CN110519749B

CN110519749B - API information transmission method and device

Info

Publication number: CN110519749B
Application number: CN201810491022.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 朱强华; 阎亚丽; 朱奋勤
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-05-21
Filing date: 2018-05-21
Publication date: 2021-07-20
Anticipated expiration: 2038-05-21
Also published as: WO2019223638A1; CN110519749A

Abstract

The application discloses an API information transmission method and device. In the method, a first network device receives a first request sent by a second network device, wherein the first request comprises an identifier of a terminal or an identifier of a terminal group, and the first request is used for requesting to acquire API information of a third network device; the first network device sends first indication information to the second network device, wherein the first indication information comprises API information, and the API information is determined according to the network type accessed by the terminal corresponding to the terminal identifier, or the network type accessed by the terminal group corresponding to the terminal group identifier. By the method, the second network equipment can acquire the API information determined according to the access network type of the terminal or the terminal group, the situation that the second network equipment calls the API which is not consistent with the access network type of the terminal and cannot provide service for the terminal is avoided, and the user experience is improved.

Description

API information transmission method and device

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to an API information transmission method and apparatus.

Background

In a conventional network, such as an Evolved Packet System (EPS), a Service Capability Exposure Function (SCEF) may open a 4G network function to a third party through an Application Programming Interface (API) format. Fig. 1 exemplarily shows an architecture of the SCEF, and a third party application can obtain relevant information of a terminal by calling an API in the SCEF.

In a new mobile communication system, for example, in the 5G network shown in fig. 2, a network open function (NEF) element may also open a 5G network function to a third party application in the form of an API, that is, the third party application may obtain relevant information of the terminal by calling the API in the NEF.

For a terminal supporting 4G and 5G access, due to factors such as the mobility of the terminal, the network coverage and the like, the terminal may be switched between 4G and 5G, so that a third-party application cannot provide a service for the terminal, and poor user experience is caused.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides an API information transmission method and device, which are used for avoiding the situation that service cannot be provided for third-party application due to the fact that the API with different terminal access network types is called.

In a first aspect, the present application provides an API information transmission method, including:

the first network device receives a first request sent by the second network device, wherein the first request comprises an identifier of a terminal or an identifier of a terminal group, and the first request is used for requesting to acquire API information of the third network device. The first network equipment sends first indication information to the second network equipment, wherein the first indication information comprises API information, and the API information is determined according to the network type accessed by the terminal or the network type accessed by the terminal group.

In the embodiment of the application, the second network device can acquire the API information determined according to the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, which is beneficial to avoiding the situation that the second network device calls the API which is not consistent with the network type of the terminal when providing the service for the terminal, so that the terminal related information may not be acquired, and further the service cannot be provided for the terminal, so that the embodiment is beneficial to improving the user experience.

In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: the first network equipment acquires the network type of the terminal or the terminal group which is accessed currently, and then the first network equipment determines API information according to the acquired network type.

In a possible implementation manner, when acquiring the network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, the first network device may acquire the network type by receiving second indication information sent by a third network device, where the second indication information includes the network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group. The third network device may query a network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, and the third network device sends the queried network type to the first network device, so that the first network device determines the API information according to the network type.

In a possible implementation manner, the first network device may send a second request to the third network device before receiving the second indication information, where the second request includes an identifier of the terminal or an identifier of the terminal group. Specifically, the second request may be used to request to acquire a network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, or may also be used to request the third network device to send the network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group to the first network device when the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group changes. In the above embodiment, the first network device may query, according to actual requirements, a network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group or a network type currently accessed by the long-term subscription terminal or the terminal group, so as to determine corresponding API information conveniently.

In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: and the first network equipment receives third indication information sent by third network equipment, wherein the third indication information comprises the API information. In this implementation manner, the first network device may receive the API information sent by the third network device, and may no longer need to determine the API information according to the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, thereby reducing the load of the first network device.

In a possible implementation manner, before the first network device receives the third indication information sent by the third network device, the method further includes: the first network device sends a third request to the third network device; the third request is used for requesting to acquire API information determined according to the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group; or, the third request is used to request that the API information is sent to the first network device when the API information changes. In this implementation manner, the first network device may request to acquire current API information, and also request the third network device to send API information when the API information is sent and changed, which may flexibly meet the requirements of different scenarios.

In a possible implementation manner, the first request is used to request to acquire the API information, and the first indication information is carried in a response message to the first request; or, the first request is used to request that API information is sent to the second network device when the API information changes. In the above embodiment, the second network device may query current API information or long-term subscription API information according to actual needs, so as to conveniently call the API.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a first network device, which includes a processor, a memory, and a communication interface, where the memory is used to store a program, and the processor calls the program stored in the memory to execute, through the communication interface, a procedure executed by the first network device in the method according to any one of the first aspect.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a third network device, which includes a processor, a memory, and a communication interface, where the memory is used to store a program, and the processor calls the program stored in the memory and executes, through the communication interface, a process executed by the third network device in the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes the first network device described in the second aspect and the third network device described in the third aspect, or may include the first network device described in the second aspect and the third network device described in the fourth aspect.

In a fifth aspect, the present embodiments provide a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of the first aspect.

