WO2025246824A1 - Communication method and communication apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and a communication apparatus. The method is applied to a scenario in which an unmanned aerial vehicle switches from a source server to a target server. The method comprises: a first device acquires information about the target server, the information about the target server being used for creating a connection between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the target server; and the first device sends the information about the target server. In this way, in a scenario in which an unmanned aerial vehicle switches from a source server to a target server, a first device acquires information about the target server and sends the information to a related network element to create a connection between the unmanned aerial vehicle and a target server, thereby ensuring that service and management of the unmanned aerial vehicle are not interrupted.

Description

Communication methods and communication devices

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410673934.5, filed on May 27, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and Communication Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to communication methods and communication devices.

Background Technology

In recent years, the application of unrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) has become increasingly widespread based on 5G communication systems. When UAVs fly within the service area of a UAV system service provider (USS), they can establish a service connection with the USS through the 5G network, allowing the USS to better serve and manage the UAVs.

However, how to switch to another target USS via 5G network to continue providing services and management for drones when the source USS is unable to serve them remains to be studied.

Summary of the Invention

The communication method and communication device provided in this application can solve the problem of obtaining information from the target server and sending it to relevant network elements in the scenario of switching from the source server to the target server to create a connection between the UAV and the target server, so as to ensure that the service and management of the UAV are not interrupted.

To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of this application adopt the following technical solutions:

Firstly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a component of a first device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the first device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the first device. This method is applied in scenarios where a drone switches from a source server to a target server, and includes: the first device acquiring information from the target server, the target server information being used to establish a connection between the drone and the target server; and the first device sending the target server information.

In this embodiment of the application, the source server can be the server of the source UAV system service provider, and correspondingly, the target server is the server of the target UAV system service provider. In the scenario of switching from the source server to the target server, the first device can obtain the information of the target server, and then the first device sends the information of the target server to other network elements, thereby creating a connection between the UAV and the target server, ensuring that the service and management of the UAV are not interrupted.

In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the first device sending target server information to the drone. That is, the first device can send target server information to the drone for the drone to establish a connection to the target server.

In one possible implementation, the first device is a source server. The first device sends information about the target server, including sending the target server information to the first network device. That is, as a type of first device, the source server can determine the target server information and further send the target server information to the first network device, so that the first network device can establish a connection between the drone and the target server.

In one possible implementation, the first device sends target server information to the drone, including: the source server sending the target server information to the drone via an application layer path or a network layer path. That is, as a type of first device, after discovering the target server's information, the source server can send the target server's information to the drone via an application layer path or a network layer path, so that the drone can establish a connection to the target server.

In one possible implementation, the first device is a first network device. The first device sends information about the target server, including sending the target server information to the source server. That is, as a type of first device, the first network device can determine the target server information and further send it to the source server, so that the source server can establish a connection between the drone and the target server.

In one possible implementation, the first device sends target server information to the drone, including: the first network device sending the target server information to the drone via a network layer path; or, the first network device sending the target server information to the drone via a source server. That is, as one type of first device, the first network device sends target server information to the drone via a network layer path; or, the first network device sends target server information to the drone via a source server, for the drone to establish a connection to the target server.

In one possible implementation, the first device acquires the target server information by: obtaining the target server information based on the drone's location information and configuration information on the first device, wherein the configuration information includes a mapping relationship between the drone's location information and the target server information. In other words, the first device can determine the target server information based on the drone's location information and local configuration information, wherein the configuration information includes a mapping relationship between the drone's location information and the target server information.

In one possible implementation, the first device obtains information from the target server by: the first device sending a first request to the second device, the first request being used to request information from the target server, the first request including the location information of the drone; and the first device receiving the information from the target server from the second device. In other words, the first device sends a first request to the second device, the first request being used to request information from the target server, the first request including the location information of the drone.

In one possible implementation, the second device could be a network storage function element in the operator's network, or a domain name server that is managed by a third party to address the servers of the unmanned aerial vehicle system service provider.

In one possible implementation, the first device sends information about the target server, including: the first device sending the target server information and first instruction information, the first instruction information being used to instruct the drone to switch from the source server to the target server. It should be understood that if the first device is the source server, the source server, while sending the target server information to the first network device and/or the drone, may also send the first instruction information instructing the drone to switch from the source server to the target server. This allows one or more of the source server, the first network device, and the drone to establish a connection between the drone and the target server, ensuring uninterrupted service and management for the drone pair. If the first device is the first network device, the first network device, while sending the target server information to the source server and/or the drone, may also send the first instruction information instructing the drone to switch from the source server to the target server. This allows one or more of the source server, the first network device, and the drone to establish a connection between the drone and the target server, ensuring uninterrupted service and management for the drone pair.

In one possible implementation, the first device sends information about the target server, including: the first device sending the target server information and second instruction information, the second instruction information being used to instruct the creation of a connection between the drone and the target server. It should be understood that if the first device is a source server, the source server, while sending the target server information to the first network device and/or the drone, may also send the second instruction information instructing the creation of a connection between the drone and the target server. This allows one or more of the source server, the first network device, and the drone to establish a connection between the drone and the target server, ensuring uninterrupted service and management of the drone pair. Similarly, if the first device is a first network device, the first network device, while sending the target server information to the source server and/or the drone, may also send the second instruction information instructing the creation of a connection between the drone and the target server. This allows one or more of the source server, the first network device, and the drone to establish a connection between the drone and the target server, ensuring uninterrupted service and management of the drone pair.

In one possible implementation, the first network device is one or more of the following network elements: Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network element, Session Management Function (SMF) network element, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System Network Function (UAS) NF network element, and Network Open Function (NEF) network element.

Secondly, a communication device is provided for implementing the various methods described above. This communication device can be a first device in any of the above aspects or any implementation thereof, or a device including the first device, or a device included in the first device, such as a chip. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the above methods, which can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions.

In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The transceiver module, also referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement the transmission and/or reception functions in any of the above aspects and their possible implementations. The transceiver module may consist of transceiver circuits, transceivers, transceivers, or communication interfaces. The processing module can be used to implement the processing functions in any of the above aspects and their possible implementations.

In some possible designs, the transceiver module includes a sending module and a receiving module, which are used to implement the sending and receiving functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation methods.

Thirdly, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; said processor being configured to execute a computer program or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the method described in any of the preceding aspects.

In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes the memory. Optionally, the memory is coupled to the processor; the memory may be integrated with the processor, or it may be independent of the processor. Optionally, the processor is used to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory.

