CN111586770A - Session management method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of wireless communication technologies, and provides a session management method, comprising: a first network element receiving first information from a terminal device, where the first information is used to establish a session for the terminal device, wherein the first network element is configured with The association relationship between the first information and the redundant information; the first network element determines the redundant information according to the first information and the association relationship, and the redundant information is used to indicate that the session is the first redundant session connected by the user plane through the main base station or the session is: The user plane connection passes through the second redundant session of the secondary base station. The first redundant session is served by the first session management network element, and the second redundant session is served by the second session management network element. With the solution provided in this embodiment, in the dual-connection communication architecture, when two redundant sessions established by a terminal device are served by different session management network elements, the user plane connections of the two redundant sessions can be independent of each other. In this way, highly reliable transmission between the terminal device and the data network is realized.

Description

Method and device for session management

technical field

The present invention relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to a method and device for session management.

Background technique

In the fifth-generation (the 5th-Generation, 5G) communication era, hundreds of billions of IoT devices will be connected to the network, and different types of application scenarios have different network requirements. The third generation partnership project (3GPP) organization defines three major application scenarios of 5G: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communications (mMTC), ultra-reliable Low-latency communications (ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications, URLLC). Among them, URLLC is characterized by high reliability, low latency, and extremely high availability, including the following scenarios and applications: industrial applications and control, traffic safety and control, remote manufacturing, remote training, and remote surgery.

In the prior art, for the URLLC service of the terminal device, two sessions can be established by the terminal device (also referred to as User Equipment (UE)) by using a dual connectivity (dual connectivity, DC) architecture, so as to realize UE-to-data End-to-end high-reliability transmission between networks (Data Network, DN). As shown in FIG. 1 , the DC architecture includes two base stations: a master base station (master RAN, M-RAN) and a secondary base station (secondary RAN, S-RAN). In the DC architecture, the user plane connection corresponding to the first session between the UE and the DN is: UE, M-RAN, the first user plane function (UPF) network element and the DN; the second connection between the UE and the DN The user plane connections corresponding to each session are: UE, S-RAN, second UPF network element, and DN. The two sessions transmit the same service packets, and may be referred to as the first redundant session and the second redundant session, respectively.

In the DC architecture of FIG. 1, since the first redundant session and the second redundant session are both served by the same session management function (session management function, SMF) network element (ie, the first SMF network element), when the UE establishes During the session, the first SMF network element can determine whether the session is the first redundant session or the second redundant session. Specifically, the first SMF network element may judge according to the session information carried by the UE. If there is no correspondence between the session information and other session identifiers on the first SMF, the first SMF judges that the session is the first redundant session, that is, the session is the first redundant session. The user plane connection of the session passes through the M-RAN; if there is a correspondence between the session information and other session identifiers on the first SMF, the first SMF determines that the session is a second redundant session, that is, the user plane connection of the session passes through the SMF. -RAN.

However, in the DC architecture shown in Figure 2, the first redundant session and the second redundant session are served by different SMF network elements (in Figure 2, the first redundant session is served by the first SMF network element, The second redundant session is served by the second SMF network element). When the UE establishes a session, since there is no interaction between the first SMF network element and the second SMF network element, the SMF network element (the first SMF network element or the second SMF network element) that manages the session cannot correctly determine whether the session is The first redundant session is also the second redundant session.

For example, it is assumed that the UE has established the first redundant session, and the user plane connection of the first redundant session passes through: the UE, the M-RAN, the first UPF network element, and the DN. When the UE establishes a session through the second SMF network element, since there is no interaction between the second SMF network element and the first SMF network element, the second SMF network element considers that the session currently established by the UE is the first redundant session, then The user plane connection corresponding to the current session goes through: UE, M-RAN, second UPF network element, and DN. In this case, the user plane connections of the two sessions between the UE and the DN all pass through the M-RAN, so the requirement of highly reliable transmission cannot be guaranteed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for session management.

On the one hand, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for session management, the method comprising:

The first network element receives first information from the terminal device, where the first information is used to establish a session for the terminal device (eg, UE), wherein the first network element is configured with an association relationship between the first information and the redundant information; the first network element The element determines redundancy information according to the first information and the association relationship, and the redundancy information is used to indicate that the session is the first redundant session in which the user plane is connected through the primary base station (for example, M-RAN) or the session is the user plane connection through the secondary base station ( For example, the second redundant session of the S-RAN), the first redundant session is served by the first session management network element, and the second redundant session is served by the second session management network element.

According to the above method, when the two redundant sessions established by the UE are served by different session management network elements, it can realize that the user plane connections of the two redundant sessions pass through the M-RAN and the S-RAN respectively, so as to realize the UE to DN connection. highly reliable transmission between them.

In one possible design, the first information includes at least one of a data network name (DNN) or a single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI).

In a possible design, the first network element is a first session management network element (eg, a first SMF), a second session management network element (eg, a second SMF), a unified data management network element (eg, UDM) ), or an access and mobility management network element (eg, AMF).

In one possible design, the first network element sends redundancy information to the wireless access device (eg, RAN). Therefore, the RAN can determine, according to the redundancy information, that the user plane connection corresponding to the session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station.

In one possible design, the redundant information includes redundant sequence numbers (eg, RSNs).

In another aspect, the present application also discloses a method for session management, the method comprising:

The first network element receives the first information from the terminal device (for example, UE), the first information is used to establish a first redundant session for the service of the terminal device, wherein the first network element is configured with the first information and the second information. an association relationship, the second information is used to establish a second redundant session for the service, the first redundant session is served by the first session management network element (for example, the first SMF), and the second redundant session is served by the second session management network element (for example, the second SMF) service; the first network element determines, according to the first information and the association relationship, that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station (for example, M-RAN) or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station ( For example, S-RAN).

According to the above method, when the two redundant sessions established by the UE are served by different session management network elements, by configuring the association relationship between the second information and the third information in the first network element, it can be determined that the first redundant session corresponds to The user plane of the connection goes through the primary base station or the user plane connection goes through the secondary base station. By making the user plane connections of the two redundant sessions pass through the M-RAN and the S-RAN respectively, high reliable transmission between the UE and the DN is realized.

In a possible design, the first network element determines, according to the first information and the association relationship, that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station, including: the first network element according to the first redundant session. information and an association relationship, obtain a session identifier of a second redundant session associated with the second information, and the first network element determines that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the secondary base station; or, the first network element determines according to the first information and association relationship, it is determined that there is no session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the second information, and the first network element determines that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station. Therefore, by configuring the association relationship between the second information and the third information in the first network element, the first network element can determine whether there is a session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the third information, and then determine the first redundant session. The user plane connection corresponding to the remaining session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station.

In a possible design, the first network element is the first session management network element, and the first network element obtains the session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the second information according to the first information and the association relationship, including: the first A network element determines the second information according to the first information and the association relationship; the first network element sends the first information and the second information to the unified data management network element (for example, UDM); the first network element receives from the unified data management network element The session identifier of the second redundant session. Thus, the first session management network element can acquire the session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the second information.

In a possible design, the first network element is the first session management network element, and the first network element determines, according to the first information and the association relationship, that there is no session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the second information, including : the first network element determines the second information according to the first information and the association relationship; the first network element sends the first information and the second information to the unified data management network element; the first network element receives the indication information from the unified data management network element; The first network element determines that there is no session identifier according to the indication information. Thus, the first network element may determine that there is no session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the second information.

In a possible design, the first network element is a unified data management network element or an access and mobility management network element (for example, AMF), and the first network element obtains the second information association according to the first information and the association relationship The session identifier of the second redundant session includes: the first network element determines the second information according to the first information and the association relationship; the first network element determines the second information according to the correspondence between the second information stored in the first network element and the session identifier relationship, get the session ID.

In a possible design, the first information includes the first data network name (eg, the first DNN) corresponding to the service or the first single network slice selection assistance information (eg, the first S-NSSAI) corresponding to the service. At least one item, the second information includes at least one of the second data network name (eg, second DNN) corresponding to the service or the second single network slice selection assistance information (eg, second S-NSSAI) corresponding to the service. thus,

In another aspect, the present application also discloses a method for session management, the method comprising:

The first network element receives the first information from the terminal device (for example, UE), the first information is used to establish a first redundant session for the service of the terminal device, wherein the first network element is configured with the first information and the second information. association relationship, the second information is used to establish a second redundant session for the service, the first redundant session is served by the first session management network element, and the second redundant session is served by the second session management network element; the first information and the association relationship, and obtain the session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the second information; the first network element sends the session identifier to the first session management network element, and the session identifier is used to determine the redundant information, and the redundant information It is used to indicate that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the secondary base station.

According to the above method, the first network element determines whether there is a session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the third information according to the obtained association relationship between the second information and the third information, and sends it to the session management network element, and the session The management network element determines that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station.

In a possible design, the first information includes the first data network name (eg, the first DNN) corresponding to the service or the first single network slice selection assistance information (eg, the first S-NSSAI) corresponding to the service. At least one item, the second information includes at least one of the second data network name (eg, second DNN) corresponding to the service or the second single network slice selection assistance information (eg, second S-NSSAI) corresponding to the service. thus,

In a possible design, the first network element is a unified data management network element or an access and mobility management network element.

In another aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an apparatus for session management, the apparatus having a first network element (for example, the first network element in FIG. 4 , the SMF in FIG. 5 , the UDM in FIG. 6 , the FIG. 7 The function of AMF) behavior. The functions can be implemented by hardware, or can be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. In a possible design, the structure of the above apparatus includes a processor and a transceiver, and the processor is configured to process the apparatus to perform corresponding functions in the above method. The transceiver is used to realize the communication between the above-mentioned apparatus and the terminal equipment/wireless access equipment. The apparatus may also include a memory for coupling with the processor that holds program instructions and data necessary for the apparatus.