In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, including: a processor configured to enable a communication device to implement the method of any of the first aspect above.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an SCEF architecture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of 4G and 5G network architectures provided in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of SCEF + NEF functions provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture including a CAPIF network element according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a schematic flowchart of an API information transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a second flowchart of an API information transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a third schematic flowchart of an API information transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a fourth schematic flowchart of an API information transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a fifth flowchart illustrating an API information transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11 is a sixth schematic flowchart of an API information transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 13 is a second schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 14 is a third schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more clear, the present application will be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 3 exemplarily shows a network system architecture diagram, AS shown in the figure, when a terminal accesses an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), a third-party application may be implemented by a Service Capability Server (SCS) or an Application Server (AS); the third party application may obtain information about the terminal from the EPC through the SCEF. When the terminal accesses the core network (5) of the fifth generation mobile communication system^thgeneration core, 5GC), third party applications can pass application functions (application)function, AF); the third party application can acquire information on the terminal from the 5GC through the NEF.

In order to be compatible with the EPC and 5GC, the capability openness network element, such as SCEF and NEF, or the network device provided with the SCEF function module and the NEF function module (hereinafter referred to as SCEF + NEF), when providing the API for the third-party application, may be implemented in two ways, as shown in fig. 4. In mode one, the SCEF and NEF may provide their respective APIs, i.e., provide the 4G network API and the 5G network API, respectively. In the second mode, a set of enhanced APIs may be provided on the SCEF, and when a 5G network API call request is received, the request is forwarded to the NEF; or a set of enhanced API can be provided on the NEF, and when a 4G network API call request is received, the request is forwarded to the SCEF; or, for the SCEF + NEF, a module capable of providing services only for the 4G network, a module capable of providing services only for the 5G network, and a module capable of providing services for the 4G and 5G networks may be further set in the SCEF + NEF, and after receiving the API call request of the 4G or 5G network, the request is transmitted to the corresponding module for processing.

However, the third-party application does not know the network change situation of the terminal access, and after the terminal is switched from 5G to 4G, if the AF still requests to call the API in the NEF, the information of the terminal may not be obtained, or, after the terminal is switched from 4G to 5G, if the AF still requests to call the API in the SCEF, the information of the terminal may not be obtained.

In order to solve the above technical problem, an embodiment of the present application provides a network architecture including a CAPIF network element, as shown in fig. 5, where the CAPIF network element is capable of communicating with a capability-opening network element and a third-party application. Based on the network architecture supporting CAPIF, a third party application may request CAPIF to provide API information to avoid the third party application from invoking an unavailable API when requesting to invoke the API.

Specifically, fig. 6 is a schematic flowchart of an API information transmission method provided in an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in the figure, the method may include the following steps:

step 601, the first network device receives a first request sent by the second network device. The first request is used for requesting to acquire API information of the third network equipment.

The first request may include a terminal group identifier, that is, the first request is used to request to acquire API information at a terminal group level, or the first request may include a terminal group identifier, that is, the first request is used to request to acquire API information at a terminal group level.

Step 602, the first network device sends first indication information to the second network device, where the first indication information includes API information.

The API information may be identifiers of available APIs, so as to indicate that the second network device may call APIs corresponding to the API identifiers. Alternatively, the API information may be unavailable API identifications to indicate that the second network device is unavailable to call the API corresponding to the API identifications. Still alternatively, the API information may also include an API identification and API status information. Specifically, the state information of the API may be used to indicate availability or unavailability. Alternatively, the state information of the API may be used to indicate suspended (suspended) or resumed (resumed), where suspended indicates temporary unavailability, for example, when the terminal drops from the 4G network to the 2G network due to a call, the 4G network session and the related bearer of the terminal will be suspended, and when the terminal call ends, the 4G network session and the related bearer will be resumed. Or, the API status information may also be used to indicate service level information, for example, API _1 may serve a terminal with access to EPC, corresponding to a level of 1, API _2 may serve a terminal with access to 5GC, corresponding to a level of 2, API _3 may serve a terminal with access to 5GC or EPC, corresponding to a level of 3; enabling the second network device to determine available APIs based on their service levels.

When the first request includes the terminal identifier, the API information included in the first indication information is determined according to the network type to which the terminal corresponding to the terminal identifier is accessed; when the first request includes the terminal group identifier, the API information included in the first indication information is determined according to the type of the network accessed by the terminal included in the terminal group. For example, the second network device may obtain API information related to each terminal when there are a small number of terminal service demands, that is, each first request includes one or more terminal identifiers; for another example, the second network device may also request to obtain API information about one or more terminal groups when there is a large number of terminal traffic demands, that is, each first request may include an identification of one or more terminal groups.

Specifically, the network type accessed by the terminal may be a core network type (CN type) accessed by the terminal, such as a type of a 3GPP core network, such as 5GC, EPC and 5GC, Non-5GC (Non-5GC), 5G, 4G, 3G, Non-5G (Non-5G), or a combination thereof. The core network type accessed by one terminal may be 5GC or EPC, or for a terminal capable of registering in both 4G network and 5G network, the core network type accessed by the terminal may also be 5GC and EPC. The network type accessed by the terminal can also be one or a combination of the following: universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 2000, global system for mobile communications radio access network (GSM/EDGE radio access network, GERAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE), 5G New Radio (NR), evolved UTRAN, next generation radio access network (NG-RAN), and other 3GPP Radio Access Technology (RAT) types.

