not limit the specific timing for the terminal device to obtain the terminal device's subscription information. For example, the CMF network element can obtain the terminal device's subscription information from the UDM network element after receiving the request message.

[0145] Optionally, the request message may further include an identifier of the computing function requested by the terminal device. Then, the CMF network element can determine at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node based on the computing function requested by the terminal device, the computing function associated with the first computing node, and the computing function subscribed to by the terminal device. For example, at least one computing function is the intersection of the computing function requested by the terminal device, the computing function associated with the first computing node, and the computing function subscribed to by the terminal device. Continuing with the above example, if the computing functions subscribed to by the terminal device include computing function 1 and computing function 2, then the CMF network element can determine that at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node includes computing function 1 and computing function 2.

[0146] It is understood that the above description uses the first computing node as an example. When there are multiple computing nodes available to the terminal device, the "computing functions that the terminal device is allowed to use through other computing nodes" can refer to the description of the first computing node. The above description uses the example of "the CMF network element first determines the computing nodes available to the terminal device, and then determines at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through that computing node for each computing node." The embodiments of this application do not limit the internal implementation of the CMF network element.

[0147] Implementation Method 2

[0148] For example, after receiving the request message, the CMF network element can obtain from the UDM network element the identifier of the first computing node available to the terminal device and the identifier of at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node. The identifier of the first computing node available to the terminal device and the identifier of at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node, stored in the UDM, can be determined by the AMF network element and sent to the UDM network element during the terminal device's registration process.

[0149] The following describes a possible implementation flow with reference to Figure 6. As shown in Figure 6, the flow may include:

[0150] S601, the terminal device sends a registration request message to the AMF network element; correspondingly, the AMF network element receives the registration request message.

[0151] For example, the registration request message includes an identifier of the terminal device, and optionally, also includes an identifier of the computing function requested by the terminal device.

[0152] S602, after receiving the registration request message, the AMF network element obtains the terminal device's subscription information from the UDM network element.

[0153] For example, the contract information includes the identifier of the computing function contracted by the terminal device, and optionally, it also includes the SLA value of the computing function's computing latency and / or computing accuracy.

[0154] For example, the AMF network element sends a request to the UDM network element to obtain subscription information, such as by calling the Nudm_xxDate_Get service. Correspondingly, the UDM network element sends a response to the AMF network element to obtain subscription information. For example, the UDM network element adds a new field to the Access and Mobility Subscription data in the Nudm_SubscriberDataManagement service. The new field is used to carry the identifier of the computing function subscribed by the terminal device (and the SLA value of the computing function's computing latency and / or computing accuracy).

[0155] S603, the AMF network element determines the computing nodes available to the terminal device (taking the first computing node as an example) and at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node.

[0156] For example, an AMF network element can identify a cell group comprising at least one cell, wherein the cells in each cell group can connect to the same computing nodes, and this cell group can be used for cell reselection by the terminal device. Furthermore, the AMF network element can determine the computing nodes that the cells in this cell group can connect to as available computing nodes for the terminal device.

[0157] Assuming the AMF network element determines that the available computing nodes for the terminal device include the first computing node, the AMF network element determines at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node (i.e., the computing function allowed for use by the terminal device is bound to the computing node) based on the computing functions associated with the first computing node and the computing functions subscribed to by the terminal device. Refer to the description of "CMF network element determining at least one computing function that terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node" for details. Alternatively, the AMF network element determines at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use (i.e., the computing function allowed for use by the terminal device is not bound to a computing node) based on the computing functions associated with the available computing nodes for the terminal device and the computing functions subscribed to by the terminal device. For example, the computing functions associated with the computing nodes available to the terminal device include computing function 1, computing function 2, computing function 3, and computing function 4 (e.g., the computing nodes available to the terminal device include computing node 1 and computing node 2, the computing functions associated with computing node 1 include computing function 1 and computing function 2, and the computing functions associated with computing node 2 include computing function 3 and computing function 4). The computing functions subscribed to by the terminal device include computing function 1, computing function 2, and computing function 3. Therefore, the computing functions that the terminal device is allowed to use include computing function 1, computing function 2, and computing function 3.

[0158] S604, the AMF network element sends a registration acceptance message to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the registration acceptance message.

[0159] For example, the registration acceptance message includes cell group information (such as the identifier of the cells included in the cell group or the identifier of the cell group), the identifier of the computing node available to the terminal device (taking the first computing node as an example), the identifier of at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node, and optionally, the SLA value of the computing latency and / or computing accuracy of at least one computing function.

[0160] For example, the terminal device can reselect a cell in a cell group based on the cell group information included in the registration acceptance message.

[0161] S605, the AMF network element sends to the UDM network element the identifier of the computing node available to the terminal device (taking the first computing node as an example) and the identifier of at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node; correspondingly, the UDM network element receives and stores the identifier of the computing node available to the terminal device (taking the first computing node as an example) and the identifier of at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node.

[0162] For example, S605 can be replaced by S605', where: the AMF network element sends an identifier of at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use to the UDM network element, and optionally, also sends an identifier of the computing node available to the terminal device.

[0163] S606, the terminal device sends request message a to the AMF network element; correspondingly, the AMF network element receives request message a.

[0164] For example, the terminal device reselects to a cell in the cell group and accesses the access network device to which the cell belongs, and then sends request message a to the AMF network element through the access network device.