In another aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an apparatus for session management, which has a function of implementing the behavior of the first network element (eg, SMF in FIG. 8 , UDM in FIG. 9 , and AMF in FIG. 10 ) in the above method. The functions can be implemented by hardware, or can be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. In a possible design, the structure of the above apparatus includes a processor and a transceiver, and the processor is configured to process the apparatus to perform corresponding functions in the above method. The transceiver is used to realize the communication between the above-mentioned apparatus and the terminal equipment/unified data management network element. The apparatus may also include a memory for coupling with the processor that holds program instructions and data necessary for the apparatus.

In another aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an apparatus for session management, where the apparatus has a function of implementing the behavior of the first network element (eg, UDM in FIG. 9 , AMF in FIG. 10 ) in the above method. The functions can be implemented by hardware, or can be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. In a possible design, the structure of the above apparatus includes a processor and a transceiver, and the processor is configured to process the apparatus to perform corresponding functions in the above method. The transceiver is used to implement the communication between the above apparatus and the terminal device/first session management network element. The apparatus may also include a memory for coupling with the processor that holds program instructions and data necessary for the apparatus.

In another aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, where instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, when the computer-readable storage medium runs on a computer, the computer executes the methods described in the above aspects.

In yet another aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer program product containing instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to execute the methods described in the above aspects.

In another aspect, the present application provides a chip system, the chip system includes a processor for supporting the above-mentioned apparatus or terminal device to implement the functions involved in the above-mentioned aspects, for example, generating or processing the information involved in the above-mentioned method. In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data of the data sending device. The chip system may be composed of chips, or may include chips and other discrete devices.

Description of drawings

In order to describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention more clearly, the accompanying drawings required in the embodiments of the present invention or the background technology will be described below.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the first DC architecture;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the second DC architecture;

3 is a schematic diagram of a 5G communication system provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

4 is a method for session management provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of still another session management method provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of still another session management method provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of still another session management method provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of still another session management method provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of still another session management method provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of still another session management method provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of still another session management method provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of yet another session management method provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

13A and 13B are schematic structural diagrams of an apparatus for session management according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed ways

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "/" means or means, for example, A/B can mean A or B; "and/or" in this application is only an association relationship that describes an associated object , which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and/or B, which can mean that A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, in the description of the present application, "plurality" means two or more.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a 5G communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. In the 5G mobile network architecture, the control plane function and the forwarding plane function of the mobile gateway are decoupled, and the separated control plane function and the traditional 3GPP control network element mobility management entity (MME) are combined into a unified control plane. The UPF network element can implement the user plane functions (SGW-U and PGW-U) of a serving gateway (serving gateway, SGW) and a packet data network gateway (packet data network gateway, PGW). Further, the unified control plane network element can be decomposed into an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element and an SMF network element.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the communication system at least includes a UE 301, an AMF network element 302, a first SMF network element 303, a second SMF network element 304, a Unified Data Management (UDM) network element 305, and an M-RAN Device 306 , S-RAN device 307 , first UPF network element 308 , second UPF network element 309 and DN 310 .

Among them, the UE 301 involved in this system is not limited to the 5G network, including: mobile phones, Internet of Things equipment, smart home equipment, industrial control equipment, vehicle equipment, and so on. The UE may also be referred to as a mobile station (Mobile Station), a mobile station (Mobile), a remote station (Remote Station), a remote terminal (Remote Terminal), an access terminal (AccessTerminal), a terminal device (User Terminal), a user agent (User Agent), which is not limited here. The above-mentioned terminal device may also be a vehicle in vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, a machine in machine-type communication, and the like.

The AMF network element 302 involved in this system may be responsible for the registration of terminal equipment, mobility management, and tracking area update procedures. AMF network elements may also be referred to as AMF devices or AMF entities.

The first SMF network element 303 and the second SMF network element 304 involved in this system may be responsible for session management of the terminal device. For example, session management includes user plane device selection, user plane device reselection, network protocol (IP) address allocation, quality of service (QoS) control, and session establishment, modification, or release. SMF network elements may also be referred to as SMF devices or SMF entities.

The UDM network element 305 involved in this system can store the subscription data of the user. For example, the subscription data of the user includes subscription data related to mobility management and subscription data related to session management. The UDM network element may also be referred to as a UDM device or a UDM entity.

The M-RAN device 306 and the S-RAN device 307 involved in this system are a device for providing wireless communication functions for the UE 301, which may include various forms of base stations, such as: macro base station, micro base station ( Also known as small stations), relay stations, access points, etc. In systems using different radio access technologies, the names of devices with base station functions may be different. For example, in LTE systems, it is called an evolved NodeB (evolved NodeB, eNB or eNodeB). In the 3rd generation (3G) system, it is called a Node B (Node B) and so on. In the new generation system, it is called gNB (gNodeB).

The first UPF network element 308 and the second UPF network element 309 involved in this system can implement functions such as forwarding, statistics, and detection of user packets. UPF network elements may also be referred to as UPF devices or UPF entities.

The DN 310 involved in this system may be a service provided by an operator, an Internet access service, or a service provided by a third party.

In the 5G communication system shown in FIG. 3 , the UE 301 can establish a first redundant session through signaling interaction among the M-RAN 306, the AMF 302, and the first SMF 303, and the first redundant session can be established through the M-RAN 306, the AMF 302, the first SMF 303 The signaling interaction between the two SMFs 304 establishes a second redundant session, so that under the DC architecture, highly reliable transmission between the UE 301 and the DN 310 is implemented through the two redundant sessions. The user plane connections corresponding to the first redundant session are: UE 301, M-RAN 306, the first UPF network element 308 and DN 310; the user plane connections corresponding to the second redundant session are: UE 301, S-RAN 307 , the second UPF network element 309, and the DN 310.

The above network elements can be either network elements implemented on dedicated hardware, software instances running on dedicated hardware, or instances of virtualized functions on a suitable platform. For example, the above-mentioned virtualization platform can be a cloud platform. .

In addition, the embodiments of the present application may also be applicable to other future-oriented communication technologies. The network architecture and service scenarios described in this application are for the purpose of illustrating the technical solutions of this application more clearly, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by this application. appears, the technical solutions provided in this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

Taking the 5G communication system shown in FIG. 2 as an example below, the technical solutions of the present application will be described in detail through some embodiments. The following embodiments may be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a session management method provided by an embodiment of the present application, and the method can be applied to the 5G communication system shown in FIG. 3 . With this method, in the DC architecture shown in FIG. 3 , the user plane connections of the two redundant sessions can be independent of each other, thereby realizing highly reliable transmission between the UE and the DN. As shown in Figure 4, the method may include:

S401. A first network element receives first information from a terminal device. The first information is used to establish a session for the terminal device, and the first network element is configured with an association relationship between the first information and the redundant information.

For example, the first information includes at least one of a data network name (Data Network Name, DNN) or a single network slice selection assistance information (Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information, S-NSSAI). Among them, S-NSSAI is used to identify network slices. For example, the network slice supports URLLC services.

For example, the first information is used to establish a session related to the URLLC service for the terminal device.

It should be noted that, when the terminal device establishes the first redundant session and the second redundant session corresponding to the same URLLC service, the first information carried is different. For example, when the terminal device establishes the first redundant session, the carried first information includes DNN-a/S-NSSAI-a; when the terminal device establishes the second redundant session, the carried first information includes DNN-b/S- NSSAI-b.

For example, the first network element is the first SMF network element, the second SMF network element, the UDM network element, or the AMF network element in FIG. 1 .

For example, the redundancy information includes a redundancy sequence number (Redundancy Sequence Number, RSN). For example, the value of RSN is 1 or 2. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the RSN value is only 1 or 2 for description, and the RSN value may also be other values, and the present invention does not limit the value of the RSN.

For example, the association relationship between the first information configured by the first network element and the redundant information is as follows: As shown in Table 1, when the first information is DNN-a/S-NSSAI-a, the RSN value associated with the first information is is 1; when the first information is DNN-b/S-NSSAI-b, the RSN value associated with the first information is 2.

Table 1. The relationship between the first information and the redundant information

first message redundant information DNN-a/S-NSSAI-a RSN=1 DNN-b/S-NSSAI-b RSN=2

S402. The first network element determines redundant information according to the first information and the association relationship. The redundancy information is used to indicate that the session is the first redundant session in which the user plane is connected through the primary base station (M-RAN) or the session is the second redundant session in which the user plane is connected through the secondary base station (S-RAN). The first redundant session is served by the first session management network element (the first SMF network element), and the second redundant session is served by the second session management network element (the second SMF network element).

The redundancy information with the first value is used to indicate that the session is the first redundant session in which the user plane is connected through the master base station (M-RAN). The redundancy information with the second value is used to indicate that the session is a second redundant session in which the user plane is connected through the secondary base station (S-RAN). Wherein, the control plane functions of the two user plane connections are performed by the primary base station.

In addition, the association relationship of the above configuration can be understood as: the above redundant information with the first value has clarified that the user plane connection corresponding to the session passes through the primary base station. Even if the redundant information corresponding to the first information requested by the UE first has the second value, the first network element also determines that the user plane connection first requested to be established passes through the secondary base station, and the redundant information corresponding to the first information requested by the UE has the second value. The first value, so the user plane connection that is later requested to be established passes through the primary base station. Regardless of whether the secondary base station or the primary base station is determined first, the control plane function is performed by the primary base station.

For example, the redundant information includes RSN. When the RSN value is 1, the RSN indicates that the session currently established by the UE is the first redundant session, that is, the user plane connection corresponding to the session currently established by the UE passes through the M-RAN; At this time, the RSN indicates that the session currently established by the UE is the second redundant session, that is, the user plane connection corresponding to the session currently established by the UE passes through the S-RAN.

For example, if the first information received by the first network element from the UE in step S401 is DNN-a/S-NSSAI-a, the first network element determines the value of RSN according to the first information and the association in Table 1. 1, the currently established session is the first redundant session of the user plane connection through the M-RAN. If the first information received by the first network element from the UE in step S401 is DNN-b/S-NSSAI-b, the first network element determines that the value of the RSN is 2 according to the first information and the association in Table 1, Then the currently established session is the second redundant session of the user plane connection through the S-RAN.

