RU2783350C2 - Method for control of session of group of users and device - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: mobile communication.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to the field of mobile communication technologies, namely to control of a session of a group of users. A network element of session control receives from a network element of mobility control the first message for a request for establishment of a session of a group of users for the first terminal device, wherein the first message contains an identifier of the first terminal device and an identifier of the group of users; the network element of session control generates, based on the identifier of the group of users, of routing policy for redirection for the first terminal device; and the network element of session control transmits the second message to a network element of a user plane, where the second message indicates the network element of the user plane to establish the first session for the first terminal device, and the second message transmits routing policy for redirection.

EFFECT: provision of implementation of routing of communication between terminals of a group of users in a communication network regardless the deployment and participation of an external application server.

23 cl, 8 dwg

Description

The field of technology to which the invention belongs

Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of mobile communication technologies and, in particular, to a user group setting method and apparatus.

State of the art

Currently, the IP service provided by the traditional 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) uses a Server-Client mode and communicates between clients using server agent forwarding. For example, for the WeChat application, user A sends a WeChat message to user B using the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network; The 3GPP network first transmits the IP data packet (including the WeChat message) of user A to the WeChat application server outside the 3GPP network; and the WeChat application server determines that the WeChat message is being transmitted to user B, and then transmits the IP data packet to user B, again using the 3GPP network to communicate between user A and user B.

With the development of communication technology, virtual local area network service (virtual LAN service) should be supported in the 5th generation network (5th ^Generation , 5G). That is, a 3GPP network must provide multiple types of transmission services for the terminals in the set. For example, the services include an Internet Protocol (IP) service, an Ethernet (Ethernet) based service, or a service based on another non-IP technology to enable interconnection between terminal devices in a set. That is, using the virtual LAN service, the 3GPP network realizes mutual communication between user A and user B, such as functions such as file sharing between PCs and network neighbor discovery, without the need to deploy and involve an external application server. The current technical challenge is to provide the ability to set up and manage a virtual LAN service session for UEs and implement interconnect routing between UEs in a 3GPP network without depending on the deployment and involvement of an external application server.

Disclosure of the essence of the invention

Embodiments of the present invention provide a user group session management method and a user group session management device.

According to a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for establishing a user group. The method includes: receiving, by the session network element, a first message sent by the mobility network element, where the first message conveys a first terminal device identifier and a user group identifier, and the first message is used to request establishment of a user group session corresponding to the group identifier for the first terminal device. users; generating, by the session network element, based on the user group ID, a forwarding routing policy for the first terminal; and sending the session control network element a second message to the user plane network element, where the second message is used to direct the user plane network element to establish a first session for the first terminal, and the second message conveys a routing policy for forwarding.

In the above technical solution, the session control network element instructs the user plane network element to establish the first session for the first terminal and generate a forwarding policy for the first terminal. This can realize communication routing between end devices of a group of users in a 3GPP network regardless of the deployment and involvement of an external application server.

With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first message is a PDU session establishment request message.

With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, generating a session network element based on a user group ID of a forwarding policy for a first terminal device includes: obtaining a session network element based on the user group ID of a second list of user group terminals from local information, where the second terminal list includes one or more second terminals, and the second terminal is a member of a user group; and generating, by the session network element, based on the second terminal list, a forwarding policy for the first terminal.

With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, generating a session network element based on a user group ID of a forwarding policy for a first terminal device includes: sending the session network element a third message to the user group network element, where the third message transmits a user group identifier used to query information about group members in the user group; receiving by the session network element a second terminal list returned by the user group network element, where the second terminal list includes one or more second terminals and the second terminal is a member of the user group; and generating, by the session network element, based on the second terminal list, a forwarding policy for the first terminal.

With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the generation by the network element of the session control based on the second endpoint list of the forwarding policy for the first endpoint device includes: the network element obtaining the session based on the second endpoint list of the second session corresponding to the second terminal, and generating a forwarding routing policy, wherein the forwarding routing policy is used to direct the user plane network element to transmit to the second terminal using the second session data that is received from the first terminal and that is received from the first session and/or sent to the first terminal device using the first session, the data that comes from the second terminal device and that is received from the second session.

With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first message further conveys first terminal user group verification information used to verify the first terminal such that the third message transmitted by the session network element to the user group network element further conveys verification information user groups of the first end device; and the method further includes:

receiving, by the session web element, indication information from the user group network element, in which the indication information is used to indicate that the first terminal is an authorized user of the user group.

