Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application are a communication method and a related apparatus. The method comprises: receiving a first request message from a first communication apparatus, wherein the first request message is used for requesting the establishment of a data session, the first request message comprises a first topic, and the first topic is the topic of data transmitted by means of the data session; and according to a first protocol stack, processing data corresponding to the first topic, wherein the first protocol stack comprises a protocol with regard to a publish-subscribe mechanism. By means of the method, the confidentiality and security of data can be improved when a terminal device publishes or subscribes to the data.

Description

A communication method and related apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411990097.5, filed on December 28, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Related Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and related apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] With the development of wireless communication technology, the basic function of mobile communication networks will begin to shift from information transmission channels to data management platforms. Sixth Generation (6G) mobile communication technology acts as both a data producer and provider, offering reliable data services for intelligent applications, and a data consumer, leveraging data-driven intelligent applications to improve network performance and operational efficiency. Intrinsic sensing and intelligence are two major new capabilities of 6G networks. The former generates massive amounts of data through sensing devices, perceiving the network's own state, surrounding environment, and user / device behavior. The latter uses technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital twins for modeling, analysis, and automated decision-making to improve network operational efficiency, enhance system performance, or provide data services for intelligent applications. Existing data bearer architectures cannot meet the "on-the-path computing" and "arbitrary topology" support required by 6G, and the user plane cannot support the new data types of 6G networks. Therefore, 6G networks need to introduce an independent data plane, and ensuring the security of data transmission on this plane is a technical problem currently being researched by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application discloses a communication method and related apparatus that makes the data published by the terminal device transparent to the base station, thereby improving the confidentiality and security of the data.

[0005] The first aspect of this application discloses a communication method applied to a terminal device, the method comprising:

[0006] Receive a first request message from a first communication device. The first request message is used to request the establishment of a data session. The first request message includes a first subject, which is the subject of the data to be transmitted in the data session.

[0007] The data corresponding to the first topic is processed according to the first protocol stack, which includes protocols for the publish-subscribe mechanism.

[0008] Specifically, when a terminal device receives a first request message containing a first topic, it needs to establish a data session to transmit the data corresponding to the first topic. That is, it needs to establish a transmission channel for the terminal device to publish or subscribe to the data corresponding to the first topic, and deploy a protocol for the publish-subscribe mechanism on the terminal device side. When preparing to publish or receive the data corresponding to the first topic, the data is processed according to the first protocol stack (e.g., encapsulation or decapsulation operations).

[0009] In this method, the terminal device deploys a protocol for the publish-subscribe mechanism. When publishing or subscribing to data to a third communication device, it can process the data on the first topic according to the first protocol stack itself, without needing the first communication device (such as a base station) to process the data using the first protocol stack. As a result, the first communication device cannot perceive the topic of the data, thus improving the confidentiality and security of the data.

[0010] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, processing the data corresponding to the first topic according to the first protocol stack includes:

[0011] The first data is encapsulated according to the first protocol stack to obtain the first data packet, wherein the first data is the data corresponding to the first topic collected;

[0012] The first data packet is sent to the first communication device.

[0013] Using this method, in the scenario of a terminal device publishing uplink data, the terminal device collects the first data corresponding to the first topic, encapsulates the first data according to the first protocol stack, and then sends the first data packet to the first communication device for relay uploading. At this time, the first communication device cannot perceive the topic of the first data packet, which improves the confidentiality and security of the data of the terminal device in the data publishing scenario.

[0014] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, processing the data corresponding to the first topic according to the first protocol stack includes:

[0015] Receive a second data packet from the first communication device;

[0016] The second data packet is decapsulated according to the first protocol stack to obtain the second data corresponding to the first topic.

[0017] Using this method, in a scenario where a terminal device subscribes to downlink data, when the terminal device receives a second data packet encapsulated using the first protocol stack, and the terminal device uses the first protocol stack to decapsulate it to obtain the second data corresponding to the first topic, the first communication device cannot perceive the topic of the second data packet before decapsulation, thus improving the confidentiality and security of the data of the terminal device in the data subscription scenario.

[0018] Another possible implementation of the first aspect includes:

[0019] Send a first subscription request, which includes a first topic and is used to request subscription to the data corresponding to the first topic.

[0020] In another possible implementation of the first aspect, the protocol for the publish-subscribe mechanism includes one of Data Hub Adaptor (DSA), Media Transport Protocol MoQ (MoQ) based on Fast User Datagram Protocol Internet connection, and Message Queuing Telemetry Transport Protocol (MQTT).

[0021] In this method, there can be various protocols for the publish-subscribe mechanism, such as DSA, MoQ, MQTT, or other protocols or queues related to the publish-subscribe mechanism. By deploying such protocols on the terminal device side, it is not necessary to process such protocols through the first communication device, thereby improving the confidentiality of data on the terminal device in the scenario of publishing or subscribing to data.

[0022] In any possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0023] Receive a second request message, wherein the second request message is used to request the establishment of a data bearer;

[0024] Send a first notification message, wherein the first notification message indicates that the data bearer has been successfully established, and wherein the data bearer is used to transmit data with the first communication device.

[0025] Specifically, the second request message is sent by the first communication device to the terminal device, requesting the establishment of a data bearer for data transmission between them. After receiving the second request message, the terminal device responds to it and notifies the first communication device that the data bearer has been successfully established and data can be transmitted.

[0026] Using this method, the terminal device transmits data packets encapsulated by the first protocol stack through the data bearer established between it and the first communication device, thereby achieving stable data transmission.

[0027] Secondly, embodiments of this application propose a communication method, including:

[0028] Receive a third request message, which is used to indicate the establishment of a data session;

[0029] Send a first establishment request to the third communication device, the first establishment request including the local IP address and the local tunnel endpoint identifier; the third communication device is used to provide asynchronous data exchange;

[0030] The terminal receives a third notification message from a third communication device. The third notification message includes the IP address of the third communication device and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the third communication device. The local IP address, the local tunnel endpoint identifier, the IP address of the third communication device, and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the third communication device are used to establish a data session tunnel with the third communication device. The data session tunnel is used to transmit data processed by a first protocol stack between the terminal device and the third communication device. The first protocol stack includes a protocol for the publish-subscribe mechanism.

[0031] For example, this communication method can be applied to a first communication device (such as a RAN). Specifically, the third request message is actually sent by a fifth communication device (such as a data controller) to the first communication device, instructing the first communication device to establish a data session tunnel with the third communication device to transmit data sent by the terminal device to the third communication device. First, after receiving the first request message, the first communication device allocates its own tunnel endpoint identifier, and then informs the third communication device of its own IP address and tunnel endpoint identifier. After receiving the first establishment request, the third communication device responds by sending its own IP address and tunnel endpoint identifier to the first communication device, and the data session tunnel is successfully established.

[0032] Using this method, a data session tunnel is established between the first communication device and the third communication device. This tunnel is used to transmit data or information encapsulated by the first protocol stack between the terminal and the third communication device, establishing a communication link between the terminal and the third communication device. Using a dedicated data session tunnel for transmission helps to improve the quality of data transmission.

[0033] One possible implementation of the second aspect also includes:

[0034] Receive a first data packet from the terminal device, wherein the first data packet is obtained by encapsulation through a first protocol stack;

[0035] The first data packet is encapsulated according to the General Packet Radio Service Tunneling Protocol (GTPU) to obtain the third data packet;

[0036] Send the third data packet through the data session tunnel.

[0037] Specifically, if a terminal device wants to send a first data packet encapsulated by the first protocol stack to a third communication device, it can first send the first data packet to the first communication device, which will then send it to the third communication device through the GTPU tunnel. Before using the GTPU tunnel, the first communication device needs to encapsulate the first data packet using the GTPU protocol to obtain a third data packet, making it suitable for transmission in the GTPU tunnel, and then send the third data packet to the third communication device through the GTPU tunnel.

[0038] By using this method, when the terminal device publishes uplink data to the third communication device, the data packets encapsulated by the first protocol stack are transmitted to the third communication device through a dedicated GTPU tunnel between the first and third communication devices, thereby improving transmission quality and enhancing data transmission security.

[0039] One possible implementation of the second aspect also includes:

[0040] The fourth data packet, encapsulated by a first protocol stack, is received via a data session tunnel. The first protocol stack includes protocols for the publish-subscribe mechanism.

[0041] The fourth data packet was decapsulated using the General Packet Radio Protocol Tunneling Protocol (GTPU) to obtain the second data packet.

[0042] Send a second data packet to the terminal device.

[0043] Specifically, when the terminal device subscribes to data from the third communication device, the third communication device first sends the data encapsulated according to the first protocol stack and the GTPU protocol to the first communication device through the GTPU tunnel. After receiving the data, the first communication device uses the GTPU protocol to decompress it and sends the decompressed second data packet to the terminal device. At this time, the second data packet is still a data packet encapsulated by the first protocol stack.

[0044] Using this method, when a terminal device subscribes to downlink data from a third communication device, a dedicated GTPU tunnel between the first and third communication devices is used to transmit data packets encapsulated by the first protocol stack sent by the third communication device to the terminal, thereby improving transmission quality and enhancing data transmission security.

[0045] Another possible implementation of the second aspect includes:

[0046] Receive a first subscription request from a terminal device. The first subscription request is used to request subscription to data corresponding to a first topic. The first topic is the topic of the data transmitted in the data session.

[0047] The first subscription request is sent to the third communication device via a data session tunnel.

[0048] Using this method, after the first communication device receives the terminal's first subscription request, it forwards it to the third communication device through the GTPU tunnel, thereby improving the quality of information transmission.

[0049] Another possible implementation of the second aspect includes:

[0050] Send a first handover request, which includes the IP address of the third communication device and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the third communication device; the first handover request is used to request that the data session tunnel between the first communication device and the third communication device be changed to the data session tunnel between the second communication device and the third communication device.

[0051] Specifically, when the first communication device determines that the terminal device meets the handover conditions, it sends a first handover request, requesting that the network node between the terminal device and the third communication device be changed from the first communication device to the second communication device. Accordingly, the GTPU tunnel established between the terminal device and the third communication device for transmitting data encapsulated by the first protocol stack between the terminal device and the third communication device is changed to a GTPU tunnel between the second communication device and the third communication device. Subsequently, the data encapsulated by the first protocol stack between the terminal device and the third communication device will be transmitted through the GTPU tunnel between the second communication device and the third communication device.

[0052] Using this method, it can be ensured that the terminal device can still successfully publish or subscribe to data to the third communication device after a handover between base stations.

[0053] In another possible implementation of the second aspect, sending a first handover request includes:

[0054] Send a first handover request to the second communication device;

[0055] Alternatively, a first handover request may be sent to a fourth communication device, which is used for mobility management.

[0056] In this method, when the first communication device determines that the terminal needs to switch to a new network device (such as the second communication device), the first communication device (source network device) can directly send a first handover request to the second communication device (target network device) to save signaling overhead; or it can send the first handover request to the fourth communication device used for mobility management, and the fourth communication device can forward and assist in the handover, which helps to rationally allocate resources.

