CN108924926B

CN108924926B - Communication method and communication device

Info

Publication number: CN108924926B
Application number: CN201710199205.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 晋英豪; 杨阳; 谭巍
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-03-29
Filing date: 2017-03-29
Publication date: 2022-02-25
Anticipated expiration: 2037-03-29
Also published as: CN108924926A

Abstract

The patent application provides a communication method and device. The method comprises the following steps: the second network node determines at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device; the second network node sends the indication information of the second network slice to the terminal equipment through the first network node; and the terminal equipment performs registration updating according to the indication information of the second network slice.

Description

Communication method and communication device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of wireless communications, and in particular, to a network slice communication method and apparatus for a terminal device.

Background

With the rapid development of wireless communication technology, the fifth Generation (5th Generation, abbreviated as 5G) wireless communication technology has been the hot spot in the industry. The 5G will support diverse application requirements including access capability supporting higher rate experience and larger bandwidth, lower latency and highly reliable information interaction, and access and management of larger-scale and low-cost machine type communication devices, etc. In addition, 5G can support various vertical industry application scenes such as vehicle networking, emergency communication, industrial internet and the like. In the face of the performance requirements and application scenarios of 5G, the 5G network needs to be closer to the specific requirements of users, and the customization capability needs to be further improved.

To this end, 5G introduces the important concept of network slicing. One Network slice is a combination of multiple Network Functions (NFs for short) and corresponding resources for realizing communication services, and includes a Core Network (CN) portion, an Access Network (RAN) portion and/or a terminal device portion. The 5G network is composed of various network slices meeting different connection capabilities, one network slice is a logic network meeting the communication service requirements of one class or one use case, and different network slices provide differentiated services for different users and different services. One RAN may support multiple network slices, e.g., one RAN may support multiple industry vertical applications. Similarly, one terminal device may also support multiple network slices, that is, may support the operation of services of multiple network slices. As for the network functions constituting the network slice, there are divided a public network function and a private network function, where the public network function is a network function shared by a plurality of network slices and the private network function is a network function dedicated to each network slice. In an actual network, there may be multiple public network functions, where a portion of the public network functions may be shared by multiple network slices, another portion of the public network functions may be shared by other multiple network slices, and one network slice may have at least one public network function.

Different network slices may use different common network functions, such as Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF). The common network functions used by the terminal device to communicate with one network slice may be different from the common network functions used by the terminal device to communicate with another network slice. In this case, there is no adequate solution for how a terminal device can communicate with one network slice after it has completed communication with another network slice.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a method for updating registration when a terminal device needs to communicate with another network slice after completing communication with one network slice, so as to ensure that the terminal device can establish communication with a second network slice.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including: a first network node receives a first message sent by a second network node, wherein the second network node comprises a public network function of at least one first network slice communicated by a terminal device before entering an idle mode, and the first message comprises indication information of a second network slice of the terminal device; the first network node sends indication information of the second network slice to the terminal device. The terminal equipment receives the indication information of the second network slice, so that the terminal equipment can use accurate network slice information to perform registration updating, and the terminal equipment can be ensured to establish communication with the second network slice.

In a possible implementation manner, the sending, by the first network node, the indication information of the second network slice to the terminal device includes: the first network node sends a second message to the terminal device, the second message being used for paging the terminal device, the second message including indication information of a second network slice of the terminal device. By notifying the indication information of the second network slice of the terminal device in the paging signaling, the terminal device can acquire the indication information of the second network slice when being paged.

In a possible implementation manner, the sending, by the first network node, the indication information of the second network slice to the terminal device includes: the first network node sending a second message to the terminal device, the second message being used for paging the terminal device; the first network node receives a third message sent by the terminal equipment, wherein the third message is used for the terminal equipment to request to establish RRC connection; the first network node sends a fourth message to the terminal device, where the fourth message is used to instruct the terminal device to establish an RRC connection, and the fourth message includes indication information of a second network slice of the terminal device. By notifying the indication information of the second network slice of the terminal device in the RRC connection setup procedure, the signaling overhead of the network may be reduced.

In a possible implementation, the indication information of the second network slice of the terminal device is used to identify at least one second network slice or at least one public network function of the second network slice with which the terminal device is to communicate; the second network slice has at least one different public network function than the first network slice.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including: determining, by the second network node, at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device, the second network node comprising a common network function of at least one first network slice with which the terminal device is to communicate prior to entering the idle mode; the second network node sends a first message to the first network node, the first message including indication information of a second network slice of the terminal device.

The second network node notifies the first network node of the indication information of the second network slice, so that the terminal device can acquire the indication information of the second network slice through the first network node, and the terminal device can be ensured to register and update by using accurate network slice information.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including: the terminal equipment receives indication information of a second network slice sent by a first network node; and the terminal equipment performs registration updating according to the indication information of the second network slice.

In a possible implementation manner, the receiving, by the terminal device, the indication information of the second network slice sent by the first network node includes: the terminal device receives a second message sent by the first network node, wherein the second message is used for paging the terminal device and comprises indication information of a second network slice of the terminal device. The terminal device obtains the indication information of the second network slice in the paging signaling, so that the terminal device can obtain the indication information of the second network slice when being paged.

In a possible implementation manner, the receiving, by the terminal device, the indication information of the second network slice sent by the first network node includes: the terminal equipment receives a second message sent by the first network node, wherein the second message is used for paging the terminal equipment; the terminal equipment sends a third message to the first network node, wherein the third message is used for requesting RRC connection; the terminal device receives a fourth message sent by the first network node, where the fourth message is used to instruct the terminal device to establish an RRC connection, and the fourth message includes instruction information of a second network slice of the terminal device. The terminal device can reduce the signaling overhead of the network by acquiring the indication information of the second network slice in the RRC connection establishment process.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including: the second network node determines at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device and a third network node corresponding to the at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device, wherein the second network node is a public network function of at least one first network slice communicated by the terminal device before entering the idle mode; the second network node sending a first message to a third network node, the first message comprising a first context of the terminal device, such as flow policy information (e.g., quality of service information, etc.), session information, etc., the first context being context information retained by the terminal device at the second network node, the first message further comprising indication information of at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device; the second network node receives a first response message sent by the third network node, where the first response message includes a second context of the terminal device, and the second context is a context corresponding to the terminal device on the third network node, and indication information of at least one second network slice reallocated by the third network node for the terminal device, and so on. The second network node updates the public network function for the terminal device to the third network node before paging the terminal device, which can reduce the connection state time of the terminal device and save the energy consumption of the terminal device.