A terminal group includes a plurality of terminals, and the types of core networks accessed by the plurality of terminals may be the same or different. Therefore, in the API information determined according to the network type accessed by the terminal group, when the network types accessed by all the terminals in the terminal group are the same, the access network type of the terminal group is the access network type of the terminal; when the network types accessed by the terminals in the terminal group are not completely the same, the access type of the terminal group is the combination of the access network types of all the terminals; for example, if all terminals in the terminal group access the EPC, the network type accessed by the terminal group is the EPC; if part of terminals access the EPC and part of terminals access the 5GC, the network type accessed by the terminal group is EPC +5 GC.

In the foregoing method, the first network device may be a common API frame for3GPP non-terminated APIs (CAPIF) core function network element. The second network device may be a network element such AS a Service Capability Server (SCS) or an Application Server (AS) in a 4G network, or may also be a network element such AS an Application Function (AF) in a 5G network, or may also be a network element device that may be used to support a third-party application in another future communication network. The third network device may be an SCEF or an NEF, or may also be a network device combining the SCEF and the NEF (hereinafter referred to as SCEF + NEF).

When a third-party application (second network device) provides a service for a terminal, it may need to acquire relevant information of the terminal from a core network (EPC, 5GC, etc.) to which the terminal is accessed, and if the terminal has performed network handover and the third-party application still calls an API in a network before handover to acquire terminal information, it may be impossible to acquire the required information, and thus, the terminal cannot pass through the service. In the embodiment of the present application, the second network device can acquire the API information determined according to the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, which is helpful for avoiding a situation that the second network device calls an API that is not in accordance with the network type of the terminal when providing the service for the terminal, which may result in that the terminal-related information cannot be acquired, and further the service cannot be provided for the terminal, so that the embodiment is beneficial to improving user experience.

In some embodiments, the first request in step 601 may be for requesting to obtain API information, for example, the second network device may send a first request, such as a service discovery request (service discovery request), to the first network device when there is a service requirement, or when a preset timer expires, or when receiving indication information indicating that the API support capability is changed, to obtain current API information. After receiving the first request, the first network equipment acquires the current API information and sends the current API information to the second network equipment; further, the first network device may also send the changed API information to the second network device after the API information is changed according to a protocol specification or different service requirements.

In some other embodiments, the first request may also be for sending the API information to the second network device when the API information sends a change. For example, the second network device may send an event subscription request (event subscribe request) to the first network device, where the event subscription request may include event indication information and a terminal identifier or a terminal group identifier; wherein, the event indication information indicates that the event requesting the subscription is an API information change event. Accordingly, when the API information changes, the first network device performs step 602.

The information of the API may be related to a network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, and when the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group changes, the state information of the API may change, and as described above, the available API when the terminal accesses the EPC may be different from the available API when the terminal accesses the 5 GC. When the network type of one or more terminals included in the terminal group is changed, the API information corresponding to the terminal group may be changed. The information of the API may also be related to other factors, such as the service type of the terminal, so that when the service type of the terminal changes, the state information of the API may change; also for example, due to adjustment of network functions, some APIs may be unavailable, new APIs may be added, and the like.

Optionally, the first network device may request to subscribe to the information change event related to the API information, and determine whether the API information changes after receiving the subscription event report. Alternatively, the first network device may periodically query for information related to the API information and determine whether the API information has changed.

In a possible implementation manner, the API information included in the first indication information is determined by the first network device according to the acquired network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group. For example, if the first network device obtains that the network currently accessed by the terminal a is the EPC, the first network device may determine that the API in the SCEF is the available API, that is, the third party application may call the API in the SCEF to obtain the relevant information of the terminal a; in addition, if there are APIs shared by SCEF and NEF, the first network device may also determine that these shared APIs are available APIs. For another example, if the network to which the first network device acquires that the terminal B is currently accessed is 5GC, the first network device may determine that the API in the NEF is an available API, that is, the third-party application may call the API in the NEF to acquire the relevant information of the terminal B; if there are APIs shared by SCEF and NEF, the first network device may determine these shared APIs as possible APIs.

Specifically, the first network device may obtain the network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group through the following four ways:

in the first mode, the first network device sends a request to the third network device to acquire the network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group. And after receiving the request, the third network equipment sends the network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group to the first network equipment. Optionally, the first network device may send a request to the third network device to obtain the network type after step 601.

For example, after receiving a first request sent by a second network device, a first network device may send a core network type query request (CN type query request) to a third network device, where the request may include an identifier of a terminal, that is, a request for obtaining a core network type accessed by the terminal; the request may also include an identifier of the terminal group, that is, a request to acquire a core network type accessed by the terminal included in the terminal group. After acquiring the core network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, the third network device sends a core network type query response (CN type query response) to the first network device, where the response includes the acquired core network type.

Optionally, after receiving the request sent by the first network device, the third network device may obtain the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group from another network element in the core network. For example, the third network device may communicate with network elements such as an access and mobility management function (AMF), a Policy Control Function (PCF), or a Unified Data Management (UDM) in the 5GC, so as to obtain a core network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group; or, the third network device may also communicate with a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN), a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), and other network elements in the EPC, so as to obtain a core network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group; in addition, the third network device may further acquire the core network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group from the HSS + UDM or the PCF + PCRF.

And in the second mode, the first network device sends a request to the third network device, and requests the third network device to send the network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group to the first network device when the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group changes, namely, the first network device requests to subscribe the network type change event accessed by the terminal or the terminal group. After receiving the request, the third network device sends indication information to the first network device to indicate the current network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group when the terminal or the network type accessed by the terminal included in the terminal group is found to be changed.