In one possible implementation, the memory is independent of the communication device.

In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface for communicating with modules outside the communication device.

The communication device can be the first device in any of the above aspects or any implementation thereof, or a device containing the first device, or a device contained in the first device, such as a chip.

Fourthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a communication device, enable the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the above aspects or any implementation thereof.

Fifthly, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a communication device, enables the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the foregoing aspects or any implementation thereof.

In a sixth aspect, a communication device (e.g., a chip or chip system) is provided, the communication device including a processor for implementing the functions involved in any of the above aspects or any implementation thereof.

In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

In some possible designs, when the device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or contain chips and other discrete components.

It is understood that when the communication device provided by any of the second to sixth aspects is a chip, the aforementioned sending action/function can be understood as an output, and the aforementioned receiving action/function can be understood as an input.

The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects two through six can be found in the technical effects of the different design methods in aspect one above, and will not be repeated here.

A seventh aspect provides a communication system comprising: a source server and a first network device as described in any of the above aspects or any implementation thereof.

Attached Figure Description

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

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

Figure 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of an application scenario applicable to an embodiment of this application;

Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an information transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application;

Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of an information transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application;

Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating an information transmission method according to an embodiment of this application.

Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating an information transmission method according to an embodiment of this application;

Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a communication device structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a communication device structure provided in an embodiment of this application.

Detailed Implementation

The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as wireless network systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, 4G mobile communication systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication systems, 5G mobile communication systems such as New Radio (NR) systems, and future communication systems, etc.

In the embodiments of this application, "instruction" can include direct and indirect instructions, as well as explicit and implicit instructions. The information indicated by a certain piece of information (such as the first instruction information, second instruction information, or third instruction information below) is called the information to be instructed. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly indicate the information to be instructed by indicating other information, where there is a correlation between the other information and the information to be instructed. It can also indicate only a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement order of various pieces of information, thereby reducing instruction overhead to some extent. At the same time, common parts of various pieces of information can be identified and indicated uniformly to reduce the instruction overhead caused by individually indicating the same information.

Furthermore, the specific indication method can also be any existing indication method, such as, but not limited to, the above-mentioned indication methods and their various combinations. Specific details of various indication methods can be found in existing technologies, and will not be repeated here. As described above, for example, when multiple pieces of information of the same type need to be indicated, the indication methods for different pieces of information may differ. In the specific implementation process, the required indication method can be selected according to specific needs. This application embodiment does not limit the selected indication method; therefore, the indication methods involved in this application embodiment should be understood to cover various methods that enable the party to be indicated to obtain the information to be indicated.

"Predefined" or "pre-configured" can be achieved by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables, or other means that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device. This application does not limit the specific implementation method. "Saving" can refer to saving in one or more memories. These memories can be separate installations or integrated into the encoder, decoder, processor, or communication device. Alternatively, some memories can be separately installed, while others are integrated into the decoder, processor, or communication device. The type of memory can be any form of storage medium, and this application does not limit this.

The “protocol” mentioned in the embodiments of this application may refer to a protocol family in the field of communication, a standard protocol with a similar protocol family frame structure, or a related protocol applied to future communication systems. The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit this.

In the embodiments of this application, descriptions such as "when," "under the circumstances," "if," and "if" all refer to the device making corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited to a specific time. They do not require the device to make a judgment action during implementation, nor do they imply any other limitations.

In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, "/" indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A/B can represent A or B. "And/or" in the embodiments of this application is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and/or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, in the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" refers to two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with substantially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that "first" and "second" are not necessarily different. Meanwhile, in the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is being used as an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete manner for ease of understanding.

The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, Figure 1 is a diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a service-oriented interface provided in this application embodiment. This architecture includes user equipment (UE), radio access network (RAN), operation administration and maintenance (OAM), access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), user plane function (UPF), policy control function (PCF), unified data management (UDM), NRF, NWDAF, NEF, AF, and other network elements.

in,

UE: Can be located within the beam/cell coverage area of the access network device, and the access network device can provide communication services to the terminal device.

In Figure 1, the UE can be a device with wireless transceiver capabilities or a chip or chip system that can be configured on the device. It allows users to access the network and is used to provide voice and/or data connectivity to users. The UE can also be referred to as a terminal device, subscriber unit, terminal, mobile station (MS), or mobile terminal (MT), etc.

For example, the UE in Figure 1 can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, or computer with wireless transceiver capabilities. The terminal device can also be a user station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal device, mobile terminal device, user terminal device, wireless communication equipment, user agent, user device, cellular phone, cordless phone, session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, computing device, processing device connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle equipment, wearable device, terminal device in the Internet of Things (IoT), home appliance, virtual reality (VR) terminal, augmented reality (AR) terminal, etc. Wireless terminals in various fields, including (e.g., AR) terminals, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in autonomous driving, wireless terminals in telemedicine, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, vehicles with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication capabilities, intelligent connected vehicles, drones with unmanned aerial vehicle-to-unmanned aerial vehicle (U2U) communication capabilities, terminal devices in future networks, or terminal devices in future evolved public land mobile networks (PLMNs), are not restricted.

RAN: This can be any device deployed in the access network capable of wireless communication with terminal devices. It can also be a chip or chip system that can be configured in the aforementioned devices, a logical node or logical module, or a function implemented in software. It can be used to implement functions such as wireless physical control, resource scheduling and wireless resource management, wireless access control, and mobility management. Specifically, network devices can be devices that support wired access or devices that support wireless access.

For example, an access network device may consist of one or more access network (AN)/radio access network (RAN) nodes. AN/RAN nodes may be: evolved Node B (gNB), transmission reception point (TRP), evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved Node B, or home Node B (HNB)), base band unit (BBU), or wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point (AP), etc.

In another example, a radio access network device can also be a device that includes centralized unit (CU) nodes, distributed unit (DU) nodes, or both CU and DU nodes. For example, the access network device can be logically divided into CU and DU, with some protocol layer functions centrally controlled by the CU, and the remaining part or all of the protocol layer functions distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU. Furthermore, the centralized unit (CU) can be further divided into a control plane (CU-CP) and a user plane (CU-UP). In different systems, the CU (including CU-CP or CU-UP) or DU can also have different names. For example, in an open radio access network (O-RAN) system, the CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), the DU can also be called O-DU, the CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, and the CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP.