[0057] Thirdly, embodiments of this application propose a communication method, including:

[0058] Receive a first establishment request from a first communication device, the first establishment request including the IP address of the first communication device and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the first communication device;

[0059] Send a third notification message, which includes the local IP address and the local tunnel endpoint identifier. The local IP address, the local tunnel endpoint identifier, the IP address of the first communication device, and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the first communication device are used to establish a data session tunnel with the first communication device. The data session tunnel is used to transmit data processed by the first protocol stack between the terminal device and the terminal device. The first protocol stack includes a protocol for the publish-subscribe mechanism.

[0060] Using this method, a data session tunnel is established between the first communication device and the third communication device. This tunnel is used to transmit data or information encapsulated by the first protocol stack between the terminal and the third communication device, establishing a communication link between the terminal and the third communication device. The use of a dedicated data session tunnel can smoothly transmit downlink data to the terminal side.

[0061] One possible implementation of the third aspect also includes:

[0062] The third data packet is received through the data session tunnel. The third data packet is a data packet encapsulated by the first protocol stack.

[0063] Specifically, when a terminal device sends an uplink data packet encapsulated by the first protocol stack to a third communication device, it first sends the data packet to the first communication device, and then transmits it to the third communication device through the GTPU tunnel between the first and third communication devices.

[0064] By using this method, when the terminal device publishes uplink data to the third communication device, the data packets encapsulated by the first protocol stack are transmitted to the third communication device through a dedicated GTPU tunnel between the first and third communication devices, thereby improving transmission quality and enhancing data transmission security.

[0065] One possible implementation of the third aspect also includes:

[0066] Receive first subscription information, which includes a first topic. The first subscription information is used to request subscription to the data corresponding to the first topic.

[0067] A fourth data packet is sent through the data session tunnel. The fourth data packet is a data packet corresponding to the first topic that has been encapsulated by the first protocol stack.

[0068] Specifically, when a terminal device subscribes to data corresponding to a first topic from a third communication device, it first sends the first subscription information containing the first topic to the first communication device, which then forwards or transmits it to the third communication device. After receiving the first subscription request, the third communication device can store the first subscription request. When it subsequently receives data corresponding to the first topic, it encapsulates the data according to the first protocol stack and sends it to the first communication device through the GTPU tunnel, which then forwards it to the terminal device.

[0069] Using this method, when a terminal device subscribes to downlink data from a third communication device, a dedicated GTPU tunnel between the first and third communication devices is used to transmit data packets encapsulated by the first protocol stack sent by the third communication device to the terminal, thereby improving transmission quality and enhancing data transmission security.

[0070] One possible implementation of the third aspect also includes:

[0071] Receive a first session modification request. The first session modification request includes the IP address of the third communication device, the tunnel endpoint identifier of the third communication device, the IP address of the second communication device, and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the second communication device. The first session modification request is used to request that the data session tunnel between the first communication device and the third communication device be modified to a data session tunnel between the second communication device and the third communication device.

[0072] A fourth notification message is sent to the second communication device, which indicates that the data session tunnel has been successfully modified.

[0073] Specifically, when the first communication device determines that the terminal needs to switch to a new network device, the third communication device receives the first session modification request and informs the third communication device of the tunnel endpoint identifier and IP address information required to establish a GTPU tunnel between the third communication device and the new network device (the second communication device). The third communication device can re-establish the GTPU tunnel with the second communication device based on this information to transmit data encapsulated by the first protocol stack between the terminal device and the terminal device.

[0074] Using this method, it can be ensured that when the first communication device determines that the terminal needs to switch to a new network device, the terminal device can still successfully publish or subscribe to data to the third communication device.

[0075] Fourthly, embodiments of this application propose a communication method, including:

[0076] A handover request is received. The handover request includes the IP address of the third communication device and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the third communication device. The handover request is used to request that the data session tunnel between the first communication device and the third communication device be modified to the data session tunnel between the second communication device and the third communication device. The data session tunnel is used to transmit data encapsulated by the first protocol stack with the terminal device. The first protocol stack includes a protocol for the publish-subscribe mechanism.

[0077] Send a first session modification request to the third communication device. The first session modification request includes the IP address of the third communication device, the tunnel endpoint identifier of the third communication device, the IP address of the second communication device, and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the second communication device. The first session modification request is used to request that the data session tunnel between the first communication device and the third communication device be modified to the data session tunnel between the second communication device and the third communication device.

[0078] A fourth notification message is received from a third communication device, which indicates that the data session tunnel has been successfully modified.

[0079] Specifically, when the first communication device determines that the terminal needs to switch to a new network device (such as the second communication device), the second communication device will receive a switching request, requesting that the GTPU tunnel between the first and third communication devices used to transmit data between the terminal device and the third communication device be modified to a GTPU tunnel between the second and third communication devices, and informing the second communication device of the information of the third communication device that will rebuild the GTPU tunnel; the second communication device allocates a tunnel endpoint identifier for its own end, and sends its own IP address and tunnel endpoint identifier, as well as the IP address and tunnel endpoint identifier of the third communication device, to the third communication device through a first session modification request, requesting the re-establishment of the GTPU tunnel to transmit data encapsulated by the first protocol stack between the terminal device and the third communication device.

[0080] Using this method, it can be ensured that when the terminal switches from the first communication device to the second communication device, the terminal device can still successfully publish or subscribe to data to the third communication device.

[0081] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, receiving the handover request includes:

[0082] A first handover request is received from a first communication device. The first handover request includes the IP address of the third communication device and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the third communication device.

[0083] Using this method, the handover request can be sent directly from the first communication device to the second communication device, saving signaling overhead and transmission delay.

[0084] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, receiving the handover request includes:

[0085] The system receives a second handover request from a fourth communication device, which includes the IP address of the third communication device and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the third communication device. The fourth communication device is used for mobility management.

[0086] Using this method, the handover request can be sent by the communication device to the fourth communication device (such as AMF), which will then coordinate and manage the request before forwarding it to the second communication device, thus helping to rationally allocate resources.

[0087] Fifthly, embodiments of this application propose a communication method, including:

[0088] Receive a first handover request from a first communication device, the first handover request including the IP address of the third communication device and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the third communication device;

[0089] A second handover request is sent to the second communication device. The second handover request includes the IP address of the third communication device and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the third communication device. The first handover request and the second handover request are used to request that the data session tunnel between the first communication device and the third communication device be modified to a data session tunnel between the second communication device and the third communication device. The data session tunnel is used for the transmission of data encapsulated by the first protocol stack between the third communication device and the terminal device. The first protocol stack includes a protocol for the publish-subscribe mechanism.

[0090] Using this method, when the network equipment (such as RAN) serving the terminal device changes, a fourth communication device (such as AMF) is used to perform a forwarding handover request service handover. This helps the terminal device to smoothly complete the network equipment change when the source network equipment cannot communicate directly with the new network equipment.

[0091] Sixthly, embodiments of this application propose a communication method, including:

[0092] Receive data service requests;

[0093] Determine the terminal device that will process the data service request, and assign a first topic to the terminal device;

[0094] A first request message is sent to the terminal device. The first request message is used to request the establishment of a data session. The first request message includes a first topic, and the data session is used to transmit data of the first topic.

[0095] Specifically, when the fifth communication device (such as DC) receives a data service request, the data service request includes data demand information for the first topic. The data service request is used to request the provision of data services for the first topic. The fifth terminal device (such as DC) arranges and selects a suitable terminal device (such as UE) to process the data service for the first topic in the data service request based on the data service and the data service capability information of one or more terminal devices. Then, it sends a first request message to the terminal device (such as UE) to request the establishment of a data session between the terminal device and the third communication device.

[0096] Using this method, the fifth communication device can select a suitable terminal device to handle the data service request, thereby improving the efficiency of the communication system.

[0097] Seventhly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, wherein:

[0098] The communication device includes a module for performing the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof;

[0099] Alternatively, the communication device may include a module for performing the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof;

[0100] Alternatively, the communication device may include a module for performing the method described in the third aspect or any possible implementation thereof;

[0101] Alternatively, the communication device may include a module for performing the method described in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect;

[0102] Alternatively, the communication device may include a module for performing the method described in the fifth aspect or any possible implementation thereof;

[0103] Alternatively, the communication device may include a module for performing the method described in the sixth aspect or any possible implementation thereof;

[0104] Alternatively, the communication device includes a processor for performing the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof;

[0105] Alternatively, the communication device includes a processor for performing the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof;

[0106] Alternatively, the communication device includes a processor for performing the method described in the third aspect or any possible implementation thereof;

[0107] Alternatively, the communication device includes a processor for performing the method described in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation thereof;

[0108] Alternatively, the communication device includes a processor for performing the method described in the fifth aspect or any possible implementation thereof;

[0109] Alternatively, the communication device includes a processor for performing the method described in the sixth aspect or any possible implementation thereof;

[0110] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication device, characterized in that it includes a logic circuit and an interface, the logic circuit and the interface being coupled; the interface is used for inputting and / or outputting information, wherein:

[0111] The logic circuit is used to perform the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or...

[0112] The logic circuit is used to execute the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or...

[0113] The logic circuit is used to execute the method described in the third aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or...

[0114] The logic circuit is used to perform the method described in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or...

[0115] The logic circuit is used to perform the method described in the fifth aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or...

[0116] The logic circuit is used to perform the method described in the sixth aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0117] Ninthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, wherein:

[0118] When the computer program is executed, it is capable of implementing the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or...

[0119] When the computer program is executed, it is capable of implementing the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or...

[0120] When the computer program is executed, it is capable of implementing the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect, or...

[0121] When the computer program is executed, it is capable of implementing the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect, or...

[0122] When the computer program is executed, it is capable of implementing the fifth aspect or any possible implementation of the fifth aspect, or...

[0123] When the computer program is executed, it is capable of implementing the sixth aspect or any possible implementation of the sixth aspect.

[0124] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication system, which includes a first communication device, a second communication device, a third communication device, a fourth communication device, and a fifth communication device, wherein:

[0125] The first communication device is used to perform the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect; the second communication device is used to perform the method described in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect; the third communication device is used to perform the method described in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect; the fourth communication device is used to perform the method described in the fifth aspect or any possible implementation of the fifth aspect; and the fifth communication device is used to perform the method described in the sixth aspect or any possible implementation of the sixth aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0126] The accompanying drawings used in the embodiments of this application are described below.

[0127] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a future network architecture that supports the data plane, provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0128] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a data service service plane protocol stack between a terminal device and a base station provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0129] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the protocol stack when a base station transmits data through a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0130] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a protocol stack used by a terminal device when publishing data, according to an embodiment of this application.