For example, the first network device may send an event subscription request (event subscribe request) to the third network device, where the event subscription request may include event indication information and a terminal identifier or a terminal group identifier; the event indication information indicates that the event requesting subscription is a network type change event accessed by the terminal or the terminal group. After acquiring the information that the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group changes, the third network device sends a subscription event report to the first network device, where the report may include the terminal identifier or the terminal group identifier, and the currently accessed network type.

Optionally, after step 601, the first network device may send a request to the third network device, so that the third network device sends the current network type to the first network device when the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group changes. For example, the first network device may send an event subscription request (for sending a current network type when a network type is changed) to the third network device after receiving an event subscription request (for sending changed API information when a change in API information is requested) sent by the second network device. Or, the first network device may also actively send a request to the third network device, so that the third network device sends the current network type to the first network device when the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group changes. Or, the first network device may also send the request for subscribing to the network type change event to the third network device when providing other service and requiring to acquire the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group.

The method for the third network device to obtain the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group is similar to the method one, and is not described here again. And after determining that the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group changes, the third network equipment sends the identifier of the terminal or the terminal group with the changed network type and the current network type to the first network equipment. The first network device may store the identifier of the terminal or the terminal group in correspondence with the network type, so that when a request for acquiring the API information sent by the second network device is received, the API information may be determined according to the stored network type of the terminal or the terminal group without querying the third network device.

And the third network device can send the changed network type to the first network device after the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group is changed according to protocol regulations or different service requirements. The method for the third network device to acquire the network type of the terminal or the terminal group access is similar to that in the second mode. The first network device may store the received identifier of the terminal or the terminal group in correspondence with the network type.

And in the fourth mode, the third network device can actively send the changed network type to the first network device when the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group changes. The method for the third network device to acquire the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group is similar to the method in the first mode. The first network device may store the received identifier of the terminal or the terminal group in correspondence with the network type.

In another possible implementation manner, the API information included in the first indication information may also be obtained by the first network device from a third network device. Specifically, the first network device may also obtain the API information in three ways:

in the first mode, the first network device sends a request to the third network device to acquire the API information determined according to the type of the network currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group. And after receiving the request, the third network equipment acquires the network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, determines the current API information according to the acquired network type, and then sends the determined API information to the first network equipment. The method for the third network device to obtain the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group is similar to the foregoing embodiment.

And in the second mode, the first network equipment sends a request to the third network equipment, and the request sends the current API information to the first network equipment when the API information changes.

As described above, the change of the API information may be caused by a change in the type of the network to which the terminal or the terminal group is accessed, or may be caused by a factor such as a terminal service type or a network function adjustment. Specifically, the third network device may subscribe to an information change event related to the API information and determine whether the API information changes after receiving the subscription event report, or may periodically query the information related to the API information and determine whether the API information changes. Specifically, the third network device may subscribe to an information change event related to a network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, and after receiving the subscription event report, acquire the network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, and determine whether the API information changes, or may periodically query information related to the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, acquire the network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, and determine whether the API information changes. And the third network equipment sends the terminal or the terminal group identifier and the changed API information to the first network equipment when determining that the API information changes.

The first network device may store the received terminal or terminal group identifier and the API information in a corresponding manner, so that when a request for acquiring the API information sent by the second network device is received, the first network device may read the corresponding API information from the memory and send the API information to the second network device without querying the third network device.

And the third network device can send the changed API information to the first network device after the API information is changed according to the protocol regulation or different service requirements. The manner in which the third network device determines whether the API information changes is similar to that in the second manner. The first network device may store the received terminal or terminal group identifier in correspondence with the API information.

And the fourth mode and the third network equipment can also actively send the changed API information to the first network equipment when determining that the API information is changed. For example, the third network device may subscribe to an information change event related to a network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, and after receiving the subscription event report, acquire the network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, and determine whether the API information changes, or may periodically query information related to the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, acquire the network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, and determine whether the API information changes.

For a clearer understanding of the above-described embodiments of the present application, reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with fig. 7 to 11.

Referring to fig. 7, the API information transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application may include the steps shown in fig. 7:

step 701, in an initialization phase, the capability openness network element (NEF, SCEF, or SCEF + NEF) sends a service publish request (service publish request) to the CAPIF, where the request may include a service name (service name).

When the capability openness network element is SCEF + NEF, the request may further include a core network type (CN type) corresponding to the service name, for example, service item 1 is provided by EPC, and service item 2 is provided by 5 GC; when the capability openness network element is NEF or SCEF, the request may not carry CN type, and the CAPIF may determine CN type according to the identifier of NEF or SCEF carried in the request, for example, CN type corresponding to NEF identifier is 5GC, and CN type corresponding to SCEF is EPC.

Step 702, the CAPIF saves the registration information, such as the above terminal or terminal group identifier, service name and core network type.

Step 703, the third party application (AF, SCS, or AS) sends an event subscription request (event subscription request) to the CAPIF, where the request may include service API capability information (availability of service APIs) and a terminal or terminal group identifier, where the service API capability information is used to indicate a subscription service API information change event, that is, the CAPIF is requested to send current API information to the third party application when the API information changes.

Step 704, the CAPIF sends an event subscription request or a monitoring request (monitoring request) to the capability openness network element, where the request includes core network type change information (CN type change) and a terminal or terminal group identifier, where the core network type change information is used to indicate that a core network type change event is subscribed, that is, when the core network type accessed by the terminal or terminal group changes, the capability openness network element is requested to send the current core network type to the CAPIF.