According to the method of the embodiment of the present invention, in the scenario shown in FIG. 3 , when two redundant sessions established by the UE are served by different session management network elements, it is possible to realize that the user plane connections of the two redundant sessions pass through respectively. M-RAN and S-RAN, so as to achieve highly reliable transmission between UE and DN.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of still another session management method provided by an embodiment of the present application. This method can be used in the 5G communication system shown in FIG. 3 , where the first network element in FIG. 4 is the first SMF 303 or the second SMF 304 . FIG. 5 will be described in conjunction with FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 5, the method may include:

S500. The SMF network element configures the association relationship between the first information and the redundant information.

For example, the SMF network element is the first SMF 303 or the second SMF 304 in FIG. 3 .

For example, for the association relationship between the first information and the redundant information, reference may be made to the description of the association relationship between the first information and the redundant information in step S401 of FIG. 4 , which will not be repeated here.

S501. The UE sends a session establishment request to an AMF network element. Correspondingly, the AMF network element receives the session establishment request from the terminal device.

For example, the UE is the UE 301 in FIG. 3 , and the AMF network element is the AMF network element 302 in FIG. 3 .

For example, the session establishment request includes the first information. For the first information, reference may be made to the description of the first information in step S401 in FIG. 4 , which will not be repeated here.

Optionally, the session establishment request further includes a packet data unit (Packet Data Unit, PDU) session identifier (identifier, ID).

S502, the AMF network element selects the SMF network element.

For example, the AMF network element selects the SMF network element for the session according to the first information (at least one of S-NSSAI or DNN) in the session establishment request.

Optionally, the AMF network element stores the correspondence between the PDU session identifier and the first information (at least one of S-NSSAI or DNN).

S503. The AMF network element sends a request for creating a session management context to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives a request to create a session management context from the AMF network element.

For example, the request to create a session management context includes the first information.

For example, the AMF network element triggers the SMF network element to create a session management context for the UE by invoking the create session management context request (eg, Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext Request) service.

S504, the SMF network element sends a registration request to the UDM network element, and the UDM network element sends a registration response to the SMF network element.

For example, the UDM network element is the UDM network element 305 in FIG. 3 .

For example, the registration request includes one or more of the following: a user permanent identifier (subscription permanent identifier, SUPI) of the terminal device, a DNN, a PDU session identifier, or an address of an SMF network element.

For example, the SMF network element invokes a registration (eg, Nudm_UECM_Registration) service to register with the UDM network element.

Optionally, the UDM network element stores one or more of the following: SUPI, DNN, PDU session identifier or the address of the SMF network element.

It should be noted that this embodiment does not limit the execution order of step S504, that is, step S504 may be executed before step S505, or may be executed after the session establishment is completed, which is not limited in this embodiment.

S505, the SMF network element acquires subscription information from the UDM network element.

For example, the SMF network element obtains the session management subscription information from the UDM network element by invoking the service of obtaining session management subscription information (eg, Nudm_SDM_Get). The message sent by the SMF network element to the UDM network element through the service of acquiring the session management subscription information includes one or more of the following: SUPI, DNN or S-NSSAI.

S506, the SMF network element sends a session management context creation response to the AMF network element. Correspondingly, the AMF network element receives the Create Session Management Context response from the SMF network element.

For example, the SMF network element sends the create session management context response to the AMF network element by invoking the create session management context response (eg, Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext Response) service.

S507. The SMF network element determines redundant information according to the first information and the association relationship.

For example, for step S507, reference may be made to the description of step S402 in FIG. 4 , which will not be repeated here.

S508, the SMF network element selects the UPF network element.

S509, the SMF network element sends an N4 session establishment request to the UPF network element, and the UPF network element sends an N4 session establishment response to the SMF network element.

For example, if the SMF network element is the first SMF 303 in FIG. 3 , the UPF network element is the first UPF network element 308 in FIG. 3 . If the SMF network element is the second SMF 304 in FIG. 3 , the UPF network element is the second UPF network element 309 in FIG. 3 .

S510. The SMF network element sends an information transmission message to the AMF network element. Correspondingly, the AMF network element receives the information transmission message from the SMF network element. The information transmission message includes redundant information.

For example, the SMF network element sends redundant information to the AMF network element by invoking a message transfer (eg, Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer) service.

The information transmission message includes N2 session management information (N2 SM info) and N1 session management container (N1SM container). For example, the N2 SM info contains the PDU session identifier, S-NSSAI and redundancy information, and the N2 SM info is used by the SMF network element to send to the RAN device through the AMF network element. The N1 SM container includes a session establishment accept message, which is used by the SMF network element to send it to the UE through the AMF network element and the RAN device.

S511. The AMF network element sends an N2 session request to the RAN. Accordingly, the RAN receives the N2 session request from the AMF network element. Wherein, the N2 session request includes redundant information.

For example, the RAN device is M-RAN 306 in FIG. 3 .

For example, the N2 session request includes the PDU session identifier, N2 SM info and N1 SM container.

S512 , the RAN initiates a process of establishing radio resources with the UE.

For example, the RAN device establishes radio resources by sending a non-access stratum NAS (non-access stratum, NAS) message to the UE. The NAS message includes the PDU session identifier and the N1 SM container.

S513. The RAN determines, according to the redundancy information, that the user plane connection corresponding to the session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station.

For example, in one case, if the redundancy information RSN takes a value of 1, the RAN determines that the currently established session is the first redundant session according to the RSN. That is, the user plane connection corresponding to the currently established session passes through the M-RAN. Then the RAN allocates M-RAN tunnel info for the session. In another case, if the value of the redundancy information RSN is 2, the RAN determines that the currently established session is the second redundant session according to the RSN. That is, the user plane connection corresponding to the currently established session passes through the S-RAN. Then, as the M-RAN in the DC architecture shown in FIG. 2 , the RAN obtains the secondary base station tunnel information (S-RAN tunnel info) from the S-RAN.

Optionally, when the value of the redundancy information RSN is 2, if the DC architecture has not been established (for example, the S-RAN in FIG. 3 has not yet established a connection with the M-RAN), the RAN line first triggers the DC establishment, Then get S-RAN tunnel info from S-RAN.

S514. The RAN sends an N2 session response to the AMF network element. Accordingly, the AMF network element receives the N2 session response from the RAN.

For example, the N2 session response includes the PDU session identifier and N2 SM info. The N2 SM info includes the tunnel information in step S513 (ie, M-RAN tunnel info or S-RAN tunnel info). That is, if the currently established session is the first redundant session, N2 SM info includes M-RAN tunnel info; if the currently established session is the second redundant session, N2 SM info includes S-RAN tunnel info RAN tunnel info.

S515. The AMF network element sends a request for updating the session management context to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the update session management context request from the AMF network element.

For example, the AMF network element invokes the update session management context request (eg, Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Request) service, and sends the update session management context request to the SMF network element.

For example, the N2 SM info in step S514 is included in the update session management context request.

S516 , the SMF network element sends an N4 session modification request to the UPF network element, and the UPF network element sends an N4 session modification response to the SMF network element.

For example, the N4 session modification request includes the tunnel information in S514 (ie, M-RAN tunnel info or S-RAN tunnel info). By sending the tunnel information to the UPF, the downlink user plane connection between the M-RAN or the S-RAN and the UPF is established. That is to say, if the tunnel information in S514 is M-RAN tunnel info, then establish a downlink user plane connection between M-RAN and UPF; if the tunnel information in S514 is S-RAN tunnel info, then establish S-RAN Downlink user plane connection with UPF.

S517 , the SMF network element sends an update session management context response to the AMF network element. Correspondingly, the AMF network element receives an update session management context response from the SMF network element.

For example, the SMF network element invokes the update session management context response (eg, Nsmf_PDUSession_UpdateSMContext Response) service to send the update session management context response to the AMF network element.

According to the method of the embodiment of the present invention, in the scenario shown in FIG. 3 , when the two redundant sessions established by the UE are served by different session management network elements, the first information and the redundant information are configured in the SMF network element by configuring the first information and the redundant information in the SMF network element. The association relationship can determine whether the currently established session is the first redundant session of the user plane connection through the M-RAN, or the second redundant session of the user plane connection through the S-RAN. By making the user plane connections of the two redundant sessions pass through the M-RAN and the S-RAN respectively, high reliable transmission between the UE and the DN is realized.

FIG. 6 is yet another session management method provided by an embodiment of the present application. This method can be used in the 5G communication system shown in FIG. 3 , where the first network element in FIG. 4 is the UDM network element 305 . Fig. 6 will be described in conjunction with Fig. 3, Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 6, the method may include:

S600. The UDM network element acquires the association relationship between the first information and the redundant information.

For example, the UDM network element is the UDM network element 305 in FIG. 3 .

For example, for the association relationship between the first information and the redundant information, reference may be made to the description of the association relationship between the first information and the redundant information in step S401 of FIG. 4 , which will not be repeated here.

For example, there are two ways for the UDM network element to obtain the association relationship between the first information and the redundant information: the UDM network element configures the association relationship between the first information and the redundant information, or the UDM network element obtains the association relationship between the first information and the redundant information from the UDM network element The association relationship between the first information and the redundant information is received in the UDR).

For steps S601 to S603, reference may be made to the description of steps S501 to S503 in FIG. 5 , which will not be repeated here.

In the example of FIG. 6, the method may further include:

S604. The SMF network element sends the first information to the UDM network element. Correspondingly, the UDM network element receives the first information from the SMF network element.

For example, for the first information, reference may be made to the description of the first information in step S401 in FIG. 4 , which will not be repeated here.

