Patent Application
20240414784
This application pertains to the field of wireless communications technologies, and in particular, relates to an information exposure method and a communication device.
Media services such as extended reality (XR) need to provide quality of service (QoS) information and network status to applications, so that the applications can determine coding and rate, so as to facilitate better network scheduling and avoid network congestion. How to expose information provided by a radio access network (RAN) quickly and efficiently to facilitate calling by an application server, such as adjusting codec, is a technical problem to be urgently resolved.
According to a first aspect, an information exposure method is provided, including:
According to a second aspect, an information exposure method is provided, including:
According to a third aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor and a memory, where the memory stores a program or instructions capable of running on the processor, and when the program or the instructions are executed by the processor, the steps of the method according to the first aspect or the second aspect are implemented.
According to a fourth aspect, a non-transitory readable storage medium is provided, where the non-transitory readable storage medium stores a program or instructions, and when the program or the instructions are executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to the first aspect or the second aspect are implemented.
According to a fifth aspect, a chip is provided, where the chip includes a processor and a communication interface, the communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is configured to run a program or instructions to implement the steps of the method according to the first aspect or the second aspect.
According to a sixth aspect, a computer program/program product is provided, where the computer program/program product is stored in a non-transitory storage medium, and the computer program/program product is executed by at least one processor to implement the steps of the method according to the first aspect or the second aspect.
According to a seventh aspect, a communications system is provided, where the communications system includes a terminal and a network-side device, where the network-side device is configured to execute the steps of the method according to the first aspect or the second aspect.
Other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading detailed description of the exemplary embodiments below. The accompanying drawings are merely intended to illustrate the purposes of the implementations, and should not be construed as a limitation on this exposure. Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same components. In the accompanying drawings:
The following clearly describes the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of this application. Apparently, the described embodiments are only some rather than all of the embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of this application shall fall within the protection scope of this application.
In the specification and claims of this application, the term “include” and any other variants thereof are intended to cover the non-exclusive inclusion, for example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a list of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those expressly listed steps or units, but may include other steps or units not expressly listed or inherent to such a process, method, system, product, or device. In addition, in the specification and claims, the use of “and/or” represents presence of at least one of the connected objects, for example, “A and/or B” indicates the following three cases: A alone, B alone, or both A and B.
In the embodiments of this application, the terms “an example” or “for example” are used to represent an example, an illustration, or a description. Any embodiment or design scheme described as “an example” or “for example” in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes.
Techniques described in this specification are not limited to a 5th generation (5G) system and a later evolved communications system, and also are not limited to a Long Term Evolution (LTE) or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) system, and may also be applied to various wireless communications systems, for example, code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), single-carrier frequency-division multiple access (SC-FDMA), and other systems.
The terms “system” and “network” are usually used interchangeably. The CDMA system can implement radio technologies such as CDMA2000 and Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA). The UTRA includes wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other CDMA variants. The TDMA system can implement radio technologies such as the global system for mobile communications (GSM). The OFDMA system can implement radio technologies such as ultra mobile broadband (UMB), evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, and Flash-OFDM. The UTRA and E-UTRA are parts of the universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS). The LTE and more advanced LTE (such as LTE-A) are new UMTS releases that use the E-UTRA. The UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, and GSM are cited from descriptions of the documentation of the organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP). The CDMA2000 and UMB are cited from descriptions of the documentation of the organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). Techniques described in this specification may be used in the aforementioned systems and radio technologies, and can also be used in other systems and radio technologies.
The problem at present is that a RAN does not support servitization, and one core network (CN) node proxy RAN is required to provide exposed information through a servitization interface (for example, an application programming interface (API)), so as to facilitate calling by a consumer, as shown in
If a tunnel can be established between a CN node and the RAN, it facilitates the RAN to report the RAN-exposed information through the tunnel.
Problem 1: How to establish a tunnel between a CN node and a RAN node.
Problem 2: Which network element determines which information to be sent through a tunnel.
Problem 3: What exposed information is not sent through a tunnel.
Referring to
The network-side device 22 may include an a base station, access network device or a core network device, where the access network device 12 may also be referred to as a radio access network device, a radio access network (RAN), a radio access network function, or a radio access network unit. The access network device 22 may include a base station, a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point, a Wi-Fi node, or the like. The base station may be referred to as a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNB), an access point, a base transceiver station (BTS), a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNB), a home NodeB, a WLAN access point, a Wi-Fi node, a transmission and reception point (TRP), or another appropriate term in the art. Provided that a same technical effect is achieved, the base station is not limited to a specific technical term. It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, the base station in the NR system is merely used as an example, and a specific type of the base station is not limited. The core network device may include but is not limited to at least one of the following: a core network node, a core network function, a mobility management entity (MME), an access mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), a user plane function (UPF), a policy control function (PCF), a policy and charging rules function (PCRF), an edge application service discovery function (EASDF), a unified data management (UDM), a unified data repository (UDR), a home subscriber server (HSS), a centralized network configuration (CNC), a network repository function (NRF), a network exposure function (NEF), a local NEF (L-NEF), a binding support function (BSF), an application function (AF), or the like. It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, a core network device in an NR system is used as an example for description, and a specific type of the core network device is not limited.