Step 705, the capability openness network element monitors the core network type change event. Specifically, the capability openness network element may monitor, from the AMF, MME, SGSN, PCF, PCRF, PCF + PCRF, HSS, UDM, or HSS + UDM, whether the type of the core network accessed by the terminal or the terminal group changes.

Step 706, after monitoring that the core network type changes, the capability openness network element sends a subscription event report or a monitoring response (monitoring response) or other indication information to the CAPIF, and notifies the CAPIF of the terminal or the terminal group identifier, the core network type change indication information, and/or the changed core network type.

Step 707, the CAPIF determines the core network type of the terminal or the terminal group currently accessed according to the information sent by the capability open network element, and determines the API information according to the core network type.

Specifically, the API information determined by CAPIF may be API status information. Wherein the API state information may indicate that the API is available or unavailable, or indicate suspended or resumed, or indicate service level information.

Step 708, CAPIF sends an event notification (event notification) report to the third party application, which may include the terminal or the terminal group identity, and API information. Specifically, the API information included in the report may include an available API identifier, or an unavailable API identifier, or may also include an API list, where the list includes the API identifier and corresponding status information.

And step 709, the third party application calls the available API to provide service for the terminal or the terminal group according to the obtained API information.

Referring to fig. 8, the API information transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application may also include the steps shown in fig. 8:

steps 801 to 802 are similar to steps 701 to 702, and are not described again.

Step 803, the third party application (AF, SCS, or AS) sends a service discovery request (service discovery request) to the CAPIF, which may include the terminal or terminal group identity, so that the CAPIF feedback is based on the API information about the terminal or terminal group.

Step 804, the CAPIF sends a core network type query request (CN type query request) to the capability openness network element, where the request may include a terminal or a terminal group identifier, so that the capability openness network element feeds back a core network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group.

Step 805, the capability openness network element queries the core network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group. Specifically, the capability openness network element may query the core network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group from the AMF, MME, SGSN, PCF, PCRF, PCF + PCRF, HSS, UDM, or HSS + UDM.

Step 806, the capability openness network element sends a core network type query response (CN type query response) to the CAPIF, where the response includes the core network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group.

Step 807, CAPIF determines the API information according to the acquired core network type.

Step 808, the CAPIF sends a service discovery response (service discovery response) to the third party application, where the response may include an available API identifier, or an unavailable API identifier, or may also include an API list, where the list includes the API identifier and corresponding status information.

Step 809, the third party application calls the available API to provide service for the terminal or the terminal group according to the obtained API information.

Referring to fig. 9, the API information transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application may also include the steps shown in fig. 9:

steps 901 to 902 are similar to the steps 701 to 702, and are not described again.

Step 903 (this step is optional), the CAPIF sends user information (user information) to the capability openness network element, where the user information includes a terminal or terminal group identifier, and is used to subscribe, to the capability openness network element, an API information change event related to the terminal or terminal group.

Step 904, if the step 903 exists, the capability openness network element monitors the type change event of the terminal or the terminal group accessing the core network; if the step 903 does not exist, the capability openness network element monitors the type change event of each terminal or the access core network of the terminal group.

Step 905, after monitoring that the core network type accessed by a certain terminal or terminal group changes, the capability openness network element determines API information about the terminal or terminal group according to the changed core network type.

Step 906, the capability openness network element sends a service release request or update request (update request) to the CAPIF, where the request may include an API identifier, a terminal or a terminal group identifier, and API information. Wherein the API information includes state information of the API.

CAPIF stores the received service name, terminal or terminal group identification, and API information. For example, CAPIF may store an API identification and a list of terminals or groups of terminals corresponding to the API identification, the list including available or unavailable terminal/group of terminals identifications.

Step 907, CAPIF receives an event subscription request or a service discovery request sent by a third party application (AF, SCS, or AS). The event subscription request can comprise service API capability information and a terminal or terminal group identifier, wherein the service API capability information is used for representing a subscription service API information change event, namely requesting CAPIF to send current API information to a third party application when the API information changes; the terminal or terminal group identification may be included in the service discovery request so that the CAPIF feedback is based on API information about the terminal or terminal group.

Step 908, the CAPIF acquires API information corresponding to the terminal or the terminal group indicated in step 907 from the stored API information.

Step 909, CAPIF sends an event notification report or service discovery response to the third party application, where the report or response includes the API information obtained in step 908.

Step 910, the third party application calls an available API to provide a service for the terminal or the terminal group according to the obtained API information.

Referring to fig. 10, the API information transmission method provided in the embodiment of the present application may also include the steps shown in fig. 10:

steps 1001-1003 are similar to the aforementioned steps 701-703, and are not repeated.

Step 1004, the CAPIF sends an API support capability information subscription request, an event subscription request or a monitoring request to the capability open network element. If the API supports the capability information subscription request, the request comprises the terminal or the terminal group identifier to be inquired; if a time subscription request or a monitoring request is sent, the request includes API support capability change information (API support capability change) and a terminal or terminal group identifier, where the API support capability change information is used to indicate a subscription API information change event, that is, when the API information changes, a request capability open network element sends the changed API information to the CAPIF.

Step 1005, the capability openness network element monitors the type change event of the terminal or the terminal group accessing the core network.

Step 1006, after monitoring that the core network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group changes, the capability openness network element determines API information about the terminal or the terminal group according to the changed core network type.

Step 1007, the capability openness network element sends the terminal or the terminal group identifier and the determined API information to the CAPIF, carrying the API support capability status notification, the event subscription report or the monitoring response and other messages.