For example, the SMF network element may send the first information to the UDM network element in any of the following two ways:

In the first manner, the SMF network element sends the first information to the UDM network element through a registration request. Correspondingly, the UDM network element sends a registration response to the SMF network element. Wherein, the registration request includes one or more of the following: SUPI, DNN, PDU session identifier or address of an SMF network element of the terminal device. For example, the SMF network element invokes a registration (eg, Nudm_UECM_Registration) service to register with the UDM network element.

In the second manner, the SMF network element sends the first information to the UDM network element by invoking the service of obtaining session management subscription information (for example, Nudm_SDM_Get). Optionally, the message sent by the SMF network element to the UDM network element by obtaining the session management subscription information service further includes SUPI.

S605. The UDM network element determines redundant information according to the first information and the association relationship.

For example, for step S605, reference may be made to the description of step S402 in FIG. 4 , which will not be repeated here.

S606, the UDM network element sends redundancy information to the SMF network element. Accordingly, the SMF network element receives redundancy information from the UDM network element.

For example, the SMF network element obtains the session management subscription information and redundancy information from the UDM network element by invoking the service of obtaining session management subscription information (eg, Nudm_SDM_Get).

Reference may be made to the description of step S506 in FIG. 5 for step S607 , and reference to the description of steps S508 to S517 in FIG. 5 for steps S608 to S617 , which will not be repeated here.

According to the method of the embodiment of the present invention, in the scenario shown in FIG. 3 , when the two redundant sessions established by the UE are served by different session management network elements, the association between the first information and the redundant information is obtained through the UDM network element relationship, it can be determined whether the currently established session is the first redundant session of the user plane connection through the M-RAN, or the second redundant session of the user plane connection through the S-RAN. By making the user plane connections of the two redundant sessions pass through the M-RAN and the S-RAN respectively, high reliable transmission between the UE and the DN is realized.

FIG. 7 is another method for session management provided by an embodiment of the present application. This method can be used in the 5G communication system shown in FIG. 3 , where the first network element in FIG. 4 is the AMF network element 302 . Fig. 7 will be described in conjunction with Fig. 3, Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 7, the method may include:

S700. The AMF network element configures the association relationship between the first information and the redundant information.

For example, the AMF network element is the AMF network element 302 in FIG. 3 .

For example, for the association relationship between the first information and the redundant information, reference may be made to the description of the association relationship between the first information and the redundant information in step S401 of FIG. 4 , which will not be repeated here.

For step S701, reference may be made to the description of step S501 in FIG. 5, which will not be repeated here.

In the example of FIG. 7, the method may further include:

S702. The AMF network element determines redundant information according to the first information and the association relationship.

For example, for step S702, reference may be made to the description of step S402 in FIG. 4 , which will not be repeated here.

S703, the AMF network element selects the SMF network element.

For example, for step S703, reference may be made to the description of step S502 in FIG. 5, which will not be repeated here.

It should be noted that this embodiment does not limit the execution order of steps S702 and S703. That is to say, step S702 may be performed first and then S703 may be performed, or step S703 may be performed first and then S702 may be performed, or steps S703 and S702 may be performed simultaneously.

S704. The AMF network element sends a request for creating a session management context to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives a request to create a session management context from the AMF network element.

Optionally, the request for creating a session management context includes the redundant information in step S702.

For example, the AMF network element triggers the SMF network element to create a session management context for the UE by invoking the create session management context request (eg, Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext Request) service.

Steps S705 to S707 can refer to the description of steps S504 to S506 in FIG. 5 , and steps S708 to S709 can refer to the description of steps S508 to S509 in FIG. 5 , which will not be repeated here.

S710. The SMF network element sends an information transmission message to the AMF network element. Correspondingly, the AMF network element receives the information transmission message from the SMF network element.

For example, the SMF network element sends N2 SM info and N1 SM container to the AMF network element by invoking a message transfer (eg, Namf_Communication_N1N2MessageTransfer) service.

For example, the N2 SM info contains the PDU session identifier and the S-NSSAI, and the N2 SM info is used by the SMF network element to send to the RAN device through the AMF network element. The N1 SM container includes a session establishment accept message, which is used by the SMF network element to send it to the UE through the AMF network element and the RAN device.

S711, the AMF network element sends an N2 session request to the RAN. Accordingly, the RAN receives the N2 session request from the AMF network element.

For example, the RAN device is M-RAN 306 in FIG. 3 .

For example, the N2 session request includes the PDU session identifier, N2 SM info and N1 SM container.

It should be noted that, if the request for creating a session management context in step S704 does not include the redundant information in step S702, the N2 session request also includes the redundant information in step S702.

For steps S712 to S717 , reference may be made to the description of steps S512 to S517 in FIG. 5 , which will not be repeated here.

According to the method of the embodiment of the present invention, in the scenario shown in FIG. 3 , when the two redundant sessions established by the UE are served by different session management network elements, the association between the first information and the redundant information is configured through the AMF, It can be determined whether the currently established session is the first redundant session of the user plane connection through the M-RAN, or the second redundant session of the user plane connection through the S-RAN. By making the user plane connections of the two redundant sessions pass through the M-RAN and the S-RAN respectively, high reliable transmission between the UE and the DN is realized.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of still another session management method provided by an embodiment of the present application. This method can be used in the 5G communication system shown in FIG. 3 , where the first SMF 303 or the second SMF 304 determines whether there is a second redundancy associated with the third information according to the configured association relationship between the second information and the third information The session identifier of the redundant session is further determined, and the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station. Fig. 8 will be described in conjunction with Fig. 3, Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 8, the method may include:

S800. The SMF network element configures the association relationship between the second information and the third information.

For example, the SMF network element is the first SMF 303 or the second SMF 304 in FIG. 3 .

The second information is used to establish a first redundant session for the service of the UE, and the third information is used to establish a second redundant session for the service. For example, the services corresponding to the first redundant session and the second redundant session are URLLC services. That is, the second information and the third information are respectively used to establish the first redundant session and the second redundant session for the same URLLC service of the UE. Wherein, the first redundant session and the second redundant session are served by different SMF network elements. That is, if the first redundant session is served by the first SMF 303, the second redundant session is served by the second SMF 304; if the first redundant session is served by the second SMF 304, the first redundant session is served by the second SMF 304. One SMF 303 service.

For example, the second information includes at least one of the first DNN corresponding to the service or the first S-NSSAI corresponding to the service, and the third information includes at least one of the second DNN corresponding to the service or the second S-NSSAI corresponding to the service item.

For example, the association relationship between the second information and the third information configured by the SMF network element is as follows: As shown in Table 2, when the first information is DNN-a/S-NSSAI-a, the third information is DNN-b/S- NSSAI-b.

Table 2. The relationship between the second information and the third information

second information third information DNN-a/S-NSSAI-a DNN-b/S-NSSAI-b

For steps S801 to S804, reference may be made to the description of steps S501 to S504 in FIG. 5 , which will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the first information sent by the UE to the SMF through the AMF in steps S501 to S503 in FIG. 5 is the second information in steps S801 to S803 in FIG. 8 . That is to say, in steps S801 to S803 in FIG. 8 , what the UE sends to the SMF through the AMF is the second information. For the description of the second information, please refer to the description of the first information in step S401 in FIG. 4 , which will not be repeated here. .

In the example of FIG. 8, the method may further include:

S805. The SMF network element determines the third information according to the second information and the association relationship.

For example, if the second information received by the SMF from the UE is DNN-a/S-NSSAI-a, the SMF network element determines that the third information is DNN-b/S-NSSAI- b.

S806, the SMF network element sends the second information and the third information to the UDM network element. Correspondingly, the UDM network element receives the second information and the third information from the SMF network element.

For example, the SMF network element sends the second information and the third information to the UDM network element by invoking the service of obtaining session management subscription information (eg Nudm_SDM_Get), and obtains the session management subscription information corresponding to the second information from the UDM network element.

Optionally, the message sent by the SMF network element to the UDM network element by obtaining the session management subscription information service further includes SUPI.

For example, the SMF network element carries the second information and the third information in different information elements IE1 and IE2 respectively, and sends them to the UDM. Thus, the UDM can acquire the second information and the third information according to IE1 and IE2.

S807. The UDM network element sends the session identifier/indication information of the second redundant session to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the session identification/indication information of the second redundant session from the UDM network element.

For example, step S806 includes any one of the following two situations:

Case 1: If the UDM can obtain the session identifier of the second redundant session corresponding to the third information, the UDM network element sends the session identifier of the second redundant session to the SMF network element. For example, the corresponding relationship between the session identifier of the second redundant session and the third information is stored in the UDM, or the UDM receives the session identifier of the second redundant session from the UDR.

Case 2: If the UDM cannot obtain the session identifier of the second redundant session corresponding to the third information, the UDM network element sends indication information to the SMF network element. For example, the indication information sent by the UDM network element to the SMF network element includes any of the following two cases: (1) The UDM sends a response message to the SMF, where the response message is used to indicate that there is no session identifier of the second redundant session ; (2) The UDM sends the session identifier of the second redundant session to the SMF, wherein the session identifier is a null value.

S808. The SMF network element determines that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or passes through the secondary base station.

Corresponding to the two situations of step S807, step S808 includes any one of the following two situations:

Case a: if the SMF network element receives the session identifier of the second redundant session from the UDM network element, the SMF network element determines that the session currently established by the UE is the second redundant session. Therefore, the SMF network element determines that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the secondary base station, and sets the value of the redundancy information RSN to be 2.

Case b: if the SMF network element receives the indication information from the UDM network element, the SMF network element determines that the session currently established by the UE is the first redundant session. Therefore, the SMF network element determines that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station, and sets the value of the redundancy information RSN to be 1.

Reference may be made to the description of step S506 in FIG. 5 for step S809 , and reference to the description of steps S508 to S517 in FIG. 5 for steps S810 to S819 , which will not be repeated here.