[0131] Figure 5 is a scenario diagram of the use of the GTPU protocol in LTE provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0132] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0133] Figure 7 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method for publishing uplink data by a terminal device, provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0134] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a protocol stack used by a terminal device when publishing or subscribing to data, according to an embodiment of this application.

[0135] Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method for a terminal device subscribing to downlink data, provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0136] Figure 10 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method for a terminal network interface switching (XN switching) scenario provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0137] Figure 11 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method for a terminal network technology handover (NG handover) scenario provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0138] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a communication device structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0139] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of another communication device structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0140] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of another communication device structure provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0141] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or," for example, A / B can mean A or B; the word "and / or" in the text is merely a description of 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, and B alone. Furthermore, in the description of the embodiments of this application, "multiple" refers to two or more. Hereinafter, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as implying or suggesting relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, features defined with "first" and "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more.

[0142] The following section introduces the relevant technical background and concepts involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0143] I. Data Services

[0144] With the decrease in computing and storage costs, and the emergence of numerous low-latency services and local area applications, computing and storage, as well as the intelligent algorithms that rely on them, tend to be deployed at the network edge closer to the data source, thus forming a data-centric network architecture. The basic function of mobile communication networks will also begin to shift from being a conduit for information transmission to a platform for data management. Through analysis of numerous data application scenarios and needs, the data services that the data architecture can provide can be summarized into eight categories, as shown in the table below:

[0145] Table 1: Descriptions of Various Data Services

[0146] II. 6G Data Plane

[0147] Existing communication networks, acting as "pipelines" for data transmission, integrate single-point technologies to achieve data processing, data supervision, and security and privacy protection, providing specific data service capabilities for intelligent applications. However, they lack a standardized data service framework and face numerous challenges at the data governance level. For example, fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication technology is built on sessions, with its user plane used to carry session data. It cannot meet the "in-the-path computing" and "arbitrary topology" support required for 6G data transmission; that is, the 5G user plane cannot carry the new data types of 6G networks. Specifically, 5G user plane session connections enable information exchange between two communication devices, specifically through Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions providing end-to-end user plane connections between user terminal devices and the network. In contrast, 6G data plane transmission consists of functions such as data acquisition, preprocessing, forwarding, storage, and analysis. User plane transmission is for communication connections between people or between people and machines, while the data processed by the data plane is produced and consumed by machines / algorithms. 5G user plane sessions only transmit data packets, while 6G data plane transmission networks require in-band computing. In the data pipeline, data is transformed and optimized to achieve the state required for data analysis and intelligent applications. In terms of data forwarding behavior, session data packets are forwarded based on the destination address; while in the data pipeline, data packets are forwarded based on the data service and data pipeline identifier.

[0148] Furthermore, data forwarding based on 5G user plane sessions belongs to the TCP / IP layer, while data forwarding on the data plane belongs to the application layer. Session-based topology is a point-to-point connection, while the 6G data plane needs to support arbitrary topology structures (such as the tree structure required for data distribution and aggregation). If the existing user plane is used to carry all 6G network data, the start and end of the data can only be at the two ends of the PDU session, i.e., the User Equipment (UE) or User Plane Functions (UPF), which cannot meet the distributed management and control of sensed data, AI data, network behavior, and state data. Therefore, the 6G network needs to introduce an independent data plane to build a unified, reliable, dynamic, and flexible data service framework at the architecture level. This will meet data regulatory requirements while improving data analysis and processing efficiency, enabling reliable data sharing across domains and manufacturers, and realizing the value of data through various intelligent applications. Table 2 provides a comparison of data plane data carrying capacity between 5G and 6G systems.

[0149] Table 2: Comparison of Data Plane Data Bearing Capacity in 5G and 6G Systems

[0150] To systematically address the challenges of data services and resolve the issue that the existing mobile network user plane and data-driven architecture cannot meet the new service and data demands of 6G, an independent data plane is introduced for the 6G network, based on 6G mobile communication network data and data services. The data plane aims to build a unified and reliable data service framework, solve the data silo problem, provide reliable data services while meeting regulatory requirements, achieve cross-domain and cross-vendor data sharing, improve operational efficiency, and realize the value of data.

[0151] As shown in Figure 1, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a future network architecture supporting the data plane provided by an embodiment of this application. The functions of each component are described below:

[0152] 1) Data Orchestrator (DO): Provides data service orchestration (coarse-grained, non-real-time), lifecycle management of data service tasks, and translation of service requests. It acts as the portal for receiving data service requests, converting them into corresponding data pipeline construction requests and sending them to the Data Control (DC). The DO also coordinates with other network services; for example, while computing power network services orchestrate computing power, the DO orchestrates the data. Furthermore, the DO incorporates a built-in library of data security and privacy protection technologies, including differential privacy, homomorphic encryption, and zero-knowledge proofs, providing data security and privacy protection capabilities and enabling data protection technologies to the Data Agent (DA) as needed.

[0153] 2) Data Agent (DA): The data agent (DA) can be built into the network function or deployed independently to perform functions such as data acquisition, data preprocessing, data storage, data analysis, and data forwarding.

[0154] 3) Data Controller (DC): Responsible for fine-grained real-time orchestration tasks, combining data pipelines within the local domain based on the capabilities of the Data Controller (DA) and data service requests. The collaboration between the Data Controller (DO) and the DC enables the elasticity and programmability of the data pipeline. Furthermore, the DC receives capability reports from the DAs and implements registration and deregistration functions for DAs, achieving real-time monitoring of DAs by detecting their heartbeats.

[0155] 4) Data Communication Proxy (DCP): Provides an efficient data transmission mechanism, decoupling data producers and data consumers.

[0156] DCP introduces a new network function in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network. It should be understood that DCP is merely an example name; other names can be used instead. Any device with the same function as a DCP can be considered a DCP, and this application does not limit this. DCP can be deployed as an independent network element in a 3GPP network, or it can be co-located with other network elements or devices in the 3GPP network; this application does not limit this. Optionally, DCP can be deployed in the access network or the core network; this application does not limit this.

[0157] DCP supports multiple transport protocols, such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Quick UDP Internet Connection (QUIC), or others. DCP can include an adapter layer and a distributed message queue (DMQ) for efficient data distribution. DCP supports the concept of data consumer groups, meaning that the same message can only be consumed by one consumer belonging to the same data consumer group, but it can be consumed simultaneously by different data consumer groups.

[0158] 5) Data Processing Function (DPF): This is a special type of Data Analyzer that performs data analysis and processing functions.

[0159] 6) Distributed Data Storage Function (DSF): This refers to a technology that manages data storage through a distributed architecture. It enables data to be stored in multiple physical locations (such as multiple nodes, servers, data centers, etc.), and the system can ensure the consistency, reliability, and high availability of data across these distributed locations.

[0160] III. Protocol Stack

[0161] When the data collected by the terminal device needs to be processed at the base station, the data service plane protocol stack between the terminal device and the base station is shown in Figure 2. From bottom to top, the protocol stack consists of the Physical Layer (PHY), Medium Access Control (MAC), Radio Link Control (RLC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and Data Forward Protocol-service (DFP-S). The main functions of DFP-S include data acquisition, data processing and analysis, data encryption, and privacy protection. When the base station currently hosting the terminal device transmits the terminal device's data, the corresponding protocol stack is shown in Figure 3 (the base station processing the terminal device's data can be a DPF or another base station).

[0162] The Data Spine Adaptor (DSA) is a newly introduced protocol layer based on the DCP. The main functions of the DSA layer are message queue adaptation (such as creating data consumers, creating data producers, data publishing, data subscription, data unsubscribing, and data consumption). Table 3 provides the DSA protocol definition:

[0163] Table 3: DSA Protocol Definition

[0164] The message types include subscription, publication, and consumption.

[0165] The General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP) comprises three protocol types: GPRS Tunneling Protocol-User Plane (GTPU), GPRS Tunneling Protocol-Control Plane (GTPC), and GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP). GTPU is the protocol used by the UE to transmit data in the mobile network. A GTP tunnel is a logical channel established between device interfaces, representing a logical link at the GTP protocol layer between two network elements. Figure 4 illustrates a protocol stack used by a terminal device when publishing data. GTPU resides on top of UDP. The UE uses IPv4 / IPv6 / PPP to send data, and GTPU data is carried over IP. When the UE sends a message to the core side, it sends the message through the GTP tunnel. The network element deletes the tunnel message, parses it, returns it to the UE, and then re-encapsulates the tunnel before sending it back to the UE.

[0166] Among them, the Tunnel Endpoint Identification (TEID) of the GTPU protocol uniquely identifies a tunnel between two network elements. The TEID is a temporarily assigned object that is created as needed and discarded when not in use. Figure 5 provides a scenario diagram of the use of the GTPU protocol in LTE.

[0167] Please refer to Figure 6, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication system 60 includes a terminal device 601, a first communication device 602, a second communication device 603, a third communication device 604, and a fourth communication device 605; optionally, it may also include a fifth communication device 606.Terminal device 601, first communication device 602, second communication device 603, third communication device 604, fourth communication device 605, and fifth communication device 606 can transmit or receive signals wirelessly or via wired means. For example, they can communicate using the following communication technologies: Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA2000), Time Division-Synchronization Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), and Universal Mobile Telecommunications (UMT). The three major application scenarios of the next-generation 5G mobile communication system are: UMTS (Underground Universe Telecommunications System), WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), 5G (Fifth Generation), New Radio Access Technology (NR), 6G (Sixth Generation), and UMTS. These scenarios include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), and enhanced machine-type communications (eMTC). Other wireless access technologies may also be considered.The above communication technologies can be non-standalone (NSA) and / or standalone (SA) methods.

[0168] 1) Terminal device 601 is an entity for receiving and / or transmitting signals, capable of transmitting uplink signals (e.g., uplink data) or receiving downlink signals (e.g., control information and downlink data), including devices for providing voice and / or data connectivity to users. Specifically, it includes devices for providing voice to users, or devices for providing data connectivity to users, or devices for providing both voice and data connectivity to users. For example, it may include handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or processing devices connected to a wireless modem with wireless connectivity. The terminal device can communicate with the core network via a radio access network (RAN), exchanging voice or data with the RAN, or interacting with the RAN for both voice and data. The terminal equipment may include: Mobile Station (MS), User Equipment (UE), Wireless Terminal Equipment, Mobile Terminal Equipment, Device-to-Device (D2D) Terminal Equipment, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) Terminal Equipment, Machine-to-Machine / Machine-type Communications (M2M / MTC) Terminal Equipment, Internet of Things (IoT) Terminal Equipment, Light UE, Reduced Capability UE (REDCAP UE), Subscriber Unit, Subscriber Station, Mobile Station, Remote Station, Access Point (AP), Remote Terminal Equipment, Access Terminal Equipment, User Terminal Equipment, User Agent, or User Device, etc. For example, it can include mobile phones (or "cellular" phones), smartphones, computers with mobile terminal devices, portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-embedded mobile devices, laptop computers, wireless data cards, tablet computers, wireless modems, etc.Examples of such devices include personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile routers, vehicle-mounted terminal devices (Transmission Control Units), and machine-type communication (MTC) terminal devices. In this application embodiment, the device used to implement the functions of the terminal device can be the terminal device itself, or a device capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing that function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the terminal device. In this application embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components. This application embodiment does not impose special limitations on the specific type of terminal device. The technical solutions provided in this application embodiment are described using the terminal device as an example to illustrate the use of the terminal device as the device for implementing the functions of the terminal device.