In an optional embodiment of this application, obtaining may be understood as acquiring from configuration, receiving, obtaining through receiving a request, obtaining through self-learning, obtaining through deduction based on non-received information, or obtaining through processing received information, which may be determined according to actual needs. This is not limited in the embodiments of this application. For example, when specific capability indication information sent by a device is not received, it can be deduced that the device does not support such capability.
In an optional embodiment of this application, transmitting may include broadcasting, broadcasting through a system message, or returning a response after receiving the request.
In an optional embodiment of this application, the communication device may include at least one of the following: a communication network element or a terminal.
In an optional embodiment of this application, the communication network element may include at least one of the following: a core network element or a radio access network element.
In the embodiments of this application, the core network element may include but is not limited to at least one of the following: a core network device, a core network node, a core network function, a core network unit, a mobility management entity (MME), an access mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), a user plane function (UPF), a serving gateway (SGW), a PDN gateway, a policy control function (PCF), a policy and charging rules function unit (PCRF), a GPRS service support node (SGSN), a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN), an application function, a data collection coordination function (DCCF), a messaging framework adaptor function (MFAF), or a network exposure function (NEF).
In the embodiments of this application, the RAN network element may include but is not limited to at least one of the following: a radio access network device, a radio access network node, a radio access network function, a radio access network element, a 3GPP radio access network, a non-3GPP radio access network, a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNB), a 5G NodeB (gNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a NodeB, a non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF), an access controller (AC) node, an access point (AP) device, or a wireless local area network (WLAN) node.
A base station may be a base transceiver station (BTS) in GSM or CDMA, or may be a NodeB in WCDMA, or may be an evolved NodeB (eNB or e-NodeB) in LTE or a 5G NodeB (gNB), which is not limited in the embodiments of this application.
In an optional embodiment of this application, the terminal may include a relay supporting terminal functions and/or a terminal supporting relay functions. The terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device or user equipment (UES). The terminal may be a terminal-side device such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile Internet device (MID), a wearable device, or an in-vehicle device. It should be noted that a specific type of the terminal is not limited in the embodiments of this application.
In an optional embodiment of this application, a QoS requirement in a first quality of service (QoS) requirement is referred to as a QoS policy. The QoS policy may be included in a PCC rule.
In an implementation, the QoS requirement includes at least one of the following: description information of data, an identifier of a tunnel, a QoS rule, or a QoS parameter.
In an implementation, a first QoS requirement for the first data includes at least one of the following: description information of the first data, a QoS rule for the first data, or a QoS parameter of the first data.
In an implementation, a first QoS requirement for the tunnel (such as a first tunnel or a first subtunnel) includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the tunnel (such as a first QoS flow), data filter description information of the tunnel, or a QoS parameter of the tunnel.
In an optional embodiment of this application, a QoS rule (for example, a QoS rule) for a tunnel (for example, the first tunnel or the first subtunnel) includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the tunnel, or description information of a data filter (for example, a packet filter) of the tunnel. Based on the data filter, information conforming to the data filter may be sent through the first tunnel. The data filter of the tunnel includes description information of the first data.
In an optional embodiment of this application, the QoS rule for the first data includes data filter (such as packet filter) description information of at least one piece of the following first data. The data filter description information of the first tunnel includes description information of the first data.
In an optional embodiment of this application, the QoS parameter includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a tunnel, or a QoS parameter of the tunnel. The QoS parameter is, for example, a transmission rate, a delay budget, or a bit error rate.
In an optional embodiment of this application, CN side information (CN Tunnel Info) of the tunnel includes CN side transport layer information of the tunnel (UL NG-U UP TNL Information). The CN side transport layer information of the tunnel includes at least one of the following: an endpoint address of the CN side of the tunnel (such as an endpoint IP address), or an endpoint identifier of the CN side of the tunnel (such as a GTP-TEID; GTP: GPRS Tunnelling Protocol, TEID: Tunnel Endpoint Identifier). Because the CN is located above the RAN, the CN side of the tunnel is usually referred to as “uplink”. Therefore, the CN side information may be referred to as uplink information of the tunnel. The endpoint address of the CN side of the tunnel may be referred to as an uplink endpoint address of the tunnel. The endpoint address of the CN side of the tunnel is a destination address of uplink data in the tunnel.