According to the method of the embodiment of the present invention, in the scenario shown in FIG. 3 , when the two redundant sessions established by the UE are served by different session management network elements, the second information and the third information are configured in the SMF network element by configuring the second information and the third information in the SMF network element. The association relationship can determine whether there is a session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the third information, and further determine that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station. By making the user plane connections of the two redundant sessions pass through the M-RAN and the S-RAN respectively, high reliable transmission between the UE and the DN is realized.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of still another session management method provided by an embodiment of the present application. This method can be used in the 5G communication system shown in FIG. 3 , the UDM determines whether there is a session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the third information according to the obtained association relationship between the second information and the third information, and uses The SMF or UDM determines that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station. Fig. 9 will be described in conjunction with Fig. 3, Fig. 4 and Fig. 8. As shown in Fig. 9, the method may include:

S900, the UDM network element acquires the association relationship between the second information and the third information.

For example, the UDM stores the association relationship between the second information and the third information, or the UDM receives the association relationship between the second information and the third information from the UDR.

For example, for the association relationship between the second information and the third information, reference may be made to the description of the association relationship between the second information and the third information in FIG. 8 , which will not be repeated here.

For steps S901 to S904, reference may be made to the description of steps S801 to S804 in FIG. 8 , which will not be repeated here.

In the example of FIG. 9, the method may further include:

S905, the SMF network element sends the second information to the UDM network element. Correspondingly, the UDM network element receives the second information from the SMF network element.

For example, the SMF network element sends the second information to the UDM network element by invoking the Get Session Management Subscription Information (eg Nudm_SDM_Get) service, and obtains the session management subscription information from the UDM network element.

Optionally, the message sent by the SMF network element to the UDM network element by obtaining the session management subscription information service further includes SUPI.

S906, the UDM network element determines the third information according to the second information and the association relationship.

For example, if the second information received by the UDM from the SMF is DNN-a/S-NSSAI-a, the UDM network element determines that the third information is DNN-b/S-NSSAI- b.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment described in FIG. 9, after step S906, the SMF may determine that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station (for example, steps S907a and S908a). shown), or the UDM may also determine that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station (as shown in steps S907b and S908b). That is, after step S906, steps S907a-S908a, or S907b-S908b may be performed.

For steps S907a and S908a, reference may be made to the description of steps S807 to S808 in FIG. 8 , which will not be repeated here.

S907b, the UDM network element determines that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or passes through the secondary base station.

Step S907b includes any one of the following two situations:

Case 1: If the UDM can obtain the session identifier of the second redundant session corresponding to the third information, the UDM determines that the session currently established by the UE is the second redundant session. Therefore, the UDM determines that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the secondary base station, and sets the value of the redundancy information RSN to be 2. For example, the session identifier of the second redundant session is stored in the UDM, or the UDM receives the session identifier of the second redundant session from the UDR.

Case 2: If the UDM cannot obtain the session identifier of the second redundant session corresponding to the third information, the UDM determines that the session currently established by the UE is the first redundant session. Thus, the UDM determines that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station, and sets the redundancy information RSN to be 1.

S908b, the UDM network element sends redundancy information to the SMF network element. Accordingly, the SMF network element receives redundancy information from the UDM network element.

For steps S909 to S919 , reference may be made to the description of steps S809 to S819 in FIG. 8 , which will not be repeated here.

According to the method of the embodiment of the present invention, in the scenario shown in FIG. 3 , when the two redundant sessions established by the UE are served by different session management network elements, the association between the second information and the third information is obtained through the UDM network element relationship, can determine whether there is a session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the third information, so that the SMF network element or the UDM network element can determine that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the auxiliary base station. By making the user plane connections of the two redundant sessions pass through the M-RAN and the S-RAN respectively, high reliable transmission between the UE and the DN is realized.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of still another session management method provided by an embodiment of the present application. This method can be used in the 5G communication system shown in FIG. 3 , the AMF determines whether there is a session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the third information according to the configured association relationship between the second information and the third information, and uses The SMF or AMF determines that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station. Fig. 10 will be described in conjunction with Fig. 3, Fig. 4, Fig. 5, Fig. 7 and Fig. 8. As shown in Fig. 10, the method may include:

S1000. The AMF network element configures an association relationship between the second information and the third information.

For example, for the association relationship between the second information and the third information, reference may be made to the description of the association relationship between the second information and the third information in FIG. 8 , which will not be repeated here.

S1001, the UE sends a session establishment request to an AMF network element. Correspondingly, the AMF network element receives the session establishment request from the terminal device.

For example, the session establishment request includes the second information. For the second information, reference may be made to the description of the first information in step S401 in FIG. 4 , which will not be repeated here.

Optionally, the session establishment request further includes the PDU session identifier.

For step S1002, reference may be made to the description of step S502 in FIG. 5, which will not be repeated here.

It should be noted that this embodiment does not limit the execution order of steps S1002 and S1003. That is to say, step 1002 may be executed first and then S1003 may be executed, or step S1003 may be executed first and then S1002 may be executed, or steps S1003 and S1002 may be executed simultaneously.

S1003. The AMF network element determines the third information according to the second information and the association relationship.

For example, if the second information received by the AMF from the UE is DNN-a/S-NSSAI-a, the AMF determines that the third information is DNN-b/S-NSSAI-b according to the second information and the association shown in Table 2.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment described in FIG. 10, after step S1003, the SMF may determine that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station (for example, steps S1004a and S1005a). shown), or, the AMF may also determine that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station (as shown in steps S1004b and S1005b). That is, after step S1003, steps S1004a-S1005a, or S1004b-S1005b may be performed.

S1004a, the AMF network element sends the session identifier/indication information of the second redundant session to the SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives the session identification/indication information of the second redundant session from the AMF network element.

For example, the AMF network element sends the session identification/indication information of the second redundant session to the SMF network element by invoking the Create Session Management Context Request (eg, Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext Request) service, and triggers the SMF network element to create a session management context for the UE.

For example, step S1004a includes any one of the following two situations:

Case 1: If the session identifier of the second redundant session corresponding to the third information is stored in the AMF, the AMF network element sends the session identifier of the second redundant session to the SMF network element.

Case 2: If the AMF cannot obtain the session identifier of the second redundant session corresponding to the third information, the AMF network element sends indication information to the SMF network element. For example, the indication information sent by the AMF network element to the SMF network element includes any of the following two situations: (1) the message sent by the AMF to the SMF is used to indicate that there is no session identifier of the second redundant session; (2) The AMF sends the session identifier of the second redundant session to the SMF, where the session identifier is a null value.

Optionally, before step S1004a, the method further includes: the SMF network element determines to perform redundancy processing on the session currently established by the UE, and sends a query request to the AMF network element for requesting the session identifier/ Instructions.

For step S1005a, reference may be made to the description of step S808 in FIG. 8, which will not be repeated here.

S1004b, the AMF network element determines that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or passes through the secondary base station.

Step S1004b includes any one of the following two situations:

Case 1: If the session identifier of the second redundant session corresponding to the third information is stored in the AMF, the AMF determines that the session currently established by the UE is the second redundant session. Thus, the AMF determines that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the secondary base station, and sets the value of the redundancy information RSN to be 2.

Case 2: If the AMF cannot obtain the session identifier of the second redundant session corresponding to the third information, the AMF determines that the session currently established by the UE is the first redundant session. Thus, the AMF determines that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station, and sets the redundancy information RSN to be 1.

S1005b, the AMF network element sends redundancy information to the SMF network element. Accordingly, the SMF network element receives redundancy information from the AMF network element.

For example, the AMF network element sends redundant information to the SMF network element by invoking the create session management context request (eg, Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext Request) service, and triggers the SMF network element to create a session management context for the UE.

For steps S1006 to S1011, reference may be made to the description of steps S705 to S710 in FIG. 7 and will not be repeated here.

S1012, the AMF network element sends an N2 session request to the RAN. Accordingly, the RAN receives the N2 session request from the AMF network element.

For example, the N2 session request includes the PDU session identifier, N2 SM info and N1 SM container.

It should be noted that, if the request for creating a session management context in step S1005b does not include the redundant information in step S1004b, the N2 session request also includes the redundant information in step S1004b.

For steps S1013 to S1018, reference may be made to the description of steps S712 to S717 in FIG. 7 , which will not be repeated here.

According to the method of the embodiment of the present invention, in the scenario shown in FIG. 3 , when the two redundant sessions established by the UE are served by different session management network elements, the AMF network element is used to configure the association between the second information and the third information relationship, can determine whether there is a session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the third information, so that the SMF network element or the AMF network element can determine that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station. By making the user plane connections of the two redundant sessions pass through the M-RAN and the S-RAN respectively, high reliable transmission between the UE and the DN is realized.

In the embodiments described in FIGS. 8 to 10 , the first network element (SMF network element, UDM network element, AMF network element) receives second information from the terminal device, and the second information is used to establish the first network element for the service of the terminal device. A redundant session, wherein the first network element is configured with the association relationship between the second information and the third information, the third information is used to establish a second redundant session for the service, and the first redundant session is managed by the first session network element The second redundant session is served by the second session management network element; the first network element determines that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station according to the second information and the association relationship. By making the user plane connections of the first redundant session and the second redundant session pass through the M-RAN and the S-RAN, respectively, highly reliable transmission between the UE and the DN is realized.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of still another session management method provided by an embodiment of the present application. This method can be used in the 5G communication system shown in FIG. 3 , where the RAN determines that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the primary base station according to the configured association relationship between the second information and the third information or according to the redundancy information. The user plane connection goes through the secondary base station. FIG. 11 will be described in conjunction with FIG. 3 , FIG. 4 , FIG. 5 and FIG. 8 . As shown in FIG. 11 , the method may include:

S1100. The RAN network element configures the association relationship between the second information and the third information.

For example, for the association relationship between the second information and the third information, reference may be made to the description of the association relationship between the second information and the third information in FIG. 8 , which will not be repeated here.

