CN111406381A

CN111406381A - Communication method, network equipment and terminal equipment

Info

Publication number: CN111406381A
Application number: CN201880076316.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 唐海
Original assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Current assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Priority date: 2018-02-14
Filing date: 2018-02-14
Publication date: 2020-07-10
Anticipated expiration: 2038-02-14
Also published as: WO2019157712A1; CN111406381B

Abstract

The embodiment of the application discloses a communication method, network equipment and terminal equipment, wherein the method comprises the following steps: a first network node receives a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection recovery request sent by a terminal device in an inactive state, wherein the RRC connection recovery request comprises indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating whether to update a secret key of the terminal device, and the first network node is a network node which currently serves the terminal device; and the first network node determines whether to update the secret key of the terminal equipment according to the indication information.

Description

Communication method, network equipment and terminal equipment

Technical Field

The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and in particular, to a communication method, a network device, and a terminal device.

Background

In an existing communication system, in order to reduce air interface signaling and quickly recover a Radio connection, a new Radio Resource Control (RRC) state, that is, an INACTIVE state (RRC _ INACTIVE) is introduced, when a terminal device is in the RRC _ INACTIVE state, a Network may configure a paging area, that is, a RAN paging area, for Radio Access Network (RAN) paging, where the Network does not need to be notified when the terminal device moves within the RAN paging area, and when the terminal device moves out of the RAN paging area, a Network node for keeping the terminal device connected to the RAN and a Core Network (Core Network, CN) is triggered to send a paging message to the terminal device in all cells within the RAN paging area, so that the terminal device in the RRC _ INACTIVE state recovers the RRC connection and receives data.

The terminal device enters the RRC connected state from the RRC _ INACTIVE state, and may be based on the following trigger conditions:

1. the downlink data of the terminal equipment arrives;

2. the terminal equipment initiates RAN position area updating;

3. the terminal device has a need to transmit upstream data.

However, regardless of the triggering condition, it is necessary to update an Access Stratum (AS) key of the terminal device, and the AS key of the terminal device is stored in an anchor network node of the terminal device.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a communication method, network equipment and terminal equipment, which can reduce the signaling overhead of the network equipment.

In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, including:

a first network node receives a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection recovery request sent by a terminal device in an inactive state, wherein the RRC connection recovery request comprises indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating whether to update a secret key of the terminal device, and the first network node is a network node which currently serves the terminal device;

and the first network node determines whether to update the secret key of the terminal equipment according to the indication information.

Therefore, according to the communication method in the embodiment of the present application, the first network node may determine whether to update the key of the terminal device according to the indication information of the terminal device, so that the key is not updated without updating the key, which is beneficial to reducing signaling overhead of the network device.

In one possible implementation, the first network node is an anchor network node of the terminal device.

In a possible implementation manner, the determining, by the first network node, whether to update the key of the terminal device according to the indication information includes:

if the indication information indicates to update the key of the terminal device, the first network node determines to update the key of the terminal device; or

And if the indication information indicates that the secret key of the terminal equipment is not updated, the first network node determines whether to update the secret key of the terminal equipment according to the current service condition.

Alternatively, the first network node may also determine whether to update the AS key according to whether the anchor network node of the terminal device is changed, for example, the first network node may determine to update the AS key of the terminal device when determining that the anchor network node of the terminal device is changed, so AS to ensure reliability of data transmission, and determine not to update the AS key of the terminal device when the anchor network node of the terminal device is not changed, so AS to reduce signaling overhead of the network device.

In a possible implementation manner, the determining, by the first network node, whether to update the key of the terminal device according to the current service condition includes:

and the first network node determines whether to update the secret key of the terminal equipment according to whether service data are to be transmitted currently.

In a possible implementation manner, the determining, by the first network node, whether to update the key of the terminal device according to whether there is service data to be transmitted currently includes:

if the service data are to be transmitted currently, the first network node determines to update the secret key of the terminal equipment; or

And if no service data is to be transmitted currently, the first network node determines not to update the secret key of the terminal equipment.

In one possible implementation, the first network node does not store context information of the terminal device, and the method further includes:

the first network node forwards the indication information to an anchor network node of the terminal device, so that the anchor network node of the terminal device determines whether to update the key of the terminal device according to the indication information.

In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, including:

the terminal equipment in the inactive state determines whether to update the secret key of the terminal equipment;

the terminal device sends a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection recovery request to a first network node, wherein the RRC connection recovery request comprises indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating whether to update a secret key of the terminal device, and the first network node is a network node which currently serves the terminal device.