NWDAF network element: Possesses functions such as data collection, model training, data analysis, and model inference. It can collect relevant data from network function network elements, third-party service servers, terminal devices, or network management systems (e.g., OAM), perform data analysis or model training based on the relevant data, and provide data analysis results to network function network elements, third-party service servers, terminal devices, or network management systems, or provide trained models to other data analysis function network elements. Network data analysis function network elements can be divided into analysis logic functions and model training logic functions. The analysis logic function is the logical function within the network data analysis function network element, used to perform model inference, derive analysis results (i.e., derive statistical or predictive analysis results based on the analysis consumer's request), and provide analysis results. The model training logic function is the logical function within the network data analysis function network element, used to train models and provide training services (e.g., providing trained models). A network data analysis function network element may contain only analysis logic functions, only model training logic functions, or both. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

AMF network elements are primarily responsible for terminal device access authentication, mobility management, signaling interaction between various functional network elements, and the termination of non-access stratum (NAS) layer signaling security. For example, they manage user registration status, reachability status, N1/N2 interface signaling transmission, access authentication and authorization, user connection status, user registration and network entry, tracking area updates, cell handover user authentication, and key security.

SMF network elements primarily provide functions such as session management (e.g., session establishment, modification, and release), network protocol (IP) address allocation and management, and selection and control of user plane network elements.

UPF network elements are responsible for packet routing and forwarding, policy enforcement, traffic reporting, and Quality of Services (QoS) processing.

UDM network elements: manage user contracts, authorize access, and generate authentication information.

NRF network elements: provide the ability to register and discover network elements in the network.

PCF network element; mainly responsible for generating policies such as terminal device access policy and quality of service flow control policy, and can also provide the generated policies to access and mobility management function network elements or session management function network elements.

OAM (Operational Information Management) primarily performs daily network and service analysis, forecasting, planning, and configuration, as well as network and service testing and fault management. OAM can interact with RAN (Radio Array) to obtain UE location information measured by RAN or reported by UE.

Application Function (AF) network elements primarily serve as intermediary functional entities for interaction between application servers in the data network (DN) and network elements in the core network. They transmit application-side requests to the network side (e.g., quality of service requirements or user status event subscriptions). Application servers can use them to dynamically control network service quality and billing, and obtain operational information of a specific network element in the core network. In this embodiment, the application function network element can be a functional entity deployed by the operator (i.e., a trusted AF), or a functional entity deployed by a service provider. This service provider can be a third-party service provider (corresponding to an untrusted AF) or an internal service provider of the operator (corresponding to a trusted AF), without limitation.

NEF network element: mainly responsible for providing network capabilities and event access to external entities (such as untrusted AF network elements), as well as receiving relevant external information (such as receiving information provided by untrusted AF network elements).

As can be seen from Figure 1, the interfaces between the various control plane network elements in Figure 1 are service-oriented interfaces.

For example, in Figure 1, Nnef, Nnrf, Nnwdaf, Namf, Npcf, Nsmf, and Nudm are the service interfaces provided by NEF, NRF, NWDAF, AMF, PCF, SMF, and UDM, respectively, used to invoke the corresponding service operations. N1, N2, N3, N4, N6, and N9 are interface sequence numbers. The meanings of these interface sequence numbers can be found in the definitions in the 3GPP standard protocols, and are not limited here.

Service-oriented architecture enables the 5G core network to form a flat architecture. Through the control plane signaling bus, control plane network function entities in the same network slice can discover each other through NRF network elements, obtain each other's access address information, and then communicate directly with each other through the control plane signaling bus.

It should be noted that the interfaces between the various control plane network elements in Figure 1 can also be point-to-point interfaces, which will not be elaborated here.

It is understood that the aforementioned network elements or functions can be network components in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

The term "network element" can also be referred to as "functional network element," "functional entity," "entity," "node," "device," or "apparatus," etc., and this application does not impose any limitations on this. In actual deployment, network elements can be co-located. When two network elements are co-located, the interaction between these two network elements provided in the embodiments of this application becomes the internal operation of the co-located network element or can be omitted.

For ease of explanation, this application will subsequently use the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network element and the Session Management Function (SMF) network element as examples. Furthermore, the AMF network element will be abbreviated as AMF, and the SMF network element as SMF. That is, the AMF described in this application can be replaced by the Access and Mobility Management Function network element, and the SMF can be replaced by the Session Management Function network element.

It should be noted that the names of the various network elements and communication interfaces between them shown in Figure 1 are simplified examples based on the current protocols, but this does not limit the embodiments of this application to only currently known communication systems. Therefore, the standard names appearing when describing using the current protocols as examples are functional descriptions. This application does not limit the specific names of network elements, interfaces, or signaling, but only indicates the function of the network element, interface, or signaling, which can be extended to other systems, such as 5G or future communication systems.

Additionally, it should be noted that in some network architectures, network function elements such as AMF, SMF, PCF, AF, and UDM are all referred to as network function (NF) elements; or, in other network architectures, a collection of AMF, SMF, PCF, AF, and UDM elements can be referred to as control plane function elements.

Figure 1 shows the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application. In recent years, based on the communication system shown in Figure 1, unrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become increasingly popular as a terminal device. For example, in the civilian field, there are many types of UAVs, ranging from small drones for personal entertainment to various drones that bring economic value (such as agricultural drones, disaster relief drones, firefighting drones, and delivery drones).

In addition to these functions, drones may also provide temporary communication services, where they carry wireless access nodes. This is often used in scenarios involving major events such as live football matches or emergencies such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Currently, 3GPP is discussing UAV networking-related issues, which could address problems such as identification, authorization, and tracking when remotely controlling UAVs.

In one possible approach, the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) service provider (USS) provides services for the safe and efficient use of airspace by UAVs, responsible for UAV authentication and authorization, command and control (C2) communication authentication and authorization, and UAV identification and tracking. UAV is a type of UE, and can also be referred to as UE. UAS stands for Unmanned Aerial System.

To facilitate understanding, the following section will introduce UAV, USS, UAS, and other related terms with reference to Figure 2.

As an example, Figure 2 illustrates an architecture diagram of another communication system to which this application embodiment applies. Figure 2 is also a logical architecture diagram of a drone in both 5G and 4G systems. This network architecture may include, but is not limited to, the following network elements (or functional network elements, functional entities, nodes, devices, etc.):

UAV (i.e., UE), 4G access network ((R)AN), 5G access network NG-RAN, 5G core network (5G core, 5GC), 4G core network (evolved packet core, EPC), USS, UAS network function (UAS network function, UAS NF), DN and third party authorized entity (TPAE).