Steps S1101 to S1106 may refer to the descriptions of steps S501 to S506 in FIG. 5 , and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that, the first information sent by the UE to the SMF through the AMF in steps S501 to S503 in FIG. 5 is the second information in steps S1101 to S1103 in FIG. 11 . That is to say, in steps S1101 to S1103 in FIG. 11 , what the UE sends to the SMF through the AMF is the second information. For the description of the second information, please refer to the description of the first information in step S401 in FIG. 4 , which will not be repeated here. .

S1107. The SMF network element determines redundancy information.

For example, the SMF determines to perform redundant processing on the session currently established by the UE according to the second information (at least one of DNN or S-NSSAI) received in step S1103, the subscription data acquired in step S1105, and the local policy, and sets redundant information. For the description of the redundant information, reference may be made to the description of the redundant information in step S401, which is not repeated here.

For example, if the SMF determines that the session currently established by the UE is the first redundant session, the SMF sets RSN=1; if the SMF determines that the session currently established by the UE is the second redundant session, the SMF sets RSN=2.

For steps S1108 to S1109, reference may be made to the description of steps S508 to S509 in FIG. 5 , which will not be repeated here.

For step S1110, reference may be made to the description of step S510 in FIG. 5 . Optionally, the N2 SM info of the information transmission message further includes the DNN in the second information.

For step S1111, reference may be made to the description of step S511 in FIG. 5 . Optionally, the N2 SM info of the N2 session request further includes the DNN in the second information.

For step S1112, reference may be made to the description of step S512 in FIG. 5, which will not be repeated here.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment described in FIG. 11 , after step S1111 , the RAN may determine, according to the association relationship between the second information and the third information, that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the secondary base station (as shown in step S1113a), or, according to the redundancy information (as shown in step S1113b), it is determined that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the secondary base station. That is, after step S1111, step S1113a may be performed, or S1113b may be performed. When the RAN executes S1113a, the above step S1107 can be skipped and not executed. When the RAN executes S1113b, the above step S1100 can be skipped and not executed. The execution order of S1113a/S1113b and S1112 is not limited in this embodiment. That is to say, S1113a/S1113b may be executed first and then S1112 may be executed, or, S1113a/S1113b may be executed after S1112.

S1113a, the RAN determines, according to the association relationship, that the user plane connection corresponding to the session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station.

For example, the RAN determines the third information according to the second information received from step S1111 and the association relationship between the second information and the third information configured in the RAN. If the session identifier of the second redundant session corresponding to the third information is stored in the RAN, the RAN may determine that the session currently established by the UE is the second redundant session, that is, the RAN may determine that the user plane connection corresponding to the session passes through the secondary base station; If the session identifier of the second redundant session corresponding to the third information is not stored in the RAN, the RAN may determine that the session currently established by the UE is the first redundant session, that is, the RAN may determine that the user plane connection corresponding to the session passes through the primary base station.

S1113b, the RAN determines, according to the redundancy information, that the user plane connection corresponding to the session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station.

For example, it is assumed that the third information carried by the UE to establish the first redundant session is the same as the second information carried by the second redundant session. It should be noted that step S1100 is an optional step. That is to say, if the second information is both used to establish the first redundant session for the service of the UE, and the second information is also used to establish the second redundant session for the service of the UE, there is no second information for establishing the second redundant session for the service of the UE. For the third information of the redundant session, step S1100 is not executed. If the second information is used to establish a first redundant session for the service of the UE, and the third information is used to establish a second redundant session for the service, step S1100 is performed. If the redundant information related to the second information (referred to as the first redundant information) is stored in the RAN, the RAN receives the redundant information related to the second information (referred to as the second redundant information) from step S1111. , and the first redundant information and the second redundant information have the same value (for example, when the first redundant information RSN1=1, the second redundant information RSN2=1; or, when the first redundant information RSN1=2, the second redundant information Redundancy information RSN2=2), then the RAN can determine that the session currently established by the UE is the second redundant session, that is, the RAN can determine that the user plane connection corresponding to the session passes through the secondary base station, and further, the RAN obtains the secondary base station from the S-RAN. Base station tunnel information (S-RAN tunnelinfo). If the first redundant information is not stored in the RAN; or, the first redundant information is stored in the RAN, but the values of the first redundant information and the second redundant information are different (for example, when the first redundant information RSN1=1 The second redundant information RSN2=2; or, when the first redundant information RSN1=2, the second redundant information RSN2=1) or the first redundant information is not stored in the RAN, the RAN can determine according to the second redundant information Whether the session currently established by the UE passes through the primary base station or the secondary base station. For example, when the second redundancy information RSN2=1, the user plane connection corresponding to the session passes through the primary base station, and when the second redundancy information RSN2=2, the user plane connection corresponding to the session passes through the secondary base station. Further, the RAN obtains the base station tunnel information corresponding to the user plane connection. Specifically, when RSN2=1, the M-RAN allocates the main base station tunnel information (M-RAN tunnel info) for the session, and when RSN2=2, then M-RAN The RAN obtains the secondary base station tunnel information (S-RAN tunnel info) from the secondary base station.

Optionally, when the RAN determines that the user plane connection corresponding to the session passes through the secondary base station, if the DC architecture has not been established (for example, the S-RAN in FIG. 3 has not yet established a connection with the M-RAN), the RAN line first Trigger DC establishment, and then obtain S-RAN tunnel info from S-RAN.

For steps S1114 to S1117 , reference may be made to the description of steps S514 to S517 in FIG. 5 , which will not be repeated here.

According to the method of the embodiment of the present invention, in the scenario shown in FIG. 3 , when the two redundant sessions established by the UE are served by different session management network elements, the RAN determines the association relationship between the second information and the third information according to the configuration Or according to the redundancy information, it is determined that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station. By making the user plane connections of the two redundant sessions pass through the M-RAN and the S-RAN respectively, high reliable transmission between the UE and the DN is realized.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of still another session management method provided by an embodiment of the present application. This method can be used in the 5G communication system shown in FIG. 3 , the AMF network element selects the same SMF network element to manage the session for the session that needs to be processed redundantly. Since it can be determined whether the currently established session is the first redundant session or the second redundant session for the same SMF network element, it can be determined that the user plane connection corresponding to the currently established session passes through the primary base station or through the secondary base station. FIG. 12 will be described in conjunction with FIGS. 1 , 3 , and 10 .

In the embodiment described in FIG. 12 , before step S1208, the AMF may be based on the selection information received from the initial SMF network element (as shown in steps S1200 to S1205), or may be based on the configuration of the second information and the selection information. Association relationship (as shown in steps S1206 to S1207), select the same SMF network element to manage the session. That is, before step S1208, steps S1200 to S1205 may be performed, or steps S1206 to S1207 may be performed.

In a first possible case, the AMF may receive selection information from the initial SMF network element. It includes the following steps S1200 to S1205:

For steps S1200 to S1201, reference may be made to the description of steps S1000 to S1001 in FIG. 10 , which will not be repeated here.

It should be noted that step S1200 is an optional step. That is to say, if the second information is both used to establish the first redundant session for the service of the UE, and the second information is also used to establish the second redundant session for the service of the UE, there is no second information for establishing the second redundant session for the service of the UE. For the third information of the redundant session, step S1200 is not executed. If the second information is used to establish a first redundant session for the service of the UE, and the third information is used to establish a second redundant session for the service, step S1200 is performed.

S1202, the AMF network element selects the initial SMF network element.

For example, the AMF network element selects the initial SMF network element for the session according to the second information (at least one of S-NSSAI or DNN) in the session establishment request.

Optionally, the AMF network element stores the correspondence between the PDU session identifier and the second information.

S1203: The AMF network element sends a request for creating a session management context to the initial SMF network element. Correspondingly, the SMF network element receives a request to create a session management context from the AMF network element.

For example, the request to create a session management context includes the second information.

For example, the AMF network element triggers the initial SMF network element to create a session management context for the UE by invoking a create session management context request (eg, Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext Request) service.

S1204, the initial SMF network element determines to perform redundancy processing on the session.

For example, the initial SMF determines to perform redundant processing on the session currently established by the UE according to the second information (at least one of DNN or S-NSSAI) received in step S1203 and the local policy,

S1205: The initial SMF network element sends selection information to the AMF network element. Accordingly, the AMF network element receives selection information from the initial SMF network element.

It should be noted that the selection information can be understood as a kind of explicit indication information, for example, the selection information is embodied in a specific cell; it can also be understood as a kind of implicit indication information, for example, the selection information uses other cells ( Such as DNN/S-NSAI) embodied; can also be understood as a kind of message.

If step S1200 is not performed, the selection information is used to instruct the AMF to select the same SMF network element for establishing the session corresponding to the second information.

If step S1200 is executed, the selection information is used to instruct the AMF to select the same SMF network element when establishing a session corresponding to the second information or establishing a session corresponding to the third information.

In the second possible situation, the AMF configures the association relationship between the second information and the selection information. It includes the following steps S1206 to S1207:

S1206, the AMF configures the association relationship between the second information and the selection information.

For example, if the second information is not only used to establish the first redundant session for the service of the UE, and the second information is also used to establish the second redundant session for the service of the UE, the association relationship between the second information and the selection information is shown in Table 3 shown. In Table 3, when the second information is DNN-a/S-NSSAI-a, the selection information is used to instruct the AMF to select the same SMF network element for establishing a session corresponding to the second information.

Table 3. The relationship between the second information and the selection information

DNN-a/S-NSSAI-a select information

Optionally, if the second information is used to establish a first redundant session for the service of the UE, and the third information is used to establish a second redundant session for the service, the AMF also configures the second information, the third information and the selection information. connection relation. As shown in Table 4, when the second information is DNN-a/S-NSSAI-a, the third information is DNN-b/S-NSSAI-b, and the selection information is used to indicate that the AMF is not required to establish the second information or the establishment and When the session corresponding to the third information is selected, the same SMF network element is selected.

Table 4. The relationship between the second information, the third information and the selection information

DNN-a/S-NSSAI-a DNN-b/S-NSSAI-b select information

S1207, the UE sends a session establishment request to the AMF network element. The session establishment request includes second information (at least one of DNN or S-NSSAI). Reference may be made to the previous step S1000, which will not be repeated here.