In an optional embodiment of this application, RAN side information (RAN Tunnel Info) of the tunnel includes:
RAN side transport layer information (DL NG-U UP TNL Information) of the tunnel. The RAN side transport layer information of the tunnel includes at least one of the following: an endpoint address of the RAN side of the tunnel (such as an endpoint IP address), or an endpoint identifier of the RAN side of the tunnel (such as a GTP-TEID; GTP: GPRS Tunnelling Protocol, TEID: Tunnel Endpoint Identifier). Because the CN is located above the RAN, the RAN side of the tunnel is usually referred to as “downlink”. Therefore, the RAN side information may be referred to as downlink information of the tunnel. The endpoint address of the RAN side of the tunnel may be referred to as a downlink endpoint address of the tunnel. The endpoint address of the RAN side of the tunnel is a destination address of downlink data in the tunnel.
In an optional embodiment of this application, two ends of the tunnel are a first endpoint and a second endpoint. The first endpoint may be a RAN network element or a CN network element, and the second endpoint may be a CN network element or a RAN network element. In a case that the first endpoint is a RAN network element and the second endpoint is a CN network element (such as the first CN network element), CN side information of the tunnel is allocated by the second endpoint and is used by the first endpoint to send data to the second endpoint. RAN side information of the tunnel is allocated by the first endpoint, and is used by the second endpoint to send data to the first endpoint.
In an optional embodiment of this application, the service includes data of the service, where the data of the service is also referred to as at least one of the following: service data, or a data flow of the service (service data flow).
In an optional embodiment of this application, the service data flow is an abbreviation of the data flow of the service.
In an optional embodiment of this application, index information of the first CN network element may be used to index the address of the first CN network element.
In an optional embodiment of this application, the RAN-provided information indicates at least one of the following: information that a RAN is able to provide or information that the RAN is able to expose, or information that the RAN is able to expose through a CN network element. The RAN-provided information includes at least one of the following: information of the RAN itself, information of a terminal that the RAN is able to provide, information of a service that the RAN is able to provide (usually information of a service of the terminal carried by the RAN), or information of a service.
Optionally, the RAN-provided information includes: RAN-provided information per RAN granularity, RAN-provided information per UE granularity, or RAN-provided information per tunnel granularity (such as QoS flow, protocol data unit (PDU) session, Internet protocol security (IPsec), or data radio bearer (DRB)), and RAN-provided information per service (such as traffic) granularity.
In an optional embodiment of this application, the RAN-provided information includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: a resource usage status of the RAN (such as a level of congestion), and QoS parameter measurement information of a QoS flow (such as a transmission rate, a delay, or an error code).
In an optional embodiment of this application, a type of the tunnel and/or a type of the subtunnel may include at least one of the following: a session (such as a PDU session, or a session between a RAN and a CN), a QoS flow, an evolved packet system (EPS) bearer, a PDP context, a DRB, a signalling radio bearer (SRB), an IPsec association, or a GPRS tunnelling protocol (GTP) tunnel. The first tunnel may be instantiated as any one of the above types of tunnels. The first subtunnel may be instantiated as any one of the above types of tunnels.
In an implementation, in a case that the first tunnel is any one type of a PDU session, a session, and a GTP tunnel, the first subtunnel includes at least one of the following: a QoS flow, a DRB, an ERAB, a RAB, or an IPsec association.
The first subtunnel is a tunnel in the first tunnel, for example, the first tunnel is a session (such as a PDU session) and the first subtunnel is a QoS flow.
In an optional embodiment of this application, an NG interface may be also referred to as an Si interface or an N2 interface, and the naming is not limited.
In an optional embodiment of this application, the wireless communication network may be at least one of the following: a public network, or a non-public network; or a first network may be a non-public network.
In an optional embodiment of this application, the non-public network is an abbreviation of the non public network. The non-public network may be referred to as one of the following: a non-public communication network. The non-public network may include at least one of the following deployment manners: a physical non-public network, a virtual non-public network, or a non-public network implemented on a public network. In an implementation, the non-public network is a closed access group (CAG). One CAG may include a group of terminals.
In an optional embodiment of this application, the non-public network may include or be referred to as a private network. The private network may be referred to as one of the following: a private communication network, a private network, a local area network (LAN), a private virtual network (PVN), an isolated communication network, a dedicated communication network, or other names. It should be noted that the naming manner is not specifically limited in the embodiments of this application.
In an optional embodiment of this application, the public network is an abbreviation of the public network. The public network may be referred to as one of the following: a public communication network or other names. It should be noted that the naming manner is not specifically limited in the embodiments of this application.
In an optional embodiment of this application, a data packet size may be referred to as a data packet length.