The following is a brief introduction to the relevant network elements or devices shown in Figure 2:

1. UAV: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), also known as unmanned aerial vehicle or aerial robot, is an unmanned aircraft that utilizes radio remote control equipment and its own program control device to complete aerial flight missions and various payload tasks under unmanned conditions. The UAVs in this application embodiment can be unmanned helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, multi-rotor aircraft, unmanned airships, and unmanned paragliders; they can also include near-space aircraft, such as stratospheric airships, high-altitude balloons, and solar-powered UAVs; and they can be quadcopters, hexacopters, single-axis UAVs, vector control UAVs, and other types of UAVs. The UAVs in this application embodiment can be used in industrial, civilian, agricultural, construction, film and television, environmental protection, and other fields, as well as in special industries that utilize UAV operations, such as using UAVs for inspection, aerial photography, environmental monitoring, border surveillance, express delivery, power line inspection, land rights confirmation, flood control and drought relief, disaster relief, etc. UAVs can also be considered a type of UE (User Equipment) device. This application embodiment does not limit the name and form of the UAV.

It should be understood that this document does not limit the specific type of drone. With the development of intelligent technology, the names of devices with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities may vary depending on the application scenario or the completion of different aerial flight missions. For ease of description, in all embodiments of this application, the aforementioned devices capable of UAV functionality are collectively referred to as UAVs.

2. UAS: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System, which may include one or more unmanned aerial vehicle controllers (UAVCs) and one or more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). For example, one UAV controller can control one or more UAVs, one UAV can be controlled by one or more UAV controllers, and multiple UAV controllers can also coordinate to control multiple UAVs. This application does not limit this aspect.

3. USS: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System Service Provider. This entity provides services to drone operators or pilots to meet their operational requirements and support the safe and efficient use of airspace. USS can provide any subset of functionalities to meet the provider's business objectives; for example, USS can be responsible for UAV authentication and authorization, C2 communication authentication and authorization, and UAV identification and tracking functions.

It should be noted that the naming of USS is only for the convenience of indicating its function and should not constitute any limitation on this application. This application does not exclude the possibility of using other names in future standards.

4. UTM: This stands for UAS Traffic Management, a system that securely and effectively integrates unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems with other airspace users. It's a suite of functions and services for managing a range of automated equipment operations (e.g., UAV authentication, UAV service authorization, UAV policy management, airspace UAV traffic control, etc.). USS and UTM can be the same network element or entity, and can be in a relationship of inclusion or being included, or parallel; this application does not limit this. In the embodiments of this application, USS, UTM, and USS/UTM refer to the same network element or entity, whose name may be server, application server, or service entity, etc.

5. UAS NF: The UAS network function is supported by NEF and is used for USS to provide external services. The UAS NF utilizes the existing NEF service open service (interface is Nnef in Figure 1) for UAV authentication/authorization, UAV flight authorization, UAV-UAV pairing authorization, and related re-authentication/re-authorization and revocation; for location reporting, status monitoring, obtaining a list of aerial photography terminals in a geographic area, and QoS/traffic filtering control for C2 communication.

In addition, a dedicated NEF can be deployed to provide UAS NF functionality, i.e., support for UAS-specific features/application programming interfaces (APIs) and NEF-specific features/APIs, used to provide capabilities and open services to the USS. In the embodiments of this application, UAS NF, NEF, and UAS NF/NEF refer to the same network element or the same entity, whose name may be a network function entity, etc.

6. TPAE: A third-party authorized entity that can identify and/or track UAVs and check for illegal UAVs within a certain range.

As shown in Figure 2, taking the 5G system as an example, the USS can communicate with the 5GC through the UAS NF/NEF on the one hand, and can also connect to the UPF through the N6 interface to transmit data on the other hand.

Figure 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of an application scenario applicable to an embodiment of this application. As an example, as shown in Figure 3, a drone may fly from service area #1, which is served by USS#1, to service area #2, which is served by USS#2. Accordingly, the USS providing services to the drone also switches from USS#1 to USS#2.

In scenarios where the USS providing services to drones switches from the source USS (i.e., USS#1) to the target USS (i.e., USS#2), how to discover the target USS and then establish a connection between the drone and the target server to ensure the continuity of the drone's flight services becomes a technical problem that needs to be solved.

To address the aforementioned issues, this application proposes a communication method applicable to scenarios where a drone switches from a source server to a target server. A first device can acquire information from the target server and then send it to other devices to establish a connection between the drone and the target server, thereby ensuring the continuity of drone flight services.

The interaction process between various network elements/devices in the above-described communication system will be specifically described below with reference to Figure 4, through a method embodiment. The information transmission method provided in this application embodiment can be applied to the communication systems shown in Figures 1 and 2 above.

Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an information transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application.

S401, the source server obtains information from the target server, and the target server's information is used to create a connection between the drone and the target server.

It should be understood that the source server can be the server of the source UAV system service provider, and correspondingly, the target server is the server of the target UAV system service provider.

It should be understood that the target server information includes the target server's identification information or address information.

In one possible implementation, the source server obtains information about the target server by: the source server obtaining information about the target server based on the location information of the drone and the configuration information on the source server, wherein the configuration information includes a mapping relationship between the location information of the drone and the information of the target server.

In one possible implementation, the source server obtains information from the target server by: the source server sending a first request to a second device, the first request being used to request information from the target server, the first request including the location information of the drone; and the first device receiving the information from the target server from the second device.

S402, the source server sends the target server's information to the first network device.

It should be understood that the first network device is one or more of the following network elements: access and mobility management function network element, session management function network element, unmanned aerial vehicle system network function network element, and network open function network element.

In one possible implementation, the source server sends target server information to the first network device, including: the source server sending target server information and first instruction information to the first network device, the first instruction information being used to instruct the drone to switch from the source server to the target server.

In one possible implementation, the source server sends target server information to the first network device, including: the source server sending target server information and second instruction information to the first network device, the first instruction information being used to instruct the drone to switch from the source server to the target server.

In one possible implementation, the information sent by the source server to the first network device also includes the current authentication result with the source server, such as success or failure. A failed authentication result can be used to indicate that the current authentication between the drone and the source server has failed, which can trigger the drone to re-initiate the authentication and authorization process.

S403, the source server sends the target server's information to the drone. Specifically, there are two possible paths:

a) Network layer path: The source server sends the target server's information to the first network device, and then the first network device further sends the target server's information to the drone through network service operations and/or network messages.

It should be understood that the step of the source server sending the target server's information to the first network device is step S402, or it can be a new step independent of step S402. No limitation is made in this embodiment of the invention.