Steps 1008 to 1009 are similar to the aforementioned steps 708 to 709, and are not described again.

Referring to fig. 11, the API information transmission method provided in this embodiment of the present application may further include the steps shown in fig. 11:

the steps 1101-1102 are similar to the steps 701-702, and are not repeated.

Step 1103, the third party application (AF, SCS, or AS) sends a service discovery request (service discovery request) to the CAPIF, where the request may include a terminal or terminal group identifier, so that the CAPIF feedback is based on API information about the terminal or terminal group.

Step 1104, the CAPIF sends an API support capability query request to the capability openness network element, where the request includes the terminal or the terminal group identifier, so that the capability openness network element sends API information about the terminal or the terminal group to the CAPIF.

Step 1105, the capability openness network element queries the core network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group.

Step 1106, the capability openness network element determines API information about the terminal or the terminal group according to the queried core network type.

Step 1107, the capability openness network element sends an API support capability query response to the CAPIF, where the response includes the API information determined in step 1106.

Step 1108, the CAPIF sends a service discovery response to the third party application, where the response includes API information received by the CAPIF, and the API information may specifically include an available API identifier, or an unavailable API identifier, or may also include an API list, where the list includes the API identifier and corresponding status information.

And step 1109, calling available API by the third party application according to the obtained API information to provide service for the terminal or the terminal group.

Based on the same technical concept, the embodiment of the present application further provides a network device, configured to implement the function executed by the first network device in the foregoing method embodiment. Specifically, the network device may have a structure as shown in fig. 12, and include a receiving unit 1201, a sending unit 1202, and further include a processing unit 1203.

The receiving unit 1201 is configured to receive a first request sent by a second network device, where the first request includes an identifier of a terminal or an identifier of a terminal group, and the first request is used to request to obtain information of an API of a third network device.

The sending unit 1202 is configured to send first indication information to the second network device, where the first indication information includes the API information, and the API information is determined according to a network type accessed by the terminal or determined according to a network type accessed by the terminal group.

In a possible implementation manner, the network device further includes a processing unit 1203, configured to obtain a network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group; and determining the API information according to the network type.

In a possible implementation manner, the receiving unit 1201 is further configured to: and receiving second indication information sent by the third network device, where the second indication information includes a network type currently accessed by the terminal or a network type currently accessed by the terminal group.

In a possible implementation manner, the sending unit 1202 is further configured to: before the receiving unit 1201 receives the second indication information sent by the third network device, sending a second request to the third network device, where the second request includes the identifier of the terminal or the identifier of the terminal group; the second request is used for requesting to acquire the network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group; or, the second request is used for requesting to send the network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group to the first network device when the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group changes;

in a possible implementation manner, the receiving unit 1201 is further configured to: and receiving third indication information sent by a third network device, wherein the third indication information comprises the API information.

In a possible implementation manner, the sending unit 1202 is further configured to: before the receiving unit 1201 receives third indication information sent by a third network device, sending a third request to the third network device; the third request is used for requesting to acquire API information determined according to the type of the network accessed by the terminal or the terminal group; or, the third request is used to request that the API information is sent to the first network device when the API information changes.

In a possible implementation manner, the first request is used to request to acquire the API information, and the first indication information is carried in a response message to the first request; or, the first request is used to request that API information is sent to the second network device when the API information changes.

Based on the same technical concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a network device, configured to implement the function executed by the third network device in the foregoing method embodiment. Specifically, the network device may have a structure as shown in fig. 13, and includes a processing unit 1301 and a sending unit 1302, and further may further include a receiving unit 1303.

The processing unit 1301 is configured to obtain a network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group.

A sending unit 1302, configured to send first indication information to a first network device, where the first indication information includes a network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group.

In a possible implementation manner, the third network device may further include a receiving unit 1303, configured to receive a first request sent by a first network device before the sending unit 1302 sends the first indication information to the first network device, where the first request includes an identifier of the terminal or an identifier of the terminal group; the first request is used for requesting to acquire the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, and first indication information is carried in a response message to the first request, or the first indication information is sent when the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group changes; or, the first request is used to request that the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group is sent to the first network device when the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group changes.

Based on the same technical concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a network device, configured to implement the function executed by the third network device in the foregoing method embodiment. The network device may have a structure similar to that shown in fig. 13, and may also include a processing unit and a transmitting unit, and further may include a receiving unit.

The processing unit is used for acquiring the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group;

a sending unit, configured to send first indication information to the first network device, where the first indication information includes information of an API of the third network device, and the API information is determined by the third network device according to the network type.

In a possible implementation manner, the third network device further includes a receiving unit, configured to receive a first request sent by the first network device before the sending unit sends the second indication information to the first network device, where the first request includes an identifier of the terminal or an identifier of the terminal group; the first request is used for requesting to acquire API information determined according to the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, and the first indication information is carried in a response message to the first request, or the first indication information is sent when the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group changes; or, the first request is used to request that the API information is sent to the first network device when the API information changes.