[0165] S607, the AMF network element sends a request message a' to the CMF network element according to the request message a; correspondingly, the CMF network element receives the request message a'.

[0166] S608, the CMF network element obtains from the UDM network element the identifier of the computing node available to the terminal device (taking the first computing node as an example) and the identifier of at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node, according to the request message a'.

[0167] For example, when S605 can be replaced by S605', S608 can be replaced by S608'. S608': The CMF network element obtains the identifier of the computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use from the UDM network element according to the request message a'. Optionally, it can also obtain the identifier of the computing node available to the terminal device.

[0168] It is understood that the process shown in Figure 6 is only one possible example, and some steps in this process may be optional, rather than all of them being mandatory. Using the method in Figure 6, after the CMF network element receives the request message a', it can directly obtain from the UDM network element the identifier of the computing node available to the terminal device (taking the first computing node as an example), the identifier of the computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node, or the identifier of the computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use, which is highly efficient.

[0169] (3) Describe the subscription of CMF network elements.

[0170] As described above, in one possible implementation, the available computing nodes for the terminal device can be related to the location of the terminal device. Therefore, the CMF network element can send subscription information, such as sending subscription information to the AMF network element. The subscription information is used to subscribe to at least one of the following (i.e., instructing the AMF network element to notify the CMF network element when at least one of the following occurs): the access network device accessed by the terminal device changes; the computing power area of ​​the terminal device changes; the available computing nodes for the terminal device change; the cell accessed by the terminal device changes; the tracking area where the terminal device is located changes. This application embodiment does not limit the specific timing of the CMF network element sending the subscription information. For example, the CMF network element can send the subscription information after S501; or it can send the subscription information before S501. Further, in S501, the CMF network element can obtain information about the first available computing node for the terminal device based on the subscription notification (e.g., the subscription notification includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the access network device accessed by the terminal device, the identifier of the computing power area of ​​the terminal device, the identifier of the cell accessed by the terminal device, and the identifier of the tracking area where the terminal device is located).

[0171] Optionally, after receiving the subscription notification from the AMF network element, the CMF network element can re-determine the computing nodes available to the terminal device, as well as at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the available computing nodes.

[0172] S502, the CMF network element sends information about the first computing node available to the terminal device and information about at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device receives information about the first computing node available to the terminal device and information about at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node.

[0173] For example, the CMF network element sends information about the first computing node available to the terminal device and information about at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node to the terminal device via the AMF network element.

[0174] S503, the CMF network element sends terminal device information to the first computing node; correspondingly, the first computing node receives the terminal device information.

[0175] The terminal device information includes at least one of the following: the terminal device address, the terminal device identifier, and the connection identifier between the first computing node and the terminal device. In this embodiment, the terminal device address is used as an example for description.

[0176] Optionally, the CMF network element also sends information to the first computing node about at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node.

[0177] Optionally, the CMF network element also sends transmission requirement information for at least one computing function to the first access network device. Taking the first computing function as an example, the transmission requirement information for the first computing function includes at least one of the following: a transmission latency requirement for the first computing function, and a packet loss rate requirement for the first computing function. The transmission latency requirement for the first computing function refers to the upper limit of the transmission latency of all data packets of a single inference request related to the first computing function in the network, such as the upper limit of the transmission latency between the terminal device and the computing node. This value requires the access network device to send all data packets of a single inference request to the terminal device and / or the computing node within this data value. The packet loss rate requirement for the first computing function refers to the upper limit of the packet loss rate or packet error rate of all data packets of a single inference request related to the first computing function in the network. Accordingly, the first access network device receives the transmission requirement information for at least one computing function (such as the first computing function), configures the mapping relationship between the first computing function and the data radio bearer (DRB) according to the transmission requirement information of the first computing function, and sends configuration information to the terminal device. The configuration information is used to configure the mapping relationship between the first computing function and the data radio bearer.

[0178] The above steps S501 to S503 establish a computing connection between the terminal device and the first computing node. It is understood that S501 to S503 only describe some possible steps; in actual implementation, other steps may be involved. For example, the CMF network element may configure a tunnel between the first access network device and the first computing node for the terminal device. Specific steps are not limited. Based on the established computing connection, computing data can be transmitted between the terminal device and the first computing node, as shown in S504 to S506 below.

[0179] S504, the terminal device sends a first data packet, which includes first data, information of a first computing node, and information of a first computing function. The first computing function is used to perform calculations on the first data. Correspondingly, the first computing node receives the first data packet.

[0180] For example, when a terminal device has a computing service requirement, the terminal device can send a request message to the CMF network element to trigger the establishment of a computing connection between the terminal device and the first computing node; then, the terminal device can send a first data packet based on the established computing connection.

[0181] In this first data packet, the information of the first computing node is used to indicate that the first computing node is the receiving end of the first data packet; for example, the information of the first computing node is the destination address of the first data packet. The information of the first computing function in the first data packet is used to indicate that the computing function that performs the calculation processing on the first data is the first computing function.

[0182] For example, the terminal device can encapsulate the first data, the information of the first computing node, and the information of the first computing function into a first data packet, and map the first data packet to the corresponding QoS stream according to the information of the first computing node (and other possible information) in the first data packet; further, the terminal device maps the first data packet in the QoS stream to the corresponding data radio bearer and sends it to the first access network device; then, after receiving the data packet, the first access network device sends the first data packet to the first computing node according to the tunnel for the terminal device.