In one possible implementation, the first network device can send information about the target server to the drone through network service operations and/or network messages from other intermediate network devices.

b) Application layer path: The source server sends the target server's information to the drone through application layer service operations and/or application layer messages.

In one possible implementation, the source server sends target server information to the drone, including: the source server sending target server information and first instruction information to the drone, the first instruction information being used to instruct the drone to switch from the source server to the target server.

In one possible implementation, the source server sends information about the target server to the drone, including: the source server sending information about the target server to the drone and second instruction information, wherein the first instruction information is used to instruct the drone to switch from the source server to the target server.

In path a) or b), the target server information may be the target server's address information and/or the drone identifier assigned by the target server to the drone.

It should be understood that in the embodiment of this application shown in Figure 4, the source server sends information about the target server (and first instruction information, or/and second instruction information) to the first network device and/or the drone, so that one or more of the source server, the first network device, and the drone can create a connection between the drone and the target server, ensuring that the service and management of the drone are not interrupted.

Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating another information transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application.

S501, the first network device obtains information from the target server, which is used to create or instruct the creation of a connection between the drone and the target server.

It should be understood that the first network device is one or more of the following network elements: access and mobility management function network element, session management function network element, unmanned aerial vehicle system network function network element, and network open function network element.

It should be understood that the target server is the server of the target drone system service provider.

In one possible implementation, the first network device obtains information about the target server by: the first network device obtaining information about the target server based on the location information of the drone and configuration information on the first network device, wherein the configuration information includes a mapping relationship between the location information of the drone and the information of the target server.

In one possible implementation, the first network device obtains information from the target server by: the first network device sending a first request to a second device, the first request being used to request information from the target server, the first request including the location information of the drone; and the first network device receiving the information from the target server from the second device.

S502, the first network device sends the target server's information to the source server.

It should be understood that the source server is the server of the source drone system service provider.

In one possible implementation, the first network device sends target server information to the source server, including: the first network device sending target server information and first instruction information to the source server, the first instruction information being used to instruct the drone to switch from the source server to the target server.

In one possible implementation, the first network device sends target server information to the source server, including: the first network device sending target server information and second instruction information to the source server, the first instruction information being used to instruct the drone to switch from the source server to the target server.

S503, the first network device sends the target server information to the drone. Specifically, there are two possible paths:

a) Network layer path: The first network device sends the target server information to the UAV through network service operations and/or network messages.

In one possible implementation, the first network device can send information about the target server to the drone through network service operations and/or network messages from other intermediate network devices.

b) Application layer path: The first network device sends the target server information to the source server, and the source server sends the target server information to the UAV through application layer service operations and/or application layer messages.

It should be understood that the step of the first network device sending the target server's information to the source server is step S502, or it can be a new step independent of step S502. This embodiment of the invention does not impose any restrictions.

In one possible implementation, the first network device sends target server information to the drone, including: the first network device sending target server information and first instruction information to the drone, the first instruction information being used to instruct the drone to switch from the source server to the target server.

In one possible implementation, the first network device sends target server information to the drone, including: the first network device sending target server information and second instruction information to the drone, the first instruction information being used to instruct the drone to switch from the source server to the target server.

It should be understood that in the embodiment of this application shown in Figure 5, the first network device sends information about the target server (and first instruction information, or, and second instruction information) to the source server and/or the drone, so that one or more of the source server, the first network device, and the drone can create a connection between the drone and the target server, ensuring that the service and management of the drone are not interrupted.

As a specific implementation of the embodiment shown in Figure 4, Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating an information transmission method provided by this application embodiment in conjunction with the architectural diagrams in Figures 1 and 2. Specifically, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is a source USS (i.e., S-USS), the target USS (i.e., T-USS) is a target USS, the first network device is a UAS NF/NEF, and the intermediate network device is an AMF/SMF.

S601, S-USS obtains information from T-USS for the UAV, where S-USS is the source USS serving the UAV, T-USS is the target USS serving the UAV, and the information from T-USS is used to create a connection between the UAV and T-USS.

It should be understood that the S-USS can obtain information from the T-USS if it determines that it is unable to provide services or management for the UAV.

In one possible implementation, the S-USS determines that it cannot provide services or management for the UAV, including: the S-USS determines that it cannot provide services or management for the UAV based on the UAV moving out of or about to move out of the S-USS's service area, or the S-USS determines that it cannot provide services or management for the UAV based on the S-USS's load exceeding a certain threshold.

In one possible implementation, the T-USS information is the T-USSID and/or T-USS Address (e.g., the T-USS's IP address, port number, protocol number, etc.). It is worth noting that any other instances of this invention involving USS information or information about the source UAV system service provider's server can refer to the description of T-USS information here (i.e., it can be either an ID or an Address), and will not be repeated here.

In one possible implementation, the S-USS obtains information about the T-USS for the UAV, including obtaining information about the target T-USS by relating the service area information of the USS locally configured by the S-USS based on the UAV's location information to the information of the USS. Here, USS includes both the S-USS and the T-USS.

In one possible implementation, the S-USS obtains information from the T-USS for the UAV, including the S-USS sending a first request message to a second device. The first request message is used to request information from the T-USS, wherein the first request message includes the location information of the UAV, and then the S-USS receives the information from the T-USS from the second device.

It should be understood that the second device can be a 5GS network repository function (NRF) network element or a domain name server (DNS) managed by a third party for USS addressing.

It should be understood that the location information of a UAV may include one or more of the following: the UAV's cell ID, a list of cell IDs, or a tracking area ID (TAI); whether the UAV is within the area of interest (AIO), which can be set as the service area of each USS, or a list of tracking area IDs (TAI), or GPS location information, etc. It is worth noting that any other instances of UAV location information or drone location information in embodiments of this invention can refer to the description of UAV location information herein, and will not be repeated here.

In one possible implementation, the S-USS obtains the UAV's location information before the UAV obtains information from the T-USS. It should be understood that the S-USS can obtain the UAV's location information from the application layer, or the S-USS can trigger the UAV's localization process to obtain the UAV's location information, or the S-USS can subscribe to the AMF through the UAS NF/NEF to obtain the UAV's location information.

S602, S-USS sends UAV context information to T-USS.

It should be understood that the S-USS sends the UAV's context information to the T-USS based on the information from the T-USS.

In one possible implementation, the context information of the UAV includes one or more of the following: UAV identification information, UAV location information, UAV open network element (NEF) information, and the authentication result of the UAV.