According to a second aspect, a method for managing a session of a group of users is provided. The method includes: receiving, by the user group web control, a third message from the session web control, where the third message conveys a user group identifier used to query information about group members in the user group; obtaining, by the user group network element, a second list of terminals based on the user group ID, where the second terminal list includes one or more second terminals and the second terminal is a member of the user group; and passing the second list of terminals to the session control network element to control the session of the user group.

According to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the third message further conveys user group verification information of the first terminal; and the method further includes: determining, by the user group management network element, based on the user group verification information of the first terminal, that the first terminal is an authorized user of the user group; and transmitting the indication information to the session network element, where the indication information is used to indicate that the first terminal is an authorized user of the user group.

According to a third aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device is configured to perform the method in accordance with any of the first aspect or possible implementations of the first aspect. In particular, the device includes units configured to perform a method in accordance with any of the first aspect or possible implementations of the first aspect.

According to a fourth aspect, another communication device is provided. The communication device is configured to perform a method in accordance with any of the second aspect or possible implementations of the second aspect. In particular, the device includes units configured to perform a method in accordance with any one of the second aspect or possible implementations of the second aspect.

According to a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided. The device includes a transceiver and a processor. The transceiver communicates with the processor via an internal connection path. The processor is configured to control the receiver to receive the signal and control the transmitter to transmit the signal. Alternatively, the communication device further includes a memory. The transceiver, memory, and processor communicate with each other using an internal connection path, the memory is configured to store instructions, and the processor is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to control the receiver to receive a signal and control the transmitter to transmit a signal, so that the device performs a method in in accordance with any of the first aspect or possible implementations of the first aspect.

According to a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided. The device includes a transceiver and a processor. The transceiver communicates with the processor via an internal connection path. The processor is configured to control the receiver to receive the signal and control the transmitter to transmit the signal. Alternatively, the communication device further includes a memory. The transceiver, the memory, and the processor communicate with each other via an internal connection path, the memory is configured to store instructions, and the processor is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to control the receiver to receive a signal and control the transmitter to transmit a signal, so that the device performs a method in in accordance with any of the first aspect or possible implementations of the first aspect.

According to a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a communication system. The communication system includes one or more of a session network element and a user group network element.

The session control network element is configured to perform the method according to any of the first aspect or possible implementations of the first aspect, or the method performed by the transfer agent in the solutions provided in the embodiments of the present invention. The user group control network element is configured to perform a method according to any one of the second aspect, a service instance that can be used to perform the second aspect, or possible implementations of the second aspect; a method according to any one of the third aspect or possible implementations of the third aspect; or the method performed by the service instance in the solutions presented in the embodiments of the present invention.

In an exemplary implementation, the system further includes another device that interacts with any device in the session network element and the user group network element in the solution provided in this embodiment of the present invention, such as a mobility management network element and/or a plane network element. user.

According to an eighth aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes computer program code in which, when the computer program code is executed by a computer, the computer is configured to perform a method according to any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

According to a ninth aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided that is used to store a computer program. The computer program includes an instruction used to perform a method according to any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

According to a tenth aspect, a communication chip is provided. The communication chip stores the instruction, and when the instruction is executed on the computing device, the communication chip is configured to perform a method according to any possible implementation of any of the above aspects.

Further, the technical effects obtained from any implementation according to the second aspect to the tenth aspect refer to the technical effects provided by the various implementations according to the first aspect. The details are again not described here.

These aspects or other aspects in the embodiments of the present invention are more clear and understandable in the descriptions of the following embodiments.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram of a possible network architecture according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a diagram of another possible network architecture according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a flowchart of a user group setting method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a flowchart of another user group setting method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a diagram of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a diagram of another device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a diagram of another device according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

fig. 8 is a diagram of another device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Implementation of the invention

The following describes in detail the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The particular mode of operation in the method embodiments may also be applied to a device embodiment or a system embodiment. In descriptions of embodiments of the present invention, "at least one" means one or more, and "many" means two or more. The term "and/or" is used to describe an association relationship between associated objects and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, "A and/or B" could indicate the following three cases: only A exists, only B exists, and both A and B exist, where A and B can be singular or plural. The "/" character usually indicates an "or" relationship between associated objects. "At least one of the following" or a similar expression means any combination of the following, including any combination of one or more of the following. For example, at least one of a, b, or c may be a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a, b and c", where a, b and c can be singular or plural.