In an optional embodiment of this application, a data packet may be referred to as a data frame.
The following describes the information exposure method in the embodiments of this application.
Refer to
Step 301: The first communication device performs a first operation.
The first operation includes at least one of the following:
In an implementation, the first request information used for establishing a tunnel or establishing the first tunnel may be included in a first message for sending.
In an implementation, when the first communication device is a RAN network element, the first information may be sent to a second CN network element (such as a second communication device) through a third CN network element.
In an implementation, when the first communication device is a UPF, the first information may include the CN side information of the first tunnel or the CN side information of the tunnel requested to be established.
In an implementation, the first tunnel is a PDU session, and an identifier of the first tunnel is an identifier of the PDU session.
In an implementation, the information about the first endpoint of the first tunnel includes one of the following: the CN side information of the first tunnel and the RAN side information of the first tunnel.
In an implementation, when the first communication device is a RAN, the first information may include the RAN side information of the first tunnel or the RAN side information of the tunnel requested to be established.
In an implementation, the CN side information of the tunnel is used by the RAN network element of the tunnel to send data to a CN network element.
In an implementation, the RAN side information of the tunnel is used by the CN network element of the tunnel to send data to a RAN network element.
In an implementation, the address is a transport layer address.
In an implementation, the first CN network element and the first communication device are a same device.
In another implementation, the first CN network element and the first communication device are different devices.
In an implementation, when the first CN network element and the first communication device are a same device, the first communication device allocates an uplink address of the first tunnel. The first information includes an uplink address of the first tunnel.
In an implementation, an identifier of the first tunnel does not belong to the range of tunnel identifiers allocatable by the terminal. The identifier of the first tunnel is, for example, an identifier of a PDU session. A range of PDU sessions allocatable by the terminal is any integer from 1 to 8. For example, the identifier of the first tunnel may be 9.
In an implementation of this application, the first tunnel further includes a tunnel in a first PDU session, where
In an implementation, the information that is related to a service carried by the first PDU session and that the RAN is able to provide includes: QoS information of the service.
In an implementation, the information that is related to the first PDU session and that the RAN is able to provide includes: QoS information of the first session.
In an implementation, the information that is related to a QoS flow in the first PDU session and that the RAN is able to provide includes: QoS information of the QoS flow. Optionally, the QoS information includes one of the following: uplink and/or downlink transmission rate, uplink and/or downlink transmission delay overhead, uplink and/or downlink code error rate, or the like.
In an implementation, when the first tunnel is a tunnel in the first PDU session, the first CN network element is a CN network element (such as an SMF or a UPF) connected to the first PDU session.
In an implementation of this application, the performing, by a first communication device, a first operation includes:
In an implementation of this application, the performing, by a first communication device, a first operation includes:
In an implementation of this application, the sending, by the first communication device, first information includes:
In an implementation of this application, the method further includes:
In an implementation of this application, a granularity of the RAN-provided information includes one or more of the following:
In an implementation, the first communication device receives the subscription request and measurement requirement from a CN network element (such as an AF or a NEF).
In an implementation, the first communication device obtains the address information or index information of the first CN network element from the first CN network element.
In an implementation, the first communication device obtains, from the first CN network element or another CN network element, that the first CN network element supports assisting the RAN network element in exposing the RAN-provided information.
In an implementation, the first communication device receives the second information from a CN network element (such as an AF or a NEF).
According to this embodiment of this application, in a case that the RAN does not support servitization, the information from the RAN is quickly exposed through a CN network element proxy, so as to provide guarantee for rapid adjustment of a coding rate for media services such as XR.
Referring to
Step 401: The second communication device obtains fourth information, where the fourth information includes at least one of the following: first information or a first QoS requirement; and the first information includes at least one of the following: a first message, or first request information used for establishing a tunnel or establishing a first tunnel.
Step 402: The second communication device performs a second operation based on the fourth information.
The second operation includes at least one of the following:
In an implementation, the fifth CN network element includes an AMF, or a CN network element (such as an AMF) that has an NG interface with the RAN network element.
In an implementation, the fifth CN network element and the third CN network element are a sane CN network element.
In an implementation, the first request information for establishing a tunnel, or the first request information for establishing the first tunnel is included in a second message, for sending.
In an implementation, the third request information for establishing a tunnel, or the third request information for establishing the first tunnel is included in a third message, or is included in a response message for the first request message, for sending.
In an implementation of this application, the obtaining, by a second communication device, fourth information includes:
In an implementation, the third CN network element includes at least one of the following: a DCCF, an AMF, a UPF, a PCF, or the like.
In an implementation, the fourth CN network element includes at least one of the following: an AMF, an SMF, a UPF, a DCCF, an MFAF, a PCF, or the like.