S1208, the AMF network element selects the target SMF network element according to the selection information in step S1205 or S1206.

For example, the target SMF network element may be the same as or different from the initial SMF network element.

For example, in the case where step S1200 is not performed, that is, the second information carried by the UE to establish the first redundant session is the same as the third information carried by the establishment of the second redundant session: before establishing the current session, the AMF stores the first redundant session. 2. The association relationship between information, session identifier and SMF. As shown in Table 5, the second information is DNN-a/S-NSSAI-a, the session identifier corresponding to the second information is session 1, and the SMF network element corresponding to session 1 is SMF1. When establishing the current session, the second information received by the AMF network element from the UE is DNN-a/S-NSSAI-a, so the AMF selects the same SMF network element as session 1 for the current session according to the instruction in step S1205 . That is to say, the AMF network element selects the target SMF network element as SMF1.

Table 5. Association relationship between second information, session ID and SMF

session ID second information SMF corresponding to the session session 1 DNN-a/S-NSSAI-a SMF1

For example, when step S1200 is performed, that is, the second information carried by the UE to establish the first redundant session is different from the third information carried by the establishment of the second redundant session: before the current session is established, the AMF stores the third information. The relationship between information, session ID and SMF. As shown in Table 6, the third information is DNN-b/S-NSSAI-b, the session identifier corresponding to the third information is session 2, and the SMF network element corresponding to session 2 is SMF2. When establishing the current session, the second information received by the AMF network element from the UE is DNN-a/S-NSSAI-a, so the AMF selects according to the relationship between the second information and the third information in Table 2 and the selection in step S1205 information, select the same SMF network element as session 2 for the current session. That is to say, the AMF network element selects the target SMF network element as SMF2.

Table 6. Association relationship between third information, session ID and SMF

session ID third information SMF corresponding to the session session 2 DNN-b/S-NSSAI-b SMF2

So far, the AMF network element has selected the same SMF network element to manage the session that needs to be processed redundantly, so that the communication system diagram of FIG. 3 works in the scenario shown in FIG. 1 . Therefore, when the UE establishes a session, the SMF network element can determine whether the session is the first redundant session or the second redundant session according to the prior art. If the session is the first redundant session, it can be determined that the user plane connection corresponding to the session passes through the M-RAN. If the session is the second redundant session, it may be determined that the user plane connection corresponding to the session passes through the S-RAN. In this way, the user plane connections of the two redundant sessions can be independent of each other, thereby realizing highly reliable transmission between the terminal device and the data network.

In the above-mentioned embodiments provided by the present application, various solutions of the communication methods provided by the embodiments of the present application are respectively introduced from the perspectives of each network element itself and from the perspective of interaction between the various network elements. It can be understood that each network element and device, such as the above-mentioned wireless access network device, access and mobility management function network element, terminal device, data management function network element and network slice selection function network element, in order to realize the above functions, Contains corresponding hardware structures and/or software modules to perform each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that the present application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein. Whether a function is performed by hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality using different methods for each particular application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

For example, when the above network elements implement corresponding functions through software modules. The apparatus for session management may include a receiving module 1301, a processing module 1302 and a sending module 1303, as shown in FIG. 13A.

In one embodiment, the apparatus for session management can be used to perform the operations of the first network element in FIG. 4 , the SMF in FIG. 5 , the UDM in FIG. 6 , and the AMF in FIG. 7 . E.g:

The receiving module 1301 is configured to receive first information from the terminal device, where the first information is used to establish a session for the terminal device, wherein the first network element is configured with an association relationship between the first information and the redundant information. The processing module 1302 is configured to determine redundancy information according to the first information and the association relationship, where the redundancy information is used to indicate that the session is the first redundant session of the user plane connection through the primary base station or the session is the second redundant session of the user plane connection through the secondary base station. Redundant sessions, the first redundant session is served by the first session management network element, and the second redundant session is served by the second session management network element.

Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, when the two redundant sessions established by the UE are served by different session management network elements, it can be realized that the user plane connections of the two redundant sessions pass through the M-RAN and the S-RAN respectively, Thus, highly reliable transmission between UE and DN is realized.

Optionally, the first information includes at least one item of data network name or single network slice selection assistance information.

Optionally, the device for session management is a first session management network element, a second session management network element, a unified data management network element, or an access and mobility management network element.

Optionally, the apparatus further includes a sending module 1303, configured to send redundant information to the wireless access device.

Optionally, the redundant information includes redundant serial numbers.

In addition, the receiving module 1301, the processing module 1302 and the sending module 1303 in the device for session management can also implement other operations or functions of the first network element in FIG. 4, the SMF in FIG. 5, the UDM in FIG. 6, and the AMF in FIG. 7, It will not be repeated here.

In another embodiment, the apparatus for session management shown in FIG. 13A can also be used to perform the operations of the SMF in FIG. 8 , the UDM in FIG. 9 , and the AMF in FIG. 10 . E.g:

The receiving module 1301 is configured to receive first information from the terminal device, where the first information is used to establish a first redundant session for the service of the terminal device, wherein the first network element is configured with an association relationship between the first information and the second information, The second information is used to establish a second redundant session for the service, the first redundant session is served by the first session management network element, and the second redundant session is served by the second session management network element. The processing module 1302 is configured to determine, according to the first information and the association relationship, that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station.

Therefore, in this embodiment of the present invention, when the two redundant sessions established by the UE are served by different session management network elements, the first network element can be configured with the association relationship between the second information and the third information to determine the first network element. The user plane connection corresponding to a redundant session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station. By making the user plane connections of the two redundant sessions pass through the M-RAN and the S-RAN respectively, high reliable transmission between the UE and the DN is realized.

Optionally, the processing module 1302 is configured to acquire the session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the second information according to the first information and the association relationship, and the processing module 1302 is configured to determine that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session has passed through the auxiliary server. base station; or, the processing module 1302 is configured to determine, according to the first information and the association relationship, the session identifier of the second redundant session that is not associated with the second information, and the processing module 1302 is configured to determine the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session through the main base station.

Optionally, the apparatus for session management is a first session management network element, and the apparatus includes: a processing module 1302, configured to determine the second information according to the first information and the association relationship. The sending module 1303 is configured to send the first information and the second information to the unified data management network element. The receiving module 1301 is configured to receive the session identifier of the second redundant session from the unified data management network element.

Optionally, the apparatus for session management is a first session management network element, and the apparatus includes: a processing module 1302, configured to determine the second information according to the first information and the association relationship. The sending module 1303 is configured to send the first information and the second information to the unified data management network element. The receiving module 1301 is used for receiving indication information from the unified data management network element; the processing module 1302 is used for determining that there is no session identifier according to the indication information.

Optionally, the apparatus for session management is a unified data management network element or an access and mobility management network element, and the apparatus includes: a processing module 1302, configured to determine the second information according to the first information and the association relationship. The processing module 1302 is configured to obtain the session identifier according to the correspondence between the second information stored in the first network element and the session identifier.

Optionally, the first information includes at least one item of the first data network name corresponding to the service or the first single network slice selection auxiliary information corresponding to the service, and the second information includes the second data network name corresponding to the service or the name of the second data network corresponding to the service. The second single network slice selects at least one item of auxiliary information.

In addition, the receiving module 1301 , the processing module 1302 and the sending module 1303 in the device for session management can also implement other operations or functions of the SMF in FIG. 8 , the UDM in FIG. 9 , and the AMF in FIG. 10 , which will not be repeated here.

In another embodiment, the apparatus for session management shown in FIG. 13A can also be used to perform the operations of the SMF network element in FIG. 9 or the UDM network element in FIG. 10 . E.g:

The receiving module 1301 is configured to receive first information from the terminal device, where the first information is used to establish a first redundant session for the service of the terminal device, wherein the first network element is configured with an association relationship between the first information and the second information, The second information is used to establish a second redundant session for the service, the first redundant session is served by the first session management network element, and the second redundant session is served by the second session management network element. The processing module 1302 is configured to acquire, according to the first information and the association relationship, a session identifier of a second redundant session associated with the second information. The sending module 1303 is configured to send a session identifier to the first session management network element, where the session identifier is used to determine redundancy information, and the redundancy information is used to indicate that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the secondary base station.

Therefore, in this embodiment of the present invention, the first network element determines whether there is a session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the third information according to the acquired association relationship between the second information and the third information, and sends the session identifier to the session management The network element, the session management network element determines that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station.

Optionally, the first information includes at least one item of the first data network name corresponding to the service or the first single network slice selection auxiliary information corresponding to the service, and the second information includes the second data network name corresponding to the service or the name of the second data network corresponding to the service. The second single network slice selects at least one item of auxiliary information.

Optionally, the device for session management is a unified data management network element or an access and mobility management network element.

In addition, the receiving module 1301 , the processing module 1302 and the sending module 1303 in the apparatus for session management can also implement other operations or functions of the UDM network element in FIG. 9 or the AMF network element in FIG. 10 , which will not be repeated here.

FIG. 13B shows another possible schematic structural diagram of the apparatus for session management involved in the above embodiment. The apparatus for session management includes a transceiver 1304 and a processor 1305, as shown in FIG. 13B. For example, the processor 1305 may be a general-purpose microprocessor, a data processing circuit, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) circuit. The apparatus for session management may further include a memory 1306, for example, the memory is random access memory (RAM). Said memory is intended to be coupled with the processor 1305, which holds the computer program 13061 necessary for the apparatus for the session management.

In addition, the apparatus for session management involved in the above embodiments also provides a carrier 1307 , in which the computer program 13071 of the apparatus for session management is stored, and the computer program 13071 can be loaded into the processor 1305 . The aforementioned carrier may be an optical signal, an electrical signal, an electromagnetic signal, or a computer-readable storage medium (eg, a hard disk).

When the above-described computer program 13061 or 13071 is run on a computer (eg, the processor 1305), it can cause the computer to perform the above-described method.