[0169] 2) The first communication device 602 is a device that provides wireless network access functionality for terminal devices. It has wireless transceiver capabilities and is used to receive uplink signals from terminal devices or send downlink signals to terminal devices. It can also be called a network device. Network devices can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small stations), relay stations, access points, etc. This network device includes Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment, such as base stations (e.g., access points), which can also be called radio base stations or basic radios. These devices communicate with wireless terminal devices. Base stations can communicate with mobile terminal devices within the area and manage and schedule communication resources through antennas. In systems employing different radio access technologies, the names of network equipment may vary. For example, network equipment may include: a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) in a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network; an NB (NodeB) in Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA); an evolved Node B (NodeB, eNB, or e-NodeB) in Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE) or Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A) systems; a Radio Network Controller (RNC); a Base Station Controller (BSC); a Base Transceiver Station (BTS); a Home Evolved NodeB (or Home Node B, HNB); a Baseband Unit (BBU); and a Next Generation Node (NodeB) in a 5G NR network. Network devices can be nodes or transmission points (TRPs or TPs) in 6G networks (e.g., gNB), or network nodes that constitute gNBs or transmission points. Network devices can also be radio controllers in Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN) scenarios, base station equipment in future 5G / 6G networks, network equipment in future evolved PLMN networks, or wearable or vehicle-mounted devices protecting transmission and reception points (TRPs).This application does not limit the specific wireless access technology or specific device form used in the first communication device. In this application, the device used to implement the function of the network device can be a network device or a device that can support the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system. This device can be installed in the network device.

[0170] 3) The second communication device 603 is used to provide asynchronous data exchange. It can receive data from the terminal device and send subscribed data to the terminal device. For example, it can be a DCP or other devices or network elements with the same function as the DCP. In this embodiment, the second communication device can be an independent device or a device that can support the implementation of this function, such as a chip system. It can be deployed in the access network or the core network. This application does not limit the specific wireless access technology or specific device form adopted by this second communication device.

[0171] 4) The third communication device 604 is used for mobility management and access management, etc. For example, the third communication device can be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element to perform mobility management, access authentication / authorization and other functions. It can also be other network elements or related equipment used for mobility management. The third communication device in this application embodiment can be an independent device or a device that can support the implementation of this function, such as a chip system. It can be deployed in the access network or in the core network. This application does not limit the specific wireless access technology and specific equipment form adopted by this second communication device.

[0172] 5) The fourth communication device 605 is used to provide data service orchestration. It can receive data service requests and orchestrate the selection of appropriate terminal devices to execute the requests. For example, the fourth communication device can be a DC or other network element that can provide data orchestration services, such as a DO. In the embodiments of this application, the fourth communication device can be an independent device or a device that can support the implementation of this function, such as a chip system. It can be deployed in the access network or the core network. This application does not limit the specific wireless access technology and specific device form adopted by this second communication device.

[0173] 6) Fifth communication device 606, which may be used for the same function as the first communication device, or may be a network device. For a description of the fifth communication device 606, please refer to the description of the first communication device 602 above.

[0174] In FIG. 6, a terminal device 601 is taken as a UE, a first communication device 602 as a first RAN, a second communication device 603 as a DCP, a third communication device 604 as an AMF, a fourth communication device 605 as a DC, and a fifth communication device 606 as a second RAN for illustration. The terminal device 601 can send uplink data / information to the first communication device 602, the second communication device 603, the third communication device 604, the fourth communication device 605, and the fifth communication device 606, and can also receive downlink data / information from the first communication device 602, the second communication device 603, the third communication device 604, the fourth communication device 605, and the fifth communication device 606; the communication between the terminal device and the second communication device 603, the third communication device 604, and the fourth communication device 605 can be processed and forwarded or transparently transmitted via the first communication device 602 or the fifth communication device 606, or it is also possible that the terminal device 601 can directly communicate with the second communication device 603, the third communication device 604, and the fourth communication device 605. Among them, the first communication device 602 and the fifth communication device 606 do not serve the terminal device 601 simultaneously. The first communication device 602 and the fifth communication device 606 can be switched to serve the terminal device 601 according to the actual application scenario or requirements, or it is also possible that the first communication device 602 and the fifth communication device 606 can serve the terminal device 601 simultaneously. It should be understood that the communication system 60 may further include more terminal devices or more communication devices. For example, it may include more RANs or more UEs, and multiple RANs can serve the same terminal device simultaneously.

[0175] The method in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG. 6, and the structure of the above communication system is only for illustration.

[0176] Endogenous sensing and intelligence are the two major new capabilities of the 6G network. The former senses the massive data generated by the network's own state, the surrounding environment, and user / device behavior through sensing devices, and the latter uses technologies such as AI and digital twin for modeling analysis and automatic decision-making to improve network operation efficiency, improve system performance, or provide data services for intelligent applications. It can be seen that the 6G network is on the one hand a producer and provider of data, providing trusted data services for intelligent applications, and on the other hand a consumer of data, leveraging data-driven intelligent applications to improve network performance and operation efficiency. Therefore, how to optimize data governance,挖掘 data value, and provide trusted data services poses a brand-new challenge to the 6G network design.

[0177] It should be noted that there is a wrong word "挖掘" in the original Chinese text of item . It should be "挖掘" which has been corrected in the translation. If you have any other questions, please feel free to let me know.In some data transmission schemes of 6G and future communication systems, considering the inherent sensing characteristics of the network, when terminal devices publish or subscribe to data to DCP, they need to sense and process the data through network devices (such as RAN) to make it more suitable for transmission in wireless communication, and then forward the sensed / processed data. In this process, the security and privacy of the data cannot be guaranteed.

[0178] Therefore, the embodiments of this application propose various communication methods that can be applied to 6G or future networks, making the data published / subscribed by the terminal device transparent to network devices (such as RAN), thereby improving data confidentiality and security. The specific implementation of this method varies in different scenarios. For ease of understanding, it is described in the following specific cases, with the specific methods as follows.

[0179] Please refer to Figure 7. Figure 7 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method for publishing uplink data by a terminal device according to an embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to the system architecture shown in Figure 6, or to other system architectures. The method includes, but is not limited to, the following steps.

[0180] Step S700: The fifth communication device sends a first request message.

[0181] Specifically, the fifth communication device (such as DC) receives a data service request, which includes data demand information for the first topic. The data service request is used to request the provision of corresponding data services. The fifth communication device (such as DC) arranges and selects a suitable terminal device (such as UE) to process the data service for which the data service request is made based on the data service capability information of one or more terminal devices, and then sends a first request message to the selected terminal device (such as UE).

[0182] The first request message is used to request the establishment of a data session, that is, to request the establishment of a data transmission channel between a terminal device (such as a UE) and a third communication device (such as a DCP) for data transmission. The first request message includes a first topic, and may also include one or more of the following: data service identifier (DSID), data session ID, data type to be collected by the terminal device, time, frequency, etc. The first topic is the topic of the data to be transmitted in the data session. For example, the first topic is the topic of the data that the terminal device needs to publish.

[0183] Step S701: The terminal device receives the first request message.

[0184] Specifically, the first communication device (such as RAN) can be a node through which the terminal device accesses the network, serving as the interface and bridge between the terminal device and the core network. Therefore, the first request message can actually be something the fifth communication device (such as DC) wants to send to the terminal device, relayed by the first communication device. After receiving the first request message, the first communication device can either forward it directly (e.g., pass-through) or process it accordingly before sending it to the terminal device. The processing mentioned here does not change the substantive content of the first request message; it is merely to ensure the smooth transmission of the first request message to the terminal device, such as performing protocol encapsulation and conversion operations. Since the first request message received and the first request message sent by the first communication device may not be completely identical but have the same substantive content, they are both referred to as the first request message. This first request message is actually sent by the fifth communication device, or it can be said to be received from the fifth communication device.

[0185] Step S702: The fifth communication device sends a third request message to the first communication device.

[0186] Specifically, the fifth communication device (such as DC) sends a first request message to the terminal device (such as UE) to request the establishment of a data session. Essentially, this data session is used for the transmission of data corresponding to the first topic between the terminal device and the third communication device (such as DCP). Since there is an intermediate node, the first communication device (such as RAN), between the terminal device and the third communication device (such as DCP), it is necessary to establish a data bearer between the terminal device and the first communication device (such as RAN), as well as to establish a data session between the first communication device and the third communication device.

[0187] The third request message sent by the fifth communication device (such as DC) to the first communication device is used to instruct the first communication device to establish a data session with the third communication device. The third request message includes a data session ID. The third request message and the first request message are essentially both for requesting the establishment of a transmission channel between the terminal device and the third communication device. Therefore, the data session ID in the third request message is the same as the data session ID in the first request message.

[0188] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the third request message.

[0189] Step S703: The first communication device sends a first establishment request to the third communication device.

[0190] Specifically, after receiving the third request message, the first communication device selects a suitable communication device to establish the data session. For example, the selection of the third communication device can be based on pre-configured rules (such as DCP), or the third communication device (such as DCP) may be pre-configured, or it may be selected through other means. This embodiment does not limit the selection. After selecting the third communication device, a tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID_1) is assigned to the local end, preparing to establish a data session tunnel (GTPU tunnel) with the third communication device (such as DCP). This GTPU tunnel is actually used to transmit data between the terminal device and the third communication device. Since communication between the terminal device and the third communication device needs to pass through the first communication device, the GTPU tunnel is established between the first and third communication devices serving the terminal device. The process of establishing a Data Session Tunnel (GTPU tunnel) includes sending a first establishment request, wherein the first establishment request includes a Data Service Identifier (DSID), a Data Session ID, an IP address of a first communication device, and a Data Session Tunnel Endpoint Identifier (TEID_1) of the first communication device. This first establishment request is used to request the establishment of a Data Session Tunnel (GTPU tunnel) with a third communication device (such as a DCP). This data session tunnel can be said to be the transmission of data corresponding to a first topic between the first communication device and the third communication device. In essence, it is used for the transmission of data corresponding to the first topic between the terminal device and the third communication device.

[0191] Accordingly, the third communication device receives the first establishment request.

[0192] Step S704: The third communication device sends a third notification message to the first communication device.

[0193] Specifically, the third notification message is a response to the first establishment request. After receiving the first establishment request, the third communication device assigns its own tunnel endpoint identifier and informs the first communication device. The third notification message includes the IP address of the third communication device and the data session tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID_3) of the third communication device. The tunnel endpoint identifiers (TEID_1 and TEID_3) at both ends can uniquely identify a data session tunnel (GTPU tunnel).