In an implementation of this application, a granularity of the RAN-provided information includes one or more of the following:
According to this embodiment of this application, in a case that the RAN does not support servitization, the information from the RAN is quickly exposed through a CN network element proxy, so as to provide guarantee for rapid adjustment of a coding rate for media services such as XR.
Referring to
Step 501: The RAN network element obtains sixth information, where the sixth information includes at least one of the following: a first message, first request information used for establishing a tunnel or establishing a first tunnel, a third message, third request information for establishing a tunnel, establishing a subtunnel, establishing the first tunnel, and/or establishing a first subtunnel, exposure mode information of RAN-provided information, or address information or index information of a first CN network element.
Step 502: The RAN network element performs a third operation based on the sixth information.
The third operation includes at least one of the following:
In an implementation, the radio tunnel includes a DRB. It is not difficult to understand that “the performing at least one of the following for an established first tunnel or a requested tunnel established: not allocating a radio resource, or not mapping a radio tunnel” is because the established tunnel or the first tunnel is used for sending the RAN-provided information to the first CN network element, without an air interface transmission requirement.
In an implementation of this application, in a case that the sixth information includes the first request information used for establishing a tunnel or establishing the first tunnel,
In another implementation of this application, in a case that the sixth information includes the third request information for establishing a tunnel, establishing a subtunnel, establishing the first tunnel, and/or establishing the first subtunnel,
In an implementation, the fifth CN network element includes an AMF, or a CN network element (such as an AMF) that has an NG interface with the RAN network element.
In an implementation of this application, before the step of obtaining the sixth information by the RAN network element, the method further includes:
It should be noted that for how the RAN network element performs the first operation in this embodiment, reference may be made to the description of performing the first operation by the first communication device that is a RAN network element in the embodiment shown in
According to this embodiment of this application, in a case that the RAN does not support servitization, the information from the RAN is quickly exposed through a CN network element proxy, so as to provide guarantee for rapid adjustment of a coding rate for media services such as XR.
Referring to
Step 601: The fourth communication device obtains fifth information, where the fifth information includes at least one of the following: a second message, or second request information used for establishing a tunnel, establishing a subtunnel, establishing a first tunnel, and/or establishing a first subtunnel.
Step 602: The fourth communication device performs a fourth operation based on the fifth information.
The fourth operation includes at least one of the following:
In an implementation, the fourth communication device obtains the fifth information from a second communication device or a CN network element (such as a second CN network element or a fifth CN network element).
According to this embodiment of this application, in a case that the RAN does not support servitization, the information from the RAN is quickly exposed through a CN network element proxy, so as to provide guarantee for rapid adjustment of a coding rate for media services such as XR.
Referring to
Step 701: The fifth communication device obtains seventh information, where the seventh information includes at least one of the following: a subscription request for RAN-provided information, a measurement requirement for the RAN-provided information, the RAN network element supporting exposure of the RAN-provided information, a first CN network element supporting to assist the RAN network element in exposure of the RAN-provided information, a first message, or first request information for establishing a tunnel or establishing a first tunnel.
Step 702: The fifth communication device performs a fifth operation based on the seventh information.
The fifth operation includes at least one of the following:
In an implementation, the fourth CN network element and the third CN network element are a same CN network element.
In an implementation, the fifth communication device and a first communication device are a same communication device. In an implementation, the fifth communication device obtains, from a CN network element (such as an AF or a NEF), a subscription request for the RAN-provided information and/or a measurement requirement for the RAN-provided information.
In an implementation, the fifth communication device obtains, from a RAN network element, a CN network element (such as the third CN network element), or the first communication device, the first message and/or the first request information for establishing a tunnel or establishing the first tunnel.
In an implementation, the fifth communication device obtains, from the RAN network element or the CN network element, that the RAN network element supports exposure of the RAN-provided information.
In an implementation, the fifth communication device obtains, from the first CN network element or another CN network element, that the first CN network element supports assisting the RAN network element in exposing the RAN-provided information.
According to this embodiment of this application, in a case that the RAN does not support servitization, the information from the RAN is quickly exposed through a CN network element proxy, so as to provide guarantee for rapid adjustment of a coding rate for media services such as XR.
The following describes the information exposure method in the embodiments of this application with reference to some application scenarios.
Application scenario 1 in the embodiments of this application:
Referring to
Step 1: A third CN network element sends a first request message to a second CN network element.
For example, the third CN network element sends a PDU session establishment request or a tunnel establishment request to the second CN network element (such as an SMF) based on a received subscription request for RAN information, or based on the third CN network element capable of determining that the RAN supports information exposure, or based on a capability of the third CN network element itself.
Optionally, the first request message carries first information.