The communication method provided in the embodiments of the present invention can be applied to a variety of system architectures. The network architecture and service scenario described in the embodiments of the present invention are intended to more clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention and do not represent limitations on the technical solutions presented in the embodiments of the present invention. A person skilled in the art may be aware that: with the development of network architecture and the advent of new service scenarios, the technical solutions presented in the embodiments of the present invention are also applicable to similar technical problems.

Fig. 1 is a diagram of a possible network architecture to which an embodiment of the present invention is applicable. The network architecture may include devices such as a terminal device, a network access device, a mobility management network element, a session management network element, a network storage network element, a data network element, a policy network element, a user group network element, and a network element. user plane.

The terminal device is a device having a wireless transmission/reception function and can be deployed on land, such as an indoor device, an outdoor device, a portable device, or a vehicle-mounted device; can be deployed on the water (for example, on a steamer); or may be deployed in the air (for example, in an aircraft, balloon, or satellite). The terminal device can be a mobile phone (mobile phone), a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with wireless transmission and reception functions, a virtual reality terminal (Virtual Reality, VR), an augmented reality terminal (Augmented Reality, AR), a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal in a self-driving system, a wireless terminal in telemedicine (remote medical), a wireless terminal in a smart grid (smart grid), a wireless terminal in a transport security system ( transportation safety), a wireless terminal in a smart city system, a wireless terminal in a smart home system, and the like.

A radio access network (RAN) is a device that provides a wireless communication function to a terminal device. For example, network access device includes, but is not limited to: NodeB next generation (gnodeB, gNB), advanced NodeB (evolved node B, eNB), radio network controller (radio network controller, RNC), node B (Node B, NB) , base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), subscriber base station (for example, home evolved nodeB or home node, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), a transmitting point (TP), a mobile switching center, and the like. in 5G.

The mobility management network element is mainly used for mobility management, such as updating the user's location, the user's registration network, and the handover of the user in the mobile communication network. In a 5G communication system, a mobility management network element may be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, Namf is a service interface provided by AMF, and AMF may communicate with another network function using Namf. In future communications such as 6G communications, the mobility management network element may still be an AMF network element. Alternatively, the mobility management network element may have a different name. This is not limited to this embodiment of the present invention.

The Session Control Network Element is primarily used for session management, such as establishing, modifying, or releasing a session in a mobile network. A specific function is, for example, assigning an internet protocol (IP) address to a user, or selecting a user plane network element that provides a packet forwarding function. In the 5G system, the session management function (SMF) network element may be a session management function (SMF) network element, Nsmf is a service interface provided by the SMF, and the SMF may communicate with another network function using Nsmf. In future communications such as 6G communications, the session control network element may still be an SMF network element. Alternatively, the session network control may have a different name. This is not limited to this embodiment of the present invention.

The storage network element is configured to store the network function object and description information of the service provided by the network function object, support service discovery, discover the network element object, and the like. In 5G communication, the storage network element may be a network repository function (NRF) network element, Nnrf is a service interface provided by NRF, and NRF may communicate with another network function using Nnrf. In future communications such as 6G communications, the network repository function network element may still be an NRF network element. Alternatively, the Network Repository Network Function Network Element may have a different name. This is not limited to this embodiment of the present invention.

The web control element is configured to handle user ID, access authentication, registration, mobility management, and the like. In 5G communications, the data network element may be a unified data management (UDM) network element. Nudm is a service interface provided by the UDM, and the UDM can communicate with another network function using Nudm. In future communications such as 6G communications, the data control network element may still be a UDM network element. Alternatively, the network item control may have a different name. This is not limited to this embodiment of the present invention.

The network policy control element is configured to manage the structure of the unified network behavior policy and provide information about policy rules and the like. for a control plane function network element (such as AMF or SMF). In 5G communications, the policy control network element may be a policy control function (PCF) network element. Npcf is a service interface provided by the PCF, and the PCF can communicate with another network function using Npcf. In future communications such as 6G communications, the policy control network element may still be a PCF network element. Alternatively, the network policy control element may have a different name. This is not limited to this embodiment of the present invention.

The user group management network element may be configured to set up and manage a user group including a plurality of terminals, for example, to allocate a user group ID, associate a user group ID and a terminal ID, and obtain user group authentication information. For example, the user group management network element may be a LAN service management function (LSMF), a group management function (GMF), or a Unified Data Management function. This is not limited to the present invention. It should be noted that the user group management function network element may be an independent network element or may be a functional module of an existing network element, including, but not limited to, an existing network element AMF function template, a policy control function network element function template, PCF) or NE Functional Template SMF.