In a possible implementation, the indication information of the second network slice is used to identify at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device or at least one public network function of the second network slice; the second network slice has at least one different public network function than the first network slice.

In a fifth aspect, in an embodiment of the present application, a third network node receives a first message sent by a second network node, where the third network node includes a public network function corresponding to at least one second network slice that the terminal device wants to communicate with, and the second network node includes a public network function corresponding to at least one network slice that the terminal device communicates with before entering an idle mode; the first message comprises a first context of the terminal device, such as flow (flow) policy information (e.g., quality of service information, etc.), session information, etc., the first context being context information retained by the terminal device at the second network node, the first message further comprising indication information of at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device; the third network node sends a first response message to the second network node, where the first response message includes a second context of the terminal device, and the second context is a context corresponding to the terminal device on the third network node, and indication information of at least one second network slice reallocated to the terminal device by the third network node, and so on. The second network node updates the public network function for the terminal device to the third network node before paging the terminal device, which can reduce the connection state time of the terminal device and save the energy consumption of the terminal device.

In a sixth aspect, in a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application, after a terminal device completes an RRC connection establishment procedure, a second network node sends a fourth message to the terminal device, where the fourth message includes second context of the terminal device and/or indication information of a second network slice; the second network node comprises a public network function of at least one first network slice with which the terminal device communicates before entering idle mode; the second context is a context corresponding to the terminal device on a third network node; the third network node comprises a common network function corresponding to at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device. The second network node notifies the updated indication information of the second context and/or the second network slice to the terminal device, so that the connection state time of the terminal device is reduced, and the energy consumption of the terminal device is saved.

In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including: after the terminal device completes the RRC connection establishment procedure, the third network node sends a fifth message to the terminal device, where the fifth message includes indication information of a second context and/or a second network slice of the terminal device; the second context is a context corresponding to the terminal device on the third network node; the third network node comprises a common network function corresponding to at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device. The third network node notifies the updated indication information of the second context and/or the second network slice to the terminal device, so that the connection state time of the terminal device is reduced, and the energy consumption of the terminal device is saved.

An eighth aspect provides a communication device for performing the method of the first to seventh aspects or any possible implementation manner of the first to seventh aspects, and in particular, the communication device may include a unit for performing the method of the first to seventh aspects or any possible implementation manner of the first to seventh aspects.

In a ninth aspect, there is provided a communication apparatus comprising a memory for storing a computer program and a processor for calling and running the computer program from the memory so that a communication device performs the method of the first to sixth aspects or any possible implementation manner of the first to sixth aspects.

In a tenth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising: computer program code which, when run by a communication unit, a processing unit or a transceiver, a processor of a communication device (e.g. a network device or a network management device), causes the communication device to perform the method of the first to sixth aspect or any of the possible implementations of the first to seventh aspects.

In an eleventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a program that causes a user equipment to execute the method of any one of the possible implementations of the first to sixth aspects or the first to seventh aspects.

In the above first to eleventh aspects, the at least one second network slice with which the terminal device is to communicate and the at least one first network slice with which the terminal device is to communicate before entering the idle mode also have the same common network functionality but different dedicated network functionalities. In this case, the indication information of the second network slice is used to identify at least one second network slice or at least one dedicated network function of the second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device. At this time, the second network node and the third network node correspond to the same network node, and the network node includes the same public network function of the first network slice and the second network slice.

These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiment(s) described hereinafter.

Drawings

The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows:

fig. 1 is a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a schematic flow chart of communication provided by an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic flow chart of another communication provided by the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic flow chart of another terminal communication provided in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic flow chart of another terminal communication provided in the embodiments of the present application;

fig. 6 is a schematic block diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is another schematic block diagram of a network device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a further schematic block diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a further schematic block diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a further schematic block diagram of a network device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11 is a further schematic block diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 12 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 13 is another schematic block diagram of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In this application, the word "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention. In the following description, details are set forth for the purpose of explanation. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and processes are not shown in detail to avoid obscuring the description of the invention with unnecessary detail. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.

The terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," and the like in the description and in the claims, as well as in the drawings, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the data so used is interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprises," "comprising," and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or elements is not necessarily limited to those steps or elements expressly listed, but may include other steps or elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

The terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably herein. The term "and/or" herein is merely an association describing an associated object, meaning that three relationships may exist, e.g., a and/or B, may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character "/" herein generally indicates that the former and latter related objects are in an "or" relationship.

The technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below with specific examples. The following several specific embodiments may be combined with each other, and details of the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments.

It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application may be applied to various communication systems supporting a network slice architecture, such as: a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) System, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) System, a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) System, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), a Long Term Evolution (Long Term Evolution, LTE) System, an Advanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-a) System, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) or a next-generation communication System, such as a New Access (New Radio, NR) System, an evolved LTE (evolved LTE, LTE), and the like.