[0194] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the third notification message and completes the establishment of a data session tunnel with the third communication device.

[0195] Step S705: The first communication device sends a second request message to the terminal device.

[0196] Specifically, the second request message includes a data session ID. This second request message is used to request the establishment of a data bearer between the terminal device and the terminal device (e.g., RAN) for data transmission between the first communication device (e.g., UE) and the terminal device (e.g., UE). If the terminal device wants to transmit data with a third communication device (e.g., DCP), in the steps described above, the first communication device has successfully established a data session tunnel (GTPU tunnel) with the third communication device. This step involves establishing a data bearer between the terminal device and the first communication device.

[0197] Accordingly, the terminal device receives the second request message.

[0198] Step S706: The terminal device sends a first notification message to the first communication device.

[0199] Specifically, the first notification message is used in response to the second request message to indicate that the data bearer has been successfully established.

[0200] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the first notification message, through which it can know that the data bearer between the first communication device and the terminal device has been established. Since a data session between the first communication device and the third communication device has also been established, the data transmission channel between the terminal device and the third communication device has also been established, enabling the terminal device to upload data to the third communication device.

[0201] Optionally, this step may further include: the first communication device sending a first response message to the fifth communication device (such as a DC) in response to the third request message, indicating that the data session tunnel between the first communication device and the third communication device has been established; accordingly, the fifth communication device receives the first response message; it should be noted that during the transmission of the first response message from the first communication device to the fifth communication device, it may pass through one or more intermediate nodes, and the intermediate nodes do not change the substantive content of the first response message (e.g., they are just transparently transmitted).

[0202] Optionally, the process may further include: the terminal device sending a second response message to a fifth communication device (such as a DC), the second response message including a data session ID, in response to the first request message, indicating that a data transmission channel has been established between the terminal and the first and third communication devices. Accordingly, the fifth communication device receives the second response message. It should be noted that the second response message may pass through one or more intermediate nodes during its transmission from the terminal device to the fifth communication device; these intermediate nodes do not alter the substantive content of the second response message (e.g., they are merely transparently transmitted).

[0203] Step S707: The terminal device encapsulates the first data according to the first protocol stack to obtain the first data packet.

[0204] Specifically, after the aforementioned data transmission channel is established, the terminal device acquires (e.g., collects) the first data, which is the data corresponding to the first topic in the first request message. After acquisition, the first data is encapsulated according to the first protocol stack to obtain the first data packet. This first protocol stack includes protocols for the publish-subscribe mechanism. For example, the first protocol stack may include, but is not limited to, one of the following: Data Spine Adaptor (DSA), Media Over QUIC (MoQ) over Internet Connections (IoT), and Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT). Alternatively, the first protocol stack may include distributed publish-subscribe messaging systems (such as Apache Kafka) or message queue protocols (such as RabbitMQ), or other protocols with similar functions. In other words, a publish-subscribe mechanism protocol is deployed on the terminal device side, and the encapsulation of this protocol is completed. It should be noted that, in addition to encapsulation through the first protocol stack, the first data packet may also be encapsulated through other protocols; these other protocols will not be described in detail here. As shown in Figure 8, Figure 8 provides a schematic diagram of the protocol stack used by a terminal device when publishing or subscribing to data. In this diagram, the DSA protocol is deployed on both the terminal device (such as UE) and the third communication device (such as DCP), while the DSA protocol is not deployed on the first communication device (such as RAN). The GTPU protocol is deployed on both the first communication device (such as RAN) and the third communication device (such as DCP).

[0205] DSA is a newly introduced protocol layer based on DCP. Its main function is message queue adaptation (such as creating data consumers, creating data producers, data publishing, data subscription, data unsubscribing, and data consumption). Optionally, DSA can also be replaced by message queue adaptor (MQA), or it can have other names; this application does not limit this.

[0206] Step S708: The terminal device sends a first data packet to the first communication device.

[0207] Specifically, the terminal device sends a first data packet to the first communication device through the data bearer established with the first communication device.

[0208] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the first data packet via a data bearer.

[0209] Step S709: The first communication device encapsulates the first data packet according to the GTPU protocol to obtain the third data packet.

[0210] Specifically, the first data packet received by the first communication device is actually what the terminal device wants to send to the third communication device. Since the data packet related to the first topic has been encapsulated according to the first protocol stack on the terminal device side, the first communication device does not need to encapsulate the first data packet according to the first protocol stack. Therefore, the first communication device does not need to be aware of the data related to the first topic in the first data packet. However, since the first data packet needs to be sent to the third communication device through the GTPU tunnel between the first communication device and the third communication device, the first communication device also needs to encapsulate the first data packet again using the GTPU protocol to obtain the third data packet, making it suitable for transmission in the GTPU tunnel.

[0211] Step S710: The first communication device sends a third data packet to the third communication device.

[0212] Specifically, the first communication device sends a third data packet to the third communication device through the established GTPU tunnel. This third data packet is a data packet encapsulated using the GTPU protocol. It is worth noting that when the first communication device (e.g., RAN) and the third communication device (e.g., DCP) use the GTPU tunnel for transmission, 2152 can be used as a fixed UDP port number to distinguish whether the data sent from the first communication device to the third communication device originates from a terminal device. Other port numbers can also be used; 2152 is only for illustration here. For data generated by the first communication device itself, other ports besides 2152 can be used.

[0213] Correspondingly, the third communication device receives the third data packet, first uses the GTPU protocol to deseal the third data packet to obtain the first data packet, and then uses the protocol in the first protocol stack for the publish-subscribe mechanism to deseal the first data packet to obtain the data related to the first topic, thereby completing the uplink data of the first topic published by the terminal device to the third communication device.

[0214] In the embodiments of this application, the steps listed above are only illustrative examples. Some steps may be omitted or replaced with other steps, or new steps may be added, which can also constitute a new feasible solution. In addition, the order of description of the steps above does not represent the order of execution of the steps. The order of execution of the steps may be the same as the order of description or may be different from the order of description (but the logic must be coherent and reasonable).

[0215] By employing this method, a protocol for the publish-subscribe mechanism (such as the DSA protocol) is deployed on the terminal device side, enabling the data collected by the terminal to be encapsulated in the first protocol stack on the terminal device side. This eliminates the need to send the collected data to the first communication device (such as the RAN) for encapsulation in the publish-subscribe mechanism protocol. Therefore, the first communication device does not need to be aware of the topic of the data. In other words, the data published by the terminal is transparent to the base station, which improves the confidentiality and security of the data.

[0216] Please refer to Figure 9, which is a schematic flowchart of a communication method for a terminal device subscribing to downlink data in an embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to the system architecture shown in Figure 6, or to other system architectures. The method includes, but is not limited to, the following steps.

[0217] Step S900: The fifth communication device sends a first request message.

[0218] Specifically, after receiving a data service request, the fifth communication device (such as a DC) sends a first request message to the terminal device (such as a UE). The first request message requests the establishment of a data session for data transmission, specifically requesting the establishment of a data transmission channel between the terminal device (such as the UE) and the third communication device (such as a DCP). The first request message includes a first topic, and may also include one or more of the following: a data service identifier (DSID), a data session ID, and data to be collected. The first topic is the topic of the data to be transmitted in the data session; for example, the first topic is the topic of the data that the terminal device needs to subscribe to. For a detailed description of the data service request, please refer to the relevant description in step S700 above.

[0219] Step S901: The terminal device receives the first request message.

[0220] For details on this step, please refer to the relevant explanation in step S701 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0221] Step S902: The first communication device receives the third request message.

[0222] For details and descriptions of this step, please refer to the relevant instructions in step S702 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0223] Step S903: The first communication device sends a first establishment request to the third communication device.

[0224] For details and descriptions of this step, please refer to the relevant instructions in step S703 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0225] Step S904: The third communication device sends a third notification message to the first communication device.

[0226] For details and descriptions of this step, please refer to the relevant instructions in step S704 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0227] Step S905: The first communication device sends a second request message to the terminal device.

[0228] For details and descriptions of this step, please refer to the relevant instructions in step S705 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0229] Step S906: The terminal device sends a first notification message to the first communication device.

[0230] For details and descriptions of this step, please refer to the relevant instructions in step S706 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0231] Step S907: The terminal device sends the first subscription request.

[0232] Specifically, after the data transmission channel between the terminal device and the first and third communication devices is established, the terminal prepares to request the third communication device to subscribe to the data corresponding to the first topic. The terminal sends a first subscription request to the third communication device, which includes the first topic and is used to request subscription to the data corresponding to that topic. This first subscription request can actually be sent by the terminal device to the first communication device first, which then relays it. After receiving the first request message, the first communication device can either forward it directly (e.g., pass-through) or process it accordingly before sending it to the third communication device. For example, the first communication device can forward the first subscription request to the third communication device through a GTPU tunnel. The processing mentioned here does not change the substantive content of the first request message; it is only to ensure the smooth transmission of the first subscription request to the third communication device, such as performing protocol encapsulation and conversion operations.

[0233] Correspondingly, the third communication device receives the first subscription request.

[0234] Step S908: The third communication device sends the fourth data packet.

[0235] Specifically, after receiving a first subscription request from a terminal device, the third communication device (such as DCP) stores the information in the first subscription request (e.g., information about a first topic). Then, the third communication device subsequently sends data corresponding to the first topic to the terminal device. For example, the third communication device could send a fourth data packet to the first communication device through a GTPU tunnel established with the first communication device. This fourth data packet is a data packet corresponding to the first topic, encapsulated by the first protocol stack and the GTPU protocol.

[0236] Correspondingly, the first communication device can receive the fourth data packet through the GTPU tunnel, and use the GTPU protocol to decapsulate the fourth data packet to obtain the second data packet. The second data packet is also a data packet encapsulated by the protocol stack for the publish-subscribe mechanism. Then, the first communication device sends the second data packet to the terminal through the data bearer between the first communication device and the terminal device.

[0237] Step S909: The terminal device receives the second data packet.

[0238] Specifically, the terminal device receives the second data packet from the first communication device through the data bearer, and then decapsulates the second data packet according to the first protocol stack to obtain the second data corresponding to the first topic, thereby completing the terminal device's subscription to the downlink data corresponding to the first topic from the third communication device.

[0239] In the embodiments of this application, the steps listed above are only illustrative examples. Some steps may be omitted or replaced with other steps, or new steps may be added, which can also constitute a new feasible solution. In addition, the order of description of the steps above does not represent the order of execution of the steps. The order of execution of the steps may be the same as the order of description or may be different from the order of description (but the logic must be coherent and reasonable).

[0240] This method deploys a publish-subscribe protocol (such as the DSA protocol) on the terminal device side, so that when the terminal subscribes to data corresponding to the first topic from the third communication device, it does not need to decrypt the data through the first communication device (such as RAN) according to the publish-subscribe protocol. Therefore, the first communication device does not need to be aware of the topic of the data. That is, the data subscribed by the terminal is transparent to the base station, which improves the confidentiality and security of the data.