The user plane network element is generally configured to forward the user data packet in accordance with the routing rule of the session network element. In a 5G communication system, a user plane network element may be a user plane function (UPF) network element. In future communications such as 6G communications, the user plane network element may still be a UPF network element. Alternatively, the user plane NE may have a different name. This is not limited to this embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagram of a specific exemplary network architecture to which an embodiment of the present invention is applicable. The 5G communication system is used as an example and includes terminal, RAN, AMF, SMF, NRF, UPF, and LSMF. Interface N1 in FIG. 2 is a reference point between UE and AMF; the N2 interface is a reference point between the RAN and the AMF and is configured to carry non-access stratum (NAS) messages, Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) messages, and the like; the N3 interface is a reference point between the RAN and the UPF, and is configured to transmit user plane data and the like; the H4 interface is a reference point between the SMF and the UPF, and is configured to transmit information such as identification information of a tunnel connected to the N3 interface, buffer data indication information, and a downlink data notification message; and the H6 interface is an anchor point between the UPF and the DN and is configured to transmit user plane data and the like.

Obviously, the aforementioned functions may be network elements in a hardware device, software functions that run on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functions implemented on a platform (eg, a cloud platform).

According to FIG. 1 or fig. 2, the following specifically describes the user group session management method provided in the embodiments of the present invention.

It should be noted that embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the system architecture shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 and can be further applied to another future communication system, such as the 6 ^th generation (6G) communication system architecture. Additionally, in embodiments of the present invention, the names of the above used network elements may be changed while the functions of the network elements may remain the same in a future communication system.

For ease of description, in the following embodiments of the present invention, the LSMF network element, AMF network element, UPF network element, SMF network element are respectively referred to as LSMF, AMF, UPF, and SMF for short. It can be understood that all LSMFs described later in the embodiments of the present invention can be replaced by User Group Network Elements, all AMFs can be replaced by Mobility Management Network Elements, all UPFs can be replaced by User Plane Network Elements, and all SMFs can be replaced by session network controls.

Based on the network architecture in FIG. 1, fig. 3 shows a user group session management method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method includes the following steps.

Step 301: The session network element receives a first message sent by the mobility network element, where the first message conveys a first terminal ID and a user group ID, and the first message is used to request that the first terminal establish a user group session corresponding to the user group ID.

The user group identifier may be any information that can be used to identify a user group. For example, the user group identifier may be a 5G LAN group identifier, or a virtual network identifier, or a virtual DNN, or other identification information that may be used to represent a group including a group of UEs.

In particular, the first message may be a PDU session establishment request message. The first message may further include a NAS message.

In an exemplary implementation, the identifier of the first terminal may be located in the PDU session request message, and the user group identifier may be located in the NAS message. For example,

PDU Session Request Message (First Terminal ID, NAS Message (User Group ID, ...) ...).

In another possible implementation, both the first terminal identifier and the user group identifier may be located in the session establishment request message PDU. For example,

PDU session request message (first terminal ID, user group ID, NAS message (...), ...).

In yet another possible implementation, both the first terminal ID and the user group ID can be located in the NAS message. For example,

PDU Session Request Message (NAS Message (First Terminal ID, User Group ID, ...), ...).

Step 302: Based on the user group ID, the session network element generates a forwarding routing policy for the first terminal.

The forwarding routing policy is used to instruct the user plane network element how to forward the user plane packet. The forwarding routing policy corresponds to the user group ID, that is, the user plane packet of the terminal belonging to the user group must be forwarded based on the forwarding routing policy.

That the session control network element generates, based on the user group ID, the forwarding policy for the first terminal may be specifically implemented in any of the following ways.

Method 1: Based on the user group ID, the session network element obtains a second list of user group terminals from local information, and the session network element generates a forwarding routing policy for the first terminal based on the second terminal list.

Method 2: The session web element sends a third message to the user group web element (as shown in step 304), where the third message sends a user group identifier used to request information about members of the user group group; the session web control receives a second list of terminals returned by the user group web control (as shown in step 305); and, based on the second terminal list, the session control network element generates a forwarding routing policy for the first terminal.