It should be noted that the division of each unit of the above network device is only a logical division, and the actual implementation may be wholly or partially integrated into one physical entity, or may be physically separated. And these units can be implemented entirely in software, invoked by a processing element; or may be implemented entirely in hardware; and part of the units can be realized in the form of calling by a processing element through software, and part of the units can be realized in the form of hardware. For example, the sending unit may be a processing element that is set up separately, or may be implemented by being integrated in a chip of the network device, or may be stored in a memory of the network device in the form of a program, and the function of the sending unit may be called and executed by a processing element of the network device. The other units are implemented similarly. In addition, all or part of the units can be integrated together or can be independently realized. The processing element described herein may be an integrated circuit having signal processing capabilities. In implementation, the steps of the method or the units above may be implemented by hardware integrated logic circuits in a processor element or instructions in software. Further, the above transmitting unit may be a unit that controls transmission, and may receive information through a transmitting means of the network device, such as an antenna and a radio frequency means.

The above units may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, for example: one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), or one or more microprocessors (DSPs), or one or more Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), among others. For another example, when the above units are implemented in the form of a processing element scheduler, the processing element may be a general-purpose processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or other processor capable of calling programs. As another example, these units may be integrated together and implemented in the form of a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

Based on the same technical concept, the embodiment of the present application provides a network device 1400, configured to implement the function performed by the first network device in the foregoing method embodiments. Specifically, the hardware structure of the network device 1400 may be as shown in fig. 14, and includes at least one processor 1401, a communication bus 1402, a memory 1403, and at least one communication interface 1404.

Processor 1401 may be a general-purpose Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more ics for controlling the execution of programs in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure.

The communication bus 1402 may include a pathway to communicate information between the aforementioned components.

Communication interface 1404 may be any device, such as a transceiver, for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as an ethernet, a Radio Access Network (RAN), a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), etc.

Memory 1403 may be, but is not limited to, a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, blu-ray disc, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. The memory may be self-contained and coupled to the processor via a bus. The memory may also be integral to the processor.

The memory 1403 is used for storing application program codes for executing the scheme of the application, and the execution of the application program codes is controlled by the processor 1401. The processor 1401 is configured to execute the application program code stored in the memory 1403, so as to implement the API information transmission method provided by the above-described embodiment of the present application.

Alternatively, in this embodiment of the present application, the processor 1401 may also perform related functions in the API information transmission method provided in the foregoing embodiment of the present application, and the communication interface 1404 is responsible for communicating with other devices or a communication network, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

In particular implementations, processor 1401 may include one or more CPUs as one embodiment.

In particular implementations, the network device may include multiple processors, as one embodiment. Each of these processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. A processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and/or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of the present application provide a network device, configured to implement the function performed by the third network device in the foregoing method embodiments. Specifically, the hardware structure of the network device may be similar to that shown in fig. 14, including at least one processor, a communication bus, a memory, and at least one communication interface.

The processor may be a CPU, microprocessor, ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the programs of the present application.

The communication bus may include a path that transfers information between the aforementioned components.

A communications interface, using any transceiver or the like, for communicating with other devices or communications networks, such as ethernet, RAN, WLAN, etc.

The memory may be, but is not limited to, a ROM or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a RAM or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, an EEPROM, a CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. The memory may be self-contained and coupled to the processor via a bus. The memory may also be integral to the processor.

The memory is used for storing application program codes for executing the scheme of the application and is controlled by the processor to execute. The processor is used for executing the application program codes stored in the memory, so as to realize the API information transmission method provided by the above embodiment of the application.

Alternatively, optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the processor may also execute related functions in the API information transmission method provided in the foregoing embodiment of the present application, and the communication interface is responsible for communicating with other devices or a communication network, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

In particular implementations, a processor may include one or more CPUs, as one embodiment.

In particular implementations, the network device may include multiple processors, as one embodiment. Each of these processors may be a single core processor or a multi-core processor. A processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and/or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

Based on the same technical concept, the embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes the first network device and any one of the third network devices.

Based on the same technical concept, the embodiment of the present application further provides a chip system, where the chip system includes a processor, and is used to support a communication device to implement the API information transmission method. In one possible design, the system-on-chip further includes a memory. The memory is used for storing program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system may be formed by a chip, and may also include a chip and other discrete devices, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

In the above embodiments, the implementation may be wholly or partially realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, 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. The procedures or functions described in accordance with the embodiments of the present application are all or partially generated upon loading and execution of computer program instructions on a computer. 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 on a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wire (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 can comprise one or more data storage devices, such as a server, a data center, etc., that can be integrated with the medium. 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.

Claims

1. An API information transmission method is characterized by comprising the following steps:

a 3GPP public API architecture core function network element CAPIF receives a first request sent by an application function network element, wherein the first request comprises an identifier of a terminal or an identifier of a terminal group, and the first request is used for requesting to acquire information of an API of a capability opening network element;

the CAPIF acquires the network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group; the terminal group comprises a plurality of terminals, the network types accessed by the terminals are the same, and the network type accessed by the terminal group at present is the network type accessed by the terminals; when the network types accessed by the terminals are different, the network type currently accessed by the terminal group is the combination of the network types accessed by the terminals;

the CAPIF determines the API information according to the network type;

the CAPIF sends first indication information to the application function network element, wherein the first indication information comprises the API information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the CAPIF obtaining a network type currently accessed by the terminal or the group of terminals comprises:

and the CAPIF receives second indication information sent by the capability opening network element, wherein the second indication information comprises the network type currently accessed by the terminal or the network type currently accessed by the terminal group.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein before the CAPIF receives the second indication information sent by the capability openness network element, further comprising:

the CAPIF sends a second request to a capability opening network element, wherein the second request comprises the identifier of the terminal or the identifier of the terminal group;

the second request is used for requesting to acquire the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

the second request is used for requesting to send the network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group to the CAPIF when the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group changes.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and the CAPIF receives third indication information sent by the network element with the open CAPIF receiving capability, wherein the third indication information comprises the API information.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein before the third indication information sent by the CAPIF reception capability openness network element, the method further comprises:

the CAPIF sends a third request to the capability open network element;

the third request is used for requesting to acquire API information determined according to the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

the third request is used for requesting to send the API information to the CAPIF when the API information changes.