In a possible implementation manner, the determining, by the terminal device in the inactive state, whether to update a key of the terminal device includes:

and if the triggering event for switching the terminal equipment from the inactive state to the connected state is the update of the RAN position area of the access network, the terminal equipment determines not to update the secret key of the terminal equipment.

That is to say, the terminal device may determine whether to update the AS key according to a triggering event of RRC connection recovery, for example, when the triggering event of RRC connection recovery is RAN location area update, the terminal device may determine not to update the AS key, so that signaling overhead of the network device can be reduced; if the triggering event is that downlink data arrives or uplink data is to be transmitted, the terminal device may determine to update the AS key of the terminal device, so that reliability of data transmission can be achieved.

In a third aspect, a network device is provided, which is configured to perform the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect. In particular, the apparatus comprises means configured to perform the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect, a terminal device is provided, which includes: memory, processor, input interface and output interface. The memory, the processor, the input interface and the output interface are connected through a bus system. The memory is configured to store instructions, and the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored by the memory and is configured to perform the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a network device configured to perform the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect. In particular, the apparatus comprises means configured to perform the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

In a sixth aspect, there is provided a terminal device, comprising: memory, processor, input interface and output interface. The memory, the processor, the input interface and the output interface are connected through a bus system. The memory is configured to store instructions, and the processor is configured to execute the instructions stored by the memory and is configured to perform the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

In a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer storage medium configured to store computer software instructions for executing the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, wherein the computer software instructions comprise a program designed to execute the above aspect.

In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the first aspect or any of the alternative implementations of the first aspect.

In a ninth aspect, there is provided a computer storage medium configured to store computer software instructions for executing the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect, including a program designed for executing the above aspects.

A tenth aspect provides a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the second aspect described above or any alternative implementation of the second aspect.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 is a schematic flow chart diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 3 is a schematic flow chart diagram of a communication method according to another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the application.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the application.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a network device according to another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to another embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, 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 (L on Term Evolution (L TE) System, a L TE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) System, a L TE Time Division Duplex (WiMAX), a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) System, a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) System, or a future communication System, such as a UMTS System.

Fig. 1 illustrates a wireless communication system 100 to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied, the wireless communication system 100 may include a Network device 110, the Network device 100 may be a device that communicates with a terminal device, the Network device 100 may provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area, and may communicate with a terminal device (e.g., UE) located within the coverage area, alternatively, the Network device 100 may be a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) in a GSM system or a CDMA system, a Base Station (NodeB, NB) in a WCDMA system, an evolved Node B (eNB, or eNodeB) in a L TE system, or a wireless controller in a Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN), or the Network device may be a relay Station, an Access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a Network-side device in a future 5G Network, or a Network device in a future evolved Public land Mobile Network (MN L, L, etc.).

The Wireless communication system 100 also includes at least one terminal device 120 located within the coverage of the network device 110. the terminal device 120 may be mobile or fixed. alternatively, the terminal device 120 may refer to an access terminal, a User Equipment (UE), 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 Equipment.

Fig. 2 is a schematic flow chart of communication 200 provided in an embodiment of the present application, where the method 200 may be performed by a network device in the communication system 100 shown in fig. 1, and as shown in fig. 2, the method 200 may include the following:

s210, a first network node receives a radio resource control, RRC, connection recovery request sent by a terminal device in an inactive state, where the RRC connection recovery request includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate whether to update a key of the terminal device, where the first network node is a network node currently serving the terminal device;

s220, the first network node determines whether to update the key of the terminal device according to the indication information.

It should be understood that, in this embodiment of the present application, the first network node is a network node currently serving the terminal device, and optionally, the first network node may be an anchor network node of the terminal device, or may not be an anchor (anchor) network node of the terminal device, if the terminal device does not move to an area outside a RAN paging area of the terminal device, the anchor network node of the terminal device is not changed, that is, the network node currently serving the terminal device and the network node last serving the terminal device are the same network node (denoted as case 1), or, if the terminal device moves to an area outside the RAN paging area of the terminal device, in this case, the network node currently serving the terminal device and the anchor network node of the terminal device are different network nodes (denoted as case 2).

It should be noted that the RAN paging area may be configured in each network device by an operator in advance, or may be determined by the anchor network node according to the characteristics of the displacement of the terminal device. The determination of the RAN paging area is not particularly limited in the present application.

In this embodiment, the terminal device is in an inactive state, and the terminal device may initiate an RRC connection recovery request for recovering the RRC connection between the terminal device and the network under some specific trigger events, such as the trigger conditions described above.