That the session control network element generates, based on the second terminal list, a forwarding policy for the first terminal includes: deriving, based on the second terminal list, a second session corresponding to the second terminal (where there are a plurality of second terminals, there are a plurality of corresponding second sessions) and associating the second session with the first session, where the routing policy for forwarding is a local exchange policy indicating that the user plane network element transmits to the second terminal device using the second session, data that comes from the first terminal device and which received from the first session and/or sent to the first terminal using the first session, data that comes from the second terminal and that is received from the second session.

Step 303: The session control network element sends a second message to the user plane network element, where the second message is used to direct the user plane network element to establish the first session for the first terminal, and the second message sends the routing policy for forwarding.

Step 304: Based on the second message, the user plane network element establishes a first session for the first terminal; and transmits, based on the routing policy for forwarding to the second terminal using the second session, the data that comes from the first terminal and which is received from the first session, or transmits, based on the routing policy for forwarding to the first terminal using the first session, the data coming from the second terminal and received from the second session.

Alternatively, the first message in step 301 may further include verification information of the user group of the first terminal, such as a security certificate used by the LSMF to verify the first terminal and determine if the first terminal is authorized by the user of the user group. At step 304 in method 2 at step 302, the third message may further convey user group verification information. In step 305, the session network element receives indication information from the user group network element, and the indication information is used to indicate that the first terminal is an authorized user of the user group.

In the above technical solution, the session control network element instructs the user plane network element to establish the first session for the first terminal and generate a forwarding policy for the first terminal. This can realize the routing of communication information between end devices of a user group in a 3GPP network, without the deployment and involvement of an external application server.

With reference to the specific embodiment in FIG. 4, the following describes in detail the communication method in the above Embodiment 3 using an example.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention. When an end device registers with a network, that network side provides the end device with the user plane connection security context needed when the end device accesses the UCF includes the following steps.

Step 401: The UE sends a message to the NAS to the AMF, where the message includes the UE ID and a LAN service session establishment request. Alternatively, the LAN service session establishment request includes a user group ID.

The user group identifier may be, for example, a 5G LAN group identifier, or a virtual network identifier, or a virtual DNN, or other identification information that may be used to represent a group including a group of UEs.

Step 402: The AMF sends a Session Establish Request PDU message to the SMF, where the PDU session request message includes a UE ID and a User Group ID. The PDU session establishment request message includes the above LAN service session establishment request. The AMF may query, using the UE ID, the user group to which the UE belongs from the user group control network element and obtain the user group ID. The correspondence between the UE ID and the user group is stored in the user group network element.

Step 403: The SMF receives the session establishment request message PDU sent by the AMF and obtains a UE ID and a User Group ID. Alternatively, the SMF may obtain the user group ID from the LAN service session establishment request and obtain the UE identifier from the PDU session establishment request message.

Step 404: The SMF transmits the LAN ID to the LSMF (the SMF determines based on the LAN service session establishment request or the LAN ID that the UE initiates the LAN session establishment, and the SMF determines that the SMF needs to interact with the LSMF). Alternatively, the message further includes a UE ID and LAN verification information used by the LSMF to verify the group to which the UE belongs.

Step 405: The LSMF determines a list of UE members based on the LAN ID. Alternatively, before determining the member list of the UE, the LSMF determines based on the UE ID and the LAN verification information whether the UE is an authorized user of the user group indicated by the LAN ID.

Step 406: The LSMF returns a list of UE members to the SMF.

Step 407: The SMF generates a routing policy for UE session redirection based on the list of UE members. The forwarding routing policy is used to tell UPF how to forward the user plane packet. The forwarding routing policy corresponds to the user group ID, that is, only the user plane packet of the UE belonging to the user group is forwarded based on the forwarding routing policy.

The specific process is as follows: Based on the second endpoint list, the SMF obtains a second session corresponding to the second endpoint, and the SMF generates a forwarding routing policy, where the forwarding routing policy instructs the UPF to transmit to the second UE, using the second session PDU, the data received from first PDU session.

Step 408: The SMF sends the routing policy for forwarding to the UPF. UPF performs subsequent packet forwarding for the UE based on the forwarding routing policy.

The foregoing mainly describes the solutions presented in the embodiments of the present invention in terms of interaction between network elements. It can be understood that network elements include appropriate hardware structures and/or software modules to perform the above functions. One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that, in combination with the examples described in the embodiments disclosed in this specification, the blocks, algorithms, and steps may be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software in the present invention. The performance of a function by hardware or hardware controlled by computer software depends on the particular application and design constraints of the technical solutions. A person skilled in the art may use different methods to implement the described functions for each particular application, but it should be understood that the implementation should not go beyond the embodiments of the present invention.