It should be understood that the identification information of a UAV includes one or more of the following: the UAV's International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), the UAV's Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI), the UAV's International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), the UAV's Permanent Equipment Identifier (PEI), the UAV's Generic Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI), and the UAV's Civil Aviation Administration-Level UAV Identification (CAA-Level UAV ID). It is worth noting that any other instances of UAV identification information or drone identification information in the embodiments of this invention can refer to the description of UAV identification information here, and will not be repeated here.

Optionally, the S-USS can request the identification information assigned to the UAV by the T-USS from the T-USS, and then send it to the UAV through a network layer or application layer path.

S603, S-USS sends a first notification message to UAS NF/NEF, which carries the UAV identifier and T-USS information.

It should be understood that the UAV's identifier and the T-USS information are used to create a connection between the UAV and the T-USS.

In one possible implementation, before sending the first notification message to the UAS NF/NEF, the S-USS receives a first subscription message from the UAS NF/NEF. The first subscription message is used to subscribe to the changed USS information corresponding to the changes in the USS serving the UAV, or the first subscription message is used to subscribe to the information of the USS serving the UAV, wherein the first subscription message includes the identification information of the UAV.

It should be understood that if the first subscription message includes only the identification information corresponding to a UAV, the first notification message may include only the information of the T-USS serving that UAV.

S604, optional, UAS NF/NEF stores the UAV's identifier and T-USS information.

It should be understood that the UAV identifier and T-USS information stored in the UAS NF/NEF are used to create a connection between the UAV and the T-USS.

In one possible implementation, the UAS NF/NEF stores the UAV's identifier and T-USS information, including: the UAS NF/NEF stores or configures the mapping relationship between the UAV's identifier and the T-USS information.

In S605a, the UAS NF/NEF sends an instruction message to the UAV through the SMF/AMF network element, instructing the UAV to establish a connection with the T-USS.

In one possible implementation, the indication information is T-USS information. The T-USS information may be T-USS identification information and/or identification information assigned by T-USS to the UAV.

In one possible implementation, as an alternative, the instruction message instructs the UAV to recreate the connection with the USS. It should be understood that in this case, the UAV is unaware of the network side's or application provider's actions regarding the handover from S-USS to T-USS.

In one possible implementation, the UAS NF/NEF sends indication information to the UAV through the SMF/AMF network element, including: the UAS-NF/NEF can first send the indication information to the SMF or AMF through the service operation of the SMF or AMF, and then the SMF or AMF sends the indication information to the UAV through a non-access stratum (NAS) message.

In S605b, the S-USS sends an instruction message to the UAV through the application layer, instructing the UAV to establish a connection with the T-USS.

In one possible implementation, the indication information is information from the T-USS.

In one possible implementation, as an alternative, the instruction message instructs the UAV to recreate the connection with the USS. It should be understood that in this case, the UAV is unaware of the network side's or application provider's actions regarding the handover from S-USS to T-USS.

S606, the UAV sends a NAS message to the SMF/SMF to establish a connection between the UAV and the T-USS. The NAS message includes the UAV's identifier.

S607, the UAV sends an authentication and authorization message to the UAS NF/NEF to establish a connection between the UAV and the T-USS. The authentication and authorization message includes the UAV's identifier.

S608, UAV NF/NEF obtains the T-USS serving the UAV based on the UAV's identifier.

In one possible implementation, the UAV NF/NEF determines the T-USS serving the UAV based on the UAV's identifier and the mapping relationship between the UAV's identifier and the T-USS information configured or stored on the UAV NF/NEF.

S609, the UAV NF/NEF sends an authentication and authorization message to the T-USS to establish a connection between the UAV and the T-USS. The NAS message includes the UAV's identifier.

At this point, upon receiving an authentication and authorization message (including the UAV's identifier) from the UAV NF/NEF, the T-USS can establish a connection between the UAV and the T-USS, and then the T-USS can serve or manage the UAV. In one possible implementation, the T-USS can identify the UAV's default USS based on the UAV identifier reported by the UAV. The default USS can indicate the USS that assigned the UAV identifier to the UAV. The T-USS requests the authentication result of the UAV from the default USS, optionally including the UAV's identifier information. The authentication result of the UAV can be success or failure. In another possible implementation, the T-USS can obtain the UAV's authentication result by requesting it from the S-USS or by obtaining the UAV's context from the S-USS.

It is worth noting that step S602 can be executed in the following two ways:

Method 1: After determining the information of the T-USS serving the UAV, the S-USS proactively sends the UAV's context information to the T-USS;

Method 2: After receiving the authentication and authorization message (including the UAV identifier) from UAS-NEF, T-USS requests the context information of the UAV from S-USS.

As an alternative implementation of Method Two, the T-USS obtains the S-USS information (ID or Address) from the UAS NF/NEF, the S-USS, or a second device.

It should be understood that steps S603, S605a, or S605b may also include an indicator 1 for instructing the UAV to switch from the S-USS to the T-USS, or an indicator 2 for instructing the creation of a connection between the UAV and the T-USS.

It should be understood that in the embodiment of this application shown in Figure 6, the S-USS sends the T-USS information (and indicator 1, or indicator 2) to the UAS NF/NEF and/or UAV, so that one or more of the S-USS, UAS NF/NEF and UAV can create a connection between the UAV and the T-USS, ensuring that the service and management of the UAV are not interrupted.

As a specific implementation of the embodiment shown in Figure 5, Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating an information transmission method provided by this application embodiment in conjunction with the architectural diagrams in Figures 1 and 2. Specifically, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is a source USS (i.e., S-USS), the target USS (i.e., T-USS) is a target USS, the first network device is a UAS NF/NEF, and the intermediate network device is an AMF/SMF.

S701, UAS NF/NEF obtains T-USS information for the UAV, where T-USS is the target USS serving the UAV, and the T-USS information is used to create a connection between the UAV and the T-USS.

It should be understood that UAS NF/NEF can obtain T-USS information if it is determined that S-USS is unable to provide services or management for UAV.

In one possible implementation, the UAS NF/NEF determines that the S-USS cannot provide services or management for the UAV, including: the UAS NF/NEF determines that it cannot provide services or management for the UAV based on the UAV moving out of or about to move out of the S-USS's service area, or the UAS NF/NEF determines that it cannot provide services or management for the UAV based on the S-USS's load exceeding a certain threshold.

In one possible implementation, the UAS NF/NEF configures a mapping between USS information (ID or Address) and the USS's service area. It should be understood that USS here includes S-USS and T-USS.