Generally, an anchor network node of a terminal device stores an Access Stratum (AS) key of the terminal device, where the AS key is used for encryption protection of data transmission at an AS layer between the terminal device and the network device, and when the terminal device switches from an inactive state to an RRC connected state, the key needs to be updated, but if a triggering event of RRC connection recovery of the terminal device is RAN area location update, in this case, if the AS key is updated, signaling overhead of the network device may be increased.

Based on the above problem, in this embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may determine whether to update the AS key according to a triggering event of RRC connection recovery, for example, when the triggering event of RRC connection recovery is RAN location area update, the terminal device may determine not to update the AS key, so AS to reduce signaling overhead of the network device; if the triggering event is that downlink data arrives or uplink data is to be transmitted, the terminal device may determine to update the AS key of the terminal device, so that reliability of data transmission can be achieved.

The following describes the specific implementation process in detail in combination with the above two cases.

Case 1: the network node currently serving the terminal device and the network node last serving the terminal device are the same network node.

When the RRC connection needs to be restored, the terminal device may send an RRC connection restoration request to the first network node, where the RRC connection restoration request carries indication information for indicating whether to update the AS key, so that the first network node may determine whether to update the AS key according to the indication information.

For example, if the indication information indicates to update the AS key, the first network node may determine to update the AS key, or if the indication information indicates not to update the AS key, the first network node may determine whether to update the AS key according to a current service condition, for example, if there is a service data zone transmission currently, the terminal device may determine to update the key of the terminal device, so AS to ensure reliability of data transmission; or if no service data is to be transmitted currently, the first network node determines not to update the key of the terminal device, so that the signaling overhead of the network device can be reduced.

Optionally, the first network node may also determine whether to update the key according to other information, for example, the first network node may determine not to update the AS key without updating the key and affecting reliability of data transmission.

Case 2: the network node currently serving the terminal device and the network node last serving the terminal device are different network nodes.

In this case, after receiving the RRC connection recovery request sent by the terminal device, the first network node may forward the RRC connection recovery request to the anchor network node of the terminal device, and specifically, the first network node may send the RRC connection recovery request to the anchor network node of the terminal device in a container (container), so that the anchor network node of the terminal device may determine whether to update the AS key according to the indication information in the RRC connection recovery request. For a specific implementation process, reference may be made to an implementation process of the first network node in case 1, which is not described herein again.

The communication method according to the embodiment of the present application is described above from the perspective of a network node in conjunction with fig. 2, and is described below from the perspective of a terminal device in conjunction with fig. 3. It should be understood that the description of the network node and the description of the terminal device correspond to each other, and similar descriptions may be referred to above, and are not repeated herein to avoid repetition.

Fig. 3 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 300 provided in an embodiment of the present application, where the method 300 may be executed by a terminal device in the communication system 100 shown in fig. 1, and as shown in fig. 3, the method 300 may include the following:

s310, the terminal equipment in the inactive state determines whether to update the secret key of the terminal equipment;

s320, the terminal device sends a radio resource control, RRC, connection recovery request to a first network node, where the RRC connection recovery request includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate whether to update a key of the terminal device, and the first network node is a network node currently serving the terminal device.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the determining, by the terminal device in the inactive state, whether to update the key of the terminal device includes:

While method embodiments of the present application are described in detail above with reference to fig. 2-3, apparatus embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to fig. 4-7, it being understood that apparatus embodiments correspond to method embodiments and that similar descriptions may be had with reference to method embodiments.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of a network device 400 according to an embodiment of the application. As shown in fig. 4, the network device 400 includes:

a communication module 410, configured to receive a radio resource control, RRC, connection recovery request sent by a terminal device in an inactive state, where the RRC connection recovery request includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate whether to update a key of the terminal device, where a network device is a network node currently serving the terminal device;

a determining module 420 configured to determine whether to update the key of the terminal device according to the indication information.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the network device is an anchor network node of the terminal device.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the determining module 420 is specifically configured to:

if the indication information indicates to update the secret key of the terminal equipment, determining to update the secret key of the terminal equipment; or

And if the indication information indicates that the secret key of the terminal equipment is not updated, determining whether to update the secret key of the terminal equipment according to the current service condition.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the determining module 420 is further configured to:

and determining whether to update the secret key of the terminal equipment according to whether service data are to be transmitted currently.

if the service data are to be transmitted currently, determining to update the secret key of the terminal equipment; or

And if no service data is to be transmitted currently, determining not to update the secret key of the terminal equipment.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the network device does not store the context information of the terminal device, and the communication module 410 is further configured to:

and forwarding the indication information to the anchor network node of the terminal device, so that the anchor network node of the terminal device determines whether to update the secret key of the terminal device according to the indication information.