When an integrated block is used, FIG. 5 is an exemplary block diagram of an apparatus 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The device 500 may be implemented in software, may be a Session Control Network Element, or may be a chip in a Session Control Network Element. The device 500 includes a processing unit 502 and a communication unit 503 . The communication block 503 may include a receive block and a transmit block. The processing unit 502 is configured to monitor and control the behavior of the device 500. The communication unit 503 is configured to support the device 500 in communication with another network entity (eg, a mobility management network element, a user plane network element, or a user group network element). The device 500 may further include a memory unit 501 configured to store program code and data of the device 500.

The processing unit 502 may be a processor or controller such as a central processing unit (CPU), general purpose processor, digital signal processing (DSP), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), programmable field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, transistorized logic device, hardware component, or a combination of both. The processor may implement or execute various exemplary logical blocks, modules, and circuits described with reference to the content disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention. The processor may be a combination for implementing a computing function, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, or a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor. The communication unit 503 may be a communication interface, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or the like. Communication interface is a general term. During a particular implementation, a communication interface may include a plurality of interfaces. For example, the communication interface may include an interface between a session network element and a mobility network element, an interface between user plane network elements, an interface between user group network elements, and/or another interface. The storage unit 501 may be a memory.

The processing unit 502 may support the device 500 in performing the actions of the network session control element in the above examples of methods. For example, processing unit 502 may support device 500 while executing step 302 in FIG. 3, step 403 and step 407 in FIG. 4 and the like. The communication unit 503 may communicate between the device 500 and another device. For example, communication unit 503 may support device 500 in step 301, step 303, step 304, and step 305 in FIG. 3 and the like.

When the processing unit 502 is a processor, the communication unit 503 is a communication interface, and the storage unit 501 is a memory, the apparatus 500 in this embodiment of the present invention may be the session management network element 600 shown in FIG. 6.

As shown in FIG. 6, the session management network element 600 includes a processor 602 and a communication interface 603. Alternatively, session management network element 600 may further include a memory 601. Alternatively, session management network element 600 may further include a bus 604. Communication interface 603, processor 602, and memory 601 may be connected to each other with bus 604. Bus 604 may be a PCI bus, an EISA bus, or the like. The bus 604 can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of presentation, the bus in FIG. 6 is indicated by only one thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one tire or only one type of tire.

When an integrated block is used, FIG. 7 is an exemplary block diagram of an apparatus 700 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Device 700 may be implemented in the form of software, may be a user group control network element, or may be a chip in a user group control network element. The device 700 includes a processing unit 702 and a communication unit 703 . The communication block 703 may include a receive block and a transmit block. The processing unit 702 is configured to monitor and control the behavior of the device 700. The communication unit 703 is configured to communicate the device 700 with another network entity (eg, a network session control element). The device 700 may further include a memory unit 701 configured to store program code and data of the device 700.

Processing unit 702 may be a processor or controller such as a CPU, general purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, transistorized logic device, hardware component, or any combination thereof. The processor may implement or execute various exemplary logical blocks, modules, and circuits described with reference to the content disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention. The processor may be a combination for implementing a computing function, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, or a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor. The communication unit 703 may be a communication interface, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or the like. Communication interface is a general term. During a particular implementation, a communication interface may include a plurality of interfaces. For example, the communication interface may include an interface between a user group web control and a session web control and/or other interface. The storage unit 701 may be a memory.

The processing unit 702 may support the device 700 in performing the user group management network element actions in the above method examples. For example, processing unit 702 may support device 700 while executing step 405 in FIG. 4 and the like. The communication unit 703 may communicate between the device 700 and the AMF, UCF, or UDM. For example, communication unit 703 may support device 700 while performing steps 304 and 305 in FIG. 3, step 404 and step 406 in FIG. 4 and the like.

When the processing unit 702 is a processor, the communication unit 703 is a communication interface, and the storage unit 701 is a memory, the apparatus 700 in this embodiment of the present invention may be the user group management network element 800 shown in FIG. eight.

As shown in FIG. 8, the user group management network element 800 includes a processor 802, a communication interface 803, and a memory 801. Optionally, the user group management network element 800 may further include a bus 804. The communication interface 803, the processor 802, and the memory 801 may be connected to each other. another with bus 804. Bus 804 may be a PCI bus, an EISA bus, or the like. Bus 804 can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of presentation, the bus in FIG. 8 is indicated by only one thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one tire or only one type of tire.