Fig. 1 illustrates a communication system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Terminal device 110 communicates over wireless link 120 with network devices, including RAN devices and CN devices, the RAN device may be an ACCESS POINT (AP) in WLAN, a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) in GSM or CDMA, a Base Station (NodeB) in WCDMA, or an Evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, or a relay station or an access point, or a vehicle mounted device, a wearable device and a network device in a future 5G network or a network device in a future evolved PLMN network, for example, it may be a 5G base station (e.g., Next-Generation Node B (gNB), Next-Generation Radio (NR), etc.), Transmission and Reception Point (TRP), Centralized processing Unit (CU), Distributed processing Unit (DU), etc. The CN device may be a Mobile Management Entity (MME) and a Gateway (Gateway) in LTE, and may also be a Control Plane (CP) Network Function (Network Function, NF) and a User Plane (User Plane, UP) Network Function in a 5G Network, such as a Common Control Plane Network Function (Common CP NF, CCNF). The RAN supports multiple network slices in the CN, such as a first network slice 101, a second network slice 102, and a third network slice 103. Wherein, on the CP surface of CN, multiple network slices have both common CP NFs and respective dedicated CP NFs; on the UP plane of the CN, each network slice has dedicated UP NFs. Exemplarily, the first network slice and the second network slice in fig. 1 have both the common first CCNFs and the respective dedicated CP NFs and UP NFs; the third network slice also has a common second CCNFs and its dedicated CP NFs and UP NFs. It is to be understood that the second CCNFs that the third network slice has may be CPNFs common to other network slices other than the first network slice and the second network slice. Exemplarily, there is a first AMF of a network slice corresponding to the CCNFs in the first CCNFs for managing access and mobility of the first network slice and the second network slice; there is a second AMF in the second CCNFs for the network slice corresponding to the CCNFs for managing access and mobility for the third network slice. In the following description, the common control plane network function is referred to as a common network function, such as an AMF or a Session Management network function (NF; SMF for short), etc.; the dedicated control plane functions and the dedicated user plane functions are referred to as dedicated network functions. It should be understood that multiple network slices may share at least one common network function.

In addition, in this embodiment of the present application, a network device provides a service for a Cell, and a terminal device communicates with the network device through a transmission resource (for example, a frequency domain resource or a spectrum resource) used by the Cell, where the Cell may be a Cell corresponding to the network device (for example, a base station), and the Cell may belong to a macro base station, a super Cell (super Cell), or a base station corresponding to a small Cell (small Cell), where the small Cell may include: urban cells (Metro cells), Micro cells (Micro cells), Pico cells (Pico cells), Femto cells (Femto cells), and the like, and the small cells have the characteristics of small coverage area and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-rate data transmission services.

Terminal Equipment 110 may also be referred to as User Equipment (UE), an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a User terminal, a wireless communication device, a User agent, or a User device. The terminal device may be a STATION (status; ST) in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), and may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) STATION, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with a Wireless communication function, a relay device, a computing device or other processing device connected to a Wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and a next-Generation communication system, such as a terminal device in a Fifth-Generation communication (5G) Network or a terminal device in a future-evolution Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) Network, and the like.

By way of example and not limitation, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable equipment can also be called wearable intelligent equipment, is the general term of applying wearable technique to carry out intelligent design, develop the equipment that can dress to daily wearing, like glasses, gloves, wrist-watch, dress and shoes etc.. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the clothing or accessories of the user. The wearable device is not only a hardware device, but also realizes powerful functions through software support, data interaction and cloud interaction. The generalized wearable smart device includes full functionality, large size, and can implement full or partial functionality without relying on a smart phone, such as: smart watches or smart glasses and the like, and only focus on a certain type of application functions, and need to be used in cooperation with other devices such as smart phones, such as various smart bracelets for physical sign monitoring, smart jewelry and the like.

Hereinafter, method embodiments of the present application are described in detail with reference to fig. 2 to 5. The technical solution of the present application will be described in detail below with specific examples. The following several specific embodiments may be combined with each other, and details of the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments. It should be understood that fig. 2 to 5 are schematic flow charts of the communication method of the embodiment of the present application, showing detailed communication steps or operations of the method, but these steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiment of the present application may also perform other operations or variations of the various operations in fig. 2 to 5. Moreover, the various steps in fig. 2-5 may be performed in a different order than presented in fig. 2-5, respectively, and it is possible that not all of the operations in fig. 2-5 are performed.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application, where the method 200 is applicable to the communication system 100 shown in fig. 1, and includes the following steps:

201. the second network node sends a first message to the first network node.

The second network node includes a public network function, such as Source AMF (S-AMF), of at least one first network slice communicated by the terminal device before entering the idle mode, and the first network node is an access network node (RAN node) where the terminal device currently resides in the idle mode. It should be understood that the present application embodiment uses the S-AMF as an example of the second network node, and in an actual network, the second network node may also be or include other public network functions, and the present application embodiment is not limited herein.

Further, the first message includes indication information of a second network slice of the terminal device. The indication of the second network slice is used to identify at least one second network slice or at least one common network function (e.g., AMF) of the second network slice with which the terminal device is to communicate. It is to be understood that the indication information of the second network slice identifies information of the public network function and the private network function of the second network slice if the indication information of the second network slice identifies the second network slice; the indication information of the second network slice may not uniquely identify all public network functions and dedicated network functions of the second network slice if the indication information of the second network slice identifies at least one public network function of the second network slice. Illustratively, the second network slice and at least one first network slice with which the terminal device communicates before entering the idle mode have different AMFs. Through the indication information of the second network slice, the first network node may identify a Target AMF (Target AMF; T-AMF for short) of the second network slice. There may be a plurality of implementations in which the first network node identifies the T-AMF of the second network slice by the indication information of the second network slice, and one possible implementation is that the first network node identifies the T-AMF of the second network slice directly from at least one common network function included in the indication information of the second network slice; another possibility is that the network slices supported by different network nodes are pre-configured, and the T-AMF of a second network slice can be determined by the first network node from the identification information of the second network slice sent by the second network node. The first network node may also identify the T-AMF of the second network slice from the indication information of the second network slice in other ways, which is not limited in this embodiment of the application.

It is to be understood that the second network node determines at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device before sending the first message. Optionally, the second network node determines at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device by receiving the user and policy information of the terminal device sent by other network nodes; the second network node may also determine at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device according to policy information stored in the second network node. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

Optionally, the terminal device identifier may be an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) or a Temporary Mobile equipment identity (TMSI), or a random number, which may uniquely identify the terminal device.