[0241] Please refer to Figure 10. Figure 10 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method for a terminal network interface switching (XN switching) scenario proposed in an embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to the system architecture shown in Figure 6, or to other system architectures. The first communication device and the second communication device are different XN interfaces in the same network. In this method, the network interface of the terminal device is switched from the first communication device to the second communication device. This method can be implemented based on the method shown in Figure 7 or Figure 9. This method includes, but is not limited to, the following steps.

[0242] Step S1001: The first communication device sends a first handover request.

[0243] Specifically, the first communication device is a source network device (e.g., a source RAN) serving the terminal device. When the first communication device (e.g., the source RAN) determines that the terminal device meets the conditions for switching network interfaces (XN handover), for example, when the terminal device is about to leave the coverage area of ​​the first communication device and enter the coverage area of ​​the second communication device (e.g., the target RAN), it sends a first handover request (e.g., a Handover request) to the second communication device. This first handover request includes a data session ID, the IP address of the third communication device, and the tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID_3) of the third communication device (e.g., the DCP). Optionally, since there may be more than one data session between the terminal device and the first or third communication device (e.g., the DCP), the IP address of the third communication device and the list of tunnel endpoint identifiers (TEID_3) of the third communication device can be a list. This first handover request is used to request the modification of the data session tunnel (GTPU tunnel) between the first communication device (e.g., the source RAN) and the third communication device (e.g., the DCP) to a data session tunnel (GTPU tunnel) between the second communication device (e.g., the target RAN) and the third communication device (e.g., the DCP).

[0244] The data session tunnel (GTPU tunnel) is used to transmit data encapsulated by the first protocol stack between the terminal device and the third communication device. The first protocol stack includes protocols for the publish-subscribe mechanism. The essence of the first handover request is to change the network interface for communication between the terminal device and the third communication device (such as DCP) from the first communication device to the second communication device. For a detailed description of the first protocol stack and the publish-subscribe mechanism, please refer to step S707 in Figure 7 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0245] For example, taking the method described in conjunction with Figure 7 or Figure 9 above as an example, it can be seen that a data transmission channel has been successfully established between the first communication device (e.g., the source RAN), the terminal device, and the third communication device (e.g., the DCP). This includes the data bearer channel between the terminal device and the first communication device, and the data session tunnel (GTPU tunnel) between the first communication device (e.g., the source RAN) and the third communication device (e.g., the DCP). This enables the terminal device to successfully publish or subscribe to data to the third communication device. When the terminal device wants to switch network interfaces, it needs to modify the data bearer between the terminal device and the first communication device (e.g., the source RAN) to the data bearer between the terminal device and the second communication device (e.g., the target RAN), and modify the GTPU tunnel between the first and third communication devices to the GTPU tunnel between the second and third communication devices. This ensures that the terminal device can still successfully publish or subscribe to data with the third communication device after XN switching.

[0246] Step S1002: The second communication device prepares for switching.

[0247] Correspondingly, the second communication device (such as the target RAN) receives the first handover request. Specifically, after receiving the first handover request, the second communication device assigns its own GTPU tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID_2) and prepares to establish a GTPU tunnel with the third communication device (such as the DCP). The first handover request already includes the tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID_3) of the third communication device's end of the existing GTPU tunnel between the first and third communication devices. Combined with the tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID_2) assigned by the second communication device, a new GTPU tunnel can be established with the third communication device. It is worth noting that TEID_2 and TEID_3 should be paired. When TEID_3 is a list, TEID_2 is also a list of the same length as TEID_3.

[0248] Step S1003: The second communication device sends a handover request ack to the first communication device.

[0249] Specifically, after the second communication device completes the handover preparation, it can send a feedback message to the first communication device to notify the first communication device that it has received the handover request and completed the handover preparation.

[0250] Step S1004: The first communication device sends a Radio Resource Control Reconfiguration (RRC Reconfiguration) message to the terminal device.

[0251] Specifically, after the first communication device (e.g., the source RAN) receives the feedback message from the second communication device (e.g., the target RAN), it then sends a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message to the terminal device. This RRC reset message is used to change the RRC connection between the terminal device and the first communication device to the RRC connection between the terminal device and the second communication device.

[0252] Step S1005: The terminal device sends a reset response message (RRC Reconfiguration complete) to the second communication device.

[0253] Specifically, after the terminal device completes the RRC reset, it sends an RRC reset response message to the second communication device. This reset response message is used to notify the second communication device that the RRC on the terminal device side has been reset.

[0254] Optionally, this step may also include forwarding data from the first communication device to the second communication device.

[0255] Step S1006: The second communication device sends a first session modification request to the third communication device.

[0256] Specifically, the first session modification request includes the IP address of the third communication device (e.g., DCP), the tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID_3) of the third communication device, the IP address of the second communication device, and the tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID_2) of the second communication device. The first session modification request is used to request the third communication device to modify the data session tunnel between the first and third communication devices to the data session tunnel between the second and third communication devices. Because the network interface between the terminal device and the third communication device has changed, the original GTPU tunnel between the terminal device and the third communication device, which previously passed through the first communication device (e.g., source RAN) and the third communication device (e.g., target RAN), is now replaced by a GTPU tunnel between the second and third communication devices.

[0257] Step S1007: The third communication device sends a fourth notification message to the second communication device.

[0258] Specifically, the fourth notification message is a response to the first session modification request. The fourth request message indicates that the data session tunnel (GTPU tunnel) modification was successful. At this point, the network interface for communication between the terminal device and the third communication device (such as DCP) has successfully switched from the first communication device to the second communication device. When the terminal device again publishes or subscribes to data corresponding to the first topic to the third communication device, it will be forwarded by the second communication device through the GTPU tunnel.

[0259] In the embodiments of this application, the steps listed above are only illustrative examples. Some steps may be omitted or replaced with other steps, or new steps may be added, which can also constitute a new feasible solution. In addition, the order of description of the steps above does not represent the order of execution of the steps. The order of execution of the steps may be the same as the order of description or may be different from the order of description (but the logic must be coherent and reasonable).

[0260] By using this method, when the terminal device switches network interfaces (XN), it is ensured that the terminal device can successfully publish or subscribe to data corresponding to the first topic to the third communication device. Moreover, after switching to the new network device, the new network device (the second communication device) still does not need to be aware of the topic of the data, thereby improving the confidentiality of data transmission.

[0261] Please refer to Figure 11. Figure 11 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method for a terminal network technology handover (NG handover) scenario proposed in an embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to the system architecture shown in Figure 6, or to other system architectures. The first communication device and the second communication device in this method can be network devices or modules in the network devices in the above system architecture. However, the first communication device and the second communication device are different base stations in the same radio access network or use different network technologies. In this method, the network device (such as RAN) of the terminal device is switched from the first communication device to the second communication device. This method can be based on the method shown in Figure 7 or Figure 9. This method includes, but is not limited to, the following steps.

[0262] Step S1101: The first communication device sends a first handover request.

[0263] Specifically, the first communication device is the source network device (e.g., the source RAN) serving the terminal device. When the first communication device determines that the terminal device meets the conditions for switching network devices (e.g., the RAN), for example, when the terminal device meets the service conditions of the second communication device (e.g., the target RAN) and wants to use the second communication device (e.g., the target RAN) for service, it sends a first handover request to the second communication device. This first handover request includes a data session ID, the IP address of the third communication device (e.g., the DCP), and the tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID_3) of the third communication device. Since the terminal device may have had more than one data session with the first or third communication device, such as the IP address of the third communication device... The address and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the third communication device can be a list. The first handover request is used to request the modification of the data session tunnel between the first communication device (e.g., the source RAN) and the third communication device (e.g., the DCP) to a data session tunnel (GTPU tunnel) between the second communication device (e.g., the target RAN) and the third communication device (e.g., the DCP). This data session tunnel (GTPU tunnel) is used for transmitting data encapsulated by the first protocol stack between the terminal device and the third communication device. The first protocol stack includes protocols for the publish-subscribe mechanism. The essence of the first handover request is to modify the communication node network device (e.g., the base station) between the terminal device and the third communication device from the first communication device to the second communication device. For a detailed description of the first protocol stack and the publish-subscribe mechanism, please refer to step S707 in Figure 7 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0264] When a terminal device wants to switch from a first communication device (such as a source RAN) to a second communication device (such as a target RAN), it is necessary to modify the data bearer between the terminal device and the first communication device to the data bearer between the terminal device and the second communication device, and modify the GTPU tunnel between the first communication device and the third communication device to the GTPU tunnel between the second communication device and the third communication device, so as to ensure that the terminal device can still successfully publish or subscribe to data with the third communication device after switching network technologies.

[0265] Step S1102: The fourth communication device receives the first handover request.

[0266] Specifically, when the second communication device that the terminal device is about to switch to uses a different network technology than the first communication device, or when the first communication device and the second communication device cannot communicate directly, the handover process needs to be assisted by a fourth communication device. This fourth communication device is used for mobility management. For example, the fourth communication device can be an AMF or other devices with mobility management functions, such as a Session Management Function (SMF).

[0267] Step S1103: The fourth communication device sends a second handover request to the second communication device.

[0268] Specifically, after receiving the first handover request, the fourth communication device (such as AMF) sends a second handover request to the second communication device according to the first handover request. The second handover request includes the IP address of the third communication device (such as DCP) and the tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID_3) of the third communication device (such as DCP). The IP address of the third communication device and the tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID_3) of the third communication device in the second handover request are derived from the first handover request. As described in the first handover request, the second handover request may also be a list containing multiple data sessions. The second handover request is used to notify the second communication device to modify the data session tunnel between the first communication device and the third communication device to a data session tunnel (GTPU tunnel) between the second communication device and the third communication device.

[0269] Step S1104: The second communication device prepares for switching.

[0270] For details and descriptions of this step, please refer to the relevant explanations in step S1002 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0271] Step S1105: The fourth communication device sends a handover feedback (such as a Handover request ack) to the first communication device.

[0272] For details and descriptions of this step, please refer to the relevant explanations in step S1003 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0273] Step S1106: The first communication device sends a radio resource control reset message (such as RRC Reconfiguration) to the terminal device.

[0274] For details and descriptions of this step, please refer to the relevant explanations in step S1004 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0275] Step S1107: The terminal device sends a reset response message (such as RRC Reconfiguration complete) to the second communication device.

[0276] For details and descriptions of this step, please refer to the relevant instructions in step S1005 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0277] Step S1108: The second communication device sends a first session modification request to the third communication device.

[0278] For details and descriptions of this step, please refer to the relevant explanations in step S1006 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0279] Step S1109: The third communication device sends a fourth notification message to the second communication device.