All or some of the above embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When software is used to implement the embodiments, the embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer program instructions. When computer program instructions are downloaded and executed on a computer, procedures or functions according to embodiments of the present invention are generated in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium or may be transferred from a computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, computer instructions may be transmitted from a website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center over a wired connection (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, or digital subscriber line, DSL)) or wirelessly (for example, infrared, radio, or microwave). A computer-readable storage medium can be any usable medium accessible to a computer, or a storage device, such as a server or data center, that combines one or more usable media. The medium used may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)) or the like.

Various illustrative logical blocks and circuits described in embodiments of the present invention may implement or control the described functions using a general purpose processor, digital signal processor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), user programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, a discrete hardware component, or the design of any combination thereof. The general purpose processor may be a microprocessor. Alternatively, the general purpose processor may also be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors with a digital signal processor core, or any other similar configuration.

The steps of the methods or algorithms described in embodiments of the present invention may be directly embedded in hardware, a software block executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. The program block may be stored in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, register, hard disk, removable magnetic disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium in the art. For example, a storage medium may be coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be further integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium may be packaged in an ASIC, and the ASIC may be packaged in a terminal device. Alternatively, the processor and the storage medium may also be located in different components of the terminal device.

These computer program instructions may also be downloaded to a computer or other programmable processing device such that a series of operations and steps are performed on the computer or other programmable device, thereby generating computer-implemented processing. Therefore, instructions executable on a computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing a particular function in one or more processes in flowcharts and/or in one or more blocks in flowcharts.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments, in the course of carrying out the present invention, a person skilled in the art can understand and implement another variation of the disclosed embodiments by viewing the accompanying drawings, the disclosed contents, and the appended claims. In the claims, "comprising" does not exclude another component or another step, "a" or "one" does not exclude the meaning of a plurality. One processor or other block may implement several functions listed in the claims. Some measures are set out in dependent claims that differ from each other, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to obtain a better effect.

One skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of the present invention may be provided as a method, device, computer-readable storage medium, or computer program product. Therefore, embodiments of the present invention may use the form of hardware-only embodiments, software-only embodiments, or combination of software and hardware embodiments. Collectively they are called "modules" or "systems".

One skilled in the art can further appreciate that the various illustrative logic blocks and steps that are listed in the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. Implementation of functions using hardware or software depends on specific applications and design requirements of the overall system. A person skilled in the art can use various methods to implement the described functions for each particular application, but it should be understood that the implementation should not go beyond the embodiments of the present invention.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific features and embodiments, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations can be made to them without going beyond the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the description and the accompanying drawings are merely exemplary of the description of the present invention as defined by the appended claims, and are construed as any or all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents that fall within the scope of the present invention. Obviously, a person skilled in the art can make various modifications and changes to the present invention without going beyond the essence and scope of the present invention. The present invention is intended to cover these modifications and changes provided that they are within the scope of protection defined by the appended claims and their equivalent technologies.

Claims (61)