Optionally, the indication information of the second network slice may be characterized by at least one of the following parameters:

1. network Slice identity (Slice ID, Network Slice ID):

1.1, network slice Type information, for example, the network slice Type information may indicate enhanced Mobile BroadBand service (enhanced Mobile BroadBand band; abbreviated eMBB), Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC), mass Machine Type Communications (massive Machine Type Communications; abbreviated mtc), and other network slice types, and optionally, the network slice Type information may also indicate an end-to-end network slice Type, including a RAN-to-CN network slice Type, or a RAN-side network slice Type, or a CN-side network slice Type;

1.2, service type information, which is related to a specific service, for example, the service type information may indicate service characteristics such as a video service, an internet of vehicles service, a voice service, and the like, or information of the specific service;

1.3, Tenant (Tenant) information for indicating the customer information for creating or renting the network slice, such as Tencent, national grid, etc.;

1.4, user group information, which is used for indicating grouping information for grouping users according to certain characteristics, such as user levels and the like;

1.5. slice group information indicating that all network slices accessible by the terminal device may be regarded as one slice group according to a certain characteristic, or the grouping of the network slices may be divided according to other standards;

1.6, network slice instance information, configured to indicate an instance identifier and feature information created for the network slice, for example, an identifier may be allocated to the network slice instance to indicate the network slice instance, or a new identifier may be mapped on the basis of the network slice instance identifier to associate with the network slice instance, and a receiver may identify a specific network slice instance indicated by the identifier according to the identifier;

1.7, a Dedicated Core Network (DCN) identifier, where the DCN identifier is used to uniquely indicate a Dedicated Core Network in an LTE system or an LTE system, such as a Core Network Dedicated to the internet of things, and optionally, the DCN identifier may be mapped with a Network slice identifier, and the Network slice identifier may be mapped by the DCN identifier, and may also be mapped by the Network slice identifier.

2. The Slice Selection method includes selecting Single Network Slice Selection Assistance information (S-NSSAI), where the S-NSSAI at least includes Slice type/Service type (SST) information, and optionally may also include Slice differentiation information (SD). The SST information is used to indicate the behavior of the network slice, such as the feature and service type of the network slice, and the SD information is complementary information of the SST, and if the SST points to multiple network slices for implementation, the SD may correspond to only one network slice instance.

3. S-NSSAI group information indicating that, according to a certain characteristic, for example, all network slices of a certain common AMF that the terminal device can access can be treated as one S-NSSAI group.

4. Temporary identity (Temporary ID): the Temporary identification information has AMF distributed to the terminal registered at CN side, the Temporary ID can only point to a certain AMF

It should be understood that, in this embodiment of the present application, a network slice may use at least one of the above parameters to represent indication information of the network slice, for example, the indication information of the network slice may be represented by a network slice type, or may also be represented by a network slice type and a service type, or may also be represented by a service type plus tenant information, and the like. Optionally, the specific encoding form of the indication information of the network slice is not limited, different fields of the interface message carried between different devices may represent the indication information of different network slices respectively, or may be replaced by abstracted index values, where the different index values correspond to different network slices respectively.

Optionally, the first message may include a Registration Update (RU) indication for indicating that the terminal device performs an RU procedure after establishing a connection with the first network node. The RU procedure may be used to update capability information of the terminal or to renegotiate (re-negotiation) protocol parameters.

Optionally, the first message may further include an AMF redirection indication indicating that an AMF of at least one second network slice with which the terminal device is to communicate is different from an AMF of at least one network slice with which the terminal device communicates before entering the idle mode.

Alternatively, the first message may be a Paging Request (Paging Request) message.

202. The first network node sends a second message to the terminal device.

Optionally, the second message may include an RU indication. The RU indicator is used to instruct the terminal device to perform an RU procedure after establishing a connection with the first network node.

Optionally, the second message may be a Paging message.

203. The terminal device sends a third message to the first network node.

Optionally, the third message includes indication information of at least one first network slice of the terminal device. The indication information of the first network slice is used for identifying the first network slice communicated by the terminal device before entering the idle mode. It should be understood that the indication information of the first network slice and the indication information of the second network slice in step 201 may use similar representation forms, and are not described in detail herein. The indication of the first network slice may be used to provide information to the first network node whether AMF redirection is required. For example, the first network node may determine whether AMF redirection is required according to the indication information of the first network slice and the indication information of the at least one second network slice received from step 201.

Alternatively, the third message may be an RRC Connection Request (RRC Connection Request) message.

204. The first network node sends a fourth message to the terminal device.

Optionally, the fourth message includes indication information of a second network slice of the device terminal. The indication information of the second network slice may be used for the terminal device to perform an RU procedure in a subsequent step with the indication information of the second network slice.

Optionally, the fourth message further comprises an RU indication. The RU indicator is used to instruct the terminal device to perform an RU procedure after establishing a connection with the first network node.

Alternatively, the fourth message may be an RRC Connection Setup (RRC Connection Setup) message.

205. The terminal device sends a fifth message to the first network node.

The fifth message includes Non-Access-Stratum (NAS) information of the RU, for example, an RU request message. The NAS information is forwarded by the first network node to the T-AMF by means of a container (container). Optionally, the NAS information includes indication information of a second network slice of the device terminal. The indication information of the second network slice is used to inform the core network that if the indication information of the second network slice exists in a message of S-NSSAI or network slice identifier (list), the T-AMF may be enabled to establish (default) a session in at least one network slice corresponding to the S-NSSAI. The context of the terminal is established on the new AMF and the terminal context on the old AMF is deleted, e.g. by RU procedure, and/or the (default) session on the old network slice is deleted by establishing the (default) session on the corresponding new network slice.

Optionally, the fifth message includes indication information of a second network slice of the device terminal. The indication information of the second network slice is used for informing the first network node to select the T-AMF for the terminal equipment according to the indication information of the second network slice of the terminal equipment, and forwarding an RU request message.