[0280] Specifically, the fourth notification message is a response to the first session modification request. The fourth request message indicates that the data session tunnel (GTPU tunnel) modification was successful. At this point, the network device (e.g., RAN) communicating between the terminal device and the third communication device (e.g., DCP) has successfully switched from the first communication device to the second communication device. When the terminal device again publishes or subscribes to data corresponding to the first topic to the third communication device, the second communication device will forward the data through the GTPU tunnel.

[0281] In the embodiments of this application, the steps listed above are only illustrative examples. Some steps may be omitted or replaced with other steps, or new steps may be added, which can also constitute a new feasible solution. In addition, the order of description of the steps above does not represent the order of execution of the steps. The order of execution of the steps may be the same as the order of description or may be different from the order of description (but the logic must be coherent and reasonable).

[0282] By using this method, when the terminal device switches network technology (NG), it is ensured that the terminal device can successfully publish or subscribe to the data corresponding to the first topic to the third communication device. Moreover, after switching to the new network device, the new network device (the second communication device) still does not need to be aware of the topic of the data, thereby improving the confidentiality of data transmission.

[0283] The following describes the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0284] This application divides the communication device into functional modules according to the above method embodiments. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated modules can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules. It should be noted that the module division in this application is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division; other division methods may be used in actual implementation. The communication device of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 12 to 14.

[0285] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a communication device structure provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 12, the communication device includes a processing module 1201 and a transceiver module 1202. The transceiver module 1202 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 1201 is used for data processing. The transceiver module 1202 can also be referred to as an interface, a communication interface, or a communication module, etc.

[0286] In some embodiments of this application, the communication device can be used to perform the actions performed by the network element in the above method embodiments. For example, the network element can be the network element itself or a chip or functional module configurable within the network element. The transceiver module 1202 is used to perform network element transceiver-related operations in the above method embodiments, and the processing module 1201 is used to perform network element processing-related operations in the above method embodiments. The processing module 1201 can perform corresponding operations by calling a computer program or by using corresponding hardware circuits. The transceiver module 1202 can perform transceiver operations independently or under the control of the processing module 1201.

[0287] For example, the communication device shown in FIG12 can be a terminal device or a component in a terminal device. In this example, the communication device can be the terminal device in the preceding method embodiment. The processing module 1201 and the transceiver module 1202 in the communication device can respectively perform the following operations:

[0288] The transceiver module 1202 is used to receive a first request message from the first communication device. The first request message is used to request the establishment of a data session. The first request message includes a first subject, which is the subject of the data transmitted in the data session.

[0289] The processing module 1201 is used to process the data corresponding to the first topic according to the first protocol stack, the first protocol stack including protocols for the publish-subscribe mechanism.

[0290] Reusing Figure 12, in some other embodiments of this application, for example, the communication device shown in Figure 12 can be the first communication device (such as RAN) in the preceding method embodiments or a device in the first communication device. The processing module 1201 and the transceiver module 1202 in the communication device can respectively perform the following operations:

[0291] The transceiver module 1202 is used to receive a third request message, which is used to indicate the establishment of a data session;

[0292] The transceiver module 1202 is used to send a first establishment request to the third communication device. The first establishment request includes the local IP address and the local tunnel endpoint identifier. The third communication device is used to provide asynchronous data exchange.

[0293] The transceiver module 1202 is used to receive a third notification message from a third communication device. The third notification message includes the IP address of the third communication device and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the third communication device. The local IP address, the local tunnel endpoint identifier, the IP address of the third communication device, and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the third communication device are used to establish a data session tunnel with the third communication device. The data session tunnel is used to transmit data processed by a first protocol stack between the terminal device and the third communication device. The first protocol stack includes a protocol for the publish-subscribe mechanism.

[0294] Reusing Figure 12, in some other embodiments of this application, the communication device shown in Figure 12 can be a second communication device (such as RAN) or a device in a second communication device (such as RAN) in the preceding method embodiments. The processing module 1201 and the transceiver module 1202 in this communication device can respectively perform the following operations:

[0295] The transceiver module 1202 is used to receive a handover request. The handover request includes the IP address of the third communication device and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the third communication device. The handover request is used to request that the data session tunnel between the first communication device and the third communication device be modified to the data session tunnel between the second communication device and the third communication device. The data session tunnel is used to transmit data encapsulated by the first protocol stack with the terminal device. The first protocol stack includes a protocol for the publish-subscribe mechanism.

[0296] The transceiver module 1202 is used to send a first session modification request to the third communication device. The first session modification request includes the IP address of the third communication device, the tunnel endpoint identifier of the third communication device, the IP address of the second communication device, and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the second communication device. The first session modification request is used to request that the data session tunnel between the first communication device and the third communication device be modified to the data session tunnel between the second communication device and the third communication device.

[0297] The transceiver module 1202 is used to receive a fourth notification message from a third communication device, which indicates that the data session tunnel has been successfully modified.

[0298] Reusing Figure 12, in some other embodiments of this application, for example, the communication device shown in Figure 12 can be a third communication device (such as a DCP) or a device in a third communication device (such as a DCP) in the preceding method embodiments. The processing module 1201 and the transceiver module 1202 in this communication device can respectively perform the following operations:

[0299] The transceiver module 1202 is used to receive a first establishment request from the first communication device, the first establishment request including the IP address of the first communication device and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the first communication device;

[0300] The transceiver module 1202 is used to send a third notification message, which includes the local IP address and the local tunnel endpoint identifier. The local IP address, the local tunnel endpoint identifier, the IP address of the first communication device, and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the first communication device are used to establish a data session tunnel with the first communication device. The data session tunnel is used to transmit data processed by the first protocol stack between the terminal device and the terminal device. The first protocol stack includes a protocol for the publish-subscribe mechanism.

[0301] Reusing Figure 12, in some other embodiments of this application, for example, the communication device shown in Figure 12 can be a fourth communication device (such as AMF) or a device in a fourth communication device (such as AMF) in the preceding method embodiments. The processing module 1201 and the transceiver module 1202 in this communication device can respectively perform the following operations:

[0302] The transceiver module 1202 is used to receive a first handover request from the first communication device, the first handover request including the IP address of the third communication device and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the third communication device;

[0303] The transceiver module 1202 is used to send a second handover request to the second communication device. The second handover request includes the IP address of the third communication device and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the third communication device. The first handover request and the second handover request are used to request that the data session tunnel between the first communication device and the third communication device be modified to the data session tunnel between the second communication device and the third communication device. The data session tunnel is used for the transmission of data encapsulated by the first protocol stack between the third communication device and the terminal device. The first protocol stack includes a protocol for the publish-subscribe mechanism.

[0304] Reusing Figure 12, in some other embodiments of this application, for example, the communication device shown in Figure 12 can be a fifth communication device (such as a DC) or a device in a fifth communication device (such as a DC) in the preceding method embodiments. The processing module 1201 and the transceiver module 1202 in this communication device can respectively perform the following operations:

[0305] The transceiver module 1202 is used to receive data service requests;

[0306] Processing module 1201 is used to determine the terminal device that processes the data service request and to assign a first topic to the terminal device;

[0307] The transceiver module 1202 is used to send a first request message to the terminal device. The first request message is used to request the establishment of a data session. The first request message includes a first topic, and the data session is used to transmit data of the first topic.

[0308] The specific descriptions of the transceiver module and processing module shown in the above embodiments are merely examples. For the specific functions or execution steps of the transceiver module and processing module, please refer to the above method embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0309] The communication device according to the embodiments of this application has been described above. The following describes possible product forms of the communication device. Any product possessing the functions of the communication device described in FIG12 above falls within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application.

[0310] The following description is merely an example and does not limit the product form of the communication device in the embodiments of this application to this.

[0311] In one possible implementation, in the communication device shown in FIG12, the processing module 1201 can be one or more processors, and the transceiver module 1202 can be a transceiver, or the transceiver module 1202 can also be a transmitting module and a receiving module. The transmitting module can be a transmitter, and the receiving module can be a receiver. The transmitting module and the receiving module are integrated into one device, such as a transceiver. In the embodiments of this application, the processor and the transceiver can be coupled, etc., and the connection method of the processor and the transceiver is not limited in the embodiments of this application. In the process of executing the above method, the process of sending information in the above method can be the process of the processor outputting the above information. When outputting the above information, the processor outputs the above information to the transceiver so that the transceiver can transmit it. After the above information is output by the processor, it may need to undergo other processing before reaching the transceiver. Similarly, the process of receiving information in the above method can be the process of the processor receiving the input above information. When the processor receives the input information, the transceiver receives the above information and inputs it into the processor. Furthermore, after the transceiver receives the aforementioned information, the information may need to undergo further processing before being input into the processor.

[0312] As shown in Figure 13, the communication device 130 includes one or more processors 1320 and transceivers 1310. Exemplarily, the transceiver 1310 is used to perform the functions or steps implemented by the transceiver module 1202 shown in Figure 12, and the processor 1320 is used to perform the functions or steps implemented by the processing module 1201 shown in Figure 12. Detailed descriptions of the processor 1320 and transceiver 1310 can be found in Figure 12 or the method embodiments shown above, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0313] The descriptions of the relevant steps and information in the above embodiments can be found in the descriptions of the method embodiments above, and will not be detailed here.

[0314] In various implementations of the communication device shown in Figure 13, the transceiver may include a receiver for performing a receiving function (or operation) and a transmitter for performing a transmitting function (or operation). The transceiver is also used to communicate with other devices / appliances via a transmission medium.

[0315] Optionally, the communication device 130 may further include one or more memories 1330 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memories 1330 and the processor 1320 are coupled. The coupling in this embodiment is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, and can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, used for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. The processor 1320 may operate in conjunction with the memories 1330. The processor 1320 may execute program instructions stored in the memories 1330. Optionally, at least one of the aforementioned memories may be included in the processor.

[0316] This application embodiment does not limit the specific connection medium between the transceiver 1310, processor 1320, and memory 1330. In Figure 13, the memory 1330, processor 1320, and transceiver 1310 are connected via a bus 1340, which is represented by a thick line in Figure 13. The connection methods between other components are only illustrative and are not intended to be limiting. The bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 13, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0317] In the embodiments of this application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc., and can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware processor, or being executed by a combination of hardware and software modules within the processor.

[0318] In this application embodiment, the memory may include, but is not limited to, non-volatile memory such as hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD), random access memory (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), read-only memory (ROM), or compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), etc. Memory is any storage medium capable of carrying or storing program code having instruction or data structure forms, and capable of being read and / or written by a computer (such as the communication device shown in this application), but is not limited to this. The memory in this application embodiment may also be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing storage functions, used to store program instructions and / or data.

[0319] The processor 1320 is primarily used for processing communication protocols and data, controlling the entire communication device, executing software programs, and processing software program data. The memory 1330 is primarily used for storing software programs and data. The transceiver 1310 may include control circuitry and an antenna. The control circuitry is primarily used for converting baseband signals to radio frequency signals and processing radio frequency signals. The antenna is primarily used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touchscreens, displays, and keyboards, are primarily used for receiving user input data and outputting data to the user.