Optionally, the second CN network element may allocate one first tunnel identifier (or described as a PDU session identifier) based on the received first request message. The first tunnel identifier is different from a tunnel identifier of the terminal, for example, the tunnel identifier of the terminal is 1 to 8, and the first tunnel identifier allocated by the second CN network element based on the received first request message may be “9”.
Optionally, the first request message may carry information about the second CN network element, such as data network name (DNN) information of the second CN network element, slice information of the second CN network element, or address information of the second CN network element.
Step 2: The second CN network element sends a second request message to the first CN network element.
Optionally, the second request message may be an N4 session establishment request, and the second request message carries fifth information.
Step 3: The first CN network element sends a response message for the second request message.
Optionally, the response message in this step may be an N4 session establishment response, where the response message carries CN side information of the first tunnel allocated by the first CN network element.
Step 4: The second CN network element sends a response message for the first request message.
Optionally, the response message in this step carries third information, and the third information includes CN side information of the first tunnel.
Step 5: The third CN network element sends a third request message to the RAN.
Optionally, the third request message may be a PDU session establishment request, and the third request message may carry third information, for example, including the CN side information of the first tunnel.
Step 6: Optionally, the RAN does not establish a data radio bearer (DRB).
Step 7: The RAN sends a response message for the third request message to the third CN network element.
Optionally, the response message in this step may be a PDU session resource establishment response, for example, including the RAN side information of the first tunnel allocated by the RAN.
Step 8: The third CN network element sends the RAN side information of the first tunnel to the second CN network element.
Step 9: The second CN network element sends the RAN side information of the first tunnel to the first CN network element.
Step 10: The first CN network element sends a response message to the second CN network element, where the response message indicates that the first tunnel is successfully established.
Step 11: The second CN network element sends a response message to the first CN network element, where the response message indicates that the first tunnel is successfully established.
This embodiment is more applicable to exposure of RAN information per RAN granularity.
Application scenario 2 in the embodiments of this application:
Referring to
Step 1: A third CN network element sends a first request message to a second CN network element.
For example, the third CN network element sends a first request message to the second CN network element based on a received subscription request for RAN information, or based on the third CN network element capable of determining that the RAN supports information exposure, or based on a capability of the third CN network element.
Optionally, the first request message may be a PDU session establishment request, where the first request message may carry first information.
Optionally, the second CN network element may allocate a first tunnel identifier (or described as a PDU session identifier) based on the received tunnel establishment request. The first tunnel identifier is different from a tunnel identifier of the terminal, for example, the tunnel identifier of the terminal is 1 to 8, and the first tunnel identifier allocated by the SMF based on the received tunnel establishment request may be “9”.
Optionally, the first request message may carry information of the second CN network element, such as DNN information of the second CN network element, slice information of the second CN network element, or address information of the second CN network element.
Step 2: The second CN network element sends a second request message to the first CN network element.
Optionally, the second request message nay be an N4 session establishment request, and the second request message may carry fifth information.
Step 3: The first CN network element sends a response message for the second request message to the second CN network element.
Optionally, the response message in this step may be an N4 session establishment response, where the response message may carry CN side information of the first tunnel allocated by the first CN network element.
Step 4: The second CN network element sends a third request message to the fifth CN network element.
Optionally, the third request message may be an N1/N2 message request, and the third request message may carry third information, such as CN side information of the first tunnel allocated by the first CN network element.
Step 5: The fifth CN network element sends a third request message to the RAN.
Optionally, the third request message may be a PDU session resource request, and the third request message may carry third information, for example, including the CN side information of the first tunnel.
Step 6: Optionally, the RAN does not establish a DRB.
Step 7: The RAN sends a response message for the third request message to the fifth CN network element.
Optionally, the response message in this step carries RAN side information of the first tunnel allocated by the RAN.
Step 8: The fifth CN network element sends the RAN side information of the first tunnel to the second CN network element.
Step 9: The second CN network element sends the RAN side information of the first tunnel to the first CN network element.
Step 10: The first CN network element sends a response message to the second CN network element, indicating that the tunnel is successfully established.
Step 11: The second CN network element sends a response message to the third CN network element, indicating that the tunnel is successfully established.
This embodiment is more applicable to exposure of RAN information per RAN granularity.
Application scenario 3 in the embodiments of this application:
Referring to
Step 1: A first CN network element (such as an AMF) sends a first request message to a second CN network element (such as an SMF).
For example, the first CN network element sends a first request message to the second CN network element based on a received subscription request for RAN information, or based on the first CN network element capable of determining that the RAN supports information exposure, or based on a capability of the first CN network element.
Optionally, the first request message may be a PDU session establishment request, where the first request message carries first information.