Alternatively, the fifth message may be an RRC Connection Setup Complete (RRC Connection Setup Complete) message.

206. And the terminal equipment and the third network node perform a registration updating process.

Wherein the third network node comprises at least one second network-switched T-AMF to be communicated by the terminal device. It should be understood that the embodiment of the present application uses the T-AMF as an example of the third network node, and in an actual network, the third network node may also be or include other public network functions, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited herein.

In this step, the first network node selects T-AMF for the terminal device according to the indication information of the second network slice of the terminal device and performs RU procedure. Illustratively, the third network node sends an RU accept message to the terminal device through NAS signaling, and after receiving the RU accept (accept) message, the terminal device reconfigures according to the RU accept message, for example, performs bearer reconfiguration and/or security algorithm reconfiguration.

Optionally, before step 205, the method 200 further comprises step 207. In step 207, the first network node determines an AMF redirection.

In this step, the first network node may infer that the AMF of the terminal device is changed according to the indication information of the second network slice received in step 201, or the first network node receives an AMF redirection indication in step 201, or the first network node finds that the AMF of the terminal device is changed according to comparison between the indication information of the first network slice sent by the terminal device in step 203 and the indication information of the second network slice received in step 201, and then the first network node may determine that the AMF of the terminal device is to be redirected.

Optionally, prior to step 206, the method 200 further comprises step 208. In step 208, the first network node sends a sixth message to the second network node. Optionally, the sixth message may be a Paging Success message (Paging Success). In this way, the first network node informs the second network node that the terminal device has been paged, thereby avoiding the second network node from repeatedly sending the first message.

Through the steps, the terminal equipment acquires the indication information of the second network slice in the RRC connection establishment process, so that the terminal equipment can acquire the T-AMF information through the indication information of the second network slice, and directly perform the RU flow to the T-AMF. The context of the terminal is established on the new AMF and the terminal context on the old AMF is deleted, e.g. by RU procedure, and/or the (default) session on the old network slice is deleted by establishing the (default) session on the corresponding new network slice.

Fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application, where the method 300 is applicable to the communication system 100 shown in fig. 1, and includes the following steps:

301. the second network node sends a first message to the first network node.

This step is similar to step 201 of the previous embodiment and will not be described herein again.

302. The first network node sends a second message to the terminal device.

Further, the second message includes indication information of a second network slice of the device terminal.

Optionally, the second message may be a Paging message. Further, the paging message may take the form of table 1.

TABLE 1

303. The terminal device and the first network node perform an RRC connection establishment procedure.

The implementation process of this step is similar to the process included in steps 203 to 205 of the previous embodiment, and is not described herein again.

304. And the terminal equipment and the third network node perform a registration updating process.

This step is similar to step 206 of the previous embodiment and will not be described again.

Optionally, before step 304, the method 300 further comprises step 305. This step is similar to step 208 of the previous embodiment and will not be described again.

Through the steps, the terminal equipment acquires the indication information of the second network slice in the paging process, so that the terminal equipment can acquire the T-AMF information through the indication information of the second network slice, and directly perform the RU flow to the T-AMF.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application, where the method 400 is applicable to the communication system 100 shown in fig. 1, and includes the following steps:

401. the second network node determines the T-AMF.

Wherein the second network node comprises an AMF, S-AMF, of at least one first network slice, with which the terminal device communicates before entering the idle mode.

In this step, the S-AMF determines a T-AMF of a second network slice that the terminal device is to communicate with. Optionally, the S-AMF may determine that the terminal device needs to perform AMF redirection according to subscription information or policy information of the terminal device, and obtain, from the information of the terminal device, an identifier of the T-AMF and/or indication information of the second network slice, so that the S-AMF determines the T-AMF of the second network slice that the terminal device is to communicate with. Optionally, the T-AMF identifier may have various forms, for example, a number form, a character form, or a combination of a number and a character form, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

402. The second network node sends a seventh message to the third network node.

Wherein the third network node comprises an AMF, T-AMF, of at least one network slice to be communicated by the terminal device.

Further, the seventh message includes the first context of the terminal device, such as flow (flow) policy information (e.g., quality of service information, etc.), session information, etc. The first context is context information retained by the terminal in the S-AMF, such as the maximum number of network slices that can be accessed in the S-AMF.

Further, the seventh message also includes indication information of at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device.

Alternatively, the seventh message may be an AMF redirect request message.

403. The third network node sends a seventh response message to the second network node.

Wherein the seventh response message includes a second context of the terminal device, the second context being a context of the terminal device on the T-AMF, for example, new UP port address information, and indication information of at least one second network slice reallocated by the T-AMF for the terminal device, and the like.

Corresponding to the seventh message of step 402, the seventh response message may be an AMF redirect request acknowledge message.

To this end, the AMF of at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device is updated to T-AMF.

404. The second network node pages the terminal device.

405. And the terminal equipment and the first network node interact to carry out RRC connection establishment flow.

The implementation process of this step is similar to the process included in step 203-205 of the previous embodiment, and is not described herein again.

406. The first network node sends an eighth message to the second network node.

Optionally, the eighth message is a context setup request message of an interface between the first network node and the second network node. The request message is used for requesting to establish a connection between the second network node associated with the terminal device and the first network node.

407. The second network node sends a ninth message to the terminal device.

Wherein the ninth message is a message sent by the second network node to the terminal device through NAS signaling.

Further, the ninth message comprises an indication of a second context and/or a second network slice of the terminal device.

Alternatively, the ninth message may be an AMF transfer (switch) command message.

408. The terminal device sends a ninth response message to the second network node.

Wherein the ninth response message is a message sent by the terminal device to the second network node through NAS signaling. This step is optional.

Corresponding to the ninth message of step 407, the ninth response message may be an AMF transfer complete message.