[0320] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 1320 can read the software program in the memory 1330, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 1320 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit processes the baseband signal and transmits the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1320. The processor 1320 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0321] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be set up independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be arranged remotely, independent of the communication device.

[0322] The communication device shown in this application embodiment may also have more components than those in Figure 13, and this application embodiment does not limit this. The methods executed by the processor and transceiver shown above are only examples, and the specific steps executed by the processor and transceiver can be referred to the methods described above.

[0323] In another possible implementation, in the communication device shown in Figure 12, the processing module 1201 can be one or more logic circuits, and the transceiver module 1202 can be an input / output interface, or a communication interface, or an interface circuit, or an interface, etc. Alternatively, the transceiver module 1202 can also be a transmitting module and a receiving module. The transmitting module can be an output interface, and the receiving module can be an input interface. The transmitting module and the receiving module are integrated into one module, such as an input / output interface. As shown in Figure 14, the communication device shown in Figure 14 includes a logic circuit 1401 and an interface 1402. That is, the processing module 1201 can be implemented using the logic circuit 1401, and the transceiver module 1202 can be implemented using the interface 1402. The logic circuit 1401 can be a chip, a processing circuit, an integrated circuit, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip, etc., and the interface 1402 can be a communication interface, an input / output interface, pins, etc. For example, Figure 13 illustrates the communication device as a chip, which includes the logic circuit 1401 and the interface 1402.

[0324] In this embodiment, the logic circuit and the interface can also be coupled to each other. The specific connection method of the logic circuit and the interface is not limited in this embodiment. For example, the logic circuit 1401 can be used to execute the functions or steps implemented by the processing module 1201 shown in FIG. 12, and the interface 1402 can be used to execute the functions or steps implemented by the transceiver module 1202 shown in FIG. 12. For a detailed description of the logic circuit 1401 and the interface 1402, please refer to FIG. 12 or the method embodiment shown above, which will not be detailed here.

[0325] The above description of the communication device is only an example. For a detailed description of the communication device shown in Figure 14, please refer to the above method embodiments or Figure 12 or Figure 13. It will not be described in detail here.

[0326] The communication device shown in the embodiments of this application can implement the method provided in the embodiments of this application in hardware form, or it can implement the method provided in the embodiments of this application in software form, etc., and the embodiments of this application do not limit it in this way.

[0327] The descriptions of relevant steps and information in the above embodiments can be found in the method embodiments described above, and will not be detailed here. For the specific implementation methods of the embodiments shown in Figure 14, please also refer to the above embodiments, which will not be detailed here.

[0328] This application also provides a communication system, which includes network devices and terminals that interact to perform all or part of the steps in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0329] In addition, this application also provides a computer program for implementing the operations and / or processes performed by various communication devices in the method provided in this application.

[0330] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer code that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the operations and / or processes performed by various communication devices in the methods provided in this application.

[0331] This application also provides a computer program product comprising computer code or a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the operations and / or processes performed by various entities in the method provided in this application to be executed.

[0332] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of modules is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices, or units, or may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms of connection.

[0333] The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the technical effects of the solutions provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0334] Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing module, or each module can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module. The integrated modules described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules.

[0335] If the integrated module is implemented as a software functional module and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a readable storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned readable storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0336] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a terminal device, and comprises: receiving a first request message from a first communication device, the first request message being used to request establishment of a data session, the first request message comprising a first topic, the first topic being a topic of data transmitted by the data session; processing data corresponding to the first topic according to a first protocol stack, the first protocol stack comprising a protocol for a publish-subscribe mechanism.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The processing of the first data corresponding to the first topic according to the first protocol stack comprises: encapsulating the first data according to the first protocol stack to obtain a first data packet, the first data being the data corresponding to the first topic collected; sending the first data packet to the first communication device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The processing of the first data corresponding to the first topic according to the first protocol stack comprises: receiving a second data packet from the first communication device; decapsulating the second data packet according to the first protocol stack to obtain second data corresponding to the first topic.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, Further comprising: sending a first subscription request, the first subscription request comprising the first topic, the first subscription request being used to request subscription of the data corresponding to the first topic.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The protocol for the publish-subscribe mechanism comprises one of a data hub adaptation DSA, a media transmission protocol MoQ based on a quick user datagram protocol Internet connection, and a message queue telemetry transmission protocol MQTT.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The method further comprises: receiving a second request message, wherein the second request message is used to request establishment of a data bearer; sending a first notification message, wherein the first notification message indicates that the data bearer is established successfully, and wherein the data bearer is used to transmit data between the terminal device and the first communication device.

7. A communication method characterized by comprising: Comprise: receiving a third request message, the third request message being used to indicate establishment of a data session; sending a first establishment request to a third communication device, the first establishment request comprising a local IP address and a local tunnel endpoint identifier, the third communication device being used to provide asynchronous data exchange; receiving a third notification message from the third communication device, the third notification message comprising an IP address of the third communication device and a tunnel endpoint identifier of the third communication device, the local IP address, the local tunnel endpoint identifier, the IP address of the third communication device, and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the third communication device being used to establish a data session tunnel between the terminal device and the third communication device, the data session tunnel being used to transmit data processed by a first protocol stack between the terminal device and the third communication device, the first protocol stack comprising a protocol for a publish-subscribe mechanism.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, Further comprising: receiving a first data packet from the terminal device, wherein the first data packet is encapsulated by a first protocol stack; encapsulating the first data packet according to a general packet radio service tunneling protocol GTPU to obtain a third data packet; sending the third data packet through the data session tunnel.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein, Further comprising: receiving a fourth data packet encapsulated by a first protocol stack through the data session tunnel, the first protocol stack comprising a protocol for a publish-subscribe mechanism; decapsulate the fourth data packet using the general packet radio service tunneling protocol (GTP-U) to obtain a second data packet; send the second data packet to a terminal device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving a first subscription request from a terminal device, the first subscription request being used to request subscription of data corresponding to a first topic, the first topic being a topic of the data transmitted via the data session; sending a first subscription request to the third communication device via the data session tunnel.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8-10, further comprising: sending a first handover request, the first handover request comprising an IP address of the third communication device and a tunnel endpoint identification of the third communication device; the first handover request being used to request modification of the data session tunnel between the first communication device and the third communication device to the data session tunnel between the second communication device and the third communication device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The sending of the first handover request comprises: sending the first handover request to the second communication device; or sending the first handover request to a fourth communication device, the fourth communication device being used for mobility management.

13. A method of communication, comprising: comprising: receiving a first establishment request from the first communication device, the first establishment request comprising an IP address of the first communication device and a tunnel endpoint identification of the first communication device; sending a third notification message, the third notification message comprising an IP address of a local end and a tunnel endpoint identification of the local end, the IP address of the local end, the tunnel endpoint identification of the local end, the IP address of the first communication device and the tunnel endpoint identification of the first communication device being used to establish a data session tunnel between the first communication device; the data session tunnel being used to transmit data processed via a first protocol stack between a terminal device and the first communication device, the first protocol stack comprising a protocol for a publish-subscribe mechanism.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, further comprising: receiving a third data packet via the data session tunnel, the third data packet being a data packet encapsulated via the first protocol stack.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein, further comprising: receiving first subscription information, the first subscription information comprising a first topic, the first subscription information being used to request subscription of data corresponding to the first topic; sending a fourth data packet via the data session tunnel, the fourth data packet being a data packet corresponding to the first topic encapsulated via the first protocol stack.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13-15, characterized in that, The method applied to the third communication device further comprises: receiving a first session modification request, the first session modification request comprising an IP address of the third communication device, a tunnel endpoint identification of the third communication device, an IP address of the second communication device and a tunnel endpoint identification of the second communication device, the first session modification request being used to request modification of the data session tunnel between the first communication device and the third communication device to the data session tunnel between the second communication device and the third communication device; sending a fourth notification message to the second communication device, the fourth notification message being used to indicate that the modification of the data session tunnel is successful.

17. A method of communication, comprising: The method applied to the second communication device comprises: receiving a switch request, the switch request comprising an IP address of the third communication device and a tunnel endpoint identification of the third communication device, the switch request being used to request a modification of the data session tunnel between the first communication device and the third communication device to the data session tunnel between the second communication device and the third communication device, the data session tunnel being used to transmit data encapsulated by a first protocol stack between the third communication device and the terminal device, the first protocol stack comprising a protocol for a publish-subscribe mechanism; sending a first session modification request to the third communication device, the first session modification request comprising the IP address of the third communication device, the tunnel endpoint identification of the third communication device, the IP address of the second communication device and the tunnel endpoint identification of the second communication device, the first session modification request being used to request the modification of the data session tunnel between the first communication device and the third communication device to the data session tunnel between the second communication device and the third communication device; receiving a fourth notification message from the third communication device, the fourth notification message being used to indicate that the modification of the data session tunnel is successful.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, The receiving a switch request comprises: receiving a first switch request from the first communication device, the first switch request comprising an IP address of the third communication device and a tunnel endpoint identification of the third communication device.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein, The receiving a switch request comprises: receiving a second switch request from the fourth communication device, the second switch request comprising an IP address of the third communication device and a tunnel endpoint identification of the third communication device, the fourth communication device being used for mobility management.

20. A method of communication, comprising: comprises: receiving a first switch request from the first communication device, the first switch request comprising an IP address of the third communication device and a tunnel endpoint identification of the third communication device; sending a second switch request to the second communication device, the second switch request comprising the IP address of the third communication device and the tunnel endpoint identification of the third communication device, the first switch request and the second switch request being used to request a modification of a data session tunnel between the first communication device and the third communication device to the data session tunnel between the second communication device and the third communication device, the data session tunnel being used to transmit data encapsulated by a first protocol stack between the third communication device and the terminal device, the first protocol stack comprising a protocol for a publish-subscribe mechanism.

21. A method of communication, comprising: comprises: receiving a data service request; determining a terminal device to process the data service request, and allocating a first topic to the terminal device; sending a first request message to the terminal device, the first request message being used to request a setup of a data session, the first request message comprising the first topic, the data session being used to transmit data of the first topic.

22. A communications device, characterized by The communication device comprises a module for performing the method according to any one of claims 1-21; or the communication device comprises a processor configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-21.

23. A communications device, characterized by comprises a logic circuit and an interface, the logic circuit and the interface being coupled; The interface is configured to input and / or output information, and the logic circuit is configured to perform the method of any of claims 1-21.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium is configured to store a computer program that, when executed, performs the method of any of claims 1-21.

25. A communication system, characterized by The first communication device, the third communication device, the fourth communication device, the fifth communication device, the first communication device configured to perform the method of any of claims 7-12, the second communication device configured to perform the method of any of claims 17-19, the third communication device configured to perform the method of any of claims 13-16, the fourth communication device configured to perform the method of claim 20, and the fifth communication device configured to perform the method of claim 21.

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