Optionally, the second CN network element may allocate one tunnel identifier (or described as a PDU session identifier) based on the received first request message. The tunnel identifier is different from a tunnel identifier of the terminal, for example, the tunnel identifier of the terminal is 1 to 8, and the tunnel identifier allocated by the second CN network element based on the received first request message may be “9”.
Step 2: The second CN network element sends a third request message to the first CN network element.
Optionally, the third request message in this step may be a message for transmitting an N1/N2 message, including, for example, a response message for the first request message, and the third request message may carry third information.
Step 3: The first CN network element sends a third request message to the RAN.
Optionally, the third request message may be a PDU session resource request, and the third request message may carry third information, such as CN side information of the first tunnel allocated by the second CN network element.
Step 4: Optionally, the RAN does not establish a DRB.
Step 5: The RAN sends a response message for the third request message.
Optionally, the response message in this step may be a PDU session resource establishment response, where the response message includes RAN side information of the first tunnel allocated by the RAN.
Step 6: The first CN network element sends a response message for the third request message to the second CN network element.
Optionally, the response message in this step may carry fifth information, such as RAN side information including the first tunnel. This embodiment is applicable to exposure of RAN information per RAN granularity and exposure of RAN information per UE.
Application scenario 4 in the embodiments of this application:
Referring to
Step 1: The first CN network element (such as an AMF or a UPF) sends a first request message to the RAN.
Optionally, the first request message carries first information, such as CN side information of a first tunnel.
Step 2: The RAN sends a response message for the first request message to the first CN network element.
Optionally, the response message carries third information, such as RAN side information of the first tunnel.
Referring to
Step 1: The RAN sends a first request message to the first CN network element. Optionally, the first request message carries first information, such as RAN side information of a first tunnel.
Step 2: The first CN network element sends a response message for the first request message to the RAN.
Optionally, the response message carries third information, such as CN side information of the first tunnel.
Application scenario 5 in the embodiments of this application: The first tunnel is a tunnel between the RAN and the third CN network element.
Referring to
Step 0: Optionally, a third CN network element (such as a UPF) obtains an event identifier (ID).
For example, the UPF obtains an event identifier through Nupf_EventExposure_Subscribe Request.
Step 1: The third CN network element sends first information to a second CN network element (such as an SMF).
For example, the third CN network element sends the first information to the second CN network element through an N4 session report request.
Step 2: The second CN network element sends the first information to a fourth CN network element (such as a PCF).
For example, the second CN network element sends the first information to a fourth CN network element through Npcf session management policy control_update request.
Step 3: The fourth CN network element sends a first request message to the second CN network element.
For example, the fourth CN network element sends the first request message through Npcf session management policy control_update response, where the first request message carries a first QoS requirement.
Step 4: The second CN network element sends a second request message to the third CN network element.
Optionally, the second request message may be an N4 session update request, and the second request message carries fifth information.
Step 5: The third CN network element sends a response message for the second request message to the second CN network element.
Optionally, the response message in this step may be an N4 session establishment response, where the response message may carry CN side information of the first tunnel.
Step 6: The second CN network element sends a third request message to a fifth CN network element (such as an AMF).
Optionally, the third request message may be a message for transmitting an N/N2 interface message, and the third request message carries third information, for example, including CN side information of the first tunnel.
Step 7: The fifth CN network element sends a third request message to the RAN.
Optionally, the third request message may be a PDU session resource modification request, and the third request message carries third information.
Step 8: The RAN sends a response message for the third request message to the fifth CN network element.
Optionally, the response message may be a PDU session resource establishment response, where the response message may include RAN side information of the first tunnel.
Step 9: The fifth CN network element sends a PDU session update management context request to the second CN network element, carrying RAN side information of the first tunnel.
Step 10: The second CN network element sends the RAN side information of the first tunnel to the third CN network element.
Step 11: After the second CN network element receives a response message from the third CN network element, the second CN network element sends a PDU session update session management context response to the fifth CN network element.
Step 12: The RAN sends the RAN-provided information to the third CN network element through the first tunnel or a tunnel requested to be established.
Step 13: Optionally, the third CN network element reports a Nupf evert.
Application scenario 6 in the embodiments of this application: The first tunnel is a tunnel between a RAN and a PCF.
Referring to
Step 0: Optionally, a PCF obtains a Nupf event discovery subscription request, carrying an event identifier.
Step 1: The PCF executes a policy decision.
Step 2: The PCF sends a first request message to an SMF.
For example, the PCF sends a first request message to the SMF through a session management policy update request, where the first request message carries first information.
Step 3: The SMF sends a session management policy control update response to the PCF.
Step 4: Optionally, the SMF sends a second request message to the UPF.
Optionally, the second request message may be an N4 session update request, and the second request message may carry fifth information.
Step 5: Optionally, the UPF sends a response message for the second request message to the SMF.