[0183] Optionally, the terminal device may receive configuration information from the first access network device. This configuration information is used to configure the mapping relationship between the first computing function and the data radio bearer (e.g., different computing functions in a QoS stream correspond to different data radio bearers). In this case, the terminal device maps the first data packet in the QoS stream to the corresponding data radio bearer. Specifically, the terminal device maps the first data packet in the QoS stream to the corresponding data radio bearer based on the information of the first computing function carried by the first data packet. This facilitates differentiated processing of data from different computing functions within the same QoS stream, meeting the transmission requirements of different computing functions.

[0184] Optionally, the configuration relationship used to configure the mapping relationship between the first computing function and the data radio bearer can be a mapping relationship between the QoS flow identifier and the computing function information. The terminal device can map the data packets corresponding to the computing function to the QoS flow for transmission using the computing function information.

[0185] S505, the first computing node determines, based on the information of the first computing function carried in the first data packet, that the first computing function will perform computing processing on the first data.

[0186] For example, the first computing node determines, based on the information of the first computing function carried in the first data packet, whether the first computing function is one of at least one computing functions that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node. If yes, the first computing node can determine that the first computing function will perform computation processing on the first data; if no, the first computing node can refuse to perform computation processing on the first data. Optionally, the first computing node can determine that it is the receiving end of the first data packet based on the information of the first computing node carried in the first data packet.

[0187] When the first computing node determines that the first computing function will process the first data, and the first computing function is deployed on the first computing node, the first computing node can transmit the first data to the first computing function through an internal interface so that the first computing function can process the first data. Correspondingly, after the first computing function processes the first data to obtain second data, it can transmit the second data to the first computing node through an internal interface so that the first computing node can encapsulate the second data and transmit it to the terminal device. When the first computing function is deployed independently of the first computing node, the first computing node can transmit the first data to the first computing function through the connection between the first computing node and the first computing function so that the first computing function can process the first data. Correspondingly, after the first computing function processes the first data to obtain second data, it can transmit the second data to the first computing node through the connection between the first computing node and the first computing function so that the first computing node can encapsulate the second data and transmit it to the terminal device.

[0188] For example, the first computing function processing the first data can refer to performing calculations, inferences, rendering, analysis, or processing the first data through AI business-related functions such as large language models, without specific limitations. Optionally, in one possible implementation, the first computing function refers to the computing model on the first computing node. The computing model can be distinguished by the type of service it supports, such as a computing model supporting artificial intelligence models, large language models, large model inference, image rendering services, image recognition, human-computer interaction, and image-text question answering; or it can be distinguished by different computing services, such as deployment by operators, Wenxin Yiyan, Kimi, or other manufacturers; or it can be distinguished by the service parameters of different computing services it supports. Different computing functions on the first computing node can be distinguished by one or more of the three distinction methods mentioned above.

[0189] S506, the first computing node sends a second data packet, which includes second data and information about the terminal device. The second data is obtained by the first computing function performing calculations on the first data. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second data packet.

[0190] The terminal device information in the second data packet is used to indicate that the terminal device is the receiving end of the second data packet, such as the destination address of the terminal device.

[0191] Optionally, the second data packet may also include information about the first computing function, which is used to transmit the second data packet via the data wireless bearer associated with the first computing function.

[0192] For example, the first computing node can encapsulate the second data, terminal device information, and first computing function information into a second data packet. Based on the terminal device information (and other possible information) in the second data packet, it maps the second data packet to the corresponding QoS stream, and then sends the second data packet to the first access network device through a tunnel specific to the terminal device. Upon receiving the second data packet, the first access network device, based on the first computing function information carried in the first data packet within the QoS stream, maps the first data packet in the QoS stream to the corresponding data radio bearer, and then sends it to the terminal device.

[0193] Another exemplary method involves the first computing node encapsulating the second data and terminal device information into a second data packet. Based on the information of the first computing function (and other possible information) in the second data packet, the first computing node adds a corresponding QoS flow identifier to the header of the second data packet and sends it to the first access network device. Upon receiving the second data packet, the first access network device maps the data packet to the corresponding data radio bearer based on the QoS flow identifier information and sends it to the terminal device.

[0194] It is understood that S503 and S506 above are optional steps.

[0195] The above description uses the example of a compute node deployed after an access network device. In other possible architectures, such as when the compute node is deployed after a UPF network element, the data transmission path is: terminal device - first access network device - UPF network element - first compute node. For uplink: After receiving the first data packet, the UPF network element can send the first data packet to the first compute node based on the information of the first compute node carried in the first data packet. For downlink: After generating the second data packet, the first compute node sends the second data packet to the UPF network element. After receiving the second data packet, the UPF network element can map the second data packet to the corresponding QoS flow based on the terminal device information (and other possible information) in the second data packet, and then send the second data packet to the first access network device through a tunnel specific to that terminal device. Other transmission processes can be referred to above.

[0196] By using the above method, by carrying information about the first computing node (such as the address of the first computing node) and information about the computing function associated with the first computing node (such as the identifier of the computing function) in the data packets sent by the terminal device, the data of the terminal device is accurately routed to the computing function associated with the computing node, so that the computing function associated with the computing node can perform calculation processing on the data.