It should be understood that the network device 400 according to the embodiment of the present application may correspond to the first network node in the embodiment of the method of the present application, and the above and other operations and/or functions of each unit in the network device 400 are respectively for implementing the corresponding flow of the first network node in the method 200 shown in fig. 2, and are not described herein again for brevity.

Fig. 5 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application. The terminal device 500 of fig. 5 includes:

a determining module 510 configured to determine whether to update a key of the terminal device, wherein the terminal device is in an inactive state;

a communication module 520, configured to send a radio resource control, RRC, connection recovery request to a first network node, where the RRC connection recovery request includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate whether to update a key of the terminal device, and the first network node is a network node currently serving the terminal device.

Optionally, in some embodiments, the determining module 510 is specifically configured to:

and if the triggering event for switching the terminal equipment from the inactive state to the connected state is the updating of the RAN position area of the access network, determining not to update the secret key of the terminal equipment.

Specifically, the terminal device 500 may correspond to (for example, may be configured with or be itself the terminal device described in the method 300), and each module or unit in the terminal device 500 is configured to perform each action or processing procedure performed by the terminal device in the method 300, and here, a detailed description thereof is omitted to avoid redundancy.

As shown in fig. 6, an embodiment of the present application further provides a network device 600, where the network device 600 may be the terminal device 400 in fig. 4, and is capable of being configured to execute the content of the first network node corresponding to the method 200 in fig. 2. The network device 600 includes: an input interface 610, an output interface 620, a processor 630 and a memory 640, wherein the input interface 610, the output interface 620, the processor 630 and the memory 640 may be connected by a bus system. The memory 640 is configured to store data including programs, instructions or code. The processor 630 is configured to execute the program, instructions or code in the memory 640 to control the input interface 610 to receive signals, control the output interface 620 to transmit signals, and perform the operations in the foregoing method embodiments.

It should be understood that, in the embodiment of the present application, the processor 630 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), and the processor 630 may also be other general processors, Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), ready-made programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or the like. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.

The memory 640 may include a read-only memory and a random access memory, and provides instructions and data to the processor 630. A portion of the memory 640 may also include non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory 640 may also store device type information.

In implementation, the various aspects of the methods described above may be performed by instructions in the form of hardware, integrated logic circuits, or software in the processor 630. The contents of the method disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present application may be directly embodied as a hardware processor, or may be implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in a processor. The software module may be located in ram, flash memory, rom, prom, or eprom, registers, etc. storage media as is well known in the art. The storage medium is located in the memory 640, and the processor 630 reads the information in the memory 640 and performs the above method in combination with the hardware thereof. To avoid repetition, it is not described in detail here.

In a specific embodiment, the communication module 410 included in the network device 400 in fig. 4 may be implemented by using the output interface 620 and the input interface 610 in fig. 6, and the determination module 420 included in the network device 400 in fig. 4 may be implemented by using the processor 630 in fig. 6.

As shown in fig. 7, an embodiment of the present application further provides a terminal device 700, where the terminal device 700 may be the terminal device 500 in fig. 5, and is capable of being configured to execute the content of the terminal device corresponding to the method 300 in fig. 3. The terminal device 700 includes: an input interface 710, an output interface 720, a processor 730, and a memory 740, wherein the input interface 710, the output interface 720, the processor 730, and the memory 740 may be connected by a bus system. The memory 740 is configured to store programs, instructions or code. The processor 730 is configured to execute the program, instructions or code in the memory 740 to control the input interface 710 to receive signals, control the output interface 720 to transmit signals, and perform the operations of the foregoing method embodiments.

It should be understood that, in the embodiment of the present application, the processor 730 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), and the processor 730 may also be other general processors, Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or the like. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.

The memory 740 may include a read-only memory and a random access memory, and provides instructions and data to the processor 730. A portion of memory 740 may also include non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory 740 may also store device type information.

In implementation, the various aspects of the methods described above may be performed by instructions in the form of hardware, integrated logic circuits, or software in the processor 730. The contents of the method disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present application may be directly embodied as a hardware processor, or may be implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in a processor. The software module may be located in ram, flash memory, rom, prom, or eprom, registers, etc. storage media as is well known in the art. The storage medium is located in the memory 740, and the processor 730 reads the information in the memory 740 and combines the hardware to implement the method. To avoid repetition, it is not described in detail here.

In a specific embodiment, the determining module 510 included in the terminal device 500 in fig. 5 may be implemented by the processor 730 in fig. 7, and the communication module 520 included in the terminal device 500 in fig. 5 may be implemented by the input interface 710 and the output interface 720 in fig. 7.

Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a portable electronic device comprising a plurality of application programs, enable the portable electronic device to perform the method of the embodiment shown in fig. 2 and 3.

The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program, which includes instructions, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer may execute the corresponding flow of the method of the embodiment shown in fig. 2 and fig. 3.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware or combinations of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the implementation. 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 application.

It is clear to those skilled in the art that, for convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, apparatuses and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and are not described herein again.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, apparatus and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described apparatus embodiments are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the units is only one logical division, and other divisions may be realized in practice, 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.

The 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 solutions of the present application may be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes several 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 methods described in the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: a U-disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or other various media capable of storing program codes.

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 conceive 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 application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

A method of communication, comprising:

a first network node receives a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection recovery request sent by a terminal device in an inactive state, wherein the RRC connection recovery request comprises indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating whether to update a secret key of the terminal device, and the first network node is a network node which currently serves the terminal device;

and the first network node determines whether to update the secret key of the terminal equipment according to the indication information.
The method of claim 1, wherein the first network node is an anchor network node of the terminal device.
The method of claim 2, wherein the first network node determining whether to update the key of the terminal device according to the indication information comprises:

if the indication information indicates to update the key of the terminal device, the first network node determines to update the key of the terminal device; or

And if the indication information indicates that the secret key of the terminal equipment is not updated, the first network node determines whether to update the secret key of the terminal equipment according to the current service condition.
The method of claim 3, wherein the first network node determining whether to update the terminal device's key based on current traffic conditions comprises:

and the first network node determines whether to update the secret key of the terminal equipment according to whether service data are to be transmitted currently.
The method of claim 4, wherein the determining, by the first network node, whether to update the key of the terminal device according to whether there is currently traffic data to be transmitted includes:

if the service data are to be transmitted currently, the first network node determines to update the secret key of the terminal equipment; or

And if no service data is to be transmitted currently, the first network node determines not to update the secret key of the terminal equipment.
The method of claim 1, wherein no context information for the terminal device is maintained on the first network node, the method further comprising:

the first network node forwards the indication information to an anchor network node of the terminal device, so that the anchor network node of the terminal device determines whether to update the key of the terminal device according to the indication information.
A method of communication, comprising:

the terminal equipment in the inactive state determines whether to update the secret key of the terminal equipment;

the terminal device sends a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection recovery request to a first network node, wherein the RRC connection recovery request comprises indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating whether to update a secret key of the terminal device, and the first network node is a network node which currently serves the terminal device.
The method of claim 7, wherein the determining, by the terminal device in the inactive state, whether to update the key of the terminal device comprises:

and if the triggering event for switching the terminal equipment from the inactive state to the connected state is the update of the RAN position area of the access network, the terminal equipment determines not to update the secret key of the terminal equipment.
A network device, comprising:

the communication module is configured to receive a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection recovery request sent by a terminal device in an inactive state, wherein the RRC connection recovery request comprises indication information, and the indication information is used for indicating whether to update a key of the terminal device, and a network device is a network node currently serving the terminal device;

and the determining module is configured to determine whether to update the key of the terminal equipment according to the indication information.
The network device of claim 9, wherein the network device is an anchor network node of the terminal device.
The network device of claim 10, wherein the determination module is specifically configured to:

if the indication information indicates to update the secret key of the terminal equipment, determining to update the secret key of the terminal equipment; or

And if the indication information indicates that the secret key of the terminal equipment is not updated, determining whether to update the secret key of the terminal equipment according to the current service condition.
The network device of claim 11, wherein the determination module is further configured to:

and determining whether to update the secret key of the terminal equipment according to whether service data are to be transmitted currently.
The network device of claim 12, wherein the determination module is further configured to:

if the service data are to be transmitted currently, determining to update the secret key of the terminal equipment; or

And if no service data is to be transmitted currently, determining not to update the secret key of the terminal equipment.
The network device of claim 9, wherein the context information of the terminal device is not maintained on the network device, the communication module further configured to:

and forwarding the indication information to the anchor network node of the terminal device, so that the anchor network node of the terminal device determines whether to update the secret key of the terminal device according to the indication information.
A terminal device, comprising:

a determining module configured to determine whether to update a key of the terminal device, wherein the terminal device is in an inactive state;

a communication module configured to send a radio resource control, RRC, connection restoration request to a first network node, where the RRC connection restoration request includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate whether to update a key of the terminal device, and the first network node is a network node currently serving the terminal device.
The terminal device of claim 15, wherein the determining module is specifically configured to:

and if the triggering event for switching the terminal equipment from the inactive state to the connected state is the updating of the RAN position area of the access network, determining not to update the secret key of the terminal equipment.