1. A method for managing a user group session, comprising the steps of: receiving, with the session network element, from the mobility network element, a first user group session establishment message for the first terminal device, the first message containing the first terminal device identifier and the user group identifier; generating, with the session network element, based on the user group ID, a forwarding routing policy for the first terminal; and transmitting, with the session control network element, a second message including the forwarding routing policy to the user plane network element to establish a first session for the first terminal. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first message is a PDU session setup request message. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating a routing policy for redirection comprises sub-steps of: obtaining, with the session network element, based on the user group ID, a second session corresponding to the second terminal device, the second terminal device being a member of the user group; and generating a forwarding routing policy, wherein the forwarding routing policy indicates to transmit, to the second terminal, using the second session, data coming from the first terminal and received from the first session. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of obtaining the second session comprises sub-steps of: obtaining, by means of a network session control element, a second list of terminal devices of the user group, based on the identifier of the user group, and the second list of terminal devices contains one or more second terminal devices; obtain, with the session network element, based on the second list of terminals, a second session corresponding to the second terminal. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of obtaining the second list of terminals comprises a sub-step of: obtaining, with the help of the session network element, based on the user group ID, a second list of user group terminals from the local information. 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of obtaining the second list of terminals comprises sub-steps of: transmitting, with the session network element, to the user group network element, a third message to request information about group members in the user group, the third message containing a user group identifier; and receiving, via the session web control, a second list of terminals from the user group web control. 7. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-6, in which the first message further contains verification information of the user group of the first terminal device, further comprising steps in which: transmitting, with the session network element, the user group verification information of the first terminal to the user group network element; and receiving, with the session network element, indication information from the user group network element, the indication information indicating that the first terminal is an authorized user of the user group. 8. A method for managing a user group session, comprising the steps of: receiving, with the user group web control, a third message from the session web control, the third message conveying a user group identifier used to query information about group members in the user group; obtaining, by the user group network control element, a second list of terminals based on the user group ID, wherein the second terminal list contains one or more second terminals and the second terminal is a member of the user group; and transmitting, with the user group network control element, the second list of terminals to the session network control element to control the user group session. 9. The method according to p. 8, in which the third message further transmits verification information of the user group of the first terminal device; additionally containing the steps in which: determining, with the user group management network element, based on the user group verification information of the first terminal device, that the first terminal device is an authorized user of the user group; and transmitting pointing information to the network session control element, wherein the pointing information is used to indicate that the first terminal is an authorized user of the user group. 10. Network session control element containing a communication block and a processing block, and the communication unit is configured to receive, from the mobility network element, a first message for requesting a user group session setup for the first terminal device, the first message containing the first terminal device identifier and the user group identifier; the processing unit is configured to generate, based on the user group ID, a forwarding routing policy for the first terminal; and the communication unit is further configured to send a second message including the routing policy for redirection to the user plane network element to establish a first session for the first terminal. 11. The session network element of claim 10, wherein the first message is a PDU session establishment request message. 12. The network session control element of claim 10, wherein the processing unit is configured to generate, based on the second list of terminals, a forwarding policy for the first terminal, comprises: obtaining, based on the user group ID, a second session corresponding to the second terminal, the second terminal being a member of the user group; and generating a forwarding routing policy, wherein the forwarding routing policy indicates to transmit, to the second terminal, using the second session, data coming from the first terminal and received from the first session. 13. The session network element of claim 12, wherein the processing unit is configured to obtain, based on the user group ID, the second session, comprises: obtaining a second list of terminal devices of the user group, based on the identifier of the user group, and the second list of terminal devices contains one or more second terminal devices, and the second terminal device is a member of the user group; and obtaining, based on the second terminal list, a second session corresponding to the second terminal. 14. The network session control element of claim 13, wherein the processing unit is configured to obtain a second list of user group terminals, based on a user group ID, comprises: obtaining, based on the user group ID, a second list of user group terminals from the local information. 15. The network session control element of claim 13, wherein the processing unit is configured to obtain a second list of user group terminals, based on a user group ID, comprises: transmitting, to the user group management network element, a third message to request information about a member of the user group, the third message containing a user group identifier; and receiving a second list of terminals from the user group network control element. 16. Network session control element according to any one of paragraphs. 10-15, in which the first message further contains verification information of the user group of the first terminal device, the processing unit is further configured to transmit user group verification information of the first terminal to the user group control network element; a the communication unit is further configured to receive indication information from the user group management network element, wherein the indication information indicates that the first terminal is an authorized user of the user group. 17. A network element for managing a group of users containing a communication unit and a processing unit, moreover the communication unit is configured to receive a third message from the network session control element, wherein the third message transmits a user group identifier for requesting information about group members in the user group; the processing unit is configured to obtain, by the user group network element, a second list of terminals based on the user group ID, wherein the second terminal list contains one or more second terminals, and the second terminal is a group member for the user group; a the communication unit is further configured to send the second list of terminals to the session control network element for session management of the user group. 18. The user group management network element of claim 17, wherein the third message further transmits user group verification information of the first terminal; wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine, based on the user group verification information of the first terminal device, that the first terminal device is an authorized user of the user group; a the communication unit is further configured to transmit indication information, wherein the indication information is used to indicate that the first terminal is an authorized user of the user group. 19. A web session control element, comprising: at least one processor; and a memory coupled to the at least one processor and storing program instructions causing, when executed by the at least one processor, execution, by the session control network element, of the method of any one of claims. 1-7. 20. A network element for managing a group of users, comprising: at least one processor; and a memory coupled to at least one processor and storing program instructions causing, when executed by at least one processor, the user group control network element to execute the method of claim 8 or 9. 21. A computer storage medium that stores computer-executable instructions that cause, when executed, the device to execute the method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-9. 22. Communication device containing means for performing the steps of the method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-9. 23. A communication system containing a network session control element according to any one of paragraphs. 10-16 and the user group control network element of claim 17 or 18.

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