Through the steps, the embodiment of the application realizes that the network side updates the T-AMF for the terminal equipment before paging the terminal equipment, and then the S-AMF informs the terminal equipment of the updated second context and/or the indication information of the second network slice, so that the connection state time of the terminal equipment is reduced, and the energy consumption of the terminal equipment is saved.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application, where the method 500 is applicable to the communication system 100 shown in fig. 1, and includes the following steps:

501. the second network node determines the target AMF.

502. The second network node sends a seventh message to the third network node.

503. The third network node sends a seventh response message to the second network node.

504. The second network node pages the terminal device.

505. And the terminal equipment and the first network node interact to carry out RRC connection establishment flow.

506. The first network node sends an eighth message to the second network node.

The steps 501-506 are similar to the steps 401-406 of the previous embodiment, and are not described herein again.

507. The second network node sends a tenth message to the third network node.

Wherein the tenth message is used to forward the NAS request message in the eighth message to the third network node.

Optionally, the tenth message may be a reroute NAS message.

508. The third network node sends an eleventh message to the terminal device.

Wherein the eleventh message is a message that the third network node sends to the terminal device through NAS signaling.

Further, the eleventh message includes indication information of a second context and/or a second network slice of the terminal device.

Alternatively, the fifth message may be an AMF transfer (switch) command message.

509. The terminal device sends an eleventh response message to the third network node.

Wherein the eleventh response message is a message that the terminal device sends to the third network node through NAS signaling. This step is optional.

Corresponding to the eleventh message of step 508, the eleventh response message may be an AMF transfer complete message.

Through the steps, the embodiment of the application realizes that the network side updates the T-AMF for the terminal equipment before paging the terminal equipment, and then the T-AMF informs the terminal equipment of the updated second context and/or the indication information of the second network slice, so that the connection state time of the terminal equipment is reduced, and the energy consumption of the terminal equipment is saved.

In the above description of the embodiments, the at least one second network slice with which the terminal device is to communicate and the at least one first network slice with which the terminal device is to communicate before entering the idle mode have different common network functions. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application may also be applied to another scenario, where at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device and at least one first network slice communicated by the terminal device before entering the idle mode have the same common network function but different dedicated network functions. In this scenario, the indication information of the second network slice is used to identify at least one second network slice or at least one dedicated network function of the second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device. Note that S-AMF and T-AMF are the same at this time. Accordingly, in the examples of fig. 2 to 5, the second network node and the third network node correspond to the same network node, i.e. the S-AMF.

In the above embodiments, the implementation may be wholly or partially realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, 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 instructions. When loaded and executed on a computer, cause the processes or functions described in accordance with the embodiments of the application to occur, in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a network of computers, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, from one website site, computer, server, or data center to another website site, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device, such as a server, a data center, etc., that incorporates one or more of the available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy Disk, hard Disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., Solid State Disk (SSD)), among others. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present patent application.

Method embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in conjunction with fig. 2-5, and apparatus embodiments of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with fig. 6-13. It is to be understood that the apparatus embodiments correspond to the method embodiments and similar descriptions may be made with reference to the method embodiments. It is noted that the device embodiments may be used in conjunction with the above-described methods, or may be used alone.

Fig. 6 shows a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 600 according to an embodiment of the present application, where the communication apparatus 600 may correspond to (e.g., may be configured as or be itself) the first network node described in the method 200, or may also be referred to as a RAN node, or the RAN node described in the method 300, or the RAN node described in the method 400, or the RAN node described in the method 500. The communication device 600 may include: processor 601 and transceiver 602, the processor and transceiver being communicatively coupled. Optionally, the communication device 600 further comprises a memory 603, the memory 603 being communicatively connected to the processor 601. Optionally, a processor 601, a memory 603 and a transceiver 602 may be communicatively coupled, the memory 603 may be used to store instructions, and the processor 601 may be used to execute the instructions stored by the memory to control the transceiver 602 to transmit information or signals. The processor 601 and the transceiver 602 are respectively configured to perform actions or processes performed by the first network node in the method 200, or may also be referred to as a RAN node, or the RAN node in the method 300, or the RAN node in the method 400, or the RAN node in the method 500. Here, detailed description thereof is omitted in order to avoid redundancy.

Fig. 7 shows a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 700 according to an embodiment of the present application, where the communication apparatus 700 may correspond to (e.g., may be configured as or be itself) the first network node described in the method 200, or may also be referred to as a RAN node, or the RAN node described in the method 300, or the RAN node described in the method 400, or the RAN node described in the method 500. The communication device 700 may include: the system comprises a receiving module 701, a processing module 702 and a sending module 703, wherein the processing module 702 is respectively connected with the receiving module 701 and the sending module 703 in a communication way. The modules or units in the communication device 700 are respectively configured to perform the actions or processes performed by the first network node in the method 200, or may also be referred to as a RAN node, or the RAN node in the method 300, or the RAN node in the method 400, or the RAN node in the method 500. Here, detailed description thereof is omitted in order to avoid redundancy.

Fig. 8 shows a schematic block diagram of a communication device 800 according to an embodiment of the present application, where the communication device 800 may correspond to (e.g., may be configured as or be itself) the second network node described in the method 200, or may also be referred to as an S-AMF node, or the S-AMF node described in the method 300, or the RAN node described in the method S-AMF, or the S-AMF node described in the method 500. The communication device 800 may include: the processor 801 is communicatively coupled to the transceiver 802. Optionally, the communication device 800 further comprises a memory 803, the memory 803 being communicatively coupled to the processor 801. Optionally, the processor 801, the memory 803, and the transceiver 802 may be communicatively coupled, the memory 803 may be used to store instructions, and the processor 801 may be used to execute the instructions stored by the memory to control the transceiver 802 to transmit information or signals. The processor 801 and the transceiver 802 are respectively configured to perform actions or processes performed by the second network node in the method 200, or may also be referred to as an S-AMF node, or the S-AMF node in the method 300, or the S-AMF node in the method 400, or the S-AMF node in the method 500. Here, detailed description thereof is omitted in order to avoid redundancy.