[0197] Furthermore, in existing transmission methods (as shown in Figure 3A), the data packets sent by the terminal device carry the destination IP address, which is the IP address of a server located outside the operator's network. Therefore, when the server's IP address changes dynamically, the terminal device only needs to be notified to update the server's IP address, with minimal impact on the operator's network. However, in the deployment method provided in this application embodiment, the computing function is deployed within the operator's network. Therefore, if the existing transmission method is used between the terminal device and the computing function associated with the computing node—that is, the data packets sent by the terminal device carry the destination IP address, which is the IP address of the computing function—then when the IP address of the computing function changes dynamically, the operator's network needs to update the IP address, leading to greater difficulty in network maintenance. For example, when the number of users using the computing function increases, there may be a scenario requiring server expansion; when the IP address of a computing function within the operator's network changes, it is necessary to determine the relationship between the changed IP address and the IP addresses of other computing functions, or to determine the deployment status of the computing function corresponding to the changed IP address on multiple computing nodes within the network and initiate an update process to the corresponding computing nodes, resulting in higher complexity in maintaining the IP addresses of multiple computing functions. Since the address of the first computing node usually does not change dynamically, the data packets sent by the terminal device in this embodiment carry the address of the first computing node and the identifier of the computing function, that is, the address of the computing function that is not required for data transmission, which means that the operator network does not need to maintain the address of the computing function. This can effectively avoid the problem of network maintenance difficulty caused by the dynamic change of the IP address of the computing function.

[0198] As shown in Figure 5, the transmission path of the first data packet is: terminal device - first access network device - first computing node, and the transmission path of the second data packet is: first computing node - first access network device - terminal device. To enable data packet transmission between the terminal device and the first computing node, the various communication devices need to adhere to the corresponding protocol layer structure.

[0199] Figure 7 is an example diagram of a possible protocol layer structure provided by an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7, the terminal device and the first access network device can follow the access network protocol layer structure. The user plane protocol layer structure of the access network protocol layer structure may include a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a media access control (MAC) layer, and a physical layer (PHY). In one possible implementation, a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer may also be included above the PDCP layer. The SDAP layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, and physical layer can all be collectively referred to as the access layer. As can be seen from Figure 7, the terminal device also includes an AI user plane (AIP-U) layer and an application layer. The AIP-U layer may be a protocol layer specifically designed for computing services to carry the exclusive characteristic information of computing services, or it may be an extension based on the existing transmission control protocol (TCP) / IP protocol layer.

[0200] When the first access network device and the terminal device transmit user plane data, the data needs to pass through the user plane protocol layer, such as the SDAP layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, and physical layer. For example, the access network device and the terminal device transmit data by establishing at least one data radio bearer. Each DRB can correspond to a set of functional entities, such as a PDCP layer entity, at least one RLC layer entity corresponding to the PDCP layer entity, at least one MAC layer entity corresponding to the at least one RLC layer entity, and at least one physical layer entity corresponding to the at least one MAC layer entity.

[0201] The protocol layer structure between the first access network device and the first computing node may include the L1 layer (i.e., physical layer), the L2 layer (i.e., data link layer), the user datagram protocol (UDP) layer, the IP layer, and the general packet radio service (GPRS) tunnel protocol (GTP) layer, etc. In addition, the first computing node may also include an AIP-U layer equivalent to the AIP-U layer of the terminal device, and an application layer equivalent to the application layer of the terminal device.

[0202] For example, the information of the first computing node (such as the address of the first computing node) and the information of the first computing function (such as the identifier of the computing function) carried in the first data packet can be carried in the header of the AIP-U layer of the first data packet. The information of the terminal device (such as the address of the terminal device) and the information of the first computing function (such as the identifier of the computing function) carried in the second data packet can be carried in the header of the AIP-U layer of the second data packet.

[0203] Based on the protocol layer structure shown in Figure 7, the following describes a possible, more specific implementation flow, taking implementation method 1 in Figure 5 as an example and referring to Figure 8. As shown in Figure 8, this flow may include:

[0204] S801, the terminal device sends a request message a to the AMF network element. The request message a is used to request the establishment of a communication connection between the terminal device and the computing node. Correspondingly, the AMF network element receives the request message a.

[0205] For example, the terminal device can send a request message a to the AMF network element through the first access network device.

[0206] The request message a includes the identifier of the terminal device; optionally, it also includes information for determining the available computing nodes for the terminal device, the identifier of the computing function requested by the terminal device (and the SLA value of the computing latency and / or computing accuracy of the computing function requested by the terminal device).

[0207] S802, the AMF network element sends a request message a' to the CMF network element. The request message a' is used to request the establishment of a communication connection between the terminal device and the computing node. Correspondingly, the CMF network element receives the request message a'.

[0208] The request message a' includes the identifier of the terminal device; optionally, it also includes information for determining the computing nodes available to the terminal device, the identifier of the computing function requested by the terminal device (and the SLA values ​​of the computing latency and / or computing accuracy of the computing function requested by the terminal device).

[0209] S803, the CMF network element obtains the subscription information of the terminal device from the UDM network element.

[0210] S804, the CMF network element determines the computing nodes available to the terminal device (taking the first computing node as an example) and at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node.

[0211] The specific implementations of S803 and S804 mentioned above can be found in the description of implementation method 1 in Figure 5.

[0212] S805, the CMF network element sends message 1 to the first computing node; correspondingly, the first computing node receives message 1.

[0213] For example, message 1 includes: information about the terminal device (such as any one or more of the terminal device's identifier, the terminal device's address, and the connection identifier between the terminal device and the first computing node), and an identifier of at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node.