For example, in one embodiment, processor 1305 is configured as other operations or functions of a first network element (eg, first network element in FIG. 4, SMF in FIG. 5, UDM in FIG. 6, AMF in FIG. 7). The transceiver 1304 is used to implement communication between the first network element and the terminal device/wireless access device.

In another embodiment, the processor 1305 is configured as other operations or functions of the first network element (eg, SMF in Figure 8, UDM in Figure 9, AMF in Figure 10). The transceiver 1304 is used to implement communication between the first network element and the terminal device/unified data management network element.

In another embodiment, the processor 1305 is configured as other operations or functions of the first network element (eg, UDM in Figure 9, AMF in Figure 10). The transceiver 1304 is configured to implement communication between the first network element and the terminal device/first session management network element.

One or more of the above modules or units may be implemented in software, hardware or a combination of both. When any of the above modules or units are implemented in software, the software exists in the form of computer program instructions and is stored in the memory, and the processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow. The processor may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller (MCU), or artificial intelligence Processors and other types of computing devices that run software, each computing device may include one or more cores for executing software instructions to perform operations or processing. The processor may be built in a SoC (system on a chip) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or may be an independent semiconductor chip. The internal processing of the processor may further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as field programmable gate array (FPGA), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), Or a logic circuit that implements dedicated logic operations.

When the above modules or units are implemented in hardware, the hardware can be CPU, microprocessor, DSP, MCU, artificial intelligence processor, ASIC, SoC, FPGA, PLD, dedicated digital circuit, hardware accelerator or non-integrated discrete device Any one or any combination, which may or may not run the necessary software to perform the above method flow.

In the above-mentioned embodiments, it may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present invention are generated. The computer may be a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions may be downloaded from a website site, computer, server or data center Transmission to another website site, computer, server, or data center is by wire (eg, coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (eg, infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, a data center, or the like that includes an integration of one or more available media. The usable media may be magnetic media (eg, floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (eg, DVDs), or semiconductor media (eg, Solid State Disk (SSD)), among others.

The specific embodiments described above further describe the objectives, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present invention in detail. It should be understood that the above descriptions are only specific embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made on the basis of the technical solution of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims (29)

1. A method for session management, comprising: The first network element receives first information from a terminal device, where the first information is used to establish a session for the terminal device, wherein the first network element is configured with an association relationship between the first information and redundant information; The first network element determines the redundant information according to the first information and the association relationship, where the redundant information is used to indicate that the session is the first redundant session or all the user plane connections through the primary base station. The session is a second redundant session in which the user plane is connected through the secondary base station, the first redundant session is served by the first session management network element, and the second redundant session is served by the second session management network element. 2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first information comprises at least one of a data network name or single network slice selection assistance information. 3 . 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first network element is the first session management network element, the second session management network element, the unified data management network element, or the connection access and mobility management network elements. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, further comprising: The first network element sends the redundancy information to the wireless access device. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the redundant information comprises redundant serial numbers. 6. A method for session management, comprising: The first network element receives first information from the terminal device, where the first information is used to establish a first redundant session for the service of the terminal device, wherein the first network element is configured with the first information and the first redundant session. The association relationship between two pieces of information, the second information is used to establish a second redundant session for the service, the first redundant session is served by the first session management network element, and the second redundant session is served by the second redundant session session management network element service; The first network element determines, according to the first information and the association relationship, that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station. 7 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein the first network element determines, according to the first information and the association relationship, that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or The user plane connection passes through the secondary base station, including: The first network element acquires, according to the first information and the association relationship, a session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the second information, and the first network element determines the first redundant session. The user plane connection corresponding to the session passes through the secondary base station; or, The first network element determines, according to the first information and the association relationship, that there is no session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the second information, and the first network element determines the first The user plane connection corresponding to the redundant session passes through the primary base station. 8 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein the first network element is the first session management network element, and the first network element obtains the information according to the first information and the association relationship. The session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the second information includes: The first network element determines the second information according to the first information and the association relationship; sending, by the first network element, the first information and the second information to the unified data management network element; The first network element receives the session identifier of the second redundant session from the unified data management network element. 9 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein the first network element is the first session management network element, and the first network element determines according to the first information and the association relationship. 10 . There is no session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the second information, including: The first network element determines the second information according to the first information and the association relationship; sending, by the first network element, the first information and the second information to the unified data management network element; receiving, by the first network element, indication information from the unified data management network element; The first network element determines that the session identifier does not exist according to the indication information. The method according to claim 7, wherein the first network element is a unified data management network element or an access and mobility management network element, and the first network element is based on the first information and the For the association relationship, acquiring the session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the second information includes: The first network element determines the second information according to the first information and the association relationship; The first network element acquires the session identifier according to the correspondence between the second information stored in the first network element and the session identifier. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein the first information comprises the first data network name corresponding to the service or the first single network slice selection auxiliary information corresponding to the service At least one item of the second information includes at least one item of the second data network name corresponding to the service or the second single network slice selection auxiliary information corresponding to the service. 12. A method for session management, comprising: The first network element receives first information from the terminal device, where the first information is used to establish a first redundant session for the service of the terminal device, wherein the first network element is configured with the first information and the first redundant session. The association relationship between two pieces of information, the second information is used to establish a second redundant session for the service, the first redundant session is served by the first session management network element, and the second redundant session is served by the second redundant session session management network element service; obtaining, by the first network element, a session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the second information according to the first information and the association relationship; The first network element sends the session identifier to the first session management network element, where the session identifier is used to determine redundancy information, and the redundancy information is used to indicate the corresponding The user plane connection goes through the secondary base station. The method according to claim 12, wherein the first information comprises at least one item of a first data network name corresponding to the service or a first single network slice selection assistance information corresponding to the service , the second information includes at least one item of a second data network name corresponding to the service or a second single network slice selection auxiliary information corresponding to the service. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the first network element is a unified data management network element or an access and mobility management network element. 15. An apparatus for session management, comprising: a receiving module, configured to receive first information from a terminal device, where the first information is used to establish a session for the terminal device, wherein the first network element is configured with an association relationship between the first information and redundant information ; a processing module, configured to determine the redundant information according to the first information and the association relationship, where the redundant information is used to indicate that the session is the first redundant session in which the user plane is connected through the primary base station or the The session is a second redundant session connected to the user plane via the secondary base station, the first redundant session is served by the first session management network element, and the second redundant session is served by the second session management network element. 16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the first information comprises at least one of a data network name or single network slice selection assistance information. The device according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the device for session management is the first session management network element, the second session management network element, the unified data management network element, or the connection access and mobility management network elements. 18. The device according to any one of claims 15 to 17, further comprising: A sending module, configured to send the redundant information to the wireless access device. 19. The apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the redundant information comprises redundant serial numbers. 20. An apparatus for session management, comprising: A receiving module, configured to receive first information from a terminal device, where the first information is used to establish a first redundant session for a service of the terminal device, wherein the first network element is configured with the first information and the The association relationship of the second information, where the second information is used to establish a second redundant session for the service, the first redundant session is served by the first session management network element, and the second redundant session is Two session management network element services; The processing module is configured to determine, according to the first information and the association relationship, that the user plane connection corresponding to the first redundant session passes through the primary base station or the user plane connection passes through the secondary base station. 21. The apparatus of claim 20, comprising: The processing module is configured to acquire, according to the first information and the association relationship, a session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the second information, and the processing module is configured to determine the first redundant session The user plane connection corresponding to the session passes through the secondary base station; or, The processing module is configured to determine, according to the first information and the association relationship, a session identifier of the second redundant session that is not associated with the second information, and the processing module is configured to determine the first redundant session. The user plane connection corresponding to the redundant session passes through the primary base station. 22. The device according to claim 21, wherein the device for session management is the first session management network element, and the device comprises: the processing module, configured to determine the second information according to the first information and the association relationship; a sending module, configured to send the first information and the second information to the unified data management network element; The receiving module is configured to receive the session identifier of the second redundant session from the unified data management network element. 23. The device according to claim 21, wherein the device for session management is the first session management network element, and the device comprises: the processing module, configured to determine the second information according to the first information and the association relationship; a sending module, configured to send the first information and the second information to the unified data management network element; the receiving module, configured to receive indication information from the unified data management network element; The processing module is configured to determine that the session identifier does not exist according to the indication information. 24. The device according to claim 21, wherein the device for session management is a unified data management network element or an access and mobility management network element, and the device comprises: the processing module, configured to determine the second information according to the first information and the association relationship; The processing module is configured to acquire the session identifier according to the correspondence between the second information stored in the first network element and the session identifier. 25. The apparatus according to any one of claims 20 to 24, wherein the first information comprises the first data network name corresponding to the service or the first single network slice selection auxiliary information corresponding to the service At least one item of the second information includes at least one item of the second data network name corresponding to the service or the second single network slice selection auxiliary information corresponding to the service. 26. An apparatus for session management, comprising: A receiving module, configured to receive first information from a terminal device, where the first information is used to establish a first redundant session for a service of the terminal device, wherein the first network element is configured with the first information and the The association relationship of the second information, where the second information is used to establish a second redundant session for the service, the first redundant session is served by the first session management network element, and the second redundant session is Two session management network element services; a processing module, configured to obtain the session identifier of the second redundant session associated with the second information according to the first information and the association relationship; a sending module, configured to send the session identifier to the first session management network element, where the session identifier is used for determining redundant information, and the redundant information is used to indicate a user corresponding to the first redundant session The plane connection goes through the secondary base station. 27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the first information comprises at least one item of a first data network name corresponding to the service or a first single network slice selection assistance information corresponding to the service , the second information includes at least one item of a second data network name corresponding to the service or a second single network slice selection auxiliary information corresponding to the service. 28. The apparatus according to claim 26 or 27, wherein the session management apparatus is a unified data management network element or an access and mobility management network element. 29. A computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 14.

Images