Fig. 9 shows a schematic block diagram of a communication device 900 according to an embodiment of the present application, where the communication device 900 may correspond to (e.g., may be configured as or be itself) the second network node described in the method 200 above, or may also be referred to as an S-AMF node, or the S-AMF node described in the method 300 above, or the S-AMF node described in the method 400 above, or the S-AMF node described in the method 500 above. The communication device 900 may include: the device comprises a receiving module 901, a processing module 902 and a sending module 903, wherein the processing module 902 is respectively connected with the receiving module 901 and the sending module 903 in a communication way. The modules or units in the communication device 900 are respectively configured to perform the actions or processes performed by the second network node in the method 200, or may also be referred to as S-AMF node, or S-AMF node in the method 300, or S-AMF node in the method 400, or S-AMF node in the method 500. Here, detailed description thereof is omitted in order to avoid redundancy.

Fig. 10 shows a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1000 according to an embodiment of the present application, where the communication device 1000 may correspond to (e.g., may be configured as or be itself) the third network node described in the method 200 above, or may also be referred to as a T-AMF node, or the T-AMF node described in the method 300 above, or the T-AMF node described in the method 400 above, or the T-AMF node described in the method 500 above. The communication device 1000 may include: processor 1001 and transceiver 1002, which are communicatively coupled. Optionally, the communication device 1000 further comprises a memory 1003, the memory 1003 being communicatively connected to the processor 1001. Alternatively, the processor 1001, the memory 1003, and the transceiver 1002 may be communicatively coupled, the memory 1003 may be used to store instructions, and the processor 1001 is used to execute the instructions stored by the memory to control the transceiver 1002 to transmit information or signals. The processor 1001 and the transceiver 1002 are respectively configured to execute actions or processes executed by a third network node in the method 200, or may also be referred to as a T-AMF node, or the T-AMF node in the method 300, or the T-AMF node in the method 400, or the T-AMF node in the method 500. Here, detailed description thereof is omitted in order to avoid redundancy.

Fig. 11 shows a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1100 according to an embodiment of the present application, where the communication device 1100 may correspond to (e.g., may be configured as or be itself) the third network node described in the method 200 above, or may also be referred to as a T-AMF node, or the T-AMF node described in the method 300 above, or the T-AMF node described in the method 400 above, or the T-AMF node described in the method 500 above. The communication device 1100 may include: the device comprises a receiving module 1101, a processing module 1102 and a sending module 1103, wherein the processing module 1102 is respectively connected with the receiving module 1101 and the sending module 1103 in a communication mode. The modules or units in the communication device 1100 are respectively configured to perform the actions or processes performed by the third network node in the method 200, or may also be referred to as a T-AMF node, or the T-AMF node in the method 300, or the T-AMF node in the method 400, or the T-AMF node in the method 500. Here, detailed description thereof is omitted in order to avoid redundancy.

Fig. 12 shows a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 1200 according to an embodiment of the present application, where the communication apparatus 1200 may correspond to (e.g., may be configured as or be itself) the terminal device described in the method 200 described above, or the terminal device described in the method 300 described above, or the terminal device described in the method 400 described above, or the terminal device described in the method 500 described above. The communication apparatus 1200 may include: a processor 1201 and a transceiver 1202, the processor and the transceiver being communicatively coupled. Optionally, the communication device 1200 further comprises a memory 1203, the memory 1203 being communicatively connected to the processor 1201. Alternatively, the processor 1201, the memory 1203, and the transceiver 1202 may be communicatively coupled, the memory 1203 may be used to store instructions, and the processor 1201 is configured to execute the instructions stored by the memory to control the transceiver 1202 to transmit information or signals. The processor 1201 and the transceiver 1202 are respectively configured to execute each action or process performed by the terminal device in the method 200, the terminal device in the method 300, the terminal device in the method 400, or the terminal device in the method 500. Here, detailed description thereof is omitted in order to avoid redundancy.

Fig. 13 shows a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 1300 according to an embodiment of the present application, where the communication apparatus 1300 may correspond to (e.g., may be configured as or be itself) the terminal device described in the method 200 described above, or the terminal device described in the method 300 described above, or the terminal device described in the method 400 described above, or the terminal device described in the method 500 described above. The communication device 1300 may include: the device comprises a receiving module 1301, a processing module 1302 and a sending module 1303, wherein the processing module 1302 is respectively connected with the receiving module 1301 and the sending module 1303 in a communication mode. The modules or units in the communication device 1300 are respectively configured to execute the actions or processes executed by the terminal device in the method 200, the terminal device in the method 300, the terminal device in the method 400, or the terminal device in the method 500. Here, detailed description thereof is omitted in order to avoid redundancy.

It should be understood that the processors (601, 801, 1001, 1201) in the apparatus embodiments of the present application may be Central Processing Units (CPUs), Network Processors (NPs), hardware chips, or any combination thereof. The hardware chip may be an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Programmable Logic Device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The PLD may be a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a General Array Logic (GAL), or any combination thereof.

The memories (603, 803, 1003, 1203) in the embodiments of the apparatus of the present application may be Volatile memories (Volatile memories), such as Random-Access memories (RAMs); or a Non-Volatile Memory (Non-Volatile Memory), such as a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Flash Memory (Flash Memory), a Hard Disk (Hard Disk Drive, HDD) or a Solid-State Drive (SSD); combinations of the above types of memories are also possible.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described apparatus embodiments are merely illustrative, and for example, a division of a unit is merely a logical division, and an actual implementation may have another division, for example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not executed. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and may be in an electrical, mechanical or other form.

Units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the embodiment.

In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one unit.