[0214] Optionally, message 1 may also include a packet detection rule (PDR), such as the mapping between 5-tuples and QoS flow identifiers. The 5-tuple includes the source address, destination address, source port number, destination port number, and protocol information.

[0215] S806, the first computing node sends a response to message 1 to the CMF network element; correspondingly, the CMF network element receives the response to message 1.

[0216] The response to Message 1 includes core network tunnel information, such as the tunnel end point identifier (TEID) on the first compute node side. The response to Message 1 may also include other possible information, without limitation.

[0217] S807, the CMF network element sends message 2 to the AMF network element; correspondingly, the AMF network element receives message 2.

[0218] For example, message 2 can be called N1N2 message transfer (Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer). N1N2 message transfer includes: N2 interface information and N1 interface container (N1 Container) information.

[0219] The N2 interface information includes at least one of the following: terminal device information, CN tunnel information, QoS configuration file, and transmission requirement information for at least one computing function. The CN tunnel information is sent by the AMF network element to the first access network device to notify it which computing node the uplink data from the terminal device should be sent to.

[0220] The N1 interface container information includes information about the first compute node, and optionally, it also includes QoS rules, which are used to indicate the mapping relationship between the 5-tuple and the QoS flow identifier.

[0221] S808, the AMF network element sends message 3 to the first access network device; correspondingly, the first access network device receives message 3.

[0222] Message 3 can be referred to as the N2 message. The N2 message includes N2 interface information and a NAS message (the NAS message needs to be sent to the terminal device). The NAS message includes N1 interface container information.

[0223] S809, the first access network device sends configuration information and NAS message to the terminal device according to the N2 interface information. The configuration information is used to configure the mapping relationship between the first computing function and the data radio bearer. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the configuration information and NAS message and performs corresponding configuration according to the configuration information.

[0224] S810, the first access network device sends a response to message 3 to the AMF network element; correspondingly, the AMF network element receives the response to message 3.

[0225] The response to message 3 may include access network tunnel information (AN tunnel information), such as the TEID of the first access network device.

[0226] S811, the AMF network element sends AN tunnel information to the CMF network element.

[0227] S812, the CMF network element sends message 4 to the first computing node. Message 4 includes AN tunnel information and connection identifier.

[0228] Among them, AN tunnel information is used to notify the first computing node terminal device which access network device the downlink data should be sent to.

[0229] S813, the terminal device sends a first data packet, which includes first data, the address of the first computing node, and the identifier of the first computing function. The first computing function is used to perform calculations on the first data. Correspondingly, the first computing node receives the first data packet.

[0230] For example, after the application layer of the terminal device generates the first data, the AIP-U layer of the terminal device encapsulates the first data to obtain a first data packet, and maps the first data packet to the corresponding QoS stream according to the QoS rules in the N1 interface container information and the five-tuple of the first data packet. The address of the first computing node and the identifier of the first computing function are encapsulated in the header of the AIP-U layer. Further, the terminal device maps the first data packet to the corresponding QoS stream according to the identifier of the first computing function carried in the first data packet, and sends the first data packet to the first access network device.

[0231] After the first access network device receives the first data packet, its GTP layer sends the first data packet to the first computing node based on the CN tunnel information for the terminal device, so that the first computing node can receive the first data packet.

[0232] S814, the first computing node determines, based on the information of the first computing function carried in the first data packet, that the first computing function will perform computing processing on the first data.

[0233] For example, a specific implementation of S814 can be referred to the description of S505.

[0234] S815, the first computing node sends a second data packet, which includes second data and information about the terminal device. The second data is obtained by the first computing function processing the first data. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second data packet. Optionally, the second data packet also includes an identifier of the first computing function.

[0235] For example, the AIP-U layer of the first computing node encapsulates the second data to obtain a second data packet (the address of the terminal device is encapsulated in the header of the AIP-U layer), and maps the second data packet to the corresponding QoS stream according to the data packet detection rules in message 1 and the information of the second data packet. Then, the GTP layer of the first computing node sends the second data packet to the first access network device according to the AN tunnel information for the terminal device. After receiving the second data packet, the first access network device maps the second data packet in the QoS stream to the corresponding data radio bearer according to the identifier of the first computing function carried by the second data packet or the QoS stream information carried by the second data packet (such as the QoS stream identifier), and sends the second data packet to the terminal device.

[0236] Regarding the above embodiments, it is understood that:

[0237] (1) The above focuses on describing the differences between different processes. In the various processes of this application, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions of different processes are consistent and can be referenced from each other. In addition, different implementations or different examples can also be referenced from each other.

[0238] (2) The various numerical designations used in this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. The step numbers in the above flowcharts are only examples of the execution process and do not constitute a restriction on the order of execution of the steps. That is, the size of each step number does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each step should be determined by its function and internal logic. Furthermore, not all steps shown in the flowcharts are mandatory steps; some steps may be added or deleted based on actual needs.

[0239] The above primarily describes the solutions provided in the embodiments of this application from the perspective of device / network element interaction. It is understood that, to achieve the above functions, the device / network element may include corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, in conjunction with the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware 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 this application.