Optionally, the response message for the second request message may be an N4 session establishment response, for example, including CN side information of the first tunnel.
Step 6: The SMF sends a third request message to an AMF.
Optionally, the third request message may be a message for transmitting an N1/N2 interface message, and the third request message may carry third information, for example, including CN side information of the first tunnel.
Step 7: The AMF sends a third request message to the RAN.
Optionally, the third request message in this step may be a PDU session resource modification request, and the third request message may carry the third information.
Step 8: The RAN sends a response message for the third request message to the AMF.
Optionally, the response message may be a PDU session resource establishment response, for example, including RAN side information of the first tunnel.
Step 9: The AMF sends a PDU session update session management context request to the SMF, carrying the RAN side information of the first tunnel.
Step 10a: Optionally, the SMF sends the RAN side information of the first tunnel to the PCF.
Step 10b: Optionally, after the SMF receives a response message from the PCF, the SMF sends the RAN side information of the first tunnel to the UPF.
Step 11: The SMF sends a PDU session update session management context response to the AMF.
Step 12: The RAN sends the RAN-provided information to the PCF through the first tunnel or the tunnel requested to be established.
Step 13: Optionally, the PCF reports a Nupf event.
It should be noted that when the PCF belongs to the first CN network element, steps 4 and 5 may not need to be executed between the SMF and the UPF.
Referring to
In an implementation, the first tunnel further includes a tunnel in a first PDU session;
In an implementation, the first processing module 1401 performs a first operation in a case that a first condition is met;
In an implementation, the first processing module 1401 is further configured to obtain second information.
The first processing module 1401 is further configured to perform the first operation based on the obtained second information;
In an implementation, the sending first information includes:
In an implementation, the first communication device further includes:
In an implementation, a granularity of the RAN-provided information includes one or more of the following:
The communication device provided in this embodiment of this application is capable of implementing the processes implemented in the method embodiment in
Referring to
In an implementation, the first obtaining module 1501 is further configured to receive the fourth information from at least one of the third CN network element, a first communication device, a fifth communication device, a fourth CN network element, or a CN network element.
In an implementation, a granularity of the RAN-provided information includes one or more of the following:
The communication device provided in this embodiment of this application is capable of implementing the processes implemented in the method embodiment in
Referring to
In an implementation, in a case that the sixth information includes the first request information used for establishing a tunnel or establishing the first tunnel,
In an implementation, the communication device further includes:
The communication device provided in this embodiment of this application is capable of implementing the processes implemented in the method embodiment in
Referring to
The communication device provided in this embodiment of this application is capable of implementing the processes implemented in the method embodiment in
Referring to
The communication device provided in this embodiment of this application is capable of implementing the processes implemented in the method embodiment in
An embodiment of this application further provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, where a computer program is stored in the non-transitory computer readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the processes of the foregoing method embodiments are implemented, with the same technical effects achieved. To avoid repetition, details are not described herein again. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disc.
An embodiment of this application further provides a chip, where the chip includes a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is configured to run a program or an instruction to implement the processes of the foregoing method embodiments shown in
It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of this application nay also be referred to as a system-level chip, a system chip, a chip system, a system-on-chip, or the like.
An embodiment of this application further provides a communications system, where the communications system includes a terminal and a network-side device. The network-side device is configured to perform the processes of the method embodiments shown in
Optionally, as shown in
It should be noted that in this specification, the term “include”, “comprise”, or any of their variants are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, a method, an article, or an apparatus that includes a list of elements not only includes those elements but also includes other elements that are not expressly listed, or further includes elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. In absence of more constraints, an element preceded by “includes a . . . ” does not preclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the element.
According to the description of the foregoing implementations, persons skilled in the art can clearly understand that the method in the foregoing embodiments may be implemented by software in combination with a necessary general hardware platform. Certainly, the method in the foregoing embodiments may alternatively be implemented by hardware. Based on such an understanding, the technical solutions of this application essentially or the part contributing to the prior art may be implemented in a form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as a ROM/RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disc), and includes several instructions for instructing a terminal (which may be a mobile phone, a computer, a server, an air conditioner, a network device, or the like) to perform the methods described in the embodiments of this application.
The foregoing describes the embodiments of this application with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the foregoing implementations. These implementations are merely illustrative rather than restrictive. Inspired by this application, persons of ordinary skill in the art may develop many other forms without departing from the essence of this application and the protection scope of the claims, and all such forms shall fall within the protection scope of this application.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202210157922.8 | Feb 2022 | CN | national |
This application is a Bypass Continuation application of International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2023/076144 filed Feb. 15, 2023, and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202210157922.8 filed Feb. 21, 2022, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/CN2023/076144 | Feb 2023 | WO |
| Child | 18809736 | US |