In one possible implementation, the UAS NF/NEF sends a second subscription message to the USS or the network repository function (NRF), the second subscription message being used to subscribe to the load information of the USS; the UAS NF or NEF receives a second response message from the USS or NRF, the second response message including the load information of the USS. It should be understood that the USS here includes both S-USS and T-USS.

In one possible implementation, the UAS NF/NEF obtains T-USS information for the UAV. This includes the UAS NF/NEF acquiring the target T-USS information based on the UAV's location information and the relationship between the locally configured USS area information and USS information. Here, USS includes both S-USS and T-USS.

In one possible implementation, the UAS NF/NEF obtains T-USS information for the UAV, including the UAS NF/NEF sending a first request message to a second device. The first request message is used to request T-USS information, wherein the first request message includes the location information of the UAV. Then, the UAS NF/NEF receives the T-USS information from the second device.

It should be understood that the second device can be a 5GS network repository function (NRF) network element or a domain name server (DNS) managed by a third party for USS addressing.

In one possible implementation, the S-USS obtains the UAV's location information before the UAS NF/NEF obtains the T-USS information for the UAV. It should be understood that the UAS NF/NEF can obtain the UAV's location information from the UAV through the application layer between the S-USS and the UAV, or the UAS NF/NEF can trigger the UAV's localization process to obtain the UAV's location information, or the S-USS can subscribe to the AMF to obtain the UAV's location information.

S702, UAS NF/NEF sends a second notification message to S-USS, which carries the UAV identifier and T-USS information.

It should be understood that the UAV's identifier and the T-USS information are used to create a connection between the UAV and the T-USS.

In one possible implementation, before sending the second notification message to the S-USS, the UAS NF/NEF receives a second subscription message from the S-USS. The second subscription message is used to subscribe to the changed USS information corresponding to the changes in the USS serving the UAV, or the second subscription message is used to subscribe to the information of the USS serving the UAV. The second subscription message includes the identification information of the UAV.

It should be understood that if the second subscription message includes only the identification information corresponding to a UAV, the second notification message may include only the information of the T-USS serving that UAV.

S703, S-USS sends UAV context information to T-USS.

It should be understood that the S-USS sends the UAV's context information to the T-USS based on the information from the T-USS.

In one possible implementation, the context information of the UAV includes one or more of the following: UAV identification information, UAV location information, UAV open network element (NEF) information, and the authentication result of the UAV.

In S704a, the UAS NF/NEF sends an instruction message to the UAV through the SMF/AMF network element, instructing the UAV to establish a connection with the T-USS.

In one possible implementation, the indication information is T-USS information. The T-USS information may be T-USS identification information and/or identification information assigned by T-USS to the UAV.

In one possible implementation, as an alternative, the instruction message instructs the UAV to recreate the connection with the USS. It should be understood that in this case, the UAV is unaware of the network side's or application provider's actions regarding the handover from S-USS to T-USS.

In one possible implementation, the UAS NF/NEF sends indication information to the UAV through the SMF/AMF network element, including: the UAS-NF/NEF can first send the indication information to the SMF or AMF through the service operation of the SMF or AMF, and then the SMF or AMF sends the indication information to the UAV through a non-access stratum (NAS) message.

S704b, the S-USS sends an instruction message to the UAV through the application layer, instructing the UAV to establish a connection with the T-USS.

In one possible implementation, the indication information is T-USS information. The T-USS information may be T-USS identification information and/or identification information assigned by T-USS to the UAV.

In one possible implementation, as an alternative, the instruction message instructs the UAV to recreate the connection with the USS. It should be understood that in this case, the UAV is unaware of the network side's or application provider's actions regarding the handover from S-USS to T-USS.

Steps S705 to S708 are the same as steps S606 to 609 in the flowchart of the embodiment shown in Figure 6, and will not be described again.

At this point, upon receiving an authentication and authorization message (including the UAV's identifier) from the UAV NF/NEF, T-USS can establish a connection between the UAV and T-USS, and then T-USS can serve or manage the UAV.

It is worth noting that step S703 can be executed in the following two ways:

Method 1: After determining the information of the T-USS serving the UAV, the S-USS proactively sends the UAV's context information to the T-USS;

Method 2: After receiving the authentication and authorization message (including the UAV identifier) from UAS-NEF, T-USS requests the context information of the UAV from S-USS.

As an alternative implementation of Method Two, the T-USS obtains the S-USS information (ID or Address) from the UAS NF/NEF, the S-USS, or a second device.

It should be understood that steps S702, S704a, or S704b may also include an indicator 1 for instructing the UAV to switch from the S-USS to the T-USS, or an indicator 2 for instructing the creation of a connection between the UAV and the T-USS.

It should be understood that in the embodiment of this application shown in Figure 7, the UAS NF/NEF sends information about the T-USS (and indicator 1, or indicator 2) to the S-USS and/or UAV, so that one or more of the S-USS, UAS NF/NEF and UAV can create a connection between the UAV and the T-USS, ensuring that the service and management of the UAV are not interrupted.

It should be understood that the scenario described in this invention is a situation where a drone switches from a source server to a target server. The existing technology presented in this invention can also be used for a drone's initial connection to a server, where the server may be the drone's default server but not the serving server corresponding to the drone's current service area. The default server can be the server that assigns the drone identifier to the drone. In one possible implementation, the drone can initially connect to the default server, which determines the serving server corresponding to the drone's current service area and initiates a server switch for the drone. In another possible implementation, when a drone's creation request reaches the UAS NF/NEF, the UAS NF/NEF can determine the serving server corresponding to the drone's current service area using the method mentioned in this invention and send the drone's creation/authentication request to the serving server corresponding to the drone's current service area. Specific method details are the same as above and will not be elaborated further.

The above mainly describes the solutions provided by the embodiments of this application from the perspective of interaction between various network elements. Correspondingly, the embodiments of this application also provide a communication device for implementing the various methods described above. This communication device can be the source server in the above method embodiments, or a device containing the source server, or a component usable in the source server device; or, the communication device can be the first network device in the above method embodiments, or a device containing the first network device, or a component usable in the first network device. It is understood that, in order to achieve the above functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and/or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, in conjunction with the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

This application embodiment can divide the communication device into functional modules according to the above method embodiment. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

Taking the communication device as the source server or the first network device in the above method embodiment as an example, Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 8, the communication device 800 includes: a processing module 801 and a transceiver module 802. The processing module 801 is used to execute the processing functions of the source server or the first network device in the above method embodiment. The transceiver module 802 is used to execute the transceiver functions of the source server or the first network device in the above method embodiment.