[0240] This application embodiment can divide the device / network element into functional units according to the above method example. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0241] In the case of using integrated units, FIG9 shows a possible exemplary block diagram of the device involved in the embodiments of this application. As shown in FIG9, the device 900 may include a processing unit 902 and a communication unit 903. The processing unit 902 is used to control and manage the operation of the device 900. The communication unit 903 is used to support communication between the device 900 and other devices. Optionally, the communication unit 903 is also called a transceiver unit, and may include a receiving unit and / or a sending unit, respectively used to perform receiving and sending operations. The device 900 may also include a storage unit 901 for storing the program code and / or data of the device 900.

[0242] (1) The device 900 can be the first communication device (such as a terminal device) in the above embodiments. The processing unit 902 can support the device 900 in performing the actions of the first communication device in the above method embodiments. Alternatively, the processing unit 902 mainly performs the internal actions of the first communication device in the method embodiments, and the communication unit 903 can support communication between the device 900 and other devices.

[0243] For example, in one embodiment, the communication unit 903 is configured to: receive information about a first computing node available to the terminal device and information about at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node; and send a first data packet, the first data packet including first data, information about the first computing node, and information about a first computing function among the at least one computing function, the first computing function being used to perform computational processing on the first data.

[0244] In one possible design, the information of the first computing node in the first data packet is used to indicate that the first computing node is the receiving end of the first data packet; the information of the first computing function in the first data packet is used to indicate that the computing function that performs the calculation processing on the first data is the first computing function.

[0245] In one possible design, the communication unit 903 is further configured to: receive configuration information from a first access network device, the configuration information being used to configure a mapping relationship between the first computing function and the data radio bearer, the first access network device being an access network device to which the terminal device is connected; and send the first data packet, comprising: sending the first data packet through the data radio bearer according to the mapping relationship.

[0246] In one possible design, the information of the first computing node includes at least one of the following: the address of the first computing node, the identifier of the first computing node, and the connection identifier between the first computing node and the terminal device.

[0247] In one possible design, the information of the first computing function includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the first computing function, the identifier of the computing model or computing task corresponding to the first computing function, and the port number information corresponding to the first computing function.

[0248] In one possible design, the communication unit 903 is further configured to: send a request message, the request message being used to request the establishment of a communication connection between the terminal device and a computing node, the request message including information for determining the available computing nodes for the terminal device.

[0249] In one possible design, the information used to determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device includes at least one of the following: the identifier of a first access network device to which the terminal device is connected, the identifier of the computing power region of the terminal device, the identifier of the cell to which the terminal device is connected, and the identifier of the tracking area where the terminal device is located; the computing power region includes multiple access network devices, each of which is capable of connecting to each of the at least one computing node; or, the computing power region includes the multiple access network devices and the at least one computing node; or, the computing power region includes the at least one computing node.

[0250] (2) The device 900 can be the second communication device (such as the first computing node) in the above embodiments. The processing unit 902 can support the device 900 in performing the actions of the second communication device in the above method embodiments. Alternatively, the processing unit 902 mainly performs the internal actions of the second communication device in the method embodiments, and the communication unit 903 can support communication between the device 900 and other devices.

[0251] For example, in one embodiment, the communication unit 903 is configured to: receive a first data packet, the first data packet including the first data, information of the first computing node, and information of a first computing function associated with the first computing node; and determine, based on the information of the first computing function, that the first computing function will perform computation processing on the first data.

[0252] In one possible design, the communication unit 903 is further configured to: receive information from the terminal device; and send a second data packet, the second data packet including second data, information of the terminal device, and information of the first computing function, wherein the second data is obtained by the first computing function performing calculations on the first data.

[0253] In one possible design, the information of the terminal device in the second data packet is used to indicate that the terminal device is the receiving end of the second data packet; the information of the first computing function in the second data packet is used to indicate that the second data is obtained by the first computing function through calculation and processing.

[0254] In one possible design, the information of the terminal device includes at least one of the following: the address of the terminal device, the identifier of the terminal device, and the connection identifier between the first computing node and the terminal device.

[0255] In one possible design, the information of the first computing function includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the first computing function, the identifier of the computing model or computing task corresponding to the first computing function, and the port number information corresponding to the first computing function.

[0256] In one possible design, the communication unit 903 is further configured to: receive information that the terminal device is permitted to use at least one computing function through the first computing node; wherein the first computing function is one of the at least one computing function.

[0257] (3) The device 900 can be the third communication device (such as a CMF network element) in the above embodiments. The processing unit 902 can support the device 900 in performing the actions of the third communication device in the above method embodiments. Alternatively, the processing unit 902 mainly performs the internal actions of the third communication device in the method embodiments, and the communication unit 903 can support communication between the device 900 and other devices.

[0258] For example, in one embodiment, the processing unit 902 is configured to: obtain information about a first computing node available to the terminal device, and information about at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node; the communication unit 903 is configured to: send to the terminal device the information about the first computing node available to the terminal device, and information about at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node; wherein, the at least one computing function includes a first computing function, which is used to perform calculation processing on the first data sent by the terminal device.

[0259] In one possible design, the information of the first computing node includes at least one of the following: the address of the first computing node, the identifier of the first computing node, the connection identifier between the first computing node and the terminal device, and the identifier of the session granularity between the first computing node and the terminal device.

[0260] In one possible design, the information of the first computing function includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the first computing function, the identifier of the computing model or computing task corresponding to the first computing function, and the port number information corresponding to the first computing function.