6. The method according to any of claims 1-5, wherein the first request is for requesting to obtain the API information, and the first indication information is carried in a response message to the first request; or

The first request is used for requesting to send the API information to the application function network element when the API information changes.

7. An API information transmission method is characterized by comprising the following steps:

the method comprises the steps that a capability opening network element obtains a network type accessed by a terminal or a terminal group; the terminal group comprises a plurality of terminals, the network types accessed by the terminals are the same, and the network type accessed by the terminal group at present is the network type accessed by the terminals; when the network types accessed by the terminals are different, the network type currently accessed by the terminal group is the combination of the network types accessed by the terminals;

and the capability open network element sends first indication information to the CAPIF, wherein the first indication information comprises the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein before the capability openness network element sends the first indication information to the CAPIF, the method further comprises:

the capability opening network element receives a first request sent by the CAPIF, wherein the first request comprises an identifier of the terminal or an identifier of the terminal group;

the first request is used for requesting to acquire the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, and first indication information is carried in a response message to the first request, or the first indication information is sent when the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group changes; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

the first request is used for requesting to send the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group to the CAPIF when the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group changes.

9. An API information transmission method is characterized by comprising the following steps:

the capability opening network element sends first indication information to the CAPIF, wherein the first indication information comprises information of an API (application program interface) of the capability opening network element, and the API information is determined by the capability opening network element according to the network type.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein before the capability opening network element sends the second indication information to the CAPIF, the method further comprises:

the first request is used for requesting to acquire API information determined according to the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, and the first indication information is carried in a response message to the first request, or the first indication information is sent when the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group changes; or

The first request is used for requesting to send the API information to the CAPIF when the API information changes.

11. A network device, wherein the network device, as a first network device, comprises: a processor, and a memory and a communication interface connected to the processor;

the processor is used for reading the computer program stored in the memory and executing:

receiving a first request sent by a second network device through the communication interface, wherein the first request comprises an identifier of a terminal or an identifier of a terminal group, and the first request is used for requesting to acquire information of an API of a third network device;

the processor is further configured to:

acquiring the current access network type of the terminal or the terminal group; the terminal group comprises a plurality of terminals, the network types accessed by the terminals are the same, and the network type accessed by the terminal group at present is the network type accessed by the terminals; when the network types accessed by the terminals are different, the network type currently accessed by the terminal group is the combination of the network types accessed by the terminals;

determining the API information according to the network type;

and sending first indication information to the second network equipment through the communication interface, wherein the first indication information comprises the API information.

12. The network device of claim 11, wherein the processor, when obtaining the network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group, is specifically configured to:

and receiving second indication information sent by the third network device through the communication interface, where the second indication information includes a network type currently accessed by the terminal or a network type currently accessed by the terminal group.

13. The network device of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:

before receiving second indication information sent by the third network equipment through the communication interface, sending a second request to the third network equipment through the communication interface, wherein the second request comprises the identifier of the terminal or the identifier of the terminal group;

the second request is used for requesting to send the network type currently accessed by the terminal or the terminal group to the first network device when the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group changes.

14. The network device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

and receiving third indication information sent by a third network device through the communication interface, wherein the third indication information comprises the API information.

15. The network device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to:

before receiving third indication information sent by a third network device through the communication interface, sending a third request to the third network device through the communication interface;

the third request is used for requesting to send the API information to the first network equipment when the API information changes.

16. The network device according to any of claims 11-15, wherein the first request is for requesting to obtain the API information, and the first indication information is carried in a response message to the first request; or

The first request is used for requesting to send the API information to the second network equipment when the API information changes.

17. A network device that communicates with a first network device as a third network device, the third network device comprising: a processor, and a memory and a communication interface connected to the processor;

acquiring the network type accessed by a terminal or a terminal group; the terminal group comprises a plurality of terminals, the network types accessed by the terminals are the same, and the network type accessed by the terminal group at present is the network type accessed by the terminals; when the network types accessed by the terminals are different, the network type currently accessed by the terminal group is the combination of the network types accessed by the terminals;

and sending first indication information to the first network equipment through the communication interface, wherein the first indication information comprises the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group.

18. The network device of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

before first indication information is sent to the first network equipment through the communication interface, a first request sent by the first network equipment is received through the communication interface, and the first request comprises the identification of the terminal or the identification of the terminal group;

the first request is used for requesting to send the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group to the first network device when the network type accessed by the terminal or the terminal group changes.

19. A network device that communicates with a first network device as a third network device, the third network device comprising: the method comprises the following steps: a processor, and a memory and a communication interface connected to the processor;

and sending first indication information to the first network equipment through the communication interface, wherein the first indication information comprises information of an API (application program interface) of the third network equipment, and the API information is determined by the third network equipment according to the network type.

20. The network device of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to:

before sending second indication information to the first network equipment through the communication interface, receiving a first request sent by the first network equipment through the communication interface, wherein the first request comprises the identification of the terminal or the identification of the terminal group;

The first request is used for requesting to send the API information to the first network equipment when the API information changes.