All relevant content of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be referenced from the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

Since the communication device 800 provided in this embodiment can execute the above information transmission method, the technical effects it can achieve can be referred to the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

In one possible design, the transceiver module 802 may include a receiving module and a transmitting module (not shown in Figure 8). The transceiver module is used to implement the transmitting and receiving functions of the communication device 800.

In one possible design, the communication device 800 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG8) that stores programs or instructions. When the processing module 801 executes the program or instructions, the communication device 800 can perform the functions of the source server or the first network device in any of the methods shown in FIG4 to FIG7.

It should be understood that the processing module 801 involved in the communication device 800 can be implemented by a processor or processor-related circuit components, and can be a processor or processing unit; the transceiver module 802 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit components, and can be a transceiver or transceiver unit.

For example, FIG9 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device may be a source server or a first network device, or it may be a chip (system) or other component or assembly that can be disposed in the source server or the first network device. As shown in FIG9, the communication device 900 may include a processor 901. In one possible design, the communication device 900 may further include a memory 902 and/or a transceiver 903. The processor 901 is coupled to the memory 902 and the transceiver 903, for example, they can be connected via a communication bus.

The following section, with reference to Figure 9, provides a detailed description of each component of the communication device 900:

The processor 901 is the control center of the communication device 900. It can be a single processor or a collective term for multiple processing elements. For example, the processor 901 can be one or more central processing units (CPUs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of this application, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

In one possible design, the processor 901 can perform various functions of the communication device 900 by running or executing software programs stored in the memory 902 and calling data stored in the memory 902.

In a specific implementation, as one example, processor 901 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 shown in FIG9.

In a specific implementation, as one embodiment, the communication device 900 may also include multiple processors, such as processors 901 and 904 shown in FIG. 9. Each of these processors may be a single-core processor (single-CPU) or a multi-core processor (multi-CPU). Here, a processor may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and/or processing cores used to process data (e.g., computer program instructions).

The memory 902 is used to store the software program that executes the solution of this application, and is controlled by the processor 901 to execute it. The specific implementation method can be referred to the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

In one possible design, the memory 902 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or it can be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory 902 can be integrated with the processor 901 or exist independently and coupled to the processor 901; this application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

Transceiver 903 is used for communication with other communication devices. For example, if communication device 900 is a source server, transceiver 903 can be used to communicate with a first network device or a drone. As another example, if communication device 900 is a first network device, transceiver 903 can be used to communicate with a source server or a drone.

In one possible design, transceiver 903 may include a receiver and a transmitter (not shown separately in Figure 9). The receiver is used to implement the receiving function, and the transmitter is used to implement the transmitting function.

In one possible design, the transceiver 903 can be an input/output interface or interface circuit for inputting and/or outputting signals.

In one possible design, the transceiver 903 can be integrated with the processor 901, or it can exist independently and be coupled to the processor 901. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

It should be noted that the structure of the communication device 900 shown in Figure 9 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. The actual communication device may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

Furthermore, the communication device 900 can execute the above-described information transmission method, and therefore the technical effects it can achieve can be referred to the above-described method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

In one possible implementation, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a computer, implement the functions of the above-described method embodiments.

In one possible implementation, this application also provides a computer program product that, when executed by a computer, implements the functions of the above-described method embodiments.

In one possible implementation, this application embodiment also provides a communication system, which includes the first network element and the second network element described in the above method embodiments.

In one possible implementation, the communication system further includes the third network element described in the above method embodiments.

In one possible implementation, this application also provides a communication method, which includes the method described in any of the above-described method embodiments or any implementation thereof.

In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software programs, implementation can be, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. This 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 flow or function according to the embodiments of this application is generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device containing one or more servers, data centers, etc., that can be integrated with the medium. The available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media, or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state drives (SSDs)).

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

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

The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

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

Although this application has been described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, those skilled in the art, by reviewing the accompanying drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims, will understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments in carrying out the claimed application. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude multiple instances. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. While different dependent claims may recite certain measures, this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

Although this application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the scope of this application. Accordingly, this specification and drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the application as defined by the appended claims, and are considered to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of this application. Clearly, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and modifications to this application without departing from its scope. Thus, if such modifications and modifications fall within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, this application is also intended to include such modifications and modifications.

Claims (17)

A communication method, characterized in that it is applied in a scenario where a drone switches from a source server to a target server, the method comprising: The first device acquires information about the target server, and the information about the target server is used to create a connection between the drone and the target server. The first device sends information to the target server. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method further comprises: The first device sends the target server information to the drone. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first device is the source server, and the first device sending information about the target server includes: The source server sends the target server's information to the first network device. According to claim 2 or 3, the method is characterized in that the first device sends information about the target server to the drone, including: The source server sends the target server information to the drone via an application layer path or a network layer path. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first device is a first network device, and the first device sending information about the target server includes: The first network device sends the target server information to the source server. According to the method of claim 2 or 5, the first device sends information about the target server to the drone, including: The first network device sends the target server information to the drone via a network layer path; or... The first network device sends the target server information to the drone through the source server. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, the first device acquires information about the target server, including: The first device obtains the target server information based on the location information of the drone and the configuration information on the first device. The configuration information includes the mapping relationship between the location information of the drone and the information of the target server. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, the first device acquires information about the target server, including: The first device sends a first request to the second device. The first request is used to request information from the target server, and the first request includes the location information of the drone. The first device receives information from the target server from the second device. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, the first device sending information about the target server includes: The first device sends information about the target server and first instruction information, the first instruction information being used to instruct the drone to switch from the source server to the target server. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, the first device sending information about the target server includes: The first device sends information about the target server and second instruction information, the second instruction information being used to instruct the creation of a connection between the drone and the target server. The method according to any one of claims 1-10 is characterized in that the first network device is one or more of the following network elements: Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network element, Session Management Function (SMF) network element, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System Network Function (UAS) NF network element, and Network Open Function (NEF) network element. A communication device, characterized in that the communication device includes a module or unit for performing the method according to any one of claims 1-11. A communication device, characterized in that the communication device includes a processor, the processor being configured to cause the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-11 by means of logic circuits and/or executing instructions. The communication device according to claim 13 is characterized in that the communication device further includes a memory for storing the instructions. The communication device according to claim 13 or 14 is characterized in that the communication device further includes a communication interface for inputting and/or outputting signaling and/or data. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that the computer-readable storage medium includes instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the method according to any one of claims 1-11 to be implemented. A computer program product, characterized in that the computer program product includes instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-11.