[0261] In one possible design, the communication unit 903 is further configured to: receive a request message, the request message being used to request the establishment of a communication connection between the terminal device and a computing node, the request message including information for determining the computing nodes available for the terminal device; the processing unit 902 is further configured to: determine, based on the information, that the computing nodes available for the terminal device include the first computing node.

[0262] In one possible design, the information used to determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device includes at least one of the following: the identifier of a first access network device to which the terminal device is connected, the identifier of the computing power region of the terminal device, the identifier of the cell to which the terminal device is connected, and the identifier of the tracking area where the terminal device is located; the computing power region includes multiple access network devices, each of which is capable of connecting to each of the at least one computing node; or, the computing power region includes the multiple access network devices and the at least one computing node; or, the computing power region includes the at least one computing node.

[0263] In one possible design, the processing unit 902 is further configured to: acquire the computing functions subscribed to by the terminal device; and determine, based on the computing functions associated with the first computing node and / or the computing functions subscribed to by the terminal device, the at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node, or determine the at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use.

[0264] In one possible design, the communication unit 903 is further configured to: send information about the terminal device and / or information about at least one computing function that the terminal device is permitted to use through the first computing node to the first computing node.

[0265] In one possible design, the information of the terminal device includes at least one of the following: the address of the terminal device, the identifier of the terminal device, and the connection identifier between the first computing node and the terminal device.

[0266] In one possible design, the communication unit 903 is further configured to: send information about the at least one computing function and transmission request information for the at least one computing function to a first access network device to which the terminal device is connected.

[0267] In one possible design, the first computing node available to the terminal device is determined based on at least one of the following: the access network device to which the terminal device is connected; the computing power region of the terminal device; the method further includes: sending subscription information, the subscription information being used to subscribe to at least one of the following: a change in the access network device to which the terminal device is connected; a change in the computing power region of the terminal device; a change in the computing nodes available to the terminal device.

[0268] It should be understood that the division of units in the above device is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, all units in the device can be implemented entirely through software calls from processing elements; all units can be implemented entirely in hardware; or some units can be implemented through software calls from processing elements, while others are implemented in hardware. For example, each unit can be a separate processing element, or it can be integrated into a chip within the device. Alternatively, it can be stored as a program in memory, called and executed by a processing element of the device. Moreover, these units can be fully or partially integrated together, or implemented independently. The processing element here can also be called a processor, which can be an integrated circuit with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, the operations or units described above can be implemented through integrated logic circuits in the processor element or through software calls from processing elements.

[0269] In one example, a unit in any of the above devices can be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the methods described above, such as: one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these forms of integrated circuits. As another example, when a unit in the device can be implemented in the form of a processing element scheduler, the processing element can be a processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), or other processor capable of calling programs. Furthermore, these units can be integrated together and implemented as a System-on-a-Chip (SoC).

[0270] The receiving unit described above is an interface circuit of the device, used to receive signals from other devices. For example, when the device is implemented as a chip, the receiving unit is an interface circuit for the chip to receive signals from other chips or devices. The transmitting unit described above is an interface circuit of the device, used to transmit signals to other devices. For example, when the device is implemented as a chip, the transmitting unit is an interface circuit for the chip to transmit signals to other chips or devices.

[0271] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a communication device. Referring to FIG10, the communication device 1000 may include one or more processors 1001. Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a memory 1002, which may be disposed inside or outside the communication device 1000. It is understood that FIG10 only shows the main components of the communication device, and the communication device may further include a transceiver (not shown in the figure).

[0272] Specifically, processor 1001 may be a CPU, a network processor (NP), or a combination of a CPU and an NP. Processor 1001 may further include a hardware chip. The aforementioned hardware chip may be an ASIC, a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The aforementioned PLD may be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), an FPGA, generic array logic (GAL), or any combination thereof.

[0273] The processor 1001 and memory 1002 are interconnected. Optionally, the processor 1001 and memory 1002 are interconnected via bus 1003; bus 1003 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Buses can be categorized as address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 10, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0274] In one alternative implementation, memory 1002 is used to store programs, etc. Specifically, the program may include program code, which includes computer operation instructions. Memory 1002 may include RAM, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as one or more disk storage devices. Processor 1001 executes the application program stored in memory 1002 to implement the above-mentioned functions, thereby realizing the functions of communication device 1000.

[0275] For example, the communication device 1000 may be the first communication device, the second communication device, or the third communication device in the above embodiments.

[0276] In one embodiment, when the communication device 1000 performs the functions of the first communication device in the above method embodiment, the transceiver can perform the transmit and receive operations executed by the first communication device in the above method embodiment; the processor 1001 can perform other operations besides the transmit and receive operations executed by the first communication device in the above method embodiment. Specific details can be found in the relevant descriptions in the above embodiments, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0277] In one embodiment, when the communication device 1000 performs the functions of the second communication device in the above method embodiment, the transceiver can perform the transmit and receive operations executed by the second communication device in the above method embodiment; the processor 1001 can perform other operations besides the transmit and receive operations executed by the second communication device in the above method embodiment. Specific details can be found in the relevant descriptions in the above embodiments, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0278] In one embodiment, when the communication device 1000 implements the functions of the third communication device in the above method embodiments, the transceiver can perform the transmit and receive operations executed by the third communication device in the above method embodiments; the processor 1001 can perform other operations besides the transmit and receive operations executed by the third communication device in the above method embodiments. Specific details can be found in the relevant descriptions in the above embodiments, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0279] The terms "system" and "network" in this application embodiment are used interchangeably. "At least one" refers to one or more, and "multiple" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B, and C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC. And, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in this application embodiment are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority, or importance of multiple objects.