The functions, if implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present patent application or a part of the technical solution that substantially contributes to the prior art may be embodied in the form of a software product stored in a storage medium and containing instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to execute all or part of the steps of the method according to the embodiments of the present patent application. And the aforementioned storage medium comprises: various media capable of storing program codes, such as a usb disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think of the changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present application, and shall be covered by the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present patent application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of communication, comprising:

a first network node receives a first message sent by a second network node, wherein the second network node comprises a public network function of at least one first network slice communicated by a terminal device before entering an idle mode, the first message comprises indication information of a second network slice of the terminal device, and the first network node is an access network node where the terminal device currently resides in the idle mode; the indication information of the second network slice of the terminal device is used for identifying information of a public network function and an exclusive network function of at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device, or at least one public network function of the second network slice; the second network slice has at least one different public network function than the first network slice;

and the first network node sends the indication information of the second network slice to the terminal equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network node sending the indication of the second network slice to the terminal device comprises:

and the first network node sends a second message to the terminal equipment, wherein the second message is used for paging the terminal equipment and comprises indication information of a second network slice of the terminal equipment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network node sending the indication of the second network slice to the terminal device comprises:

the first network node sends a second message to the terminal equipment, wherein the second message is used for paging the terminal equipment;

the first network node receives a third message sent by the terminal equipment, wherein the third message is used for the terminal equipment to request to establish RRC connection;

the first network node sends a fourth message to the terminal device, where the fourth message is used to instruct the terminal device to establish an RRC connection, and the fourth message includes instruction information of a second network slice of the terminal device.

4. A method of communication, comprising:

determining, by a second network node, at least one second network slice to be communicated by a terminal device, the second network node comprising a common network function of at least one first network slice communicated by the terminal device prior to entering an idle mode;

the second network node sends a first message to a first network node, where the first message includes indication information of a second network slice of the terminal device, the first network node is an access network node where the terminal device currently resides in an idle mode, and the indication information of the second network slice of the terminal device is used to identify information of a public network function and an exclusive network function of at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device, or at least one public network function of the second network slice; the second network slice has at least one different common network function than the first network slice.

5. A method of communication, comprising:

the method comprises the steps that terminal equipment receives indication information of a second network slice sent by a first network node, wherein the first network node is an access network node where the terminal equipment currently resides in an idle mode; the indication information of the second network slice is used for identifying information of a public network function and an exclusive network function of at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal equipment, or at least one public network function of the second network slice; the second network slice has at least one different public network function from a first network slice, the first network slice being a network slice with which the terminal device communicates before entering the idle mode;

and the terminal equipment performs registration updating according to the indication information of the second network slice.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the receiving, by the terminal device, the indication information of the second network slice sent by the first network node comprises:

the terminal device receives a second message sent by a first network node, wherein the second message is used for paging the terminal device and comprises indication information of a second network slice of the terminal device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the receiving, by the terminal device, the indication information of the second network slice sent by the first network node comprises:

the terminal equipment receives a second message sent by a first network node, wherein the second message is used for paging the terminal equipment;

the terminal equipment sends a third message to the first network node, wherein the third message is used for requesting RRC connection;

the terminal device receives a fourth message sent by a first network node, wherein the fourth message is used for indicating the terminal device to establish RRC connection, and the fourth message comprises indication information of a second network slice of the terminal device.

8. A communications apparatus, comprising:

the sending module is used for sending the indication information of the second network slice to the terminal equipment;

a processing module, configured to configure indication information of the second network slice;

a receiving module, configured to receive a first message sent by a second network node, where the second network node includes a public network function of at least one first network slice communicated by a terminal device before entering an idle mode, the first message includes indication information of a second network slice of the terminal device, the first network node is an access network node where the terminal device currently resides in the idle mode, and the indication information of the second network slice of the terminal device is used to identify information of the public network function and an exclusive network function of the at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device, or the at least one public network function of the second network slice; the second network slice has at least one different common network function than the first network slice.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein sending the indication information of the second network slice to the terminal device comprises: and sending a second message to the terminal equipment, wherein the second message is used for paging the terminal equipment and comprises indication information of a second network slice of the terminal equipment.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein sending the indication information of the second network slice to the terminal device comprises: sending a second message to the terminal device, wherein the second message is used for paging the terminal device;

receiving a third message sent by the terminal equipment, wherein the third message is used for the terminal equipment to request to establish RRC connection;

and sending a fourth message to the terminal device, wherein the fourth message is used for indicating the terminal device to establish RRC connection, and the fourth message comprises indication information of a second network slice of the terminal device.

11. A communications apparatus, comprising:

a sending module, configured to send a first message to a first network node, where the first message includes indication information of a second network slice of a terminal device, and the first network node is an access network node where the terminal device currently resides in an idle mode; the indication information of the second network slice of the terminal device is used for identifying information of a public network function and an exclusive network function of at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device, or at least one public network function of the second network slice; the second network slice has at least one different public network function from a first network slice, the first network slice being a network slice with which the terminal device communicates before entering the idle mode;

a processing module for determining at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal device.

12. A communications apparatus, comprising:

a receiving module, configured to receive indication information of a second network slice sent by a first network node, where the first network node is an access network node where a terminal device currently resides in an idle mode; the indication information of the second network slice is used for identifying information of a public network function and an exclusive network function of at least one second network slice to be communicated by the terminal equipment, or at least one public network function of the second network slice; the second network slice has at least one different public network function from a first network slice, the first network slice being a network slice with which the terminal device communicates before entering the idle mode;

and the processing module is used for performing registration updating according to the indication information of the second network slice.

13. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the receiving the indication information of the second network slice sent by the first network node comprises:

and receiving a second message sent by the first network node, wherein the second message is used for paging a terminal device and comprises indication information of a second network slice of the terminal device.

14. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the receiving the indication information of the second network slice sent by the first network node comprises:

receiving a second message sent by a first network node, wherein the second message is used for paging terminal equipment;

sending a third message to the first network node, the third message being for requesting an RRC connection;

receiving a fourth message sent by a first network node, where the fourth message is used to instruct a terminal device to establish an RRC connection, and the fourth message includes instruction information of a second network slice of the terminal device.