[0280] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0281] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or one or more blocks of the block diagrams.

[0282] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0283] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive information about a first computing node available to the terminal device and information about at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node; Send a first data packet, the first data packet including first data, information of the first computing node, and information of the first computing function among the at least one computing function, the first computing function being used to perform calculation processing on the first data.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The information of the first computing node in the first data packet is used to indicate that the first computing node is the receiving end of the first data packet; The information of the first calculation function in the first data packet is used to indicate that the calculation function that performs the calculation processing on the first data is the first calculation function.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device receives configuration information from a first access network device, the configuration information being used to configure the mapping relationship between the first computing function and the data radio bearer, the first access network device being the access network device to which the terminal device is connected; Sending the first data packet includes: sending the first data packet via the data wireless bearer according to the mapping relationship.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The information of the first computing node includes at least one of the following: the address of the first computing node, the identifier of the first computing node, and the connection identifier between the first computing node and the terminal device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The information of the first computing function includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the first computing function, the identifier of the computing model or computing task corresponding to the first computing function, and the port number information corresponding to the first computing function.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: A request message is sent, which requests the establishment of a communication connection between the terminal device and a computing node. The request message includes information for determining the available computing nodes for the terminal device.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The information used to determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the first access network device to which the terminal device is connected, the identifier of the computing power region of the terminal device, the identifier of the cell to which the terminal device is connected, and the identifier of the tracking area where the terminal device is located; The computing power region includes multiple access network devices, each of which can connect to each of the at least one computing node; or, the computing power region includes the multiple access network devices and the at least one computing node. Alternatively, the computing power region may include the at least one computing node.

8. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a first computing node or a chip in the first computing node, and the method includes: Receive a first data packet, the first data packet including the first data, information of the first computing node, and information of the first computing function associated with the first computing node; Based on the information from the first calculation function, it is determined that the first calculation function will perform calculation processing on the first data.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive information from terminal devices; Send a second data packet, the second data packet including second data and information of the terminal device, the second data being obtained by the first computing function by processing the first data.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The information of the terminal device in the second data packet is used to indicate that the terminal device is the receiving end of the second data packet.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that, The information of the terminal device includes at least one of the following: the address of the terminal device, the identifier of the terminal device, and the connection identifier between the first computing node and the terminal device.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that, The information of the first computing function includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the first computing function, the identifier of the computing model or computing task corresponding to the first computing function, and the port number information corresponding to the first computing function.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive information that the terminal device is permitted to use at least one computing function through the first computing node; The first calculation function is one of the at least one calculation function.

14. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Obtain information about a first computing node available to the terminal device, and information about at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node; Send to the terminal device information about a first computing node available to the terminal device, and information about at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node; The at least one calculation function includes a first calculation function, which is used to perform calculation processing on the first data sent by the terminal device.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The information of the first computing node includes at least one of the following: the address of the first computing node, the identifier of the first computing node, and the connection identifier between the first computing node and the terminal device.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The information of the first computing function includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the first computing function, the identifier of the computing model or computing task corresponding to the first computing function, and the port number information corresponding to the first computing function.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a request message, the request message being used to request the establishment of a communication connection between the terminal device and a computing node for the terminal device, the request message including information for determining the computing nodes available to the terminal device; Based on the information, it is determined that the available computing nodes for the terminal device include the first computing node.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The information used to determine the available computing nodes for the terminal device includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the first access network device to which the terminal device is connected, the identifier of the computing power region of the terminal device, the identifier of the cell to which the terminal device is connected, and the identifier of the tracking area where the terminal device is located; The computing power region includes multiple access network devices, each of which can connect to each of the at least one computing node; or, the computing power region includes the multiple access network devices and the at least one computing node. Alternatively, the computing power region may include the at least one computing node.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send subscription information, which is used to subscribe to at least one of the following: the access network device accessed by the terminal device changes; the computing power area of ​​the terminal device changes; the computing nodes available to the terminal device change; the cell accessed by the terminal device changes; the tracking area where the terminal device is located changes.

20. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 19, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain the calculation function of the contract signed by the terminal device; Based on the computing functions associated with the first computing node and the computing functions subscribed to by the terminal device, the at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node is determined.

21. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 20, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send information about the terminal device and / or information about at least one computing function that the terminal device is allowed to use through the first computing node to the first computing node.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The information of the terminal device includes at least one of the following: the address of the terminal device, the identifier of the terminal device, and the connection identifier between the first computing node and the terminal device.

23. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 22, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device sends the transmission requirement information for at least one computing function to the first access network device to which it is connected.

24. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes units for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 23.

25. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a processor coupled to a memory in which a computer program is stored; the processor is configured to invoke part or all of the computer program in the memory such that the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 23 is executed.

26. A communication system, characterized in that, The communication system includes a first communication device, a second communication device, and a third communication device, wherein the first communication device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, the second communication device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 8 to 13, and the third communication device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 14 to 23.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program that, when some or all of the computer program is executed by a computer, causes the method described in any one of claims 1 to 23 to be performed.

28. A computer program product, characterized in that, When the computer reads and executes the computer program product, the method described in any one of claims 1 to 23 is performed.

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